Runaway Fae

by Runaway Fae

  Shauna’s attention returned to the bright sky. She held up a hand to shade against the light. Through a doorway twenty feet above the surface of the water came Faeries with wings. “Faeries!” She squealed and stood to her feet almost jumping for joy.

  They came in swarms, the great military-looking Faeries dressed in armor and carrying swords. The Fae rarely flew. It was considered showy. Faeries naturally folded wings into their backs and with time from lack of use, the wispy appendages tended to shrink. Shauna figured some magic had revived the Faerie’s wings knowing they would invade a world made mostly of water.

  She ran out along the pier, stumbling and catching her balance repeatedly. Never had such pale skin looked so beautiful. Tall Fae with muscled bodies set down ahead of her, expressions of determination on their faces. The cling of swords striking with Darkling swords permeated the air. Still Shauna ran.

  “Shauna stop!”

  Shauna looked back to see Liam standing in the door. She spun away and ran faster toward the Fae landing on the platform. One particular Fae was close. She was out of breath when she reached him. “Thank goodness you’re here. I was so desperate to get out of—”

  The Fae’s sword came down in front of Shauna, the point inches from her throat. “Princess Shauna, you are under arrest for crimes against the Fae government, specifically for allying yourself with known Fae enemies such as the Darklings. You will come with me.”

  She gasped, “That’s not true. What are you talking about? I’ve been held here against my will!”

  The man wouldn’t listen. He cast a spell that had Shauna’s wrists in blue-green cuffs before she knew what he was about. Wresting to free herself, she spotted her cousin over the shoulder of the man in front of her.

  “Shamus, please help me. This is ridiculous.”

  The new Faerie king strolled with confidence up the pier. Shauna was sure her own confidence in his innocence of Liam’s charges were unjustified seeing the man’s clear white skin. Shamus strode up to her and touched her cheek with a fingertip. “Little cousin.”

  Shauna sagged toward him in relief. He would straighten all of this out.

  “Kill her. There’s no need for a trial. We’ve seen what these creatures are capable of. Kill them all.”

  Chapter Seven

  Shauna stood frozen in shock that her cousin had ordered her death, the man who had sat laughing and teasing with her father at the dinner table. That this was the same man who had held her and her mother when they cried at the memorial for her father and brother. This couldn’t be true, yet even as she stood there, even then her mind wouldn’t let her believe it. There must be some mistake.

  The sword was raised above her head, readying for the blow that would kill her. For the life of Shauna, no counter-spell would come to mind. Nothing would free her of the cuffs and her legs and feet weren’t working. Then she was in a vortex of space and time, lasting only a second or two, and she felt Liam’s arm wrap around her. She looked back to find he had transported her to the doorway where he still stood.

  “Shauna, I must get you to safety.”

  “No, I have to try to convince my cousin that ....”

  He growled, shaking her. “There is no convincing you can do. What I told you is true. Shamus killed your family, and if you stay he will kill you too because you know the truth. Face it,” he snapped. “You are branded a traitor.”

  She shook her head, “No.”

  “Yes!”

  Shauna would have gone on arguing with him had a cry of joy not interrupted. She turned in time to see Darcy running down to meet Shamus. “My darling. I knew you would come back.”

  Shauna gasped, “My darling?”

  Liam didn’t answer. He continued to watch the scene before them. Fae and Darklings fought around them. This time, and she didn’t understand the reversal as had also been the case three years ago, the Fae were stronger than the Darklings, even in their own world. The Darklings were being slaughtered. It was not natural, the level of magic the Fae were demonstrating in the dark world, just as it had not been natural that Darklings had been so powerful in Faeland three years ago. Something was out of balance.

  Darcy’s cry again caused Shauna’s attention to return to her. She grabbed Liam’s arm, barely aware that she dug her nails in his flesh, so shocked and afraid was she. Shamus had just plunged a sword into Darcy’s chest. A howl of agony and pain such as she had never heard went up in the dark world. From the lowest beast to the highest ranked Darkling, they joined in screaming their pain at Darcy being killed.

  Liam didn’t wait for explanations or repercussions. He grasped Shauna around her waist, waved an arm and a portal opened. Roughly, he dragged Shauna through. The hustle and bustle around them, people coming and going at the end of the alley they came through to, let her know that after so many years of waiting, Shauna was finally in the human world.

  * * * *

  Shauna sat in a corner of the hotel room she had been able to secure for herself and Liam. Unable to show himself out in the opening, he had hid in an alley around the corner from the seedy motel where they had found shelter. She tapped the arm of the chair, her thoughts whirling over what they had just been through.

  “I don’t understand what’s happening, Liam.” She ran a hand across her face, exhausted since she hadn’t slept. “You told me Darcy wanted to get Shamus, but you didn’t say what for. It never occurred to me that they had been lovers and if so, where did that leave you?”

  Liam was pacing the floor like a caged bear. He had already drawn the curtains closed, flicked off the light, sending the room into shadows and he still shaded his eyes with his hand. “This is not the time to discuss this, Shauna. My head is beginning to pound with all the light.”

  She blinked, “But with all you’ve done, it looks like night. And the sun is only beaming on the backside of the shades.”

  “I said it’s not dark enough!” he snapped.

  Shauna backed off. His eyes had gone dark. Antagonizing Liam in that state was a mistake. And then she remembered her mother. She jumped to her feet. “My mother! I have to go back to Faeland to be sure she’s safe.” Shauna threw open a portal and took a step toward it. She paced through air alone, and whirled to face Liam, her resolve not to bother him, crumbling. “You open that portal up now. I’m not sitting here while my mother is in danger. Maybe your girlfriend is dead, but as far as I know my mother is alive. I’m going to get her.”

  Liam marched over to her, and she backed up until she thumped against the door leading to the hall. Still he came closer, so that his body trapped hers with not a quarter of an inch separating them. “Let me explain something to you so that you get it through your emotionally clouded mind.”

  She gasped at his cruelty, while fighting against a desire to run her hands along his body. Thoughts of stroking his rear came to mind. She shook her head to focus on his words, for even his harshness with her—the danger she saw in his eyes—drew her to him.

  “When you use your magic, magical creatures can track you. The human world is much bigger than either Faeland or the Dark World. We could get lost here and they would never find us.”

  Shauna smirked, “Like you wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb with that blue skin of yours.”

  He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. ”But should you go back to Faeland, and share what you know with your mother, then she too would be in danger from your cousin. Think about it, he never harmed you while you were in Faeland. Because as far as he was concerned, you and your mother were two harmless female Fae—princess and former queen, sure—but nothing more. No threat whatsoever.”

  Shauna pushed at Liam’s rock solid chest. He didn’t budge. “You don’t have to be so blunt about it. Now that I’m out of that dark place, the strength of my magic is back. I can defend myself just fine. And when I go back to Faeland, it will be even stronger. I will fight to bring down my cousin.”

  Liam threw back his head and laughed dramaticall
y, annoying Shauna enough to want to smack him across his damn blue face. He became serious and gave her a challenging look. “You could try,” he whispered.

  “You’re still using your powers.”

  He sighed, then moved away from her to sit on the bed. “You’re right. I have to spend time trying to control it. If I use my magic, we can still be traced. If I control it, deaden it, you and I can live a peaceful life together, with none the wiser.”

  Shauna stared at him in disbelief. “You can’t be serious, Liam. We can’t just move on as if none of this happened. I’m still worried about my mother. I’m worried about the rest of the Fae under the rule of my cousin, and I want to go home.”

  He gave a dry chuckle. “That’s a switch. You spent years plotting to leave Faeland, with plans never to return. Now you can’t wait to get back.”

  “And I can’t believe you would run away from this fight. I thought you were different. It looks like you’re the same old Liam—wanting nothing to stir your peaceful, boring life. I’ll pass, thanks. If I have to go to Faeland alone, then I will. You can stay here and see if the humans will accept a blue Faerie or Darkling or whatever you are.”

  Shauna crossed the floor to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. As soon as she turned the lock, she saw the dark magic at the edges of the bathroom. Knowing immediately what it was, she tried conjuring a portal. Nothing happened. She tried something simple like lighting the tip of her thumb. Even that didn’t work. The bastard told her not to use her magic, but yet he can cast a spell to keep her from using hers. And the scariest part of that was that Liam’s powers had never been absolute. No Faerie’s had.

  Was this the result of being what she suspected he was now—half Faerie, half Darkling? And would he eventually have to choose a side, whether that was good or bad? Every time she pushed him, and he became angry, only dark magic surfaced. Where was all the good magic in him? Surely it was still there, considering he had rescued her from being killed. But the dark was the most obvious. She could not overlook the fact that Liam had intended to attack Faeland with Darcy at his side. Yet, he didn’t even look hurt over losing his Darkling lover. She wanted him to tell her something, anything, but he simply made all of the decisions, not giving her a chance to offer input. It was frustrating, and the moment she figured out how to overcome his magic, she would. She would run her life her way. She’d return to Faeland and expose her cousin for what he was. The question was, if he was evil, why did he still look like a Fae?

  * * * *

  Liam stood outside the bathroom, hating to shut Shauna out but knowing it was in her best interest. If she knew the full extent of his struggle, she would not want anything to do with him. Somehow, he had to learn to control his magic, to bury it for both their well-beings and for all that came into contact with him. If he let loose the amount of hatred that constantly stormed inside him, he feared he’d kill everything in its path. The power was too great for one person to bear.

  He still didn’t have all the answers, such as how Shamus had led the Darklings to such victory over Fae in Faeland, and then just as successfully led the Fae to victory over the Darklings in their own world. The balance of magic didn’t work that way. Every magical creature had home field advantage in his or her own world. So what had made Shamus so all-powerful? And how could he appear just as he chose to be without letting on to the darkness in his soul?

  Liam vowed to find out the answer to these questions, as well as, bring that Fae to an end for the pain he had caused, especially to Shauna. But first things first. His main priority must be to see her safe, to master his power so that he could take her to a safe place. And to do that, he had to make Shauna trust him. Yet, how could he do that when he was constantly trying to overcome his internal demons? It was a circle, with no beginning and ending, and felt hopeless.

  An idea occurred to him, and he knocked on the bathroom door. Give Shauna a reason to trust him. “Shauna, I want to talk to you.”

  “Oh, now you want to talk?” she called angrily through the door.

  “Yes, please come out.”

  She stubbornly made him wait another five minutes before the bathroom door opened. He had counted to ten several times, took several deep breaths and even thought of fields of flowers. Anything to holster his ire.

  Finally, she slipped from the bathroom with her arms folded beneath her breasts. Liam was hit unexpectedly with a desire to touch her. His gaze was riveted to her nipples, clearly defined through her thin top. And when he lost sight of them as she moved across the floor to the chair in the corner, he watched the sway of her hips instead.

  Liam was aware that he could bring her to him and undress her with merely a thought, but he resisted. He closed his eyes to blot out the sight of her lush figure, but that only conjured naughtier visions of her spread for him, naked and waiting.

  “Well? I’m waiting.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, uh, I wanted to talk to you about my relationship with Darcy.” Liam saw Shauna’s pale skin redden, the hurt in her eyes plain. He hated himself for letting her go so long thinking the worse. “As you experienced, dealing with Darcy, she was a true Darkling, thriving on the misery of others. She sensed that my thoughts were full of you when I came to her. And even though she craved Shamus, she wanted to dominate me as well.”

  Shauna wrung her hands and sat forward. “Maybe I don’t want to hear this.”

  “Be quiet and listen,” he commanded, then hated himself for his harshness. Would he ever get his old personality back? He rushed on. “Darcy wanted me to want her. And I did, or rather the darkness that is attracted to its likeness in others was attracted to her.”

  When Shauna looked like she was about to ask another question, he pinned her with a glare, and she sat quietly again.

  “She teased me ... in ways I prefer not to say. But, I did not have sexual relations with Darcy. For most of the time I was there, I was severely ill. It looked like I was going to die. I fought against the darkness at every turn, which made things much worse for me. When I was well, I told Darcy I was going to bring you to me to keep you safe before we invaded Faeland.”

  “I don’t understand why you would attack Faeland, or were you pretending? Was the darkness getting the better of you when you aligned yourself with her plan?” Her questions irritated him, but he made himself calm her fears.

  “I had to let her think I cared for nothing of Faeland except to get you. Since she was obsessed with Shamus, she understood that desire. It was what made her respect my wish not to take her as a lover. But it didn’t stop her from hurting you with a pretense that we were. I’m sorry for that. And I didn’t tell you sooner because—”

  “Because you wanted me to suffer for how I made you suffer when I rejected you in Faeland.”

  He didn’t bother denying it.

  She sighed and stood to cross to the window. Her hand went out to pull back the curtain, but she stopped, obviously remembering his pain. At least the sun was setting. The pain in his head was easing somewhat.

  Shauna faced him. “I have so many more questions, but I can see you don’t have the patience for it. You’re so different now. Where do we go from here?”

  Liam ran a hand over the back of his neck, trying to release some of the tension. That was a very good question, considering they could not continue to pick pockets of unsuspecting humans, as they had done to gather enough money for the hotel room. Well, he could, but Shauna had felt guilty about it. They needed more permanent arrangements, and a location for him to learn to control his magic. A place that would also be secluded enough for him not to stick out with his appearance. All that should be easy enough, he thought glumly.

  Chapter Eight

  Tugging the hat perched on his head down lower and lifting the collar of his trench coat, Liam questioned for the hundredth time if he didn’t stick out more dressed as he was. But he had to get money so that he and Shauna could eat and get transportation out of town. They had used their magic way too much h
ere, and it was better to keep moving until they could both live below radar of the Fae.

  He strolled along the shadows, keeping an eye out for any hints of magical activity. For the most part, all the humans ignored him, absorbed as they were in their own problems. He had visited this world only a few times in the past, and each time he longed for home. The human world was noisy, with cars, planes, trains and any number of yelling people at any given time. He preferred the peace and quiet of his home world. Was that so bad? Shauna had never respected his preference.

  Always, he had wondered if in some alternate destiny they could be man and wife, would they actually suit. And here they were now with a chance at, if not permanently, at least for the time being, a marriage of sorts. However, it would only last as long as it took him to master his power, though he didn’t tell Shauna that. He would not abandon his people to Shamus. At least, he told himself that. But every time he used the dark magic, his compassion, his love for them lessened. Oddly, the only thing that remained constant was his feelings for Shauna. He had told her she saved him, and he believed that was true. She helped him to hold on to his Faehood.

  If they could make it work now, with him so unstable in his emotions—one minute angry, the next murderous—maybe they could make it as a permanent couple. That he had to convince Shauna to accept the new him, was still a problem. He would give it his all to control himself so that her trust would grow and she could move past her fear of him.

  Liam was feeling much more comfortable now that the sun had gone down. His light sensitivity was common among the Darklings. He wished for total darkness with no light at all, but beggars couldn’t be choosy. At the crossing of an alley, he paused hearing the muffled scream of a woman. Curious, he snuck into the narrow entryway, gagging at the stench of piss. Beneath a broken streetlight, deep in the shadows, though he could see as clearly as day, was a man struggling with an older woman. Liam knew the woman was being mugged, but he had no feeling of alarm or need to help her.