rogue shifter 06 - torn apart

by Gayle Parness

  "Yes."

  "Grady?"

  "We'll ask Liam." I stood up.

  "Can I go there right now?"

  "No. You have to earn a trip to Faerie with hard work and good behavior. We still have a lot to talk about."

  He looked up at me through long blond lashes. "Are you gonna hit me?"

  "What?"

  "I read kids get hit when they're bad."

  "I'll never hit you. And you aren't bad. You made a bad choice when you threw that fork, but you aren't bad."

  He hugged me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry I almost hurt you."

  I stroked his hair. He seemed taller. How was that possible? "Soon you'll have very powerful magic, Charlie. You need to learn how to control your anger so you never hurt anyone accidentally. Come on, we're going outside. Put on your old sneakers, please."

  "Why?"

  "Sinlae needs your help."

  When he joined me outside I handed him a small spade. Sinlae was expanding her garden and I thought this was a perfect opportunity for some productive punishment.

  "I have to dig?" He looked horrified.

  "Yes."

  "I giant hole? Like Liam had to when his dad got mad?"

  "No. You'll help Sinlae with her garden." He rolled his eyes at me, not at all pleased with his punishment.

  Sinlae told him what section she wanted dug up. He made a face, then got down on his knees and followed her instructions without complaining. Farrell had just relieved Noriene, so he generously pitched in to help, too. While they worked, I sat on a nearby stone bench to watch the action.

  Samson, having come back from unsuccessfully running down a squirrel, curled up at my feet. I decided to entertain them by accounting some of my odd adventures in the Demon Realm. By the time I'd finished my story, Aislin and Noriene and the three male demi-fey had also gathered around our small group to hear my tale. I left out the magical blade, what Isaiah had told me about my mother and anything else I thought he might not want a fae to know.

  "You grew long claws? Longer than a cheetah?" I nodded. "Can you do it here too?" Charlie asked.

  Not sure, I held up my hands and focused Isaiah's way. Nothing happened at first, but then I began to notice the cells of my magic moving in their own unique way within my hands. When I remembered how it had felt to have them, claws sprouted where my fingernails had been, long, sharp, and shiny.

  Charlie giggled and I gasped when I glanced in his direction. He'd become a kaleidoscope of color, pattern and movement. "What's wrong?" he asked.

  "I can see your magic. There's purple and green and orange and gold and a hundred other colors. All the colors make different patterns, then they change again. You're beautiful."

  "Handsome. I'm a boy." He pouted.

  "Your magic is beautiful."

  I looked at Farrell. "Can you see it?"

  "Always, when we wish to see. Each being makes their own unique patterns, like snowflakes. No two the same."

  He came closer and took one of my hands. "I see cheetah beside your demon magic. How is this possible?" I explained Isaiah's theory and Farrell nodded. "Do you see the spaces? Those fill when you use the lines for some purpose." He held up his hand. "I have no large spaces because I am full blood fae and don't need to pull magic from the lines." He allowed me to see, and I was floored by the purple and gold beauty of his energy.

  "Charlie has fewer spaces than you, because he is filled with fae and demon magic."

  "Look." I pointed at Charlie's chest. Sure enough, there was a thin stream of green snaking around the others, centered near his heart.

  "Isaiah's theory may be correct. Healer magic must live within you always."

  "I am beautiful too, Lady Jackie." Sinlae spun in the air, leaving trails of multicolored magical beads behind her in curling strands.

  "You're spectacular, Sinlae."

  "Pixies leak magic because their tiny bodies can only hold so much," Farrell explained.

  "Lord Farrell, we do not leak. We share with the world."

  "My apologies, Sinlae." He nodded with an amused expression.

  "In the Demon Realm even the furniture had moving energy."

  "Because it's created with their magic, not from the trees or minerals of your world. Faerie is the same." He placed his hand on the trunk of a very large oak, stroking it reverently. "They are magnificent without our magic, possessing a magic of their own."

  Something strange occurred to me. "So everything I saw in the DR—each piece of furniture—every mountain—is created with magic?"

  "Yes, and held there magically. Faerie is the same."

  "Things aren't just created and left there?"

  "No. It requires continuous power to hold it in place."

  My eyes grew wider. This was huge. "Someone is constantly keeping it all going....like the energizer bunny?"

  He laughed. "In Faerie, much of our power is communal. We set a spell, and it draws from all of us as needed."

  Doesn't that tire you out...or hurt?"

  "No. We have more than enough." That statement might have sounded arrogant, except that it was Farrell and not Kennet who was talking.

  "Waterfalls...oceans...mountains...the meadow where the ceremonies take place...?"

  "Yes. None of it is like your world. All of it is created by our magic as needed. For instance, if no one in Cascade is looking at the ocean, it doesn't exist. The exception to that is when we have guests. Then we like to have most of it up and running, so to speak." He grinned, proud of his lovely world and of the incredible magic they carried within themselves. Whoa.

  "In addition, we all have our own personal magic which is used solely by us. In Cascade, the elders have the greatest amount. Age and lineage come into play. I am one of the youngest, but because my mother, Lady Jorrenn, is an elder, I have more magic than many others of my people."

  "You're quite spectacular." We grinned at each other as his colorful magic swirled powerfully through his body.

  "I can't see anything." Charlie squinted at his hands, frustrated by his lack of sight.

  Our lovely demi-fey hovered in from of him. "Soon, young lord, you will see more than your lady mother."

  "Not fair." he twisted up his mouth, but when Sinlae tickled his nose with a wing, he giggled.

  After he'd worked for a couple of hours, I gave him a bath and we watched one of the movie versions of Robin Hood. Farrell had never seen it, so he joined us.

  "Are you going to help Daddy tonight?"

  "If Daddy says he doesn't need me, then no. I'll stay home. But there will be times when I'll have to go." He nodded sadly. "You'll always have someone here to keep you safe, okay?"

  "Okay. I'm not mad anymore. Now I just have sore arms from digging like Uncle Liam used to."

  Farrell nodded solemnly. "Me too." I laughed at him, because he could have gotten the job done in a few seconds with magic. But Farrell, like Liam, enjoyed living the way shifters did. In fact, he was looking around for an apartment nearby where he could stay once in awhile, rather than always returning to Faerie. Handsome and full of fun, he was also quite popular with human and shifter females.

  I contacted Garrett as soon as he woke.

  "I'm back."

  "Good. Have you spoken to Charlie?"

  "Yes. I'll tell you about it when I see you. Do you need me to come?"

  "No. We have the situation in hand and I think our son needs you more."

  "How long?"

  "A few days at the most."

  "I miss you."

  "Moi aussi, my angel. I'll be home soon."

  "I have high expectations."

  "Vixen."

  "Be careful. I love you.

  "Je t'aime. Tell Charlie I love him and that I expect him to behave like a responsible young man while I'm gone."

  "Sure." I severed the mental connection.

  Charlie put the movie on pause. "Were you talking to Daddy?"

  "Yep."

  "You always lo
ok funny when you do that. You were laughing for no reason."

  "He said to tell you that he loves you and that he expects you to behave responsibly while he's gone." I arched an eyebrow.

  "You're gonna tell him." This was not a question.

  "Yes. Not to be mean, honey, but I try to tell your dad everything. It's important to be honest."

  "He's gonna be mad at me."

  "Maybe a little bit. But if you tell him that you apologized and that we talked..."

  "And I got really sore arms from digging."

  "Yes, then he won't stay mad at you. He'll be proud of you. He loves you just as much as I do."

  "He won't spank me?"

  "Has he ever hit you?"

  "No. But I wasn't 'sponsible and I was s'pposed to be."

  "Responsible. He'd never hit you." Where was this coming from? "What book have you been reading?"

  "Oliver Twist. There're a bunch of words I don't understand, but it's cool."

  I guess that explained his sudden fascination with corporal punishment. "It's just a story, and it takes place a long time ago." He nodded and pushed play again on the remote control.

  We watched Hercules talk to his birth father, Zeus, after they'd beaten the Titans. From the corner of my eye I noticed that Charlie was watching me and not the movie. "Mommy." He poked my shoulder gently with his index finger. "You didn't tell me about my fae dad. You said we should be honest." He'd whispered so Farrell wouldn't hear.

  I whispered back, knowing full well that Farrell could hear every word. "I was wrong not to tell you. Moms and Dads make the wrong choices sometimes too. I'm sorry, sweety."

  I grew tense, thinking about how he'd react if he ever found out that he'd been conceived during a rape. I couldn't bear it if he blamed himself or thought that we hadn't wanted him.

  He leaned closer, closing his eyes and resting his head on my shoulder. "I'm glad you're staying home." He fell asleep almost instantly.

  "Me too." I whispered, looking over Charlie's head at Farrell, who was putting the DVD back in its case.

  He sat again, his intelligent mind somehow able to read my thoughts without bursting through my shields. "Try not to worry. He's a healthy young male, bright and always eager to learn more. The hard times are behind him."

  "I wish that were true." My dozing son snuggled closer. I leaned over and kissed his head, my eyes tearing with the strength of my love. "He's never to know about the rape, Farrell."

  "He will not hear of it from me or any Cascade fae, but he will eventually hear of it from someone. He should be told the truth soon and it should come from you."

  I shook my head and looked away. "He won't understand."

  "He will soon be an adult. A warrior with great power. You do him a disservice believing that he will not be able to accept the truth of his conception. It is a truth that pales before the depth of your love and the years you have devoted to his wellbeing. If he does not understand, then I will be pleased to slap some sense into him."

  I grinned and teased him. "Thank you, Sir Farrell." He laughed softly. "Thank you for everything you and your people do for my family." He nodded with his hand on his heart in response.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The month of October passed quickly. Near the end, Isaiah returned to our home to continue his work with Charlie and then took me three days later to his realm. We spent the entire three days working on my fighting skills, using the blade but also my claws.

  "Something's coming. I feel it in my bones. You must be prepared." His warning made me work harder than ever before, ending each evening with me collapsing into my bed, bruised, battered, but also stronger.

  When Isaiah arrived again in early November, Charlie was reading in his room, something he often did in the early afternoon since his friends weren't available. Jay was in second grade at the local elementary school and Grady was in the town's Jr. High School. Like every other household, we had computers and tablets and smart phones, but we'd encouraged him to read books from his earliest days. When he was older, he'd probably push them aside and move into high tech mode like every other kid, but holding a book in your hand, turning the pages, tracing the illustrations, were experiences Garrett and I treasured from our own childhoods and we wanted to share them with our son.

  He kept begging us to allow him to attend school like his friends, but we couldn't take the chance. I'd sent away for the home-schooling kits and had already tested him to see where his skills were weakest. Garrett and I were pleased to see that he was ahead in most subjects, especially reading and reading comprehension.

  Isaiah poked his head into Charlie's room. I followed him in. "How's my tiny demon this morning?"

  "I don't want you to train me anymore." He frowned and went back to his book.

  "Oh?" he looked at me and I shrugged, having no clue as to why Charlie was objecting. "Why?"

  "You're gonna take my mommy away again. She's gone too much."

  "I'm training her, too, only I'm doing it in my home."

  "Do you hurt her?" His gaze smoldered with specks of gold swimming in lavender, a sign of deep emotion.

  "No, did she say I did?" He gave me a sideways glance.

  "No. But sometimes I see she has bruises and cuts. Jay and Linn and Grady say I shouldn't trust you."

  "They do?" I was surprised.

  "Linn says the Demon Realm is a very scary place and that people are cruel there."

  Isaiah crouched on the floor in front of my son. "It can indeed be scary and some of my people can be cruel, but not in my home. When was Linn there last?" he teased.

  "Never. Lord Aedus would never let her go there."

  "Not one seelie fae has ever set foot in the DR, so how can they possibly know what it's like?"

  "Maybe she read it in a book. I'm gonna ask her the next time I see her."

  "Good idea." Isaiah replied, standing. Charlie's face was still scrunched up with worry. "What can I do to make you believe me?"

  He thought about it for a few moments. "Swear on your life."

  "Charlie, I really don't think Isaiah needs to..."

  Isaiah interrupted me with a laugh. "So dramatic, like your mother." He stood up a little straighter. "I swear to you, Charles Liam William Cuvier," he looked at me as he continued, "that I will lay down my life before I allow anyone to seriously harm your mother, Jacqueline Grace Fitzgerald Crawford Cuvier, while she is my guest in the Demon Realm."

  That oath had been sworn to me as much as Charlie. "What about when she's here?" He pouted.

  Isaiah shrugged. "I cannot swear to protect her here if I am in the Demon Realm. But you are her protector, correct? You and your father?"

  "I'm trying to learn how." He looked thoughtful. "I'm gonna be big one day. Then I can protect her really good."

  "Very big I think." Isaiah laughed.

  "And strong."

  "In several ways."

  Charlie's eyes narrowed. "Give me your hand, Mr. Isaiah."

  "This is not something done in my culture." Isaiah put his hands behind his back. "Demons do not touch fae."

  He wiggled his hand, looking determined. "But I'm both. I wanna know for sure that Mommy's safe."

  Isaiah's gaze was curious when he glanced in my direction. "What is it about your line? You're so touchy-feely."

  "Must be a healer thing." I smiled at my son's determined expression.

  He snorted out a laugh then took Charlie's proffered hand with a wry smile and a slight tensing of his shoulders. I was proud to see that my small son held his own, locking eyes with the powerful demon as if it were something rather commonplace between them. Maybe he was too young to be afraid, ignorant of what Isaiah was capable of. But somehow I suspected that Charlie had a motive of his own beyond keeping me safe.

  If widened and narrowed eyes, knit eyebrows and shakes of the head were any indication, they were having some kind of mental debate. To confirm this, Isaiah made a motion between his head and Charlie's, but didn't break eye
contact with my son. This went on for another minute, then Charlie broke the link and slid off the bed. "Okay. Thanks. I guess you can teach me more stuff, but I don't like it when Mom's gone."

  We followed him out the sliding door into the garden, Samson tagging along behind me. I glanced at Isaiah, who spoke directly into my mind, passing through my shields without any effort. I wanted the info, so I didn't get too angry about the forced entry.

  "He is quite something, your young male. He instinctively longs for truth and can be ruthless in his pursuit of it. We opened a shallow link, so now the speed that he absorbs what I teach him will accelerate. When he reaches adulthood, only the highest level fae or demon will be able to withstand his mental attacks."

  I stopped in mid-stride. This had been one of my fears. "You think he'll attack using his mind...like his...like Kennet? Kennet almost killed Aedus with the vision he forced into his head. He mind-raped me."

  "You and Garrett are not capable of raising a monster. There's nothing selfish about his probing. He wanted to ensure your safety and he was curious about my home. I would like to take him there when he's older."

  "The fae will never let that happen."

  "We'll see." I cast a sideways glance at his confident expression. We'll see indeed.

  Charlie must've noticed my worried expression. "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. Go ahead with Isaiah." I plastered on my best smile, hiding my anxiety behind it.

  "Do you remember what I taught you last time?" Isaiah asked.

  "Uh huh." He was jumping with excitement, his other worries forgotten.

  Isaiah continued the conversation in Fae as Charlie answered his questions. "Your Fae is much improved."

  "Linn is teaching me by sending me pictures with the words in Fae and English whenever she visits." His eyes glittered with pride.

  "Mind to mind?" Isaiah gave me a look.

  "Uh huh. It's awesome."

  "Can you get images from anyone else besides Linn and me?"

  "I dunno." He shrugged.

  "Liam says he's too young..." I piped in.

  "Your half-fae is overly protective." Isaiah waved a hand dismissively. "We'll experiment a little later with your mom and dad. Come, let's take a walk." Farrell and Noriene, who'd been in the kitchen, automatically followed, not trusting Isaiah alone with the "Future of Faerie", aka Charlie. Isaiah spun around to glare at them. "Will you call off your faeries, Jacqueline? He's perfectly safe."