Runaway Fae

by Runaway Fae

  Out in the middle of the water, the surface stirred. Ripples flowed from a disturbance in the center of a widening circle. The air in that location grew thick and foggy. Shauna’s heart beat faster and she took a step backward. This wasn’t a portal opening. It was something else entirely.

  A woman appeared, with white light around her. At first Shauna couldn’t make out her features, but then the light receded to reveal her mother. Her chestnut hair, cut in a short bob was flattened on one side as if she’d been laying on it. Dark circles lined the underside of her eyes. A twinge of guilt turned in Shauna’s stomach, knowing she had caused her mother worry. That woman had always been a force, and had never appeared in public in a less than perfect condition.

  Shauna splashed down into the water, hurrying toward her mother. “Mother, I’m sorry. I’ve missed you. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be back soon.” Her words tumbled over each other as tears wet her lashes and spilled down her cheeks. “How did you find me?”

  Her mother held up trembling hands, glancing back over her shoulder. “Shauna, listen. He’s coming.”

  She gasped, “Who’s coming?” Like she didn’t know?

  “Shamus, baby.” She sniffled. “A Fae can track only with a magic signature. A mother Fae can track with the connection she has with her child. I shouldn’t know about what Shamus has done. I think if he suspected I knew he would kill me too. He has the Fae fooled, Shauna. They think that you have turned bad, to follow behind Liam. He has shown them how Liam has changed, his skin.”

  “Mother, please don’t believe that. Yes, Liam has changed, but he’s not all dark and it wasn’t his fault. Shamus left him for dead.”

  “I believe you.” Her mother glanced back again. “I have to go. But please, Shauna, stay away from Faeland. Just live your life, my darling. The only thing important to me is that you are safe. I have lost everything else.”

  “Mother—” Before she could argue, the vision faded. A snap of a twig behind her turned out to be a Fae with his sword positioned over Liam’s heart, ready to plunge it into the man she loved. Shauna screamed raising both hands out in front of her. She produced the whirlwind she had intended earlier, the Fae tumbled onto his side, then rolled head over heels several feet away. Liam sprang up with electricity crackling around him. Shauna leapt backward, landing in the water when the shockwaves nearly engulfed her. By the time she came up for air, shaking her hair out of her face, Liam was tossing the Fae warrior back into a portal.

  Her lover marched down to the water and lifted her out, holding her tenderly against his chest. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, shivering. “I’m fine. I almost didn’t see him. Boy, when you sleep, you sleep hard.”

  He frowned, probably feeling guilty that he hadn’t been alert. “I was inside myself.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a long story, but I was able to propel myself inside Joe’s mind to unlock his memories. I was using the same technique to see if I could access more of my Fae magic.”

  Her eyes widened, impressed with his progress. “And did you do it?”

  “I believe I have.” For the first time in a long time, he gave her the easy grin he had often displayed when they were younger. “It was amazing. And I will tell you about it only after we’re safe. As beautiful and easy on my eyes as this world is, we must leave it to find a safer place. But I believe that soon I will have complete control over my powers. Soon I will be able to return to Faeland and free our people.”

  “You mean we, don’t you?” She cast him a dark look.

  Liam caught her around the waist. “Uh, we can discuss that later, too.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Shauna leaned back between Liam’s legs against his chest, munching on her fresh raw vegetables. She cast an eye on her tiny garden at the side of their small shack. Four months they had been on this beautiful world, with its diminutive inhabitants. Kind people that had accepted them with open arms, never once asking embarrassing questions about who she and Liam were or about his blue skin. And while she daily worried about her mother’s safety, somehow she knew inside herself that the former queen of Faeland was alive and well. At least once a month, she had the dream she’d had the night her mother visited her, but without the net and without the feeling of impending doom. Shauna was sure her mother had connected with her dreams, and Liam had agreed with her.

  “Liam?”

  Her husband—for they’d been married by the Elvin king—stroked her hair back from her ears to kiss the tips. “Yes, my wife?”

  She trembled with delight at the word. “I have something important to tell you.”

  “What’s that?”

  There was no guessing at his reaction. Though things had been calm for awhile now—no sightings of the Fae whatsoever in the time they’d been in the Elvin world—they were still in danger. This wasn’t the time, but she hadn’t planned it. She swallowed hard. “Liam, I’m pregnant.”

  Her husband nearly dumped her off the porch swing they occupied, but he caught her in time, staring at her face and then her belly, back and forth. “I ... You’re pregnant?”

  “Yes, please don’t be upset, but I’m so happy about this I don’t know what to do. With all the terrible things that have been happening to us, it seems like the perfect gift to our marriage and if you don’t like it, I think my heart will shatter.”

  He laughed, something he did more now. “Well since you put it like that ... I am very excited about this news, Shauna.” He rested a hand on her stomach. “This motivates me to work harder to control my magic. I am just grateful that the elves live under a sort of covering that shields them from the outside magical worlds. This is the perfect place for us to live. Keeping my magic low key has also been a help.”

  Shauna stroked his cheek. “I have noticed that your skin has lightened, which makes me wonder—”

  “If this is what happened with Shamus?” he finished. He nodded, “I have wondered about that myself. If Shamus gained control of his dark and light magic enough to make his skin white again, then it explains why he has lived among the Fae with no one suspecting.”

  Shauna snapped her fingers. “Yes, he spent an extended period off-world, saying it was a training program. No one had any reason to doubt him or question his actions. He could have been doing what you are doing now, learning to control his magic. Liam, do you realize that you and Shamus are the most powerful Fae in existence?”

  Liam nodded, a grim expression on his face. “Yes, I have considered that too. It seems like you and I are often on the same page.” He gave her a wink and a squeeze. “When I return to Faeland to face him, it won’t be a welcome home party. Shamus is playing for keeps. He will pull out all the stops. Not only must I manage control, but I must grow too. I don’t know at what level he has brought his abilities to, but I must do all I can to bring mine up higher as well.”

  Shauna sat forward. “I wish you would stop saying ‘I’ as if you’re the only one going back. I know I am the former king’s daughter and as such I was guarded at all times, but I was also trained to be a warrior. I can hold my own.”

  “Hmm, and where would you leave our son?” He crossed his arms, lips compressed.

  “Who said anything about the baby being a boy?”

  “I want a son.”

  She laughed, “And that means you get one because you act like a five-year old? I might want a girl. Anyway, one of the Elvin women can baby sit while we fight for our people.”

  “No.”

  Shauna wanted to rail at him, to tell him he wasn’t ruler over her, but she had been keeping mum when she didn’t agree with Liam. It was imperative that he focus and her nagging wouldn’t help matters. Liam’s anger out of control was a horrific thing to see and she didn’t want to experience it ever again. Keeping the peace was more conducive to peace of mind.

  She rose from the chair, entered the shack and glanced around at the small space. In a few months, when the baby was born, w
hat had been livable despite its cramped size, would become unsuitable. The elves were small, so the cabins seemed huge to them. Liam must have descended from giants, she thought with his size. Learning to sleep in a narrow bed with him had been an exercise in patience and tolerance of discomfort. Eventually, they had made a bed of two mattresses dragged out under the stars. The weather in the Elvin world was always perfect, so it hadn’t been a problem. Now, washing dishes without magic—that was a whole other kettle of fish.

  She ran a hand down over her belly, so far still flat. Liam had been right about many things in the time that he had his power. She was fairly confident that he would be right this time too when it came to the sex of their baby. As she set to cleaning their home and washing up the few dirty dishes, she wished, not for the first time, that they had family nearby. But her mother and Shamus was all she had left and Liam, who had been an only child of an only child, had lost his parents years ago. Fae lived a long time, many centuries, but accidents, especially when it came to magic or spells, were not uncommon.

  “Shauna, come outside. I want to show you something.”

  This was another of Liam’s progresses. He entered her mind with little effort now, and from what she could see, it was never an accident. She would need to lecture him again about invading her privacy. Grunting in annoyance, she tossed the dish towel on the counter and headed outside. There stood Liam with a tiny wooden bassinet, carved with love with Celtic symbols. She recognized some, spells to protect the baby occupying it. Her heart rose to her throat, and tears stung her eyes.

  “Liam, it’s beautiful. Where did you get it? And so fast?” she gasped.

  He grinned, already looking like the proud daddy. Where had the man of dangerous sex appeal gone? She laughed silently. He was still sexy, and she wanted him as much as she did on that peaceful world they first made love, months ago. But for the first time, this domestic life appealed to her. Having a home, a husband, a baby on the way, was all she needed right now. Adventure could wait.

  Still, Shauna worried over her mother living in Faeland. How long before Shamus found out that her mother contacted her on a regular basis, could pinpoint her location? He would use that knowledge to force the queen to tell him where Shauna was living. Then her cousin would be on them before Liam was ready. Every day she watched him, knowing he was close, seeing new abilities spring up, but could he match the power of Shamus.

  Shauna remembered how Shamus had found a way to revive Faerie wings. She saw for herself the increased power in all the Fae in the dark world. That shouldn’t have been possible. And when she thought back on it, something told her that that increased ability was not actually the Fae under his command, but Shamus’ power. At no time, did she see Liam exhibit anything close to matching it. And still his skin held a blue tinge. It was all very frustrating, but at least they were together and happy. That was the important thing.

  * * * *

  Shauna felt the first kick inside her womb. It was the middle of the night, and as usual, she and Liam were sleeping under the stars in a deliciously warm breeze. She ran a hand over her swollen belly, and twisted to shake Liam awake. “Liam, the baby just kicked. Wake up, darling. You can’t miss this.”

  He never budged. Shauna rolled her eyes, remembering that Liam often slipped inside himself, mentally at night when they slept. When he was in that state, he was virtually catatonic. He had even gone so far as to command she not move from his side until he woke. She promptly ignored it, and struggled to her feet. Now might be a great time to try contacting her mother. If the connection between mother and daughter could work from one direction, surely it did in reverse. Shauna rubbed her kicking baby again, cooing softly to him as she waddled around to the front of the cabin to sit on the porch swing. She couldn’t wait to share the news with her mother. For four months, she debated telling her mother about herself, Liam and the baby. Her mother believed in her innocence, but Shauna just wasn’t sure what she felt about Liam. It had been the coward’s way out in keeping the secret, but now she was ready, even eager.

  A breathing technique, taught to her by the leader of the elves, was what she used to calm her mind and body, so that she could focus in on her mother. Never before had Shauna exhibited any ability to speak in others’ minds or attempted to. The simplest way seemed to bring to mind all the scene she’d experienced when her mother appeared in her dreams, then on the lake.

  The mist swirled in her internal vision, and then cleared away slowly. Shauna wasn’t aware of any smells or feelings, nothing that indicated it wasn’t her imagination. Then she saw her mother standing by a wood-framed window that stretched from floor to ceiling. Alongside was a bookcase filled with books. It too stretched from floor to ceiling. Sadness engulfed her as she recalled how her father had loved reading. Many lazy afternoons were spent with her curled up on his lap while he read to her from his favorite tales. “My favorites too, Father,” she whispered.

  Startled, her mother turned around. Her eyes widened. “Shauna.”

  Shauna gasped, “You can hear me, mother? And see me?”

  Her mother nodded then her happy gaze dropped down to Shauna’s belly. The joy on her face was heartening. “You have something to tell me, darling.”

  “Yes, I’m pregnant, Mother. Liam and I are going to have a son. The sex of the baby was confirmed just a couple days ago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before now.” She worried her bottom lip. “And you should know that Liam and I are married. I couldn’t be happier right now, except if you and I were reunited.”

  Her mother began to cry, breaking Shauna’s heart. She moved closer, wishing their connection now was more than just a picture of each other in their minds. “Don’t cry, Mother. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not that, Shauna.” Her mother hesitated, hopelessness in her bearing. “He’s here, my darling. He knows where you are now.”

  Shauna sat staunch upright on the porch swing, the vision of her mother fading. As the layout of her surroundings came into focus, she became aware that a squadron of Faeries surrounded the woods around their home. Before she could cry out to Liam, praying that he was alert again, a fine film of something floated down over her. The pink glittery threads were crisscross in pattern, like a net.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The fight between Shauna and the Fae was short-lived. She struggled against the net thrown over her, but there was some ingrained magic in the threads. They paralyzed her, sending little shocks into her fingertips each time she pressed against the net. Lest she cause harm to her infant, she stopped struggling. But as soon as they let her out, whether it was here on the Elvin world or in Faeland, she would toss every fireball she could produce at their heads. And she wouldn’t hold back because they were her countrymen. The fools shouldn’t have trusted Shamus so blindly. A real warrior knew that.

  A burlesque Fae that Shauna didn’t recognize, though he wore the official uniform of the royal guards, took her arm and fairly dragged her down the hall of her childhood home, to the court room. Amid shouts of “let her die for her treachery” and other less lenient punishments being suggested in the great hall, Shauna was led to the foot of the throne her father had occupied for centuries.

  From her frequent attendance here, she had seen guilty Fae bowing their heads in shame, or even feigned humility when facing the king’s wrath for their actions. All were prepared to throw themselves on his mercy. In contrast, Shauna held her head high, her shoulders back. She clenched her teeth together to keep from spitting at the hypocrites who claimed to be so forgiving, so honest. All of them had followed behind Shamus when he killed the royal family. Now they stood with him as if he was righteous and she was nothing more than a dirty Darkling.

  Shamus sat on the throne, perched as a god, with all authority. She figured he had been too good to come out after her and Liam himself. He had gotten his lackeys to do it. Her hate-filled gaze raked over his form, encased in long flowing robes of silk
, a high crown and a staff with a ball at the top that looked like one of the crystal balls she’d seen in a shop on the Elvin world. Behind Shamus extended long, wide wings, stretched dramatically across the throne. Shauna admitted, if only to herself, he looked larger than life. His sudden chuckle at that thought made her wonder if he was reading her mind. A flicker of an eyebrow told her that her suspicion was right.

  Shamus, with his tight blond curls and his sparkling blue eyes, had been the stuff of young Fae women’s dreams. And even as he smiled and charmed, having a ready joke on his lips at all times to entertain, she had never witnessed him favoring any of the women. One could imagine that even as a young Fae, he had been single-minded in his ambitions. Lull everyone into believing he was not the evil troll he was.

  “Evil troll, cousin?” Shamus grinned, displaying perfectly even white teeth that matched his perfect pale skin. How could he do it and not change? Shamus winked then waved an arm. “Everyone out.”

  Amid protests, the townspeople and guards filed out of the room. When the last person exited, a guard pulled the doors closed behind him. Shamus gave a brief intense look at the door, and Shauna heard it lock. Show off!

  He turned back to her, still standing in the middle of the aisle. “So little cousin, you wanted to know my secret?”

  She had told herself not to plead for his mercy, but she had to think of her baby. “Shamus, don’t do this. As you can see, I have a little one on the way. Liam is the father. We—”

  “Spare me, Shauna. There was no love lost between you and me growing up. Your father let mine die by the same hands that he allowed Liam’s parents to die. I’ve waited a long time to get a bit of my own back, and I’m not letting it go because little Shauna’s having a bastard.”

  She frowned, fighting to control her anger. “He’s not a bastard. Liam and I are married.”