Holding Samuel in my arms, knowing he was safe sent me into a meltdown that was long overdue. I sniffed his blond curls, kissed him all over and wept like a baby. My lips gently brushed his cheeks, his forehead, his eyelids, and his perfect little nose. Ethan held both of us as I blubbered and shook. My world was finally right. Samuel's wound had already healed and there were no marks to be found on his skin. However, the internal scars would stay with him. I knew this from experience and I despised that for him.
We had brought him into a world that was dangerous and deadly. I had hoped his real life lessons would begin after a happy and secure childhood. Thanks to The Corrine that was not going to be the case. If I could kill her over and over again I would. However, I would have made her suffer like my son had suffered. A quick death had been far too good for her, but dwelling on that was futile. She was gone and Samuel was in my arms.
"You got bigger, buddy," I cooed into his hair and blew a raspberry on his cheek. His glorious shout of little boy laughter was the most beautiful sound in the world and I couldn't help but join him. I would cry the rest of my tears in private. My son needed me to be strong and happy. He made the task so very easy.
"Mommy, you so silly. You make the bad boys and girls fly!" He pointed at the dangling Fairies and giggled. "Me want to fly too."
"Nope," Ethan said as he took Sammy into his arms and held him close. "No flying until we get home. Got it?"
"Yeth, Daddy! Me got it!" He snuggled close to his favorite man, stuck his thumb in his mouth and sucked contentedly. "Me love my mommy and daddy," he whispered and my chest constricted. I knew I didn't technically have a heart, but something was there because it grew three sizes like the Grinch's did.
"He's adorable," Susu squealed as she flipped in the air for a delighted Samuel. "I could just bite those little cheeks."
"Um…no," I said as I swatted her rotating body away from my son.
"I was speaking figuratively," she huffed and flew back to my baby.
Until she spoke I had forgotten there was anyone but myself, Ethan and my precious son in the room. Her voice brought me back into the stark reality of where we were and what still had to be done. I glanced up at the Fairies and my stomach churned. They were staring. Many eyes spit hatred and others were full of fear and shame. There were at least four hundred of them hanging in the air awaiting their sentence. How in the fuck was I going to do this?
"Are you going to kill them all?" Lulu whispered in my ear, startling me. "I think you should wipe out every last one of the motherfuckers."
"That's not how I roll," I told her as she shrugged and darted over to Ethan and Samuel. She joined Susu's flipping act as my son clapped wildly for the nutbag Mini Elves.
"Hey, Boobie McHootermunch," Jane grunted as she yanked a terrified The Simon, a trembling The Randy and a still unconscious The Paula out from under their thrones. "What should I do with them?"
I eyed the reality show hosts and realized they had very little to do with what had gone on in Xanthia for the last several hundred years. I vaguely remembered being told that they had been living in the human realm for at least a thousand years. Motherhumper, it felt so good to recall facts without landing in an agonized heap on the floor.
"Let them go. They're innocent and someone please tell The Paula to lay off the Fairy Juice," I said.
"Will do," The Simon yelled as he hightailed it out of the ballroom, leaving his cohorts in the dust. The Randy heaved a big put upon sigh and threw The Paula over his shoulder.
"If she throws up down my back, I'm bringing her back here to be destroyed," he said as he bowed to us. "Martha and Jane, congrats again. Your performance has been burned into my brain and it will take centuries to remove it." He quietly made his way out of the ballroom with The Paula flopping all the way.
"Was that a compliment?" Martha asked Jane in confusion.
"Yep, he fucking loved us. I'm gonna call him and The Simon when we get home and have them put in a good word for us with the producers of the US version of American Idol."
"You got their home phone numbers?" Jane inquired dubiously.
"You betcha. I also got their cell phone numbers, emails, Twitter handles, Facebook passwords and their home fucking addresses."
"You da man," Jane said as she treated us all to a vulgar gyration.
I grinned at the old biddies and realized that everything did happen for a reason. As many times as I'd regretted saving their lives, I was wrong—dead wrong. While I was never going to hang out with them on a daily or monthly…or even yearly basis, I would take care of them always. They had earned my loyalty because they had fought for my child. No amount of riches could ever repay that.
"What will you do with us?" an angry voice demanded from above. I glanced up and rolled my eyes.
That dangling fucker was messing with my chi. I was still in the Land of Happy and I wasn't ready to leave…but that was too bad. I eyed the irate Fairy with detached curiosity. The one who had spoken was definitely going on the naughty list. His pinched face was filled with hatred and he hissed with fury.
"I don't know," I said as I sat down on the end of the stage, put my finger to my pursed lips and feigned deep thought. The sarcasm in my actions was lost on no one, especially the pissed-off asshole floating above my head.
"Get on with it, you low life scum of a Vampyre whore," he grunted as he tried in vain to release himself. I was under no illusion as to what he would do if he were to be freed. Furthermore, I was not a low life scum and why in the Hell did these assclowns keep calling me a whore? My son didn't need to hear language like this from others. My offensive mouth was more than enough. Time to end the shindig.