The Problem With Fairy Tales

Chapter 9

Being an immortal warrior and what not, Hayden had never really felt the need to get a minimum wage job.  But if he had, babysitting would definitely be an absolute no-no.  He couldn't even take care of a legal adult, never mind slobbering babies or toddlers. 

He had waited an entirety of 30 seconds before he had gotten up from his seat at the diner.  Big Bob, or whatever his name was, did indeed prove to be a bit of a nuisance,  but nothing that a bit of... persuasion couldn't fix.   In total, the dark haired female was out of his sight for a maximum of two minutes.  What could possibly happen in two minutes? 

Apparently a whole lot, Hayden realised as he stood on the sidewalk across from a small bakery, where Valerie's scent simply vanished.  Some how he had managed to not only cause his mate to loathe his very existence, but now he lost her as well.

Some Prince Charming he was. 

Hayden was going out of his mind with the need to protect her.  To guard.  To love.  That's what mates were supposed to do.  Needed to do.  So, with panic for his mate surging up in him, he took his cell out and dialed the familiar number.

"Hey.  It's me.  I have a bit of a problem."

~

"Screw Prince Charmings!" Valerie cheered as she clinked her beer bottle against her ebony haired companion's. 

With a dark chuckle, Sebastian seconded her words and took a swig from his bottle.  "Not literally, I hope."

"Ew, of course not," Valerie said, rolling her brown eyes, "'Prince Charming' isn't my type."

Sebastian studied the dark haired girl for a moment, his blue-grey eyes dancing with wicked amusement.  "And what exactly is your type then?"  He rubbed his hand over his chin that was covered in a 5 o'clock shadow, then brought his bottle to his lips once more.  There were already a few empty beer bottles around them. 

Valerie thought about it for a moment, and said, "I don't know.  I just know that it isn't him.  He's too... perfect.  He kind of reminds me of a Ken doll.  All white teeth and perfect hair.  I bet he even has abs."

"Oh, how dreadful."

"It could just never work out.  He looks like the photoshoped version of an 'after' photo, and I... just don't."

"You do look like you enjoy a good pizza every now and then," Sebastian agreed matter of factly. 

"Exactly!  Who doesn't love pizza?"  She appreciated Sebastian's honesty.  She was well aware of the fact that she wasn't stick thin.  Some people would have beaten around the bush about her curves - which she thought was dumb, because she didn't mind them one bit.

Valerie wasn't out of shape.  She worked out at least four times a week.  OK, maybe a bit closer to two times a week, but hey, nobody's perfect.  And she was very busy with her job and college and, well, eating.   Point is, she was healthy (-ish), so who cared about the love handles on her hips?  More for lovers to hold on to, in her opinion.  

Valerie's smile dropped, her eyebrows furrowing and her lips settling in a pout.  "Now I really want pizza," she muttered.

Sebastian instantly perked up, his mouth spreading into a wide grin, beer bottle forgotten at his lips.  "Would you like some pizza then?  We could always order in."

"Yes!"   And just like that, Valerie sold her soul for a pizza.  With extra cheese, of course.

~

"And you're sure that she's been kidnapped?  Maybe she just wasn't interested.  I wouldn't blame her if that's the case," Rowan said jokingly, slapping a hand to his friend's back.

Hayden cut the red haired male a look, then sighed.  In a frustrated habit, he dragged his hands through his light brown hair, messing it up even futher.  His hair looked like a bird's nest.  "I'm sure, Rowan.  This has his name written all over it."

"Seriously?  I'm sure that the king of the Unseelie Court has better things to do than kidnap average looking low class human girls."

"He's made it his life's mission to get back at me for what I did, so I wouldn't put it past him to kidnapp an 'average looking low class human girl', who's my mate, by the way."

The red haired male held his hands up in surrender.  "I meant no offense."  Someone's a bit temperamental, he tought.  Not that that was much different from usual. 
"And even if I did think that he was up to this - which I still don't, just so that you know - there's nothing we could do about it.  You of all people know that we have no way of finding the bastard.  Or maybe recent circumstances have influenced your memory as well."

Hayden clenched his teeth.  "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Nothing."  That was a lie and they both knew it.

The brown haired male frowned as he let out another breath.  He wouldn't mind a drink right about now.  "I know that we usually have no way of finding him, but this is different.  Someone left an address in an envelope near the place where her scent vanished." 

He took a rumpled envelope out of his back pocket and held it out for his friend to see.  For a while, Rowan closely studied the piece of paper and the address on it. 

"And this proves...?"  He asked rhetorically, skeptically so.  "This could be a trap and he could have an entire army waiting there for you.  Or this could simply be a piece of paper that fell out of someone's pocket.  For all you know, this address takes you to a taco restaurant."

"But it doesn't.  I looked it up.  It's an abandoned wearhouse."

"Of course Sebastian would pick an abandoned wearhouse," Rowan said, almost as if speaking to himself.  "It's so cliche that he would pick it for the laughs of it alone.

"But," he said, addressing Hayden again, "that still proves nothing.  This just screams Trap, if you ask me."

"And maybe it is, but we have to find out.  What if he has her chained up in a basement, slowly cutting pieces of her away, all because I wouldn't go to this address?"  Hayden waved the piece of paper around frantically.  He was as close to hysteria as he had ever been.  "If you don't help me, I'll just have to do it myself."

Rowan studied his friend for a moment.  Losing a mate meant losing your sanity.  He knew that if something were to happen to the human girl, Hayden would never be the same.  So with a sigh, he said, "You're right.  We should send a request to the Circle."

"Thank you," Hayden breathed, gripping Rowan's shoulder in appreciation.

"If it turns out to be a trap, you owe me a beer."

_______

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