Rebirth - Book 1 Rogues Shifter Series

by Gayle Parness

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  I woke up in my own bed, alone but relaxed and glowing with pleasure. Stretching languidly, I took the time to remember each precious moment from the previous night. Now I was his mate in every way possible, so when I jumped in the shower, I found myself humming a song and making a fool of myself as I did a silly happy dance. If I had anything to say about it, this was going to become my morning ritual.

  After dressing and drying my hair, I went looking for Liam. He was sitting on the patio reading what looked like a very old book with a thick leather cover, written in a strange language I didn’t recognize. Liam put the book down as I walked outside to join him.

  His mouth turned up in a small smile when I sat across from him. “Your aura is a more vibrant emerald. Your support empowers your mate. Eleanor will have a very difficult fight on her hands, especially now that you have bonded physically.”

  Liam always got right down to the essence of things. I tried very hard not to blush and changed the subject. “I can’t help him during the duel, can I?”

  “No, but you have done much already. You give him faith and a reason to win. He has always had the ability, but not always the confidence or the motivation.” I felt a nudge on my wall, so I opened to Liam, curious as to why he wanted to converse mind to mind.

  “Jacqueline Crawford, I would like to offer you my assistance in learning to use the magic of the ley lines and the powers with which you have been gifted. I must tell you that if you accept my offer, you may not speak of our work together to anyone except Garrett. This will be a serious agreement between us and if our secrecy is breached, then death may result. An agreement of this kind with a seelie fae is a magical binding and not something to take lightly.”

  I held my expression in check, but my heart was racing with fear and excitement. “May I ask why you’re offering me this astonishing gift? I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I can’t make a decision without knowing.”

  “I am a warrior, but also a healer, just as you are both. My mother is human, my father, a fae elder, a royal, the first-born son of the former King of Faerie. Maintaining a balance of power between the supernatural world and the human world is important to me. If you are trained correctly, you will naturally work toward this end as well. It has been clear from the beginning that your innate instincts are to heal and not to fight. Maya and Garrett are great warriors, but not healers, and understandably, they can only see the world from their perspective. If you are trained solely by them, you may not retain your balance. That could be a dangerous thing for you and our two worlds.”

  “You mean I could cross over to the dark side?” I laughed but saw quickly that Liam wasn’t amused at all. “Please forgive me. This is all so new.” I switched gears. “How long would this training last?”

  “We could set our initial agreement to last for no more than three cycles of the moon, six hours per week. I would be your teacher and would expect your focus and your compliance during our training sessions, even when the work is difficult. Our relationship outside of those six hours would be as it has been, Miss Jacqueline.” He smiled. Somehow I knew he wouldn’t be addressing me that way during our lessons.

  He sat quietly while he waited for my response. I’d be an idiot not to agree, but I had no experience with the fae. The amount of magic that surrounded him on a daily basis was staggering. He was probably more dangerous than Garrett, Eleanor, and her entire nest put together.

  In the end it was his long-term loyalty to Garrett that convinced me. He wanted to help us. “I accept your offer. How do we seal this agreement?”

  “With magic.”

  Oh. Big surprise there.

  He grabbed my hand and led me quickly over the patio and into the woods. We walked down a path I’d traveled several times in the past week, but it looked nothing like what I remembered. Instead of the usual conifers and oaks, trees with shining white trunks and iridescent leaves that looked like tiny fingers framed the narrow lane. Instead of the usual pine needles, flower petals covered the ground, their movement beneath our bare feet filling the air with a pungent bouquet.

  I was pretty sure I’d been wearing flip flops in the kitchen.

  We came to a lovely clearing where a gently flowing stream was fed by a golden waterfall, the sound of the moving water making a glorious music. Where was this place? Was this Faerie? I found myself too awed to ask a question, afraid that the sound of my voice would shatter this beautiful illusion.

  As if he’d read my mind, he answered. “We’re in a sacred place in your world, where fae magic is strong.” Liam’s golden hair floated around his head in a wondrous manner, his eyes glittering like violet diamonds. I felt lightheaded, as if I’d fallen down the rabbit hole, so he seated me on the banks of the stream and sat next to me.

  He sang a few short phrases in an exquisitely beautiful language and I lost myself in his music and his eyes and his spirit. It took me a moment to realize he was speaking in English again. “Jacqueline Crawford, by magic, do you agree to be trained by me, Liam, Son of Caelen, to use the power of the ley lines and to keep this secret from all but your mate, Garrett?”

  “I agree.”

  A rune-covered goblet appeared out of nowhere, filled with glistening, rainbow-colored water from the stream. He offered it to me and I drank without hesitation, certain it would be the most delicious water I’d ever tasted. And it was even more: the finest wine, the sweetest juice, the most powerful potion. Gold sparkled in his eyes as he watched me drink greedily, only taking the goblet away when he felt I’d had enough. He downed what was left and I stared at his throat as he swallowed, annoyed he’d denied me the rest.

  The goblet disappeared and he looked at me curiously. “Not many non-fae can drink more than a few sips.”

  “I was so thirsty.”

  He laughed and suddenly we were standing on the patio behind Garrett’s house. I automatically looked down, delighted to see my flip flops cushioning my feet once more. “We begin tomorrow at noon.” He nodded in the fae manner and turned away to continue his work in the garden as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I pulled up some power and watched the tendrils of rainbow colored energy still spiraling around him. I had to admit, Liam was spooky, especially outside of Garrett’s house. I could only imagine what kind of power he pulled in when he was battling an enemy.

  Still feeling the effects of the potion, I smiled goofily. Liam’s scent, which somehow covered me, was exotically fragrant and enticing. I shook my head to clear my mind and walked inside quickly. Coffee should help.