by Kimbra Swain
“This is beautiful, Remy,” I said in awe.
“Thanks. Come with me,” he said, tugging me along to a great room the size of my bedroom back in the Otherworld. A stone fireplace rose to the ceiling. A plush sectional sofa surrounded it.
I took two steps down into the living area admiring the decor as well as the view out of the windows to the rear of the house. The lake shimmered in the sunlight just beyond a deck and very green yard. What was it with rich people and perfectly green yards? It was as if they all had Summer fairies tending to their grass. I’d settle for a hot guy with a lawnmower. I didn’t care if the grass died.
My senses tingled. Instinctively I stepped toward Remy as he tensed.
“What the…” he muttered as four forms emerged from different parts of the room. “Who are you?”
“We aren’t here for the woman. Just you,” one of the men said. Each one wore a black hoodie shrouding their faces in shadow. Flicking to my sight, they glowed a deep green indicating that they were Summer fairies, but on the darker side. Apparently, they didn’t know who I was.
“Look, guys. Who sent you?” Remy asked.
“And how did you get past the wards?” I asked. Remy looked at me with surprise. As if I hadn’t detected his wards. It occurred to me then that the ward was very specific and it wasn’t to keep me or the Summer fairies out.
“Our boss wants to have a few words with you,” the spokesman said.
“Who is your boss?” Remy asked.
“You know who he is,” he replied.
“If I did, I wouldn’t have asked,” Remy snorted.
“Perhaps smart ass remarks aren’t your best option, Remington Blake,” the leader said. The others stood silently as this one continued the conversation. “Now, you can come with us the easy way or the hard way.”
“He’s not going anywhere with you,” I said as the tattoo on my arm flared to life with the power of the Otherworld.
The leader’s eyes shot to the tattoo on my right arm. He trembled for a moment then proceeded to front.
“Looky here, boys. We’ve got us a bonafide winter fairy queen. Last time I checked there was only one of those. I’m pretty sure there is a bounty on your head, too. Take them both,” he ordered.
The other three rushed us. With his hand, Remy motioned toward one of them. Glittery powder flipped out of his hand smacking him in the face. He squealed as the glitter blinded him. He grabbed at his face trying to regain his sight.
I turned to another unleashing a blast of winter power. The rush of wind and freezing snow smacked him in the chest, forcing him to tumble backward.
The third hit Remy squarely. They tumbled across the floor, and I was afraid to blast them. I didn’t know what my power would do to Remy.
“Get off him, you bastard,” I screamed. Then I realized the leader was watching the fight. Turning to him, my power flared. My hair turned from brunette to platinum blonde. He took two steps back from me as I moved quickly toward him. Before he could run, I wrapped a cold hand around his neck. “I am Gloriana, daughter of Oberon, King of Winter, and you will let him go!”
The command shook the house. I heard the two men behind me stop their grappling for control.
“Grace,” Remy muttered.
“I’ve got this, Remy,” I said, squeezing the Summer fairy’s neck. He was starting to turn blue.
“Gracie, let him go,” Remy urged in a light tone as he stepped into my peripheral vision. “They will leave now.”
“You are going to leave?” I asked the leader. He nodded emphatically.
When I released him, he scrambled away from me along with his still conscious friend and the blinded man. The one I had knocked out was lifted by his comrades as they hustled out of the house.
“Grace,” Remy urged touching my cheek with his hand.
“What?” I snapped. The power I’d used had me keyed up.
“Let it go, baby,” he coaxed.
I looked down at the glowing tattooed stone on my arm, and I realized how close I was to the darkness of my power. Shaking my hands violently, tears rolled down my cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered.
“Gracie, you were protecting me. That was a good thing, not a bad one,” he assured me.
I didn’t feel assured though. It had been years since I called power to myself to hurt someone.
A cold darkness lurked inside of me, fighting to get out. Seeing Remy in peril triggered that power. Perhaps Jeremiah and the Sanhedrin were right. Having a long term relationship was a bad idea. Who knows what I would do to protect someone that I loved? If I was even capable of love.
As the power in me melted, I felt his strong arms around me where I hadn’t noticed them before. I refused to allow myself to lean into him.
“Who were they?” I questioned. My voice came out dry and quiet.
“I’m not sure. I’ve got enemies just like you,” he said, looking into my eyes. “I’m glad you were here.”
“You could have handled it.”
“I would have had to go with them to handle it. I have a few magical tricks, but my power isn’t anything like yours,” he said.
“Use your magical tongue to get out of it?”
“You should know.” He grinned like a cat.
“Oh, I do,” I replied.
“Sure you don’t need a reminder?”
“I could probably use one.”
“I’m happy to oblige.”
8
REMY
After reminding Grace of my tongue skills along with a few others, I watched her sleeping in my bed. I never imagined I’d ever have her here in my house. Now that she was here, I didn’t want her to go, but I knew the moments were numbered. It was only a matter of time before she would find out about my wife or find out about my game. She might even remember Jeremiah erasing her memories.
I needed to call Niles and tell him to tone it down a bit. The last thing I wanted was for her to dust one of his guys. They looked pretty scared when they left last night. It was enough to get me aroused looking at her go after them. Knowing that she wanted to protect me. Perhaps that made me a weak man, but I didn’t give a fuck. She was sexy as hell.
She curled her body toward me, and I wrapped mine around her. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement.
I jerked up in the bed. She moaned.
“Who is there?” I asked.
“You are paranoid,” she said.
“He is not,” a woman’s voice hung in the air.
“No,” I muttered. “No, no, no.”
Grace raised up on one elbow. “What’s wrong with you?”
“She is here,” I rasped, grabbing my pants as I jumped out of the bed. I started searching the house, but my wife was no where to be found.
Grace stood outside my bedroom door wrapped in a blanket looking confused.
“I’m sorry. After yesterday, perhaps I am jumpy,” I admitted.
“Are you coming back to bed?” she asked.
“No, I’m up now,” I said.
“I’ll get you up,” she quipped.
I sighed, because with just the tone in her voice, my dick jumped to attention. “I need a drink,” I muttered as I walked back toward the kitchen.
She followed me, so I poured her a glass too. She took a sip and grimaced.
“What is this?”
“Brandy,” I said.
“You would drink an alcohol named after a woman,” she smirked.
“I love women,” I admitted.
“Have you never settled down?” she asked.
“No,” I said quickly. This was a conversation I did not want to have.
“Me either,” she said. “This is awful. Give me whiskey.”
It just so happened that I had a bottle of her favorite. Fit for royalty even if it was Canadian. I slurped down the last of the brandy in her glass, then poured the whiskey.
She hummed as she sipped it. “Much better.”
“Ho
w do you make everything sexy?” I laughed. “Even drinking whiskey.”
“It’s a talent,” she laughed.
“It’s a gift,” I said tugging on the blanket wrapped around her. She didn’t say a word, just lifted her eyebrow. So, damn sexy.
9
GRACE
At first, I thought he’d lost his mind searching the house earlier, but then I heard it.
“I can’t believe you are doing this to me, Remy,” a female voice echoed through the house.
“Go away!” he yelled.
“Remy?”
“It’s a witch. She drives me crazy,” he huffed as he climbed out of the bed again. He jerked on his pants and pulled a t-shirt over his head. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
“Witch?”
“Grace, please. Get some clothes on. I never thought I’d hear myself say that, but yes, please. It’s time to go,” he said.
“The wards are for her,” I surmised.
“Yes,” he muttered.
“But she can get her voice through it?”
“Apparently. She’s powerful. Please, Grace, let’s go,” he pleaded. Exasperated, he stood with his hands on his hips waiting for me to get out of the bed.
“What did you do to her? Love her then leave her? Witches are nasty business,” I said. I’d run into a few over the years. None of them were nice, and they always seemed like they had something to prove.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Grace,” he groaned.
I could be a pain in the ass, but there was something in his tone that warned me away from smarting off to him or making this difficult. This witch had done a number on him. Made me wanted to show her real power. Once again, my darkness flared with the desire to protect what I…
…what I cared about. I cared about him a lot.
We pulled up in front of my trailer in his Mercedes. Jeremiah was sitting on the steps of my trailer with a scowl on his face.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite zealot,” I teased.
“Afternoon, Grace. Remy,” he said dryly.
Remy didn’t respond.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I need to talk to Remy,” he said.
“You just assumed he would be here?” I asked.
“Let’s get this straight, Grace Ann Bryant. You have an agreement with the Sanhedrin. I know where you are at all times. I know who you are with. In fact, I know you are wearing black panties. There is nothing you do or say that I don’t know about,” he growled.
“Asshole,” I said shoving past him into the trailer. I hated it not because he was mean. I hated it because he was right. They owned me, and I had allowed it to happen.
Living on the run had begun to wear me out. Looking over my shoulder. Never staying in one place for very long. The only peace I had found was living in a trailer park before this one. A nice neighbor adopted me like I was one of her own children. I’d never had a parent show so much love and kindness to me.
Mrs. Sharolyn taught me things that I never thought necessary in my life. She made me want to settle down and stop running. She was the reason I approached Jeremiah about a deal. He quickly jumped on the idea and I signed my life away to the Sanhedrin in my own blood.
Outside I could hear Remy and Jeremiah talking in muffled tones. Pulling on my power, I tuned out all the world around me. I focused on the two men only to hit a brick wall of magic. Jeremiah didn’t want me hearing what they were saying.
I slumped down on the couch and resolved to tell Remy that we needed to move on with our lives away from each other. Deep inside of me, I felt an ache that I’d only felt once in my life. I wasn’t in love with Remy, but the promise that I could have a normal life shattered before my eyes. It was a lie I had told myself, and it hurt to the depths of my soul. Sharolyn had ruined me by giving me hope. Making me feel when I shouldn’t.
Remy’s car rumbled to life. I jumped up to look out of the window as Jeremiah came inside uninvited.
“He said he will call you later,” Jeremiah explained.
“Probably best if he didn’t,” I sighed.
“You breaking up with him?” Jeremiah asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Why?” he asked.
“You were right,” I mumbled.
“Well, those are words that I never thought I’d hear, but why don’t you explain yourself,” he pushed.
I slumped back down on the couch as tears formed in the corners of my eyes. I refused to cry. This wasn’t a crying moment. I was admitting to myself that I was wrong.
“I can’t have a long term relationship. I guess you know that I used my power yesterday.”
“I do, but you did it to protect him,” Jeremiah said as if it were a good thing. Questions must have filled my gaze, because he continued. “Grace, I’ve never wanted you to not be who you are. Yes, you have to keep your power in check. Yes, I think a long relationship with one person is a bad idea, but I admit that it’s nice to see you happy with him. It’s nice to know there is a part of you that is willing to break the rules to protect someone you care about. It means there is a heart in there somewhere.”
“I’m not a cold bitch,” I snarled.
“No, but you can be,” he said. “Either way, I’m not telling you what to do about Remy. Do whatever you want, but I warn you now, this won’t end well.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I just can’t, Gracie. It’s not the way of your world,” he said.
“I hate my world. My world kicked me out,” I huffed.
“They are worse off for it,” he replied.
“Huh?” That statement surprised me.
“I think your father would have you come home if you wanted.”
“Have you spoken to him?”
“Not lately.”
“Jerry, you never told me you know my father.”
“Grace, everyone knows the King of the Otherworld. He wasn’t happy about our agreement, but you signed it in blood. There is nothing he can do about it,” he said.
“He wanted to change it?”
“He wanted to nullify it.”
“Why?”
“I suppose it’s because he loves his daughter,” Jeremiah said.
“Bullshit,” I laughed. “My father is the main one that kicked me out. He was the king. He could have overruled them all. He does not love me.”
“Perhaps he thinks he made a mistake,” Jeremiah suggested.
“You are a comedian, Jerry. My father doesn’t love me. If he did, no oath to the Sanhedrin would stop him from taking me home. He gets what he wants,” I said.
“I suppose,” Jeremiah admitted. “Just the impression that I got from him.”
“What were you and Remy talking about?” I asked.
“It doesn’t concern you,” he said.
“You can leave now, Jerry,” I said.
“Grace, I have another trailer prepared for you in Shady Grove whenever you are ready to go. Just let me know and we will make the move. It’s nicer than this one, and the town is great. It has a diner and a bar. You will like it,” he said.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll let you know,” I said, feeling defeated. I just wanted him to leave. After the emotional day with Remy, the last thing I needed was Jeremiah Freyman talking about my father.
My father, Oberon. The one who cursed and banned me from my home. I wasn’t forsaken, but I was thrown out which was almost as bad. Nothing Jeremiah said made me believe my father had changed his tune. I hadn’t seen him since I left that world ages ago. He was the king of his realm. If he wanted to talk to his daughter, it wouldn’t be very hard. He could appear before me right now, and no one would know. There was nothing Jeremiah could say to make me think that my father still loved me.
“I know you aren’t interested in your father, but he is and always has been interested in you. Granted, he hasn’t been a very good father, but I have no row to hoe in that measure. But that is neither here or there. This contr
act will prove to be good for you in the end. The Sanhedrin no longer want to kill you. Since you signed the paperwork, they trust me to keep you in check,” he explained.
“Jeremiah, right now, I don’t care. Just go away,” I said.
“Grace, you deserve some happiness in this world,” he said.
“I don’t need your condescension, Jerry.”
“It’s truth, Gracie. Just truth.”
10
REMY
“More?” Judy asked.
“One more,” I replied. I’d been drinking since I left Grace and Jeremiah. He’d given me the ultimatum. He was moving Grace to Shady Grove as soon as possible. Either I could go with her or let her go.
“Where’s your girl?” Jenny asked.
“At home,” I replied.
“Wanna talk about it?” she asked.
“I love her,” I said.
“And that’s a problem?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She deserves better. She has to go,” I lamented.
“Go with her,” she suggested.
“I could, but it wouldn’t work out. I have too many secrets.”
“We all have secrets, honey. I’m sure she has a few,” Judy offered.
“Not like mine,” I said, slinging back another shot. “Another.”
“I’m cutting you off, Remy. Go have your pity party somewhere else. You come in here all flirty with me and every other woman, but we always knew she was the only one in your eyes. Now you are going to give her up. Just like that? Then it wasn’t real in the first place, and you are a fool. So get out,” Judy said.
I dug money out of my wallet leaving Judy a hefty tip.
“Thanks, Judy. You are a sweetheart even when you are fed up with me,” I muttered, then walked out into the cold night.
It was time to choose. I’d have to give up my entire life establishment to follow Grace to Shady Grove. It wasn’t a good place for a fairy or the like to end up. A curse rested on that town and its inhabitants. If I stepped into that town, I’d be cursed too. Forever.
