by Kimbra Swain
“I saw the ring,” I said. “Kinda obvious.”
“While I was in the motel?” he asked as his voice turned less jovial.
“Yes,” I said quietly.
He kissed the space just below my ear on my neck sending a shiver down my spine. “Oh, good spot?” he asked.
“Hmm, yes,” I said.
“I went by there earlier. He’s talking to me a little more, but I’m still not convinced he is mine,” he said. “Something in the way he responds. It seems like Stephanie has coached him on what to say to me.”
I didn’t respond again. Perhaps holding my tongue was the best new trick I could learn. My heart hurt knowing that that child was in this town and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. The council would meet tonight after the ritual to take any questions about the concealment spell. We could all talk about Stephanie’s fate then. But for the moment, I had to endure the thought that a hateful woman had taken away all my dreams for Dylan and me.
As I waited for Levi to join me at the trailer, I paced around the room. Rufus watched me from the recliner. It had become his spot, and he would groan anytime I asked him to move. Silly dog. Dylan went with the other officers to double check the perimeter for the ritual. We were all in touch via walkie-talkies that the state gave Troy to use in Shady Grove. I wondered how many state officials knew exactly what was going on in our little town.
Levi came in with the darkest look on his face that I had ever seen.
“Someone take your favorite toy, Levi?” I asked.
He pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “No, let’s just go. I’m on the Harley. Just so you know,” he replied.
“I’ll drive the truck,” I said.
“You can’t trust me even now? There are hardly any vehicles in this town. Why can’t you just ride with me?” he fussed.
Pressing my hand on his cheek, he shuddered at the tingle between us. It was still strong with physical contact. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t talk about it,” he said.
Disappointment broke my heart. “Okay,” I mumbled, then turned to the bedroom to grab my jacket. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back to him.
His voice floated through my head like a lover’s song.
“Dylan knows this is his child. I just have a gut feeling about it, Grace. He’s playing you for a fool in front of everyone. It hurts me to see you buy into it because you are blinded by your love for him. I don’t want to see you hurt anymore. He’s had so many chances to get this right, and he can’t seem to do it.”
“Levi, you are wrong. It’s not his child. I have a gut feeling too. The child on the outside looks a lot like Dylan, but on the inside, his aura is so far removed from Dylan’s that they cannot be related. Stephanie is playing us all,” I said. “I love you for looking out for me, but this is going to work out.”
“I can’t stand by and watch him tear you apart,” he said.
I jerked away from him as tears formed in my eyes. “Then maybe you should leave Shady Grove, Levi. I have no desire to torture you. Perhaps I should have let you go last night,” I said.
“That isn’t what I want,” he said.
“Is it not? You asked for it, or did you forget that?” I asked.
“No, I didn’t forget, but that was before his past walked through that door ripping your heart out,” he said. “I could feel it, or did you forget that I could feet it because I’m connected to it?”
“We have a ritual to do. This can wait,” I said.
“It really can’t wait, but I’ll do whatever you want,” he said.
“Good. I’m grabbing my jacket. I’ll meet you outside,” I replied.
He skulked out the door. I looked down at Rufus who hadn’t budged from the recliner. Grabbing my leather jacket, I got a whiff of musk and peppermint. I’d told Dylan that my jacket didn’t smell like his, so apparently, he sprayed his cologne on it. I felt something in the pocket. I pulled it out to find a piece of peppermint with a tiny note. “Now it smells right. Love you.”
Levi was wrong.
Levi and I pulled up outside the edge of town at the northernmost point. The road we were on traveled between town and the interstate. Nestor and Dylan waited for us there. I walked up, giving him a big hug.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“Peppermint,” I said, handing him the piece from my jacket pocket. He grinned, and I melted all over again. He gave me a quick kiss while Nestor stood by smiling at us.
“Let’s get married,” Dylan said.
“We are getting married,” I replied.
“No, as soon as possible. I don’t want to wait,” he said.
“Okay. I’ll talk to Tabitha, and we can see how quickly we can put it together,” I replied.
“Really?” he responded excitedly.
“Sure. Why not?” I said as he picked me up in a huge hug.
“Thank you, Grace,” he said.
“Don’t be silly. Alright, Levi. Let’s do this. What do we need to do?” I asked.
Levi strummed his guitar lightly making sure it was in tune. “It’s going to take a while, but I need you and Nestor to stand in the middle of the road and hold hands. I will start with Nestor to make the circuit around town. I will have to go to every major entrance to town while playing the song. Thankfully, I don’t have to walk through the woods. Dylan will drive your truck, and I’ll sit in the back playing. Just take it easy over the potholes,” he said. “It might take a couple of hours, but you need to hold hands the entire time. You guys are the beginning and end of the spell.”
“Okay. Can we sit?” I asked.
“No, standing is what the book said. When they did it in the book for the plague, it was a much smaller town. I’m just hoping it works for such a large area,” he said.
“It will work. Size doesn’t matter,” I said.
Dylan choked, then coughed. Levi blushed, and Nestor laughed at them both.
“Men,” I muttered.
“Love you,” Dylan said, kissing me on the cheek. I gave him the keys to the truck, as he dropped the tailgate for Levi to ride in the back.
“Love you, too. See you soon,” I said.
Joining hands with Nestor, we stood in the center of the road. Perhaps we should have had someone here with us to make sure no one ran us over but we stood inside the barricades that the state had erected. Thankfully, there were no reporters or lookie-loos. Levi pressed his back to Nestor’s side. I felt the magic swirl around us as he prepared himself to play. Despite our conversation in the trailer, I was so proud of him at this moment. He had confidence that he could do this for the town.
“I am so proud you, Levi. I know you can do this,” I said giving him just a little support.
“Thanks, Grace,” he responded with a hint of irritation. I was used to his constant state of distress. We did need to find some way to make him happy, and unlike when he first moved here, there wasn’t a woman who could satisfy him. Not anymore.
Looking through my fairy sight, I watched as he strummed the first note. The sound reverberated through the magical spectrum lighting it up in a thousand different colors like a rippling rainbow. It reminded me of the walls of Mike’s Magic Vape shop. Levi’s song sounded like home to me. Something comforting and worth protecting. It was perfect for the task. As he walked slowly away from Nestor to the back of the truck, a wave of magic followed behind him. Dylan let the step down on the tailgate, and Levi easily climbed into the bed of the truck while playing constantly. I hoped his fingers were up to this. Dylan got in the truck with a wave to us and pulled out. Levi stood against the cab, balancing and playing at the same time. I watched the ribbon of magic follow him down the road.
“You watching it?” Nestor asked.
“Yes, it’s mesmerizing,” I replied.
“He’s very powerful,” Nestor said.
“I know,” I replied. “He’s mad at me for believing Dylan.”
“
He’s not mad at you. He’s frustrated with the situation and doesn’t know how to handle it other than to be angry.”
“How do we handle it?” I asked.
“Your father’s answer was to please all of those who loved him, but I know that isn’t your way. But perhaps Levi needs something that is just yours and his, something meaningful that he can find happiness in. I think Dylan would tolerate it if it took pressure off of you. I know that Levi’s attitude is starting to wear on your sensibilities. He’s important to you, and to all of us. Should you ever lose control, and I’m not saying you will, Levi is our one defense,” he said.
“Dylan can calm me as well,” I said.
“Not like Levi,” he said.
I watched as the ribbon changed directions. It stretched now into the tree-line to our right, snapping into place as Levi made the first connection to Betty who was just west of us on the next town entry point. At each point, a prominent town member stood waiting for Levi to connect them to the rest. When he was done, he would close the circle with me. So far it seemed to be working.
Considering Nestor’s words, I tried to think of something that Levi and I could share that would just be ours. It still concerned me that I would have something that Dylan and I couldn’t share. I would definitely see what he thought about it before doing anything. He was my heart and soul now. I couldn’t hide anything from him.
An hour went by as we waited. I felt the power growing in the center of the circle. My legs started to get tired, and I shifted my weight several times. Nestor looked tired as well.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just feel a little woozy,” I said. I released power from my tattoo letting it course over both of us. Nestor sighed as the power comforted our aches. “Better?”
“Yes. Thank you, Child,” he said. I twisted my lips to him calling me, Child, but I let it go. He was my elder after all. “How’s the boy?”
“I haven’t seen him since yesterday. Dylan visited him twice today to make sure they had everything they needed. He said Stephanie is just biding her time waiting for him to bond with the boy,” I said.
“That’s a bad idea,” Nestor said.
“He said his instinct is that it is a trap. She probably has some sort of spell on the kid that will make it look like Devin is Dylan’s son,” I said.
“Knowing that, you could use it to your advantage. Let Dylan do the bonding. If it his child, then it needed to be done either way. But if it isn’t, then no harm, but we get to see what Stephanie’s motive is behind all of this. It seems strange that she would just leave Brock after all this time. Surely, he knew about the child since he was born in the Otherworld,” Nestor said.
I cringed at the thought, and the wooziness returned to my head. My knees were locked, and I started to wobble. The sound of my truck approaching broke me out of the daze. I saw the ribbon of power approaching us. It stretched out toward the east where it was connected to Mayor Jenkins. Dylan pulled the truck sideways in the road so that Levi could get to me faster. He looked tired, but the song didn’t waiver. I saw blood dripping from his fingers.
“Levi!” I called out. Nestor gripped my hand tightly, keeping me in place.
Dylan held his hand out. “He’s fine, Grace. Stay there. It’s almost done.”
Levi nodded slightly to me as he started to step off the tailgate of the truck. Dylan steadied him so that he could continue to play. Levi approached me with the ribbon of power following him. He walked straight up to my side pressing his body against mine and finishing the song. The circle snapped up between Nestor and me. I could see the circle completed through our joined hands.
“Everyone, hold your position,” Dylan said into his walkie.
“Now what?” I asked.
Levi released the guitar letting it hang around his shoulder. He looked through his sight at the circle joined at our hands. “Just let go. The circle will stay,” he said.
He took a deep breath, and for just a moment, I felt his confidence waiver. Nestor looked at me because he must have felt it too. We released our hands, and immediately the circle fizzled.
“Fuck!” Levi said, swinging his guitar on the ground smashing it into shards of wood.
“Levi, it’s okay,” I tried to coax him.
“No, it’s not! I did exactly what the book said,” he growled.
He pounded the pavement with the broken guitar. He didn’t stop until I touched his tattoo. When he slumped to his knees, I followed him to the ground. I coaxed him to let go of the shattered neck of the guitar. I called power to my hands lightly brushing against his to heal his bleeding fingers.
“It’s okay. We will figure it out. It’s my fault for letting the book go,” I said.
“You let it go because you trusted me,” he replied.
Nestor and Dylan stood back, allowing me to deal with Levi. I was thankful for it. Dylan turned down the radio as people began to ask what happened. He walked away from us, responding quietly.
“Everyone will know I failed,” he said.
“No one will know. We will tell them that it was me. That I broke hands with Nestor or something. Let me take it,” I said.
“No,” he grumbled.
“As your Queen, I am responsible for you. That means accepting your victories as well as your setbacks. This isn’t a defeat. We will figure it out,” I said. “In fact, I might just send Finley after the book. You can go with him.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” he said finally looking at me. His blue eyes had a light in them I hadn’t seen in a while.
“There’s my bard,” I said.
“Thank you for not being angry at me about this. I thought you would go off on me after the way I’ve acted lately,” he said.
“I’m trying something new. More Queen-like,” I said.
“A real monarch would have killed me on the spot,” he suggested.
“I could never kill someone I love. My father didn’t kill me. I won’t harm you,” I said.
“I’m not your child,” he grumbled.
“No, I find you far too sexy to be my child,” I said.
“What?” he said surprised.
“I may be engaged, but I’m not blind, Levi,” I said. That seemed to be all he needed to get up off the ground. He bounded up, offering his hand to help me. Nestor offered as well. I let both of them pull me up when I reached my feet the circle snapped back into place through Nestor’s hand in mine. “What the hell?”
“I suppose we will just have to stand here,” Nestor smiled.
“I suppose so,” I laughed. “It’s still there, Levi. We just need to find a way to anchor it. Right now, it’s anchored to our grip.”
“The book said the circle should stay even after the physical bond was broken,” he said.
“What happens after that in the book?” I asked.
“Taliesin talks about how the town was safe from the plague, and that he along with a lot of exiled fairies stayed in the town until the threat of the plague went away. He describes the room he stayed in and the people in the town. Nothing else about the shield,” Levi said.
“We will talk to Finley, and you guys can go after the book,” I said.
“What?” Dylan said walking back up.
“We need the book,” I said. “Levi and Finley can go to Summer and get it. Finley should be accepted as an emissary from my father’s kingdom. Hopefully, Rhiannon won’t imprison them. I’m pretty sure Finley could charm anyone.”
Levi cleared his throat. I turned to him. “You stay away from her. She will ruin you,” I said.
“You can’t keep me for yourself, Grace,” Levi grinned.
“Come on, let’s get to town before there is a panic,” I said ignoring him. Maybe I was keeping him to myself. He could have whatever girlfriend he wanted, but the Summer Queen better keep her hands off my bard.
“Riley is there, too,” Dylan reminded me on our way to the community center.
“Yeah, but he’s a
lready been with her, so it’s like it doesn’t bother me,” I said.
“She and Jeremiah manipulated us to get the book, Grace. That should bother you,” he said.
“We are getting the book back, so it doesn’t matter,” I replied. “Levi has been itching to get out of town. Maybe this is what he needs.”
“How is it going to affect you?” Dylan asked.
“It won’t because I can stay in control. Besides, Mr. Phoenix knows how to break my chill,” I replied playfully.
He shook his head. “I just think the separation will be more than you imagine it to be,” he said.
Levi stood outside the building waiting for us. Dylan helped me out of the truck. My legs felt numb from standing so long with Nestor. He pulled up next to us in his small pickup truck with Mable.
“It’s not good,” Levi said.
“They don’t scare me,” I replied.
“You ready?” Dylan asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” I said as he took my hand.
Nestor, Mable, and Levi followed us into the room. Finley stood just inside the door. He nodded to us as we passed him. The volume of angry voices flashed against my face when we walked in the crowded auditorium. A wave of heat rolled around the room that was staggering. No one stopped shouting even as Dylan and I walked up the center aisle to the stage. Betty, Tabitha, and Diego Santiago sat in chairs on the stage. Winnie jumped out of Tabitha’s lap, running to us. Dylan caught her up in his arms as she latched on to his neck.
“They are being so loud. They need to use their inside voices,” Winnie said, holding on to Dylan.
“Mommy is going to make them be quiet,” he said.
He and Levi climbed the steps to the stage with Nestor who took his seat representing the council. I allowed my glamour to fade as I made my way up the steps. Looking across the room, I realized the enormity of the task I’d agreed to take on. Shady Grove was only a population of about 1,400 people when I first moved to town. With the humans gone and our new additions, I beheld the exiles that now depended upon my protection. I didn’t need to estimate how many there were. In this form, I knew there were 823 fairies in the room with 214 not here, because they were children, parents of children, Troy’s police force monitoring the roads, and those who just chose not to be here. 1,037 fairies including the 104 gypsies that joined our town this afternoon. Fordele stood with Wendy in the back corner. His gypsies lined the walls watching the rabble curiously. They continued to shout angry words at each other and toward the council.
