Untamed (24 page)

Ellie came back to reality, her hands cupping an orb of light. She turned to look for Cam and saw him lowering his hands from his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded and smiled. She was more than okay. She’d never felt so good or so alive in her entire life. She turned her gaze to the orb of light. “Ellie, what’s going on?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s wonderful.”

“Wonderful? It’s… it’s… I don’t know what it is, but it’s not natural.”

She heard the concern in his voice and the fear and maybe she should be sharing those feelings, but she couldn’t. For the first time in her life, she felt
right
. She didn’t know how to explain it.

“It’s okay,” she assured him.

“How can you say—”He paused and turned to look towards the lake. “Did you hear that? I could have sworn I heard a—”

“Horse whinny.” She turned and looked toward the lake.

Suddenly the orb floated up out of her hand and about twenty feet away, hovering. It stayed that way for several seconds before it exploded into a brilliant flare. When the flare subsided there was a ring of light in the middle of the yard, with what looked like water with lights dancing inside its border.

“Oh my god.” Lily’s voice was barely above a breath.

A white horse emerged from the ring and walked to Ellie.

She started toward it but Cam took arm to stay her. “It’s okay,” she assured him.

When he released her she went to the horse. It lowered its head and she put her hand on its forehead. Ellie nearly fainted when in the next instant the horse vanished. In its place was a man. And no ordinary man. He was beautiful beyond compare, with long ebony hair, eyes the color of a clear summer sky and features that were so perfect he should have been immortalized as the epitome of masculine perfection. She stepped back in surprise and the man smiled. “Fear not, little sister.”

“Who are you?”

“Your brother, silly goose. Eldric.”

It all hit Ellie then, all of the impossibility of what was happening and that sent shards of fear stabbing into her mind.

“No,” she stepped back, looking around for Cam. He hurried to her, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned back against him for support.

“No. This isn’t possible. I’m… Cam, this isn’t real. It can’t be real.”

“Afraid it is,” he replied, tightening his arms around her. “Or we’re having the same hallucination.”

The man who called himself Eldric stepped closer. “It is real, sister. Here.” He held out his hand.

Ellie looked down at his hand then back at his face. Hesitantly she reached out and touched his hand. His hand clasped hers and she gasped. “You’re real.”

“As real as you or the man who holds you, sister.”

“No.” She shook her head and withdrew her hand. “I’m not your sister. I don’t have a brother.”

“You do. A brother and a sister. I am the eldest, now head of our clan since our father’s death. He was not on this plane when the door between worlds was closed. Neither was I. You and our sister were.”

“This is insane,” Ellie argued. “I remember my father and mother—well barely, but I remember. And I never had a sister or brother.”

“You do, Elana.” Eldric. “Our father took you to your grandmother. Our sister... our sister was placed elsewhere.”

“Why? I mean if this was true then why would he separate us that way?”

“Father allowed you to stay with our mother, for she could not bear to be parted with all of her children—but it was not safe for us to be together.”

Ellie held up her hand to silence Eldric. “Okay, color me in overload here, but this is just… too much. Way too much. I don’t understand what’s happening and I still don’t know if I’m just unconscious, still in the hospital, wigged out on drugs and conjuring this up in my mind.”

“It’s all real,” Eldric insisted. “Ask the man you love. Is this real, Cameron Marsh?”

Cam’s arms tightened around Ellie. “Yeah, it’s real. Twilight zone shit, but real.”

Ellie looked at Eldric. “So what does this mean? That… that ring of light. What is it?”

“A way to our realm”

“Are you going back there?”

“Our realm is under attack. It is no longer safe for us there. The Dark Fae seek to destroy us and then claim dominion in this world. Some escaped before the door was sealed. We do not know what havoc they may have wrought, but we have to safeguard humans from their control. We—and our people--hoped to be granted permission to cross over and stay here. With you.”

“What exactly do you mean by “your realm?” Colton asked.

“Exactly that,” Eldric replied. “Our people have long existed on dual planes. That of the humans and that of the Fae.”

“Fae?” he asked.

“Fairy,” Lily explained.

“Fairy?” Clint asked. “As in Tinker Bell?”

Eldric laughed. “Not entirely. The Fae are a…a diverse race. Beings such as I are but one sub race of our kind, capable of changing form and—other things.”

“And Ellie is one of you?” Lily asked.

“Yes.”

“But I’m not.” Ellie insisted. “I can’t change shape or cross into other realms or—“

“Yes, you can,” Eldric argued. “You just have never realized it, never been taught.”

Colton walked closer. “Forgive me for being blunt, but if this is true, then what assurance do we have that you mean no harm to us?”

Eldric smiled. “Fear not, warrior, Fae of the Light have long loved humans. We would no sooner harm you than we would our own.”

“But there are Dark Fae,” Ellie pointed out. “Right?”

“Yes.” Eldric said. “Our mother was Dark Fae.”

“Well doesn’t that make us part Dark?”

“Light and Dark, it is a matter of choice.” Eldric said. “Every Fae may choose.”

“Well why would someone choose Dark?” Colton asked. “Assuming that Dark is evil.”

“It can be. And as with all things, some are drawn to power and control. Harnessing the powers of the Dark can be seductive.”

“And dangerous, I imagine.”

“Yes, very.” Eldric said. “But there is time for you to learn all. If you will allow us to stay, to be the emissaries of our people so that we may prove we pose no risk.”

“I’d think you’d need to do that to the leaders of our world,” Colton said.

“Leaders crave power.” Eldric said. “And power corrupts. We choose to live without recognition of our true nature…or our abilities.”

Colton shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Ellie disengaged from Cam’s embrace and approached Eldric. “Wait. I need to ask something. You said the Fae have long loved humans?”

“Yes.”

“Have Fae ever mated with humans?”

“Yes.”

Ellie cut her eyes toward Lily. “Is she part Fae?”

Eldric chuckled. “Very good, little sister. Yes, she has Fae blood.”

“So that’s why she can control fire?”

“Yes.”

“Well cut me off and call me shorty,” Lily murmured.

Ellie turned to look at Cam. “I know this is a lot to take in. I’m still waiting to wake up, but if this isn’t a dream, if it is real, will you please give it a chance? If this is my family, I really want to get to know them.”

She looked at the rest of his family. “Please?”

Cam walked to her. “As long as I know you’re safe, yes, of course.”

“We would not harm our own,” Eldric said. “And besides, we are all family now.”

“Oh, how do you figure that?” Clint asked.

Eldric put his hand on Ellie’s abdomen and looked at Cam. “She carries your child.”

There was a moment of complete silence, everyone looking at Eldric in shock. Ellie’s hand went to her abdomen. “Child?”

“Yes, sister, you are pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Then it hit her. She hadn’t had a period since the first time she and Cam had sex. She looked at Cam. “Oh my god. Cam. I didn’t… I… oh my god, what are we going to do?”

He looked at her, around at everyone else and then back at her. “We’re gonna have a wedding.”

“A wedding?”

“Hell yeah!” Lily let out a whoop.

“We’re having a baby,” Cam said and took Ellie’s hand.

“Cam, just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean you have to feel like you’re obligated—“

“Ellie, stop. I told you. I love you, honey. We’re gonna get married, and have a baby, and another one and another one and—”

“Whoa, hold on there stud,” she said with a laugh.

“So you’ll marry me?”

“I’ve loved you my whole life, Cam Marsh. You just try and stop me.”

Cam picked her up and swung her around in a hug. When he finally put her down, she looked around. Everyone was smiling and clapping. Ellie grinned right along with them until she thought of what had happened.

“Oh my god, Cam. Dansforth and those men. I killed them.” Tears welled and quickly spilled from her eyes. “I’m a murderer.”

“No, you’re not,” Eldric said.

“Yes. I am. You didn’t see. This lightning stuff shot out of my hands and hit them and they— they vanished.”

“And what were your thoughts when you unleashed your energy upon them, Elana?”

Ellie thought about it. “That none of this would have happened if Dansforth hadn’t found out about…whatever he found that made him think our father had a treasure. That it would have all been prevented if he just didn’t know.”

“Then he and his men still live.”

“How can you know that? They vanished! Poof! Gone.”

Eldric took her hand. “Yours is the power of the Light. We kill only when there is no other way. We use our power to save life. If those were your thoughts then I would guess that you simply changed their reality.”

“What the heck does that mean?”

“That you took all knowledge of you and our father from their minds. It is a power we possess but it requires great energy.”

“But you can’t know that’s what happened.”

“But we can find out,” Cam said and pulled out his phone, closed his eyes and a few moments later opened them. “Try your device now.”

Cam looked at Ellie. “Call him. You have the number on your call list.”

Ellie grabbed her bag where she’d tossed it on the ground and took out her phone. She found the number and made the call, putting it on speakerphone. A man answered. “Who is this and how did you get my private number?”

“Mr. Dansforth?”

“Yes.”

“This is Ellie Whitehorse.”

“Who?”

“Ellie Whitehorse.”

“I don’t know you, why are you calling me?”

Ellie looked at Cam. “Uh, I was calling… I represent a Nature Conservancy and wondered if you’d be interested in contributing?”

“I think not. Do not bother me again.”

The call ended. Ellie looked up at Cam in shock. “He didn’t know me!”

“Nor will he remember.” Eldric said.

“Okay, this is beyond woo woo weird,” Clint said.

“Amen,” Lily added.

“I have to agree,” Cam said. “I don’t even know how to make sense out of all of this.”

“Just accept it,” Eldric said softly. “Magic has always been here. You just have to open your eyes to it. Embrace the possibility.”

Eldric looked at Ellie. “Have you anything to add, little sister?”

She looked around at everyone. If this was some elaborate dream, then maybe it was one she’d be happy to stay in forever. And if it was real, then life was certainly filled with more wonder and magic than she’d ever dreamed.

As well as more love. Her hand sought Cam’s. “Yes. Actually I do. I have a million questions and I know everyone else does too. And it might take us some time to come to grips with all of this, so can we just take it a step at a time? And can we start that later because right now I’m starving. And you know I
am
eating for two.”

Cam laughed and hugged her to his side. “You got it honey. How ‘bout we head up to your dad’s house? I seem to remember it was pretty well stocked.”

“You wouldn’t rather go home?”

Cam put his arm around her shoulders and turned her to face the house. “I think you’re already there, honey.”

Ellie looked up at him in surprise. “But… but I thought… I mean you love your ranch. I thought that’s where you’d want to call home.”

Cam grinned. “Well, seeing as how you’re soon going to be a Marsh too, I was thinking maybe we could just combine things—have one big home with lots of room for all the family. Mine, yours and ours.”

“Oh yes! Cam that would be wonderful. I mean, if you’re sure.”

“I am, Elana Whitehorse. More sure than I’ve ever been.”

Ellie forgot about all of the eyes on them when he took her in his arms and kissed her. She forgot all of the pain and sorrow, the loss and loneliness she’d experienced in life, along with the fear and uncertainty. His kiss washed it all away.