04 Shadow Blood - Witch Fairy (23 page)

Chapter 28

Everything is so silent, I’m not sure for a moment if I’m actually back in my time.  “Is everyone okay?” I ask.

One huge, collective breath is released.  And then everyone is talking at once.  It takes forever to explain everything after making sure that Aunt Barb and Zac are okay.  Aunt Barb feels really out of it, but she doesn’t want to be alone right now to rest.  I don’t blame her.

After a while, things begin to calm down and it’s time to talk about how to go forward from here.  There are a lot of new problems to be worked out.  “Mom, Dad, what do you think should be done about Zac’s magic being unbound?”  Zac’s sitting on my lap.  He definitely doesn’t want to be alone right now.  He’s had a lot of evil running through him; he’s going to need a ton of tender loving care and time to recover.

Mom sighs.  “I have been thinking about that and with everything that has gone on, it doesn’t seem right to bind his magic.  If it hadn’t been bound before, maybe he would have been able to fight against this possession.”  Probably not, but I’m not going to argue.  I don’t think his magic should be rebound either.

“It is not safe to have an unbound Witch child in a Cowan realm,” Isla says.  Before Mom can argue with her, she continues, “Perhaps he should remain here, where his magic can be tamed as well as encouraged.”

Mom looks like she doesn’t know if she should be angry or not.  “You want us to leave our son here?”

Isla smiles.  “Not without you remaining, as well.”

Stay here, in this beautiful realm, where there’s no snow and everyone knows about magic?  I like this idea.  “That sounds like the best plan, Mom.”  I can’t hide the grin fighting for space on my face.

Mom turns to Dad.  “Jim?”

He shrugs.  “It would be nice not to hide anymore.”

Mom nods.  “I agree.”  Turning to Isla, she says, “If your offer is genuine, we would love to take you up on it.”

“This house was not made to contain just myself and Tabitha.  It needs youth and laughter.”

“I want to stay here,” Zac says quietly. 

I hug him tighter.  “Me, too.”

“Then it is decided,” Tabitha says, rising to her feet with the warmest smile I’ve ever seen on her face.  “We will prepare permanent rooms for you all.”

A new thought pops into my mind, something that’s been nagging at my subconcious.  “Aunt Barb, if you were being controlled by the evil in Zac, why did you try to kill him?”

Aunt Barb looks down at her hands that are folded in her lap.  “I’m ashamed of that.”

“What happened?” I ask softly.

“The evil in Zac made me poison the tea that we had seen Alita drink earlier.  It knew that it was only a matter of time before it became evident that Alita was sensing the black magic.  When we knew that Alita had drank the poison, Zac…I mean, the evil, lured her into his room to watch her die.”  A tear is making the journey down her cheek.  “For a moment, it was so intent on watching that, I was able to fight the spell.  I grabbed the first thing I could and I struck him, trying to stop the evil from spreading.”

Oh.  I wasn’t expecting that.  She really did try to kill Zac.

Zac stirs on my lap so he can face her.  “It’s okay, Aunt Barb.  I understand why you did it.”

Now, I have tears on my cheeks.  Kallen reaches over and stops one with his thumb as he strokes the spot where the tear was.  “I love you,” he mouths over Zac’s head.  He’s such a great guy.

Dagda has been really quiet while the explanations have been flying around.  He’s definitely churning something over in his mind.  Finally, he says to me, “Let me get this straight.  You are part Angel because your grandmother is a fallen Angel?”

I’ve been dreading this day.  “Yes.”  I can see his brain churning behind his eyes as he tries to think of a way that this news will benefit him.

To my surprise, he doesn’t say anything more about it.  He moves on to his next question.  Staring at Alita with an intensity in his eyes that make them an even brighter green, which I would have guessed to be an impossible task, he says, “And Alita is able to detect black magic?”

I nod.  I glance sidelong at Alita and she’s blushing over his attention, trying to blend into the wallpaper.  “Yes, she can.”

Dagda rubs his chin for a moment.  “That is a useful skill.  One that I would like to have available in many of my day to day dealings.”  Turning his intense gaze back to Alita again, he says, “I would like to offer you a position on my personal staff.”  Looking at Kegan now, he says, “A position that would make any prejudice of bloodlines become obsolete.”

A slow grin spreads over Kegan’s lips.   “Yes, I suppose it would.”

Good lord, my biological father has a heart after all. Who would have thought it?  Though, he is still doing this for his own personal gain, but I can overlook that if the end result is that Kegan and Alita will finally be able to be together.  A glance at Alita tells me that she’s going to accept the job offer.

“Zac, Barb, you both need your rest.  Come upstairs and lie down,” Mom says to them.  I can tell that she’s already forgiven Aunt Barb for everything.  Even the trying to kill Zac, part.  I’m pretty sure, anyway.  I guess only time will tell.  Both of them rise to their feet, and trudge out of the room with Mom and Dad floating with them. 

Dagda rises to his feet, as well, and says to Alita, “I will expect to see you first thing tomorrow morning, eight o’clock.”  She nods shyly but with a smile.  Turning to me, he says, “Now that you will be staying in this realm, perhaps you can help me with the problems I am having with the giants in the south.  I fear that war is coming if I am not able to calm the situation. I believe your magic, and all of its flavors,” he says pointedly, looking at my wings, “would go a long way to prevent that.  I will be making my journey south in three days’ time, will you accompany me?”

No, I don’t want to.  And giants are real?  Well, I guess a war against giants could be pretty awful, and since I’m going to stay in this realm now, I should probably help.  “Okay, but I’m on vacation for the next three days.” 

He inclines his head.  “I will see you in three days’ time, then.”

“I should be getting home, as well,” Alita says.  “I have a lot to talk to my parents about.”

“I will walk with you,” Kegan says.  I’ve never seen him look happier.  Her, either.  They walk out to the terrace hand in hand.

“I believe you need to rest, as well,” Kallen says, standing up and pulling me to my feet.  He has a wicked gleam in his eye.  I don’t believe the rest he is talking about will help me catch up on my sleep.  I’m not complaining, though.

“Yeah, I think I do.”

He practically drags me upstairs in his haste for privacy.  As soon as we enter my room, he pulls me into his arms, kicking the door shut with his foot.  Kissing me in a way that makes my knees weak, he backs me up to the bed.  Sinking us down on top of it, he murmurs against my lips, “About this completely clothed rule…”

“Yes?”

“Is there room for negotiation?”

I grin.  “Definitely.”  To prove my point, I make his t-shirt disappear.  Yes, I still have my magic. 

I can’t believe I agreed to Dagda’s giant request.  Maybe I’m softening a little bit more towards him.  But, for the next three days, the only thing I’m going to be thinking about is how to get as much alone time with Kallen as possible.