Return of the High Fae (Vegas Fae Story Book 1) (17 page)

"I was told they fought amongst themselves and then faded
from this world as they battled one another and their followers turned from
them. Why it happened, I don't know. I can tell you that the rest of the Fae
still exist, as do other creatures." I leaned back in my chair. "You
called them High Fae. What did you mean?"

She gave me a look of disbelief. "You do not know the
story of the High Fae? What are you?"

Damn I hate that question! I thought that if she was a
danger to me I'd feel it; so I was ready to give up a little to learn more.
It's such a bitch when you don't know who you can trust.

"There's no easy answer to that question," I said.
"Look, I'll keep it simple. My parents died when I was young. I know
little of my heritage other than that my mother was of the Dryad. I've never
heard of the High Fae. What are they?"

"It is said that Gaea chose among the children of her
children a handful of Fae to be above the others. These were the High Fae, who
became the Gods. They could be terrible to behold. I myself saw Apollo slay the
Dragon when I was but three and twenty years. From its blood he granted me long
life and later gave me the Eye, which restored my youth and beauty," she
explained.

"Why did he give it to you? Was he in love with
you?"

"Ha, in lust perhaps, but love, never," she
answered. "Gods they may have been, but capable of love? I do not think
so. But he did care for me. When things went bad he ordered me to flee the
temple. But true love? No. He desired my gifts, and also to bed me." She
must not have liked the look I gave her.

"Pah...," she said, throwing her arms up.
"You see me now only as an old crone; but then, oh if you could have seen
me then. Before the Eye was lost to me, men groveled at my feet just to be near
me. They threw themselves off of cliffs if I spurned them..."

"Ok, I get the picture," I interrupted. "And
the rest of your gifts?"

"They are still with me. The Eye may have strengthened
them, but do not think I am powerless," she replied defensively.

"I did not mean to offend you," I responded
quickly, then changed the subject. "Look, here's the deal. With a few
conditions, I can take you to a place with much better accommodations and make
sure you are paid well for your services. Interested?"

"Perhaps. Name the terms."

"The one that took the Eye from you is dying. Swear to
do no harm to his family and let him die a natural death. For this, I will see
that you are paid handsomely for your troubles. I may also have a job offer for
you."

She balled her fists and shook them at me in anger.
"Whoreson, you would take away the one thing that I have yearned for,
retribution for his betrayal!"

Whoreson? I didn’t remember ever hearing that term before.

"Vengeance belongs to the Gods," I countered,
since I thought she would understand that. "Besides, he's already dying.
What more do you want?"

"I would see his head on a pike at my door. You ask
much of me." She was silent again before continuing. "What else do
you offer?"

"You will be paid $50,000.00 cash for your troubles.
Have you heard of Neptune's Landing in Las Vegas?"

"I know of it," she answered.

"Eddie Milagre runs the place. He is a Fae of water, a
Nereid, I believe. He could use someone like you, as could I. I will see that
you are paid handsomely and treated well for the use of your powers."

"Gaea curse you should you deceive me, Fae, but I have
no choice." She stood up and pointed her hand at me. "I may have lost
my youth and beauty, but there is still life and power in me. I would be
foolish to waste any more of it here. I will agree to your terms in principle.
Do as you have promised and I swear not to harm he who betrayed me or his
family. But know this. My oath is to you and no other. You must see that the
agreement is fulfilled."

"Agreed," I replied. I got up, reached out and
took her hand to shake it. She just snorted.

"I will need the stool and a few other things."
She looked around the small room for a moment before continuing. "Let me
change clothes. Then you can get me out of this 'dump' as you called it."

She was awfully cheery about all this. I thought she would
be angry over the deal. I wondered what I'd missed.

When she came back out of the small bedroom, she was a
different woman. Her hair was combed and she had changed into a white blouse
and jeans. She was even wearing sandals. She had a small bag and after taking
one more look around the trailer, she asked me to bring the stool and then
headed directly for the front door.

I put the stool down and opened the door for her. I had
barely followed her out and was going back to retrieve the stool when the
attack came—this time I had no warning.

Someone grabbed her right in front of me. Then I was thrown
against the door, my stomach and chest burning. A second later, I threw the
Werewolf that had attacked me across the trailer's small front porch. I looked
down and barely had time to register the bloody gashes before the second beast
attacked. I reached for my gun, then remembered I had left it in the car. Not
one of my better decisions. Luckily my magic decided to kick in at that moment
and I saw red. Better late than never, I thought to myself.

Before I even realized it, I was up and catching the Were as
he leapt towards me. At the same time, I found myself grabbing the dagger I had
taken from Diantha and plunging it into the beast's chest. Blood spurted as he
yelped and went limp. I pulled the dagger out and tossed him aside, his blood
coating my arms. Once his blood hit me, I knew it was one of the Weres from my
first encounter.

I went over to the first attacker, who was unsteadily trying
to rise. I picked him up by the neck, slammed him into what was left of the
railing, then threw him over the raised deck. He yelped as he hit the rocky
desert floor. I knew he was badly injured and watched as he shifted back into
human form. It was Mr. Beat It. He didn't look like he was going to be getting
up for a while, so I turned to check on Diantha.

The beast holding Diantha was like none I'd seen before. He
reminded me of a creature out of a bad horror movie. Even so, thanks to the
magic; I knew what he was, or more accurately, what he wasn't. He wasn't what I
would call a Werewolf; instead he was like some half-breed mutant that hadn't
grown correctly in the womb. He stood upright on two legs like a man. He was a
half human, half wolf-type creature that looked like someone had mixed up the
pieces during assembly. Securing the dagger, I pulled the seax Siegfried had
given me from its holster at my shoulder. It felt comfortable and was a more
versatile weapon.

He held Diantha by the throat with one claw-like hand. She
couldn't talk. Hell, I doubted she could even breathe. It bent her neck to the
side and I could see the drool from his fangs dripping onto her. It stared at
me and growled; appearing ready to bite. Beneath the stench, I could smell its
scent, similar to Mr. Beat It's line, yet not quite. I could also smell its
anger. There was no fear. I didn't know anything about Were culture, but I was
surprised that this beast had been allowed to live. It reeked of corruption.

Before I could move, the creature thrust forward and bit
down on her neck. Blood gushed from the wound as it raised its head and roared.
I had tried to get to her in time, but I was too late. Lunging forward, I
grabbed the creature's head by the mottled fur and hacked through its neck with
the seax, wrenching it from his body. The blade glowed as its blood continued
to pump, then the headless form fell over.

I bent down and cradled her blood-soaked body, not even
registering what else the beast's blood could tell me. Taking her hand, I
looked at the gaping wound and torn flesh, sure that nothing, not even magic,
could save her.

In that instant the red faded and the rage left me. I felt
drained, yet still I held onto her, lifeless in my arms. I started to lay her
down, when I felt her body twitch. Shocked, I watched as the wound began to
gurgle and slowly close, healing right in front of me. Her eyes opened and she
gasped, coughing and screaming in agony.

"By the Gods," she finally cried out. "I have
not felt such pain in many a lifetime." Then she started laughing
hysterically and I watched, dumbfounded, as she pushed away from me and stood
up, her white blouse covered in gore.

"My Fae Lord, you are as good at deception as Loki ever
was." She continued laughing, as she stomped her feet and held up her blood
soaked arms. She rubbed her face and neck with them.

I guess she really was immortal after all. She was also as
mad as a hatter. "I thought you were dead," was all I could say.

"My time is not yet up, my glorious Fae. Besides, it
would take much more than these mangy beasts to kill me." She kicked at
the headless form as she spoke, then knelt down in front of me. "But why
the charade, my noble Fae? Am I not worthy? Surely you can forgive me the loss
of the Eye and return it to me. I will serve you as I served Apollo. Remember,
it was he that abandoned me, not I that abandoned him. Please, allow me to
serve you."

Well, shit. What the hell was this about? "Why are you
kneeling? Stand up," I said as I lifted her back to her feet, not really
processing the words she had spoken.

I looked around at the mess. The two Weres had reverted to
their human form. The
whatever
it was still looked the same. I walked
over to Mr. Beat It and rolled him over. He was still breathing, but out cold.
I had probably given him a concussion. The other one was dead. It was his
partner from our previous encounter.

How could I have not known they were here? Why hadn't the
magic kicked in sooner? Shit. I didn't have any answers and I needed a clean-up
crew. What the hell else could happen? Oh yeah, Diantha. I turned to look at
her. An old crone drenched in blood. I had the vivid image of a scene from
Army
of Darkness
. Thank God I wasn't looking for an old book.

"Please my Lord, I beg of you. Complete the ritual and
I will serve only you," she cried.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I tried
to decide what my next move should be.

"There is no need to hide it from me. Gift me the
necklace and I will serve you as I did Apollo."

Did that mean what I think it did? "What exactly do you
think you saw?" I asked, trying to retain some semblance of control.

She came over and knelt before me once again. There was a
momentary pause as she eyed me. "Ah, a test then," she cackled, and
continued. "Very well, my Lord. I saw you, one of the High Fae, strike
down his enemies. I saw your wounds heal and felt the wrath of a God as you
struck down your opponents. I have spent more time with Gods than most mortals,
and Gaea herself granted me the sight. I felt you wield the same power as
Apollo once did. There can be no mistake."

Could it really be true? I placed my hands on my chest and
stomach. The wounds were still there, but they had stopped bleeding and there
was no pain. From bastard king to High Fae, whatever that was. What the hell
was next? "Tell me of the ritual to be performed, should I decide to
return the necklace to you." I demanded. I holstered the seax and pulled
the chain with its oval stone from my pocket. Then I yanked her back up to her
feet. Hell, isn't that why I came here?

"Surely you... of course, the test continues. Blood has
been spilt. It remains only to gift me the Eye in water that flows forth from
the Earth, take me as yours and the spell will be complete."

Take me as yours? "You're kidding, right?"

She didn't say anything for a moment and then looked down at
her gnarled bloody hands. "Ahh, you jest. Come. Come. There is a pool just
around the corner. I will take you to it."

Before I could protest, she grabbed my hand and led me
around the trailer. There was a small pool that must have been fed by the
underground hot springs that this area had once been famous for. She pulled me
toward her and we stepped in the water, now turning red as the spilled blood
mixed with it.

"The necklace. Place it around my neck," she
directed, as she bent down to submerge herself in the warm water.

Staring at the old woman before me, I tried to decide what
to do. I wasn't averse to giving her the necklace. Hey, maybe it would even
work. But what if it didn't? Between that and the battle I'd just fought, I had
too much going on in my mind to think clearly.

Oh, what the hell. I started to place the necklace around
her neck, then stopped. Something was happening. The magic began to kick in
again and the stone, the Eye, was glowing. I threw the dagger, along with my
cell phone and wallet onto the desert sand a few feet from the water. The seax
I left holstered.

"... and your oath?" I asked, the necklace frozen
just inches from her head, the stone glowing brighter.

"I will serve you as I served Apollo," she answered.

I placed the necklace around her head and watched as it
dropped to her neckline. "Holy shit," was all I could mutter as the
transformation began.

Green tendrils of magic flowed from the stone into her.
Then, it was as if time started turning backwards. It was incredible to watch.
Her hair lost its gray, turned jet black and became curly. Her wrinkles became
taut, the age spots fading and her skin changing to a healthy color. She rolled
around, ripping off her torn blouse. I watched her breasts and stomach becoming
firm. Seconds later, the transformation was done. She was now a young woman in
her mid-twenties, and I'll be damned if she wasn't as beautiful as she claimed
to have been.

"Complete the ritual," she begged, as she
unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them off.

I watched as the tendrils of magic reached out to me from
the stone on her breast. I hesitated.

"You must complete the ritual for the spell to work! I
must be bound to you," she cried, as she reached for me.

She wasn't kidding. As the first tendril of smoky magic
touched me, I felt it speak to me and there was recognition. Then there was
knowledge. There was much more to being Fae than I could have imagined, and it
wasn't all nice. Blood, sex, power... they were all there. But so was the beauty
of the forest and all living things. It seemed like I was taking it all in for
an eternity, but it was actually only a few seconds. I could now understand why
Diantha needed me.

She had been granted some type of foresight, born with it by
chance or granted it by Gaea, I really couldn't tell. Apollo had somehow given
her long life, but it was the stone, the Eye of the Dragon, that would give her
the youth and beauty she craved and make her extended life bearable. But she
could only have that back at the behest of one of the Gods, or these days,
someone like me.

The stone had opened something inside me, and it was waiting
for me to make a decision. I looked down at the now beautiful woman. "So
be it," I answered, and removed the rest of my clothes.

The human side of me winced briefly at the carnage that was
still nearby, but the Fae side of me reveled in it. The magic surrounded us as
I entered her. I had thought for a moment that this might be a purely physical
act, performed only to bind the magic for its purpose, but I was wrong. If
anything, Diantha was more sensual and aggressive than I could have imagined.
We finished with her on top, holding me tightly, as we climaxed together.

When she stopped shaking she leaned over and kissed me.
There were tears in her eyes. "You will not regret this, my noble
Fae," she whispered.

Then the magic dwindled and my head cleared. I didn't know
what to say.

She rolled off of me, laughing again, and then walked back
into the deeper water, rinsing herself off. The pool was clear now.

I watched as she poured water over herself. It was hard to
believe that just a little while ago she'd looked so old. Damn, that was a
visual I didn't need at the moment. But she was beautiful, and deadly as well.
I would have to be careful with her.

"Do you like what you see?" she asked with a
mischievous grin on her face.

Oh yeah, she was dangerous. I stood up and rinsed off as
well. "I'm not complaining," I jested. "But now we've got some
work to do."

I strode over to where I'd thrown my cellphone, picked it up
and dialed the only number I could think of.

"Siegfried," the voice answered.

Without too much detail, I told Siegfried where I was and
explained about the two dead Weres. I walked around the trailer to check on Mr.
Beat It. He was still out cold. I told Siegfried about him as well.

"Are you secure for now?"

"I think so," I answered. "We're too far away
from anywhere to have any witnesses."

There was a short pause and I heard him talking in the
background. "Do you have the scepter with you?" he asked when he was
finished.

"Yeah, it's in the car. Why?"

"I can have a team out there in an hour or so. I should
be there soon afterwards. I will explain it then. Perhaps we can kill two birds
with one stone."

"See you then," I said as I disconnected,
wondering what he had in mind.

I dragged the Were to my car. When I got there, I dropped
him on the ground and popped the trunk. I grabbed a bottle of antiseptic, but
the gashes were already closed. They were still red, but healing. I shook my
head at the sight. My suit was wet and torn, so I grabbed some jeans, a t-shirt
and tennis shoes from my emergency bag and threw them on. Then I grabbed some
cuffs and hooked up Mr. Beat It. He was still out, but why take chances? I went
into the passenger compartment and grabbed my gun from under the seat. I did a
quick inventory, seax... dagger... gun... Ok. Now I was actually prepared.

"What are you doing?" a still naked Diantha asked
as she walked up behind me.

"I've got to sort this out." I looked over at her.
"Do you have any clothes?"

"Of course. Why worry about them?" she asked,
meaning the bodies on the ground. She bent down and looked at Mr. Beat It.
"This one still lives; shall I kill him for you?"

"No, I may need him. I have some people coming to help
clean up this mess."

"Clean up? You are a God. You can do what you
will," she remarked, as if it were just that easy.

I could tell we were gonna have to talk. I turned around and
gently grabbed her by the shoulders. "Diantha, be that as it may; this is not
the age of Gods. Remember what happened to the last bunch? We're gonna have to
do things a bit differently these days. Now, I need you to find some clothes
and then I'm going to do as I promised."