Woe for a Faerie

by Bokerah Brumley

  I laughed until tears poured from the well inside me.

  Arún was here.

  The how didn’t matter. I didn’t care. He was here.

  Wait… I was…

  “Did Vic tell you?” I whispered against his chest.

  His lips feathered kisses across my cheek. “About our baby?”

  His arms tightened around me. “She told me.”

  I wrenched myself from his arms and stepped back. “Why did you let me believe you were gone?” I still couldn’t bring myself to say the word dead.

  He frowned and then took a deep breath. “Ishka had to put me back in my body.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Ishka helped me save a copy of myself in an infinity crystal. Once my body arrived, she poured over the old texts, collected my most recent memories, and…” He wiggled his fingers. “Here I am.”

  “To put you back?”

  He nodded.

  I smoothed my hand over his face. “Are you still you? Are we still us?”

  He wrapped his arms around me once more. “I love you more than life itself. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

  “Ishka knows you’re alive.” She would need to know.

  “Of course.” He winked. “Hard to keep the truth from a Fae twin anyway.”

  “What about your parents?”

  He sighed. “I didn’t intend to die, but it will be helpful.”

  I snorted. “How is death helpful?”

  “It loosens my hold on the Fae world.” He gave a wry grin. “Or its hold on me. My parents believe I am gone. Your grief was real to them. When I knew our only option was to face the shifter, I knew that she might win. I planned it all out with Ishka. Our trip to the Fae Realm wasn’t only so we could make babies.” He winked and laid his hand on my abdomen. “It made me late. Remember?”

  I laughed then.

  He continued, “She helped me save a copy of me in an infinity crystal. Once my body arrived, she summoned magic enough to deposit me back in my body. It was quite the feat. She’s probably the only Fae with magic enough to do it. Our parents are still in shock over my death.”

  He took a deep breath and sighed, a long, sad sigh. “They’re still mourning.”

  I gasped then. “You didn’t tell them when it worked?”

  “Not yet.” His face twisted, and his chin quivered. “I couldn’t risk it. I will tell them as soon as we’ve figured out who the Boss is and what she wants with you. We don’t know how her henchmen get in and out of the Fae Realm. I believe the Boss is connected to the Fae world somehow.” He grimaced. “She could be a traitor from my realm. She may even be Fae.”

  I studied my toes. The cruelty of it troubled me.

  “I will tell them as soon as I deem it safe.” He captured my face between his hands. “I am so sorry that I did that to you, my beautiful one. Forgive me?”

  I nodded. “You always keep your promises.”

  His mouth twisted. “Not always.”

  “You promised you would never die.”

  He dropped a kiss on my cheek and tucked his mouth close to my ear. “If we can get out of here, I’ll show you just how not-dead I am.” He summoned his magic and pinched me.

  Later, while Arún related his story to a begrudging Jason, I considered the unexpected turn our lives had taken. In the space of a few hours, my husband had returned, and we were no longer just the two of us.

  The Fae healers had been all over me. It was impossible. They should have known.

  Then Arún’s explanation of mental privacy came back to me. The Fae only went where invited. They never forced themselves in. They had fixed my wings. And I had tolerated it because Arún had wanted it. They’d done nothing else. They’d examined nothing else. They didn’t know. They couldn’t know.

  And I wouldn’t tell them. I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready to share this precious part of our lives. I didn’t know what I would do if the King and Queen tried to take our child to the Fae Realm.

  Jason studied me and nodded to my middle. “Is it true?”

  “Vic doesn’t lie,” I said and pressed a hand to my abdomen.

  The baby was mine. My secret. My secret love.

  Just like that, I took a new breath and life poured into my veins. I had something to live for. I would see this child. I would rock her to sleep while Arún looked on. We would be a family. I would nurse this babe and tell her about a silver-winged hero Fae who had saved us both.

  50

  After

  Woe

  I had soap in my hair when Arún knocked on the bathroom door of his high-rise apartment.

  “Yes?”

  I kept my eyes squeezed shut. The last time I opened my eyes while taking a shower, my eyes had been red and irritated for three days.

  I turned away from the stream of hot water and groped the air for the towel I had slung over the hook at the rear of the spacious shower. I couldn’t find it.

  “Did you need something, Arún?” I left it there. It probably fell to the tile. Stupid towel. “You can come in.”

  “I need you.” His voice had a rumble that made me shiver. He had something else on his mind. I really needed to find that towel.

  My hand landed in his. He was in the shower, but I didn’t open my eyes. My hand slid up his arm. He was naked in the shower. Of course he was naked in the shower. That couldn’t be that unusual.

  But he was naked in my shower. He had never been naked in my shower before. I blushed bright red, made even pinker by the hot water. I hoped he couldn’t tell.

  “Arún?” I bit my lip. Now I felt naked in my shower. I licked my lips. Exposed, but excited. I still couldn’t believe how close we had both been to losing the other.

  He pressed me against him and then stroked my face with a towel. I opened my eyes slowly. Through the steam, he stared down at me. The intensity in his silver eyes overwhelmed me. I wanted to press my hands over my eyes. The water rained down on us, the soap made my skin slick. He brushed his thumb across my lips.

  He whispered my name, pressing his lips to mine. The world tilted sideways, and I couldn’t help but wonder why we hadn’t shared showers more often.

  Afterward, Arún dried me off while I caught my breath, my pulse thundering in my ears. He pressed kisses all over my body, my skin still pink from the hot water.

  Or maybe it was less the shower, more the hot man in it. I took another towel from the cabinet and dried my protector, my lover, mimicking his ministrations.

  When I got to his lower half, he buried his hands in my hair and turned my head up to him. “If you don’t stop now, I’ll carry you into the bedroom and we’ll be hours late for your appointment.”

  “Vic would understand,” I said. “She likes happily ever afters.” I winked at him.

  His gaze dropped to my open mouth. “Is that a yes?”

  I laughed, ducked beneath his arms, and bolted into the bedroom with Arún close behind. He tackled me on the bed and he kissed me until we were both breathless again.

  “I love you, Woe,” he said. “Everything I do is for you.”

  “I love you, too.” I had a feeling he was talking about something specific, but I didn’t know what.

  “I told Vic we’d be late, but I have a surprise for you.”

  Flying.

  The most incredible thing. Ever.

  I glanced sideways. Well, maybe not quite the most incredible thing. My heart fluttered inside my chest. Arún kept the top spot on the list of loves.

  The night sky camouflaged my wings, and I stretched my arms as wide as they would go on either side of me. The breezes rushed through my hair, pushing the dark strands away from my eyes. Thankful for the soft, black leathers Arún had brought to me earlier in the day, I turned a loop in the air.

  Arún laughed. “Is it as good as you remember?”

  “Better,” I yelled and dove toward the park.

  The jacket and chaps dulled the wind’s icy teeth. The thick skin was from an
animal in his world. He had tanned the hide himself, and he’d given a self-satisfied grin when I had been appalled at the seat-less pants. He explained I could wear whatever I wanted underneath them. Unless I didn’t want to, of course, he’d added with a wink. They were similar to what the motorcyclists wore when I’d seen them weaving through traffic in the city.

  As we flew between the buildings, crosswinds buffeted my body and the struggle to stay balanced mid-air thrilled as much as it ever had.

  More so.

  Sandwiched between two expanses, I relished the freedom to fly without purpose. Without fear. Light twinkled in eight million windows below us like a reflection of the Milky Way above. The physical mirrored the spiritual: not identical, but fraternal twin planes of existence.

  The carnal sensations added incredible depth to the addictive experience. I loved it. Every minute. As an angel, flying had been glorious. Now, as a mortal human, it was nearly as good as—.

  The roving thought heated my cheeks.

  He had to have heard me. Our link grew stronger every day.

  Wearing his own set of leathers, Arún’s pewter wings stretched wider than mine. The urban air currents ruffled his white-silver hair.

  His expression serious, a twitch at the corner of his mouth gave him away. “I hope I can always make you blush.”

  Fae only read the minds of those that give permission, and I did when we married. It was part of the Fae ceremony. I still had trouble reading his body language, but I was learning. It was easy to forget he’d killed three men for me without remorse.

  The tip of my nose and tops of my ears were cold, but the spires that surrounded the flat roof of the church grew larger. We planned to land on the roof and then meet Vic in her room for my appointment.

  Time flies when you’re having fun.

  I grinned, and Arún chuckled. Mortal humor evaded me, but smiling had grown easier.

  My human skin was less and less like a straitjacket. With the freedom to come and go from our high-rise apartment, I had fewer anxiety and panic attacks. My claustrophobia and insomnia hadn’t bothered me for weeks. I wasn’t slipping into the mental breakdown that most fallen angels had to look forward to.

  My newfound peace came from Arún. In the middle of my freak-outs or meltdown about being a mom, he remained calm and confident. Playful when I least expected it, he laughed, hugged me tightly, and soothed away fear or hurt. He committed to me our first night together, without pressure or expecting me to reciprocate. Yet I returned his love and loyalty completely.

  He had become my anchor.

  As we landed on the rooftop, he captured my hand. “Wait.”

  “What is it?”

  He summoned magic, and his tattoos rolled in black flames, up and down his arms. Blue light surrounded us as he called magic from the moonlight. In a waterfall of starlight, he taught me the words that would link us for eternity.

  My choice to be his had been the right one. We were an unlikely pair: me, a fallen angel and him, a Fae warrior-prince, but we were a part of each other now.

  Together, we would build a new life.

  The future belonged to us.

  51

  Questions

  Jason

  The punching bag shuddered.

  Each time my boxing glove landed on the black-marker X, the chain squeaked against the bracket that held it. I landed another.

  Punch!

  Overhead, white puffy clouds moved across a bright blue sky. Sirens blared in the distance. My emotions didn’t reflect the idyllic setting. My stomach churned.

  My shoulders burned, my knuckles bruised, and I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow. That suited my mood.

  Lev had the Librarian searching for signs of his family. His obsession re-ignited took on renewed vigor since the discovery of Woe’s pregnancy. Vic had gone on vacation.

  Punch!

  Arún and Woe hadn’t checked in for days.

  Punch! Punch!

  We weren’t any closer to any answers. Yet everyone moved on as though we had all the answers we needed.

  Punch!

  The Boss was still out there, and I didn’t know how to draw her out.

  Punch! Punch! Punch!

  Panting, I bent over to lean on my knees. I’d been at it since before sunrise, and my body skirted the edge of exhaustion.

  The flutter of wings gave her away before her scent did. My throat dried, and I stiffened. Turning slowly, I vowed to meet death head-on. Without fear.

  Perched on the top of the rooftop water tower of the rooftop next door, the magnificent peacock tilted her head, almost completely camouflaged by the sun behind her.

  With jerky, avian movements, she analyzed me, and I studied her.

  I cursed then raised a glove. “Get it over with.”

  With. With. With. My yell echoed off the buildings.

  Without warning, she stretched out her neck and wings.

  I flinched.

  But the white peacock screamed, long and loud.

  Then she threw herself into the air, flying directly into the glare of the sun.

  Heart pounding, I dashed to the parapet and leaned between the gargoyles, shading my eyes. If I can track her direction…

  Crowds of people milled about on the street below. None of them looked like the curvy woman in the park. None of them resembled Frank’s killer.

  Down the block, somebody yelled. “Did you see that?”

  “Do those live in the city?”

  “That’s crazy!”

  “What kind of bird is that?”

  People shouted at one another. Horns honked and curses followed. The sounds faded away into the distance.

  The shifter spared my life. For what purpose? Because I helped free her?

  Or for a more nefarious reason?

  Too many questions remained.

  I unlaced the boxing gloves and crossed to the door that led down into the depths of my home. Shaking my head, I started the long trek down the steep and narrow staircase. Foreboding settled across my shoulders.

  Nobody remembered the truth of the List Keeper.

  Happily ever afters didn’t happen in my world.

  To Be Continued …

  Author’s Notes

  Author’s Notes

  Thank you. Of all the books in all of the Kindle world, you chose mine.

  Thank you for taking a chance on a new author like me. From the bottom of my blue-haired heart. I don’t think I can convey how much I appreciate you.

  As a writer, I’m not out to write life-changing Literature, but I’m all about sharing the crazy what-if adventures my brain likes to go on while I’m washing dishes or clothes or waiting on goat kids to be born. The best adventures are those shared.

  Thank you for sharing this one. I hope you loved meeting the Keepers of New Haven as much I did.

  What’s next for the Keepers?

  Stick around. The next book is about how Lev finds intrigue, love, and [redacted].

  Lev also manages to make Jason angry. (Let’s be real here. It isn’t that hard, is it?).

  Woe’s struggling with homicidal pregnancy hormones, and good ol’ Vic is just momming everybody to death.

  Later on in the series, we’ll get to experience Vic and her yeti fetish firsthand.

  My peacock is screaming at my window, so it’s back to the real world for me for a minute. While that might sound off-color, I actually live with a small flock of peafowl, and the idea for a mysterious peacock shifter probably appealed to me because of that.

  Join Feathered Fiends (my Reader Group) to get your dose of #DailyBird.

  Drop me a line or visit me on Instagram. Can’t wait to connect with you!

  Thank you,

  ~Bokerah, 2018

  P.S. If you buy more books, I’ll probably buy more peacocks. **nudge, nudge** I have my eye on a silver pied breeding pair of peafowl, and you could help me name them.

  P.P.S. If you liked THIS story, tell your f
riends about this series, leave a review (even a one- or two-word review can make a world of difference in how I am allowed to market my stories), and try Leviathan’s Rise, Book Two in the Keepers of New Haven Series.

  About the Author

  Bokerah Brumley lives on ten permaculture acres, complete with sheep, goats, peacocks, turkeys, geese, guineas, ducks, chickens, five home-educated children, and one husband. She serves as the president of the Cisco Writers Club, moonlights as an acquisitions editor for The Crossover Alliance, and works as the production/marketing manager for an independent New York publisher.

  For more information and a complete list of published works, please visit:

  www.bokerah.com

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