rogue shifter 05 - caught between (9 page)

"But this is only her shade, you said her soul has moved on. Can't this part join up with the rest of her?"

"Unfortunately, no. Don't look so sad. She's been released from the villa so she's free to travel where she wishes. However, without someone with your skills, she cannot communicate in your world, therefore she will most likely want to stay close to you. I have several familiars myself. Your grandmother has hundreds."

"Did Grandmother send you?"

He hesitated, then spoke slowly, picking out his words very carefully. "The archdemon, Bassilissa Naberia of the Alter Level, your grandmother, felt that the timing was perfect for your training to begin, so I
accepted
her advice as being sound, and returned Kennet to Caelen." He rubbed behind his left ear, where his birthmark lay, in a kind of nervous gesture.

Maybe he'd been coerced. "Did she
force
you to return him before you were ready?"

He turned away from me and looked out at the ocean. "There was much to be accounted for between him and me. Many years of servitude."

So that was a yes. I dropped that subject, but couldn't stop worrying about my grandmother and her
arrangements
. "What does she have planned for me?"

"I cannot begin to comprehend her will."

"Oh really?" I wasn't buying his BS.

"You only need know that she is equal in power to the Fae Queen of the High Sidhe. They are eternally at war, one striving to create and balance according to her design, the other unmake and encourage the chaos that suits her best." His voice dropped in tone.  "Make no mistake, they are both fearsome creatures, their motives and abilities beyond most being's comprehension."  He shrugged again and smiled pleasantly. "Who am I but a simple demon, sadly unable to understand such gods and their machinations?"

"But she holds you in some esteem, I think, which makes you more powerful than you let on. Exactly who or what are you to her?"

"An assistant. A mere speck of dust in her universe."

I shook my head, thinking back to my meeting with the two of them. "You're more than that and I'm sure you know a lot more than you're telling me. I just have to think of the right questions to ask you."

He narrowed his eyes and grinned mischievously. "And I the best answers."

CHAPTER TWELVE

Other than the time I spent training, the rest of the week progressed along standard vacation-like routines. I spent a couple of hours at the beach every morning with my three fae companions. We'd dangle our feet in the salty spray and one of them would somehow signal a pod of dolphins to come just a little closer to shore than usual, or they'd magically encourage a  group of starfish to form a pretty design in a tidal pool that never would have happened naturally. Liam got a whale to breach right off the coast, making me gasp and the others giggle. I think there was some kind of silly competition going on between the three of them, but I never asked since I was enjoying the results of their efforts.

My favorite animal entertainers were the California sea otters, who skittered playfully over the rocks next to us and then dove in for another mussel or clam, splashing us on purpose. Well at least splashing
me
on purpose. The other three never seemed to get wet. Not even when it rained. I guess I was absent the day someone handed out the invisible umbrellas.

They didn't sweat either. If we weren't such good friends, I could learn to hate them. Especially since my pregnant body got hot easily, feeling it necessary to shower two or three times a day. And since I'm on a roll, let's not forget how gracefully they moved, even when doing the tiniest actions. Although I was a cheetah with my own share of natural grace, my body had turned traitor in the last week or so, making my walk look closer to a duck's waddle than a feline's stride.

In the afternoon, Liam and Kellaine would go riding, exploring the mountains and the coastline. They were able to travel the lines for short distances with the horses, so we were entertained in the evenings with stories of what they'd discovered in the more remote areas of the state. The horses never seemed to mind, as long as there was grass to munch on and a cool stream to drink from.

They must have been something to see as they sat astride their mounts, Liam with his golden hair and delicate, yet handsome features and Kellaine, her thick auburn waves blown back by the breeze, their violet eyes glittering as they rode through the rolling brown hills of a California summer.

My late nights alone with Garrett were magical on so many levels. His capacity to make me feel loved and cherished seemed infinite. He took the weariness I felt from my stress-filled workouts with Isaiah and banished it with his sweet kisses and loving caresses. Resting his head against my rounded belly, he'd sing sweetly to our son, and then later his passion would wake mine, making our bodies sing a different song. His dark mood had lightened with Marie's arrival, and so our bond seemed to grow stronger with every breath.

However, every afternoon, as Liam and Kellaine enjoyed their rides and Garrett rested, I'd spend at least two hours working alone with Isaiah. It took me an entire session just to learn how to block the tormented shades. then how to release one at a time from their link to the villa. After I'd released Marie, I tried to do a few others every day, but there were too many to take care of on my own. I'd actually lost my lunch a couple of times when I was confronted by a particularly grizzly one, but I realized quickly that they were all victims of Eleanor, none of them truly evil or dangerous. I hoped that wherever they journeyed would be a more peaceful place for them.

And because Garrett and I wouldn't be coming back here again for quite a while, I was determined to hire in another necromancer to continue releasing them as soon as I had time to arrange it. And yes, as odd as it seemed, I could now add necromancer to my growing list of so-called abilities. At face value it seemed at odds with my talent as a healer, especially because I was using the magic of my grandmother's people, yet as I released them I couldn't stop myself from feeling like I was actually bringing them peace after many years of unrest. And it felt good.

Isaiah generally behaved himself during our lessons, annoying me by spouting his usual mantra, "You are doing well, but it is important that you learn more quickly. Focus, Jacqueline." Sometimes I wanted to scream, but instead, I squinted with concentration, tackling my next challenge with as much enthusiasm as I could summon.

This last afternoon at the villa was the most difficult session. It was a lesson in protecting my privacy.

It started off kinda fun. Isaiah stood on a bench in the garden and used his richest tone, sounding almost like a cartoon character. "Build your wall, Jacqueline and I will show you how easily I can break it down."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the laugh. "You don't have to make a show out of it, Superman. Just teach me how to build one that's completely demon-proof."

His mouth twisted petulantly as he jumped down and sat. "You cruelly deny me my fun, but I will acquiesce in the interests of your continued education. Still you must erect your strongest wall, and I will teach you how to make it even stronger. Then you will be able to keep me and other demons out of your thoughts."

"Even
Grandmother
?" I sat on the bench directly opposite, giving him my best suspicious stare.

"If you practice the skill, yes, I believe you may be able to block her and the fae queen as well."

"The fae queen never shows her face around here."

"And you should continue to pray that she does not."

"Why?"

He leaned forward as he spoke. "Little demon, the fae queen's beauty will cause you to kneel in abject awe and lose your ability to think coherent thoughts as she flays the skin from your bones, inch by inch or uses her nails to rip Charlie from your womb. Then she will laugh and the exquisitely lovely sound will be the last thing you ever hear."

My eyes had grown wide, as I swallowed hard. "Oh. I guess she wouldn't like that I'm part demon."

"Ya think?"

His sarcasm shouldn't have surprised me but I still frowned at him, trying to erase the violent vision he'd just planted in my head. "You're watching too much TV, Isaiah."

This time he grinned. "I'm sure I could find more interesting things to do if you'd let me off the grounds."

"No."

"Then I suggest that you get to work and stop complaining."

"Fine!" I snapped. "I can't wait to get you out of my head for good."

He patted the bench. "Sit here and take my hand. Then I'll smash your diamond wall to dust with my magic." I winced because he only asked me to hold his hand when the lesson would be very difficult. Through our contact he'd be able to give me little boosts of power when I felt like I couldn't continue.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Humble, and it's
my
magic too."

"It pleases me to hear you say so." I'd met Isaiah when he was guarding me for Kennet, so when he'd first told me that I had demon ancestors, I refused to believe him. That lasted until he pointed out my demonic birth mark and got me so angry that my eyes flashed orange. At that point, he'd pretty much made it impossible for me to ignore the truth.

Isaiah had explained in his annoying way that the difference between using fae and demon energy was not in the amount of power used, but in the intention of the magic user. In the past when I'd pulled up power to battle an enemy, I'd called magic to me as a shapeshifter would, although I'd been unaware that there was a difference. It was the magic created and manipulated by the fae, stemming from nature in all its various cycles, that had always answered me. Even if I'd used the magic to kill, as long as the enigmatic Balance was satisfied, then it was the magic of the High Sidhe that flowed into my body.

Vampires, shades, ghouls, ghosts, necromancers and other users of the darker arts fed from the ingredients produced by the Unseelie fae and the occupants of the Demonic Realm. Interestingly, the two magicks flowed congruently within the lines, never actually mixing together. They were accessible to any supernatural with the skill to make use of them and could be used for almost any purpose, based again on the ability and the intentions of the magic user. Isaiah explained that, like Garrett, who was a vampire/shifter, my shifter/necromancer was also able to use either source.

"You two are a power couple, Like Brad and Angelina." He'd laughed.

When I finally succeeded in blocking all of his attempts to get through my wall, some of them excruciatingly painful, I was dripping with sweat, bowed from exhaustion and happy as a pig in poo. Now Isaiah couldn't read my thoughts, and the relief I felt was even stronger than I'd imagined.

"Thanks for just about killing me." I teased him.

"You were many minutes from death," he joked back.

"And thanks for the new skill. Now you'll have to wait for me to tell you what I'm thinking, just like everyone else." I lifted my chin and he laughed.

"What you are thinking is often written all over your face."

"And what am I thinking now?"

"You're proud of the work you did and you're just a little bit happy that I showed up to train you." He smiled smugly, but I was even happier because I knew how much it annoyed him to be cut off from one of his favorite sources of entertainment.

"I'm gonna have to work on my poker face."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Later, after a much needed nap, I thought that I'd do as Isaiah had suggested earlier and contact Marie once more to let her know that we'd be leaving soon and she was welcome to join us if she wanted to. I wasn't so sure about the 'making her a familiar' idea, but I was willing to discuss it. She'd been a prisoner in the cells for over a hundred years, so it was hard for me to believe that she might want to tie herself to someone.

Charlie had been auditioning for
So You Think You Can Dance
since I'd woken up, so I went into the small office off the dining room with the really comfy chair where I could put up my feet and also where I'd have some privacy. Fifteen seconds after I summoned her, she appeared behind the desk facing away from me.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Marie, but I wanted you to know that we're heading toward home in a few hours and..."

I stopped speaking because she still hadn't turned around, so I looked more closely. There was a new rip in the sleeve of her jacket and it concerned me that she hadn't responded. Fear caused a shiver to run down my body so I instinctively called for Liam, although it probably would have made more sense to contact Isaiah. Despite my choice, they both appeared in the room at the same time.

Although Liam couldn't see her, he stood at my back, sensing something was wrong. I tried again. "Marie, turn around so I can speak to you, please."

She did, very slowly. There were scratches down her face and across her throat, as well as a few on her arms. Nothing was bleeding of course, but the wounds still looked painful. Her skirt was ripped as if someone had tried to tear it off of her.

"My god, what happened?" I sent Liam a mental picture and he stiffened behind me.

Isaiah spoke, before she could. "She smells like my home turf. Were you entertaining some demons, Marie?"

She wouldn't look at me. "Perhaps I should have remained here. I only wanted to explore, to attempt to find my Harrison, but I was accosted and taken somewhere, somewhere dark. I only escaped because you summoned me."

Isaiah plopped himself down in a leather chair and leaned forward sniffing the air. "Her energy calls to the lower level thugs who are desperate for power. High demons don't waste their time torturing helpless shades. I recognize their scent. These two have defied me in the past. I will take care of them personally when I return."

His eyes were orange, matching his fury. It surprised me to hear that disciplining underlings was a common practice of his. The evidence was stacking up. Isaiah was more than he let on.

"How can we protect her from this happening again?" I asked quietly.