“We’re here Tessa.” Haldir laid Tessa on the bed then pulled the covers up over her shoulders.  Rubbing his hand over her head, Haldir glanced down at Teddy as he sat on the edge of the bed facing the wall. “Have you been able to reach her yet?”

As he closed his eyes, Teddy imagined himself in a dark room. He saw Tessa standing on the edge of that cliff she was always on, staring over the side as she twisted her lips and rocked back and forth. Standing beside her, he snapped his fingers in front of her and said, “Are you awake yet?” 

When she didn’t answer him, Teddy snapped out of his trance and shook his head no. “I can see her now, but she isn’t ready to talk yet.”

Haldir ran his hands through his blonde hair then leaned over and put his elbows on his knees. “You’ve done a good job tonight Teddy, better than anyone could have done, but I’ve got this now. Go take a shower and get some sleep.”

As Teddy closed the bathroom door behind him, Haldir kissed Tessa’s forehead then went to the kitchen. He opened the cupboards and sighed as he looked over all the food as he tried to decide on what to eat.

Always the paranoid type, Jasper had taken great care to keep the apartment well supplied at all times just in case they needed to get out of town for a while. Haldir rubbed the back of his neck as he shut the cupboard door then opened the refrigerator and smiled. “Well, thank the Fates for small blessings.”

Taking the bottle of Vodka from the door, he unscrewed the cap and took a long gulp of it. “To Jasper and Isabelle.” Blowing out the cool sting of his words and the alcohol, Haldir flinched as he heard a voice from behind. “What’s going to happen now?”

Haldir leaned against the old enamel kitchen counter and took a deep breath. “We need to wait for Billy. He’s supposed to meet us here if…he’ll know what to do about Tessa. I don’t know much about potions and such.”

Teddy sat down at the kitchen table. “Rafik told me what to do for her. He said to give her as much Burdock root and fluids as she can tolerate for a few days to get the poison out of her system quicker. I made the doctors give her a bunch of fluid and I stuffed as much of those pills as I could in her mouth while we waited on you.”

Swallowing another drink, Haldir wiped his mouth on the back of his arm. “You think he knew what his parents had planned?”

Shaking his head, Teddy sighed through his nose as he slid his fingers back and forth on the tabletop. “No. He had no idea Haldir. He was a mess when he saw Tessa like that.”

Nearly falling out of his seat when he jerked in fear as a knock came to the door. Teddy put his hand on his chest and gasped back a breath when a deep Scottish voice came from the hallway. “It’s Billy, Haldir.”

Haldir nodded to the bedroom. “Go in and lock the door. If anything happens, you get her the fuck out of here and take her to Michael and wait for me.”

Once the bedroom door shut behind Teddy, Haldir bit his lip and looked out the peephole at the tall stout Scot with a bushy gray beard and long wavy gray hair looking back at him. Billy stepped back and put out his arms and spun around. “It’s just me.”

Reluctantly opening the door, Haldir peeked down the hallway in both directions then nodded inside. As Billy crossed the threshold, he pulled his hand down on his beard. “Well, that certainly fell the fuck apart quickly. Didn’t it?”

“They poisoned them at the fucking dinner table while they were planning out Tessa’s future with her mate.” Haldir wiped his hand across his mouth. “What the fucks happening in Savannah?”

Crossing his arms, Billy shook his head. “It’s a bloodbath. A good old-fashioned coup. While Omar was busy with Jasper, his sons took out the rest of the Mason’s. Then his family over in Africa got most of Isabelle’s people as well. It was well coordinated. Jasper had a lot of dirty motherfucking traitors in his coven.”

Closing his eyes, Haldir rubbed his forehead. “Teddy seems to think the youngest boy didn’t know what was happening.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Billy raised his eyebrows. “I can’t see how he wouldn’t know. This couldn’t have been a secret.” Glancing around the room, Billy asked, “How are the kids?”

As he motioned with his hand, Haldir walked Billy to the bedroom. “Teddy didn’t take the poison, but Tessa’s in bad shape still.”

Leaning against the door, Haldir knocked and spoke in a low voice. “It’s alright. Open up.”

Teddy opened the door slowly then stepped aside to let Haldir and Billy in. Billy put his hand on the side of Teddy’s face then leaned in and put his forehead against Teddy’s. “I’m sorry Lad.”

Billy sighed and shook his head as he saw Tessa as white as the sheet she was lying on. 

“What did they do to you? I’ll have them all hung from the rafters for this. We don’t fucking kill children.” He sat on the bed beside her then rubbed his hands together. Placing a hand on each temple, Billy pulled up her eyelids one by one and looked over her bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils. 

As he twisted his lips to the side, Billy clicked his tongue then he pulled back her lips with his thumbs and inspected her gums. 

Taking her hands in his, Billy flipped them over and inspected her palms. “Jesus. The fact that she’s even still breathing is a miracle. We know what they had planned for Jasper and Isabelle, but what they did to Tessa was not accidental. The dose she received was massive. They meant for her to die tonight as well. Have you given her anything?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Teddy curled his lips under and nodded. “Her mate gave her the antidote.”

As he pulled his brows down in confusion, Billy looked back at Teddy. “He did?”

Nodding as he licked his lips, Teddy’s eyes teared over. “Yes. Then he told me to give her Burdock root for a few days. I gave her a bunch at the hospital.” 

Billy leaned over and placed a kiss on Tessa’s forehead. “Rest now child. Uncle Billy will settle all accounts for you.” As they left the bedroom, Teddy shut off the light as he gave Tessa another look. 

Sitting down at the table across from Billy, Teddy crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair as Haldir brought him a glass of water. After he took a drink, he set it down and cleared his throat. 

Billy rubbed his fingertips against his lips and smiled kindly. “Tell me everything that happened, Teddy. Start from the beginning and don’t leave out any detail.”

Teddy nodded and licked his lips as he looked back towards the bedroom. “Everything was alright. She and Rafik were all lovey dovey. Omar and his wife couldn’t have been nicer.”

Drumming his fingers on the table, Billy sniffed as he played out scenarios in his head. “What about his other sons?”

Shaking his head, Teddy pushed out his lips. “They weren’t there. He said they had other plans.”

Billy nodded and said, “Go on.”

Teddy took a deep breath and coughed to mask the burning throat and tears that wanted to fall. “While we were eating, they were working out the rules of Tessa’s betrothal. Tessa could tell something was wrong, she warned me in my head and grabbed my hand. Before I knew it, Momma was dead. Then Daddy started bleeding from his nose. I got Tessa back to the house and sent the servants away. When she came back with our bags, she was bleeding everywhere. Rafik came and…” 

As Teddy paused the recollection of tonight’s events, Billy raised his eyebrow. “What did he do?”

Teddy looked up to Billy and sniffed back his tear. “He gave her his blood, he made her drink it.”

Nodding his head, Billy sat into the seatback. “He saved her life.” As he thought about it, Billy stood up and looked out the tiny window that looked over the dirty town outside.

“The council won’t stand for this kind of treachery. They’ve authorized the other Orders to clean house in Savannah. Jasper gave me specific directions about what he wanted done. We’ll kill them all. The Idrissi’s and all Jasper’s two-faced brethren at the Order.”

Teddy shook his head. “No. You can’t kill Rafik. He didn’t know any of this was going to happen.”

Billy smirked and huffed out through his nose. “I don’t kill children, Teddy, but he will have to pay for his involvement in all this.”

Licking his lips, Teddy knocked his fist into the table and shook his head. “You didn’t see him when he saw Tessa laying there on the floor. He was devastated. Furious. He didn’t hesitate to help her. He didn’t know, I’ll stake my claim on it.”  As Billy looked back out the window, Teddy glanced up to Haldir. “There’s something else you need to know.”

Billy turned around and leaned against the windowsill. “What is it lad?”

Thinking back and trying to remember the words Rafik spoke, Teddy closed his eyes. “He said some kind of spell over her and drank some of her blood.”

Chuckling out through his nose, Billy leaned over the kitchen chair. “That little, brilliant rascal. Do you remember the words he spoke?”

Shaking his head, Teddy said, “Not all of it. Just the last bit. Táimid ar cheann anois.”

Billy closed his eyes and sighed out an irritated breath. “Oh, shite.”

Teddy laughed to himself and nodded. “Yes, that’s what I thought you might say. So it’s true then?”

Haldir came closer and put his hands on the table as he leaned over it and looked at Billy. “What the fuck ARE you saying?”

Knowing that the old Realm custom was ridiculous and definitely frowned upon on Earth, Billy tossed up his fingers and shrugged. “I’m saying that Tessa is a married woman.”

Chuckling out at the preposterous idea, Haldir crossed his arms in defiance. “That can’t be. She’s not branded.”

Sitting back down at the table, Billy took a pack of Marlboro’s from his shirt pocket and fished out a cigarette. “Nor is it necessary that she be. Although that custom is still very popular here, it’s not the only way to solidify a vow of marriage. Their union was blessed when Rafik offered his blood sacrifice to save her. The Fates allowed her to live when she should have died. It was their gift and approval for what he did.”

Taking a drag from his smoke, Billy blew out through the side of his mouth. “We’re going to Savannah tonight to get the ball rolling and catch them with their pants down. They won’t be expecting us yet, but luckily Jasper saw this coming. If I can get the death dealers to take Rafik alive, I’ll put him in protection somewhere until Tessa is old enough. Then it’s her cross to bear. I’ll not come between a husband and wife. I don’t need that kind of karma on my soul.”

As he rubbed his aching head with the heels of his hands, Haldir stated the obvious. “How in the hell are we supposed to tell Tessa that she’s bound forever to the son of the man who tried to kill her?”

Teddy shook his head as Jasper spoke through him once more tonight. “We don’t.” Looking to Haldir, Teddy narrowed his eyes. “I realize that my father wanted us to go with you for our protection, but she’s my blood, no one knows her like I do. I make those decisions for her from now on. I’ll tell her someday when I think she can handle it.”