by Runaway Fae
“How quaint.”
Shauna refused to be goaded by the evil man. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and waited for him to enlighten her on his activities. One thing for sure, she did not feel sorry for him. Liam had lost his parents also and he didn’t plot against the king. Her cousin may have been inclined to evil naturally. If it wasn’t insulting to his parentage, she would have suspected a mix of Darkling in his bloodline. When she saw the anger light in his eyes, she knew he had read her thoughts again. Served him right.
It took awhile for Shamus to speak. He appeared as Liam had been in the early days of his new power, struggling with self-control. Finally he laughed, “You were wondering about my staff earlier, Shauna. Do you know what I keep inside of the ball? Come closer to see.”
Shauna didn’t want to be any nearer to him, but her feet moved of their own accord. He wanted to show off his ability to her once again. Always the child, looking for attention. She stepped carefully up to the platform, mindful of her weight being off balance. When she peered in to the clear globe at the top of her cousin’s staff, she wished she could have resisted his pull, as her stomach turned.
The head of Darcy, his Darkling lover, was somehow encased inside, though she couldn’t imagine how it fit. “What did you do, Shamus? Why?”
“For the power of course. Imagine my surprise when I went back to the dark world to find my dear Darcy, the woman I loved had been cheating on me with Liam. In fact, she had given half her powers to him as she’d done with me.”
Shauna railed at him, “Darcy did not have an affair with Liam! You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed, a cool and grating sound not unlike that Darkling she’d first met when she was transported into the dark world. “Poor naive, Shauna. Why would she give him half her powers as she had done me? I know why or rather how I got her to do it for me. Women. They’re all the same. Stupid. They will give you their life if you tell them what they want to hear.”
Shauna’s palms itched to slap him, but she thought he might hit back. She wasn’t in a position to fight him—yet.
Shamus stood and paced a few steps away from her. He paused and fluttered his wings, glancing back at her. “Nice huh?”
“What did you do to revive Faerie wings, Shamus? I mean other than sell your soul, that is.”
“That’s a good one. You should realize that I am a very powerful man now, Shauna. And you would do well not to cross me.” He slapped his forehead as he strolled back toward her. “Oh, too late, you are on my bad side. Or would that be my badder side?”
She would have answered, but he continued.
“Just by being his daughter. You are on my badder side, Shauna. But don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. Not now anyway. I’m going to have a little fun.”
That pronouncement didn’t sound good at all. “What do you mean, have fun? What do you intend to do?”
“You’ll see. If I revealed all of my plans right away, it wouldn’t be half as enjoyable.”
Shamus had no need to call a guard, at least not audibly. The doors unlocked without him even looking this time, and a guard opened the door. Nosey Faeries, eager to see what punishment Shamus would dole out, filed into the room and took seats, sat on the floor and lined the walls. Guards stood at attention, their uniforms gleaming, a symbol of their authoritative status.
Slowly, Shauna became aware of gasps of shock all around the room. She looked back at Shamus, but he sat serenely on his throne. When she met the horrified gazes of her countrymen, most turned away, fear stark in their eyes. Feeling a weight of heaviness inside, she glanced down at her hands, her arms, and her sandaled feet peeking out from her long dress. “No,” she cried out weakly. It wasn’t possible.
Her skin was the same deep shade of blue as her husband’s had been that day she saw him the first time after three years on his ship. She shook her head, as tears spilled down her cheeks. It wasn’t true. She hadn’t sided with darkness. She couldn’t be evil, transforming into a Darkling. Could she?
She wanted to demand an explanation from Shamus, to know what in the world was happening to her, but her lips trembled too much to speak. Anticipating her thoughts, Shamus spoke to the crowd.
“I am as shocked as you are, my people. I wanted to give my cousin the benefit of the doubt, and that’s why I requested everyone to leave while I spoke to her, to plead with her to change her ways.”
Requested? “That’s a lie!” Shauna screamed.
More gasps rippled over the company.
Her cousin was able to produce moisture on his long sooty lashes. It set off his blue eyes perfectly. “As I pleaded with her, she declared to me that she had married an evil Darkling. I ask you, what am I to do? She and her mother are all the family I have left?”
The grumbles in the room rose on a crescendo of outrage. All wanted Shauna killed immediately, without trial. She reached beside her to a chair, leaning heavily on it as she sank down, her legs no longer able to hold her weight. A fist in her mouth to ward off crying out for mercy, she searched their faces for just one who would have compassion. Anger and hatred stared back at her from every corner.
When the din increased, Shamus held up his palms face down. The noise level decreased immediately. “You all know what a kind-hearted and gracious king I am. I cannot bring myself to kill my sweet cousin. It is my belief that she is insane.” He paused for dramatic effect. His cold gaze froze on Shauna’s face as she tried to imagine where he was going with this. As if somehow making her skin appear blue was not enough. It was a parlor trick, nothing more.
The evil king caught her eye again, pronouncing in deliberately slow words, to be sure that there were no misunderstandings, “She was pregnant, but lost the baby some time ago. Now, she refuses the use of a healing Fae so that she can carry around her dead baby.”
It was as if someone had dunked her head into a bowl of water, so that her ears were immersed, and her perception of sound was muffled. She saw the sad expressions on the Fae’s faces, the pity in their eyes. She even smiled to let them know it was okay, her baby was not dead. She had felt her little bundle kick just hours ago. Shauna looked down at her protruding stomach and caressed it with both hands. Mentally, she willed her son to kick again, just as a reassurance, but nothing happened.
Always, she had felt a connection with her child, just as her mother had indicated existed between them. While she hadn’t yet been able to communicate with him in any understandable way, she knew he was there, alive and well. That is, until now. “No.” The soft-spoken word was wrenched from her throat. Shauna jiggled her belly, bent over it as far as she could go, listening, craving his answering movement. There was nothing.
She sobbed uncontrollably, screaming for someone to help her, for a healing Fae to come. Shauna surged to her feet, stumbled from one blurred face to the next, but no one cared. In anguish and confusion, she ran down the aisle to the doors. As she neared, the guards opened the doors so that she kept going, heading toward her mother’s sitting room.
Bursting into her mother’s private room, she yelled. “Mother, help me. Please help me.” Her mother had practiced healing as a hobby. She was not a healing Fae, but she did know some of the old techniques. Shauna prayed she could help. “Mother!”
The former queen rounded the corner of her bathroom door with a pleasant smile on her face. Shauna paused at the vacant look in her eyes, but rushed into her mother’s arms still crying.
“Darling, what’s wrong?” Her mother stroked her back gently.
“The baby. Mother, I can’t feel the baby. He’s not kicking. And the connection I had is broken.”
The former queen leaned back away from Shauna, capturing her face between her hands. “Oh Shauna, you’re not pregnant, darling. You always said you didn’t want children.”
Shauna cried out, “Mother, look at my stomach. I’m pregnant!”
Her mother shook her head, “No baby. You’re not.”
; Chapter Fifteen
Liam came to himself and yawned, feeling refreshed and in more control of himself than he ever did before. He felt powerful. The feeling was heady. He rolled over to encircle his wife with his arms, only to find her gone. Anger at her for disobeying his command surged through him. He stood.
“Shauna?”
“She’s gone, Liam,” the Elvin king told him. “We tried for hours to wake you. The Fae have taken Shauna back to Faeland.”
Liam’s heart leapt to his throat. For hours? In a second the portal to Faeland was open. Liam stepped through to the hall. He headed down toward Shauna’s mother’s rooms. Surprisingly, he met no one on the way. Bursting through the doors, hoping no one was indisposed he searched the room, which turned out to be empty.
Anxiety swelled in Liam’s chest as he headed back toward the court room. Voices beyond the doors were raised, though he couldn’t tell if it was in anger or excitement. He broke into a run a few feet from the door, then putting out his arms to grasp the knobs, the doors bent inward before ripping from their hinges.
All voices stopped as he stepped through the opening, searching for his wife. At the far end of the room, on a platform sat Shamus. His calm expression denoted that he expected Liam to show at any time. Liam would deal with him soon enough. Shauna’s safety was most important.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
The Fae stood still, staring at him as if he had two heads.
He raised a hand, releasing a whirlwind from his palm. It blew a path through the line of Fae.
“I said, where the hell is my wife?”
The fallen Fae stood and moved to the side, and the rest of them stepped out of the way. Shauna was curled in a corner crying. Liam ran to her side and pulled her close. He lifted her chin and kissed her, but she pulled away. “No, no, I’m not a Darkling. I’m not.”
Liam stared down into her eyes and felt his heart shatter. Shauna’s mind was gone. He doubted she knew he was there. He looked for her mother, to find her on the platform next to Shamus, an evil smile plastered on her face. Rage grew inside him as he realized what had happened here. Two people greedy for power had driven his wife crazy, and the Fae had stood by and let it happen.
The itch began in Liam’s eyes. He glanced down at his skin. Even as he watched it darken to a shade deeper than it had ever been, lightening gathered all along the ceiling, catching in the giant chandelier and reflecting off the shingles. Lights popped in every sconce until the room was plunged into darkness. Several Fae guards approached him, but his anger was high. Before the men could lay a hand on him or throw a spell, each of them were flung through the air until they crashed over chairs, rolled across the floor or hit the wall opposite Liam’s position.
Glancing at the lightening on the ceiling again, Liam directed it toward the two leaders on the throne. Shauna’s mother threw herself behind the chairs, which immediately caught on fire. Shamus deflected with no effort.
“Liam, welcome home,” Shamus called with sarcasm heavy in his voice. “A little peeved at something, my friend?”
Shamus’ teasing only set Liam off more. “Shamus, you will die today for what you did to my wife.”
“Can we say dramatic?” Shamus laughed, as he stood and approached Liam. “Let’s talk, my friend.”
“I am not your friend.”
“What do you want, Liam? I let Shauna live, didn’t I? Sure, I made her lose her mind, but I had to get something out of the chase you two gave me all over the place. Who would have thought that you would be hiding in the Elvin world? Guess I should have pushed harder through their magic.”
“Shut up,” Liam growled. “You were always self-absorbed, Shamus, and you still are.” Liam held up both hands, fingers curved up toward the ceiling. “And what I want, is for you to die.”
Liam sucked the lightening down from the ceiling into his fingers. The pain and energy he felt from the impact was a rush, but not long-lasting. He directed it straight into Shamus’ body. Twenty thousand volts lifted Shamus off his feet and slammed him down on the floor. He blinked in shock and coughed up blood. Satisfaction infused Liam, but it was short-lived.
Shamus grinned with blood coated teeth. “What do you see, Liam?”
It was a simple question, easily answered. Liam glanced up at the throne, then down at Shamus, lying on the floor. He froze. His gaze returned to the throne, and there sat Shauna. He ran across to her. “Baby, are you okay?”
She laughed, shoving away his hand. “It worked, cousin. We got him. I told you I could trick him into coming back. Now just get rid of him, so I never have to look at his blue face again. You’re a Darkling, Liam. And Darklings are not welcome in Faeland.”
Liam blinked and shook his head. “No, Shauna. You ... You ....”
“I what, Liam? Love you? Don’t be silly. Why would I love a Darkling? You’re a Darkling. Go back to the dark world where you belong.”
The words washed over him, ripping into his heart and his mind. He shook his head to clear it, but nothing would shake loose the barbs his wife had shot into him with her words. Their experiences together, the times she helped him to come out of the trance of evil that engulfed him. How could he believe it was all an act, that she didn’t truly love him. Yet staring into the cold green eyes that watched him was daunting.
Liam backed away, almost stumbling into the portal that Shamus had opened behind him. He glanced back to see the Darklings jumping excitedly at the sight of him. Maybe he did belong with them. They were the only ones who wanted him. If he didn’t have Shauna .... “No, I don’t believe this. Shauna, I know you love me, and I’m going to prove it.”
Before anyone had a chance to react, Liam marched up to the platform, grasped his wife around her waist and disappeared through another portal. They were in the human world. Shauna struggled against him, but Liam held on tight. He herded her toward Joe’s diner, though she pulled back. “Let me go now, Liam!”
“Shauna, please. I love you, and you love me. Just go with me inside the restaurant. I know it will help you.” He gathered her against his chest and smiled down at her. “Remember the kitchen stove where I kept burning myself trying to cook?” He chuckled, but her expression remained belligerent. “Shauna ....”
“I don’t know why you’re insisting on dragging me around. I told you, it was a ruse to capture you. But I’m soft-hearted by nature. I pleaded with Shamus to have mercy on you. He promised to send you to the dark world to live from now on. It’s the least he could do.”
“Those arrogant words sound just like Shamus,” he growled while shaking some sense into his wife. “Why don’t you tell me what you think and feel?”
She broke from his hold and ran away from him. Liam caught up to her easily, pinning her arms to her sides. “Stop fighting me. This is a lie. I know it is. Damn it, Shauna, snap out of it. I love you.”
“Go to hell!” she screamed.
This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be. Their time together had to be real, not a trap to capture him. Shauna had to love him or ... He was lost without her. It was Shauna’s love, her devotion to him that kept him struggling to gain control. If she didn’t believe in him, what was he fighting for? What was there to protect? Nothing. He had no family, no friends. All the Fae had turned their backs. And yet, had he had Shauna alone, none of that would have mattered. But here she was denying their love.
How many years? How many had he spent watching her, loving her when he knew she wanted only friendship. It was much sooner than she knew, even before that time at the lake the last time they’d gone skinny dipping as kids. He had loved her years before then, but it was there that he first loved her as a woman. Shauna’s beautiful body had set him on fire. And when she’d dove into the water to cover that sweet figure, he’d blasted himself with a freezing cold wind to cool his aching hard-on as it twitched to be inside her.
Now, in the last few weeks, he had begun to hope that there could be happiness with the woman he’d been
pining over for what seemed like a century, and she was telling him it all meant nothing? “No! I won’t believe that, Shauna. I can’t believe that!”
Liam tightened his grip on Shauna and waved his arm again. This time the portal opened to the eleven world. The porch swing where they had spent many warm days holding each other came into view. Shauna could not fail to remember their love here, or the rose garden outside the Elvin king’s home where he had married them.
As they entered the world, Shamus headed them off. “Stop this, Liam. Accept your lot in life. We all have our roles to play.”
Like a lost child, Shauna held her arms out to Shamus, but Liam wouldn’t let her go. “No.”
Shamus sighed, “I see you’re determined to be stubborn. I have no choice.” Liam wondered what he meant. He threw up his defenses, steadied himself to attack Shamus again as he had done in the court room. The man had been hurt. That meant he was vulnerable. Liam would bring him down and figure out later what they had done to his wife.
But even while he laid out his plan mentally, something changed inside him. He felt an inexplicable increase in hatred and anger. He felt resentful of the Fae who were the cause of all his troubles. He was repulsed even by the creamy-skinned woman in his arms, though he didn’t remember her name. He released her and looked down at her rounded belly, annoyed that she would think he would want her when she was carrying another man’s bastard. For an instant, as he stood looking at her, he saw a spark of recognition in her eyes, some memory that was immediately lost again. It could have nothing to do with him, though. Her name didn’t come to his mind.
Liam took another step back away from them. The smell of this world was too sweet, too pure. There was way too much light for his liking. The dark world was better; it was home. If he never saw a Fae ever again, it would be too soon.
He opened a portal behind him, saw the Darklings dancing with delight. Had he a heart that felt, he would enjoy their welcome. As it was, he might allow them to live another night. Maybe the next night, if they didn’t please him, he would throw them all to the beasts in the ocean.
