Witch Fairy book 3 (5 page)

“Then we can leave in the morning.”  That comes out more like a question than I meant it to.  I try again.  “We should probably get an early start.”

“Xandra…”  Mom’s eyes are easy to read.  She has murder in them.

Dad jumps to my defense again.  “Julienne, we have to let her go.  We discussed this at length earlier.”

She turns her angry eyes towards him.  “We did not come to an agreement.”

“Mom, I would rather do this with your support than without it.”

She closes her eyes and takes several calming breaths that I know for a fact she doesn’t need.  She can’t breathe.  She’s a ghost.  Opening her eyes, she turns to Isla.  “If you let anything happen to my daughter, I will kill you.”  Okay, I believe her.

I think Isla does, too.  She inclines her head and nods.  “I understand.  I would feel the same way.”  Turning back to me, she says, “We should leave bright and early tomorrow, so we will need much rest this evening.  Perhaps it is time to turn in.”

Chapter 4

Sleeping arrangements are much different tonight than I’m used to now.  Isla wasn’t happy to know that Kallen and I had shared a bed.  Several times.  Regardless of whether or not we had sex.  Yup, pretty sure she’s planning a hand-fasting ceremony in the near future.  Until then, she’s going to make sure nothing happens between us.  She even declined the offer to sleep in my parents’ more comfortable room in favor of a magic-made cot in mine.  And Kallen was very firmly told that he would be sleeping on the couch.  Neither one of us argued.

Now, I’m lying in my bed, wide-awake and nervous.  Maybe even a bit scared, if I’m really honest with myself.  I can’t believe I’m going to the Fae realm tomorrow.  Kallen hasn’t told me much about it, so I have no idea what to expect other than a lot of danger.  Who knows, they might not even have beds there.  Tomorrow night, I may be sleeping under the stars.  Kallen has said that Faeries like nature, maybe they sleep on beds of grass with pillows of feathers.  Just feathers, no pillowcases. 

Trying to sleep while my mind is dredging up the worst possible scenarios for my life in the Fae realm is useless and I’m getting frustrated.  The rest of the house is sleeping; they must be because other than Isla’s light snoring, there’s not a sound to be heard.  Quietly, I pull back my comforter and stand up.  Isla doesn’t pause in her snoring, so I’m relatively sure she’s still asleep.  I tip toe to the door and open it quietly, checking the hall to make sure Mom and Dad aren’t floating around out there.  They’re not.  Padding down the hall in the dark, I’m in the living room in no time.  I can just make out Kallen’s shape on the couch.

“What took you so long?” he whispers from the across the room which makes me giggle.  I slap a hand over my mouth as I remember I’m supposed to be quiet and I listen to make sure the house is still asleep.  “Come here.”  He pats the couch as he moves over as far as he can.  I lay down next to him and he pulls me close.  It’s a tight fit, but we manage.

After I’m all settled under the blanket Aunt Barb had given him, I say quietly, “I don’t know what to expect tomorrow.  What’s it like there?”

“I would rather you experience it for yourself.  I am curious to see your first reaction.”

“You know I don’t like surprises, don’t you?”

He chuckles quietly.  “Yes, my impatient little Witch Fairy, I do.  But this time, you are just going to have to wait.”

“How do you think the other Sheehogue Fairies will react to me?”  It’s pretty much a given that the Pooka are going to hate me.  And want me dead.  “Do you think they’ll be mad that I’m making myself such an easy target?”

“No,” he whispers and his mouth is right next to my ear, so it tickles.  “First of all, you are never an easy target.  And secondly, I think that you will make a positive impression on everyone you meet.  That is what worries me.”

I frown in confusion but he can’t see it in the dark.  “Why?”

He takes a moment to answer as his lips are currently brushing deliciously over my ear and neck.  Finally, he says, “You are beautiful and you are powerful.  That is an irresistible combination.”

It takes a minute for that to sink into my brain and then I grin.  “Are you jealous already?  I haven’t even met another Fairy yet.”

“No, I am not jealous,” he says, but not very convincingly.  “I am simply anticipating competition.”

I laugh and pull his arms tighter around me.  “Don’t worry, I’m a one Fairy kind of girl.”

He’s back to kissing my neck again and whispers against my skin, “I hope so.”  We don’t say anything else, we just hold each other.  It’s amazing how being together like this calms me.  Eventually, we’re both able to fall into a deep, comfortable sleep.

I don’t know if it’s been five minutes or five hours, but either way, waking up because the thing you’ve been sleeping on has suddenly disappeared is not pleasant.  Kallen and I fall two and a half feet to the floor with a heavy thud.  I don’t even have to look up to know who’s responsible.

“Good morning,” Isla says tersely.  Yesterday she had a storm in her eyes; today it’s a typhoon.  “I believe we worked out sleeping arrangements last evening.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I say lamely from the floor as I struggle to disentangle myself from Kallen.  Isla raises her brows and is about to say something else, so I rush to say, “Until I came out here.  Then I fell right to sleep.  Immediately.

“Grandmother,” Kallen says as he stands up and offers me his hand, “nothing inappropriate happened.”  He has his own storm brewing in his eyes.  I don’t think he likes his grandmother continuing to insinuate that we’re doing things we aren’t.  Glad I’m not the only one.

“I can assure you he’s telling the truth,” Mom says.  She sounds kind of snarky, adding her name to the list of people who are tired of Isla’s insinuations.  “Jim and I don’t sleep – which is why we know there has never been inappropriate behavior when the kids have slept together.  We check on them regularly.”  Oh, I didn’t know that.  Good thing we’ve been good.

It looks like Isla is dying to say something, but she bites her tongue.  Instead, she says, “Perhaps we should be on our way.”

I’m still a little groggy from sleep and the fall to the floor.  Through a stifled yawn, I say, “Um, I haven’t packed anything, yet.” 

Isla looks confused now.  “A few toiletries are all you should need.  Anything else, such as clothes, can be created with your magic.”

“Not my magic,” I grumble, apparently loud enough for her to hear.

“That is ridiculous.  You could clothe the entire realm with your magic.”

“Xandra is still working on her…finesse,” Kallen says.  I wonder what word he was going to use before coming up with that one.  I probably don’t really want to know.

“Yeah, I’m still more likely to blow up the house than make a pair of jeans.”

Isla’s brows crease.  “Interesting.”

What’s that supposed to mean?  “So, I should go pack.” 

I start to walk from the room, but she holds a hand out.  “No need.  I will be happy to supply clothing until you are able to clothe yourself.”

Great, she’ll probably have me dressed like a nun considering her views regarding Kallen and me having sex.  “Okay, I guess,” I say reluctantly.  “Can I at least take a shower first?”  Do they even have showers there, or will I have to bathe in a stream or something?  I give Kallen a sour look for not telling me anything about the Fae realm last night.  But, since he has no idea what I’m thinking, his brows come down into a frown trying to figure out what he did to deserve such a look.

“Yes, of course,” Isla says briskly.  “We will plan to head out in thirty minutes.”

Guess I better hurry then.  I look at Mom to see if she’s going to argue, but she gives me a little nod that means she’s made peace with me going.  Leaving Kallen to deal with Isla’s concerns, I go back to my room to gather what I need after my shower.

Twenty minutes later, I’m showered, dressed and looking in the mirror while I’m blow drying my hair.  When Mom’s face suddenly shows up next to mine, it scares the crap out of me.  Since they can’t knock, Mom and Dad usually try to let us know they’re approaching with some sort of sound.  If she had said something, I probably couldn’t hear it over my blow dryer.  Willing my heart rate go back to normal, I turn it off.

Mom smiles in understanding.  “I didn’t mean to startle you.  I just wanted a quick word with you before you go.”

“Okay.”  I hope she’s not going to start the whole ‘you’re not going’ conversation up again.

Reading my thoughts on my face, she says, “No, I’m not going to try to talk you out of going.  I know that would be futile at this point.  But I did want to give you some advice.”

“What about?”

“About Isla.”  Good, I probably need as much advice on how to deal with her as possible.  “Isla is a strong woman, and she’s used to having her own way.”

“Yeah, I’ve definitely figured that out already.”

Mom chuckles softly.  “She does wear her authority well.”  She reaches out and touches my cheek and little goose bumps form on my warm skin.  “But I’ve raised you to be a strong young woman, and I expect you to act like it.  If you let her push you around, she will.  But, you need to walk your own path, not hers.  Yes, she can see the possible future, but as your grandmother said, we can always choose a different future by exerting our free will.  You do what feels comfortable for you, and only you.  This is your destiny, your journey, and the rest of us are simply supporting characters to help you on your way.  We’ve all had our own destinies to fulfill; now, we need to leave you to yours.  You have the intelligence, the strength and the common sense to make the right decisions, and I trust that you will.”

I wish I could hug her.  “Thanks, Mom.  I really needed to hear that.”

She smiles but then her face turns serious.  “There’s one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You use whatever magic you have to along your journey to keep safe.  If you’re in danger, you blow up the whole damn realm if you have to, if that’s the only way to make it back here alive.  Do you understand?”

It’s my turn to smile.  “That might happen even if I’m not in danger.”

“Then so be it.  My only concern is you.”

I brush at a tear that’s trying really hard to swim past my lashes.  “Do you really think I can do what they want me to do?”

“I wouldn’t be letting you go if I didn’t.  Now, finish up and meet us in the living room so we can say a proper good-bye.”

“Okay, I’ll be right out.”  Mom turns and floats back through the door.  After wiping my eyes again, I turn the blow dryer back on.

It only takes a couple of minutes to get the rest of my hair dry.  I throw a few things in my overnight bag, put on my coat and boots and head back to everyone else.  As it’s getting closer to the time to leave, I’m starting to get scared again.  What if there’s an ambush waiting for us?  What if Fairy magic on a grand scale can do what the Witches weren’t able to do?  This really could be my last fight and that’s a pretty sobering thought.  I’m tempted to crawl back under my covers and never come back out; I’m pretty sure no one would be able to pry me out, either.  But, like Mom said, she didn’t raise me that way.  So, I need to quit whining and just go already.

Despite my little pep talk to myself, by the time I get to the living room, I’m all worked up again like I was last night thinking about the worst possible scenarios.  At this point, my mind has convinced itself that the Fae realm will be all fire and brimstone and I’m just a sacrificial lamb on its way to slaughter.  I was never this dramatic, or such a doomsayer, before.  I really do have to snap out of it.

Kallen has a questioning look on his face, but I give him a small shake of my head to let him know I don’t want to talk about what’s going through my mind.  He leaves it at that and just takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.  I’m glad he’s here to walk with me as I face this next challenge.  There’s comfort in knowing that he loves me, and that he’ll do whatever it takes to help me.