Soul Mates Bewitched (13 page)

“What’s a laudy daw?” I asked.

“A feckin’ snob. Ye know, one a them snooty twits ye see on the telly?”

I smiled. “Lead the way, Jilly. We’ll follow your lead.”

Jillian nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed a button next to the iron gate. After a moment a voice crackled through the speaker box.

“May I help you?”

“Hello, Farrell. Is Mother within?”

“Lady Jillian, you’ve returned. I will inform your mother,” Farrell replied as the iron gate swung open.

I took Jillian’s hand and walked with her up the long drive to the front of the intimidating house. It was a huge place, with a well manicured lawn and it looked less than lived in. We arrived at the entry way which looked cavernous, and didn’t have to wait a moment before the door was opening.

“It is good to have you home, Lady Jillian.”

“Thank you, Farrell. Has Mother been informed that we are here?”

“Yes, Milady,” Farrell said with a slight bow. “She awaits you in her office.”

“Thank you, Farrell,” Jillian replied as we followed her down the hall to the wooden stair well. She led us up the stairs and down the hall to a wooden door where she stopped and knocked timidly.

“Come in.”

Jillian straightened her shoulders, took another deep breath, and opened the door. “Hello, Mother.”

“Jillian, my dear, I am glad to see you are well,” her mother said coming toward us. “I see you have brought some friends with you. How nice.”

“Yes. Mother, this is Antony Gunari and Maxwell Fergus, the Prince of Light and Illusion. Tony, Max, may I introduce you to my mother, Lady Brigid O’Neill, Countess Tyrone?”

“It is an honor to meet you, Milady,” Max said with a slight bow.

“It’s nice to meet you, Countess,” I said and following Max’s lead, I bent into a slight bow.

“The pleasure is mine, I assure you, gentlemen. Won’t you please sit?” she said gesturing to the sofa and chairs set up near the oval wall of windows.

Jillian sat down in the chair, so Max and I took the sofa closest to her. She reached out and held my hand, her fingers lacing through mine. Her mother was intimidating, so much so that I didn’t know how to start the conversation and waited.

“I am glad to see that you have recovered,” Lady Brigid said, her eyes narrowing at the sight of our interlaced fingers.

“I am sorry, Mother. I know I should have been more vigilant,” Jillian said with a sigh.

“Yes, my dear, you should have. However, it was to be expected. You do realize that the fight is not over? The Queen is still after the Chalice of Light and the Light Bearer as well. She will not stop simply because two years have passed. That is just a blink of the eye to her.”

“Yes, I know, Mother.” Jillian nodded. There was a slight edge to her voice and I knew she was frustrated.

“You were expecting us to be gone for two years?” I asked incredulously.

“I am the Oracle, Light Bearer. I see most everything, and while I can predict, occasionally I am wrong. I was not this time. And I did not worry about either of you in the Never Never because I still see the same future as I did before you both entered the Faerie Realm.”

“Did you know about Brice?”

“As Oracle, I was aware of his potential for both good and evil,” she said quietly.

“Why didn’t you let us know that he was a traitor? That he was working with Póg Tocsaineach?”

“It was not my place. I did warn Nicu of the possibility of a threat. He chose to trust his people, which was also to be expected.”

“We could have been spared all of this if you had just told us,” I said sharply and Jillian squeezed my fingers.

“Again, it was not my place to interfere. If I interfered in minor matters it could change the outcome of the bigger picture. Jillian being taken to the Faerie Realm, while troublesome, did not change the bigger picture.”

Jillian looked at me and sighed. Max just shook his head, urging me to stop. “I see,” I said sourly. Apparently having her daughter kidnapped by a sadistic bastard was a minor matter.

“Now, would you all like to stay for lunch? Chef Gervais has prepared a lovely repast.”

“I think not. We had best get back to New York. As you mentioned, Mother, the Queen is not going to stop until she realizes that the Chalice of Light is lost to her.”

“Very well, my dear. I will give your father your love. He will be sorry that he missed you.”

Jillian rose and nodded.

“Would you mind if I spoke to you alone for a moment, Jillian, my dear?”

“As you wish, Mother,” Jillian replied, releasing my hand.

“We’ll just wait outside the room,” I said, rubbing my hand down Jillian’s arm.

Max and I closed the door behind us, giving Jillian and her mother some privacy.

“What do you think that’s about?” I asked Max.

“I think you already know. It wasn’t as if the two of you were hiding in there.”

I nodded and swallowed hard as the door opened and Jillian stepped through, her emerald eyes flashing with power and annoyance.

“Good bye, Mother,” she said, her voice sounding almost harsh.

“Good bye, my dear, gentlemen,” she said nodding elegantly as she watched us leave.

I followed Jillian back down the wooden stairs and outside. I could feel the steam rolling off of her in waves, but she waited until we were well away from the house before she exploded.

“Jest fer once, I’d like that woman ta show some kind of feckin’ emotion! Feck! Did she even bloody care that I was tortured? Nay! Jest, “I knew ye would recover” and what not. Let’s feckin’ move on! Pah! I’m done. I’ve lived me whole bloody life doin’ exactly what she feckin’ expected, what she feckin’ said must be done. I’m feckin’ done! I’m doin’ things my way fer now on! And screw her and her feckin’ visions!” Jillian raged.

I pulled her gently into my arms and held her as she screamed. “It’s going to be all right, Jilly.”

“Nay!” she said pulling away from me. “Do you feckin’ know what she said aboot ye? Before ye came ta New York, she phoned. She feckin’ said I wasn’t ta get involved with ye. That ye feckin’ had a job ta do. She feckin’ forbid it! I couldn’t help it though, I feckin’ fell fer ye like a ton a bricks! An’ jest now she took me ta task again, fer lettin’ me heart get in the way of me job, she said! Feck!”

I grinned at that and drew her back into my arms. “I’ve fallen for you, too,” I said, stroking her long red hair, wrapping a strand around my finger. I stroked her cheek, ran my thumb over her bottom lip and kissing her.

“You two want to finish this conversation back at the Mound? We do have some things to take care of before we leave for New York.”

I slipped my arm around Jillian’s shoulders and laughed. “Yeah, Dude. Let’s go,” I started to say, but before I could even finish, Max touched my shoulder and we were back at the Faerie Mound in Kerry.

“We should go check on Nicu.”

Jillian nodded and leaned into me as we left the hallway for Nicu’s chamber.

“T
wo years?”

I nodded at Nicu, who looked completely bewildered.

“Damn Fae. How’s the club?” Nicu asked raising an eyebrow.

“I assume it’s fine. Max said the Guardians took over, knowing you’d be back.”

“What else did we miss out on? Is the Chalice still missing?”

“No, we’ve got the Chalice, not that the Queen realizes it yet.”

“Found it, did you?” Nicu said with a smile. “What happened to Brice?”

“Dead.”

“You kill him?”

“Didn’t have to, Póg Tocsaineach took care of that. I can’t imagine she’s too pleased that we got away while she was distracted.”

“So he wasn’t her soul mate as he claimed?”

“Nope, Dude had a seriously inflated ego. If he had been her soul mate, we would not have gotten away. We’d be having this conversation in the Summerland and the world would be in utter chaos and Darkness,” I said with a wry grin.

“Right. So what now?”

“Now we go back to New York and wait for the Queen to make her move.”

Nicu nodded and attempted to stand. He was a little wobbly on his feet, but Jillian caught his arm and helped to steady him. “The effects are still takin’ their toll on ye. Ye’re gonna wanna rest fer a few days.”

Nicu nodded. “I’ll rest after we end this.”

I shook my head, but didn’t say anything. There was a big battle coming, and I knew it. “We’d better find Max and get back.”

We headed back down the hallway to the throne room and found Max holding court. He was giving last minute instructions to the Fae who would remain in Ireland.

“You are to protect the Oracle at all costs. If this fight comes to Ireland, you will collect the Oracle and bring her here. Even against her wishes. Do I make myself clear?”

The Fae warriors each held a fist to their heart. “On our honor, my prince.”

Max acknowledged their pledge with a slight nod. “You are dismissed,” he replied, waiting for them to leave the chamber. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yeah, we’re ready to get back to New York.”

“Nicu, you are well?”

Nicu nodded. “I’ll be fine. Just get me back to my club.”

Max nodded, touched Nicu’s and my shoulders and the four of us flashed back to Dorinta’s. It was just after nine a.m. and the bar was closed, but the Guardians were all gathered anyway. Apparently, Thane and James had flashed back earlier and put out the call.

“Nicu!”

“What the hell happened to you?”

“Thank God!”

“Nicu, I’m so glad you are back!” Kimberly said, rushing into Nicu’s arms and kissing him.

Nicu held her close and kissed her back. “I’m fine, Sweetheart. It feels as though I haven’t been gone more than a day.”

“It’s been two years! Two horrible, horrible years!” Kimberly replied with a sob.

Nicu hushed her, cupping her chin and brushing the tears from her cheeks. “I’m fine, we’re fine. Everything will work out, Sweetheart.”

I’d had no idea that Kimberly and Nicu had been involved and I raised my eyebrows at Jillian who just grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

“Everything is as you left it. We just kept the bills paid and the club going while you were away,” Mason said.

“Thank you,” Nicu said with a smile. “Now where are we Guardian wise?”

“While you were gone, Max took over the position of director.”

Nicu nodded and looked at Max, raising his brows in question.

“Well, it was the least I could do. I knew you’d be back if Tony had anything to say about it,” Max said with a smile. “We’ve kept up the watch over Central Park, the Unseelie attacks have slowed down for the most part, probably due to the fact that Póg was away as long as you were. I have a feeling things are going to pick up again soon. With you back, Póg will not be far behind.”

“Very well. We’ll keep the same strategy we had before, with each of you guarding sections of Central Park and the remainder of the city. If you see anything out of the ordinary, a rise in activity, report back here.”

The Guardians nodded. “It is good to have you back, Nicu. We missed you.”

Nicu grinned. “I missed you all, too, Marcus.”

I took Jillian’s hand and with a look at Max, I led her to the back of the bar and up the stairs to Nicu’s apartment. She followed me willingly. “Tired?”

“Totally knackered,” she said softly.

I smiled. “Me, too. It’s been an exhausting few days.”

“Years.”

I chuckled. “Maybe for them, but not for us.”

Jillian smiled as we entered my room. “I could sleep fer ages.”

We curled up together on the bed and I held her as we fell asleep. It wasn’t long before I was pulled not so gently into a Dream Vision.

It was dark as pitch, I could not see two feet in front of me; hell, I couldn’t even see my fingers in front of my face. Trust me, I checked. There was a feeling of menace about the Darkness and I knew I needed to do something.

“She’s coming…”

“Who’s there?” I asked.

“She’s coming… she’s gathering her army and she’s coming for you…”

“Anca?”

“She’s coming… the Darkness is coming… you don’t have long…”

“Anca, where are you?” I asked again, but then I heard Jillian whimpering and I awoke drenched in sweat. Jillian was curled on her side in a fetal position, whimpering as if she was trying not to show how much pain she was in. I stroked her forehead, soothing her and whispered, “Hush now. You’re safe, Sweetheart.”

Jillian murmured in her sleep and rolled over, her body less tense. I drew her back into my arms and lay back down with her. The Dream Vision with Anca was disturbing. I felt as though I hadn’t seen all I was meant to see. The last thing I’d heard was that I didn’t have long. With Anca that could mean anywhere from an hour to a week. I needed more information. Clearly, though, I wasn’t going to get anymore sleep. I glanced at the clock, it was nearing dinner time. We’d need to eat and be out in the park shortly, so I gently shook Jillian’s shoulder.

“Mmm,” she murmured.

“Jilly, it’s time to get up.”

“Five minutes, Mum,” Jillian mumbled into my arm.

I grinned. “Jilly, five minutes are up. Come on, I’ll make you dinner.”

Jillian blinked her eyes a few times and ran her hand over her face. “Roi’t, I’m up. Ye mentioned food?”

“Yes, food. Come on my dear little Sorceress, we’ll find you something to eat somewhere.” I dragged her out of the bed and led her to the kitchen depositing her on the stool while I raided the fridge. “Are eggs all right with you?” I said after I checked the expiration date. Seemed someone had restocked knowing we’d be here. Kimberly maybe?

“Grand.” Jillian nodded.

“I have to talk to Max before we head out tonight,” I said setting the eggs on the counter and grabbing the milk and cheese.

“What’s the craic?”

I glanced over my shoulder at her as I whipped the eggs milk and cheese together and added salt and pepper. “I had another vision.”

“Well, let’s have it, then.” Jillian said looking more alert.

I poured the egg mixture into the pan and switched on the stove to medium heat. “It was just Anca with a warning. I didn’t get to see it in its entirety.”

“Why?”

I smiled. “I suppose I wasn’t ready to hear the rest,” I said.

“Anca do that ta ye often?”

“Not usually,” I said, scrambling the eggs in the pan.

“Hmm.”

I finished up the eggs and split them between two plates, and handed one to Jillian. I watched her take a bite. “Good?”

“Deadly,” she murmured with pleasure.

“Good.”

We finished eating and went downstairs to the club to find the others. Max was sitting at the bar with James and nodded at me as we entered the room. I kissed Jillian’s neck, squeezed her hand and motioned to Max that I needed to talk to him. He joined me in Nicu’s office a few moments later.

“What’s up, Tones?”

“The Queen is gathering her army and heading here. She’s coming for me.”

Max paled. “She knows you’re the Light Bearer.”

“Looks that way.”

“How long do we have?”

“I don’t know. Anca wasn’t real specific. She said not long.”

“She give you any idea how to fight the Queen?”

“No. I was pulled from the vision before I was supposed to leave.”

Max frowned. “How’d that happen…never mind. I already know…Dude.”

“It wasn’t her fault, she was asleep.”

Max nodded. “Any chance you can do your…” Max began, waving his hands about my face, “you know, that Kohl thing?”

“I don’t know, I can try.” I pulled the Kohl pencil I’d swiped from my dresser before coming downstairs out of my pocket and pulled off my shirt. I drew on the symbols I needed for protection and then lined my eyes. I sat down cross-legged on the floor and began to breathe deeply. I let my mind drift and felt my spirit enter the astral plane.

“She’s coming…”

“Anca?”

“She’s coming… She’s gathering her Dark army. She’s coming for you, Light Bearer. The Darkness is coming…”

“I know Anca…when? When is she coming?”

Anca appeared, just barely. She was faded, almost as if she was a whisper of a spirit, instead of her usual nearly solid figure in the astral plane. “She’s coming…gather your strength…gather your courage…be watchful of the Seer…pull your love close. Hold on to her, Light Bearer…she is the key…it is the only way…”

“When Anca, how long do we have?”

Anca started to weaken. “She’s coming…she’s coming…”

I sighed. Anca was gone. It was as if she couldn’t fully form or communicate as she normally did. Something was blocking her and setting her on repeat. I followed my life thread back to my body and came back into myself.

“Well?” Max asked when I opened my eyes.

“She didn’t say when, just that she’s gathering her Dark army and coming for me.”

“Did she say anything else? Give you any other clues?”

“Yeah, I guess. She said to keep Jillian close, that she’s the key…that I have to gather my strength and courage and hold her close, she’s the key.”

“You know, this spirit guide of yours is really cryptic. Couldn’t she just come out and say what you need to do?”

I frowned. “Something was wrong; it was almost like another force was keeping her from speaking, from sharing more.”

Max frowned. “Well, for now, go with Jillian, I’ll send Daire with you two. If the Queen is gathering her Dark army, we need to be ready when she gets here.”

I nodded. “Let’s go.”