Fae (33 page)

“You are the only true thing I've had in my life. The one honest love. You are so special to me,” she said as she wept. “And I don't know what I'll do without you.”

The doctor nodded at me as I moved forward to Caroline and put my arm around her. If she thought it was strange that I was there, she didn't say. When I looked down at Caroline and saw the grief on her face, I instantly made up my mind.

One look.

One simple look and that was all I needed.

All it took for me to court the
dark
magik
and use it for her. I looked at the doctor and silently ordered him to leave the room. He nodded as if he was in a trance and did as I bid. I looked down at Famous, who was close to his last breath, then looked over at Caroline.

“Leave us.”

“What?”

“Just go, Caroline. Please.” If it was the look in my eyes or her trust of me she nodded slowly and walked out.

I heard the door close before I put my hands on the frail animal. He watched me intensely, and I could see the life slowly leaving him.

“Come back,” I told him as I felt the light rush around my body. I could feel his pain, the last thuds of his heart. I could feel the infinite love he had for Caroline, I could feel it all. And my energy began to work around his tiny body, mending the evil my sister had done. Bringing this animal back from the dead and knowing that what I was doing would be the demise of my very own soul.

For I was breaking the cardinal rule of all Fae.

Never interfere with death.

For what is meant to be, will be, and cannot be changed or altered. But I could not watch this innocent die, or worse, watch Caroline suffer. I would break any rule just to take her pain away.

“A Danann vu mata.
Face death, but choose life
,” I demanded of him. His body levitated off the table under the light in my arms, and I watched as my energy healed his body, his being. It took only seconds. I lowered him to the table again. And brushed my hand across his head.

“How are you, my friend?”

He was, of course, different now. No ordinary dog. Immortal until Caroline left the earth, part Fae from my energy and full of life. Hers for eternity. I knew he smiled at me, and I heard him say, “T
hank you.”

“You are very welcome,” I told him. I ran my hands over his body and made sure he was okay before I turned to get Caroline, inform her of the miracle that had just taken place. But I didn't have to.

She was standing right in front of me.

And I knew she had seen the whole thing.

There are moments in your life when things happen and you walk away and wonder if it you had imagined it all. You wonder if your eyes played tricks on you, or if your imagination ran away with itself and got the better of your rational mind. These are the moments that are often times the most profound and life changing. And they stay with you forever. Imprinted in your mind and ready to replay over and over again. I closed my eyes thinking that when I reopened them, the vision would be different. But it wasn't. All I saw was a bright light. And Devilyn.

I couldn't shake it from my mind. The questions that were racing through my brain, endless. Why? But more importantly,
how?
When I saw the light emerge from Devilyn's hands, I was entranced. For a moment I believed that my grief had taken a hold of me, and I was overcome with the feeling of loss. I wiped my eyes and looked again and knew that I wasn't imagining anything.

The vision before me was real.

In my wildest dreams I couldn't imagine my dog being lifted by this light up and off the metal table. I couldn't imagine hearing Devilyn speak in an ancient tongue that was foreign to me, yet seemed so familiar. My mind was not playing tricks on me. What I was witnessing was reality.

It was truth.

And when he turned and saw me staring at him, his eyes were an iridescent black. Filled with bright shimmering light and yet, at the same time, a darkness resided within its depths. I could feel my body tingle all over as if there was an electrical force moving through me. He stood there for a long moment, his eyes glittering, his palms facing me, and it was almost as if he half expected me to run away from him.

The movement on the metal bed caught my attention. I watched as Famous slowly sat up and faced me. He wagged his tail and gave me his special smile. His eyes were brighter than they were before, but he was alive.

He was
alive.

Devilyn moved away from the table and allowed me to walk up to him. I reached my arms out, and he jumped into them, licking my face joyfully. I couldn't stop the tears from running down my face.
He was alive!
I hugged him tightly to my chest and looked over at Devilyn. The light was gone from his eyes, and he was back to being the normal high school student that I knew. His face was devoid of any expression as he waited silently for me to speak.

“Th-thank you,” I whispered overcome with gratitude, but in awe over what I had just witnessed.

Devilyn met my gaze.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“No,” I told him honestly as I stroked Famous.

“So what now?” he asked quietly.

“Let's go somewhere we can talk,” I replied, surprised at how calm I felt. I wasn't frightened in the least bit. A normal person would have run out of the room and never looked back, but whatever I had just witnessed had been too beautiful for me to walk away from.

And strangely enough, too familiar.

Devilyn nodded in agreement at me and opened the door to the room. We walked out through the lobby and past the nurse who was looking down. I looked back, wondering if the veterinarian would come searching for us, but he was nowhere to be found.

As we walked by the front lobby the nurse glanced up, and when she saw me holding Famous in my arms all she did was smile.

“Have a nice day,” she said in a cheerful voice. I looked from her to Devilyn who avoided my gaze. It was like the Twilight Zone. Was everyone in a trance? Had Devilyn done something to these people? A part of me did not want to know the answer to those questions.

“Thanks. You too.”

Devilyn's car was parked right out front. He walked toward the passenger side and opened the car door for me, always the gentleman. When I sat on the leather seat, holding Famous in my arms, I couldn't help but feel strangely content. Devilyn walked around the car to the driver's side, keeping his head down the whole time.

Once inside, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the engine. We were both silent and still, and strangely, so was Famous.

What would we say when we finally spoke?

How could I let him know that what I witnessed wasn't frightening to me or repulsive? That if it was possible, I cared even more deeply for him.

As soon as we drove out of the parking lot, I knew that he was planning on taking me to his home. Somehow I felt that where he lived played an important role in answering all of my questions, including who he was. When we finally reached the circular driveway, Odin was standing outside as if he had been waiting for us.

And maybe he was.

I looked down and saw that Famous was sound asleep in my arms. Once Devilyn's car came to a stop, Odin approached the car and opened the door for me.

“Hello, my dear,” he said warmly. He looked down at Famous and rubbed his head. “He will sleep now, at least for a full day.”

“How do you—” I began to ask, but stopped myself.

Odin only smiled at me as I stood up from the car and waited for Devilyn. Odin continued looking at me, and I noticed for the first time how different he looked from other men in their sixties that I had seen. Even though his face was older, he really didn't have the regular signs of aging that normal people did.

Odin suddenly held out his arms. “Let me take him, my dear. I promise I will see to his comfort for the next day. He will be safe here, Caroline,” he continued.

I nodded my head, not once glancing away. I don't know why, but I believed him.

I reached up and handed the sleeping dog to the old man, not hesitating once, knowing that Odin would protect him with his life. Odin took him from me and made his way up and into the house as the entrance doors opened on their own accord.

I stood motionless, still in awe over all of the seeming moments of magic I had witnessed today. Devilyn was now standing next to me, looking as though he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and dreading the conversation ahead.

“Let's go inside,” he finally said, holding out his hand to me. I looked down at his hand and up into his eyes. The moment had been brief, but my hesitation took long enough for him to change his mind, and he let his hand drop to his side. He must have thought I was repelled or even frightened by him.

“Give me your hand,” I demanded, my voice full of emotion.

He looked down at me, and I saw hope in his eyes. Without hesitation he reached down and put his hand in mine. I lifted his hand and placed my other one above it.

“I don't know what you are,” I began in a soft voice, “or what I saw. But what you did for me…” I couldn't keep my voice from shaking. “What you did was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done.”

I looked up at him and held his gaze.

“And I love you for it.” I slowly turned his hand over and gently kissed his palm.

“Caroline.” His voice sounded rough, like he was fighting tears. I looked up, and he pulled me closer to him, holding me tighter than I had ever been held before. He ran his hands through my hair and pulled my face within inches of his.

“Caroline,” he said again. I closed my eyes and lifted my arms up to his chest. I never wanted to move. Never wanted the moment to end.

With his hands still in my hair, he pulled back from me, just enough that his lips lightly whispered on mine as he spoke.

“You don't know,” he said softly. “You don't know what you mean to me.”

I knew the depth of his words. I knew how strong my feelings were for him, and if his were even close to mine then I had the answer to the most important question. I knew that going forward nothing between us would ever be the same.

Devilyn pulled his head back and continued staring deep into my eyes. Not once removing his gaze from mine.

“We need to go inside,” he told me as he took another deep breath in.

He immediately pulled away from me and put his finger to my lips. “I want you to talk to him.”

“Your grandfather?” I asked curiously.

“Odin.”

The name immediately registered in my mind. Before I could speak, Devilyn placed his hand in mine and began guiding me up the stairs to his home. As I climbed the stairs to the entrance my mind suddenly began to race. Odin? His grandfather's name was Odin? He was named after a revered Norse God. The one who presided over the great halls of Valhalla. I was barely able to keep up with Devilyn, trailing behind as my mind continued to wonder.

I hadn't even noticed that Devilyn had suddenly stopped and turned to look at me.

“Before we go inside his study, I want you to know that he is exactly who you think he is, Caroline.” He looked down at me as if trying to see what effect his words would have on me. “And he is going to answer all of your questions.”

I nodded at him and allowed him to continue guiding me down the long corridor.

Devilyn finally stopped at the entrance of the study. The wooden doors were already wide open. We both faced the room, and I watched in wonder as the large wax candles suddenly lit up magically before me.

“Are you okay?” Devilyn asked.

I squeezed his hand. “Yes. More than okay.”

We walked into the room, hand in hand, and into a new world. Into the unknown. But I had no desire to stop; my legs and my mind just kept moving forward. When I saw Odin standing with his back turned, my heart sped up a bit, but he didn't say anything even though he knew that we were both there.

Instead he turned and took a seat in a large chair before the biggest fireplace I had ever seen. Strangely, I hadn't remembered it being there before. Famous lay sleeping in a cozy bed before Odin's feet and before the roaring fire. He looked peaceful and happy, and Odin, I noticed, now wore a long deep red velvet cape.

Odin reached out his hand toward me.

“Come, child,” he said in a gentle voice.

I held onto Devilyn's hand and looked at him for assurance.

“Go to him,” he replied as he smiled down at me and released my hand. I nodded in agreement and began walking up to Odin, taking both of his hands in mine.

He smiled at me and then said very gently, “You have the look of your mother.”

I immediately fell to my knees before him and couldn't stop the flow of tears.

“You knew her?” I whispered in shock.

“Yes.”

“Why?” I cried not able to help myself from saying the words I had been thinking ever since I found out that I was adopted. “How could she, how could she give me up?” The words tore out of me.

Odin placed his hand on the side of my cheek.

“Oh child, she loved you so deeply. So fully. She never wanted to see your pain. She wanted so much for you, never wanted you to leave her side,” Odin began gently. “But she had no choice in the matter.”

“What do you mean,” I asked.

“Your parents shared a love like no other. So deep, so true and pure. They were soul mates. Meant to be from the moment they both were created,” he began in a voice filled with anguish and grief. “You were a child of love. Pure love. Never doubt that, Caroline. I was there, I saw the
magik
that existed between them, and I saw the love they had for you.”

I smiled through my tears.

“Then why?”

Odin looked over at Devilyn, who nodded his head.

“Tell me,” I replied, noting his hesitation. “I need to know.”

Odin looked at the fireplace, and I watched as the flames began to move, to undulate as they had the moment I first set eyes on Devilyn.