Power of the Fae (22 page)

“Ilona shut the portal down before more demons come through.” Keegan says slowly in a calm voice. Ilona gets to her feet scowling at Keegan and me.

“You two have it all! It’s not fair that you are Fae royalty, coming here expecting everyone to bow and kiss your ass! You shouldn’t inherit everything from Azura! That bitch of a mother of yours didn’t deserve being chosen to marry your father! I should be Azura’s heir!”

Hoping Keegan can keep her distracted; I creep closer to her waiting for an opening. A second later the demon with the gold nose piercing bursts in the room crashing into Keegan; I take advantage of the commotion and attack Ilona. I swing at her but she blocks me, drawing a dagger from under her cloak, swinging at me. I don’t want to hurt her, no matter what. I just cannot kill my own family, even if she is trying to bring destruction to our realm! I spin away from her again as she swings her dagger, stabbing it into the wall. She just barely missed my shoulder. I look over her shoulder and notice the portal is weakening! Yes! I have to keep her distracted.

“You are not worthy of being Azura’s heir! You are not strong enough to lead the Coven! It should be me!”

She lets out another scream and swings her dagger at me again. I duck, swinging my fist, hitting her in the stomach hard, causing her to gasp and fall to the floor.

Ilona is stronger than I realize. It takes an extremely powerful witch to be able to fight and hold a portal open. I hear Keegan yell out in pain. I turn to see the demon with the gold piercing holding a bleeding Keegan in a chokehold in front of him, with a dagger pointed at his heart. One swift move and he can bury that blade directly into Keegan’s heart. The bottom of my stomach drops away.

Taking a good look at my brother, taking in his shredded shirt, large open slashes on his abdomen bleeding profusely and one on his neck that is dripping bright red blood. His sword is on the floor across the room. He’s pale and weakened by blood loss. I have never seen my brother beaten down, weak, and my heart is in my throat.

“My Queen, put your blade down!” the demon instructs. “Witch, she is not to be harmed! The Demon King will be very angry with you if she is harmed in any way,” he yells at Ilona as she gasps for breath, trying to stand.

My eyes lock with Keegan. He holds my eyes and shakes his head as I tighten my grip on my dagger. My heart is beating a mile a minute, sweat dripping down my face. Dawn is still strapped to my back.

“Let him go!” I drop my dagger. Holding my hands, palms facing the demon in a sign of surrendering.

“Kick it over here and the sword!” he directs.

“What is your name, demon?” My eyes lock on him as I kick my knife over to him, then Dawn, my trusty katana.

“Oruzahl, why, my Queen?”

“I want to know the name of the Demon I am going to kill!” I growl making a promise, bunching my hands into fist. Anger flows through my veins as I slowly imagine how I will kill this demon. He laughs as he starts backing up dragging a weakened Keegan with him. I take a step forward just as he jumps back with Keegan into the portal.

“No!” I scream, diving towards the portal as it closes. “No, no, no, no!!” I scream beating on the wall, tears running freely down my face.

“Keegan!” I scream his name as I’m pulled off the wall kicking and screaming, trying to get back to the wall. Warm arms surround me as my heart breaks. My big brother, my teacher, my protector, my champion is gone. Taken to the Underworld.

I
t’s been almost
twenty-four hours since Keegan was taken to the Underworld. Lina hasn’t said much since we got her back to her grandmother’s house. She’s locked herself in her room and they are only letting certain people in there. Her father arrived last night as soon as she called him. She couldn’t get through the phone call without bawling her eyes out. I had to take her phone from her, and notify the Prince that his son was captured, and taken to the Underworld.

My gut is telling me that the battle that occurred last night is only the first of many, and the future battles will be worse. We were able to kill and injure some of the demons but the majority of them escaped. Some flew away while the rest bolted on foot. Dorian’s vampires arrived as the last few escaped. The ones that fled on foot, Dorian has his vampires tracking them now. We need to find where they are staying now that they have made it to the realm.

We are all meeting tonight, here at Azura’s. We all underestimated Melomouzor’s demons and his reach in the human realm. These new demons are a whole new breed. They are much larger, faster, and more intelligent and hold some of the properties of the supernaturals. It’s as if he has taken the best qualities of each supernatural, and somehow transferred them into the demons. It has us questioning if he has all the missing still, and is he using them for more than making a comeback to the realm.

Dorian has agreed to come to Azura’s home to meet with Azura, Prince Vamir and myself to work together officially to try to defeat Melomouzor. We don’t have much time. There is no telling what he is doing to Keegan in the Underworld. Our first priority will be to get him back. We have three more nights before Lina has to either accept Melomouzor’s proposal or risk him sending more of his super Demons to destroy the realm. There is no way she will accept his offer and become his Queen. I will not allow that to happen. She belongs to
me
. We will find a way to defeat him.

Lina’s aunt Ilona and the other witch escaped during all the mayhem. Azura was devastated to learn that Ilona was one of the witches opening the portals for Melomouzor. Adela is leading a search party trying to locate her own traitorous sister. She must pay for trying to help the Demon King take over the realm. Witches take care of their own kind. Once they are caught, the Witches’ Council will put them on trial and their punishment will be carried out.

I stand outside Lina’s bedroom door of her grandmother’s home. I hear soft singing coming from inside. I knock on the door and wait. The singing halts and soft footsteps make their way to the door. A tall young blonde Fae woman answers the door. She smiles slightly, opening the door and offering her hand.

“You must be Colin.”

“Yes, I am.” I nod, shaking her hand.

“I’m Tillie, please come in.” She opens the door, waving me in.

I walk in and see Lina, sitting in a large overstuffed chair by the window. She’s fresh from the shower with a white cotton robe on and her long midnight hair running down her back. Her expressionless face stares out the window. Tillie walks past me to stand behind Lina and begins brushing her hair. I kneel at Lina’s feet.

“Hi, babe.” She smiles at me but her smile does not reach her eyes.

“Colin.” She reaches out and hugs me with a death grip. I return the hug, squeezing her gently. I’ll hold her as long as she needs me to.

“I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll be back later,” Tillie says with tears in her eyes.

I nod to her as she slips out the room. I stand, gathering Lina in my arms and sit in the chair with her in my lap. We don’t say a word. We just sit there; I’m willing to offer any, and all the comfort and strength that she needs. She’s my mate and my wolf senses that she’s hurting right now. She nuzzles her face in the crook of my neck, her warm breath caressing my neck.

“I was fifteen when I decided I wanted to be a Guardian. Everyone in my family was against it at first, except Keegan and my father,” she begins. I sense she needs to talk and get things off her chest. I don’t say a word, I just let her speak.

“You see, the women in my family don’t become warriors. We are to be beautiful, intelligent, strong, have babies and rule the lands with their King. As the future heir to the kingdom after my father, Keegan was expected to be a Guardian, just like our father was and his father before him and so on. My grandfather, King Orist, wanted all of his children and their children to serve our kingdom in some way. This is a tradition that has been passed down in our family for a few millennia. My father’s two brothers Lorsan and Zandro are both Guardian Leaders in other parts of Faery. My father’s youngest brother, Taeral became a great scholar.

“Lorsan’s son, Keiran is a Guardian serving under his father. He is expected to lead after his father steps down. Two of Zandro’s sons, Rudel and Jonik are both training to be Guardians now and his other son Katar, is a great mathematics scholar. Taeral doesn’t have any kids. We haven’t seen or heard from him in years.

“When the family heard that I wanted to be a Guardian, they all laughed at me. Now, I love my family dearly, but they thought that with my size and being female, I would not be fit or strong enough to be a Guardian. They wanted me to follow in tradition of all of my female cousins, dating and being something like a scholar or even a healer. But Keegan and my father never had any doubts that I could be a Guardian. They believed in me one hundred percent.” She sniffles as she shifts.

“Before my mom died, I began learning how to fight. That is one thing that is taught to all members of the family. We must learn to defend ourselves. Being royalty meant that there could always be a threat against us. But, it wasn’t until my mom died that my mind was made up that I would be a Guardian. Keegan had just taken charge of the Aveshara Guardians when my mother was killed.

“He didn’t even blink when I told him I wanted to train to be a Guardian, nor did my father. For the next nine years, I worked my ass off training under Keegan and the Guardians. It was brutal and he didn’t cut me any slack. I loved every moment of it because we grew closer, and it strengthened the bond between Keegan and me. My dad would come to the training fields and watch. When I bested someone in fighting, his chest would be pushed out so far with pride, I’d swear it was going to burst.” She giggles softly at the memory.

“The day I was made a Guardian was the best moment of my life. I’ll never forget it. Keegan performed the ceremony and presented me as a Guardian to the assembly. I’ll never forget the look on his face as I took my oath. He was like a proud papa. I’ve never been more proud of myself to accomplish my dream. I became the first Waldmar female Guardian.”

She got up from my lap, I instantly miss her warmth and apricot smell. She walks to the window for a second before turning back to me.

“Even the King himself came to my Guardian ceremony. He even apologized for not believing in me. He told me he should have known that I would make it. I may be the smallest, but he knew I had a fierce heart and he was proud of me.” She sits back on my lap, brushing the hair out of my eyes. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

My heart skips a beat, not knowing where she is going with this.

“Okay,” I drawl out.

“I know you’ve said over and over that you don’t do relationships and we are taking this one day at a time. But I want to tell you that I love you. Everything that has happened within the past few months has opened my eyes that you never know what is promised. I love you Colin MacKenzie. I cannot live without you and I want to be in your life any way that I can.” A few tears slide out of her eyes. I grab her face wiping her tears away and kissing her softly on her lips.

“Lina, before you left for Faery, I told you I wanted to talk with you. What I wanted to tell you is that I’m in love with you too. I can’t get you out of my mind; you are a part of me. My chest aches when you’re not around me, I need you. The moment I met you, I knew you were mine but I was too stubborn to admit it. My wolf knew right away that he wanted to claim you. A smart woman told me that when you find the one, you grab hold of her, and never let her go.”

She grabs my face and kisses me slowly pulling back to stare into my eyes with her pretty green ones.

“That’s a smart woman,” she says with a small smile.

“She is. You’re going to have to meet her soon. My mother is dying to meet you.”

“I would love to meet her too.” Her face becomes serious again. “We’re going to get Keegan back.” Her room telephone rings interrupting her. She walks over and answers it. She speaks softly into the phone then hangs up.

“There’s someone here that my grandmother wants me to meet with and you’re to come with me.”

O
n the phone
Tillie said that my grandmother and father want Colin and I to meet them in my grandmother’s study. She said that this is an official meeting with someone of importance. She doesn’t know whom I am to meet with but feels that I should dress appropriately, which means, royal wear. What would I do without her?

So I dress quickly in my traditional royal wear that Tillie brought with her from Faery. My royal blue dress is floor length with long sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. Black high heels and a gold chain forehead headband complete my ensemble. I refuse to wear my small crown that denotes my Faery Princess status. That would be too formal. The amulet remains on my chest as I was directed; I still have yet to take it off.

Colin and I walk down to my grandmother’s study. We get there and the door opens before we can knock. Colin is holding my hand and I’m glad that he is. It feels as if he is lending me his strength. I know I have to be strong for Keegan’s sake, but I’m going crazy knowing that he is in the Underworld.

I’m not sure if I would have been able to walk through this large house without Colin’s strength. I’m so appreciative of him and for the support he gives. I am not in a smiling mood, worried about Keegan and he understands. He listened to me babble about becoming a Guardian and my relationship with my father and brother without complaint. His patience just blows my mind. My love for him grows even more as I learn more about him.

“Colin and Lina, please come in.” My grandmother answers the door, ushering us in.

She doesn’t look like she got any sleep last night. Her bags under her eyes gives mine a run for their money. At least I know I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. Keegan being taken to the Underworld has taken a toll on all of us. My father came right away as soon as we called him. Colin had to help me make that call because my emotions got the best of me and I couldn’t speak over the sobs that racked my body. He brought with him Tillie and a few other palace employees. Getting my brother back takes precedence over everything.

I still can’t believe that my Aunt Ilona would turn on us. I knew she could be a pain in the ass, and was teaching the dark arts for the Neophyte school, but I had no idea that she would go this far. For it to be over what Keegan and I stood to inherit from my grandmother, and her hatred for my mother, I would trade it all right now to get my brother back. Calista has stayed to herself in the house, since word got out that her mother has turned to dark magic. Ilona is now a fugitive witch. I’m not sure what to think of Calista and if she was involved. My grandmother assured me she was looking into it.

We walk in the room and my father sweeps me up in a hug, kissing me on the forehead. He too, looks like he had a long night last night. He is also dressed in his traditional royal wear as the Prince of the Light Fae. He currently has all of the Guardians on standby. They all want to get in on rescuing Keegan and they are waiting until a plan is formulated. Faery is preparing to go to war to get its Prince back.

Two other people are in the room, a male in a long flowing golden robe, bald with tattoos covering his head. A dark haired female dressed in traditional monastery attire, accompanies the bald man. The power radiating from the man is impressive signifying his strength. They both stand as I turn from my father.

“May I introduce Arlina Waldmar, Princess of the Light Fae. Arlina, this is Epan Ubahn, High Druid Priest of Sogro and his companion, Yasmin Gakely, record keeper for the Order of the Forsaken.” They both bow to me as my grandmother makes the official introductions. I nod to them acknowledging their show of respect as I was raised to do but just cannot drum up a smile for them. I’m getting a bad feeling about the reason they are here.

“Please, if I may introduce Colin MacKenzie, Alpha of the Diamond Pack and he is also the head of the Legion.” Colin shakes both of their hands.

My grandmother directs everyone to have a seat at her table. Colin is to my left and my father is to my right at the table. The Druid Priest has a quizzical look on his face as he studies me.

“Lina, I called you, your father and Colin here because you need to hear why Epan and Yasmin are here. They came yesterday evening and we spoke, but you are going to want to hear what they have to say.” She nods to Epan.

“My dear, it has come to our attention, that Melomouzor is making his way back to the realm and needs you to bring him out of the Underworld. It is because of my utmost respect I have for both of your families, I am here. We cannot allow Melomouzor to come back. He will destroy this realm.”

“We have already concluded that,” Vamir says. Epan nods.

“Yes, of course. I know I am stating the obvious. I see you have Zelphire’s amulet. May I ask, how did you come by it?” His eyes are focused on the amulet before returning to mine.

“It called to me,” I explain.

“Was it in the possession of a female?” he asks and I nod my head yes.

“She has gone missing. We found it while going through her home looking for evidence related to her disappearance,” Colin explains.

“Ah, yes, Kaleema Arlo. She too is from Sogro. She was the keeper of the amulet for many years before she disappeared with it. But alas, it looks like it has found its rightful owner.” His smile does not reach his eyes as he stares at the amulet.