by L M Lacee
Charlie said. “So they do not have to leave our home?”
He smiles. “No niece, they remain with their parents and grace knows they are so very fortunate to have found such wonderful parents and family. As sad as it must be for surely they have lost their birth parents. Fortune shined on them when June answered their call.”
Fin said. “June has told me they and their mother sung for her to come to them. She was there with the mother when she passed into the night.”
Elijah sighed. “That is the way of some of us. She would have been Pixie. We are forever concerned with who to leave our young too. If we are unable to survive, she would have sung for her and the young would have joined her to call June. Do you happen to know her name?”
Fin said quietly. “I do not, June may. I will ask when she is well.”
“Thank you Fin.”
Sage asked. “What would have happened if June had not been out there to hear her, would their song have reached her here?”
Elijah sighed as he told her sadly. “Maybe, maybe not, depends how weak the mother was and I think you know what would have happened to the young dear Sage.”
“Oh! It is too terrible to think about.” Her hand went to her stomach where her hatchlings rested out the corner of her eye she saw Edith do the same action. The Queen nodded. “But that did not happen. So this is a good time to rejoice! So my Light what to do with that?” She indicated Tarin with a nod of her head.
A haughty look came over the Prince’s face as he went to speak. Elijah looked at the male with disgust and flicked his fingers. The Prince’s mouth snapped closed. “I have a suggestion.” Charlie said as she moved from her Lords side to stand in front of the Prince. Her shadow Storm stood with Reighn who was joined by Johner as Frankie was with June still. “First though uncle. Could you release his tongue?”
“Of course.”
To the prince she said. “I know you know who I am and who my sister is?” He nodded slowly as Charlie stared at the male faerie and her eyes became distant and ghost hard. “Oh, I see you know who we are, good! We are the lost ones, which you know of as the grey ones and all the rumors you have heard about our kind are quite true. So hear and believe me when I tell you this, because I will only say it once. Now that female in there is our friend as of now her children are our nieces and they are off limits to you and any more like you. If anything happens to my nieces or if they mysteriously go missing one night or day a week from now, a month. A year or ever!
My sister and I will bring a reign of terror down on you and your kind the likes of which you have never seen before. And if by some miracle you or your kind take us both out, then her shadow and mine and our combined families in case you missed that.
The Queen and King and their Grove, not counting the Hunters, the Shields, the retrievers. Oh hell, the whole of Dragon’s Gap will just finish what we started. Do I Make Myself Clear?”
“Yes, you do.” The shaken faerie Prince said to the Queen who had a very blood thirsty look in her eyes along with a hint of laughter, Charlie said. “So here is my idea.”
Scarlett said. “Yes dear!”
“Send this one, without guards to the castle tomorrow. I think he needs an attitude adjustment.”
“How does one go about doing that?”
“Well June and Frankie?”
“Yes Charlie.” Frankie answered as she came from behind the screen with a pleased look in her eyes.
“You can have him for the first week then if Sharm and Edith do not mind they can have him for the…”
“May I make a suggestion?” Reighn interrupted as he too eyed the hapless male. “Why yes dear Lord, you may.” Charlie inclined her head.
Reighn sighed much like his father did on occasion. “Smart ass!” He replied. “How about sending him to the ones he thinks are no more than breeders and half breeds etc.…”
“Oh...oh...good idea! Yeah to the Gaps healers ward and then to the retrievers unit, then the Hunters. Then he can serve in the construction unit for a while.”
“Building with his hands may be good for him.” Rene’ agreed as he and Verity arrived back from making sure June’s home was ready. Reighn nodded. “Can you manage that Frankie?”
“I can write a schedule.”
Reighn smiled. “Then forward it to me for final approval.” He turned to the two Royals. “Your Graces what say you?”
Tarin outraged at the proposed plan spoke for the first time since Charlie had confronted him. “No I protest! You have no right to enforce your obscene punishments on me. I have said and done nothing to warrant such a…”
“Be quiet!” A male voice whipped across his senses and filled the room, when two more faeries walked in. “Mother, Father.” Tarin dropped his head into his hands. “Thank your graces. You have arrived. I was to be enslaved.” He sobbed into his hands.
The male snarled. “Foolish child, stop this embarrassing display of weakness.” He said to the female. “He takes after his uncle Fregan.”
“Oh, I know. It is a shame. I do not know where we went wrong with him!”
The male sighed. “It is the problem with the youngest. I suspect we were far too soft on him!”
“This could be true.”
Queen Scarlett bowed her head slightly when she saw the newcomers, smiling she made the introductions. “Dragon Lord Reighn and Dragon Lady Sage, may I introduce you to Queen Isla Ravenswood and King Gideon Ravenswood, the High Queens sister and brother by marriage. Isla, Gideon the Dragon Lord Reighn Kingsley and his shadow Lady Sage Kingsley.”
They all bowed their heads. Scarlett then said. “Allow me also to introduce Lord Rene’ and Lady Verity Kingsley, past Lord and Lady of the castle. Then there is our niece Lady Charlie and her shadow Storm Kingsley.” She went on introducing everyone else finally she said. “Queen Isla. I did not know you were coming?”
“Really and yet we told our son we were!” They all looked at the sulky male. Tarin looked down as he mumbled. “I forgot to tell you.”
“Convenient!” His father stated. “Well my Light what should we do with this one. I am out of patience.”
“I sympathize with you my dear.” She turned her hard gaze on the Prince. “Tarin we have been informed you are causing problems. You even attacked a young shifter, ward of Queen Scarlett’s niece and her shadow. Is that so?”
He said. “I was misunderstood.”
Scarlett growled. “Really you were caught by her guardian?”
“He protested.” He wasn’t then.
“Fool!” His father snarled. “He should have ended you. I would have had if you had done so with my child or Light. Where did you get this idea you are entitled?” When Tarin opened his mouth, he held his hand up. “I do not want to hear it again.”
His mother said. “A generous solution has been broached, so you can make amends and you have objections?”
Feeling his mother was softening he whined. “I do mother, they will turn me into a slave!”
Reighn said. “That is not so, you will always be allowed to leave my territories. Which is exactly what will happen, if you do not decide to comply.”
His father smiled a gleam in his eyes. “Tell me son. Where will you go?”
Once again ignoring his father he said. “Mother I will go home.” She was shaking her head before he stopped speaking. “No my son, you will not. I asked Meadow, your aunt for this placement against your father’s objections. I felt the dragons, and Elijah would be a good influence on you. I find you have squandered the opportunity to become more than a spoilt child.”
His father stood in front of his Light, Tarin’s mother. So he had no option but to look up at his father. “You may not return to our Grove in fact our High Queen has stated because of your outrageous conduct here, all Groves will be closed to you!”
His face paled with horror as he asked “You would dare to allow this to happen. You could not intervene on my behalf. Am I not your son?”
His fat
her raised one eyebrow at his son as he told him. “We insisted, your mother and I, that your Aunt did so!”
Outraged he yelled at his father. “You have no right. I am not a delinquent. I am a Prince!”
“Ooh! He really does need an attitude adjustment.” His mother snapped, and with a flick of her fingers he disappeared. “I have sent him to the Groves isolation room.”
Amused Scarlett asked Elijah. “Did you know we have one of those?”
Elijah answered with a decided twinkle in his eyes. “No my Light, I had no idea.” He asked Queen Isla. “We have one of those?”
“You do now!” King Gideon said with a smile.
Just then two tiny cries were heard from within the baskets. Fin stepped over to where his daughters lay. He reached inside and lifted one tiny bundle out and handed her to Scarlett, who along with Isla had edged nearer to see the babies. Within seconds he had the other out and handed her to Queen Isla. “Oh my Light look at her, are they not delightful?” And they were. With their tiny scrunched up faces topped by pink hair, and when they blinked, bright green eyes stared out. Scarlett fell in love. “Absolutely delightful.”
Elijah said. “You and June are truly blessed Fin.”
Fin grinned. “In more ways than one.”
“So a little more than faeries when born?” King Gideon stated.
King Elijah nodded. “Much more.”
“The High Queen will be happy. Pixies are back on Earth.” Isla said.
“Hold on Elijah, you are Pixie? I do not understand you just said they were not on earth. Asked a confused Sage.
Elijah grinned as he told her. “I come from a very progressive fraction of Pixie. My parents, the Luminary, which is what we call our monarchs, are very future orientated.” Reighn and Fin gave each other a look realizing Elijah did not actually answer Sage’s question.
“What are a group of Pixies called?” Charlie asked.
“Luminaries and we live in a Luminia, similar to a Grove. My parents have no problems about mixing races. There are many Luminaries who feel the same,” Elijah noted, “thankfully, or I would not have been allowed to join with my Light.” He smiled at Scarlett, who smiled back at him.
“That could be because often as not Pixies always breed true.” King Gideon said.
Elijah grinned. “That could be true but not always accurate.”
“And yet by the look of these two, it would seem. I am right!”
Elijah inclined his head. “I concede you could be right, although I would guess their mother was of high society.”
“Is that why you wanted to know their mothers name?” Fin asked.
“Yes if I knew her name, we would possibly know what other Luminaries are on earth and where she came from. Then we could talk to them. They will know she has passed but they still should be told.”
“Will they want her young back?” Frankie asked.
“As to that, I cannot say. Our Luminaries would let the calling stand. What they will do is unknown.”
“A moot point until we know who she was.” Edith said. Reighn told them. “I agree, and I would not worry too much, the Elementals will impress on all Luminaries to register with us. At some point they will contact us and tell us when, where and how many are here!”
Surprised Scarlett asked. “Oh! Did our High Queen do this?”
Reighn smiled. “She did, which is how we were lucky enough to receive a Grove.”
Scarlett smiled back. “It was really our luck.”
“Shall we agree to say we both lucked out?” Reighn asked.
“I do not understand. I thought you told Charlie and I that it was against the rules for faeries to search and bond outside of faeriedom?” Storm asked Scarlett who nodded as she replied. “That is still true although what I should have said was. Our Council or High Queen way back probably in the beginning of time decided that faeries and pixie were of the same tree.”
“Oh so the same family just different branches, like cousins and do Pixies feel the same?” Frankie asked Elijah who smiled as he said. “We do not, but we do not care for purity like the Faerie council did.”
Frankie snorted then said. “Huh! That makes sense, but I think the faerie council was splitting hairs.”
“As does our new High Queen and King.” Queen Isla told them. “Which is why my sister and her light are working to change the old ways. It will, of course, go much quicker now after what has happened with Harper and the council.” The babies again cried which put paid to anymore conversation. Verity had everyone leave so she could give Fin his first lesson in changing diapers and feeding hatchlings.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
J une came aware slowly, she was in a strange bed in a strange room in a strange house. Her first instinct was to run, her second, was not to move remembering the pain she had been in. Her third thought was, where were her babies? “Babies!” She croaked out.
Fin walked into her line of sight and told her. “You are in our bed, in our house, and our hatchlings are not more than three feet away to your right.”
She turned her head and sure enough there were two bassinets standing side by side. She looked back at him took in the haggard face, the tired eyes and saw his slumped shoulders, he was untidy as though he had slept in his clothes. June wished she was anywhere but here, she whispered. “Pixies and faeries.”
“I know, my June you were poisoned which is why you feel like a steam roller ran you over. I do not know what that is, but Frankie assured me it was what you will feel like.”
She tried to laugh and wheezed instead. “Oww! Sore.”
“I know. I am going to lift you, so you can sit, and then I am going to give you a drink of juice then water. Sharm’s orders.”
“Okay.” He helped her sit and passed her a tall glass of juice. She drank half of it then said. “There is a piece of paper in the back pack, and it has all their information on it about the hatchlings.”
Fin said as she started to drink the rest of the juice. “I will get it and give it to Elijah he says he needs to find out where their birth parents came from.”
“Okay, I sort of promised we would keep them.” She told him as she reached for the tall cold glass of water. Fin smiled. “We will keep them.”
It was weird the more she drank the thirstier she became. June finished the water he handed her. She drank it finally feeling her thirst quenched. Then looked him in the eyes. “You do not have to feel obliged, I did not promise for you!”
Taken a little aback Fin tried to keep the growl from his voice. “June, I know I have been an ass. In fact I have been more than that but I have lived in fear that I would fail you, fail any young we could have.”
June’s eyes remained shuttered as she asked. “What has changed?”
Fin rubbed his hands over his tried eyes and face. “Truthfully everything, you left me and I realized I cannot prepare for everything. I thought I needed to make sure you would be safe. I thought I needed to know that no one or nothing could take you from me.” He sighed as he held his face in his hands then he lifted shattered eyes to hers. “You know what happened to Ella’s parents. I decided I would never ever allow that to happen to you or our young.”
June wanted to hug him, wanted to take that look from his eyes, instead she asked softly “And now what do you think?”
“That I was a fool. I can prevent and prepare for most things, but I did not take into account you. My little wolf. My June. I cannot safe guard against you leaving me.” He hung his head and June’s face softened as he whispered. “I swear June. I cannot live again these last five days, where I did not know where you were, if you were alive. I will not! I missed you so much, and my dragon pined so much I thought he would die. That is when I realized that was what your wolf was doing, pining for me, for our lives to start and I am so very sorry.”
She placed her hand on his cheek. He took it and kissed her knuckles, his eyes remorseful she glimpsed his sad and fearful dragon looking out at her. “If
I wasn’t feeling like a pancake, I would show you how much you mean to me. I am so sorry that you had to go through that.”
Fin kissed her hands and her cheek finally resting his head on her shoulder as he told her tiredly. “Sometimes males like me need to be hit with a four by two or so Edee says, to realize what they have to lose.”
June grinned, her poor Fin had been hauled over the coals by her family. “Someone hit you?” She asked a little outraged and slightly amused that someone had attacked her Fin.
He shrugged. “It could have been worse, it could have been Sage or Edee.” At that, June laughed as she asked. “So where is everyone?”
“They were all here but Verity and Grace chased them all away. Do not leave me my love. We, my dragon, and I will not survive.”
“I promise my heart. I will not, my wolf and I found out we love you too much to leave you.”
“You love me?”
“Of course, you and your dragon are ours.”
“Why…Why! Would you, after what I have done?”
“Oh my love. I can honestly say you make me feel like a whole person, someone of worth. I thought my whole life I would never find someone like you and yet here you are, all mine. You are my shield or will be once you commit to me.”
“I have committed we are your shield against everyone and everything you will always be mine forever!”
June brushed his chin with her finger and kissed him softly. “Yep yours forever. Sleep now.”
As he laid down beside her, she rubbed his chest until he fell asleep. June dozed beside him for a little while, until sometime later Sage opened the door and looked round the edge of it. Seeing June was awake she smiled and drew closer whispering. “Want to get up?”
“You have no idea. I need to use the bathroom and shower so bad.” She whispered back with a grin, still pale but her strength was returning making her feel better.
Sage grinned in return. “Okay, I will help you out.” Together they wiggled her out from beside Fin who had managed to lay over half of her, once she was standing she looked down on the huge male. “I don’t think anything will wake him!”
