The Gazing Globe (15 page)

"Just about everything," Blain admitted. "Afton isn't at fault. I told her I'd throw you and her off my property if she didn't come clean about what the hell was going on. I know you weren't fantasizing. I know what I am."

"You had no right revealing this information to him, Afton. It was Shayla's place," Hugh reprimanded her.

"I know, but he's been so confused about everything. Please don't be angry with him, Shayla. The responsibility for revealing our powers to him is mine. If someone needs to be punished, let it be me."

"Just what did you reveal to him?" Shayla raised an eyebrow and looked at her in a threatening fashion.

"I formed a vision circle. He not only saw the Order, but he changed into his true form. Somehow, when he believed in what he saw, his powers came to him."

"You formed a vision circle? You?" Shayla asked in disbelief. She stepped away from Blain and moved toward Afton. "You've never shown any tendencies toward having that kind of power."

"I know. Something just happened that magnified my concentration. I'm sorry, Shayla. My intent wasn't to usurp your authority but to help Blain."

"No harm was done, Shayla. Afton just helped me learn who I truly am." Blain wrapped a protective arm around Afton and pulled her to him. "That's what you wanted wasn't it? For me to believe?"

"And what are you, Blain? Are you Druid, fairy, or both?" Hugh asked curiously.

"I changed into a fairy, but I haven't used any other powers...if I have other powers," Blain responded.

"What else do you know?" Shayla questioned.

"Everything. I know somebody wants to harm me, though Afton tells me none of you seems to know exactly why."

"Aye, lad," Hugh said as he approached him. "That's one of the reasons we wanted to invite your acquaintances over. After tonight, we may know who's wanting to harm you and why."

"I should punish you for your interference, Afton, and I would do so except Blain seems to be taking this rather well. Is that what your little tryst in the woods was all about? Why you wore Druid clothing in front of him?" Shayla asked.

"Yes."

"And when I found you embracing on the front porch, that was to throw me off the scent, so to speak?" Shayla looked at both of them, crossed her arms over her chest and arched her eyebrows

"Yes, but all that was my idea Blain didn't have a clue as to why I was kissing him,"Aftonreplied and lowered her head in repentance

"Don't ever try to hide anything from me again. What were you and Blain about to do when Hugh and I walked up just now?"

"That's none of your damned business1" Blain's anger was growing as the moments passed No one had a right to question his and Afton's actions Afton might have been raised to be subservient to Shayla, but he hadn't

Hugh glowered at his nephew "Blain! No one speaks to Shayla that way. She's the leader of our Order and must be respected at all times."

"Let him speak, Hugh He's unfamiliar with our ways, and I want to hear him out" Shayla held up a hand to indicate Blain should continue

"Afton and I are adults I wouldn't presume to treat you and Hugh the way you're treating us We've been followed, watched and probably manipulated I'm sick of it and won't be treated with any less respect than you demand for yourself If you're angry with me for expressing my opinions then you'll just have to do your worst But leave Afton alone She's only been trying to help me and without her, I don't know what I'd have done "As Blain finished, he clasped one of Afton's hands tightly

"Are you quite through9" Shayla asked as she placed her hands on her hips

"No I want to learn everything I can about this Order and my parents' place within it I'll need help adjusting to this fairy thing as well I assume none of you have wings, so I need to be introduced to someone who can relate Someone like me "

Afton stood in stunned silence She glanced at Hugh and knew from his own stunned expression that he was thinking her exact same thoughts Very few people had spoken to Shayla Gallagher in such a fashion without spending a fortnight as a toad or some other hapless creature After years of conjuring and studying, she commanded other powers than those a normal Druid possessed.

"Hold your tongue, lad, unless you don't want it anymore," Hugh softly murmured, trying to warn Blain.

"No, I agree with him," Shayla murmured as she slowly nodded. "If I do as you request, Blain, you must listen to what I tell you and learn. Will you accept my guidance and cooperate?"

Blain nodded as he took the older woman's hands in his. "I promise, Shayla. So long as there are no more secrets or hidden agendas, I'll do everything you want. Just tell me everything from now on."

Shayla smiled. "You're so like your father. Stubborn and proud. But he was driven away from the things he most loved, as was your mother. I won't see that happen to any of our young people again.

Freyja was a dangerous maniac." She took his hands. "Come now, Blain. We have much to talk about."

As Shayla walked away with Blain, Hugh and Afton stared at one another.

"I thought she'd turn me into a mushroom or something," Afton whispered in relief.

"If the outcome had been different, lass, she might have. But Blain's taking this unbelievably well, and it's clear to even an old fool like me that you're the reason why."

Afton ignored Hugh's opinion about Blain's reasons for acceptance. Instead, she voiced her trepidation by saying, "I hope everything will work out. All Blain needs to do now is accept the Order. If he finds it's too much to handle, none of us will ever see him again. Despite what you, me or anyone else may feel for him."

"Aye, that frightens me a bit as well. If he can't accept what he'll see, and he won't keep his powers secret, you know what will have to happen, don't you?"

Afton wrapped her arm around the older man's waist, and he looped his arm around her shoulders.

Afton did know what would happen. Blain would be put to death. That was the only other option for such a circumstance. No one could be allowed to live if they threatened the Order in any way.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen, Hugh. All we can do is hope."

Seven

"There's no way Rhiannon has anything to do with this," Blain adamantly declared while pushing himself away from the kitchen table. He stood and began to pace. He'd made love with the woman, and he couldn't believe she'd have shared those passionate moments with him for some ulterior motive. Even if there was no commitment involved, she wouldn't do what Shayla and Hugh were suggesting.

"We aren't accusing anyone, lad. It's just that Ms. Stone has been closer to you than anyone else in town. She'd have access to your personal things. Like the lock of hair we found," Hugh explained.

"Perhaps she isn't using personal items of yours to do you harm, but someone might be getting your belongings from her."

"Did you ever give her a lock of your hair for a keepsake?" Shayla asked.

"No." Blain stopped pacing and leaned against the back door. "Someone could have picked it up at the barber shop, for all I know."

"What about the man who sold your parents this land?" Shayla asked as Afton poured her and Hugh some tea. "Hugh tells me his wife resents the fact that her deceased husband sold his farmland to your father, and that your crops and animals seem to thrive while hers wither and die."

"Hannah Biddies? You can't be serious. She resents me, but the woman is hardly a threat. She's all mouth. Besides, I haven't seen her near my property."

"There's Reverend Myers. He thinks you and Rhiannon are reenacting Sodom and Gomorrah in her apartment," Hugh said.

Blain threw an uncomfortable glance at Afton. She seemed uninterested in their discussion, scrubbing the kitchen counter to perfection. "He's a pretentious ass." Blain sat back down at the table. "None of these people have a reason to do me harm. It has to be someone else."

"Is there a possibility that someone Blain doesn't even know may want to drain his powers? Maybe someone who has sensed his abilities and has been drawn to the area because of them?" Hugh suggested.

Shayla shook her head. "I doubt someone could get onto his property undetected if they didn't know their way around or when Blain wasn't in the house No, this is someone who's used to Blain's habits.

Knows when he comes and goes."

"What makes you think someone wanting to hurt me will show up at this party7" Blain glanced between his uncle and Shayla. "Whoever this is couldn't be that stupid."

"Because the opportunity to get close to you and so many personal things to use against you will be too appealing," Afton responded, finally breaking her silence. "That's how these evil spells work. The one casting the bad magic has to have something belonging to the victim or be physically close. Since we've been here and finally understand what evil we're dealing with, it's much more difficult now to harm you."

Blain shrugged. "Seems to me like someone's already done their worst and failed. What makes you think they'll try again since it hasn't gotten them anything so far?"

"Depends upon their motives." Shayla remarked "We'll see who shows up tonight. Something tells me we'll have our answers soon enough."

***

"This is ridiculous," Blain complained to Afton as he watched her place the last of the food on the kitchen table "I just can't believe anybody cares enough about me to want to do me in. What possible reason could there be other than these damned powers I'm supposed to have?"

Afton heard the frustration in his voice and tried to calm him. "Together, we'll get to the bottom of this.

I know none of this is remotely normal by your standards. It surprises me you've accepted so much. It can't have been easy to hear that you're a creature from some fantasy world and that more creatures really exist."

"How can I deny what I am? I turned green and grew wings. I probably look like a butterfly with thyroid problems," Blain quipped.

"You most certainly do not,"Aftonvehemently objected. "You're breathtaking." Then she took a deep breath and tried to see his viewpoint. She feared that accepting his place within the Order might be impossible for him. "This isn't going to get any easier for you, is it?"

"No." Blain sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. "I'm beginning to have doubts about what's real, and I have about a million questions I don't know how to begin to ask. Everything's pretty crazy."

Afton moved near enough to place a hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him, wanting to be the one he came to for help. But he needed to be near fairies and Druid men. Only they had the ability to teach him.

To do that, Shayla would want him to go back to Europe with her. What Blain would find there could send him over the edge. His nerves seemed very finely strung as it was. He'd taken to pacing and running his hands through his long hair. He even jumped when he heard sounds that might have been familiar to him before. She couldn't imagine being ripped apart emotionally as he was. To her, the Order was everything. Even though he was trying hard to accept his predicament, Blain might never see it that way.

Hugh entered the kitchen and motioned for Blain to follow him. "Guests are beginning to arrive, lad.

You'd best come into the living room and help me greet everyone. Remember what Shayla said. Stay close to one of us at all times."

"Yeah, let's just get this show over with. I feel like I'm in the middle of somebody else's weird dream."

Right before leaving the room, he turned and looked at Afton. "I'm breathtaking, huh?"

Afton nodded and smiled to encourage him.

"I guess beauty is relative when you're related to a bug," he sarcastically concluded.

***

Blain watched as a great many more people than he anticipated arrived. Most surprising of all was the fact that Hannah Biddies showed up. Manners lacking, she was as bitter as ever and rude to people she didn't like. And Reverend Myers arrived soon after her. His behavior wasn't much better. They tended to stay in groups of people familiar to them, presumably those who would listen to their ranting.

The last person to arrive was Rhiannon She was fashionably late, dressed in a black, skin-tight dress, and her voluptuous breasts seemed dangerously close to falling out. Blain grinned when she threw her arms around him and lifted her face for a kiss. He gave her a friendly peck on the cheek and noticed that Afton turned the other way.

"I'm still mad as hell at you," Rhiannon angrily muttered so no one else could hear.

"Sorry. If you remember, I did call to explain about things, but you got angry and didn't want to listen.

Since then, I've been busy."

Rhiannon stared at Afton. "Yes, I can see you've had your attention elsewhere. Your little house guest is the real reason we haven't been having sex, isn't it?"

Before Blain could answer, she backed away from him to get a drink from a table and engage in conversation with one of the townsfolk. Some of them would gladly talk to her, regardless of Reverend Myer's warnings. Not everyone in Harvest believed she was a harlot any more than they all believed the Reverend was as sinless as he tried to claim.

Regardless of her proclamation of anger, Rhi didn't seem to care what anyone thought. She spent a great deal of time showing her assets to best advantage, sidling up to Blain as she did so. At another time, her antics might have made him laugh. He was sure she posed, primped and clung to him only for the Reverend's benefit. Myers was smoldering in a corner with some of his most conservative flock, gossiping and hatefully glaring at Rhiannon. But Blain wasn't in the mood to laugh or play along as he normally might have. Things in his life were just too bizarre. He glanced around the room and Afton captured his gaze.

She had traded her jeans for a floral sheath which floated about her ankles and was much more modestly cut at the neckline than Rhiannon's attire. Her bare shoulders had been kissed by the sunlight, and her golden brown hair hung softly about her shoulders. She looked as though she'd just come in from gathering flowers in a meadow. Her sparkling blue eyes seemed to rivet the attention of those around her.

Blain desperately wanted to get her aside and explain about Rhiannon, but the opportunity never presented itself. Besides, what could he say? He and Rhiannon had been lovers for a long time. How could he tellAftonabout Rhiannon, with whom he'd shared acts so personal they couldn't be mentioned?

Even if he'd had the opportunity, Afton didn't seem to notice him. Her time appeared to be divided between several young men from nearby farms. In fact, she seemed surrounded by every eligible bachelor in the county. They were practically sniffing the air like a pack of dogs after a bitch in heat, and it had the effect of rousing Blain's anger. He set down his drink and clenched his fists. Afton was much too innocent for that kind of crude attention.

Rhiannon's brittle laughter broke into his thoughts. She possessively gripped his arm, and he turned to halfheartedly absorb whatever gossip was on her mind. Rhi was like a rare, exotic vine which needed constant attention and care. She couldn't survive without it. Afton was more like a wildflower. Lovely, bright and vital. Needing only sunlight and a gentle touch to flourish. Of the two, Afton was really the strongest. The most secure and everlasting.

Blain poured himself some more whiskey and gazed guiltily into the amber fluid. He pulled at the collar of his dress shirt and wished, yet again, that he had more integrity than to mentally compare the two women. He swallowed his drink and let Rhiannon's chatter sift into his thoughts.

"Blain, darling, despite how horribly you've behaved, it's still good to be with you," she crooned as she pressed her body close to his. Her hands caressed his backside, careless of who looked on.

"You could have come to the farm any time, Rhi. I'm sorry I've been so busy I couldn't get into town."

He kissed her cheek and gave her what he meant to be a brotherly hug in return.

"I would have come here, but before now, you haven't issued me an invitation to visit."

Blain lowered his head in shame. He had never invited her because she was as out of place in the old farmhouse as he would have been in a New York nightclub.

"The only reason I'm here now is because I'm curious. I simply had to see your home. And I also wanted an explanation as to why you've been neglecting our relationship. You owe me that much." She looped her arm through his and gazed into his eyes. Then her gaze drifted around the room until she saw Afton. "But you have a very fetching little visitor to keep you company. She's quite...adorable."

There wasn't any animosity in her voice. Rhiannon was just stating an opinion. In fact, Rhi didn't seem at all threatened by Afton's presence, for which he was supremely grateful. Some childish display of jealousy in front of everyone was the last thing he needed right now. For the first time in weeks, he began to feel clearheaded. There was really nothing unusual about Rhiannon. She was fun and brought him out of his self-absorbed thoughts. There were no overtones of anything supernatural, no magic spells or conjuring. There was no talk of anything abnormal. Nothing was expected of him except wild sex.

Though that was bizarre to his way of thinking, it wasn't as crazy as everything else in his life now.

As the night went on, Blain's gaze kept drifting over the crowd and looking for Afton. For some reason, her presence reminded him of what his parents had together. There was nothing shallow or insignificant about the love his mother and father had shared. It had been deep and very rare. Even with all the crazy circumstances in his life, he wanted that kind of commitment. If he couldn't have that, marriage was out of the question. And he did want to marry one day.

Any kind of relationship with Rhi, therefore, would have been impossible. She didn't seem the marrying kind, and again it became clear that there was nothing more between them than sex, and there never would be. And even if he had wanted more, she could never find out what he was, because he knew instinctively that she would never accept his being half fairy. That realization prompted him to put down his drink and gently take her arm. It was time for him to end things with her.

"Rhi, let's go someplace quiet. I want to get out of this crowd," Blain murmured into her ear.

"That sounds like a good idea to me, darling. I've wanted to get you alone for days, now. I believe there might be a way to repair what's wrong between us." She shot him her most suggestive smile and let him lead her away.

From across the room, Afton watched them leave the room. With a sense of shock, she'd watched the other woman enter the house like some sophisticated diva. No one had to tell her who the gorgeous creature was. Rhiannon Stone had made an entrance Hollywood couldn't have duplicated. There was an arresting quality about her that men had to find enticing. The woman could put to shame some of the nymphs in the sacred forest back home. One look at the way Blain possessively held her arm and whispered into her ear told the entire story. He wanted her. That was probably why he was trying to leave, despite Hugh's and Shayla's warnings to stay close. Pictures of Blain and Rhiannon having sex enteredAfton's mind, and she felt horribly jealous. She suddenly wished her oldest brother hadn't kept her from having more experience with men.

She hurried to the nearest exit to try and stop Blain. Perhaps she could say he had a phone call in his office or that something else needed his immediate attention. As she hurried to stop him from leaving, she tried to convince herself she was doing what the Sorceress would want her to do. That nothing else motivated her actions. Afton ran after them, quickly passed the couple and blocked their way. "Blain, could you help me with something in the kitchen?"

"Not now. I'll be back in a few minutes. Rhiannon and I just wanted to go out back and get some air.

She wants to see the new herb garden in the moonlight," he lied.

"Well, well…so this is the littleAfton. You're really quite lovely." Rhiannon held out her hand. "I'm Rhiannon Stone. I'm sure Blain must have mentioned me. Can't think why he hasn't introduced us sooner."

"Yes, Ms. Stone. He mentioned you." Afton forced back the pettiness in her voice and took Rhiannon's hand, finding it cold and rather limp. Just like her remark about 'little'Afton.

"Please, call me Rhiannon, or just Rhi for short." Rhiannon turned to Blain. "Darling, you weren't exaggerating at all. Afton is just too dulcet for words She reminds me of a young girl I saw on a medieval tapestry once You know, very lustrous and virginal. She actually has a glow about her. And that name is just too sweet. I believe she's named after a river in Scotland or someplace. Isn't that true, dear?" she finished, glancing back at Afton.

Aftonglared at Blain. Surely he hadn't told the woman she was a virgin! He wouldn't have repeated what he'd heard Shayla say, would he? She'd never felt such a sudden burst of anger in her life. "You're right, Rhiannon. I was named after a river. It was described by Robert Burns. Maybe you've heard of him. He's a very famous man who used to write poems a long time ago. As for being virginal and dulcet, I'm sure Blain could say otherwise. Couldn't you, darling?" She used the same condescending tone Rhiannon had, and even affected the same inflection when she used the endearment at the end of the sentence. Her sarcastic retort caused Blain's jaw to drop and Rhiannon's face took on an angry expression. Afton was satisfied with their response.

"Uh, I think Rhi and I will take a walk in the garden. Excuse us, Afton." Blain quickly took Rhiannon's hand in his, stepped around Afton, and pulled Rhi along the path.

Blain tried to keep his shock over Afton's quick comeback to himself. It seemed his English beauty could stand up for herself quite well when she wanted to. Though Rhiannon was silent, he could still see her angry expression.

"Sorry about that, Rhi Afton isn't usually so cocky." In fact, she never was, and that was why he was so stunned by her comments.

"That's quite all right. She was just staking her claim, darling. Or didn't you pick up on that?"

He shook his head in denial and waved off the comment with one hand. There was no sense discussing Afton. He'd brought Rhi into the garden to say goodbye, so he kept silent about the matter and led her toward the fragrant herb plants. After a while, she seemed to relax, and the angry expression left her face. He tried to find somewhere appropriate to say what needed to be said.