Soul Mates Bewitched (3 page)

“J
illian. Red hair, jewel green eyes, killer body, speaks with an Irish accent, claims to be from Belfast, deadly flame throwing hands… ringing any bells, Uncle Nicu?”

Nicolae nodded. “I know her. I trained her. Well not the deadly flame throwing hands part. That’s new.”

“Who is she?”

“Jillian O'Neil.”

“And you met her, how?”

“She…she came to the club…specifically to…see me. To train with me.”

“Why
you
? Who are you? What am I missing?”

“I am...
we
are the Guardians. I train them and set the coordinates for New York. Jillian thinks she is fighting demons, most of the Guardians do. They don’t believe the old stories, even the ones from Ireland. I thought Jillian would be different, that she would understand what they were, being from Ireland and with her parents... But Fairy tales are just that to them, tales. To her, the Fae are the wee people. They don’t show themselves, they are pixies and sprites no bigger than your pinky.”

“What does it matter what she calls them, so long as she kills them?”

“It matters now, Tony. It matters a great deal. If she kills a Light Fae…”

“Oh… I see. Then Auberon may decide we aren’t to be trusted after all.” I nodded thinking about it. I would just have to shadow her and make sure she didn’t kill any Light Fae, then.

“She isn’t the only one out there fighting, Antony. I’ve trained others. I’ve taught them only to engage the ones that take notice of them, that come after them, the ones they can lure away from other humans. As long as the Light Fae continue to ignore us, they are safe.”

“So, you don’t want me shadowing Jillian, making sure she doesn’t accidentally blow it?”

“No. Jillian is a great Guardian. She does an excellent job keeping her part of Central Park safe from predators. All predators, not just the Dark Fae.”

“So, who are these others you keep dancing around?”

“Some are like us, Rom, or Sióga Feiceanns. Some are like Jillian. They have all vowed to keep the humans safe from the Dark Fae. Lately, activity in New York has picked up, and we aren’t sure why. The Dark Fae seem to be more organized, as though they are working together, searching for something. Central Park has been very busy in the last week.”

“And you didn’t think to mention that while Max was here? That might be something King Auberon needs to know.”

“I wasn’t exactly prepared to tell the Prince of Faerie anything! It’s not my job to inform them of what is going on in New York.”

“You’re right. It’s not your job. It’s mine,” I said, turning on my heel as I left the room. I slammed the door to my bedroom and grabbed my duffle bag off of the floor.

I rummaged around inside of it until I found the mirror that Max had made me swear I would use. Phones were not very useful in the Faerie Mound. I held the mirror up and tapped on the glass three times and called his name.

“Max Fergus, Prince of Light and Illusion, answer my call.”

“Ready to come home already, Tones?”

I grinned at Max’s image. “No, Dude. I’ve got important news. I’ve got some crazy news too, but mostly some important news. First, though, I should say congratulations on the triplets.”

Max grinned. “We’ve got three beautiful children, two boys and a girl. Auberon and Tatiana are over the moon with the thought of how powerful they might be Fae-wise. I finally had to put my foot down and tell him Shifter Politics come first. Didn’t seem to faze him, though.”

“I’ll bet. I’ll do a reading for them as soon as I can, but first you have to hear this. It seems my uncle is the leader of a group called the Guardians. Ever hear of them?”

“Only rumors. We’ve been told not to battle them, if we ever come across one.”

“Right. Well, they are like me, Sióga Feiceanns, who fight the Dark Fae, or any Fae that they can get to fight, I suppose. Mostly, they go after the evil ones, daring them to take them on.”

“Which is why it doesn’t work on the Light Fae. We don’t expose ourselves to humans or prey on humans as the Dark do, so we are not targets for the Guardians. I could see how a Light Fae might get mistaken for a Dark, though, if he were say, involved romantically with a human…”

“Yeah, I had the same thought. Anyway, that isn’t the bad news. The bad news is that activity has picked up in New York in the last week. Uncle Nicolae said there have been more Unseelie than usual, and they are acting strangely, as if they are searching for something.”

“What could they be searching for?”

“That’s your department. Ask Auberon, surely he knows. Wasn’t his last Faerie Mound in New York?”

“Yeah, I think so. But when he left it was swallowed by Gaia. Anything left behind would be…buried. Where has the activity increased?”

“Central Park, definitely, but I think all over Manhattan.”

“Okay, hold tight. I’ll look into it and get back to you as soon as I can. It may be a day or two. We have a Shifter Assembly to introduce the triplets and a gathering with the Fae nobles that I also have to get through, before I can get Auberon alone to discuss this with him.”

“You know me; I’ll just be out kicking ass…”

“Tones…stay safe. Don’t get yourself killed okay?”

I laughed. “I’ll be fine, Max. See ya when you get here.” I tapped the glass three times to turn it off. I set the mirror face down on the dresser and glanced at the clock. It was nearly four in the morning; no wonder I was feeling like a worn out dish rag. I checked my phone, to see if Mom or Teresa had called, not really expecting anything. They probably hadn’t even noticed that I had left yet. Setting the phone on the night table, I switched the light off and lay down.

I
don’t even remember falling asleep, but my dreams were pretty vivid and they all involved a certain redheaded witch. I’m not using that term in a derogatory way, either. I mean, I think she is actually an honest to goodness witch. At least that’s what my dreams were telling me. It would explain the flame ball, and the human, yet supernatural feel to her energy. I decided to do a little research on Jillian O’Neil before meeting up with her again.

The funny thing was, no matter how hard I searched the internet, I couldn’t find a mention of her. Oh, there were plenty of O’Neils in Northern Ireland, especially around Belfast, just not one named Jillian. There wasn’t a record of her anywhere, which made me even more curious. I decided to talk to Uncle Nicu again; maybe she had given him some kind of background that I could use to discover more about her.

I found him in the kitchen scrambling eggs. “Ah, you are awake. I wondered if you would get up early.”

“Yeah, I don’t sleep a lot,” I said, wondering how to broach the subject of Jillian. “Breakfast smells good.”

“Pour the juice, would you?”

“Sure.” I got the orange juice out of the fridge and poured two glasses. “Uncle Nicu…about last night…”

“It is fine. I will teach you what you need to know to kill the Dark Fae here in New York. No worries.”

“No, not that. About Jillian. How do you know she is who she says she is?”

Uncle Nicolae glared at me. “You think I do not know my own Guardians? Of course she is who she says she is. Why would you think such a thing?”

“There is no record of her anywhere in Belfast.”

“You checked her out on the internet?” Nicolae laughed. “Silly boy. Of course there is no record of her. She is not stupid. Her family is not the kind of people to allow records to be made.”

“There has to be something, a birth certificate, a high school diploma, something. A doctor’s record of her somewhere.”

“No, Antony, there isn’t,” Nicolae said, shaking his head and taking a bite of his eggs. “No records, ever. No driver’s license. No passport. No anything. Not in Jillian’s name.”

“So, as far as anyone knows, she doesn’t exist?”

“No, she doesn’t.”

“O…kay. What is she?” I asked. “I had a dream…”

“So, you know, then.”

“But, am I right? Is she a witch?”

“Of sorts. I would call her more of a Sorceress. It is an older term, more powerful. And she has power. A great deal of power.”

“Her family…”

“Is also very powerful, but they currently reside in Ireland.”

“So why is Jillian here?”

“That is for her to say. I have already told you more than I should have,” Nicolae replied. “She will be by later today to help you train.”

“I don’t need help training; I remember everything you taught me. Plus I’ve trained on my own and I have been fighting the Unseelie and rogue shifters for the last year.”

“Still, I want to see what you’ve got. Jillian agreed to help.”

“Fine. Does that mean you will assign a portion of New York to me?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

“What? What do you mean, perhaps not?”

“I may need you for something else. We’ll see.”

I sighed and finished my eggs. I don’t know why I thought coming to New York would be the answer to anything. It seems all I have found is more questions.

I washed up my dishes and then went to Uncle Nicu’s training studio. I decided to get some training in before I had to perform for Jillian and Uncle Nicu. Grabbing my iPod and my swords, I strode into the studio and looked around. I started with a little Tai Chi to warm up, and then I went to the weight bench. I set the weights at one-fifty knowing I could handle that much without a spotter. After several reps, I picked up my swords and practiced against the wooden dummy. I didn’t notice Jillian approaching me from behind a few hours later. I spun around, my swords in place, as she touched my shoulder. I would have taken off her hand if she hadn’t created some sort of instant force field.

“Holy crap on cracker! What the hell were you thinking, approaching me like that? Didn’t you see the swords?” I asked pulling my ear-buds out of my ears.

Jillian rolled her eyes. “I’ve been callin’ yer name fer five minutes, when ye didn’t answer I put up me shield an’ came closer. What‘s the craic?”

“Huh?” I asked stupidly, not understanding her.

Jillian sighed. “What ye listenin’ ta?”

I grinned. “Yeah, probably not something you’d be into.”

Jillian picked up the ear bud dangling from my iPod and put it to her ear. “
Eminem… Not Afraid
… pure? Like, for real? What else ye havin’ on here?” she asked snatching the iPod off my hip and beginning to scroll through my play list. “
Rejects, Godsmack, Incubus,
not like totally brutal. A wee bit gob-smacked, not to see
Muse
on here.”

“It’s on there, different play list, though,” I said, taking the iPod from her and sticking it in my pocket.

Jillian smirked. “So, ye’re Nicu’s nephew. Like, how come he sent ye away ta Indiana? We could have been usin’ yer help here.”

“Not sure. I’m betting it’s something to do with my dad, though.”

“Yeah, I heard aboot that. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just gives me one more reason to want to go hunt these nightmares down and slaughter them.”

Jillian laid a hand on my shoulder. “I understand. Come on then, show me what ye got.” She turned to her right and put her hands out and projected a real slimy nightmarish creature for me to fight.

I back-flipped away and redrew my swords. The projection leapt forward and I dodged to the left, slicing at it with my right sword. The projection spun around, but I was faster as I flipped over the top of it and stabbed downward with both swords, splitting it in-half. I watched as the projection blew apart and disintegrated. “Happy?”

“Not brutal,” she said with a little grin. “A wee bit theatrical, but considerin’ the source…not totally brutal.”

I frowned. “Theatrical? Really?”

“Yes. Ye could have taken him oot much faster withoot the flips.”

“And I suppose you would have shot a fireball straight at it and it would have disintegrated within seconds. Too bad I don’t have that gift; I’ve only got my wits and my swords.”

“Roi’t, fireballs are like savage.” Jillian grinned, brushed a stray hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

Suddenly I felt the air shift and I knew Max had arrived. I leapt in front of him just as Jillian started to shoot a fireball at him. “
No
!” I shouted and Max flashed us across the room. “Stop Jillian!” I called as another fireball came at us and Max flashed us back to the other side of the room.

“Release him! Or so help me bejeasus I’ll hunt ye down and kill ye where ye feckin’ stand!” Jillian said aiming carefully.

“I’m not a threat! Tell her for Goddess sake, Tones! Geez!” Max shouted.

Nicu ran into the room then and saw what was going on. “Jillian, stand down. He isn’t a threat, he’s…on our side.”

Jillian warily put her hands down, but I could tell she was ready to do battle the second Max made a move.

Max turned to look at me. “Who’s the she-devil?”

I grinned. “Max, meet Jillian, a Guardian. She helps protect the park from the Unseelie.”

“Ye mean demons, like him,” Jillian spat.

I turned back to Jillian with a glare. “Max is hardly a nightmare or a demon. He’s a Fae Prince, he is of the Light.”

“He’s no angel! He’s jest like the others. He’s manipulatin’ ye ta believe he’s good. Let me kill him!”

“
No
! No Jillian, you’re wrong. Max, show her. Show her what else you are.”

Max shifted and became a jaguar.

And Jillian fainted.

“Well, damn,” I said, and picked Jillian up off the floor, carried her into my room and laid her down on my bed. “Max, maybe you better leave the room. I’ll explain things to her, and then you can come back.”

“Sure. I’ll just wait in the living room.” Max turned back into Fae and left the room.

I slipped into the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth. I ran some cool water over it and returned to Jillian, laying it across her forehead. “Jillian. Jillian, wake up.”

Jillian’s eyes fluttered and I noticed her emerald eyes coming back into focus. “Well? What the bloody hell was that?”

“Jaguar. Max is also a shifter.”

“A what?” she asked, looking at me like I was out of my mind.

“A shifter, not a demon.”

“Ye only think he isn’t a demon. Ye don’t know it fer a fact, do ye?”

“Yes, I do, Jillian. Max has been my best friend for almost ten years, and he’s not a demon. What we fight aren’t even demons, though they look and act like demons. They are really the Dark Fae, the Unseelie. The Light Fae, the ones like Max, have been fighting the Dark Fae for hundreds of years. The Light Fae are also trying to protect the humans from the Dark.”

“Ye’re talkin’ Fairy Tales.”

“No, I am talking
Faerie
tales. Not the Brothers Grimm. I’m talking about what we are really fighting. Max is here to help. Uncle Nicu said that there have been more Dark Fae in the park lately, and all over Manhattan. That they are organized and looking for something. Max may know what it is.”

“Faerie. Pure?”

“No lie.”

“Not demons,” Jillian said as she sat up. “Faeries. Feckin’ Faeries. So, all of the stories…true?”

“Well, I don’t know
all
the stories, but I’m sure most probably are.”

“Ye said yer…friend was a Fae prince…of the Light. So, who’s his father?”

“Oh, his father is Alan Fergus. Nobody you’d ever have heard of. Max’s great-grandfather is Auberon, King of Light and Illusion. Anyway, he has some information for us. Are you…you’re not gonna try and kill him again, are you?”

Jillian smiled sweetly and I knew her mind was working out how she could kill him without pissing me off. “No, not roi’t now.”

“I guess that will have to do.” I turned toward the door and called to Max. “Hey, Dude! You can come in now. She’s chill.”

Max and Nicu cautiously reentered the room.

“It is a pleasure to meet a Sorceress as powerful as you, Miss O’Neil,” Max said formally, not sounding like himself at all, but more like the diplomat and leader he had become recently. “I am Max Fergus, Rex of the Felidae clan and heir to the throne of Light and Illusion. I am sorry if my sudden appearance here distraught you.”

Jillian nodded. She looked as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of Max. “Well. So, ye’re here ta help us, but…why?”

Max smiled the smile that made most women fall to their knees and drool, but it didn’t seem to affect Jillian at all. She just narrowed her eyes and frowned.

“Yes, I’m here to help. In fact, Tones, I spoke to Auberon, and he believes that the Queen of A and D is after the Chalice of Light. It was here in New York when Gaia swallowed up the Faerie Mound that contained it.”

“The Queen of A and D?” Jillian asked.

Max stared at her and sighed. “Didn’t Tony explain?”

“Roi’t, Antony explained aboot ye, but he left oot the Queen.”

“Air and Darkness. We don’t really like to say her name. She tends to hear things.”

“Well…like, what is this Chalice of Light?”

“It’s a very powerful Fae object. It has the power to bring Light to the world, or in the hands of the Queen, destroy the Light.”

“Ye’re like speakin’ figuratively roi’t? It can’t
really
take away the Light.”

Max stayed quiet, his jaw clenched, his face serious.

“It can really. Well, that’s totally banjaxed,” Jillian said softly. “Then we have ta find it first.”

Max nodded. “That’s why I’m here. To find the Chalice, and apparently to warn this one of the Light Fae that will be descending upon Central Park.”

“Who’s coming?”