The Fae Book 3: Butcher and Raine

Chapter 13 (Raine): In The Blink Of An Eye

"I can't believe such little things could do this," I told Burr as we surveyed the wreckage of my mother's studio early the next morning. I'd sent him an SOS text this morning, complete with the picture where the fairies had spelled out dearg. Daisy was keeping my mother busy inside with Fitz so Burr and I could talk freely about...fairies. No big deal. Just your everyday, run-of-the-mill vandals.

Burr's head came up from where he was looking at dearg spelled out on the floor of the studio, and he looked at me with those eerie silver eyes as if I hadn't grasped something of major significance. And maybe I hadn't, because all I'd seen was the power of lightning between Burr and Butcher; no power display from the fairies themselves.

"The fae have unimaginable power, Raine. Beyond comprehension." His hand waved to encompass the studio. "This is nothing for them."

"Well, that's kind of scary to hear, that this kind of destruction is nothing."

He shook his head. "They're getting bold because they know that their time above ground is coming to an end. Or it will be if I can ever get that asshole to work with me. They want to cause maximum pain before we drive them underground."

"Trashing my mother's studio is a great start. This hurt her on many levels, and by extension, me."

"My fault for calling her guard off after Butcher was no longer a threat."

I almost choked. "Butcher's no longer a threat? How did you ever come to that conclusion? His very existence in this world is a threat."

Burr, as men could do, ignored what I said about Butcher and focused on my mother. "I put a guard back on her, but I'd be surprised if they bothered her again. They delivered their message."

"I appreciate it, just for my peace of mind."

"Ghlanadh suas é," Burr said.

"Was that the command to guard my mother?"

"No. That's garda, but they're already doing that. Ghlanadh suas é means clean it up."

"Oh, that's very nice, but they don't have to do that --"

Burr cocked his head and then burst out laughing. 

"What's the joke?" I asked.

"They just told me tá sí níos deise ná tú féin, a bhaiúnaí." He waited a beat before translating. "She's nicer than you, bastard. They aren't fond of cleaning, and they're especially not fond of cleaning up the moon fae's messes."

I laughed, but then my smile fell. "I wish they were underground."

Burr's face looked grim. "I do, too, especially since they're only going to get worse, but I can't put them there unless I can convince the asshole to work with me."

"Don't hold your breath," I warned.

"Trust me," he said. "I'm not."

As Burr started to walk away, I called to him. "Thank you."

"Not sure you should be thanking me, Raine. I released the dearg from Butcher, which started everything."

His shoulders were slightly slumped as he walked off, not something I was used to seeing from Burr. Even as a boy, he'd strutted around with all the arrogance and assurance of a king. He'd known he was special and he'd known that he would play a very important role in the world of the fae when he turned eighteen.

I didn't like seeing Burr like that, frustrated and unable to accomplish the mission that would literally make the world a better place for decades to come. And since he was married to my best friend, that explained why, less than two hours later, after psyching myself up, I was driving along a lonely country road toward the Mayhem compound.