Peek Into the Freehold, or A Break from School

     "Are you always going to be such a damn cold fish?" Tyler asked angrily, trying to cover hurt pride with bluster. He wiped at his mouth roughly, redcap teeth flashing as he glared at his girlfriend. "It’s all fine snuggling when you say so, but when I try to get a couple of kisses, you freeze up. What the fuck?"

     Amelia Lavinia von Nordenheim stared at him calmly, her icy blue eyes never leaving his. She stood with absolute stillness, her back ramrod straight, not a hair out of place. Her gaze met his abruptly, and her voice was chilling. "Would you rather die before seeing sixteen?"

     The redcap snorted. "If you’re going to let your father control everything you do for the rest of your life, you’re not going to make much of anything."

     The sidhe’s eyes narrowed as she took a single step away from her boyfriend. "Forgive me for not indulging your animal lust, but I find that there are things more important to me than simple physical gratification."

     He threw his hands up in the air, growling. "Oh, I see. When you want me, it’s loving expression. When you decide it’s too close for dear old Daddy to smell or some other fucked up thing, it’s just lust. When the fuck are you going to make up your mind whether you want me or not?"

     Amelia’s eyes narrowed, and if anything, her gaze grew colder. "When did I ever say I wanted you?"

     Only years of extreme patience and long experience in dealing with Amelia gave Tyler the strength to not blow up at such a statement. He took a deep breath, thought again, and gulped several more, forcing himself to calm down. I bet there isn’t another fucking redcap in the world who’d put up with this, he thought, gritting his considerable teeth together. "Amy, honey, I love you. I’ve loved you since we were babies, and I know you feel the same way about me. I promised you when you turned thirteen that I’d wait until you were eighteen before we…well, you know. What the hell makes you think I’d break a promise to you?"

     To some, perhaps, it wouldn’t appear that the ice had melted an inch, but Tyler saw the softening in her eyes. Amelia sat on the windowseat, flicking a glance at the night, always on alert for her father. "I…I know you wouldn’t break a promise, Ty. I…I just can’t risk anything upsetting Daddy. He’s all I have, except for you." Her face became bitter for a moment. "I don’t even have a damn title, so why risk what little I do have?"

     Sighing with relief that she’d budged a bit, Tyler walked over and sat beside her, sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her close enough to nuzzle her hair a bit. "I know, dove. And believe me, you’ll get whatever title you want. I don’t think your dad will let you have anything less than princess." He gave her a one-armed squeeze. "Besides, it’s not so bad being a commoner." His hand slid up beneath her golden hair, stroking and massaging her neck gently. "We have a lot more freedom than rulers do, and we can spend our days doing anything we like." He ended his sentence close to her pointed ear, and placed a soft, nibbling kiss on the deliacate peak of her kith’s mark. Amelia jerked upright, pushing him away with a violent motion, anger flaring in her eyes.

     "So that’s what the whole soothing thing was about! You jackass! Get out of my room! Do you know what Daddy would do if he saw you doing things like that? He’s already mad enough that you’re my boyfriend!"

     Tyler jumped to his feet too, answering rage burning with a sudden flare. "And God knows we can’t have Daddy mad at you! Is this the way it’s always going to be? Daddy before anyone else except yourself? Why the hell do you have to be such a bitch all the time?"

     Her entire body froze, and her face went cold, expressionless. Without a word, she turned her back on him and went to the opposite window. Sitting on the unpadded sill, she looked out into the darkness. Tyler, realizing too late that the unpardonable word had crossed his lips, also froze, and took several steps towards her as if to apologize. One icy blue eye slid into his line of sight, and she turned fully to face the window, her shoulders squared. Growling with rage, the redcap stormed from the room, slamming the door as hard as he could. Amelia remained still as she heard him stomp downstairs and slam the front door, earning an irritated yell from Bertram as one of the younger children woke up and began to cry.

     The young sidhe walked around her room, calmly dressing herself for bed. Locking doors and windows, she flicked off the lights and padded softly to the bed. Cool, smooth sheets were welcoming, and she sank into the bed with a grateful, oddly choked sigh. The pillow was soft, and she burrowed her face against it, closing her eyes, blocking the glow from the digital clock. For long minutes, the room was silent as Amelia let herself fully relax. As muscles unknotted, and she stretched a bit, she pulled the pillow into her arms, resting her cheek against it. Quietly, as she did all things personal, she pressed her eyes into the cotton. Silently, she began to cry, sobs shaking her slender body as she curled around the pillow in her arms. Tears ran down her cheeks and soaked into the hand towel tucked into the pillowcase at just the proper angle.

     She’d put the towel in the laundry in the morning, and Bertram would give her a fresh one as he did every Saturday. No questions were ever asked, no information was ever offered, and Tyler never knew. She wouldn’t explain to him the kind of danger he played with so casually, as if

Luther would simply give him a stern talk and release them to do as they pleased. One thing the redcap didn’t seem to realize was that her keeping him at bay was keeping him alive. Amelia did look forward to having a family one day, indeed, a secret dream was presenting her father with his first grandchild, but not for many years to come. As she cried, Amelia had to wonder just how possible that was. It seemed less and less likely every time they had these fights over her insistence on adhering to Luther’s rules. They bent them often enough, with stolen kisses and quick caresses, but she was absolutely not willing to risk, not only their lives, but her future for a couple of sweaty hours. She cried herself to sleep, one more time.

     Cold concrete made itself uncomfortable through the seat of his jeans, but Tyler didn’t move. Rage burned hot enough that he was thinking about sleeping out in the woods that night. No matter what he did, no matter what he said, nothing was ever good enough. She could find fault with God if given the chance. Growling, he rose abruptly and snatched a squirrel out of a nearby tree. Redcap hunger rose, and he bit the squirrel’s head off with a snap of his jaws. Chewing furiously, he stormed down the sidewalk, kicking various items and chewing the squirrel as if it was his last meal.

     Silently, a short, muscular shadow detached itself from an air conditioner and slithered to the ground. Making about as much noise as a worm sneezing, the Nagah padded after the redcap, watching him intently.