Blood Spelled

by Gayle Parness

  My blade would always be my weapon of choice because an ancient smith with incredible magical skills had spelled the dagger, so that it might connect to its wielder during a battle. It protected me almost as well as another fighter might, its sentient magic a gift for any warrior.

  Garrett had locked it in the safe again. Maybe these females would like to take a look at it one day. It was so beautifully designed and crafted.

  “They are magnificent,” Finvarra words brought me back to the present. “When can we send more to your school?”

  He’d directed the question to me, but I didn’t know how to answer him. “We can’t accommodate more than the eight we’re training at one time. We have no place to house them and not enough teachers.”

  “Five instructors are not sufficient?”

  “Sire. It is possible that a license from the State of California is needed to run a proper school,” Farrell added.

  “See to it.”

  “Yes, sire.”

  “Excuse me, King Finvarra, but we haven’t agreed to take on the responsibility of any more students,” Garrett said. His tone was perfectly polite, but he was as aware as I that we were being manipulated by one of the best.

  “But see what has been accomplished in such a short time.” Fin actually waved at the females as they were being ushered out of the room by Rick.

  Garrett called Sasha over. “It’s true, Your Highness.” We are not set up for more students. It would be crowded and we wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with each one. The students would not be able to learn in that environment.”

  “Tell me what you need.”

  Sasha straightened. “Rather, who I need. Keara or Brina, to start, but only if they’re willing.”

  I laughed out loud then covered my mouth. Sash shrugged and smiled at Garrett and me, looking only mildly sheepish. Only the best for his school. He sure had nerve.

  “They’re willing. Go on.” I doubted Fin would give them any choice. Working with two angry female warriors would not be fun. I’d have to talk to them privately.

  Sash seemed to think things over for a few minutes. “I would need a dormitory to house the students along with furnishings, bedding, towels, clothing, etc. A dining hall, a kitchen, a much larger gym stocked with more equipment, and a large room where the students can relax, watch TV and play games. I’d also need staff: maids and cooks—security too. All female. Even demi-fey would be necessary to tend a vegetable garden. In fact, I think some of them might like to garden. The females seem to enjoy the flowers. We’d need a large garage as well, because we’ll be purchasing some buses. They can’t be teleporting around town.”

  “All of this seems reasonable,” Finvarra said, smiling smugly.

  “It’ll be damn expensive and will take months and months,” Sash frowned.

  Fin looked at Sash and shook his head. He wiggled his fingers, grinning like a chimp, and pointed at his chest with his thumbs. “King of Faerie.”

  Sasha’s chin just about hit the floor. “You can do that here? Outside of Faerie?”

  “The building needs to be designed to your specifications and you must show me what materials I should use. I will not be running wiring through walls, although I should be able to accommodate your plumbing needs as long as you show me examples. The easiest way is for you to take me to a building already in existence that I can copy. Then you’d have your wiring as well. I’ll leave it unfurnished so you can choose what you like.”

  “Except for the gym, a college dorm would work. And how many students would you send?” I asked.

  “Fifty at first?”

  “Fifty? We’d need a three story building,” Rick said.

  “That can be arranged.” Fin was on a roll.

  “Let’s not get carried away. We can start with twenty-five new female students.” Sash scratched his head. “I’ll be happy to run the school, but the property belongs to Jackie and Garrett, so it’s up to them.”

  “Your thoughts, my love?”

  “Yes. This is wonderful.”

  “Then we’ll make it happen.”

  “We agree. We own ten acres of land directly behind our homes and to the northeast. It’s mostly woodland, but there is also a patch of field near the center of the property. You know where I mean, Sash?” Garrett asked.

  “It’s a perfect location. Surrounded by woods, they’d have privacy, and we can make it accessible to the road with a long drive. We can also extend the driveway to our home.”

  “The females will certainly feel more at home in a wooded environment,” Fin added. “And with the addition of a garden tended by demi-fey, I believe they will find the location to be ideal.”

  I gave Sash a scrutinizing glance. “You realize we’re going to have to get a hell of a lot more organized, right? We might actually have to meet to work out details.”

  “We’ve been doing that all along, Mistress.” When I scowled, Sash’s face relaxed into a boyish grin. It was one thing to call me Mistress privately, but saying it in front of Fin just wasn’t fair. “You’ve been out of town. We’ll send you a gilded invitation when we have our next meeting.”

  Fin asked, “Why do you call her Mistress?”

  Sasha met my gaze in all seriousness. “Because she deserves the title.” His grin was impish. “Also because she hates it.”

  The King of Faerie nodded. “Two excellent reasons.” Garrett, Fin and Rick chuckled.

  All the guys were staring at me. “I think I’m done here. I’m choking on too much testosterone.”

  Garrett followed me outside, continuing to walk behind me. “Have I told you how amazing you look in those jeans?”

  “What, really? You’re going to make comments about my ass? Why didn’t you stick around with the other junior high school boys in the basement?”

  “And your long legs…I keep visualizing them without the jeans. So kissable.”

  “I thought you were mad at me about the dive.”

  “Oh yes, and I intend to get my revenge, mon ange. And soon.” He moved so close behind me I could feel his breath on my neck. I kept walking. He moved my hair aside. “Your ears—”

  I suppose you’ll keep this up the entire walk back to the house, right?” It was getting harder to suppress my giggles or the tingles that were spreading rampantly around my body, but I kept walking.

  He zipped in front of me, walking backwards and smiling seductively. “Your lips…”

  I stopped. He stopped. We waited for the other to speak. A breeze blew my hair into my face and ruffled Garrett’s shorter locks. It was cold, but my demon magic was like a personal thermostat, keeping my body warm even in lightweight jeans. Hercules barked. He must need to go out.

  “The dog.”

  “We can walk him on the beach.”

  “It’s late.”

  “The beach is beautiful at night. And deserted. The moon and stars are lovely.”

  “You didn’t look at the sky,” I teased. He was only staring at me.

  “I don’t have to. It’s all in your eyes.”

  Now I was smiling. I took a step closer. “How do you always know the best things to say to seduce me?”

  “Because at times like this we’re the same. Not always, but when we allow ourselves to connect, we’re one.” He slid closer, his sweet breath warming my face, his hands cupping my face.

  I was lost in his beautiful blue eyes, my body ready to find peace in his arms. “We’ll take wine. And a blanket,” I whispered.

  “Oui, Madame Cuvier.” And he kissed me.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The dormitory went up in record time, with the gym following not long after. As I’d suggested, Fin had inspected a college dorm, feeling the walls with the tips of his fingers and sending out his magic to inspect every element. Several of the kids in the hallways gave us some strange looks, but we knew several shifters on the small college’s board of directors and they’d given us permission to be in the buildings.

&nb
sp; Elle and I went shopping for linens and workout clothing, giving our new cook the okay to order whatever she needed, including her own staff. Sash and Rick took care of ordering gym supplies and Farrell recruited four shifter females to work part time in the school office. They’d be able to handle any problems that might pop up in a building full of females unfamiliar with the human world.

  When the school was officially finished to everyone’s satisfaction and we’d gotten our state license and passed the various inspections from the Board of Health, a never ending troupe of engineers and dozens of members of other organizations, we ordered in pizza for those who could eat, drank beer and got tipsy enough to play pool with the two pool sharks, Sasha and Rick. Money was lost, but fun was had by all.

  Because they’d been an enormous help during the school building project, our original students were all in attendance and even Fin stopped by for a beer and a dance with each of them. I thought the females would shake from nerves when Fin asked them to dance, but they’d held up their chins with pride and smiled at their king. I was so proud of them, I was beaming.

  “I would die for the king—for Faerie,” one of the females whispered to several others and they’d all agreed.

  “Faerie was a dark place under Fionna, but the king brings light,” another said.

  They’d been trapped in the darkness, living the most brutal of lives. Their strength was humbling and I prayed the little we’d done would start them on a new, much brighter path.

  I would die for the king—for Faerie. As terrifying as that vision was, these newly trained females were determined to place themselves in harm’s way, not just for Faerie, but to ensure Finvarra continued to rule. I watched the king charming the females and everyone else in the room with his easy smile and his friendly banter. He was a great leader, that was certain, a leader impossible to replace. But what did he carry inside his heart, this male who’d lived for so many years and left behind so many of his loved ones, whether lost in battle or otherwise? It had to take a toll on him, yet he hid his pain behind a mask of warm benevolence.

  I’d asked Charlie about Aine, Fin’s Queen and mate, whom he’d left in Tir Na NOg in a comfortable cottage. She was occasionally visited by family, and constantly watched over by a young fae female who’d taken it upon herself to guard the former Queen, feral in her protective zeal.

  Aine had given birth to twins—Caelen and Fiona—and then could have no more children. Thinking to help Faerie, which was slowly dying because of the lack of new blood, she’d sent Finvarra off to impregnate other fae females. But when her plan worked and they’d become pregnant, she began to grow jealous. It hadn’t occurred to her that it was in Fin’s nature to take as consorts only females he could love, and when the children were born he fussed over them as he did his children born of Aine.

  Finvarra fathered seven children in all: Lord Caelen, Lady (Queen) Fionna, Lady Dinestri, Lord Argon, Lady Jorrenn, Lord Kennet and his sister, Lady Korwyn. Although Fin was completely devoted to his beautiful Queen, Aine began to lose her ability see past her resentment. She took action, using poison and spells to rid herself of the females Fin had chosen to love. It was one thing to have a mate and take a mistress, but another to love that mistress and her children with the same passion he showed his mate.

  Obsessed with the other females, Aine began to lose her sanity and Finvarra, furious over the deaths of three of his consorts, took Aine to Tir Na NOg, a place of peace and comfort, but also a prison, because Fin swore he would never allow her to return to Faerie.

  Ironically, the only female who’d survived the poisonings was Kennet’s mother, and unfortunately she drifted into insanity, the same way Aine had. She treated Kennet and Korwyn cruelly and eventually died—murdered by her son.

  “Little mother,” Finvarra offered me his hand. “Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”

  I rose, accepted his hand and followed him to the center of the room. “Aren’t you tired of dancing? Eight students in a row can be quite exhausting,” I teased.

  “Ah, but I saved the best for last.”

  I giggled. “Have you seen me dance?”

  “All is possible where the will is strong.” Somehow I didn’t think he was talking about dancing. Discussions with Fin usually seemed simple on the surface but often surprised me with their complexities.

  The music started—a waltz, his favorite—and he swept me into his arms, swirling me around the room as if gravity played no part in our movements. I was flying and he was laughing and the music ended much too soon. Garrett had requested a rematch with Sash, so Fin stayed with me, acting the attentive escort. He brought me a slice of carrot cake and a glass of water—I’d had enough beer—then sat beside me with a slice of apple pie.

  “How are you feeling, child?” he asked between bites.

  “I’ve been able to stay in control without much trouble. When I get antsy I jump in the pool or the ocean for a while.”

  “But how do you feel?”

  “I’m not balanced, if that’s what you mean. My cheetah… She used to anchor me.” We sat quietly for a moment, surveying the room as we ate our desserts. It was full of friendly faces. The girls, Charlie, Brina, Kellaine and Liam were talking nearby.

  I pushed my empty plate aside and distractedly massaged the small spot near my collarbone. It was still so cold.

  “May I?” he asked, his gaze on my hand and his eyes sparkling with interest.

  “Sure.”

  He touched the icy spot with the back of his knuckles and winced. “She’s placed a compulsion spell on you. I’m familiar with this sort of spell. Something will trigger a deep sense of urgency, the compulsion to immediately take whatever action Naberia desires, no matter the circumstances. You’ll have little time to call a halt to whatever it is, and even that would only be a temporary fix.”

  “Why only temporary? If I can fight if off once, I can again and again.”

  “The only way it will stop completely is if Naberia dies or if you accomplish the goal she has set in place.”

  “But it must be something…something that will hurt Faerie or my family or… I can’t imagine what it might be.”

  “I had hoped to find that your growing control had somehow disengaged the spell, but I see that it is as strong, if not stronger.”

  “What should I do?”

  “You won’t like what I suggest.”

  “Tell me.”

  He smiled again. “Come to Faerie. Your demon magic will be greatly decreased in my realm and it will be much less likely that you will feel the urgency to work the magic with which she’s poisoned you.”

  “I can’t leave Garrett.”

  “Would I ever suggest that?” He squeezed my hand. “I’ve built a house near Aedus’ home. They insisted and Philladre is very excited at the prospect. The home Charlie is staying in is not far, and so many would love to meet you and honor you for all you’ve done. Garrett won’t have to hide during the daylight hours and whatever you wish to do is there for you. You can train with Keara one day or swim in a refreshing lake the next. We would welcome you with open arms.”

  I blinked tears from my eyes. I was wonderfully touched by his offer, but at the same time I was upset at the thought of being forced to leave the life I’d built here in Crescent City, even if it was only for a short time. I’d be turning my back on the school and my home and my friends and…

  “Sweet child.” He brushed a tear from my cheek. “Naberia attacked you with her insidious magic and no one was there to stop her. I don’t doubt that you feel some anger on that score.”

  “Not toward anyone but myself.” I met his gaze at last. “Your people hate demons. They’ll see my aura and shun me.” He started to deny it, but I silenced him with a hand on his shoulder. “It’s in their nature to distrust demons. My presence might be disruptive.” Because where did I truly belong now? In the DR? Definitely not there—but not here either, if it meant the spell might spring at any momen
t. And Faerie? Faerie was the least likely place a demon could go to feel comfortable or fit in.

  I began to understand Isaiah’s dilemma. But where was Isaiah?

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I stood and began pacing. Hadn’t Isaiah said he was going to be coming to continue my training? I could think of several reasons why he might not show, but wouldn’t he have sent word? I suppose if he’d found some hot little number, coming to train me would have slipped his mind, but even then he would have contacted me somehow. Here he had unlimited access to the mortal plain and yet he hadn’t showed up.

  Could Naberia be holding him? Torturing him for his closeness with Charlie or me? I trembled, wringing my hands together.

  “What disturbs you?” Fin asked.

  “I’m worried about Isaiah. When I left him on the cliff he said he’d be coming here to continue training me. But he hasn’t shown up and it’s been days and days. There’s been no word at all.” In fact, as soon as I started thinking about him, my gut told me there was a problem.

  “I’m sure a four-thousand-year old demon can take care of himself. Especially one of Naberia’s brood.”

  “Did you know she’s murdered every one of her daughters? She killed my mother too. There’s only Isaiah and some other nerdy brother he never talks about. She must know Isaiah spends time with us. He might be in danger.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s—”

  I jumped up and began pacing, antsy again. “Please excuse me. I’m going out for some air.” I didn’t even give Fin a chance to answer.

  As soon as I was outside once more, the irritating spot on my chest quieted. Well, that was good at least. I took the lines to the Carmel villa to have a look around. No sign of him, and only two members of the staff were still there, closing things up until the next time we visited.