Kelpie (Come Love a Fey) (26 page)

There
was a commotion behind me, and other fey began to enter the room.  They looked
confused and groggy, likely effected by whatever it was that had put Una to
sleep.  I paced to Leith where he lay in a dark pool in the middle of the room.
 His skin was pale and his lips were blue.  The bleeding had pretty much
stopped, but for a small trickle that erupted in time with his heartbeat.  I
pressed my lips to his forehead and cheeks.  He was cold… fading.

“Leith….”
 My voice cracked.  “You idiot!  Don’t even think about leaving me here alone.”
 I took his cold hand, slicked with blood.  There must have been something
special about Adhene’s blade.  The wound wasn’t healing.

There
was a murmur of voices behind me, and gradually one of them broke through my
numbness.  Mair was at my elbow, pulling at me insistently.  “Now,” she was
saying.  “Hurry up for the love of Oberon!”

I
turned my dull gaze to her.  “Can you help him?”

 She
pinched the soft underside of my arm sharply.  “Get up and get over there
before his blood is gone!”

My
gaze followed to where she was pointing.  Adhene?  Mair’s knotted little hand
grabbed mine.  “Move!”

I
pushed myself to my feet and followed her to what was left of Adhene.  Watching
a fey die by iron is not pretty.  His skin was turning a mottled green.  He
still looked mostly like himself, but I didn’t think that was going to last
long.  Mair looked at me impatiently and I paced to her side.

The
stooped little woman shoved a glass vial in my hand.  “Go on.  We must bathe
him in the blood of his enemies.”  I took the vial with a shaking hand. 

“You
do it.”  I tried to hand the vial back, but Mair snorted in disgust.

“It
was your hand that dealt the blow, girl.” 
Oh God, it was.

I
bit my lip and crouched by Adhene.  I was surprised when his leaf-green eyes
fluttered open and met mine.  He was still alive, though barely.  His beautiful
face was streaked with bright blood that leaked from the corner of his delicate
mouth.  I had done this. 

“I’m
so sorry,” I whispered, my gut clenching.

The
bright light in those green eyes was dimming.  I lifted the vial and he grasped
my wrist with more strength than I thought possible.

“You
will care for them?”  His voice was a bubbly whisper. 

I
paused for a moment, feeling the weight of what he was asking.  “I’ll try.  But
I’m just one human.”

He
wheezed.  “They are yours now.”

His
eyes drifted closed and his hand weakly urged mine closer to his mouth as a
fresh rush of blood seeped out.  I caught the bright flow in the vial, watching
it shimmer over the shiny glass. 

His
color had gotten even worse and his skin was now a pale greenish gray, like the
bark of a new sapling.  His lips trembled for a moment before turning up in an
angelic smile.  “Tithoria.”

Mair
tugged at my arm and I stood and turned my back on the dead elf.  Another of
his lineage was near death.  I squatted near Leith and drizzled a bit of the
blood over his wound.  Bright elf blood mingled with the dark ooze.  Then I
slipped my arm under his head and propped him up.  I held the vial to his lips,
numb. 

Mair
knelt beside us, muttering something in a language I didn’t recognize.  Welsh
maybe?  There was a tremor through his body and she stood.  I watched dully as
she paced to Adhene and grasped the iron dagger, ignoring the searing touch of
the metal.  She pulled it out in one smooth motion and the elf’s body turned to
dust before my eyes. 

She
came back and held the dagger out to me.  “You’re going to need this,” she said
grimly. There was a murmur of hushed surprise from the odd faces that had begun
to gather at the entrance to the room.  Leith moaned and his features took on a
pained expression.  I held out my hand to take the dagger.  Mair’s wrinkled palm
was blistered where she had touched it.

I
held the blade over my forearm, glancing at her in question.  She nodded
unhappily.  Leith lifted his hands to grasp his head as if he had a massive
headache.  His eyes opened and he slowly sat up.  Bright red orbs stared at me
as I knelt before him. 

Taking
a breath, I slashed the knife across my forearm.  I hissed in pain and Leith
launched himself at me.  He knocked me backward and my head found the packed
earthen floor with a thump that made me see sparkles.  I was going to need a
CAT scan by the time the night was over- if I managed to survive.

 His
weight pinned me to the earth as his mouth covered the wound I had just made. 
I closed my eyes and held my breath when I felt him suck at the wound.  Tingles
of sensation rippled over my skin, mingling with the pain and masking it.  The
subtle lie of his glamour fell over me.  Feeding him felt good.  So good, I
would gladly let him devour me.

The
Kelpie’s Gem was pressed between us, and it dug into my breast.  It was growing
warm again.  I clenched my right hand, feeling the rough hilt of the dagger
press into my palm.  My vision was starting to go black around the edges.  I
felt a scrape of teeth against my skin as Leith deepened the wound in response
to the decreased blood flow. 

“Stop,”
my voice was ragged, husky with pleasure, but broken with the fear that managed
to seep past the glamour.

He
held me tighter, like a beast that fears its meal will be snatched away.  I
could see Mair out of the side of my eye.  She wouldn’t make a move to stop
him.  None of them would.  They were fey; he was their master.  I was nothing
but a human.

I
lifted my arm and the jewel flared hot in response to the danger.  It felt like
it was searing my skin.  Leith didn’t even notice, lost in blood lust as he
was.  I brought the blade- the one I had just used to kill a powerful fey- to
his throat.  The tip pricked his skin and he jerked back.  His eyes met mine
and he shuddered.

“Ada?”

I
pressed harder, seeing a small drop of blood well up where the knife touched
the strong column of his neck.  “Get off.”

He
obeyed instantly, wiping blood from his wide mouth with the back of his hand. 
I pushed myself to my feet and stood looking down at him.  His face took on a
soft expression as he realized what had happened.

He
reached out a long hand toward me.  “I’m sorry.” 

I
pressed the back of my hand to my mouth to hide a quiver there and gave him a
nod, but refused to take his hand.  I realized I was still holding the dagger
and let my hand drop.  Somehow, I couldn’t seem to let go of the knife.

The
murmurs around us grew louder and a few fey trickled into the room as they
cleared the way for an approaching figure.  The king’s diminutive form appeared
and many of the surrounding fey bowed their heads.  He stopped before Leith and
I, his multi-colored eyes taking in the carnage around us.  The packed earth
was soaked with blood- Adhene’s, Leith’s, mine.  The king’s eyes focused behind
me, but I didn’t turn to look at the brilliant robes that concealed the dust
that had once been Adhene.

Leith
slowly stood.  He looked sure and powerful, as if he hadn’t just died and been
revived by the blood of his enemy and a human sacrifice.  The corner of my
mouth twitched and I managed to suppress the hysterical laughter that wanted to
pour out.  A tear managed to leak out though, which started a soundless flow
that I couldn’t stop.  It seemed that I had been crying a lot lately.

The
room was quiet, and the king’s youthful face looked grim.  A thought slowly
percolated through my numb brain and I wondered if Leith would be outcast for
his role in Adhene’s death.  Last I knew, the king hadn’t yet chosen sides. 
What if he had decided to support Adhene?

The
small man folded his hands behind his back.  “Who has killed my child?”

His
gaze rested on Leith, and I panicked when he stepped forward and began to
speak.  I cut him off.  “I did.”

The
king’s gaze came to rest on me.  He didn’t seem surprised.  But then again,
here I was holding cold iron covered in fey blood. “Explain.”

I
nodded and took a deep breath.  “He was about to kill Leith.  I don’t know how,
but I woke up here.  I acted in defense.”  My voice sounded weak.

The
king was silent for a moment.  “I see.”  His voice was flat.  “You have taken
the life of one of our most treasured fey.  Because of your kind, our numbers
dwindle.”

Leith
reached across the gap between us and grasped my hand, squeezing tightly.  The monarch
was unfazed by his show of affection.  “Therefore, your life is forfeit.”

I
gaped at him as my pulse thundered in my ears.  “What?”

Leith
spoke softly, his eyes averted.  “I beg your leniency, Your Majesty; she only
acted to save my life.”

The
king laughed- a merry, wicked sound like demented wind chimes.  “I think it
would be best if you are responsible for carrying out her punishment.”

Leith
said nothing.  The hand holding mine suddenly felt like a shackle.  Leith
pulled me to him and Underhill faded from my mind. 

W
hen the darkness
lifted again, we were standing in my bedroom.  The full moon was streaming through
my window, bathing everything in silvery light.

Leith
touched his lips to my hair and I stepped away, disentangling myself from his
grasp with a jerk.  “What the hell did he mean back there?”  I clenched my
hands.  The dagger had disappeared again.  I thought it was supposed to be here
when I needed it most.  “Are you really going to kill me?”

Leith
took a deep breath, and then let it out in a long, tired sigh.  “Ada, darling,
I’m sorry.  I did not mean to call you to my side.  I would have died alone in
order to keep you away from this.”

He
shrugged.  “Don’t you understand?  You killed a fey.  The king wishes for you
to replace him.  I have to take you away.”

I
backed away from him, coming up short when the back of my legs hit the bed. 
“What?  No.”

He
didn’t make a move toward me.  “I will give you one day to say your farewells
and put your human life in order- but Ada, no one can know where you are
going.”

I
shook my head.  “You can’t be serious.  This has to be some kind of joke. 
Leith, you…you wouldn’t do this to me.”

His
deep voice was flat.  “One day.  I’ll be back in twenty four hours.”  He
paused.  “And don’t think of hiding.  I will find you wherever you go.”

Then
he disappeared.  One moment he was standing there in the moonlight, the next he
was gone.  There was a pathetic
mew
and Cat brushed against my legs and
jumped onto my lap.  His rough tongue licked the blood from my hand and I
started shaking.

I
roused myself and stood, dumping Cat to the floor with a disgruntled yowl.  I
took off my dirty t-shirt and underwear, leaving them in a heap in the middle
of my room.  I walked to the bathroom in the dark, cringing when I flipped on
the light.

Cranking
the shower on full blast, I got the water as hot as I could stand it.  It was
scalding.  It almost seemed like a penance.  In my mind, I saw Adhene’s
beautiful face, tinged with green and covered in bright red blood.  He had been
trying to save his people from extinction.  And I had buried a knife in his
back.

I
gagged and pressed a hand to the back of my mouth to keep from vomiting.  I
plunged my head under the water and braced my hands on the wall.  When I opened
my eyes, I saw that there was something dark under what was left of my ragged
fingernails.  Dried blood.

I
found the scrub brush and went to work, furiously scrubbing my fingers and
hands.  When I was sure there was no trace of blood left, I washed my body from
head to toe with the same meticulous care.  I ignored the bruises and scrapes I
encountered along the way.  When I finished, I repeated the whole ritual again,
starting with my hands.

I
stayed in the shower until the water had turned icy cold.  When I finally
stepped out, shivering, I felt like I was being re-born.  The Ada that had
existed before I met Leith was gone.  I was saddened that Adhene had died so
tragically; and I was disgusted that I was the one who had killed him, but I
wasn’t sorry. 

I
dried off briskly with a fluffy towel, fresh out of the dryer that morning.  If
I hadn’t killed Adhene, Leith would be dead.  Him and who knows how many
others, humans and fey alike.  That’s all there was to it.  I had saved Leith’s
life- and in return, he was going to spirit me away from the world I knew,
against my will.  My life in the human world was forfeit

I
tossed the towel in the corner of the room and slipped into my bathrobe.  It
was late- or early, depending on how you looked at it- but I wasn’t about to go
back to bed.  What do you do when you are given twenty-four hours to say
goodbye to your life?  The task seemed so daunting, but I had no doubts Leith
would make good on his promise.  Running wouldn’t help.

I
started with my kitchen cupboards.  I took out everything I thought Mom and Dad
could use and put it on the kitchen table.  Everything else I left right where
it was.  I wouldn’t have time to get rid of it all.  My landlord could give it
to the next tenant or throw it out.