or excitement. I didn't like that he had no affect on the phone.
"Where is he?" I asked.
"That's better. He's with us. Humans are so much easier to take with my magic than the fey."
"Let me talk to Julian."
"No," he said.
"Then I think he's dead, and if he's dead you have nothing to bargain with."
"Maybe I just don't want to let you talk to him."
"Maybe, but if I don't talk to him then he's dead. Something went wrong with your plan to kidnap him and he's already dead." My own voice sounded matter-of-fact and not excited or scared either. Maybe after a while so much happens that you just don't have enough energy to get excited at the beginning of the emergency. Maybe that's what was wrong with Patterson too.
I heard a sound on the other end that I wasn't sure of, and then Julian's voice, "Merry, don't come. They're going to ..." I knew the next sound, flesh hitting flesh. I'd heard enough to remember.
"I've gagged him again. I promise you that I won't kill him if you come and make Bittersweet big like your Royal."
"I can't guarantee that the magic will work for every demi-fey," I said.
"She's part brownie. She has the genetics inside her for being bigger, and both her father and her brother can do it. She can be whatever she wants to be." Now there was emotion in his voice. This he wanted to believe. This was his lie to himself, that there was a way to be with his lady love in a real way that wouldn't kill her. He needed to believe that, just as I needed to believe that he wouldn't kill Julian.
"I can try, but Julian goes free whether it works or not."
"Agreed," he said, and his voice was back to no affect. I was almost certain he was lying. "Come alone," he said.
"I can't do that. You know that."
"You've seen Bittersweet's work. She's very creative, Princess." There was another sound that I wasn't certain of, and then a sound from a man. It wasn't a scream, but it wasn't a good sound either.
I heard the higher-pitched voice of a woman. "Scream for me, human, scream for me!"
Julian's voice came thick and low with effort. I knew the sound of strain in his voice as he fought not to scream. "No." He said it calmly and clearly.
Steve's voice rose. "No, Bitter. If you kill him, she won't make you big."
Her voice was a high-pitched whine now. "I'll just cut this part off. He won't miss it."
"If you hurt him too badly there won't be anything to save," I said, and it was my voice's turn to be emotional. Fuck.
"Bitter, you want to be big, don't you?"
"Yes." And her voice was already changing. "Oh, God, what have I done? Where are we? What's happening? Steve, what's happening?"
"You need to come tonight. No police or he dies. No guards or he dies."
"They won't let me come without guards. I'm pregnant with their children. They won't let me come alone." We'd already had that talk days ago, and Galen had won this one point. If the bad guys called and wanted me to meet them alone I wouldn't do it.
Bittersweet was crying, and from the sound of it she was on his shoulder near his ear as she sobbed. At least this side of her personality wouldn't hurt Julian. In fact, I raised my voice and said, "Bittersweet, it's Princess Meredith. Do you remember me?"
"Princess Meredith," she said and her small voice was closer to the phone, "why are you on the phone with Steve?"
"He wants me to make you bigger."
"Yes, like you did for Royal," she said and her voice was calming as she talked more.
"He says if I don't do it he'll kill my friend."
"He just wants us to be able to love each other."
"I know, but he says that you'll torture my friend if I don't do it."
"Oh, I could never ..." and then she saw something and started to make little screams. "Blood, blood on me, what did I do? What's happening?" Her voice got farther away and Steve was back on the phone.
"I need you to meet us tonight, Princess."
"She needs help, Steve."
"I know what she needs," he said, and again there was emotion in his voice.
"Let Julian go."
"You should have guarded your friends and lovers better, Meredith."
I started to say that Julian wasn't my lover but Doyle touched my arm and shook his head. I trusted his judgment and