Beguiled

by Maureen Child

  “How can I help you?”

  “Oh, don’t you worry about that, little one,” Mab told her, standing up again and walking to the one small window, high on the far wall. Slowly, she rose into the air, peered outside, then looked down at Eileen.

  “You once did me a favor,” she said. “Do you recall?”

  “Yes,” Eileen answered, and stiffened her shoulders. Mab looked a little scary, hovering up there in the air and looking down at her. Mab’s face was white as snow and her eyes looked weird, constantly changing color, from silver to blue and back again.

  Then Eileen remembered her mom and her aunt Maggie, and fought to be mad, not scared. It worked. A little. “I remember. I let you out of the painting. And you said you owed me a boon. Mom says that means favor.”

  “It does indeed,” Mab said with a nod as she slowly lowered herself to the floor again. “Aren’t you the clever little half-breed.”

  “So is this the favor?” Eileen asked. “Locking me up in this room? It smells bad and it’s cold and dark and—”

  “Hush child!” Mab frowned and tapped her chin with one finger. “Locking you away was necessary. It was not the boon I owe. But I do intend to pay. I always pay my debts.”

  Eileen stood and flattened herself against the wall. “So, are you gonna let me go?”

  Mab laughed and the sound was so pretty, like music and sunlight, that Eileen almost forgot that Mab was the bad guy. She remembered quickly enough when Mab reached out a hand, took Eileen’s chin in her fingers and studied her for a long second or two.

  Finally, she said softly, “The Sluagh want you, you know. You’re a tasty treat to them. One such as you they have not sampled for many centuries.” Mab smiled. “You shine with innocence, child, and your human soul calls to them.”

  Eileen’s knees started shaking and she didn’t know if she could keep from crying much longer.

  “But I won’t let them have you.” She frowned and threw a dirty look at the closed and locked door before turning her gaze back to Eileen. “You’re a child and as such are under my protection. You will come to no harm here. Besides, I have other plans for you. So now I gift you with the boon I owe. You will be made fully Fae. Your soul will no longer be streaked with the taint of humanity and so you will no longer interest the Sluagh.”

  Mab’s fingers on her chin tightened. Eileen tried to look away from her swirly eyes, but couldn’t quite manage it.

  “Then child,” Mab continued, “you will live an eternity as a servant in my palace. You will never know freedom again and for all of your immortal life, you will remember that it was your own blood who sentenced you to this. Your mother’s sister thought to steal what was mine.”

  “Aunt Maggie’s gonna find me,” Eileen said, “and then you’ll be sorry.”

  Mab laughed, bent low and stared into Eileen’s eyes. “That will not happen. The upstart queen will soon be gone and things will return to being as they were meant.”

  Eileen twisted in Mab’s grip, but though she looked fragile and delicate, the Fae was really strong.

  “But”—Eileen swallowed hard—“you don’t have any powers anymore. You can’t make me Fae.”

  Mab smiled again and this time, the curve of her mouth looked mean. “I have acquired much of what I lost, young one. Trust me when I tell you I have all the power I will need to change you and then dispose of your . . . family.”

  “No!” Eileen tried to jerk free, but Mab held the girl still, pursed her lips and blew a slow, steady stream of golden Faery dust into Eileen’s eyes.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “The good news is, the kid’s fine.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Nora shuddered and let out a long sigh of relief.

  Bezel grabbed a glass of Diet Coke, courtesy of Maggie’s pulling in everything from her old house. He took a drink, set the glass down and looked at each of them in turn before finally staring at Maggie.

  The pixie’s hair was dirty, his green velvet suit torn at the shoulder and he was sporting a heck of a black eye. But he was grinning.

  “Told ya a pixie could get in anywhere.”

  “Yes,” she said, letting him enjoy his moment of triumph. “You were right. Yay you. Now, details.”

  “First,” Bezel said with a sneer, “where’s good ol’ grandFae?”

  Culhane answered that. “He is in one of the cells below the palace. There he stays until this is finished.”

  Maggie wasn’t proud of locking up her own grandfather. But the choice had been simple. Him, the male who had betrayed them all and made it possible for Eileen to be kidnapped—or them. It was not a hard decision.

  Jasic had shrieked and pleaded like a little girl before the warriors had tossed his ass into that cell. But she’d been beyond listening to him. When this was all over, she’d have to figure out a more-permanent solution to the problem of Jasic, but there were more-important things to concentrate on at the moment.

  “Good.” Bezel nodded. “Okay then. Eileen’s in a small room off the back of the tavern at the edge of the Dark Woods.”

  “The woods?” Nora echoed that word with horror. “My baby’s in the woods?”

  Bezel looked at her, but instead of being as snarky and snotty as he was usually, his voice sounded almost . . . kind. “She’s not in the woods. She’s in this room. I caught a look at her when they took food into her.”

  “Thank God. And they’re feeding her. That’s good. Is she okay? Is she hurt? Scared?” Nora stopped, then looked at Quinn. “Of course she’s scared. God, she’s all alone.”

  “We will get her back.”

  “She didn’t look scared to me,” Bezel said with a tight smile. “Kid looked pissed. Heard her yelling at the troll taking her food in and he came running out fast.”

  Nora grinned, despite the tears shimmering in her eyes. “That’s my girl.”

  “Oh, there’s one more thing,” Bezel told them all, pausing for dramatic effect. “Not only was Eileen pissed, she was floating.”

  “Floating?” Maggie repeated, stunned.

  “Yep.” Bezel burped, pounded his chest, then said, “Looks like somebody turned our girl into a full-Fae.”

  “What?” Nora shouted. “Who would do that?”

  “Only one person I can think of,” Bezel muttered.

  “Looks like Mab got some of her powers back. Word on Casia is that she’s killed a few of the rogue Fae and stolen their powers. Every power she steals makes her stronger. And since she was Fae to start with, those powers are growing fast.”

  “But why would she make Eileen Fae?” Maggie wondered aloud.

  “Before we kill Mab,” Quinn said tightly, “we will ask her.”

  “Okay.” Nora was talking, but more to herself than anyone else. “Eileen’s a full-Fae now. That makes her immortal. That’s safer, right? Of course it is.”

  Quinn frowned and dropped one arm around her shoulders.

  She ignored the offer of comfort and focused her gaze on Maggie. “How do we get Eileen back?”

  “Won’t be easy.” Bezel looked at Culhane and Maggie. “Mab’s been working. She’s got herself a little army. A few Pooka, a couple of Dullahan and some Sluagh.”

  Quinn hissed.

  That reaction couldn’t be good, Maggie thought. “Who are they?”

  “Later,” Culhane told her, with a warning glance at Nora.

  Okay, Maggie understood. He didn’t want to explain everything with Eileen’s mom sitting there, already on the edge of hysteria. But once they were alone, she was going to want to know it all, Maggie vowed silently.

  “Anyway,” Bezel said loudly enough to gain her attention again, “the rogue Fae Mab’s got on her side are so unreliable, they’re just as likely to turn on her as to follow her. I figure if the battle starts going badly for her, they’ll desert her to save their own skin.”

  “So how do we get Eileen back?” Nora’s demand had them all turning to look at Maggie.

  But no pressure, she
thought. They had to fight Mab, true. But they also had to get Eileen to safety first. They couldn’t risk Mab using the girl to cover her own ass.

  As she studied the group of people gathered around one end of the great dining table, a sort of with-any-luck-at-all-maybe-possible kind of plan began to take shape in her mind. But before she could set it in motion, she had to do one more thing.

  “We’re going to need everyone in this fight,” she told Culhane, making sure her voice was loud enough that everyone heard.

  “The warriors are ready, my Queen,” he said.

  “Not just the warriors.” She slid a glance at Ailish and Audra. “The female guard will fight with you. Flying warriors are a very good thing.”

  The two guards looked electrified by the prospect, despite the groans from Quinn and McCulloch. Culhane, on the other hand, nodded. “It makes sense,” he said. “They are trained fighters and we must win this battle.”

  Surprised, Maggie smiled at him, appreciating the fact that he hadn’t given her a load of grief on this one. Of course, that thought was followed immediately by the big question of why was he being so nice about this? Was he trying to keep her off balance? Or was he actually being sincere? And how could she possibly know for sure either way?

  “What about me?” Nora demanded. “I want to help. She’s my daughter.”

  “I know, Nor,” Maggie said, looking at her sister. “But you’re pregnant, so you’re not in this.”

  Her sister’s eyes flashed fury at her, but Maggie wasn’t impressed. She’d lived with Donovan tempers her whole life and she could give as good as she got.

  “You can’t stop me.” Nora glared at her.

  “I can’t, but he can,” Maggie said, with a nod at Quinn. “Make sure she’s safe.”

  “I would have anyway, my Queen.”

  “You can’t do this to me!”

  “Nora, we’re gonna get her back,” Maggie told her sister, her voice hard and cold. “But we can’t do it if we’re worried about you.”

  Nora looked as if she might fight that statement, but a moment or two passed and she slumped in her chair and nodded.

  “Good. Also,” she said, turning her gaze to her best friend, “I need to go to Sanctuary. Claire, you come with me.”

  “I will go as well,” Culhane told her.

  “No,” Maggie said quickly. “I need you here, getting the warriors and the female guard ready.”

  He looked as if he wanted to argue, but again he backed off and Maggie wondered anew what was going on with her Fae Warrior. Why was he being so damn accommodating? And God, she wished she could trust him completely.

  “It will be done,” he told her, “but McCulloch goes with you. As escort.”

  “Fine.”

  “Um,” Claire spoke up, raising her hand as if she were a second grader wanting the teacher’s attention. “Excuse me . . . but how come you need me at Sanctuary?”

  Maggie smiled. “Because, my favorite witch in the world, you’re going to do a spell for me.”

  Culhane went with Maggie to the Queen’s chamber. He wanted a word with her before they all left for their separate missions.

  Maggie marched into her bedroom, took a few long steps, then stopped, turned around and faced him.“Okay, tell me what you weren’t telling me downstairs. Who are the Sluagh?”

  He told her and watched her face mirror the fear that was rattling through her.

  “Fallen angels who drain human souls?” She moved to the bed, sat down on the edge of it and shook her head. “Good plan not telling Nora that.”

  “Eileen is safe from them now, if what Bezel says is true. They do not devour Fae souls.” He walked toward her and took a seat beside her on the bed. Thoughtfully now, he said, “Perhaps that is why Mab changed her.”

  “Yeah,” Maggie said snidely, “because Mab is such a giver. She’s so caring and nice, of course she’d want to protect the kid she stole.”

  Culhane frowned. “All I am saying is that Mab has never allowed a child to be killed. In centuries of her rule, that is one law she never allowed broken.” He looked down at Maggie. “Mab must have known that she could not control the Sluagh and after hundreds of years in Casia, the soul eaters would have been drawn to Eileen’s innocence. By changing her, she protected the girl from them.”

  “Great,” Maggie said without emotion, jumping up from the bed to pace. “We can give her a big thank-you later. You know, just before we kick her ass.”

  “She will be defeated, Maggie. This time permanently,” he promised, swearing a silent oath that the former queen would never be allowed to bother Maggie again.

  “She has to be. I have to get Eileen to safety.”

  “I will lead a raid into Casia,” Culhane told her, standing up to walk to her side. “We will get her out before the battle.”

  Maggie shook her head. “No.”

  “You do not trust me.”

  “With Eileen?” she said quietly. “Of course I do. But Culhane, you’d never be able to get close enough to Mab to pull it off and you know it. Besides, I have someone else in mind. Someone unexpected.”

  Reaching out, Culhane grabbed Maggie, pulled her close and felt her stiffen, then slowly yield to his embrace. He didn’t want this distance between them. Especially not now, when they were preparing for a battle that might be the end of them all.

  Holding her tightly to him, he muttered, “Trust in me, Maggie.”

  “I already told you I trust you with Eileen.”

  “That is not what I meant and you know that, I think.”

  Yes, she knew it. Maggie told herself to step back and away from his embrace, but she didn’t. Just for a moment or two, she wanted what he could offer. The strong safety of his arms. The solid strength of his body pressed to hers.

  Outside the palace walls, night was crouched, drenched in stars, the pale moon shining down on a world where nothing made sense to her. Where the one person she wanted to trust the most was the one she absolutely couldn’t afford to. Where little girls were stolen from their homes to use as bargaining chips. Where pixies showed the courage of lions. Where everything rested on her decisions.

  God, she wanted to be able to turn to Culhane and know without a doubt that he was with her in this. She wanted the closeness that Nora and Quinn shared. The absolute knowledge that the man she loved would never betray her.

  “I order you to trust me,” he muttered in a thick, emotion-clogged voice.

  She laughed shortly, as his words came so swiftly after her own jumbled thoughts and the sound was muffled against his chest. “You can’t demand trust, Culhane.”

  “It would be much easier if I could,” he said.

  Well, he was a male used to issuing commands and seeing them followed. She supposed she couldn’t blame him for that. Maggie sighed, pulled her head back and looked up at him. His features were tight and grim and he seemed almost uncomfortable. Not a look she’d ever seen before on the mighty Culhane.

  Frowning, she asked, “Why don’t you just tell me why I should trust you.”

  He let her go then and she missed the feel of his arms around her. But she watched him as Culhane took two or three long steps away from her, scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck, then turned and came right back. His jaw worked as if he were silently saying words and then biting them back before they could slip out. But finally, he simply blurted, “Because I love you.”

  Okay, that she hadn’t expected.

  She blinked up at him and oh God, Maggie really wanted to believe him. She yearned with everything in her to take those words and hold them close. But how could she? He’d lied to her. Used her. How could she be sure he now wasn’t simply using as leverage those three words she so longed to hear?

  Heck, her own grandfather had sold her out!

  “You do not believe me.”

  Amazing that he could look both hurt and insulted all at once. Even more amazing, Maggie felt badly for putting those emotions on his face. But
then she reminded herself of everything he’d done and said over the last few weeks. Suspicion and doubt clamored together inside her and she couldn’t shake the feelings. Didn’t know if she should try. If she believed, if she let herself have faith in him and then she found out none of it had been real, it would kill her.

  “I really want to, Culhane. But how can I?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

  “Because I say it!” Culhane glared at her, clearly affronted, with banked rage practically shimmering around him in the air. “I have never before given those words to any female. I have never felt those words before you.”

  “Culhane—”

  He grabbed her upper arms and held her tight. “Do you think it is easy for a warrior to humble himself before his woman? My kind do not speak of love so easily, Maggie. To humans, it is merely a word. Used casually and without thought. To the Fae, it is a treasure. To know real love is something rare. Eternity is ours, Maggie, and I will give you mine willingly. All I ask is your faith.”

  Maggie looked up into those pale green eyes of his and actually felt him trying to convince her. To know, instinctively, that he meant everything he was telling her. And she so wanted to. Wanted to reach out and grab what he was offering her. It was only her stupid, stubborn suspicions that held her in check.

  “I can’t do it, Culhane,” she finally said before her emotions could win out over logic. “I can’t let myself believe you. Not now, anyway. Not yet.”

  Abruptly, he let her go and obviously disgusted, took a step back from her. His features clouded up, his eyes went dark and smoky and his delectable mouth twisted into a sneer. “Must I die for you then, to prove my loyalty?”

  Now he was just being mean. And male. She hadn’t given him what he wanted. She hadn’t curled up into a soft, purring kitten and thanked him properly for the gift of himself that he was making. Maggie’s temper spiked just as high as his must be. If he loved her, really loved her, surely he could see that now wasn’t the best time for all of this?

  Looking at him, the proud, arrogant warrior, Maggie gave in to her own anger to protect her heart and snapped, “That would be a start.”