Free dark faerie 06 - ever dead by alexia purdy

insecurities of the memories being real returned to him like a tsunami, flooding his mind with impossible thoughts and unimaginable images.
    He wrestled silently with his demons for a time before finally sitting up determinedly.
    “Let’s go get some breakfast,” he told Luci as he pushed himself up off of the ground. “We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
    While he’d been wrestling with his thoughts moments before, he finally determined what he had to do. He was long overdue for a visit anyway, but now he felt like it was imperative that he speak to her.
    “You are lucky today girl,” he spoke to Luci as he reached down and gave her a pat on the head. “There are always plenty of squirrels at the farm.”
     
     

Chapter 18
     
     
     
     
    Benton stared out across the rooftops, watching the early evening moisture steaming off the tar tops. It was balmy, and evening dew stuck to his cheeks and coated his hands. He could sense Unseelie nearby and it made the fire burst along his veins.
    He was restless, but things hadn’t exactly gone the way they were supposed to.
    Dulci’s introduction had slowed them down significantly. With the cop in her hands, they were free to track down more Unseelie. Portland had been severely affected with its proximity to the borders of Faerie, but the sheer amount of them here was overwhelming. If they didn’t move to seize the banished Unseelie before it got out of hand, their task would grow tenfold in difficulty.
    Who were they kidding? It was already out of hand.
    Even worse with that damn cop on their tails.
    He hoped Dulci had a better solution to work him out of the equation before everything went down the gutter. Everything they’d worked for.
    “What do you make of it, Benton?”
    Nautilus handed him a tin cup filled with steaming tea. Benton made a face as he glanced down into the hot liquid. He liked tea. But they rarely sweetened it with sugar.
    “I don’t like that Hank dude one bit. He’s not right, but I can’t pin point out why.” Benton sighed.
    “How can you stand this stuff?” He added suddenly as he wrinkled his nose and brought the cup to his lips again. He grimaced as the tasteless fluid slid down his throat. It did nothing for his taste buds but it soothed his aches and fed the inner fire that kept his elemental fire alive. “Thanks.”
    Nautilus chuckled as he sipped his own draught from a beaten tin cup.
    “It’ll keep the hair on your chest.”
    Benton downed the rest but shook his head at Nautilus.
    “Whatever.”
    “That Hank dude might be able to help us more than you know.” Nautilus waved his cup toward Benton, his shiny eyes reflecting the evening fire like a mirror. He was pensive…as though he knew something the others did not.
    “So…this Dulci Oracle lady…you never said you’d gotten hold of her.”
    Nautilus shrugged and placed his cup on the ground, already emptied.
    “I didn’t exactly get a hold of her. She got hold of me first.”
    “How the hell did she know you were looking for her?”
    “Dulci is an ancient Oracle. Nothing gets past her much. Especially not here in Faerie.”
    “My sister Shade knows an Oracle named Ilarial. The woman is like some sort of earthbound angel or something. Kind of creeps me out. They…know shit about you…you know? Stuff no one else knows.” Benton almost shuddered at the thought. Oracles were some of the most powerful faeries he’d ever met, but they were inherently good natured, even though the way they looked at others made it seem they knew more than they should know about everyone.
    “Yeah, but they’re harmless. Every faery clan has one. A clan without an oracle is one without a center, without focus.”
    Benton rolled his eyes. He didn’t quite care for some of Faerie’s customs, including letting one person decide the fate of others. Ilarial had told Shade about her fate and how she had to save the faeries by taking on a dangerous journey. It was all in favor of each