Return of the Fae

by Cahoon, Lynn

  He left the altar and headed up the hallway to find the staircase. Taking the stairs two at a time, he found himself in front of an open door way. April lay on her bed, whiter than the sheets Parris tried to keep over the girl.

  “What the heck?” Ty focused on April’s face. Her eyes were closed and sweat pooled on her reddened cheeks.

  Parris looked up at him. “I found her like this. Burning up and unable to talk.” She glanced at the door, “Did you see the living room?”

  “Someone did a pretty powerful spell. Maybe she’s reacting?” Ty glanced around the room. Typical college kid. Posters of the Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, the Great Wall of China, and what appeared to be Tibet covered her walls. “She travels a lot?”

  Parris smiled sadly, pressing a washcloth on April’s face. “Those are goal vacations. For when she’s done with school.”

  “We’re taking her to a hospital.” Ty walked over and lifted April into his arms. “Grab her purse. Maybe she’s having a reaction to something she took.”

  Parris looked at him like he was joking.

  “We have to rule out the human causes first, even though we found the spell.”

  At the bottom of the stairs, they paused when the door opened. Derek walked in, a bag slung over his shoulder.

  “What the hell?” Derek muttered.

  “Not the half of it.” Ty nodded his head toward the living room. “Take care of that would you?”

  Derek looked at the woman in Ty’s arms. “You know she was playing with this stuff?”

  Parris shook her head. “April doesn’t believe in woo woo. We’ve talked about the subject many times. She may look hard ass, but deep down, she follows her religion faithfully. She was raised strict Baptist. This kind of stuff borders on devil worship for her. I haven’t even told her about my new status. I didn’t want it to affect our working relationship or our friendship. Hell, I didn’t think she’d even believe me.”

  “Someone believes,” Derek took a deep breath in, “and tried to heal her. Are you sure you want to take her to a human hospital?”

  Ty tightened his lips, looking down at the unconscious April. “I don’t think we have a choice. She needs fluids.”

  “I’ll start to clean this up so she can come back safely. Any idea who did this?” Derek sat the bag on a chair and started unloading supplies.

  The face from the sedan floated through Ty’s memories. There was no other choice, Alex had to be involved. “Look, once you get done here, there are a couple things I need you to do. Henry and Zander are waiting at Parris’ condo to be picked up and taken into The Council Center. Henry’s spooked and needs debriefing.”

  Derek nodded, watching Ty walk out onto the porch. “Hey, what’s the second thing?”

  Ty didn’t even turn as he walked toward the street in the direction of the car. He called back to Derek, “I need that report on my intern, Alex Cabot.”

  Chapter 16

  Telling the future is a risky practice. A rare witch is able to see the future events clearly in dreams or visions. The vision is clouded in their personal understanding. They see the future for themselves, telling another person, however, holds risks. Adding another’s awareness to the process could change the prediction. Avoid fortunetelling at all costs. Never let your fairy companion tell your future. They can change time to fit their wishes. –The Academy of Witchcraft Manual, Volume 3, Page 1502.

  As soon as the trio entered the emergency room, nurses intercepted them and rushed April into a treatment room where Parris and Ty couldn’t follow. Parris searched through April’s purse as she tried to complete the forms stuffed on a clipboard she’d been given. She found April’s parents’ number, and tucked it into her own purse. She needed to make sure April didn’t need magical intervention before the parents swarmed the hospital and the house. She felt sick not calling them. What if April died? She looked up at Ty.

  “She’s not dying.” Ty read her mind. “She’s sick, but I’m pretty sure something else is going on with her. She felt like her body fought something when I held her. I couldn’t read her at all. That in itself is odd but may be a result of the fact she wasn’t conscious. That can mess with the reading.”

  “Good to know. So you can’t hook into my dreams.” Parris said the statement casually, inside glad to know limitation of his power.

  Ty put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck and sending chills running down her body. “When it comes to you, I only see what you want me to. Dreams, thoughts, feelings. You, my dear, are developing a strong shield.”

  Parris smiled and completed the paperwork. No drugs in April’s purse were stronger than the over-the-counter pain reliever she took after a long shift. For that, Parris was thankful.

  After turning in the forms at the front desk, the couple sat in the waiting room, not touching, not doing anything, only waiting. Parris couldn’t even think of picking up one of the year old magazines and flipping through the pages. She knew she wouldn’t read. And she didn’t want to talk.

  Ty’s phone buzzed. He answered the call. Parris could only hear his side of the conversation. The anger rolling off of him caught her attention fast.

  “What did you do to her?” she heard Ty ask.

  Frowning, now he had her entire attention. “Who is it?” She tapped him on the leg, trying to get his attention.

  Ty shook his head at her, ignoring her question. “You were sent here to spy on me? Or on Parris? What was April, collateral damage?”

  “That’s the person who hurt her? Give me the phone.” When Parris tried to grab Ty’s cell, he stood and walked away. She started to follow him when a doctor called her name.

  “Parris McCall?” The doctor wore a white coat with his name embroidered on the pocket, Dr. Mark Sellers, over blue scrubs. Dr. Sellers, who must have been all of twenty-five, called her name again, “Parris McCall?”

  Parris took one last look at Ty through the glass door of the entry. He was now waving his free arm in gestures she couldn’t decipher as he stood outside the waiting room yelling into the phone. She sighed. “I’m Parris. What’s going on with April?”

  The doctor ushered her over to a table set up in a private corner of the room. “Your friend has you listed as her emergency contact on her prior medical records, so I guess I can tell you her condition.”

  You better tell me. She took a deep breath and calming herself before she answered. “She’s my friend. What’s going on with her?”

  The doctor smiled. Actually smiled. Parris felt confused. This wasn’t the reaction she expected.

  “I’d say from the ultra sound she’s three months along. She hasn’t been taking very good care of herself. She’s dehydrated and we have her on IV-fluids but I’m sure the baby’s fine.” Dr. Sellers leaned back in the chair. “Kids are like parasites. They take what they need, even if it hurts the mother. I’m sure once we get her stabilized and on a better eating and drinking regiment, this morning sickness will pass.”

  “April’s pregnant?” Parris sat back, stunned. The last guy April dated had been a year ago. A doctoral student, he moved to California ending their relationship. How could she be pregnant?

  “You didn’t know?” The doctor frowned, then his pager buzzed. Grabbing the device off his coat, he glanced at the code. “Sorry. Maybe your friend was being careful. Sometimes women wait until the first trimester to announce, just in case. She can leave when the IV’s are done. No need to admit her, however, it would be best if someone stayed with her tonight.”

  Parris sank back watching the doctor disappear behind a doorway. Now she was glad she hadn’t gone with her first instinct and called April’s parents. The Baptist minister dad and stay at home mom would be stunned at the news of their daughter’s condition. Mad, angry, hurt. If April wasn’t planning on keeping the baby, maybe she hadn’t said anything until she was sure. A touch on her shoulder broke her thoughts.

  “How is she?” Ty sli
pped into the chair the doctor vacated, pulling in closer. “What did the doctor say? Flu?”

  “I think you know better.” Parris watched Ty’s face. “Who were you talking to?”

  Ty shook his head. “Not here.”

  “But–” Parris started and Ty put his hand up like a shield from her questions.

  “Not here. My senses are on overload, and I’m not sure why. Hospitals are filled with energy because of the number of births and deaths happening in one place. I might be reacting.” Ty frowned.

  “But you don’t think that’s it. You think we’re being watched.”

  Ty nodded.

  “Well, the good news is April’s fine.”

  Ty’s head snapped back. “What?”

  Parris’ smile was tired, at least she felt like smiling at his reaction. “She’s suffering a bad case of morning sickness.”

  Ty’s eyes widened. “I’m going to kill that kid when I find him.”

  “I think you’ll have to stand in line behind April’s dad.” Parris glanced at her watch. “Look, she’ll need a ride home. I can stay and take her in a cab. You don’t have to stay.”

  “I’m not leaving. You want some bad coffee? The hospital should have something open.” Ty stood stretching.

  “Yeah. And a muffin.” Parris refused to meet Ty’s eyes. “I know we just ate dinner. I’m an emotional eater, deal with it.”

  “Chocolate or fruit?” His tone gentle.

  “Both.” Parris sat on the couch where she could watch the doors where April would be leaving the treatment center. “Maybe I can get April to eat something.”

  Parris watched Ty head down the hall. She must be tired, it sounded like Ty knew April’s baby daddy. Could that have been who he was talking to on the phone? Parris’ eyelids drooped and she leaned her head back against the wall. Just a few seconds of sleep, that’s what she needed, then maybe she could think clearly.

  When Ty returned with the coffee and a bag of muffins, he took off his jacket and covered her. They stayed that way for the next three hours, until April showed up at the treatment door in a wheelchair but alive. He shook Parris awake. He needed to explain that April had become part of her extended family.

  April carried the child of a warlock, a pregnancy that could kill her before she came to term. Ty hoped he’d be able to save them all.

  Chapter 17

  The Teutonic Gods mix legend from Germanic and Norse Gods. Worship of these Gods, either the Vanir or the Esir, is prohibited. Recognizing these Gods as deities put us all at risk, including the humans. Failure to report a sighting or a calling of the gods will result in extreme punishment. – The Academy of Witchcraft Manual, Volume 3, Page 1699.

  Ten o’clock the next morning, Ty, Parris, and Derek sat at the April’s kitchen table. April tucked upstairs in bed, still sleeping, and a pot of herbal tea at her side. Matilda’s special tea blend for pregnancy had a gentle sedative mixed in, trying to keep April’s human body from fighting with the fetus growing inside her. She needed to be stable, clear, when they told her the entire truth. April had to make the decision. She was the only link to the Coven X.

  Alex Cabot, the intern at his law firm, the kid he’d trusted with delivering Parris’ keys and keeping Mrs. Winters safe from her scheming husband, apparently belonged to Coven X targeting Parris’ family. Derek had come up against a blank wall when he’d run the background check on the kid. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except he’d gone to school in Boston. And Boston was within driving distance of Salem.

  “Every time I look at Parris’s family history, all roads lead back to Salem.” Derek filled their cups with coffee. He was the only one who looked like he’d slept last night. Parris looked like hell, dark circles under her eyes making her face paler than normal. A sleeping Dragon lay on her lap. Ty asked Derek to stop at Parris’ condo on the way back from Council headquarters to pick up clothes and the dog. With little fanfare, they’d moved the headquarters of Witch Hunter’s International to April’s small house near the college.

  Matilda and Robert arrived soon after Parris tucked April into bed. Matilda’s nose crinkled from the odor of the spell coming from the living room. After brewing April’s tea, the two cleansed the house, removing any trace of Alex Cabot. Except for the package he’d left growing in April’s womb.

  “Salem.” Ty stopped thinking about Alex and the many reasons he wanted to kill the kid. “Maybe we should take a road trip?”

  Parris frowned. “I can’t take off again. Who will run the bar? Who will stay with April?”

  Matilda slipped into the small kitchen and sat on a chair near Parris. “Robert and I will stay with April. We can manage the bar. Jake has wanted to prove he’s more than a bartender. Give him a chance.”

  “What are we going to find in Salem we can’t figure out here?” Parris rubbed Dragon’s ears absently.

  “You think they would set up headquarters in The Council’s territory? The Council purposely stays away from Salem. Too many bad memories and power surges. It’s the perfect place for a coven to hide.” Derek glanced at his phone. “Should I reserve The Council’s jet?”

  Ty watched the people sitting around the table. For a confirmed bachelor with no ties except his friendship with Derek three months ago, somehow he’d become part of this rag tag family. A family he felt bound to protect. “No. Book us flights on an airline for tomorrow morning. The delay will give Parris time to get the bar in order. And settle Dragon here in his new surroundings.”

  “I shouldn’t leave April.” Parris unconsciously glanced up at the second floor. “This happened because I left her in charge so I could go to Cincinnati.”

  “No, this happened because I sent Alex to the bar to deliver your keys. If anyone’s to blame for what’s happening upstairs, it’s me.” Ty covered Parris’ hand with his own.

  Robert stood at the doorway. “I think assigning blame on anyone but this Alex fellow is selfish.” He glanced around the table. “You need to come see this.”

  The group followed Robert upstairs into April’s room. Her deep breaths echoed through the room. Matilda’s tea had done the trick, she was deep in sleep.

  Robert glanced up, making eye contact with each of the four in turn. Kneeling down, he threw back the rug under April’s bed. “Look.”

  Ty’s senses flared as the rune glowed with power. The symbol had been burned into the floor, with others circling around the bed. “Frey,” he whispered.

  Robert nodded. “Vanir runes, but look at this–it’s Loki, the trickster. He’s part of the Esir. Why would the two be together?”

  Matilda sighed. “Because the coven has made a covenant with both. Combining their power, it makes them virtually unstoppable.”

  April sighed and rolled over in her sleep, clearly in the middle of a dream. Ty wondered what the girl dreamed. Wondered how many peaceful dreams she would have after they explained her life changed forever. Not only was she going to become a mom, she carried the child of a warlock. Collateral damage in a war she shouldn’t even know was happening.

  “We leave for Salem in the morning. Get done what needs done, we may be gone a while.” Ty turned and walked back downstairs. He needed to put his affairs in order. Salem was a hot spot. He would be focused, strong, and protect this group of people.

  His family.

  Other Lyrical Books By Lynn Cahoon

  A Member of the Council

  The Council Series, Book 1

  About Lynn Cahoon

  When I started thinking about Ty and Parris’ next adventure, I wanted to expand their world. Toki came about when taking a break from edits for A Member of the Council and I was running–okay, walking fast–on the treadmill at the gym. And once the fae show up in your story, other magical folk are sure to follow.

  When Lynn Cahoon isn’t writing about witches and council issues, she’s writing about the hot and sexy cowboys that walk the streets of her hometown. Or do in her imagination. You can find out more at www.lynncaho
on.wordpress.com her website, A Fairy Tale Life.

  Return of the Fae

  9781616504731

  Copyright © 2013, Lynn Cahoon

  Edited by Antonia Tiranth

  Book design by Lyrical Press, Inc.

  Cover Art by Valerie Tibbs

  First Lyrical Press, Inc. electronic publication: July 2013

  Lyrical Press, Incorporated

  http://www.lyricalpress.com

  eBooks are not transferable. All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Published in the United States of America by Lyrical Press, Incorporated

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  Table of Contents

  Cover Copy

  Highlight

  Return of the Fae

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5