Through Time-Whiplash (17 page)

~ Thirteen ~

JAZZ BLINKED INTO consciousness. Had she been sleeping?

Where was she? What had happened?

The last thing she remembered was everything going dark, but then … nothing more. She opened her eyes wider and tried to focus on her surroundings.

Trevor—where was Trevor?

She touched the blankets and realized she was in a bed. She looked and saw that she was in a bedroom. Had Trevor found a way into the glass house?

Everything was so hazy … yet, her eyesight seemed better than ever!

She looked at the walls of her room. They were odd, cloudy glass walls, but a fire burned in the large, pot-bellied stove in a corner of the room.

She started to prop herself up onto her elbows and felt a surge of strength flow through her body. She felt … wonderful, strong, stronger than she had ever felt in her life.

She must have had a great sleep.

Damn, she thought, it was as though some kind of secret power surged through her, leaving her feeling resilient and ready to take on the—what the heck was going on?

It wasn’t just her body—her mind felt different.

It was as though a computer chip was compartmentalizing information, storing, wielding, and setting it all in place in her brain. She put her hands to her head. It felt the same on the outside, but inside? Way different. A part of her began to panic.

“Trevor …?” she yelled. And then she remembered goop—she had been covered in the thick, sticky, disgusting substance, and Trevor had been shouting at her …

She sat up completely, and the sudden rush of movement nearly sent her flying into the air. What the hell? She realized she was naked and hurriedly sank back down as she grabbed for and pulled the quilt all around herself. “Trevor?” she called again uncertainly.

What the hell was going on?

Wherever she was, gravity seemed to work differently. How could he just leave her alone like this? Where was he? Where was she? Sudden panic took over, and she released a scream. “Trevor-Trevor-Trevor!”

He shifted in, and she wanted to dive into his arms. Instead, she held herself in check and regarded him gravely, one eyebrow arched inquisitively.

He sat beside her on the bed, took her hand to his lips, and murmured, “Jazmine Decker.”

His voice sounded like a caress, and all at once she couldn’t stop herself. She threw her arms around him and hugged him like she never, ever wanted to let go.

It was odd, but she felt as though all her thoughts, all her emotions, had been heightened. She held on tight and said, “Where are we? What happened? The last thing I remember was being stuck in goop. I see that you got me out, for which I thank you … but where are we, and why don’t I remember getting here?” And then she was aware of something in her mind, something that was calm and practical, something that was aware of things beyond the room, sights and sounds that were outside, in the Dark Realm. She could hear beasts screeching in pain … yes, hungry beasts, just outside. She put her hands to her ears and sank back against the pillows.

“Something is wrong with me, Trev! Am I hallucinating because of that stuff? Did it get into my system—am I sick?”

Her quilt had slipped, displaying the fullness of her breasts, and she saw Trevor’s gaze linger there for a moment before he lifted the quilt to her neck. He was such a gentleman, she thought—and then wished he weren’t.

But for the moment, she couldn’t think of that. She had to get a grip. What was wrong with her? She held her head and whispered, “Ugh … things are moving … outside—fighting and killing each other, I think. I hear them—how do I make it stop? This isn’t normal … why do I hear them?”

“Hush, Jazmine Decker,
quiet yourself
. Think in waves of calm, and it will be so,” Trevor said and touched her cheek with his palm.

Silently she yelled in her head,
Calm—
waves of calm
, but it didn’t work. She scowled at him. “What is that supposed to mean? Think in waves of calm? I don’t know how to do that.” It had to be an adverse affect from the goop.

“Think of a mill pond, how gentle, serene … and quiet yourself. We will work on getting your hearing adjusted and teach you how to lower the volume when you wish.”

Jazz considered him. “Oh, yes … my Fios sometimes could hear things my human couldn’t … but this … is different.” Her pulse beat out of control. She felt flushed suddenly and confused. She needed to do something, and so as he suggested, she pictured a dark pond. Sure enough, all at once, like turning off a switch, it worked. Her mind settled in, and she had control of her hearing, of the jabbering going on in her head. She sighed gratefully.

The nerves in her body still throbbed, but they were no longer wildly out of control, and she felt a state of composure take over her frazzled mind
.
Something else disturbed her, something that wouldn’t let go. It wasn’t only her hearing; it was everything she was.

She felt magic exploding in her veins, like fireworks on the Fourth of July. It didn’t hurt; it felt … empowering. Super-charged power rippled through her blood, and she felt different inside, as though her organs had somehow blossomed into something else and shifted inside her.

She eyed him and said, “It isn’t only hearing—did I have some kind of a reaction to that awful stuff—is that what is happening to me?”

* * *

He choked on the strange constriction that took over his throat when he thought of the moment in which she had died. He couldn’t think of it without hurting. It was still too fresh in his mind.

Now, he was going to have to tell her. Humans were unpredictable, and though she was no longer human, her learned and natural behavior would still be so.

He said on a heavy sigh, “You could say that.” He reached for her chin. “You have to listen to me and not get yourself worked up. There isn’t time for hysterics, and I know what I am about to tell you might, in fact, elicit such human behavior—”

“Trevor, just tell me what you have to tell me, or I will get hysterical before you say another word.”

“Yes, right, very well,” he said, feeling miserable. “As I said, I have something to tell you, and I am not certain you will be able to comprehend it all. You are, however,
a Fios
,
which might help you understand. You were to begin with not quite human, so you should be able to comprehend it all, as you were aware of Fae abilities and culture. Indeed, it might not sound all that strange to you—”

She reached up, grabbed his mouth with her fingers, and pinched his lips together. “
Shut up
and tell me already.”

* * *

He took her fingers off his lips and then brought them back to kiss them. She felt her entire being react to his touch, and her eyelashes fluttered
. Hot dayum
, she thought. She wanted him more than ever!

He said softly, “I will start by telling you where we are.” He eyed her hopefully before proceeding. “The Dark King, as you know, created a habitat for his consort, Crystal, called the
Retreat.
We are in Crystal’s Retreat. This structure is almost like a living thing and responds only to her. However, she has allowed us to remain here while we continue our mission. In fact, she created this room especially
for you
to be comfortable in when you … came through the first part of your …
transition
.”

“Transition?” Jazz didn’t like the sound of that. In fact, she was getting a sick notion that the career she had planned as a marine biologist was a lost hope.

“Yes, I found some reading material she left for me about the process you have gone through and what must be done next. I have made myself acquainted with what to expect,” Trevor said and took her hand. “We will work through this together.”

“Work through what?” Jazz asked as that awful feeling grew.

“
You died
, Jazmine Decker. You died.”

She stopped and considered him, thought out in step-by-step clarity what he had just told her.
Well
, people died, and then they used a
defibrillator to shock them back. She was certain that was how it was done. She had seen enough movies to know that was how it was done. That was what he meant,
right?
Sure, she decided and asked,
“Huh, how did you get one of those defibrillators here?
Amazing
. So you are saying you shocked me back?”

“
No
, it wouldn’t have worked even if I had had one of those human inventions on hand at the time.
You were gone
and just about to cross over. I had no choice, so I used something else, something we Seelie Fae are forbidden to use, forbidden …” His voice trailed off.

She had died
came through loud and clear. Trevor had told her that she had been gone and that he had been aware she was about to cross over. Did that mean she would have gone to heaven? As pleasant as that might have been, she wasn’t really ready to go yet, so thinking about this she was damned grateful he had broken the rules.

Her mind, her brand new, expanded mind, wrapped around everything he had just said and was oddly at peace. Why would he think she would be hysterical? The knowledge of what he had done for her superseded all other considerations. And that overwhelming truth, the one that spoke the loudest, was that he had turned his back on everything he believed to save her. “Ah, Trevor … just what did you do?”

“I used my blood to bring you back. The giving of Fae blood is very different than the healing power we have. You see, our healing ability works off our energy, but even a Royal’s science and magic cannot bring back a human that has died and is about to cross over.” He shook his head and paused before saying, “The use of Seelie blood will revive a human from death, yes, but it also changes that human. The act cannot be taken lightly. That is why it is forbidden—because it changes the human.”

“You … you used your blood?” She was, in spite of the fear that came with this information, impressed. “
How
—you mean in a transfusion?”

“My veins would not have stayed open long enough for a transfusion. I did two things. I poured some blood down your throat … and then later, I made an incision directly into your heart and opened my vein again and poured some into your heart as well. Your body took to my blood immediately, almost as though it had been waiting for it all your life.” He paused and frowned. “Our queen believes in the dictates of fate, and in that moment, I did wonder if that
was your fate
—
our
fate
.” He held her hands now, both of them tightly in his own.

“Your Fae blood, down my throat, in my heart. You made a hole in my heart?” Jazz looked down at her chest but found no scar to indicate that he had cut her to receive his blood. “You could have killed me … I could have died … again.”

He smiled sweetly and touched her face. “No, you already had Royal Seelie blood working inside you. You wouldn’t have died, and what I did sped up the transition for you, made it simpler.”

“So, I have Fae blood inside me.” Jazz’s thoughts were clear. She wasn’t a fool. She had already assimilated the fact that something was different inside her, and she had accepted it. She loved life, and what was more, she loved this big hunk of Royal Fae. She couldn’t, would never, forget, that he had broken rules he held dear for her. Did that mean he loved her? Perhaps he cared for her, but did he love her … the way she loved him, above all else, all others, above herself?

“Not just Fae blood—but Royal Fae blood,” he corrected. “It is forbidden because, well, allow me to explain.”

She nodded and smiled encouragingly. “Yup, explain.”

“In the days when we Fae walked amongst humans in Ireland and Scotland, we were worshipped as gods. Your people called us the
Children of the Light
amongst other names indicating their affection for us.” He frowned. “Something went wrong. Perhaps some of our Fae went too far … at any rate, there came a time when your ancestors wanted us off the land we loved.” He shook his head. “Fios warned their villages of our warriors coming, and bands of your human men would attempt to fight us and died during their show of defiance. It wasn’t until the Milesians arrived that humans were at last able to stand against the Seelie Fae.”

“Yes, I know some of this,” Jazz murmured. “Go on.”

“Gossip came to light about some Fae, not Royals but Seelie Fae who had taken on human lovers, some of whom had been killed during battle.”

“Ah, those Fae healed their lovers with their blood?”

“Yes, but only one or two of those humans survived the process. Most humans cannot cope with the transition, and Seelie blood lacks the Royal gene that tempers that transition. Seelie Fae blood works spontaneously. As a result, those that did not survive transition went mad and killed themselves. Thus, this was a forbidden tool.”

“I am happy, Trevor, that you took the chance—
happy
,” she reassured him.

“Mine is Royal blood, and I am not repeating this out of immodesty, only to indicate how very different it is in many ways. Yes, I knew that I was taking a chance and depended on you, what you have inside you both as a Fios and as one of the bravest female humans I know I will ever encounter. It was Crystal, the Dark King’s consort, who appeared and told me to use this method, implied that you would do well with my blood, and helped me along.”