Stalked (Rogues Shifter #2) (6 page)

He laid his head
in my lap so I’d have a good look at his handsome face. “You can hit me if you want.” His sapphire eyes glittering with mischief, a pink tear still shining at the corner of his left eye.

So he'd laughed so hard he'd cried, huh? I scowled.
“It's tempting, but it wouldn’t hurt you and you’d probably just get turned on. But let me tell you something, Mr. Cuvier, you’re not getting any for at least a week.”

He laughed again. “We’ll see."

“Go feed from one of your pretty donors. I’m taking a shower.” I pushed his head roughly out of my lap and stalked off to the bathroom, hearing the sound of his laughter behind me.

My shower cooled down my temper, so by the time Farrell showed up to lea
d us to the ceremony, we trod the curved flower-laden path hand in hand. It would only take a kiss for my resolve to shatter, so what was the point? Samson trotted happily behind us, stopping to sniff at trees and bark at creatures apparently only he could see. The path ended at an open field. In the center burned a magical fire colored with streaks of faerie gold, rose red, the violet of fae eyes, and the teal of pixie wings.

As Liam had described, all the f
ae that passed us on the way to the field were wearing something yellow or orange, green or blue. I had chosen a lovely turquoise flower which I wore in my blonde hair. The rest of my outfit consisted of my usual low rise jeans, a slinky sleeveless v-necked top and sandals.  Garrett wore a tan shirt, a rust colored vest that gave him an old world look, and jeans.

The path ended at an open field.
In the center burned a magical fire colored with streaks of faerie gold, rose red, the violet of fae eyes, and the teal of pixie wings. Sloping up from the field were rich green hills with multiple flat plateaus where hundreds of fae gathered together to watch the proceedings in the clearing below. The four Elders were seated in the ceremonial clearing along with a young male and a young female fae. Those two were scantily clad and wearing wreaths of summer flowers. The male elders wore long saffron robes, their hair hanging loosely around their shoulders. The two female Elders were dressed in similar robes in a rich blue shade, also with their hair unbound.

Farrell led us up a lushly green sloping p
ath to end at a lovely area fragrant with the scent of fresh herbs and flowers. Tables were laden with food and there were hand carved chairs set out in different arrangements so that small groups could sit together and talk. Standing off to the left were Aedus and Lady Silvus, so Garrett and I made our way in that direction. They greeted us formally at first but then warmly invited us to sit where we could have a good view of the proceedings.

Liam strolled over to where we were sitting, squatted beside me and spoke softly. “Miss Jacqueline,” he teased. “I humbly ask you to accept my apology. I regret the way I behaved this
afternoon. Please forgive me.”

He looked contrite and adorable so I sighed and gave him my hand like a medieval queen. “I accept your apology.” He kissed it gently and Garrett choked out a laugh. Liam’s eyes were sparkling
with humor. “Please, no more demonstrations of what a badass you are.”

“As long as you take my advice seriously.” He shrugged. "My intenti
on was not to frighten you."

I pointed toward Sa
mson. "Happy?
”

“Your continued sa
fety makes me happy.”
He sent with a more serious expression.

“Thank you, Liam. I know I
’m a pain in the ass sometimes."

“I won’t disagree with you.”
I looked around for something to throw at him but instead had to settle for a glare. He just smiled and turned to Garrett. “I’ll translate for you both tonight. Connect and I will speak to you at the same time. Also I strongly recommend that you hold on to each other tightly. It can be rather overwhelming the first time.”

“Of course, thank you Liam.” Garrett was still laughing over Liam’s apology. He scooted his chair next to mine and wrapped his long arm over my shoulder while I leaned agains
t him. I was nervous. I should have asked for a little more information about what this celebration entailed. Overwhelming? Was that in a good way?

The light in the field and on the individual plateaus began to dim as if the sun were setting quickly. A few
scattered fae lights sprang to life around the perimeter, but other than the bonfire, most of the area was in darkness. There was a warm pinkish glow on the central platform, spotlighting the young couple and the Elders. The gathered fae grew very quiet.

The four Elders rose and began to sing in a language alien y
et exquisitely beautiful to the ear. The song’s rhythms and melodies constantly changed: becoming musical dances with harmonies so perfect that they made me yearn to move closer to the singers so that I could catch every nuance. They swayed to the song and lifted their hands in invocation. I was entranced.

“The song is about life energy re
newing itself each year. We believe in the Balance in all things. These three days represent the peak of life energy before nature begins its first steps toward a symbolic death at the winter solstice. The song that the Elders sing calls up our ancient vision of the sun. The sun represents the male aspect of nature’s balance.”

The feel of the energy in my chest and the smell of the magic being tossed around the clearing was so strong that I was afraid to take deep breaths.
“Is it alright for me to be breathing in all of this potent magic, Liam?”

“
You should be fine.”

“But this is more intense
than anything...”
An amazing vibration hummed and pulsed steadily throughout my body, making even my toes buzz with energy.

“Relax and enjoy it.
You may never have another chance. It’s a unique experience.”
A lovely redheaded female fae stood next to Liam, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek in greeting. He took her hand with a warm smile as Garrett held me a little tighter.

The expressive singing stopped when the sun’s avatar appeared above the bonfire. It pulsed with the rhythm of the ley lines and sent out three strong rays. One fell on the young man sitting on the platform, making him stand up gracefully and begin his own lovely song. After a few minutes another ray fell on the two male Elders and the third ray split into many pieces
and lit up each fae male. They all joined the young man in his song. Their song was as beautiful as the first, dipping and rising and making me tremble with sorrow. I felt Garrett hug me even tighter so I turned, surprised to see that he was also bathed in yellow light. A single pink tear trickled down his cheek so I squeezed his hand and gently kissed it away.

“The men sing of their search. They search for balance and purpose. ”
Liam continued
. They call to the earth to help them. The earth represents the female aspect.”
I noticed that Liam and his female friend were glowing slightly. In fact the entire area was full of couples holding hands and shining as the males sang.

I gasped as a vibrant green and blue earth appeared to spin beside the sun a
nd the men’s voices died away. The earth sent out blue/green waves of magic to touch the young woman on the platform, causing her to stand and sing, the sound of her voice creating its own magic. A few minutes passed as her song hypnotized us all and then wave after wave of blue green magic was sent out to the two female Elders and to every female in the crowd, including me. I felt the energy enter my body in a rush of power and warm me from head to toe with a glowing urgency. The women joined the song.

“The women sing of their need to create balance and their search for a companion to help them achieve it.”
At first, the music made me feel great sadness, because I was lost and empty. Then the men joined the women in song and the effect was astonishing. Multi colored magic was flowing through my mind and my body at a speed I’d never experienced. I clung to Garrett as our physical forms dissolved and together we became the currents and eddies of the ley lines. Our souls burned with fire and ice, pleasure and pain, the light and the dark, birth and death. Garrett and I were delivered into the magic along with countless fae: all of us searching alone then blending together to form a union with the earth and the sun. Somewhere in my head I saw the two avatars over the bonfire joining to become something else—something glorious in its simplicity. Something so right that it made my heart melt with joy.

I felt my
true body’s senses slowly returning and then Garrett was kissing me and I was kissing him back. We were on my cliff with the multi hued power crashing down below us against the rocky shore and we were lost in passion. I couldn’t tell if this was happening only in our minds or if we were really making love on the grass on that hill above the bonfire. I didn’t care. I was on fire and his touch cooled me with icy pleasure. He filled me with his powerful magic and I created the Balance that we finally released back to the earth and the sun and the universe.

At the end I seemed to be floating for a few moments,
or maybe a few hours. When I opened my eyes, everything was exactly as it had been. The fae were all standing in couples: singing and glowing. Garrett and I were still holding each other, dressed and not disheveled in the least. Liam was still holding hands with the pretty fae woman. Their eyes had morphed to a solid gold, but other than that he looked the same.

“I think we might have had an out of body experience
.” I whispered mentally.

“My body was very much involved in what just happened. It was beyond all words.”

I definitely had to agree.
“Beyond all words pretty much sums it up.”
We both laughed softly so as not to disturb anyone else’s hot dream date and spent the next few minutes curled around each other enjoying the incredible music and the euphoric afterglow of magical sex in Faerie.

When the singing stopped,
I noticed that most of the fae pairs had started drifting away, probably to pick up where their visions had left off. I was happy to see that Liam and his little redhead were gone, too. The images of the sun and the earth had disappeared, but the bonfire was stronger and more colorful than ever. A multitude of flowers, berry laden bushes and fruit trees had sprouted from the meadow’s soil during the ceremony. I thought that I could see creatures crouching or peeking out from behind some of them: gnomes, sprites, dwarfs? I shook my head and they were gone.

I was experiencing some
side effects as a result of taking in so much fae magic. My body buzzed with the power that I’d breathed into my lungs and soaked into my pores while traveling inside the lines. I mused that I'd become a magical generator that could keep a family warm all winter, or a battery to jumpstart a car. I sent Garrett a picture of myself attached to a car radiator on a snowy day and he had to cover his mouth to keep from exploding in laughter.

When things got back to normal
, or as close as a Fae Midsummer Solstice Ceremony can be to normal, I was corralled by several fae and asked lots of questions. The fae were very interested in how we liked the ceremony and when we might be coming back. Lady Erin sat with me and told some funny stories about Liam, who still hadn't returned, and Lord Caelen graciously invited us to join them for the fall festival in September. Garrett and I looked at each other and then said we’d let him know.

Aedus handed Garrett an envelope that had all the information they had accumulated regarding
the disappearance of Brina, Kaera's missing sister. While they spoke quietly together I walked to the far edge of the plateau and sat in a chair watching the different families and clans interact and enjoy the night. The lights had come up again so my view of the various gatherings was very good.

I was sad to see that there were no children. There were fae that seemed younger, like Farrell and the couple who had been on the platform and were probably off somewhere very private right now. But there were no little ones. What had Liam said? The l
ast time a child was born was seventy-five human years ago?

Although practically immortal, n
o children meant no real future for the fae: a great loss for them all. The ceremony suddenly took on more meaning, because creating balance and the renewal of life energy was all tied in to the birth of a child. If a child or two were the results of tonight’s ceremony, then all of Faerie would truly celebrate.

Samson, my furry shadow, lifted his head off of his paws and
growled next to me. I looked down the hill and there on the platform was Kennet. He was speaking to Lady Jorrenn, but he must have felt my eyes on him because he slowly turned and looked for me on the hill. Our gazes locked together causing an icy sweat to form along my hairline. A cold jab pushed me out of my chair and had me teetering for a second on the edge of the plateau. I slammed up my wall while Samson snatched at the leg of my jeans to pull me away from the steep drop.

Once I was steady
on my feet and out of danger, Samson growled more fiercely, his fangs dripping with saliva and his eyes actually tinted with red. Kennet sneered and mouthed, “Soon”. The malice in his expression had me backing away feeling nauseous and afraid that I might lose my meal.