Runaway Fae

by Runaway Fae

  She hightailed it back out to the road, relieved more than she could cry out when she saw one of the farming Fae tooling his wagon along the road she had been on earlier. He was headed away from her home, but she flagged him down anyway.

  “Please. Please help me,” she begged.

  When she bent in pain again, the elderly man jumped down from his wagon with the energy of twenty year old. He tucked an arm beneath hers and then tapped the tip of his nose. Shauna and the farmer were instantly in one of the healing rooms in the palace. A healing Fae rushed over, took charge and sent the farmer on his way before Shauna could thank him.

  Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t understand what’s happening. My cousin ....”

  “Shh,” the Fae told her efficiently. “There’s work to be done.”

  Several hours later, Shauna stared down at her living, breathing infant son. He was the sweetest baby in the worlds, she declared softly to him, every few minutes. He offered a bubbly smile as if he knew what she was saying, and Shauna tucked him closer to her before slipping into a peaceful sleep.

  * * * *

  Shauna watched Lorcan in awe. Her little man was intelligent and perfect. He was only a few days old, but she suspected that he was special, apart from her own bias as his proud mama. Her heart ached remembering that Shamus was talking of getting rid of the baby because he said he was an abomination. Shauna wasn’t sure why her cousin felt that way, but she would die before she let anything happen to Lorcan.

  “I don’t know what we’ll do, little one. If I could just get my mind right, I could leave here. I can’t even remember how to use my magic.” Tears filled her eyes at the thought of not being able to protect her son from harm. “I wish I knew what I don’t remember!” she cried in anguish.

  Feeling that a visit to the gardens was perfect for lightening her mood, Shauna scooped up her little boy and carried him down the stairs and out the front door. No guard had ever stopped her or even accompanied her. They either all knew she was too out of her mind to go far, or they didn’t care. She hoped it wasn’t the latter.

  Instead of visiting her mother’s garden, Shauna found her feet returning to the spot not far from the lake. She didn’t know the significance, but an odd feeling came over her as she walked. Had she not known better, she would have believed her son wanted her to take them somewhere where no other Fae were around, and they wouldn’t be disturbed.

  “Well, I understand,” she whispered to him. “They all look at you funny. I know they didn’t believe you were there alive in me. And I hardly dare believe it either, but here you are, and I just hope I am not just dreaming you up.”

  Finally, at their destination, Shauna sat down cross-legged on the patch of grass where she had napped. She cradled her son on her lap, while stroking his soft black hair. As she arranged his coverlet more comfortably about him, her gaze fell on his birthmark, a black patch of skin like a band about his left arm. All other areas of his skin were as pale as any Fae’s. Even his walnut-colored hair and green eyes were those of the Fae. Shauna couldn’t be happier.

  “So, little man,” she cooed to him. “What are we out here for?” Shauna tickled her little darling under the chin, making him wiggle. He offered one tiny hand to her, and Shauna reached for it, then froze. Her eyes widened at the ever increasing spark on the tip of her baby’s finger. “Magic? So young?”

  She moved to touch his finger tip with her own and got the shock of her life. A volt of intense power, though not painful, raced through her body and released tingles in her hair. Shauna muffled a tiny screech of surprise so she wouldn’t scare Lorcan. She lifted him up to her shoulder, rocking him gently.

  “What did you do to me, Lorcan?” she smiled, standing. “I see we’re going to have to teach you very quickly to control yourself, young man. Wait ‘til I tell Daddy ....” She stopped. Tell Daddy?

  Shauna spun this way and that, taking in her surroundings. How could she possibly have forgotten who she was, who Liam was and the times they’d shared in this spot growing up? She checked her mental capacity, humorously running through figures. There was no more confusion at all. Shifting Lorcan to one arm, she tested her magic. With a snap of her fingers, Lorcan’s rattle appeared in her hand. She whooped with joy.

  “My son, you healed mama. Darling, do you even understand what you did for me?”

  And then she knew what had happened, how Shamus must have addled her mind with his power. If he had been tricking her, lying about her baby being dead and her being a Darkling, he must have also been lying about Liam abandoning her. And her mother! She needed to get back to the palace right away. As soon as she found some way to help restore her mother’s mind, she was going to look for her husband. She only prayed that he was safe.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tears wet Shauna’s cheeks as she stood over her mother while the older woman slept. She had been trying for days, even attempting to coax her son to use his magic to hear his grandmother. Not even a spark. Shauna could only hope that when she reached the dark world and spoke with Liam, he could help her mother’s mind. The woman still didn’t realize that Shauna had had her baby.

  “Mother, look. This is Lorcan, your grandson.” She held the baby in front of her mother while she gathered her tools for the garden work. “He healed me, and I believe he can heal you too. Mother, are you listening?”

  The former queen looked up with a forgiving smile. “Oh, darling. You don’t have a baby. When will you learn?”

  “Mother, he’s right here. Look.”

  “Shh, Shauna. You know Shamus doesn’t like emotional women. Now, let’s get to work. The roses have been looking a bit neglected lately.”

  Sorrow filled Shauna’s heart thinking about how lost her mother seemed to be now that Shamus had cursed her mind. But she had to believe that just like her, her mother could be healed. And if Shamus had learned to use such a powerful weapon against the Fae, then it stood to reason Liam could learn too. They had both been given Darcy’s power. They had both been powerful Fae in their own right before then. And that’s why she had every intension of stealing out of Faeland to go to Liam.

  Now, she stood ready to slip away in the night while most of the Fae were sleeping. She needed to move quickly because as soon as the portal opened, a cry would go up about the dark world being opened to Faeland. Shauna couldn’t afford to allow her mother to struggle against leaving. She would give them away.

  She stroked her mother’s forehead gently. “Sleep, Mother. Sleep.”

  Shauna moved to the crib holding her son and lifted him into her arms. She tucked a bag packed with his things over her other shoulder and turned toward her mother. With a hand on her mother’s arm and the other clutching her baby against her chest, Shauna whispered the words that would open the portal.

  A brilliant flash lit the room before becoming muted in deep black and red. The room in one location seemed to ripple as it would seem to be in a heat wave. Then the air bent in upon itself as the portal opened. Shauna prayed it would be at or near Darcy’s. If nothing else, on a platform would be nice. Her last mistake could not be repeated with Lorcan in her arms and her mother unconscious.

  Someone was smiling down on her. The opening seemed to be inside a room somewhere, only illuminated by the table lamp on her mother’s bureau. Before she could step through to lay her baby in a safe place, the alarm went up. Shauna knew she had only seconds. The Fae would determine the location of the open portal and transport to her mother’s room. As she had originally planned, Shauna needed to transport her little family into the dark world, only possible because the portal was open. Still, if she lost power when appearing there, one or all of them could be injured.

  Nuzzling the soft cheek on her right shoulder, she whispered, “I know you can’t understand me, darling, but if you can help Mommy do this, it would be such a big help.”

  Shauna clutched her mother’s arm, closed her eyes and whispered the spell. She felt her body melt and move
through dimensions in the blink of an eye. The rematerializing in the physical worlds was so rough, she stumbled to her knees while her mother rolled a little ways across the floor. Shauna winced. “That may hurt in the morning, Mother.”

  Remembering the portal, she waved a hand. Maybe, just maybe the Fae didn’t locate it in time and wouldn’t be down on them in the next few minutes. But they had made it over safely, and though she had felt no helping magic, she liked to believe her son tossed in his power too.

  The room they occupied was plunged into darkness when the portal closed. Shauna snapped her fingers to light a flare on her fingertip. Glancing about, she found that they were in a living room, but it didn’t appear to be Darcy’s house. That could be a long way from where she’d come through. It also meant that she would have no choice but to wake her mother, so that she wouldn’t have to figure out some way to carry her. At least her mother was so deeply under Shamus’ spell that she too could not use her magic, as Shauna couldn’t before her son made her well. Her mother would stubbornly though pleasantly complain, but they would make it.

  The couch was covered in throw pillows, which Shauna tossed most of them on the floor. She saved only enough to surround Lorcan to protect him while she looked outside. When she was confident he was safe, she hauled her mother over to the couch and positioned her there too. She’d wake her only after she scoped the lay of the area they were in.

  Before opening the door, Shauna listened through the aged wood. She became aware of scraping on the other side and low growls. Too late, she remembered Liam’s warning. A Fae’s magic drew Darklings like flies to honey.

  “Oh no. What are we going to do now? If I open this door, they’ll attack. If I don’t, they may break in. And who knows who this house belongs to.”

  She paced the floor, wringing her hands. When she heard the innocent gurgling of Lorcan, she turned toward him to find that light shown from his skin like he was a little mini-sun. She hurried to his side.

  “Oh Lorcan, you’re saving us again, aren’t you darling. How can you know?” She peeled back the covers to kiss his cheek. “Why do I get the feeling you’re doing all this to meet your daddy? Ah well, let’s get out of here.”

  There would be no scoping out where they were. Shauna would just need to rely on instinct to find Liam at Darcy’s house. Hopefully, like Faeland, the dark world was not very big. Even if she went in the wrong direction, she wouldn’t get too far off course. Taking chances at this point were necessary.

  She swung to face her mother, whose head was lolling to the side with drool slipping from the side of her mouth. Shauna tapped her mother’s right temple. “Mother, wake. Time to wake up now.”

  Slowly, the former queen’s green eyes opened with that faraway look that hurt Shauna’s heart so much. She gathered her baby and the bag up, and then grasped her mother’s hand, gently tugging her to her feet.

  “Come on, Mother.”

  Relief washing over her when her mother was still too groggy to protest or question where they were. She simply followed like a small child.

  Just as Shauna thought, the road to Darcy’s house was not long. It helped tremendously that Lorcan’s light burned the eyes of the Darklings so that they scattered like frightened does, into the shadows. The entire trip was uneventful, and Lorcan’s light did not dim until they were drawing up to Darcy’s front door.

  That’s when nerves played havoc with Shauna’s stomach. What if whatever Shamus had done to her was done to her husband, and Lorcan couldn’t free him? What if Liam had turned too bad, with no way back? The possibility nearly had her fleeing back to Faeland. Anything was better than living among the Darklings, and at least in Faeland she had a chance to simply live.

  “No,” she whispered, dredging up the courage to knock on the door. It was better to know for sure if there was no hope for her husband rather than run away. He may need her, and she would be there for him no matter what.

  She knocked for several minutes with no answer. Only when her knuckles were getting raw from pounding at the heavy wood did she decide to try the knob. It opened. Shauna rolled her eyes in disgust, but moved inside.

  “What place is this?” her mother asked. She glanced around the large drafty foyer with a look of dread in her eyes.

  “Never mind, Mother. Come to the living room.” Shauna led the way. “I need to trust you to watch over the baby while I’m gone mother. I believe he has an automatic self-protection magic, but he’s still too young.”

  “Oh Shauna,” was all she said.

  Hurriedly, she made up a place on the couch similar to the one she had made for Lorcan at the other house. This time, when she placed him in the middle of the cushions, she conjured all her power and strength to produce a protective shield about Lorcan and her mother.

  Shauna glanced back at her mother and son for a moment as she headed back out to the foyer. There was not much time. Quickly, she searched the first floor without finding anyone. Next, she checked on her two loved ones, and when she found them safe, she headed to the stairs leading to the second floor.

  It had never occurred to her that Liam could be out. Where did a Darkling go in this drab world? Even during her time being held captive there, she had not seen much productivity. As she ascended the stairs, she figured if Liam was not in, she had no choice but to wait for him. They would barricade all the windows and doors some kind of way and be alert to any Darkling who tried to transport into the interior. She would use her magic only minimally as not to draw the hideous creatures to them. It was all she could think of at the moment.

  Voices were coming from the room at the end of the hall, the one she remembered was her bedroom. As she inched along, dread came over her. The memory of the two Darklings that had chased her came to mind, and she looked back repeatedly over her shoulder. The closer she came to the room, she was able to distinguish that there were two people speaking, a man and a woman. A woman? Her stomach knotted.

  Shauna drew even with the open door and couldn’t move any further. She stared in shock and horror at the curvy Darkling woman who was draped naked on the bed, with Liam, naked down to his waist, poised over her. With her voice sounding like it was coming from inside a bubble, Shauna cried, “no,” and fled.

  She heard Liam say “who the hell” but she kept going. Before she could reach the end of the hall, he appeared in front of her, and she crashed headlong into his hard body. The delicious feel of him, along with the scent she’d missed, made her even angrier. When his hands came up to hold her in place, she fought against him.

  “Get your hands off me, you cheating son of a bitch!”

  “What’s your problem, Fae? And what are you doing in my house?” he demanded.

  Shauna’s eyes narrowed. She fought not to cry. Liam, the man she had given all of herself to didn’t even remember her and the love they shared. It seemed impossible. And though she had told herself this was a possibility, the preparation didn’t lessen the rip in her chest, like she was bleeding internally. Somehow, she would have to help him to remember her.

  “I came here to introduce you to your son.”

  He frowned. “What are you talking about? I don’t have any children and certainly not by a Faerie.” He leaned back away from her and crossed his arms, obviously satisfied that he had put her in her place.

  Behind Shauna the female Darkling strode out of the bedroom calling for Liam. Before Shauna could formulate a plan to free herself of her husband’s hold, a scream rang out through the darkness.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Lorcan!”

  Shauna tore from Liam’s arms and bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time. From the thump behind her, she knew he was close behind. She didn’t look back. Dread rose in her throat, nearly cutting off her breath. If the Darklings had hurt her baby, she would rip them apart with her bare hands, no magic necessary.

  The two of them tumbled into the living room in time to see the heads of the two Darklings Shauna had bee
n harassed by before, sticking through a broken window. Shauna’s mother had pulled up her knees to her chest to hug them, and was screaming in fear.

  “Fric and Frac!” Liam yelled.

  “Hey boss.” They grinned like fools, proud of themselves, Shauna guessed.

  She pumped her fist, willing the glow on the tip of one finger to increase so she could zap them into oblivion. Nothing happened, but Liam did it for her. The twin Darklings scurried away screeching. Shauna dove to the couch and lifted a fretting Lorcan into her arms. She nuzzled his face, cooing softly to him to calm him. “It’s okay, darling. Grandma’s okay.” She glanced up at her mother and reached out to stroke her arm. “Mother, they’re gone.”

  “What is this place, Shauna?” Her mother had stopped yelling but still trembled. Shauna turned to Liam. He ran a hand through his thick black hair, making her want to do the same, to touch any part of his hot body. How she missed him. But she remembered he was with another and frowned.

  “Who are you?” Liam asked again. Shauna stood slowly and brought Lorcan around the couch to show him. The baby wiggled in her arms, seeming to know he was about to meet his daddy.

  Shauna held her breath and father and son studied each other. She saw the look of disbelief in Liam’s eyes. The big, muscular half-Darkling looked afraid. Lorcan waved an arm wildly in the air, and she gasped when Liam allowed the tiny fingers to wrap around his thumb. Hope simmered in her heart that her baby would demonstrate his power again. Tears filled her eyes as she couldn’t bare the pressure, the fear. Not for another second could she hold back her sobs, and she cried into the soft blanket held near her chin.

  “Don’t.” Liam whispered. “Please don’t. I don’t know what’s hurt you, and I don’t know why, but I feel drawn to you. I feel like I know you. I can’t even imagine why you’re breaking my heart crying. Just please stop.”