by Kim Schubert
I turned to Doyle. “The Queen is here.”
Doyle nodded his head solemnly. “I have been pondering the meaning of the spirit tree. Her arrival would be an appropriate explanation.”
“Any idea how to find her?” I asked.
Doyle shook his head. “She had powerful allies help her over, they will keep her safe.”
I grunted. “What can we do to wake him up faster?”
“Have you recovered your power?”
“No,” I admitted reluctantly. I’d have loved for the wall inside of me to come crashing down, but that wasn’t happening.
Doyle nodded, turning his attention back to the prone form of my father. “You obtained the books.”
Again, it wasn’t so much a question as a statement. “We did.”
“Your answer is there. Once you have your power, there will not be many things you cannot do.”
He was being cryptic, but at least he was helping. I looked down at my father. I had envisioned him guiding me along this path, but maybe I had to walk it alone.
I nodded, bundling down my emotions and renewing my guards, then standing. “I better see to Amin.”
We left the room, with Logan leading the way to the spare guest room in the basement. Amin was in the same shape as my father, unresponsive.
“Jerry thinks something went wrong that they are both unconscious.”
“It’s possible. It would have been smart of my mother to leave a booby trap, if one can booby trap a portal.” I sighed, rubbing my head.
“You need to rest,” Logan counseled me.
I nodded. “But I need to eat first.”
…
I checked on the mermaids and unicorns, finding them content in the backyard. Mark and Jerry were giving the baby a bath and using some of Ginny’s old clothing to dress her.
Satisfied that I could relent in controlling for a while, I plunked down at the farm style kitchen table to be fed.
As Logan dropped another grilled cheese in front of me, I told him yet again, “I hate that red world.”
“Hopefully, there will never be a reason to go back.”
I grunted in agreement as Anna sat down across from me, looking weary. The exhaustion was settling into my own bones as well.
“What’s next?” Anna asked, no more in shape than I was to actually do anything.
I rubbed my eyes, fighting back a yawn. “We need to unlock my power, and hope that I can figure out a way to wake up my father.”
Anna nodded, “To kill my father.”
I shifted in my seat, meeting her gaze intently. “If he is here and I can, I will.”
Anna nodded but set her jaw firmly. “He’s mine, Olivia.”
I nodded. “Alright. We need to figure out what powers you have as well.”
“Tomorrow,” Logan said firmly, pulling me up.
Anna sighed, “Yeah, I don’t suppose we are much good to anyone like this.”
“The mermaids and unicorns—” Anna and I began.
“Ali, Grant and Hudson will handle it,” Logan scolded, pushing me up the stairs. “Do not make me come back for you as well, Anna,” he said without turning around.
I laughed, hearing her grumbling as her chair scraped against the tile. My legs were heavy as I stomped up the stairs.
“No, I will not carry you,” Logan grumbled behind me. I gave a half-hearted attempt at a laugh, turning down the hallway and pushing into our bedroom with a grunt.
The moment the door closed behind us, Logan’s hands were on me, holding me, protecting me. He heaved a deep sigh. “I thought I’d lost you again,” he whispered.
“Come on, Logan,” I mumbled into his chest. “Nothing can come between us. Nothing is strong enough to divide us, not in this life or the next.”
Whoa, that was a little deep for me. I ignored his shocked look and pushed him into the bathroom. “Let’s go, I need to heal.”
He smiled, tugging at my clothing, his lips crushing mine.
Chapter 7
Lying on my side, I watched Logan sleep on his back, a tan arm over his stomach, his other hand resting on my arm. We had fallen asleep facing each other only a few short hours ago.
Our short but immensely enjoyable lovemaking in the shower had helped recharge me, but I found myself burdened by everything that had happened.
My father was unconscious, Amin as well. Our backyard was overwhelmed by magical creatures. I rolled to my back with a sigh.
I needed to look at the texts we’d brought back. I debated for a moment how pissed Logan was going to be, but I wasn’t sleeping, no sense in wasting valuable time.
Carefully, I eased myself out of the bed and dressed in my trademark yoga pants and tank top.
Padding down the stairs, I listened to the quiet of the early morning in the mansion. In the kitchen, I poured a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. I know, we are all shocked I can use a coffee maker. It wasn’t long before I had company.
Anna grunted a hello, pouring her own coffee but not seeking food.
We sat for a few moments in silence. I rinsed my bowl, setting it into the dishwasher. Coming to stand in front of Anna, I met her intense gaze, an immeasurable history of pain between us.
I nodded. We were driven by our demons. I didn’t need to have a conversation about taking it easy or healing. I certainly didn’t want to hear that speech from her.
“Books?” I asked.
“Books,” she agreed, taking her coffee and slipping off the barstool.
“Where are they?” I asked.
“Library,” Anna informed me, taking another sip of her coffee.
I nodded, heading to the expansive library. We had updated it upon moving in with numerous electrical outlets, comfortable couches, and built-in shelving. Oddly enough, I had collected a substantial number of texts in my short life of freedom. I suppose with a horde of children being educated at the mansion, it wasn’t that surprising.
The books in question had been set upon the sturdy wooden table. Anna and I took seats opposite each other, each pulling out one of the books.
“So, what are we looking for, exactly?” Anna asked.
“I don’t know,” I confessed. “Something that will break the hold on my magic or that will help heal The Magician.”
“Or kill a Fae,” Anna muttered under her breath.
I grunted, “Yeah, that would be perfect.”
“Why does it always fall to us to fix everything?” Anna grumbled.
“Because we can,” I answered, turning over the ancient pages slowly. “Because we have important people to protect.”
Anna sighed. “Life would be easier in a log cabin with no one around.”
“Easier,” I agreed, “but lonely.”
“No worse than the damn isolation tank,” Anna grumbled.
I slammed my book closed. “Why the fuck would you bring that shit up?”
My outburst caught her off guard. She pulled back from her book, blinking up at me with crystal blue eyes.
“How can you not think about it? How can you not wonder if it would be easier to be dead?”
I breathed heavily, watching her, debating how to answer. I might have thought those things, but I never gave them voice.
“We survived, Anna, against all odds. That has to mean we were destined for something more than being some fucked up vampire’s pets.”
Anna cleared her throat and nodded, not meeting my pointed gaze. I couldn’t fix her. Hell, I couldn’t fix myself. All I could do was point us at our next target and hope that killing shit would once again help ease the guilt and memories.
“No Logan?” Anna asked. I opened the book back up.
“No, unlike us, he sleeps,” I answered.
“He snores,” Anna said with a sly smile.
“How do you know that?” I asked, turning my full attention to her.
“He fell asleep on the couch.”
I laughed, “Yeah, he does snore.”
“Does it
bother him that you can’t have children?” Anna asked, turning a page.
I looked up at her, my turn to be surprised. “He’s never acted like it mattered, nor have I gotten any feelings about it through the bond,” I answered with a shrug. “But it may at some point when life settles down and Ginny isn’t the baby anymore. He loves her, but I’m not sure one is enough for him.”
“At least he has her,” Anna tried.
I nodded, staring down blankly at the pages in front of me, painfully aware of what I could never give Logan and what Lorraine had.
Page after page, I understood less and less. The spells were complex, the ingredients unknown. Who keeps a hex bag blessed in the blood of a bone broth handy? And what the fuck did that even mean?”
I sat back in my chair with a defeated grunt. “I don’t understand anything.”
Anna sighed. “Me, either. The words are English, but put together as they are, they make no damn sense.”
“Did the necromancers stay?” I wondered aloud.
Anna shrugged. “I don’t know. Haven’t checked.”
I nodded, standing up. “I’m going to check on Amin and my father, you handle the backyard?”
Anna nodded. “Mermaids and unicorns, who would have thought?” she mumbled.
Not me.
I went upstairs and into the second wing, knocking softly on my father’s door. I heard Doyle moving behind the door before he opened it.
“Olivia,” he greeted me, nodding deeply.
“Doyle, have you slept?” I asked, worried about the drooping shoulders of the minotaur.
“No,” came his curt reply as he heaved his massive weight down into the same chair as before.
I sighed, going to sit next to my father. His condition hadn’t improved; in fact, in only a few hours, he looked worse.
The skin under his eyes was sunken, his tone ashen. I ground my jaw, hating how useless I was in this situation.
“Has Amin woken up?” I asked, keeping my eyes upon my oblivious father.
“No.”
I turned to Doyle. “I’m running out of options, Doyle. Do you know of anything that might help him wake up?”
Doyle shook his head. “I am only a guardian.”
I nodded, rubbing my head. “I’m going to check on Amin.” I stood wearily.
“Logan had him moved into the next room,” Doyle informed me, his gaze not leaving my father. I nodded. While he might claim to be my guardian, he was my father’s first, without a doubt.
I opened the next door, seeing the lamp next to the bed turned on. I padded softly into the room, looking down at Amin. While he didn’t look as close to death as my father, his complexion had lost its rich, olive tone.
How the hell did I wake them up? Was the fucking portal booby trapped? Was that even possible?
I needed Jerry, but first I’d check on whether the necromancer coven was still hanging around.
Lost in my own thoughts, I crashed into Dacey coming around the corner.
“Shit,” I hissed, reaching out to steady her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, a nervous smile pulling at her lips. “We never get to do anything fun,” she confided.
“This is fun?” I asked.
She nodded enthusiastically. “Mermaids and unicorns. Awesome.”
“Dacey, did everyone stay?”
“No, just me and Jaelle.”
I nodded. “Where is she?”
“Sleeping. She’d never let me explore on my own. Says I’m too important to be in danger.”
I nodded, “Our house is safe.”
“That’s what I told her!”
I smiled at her childlike glee.
“Can you take a look at Amin for me? I’m hitting a dead end trying to wake them up.”
“I should get Jaelle,” Dacey said, suddenly nervous.
“Sure, go ahead.”
She nodded, heading back down the hallway.
Anna came up behind me. “We need Jerry.”
“Agreed, I’m going to get my phone from the bedroom. I want Jaelle and Dacey to look in on Amin. Something isn’t right.”
“You mean the fact that they haven’t woken up?” Anna asked me in a huff.
I growled at her. “I mean I think they’re dying.”
With that truth bomb, I walked away to my room.
Logan was still sleeping, as was Ginny.
I felt badly about calling Jerry, especially when he had a new baby to tend to, but I needed help.
He picked up on the third ring. “What’s wrong?” he rasped into the phone.
“Can a portal be booby trapped?” I asked without preamble.
Jerry groaned, “Yes, but it would take—“
“A Fae?” I asked, finishing his sentence.
Jerry sighed, “Yes, exceptional power.”
“I think they’re dying,” I confessed, slowing my gait down the stairs.
“What do you need from me?” I was grateful for his commitment to me.
“The books I brought back, can you look at them? Anna and I can’t make heads or tails. I’m going to have the necromancers look at Amin, see if there’s anything they can do.”
“Their specialty is death,” Jerry reminded me.
“And mine is killing, but that doesn’t stop me from saving innocent lives.”
“Alright, I’ll be right over. Can we bring Greta?” Jerry asked.
“We haven’t decided that is her name,” Mark said from the background.
I laughed, “Yeah, I think we still have Ginny’s pack-and-play. And I agree with Mark, not Greta.”
Jerry huffed, “It’s a form of Gretchen.”
My heart constricted painfully. Gretchen was Grams’s given name. I hadn’t thought of her much with everything going on, but I missed her still.
I cleared my throat. “Grams would agree, the kid needs a better name.”
Jerry sighed. “Well, we can’t keep calling her sweet pea.”
I laughed. “Take your time, she won’t know the difference.”
“I suppose,” he grumbled. “See you soon.”
I hung up, coming to join Dacey and Jaelle outside of Amin’s door.
“This does not bode well,” Jaelle stated.
“Nothing ever fucking does,” I mumbled. Anna gave me a pointed glare and I cleared my throat. “What exactly doesn’t bode well?” I asked.
“Death energy, it’s slipping out under the door, coating it, overlapping itself. It’s not natural, death energy doesn’t usually behave in this manner,” Dacey explained, her eyes roving over things I couldn’t see.
I opened the door to Amin’s room and they both stepped back.
“Close the door!” hissed Jaelle.
I did as she requested. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think it’s sentient,” Dacey whispered.
Jaelle shook her head. “Why would you bring us into such a dangerous situation? We have done nothing to you,” she snapped at me.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Because we needed help. Because I saved your ass, because you owe me. You can bury your head in the sand another day. Today, I need you to help me wake up Amin and my father.”
“Why? Why do these two matter so much?”
“They are my charges, my responsibilities. I will not fail them.”
“For what purpose?” she hissed at me.
“The Fae are on Earth, along with the Succubus Queen. We need everyone and every advantage to fight them off,” Anna said, keeping her composure far better than myself.
Jaelle shook her head, clenching her jaw. “Why should we believe you?”
“Aside from the fact you saw us get spewed from a portal?” Anna asked.
I silently raised my eyebrow at Jaelle.
She tried another line of reasoning. “We don’t follow under leadership.”
“You are testing my limited patience, Jaelle,” I groaned. “Why does this have to be so damn difficult?”
Wariness pass
ed behind her gaze before it hardened, her arm instinctually wrapping around the younger Dacey.
I groaned and Anna asked, “What do you know that you aren’t telling us?”
Dacey sighed, “Can we sit somewhere?”
I nodded, heading back to the kitchen. Dacey and Jaelle sat on one side of the farm table and Anna on the other. I filled four coffee cups, restarting the pot for when Logan got up.
I set the cups on the table, going back to the fridge for creamer and fetching the sugar, setting everything between us on the table as I sat down next to Anna.
Drumming my fingers, I watched Dacey spoon the sugar in, followed by creamer. She took a long swig, meeting my glare for a moment before she cleared her throat and set the cup down.
“There is a prophecy,” she began. I swallowed my groan, Anna didn’t.
“See, I told you they wouldn’t respect our traditions,” hissed Jaelle.
Dacey gave Jaelle an annoyed look.
I in turn shot a pointed look toward Anna. “Please continue,” I encouraged.
Dacey returned her attention to me. I studied her gray eyes, flecked with baby blue. Her skin was still perfection, unblemished by wrinkles or time.
She twirled a golden lock around her finger. “The prophecy in its simplest form claims that the Fae will retake Earth as their playground. That humans will face extinction and the Supernaturals as a whole will have to rise up and send the Fae back to their world.”
Anna huffed, “That’s fucking accurate.”
I swallowed. “Too accurate.”
Dacey nodded. “In dealing with death, we often find ourselves the keepers of possible futures.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
“A little warning would have been nice,” Anna grumbled.
“Possible futures,” I repeated. “You have multiple prophecies?” I asked.
Dacey nodded. “It’s my job to record them.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking down at her hands. “Something about this one was different. The way the details were given, the description of events…” Her voice trailed off.
“It led us to cut ties with the rest of the Supernatural word,” Jaelle supplied, filling in Dacey’s silence.
I turned my attention to her. “Why?”
