by Dani Harper
“Yeah, I guess so,” Fox said, responding aloud to whatever Braith had said in silence. “But just one more time, okay?” He heaved a dramatic sigh and closed his eyes, then tried once again to do what was asked of him.
Instantly, Trahern sensed currents of energy beneath his feet. Tiny trickles grew into rivulets, joining, expanding streams. Energy was being drawn from all quarters of the property and beyond—perhaps even from the entire neighborhood now—and Fox still had his shoes on. He seemed to require no contact with his skin at all in order to pull power to him. Magic responded to Fox almost like a faithful pet. It came when he called, and the more he practiced, the faster it responded.
If only he could learn to control it once he had it . . .
“Good. Now send back the energy I give you—”
The boy’s eyes flew open, and he suddenly threw a furious volley of punches and kicks at the air. “Tiger Ninja! Hey-hee-yah!” He leapt around the yard, adopting strange and extreme stances, until finally he pounced on Braith and wrestled his arms around him. “Surrender! You can’t defeat Master Fox!”
The dog rolled and pinned him neatly with hardly any effort at all.
“Dude! No fair!”
This lesson wasn’t going the way Trahern had planned. Few of their sessions together did. Just go with it, Lissy had told him. Use whatever he gives you to make your point. He rose from the bench and nodded at his brother to let the boy up. “Very well, Master Fox. You must now use your ninja abilities to deflect the—the deadly mega-force bombs I throw at you.”
Now he had the child’s attention. Carefully he formed a small clear ball in his hands and caused it to glow vivid red before he tossed it directly at Fox. The boy jumped to meet it and smashed it with his small fist, whereupon the ball vanished in a brilliant flurry of multicolored fish. They swam in the air briefly before vanishing.
Trahern could almost hear Lissy’s voice: When you have to correct him, frame it in a positive way. “Excellent coordination! However, instead of absorbing the energy, I want you to deflect it.”
Fox’s puzzled look told him he might have phrased it positively, but he’d failed to explain it clearly.
“Deflect is a word that means to push something away from you,” said a voice behind Trahern. Lissy appeared and sat on the bench near him. “You know, like in that game where Super Igor uses his shield to bounce lightning right back at Dr. Frankenstorm.”
As understanding bloomed on the boy’s face, Trahern lobbed another ball of energy, a green one, in his direction. This time Fox kicked out a foot. The ball wobbled backward several feet before it lost momentum and hovered in place.
“Good! Very good,” said Trahern, and he meant it. He threw a blue one then and had to duck when Fox returned it with unexpected velocity. It struck the side of the house and exploded in a bright flare of light. “Once more.” He began to form another sphere—
And ended up flat on his back in the ivy in the far corner of the yard.
Lissy ran to him. “Omigod, are you all right?”
He laughed where he lay. “My fault entirely—I should have been ready.” Trahern sat up and waved a hand at Fox, who looked a little scared. “Well done!” he shouted. “That is precisely what you needed to do.” In Lissy’s mind, he added: I told you he would be spectacular.
So you did. She gave him a hand up, and they walked back to her son.
“Do I get another crystal?”
“Fox!” protested Lissy. “Shouldn’t you be asking if he’s okay?”
“I am quite fine, thank you,” Trahern supplied as if the boy had indeed inquired. “And I think you have earned the right to choose one.” He held out a hand with five gleaming stones in it. Fox bounced up to consider each, then finally chose a smooth agate with bright bands of color.
Lissy admired it as it was thrust into her face. “Congratulations, sweetie. There’s a sandwich and an orange on the table for you.”
“Is it the smooth peanut butter?”
“Absolutely.”
“Did you cut it right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you take all the white stuff off the orange pieces?”
“Dude!” she said, mimicking her son. “Do I ever forget? Yes, everything is just the way you like it. I’ve got the TV set up to play Tiger Ninja in about two minutes. You can eat in the living room if you want to.”
The child raced into the house, and Braith trotted after him. Trahern sat on the bench next to Lissy. She put an arm around him.
“I assume things are going better today?”
“In truth, much better. I suggested to the ants that they remain underground.” Yesterday Fox had spotted a troop of ants dismembering a dead cricket, and Trahern was unable to draw his attention away from the tiny spectacle. In the end, he’d sat on the ground beside the child and conjured a round pysky glass into existence that allowed Fox to observe the creatures much more closely. His hopes that the boy would soon tire of the distraction and be receptive to a lesson, however, proved fruitless. “True progress has been made this day. If Fox closes his eyes, he focuses better. He can draw energy to him without effort when he is concentrating. Now, thanks to your timely explanation, he deflected energy for the first time. And as you witnessed, he learned very quickly.”
“What’s so important about pulling and pushing energy?”
“The very foundation of magic itself is the manipulation of energy. To enact a spell requires a great deal of energy, much more than the physical body naturally possesses—hence you must be able to draw it from your surroundings as needed. And to protect yourself from magic, you must be able to send it away from you at will. If he masters nothing else, he must master these basic skills.”
“Hmmm. You know, that doesn’t sound like the person who told me that Fox had to memorize plants and learn the history of sorcery before he could do anything else.”
“Your friend Ranyon may have helped me to see a different path,” he admitted. “Applied instruction better captures Fox’s interest.” He didn’t say, however, that although the Hunt patrolled the city, the danger of the boy encountering a fae creature still existed. Privately, Trahern had decided to focus on self-defense first and leave all else until he was satisfied that the boy could protect himself.
“So tell me, did watching Tiger Ninja yesterday help?”
His mouth quirked. The strange and colorful little story was undeniably Fox’s favorite. “It provided me with some language I could use, yes.”
“That explains a lot. I didn’t think deadly mega-force bombs was in your everyday vocabulary.”
He kissed her before she could laugh at him. She pulled away and laughed anyway.
“I have things to do. Are you coming in for lunch?”
“I believe I will remain here for a time and contemplate possible strategies for the next lesson. And I must inform the ants they are free to leave their nest now.”
“How did you—”
“I told them it was raining.”
She kissed his forehead and headed to the house. Sunlight brightened her long dark curls, and she was always pleasing to gaze upon, but he found himself thinking of another Lissy, the one revealed by firelight. Glints of gold were unveiled in her hair and eyes, and the flames’ glow warmed her naked skin to honeyed mead. His body stirred anew at the very thought, and he sighed aloud. The first time they had come together as lovers, he’d been undone by the unexpected tenderness, the way she generously gave of herself. Hers was not the artful stroke or the trained caress traded for the same. Instead, she seemed to put her entire self into the act, withholding nothing—wholly, gloriously present.
And she laughs often. At him, at herself. No mockery, only delight. Only the purest enjoyment of the moment. He’d never known such a thing, never imagined such a thing. Trahern fingered the scar across his throat. Imperfections were something to be shunned in the Court, yet Lissy had kissed it during their first night together and several times since, without
reservation. He felt accepted—
He felt.
For no good reason, Trahern looked at his hands, as if they might belong to someone else, as if he were someone else. Perhaps he was. Had he not changed, slowly but surely, ever since Lissy Santiago-Callahan had confronted him at Palouse Falls?
Perhaps his brother had been right all along. Perhaps love did exist. But surely he had not succumbed to it. Indeed, he was still very certain he could not love. Lissy believed that he did, but his feelings for old Heddwen were no more than fondness. Not love. And although he wanted no other woman but Lissy, it was simply affection, was it not? Braith had paid a heavy price for his love of Saffir. If Trahern also yielded to love’s siren call, disaster would surely follow. Love leads to ruin. Who would watch over Braith then? Teach Fox?
Worst of all, what would happen to Lissy?
He’d revealed his past to her with a touch. He hadn’t told her that the veil over her own past had been drawn back as well. The grief she’d experienced over the sudden death of Matt Lovell had been wild, soul-scorching, and raw.
If we continue on this present path, will I cause her heart to sunder anew?
There was a bounce in Lissy’s step as she headed downstairs, her mood as sunny as the morning light streaming through the windows. Summer had developed an unexpectedly rich and satisfying pattern. She spent time with her son over breakfast, then allowed him to watch SpongeBob and Henry Danger with Braith before the pair headed out to the yard for Fox’s first magic lesson of the day.
Through trial and error, Trahern had refined his approach to teaching her son. First, the lessons were broken up into several brief sessions a day, no more than fifteen or twenty minutes each. Fox had to complete at least one lesson per day in exchange for Trahern watching an episode of Tiger Ninja with him. Two completed lessons were rewarded by activities that Fox chose for himself.
But hours later, when Fox was sound asleep, it was Lissy’s turn to meet Trahern in the garden . . . And in the near-triumphant afterglow of incredible sex, they often talked until the morning star rose. Still, when she finally withdrew to the house, what few hours of rest she got seemed more than adequate. I really shouldn’t feel this refreshed on four hours’ sleep. I wonder if it’s a spell?
He certainly seemed to have a spell for everything else. He surprised her by creating a new bed for them in the yard every night, some stunningly beautiful, others outrageous and even silly in design. She would never have suspected Trahern had a playful side to him—and she’d bet money that he hadn’t known, either. He seemed to delight in bringing her gifts, rare and beautiful specimens of rocks and crystals, as another man might bring flowers. Except another man wouldn’t watch with fascination as she examined his gifts with a hand lens and named them. It became a game for Trahern to try to stump her, but he’d managed it only once with a neon-blue variety of tourmaline that was native to Paraiba in Brazil.
After lovemaking, there were exotic foods for her to try as well (although she drew the line at the tiny orange fruits that moved), since she was invariably famished. Perhaps they were even the source of her unusual energy.
Or maybe she was just plain happy. Certainly, Fox seemed to be. Some of it was no doubt due to the continual calming influence of Braith—boy and grim had proved to be inseparable friends. The big gray creature accompanied them everywhere, even to the grocery store. And there hadn’t been a single meltdown there or anywhere else. Perhaps being tutored in magic had something to do with it, too. Over the past few weeks, Fox had seemed more confident, more grounded. He hadn’t changed who he was, and his likes and dislikes remained. Lissy wasn’t about to receive a hug or be permitted to hold him. And he still insisted on calling her Dude instead of Mom. But there was a self-assuredness that hadn’t been there before.
It’s certainly not because the magic lessons always go perfectly. She’d come back from an errand on Monday morning to find the entire yard reduced to smoldering ash, from the back steps right up to the charred fence boards. Fox still stared at it in openmouthed shock, and Lissy could swear that both Trahern and Braith looked sheepish. Somehow, she summoned the restraint to go back into the house without asking any questions. And that evening, when she met up with Trahern, there was no sign of the earlier devastation. In fact, if anything, her yard looked better than it ever had. Were the trees taller? The ivy thicker? Reaching down, she tugged on the lush grass to make sure it was real.
It was. And so, unfortunately, were her feelings for Trahern.
“You’re sleeping with him?” Brooke’s eyebrows disappeared entirely beneath her black bangs with the telltale white stripe, and she had to make a grab to save the stack of new tarot decks she’d been pricing from tumbling off the table.
“Shhh! Not so loud—what if a customer comes in?”
Her best friend didn’t seem to hear. “Are. You. Insane? How long has this been going on?”
“Since the very first night he came to teach Fox. Ranyon left to go help you, and we got talking, and then, well . . . things got physical. It wasn’t planned; it just happened. And by the way, I let it happen. On purpose. My choice.”
“Gah!” Brooke bounced out of the corner booth and began to pace the tiled shop floor. “That’s practically a month! More than a month! This is not good, girlfriend, not good at all.”
“I’m not expecting anything,” said Lissy. “I’m just trying to enjoy it while it lasts.”
“He’s fae!”
“So I’ve noticed.”
“What about Fox? How is he taking this?”
“He caught us kissing only once, the night that Ranyon came over. Trahern handled it well—explained very matter-of-factly that he was showing affection to me because he liked me—and Fox doesn’t seem to have given it another thought. Since then, we’ve been very careful not to show anything more than friendship to each other around him.” She sighed. “Fox already has a faery as a teacher and a grim as a sidekick. I figure that’s enough change in his little life.”
“Okay, I guess you haven’t gone completely crazy, then. But you’re still on the pill, right?”
“Of course I am!” She glanced around in case a customer really did lurk somewhere, but business was thankfully slow on Tuesdays. “I’ve been taking it for the past couple of years as a just-in-case measure, thanks to your own urging.” More like nagging, but she wasn’t going to say that. “It was either that or wear one of those hairy bracelets you make.”
“It’s called a gris-gris, and it would have worked very naturally.”
“By creeping out any guy who looked at it! It had bones in it!”
“It was a root, and there was only one,” said Brooke. “So, okay, I get that you have that subject covered. And Morgan says that humans and fae can’t conceive without a deliberate spell anyway. But Lissy, promise me you’ll be careful. Like maybe hire a bodyguard careful. Aidan explained about the different faery houses the other night—and the House of Oak is like a Mafia family. They’re scary powerful.”
“I know, I know. Ranyon warned me.” And then disappeared. Despite the shared success of teaching Fox to produce light in his hands, the little ellyll hadn’t been back to her home since. It could just be that he wanted to spend time with his dear friend, Leo, now that the old man’s grandkids had finished their visit. Yet Lissy had the distinct impression it was simply too upsetting for Ranyon to see her with Trahern. And that was when I’d only kissed him . . .
Brooke sat down again and took Lissy’s hands across the table. “Can you blame us? We love you, and we don’t want anything to happen to you. And we really don’t want you to get your heart broken.”
“If I dated a nice normal human banker or a doctor or a construction worker or even another geologist, I could still get my heart broken. There aren’t any guarantees in relationships. Do you want me to date Vincente so my heart will be safe?” The thought alone nearly made her gag.
“Goddess, no! You’d really be crazy then!”
&
nbsp; “Well, at least we’re on the same page about that.” Lissy took her hands back and placed them in her lap so she could fiddle with the hem of her blouse. “You’re my best friend. I was hoping I could confide in you because I really need to talk to someone.”
Brooke’s demeanor changed completely. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry I gave you the third degree—”
“Hey, it was better than the fifth degree that Ranyon gave me.” They laughed a little, and the tension eased.
“Honest, I think my hormones are in overdrive with the baby and all.” Brooke looked amazingly guilty for a moment. “I chewed out Aidan yesterday for not stacking the dishes in the sink just right. Lissy, you know that I don’t even care about things like that, but bang, I went from zero to sixty on the angry scale. And then I started bawling for yelling at him. I’m lucky he’s so patient.”
“And thick-skinned.”
“That, too. Let me guess, this thing with Trahern started out as some kind of summer fling, and now it’s something else?”
She nodded. “I thought it was just practice, like training wheels or something while I got my mojo back. But there’s this connection that I felt from the first time I met him. I mean, at Palouse Falls I was so mad at him I almost punched him, yet there was still this funny feeling of familiarity. I chalked it up to infatuation at first, but the more I’ve thought about it and analyzed it, it’s not chemistry at all, it’s recognition. As if I’ve known him for a very long time, so long that we’re at ease with each other, that we understand each other.” Her friend nodded, and Lissy continued. “Like I said, I don’t expect anything. I know he’s probably going to walk away the moment he figures his obligation to Fox has been fulfilled, but . . . ”
“But your heart has already run ahead of you.” Brooke’s voice was softer now, the healer in her coming to the forefront. “Did you ever think it might be right?”
