A Sliver of Shadow

by Allison Pang

  She turned on me, dark eyes burning. Without another word, she strode into the bathroom and slammed the door hard enough to rattle the walls.

  Great.

  Sure enough, Benjamin’s face squinched up into an infantile ball of fury all his own. “Hush, love.” I slid off his sweatshirt before pulling him from the baby carrier to lean him over my shoulder. Robert stared at me, ashen. “What is it?”

  “Wings,” he said hoarsely, unfolding his own with a little sound of anguish. “My son … has wings.”

  “Yes. They kinda showed up a few days ago, actually.” I frowned. “Did you want to hold him?”

  His eyes widened. “Can I?”

  “Well, for shit’s sake, I would hope so.” Something uneasy pitted deep into the bottom of my belly. “You’re telling me Moira’s never let you hold him?”

  “No.” He stretched out his hands, the tips of his fingers trembling as they brushed the top of Benjamin’s head, soft wonderment slacking the hard edges of his features. The baby hiccuped roughly, but the sobs paused as he looked up at his father. Their matching eyes flickered with a strange sort of recognition, almost as though they were measuring each other. It was eerie, and certainly nothing I’d ever seen Benjamin do before. Inwardly, I could only shrug. Maybe it was an angel thing.

  “Take him.” Without waiting for an answer, I handed him the baby, stepping back to rub at my now-aching cheek. For all her normally gentle nature, Charlie apparently packed a bag of hammers in her fist.

  Robert sighed, nestling Benjamin into the crook of his neck. “My little lad.” Benjamin sniffed wetly, nostrils flaring for a moment.

  “Well at least one of us is comfortable.” I removed the rest of the baby carrier, rolling it up into the diaper bag.

  “I’m sorry about that, Sparky.” The angel’s mouth quirked as though he tried not to laugh, his pet name for me rolling off his tongue in a Boston accent. “She has a bit of a temper.”

  “So I’ve noticed. I didn’t mean to … um … barge in on you guys like that.”

  “Of course not. You’re not stupid.” He frowned. “Had it been anyone else, I’d have slaughtered them where they stood.”

  Beneath the crack of the bathroom door a shadow paced, the movement punctuated by what sounded like a fist hitting the wall. “She seems pretty upset.”

  “I should go to her,” he said, but he made no move to give me the baby. “She’s still a bit touchy since … she was taken.” Something hungry flickered over his face, and he froze, fingers cradling Benjamin’s head as though he might etch the moment in his memory forever.

  I wavered. Stupid or not, I had no desire to put myself between an angel and his TouchStone paramour, but it seemed a bit beyond the pale to hand a man his son and then take him back two minutes later. On the other hand, I’d just scared the shit out of my friend, and that was on me. I could hardly blame her for her reaction.

  “Here.” I stooped down and dug through the diaper bag for a bottle. “Go heat this up … it’s about time anyway.”

  The Celestial stared at me, caught between hope and misery. “Go on.” I nudged him. “Pot. Hot water. Test on the wrist. You can do this,” I assured him. “After all, I can barely microwave a hot dog, and I’ve managed.” My gaze edged over to the bathroom. “I’ll try talking to her.”

  “All right.” He folded his wings tightly against his back. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  He disappeared, leaving a small puff of feathers behind, his bare feet making no sound. Strange to see such a quiet grace from someone with the muscular framework of a small bull. Yet he held his child as though carrying spun glass. This was the right choice, I decided. Whatever Moira’s reasons for not letting Robert see his son, she hadn’t seen fit to let me in on them. TouchStone or not, I wasn’t a mind reader.

  I cracked my jaw and shook off the last of the sting, carefully making my way over to the bathroom door. I tapped the knob lightly. “Charlie? You okay in there?”

  “Go away.”

  “Listen, I know you’re pissed, and I’m sorry, but I really need your help right now.”

  The shadow stopped pacing for a heartbeat and then started up again. “I don’t care. Since when have you ever listened to anyone? Not that it matters. Everything seems to have worked out for the best for you anyway.”

  “That’s not fair. You and Robert got all up my ass last time for not coming to you when the Protectorate disappeared. Made it plain as day that I wasn’t worthy of the position. Which may or may not be true,” I added. “But I’m here now and I’m asking for your help.”

  The door flew open, the violence of the breeze blowing the hair from my face. I took an involuntary step back. Charlie glared at me, her tear-stained cheeks glinting in the bathroom light. It hurt me to see it, even as she smeared the remainder of her eyeliner away.

  “You have no right to ask me for anything.” She pitched her voice low, husky with a sob that couldn’t quite escape. “Haven’t I given Moira enough?”

  I flinched despite myself. She was right, by all accounts, but still. “I’m not Moira,” I said, not quite daring to put my hand on her shoulder. “And I’ve never asked you for anything you weren’t willing to give.”

  “You’re her representative. It’s practically the same.”

  “Is it?” I raised a brow at her and she flushed.

  “Maybe not quite,” she amended. “But still. The woman had a child by my lover. And you knew! You actually had the gall to look me in the face and not say anything to me. Not a word, Abby.”

  “Would you have told me? If our positions were reversed? Would you tell me if Ion got involved with someone else? Had gotten.” My fingers clenched at the thought. Hypothetical or not, I understood her emotions all too well.

  She blinked at me. “What kind of question is that? Of course I would … but honestly Abby, why would it matter?”

  “It would matter to me,” I said, unable to keep the edge from my voice. “Though I’m not sure what you’re implying.”

  “He’s a daemon, Abby. Why wouldn’t he stray?”

  I bit down hard enough to draw blood on the inside of my cheek. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. And first of all, I didn’t actually know anything about Robert and Moria until after I escaped with the rest of you. And secondly … well, shit. How am I supposed to get between my employer, her bodyguard, and one of my best friends?”

  She scowled, pulling her robe from the shower hook, and slipped it on, crossing her arms over her chest. She leaned on the doorframe, about as convinced as a canary in a room full of cats armed with shotguns. “You should have said something.”

  “And you let Robert off the hook without a word? What kind of bullshit is that?” A soft wail echoed into the bedroom from the kitchen. The sound cut off abruptly, followed by a distant murmur from Robert. I relaxed again, rubbing my elbow.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I just … I just wish none of it had ever happened. I would have done anything for him. Anything.” Her lower lip trembled. “But I couldn’t give him a child. And I tried. God knows, I tried. And then that … bitch … comes waltzing in waving that baby in my face.”

  “I didn’t know. None of us did.” I sat down on the leather ottoman next to her bed. “But that’s what I mean, Charlie. Would it have been any easier coming from me?”

  “I don’t know,” she repeated, her voice numb.

  “Listen, whatever you and Robert have to work out, I don’t need to be involved. But I wouldn’t have come here tonight if I didn’t think it was important. Whatever your issues are with Moira—and I can’t say I blame you,” I hurried along as she drew herself up, “but the baby is innocent in this. Don’t punish him for being here, okay?”

  She stiffened and then her shoulders slumped. Sighing, she sank down to the floor. “All right. I’ll try. Tell me what’s going on and I’ll try.”

  “Well, you’re not going to believe this, but Moira’s gone again.” I held
up a hand to forestall her questions. “Not like you’re thinking. She was only supposed to be gone for a few weeks. A scheduled trip to Faerie to clear the air about her involvement with Maurice.” She shivered at the name of the man who’d nearly killed us. Even eight months later, his name created a sickening coil in my belly.

  Charlie let out a weary laugh. “I still have nightmares about it, you know. Being trapped …” She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes meeting mine. Out of everyone who’d been affected by Maurice’s plan, Charlie had probably had the worst of it. Giving me a wan smile, she sighed. “So she’s gone?”

  “Still in Faerie, anyway. Some freaky ass Fae woman showed up at the Hallows today. Said she was the new Protectorate. She wants me to transfer my Contract to her. When I refused she tried to take Benjamin. Talivar’s out hunting her down now.”

  She stood up. “Come on,” she said grimly. “Let’s let Robert know. He’s going to want some input on this.”

  “Input, hell,” I muttered, trailing along behind her. “I’m hoping he wants to smite the bitch.”

  “Charming.”

  “You haven’t met her yet. She crawled so far up my ass I could have tongue kissed her.”

  “Kissed who?” Robert looked up from where Benjamin was nestled in the crook of his arm, his face filled with a calm I hadn’t seen before. The baby burbled contentedly, eyes half lidded and lazy.

  Charlie swallowed audibly and exchanged a very long look with the angel. “Do you think it would be okay if I held him? Not for very long.”

  I shrugged, mouth pursing. “Ask Benjamin. I tend to let him call the shots on holding rights. Seems to be a pretty good judge of character, if you ask me,” I said, thinking of his reaction to Tresa. Maybe it was true what they said about babies and cats.

  She approached Robert with a soft step and an extended hand, her eyes widening as she looked down at the little face, the tiny wings. “Oh, Bobby,” she murmured. “He’s beautiful.”

  “Sucker,” I said, unable to keep the smile from drifting over my face. “He knows how to work a crowd,” I warned her as Robert carefully placed him in her arms. She merely nodded, her eyes closing as she clutched Benjamin against her breast.

  Benjamin squirmed and then settled, one hand aimlessly reaching up to twiddle her silver necklace, blue eyes somber. Robert stared at the pair of them for a minute longer and then shook his head as though to clear it. “Kiss who, now?”

  “Tresa. She’s the kidnapping, lying bitch who’s apparently the new Protectorate,” I said, struggling not to take a step backward. Gentle or not, the guy intimidated the hell out of me, and with good reason. “Moira’s stuck in Faerie and her supposed replacement just showed up.”

  “You’re joking.” His hand twitched down by his hip, fisting into empty air when it didn’t find his sword.

  “Did you know?”

  “What the hell kind of question is that? Of course I didn’t know.”

  “I’m beginning to detect a pattern here,” I said dryly.

  “Well, why would she tell me?” He snarled at the refrigerator as though it might give him an answer. “I was demoted for not doing my job.”

  Charlie looked up from her cooing with a frown. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  He opened his mouth but I stepped between them. “That stuff doesn’t matter right now.” Help or not, I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of a domestic spat. The fact that I was sort of the indirect cause of said spat didn’t escape me, but I decided it wasn’t worth pointing out. “Here’s the thing. She wanted me to switch Contracts to her, and when I didn’t move fast enough she attempted to TouchStone me directly.”

  Robert frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a Fae at all. Something’s not right here.”

  “No.” Charlie paused her rocking. “Fae cannot lie, though they are duplicitous at the best of times, but it’s not like them to force a mortal’s hand like that.”

  “They haven’t forced it yet,” I reminded her, handing the Contract scroll to Robert. “What do you make of this?”

  He frowned, gaze darting over the words for a moment before rolling up the parchment with a snap. “I’m no judge of these. It looks legit, but I wouldn’t go by my word.”

  “No. In fact, I need you to call Roweena for me. Have her come to the Marketplace tonight. Hopefully Talivar will have found Tresa by then and we can get all this shit worked out.”

  Robert’s eyes narrowed. “I want to be there. Ex-bodyguard or not, I think I’ve a right. If that … elf … attempted to hurt my son …”

  Charlie flinched, burying her face in the thick thatch of Benjamin’s hair. I turned away from the longing flashing across her features, tempered with a very old hurt. I suddenly felt like the proverbial fly on the wall and I shifted. This was not for me to see. “No,” I said. “I don’t think you do. And I don’t want you to be there.”

  He drew himself up. “She’s the mother of my child. The hell I’m going to let something happen to her again.”

  “Jesus, you’re an idiot,” I snapped, unable to bear Charlie’s pain any longer. “Are all Celestials missing the compassion gene or is your thickheadedness a fluke? There’s a bigger picture here.” I rolled out my lower lip. “Who else besides us knows you’re Benjamin’s father?”

  He shrugged, bemused. “I certainly never told anyone … other than Charlie. Hell, I didn’t think Moira wanted me anywhere near him.”

  “Maybe she didn’t. But why? She doesn’t seem like the type … even aside from the … um … cheating thing.” His face reddened, hands clenching harder. Stupid of me, maybe. “But that’s my point. I’m not sure she even told the Queen who the father was.”

  “The general consensus was that it was Maurice,” Charlie agreed with a soft voice. “But anyone who saw these little wings …”

  “But those wings weren’t there before. Until now, no one would have had any reason to doubt her word.”

  “And what, exactly, are you implying? You think she was ashamed of me? Of what we did?” Robert winced at his own words, giving Charlie an apologetic look.

  “Well, I would have been.” I fought the urge to slap him upside the head. “No, you asshole. I think she didn’t want anyone to know. I think she thought something was going to happen to her when she went back to the Faery Court. I think she’s trying to protect her baby.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would she let people think it was Maurice’s?” Charlie frowned.

  “I’m not sure she did. Assumptions are what they are. Maybe she didn’t feel like increasing the speculation. But if she didn’t want them to know who the father was, what better way than to push him away? Remove him from her presence?” I looked at the angel. “And who better to protect him now, when things are suddenly starting to go wrong? Talivar said that the Fae don’t acknowledge the fathers of their children. She could have said anyone was the father and the Fae wouldn’t have cared. But I think she cares. Very much.”

  “All right. Then what will you do, now that you’ve given him to us? And know that angels take parentage very seriously, Abby,” he added softly.

  “What I always do. Wing it and hope for the best. I’m going to go to the Marketplace tonight and see if I can figure out what’s going on, but I don’t want the baby anywhere near me. Everyone knows I’m TouchStoned to Moira. I would imagine I might make a tempting target for anyone who wants to threaten her.” I gave them a wan smile. “As you know. Otherwise, I think you should lay low … or at least not make any sudden changes in your behavior. I’m not sure I’d go out with the baby either. Not until I get back to you with more info.”

  “But what about food and a crib and all the rest of it?”

  “I’ve got some stuff in the diaper bag, but yeah, I can send Talivar over with more.” I pursed my lips at them. “Of course, that means he’ll probably have to use your personal Door.”

  “Once,” Robert agreed. “And he better call first.”

  “I think I can manage tha
t. Although Phin might come to visit. He’s become rather fond of Benjamin.”

  “All right,” Charlie said. “So where does that leave you? You gonna try to use the Door?”

  I shook my head. “No. Mel opened this one directly. I’ll get lost if I try to find my way home alone. Safer if I just sneak out the back.”

  “There’s a tunnel,” Robert said with a grunt. “Installed a panic room under the floor after … after all the other stuff.”

  “Not a bad idea,” I mused. Though where I’d put such a thing in my apartment was probably a moot point. Wasn’t like I had the money to do that sort of renovation anyway. “All right. You guys hang tight, and I’ll contact you as soon as I can.”

  Robert nodded gravely, leading me to the bedroom. He rolled the ottoman out of the way to reveal a trapdoor in the floor. “If you need me, call. Baby or no, I will not leave you without protection again.”

  “I will. Where does this go?” I eyed the trapdoor dubiously. There were probably spiders in there. I shivered.

  “You’ll come out two blocks past the bus station. There’s a Glamour on the custodial closet. You should be safe there.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Never know when you have to leave town.” He shrugged. “You ready?”

  “Yeah.” Pulling up the trapdoor revealed an inky black oubliette of a tunnel. Lovely. “Some of us can’t see in the dark you know.”

  “Watch the steps,” he called helpfully as I descended. “There’s a railing there.”

  I grabbed the rail, thankful it seemed neither slimy or particularly spiderweb covered, letting it guide me downward and out. The passing of a breeze and a click above me told me he’d latched the door.

  And silly me. I’d forgotten to ask Charlie about the ghost-whisperer thing. “Damn.” I shoved the thought to the back burner. Ghosts could wait. I had answers to find, and probably little time in which to do it.