by Kimbra Swain
“Dylan died. You did not kill him. He died to save my daughter, and you helped him do it. I will be forever grateful for that. I need you, Dublin. Whatever dream he had doesn’t matter, because there is a big fat war coming, and whether we admit it or not, we might not survive it. But if I go down fighting, I want you with me. We can die together. It will be all epically romantic and shit,” I said.
He huffed again, shaking his head at me. “You know how to motivate a guy,” he said.
“Actually, I do, but we won’t go there,” I said. “I’m not worried about some stupid wedding dream.”
Letting out the longest brooding sigh I’d ever heard, he lifted his eyes to the stars and said, “It wasn’t a dream though. It was a prophecy.”
“Huh?” I immediately countered.
Before he could explain, a cool breeze surrounded us like a dark cloud. The strings on his guitar tattoo came to life forming a barrier around us. We turned around looking at the gathering darkness.
“What the fuck,” he muttered. “I feel them.”
“What is it?” I asked, allowing power to build up in my tattoo. I felt panicked movements in the house. “Astor! Protect my children!”
“I have them, my Queen,” he quickly answered.
The back door started to rattle. I could feel Finley yanking on it trying to open it. Opening my sight, I could see forms slinking across the ground toward us. Their eyes glowed bright white. Their bodies undulated from beneath the surface of the ground to the grass but were nothing but shadows of men. Not actual men.
Levi’s back pressed into mine. “They are all around us, but I can’t skip,” he said. “My home spell won’t work because we are already home.”
“Just stay calm. They haven’t attacked,” I said.
A column of black smoke rose in front of me just outside Levi’s barrier, coalescing into a form more like a man. His white eyes focused on me.
“Queen of this realm. You have some that belong to us. We have come to collect. You have until the full moon to release our prize to us, or we will come after it,” it said.
“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but get out of my town,” I said.
“Perhaps a little more diplomatic,” Levi suggested.
“Please,” I added which caused Levi to snort.
“Your brashness is noted. We will come for you all if we don’t get our due,” it said.
“Bring it, smoke boy,” I said.
Its shoulders shook as if it had laughed at my challenge. I wasn’t trying to be funny, but whatever works.
“Be gone!” Luther’s voice filled the air as his dark wings erupted in fire above us sending embers to the ground. The snickering black smoke dispersed, skittering away in different directions.
Luther landed in front of me. His dark eyes glowed like molten embers.
“Friends of yours, Ifrit?” I asked.
“Ghouls,” he said.
Finley rushed out of the house after whatever binding spell the ghouls used dissipated. His sword was in hand, and Troy followed close behind with his pistol.
“What was it?” Finley asked.
“Ghouls,” I repeated Luther’s explanation.
“Bloody hell,” Finley said. “Why are they here?”
“Said I have something they want,” I said. “Kinda vague. What kind of spell was that?”
“Negation,” Luther said. “They are the opposite of life. They take the life out of everything, even a home. They feed on it. If they are here, they are looking for a dead one they think we have.”
“Winnie,” I muttered.
“No,” Levi said.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Perhaps they think she belongs to the hereafter,” I said.
“No, she is not of their kind,” Luther said. “As far as I know, I’m the only one that is related to them here.”
“You?” I asked.
“Ghouls are part of my kin. The nasty kin. The cousins you hope never come to town because they will eat you out of house and home,” he explained.
“Ew,” I said.
“Exactly,” Luther replied.
“Well, perhaps it’s time I learn some of your mythology,” I said.
Luther, Finley, and Troy moved back toward the house. I felt Levi’s light touch on my arm. Looking up to him, I knew that he wasn’t finished with our conversation, but we did what we always do. Push it aside. Save it for later.
“We will finish this later,” I said.
“We will never be finished, Grace,” he said.
I wrinkled my forehead at him. Levi had too many grand romantic notions. Not just the lovey-dovey kind either. These epic stories floating in his head of kingdoms and knights. It was the bard in him. He looked at everything through those eyes. Everything was a story to tell, but for me, I wasn’t living a legendary story. I was just living. So was he, and he needed to see that side of it, too.
“Momma!” Winnie yelled running up to me. I bent down to her level as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Don’t leave me.”
“Winnie, I’m not going anywhere. It would take a lot more than a few creepy smoke things to get me,” I said.
I saw the pain in her eyes. Even though she’d inherited a butt-load of power, she was still a 6-year-old girl. I was thankful that turning her into a fairy hadn’t accelerated her growth. She would grow up normally, much like Levi had. I intended to take Luther up on his offer to work with her. She needed guidance, and the kind she needed, I couldn’t give. Which put me into the being a momma and loving her department, and that was fine with me.
Looking around the room, I saw several people wiping tears from their eyes as Winnie held on to my neck without letting go. Astor started moving around the room asking people to exit to leave us to talk about the new visitors to Shady Grove.
Levi called Tennyson to make him aware of the ghouls and promised to report back to him whatever the war council talked about. We had formed the council before Dylan’s death. It consisted of my knights: Levi, Troy, Tennyson, Astor, and Luther. Jenny was part of the group by default.
As the people filtered out of the house, Nestor took the children upstairs to get ready for bed. I hugged Aydan and told him I loved him. He moved his mouth, but no sound came out. I was beginning to wonder if he was going to be mute for all of his life.
“Goodnight, Little Bird,” I said kissing his forehead before Nestor took him from me.
We settled down in the living room for Luther to tell us about the ghouls. Betty had stayed which was fine. I was thankful that Amanda left with Mark and the other wolf children that had come with them tonight. Astor returned from walking Ella to her car with a redness in his cheek. If he ever made the move, I was going to throw a goodbye party for his virginity.
“Alright, Ifrit. Talk,” I said as Levi handed me a fresh glass of whiskey. He could calm me with a spell, but we had talked about his use of magic on me. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but I didn’t want that to be the default between us. I knew that the times he had forced his way with me that it had been with good reason.
“Ghouls are the children of Iblis. They sometimes take the form of the last human they devoured. Sometimes they shift to Hyenas,” Luther explained.
“Oh, please, let them do that. I’ve got a pack that would love that fight,” Troy said.
“It wouldn’t be an easy win for the wolves,” Luther warned.
“Even better,” Troy responded.
“Ghouls are crafty. If they have come for someone, they will continue until they take what they have come for,” Luther said.
“Who?” I asked.
Luther shifted in his seat uneasily. Betty dropped her eyes to the ground. They were keeping a secret. These people were important to me, and they knew that I wouldn’t force them to tell it. Betty took a deep breath and nudged Luther.
“As you know, both of us have many children. When we got together after our spouses died, we combined our large families. Th
ere are thirteen children in all,” Luther said.
“Are all of your children Ifrit?” I asked Luther.
“No, but they are all Jinn,” he said. “I am cursed, therefore I am Ifrit.”
“May I ask why you’re cursed?”
“It is a long story but involves making many mistakes in my life. I was once a respected marid but fell. I would rather not speak of the details unless you command it,” he said.
“Luther, you’re my friend. I will not command it of you. I trust that if it has any bearing on our current situation, that you will divulge the information that I need to know. Otherwise, I just need to figure out why they are here. We have many other pressing matters,” I said.
“Of course, Grace. I would never put you or Shady Grove in danger. I am thankful for the opportunity to set right the things I’ve done wrong,” he said.
“Any suggestions on ousting them from here?” I asked.
“Yes, I have a friend that I can call. He specializes in dispatching them. A hunter of sorts,” Luther said.
“Anyone we know?” Levi asked.
“Maybe. He’s rather infamous,” Luther smiled.
“He will fit right in,” I smirked.
“I am not infamous,” Astor interjected.
“Yes, you are Saint Cheeto,” Levi countered.
Levi and Astor picked back and forth at each other as I watched the pained look on Betty’s face. She wanted Luther to tell me more, but he shook his head. I loved them both and hoped that trusting them was the right thing to do.
“What kind of bard can’t rhyme?” Astor said.
“I don’t have to rhyme,” Levi huffed. Astor had hit a sore point with my bard. I tried not laughing at either of them, but it was funny. “At least my pits aren’t cherries and need to be popped.”
“You’ve been looking at his pits?” I asked.
Levi’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Maybe. They are rather manly,” Levi retorted.
“Stay away from my pits,” Astor said seriously.
Levi winked at him, and I’m pretty sure that Astor shit in his pants. Betty’s serious look finally cracked. Troy shook his head, then hid his face in his hands. Bless it. This was my war council. Except for Finley who had remained quiet through the whole exchange. While everyone laughed, I watched him across the room. He lifted his eyes to meet mine. We had both lost, but I had been the cause of his.
My spirit darkened. For at the moment that I snapped his wife out of existence, I knew it was the right thing to do, but I regretted it. He reassured me that I had done the right thing. His eye contact told me that even now, but he was my brother. I felt his despair. For all the years that we’d spent apart, then when he returned, I still felt like I was a million miles away from him. I needed him now more than ever, and our relationship needed a serious patch-up job.
“Glory, stop blaming yourself,” he said in my head.
“I just want us to be better,” I replied.
“I’m as loyal to you as I have ever been. I’d give my life for you, Sister. Do not fear. This will pass,” he said.
“I love you, Fin,” I said.
“Love you, too. It’s going to be fine,” he tried to reassure me, but the pain was still there. I wasn’t a stranger to pain. I knew what it looked like because it stared back at me in the mirror on a daily basis. Even though for months, I had tried to prepare myself for the worst when it came to Dylan, nothing could have prepared me for that inevitable loss.
“So, we call your hunter. Do you think he can get here soon?” I asked.
“If he is available, I suspect he will be in town tomorrow. With your permission, of course,” Luther said.
“Of course. Please bring him to me so that I may meet him when he arrives,” I said. “Now, since we are all here except for Tennyson, I want to know if any of you have suggestions on how to break our prisoner?”
“Let Jenny go a round with her,” Finley suggested. He knew the capabilities of a grindylow.
“It is an option. I’d rather do it myself though,” I said. “However, I admit to turning my face to my father’s torture methods.”
“I agree. Let Jenny and Tennyson take a crack at her,” Levi said. “But I do have some more information on that front that I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. Levi twitched in his seat. He didn’t like me trying to call him out in front of everyone.
“Today wasn’t about that,” he muttered.
“Right. I’m sorry,” I said. “We are here. Go ahead and tell us all.”
He took a deep breath. “I spoke to someone about the red cloak. Apparently, there is an order known as the Order of the Red Cloak. They are a triad of fairy witches. Extremely powerful and well respected because of that power.”
“Triad?” I said.
“Yes. There should be three of them patterned after the triple goddess. Crone, mother, and maiden,” he explained. “I suspect Mable is the crone and Robin is the mother.”
“That leaves the maiden,” I said. “Is there another fairy witch in Shady Grove?”
“Not that I am aware of,” Troy said.
“Me either,” Luther replied.
“Order of the Red Cloak. They are ORCs,” I said.
“Essentially,” Levi said.
“We need to find the third,” I said.
“She could be anywhere on the planet or under it,” Levi said. “There is no way to know.”
“No way to track them?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” he said.
“What about your contact? Would they know?” I asked.
“Um, I’m not sure,” he replied, and I felt his mind shut off to me. I cocked my head sideways at the loss of his presence.
Locking eyes with him, I asked the question I shouldn’t have. “Who is your contact?”
I knew by the mental block, he didn’t want me to know. But by the wince on his face, I already regretted asking before he answered.
“Riley.”
I opened and shut the door to the closet. All I needed was a whiff of the leather. It was like a damn drug. A Dylan Drug. My fix would never be fulfilled though, but no matter how desperate I got, that jacket was staying in that closet.
With a light tap on the door, Levi waited for me to call him into the room. After his admittance to discussing Mable with Riley, the meeting broke up. We decided to let everything rest until Luther’s hunter showed up. Now he wanted to talk about it since it was just me and the children in the house. Astor left to be with Ella.
Levi had every right to talk to whomever he wanted. In fact, if he reformed his attachment to Riley, it was probably the best. I couldn’t fathom how long my heart would be wrapped up in a dead phoenix. He grew impatient, and his forehead thumped against the door.
“Come in,” I said.
When he came in, he wore a pair of pajama pants that hung low on his hips. No shirt. Ever since he showed his scars to me, he went back to his shirtless ways late at night and after showers. Scars or not, Levi was fairy fit. Lean muscles and beautiful lines. I couldn’t help but to admire him as I always had. His scars drew me to him though. I think he knew that. Perhaps that’s why he’d gone back to his bare chest bearing.
He closed the door behind him but didn’t make eye contact with me. Closing the gap between us, I reached out to touch the scars around his sides. My fingers brushed over the ridges of the remnants of his fights with Dylan in the Otherworld. He had explained to me, that after the first fight he developed several spells to keep him from experiencing the burns again. He shivered as I touched the scars. It was the first time I’d touched them since he’d shown them to me.
A demented thought jumped into my head. His scars were like the leather jacket. A little piece of Dylan burned into his skin which was why I was touching them. I withdrew my hand with the thought, and his eyes shot to mine.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt,” he said.
“You k
now what I was thinking,” I replied.
“Yes, and I’d do anything to give him back to you,” he said.
I stepped back from him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have,” I said.
“And I should have told you that I called Riley back after our confrontation at the diner,” he said. “In my defense, I also called Tabitha hoping that she might know about the ORCs before I called Riley.”
“You don’t have to defend yourself with me,” I said.
“I don’t want Riley,” he said.
“You don’t have to want someone to be with them. Hell, I spent my life using men for what I wanted then kicking them to the curb. Just ask Joey Blankenship,” I said.
“No need. Grace, you aren’t that person anymore, and neither am I,” he said.
“You never were,” I said.
“Yes, I was. I tried Kady and Riley, but the fact of the matter was that neither one of them were you, and I knew that, but I did it anyway. I know that doesn’t work, so it won’t be happening again,” he said.
“I just want you to be happy. You deserve it, and I’m not sure I’ll ever have the capacity to give you what you want,” I said.
A lopsided grin crossed his face. “Now, you’re the idiot,” he said.
“How dare you!” I said trying to be serious, but the grin persisted.
“That’s right. You know my heart. As long as I’m here with you and the kids, I’m happy. I don’t need or want anything else. If you kick me out, we will have issues, Queen,” he smirked.
“Get out of my bedroom,” I said pointing toward the door. “I will not stand by for this insolence.”
“You better get used to it, because you’re stuck with me,” he said. I was so very stuck with him. I had been the moment he walked into my trailer. Fucking Jeremiah.
“Go to bed,” I said pointing at the door.
He started to flirt back with me, but he held it inside. “We are solid. You said so,” he said.
“Yes, we are,” I replied.
“Then don’t worry about Riley, or Kady, or anyone else,” he said.
“Levi, go to bed,” I pleaded. I didn’t need to hear any more.
