Finding Faerie (19 page)

“Unbelievable,” I muttered.

“I second that,” Leo snarled.

Naela cleared her throat. “Well then, I suppose that’s my cue to leave. We sent word to Ornessa that you’ve arrived. She’ll be in momentarily.”

Naela left the room, closing the door behind her.

When Vance looked about to speak, I held up my hand and gave both guys major stink eye. “Not one fucking word from either of you,” I warned. “I’m not in the mood.”

The three of us sat in awkward silence for about ten minutes before the doorknob turned. I looked up and was frozen in shock.

“Mom?” I croaked.

M
y mom clutched her hand to her chest. She looked exactly as I remembered; only her chestnut hair was styled differently now.
How is this possible? She died over twenty
years ago!

“It’s true,” she gasped.

Vance looked between the two of us. “Karli, no.”

I blinked through my tears as I faced Vance. “Huh? Did you say something?”

He knelt in front of me and grabbed my hand. “Honey, that’s not your mom. This is Ornessa.”

I blinked a few more times. “What?”

Vance pulled me into a standing position and looked at the woman with features so similar to my own. “Ornessa, meet your granddaughter. This is Karli.”

She came up to me and brushed her fingertips against my cheek. “I wouldn’t have believed it, if I wasn’t seeing it for myself.” She briefly glanced at Vance. “When I heard you were coming, I was so pleased. But when I heard that I had a granddaughter? Words cannot describe the elation I felt.” She rested her hands on my shoulders. “You look so much like your mother. I should be furious with her for keeping you from me, but knowing Bryt, she had her reasons.”

Everything was finally starting to register. This wasn’t my mother resurrected from the dead. The woman standing before me was practically a carbon copy of her, but close up, I could see minute differences. Her top lip was slightly fuller, her ears were a little less pointed, and her frame was a bit more rounded. The most noticeable disparity though was in her eyes. While Ornessa appeared to be the same age as me, I knew she was remarkably older through those eyes, as they spoke volumes. You’d have to be blind to miss the wisdom they held in their depths. 

I collapsed into her arms and sobbed. She felt just like my mom; even smelled like her. I didn’t realize how much I missed having one until that moment.

A few seconds later, Leo approached us and offered his hand in greeting. I wiped my eyes as I introduced them. “This is Leo. He’s the one who made arrangements to get us here.”

Ornessa stiffened and narrowed her eyes. “Why does the blood of my blood flow through your veins?”

Leo looked startled and I was pretty sure I did too. “Karli was poisoned a while back by a demon,” he explained. “Removing the infected blood was necessary to save her life.”

I flushed.
How could she possibly know that Leo has had my blood?
I must have telegraphed that thought because my grandmother’s voice popped into my head a second later.

The blood transfer is fresh. Why does he lie?
She cleared her throat when I failed to reply. “Gentlemen, may I have a private moment with my granddaughter, please?”

“Of course,” Leo said. 

“Sure,” Vance agreed. “We’ll be waiting out front when you’re ready, Karli.”

I nodded.

Ornessa began her telepathic interrogation as soon as the door was closed.
Are you daft?
You willingly let a vampire have your blood?

So much for the happy family reunion. “I’m sorry, but I think that’s between me and Leo.” I refused to have this conversation in our heads. Ornessa may have been my only living relative but I was a grown woman fully capable of making my own choices.

He’s your lover, isn’t he? I knew I sensed an intimate bond between you! Her volume had increased. Do you have no sense of self-preservation whatsoever? I will not allow this!

I resumed my seat on the couch. If I was going to sit through this crap, I was damn well going to be comfortable. I crossed my arms. “Again, I think that’s between me and Leo.”

Bollocks! I still can’t believe I allowed him into our realm, tonic or no tonic. Everything you do is my business! You are too important to our people to take such risks! Our future is at stake!

“What does that mean? What’s so special about me? These people don’t even know me. And please stop making judgments about Leo! He is a good man.”

He is a vampire!

“Oh, trust me, I’m well aware. Just as
he’s
well aware of what I am!
He has proven countless times that he would never harm me.” No way was I about to tell her that he’d also scared me a few times recently.

She stood ramrod straight and cut our telepathic wire. “It’s no matter.”

Huh?
“You’re dropping the subject now? Just like that?”

She nodded. “Your past is irrelevant. What’s important is your future. Besides, it’s not like your fiancé hasn’t had his share of questionable bedmates.”

“I’m sorry; I don’t think I heard you correctly. My
what
?”

“Thylus. He is your betrothed. You shall be wed in one week’s time.”

Oh, hell no.

After dropping the wedding bomb, Ornessa stormed out of the room. I sat there stunned, unable to move. Being here was nothing like I’d thought it would be.
Why couldn’t life have a rewind button
, I wondered. I didn’t care how beautiful the scenery was; right then, I wanted to go back to the day I’d read that passage about the portal and burn the page.

Naela peeked her head through the door a few minutes later.
Oh,
great, could this day get any worse?
“Your cottages are ready. The guys are waiting out front.”

Dazed, I followed her. She led us through the village until we reached a row of houses about a half mile in. Three identical huts sat nestled in some pines, backed up against a small stream. Each one was made of stone and had a narrow door with two small windows. They were quite charming but I was too soured from my experience so far to appreciate them.

“Guest housing,” Vance stated.

I nodded, still not saying a word. I walked inside and found a single room with a wood-burning stove, a full-sized mattress on wooden slats, and a small, three-piece bath towards the back. It was odd to me that they had indoor plumbing and electricity here when everything else was so simple.
Was that a modern convenience created by magic,
I wondered. I certainly wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Leo glanced around the cottage. “The window coverings are sheer. Is there somewhere I can procure something more protective from the daylight?”

“No one told you about the sun?” Naela asked.

Leo tipped his head to the right. “I’ve barely spoken a word to anyone since our arrival. Your people have not been so…welcoming.”

I felt sad for Leo. He really was being treated like the redheaded stepchild and it made me love him just a little bit more. He had to have known what he would be subjected to when he decided to accompany me.

I felt a twinge of empathy coming from Naela as well. “I’m sorry about that. Sometimes, we can get a little closed-minded when it comes to vampires. It’s an instinct I think, after what happened. That doesn’t make it any less reprehensible, but I feel the need to explain. Give them time, they’ll come around.”

Leo nodded. “What is it that I need to know about the sun?”

“Oh, that. Our sun is different here than on Earth.”

“Different how? Do I need to make extra preparations?”

Naela shook her head. “No, that’s just it. You needn’t worry about
any
preparations. Our sun can’t harm you.”

“What?” Leo and I shouted in unison. Well, that got me out of my funk.

“How did I not know about this?” Vance fired off at the same time.

Naela faced Vance. “Very few vampires have roamed our land. On occasion, the elders would work with a vampire that they deemed…useful for their special talents. But once they realized that vampires could not control their thirst around the Fae, they prohibited any from entering. A vampire has all of their strength here yet none of the weaknesses they face in the human world. That’s why we prepared the tonic. We needed insurance.” She faced Leo. “You’re the first to pass through in over two hundred years.”

Leo looked awestruck. “I can roam around in the daylight? With no harm whatsoever?”

She nodded. “None.”

“I haven’t seen the sunrise in over five hundred years,” he whispered. “My love, will you watch it with me? At dawn?”

I wiped a tear away from my eye. “Of course, Leo. I’d be honored.”

“Fucking fantastic,” Vance mumbled.

Naela gestured between the three of us. “What’s the story with you guys? Do you have some hot ménage thing going on?”

“NO!” all three of us shouted at once. 

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Well, then what’s the deal? I can feel how possessive they are over you.”

I shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

“Does Thylus know about this…
complication
of yours?”

“Why in the hell would that idiot care?” Vance growled.

“Uh, because he’s her fiancé.” The
duh
was implied in her tone.

“
H
er what
?” both men shouted.

Naela cringed. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger!”

Leo turned towards me. “Did you know about this?”

“I just found out about twenty minutes ago. I haven’t exactly had the chance to discuss it with you.”

“Naela, explain,” Vance demanded.

Naela blew a piece of hair out of her face. “It was foretold that Ornessa’s grandchild would wed Arianne’s grandchild. Ty is Arianne’s only grandson and unless you have any siblings we don’t know about,
you’re it, Karli
. We all thought Ty was going to be a lifetime bachelor, but now that we know you exist, that’s not the case. There are very few Omnipotent Fae left in existence. It’s your duty to strengthen the population.”

“You want to turn me into a baby factory?” I shrieked.

“
I
don’t want to turn you into anything,” she answered. “It’s totally archaic, I know, but at the same time it makes sense. Nothing is more important than the preservation of our people.”

“Free will isn’t important?” I asked.

“Sure it is,” Naela shrugged, “but you should
want
to do this. Any of us would make the sacrifice for the greater good. Besides, it’s not exactly a hardship. He’s young, but so are you. And he really is a skilled lover.”

“Is there anyone you haven’t slept with?” I muttered.

She pointed to Leo. “Him. I haven’t had the pleasure of him.
Yet
. As for Thylus, I wasn’t speaking from personal experience; the women talk around here. My point was that you have nothing to worry about. He’s easy on the eyes and he’ll keep you satisfied in bed. What else do you need?”

“Oh, I don’t know…something in common?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re quite the dramatic one, aren’t you? You’re both omnipotent and you have connecting parts. What more do you need?”

“
Dramatic
?” I yelled. “Well, at least I’m not the town who—”

Vance threw his arm out and shoved me behind him. “Naela, you should probably go now. We’ll get this cleared up with Ornessa. Thanks for showing us to our rooms.”

She winked as she started walking away. “Good luck with that.”

I sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. Vance and Leo both followed me inside and leaned against the wall.

“This is not turning out how I thought it would,” I said.

“My love, I’m sure we’ll get this sorted out soon enough. They can’t force you to marry anyone.” 

I locked eyes with Vance. “Is that true?” 

Vance rubbed the back of his neck. “They do things a little differently around here, as you can plainly see.”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

Vance blew out a breath. “Naela explained it perfectly. No one would
force
you to do anything; they wouldn’t dream of it. But that’s mainly because they expect you to do what’s best for the people. They expect you to make the decision yourself, to honor your bloodline. They’re selfless. The village’s needs come before their individual needs. It’s their way of life.”

“It’s not
my
way of life,” I whined. “I understand selflessness, and I respect it. But I’m not about to make a lifetime commitment to anyone,
especially
someone I just met, for the greater good of a community that I don’t belong to. This isn’t my home. I belong on Earth…in Las Vegas.  I came here to learn how to control my powers, nothing more.”

“I know that, Karli,” Vance said and sighed. “I’ll talk to Ornessa. Just give me some time. Why don’t you freshen up and relax? I’ll go find her.”

I decided to take Vance’s advice. About the freshening up piece anyway; there wasn’t enough Xanax in existence to make me relax right then. After bathing, I opened the tiny bathroom closet. Two ankle-length white muslin gowns hung from the rack, with two pairs of matching ballet slippers below. They were identical to the dresses the giggling twosome wore at the lodge.

I stood there for a moment contemplating my choices. The temperature was too warm to put my jeans and sweater back on. I debated breaking my magical hiatus but decided it wasn’t worth the risk; I could ask Vance to conjure a new outfit for me when he got back. I grabbed a dress off the hanger and pulled it over my head. I turned towards the mirror and was actually impressed with what I saw. The gown fit perfectly and made me feel unequivocally feminine. I slid my feet into the slippers and stepped into the main room.

Leo crossed the threshold with damp hair of his own. I gave him a good once over, not even trying to hide my appreciation. He looked
good
. A black t-shirt was stretched tight across his chest and matching slacks clung to his long, muscular legs. He reminded me of a panther as he stalked towards me. Absolute beauty and grace, yet fully capable of ripping your throat out at a moment’s notice. I smiled when I thought about how I’d been allowed to lie with the beast. True, maybe he was a little rough at times, but only when I wanted him to be. This beast treasured me, protected me at all cost.

He placed a kiss against my knuckles. “You look beautiful, my love.”

I smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself. I take it your closet had fresh clothes as well?”

He nodded. “It did. I was a bit surprised everything fit though; I’m not exactly an easy man to clothe off the rack.”

You could say that again. Leo was not only ridiculously tall but he had at least two hundred and fifty pounds of stacked muscle. Hmm…that
was
strange. Did someone secretly take our measurements or something?

“So, what should we do now?” 

“Any word from Vance yet?” he countered.

“Nope.”

“Are you hungry? We could walk around and see what we can find.”

I shook my head as I blatantly checked him out. “Not for food.” God, I thought my hormones were out of control with this man before, but now that I’d actually slept with him, they were unstoppable. I didn’t give a rat’s ass about taking a
break
right then. His wet hair instantly made me think of our sexy shower, which in turn, made me want to drag him back into one.

He smiled. “You’re not exactly making this companion thing easy, my dear.”

I bit my lip, knowing that it drove him crazy. “I’m not trying to.”

“Clearly.” He leaned in and kissed the throbbing pulse on my neck.

I gasped as his tongue darted out. “Oh, God!” I grabbed his shirt in my fists, half because I needed to steady myself, half because I wanted the damn thing off. Someone started banging on the door right as I felt him giving in. “This better be good,” I grumbled as I threw the door open.

Ty stood outside, looking past my shoulder and scowling. I glanced behind me and could see Leo righting himself. You’d have to be an idiot not to figure out what had been about to happen. Ty’s expression told me he definitely wasn’t one of those.

“You’re needed at the council,” he snapped. “Your grandmother has requested an audience.”

Leo joined us and took my hand. “Let’s go, my love.”

Ty glared at him. “I didn’t say
your
presence was requested. Ornessa made it very clear that Karli is needed.
Not you
.”

Leo smirked. “Well, then I will walk with her and wait outside. You can run off and play now.”

“I will do no such thing!” Ty bellowed. “My instructions were clear. I was to retrieve my
fiancée
and return to the council.”

Leo growled. Oh, lord, this was not going to end well if I didn’t put a stop to it. “Leo, why don’t you stay here? I’ll be fine with Ty.”

Ty grinned. “Yes, Vampire, I’ll take good care of her.”

“Whoa, I can feel the testosterone brewing from a mile away,” Naela interrupted.
Where did she come from?
“Leo, Karli will be fine. Vance is with Ornessa at the council. It’s best if you sit this one out. I’ll stay here with you.”

Okay, I didn’t exactly like that solution either, but I needed to separate Leo and Ty before tempers flared any higher. I had a good feeling that Leo didn’t give a damn about the ticking time bomb inside of him right then.

I placed my hand on his chest. “I’ll be fine; I promise. I’ll meet you back at your place as soon as I’m done.”

He leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon and we can pick up where we left off.”

I shivered. “Okay.”

“Can we go now?” Ty asked irritably.

“Lead the way.”