Page 44 of Iron Unicorn

Someone in Montana must have betrayed my dislike of crustaceans for them to have been able to make advanced preparations. The entire lot would pay somehow. “I think this bears repeating, Your Highness. You are a bastard.”

Rather than become offended, the Mexican dipped into a bow. “It is an honor to serve.”

TEN

She would not accept excuses, only results.

Robertoand his agents abandoned me to the crustaceans. For the most part, they swam around the tank and minded their own business. The basket with the crawdads proved to be the biggest threat.

Someone had forgotten to put bands on their little claws, and they had a tendency to explore above the mud in the plastic-lined floating torture device. While the water came up to over my ankles, outside the basket bumping against me a time or two, I escaped death.

I would forgo exercise for a few days as I held the opinion my heart did not need any more damned exercise. My watch remained quiet, however, indicating that the exposure therapy likely wouldn’t kill me.

After an hour, I came to the conclusion I had no way of wiggling free, and even if I did manage to escape from my predicament, I had no way of busting out of the tank without wading through crustaceans. My first test of my talent had resulted in a thirty minute nap along with a learned lesson on the effectiveness of maximum security suppressors.

The stronger the talent, the worse it hurt.

The jolt, however, had done a good job of knocking some sense into me. It had also done an excellent job of exhausting me to the point I barely had enough energy to realize my nemesis surrounded me with no realistic way to escape.

I admired the ruthlessness and cunning of the bastards responsible for my situation. The maximum security suppressor’s jolt would be enough to reflect through just about any level of empathy bond. If everything was as Carl claimed, Olivia would have gotten feedback.

If she showed up, the bond was as good as confirmed, and I would need time to consider the consequences and how best to approach the situation.

Worrying about the uncharted waters of having a concentrated empathy bond beat debating the many ways the crabs, shrimp, and lobster might end my existence.

In reality, the cold water might do me in first. The chill crept up my legs, and I bet I’d have a solid case of hypothermia by the time the princess figured out which hellhole Roberto and his RPS agents had dragged me to. I almost pitied the Texan RPS.

Princess Olivia was a force of nature when she wanted to be.

She would not accept excuses, only results.

Sometime after resignation had taken hold and I’d grown numb to the presence of the crustaceans, the combination of the chill and exhaustion warped time. Someone rubbing at my shoulders roused me, and it took several long moments to realize my muscles had become stiffened to the point freedom would come at a hefty price of pain. Blinking led to registering that someone had dismantled the tank, leaving a wet mess on the warehouse floor. Large, clear tubs filled with water housed the crustaceans.

A rather curious Princess Olivia crouched beside the nearest of the containers, which contained the king crabs.

I lacked the energy to do more than grunt my disgust.

“Back with us?” Carl asked, and he snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I thought about biting him, decided against it, and began the tedious process of getting the crick out of my neck. “Not precisely.”

“Olivia, stop playing with the crabs,” the RPS agent said. “It looks like Terry has decided to rejoin us.”

The princess hopped to her feet and bounced over. According to the manic grin on her face, she had entered her personal version of heaven. “You’re afraid ofcrabs?”

I would never live my phobia down, and I heaved a sigh. Aware I was about to put myself through some hefty discomfort, I rolled my shoulder. It went better than I expected, and I continued to work the muscles. “Yes.”

She giggled, came to me, and leaned over, smoothing my hair with her hands. “I’m afraid of lizards, so you can get a good laugh the next time I’m forced to go to a reptile exhibit. I about had a heart attack to find out someone with a shitty sense of humor had decided to tweak my nose.” She pointed across the warehouse, where a folding table held several manilla envelopes packed with papers. “I absolutely love crabs, so a bunch of asshole royals got together to give me a gift congratulating me on being able to breathe. They just used you as their delivery service while doing exposure therapy for you. I’msosorry you got dragged into this, Terry. They’ll pay for scaring you so badly, though. Mark my words, I will make them pay while thanking them.” She turned to regard the tubs of crabs with wide eyes. “Ilovecrab. And shrimp. And lobster! But I’ve been told I can’t eat the two big ones. They’re too precious. So, those have to become pets. They won’t be safe in Montana. We’re demons about eating seafood, so I’m going to impose on Rachel and have her help me house them.”

I marveled at how the whole situation had gotten twisted. I could see the scheme working. The royalty in question, by presenting it as a prank meant to help me with a phobia while showering Olivia with something she loved, could ease her into the realization she needed to act one way or another. The reason behind the ‘prank’ would defuse negativity, a serious concern when royal talents came out to play.

I could play at being unaware of the situation and behaving as normal. The idea she needed to see me act the same as always made sense.

Her changed nose changed nothing of how I felt for her. I just hadn’t realized my friendship with the woman had any chance of growing into something more. My awareness that Olivia could become something more than a cherished friend put me at ease.

If Carl was right, things would work out. I didn’t have to worry much. I just needed to do as always, valuing Olivia for her friendship and company. If there was a bond, if it developed, I would welcome it. If not, I lost nothing.

She remained my friend and someone I could rely on no matter what.

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