rogue shifter 07 - cut off (14 page)

I smiled. "Remind me to show you my dagger. It's not just symbolic."  His brows arched with interest. "Are you talking about casting some kind of spell over me?"

"Yes. With it I can boost the strength of your shields, enough to keep Kennet and Fionna out of your head."

"That's some claim, especially where Kennet's concerned."

"I've been researching the Arcane for quite some time."

"We're not talking a blood spell, right?"

He released my hand and sat back. "I've never explored the Dark Arts. I thought you knew that."

"Sorry. I did know. Have you used this spell before?"

He hesitated. "I have not."

"So this would be an experiment?" The idea of being his guinea pig wasn't terribly appealing.

"I've done quite a lot of research regarding your bloodlines. A healer like yourself is able to accept benevolent magic, absorbing it thoroughly to gain the most benefit. The spell should work, as long as your healer is dominant. Is it?"

"Not always in the DR, but in Faerie, I think it may be my strongest defense." My healer was the glue that urged my cheetah and demon to work together. "I don't have any fae magic to call on."

"If you'll agree, I'll travel home now to get the ingredients I'll need. Perhaps there's a fae available who can transport me?"

"We have a good friend, Elizabeth Hooper. She's a local witch and will probably have the ingredients at her shop. I'll call her. Angel's working a job in Portugal, otherwise I'd call him."

"Thank you. I'll need to get started right away. Is there a place here that's out of the way where I can work?"

"The basement has a small kitchen. You're not gonna blow the place up, right?"

He grinned. "It's highly unlikely." We both stood so I could retrieve my phone where I'd left it on the kitchen table. Simon tentatively took my hand. I left it there as we walked down the stairs, knowing what that small gesture had cost him. I was feeling just as fragile, but perhaps more hopeful.

Elizabeth agreed to speak to Simon directly, their conversation growing excited as they discussed spells and ingredients. I was shocked, but also grateful when she invited him to her house to put the spell together, offering to help however she could. Witches and sorcerers were not usually keen on working together. Simon drove over, saying he might have to work through the night.

I paced in the kitchen, still antsy. What I needed was a chance to work off my tension.

Rick answered the door. He gave me the once over, taking note of my harried expression and disheveled appearance. After spending several seconds gazing at the weapon I held in my right hand, he asked, "Did Sash or I do something to anger you?"

"If you don't ask me inside, then yes. It's raining."

He seemed to notice the weather for the first time. "Oh. Sorry. Come in." He pointed toward the couch, indicating that I should sit. "Would you like some tea?"

"When have you ever seen me drink tea?" I put the weapon on the couch then began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace.

"With Aislin or Noriene?" I didn't answer. "Would you prefer Scotch?" he teased, knowing I never ventured into "Hard Liquor Land."

I pointed toward the ancient sword. "You want to see me waving that baby around while I'm drunk?"

Rick laughed long and hard. "Truly, no. May I?" he asked and I nodded. Rick pulled the sword out of its sheath, then held it up to get a good look. "This is a German bastard sword. Well made." He held it out then whisked it around a few times. "Good balance. Nice." He put it back in the sheath then looked at me curiously, waiting for more info.

"Can you teach me?"

"How to fight with a sword?"

"Yes."

"Jackie, you can eviscerate someone with magic. You have an arcane dagger that can change shape and obey your will. Why do you need a normal sword?"

I had to admit, that was a good question. "All this waiting around is driving me nuts. Farrell had an extra one and I figured you could show me. It's German." I added.

"Ja?" He teased with a grin. Rick was born in Bavaria. He put on this thickest German accent. "Unt zince I'm a cherman bastard, I can use a cherman bastard sword?" He was laughing full-out now.

"Oh. So you're saying you don't know how?" I snatched the sword back and glared out my challenge.

He shook his head and held out his hand. "If you hurt yourself, Garrett will be pissed. Please hand it over." I narrowed my eyes and complied grudgingly. "Sash and I can teach you to fight with a sword, but you should spar against a female closer to your height. Also you should start off using wooden practice swords." He thought for a few moments. "Ask Kellaine to help you out. She's only a couple of inches taller than you. Brina or Keara would turn you into sushi."

"Please. I can't sit around anymore."

I must have looked desperate, because Heinrich sighed in resignation. "Lets go to the gym downstairs. We've got a couple of practice swords in the cabinet."

After an hour of "basics" I was sore and no less antsy. My frustration stemmed from the fact that all the important planning was going on in Cascade. I was cut off from anything to do with the decision-making. Everyone expected me to just sit around on my ass and wait for the queen to respond to our last letter. Ugh!

I left the vamp villa and kicked a rock, watching it skitter across the lawn, scaring a squirrel in the process. I felt useless and helpless. Garrett was still a prisoner and I hadn't done a freakin' thing to get him back.

I was shocked to see that one of Sinlae's males, Aymis, was working in the garden. He'd lit the area with fae light, so all the plants had a kind of pinkish glow.

"Did Caelen allow you to come back?" He'd ordered all the fae to return to Cascade. Liam, Kellie and Farrell were the only ones too stubborn to obey.

"The garden must be tended, lady. We have worked it for sixteen years and cannot see it whither because of the queen's folly. I stole away, but will return to Cascade in a few hours. No one will miss me, which is sometimes a great advantage."

Our garden was quite large and although he had magic of his own, it was too much for one demi-fey. "Tell me what I can do to help."

Because the rain had stopped, he had me deadheading roses and then weeding the small wildflower garden near Will's apple tree and Bridgett's orange tree. We took a break after two hours. Aymis perched himself on the back of the iron bench, his boots protecting him from the effects of the metal. I joined him there.

"You were at court, Aymis, correct?" I asked.

"Yes, I escaped the court thirty human years ago. If it were not for my lady Sinlae, I would not have survived, nor been admitted into Cascade."

"Really? Would you tell me the story?"

"My lady found me starving on the borderlands. I was surviving on insects and whatever I could steal from the gardens. Demi-fey are experts at remaining undetected by our larger cousins.

"When I saw her hovering before me, her dagger unsheathed, I thought an angel had come to kill me. I was quite ready to die at her hand, but instead she fed me and hid me in her own home, a warm and comfortable paradise.

"Her family found out and would only allow me to stay if I worked the rose gardens. They are the most dangerous for a demi-fey because of the large number of birds that feed on the insects there. They require round-the-clock care. I agreed without hesitation, roses being one of my passions as a gardener.

My lady was also told she must take full responsibility for my actions. She agreed instantly, and so on that day I pledged my life to my angel warrior. When I found out she was coming to live with you, I despaired of ever seeing her again. There was no prouder day in my life than when she asked me to join her here." He glowed with pride and love, his tiny teal wings humming in the strangely silent night. Perhaps the night dwellers also listened to his tale.

"We appreciate all that you've done here."

"I thank you, Lady Jacqueline, for you and my lady have given me purpose and hope where there had been none. My time with you and your family has been well spent."

I smiled, thinking of Garrett and the day we'd pledged our hearts and souls to each other. "I have an angel warrior of my own."

"Yes, lady, and like me, he is a fortunate male."

I looked at the moon, wondering if Garrett could see it from where they were keeping him. "What's it like there? At court?"

"It was once the most beautiful place you could imagine. The seelie laughed daily and spent time admiring our gardens, offering us small gifts or an exotic tidbit in appreciation. We were respected, even loved by some of our larger cohabitants. In those times all were mindful of The Balance." Although his words spoke of beauty, his sad tone formed a knot in my heart.

"When King Finvarra and Queen Aine left Faerie, Caelen became king. We were pleased because we found him to be a responsible and respectful soul who wanted Faerie to thrive above all else. However his sister, Fionna, was dark in her desires, and to avoid a confrontation that could have led to civil war, Caelen chose to found a new Sidhe. He left most of my people behind because he knew the court needed us to thrive. He never imagined what would happen."

"Were you angry?"

He looked out over the lovely garden he'd created with Sinlae and a dozen other demi-fey, some of them his own children. "Saddened. Then frightened." He glanced at me. "You've heard how they use us?"

"Yes." They kept the demi-fey they could catch apart from the others, hung them from cages and used their blood for its strong protective power.

"We lost thousands."

I gasped. "I'm so sorry, Aymis. How did you escape?"

"Not everyone at court loves Fionna. I made contact with a mongrel who had not yet been broken."

"Mongrel?"

"It is what the queen calls those seelie who have mixed blood."

"But then why would she want Charlie at court?"

"Because she is afraid. Of course she will not admit to her fear, but she is an intelligent female. She sees with her own eyes how her people have weakened since she has taken the crown. The Prophesy has struck her soul with fear. She thinks if Charles is at court, he will protect her."

"She's wrong. He'd fight against her, especially if she's hurt Garrett." I walked toward the woods, not wanting him to see my face. "Sometimes I'm afraid for Charlie. Afraid of his—his heritage." Charlie's powers were obvious now, although they needed refinement. "He'll be able to control someone's mind, the same way his father controlled mine when I was his prisoner." I shuddered and reached out an arm to support myself against an oak tree.

"Lady Jacqueline." I turned as Aymis bowed low to me. "I have known your son his entire life. Because of his age, his reactions can be immature at times, but when he grows into his manhood, he will not use his power unjustly."

"If you're wrong, no one will be able to stop him. He could become a mons...he could be like Kennet. Or worse." This was my greatest fear, one I rarely spoke of.

"Like his half-sister, Fionna, Kennet enjoys the pain of others, even from an early age. Your son cried when we found a rabbit that had strangled itself in the garden fencing."

"He was ten."

"At ten, Kennet had already killed half a dozen demi-fey and mounted them like butterflies on his wall. When Fionna saw them for the first time, she told him they were lovely and that she'd help him catch more."

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Strumming my guitar, I sat on a hand carved wooden bench at the edge of Isaiah's large patio, the full moon just peeking over the rugged mountains in the distance. My mom had told me that if you looked closely you could see caves, and if you were lucky, you might notice a shadow moving across the barren surfaces, the shapes familiar and yet surreal. Isaiah said that the winged creatures allowed no one to look at their true forms, only their shadows, and so far that was all I'd caught a glimpse of. Still it was up there on my list of "coolest things I'd ever seen," and I'd definitely seen more cool shit than most guys my age.

I strummed a few minor chords, the darker sound bringing my mind back to what was going on at home. My dad was alone and imprisoned, maybe even being tortured. I knew for sure that he wasn't thinking about himself. He was worried about me and Mom while we sat around worrying about him. I stopped playing and slumped, my stomach in a knot. There had to be something I could do to help.

I felt her energy before she materialized beside me on the bench. "Hey, Marie. Do you have news about Dad?"

She spoke in her old fashioned formal way, which I'd always thought was kinda cool. "Your mother sends her warmest greetings. Your father is still held prisoner by the foul queen, but Lord Caelen, your mother, and several other fae will be journeying to court within the next days to negotiate a peace."

"She can't go there." I stood, clutching the neck of the guitar. "Fionna will throw her in a cell." Who'd protect her?

She took my hand and eased me back to the bench. Her skin was cool and dry but never creepy cold like you might think. "Their party will arrive at court under the auspices of a binding truce. Fionna will fear to harm them, risking Lord Caelen's wrath and perhaps even the wrath of The Balance itself."

"Are you saying the fae religion is alive?"

"It is not a religion as you might think of one, but it is the root of their magic and their lives. When The Balance shifts, the fae may fall ill."

"It's a balance-of-nature thing?" I asked.

"It's not just about nature, you know." Isaiah had appeared in the chair across from us.

I scowled. "My conversation could have been private."

"My house. My rules." He shrugged. "I can hear you anywhere on my property no matter where I am."

"Great." I frowned. By now I should be used to living inside a glass house, but true privacy was something I'd be willing to sacrifice a lot for.

Isaiah continued. "It's balance in all things and it applies to my people as well. As much as we demons enjoy chaotic adrenalin surges, the intelligent among us also see the benefit of down time. Clarity brings balance, even to us.