Blown Away (Rogues Shifter Series Book 4) (21 page)

“No, this is Pack Leader/Council Member Aaron. He’s usually Cousin Aaron when we’re together.”

“I’m impressed.”

“He’s b
een a wolf for two hundred and eleven years; head alpha for over a hundred. He’s a serious badass, but he knows how to instill loyalty better than any other pack leader I’ve come across. He’s got four working packs. Almost three hundred wolves look to him as their leader.”

“And I thought you and your little nest were something.”
Liam almost choked on his steak trying to hold in the laughter. Farrell looked from me to Garrett and back to me, not knowing if I was being serious or not, but Liam said something in Fae and Farrell relaxed.

Garrett sent only to me
, “I’m the first person he calls to bail him out of trouble.”

Well, that’s okay
then. I Just wanted to make sure that I hooked up with the right cousin.

“Later.”

“Uh huh. Plus tard.”

After dinner, Farrell cuffed Gabriel in front of the upstairs TV
and then returned to Faerie. Kaera arrived soon after. Since she’d been part of the original party, it was agreed that she should be in on the discussion.

She came early so we could warn her about recent even
ts. She was angry. “So you have taken them into custody without consulting the Fae Elders? Liam, does your father know this, because my father, Lord Argon, does not. When he finds out he’ll be paying your Oregon pack a visit I’m sure, Aaron.” Her eyes flashed with gold and her hand clasped at the blade at her belt. Aaron was smiling at her, but his eyes had started to go wolf.

Liam stood up before this went any further. “Keara you are disgracing yourself in the home of our allies. We ar
e here tonight to work this out, to reach an accord between our races regarding these wolves who’ve injured Brina but also Sinc and Jackie. Our fathers will be informed when decisions are made between us.” He said a few words to her in Fae and she continued to glare at him stubbornly. When his eyes flashed gold, I saw her flinch. Liam was 1500: Kaera 300. She may be an amazing fae warrior but there was no contest between them power-wise.

She faced me a
nd Garrett. “I apologize for my—my outburst. I should have more control, but I am very concerned about my sister. Please forgive me.” She faced Aaron, whose eyes had returned to his normal blue. “I am willing to listen to what you have to say.” I guess that was the best Aaron was going to get from her.

“Is Brina not recovering?” I asked.

“She was badly burned. She will be fine in a week or so, but she is suffering greatly. Fae magic isn’t helping the way it should. I think there were lead particles in the fire.”

“I’ll go back with you tonight to se
e if I can help.”

“Thank you.” She looked relieved as she sat down across from me. We’d added a leaf to the kitchen table to fit everyone. Kyle & Ethan arrived soon after, as well as the three nest mates who'd just been out feeding. We had ten in all.

“And how is Sinc?” Kaera asked as everyone settled into their seats.

“Sinc will be coming home tomorrow and she’ll be staying here with us. She’s healing well.”

We turned to look at Aaron as Garrett spoke up. “Aaron is on the Western Pack Council and has information regarding the current state of the Los Altos pack.”

Aaron told the team everything he’d already explained to us. “Basically what it comes down to is this: they’re wolves and they can only be judged and either acquitted or punished by their own kind. This is our law.”

Kaera spoke firmly. “This law has no bearing on our rights. You must at least turn Karl over to us.”

“I
must
protect my kind. Karl is a wolf. He will be tried and executed by other wolves. I believe the Fae have a similar law. No one other than a fae can execute another fae for a crime, isn’t that correct, Kaera?”

“We will have retribution.” Kaera was trying to hold onto her temper but her violet eyes darkened with anger.

Aaron leaned closer and spoke softly. “It’s perfectly understandable that you want Karl to suffer as Brina is. Come to his trial and testify against him. Come to the execution. I have no doubt that he’ll be put down.”

“And how will you execute him? Chop off his head? Rip out his throat? Too easy a death.”

“If he’s found guilty of murder through use of blood magic, the usual sentence is to be chained in silver and burned alive. A fitting death, considering what he did to Brina, Sinc and those children, don’t you think? There’s evidence that he’s been killing and torturing children for at least five years, as well as quite a few human women.”

Keara glanced at Liam and something passed between them. “Yes. This would be acceptable. May my
father come to the execution?”

“Of course.”

“And how will the WPC punish Gabriel?”

“Gabriel is coming
with me. I’ll punish him as I see fit.”

“Gabriel would have killed Jacqueline, by not warning her. He intended for all the vampires to die and for Liam, Brina and me to die as well. He only wanted to save Sinclair.”

“How do you and Jackie feel regarding Gabriel?” Aaron looked at Garrett.

“Jackie and Liam questioned him last night. He didn’t set the bomb and he was told by his father that it would only be used to destroy evidence and not harm anyone. When it was decided that we should die, he was told by Karl that their mother would die if he warned us. He didn’t have anything to do with the blood magic rites. I’m personally willing to hand him over to Aaron. Jackie?”

“I feel the same.”

“Sasha, Heinrich, Will?”

Heinrich scowled. “I’d like to punch the crap out of him. What are you gonna do to him, Aaron?”

Aaron grinned. “Have my beta, Franklin, punch the crap out of him, but call it training. Over a per
iod of weeks, I think. He’ll live under my thumb doing menial chores, but I'll also give him the practical instruction that he should have gotten from his father. Eventually I might set him up in his own pack, under my sponsorship and supervision. He’s powerful and intelligent. It would be a shame to lose a leader of that caliber. I think in the end, he’ll turn out okay, whether he leads a pack or not.”

Sasha and Will went along with the plan. Liam, Kyle and Ethan too.

Kaera twisted her mouth and huffed out an exasperated sigh. “I will agree, as long as you swear to take responsibility for his future actions.”

“I am responsible for every one of my wolves, and Gabriel is now one of mine. He’ll also be required to witness the executions of any of his pack members. The death of his brother and his father will mark him. He’ll fall in line. You all have the right to be there.”

I shuddered at the thought of watching someone else burned alive. “I’m going to pass, if that’s alright.” I took Garrett’s hand and said softly. “I’d like to check on Brina.”

“Yes, go ahead.” He looked back at Aaron.
“I suppose we won’t ever see the rest of our fee.”

“Why
, Cuz, the Los Altos pack’s finances are now under the control of the WPC and so if you submit an invoice, you’ll be paid. We’ll try to split up the assets among the families so they’ll all have start-up money wherever they end up. Sinc will be included in the dispersal of funds.”

That news made me very happy, so I gave Aaron a hug, said goodbye to the others and headed to Faerie with Kaera.

The room was darkened, unusual for a room in Faerie where light was as important as oxygen. Brina’s arms, legs and cheeks were blistered and raw and she was moaning in her sleep. The smell of burned flesh and hair filled the room with its stringent scent and I had to fight back a wave of nausea. I lowered myself into a chair next to the bed and took her bandaged hand in mine while Kaera stood behind me. Lord Argon and his consort, Lady Tereza, were also there, standing a silent vigil, their eyes moving from Brina to me and back to their daughter. The fae weren’t prepared for long term pain or illness. Their natural healing energy kicked in immediately when they were injured physically. After a night’s sleep, they were completely recovered, even when the injury was very serious.

I sent her a slow wave of my energy, keeping it gentle so as not to shock her, but I felt a block, similar to a psychic block only it seemed to be tainted with chemicals. I played with it for a few minutes, managing to untwist and unravel the thinnest part and poke some holes through the fabric of the magic. Finally my healing energy flowed smoothly, having found the outlets I’d created, and this time she responded. Her moaning stopped, her shoulders relaxed and I witnessed her natural healing ability jumpstart. Lord Argon smiled at me and then at his daughter, covering Lady Tereza’s hand with his own. When I noticed a tear make its way down the Lady’s cheek, I turned back to Brina.

Keara crouched by my chair. “Thank you, Jacqueline. Liam wasn’t able to get past the block. Was it iron?”

“I think so, probably a chemical compound that combined with the fire as it burned her. I’m no scientist. You should have come to me right away.”

She laughed. “You were injured yourself.”

"Thank you for saving me and Sinc. We'd both be dead if you hadn't acted so quickly. I brought some of this down on us. Karl knew that I was on to him. I should have been more discreet, but I have trouble backing down and keeping my mouth shut.”

“Look who you are talking to.” We laughed together. Kaera and Brina were both the kind to speak their minds openly.

Brina spoke suddenly from her bed. “Sister, why are you laughing as I lay here on my deathbed?”

“So dramatic, sister. I am afraid you will live to torture me another day. I will send for some food and honey wine.”

Lady Tereza and Lord Argon were on the other side of the bed speaking to Brina in Fae so I stayed by the window to give them privacy. A flock of tiny pixies flew by, giggling when they saw me at the open window. One of them stayed behind as the rest flew off. She was so small, with shiny teal wings that looked paper thin, and she spoke to me in a light voice in a language so lovely it made my heart break.

Kaera explained. “She asks if you are humankind or shifterkin. I’ll reply for you if you like.” I nodded. Kaera spoke a few sentences in the Pixie’s sweet language and I watched the tiny creature’s eyes widen in surprise. I peered at her with my magic and saw a brilliant aura of fuscia pink. Her bright red hair glistened in the sunshine as she asked another question.

“Now she wants to know if you will allow her to sit on your shoulder. She likes your scent. She says it is different from all others. I’d be careful if I were you. She might like you so much that she decides to take a bite out of your earlobe. They look very sweet, but the demi-fey like a certain amount of blood in their diet. They must eat often because their metabolism is so fast."

"Please tell her that I would be delighted if she would sit on my shoulder, but she may not bite me or take blood. And I would ask her name if that isn’t rude.”

Kaera translated and the pixie flew in to sit on my shoulder. I hardly felt her there, but she had a sweet scent of her own.  “Sinlae is my name. What is yours?” Her accent was thick but I was able to understand her if I listened careful
ly.

Kaera raised an eyebrow and laughed. “A pixie who speaks English is rare.”

“Kaera, child of Argon, I greet you.” Her wings fluttered and tickled my neck as she dove off of my shoulder and hovered a foot from Kaera’s face with her hand over her heart.

“And I you, Sinlae, pixiekin.”

“I’m Jackie, Sinlae.”

“Jah Kee, shifterkin and demonspawn, I greet you.” Kaera must have told her everything.

“And I you, Sinlae, pixiekin.” This was beyond bizarre, but she was so lovely and sweet.

Brina saw us by the window. “Jackie, don’t let one of those devils attach themselves to you. You’ll never get rid of her.”

I walked over with Sinlae back on my shoulder and I felt the little one tense up. “I do not greet you Brina, child of Argon.”

Brina laughed. “I know this one. She causes all kinds of mischief.”

“How do you feel, Brina?” I asked. Her skin was still red, but the blisters had disappeared and she was smiling; a sure sign of her imminent recovery.

“Much improved. Thank you for w
orking your magic. The pain was—unpleasant.”

“You were moaning like a girl.” Kaera teased her.

“I will show you on the training grounds how to moan like a girl, sister.”

I tried to look stern. “Eat and rest. Doctor’s orders.” Brina laughed.

“You are healer?” Sinlae asked. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on something. “So strong. Emerald aura like Lord Liam.”

“
Lord
Liam?”

Brina answered. “Technically after 1000 years a fae of noble birth is to be
called lord or  lady—but Liam does not insist on the title and neither does Aedus, and for that I am grateful. I think Aedus is already too full of himself.”

“You are just jealous of Philladre, admit it sister.”

“I feel sorry for her.” Brina grinned. “But I think this one has a little crush on Lord Liam.”