rogue shifter 06 - torn apart

by Gayle Parness

  Around my two magics floated those same multi colored puzzle pieces, always changing shape.

  I was tempted to say something along the lines of "told ya", but instead, wisely put my smart mouth away. I felt no pain, the headache and dizziness had completely disappeared. I was colored and patterned in every shade and style you could imagine, yet always the green and the orange flowed beside the rest.

  "Create something."

  "What?"

  "Watch." Shapes in shades of gray and silver, copper and brass began to pool together within the core of his body. Then, rushing though an orange river, created a sword in his hand, as solid, sharp and dangerous as any fae blade.

  "You did that with stuff inside your body." My voice cracked. This was too weird.

  "Not stuff. Magical energy. Think of it as pieces of a puzzle that you can make into anything you can imagine. The orange river is the conduit, the rest the building blocks. Magic is organic, alive, and able to be molded and used in whatever way you desire.

  "But I've seen the ley lines. There's..."

  "Both of our races feed the lines every time we use our magic. Without Faerie or the Demon Realm, there would be no magic in the lines for others to use.

  I pointed to my chest, where the green swirls were the strongest. "My cheetah..."

  He stepped closer for a better view. "I see it." He turned me toward the mirror. "Look how the green wraps around your heart. This is unique."

  "This is where I stored my energy. I'm sure."

  He spoke out loud as he paced, trying to work out my strange ability. "There is definitely something here inside you...something permanent besides your demon magic. It seems similar to the virus of the wolf. A personal magic outside of the lines. A magic unique to your cheetah heritage. Yet, I don't believe Adele had this particular gift."

  He snapped his fingers. "It's the healer gene. She was not a healer." He tapped his finger against his chin as he thought in through, then smiled. "Your aura is green and so is this strand of magic. It makes sense. You were able to store magic to heal your wounds and to save yourself by unraveling the block. Exactly what a healer would be able to do. This is fascinating, little demon."

  "Can I travel the lines in the DR now?"

  "Within my house, yes, but not to return home."

  "Why was it dangerous before?"

  "Because the demon magic is not diluted here as it is in your world. f you'd tried before you took down the blocks and opened your personal valves, you would have burned to cinders."

  "You make it sound like a feat of engineering."

  "In some ways it is. Do you still feel dizzy?"

  "No. I seem to be able to switch back and forth from reality to magic vision easily."

  "Excellent. You're a natural. Any other questions?'

  "Can I eat something? You and your cousins didn't leave even a scrap."

  "I'll meet you in the kitchen." He beamed out and so did I.

  A few minutes later we were eating alone at the table, although food had been left out for us by the goblins. "Are they mad at you?"

  "They're in mourning. Grick was a friend. Possibly a cousin. We might not see them for a while, although they'll still prepare the food and serve it. They just won't do it where we can see them."

  "Maybe now would be a good time to use a food taster."

  "My staff is aware of the dangers of working for someone high on the magical pyramid. Grick was greedy. He was bribed by one of my enemies. It happens. Goblins are generally known for being loyal to their employers, as long as they're treated well. I should have kept a closer eye on Grick when I noticed he wasn't showing up for meals."

  He poured me a second cup of plain red wine. It made me brave enough to ask, "Does it bother you to kill someone who's worked for you?"

  "He'd been with me for six hundred years, maybe more. What do you think? I'm not a monster."

  "Then why not just kill him cleanly? Quickly?"

  "Torture is expected."

  "Who'd know?"

  "I can't take a chance, not when things are moving along in the direction I anticipated."

  I shook my head and took another sip. "I still don't get why you want me here. What can I do for you that someone else couldn't do? You don't need a secretary or a food taster. Is it all just payback for me summoning you or is there really something you want from me."

  He looked me over, then asked, "Are you drunk?"

  "Getting there." I grinned.

  He laughed. "Then perhaps tonight isn't the best night..."

  "Oh no. I want an answer."

  "Fine. But you must agree to a homework assignment."

  "Sure. You have more stuff to copy?"

  "Not exactly. I want you to have that little talk with your cheetah."

  "I never talk to my cheetah. I am my cheetah." I'd sloshed a little wine on the table, so I wiped it up with a napkin before Isaiah noticed.

  "Even I can tell that your cheetah isn't happy. Correct?"

  I was aware of a quiet growl rumbling through my belly. "Maybe."

  "Did you notice how the two magics didn't flow into each other? Get the two sides to compromise. Your cheetah magic must be able to work with the demon magic while you're here."

  "Together? At the same time? How is that possible?"

  "You're a healer. You can soothe your beast and convince the two to create magic together."

  "What kind of magic?" I took two more sips of the delicious wine. It didn't seem quite so strong anymore. I shrugged and downed another swallow.

  "We'll have to wait and see." He grinned, his expression turning "mad scientist".

  "You do that crazy look great."

  His eyes narrowed. "Hand me the cup."

  "No. I like this stuff." I clutched it to my chest.

  "You won't like it tomorrow morning when your head feels like a train ran over it. Hand it over." I scowled, but slid it toward him. "You do that angry look great." he teased.

  "Thanks. I guess."

  "Eat more. You're getting thin."

  "I can't look thinner in two days."

  "If I can see a difference, Garrett will too. Then he'll flip out. You'll be arguing about it for the next month."

  I sat up straighter. "Do you spy on us?"

  He laughed heartily. "No. But if you were my mate, and you came back looking like you'd lost weight, I'd flip out."

  "Was there ever a Mrs. Isaiah?"

  "Drunk Jackie is so very entertaining." He pushed a plate of food closer to me and waited until I'd chewed and swallowed a few bites. "I'm an ancient being. I've had many lovers."

  "But was there ever anyone you really loved?" What I didn't say was besides my mom.

  "I plead the fifth."

  "Oh yeah, I forgot. Your rep would be trashed." I leaned my elbow on the table. A moment later it had slid to the side and my forehead was resting next to my plate.

  "The word 'trashed' suits your condition more than mine."

  "I never get drunk." My voice sounded muffled against the wood of the table.

  "Never say never." Suddenly I was floating above the ground.

  "Wow, cool." I felt a vibration as Isaiah laughed and then realized he'd picked me up. "Garrett won't like this."

  "He'd rather I carried you to your room than you fall on the floor and crack open your head."

  "You're right. Good thinking. Thank you, kind sir." I looked around. "You know, the magic is starting to spin around again."

  "That's what I was afraid of." A minute later I was on my bed with my shoes off and Isaiah was handing me a cup of water. "You have no sense of self preservation."

  "That's not true. Isn't alcohol a preservative?" I started laughing at my stupid joke, too high to notice that I was half off the bed and heading for a trip to the floor. He got me settled once more in the middle of the bed, then summoned a female servant.

  "She'll get you changed and take you to the restroom if you need to—you know."

  "Pee?"
>
  "I was thinking more along the lines of vomit. I've already had that pleasure once and can live without a replay. Goodnight, little wolf." He turned to the girl. "Make sure she drinks plenty of water."

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I dreamt. At least I think I did.

  I was sitting on the edge of my usual cliff with my feet dangling over the magical ocean below. I heard a churring noise and looked to my left. A cheetah had joined me, rubbing her head against my shoulder and then stretching out next to me. As we both looked out at the shimmering sea I stroked her head, allowing my hand to travel down her speckled back and then repeat the motion over and over. She was soft and beautiful, with emerald eyes like mine. Her purring calmed me in a way nothing else could.

  I heard footsteps and turned in time to see another figure glide in from the right. She was brightly garbed, with magical energy traveling over her body like beams from a disco ball. The cheetah next to me rose and growled, her hackles going up.

  "Why is she here?" asked the sparkly one. Cheetah jaws snapped at the intruder. The kaleidoscopic figure hissed back. A light bulb lit up over my head.

  I stood and walked between them. "Look, you two need to get along."

  "Screw that." The cheetah had morphed into a younger version of me and was sitting on a rock putting her long blonde hair into a pony tail. Her tight tunic was leopard spotted and her leggings were solid brown. She had on high leather boots that I would have been drooling over if I hadn't had other things on my mind.

  DR girl snorted. "She's a waste in the Demon Realm. Too weak. This is my territory." She extended her hand, but instead of shaking it, I took a step back. Her claws were out. "Oh, sorry. I'm just getting the hang of this."

  I shook her now clawless hand. "Uh,,,hi."

  "I'm Dee." She conjured up a goblet of wine and drank it straight down—probably not such a good idea, then started in on some warm-up stretches. "She should leave, but you can stick around. You might be useful. Especially when I start training for real."

  "Me?" I looked down at myself. I was dressed in a green print peasant dress. "Oh, I'm the healer. I get it." It made sense because it was the more diplomatic healer who'd need to smooth out the rift between the other two.

  My cheetah hopped off the rock and held out her hand. "I'm Cherrie. You and I, we're a duo." She took me aside and whispered. "This place is awful. There're no woods to run in and I'm sick of watching her show off for Isaiah."

  I brought her back to the center of the clearing where Dee was waiting. "Isaiah says that the two of you working together would be amazing."

  "Never gonna happen." Dee shook her head.

  "Why?" I asked.

  She scowled. "When we first got here, Cherrie put up blocks to sabotage me. Isaiah finally got them all down, but we wasted days. I need to learn to protect us asap."

  Cherrie frowned, her hands on her hips. "I was protecting us and I have been from the beginning. Who taught us to run? Who learned all that kick ass stuff from Garret and Sasha and Liam and Maya? Who defeated Antoine?"

  "Blah, blah..."

  "Your magic made us sick. We actually barfed in front of Isaiah. That was so embarrassing."

  "I'm sure he's seen worse. And now my magic is working and I'm the one who's gonna be kicking ass."

  I held out both hands. "Hold it. We're on the same team. Who should we be protecting?"

  "Us." They'd said it in unison.

  "No."

  They glanced at each other. Dee asked, "Charlie?"

  "Yes, Charlie. And Garrett and everyone else we care about."

  "But if we don't protect ourselves, then we can't protect them." Cherrie was on the ball, although the way she was jogging in place was distracting.

  Dee added with a shrug, "You're a healer so it's in your nature to take care of other people, but you don't do a great job of looking out for yourself. Someone has to do it."

  "Good point." I squinted. I needed sunglasses around this chick. "Could you tone down the light show?"

  "Oh sure. I've been locked down so long, I've been in celebration mode." The sparkly outfit disappeared and was replaced by a red mini dress and white go go boots. She refilled her goblet from a pitcher that wasn't there a minute ago and took another swig of wine. Maybe she was taking this whole "demons love chaos" thing too literally.

  "I don't know what's to celebrate. My magic is tougher to access in the DR." Cherrie spread out on the carpet of grass in typical cheetah style. "I hate this place. I miss Garrett and Charlie."

  Dee sat on the grass next to her. "Did you see how cute Charlie looked dressed in the tunic Linn made for him? Those fae chicks actually did something useful for once."

  My cheetah girl sat up. "I know. And he's getting faster when he runs. I noticed it when he was practicing soccer with Sash." Cherrie practically purred with pride.

  Hmm, this had possibilities. I joined them on the grass. "And when he healed Sam and Jay...how about that?"

  "So cool!" They agreed.

  "That douche Kennet better stay away from him or I'm frying his ass," Dee gestured so wildly with her arms that her wine goblet went flying off into the bushes.

  "I'm totally on board with that plan." Cherrie nodded, trying hard not to laugh at Dee.

  "See, you can agree on something." I pointed out.

  "Well Charlie's perfect," my shifter added with a toss of her pony tail.

  I shook my head. "No, he's not perfect..."

  "Yes he is." In stereo. They were ganging up on me. Good. "Fine, he's perfect, just don't tell him I said so."

  Dee patted my shoulder. "Hey we know how this motherhood thing works. Most of it's healer work. We've been watching."

  "You have?."

  "You're doing awesome," purred Cherrie.

  "Thanks. Now, do you think we can talk about working magic together? Isaiah thinks it'll make all of us stronger, and that's very good for Charlie."

  They stared at each other for a few tense moments. Cherrie shrugged. "I guess..."

  Here was the tough part. "But in order for it to work, we have to touch each other." Their faces contorted to look like they'd been eating sour lemons.

  "It'll take getting used to, but we're awesome together without even trying. Just think how much more powerful we can be." That got a grin out of both of them. I was starting to feel like I should go into therapy for multiple personality syndrome. Even Garrett's going to have trouble believing this.

  So during one of my craziest dreams ever, the three sides of me sat cross-legged in a circle on the grass and haggled out an agreement. With the sound of the ocean our only other companion, the negotiations went on all night.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  A servant got me up early. Really early. It was still dark outside, the violet dawn just beginning to pink up the sky. "The lord says you should eat a light breakfast and join him in the gym." She pointed toward a pile of work-out clothes folded neatly on the end of my bed. There seemed to be several days' worth. Oh, yay.

  My head was pounding and my stomach felt like crap, but I managed to swallow down some fruit and toast and get to the gym half an hour later. I froze in place. Whoa. Isaiah in workout clothes was even hotter than him in his usual medieval getup. His dark hair was pulled back and tied at his nape, his pants were those black martial arts drawstring ones and he wasn't wearing a shirt. Plus he was barefoot.

  "Does my attire amuse you?" He was "playing" with a blade, flipping it through his fingers in a dangerous dance, somehow managing not to draw any blood.

  "Who was your dad?"

  That got his attention. "Mother's alluded to a long dead fourth cousin, but there is no way for me to know for sure, unless she one day decides to tell me." Knowing him, I'd guess he'd spent a lot of time trying to find out. "She likes to keep secrets from me, especially since I seek the truth. I only know that he was of a pure and ancient bloodline. Why do you ask?"

  "You look so much like..."

  "Don't say it. You'll put m
e in a horrible mood and then I won't take it easy on you today."

  "What are we working on?"

  "First things first." He indicated a wooden box resting on a nearby bench. I opened it to find an incredible blade similar to Liam's and also the one Kennet had given to Charlie.

  "This is so cool. Is it magical like Liam's?"

  "Of course, and just as ancient. It is a gift to you."

  "Isaiah...I can't..."

  "You will do what you're told. Pick it up. Carefully." There was no arguing with him when he was in this kind of mood, so I lifted the blade with respect and not a little fear.

  With the first touch, the heat of my magic combined with the energy of the blade, sending emerald veins and flaming threads spinning around the hilt. They didn't pool together, but instead intertwined, forming a complex braid of color and power. The carvings on the hilt and along the blade were exquisite: tiny demons in warrior form mounted on dragons diving out of the clouds. Now they shone with my magic, making each design come alive.

  Holding it reverently, I remembered what it was like to use Liam's blade to kill Antoine. The weapon had spoken to my magic, infusing me with the desire to kill the evil creature in order to restore balance. It became an extension of my will, my body and my spirit. I'd become in that moment an instrument of a much greater power, a force for right.

  This dagger reached for me in the same way, touching a part of my soul with its energy. I had no doubt that this blade and I would work perfectly in tandem, a uniquely powerful instrument that I would use in the future to protect my son. "This gift is beyond words..."

  Isaiah's smile was a blend of mischief and pride. "Its Magick calls to your demon and your cheetah equally." He looked at the two colors. "The ice and the fire unite in a single purpose. I see you had that talk."

  "Yes."

  "And...?"

  "Putting the whole nutty multiple personality aspect aside, trying to get an agreement worked out between them was as much fun as a mouthful of root canals." I shrugged. "I believe they're now in accord. You know...kinda "predators unite". But It'll take time for them to really trust each other."