Fae (26 page)

“Go to Caroline,” Devilyn told him, and Famous did exactly as he was told. I took him in my arms and set him down. I could see the longing in his eyes to jump back into Devilyn's arms.
At least I'm not the only one
, I thought.

“Would you like to come in?” I barely managed to say.

“Actually, I'm ready to go if you are,” he replied with a smile. “My grandfather is anxious to meet you.”

“He is?” I couldn't keep the disbelief out of my voice as I turned to grab my coat. “Why?”

“Don't sound so shocked,” he laughed as he grabbed my coat from my hands and helped me put it on.

Always the gentleman.

“I've actually told him a lot about you, so after hearing all of my stories he told me that he's looking forward to meeting you in person.”

Stories?
This couldn't be good.

My mind immediately went to that dark place. He probably warned his poor grandfather about the idiot lovesick girl that would be gracing their poor family with her presence. This evening was sure to be another mortifying and regretful night. A common occurrence in my life these days.

“Shall we?” he asked as he reached out his hand. He looked down at Famous. “Be a good boy.”

Famous sat there smiling at him. I slowly shut the door and allowed him to lead me to his car.

He stopped and faced me when we reached the passenger side of the door.

“We don't have a lot of visitors come to our home. My grandfather is a very private person,” he told me as if sensing my rising concern.

So why me?
I thought slowly looking up at him.

“He likes to keep to himself, and since we were young he's tried to teach us to guard our hearts and only let the right people in,” Devilyn explained.

“Guard your hearts?”

Devilyn laughed. “It sounds corny doesn't it? I guess that was his way of saying choose your friends wisely. We're born with our family, but we have the choice with our friends and partners in life. He was trying to tell us to be careful.”

“I like the part of choosing your friends wisely, but I kind of think that disappointments and heartbreaks make us stronger,” I answered softly.

Devilyn looked down at me for a moment and smiled.

“He watched my sister and I lose our parents at such a young age. We went through a lot of hard times. I guess it's his way of protecting us.”

He walked around the car and got in as I contemplated his words.

“And he has very strong opinions about the women I date,” he said as he sat in the car and fastened his seat belt. He turned to me and smiled. “You can imagine why I never took Jordana to our home.”

I couldn't stop the smile that crept up.

“So what do you think he wants for you?” I asked him.

I watched as a look of sadness came over Devilyn's face.

“My grandfather believes in soul mates. In true love. Souls that find each other after an eternity of searching.” He continued on quietly. “He believes in a love that consumes you, that you can't live without. A love that you wake up for. Long for. Are willing to die for.”

He whispered the last words. What would it be like to have Devilyn feel all those emotions for me? He didn't realize how completely romantic and heartbreaking his words were at the same time. Little girls grow up dreaming of such a love and to have a man say what he just did as if he knew what it meant. I didn't know why but I could feel tears begin to form in my eyes.

“Have you ever felt that?” I couldn't stop the words.

He looked over at me.

“I'll tell you another time.”

We were both quiet for a moment. I guessed that he had felt that way if he didn't want to talk about it with me. For some reason it made me sad to think that he had.

“I'm finally starting to see how wise my grandfather is, and I realize that I've made some pretty juvenile mistakes when it comes to friends and more importantly, with girlfriends.” Devilyn cleared his throat and started the engine in his car as he turned out of my driveway.

“Well, I'm looking forward to meeting him,” I said trying very hard to ignore Devilyn's last comment. “If he's lived on the Island for as long as I think he has, he'll probably be able to answer a lot of the questions that have been running through my mind.”

“He probably will.”

“What
exactly
did you say about me?” I blurted out, almost cursing myself for even wondering what it was that Devilyn had said to his grandfather. “I mean, I just want to make sure I don't disappoint anyone.”

Devilyn smiled and began twisting his hands around his steering wheel.

“I told him about how remarkable you are, smart, kind-hearted, and beautiful.” He stared straight ahead, not once looking in my direction.

But I looked over.

Right away.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth.

I froze.

And couldn't take my eyes off of his profile. My heart was pounding at the compliment I wasn't prepared to hear.

I quickly looked away, relieved that he hadn't looked over at me. If he had, he would have seen my mouth drop to the floor. He did it again. Said things that made my heart do somersaults.

“No comment?” Devilyn asked with a smile. I knew he could sense my nervousness.

“I don't know what to say,” I said as I twitched uncomfortably with the metal spiral of my notebook. “Well, I mean, thank you for saying such sweet things about me. It's very kind of you.”

“Kind of me?” he asked. I thought I could hear the humor in his voice.

“Well, yes,” I all but croaked out. When he didn't respond I looked over at him. For a second I thought I saw stars in his eyes because everything there told me to believe him. That he meant what he said. But as usual something in my heart told me to be careful.

“I mean
every
word,” he said in a tone that I'd never heard before.

“I know,” she replied in a soft voice.

I wanted her to know that I wasn't lying. I wanted her to believe that she meant something to me, that these hours we had spent together over the past few months were slowly beginning to chip away at the black metal surface that enclosed my heart. I wanted her to know that she was an inspiration and that despite the odds that faced us, I was holding on to hope. Hope that she would begin to trust me. Hope that I could guarantee her survival. And ultimately, hope that she would love me.

I wasn't ready to face why I wanted her to feel that emotion for me quite yet. I just knew that I did. At this moment. In this time. With a ferocity that I had never known. I wanted her to love me.

She sat silently, occasionally fidgeting with her notebook and pen for the remainder of the ride. I knew that she was going over what I had said in her mind. I had told her she was beautiful before, but evidently she didn't believe it.

She was. And she needed to know it.

Hear it. Until she believed it.

I wanted her to be as comfortable with me as I was with her. I wanted her to relax. I wanted her to say something.

Anything.

But she didn't.

She finally looked up when we were far enough away from town and began surveying the surroundings. She glanced up at the road leading to Westmoreland as if she had never seen it before.

She had probably driven by it a million times but apparently had never paid close attention.

I wanted to take it all in. Watch her experience the feeling and transformation that all of the Fae undergo deep within the forest. Once we enter the lush trees, the transformation is immediate. Within us and in the forest we inhabit.

I could hear her breathing pattern calm and feel the stillness that overcame her. Not from nerves or uncertainty, but from a strange and unknowing familiarity. She looked over at me and couldn't help but smile.

She didn't need to say anything.

I knew.

And deep down, I knew that she did too.

Caroline was finally home.

A home that her mind may not have immediately recognized, but she undoubtedly felt a connection that was instantaneous and deep within her soul.

“It's so beautiful.”

“I know.”

“So peaceful.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I don't think I've ever been on this road before,” Caroline said in awe. “I can't believe how remarkable it is. The trees are so tall and lush and so green.”

They were.

What Caroline didn't know was that they were
magik
trees. The most sacred of all Fae plant life. They protected its inhabitants, were full green and lush with beauty year around. They were old with wisdom, and if you spoke to them they would speak back to your soul.

“You're so lucky to be surrounded by this beauty,” she continued as her eyes sparkled with joy.

She was right. I was lucky to be surrounded by such beauty. But I wasn't thinking about the trees or the land.

“I'm finally beginning to fully appreciate it.”

Moments later, we came upon the large iron gates and entrance to the surrounding fortress that I had called home. She smiled at me as we both waited for the gates to open. The road leading to the house was a long and winding one. I drove through the orange and rust-colored leaves that lay on the ground and made my way to the circular driveway at the front.

Odin wasn't waiting outside, as I knew he had wanted to. But I knew that he was most likely pacing back and forth in the grand foyer, barking out orders to anyone who would listen. Tonight he wanted everything to be perfect. He had tended to every detail, ensuring that she wouldn't feel out of place, or worse yet unwelcome.

He wanted her to feel at home.

A feeling we both shared.

I knew she had never seen a place quite like ours before. To say that it was grand was an understatement. To call it a mansion would demean it. It should have been a historical monument. Treasured, protected, and worshipped.

Ironically similar to its new guest.

“Ready?”

She laughed and shook her head. “I guess.”

“He won't bite. I promise.”

“I know that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I'm just a little overwhelmed by all of this. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.”

“Let's go inside, and I'll show you around.”

She opened the car door and waited for me to join her as we made our way up the stone stairs leading to the large wood and iron doors. I reached out and pushed open the doorknob and waited for her to enter.

Caroline walked at a snail's pace and kept glancing behind herself to make sure I was following. I knew she was intimidated, and for some strange reason it was the last feeling I wanted her to have.

She had never lived like I had, and although I'm sure she was in awe by the sheer opulence of Odin's home, I could also imagine how intimidating it probably was.

“Grandfather,” I called out, knowing that he was probably hiding nearby. “We're here.”

“I'm in the study, son.” His deep voice echoed through the halls.

“Follow me,” I told Caroline.

She nodded and grasped the handle of her backpack as we walked down the long, wood-paneled hallway that led to his study. The room was my favorite. The bookshelves held every first edition ever made. Rich and deep crimson-colored Persian carpets covered the wood floors, while the musky scent of cigars lightly masked the room.

“Welcome,” Odin said as he rose from behind his desk. “I've been expecting you for a long time, my dear.”

I had hoped that he would have refrained from wearing his typical attire, as he was usually dressed like some type of sorcerer or wizard, and instead opt for more modern garb, but Odin was a creature of habit. There he stood with open arms, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a deep silvery-gray velvet robe with silver patterns adorned throughout, waiting patiently to greet her properly.

“Hello sir,” she replied in a low voice as she reached out her hand to his. “My name is Caroline Ellis.”

“Caroline,” he said as he inspected her. I wondered what he was thinking. “Yes, yes I know. Such a pleasure. Devilyn hasn't been able to stop talking about you since he started at his new school.”

She smiled graciously at him and gave me a questioning look.

“Please, have a seat,” he continued, pointing to the two large leather chairs that faced his expansive mahogany and gold-encrusted desk. “Devilyn, do join her. I've called for dinner so we have a few moments together before we dine.”

“You have an incredibly beautiful home. You have lovely things everywhere,” Caroline said as she started to nervously tug on the bottom of her sweater.

“Thank you. But it is not about our possessions but about a life well lived,” he replied, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

Odin was elated. I had never seen such a happy look on his face. His happiness defied words and human comprehension. It was in the way he looked at her, the way he couldn't stop smiling, and the way he kept looking over at me as if to say, ‘See, I told you she'd be everything you wanted.'

“These books you have in here, have you actually read them all?” Caroline asked innocently as she glanced around the room.

“I believe I've read ninety percent of them. But I'm quite sure that Devilyn has read them all.” Odin smiled at me. “He is quite the avid reader.”

“My grandfather has the tendency of exaggerating sometimes,” I quickly interrupted him.

“Well Devilyn is really smart, so that doesn't surprise me,” Caroline loyally replied.

“Who is your favorite author?” Odin asked as he rose and began walking toward the wooden bookshelves. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his waist as he waited for Caroline to reply.

“Mine has always been Milton. I have a special fondness for
Paradise Lost
. To think that he was blind and recited the work to his daughter is inspiring,” Odin told Caroline as she nodded in agreement.