rogue shifter 05 - caught between (22 page)

I jumped up, but Liam stood and grabbed my shoulder.
"She's wants you to overreact.
Leave her to me."
I sat down very slowly, my glare shooting daggers in her direction.

"Maya," Liam began, smiling again. "My father will not allow Charles to meet with anyone without his mother and a fae guard present."

"Excuse me? A guard?"

"Yes. He'll be guarded by a fae warrior twenty-four hours a day from the moment he's born."

"Why is this necessary?"

"Because Charles is a nephew of the queen and therefore must be treated like a royal prince and protected at all times. Lord Kennet is the Queen's half-brother." Her jaw couldn't have dropped any lower. "And I would caution you that insisting on an examination of any kind could be insulting to Her Grace."

Hmmm. Insulting the Queen of Faerie? Not such a good idea.

Her tone could have frozen Lake Tahoe. "We'll take your suggestion under advisement. This meeting is now closed." Maya stood and walked offstage in a very controlled and dignified manner, but her aura was dark red with rage.

After asking Peter to talk to Brad and Sylvia about Maya's unusual behavior, Liam, Garrett and I dissolved into the lines and met Maya in the parking lot. Fortunately, she was still ten feet from her car.

"I have nothing left to discuss with you." She moved toward the SUV, but Garrett blocked her.

He took her arm and forced her to look into his eyes. "You've turned your back on everything you believed in. You've broken the law."

"You can all go to hell."

"We saw you use Influence on your fellow council members. You need to be questioned.

"Who's going to question me, Garrett? You? Liam? Maybe your little whore?"

Garrett's mouth had thinned out in anger. "Brad or Sylvia will question you."

She started to laugh, a loud but scornful sound, and that's when I knew. I sent out a call to Isaiah and he appeared instantly by my side.

"Field trip?" Smiling he turned toward Maya, curious as to what this woman thought was so funny. A moment later he was snarling and grabbing her shoulders, holding her in place as she snarled back at him. His eyes flashed orange and he began whispering in a guttural language. Maya started to shake violently, her eyes closing tightly and her breath becoming ragged.

Liam spoke to us mentally.
"Demonic possessions are rare."

Isaiah hissed out, "Garrett, help me get her into the car and then hold her head so she does not break her neck. This is a violent procedure. A lower-caste piece of shit from my world has taken possession of her body. I intend to exorcise him and then I will deal with him personally."

Isaiah pulled her into the back seat as gently as he could, continuing to spew out the ancient words to unravel the spell. By now, she was twitching and writhing so erratically that Garrett felt he could only keep her stable by cradling her head and her body against his chest, so he followed her into the car and sat on her other side, doing just that.

Isaiah continued to bark out orders, and none of us questioned him. "Liam, hold her hand and send her some of your healing energy. She will need it." Liam sat in the front passenger seat and reached over to do what Isaiah had asked. She calmed slightly as soon as he touched her.

"Jacqueline, drive as quickly as you can to the hospital. She will require fluids and probably a few weeks of rest.  As soon as I have exorcised the demon, she will need to be taken inside. He has drained much of her energy. She may need blood as well."

With a squeal of tires, I tore out of the parking lot and headed down the main drag toward the Crescent City Hospital. After two blocks Maya started to scream.

It sounded like she was in excruciating pain, so I glanced back. "Keep your eyes on the road." He hissed at me angrily.

Fine.
I hit the gas and tore through the town. Luckily there were no cops around to cause problems, because her shrieks were getting louder. As I pulled into the CCH parking lot, the screaming stopped, but she was still hyperventilating.

"Get the fuck out of her, Wrexyl, or I'll feed your heart to your two cronies and I'll let you watch. You know my word is good.

A shady mist began to flow out of Maya's mouth, floating out through the open window and forming into a large shape in the parking lot. Isaiah pushed open the door with so much force, that it bent the hinges, and I felt selfishly glad that we weren't in the Saab. He plunged his hand into the mist, which now looked vaguely like one of the demons in that mural I'd seen when I'd first met my grandmother, then made a fist.

Isaiah's shape shifted, growing larger, then he opened his mouth wider than I thought was physically possible. As he took in a powerful breath, the other shape dissolved once again into a dark vapor, then flowed into Isaiah's body, a muffled scream the only sound heard by any of us.

Isaiah bent over, his hands clutched around his belly, obviously in pain. When he stood, he did not look like the young man who'd become such a fixture around the house this past week. He was much taller, maybe 6'6", with long chestnut-colored hair and fangs that looked a little longer and sharper than Garrett's. HIs muscles were impressive to say the least, as his broad chest filled out the tee-shirt he'd been wearing in a totally different way than before. His sweat pants were now way too short,  and the muscles of his thighs strained against the fabric.  If he didn't look so dangerous, I'd have said he was handsome...hot...maybe even yummy.

At this point I'd gotten out of the car, feeling curious and a little freaked out. Garrett and Liam joined me, always protective, and to be honest, this time I wasn't about to argue with them.

Isaiah's bright orange eyes took us in, his expression concerned, as if he was having  trouble remembering where he was for a moment. He took a step toward me and Liam reacted instantly. Pulling his blade. he pushed me behind him.

The new and improved Isaiah smiled, and I relaxed again. "Garrett, take Maya to the shifter ER." Garrett hesitated and looked at me. "Now. The little fae can protect your mate. We still have an agreement and I will not be forsworn."

I nodded at Garrett so he gathered up Maya and dissolved into the lines.

"Excellent driving, little demon." He looked down at himself and smiled. "I apologize that I cannot hold onto my glamour while containing my prisoner."

"No problem." I smiled back. "I thought the scaly demon form was your true form."

"That is our warrior form. This is my normal appearance, although we can take on any glamour. We prefer not to appear in our true form, except in our home, because it weakens our evil reputation." He was teasing me now.

"Oh." Man, he was almost as good looking as Aedus. In fact...

"We are mirror-brothers to the fae, although they will say nay."

I glanced at Liam, who was actually trying to hold back a smile. "Through the looking glass," he joked.

I was more confused than ever. "Well, that was certainly a unique way of apprehending a criminal."

"Wrexyl is not happy at the moment because I will not allow him to have control of my mind or body, so he is attempting to give me indigestion."

"How did he get into Maya?"

"She summoned him."

"No. She never would have done that."

"In return for a child."

"I don't believe you."

"I cannot lie. Your rules. Of course he had another errand which he did not mention to her, the gathering of blood, which solves a portion of your little mystery, I suspect. And she certainly did not agree to be possessed. She should leave demon summoning to the experts." He smiled at me mischievously since I'd summoned
him
when I'd handed over Lord Kennet.

"So Wrex...whatever... killed the shifters?"

"Yes. Probably while possessing Maya."

"That's why they let her in the house."

"Then he glamoured them back to bed and did what he came for."

"Will Maya be alright?"

"She will survive, although I doubt that her reputation will."

Liam spoke. "You'll be returning now, correct?"

I looked up quickly and saw by Isaiah's expression that it was true. "Why?"

"I must return Wrex to the Bassilissa."

"And then you'll come back?"

"No. She will expect me to stay."

"Then I won't finish my training?"

"You've learned as much as you asked to learn. You specifically requested not to be trained in blood magic, so we have gone as far as you desired."

"But I need practice."

"Then practice, little demon. Practice until your head pounds and your body shakes from exhaustion. Then you
might
reach the second level."

I fisted my hands and flattened out my mouth in anger. "I'm going to surprise you one day."

"I look forward to it." He grinned.

Garrett appeared next to me looking anxious. "I gave her some blood. The doctors feel she'll recover physically with rest and food. She looked like she hasn't been eating much. But psychologically?" He shrugged. "We just have to wait and see."

Isaiah stretched to his full height, which was impressive. "Garrett Corbin Cuvier, thank you for your hospitality. We are not enemies." He glanced at Liam with a frown, yet still nodded as he said, "Fae."

"Demon." Liam returned the simple nod.

"Jacqueline Grace Fitzgerald Crawford Cuvier, you are much like your True Name, complex and lovely. Thank you for taking your training seriously. I prefer not to waste my time, as I still have episodes of Buffy to see." He teased.

I rolled my eyes and pretended to scowl. "Nice."

"You see beyond words to the truth of people. Thank you for that." As he touched his birth mark and nodded toward me, he said a few sentences in his language. Then he was gone.

Liam laughed. "What a show. All mirrors and fog."

"The exorcism?"

"No that was real enough. But the speeches to you and Garrett at the end. A demon has no respect for another species. His thanks are empty words."

Garrett nodded in agreement. "I'll never trust him." Liam disappeared back to the house, while Garrett slid in behind the wheel, intending to drive the car to Maya's house and leave it there in her driveway. He patted the seat beside him and gave me an impish grin.

I slid into the shotgun position and stared at the spot where Isaiah had stood less than a minute ago. "Do you think that Liam knows what Isaiah said to me in his language?"

"If he doesn't, he could find out for you."

"I'd like to know."

You see beyond words to the truth of people. 
I found myself smiling, settling back in my seat. It was easy to dismiss him the way Garrett and Liam had, but he'd acted against his own kind, exorcising Wrex from Maya. And he'd taken me to Marie to help Garrett. Plus he'd saved me from Kennet when he could have let me rot there, or worse. Yes, he always has ulterior motives of one type or another, but he is an ancient creature used to doing whatever is necessary to achieve his goals.

I wasn't naive. Isaiah was no hero.

He was also no villain.

Isaiah was a demon with a past that stretched over centuries. Circumstances and choices had shaped him, just like every other supernatural and human creature on the planet. Could I trust him? If an agreement was in effect, then yes. If not, I wasn't sure. Did I like him? Sometimes, when he wasn't being an arrogant asshole. Did I fear him? Yes, because I wasn't an idiot. Did I respect him? Yes, because he'd proven himself to be honorable.

I got the news the next morning, that a date had been set for the judgment and execution of Lord Kennet, High Seelie Fae of Cascade.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A mere ten days later, I stood on a familiar plateau in Faerie watching the official proceedings with a mixture of fear, excitement and disgust. On my right, stood the warrior sisters and Liam, their presence helping me find the courage to get through this ordeal. Garrett, his strong arm snaked around my waist and his whispered words of encouragement giving me strength, sent me his love in a continuous flow of magic, so familiar to me by now that I didn't need to tap into the lines to see it.

Bridgett was given permission to attend with her mate, William, because she'd also been a victim of Kennet's cruelty. They'd chosen to stand off to the side so they could get a better view of the elders and Kennet, even though I'd wanted them closer.

After a lot of painful deliberation, I'd decided to face Kennet looking like myself, rather than allowing Liam to disguise me. It seemed cowardly to do otherwise. The plateau where we stood was behind him, so he hadn't yet turned to look in our direction, which was just great as far as I was concerned.

My belly was gigantic as Charlie readied himself to make his grand entrance into the world, and I worried that seeing Kennet's expression when he looked at my swollen state, might be too much to handle. As much as I tried to put on a brave front, I was frightened, so I pressed my body against Garrett's and peeked around Brina.

As Lady Dinestri spoke to the gathering in the Fae language, my mind traveled back two days to when Sinlae had appeared on the patio with her three males, all of them ready to move in.

When they'd arrived, I'd greeted Sinlae formally, nodding with my hand on my heart, making an effort to show her the respect I felt she deserved. This tiny fae had sworn to protect my son with her life, although I sincerely hoped it would never come to that.

"Welcome Sinlae. Aren't you about five days early? Not that I don't want you here, I do. But you said you'd be here two days before Charlie's birth, so, since he isn't due for another seven days, I didn't expect you until next week."

"Life proceeds as it will, without regard for mortal plans."

Her rather cryptic comment shot me up with an adrenalin rush. "Will Charlie be early?' My voice cracked with stress, thinking that he might be premature. When a pregnancy only lasted eleven or twelve weeks, a few days made a big difference. This past week my belly had stretched at a terrifying rate as he'd kicked and squirmed, causing me to lose my appetite, which worried Garrett and Liam to no end.