Soul Mates Bewitched (2 page)

“
What
?”

“Yeah, what Max said.” I sat down on the corner of Nicolae’s desk. At least he wasn’t jumping out of his seat trying to kill Max again. That was progress.

“So let me get this straight. You—” Nicolae pointed at Max, “—are related to the King of the Light Fae. And you—” Nicolae pointed at me, “—brought him to New York? Are you out of your ever lovin’ mind?”

“Well, technically, it’s kinda the other way around.
Max
brought
me
to New York. He’s also a really powerful shifter.”

“What the hell were you thinking, coming here? There are so many Fae here fighting. Are you trying to get yourself killed? And why didn’t the King kill you as soon as he knew you existed?”

“Oh, Auberon doesn’t kill Sióga Feiceanns. However, the Unseelie might. The Dark Fae really don’t like being seen by humans, especially when they enjoy causing such utter havoc among them,” Max replied before I could.

“And it helped that I’m Max’s best friend. I suddenly became added security, being able to see things other humans couldn’t.”

“Whatever.” Max grinned and rolled his eyes. “Auberon wouldn’t have killed you. He knew the consequences would be steeper than before, if he did.”

I grinned. Max was referring to the seventy years Auberon was without his son and Queen Tatiana keeping him at arm’s length. Not one full blooded Seelie child was born during that entire time. Auberon would never have chanced it.

Nicolae frowned. “So, what are you?” he asked, looking at Max.

Max pushed off the wall and stepped forward. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Nicolae hesitated, and then nodded. “Yes. I must know. I need to know. I have people who have been fighting the Fae, the Dark Fae who engage us. And, it never dawned on me that the Light Fae could see us, but didn’t engage us in combat. We just assumed that the Darker ones were more observant, powerful. I’m sorry.”

Max nodded. He slid his ring from his finger and handed it to me. I watched as his features once again turned Fae, and this time Ivy crowned his head, showing his position of power among the Fae. “I am the Prince of Light and Illusion, heir to King Auberon.”

Nicolae’s eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of Max in all of his Fae glory. And Max was putting on quite a show, he’d even changed his clothes to a silver Fae suit, and his skin glowed bronze in color. If there had been any women in the room, they would have been drooling by now and attempting to get to know him really,
really
well.

“I… I… I don’t know what to say.”

Max smiled. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I’m your Prince.” And with that, I handed him back his ring and he changed back to human.

Nicolae sat dumbfounded for a few more minutes and then looked back at me. “So, why are
you
here? Why did you come to New York? You were safer in Indiana.”

“I need to know more of who I am, and the Unseelie know me now. So, it doesn’t matter where I am. They know I’m a friend to the Prince of Light and Illusion. You trained me to fight. When I was younger, you taught me how to fight with swords. Why did you do that?”

“I had to. Your father… Your father made me promise to teach you before he died in my arms. An Unseelie killed him. After I was sure you knew everything I could teach you, I told your mother to take you away, to a small town in the middle of nowhere. I thought you would be safe.”

“I never forgot your training. Matter of fact I continued training myself. Good thing, too, ‘cause I had some shifters to kill not very long ago. And there have been a couple of Unseelie that have come after me since then.”

Max raised his eyebrow at me. “There have? You never said.”

“You never asked.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize. Tones, you should have told me.”

“No big deal, Dude. I dealt with them.”

“That’s why you’re really here, isn’t it?” Max said, looking at me. “It isn’t because you want to know more. It’s because you want to
do
more. And you want to keep your mom and Teresa safe.”

Sometimes Max was too smart. “Maybe. But I still want to know more about my family.”

Max put his hand on my shoulder. “Just be careful, Tones. Don’t get in over your head.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine. You should probably get back to Anna, I have a feeling she…”

“Needs me right now…the babies…”

“Are coming in a couple of hours.” I grinned at Max. “Congrats, Dude!”

“Babies?” Nicolae asked as Max flashed himself out of his office and to Anna’s side.

“Yeah. Long story really short, Max married his soul mate last October and they’re having triplets. They’re due tonight when the moon’s its fullest. Now, about the Unseelie…where can I find them?” I asked, ready to get started slaying the Dark Fae.

“Y
ou aren’t going out there tonight, not without some more training. Come on, have a drink, see the club. We’ll get you unpacked, and tomorrow, you can show me what you know. Then we’ll see if you are ready to face the Dark Fae.”

“Uncle Nicu, I’m eighteen. I’m not old enough to drink, but I would love to see the club.”

“Pftt. In the Old Country, we did not baby our young men. If you are old enough to go out to hunt and kill, you are old enough to have a drink. Let me worry about the law.”

“No, really… I’ll just have a coke.”

“If you insist. Come, you should see the club.” Nicolae led me out to the club which was just getting into full swing.

It wasn’t your typical nightclub. No, Uncle Nicolae’s club was for the eccentric in taste. It was a bit on the kinky side, with half-dressed ladies in cages using boa constrictors as props, a live band played alternative rock and techno-music. The cocktail waitresses were dressed in alluring costumes of all sorts, and who knew what went on in the VIP section of the club. Nicolae wouldn’t let me near that area, but I caught a glimpse of a well known actor doing things I was sure his wife would not have approved of.

“We’ll put your things upstairs. You can stay with me.”

“You live above the club? I thought you had a place in Jersey.”

“I did, but it seemed easier to convert the top floor to an apartment and stay here.”

I nodded and followed Nicolae up the back stairs to his apartment. It was pretty nice, considering. There were two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom, as well as a studio where Uncle Nicolae did his training. “This is great.”

“Yeah. And the club pays for it all, so it’s good.”

“Thanks for letting me stay with you, Uncle Nicu.”

“Where else would you stay?”

He had me there. If he hadn’t offered, I suppose I would have had to find a job and get a small apartment.

“Get some rest. We’ll start early tomorrow.”

I nodded and watched as Nicolae went back down to his club. The problem was I wasn’t the least bit tired. I decided to explore the apartment, and check out the security. See how easy it would be to get in and out if I had to. Luckily, there was a fire escape on my new bedroom window. It went almost all the way down to the street, I noticed, as I leaned outside to check it out.

Grabbing my gear, I climbed out onto the escape and down the ladder, dropping the last couple of feet to the street below. I looked both ways, scanning my surroundings for any Unseelie. Nothing caught my eye, so I headed over to Central Park. I felt sure that something was hanging out there, lurking in the dark, just waiting for unsuspecting humans to pass it by.

It didn’t take me long to come across a couple. They were ugly ones, too. Scaly skin covered them, and it flaked off as they moved. I didn’t recognize them as any specific kind of creature; they were just your typical nightmarish monsters. I followed them until they split, going after different unsuspecting prey. I caught a glimpse of dark-red, curly hair in front of the beast on my left, and a flash of a young teen girl on my right. I decided to go after the one on my right and prayed that the one on the left was slow to move on the redhead.

I stalked it carefully as it moved farther away from its companion. I moved into the copse of trees to my right and called out to the beast. “Yo, Creeper! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!”

The beast turned and looked at me. I guess I looked more appetizing than the young girl, so it moved toward me, with a roar. I waited patiently in the trees until it was almost upon me, and as it neared I spun and sliced the creature in-half. I made sure to decapitate it and drive my sword into its heart, just in case it was one of those beasts that could reconnect itself, and then I went off to find the other one.

I found it, still following the redhead as she moved out of the park and onto the street. She was pretty. Really, really pretty, and she seemed oblivious to the beast that was creeping up on her. I couldn’t let that thing kill her, so, I did what I did best. I called its attention to me.

I whistled softly and it turned its head enough to see me. I waved at it, daring it to come after me. Which, of course, it did. They always did. The Unseelie rarely turn down a dare.

I slipped into a side alley and just as I was about to pull my swords, a burst of light hit the creature and it screamed in pain. I spun around to see the young woman that the
thing
had been following, send another burst of flames from her hand straight into the Unseelie, charring it, killing it.

“What the hell?”

“Ye ken say thank ye now, ye bloody eejit.”

“Who the hell are you and why did you just steal my kill?” I asked, adrenaline coursing through me like an insane roller coaster ride, making my voice sound harsh.

“Yer kill? I don't think so! This was me kill that ye tried to steal from me, and I bloody saved yer arse, cause he was aboot ta go all anaconda on ye and feckin’ eat ye!”

“You’re insane! I had it where I wanted it. You threw me off with your little light show. I’d have taken care of it.”

“Bollocks. Yer welcome by the way,” she said with a flip of her dark red hair.

“Who
are
you?”

“Yer savior apparently. Now, stay out of me way, I have more of those devils ta kill afore the night is over.” She turned on a booted heel and with a sway of her delicious hips she was gone.

Oh hell no
, I thought. I was not about to be shown up by some delectable girl with an Irish accent and a death wish. I headed back into the park, searching for her or another Unseelie to kill.

It didn’t take long for me to spot the creepy Dark Fae stalking a couple as they strolled down a dimly lit path. This one was tall, with large wings and when it turned to look at me I noticed the fangs dripping poison of some kind. I’d have to be wary of them. The last thing I needed was to get back to Uncle Nicu’s full of poison. After gaining the creature’s attention I lured it deep into some woods and drew my swords.

“Come on, you ugly beast, come and get me.”

The creature flew at me and I leapt up in the air slicing out with my sword, taking off one of the Unseelie’s wings. It screamed in fury, but continued to come after me, its talons reaching for me. Another quick spin and I had sliced off the talon closest to me.

The creature pulled back, as if it was going to attempt to get away, but I couldn’t allow that. I spun once more, my blades slashing through the air and then through the creature. I took its head, cleanly, without getting touched by the poisonous fangs. “Ha, savior my ass!” I said to the dead creature. I wiped off my blades in the grass while the creature disintegrated, and started back to Uncle Nicu’s. I wanted to get back before he noticed I was gone.

I’d gotten slightly turned around and deeper into the park with that last Unseelie kill, so I quickly cut over to Central Park West and followed it back to Columbus Circle. As I made my way back to Club Dorinta, I noticed a swish of red hair dodging around a corner into an alley off of Sixty-Second Street. I debated whether or not to follow her, she probably didn’t need any help, not with that flame thing she did, but maybe I could get some answers out of her. I decided to chance it.

As I came around the corner, she incinerated another Unseelie, a particularly nasty one from the looks of it. And because I startled her, she almost incinerated me. I ducked as a flash of fire came blasting my way.

“Hey! Watch it!”

“What are ye at here? Haven’ I already saved yer arse once this evenin’?”

“I tried to tell you before, you redheaded witch from hell, you didn’t save me from anything! I was luring that creature into the alley to kill it.”

“Belfast isn’t hell, tis quite nice actually. If ye ever visit don’t ferget ta check out Belfast Castle, it’s like haunted, you know,” she said matter-of-factly as she dusted off her hands. “Well, take care. Don't git eaten by any more demons.”

“Where do you think you’re goin’?” I asked grabbing her leather covered arm when I finally caught up to her.

“Home, actually. Demon slayin’ makes a doll quite knackered,” she said yanking her arm out of my grasp.

“What’s your name?”

Her green gem-like eyes focused on me for about two seconds. “Jillian. You?”

“Tony. Tony Gunari.”

“Gunari? That explains a deadly dayle,” she said with a flash of a grin. “Be seein’ ye ‘round Tony Gunari, stay out of the kill zone.”

“Kill zone?”

“Central Park from Sixty-Fifth to Fifty-Ninth. It’s mine.”

“Hmm, we’ll see.” I grinned.

She turned on me in a supernatural flash, her forearm across my throat, pushing my back against the alley wall. “Ye don't seem to understand. There is a war headin’ on oot there. That part of the Park is mine ta protect. This city is split up. It’s divided among those of us that ken kill those wile creatures, and protect the park. That area is mine ta guard and protect and I won’t be havin’ ye in there feckin’ it up! Clear?”

“Crystal,” I murmured as she let me go. “So, how do I go about getting in on the action?”

Jillian grinned again. “How aboot talking ta yer uncle Nicolae? He’s the one who set it up.”

As I stood there processing what she’d just told me, Jillian disappeared almost as fast as Max always did. Though I knew Jillian was no shifter. She was definitely something else. Something human, but more. I could feel it. Uncle Nicolae and I had a lot to talk about, and it was about time somebody gave me some answers.