Chapter 102

Oliver

“Take care you two… and remember to Call when you get there.” Said Frigus. He sounded more concerned than his usual serious self, because I’d like to think over these past few days we’d actually bonded as pack.

“I will. I’ll also make sure to mail you guys some souvenirs too.” I smiled, shaking wrists with Phillip. His smile was a little bittersweet, as the questions I’d asked about his lineage brought up the painful memories of the old times. They were to be remembered so no one could ever forget, and they also served as a concrete warning to be careful who you trust.

“Oh, and if you shift out there beware of trolls. They really do run the toll booths throughout Europe.” He chuckled. He had no idea that I’d hired arguably the best trolls money could buy to be my eyes and ears while we were out, so I could actually try to relax.

“And the Three Billy Goats Gruff?” I asked as a joke, but he and his mate shared each other a look.

“…. Satyr mercenary Rebels you really don’t want to come across.” He said stiffly.

“Bye everyone!” Yelled Autumn, and I waved with her, going to the car.

“I can’t wait to show you the apartment I rented out there.” I told her while I drove, enjoying the peaceful postcard snow and pine forest that made me want to go roll in it.

[I know you’re just barely still in range. You didn’t get tickets in this state did you?] Linked Phillip.

[Jentucky.] I linked swiftly; I didn’t want Autumn to worry.

[You’re getting too far away… be careful.] He linked. He was trying to say more, but I couldn’t make it out, but I could guess. Assassins were likely at the airport in West Virginion.

“To be honest I can’t wait to try the restaurant across the street from it!” She said excitedly. The small one way road was all I let her see of the reservation I’d made. We were going to Stockholm, the countries capital to relax, but if we stayed right here, it would be fine too. The pines here in this part of the country were pretty old, and one could tell that there was still a magical world to be explored… New Apple was a jungle of concrete and fast paced deals.

I almost wished I could take this with me. My phone stopped me from telling her more, because I had to take this, it was business as much as I absolutely Hated that I had too. It was my own damn fault for not returning Brutus’s mate a little sooner… but I wanted him to squirm a little. Maybe with a taste of his own medicine and unable to prove who did it, he’ll sit his old ass down and leave my mate alone.

One could hope anyway……

“Yeah Winston?” I asked

“Alpha, I think we may need to rush your plan.” He said referring to Brutus’s mate.

“Do what you have to do.” I said as vaguely as I could. Hopefully if someone was within earshot of our conversation, then they would assume I was talking about a rouge or something.

“We’re already on it. Also, in lighter news I would like to let you know that the arrangements of your supernatural wedding ceremony has been arranged by Lord Saiyoken.” He said as if he were smiling.

“That’s good, but my mate still wants to use her mother’s dress.” I said looking at her smile gently.

“I told Echo…. Alright. Please enjoy the rest of your honeymoon. We got this. There is nothing else to report.” He said hanging up.

“I hope they aren’t hiding if they need help, we can always go back.” Said Autumn, and I shook my head, pulling into a parking space. I’d scheduled a private flight pulling favors with Goblin Airlines, which was an opportunity I wouldn’t be able to get again if I canceled.

“Honestly, if we don’t go now, we never will. We’re Alpha and Luna of a huge pack that spans across the largest city in the country. We will never get a chance like this again.” I chuckled.

“It almost doesn’t feel like it….” She said with a small smile.

“Because we both work on what’s right for the pack…. Though I have to admit this is the longest time I’ve ever been away.” I admitted. “Oh, and once we get our bags checked, we’re not going via the Marigold, I’m borrowing Lord Vizfa’s.”

“You seemed to have thought of everything.” She mumbled.

“I just figured since Brutus has so many connections, it would pay to use some of my own. Goblins know only two things: respect and money. If you cut a deal with them, they won’t overstep their terms.” I told her. I’d traded him quite a bit of money to not only keep this secret, but also to have us transported and protected during and after the trip until we got home.

I held her hand as she took her time, getting coffee and sipping it quietly. I got one as well, but unfortunately since I am the Dead One, coffee no longer worked on me unless I really got my heart to pump.

The line to get our bags checked was long, and since I got tickets, well arrangements anyway, I was thankful that I didn’t have to worry about mortals sharing our flight. We still had to go through the line, and it wasn’t that long. We weren’t really traveling during a rushed time like Solsticemas or something, and for that I was thankful.

[Meat.] East growled a rumble in my head that made me thankful that I’d just so happened to have blinked, otherwise everyone would have seen my eyes flash.

I kept my eyes closed and told him later. I hid this from my mate…. she didn’t need to know.

It was interesting though to see so many goblins. They were the guards, cashiers, customer service, and everything else in between. They ran the airline racket just as I had all the hospitals in East New Apple. Westport and all law offices were vampires, the dragons ran tourism and the rental apartment rachet, the witches and unicorns ran law enforcement. These guys dominated a market too. Transportation, customs, cars, banks, and military grade weaponry were controlled by one cartel or another.

“Have a good day sir.” Said the goblin, letting us through, and pointing us to the gate we needed when I showed him the email on my phone.

“Can you tell me how to get to this gate?” I asked, which was a crappy code phrase. The goblin lord had given him instructions in their language, so I could only assume from here on out we would get special treatment.

When we got to Lord Vizfa’s jet, he’d already had everything ready to go… though the security guards he had that would escort us on our flight smelled off. They weren’t regular trolls.

“Lord Oliver, Lady Autumn.” Said the one on the left as we went up some stairs to get onboard. It seemed these guys were from likely Kingdoms United, having brutish, villain-like accents that you’d hear in a movie.

Inside…. I felt a little nervous, seeing as how we were in closed quarters, and I was both poisonous and venomous… Just because I always carried the curative serum with me didn’t mean that I didn’t remember when I almost killed my mate… hell everyone on the Marigold. We buckled up, so they could take off. We were already cleared, courtesy of paying the man who owns the place. We’d still have to make one stop for refueling though.

I felt a gentle touch. “Oliver, I know what you’re thinking… you’re not going to hurt anyone.” She said pointing to the men who became trolls, and it did make me feel a little better.

Trolls regenerate so fast you could cut off an arm, and it would be back before you finished swinging the weapon that’d done the damage. They looked like goblins, with pointed ears, fangs, claws, however they weren’t three to four feet tall. These guys looked about six and a half, and their skin was blue. They had a hierarchy based off that, that much I knew about their people, but that was about it. We didn’t run in the same circles. There were four in total including the stewardess, with the darkest blue troll wearing a leather jacket, and about half a foot taller than his counterparts. I’d heard the captain was a dragon, but he nor his copilot came out to greet us.

Trolls, goblins, and hobgoblins were all a type of lower elf. ‘Lower’ in the eyes of other types of elves because they behaved more like shifters than other fairy folk, but respected because of their unnatural strength and monetary power. It was said a troll could snap a dragon’s neck with the swing of the clubs they could summon, though to mee they didn’t look it. They were fit, and I could see toning on their muscles…. But a dragon? Maybe a small one.

“Don’t worry Lord Gray, we know about your condition. Even if you did manage to poison a troll, we regenerate new cells faster than your venom can kill us …. But that doesn’t mean that a true dose wouldn’t hurt though.”

“It’s why I asked your lord to have you guys on board.” I said with a small smile. They didn’t return it. The female stewardess, who already had plates of raw for me and the trolls, and cooked steak for Autumn came out to serve us while we were conversing. She looked like an elf, though her skin was a medium blue.

“He would’ve done it anyway. We value humans. They’re as good of an asset as they are good eatin’.” Chuckled the darkest blue troll, and the rest followed. I didn’t. It made me feel bad for Autumn being the only mortal around.

It pissed off East. He wanted to come out and yell at them, but I would handle this.

That was something you’d say if there weren’t any around to hear…. And even then that was in poor taste.