Oberon screamed and dropped the gun as his body collapsed like a falling tower. Abyssinian collapsed near the door and Siobhan grabbed the gun as she backed up to where Aby was. She checked his pulse. Steady but faint. Why hadn't he had one before?
She gazed down at Aby, and moved strands of his bright hair from his face. "I love you too, Abyssinian Geld," she said softly.
Confident Oberon was no longer a threat, she called 911 to report a burglary in her home.
<><><>
"You know," Siobhan said as she and Abyssinian walked along the Miracle Mile. "I kind of miss the daylight."
"Yeah," he said. "Too bad it didn't last."
"You died."
"Oh, just for an instant. Then I woke up with the worst damned headache." He put his hands behind his back. "It takes a lot more than two wounds to kill an elf. Though I probably should have told you that our bodies shut down like that."
"Yeah, you could have spared me some untold grief, Aby."
He turned his head to the side and looked at her. "You love me."
"I didn't say that."
He grinned. "But you at least like me."
She pursed her lips but said nothing. She knew in her heart she loved him. But this incident also showed her how vulnerable her affection for him could make her. Logically she should stay away from him—but now that she knew she could walk in the day with a taste of his blood— "Can all elves—can any vampire drink from an elf and day walk?" She'd held off asking that question because the thought of what would happen to the elves if vampires suddenly knew the pointy-ear's blood wasn't poison—but life giving.
No elf would be safe from them.
Abyssinian narrowed his indigo eyes, still watching her. "No. If you'd have drank from Oberon—you would have died."
"What makes your blood different?"
He looked straight ahead as the breeze from Lake Michigan ruffled the red hair on his forehead. "Have you ever wondered why my brother is Seleighe and I am UnSeleighe? Have you ever wondered what the difference was? Other than our appearance?"
Siobhan was aware of the looks the elf gathered from passers by. Women and men both watched him, many with lust in their eyes. He was beautiful…and that hair. "You're the only red-headed elf I've ever met."
He nodded. "Legend says the Seleighe are the elves of light, and the UnSeleighe? Well, we're considered the bad guys. In truth, the UnSeleighe aren't considered pure." He stopped walking. Siobhan stopped and moved to stand face to face with him, looking up into his indigo eyes. "Siobhan, my father was human. Oberon and I share the same mother. She took a pet—a changeling you call them—and she fell in love with him."
A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. It made sense now. The darker skin, the darker hues of hair, and their eyes—she just noticed that Abyssinian's eyes didn’t have the slitted pupils like Oberon did. The UnSeleighe, though elven, also possessed more human traits than the Seleighe. "The UnSeleighe, the Dark Court, was created by gathering all the half-breeds."
"Yes," he looked down at her. "They call us the Winterborne. And because my mother is the Queen, I am their leader." Abyssinian reached out, moved a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "We discovered what could happen if a vampire drank our blood—by accident. I made the decision to feed the rumor of our blood being the same as the Seleighe. Death. Poison. But some how a twisted version of the truth made it to Oberon's ears after the High Court corrupted."
The twinkle in Aby's eyes made her think that twist in the truth was one of his own doing. "Oberon wanted to create this elixir and you noticed your people disappearing."
"Yeah. I did. So I watched and waited. And I noticed Sacred Harvest, and that Oberon had invested into its creation—with dummy companies. But I'm pretty good at business." He grinned and tapped the side of his head. "I'm not just a pretty face…"
Siobhan couldn't help but smile as she reached out and lightly punched his stomach, careful to avoid the bandaged side where the enemy's blade had sliced. The wound at his neck was also healing, the bandage just visible at his shirt collar. "You asked Melissa to help. And that's when Oberon held you?"
"Yes. She found out that he suspected me. She was going to warn me. But," his smile faded. "I was caught and questioned. And she was killed." He refocused on her. "I regret her death, Sio. Others deaths. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him earlier, but with you—" he shrugged. "You're better off when you find out the truth on your own."
"Even about your blood?"
"Would you have believed me if I'd have told you?"
True. She turned and started their walk again. He closed the distance with his long legs. With a sigh she looped her arm in his and he squeezed it close to his side. "So all UnSeleighe have this ability? I could drink from any of them and day walk?"
"No."
She tilted her head up. "No? What does that mean. You just said—"
But he stopped and turned. Faster than she could react, he grabbed her upper arms and pulled her against him. "Sio—you don't understand what Oberon's done. There are so few UnSeleighe left. He didn't just kill a few. He killed over a hundred of us. Before this—we barely numbered twenty more than that. He killed them because he was jealous. Of me."
She became aware of his heart beating strong against her. Of the blood…the nectar rushing through his veins. His scent…his glorious lemony scent. "Because he lost his kingdom. His people no longer followed in him. But you…are still a King."
"You know him so well," Abyssinian smiled. "I'm one of a handful of elves who know about this. The vampires and the humans don't need to know. No one does, or they'll be breeding half-breeds to produce the blood for vampires. The balance between our kinds must stay in check. We have magic, you shape shift. We walk in the sun, you revel in the night. We are felled by cold iron, you are weakest with sunlight."
She looked into his eyes and saw passion there. Passion to save his people, and passion to do what was right. She understood what he was asking—that she only share with him. That this is their secret. "Oberon knows I walked in the day."
"Oberon is no longer a problem," Abyssinian said.
But Siobhan wasn't ready to dismiss her old lover. Not that quickly. But for now, he was incarcerated on ten counts of murder. Breaking and entering. And kidnapping—Aby would always wear the scar on his wrist from the cold iron.
She heard his stomach growl and laughed, alleviating the seriousness of their conversation. "Pizza?"
He nodded quickly and released her, but Siobhan kept her arm looped in his. And for now, they both seemed to be content with that.
"You keeping the store open?"
"Uh-hm. You going to keep fighting the evildoers? Even if they turn out to be family?"
Aby gave her a wide smile. "Always. Oh, I heard from my bro's lawyer. They're using an insanity plea. I mean," he held out his hands to his sides, his red hair flashing in the city lights. "Who ever heard of a walking in the daylight by drinking an elf's blood? Sheesh." He shook his head.
She laughed at him. "It is crazy. But," she paused and he paused with her. "I just keep thinking you're not telling me the truth. Not all of it. There's something more—about the blood."
Abyssinian lowered his shoulders. "It amazes me how well you know me, Sio." He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. She opened her mouth to say something, but he pressed a finger to her lips. "Never drink from another UnSeleighe, Siobhan. Only from me."
A scream from a nearby alley stopped the two of them. Within seconds Siobhan had her gun drawn, and Abyssinian's katana was in his hand. They glanced at each other and grinned.
"Shall we dance?" Abyssinian said.
"After you," she answered and the two of them took off into the alley.
About the Author…
Phaedra Weldon is the author of the Urban Fantasy series, Zoë Martinique Investigation, published by Berkley, available for Kindle. She is also the author of many stories written for Daw Antholog
ies, such as Enchantment Place and Wizards Inc. She most recently completed the soon-to-be released Eureka novel, Brain Box Blues. Look for it in stores Winter 2010 under the name Cris Ramsay.
This work and everything in it is the sole property of Phaedra M. Weldon. Any copying or reprinting will be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law. This is a revised edition.
For more information about the author please her visit her website at www.phaedraweldon.com
If you liked this story, and would enjoy reading more about Siobhan and Abyssinian, drop the author a note at [email protected]
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Mirror, Mirror
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