Finding Retribution

by Jana LaPelle

  I turn away from her and stalk back to the house, it pisses me off that she can read me so easily, “Are you coming or not?” My voice is rough and deep, my anger barely contained. I’m not sure what to make of her intuitiveness. The more time that I spend with Lillie, the more my demon demands to come out and play and I can’t allow that to happen. My internal struggle to keep that part of myself contained is ripping my insides to shreds.

  “Wait, Daxell.” She calls after me and before I can reach the door she’s in front of me, appearing out of nowhere. She looks regretful, “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean … Wait … Dax? Your eyes, they’ve changed. It’s as if they’re swirling with … Hellfire.”

  My voice is but a snarling whisper, “Don’t push this, honey cheeks. You may not like what you find my other half to be,” pausing, I assess her, she doesn’t back down, in fact, she reaches up to cup my cheek and I turn away, knowing that I’m only moments from shifting, my voice has taken on a growling tone, “please LJ, not yet.” I back away, breaking contact with her. My internal struggle is real and my beast demands to take control, wanting to challenge this female, wanting to claim her as his own, wanting to break her down until she will only do his bidding. Snarling, I grip the railing of the porch and it splinters into fragmented pieces under the abuse of the claws that have emerged in my partial shift.

  Behind me, I hear LJ begin to croon a song from the distant past, a lullaby of sorts, “Goodnight, My Angel”, and my beast stops to listen to her beautiful lilting voice and it soothes us both. As the song comes to an end, I turn and she looks angelic, I can’t help but look down at my partially shifted hands that begin to shift back. I sense my demon quiet as he recedes into the background. For the first time in my life, I sense a contentment within him. Something that I have never sensed before, and for the first time ever, someone has labeled my beast an angel, and if I’m honest, he really likes that.

  “Are you okay?” LJ asks quietly.

  “He wants you,” I say roughly, “I don’t think he will let you go easily now. Are you afraid yet?”

  She shakes her head, “Nope, but I’m pretty sure that you’re scared to death.”

  I don’t deny her statement as I usher her into my cabin in the woods. Looking around, I grab a bag and pin her with a look, “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yeah, come on demon boy, you’re coming back to my place, and we’re going to work on uncovering information on the New Raven Order. Then, we’re going to The Underworld to warn Luc.”

  “LJ, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not, you’ll be there to protect little ole me. Not that I need your protection. Dax, you have no idea what I’m capable of. Come on now. It’s time to go, we have lots to uncover.”

  11

  Getting to Know My Demon

  (Lillie Joanna)

  After Dax showed me around his place, he grabbed a bag from his bedroom and locked up. We’ve been back at my place for about an hour and Dax has been unusually quiet. I decide to fix something to eat while demon boy comes to terms with whatever has him in such inner turmoil. Deciding on something simple, like steak, steamed broccoli, and mashed garlic red potatoes, our meal quickly comes together. Finding Dax on the back deck, I call out, “Hey, can you give me a hand with this and we can eat outside.”

  Leaning against the doorjamb, he asks, “How can I help?”

  We quickly get everything moved outside and I grab a couple of beers from the refrigerator and join him on the deck. I guess we were both fairly hungry because we dig in and eat in companionable silence. He’s the first to breach the quiet and asks, “How is it that your property does not show signs of drought and desert wasteland? I thought that the lakes in this area were all but dried up? I know that some of the population remains in some of the larger cities but this place is a virtual garden of Eden.”

  He has a boyish look when he allows his curiosity to take over and for a moment I just listen to the quiet music from the old fashion playlist that my mother and aunt put together long ago, before responding, “Well, if you acknowledged that the time between the realms runs differently and ultimately is subjective. Then you will understand how this came to be. Do you know the story of my mother and why she is so attached to The Mortal Realm?”

  He shakes his head and leans back in his chair relaxed and says, “Not really, bits and pieces only. Why don’t you tell me.”

  “Well, long story short, my mother was hidden away here in The Mortal Realm to grow up as a normal human until her awakening after her eighteenth birthday. This is the home that she grew up in.”

  Dax looks around and whistles, “This place looks good. How old is it now?”

  I shrug, “Somewhere around three hundred plus years, give or take.”

  “Keep going,” he leans forward with a smile and reaches for his beer, before saying, “I’m curious now.”

  “Well, before my mother’s awakening, there was a horrible accident. My mother and her human family were on a summer vacation at what was then known as the Florida Panhandle. All of that is gone now, as the ice caps continue to melt, that southernmost coastline has sunk below the new sea level. Anyhow, my mother and my aunt Lexie were all that survive the car accidents that took place that night and that began my mother’s journey to her awakening, as well as my aunt’s. The glamour that was placed on my mother before being ushered from The Otherworld to The Mortal Realm had a shelf life that was connected to an amulet that she wore. Ever since then, this place has remained very special to both my aunt and my mother. There are three different residences on the property, this house, the house my aunt Lexie grew up in, and a smaller bungalow for the groundskeeper and his wife, the housekeeper, which you will probably meet at some point. Millie loves to cook for us all. It’s a long complicated story, but in the end, my mother and my aunt got together and with the help of the Druids, and a coven of witches and quite a few other powerful fae, a complicated protection spell was devised to protect the property from the bitter elements that began creeping into the region. There are actually three parts to the spell. It not only protects from the outside elements, but hides us away from the view of the humans in this realm, and it's kind of like a dome and its own biosphere. It’s dark now but if we were to walk to the edge of the property you would see just how dry and arid the land around us has become. When my mother and Lexie realized what was beginning to happen they bought up as much land surrounding the original property as they could, paying less than half of what the property would have gone for when they grew up here. All in all, there is close to two thousand acres, which is about three square miles.”

  “That’s amazing. When did they end up doing all this?”

  “About ten years ago, my time in The Otherworld, so about a hundred and forty years ago earth time? Give or take.”

  Dax whistles again, “How have they kept up the spell for such a long time?”

  “Now, that’s a secret,” I say with a mysterious smile, and whisper, “but I’ll let you in on it if you want.”

  “Honey cheeks, you can’t leave me hanging like that.” He demands, urging me on.

  Laughing, I tease, “Well?”

  “I cannot even believe you right now.”

  “All right, help me clean up and I’ll tell you.”

  “You got a deal.” Together we gather our plates and whatnot and take everything inside, I grab a fresh beer out of the fridge for both of us and say, “Not many know our secret, but since you can’t get in here without someone tracing you in and that goes for any intruders, no one gets in unless they are brought in, I don’t think it could harm anything. The secret is three simple things that we brought from Faerie. At the very center of our little dome, you will find two dogwood trees, their majic is strong in protection, throughout the property you will find Forget-me-not flowers, their majic is a strong memory of what this place once was and still is, and last but certainly not least, Lavender, because if its many majical properti
es, protection, healing, purification, and longevity.”

  “That’s it?” He asks incredulously, “Flowers and dogwood trees? You people from The Otherworld really are nothing but a bunch of tree-hugging, flower dancing faeries, aren’t you? All unicorns and rainbows.” He says with a smirk, “No wonder you came looking for me.”

  “Hey! That’s not nice.” I say and take the dish towel and whip the tip against his rather impressive bicep.

  “I never claimed to be nice, honey cheeks, but I have a hard time believing that a couple of dogwood trees and a few flowers help to power this dome or biosphere as you call it. I think your mother and your aunt may have pulled one over on you, princess. I think that it’s time for you to grow up.”

  I can’t believe that he just discounted everything I just said and the sting of him turning his back on me in mockery has just set me off. I march around the island in the kitchen and grasp his fingers in my own. Pulling him to the front door, I turn on the porch lights and the front lawn lights up. Two beautiful dogwood trees stand intertwining with one another. One is white and the other is pink, but you have to look close to discern that they are two trees because they look like one. The two glisten and appear to sparkle in the artificial lighting. I can feel the power coming off of them as we approach, and I look over at Daxell to see that he is momentarily stunned.

  I whisper, “See? I told you so. We brought a little bit of Faerie here to keep this place alive. Do you want to touch it?” The air around us seems to spark to life with a building energy as if an electrical charge is about to go off. Then there is a loud popping sound that reverberates through the night around us. Wierd.

  “Lillie Joanna! NO!” I’m shocked to hear my aunt call out from behind us.

  Both of us startle and turn in unison to see my aunt racing toward us, her long curly auburn hair flowing behind her. She’s wearing a long flowing sage green gown. Where my mother has not aged a day over eighteen and looks no older than twenty, my aunt looks a bit older. As the Mother Druid, her aging is based on the needs of Faerie and her Druid Order. We don’t have any idea as to how long she will be with us or how she will age over time, but her looks have changed slightly, becoming more sharply defined and her emerald green eyes sparkle as she reaches us.

  “You must be Daxell. I mean no disrespect, but you absolutely cannot touch those trees. It will undo all the majic that we have poured into this little majical sanctuary. Please, Lillie Joanna, back away from the trees. Daxell, until your majic is balanced, you cannot touch these dogwoods. I’m really very sorry.”

  We both back away, but Dax asks the question that is bouncing around in my head, “What do you mean? Balanced?”

  “Come with me, both of you.” She motions as she walks barefoot up the steps of the porch, her green gown swirling around her.

  “Lexie? How did you get here?” I demand.

  She laughs, “I may not be able to trace like the rest of you, which by the way is not fair at all, but I placed a warning spell on the trees to pull me to them if dark majic threaten them. Again, I’m really sure that you’re a nice guy, so this is not directed at you personally, but one touch would have undone everything.”

  “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

  Lexie smiles at the both of us, her emerald green eyes twinkling, and says, “Dark majic, of course. I see that the two of you need a lesson. Come along with me.”

  We follow Lexie inside, she makes her way into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of wine from the wine cooler. Before I know it she has uncorked the bottle and poured a glass and is sitting opposite of us. She points a finger at me, “Lillie J, you should know better. We went over the rules, but I see that a refresher is in order. Daxell, you were born with a dark nature and that dark nature thrives in dark majic. Lillie, you were born with a light nature and that light nature thrives in light majic. The two of you are … conflicted and your dark and light natures are reaching for one another. I sense that neither of you will ever be truly balanced unless you find an opposite to bind to. There are many reasons that this could happen and as always life is complicated. That’s definitely an understatement, but if you want to know more, then maybe you should reach out to Clíodhna, she could help you both understand. Until then, Daxell, you are welcome to wander everywhere within our little dome of Eden but you must not touch those trees. Do you understand?”

  “Aunt Lexie - ”

  “Don’t Aunt Lexie me. I’m the Mother Druid and I know these things. I have faith that the two of you will eventually figure things out. Now, I’ve got to go. It’s a damn shame because this wine is excellent. Sammy and your brother will be by soon enough.”

  Lexie begins to dematerialize right before our eyes and I sigh, “What the hell was that all about?”

  “Your parents and your aunt and my parents are all about either saving us from one another or hooking us up.”

  “I’m sorry, Dax, I would never have taken you to the dogwoods if I had known. I don’t think of your energy as dark majic.” I can sense that once again he is pulling away from me. Damn it! Sighing, I say, “Maybe we should head to bed. We have a lot to uncover tomorrow. I know that there is a darknet but I’ve yet to be able to access it. Maybe with your help, we can figure out what is going on with this new order.”

  “You’re right, I think that sleep is exactly what I need.”

  12

  How Can I Be Right For Her?

  (Daxell)

  LJ’s aunt showing up at the very moment that I was going to touch the trees has brought me clarity. If something so simple as me touching trees powered by light majic can taint their spell, then don’t I need to step away? It left me wondering about how I could affect LJ. What the fuck am I thinking? I roll over and punch the pillow under my head for the hundredth time. It’s safe to say that I can’t sleep. All I can think about is getting as far from here as possible, but I’m in the middle of nowhere and LJ is my ride out of here.

  Rolling over I sit up about the same time as LJ’s fox pushes the door to my room open with her pointy nose, it's dark in the room but the night light from the hall acts as a halo around her light fur. She pads quietly across the room to me and sits down in front of me. She cocks her head and assesses me and I whisper, “What are you doing in here, girl? Shouldn’t you be with LJ?”

  Her answer is to move closer to me and lower her head and I reach out to stroke her forehead and ears, she croons and leans into my touch. Just having Cara sitting beside me letting me pet her has the ability to relax me. Laying back down, I’m surprised when Cara hops up on the bed beside me. Putting all of my thoughts aside I settle down and soon drift off to sleep with LJ’s fox snuggled up next to me.

  Iwake to find Cara licking my face and I’m startled to see that LJ is asleep on the other side of her fox, not only that, but there is definitely someone in the house downstairs. Cara is useless, you would think that she would be more like a dog and bark or something to alert us of an intruder, but no, she’s as content as she can be. She hops off the bed, noses the door open, and makes her way down the hall, her nails clicking on the hardwood floor as she goes. The last thing I see is her golden blonde bushy tail as she rounds the corner. I slip out of bed and pull on my jeans. I’m about halfway down the stairs when I realize that no one can enter this property without permission or without being escorted. Which means… Hellfire and brimstone, I bet I’m about to run into LJ’s brother. Slowing my pace, I find two dark-haired males and two females talking quietly as they go about throwing together what looks like brunch as they unpack a large basket that’s overladen with food. I decide to observe and wait for them to notice me.

  I don’t have to wait long. The male with the exact same hair color as LJ turns and sees me casually leaning against the doorjamb, damn but he looks like the spitting image of their father, without the beard. He puts aside what he’s doing and stalks toward me, the room grows silent and I can tell he's pissed.

  He glares at me an
d pins me with a murderous look before saying, “The only reason my fist has not connected with your jaw is because my sister was fully clothed when I finally located her. Who the hell are you and why the hell is she in the bed that you occupied last night? How do you know my sister?”

  Casually, I push away from the wall and hold my hands up in a submissive gesture, “I see your parents failed to mention to you that I’m going to help LJ run down as much information on the New Raven Order as we can before she accompanies me to The Underworld.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? What’s the New Raven Order? Let’s get one thing straight, I’m Lillie’s brother and her Guardian. Where she goes, I go, and I’ll be damned if I allow her to step foot in The Underworld with the likes of you.” Everyone in the room has grown still with his declaration, you could hear a pin drop.

  I step forward, my demon ready to come out and play. A growl issues from my lips, when I hear LJ come up behind me. She lays a calming hand on my back as she comes around to my side and quietly says to me, “Dax, let me,” then, turning to her brother, she continues, “Lachlan, you need to stand down. You’re out of line. Is that any way to greet a guest that I have brought into this house? Besides, you said you would respect my wishes on this. I do not consider your attitude, respecting my wishes. How dare you threaten Daxell. He’s my guest.”

  Lachlan is pissed, his blue eyes glittering in anger, “What the hell, Lillie? What were you doing in his bed?”

  She glowers at him and says, “I have never once butted my nose into your personal affairs and I would appreciate the same respect from you. Not that its any of your business, but Cara left me at some point in the night to go snuggle with Dax. I missed her and went looking for her, I didn’t wake either of them when I crawled into their bed and went back to sleep. Nothing happened. I will stress this one last time… I do not answer to you, dear brother.” She’s beyond angry and her eyes are flashing, daring her brother to force the issue.