Tainted (11 page)

He told me he’d meet me downstairs.  I’d managed to find an old shoulder bag to store all the memorabilia clothes, treasures and memories stashed inside along with the black bra that kept seeping back into my mind. When I made it down with my packed bags, my mom was lying on the sofa, safe, caught up to what I did and why.  My dad was asleep.  He wouldn’t remember any of it.  I walked up to my mom not sure of what to say.
 
“I miss you still.”  I wasn’t allowed to touch her.  She had to stay away. 

My mom watched me with careful precision as if categorizing all of me before I left her again.  She was woozy by my own damage to our home.  “You look radiant.”

I don’t feel radiant.

“Yes, you do because you survived.  Kin lost today.”

My eyes went wide.  “I forget you can hear my thoughts.”  I looked at Ian who was sulking and surely jealous.  He hated that everyone else could unless he could push the sudden emotional roller coaster with the only push button to turn them on.

“I could all those years.”

“Mom! That is truly a very embarrassing bit of information to keep being reminded of.”

“What, I was a teenager once too.  And I know that Ian is a gentleman. 
Your
hormones were the ones I worried about!” 

She was a menace. “Thanks mom.  Can we get back to saving you now?  I’ve got places to go, people to save.”  I wasn’t fooling my mom, though. 

“Grace, I’m proud of you.”

I didn’t want to talk right now, but it still was nice to hear.

“Thanks.  I needed that.  Will you let me come back one day soon and just talk again?”  Not about my hormones though.
  Are you getting that loud and clear, mom?

“Loud and clear sweetheart.  And I’d love that.”

“Will dad be okay?”  I looked at him.  He was lying back in the recliner like he would be on any other Saturday morning.  He would never know that strange creatures roamed his house, firework residue was cleaned off the kitchen floor, and his daughter was whisked away from the “bad fairies” who were trying to kidnap and/or kill her too.  I sighed.

My mom looked over at my dad.  She was now sitting and feeling better from the blast for the Fey healed fast.  I hadn’t come to terms yet that my mother was Fey. 

“He’ll be fine.  I’ve protected him always.  He found your letter yesterday.  Your father is far older and far wiser than you think and will come to terms with this.”

I realized the irony of that whole statement.  I looked over my shoulder at Ian and knew he realized what I was thinking without reading my mind.

“Yes, you did, protect father well and I know that’s what I have to do to keep Ian protected as well.   I will do my best to keep you both safe.  Staying away helps that more than anything.  I know that now.”

“I love you!”

“I love you too, mom.”   I turned to go, but stopped.  “Mom, would you do something for me?”

“Anything?” she stood now all healed with one hand on her hip like she was ready for a battle again. 
Oh, mom!

“Will you bake a pan of cookies for Ian and me just because, well, because I miss them, and you.”  My mom’s smile was bigger than I’d seen it in years.

“Already promised.  How about Ian and you come by once and while and have cookies with mom, say at least once a month.  Ian, is that okay?” 

I knew she was asking about the safety of it.  He wasn’t sure, but it was worth a try in my eyes.  He knew neither of us would give up trying, and I knew he really didn’t want us too. 

“Sure, for now.  Let’s play it by ear.”

“Come by later tonight and pick them up, Ian.  She’ll wake up tomorrow with cookies for breakfast.”

“Nutritious mom!”

“But yummy!”

“Didn’t lose your sarcasm or humor I see.”

“Never will.”

Ian stood beside me with a silence that said it was time to go.

“Do I get an invite to the wedding?” my mom said.

I dropped my mouth with a big round piehole announcing to myself only that I officially just received the biggest shock—ever!

”I heard you thinking upstairs and it was only natural since you stayed in the court and didn’t come back home that night.  Assumptions were in order.”

“Um, of course mom.”    This is so
weird.

“For me too dear.  You’re my daughter.  Congratulations.”
And Grace, trust Ian.  He is the one who holds your heart and you, his.  Please don’t lose sight of this.

“Okay, mom.  Agreed!  Please don’t read my thoughts.   I’m not sure I can handle the future events in my life and live with my mother being able read them.”  I was embarrassed at what I was implying but felt I better be clear with her.

“I understand dear.  Point taken.  But you’ll have to learn to shield them.  They’re not easily blocked from the send-e, just the sender!”

“Point taken.” 
Oh my.
  I will have to get control before I get married.  I can’t have the whole court listening in.

Ian was surely figuring out my thought patterns even without reading it.  I talked too freely with my mom therefore allowing him access in some small way to my mind.  To reassure him of what I was thinking and to embarrass me royally mom said, “There are safeguards for the queen and her own private quarters especially for your wedding night.  You will be well guarded.”

“MOM!”  I glanced at Ian.  He was grinning way to wide and chest puffed with machoism. 
Men!
  

“Mom, I have to go.”  I wanted to hug, kiss her cheek, something.  But I couldn’t.  “I love you,” she repeated hopelessly.

“I love you too.”

“Oh, mom,” and I ducked my head around looking at the kitchen, “do you have a bag of marshmallows?”

She smiled and returned a minute later with a brand new bag of white puffy giant marshmallows.  Despite the day’s events, I was ecstatic.

“What will happen to my house?”  I asked for my mom’s benefit.   It was then that I remembered Pike stood in the corner. 
Ugh!
  He heard everything.  Another man listening to details that might involve me and any said man on my wedding night was just cruelly mangled torture.  He wasn’t smiling though but rather looked way down in the gutter dumps.  I started to feel bad for him more than angry.  And he no doubt was reading me now because he put on his game face and smiled. 
Grrr! Go rot somewhere else Pike.

What is that for?

Listening only gives you grief.  You should stop punishing yourself. 

He shrugged off the wall and left slamming the door.  Ian only watched him then looked my way with probably a good guess or reading Pike’s sweet thoughts.

Ian walked up behind and slid his body against the back of me cradling my arms in his, “No worry.  The menehune will repair the house as it was.  They’re very good at what they do.”  This was interesting behavior in front of my mom.  PDA overdrive. 

“Remind me again who and what the me-ne-hoo-he are?”

His smile twitched up on one side and then his gaze grew distant, “They are a people who live in the deep forests and hide from the Fey as much as the human eye.  I have a friend of a friend who made an ally of the blacksmith and always owes a debt.  They build.  They’re counterparts are located around the world and take on many names as do our people.  Time changes all.  But once a faithful servant to another, all ties in time remain unless broken otherwise.”

“Like the debt thing?”

“Yes, Grace.  Like the debt thing.”  That same twitchy smile surfaced.

Satisfied, I grabbed his hand in mine and walked away, happier.  But the edge of my mind ignored the words on the wind reminding me of a debt to a darker prince repeating over and over, “
Spend a day with me…one day… twenty four hours.”

The next morning, a plate of cookies was lying beside my bed and I panicked that Ian came in here while I was sleeping.

“No, my dear.  Not on my watch. He is allowed only when properly needed. He gave them to me to put there for you.”  Danella was cross with me for thinking she might have failed at her job.  Since finding out that Danella was also Miss Dan from growing up, I had come to confide in the only real friend I had other than Ian.  At least, one I could tell secrets too.

“Up already.  Eat your cookies if you will.”    I heard her mumble, “
Some breakfast
!”

I bit into one and put it back.  “Will you put them up for me and save them for the trampoline tonight?  I want to surprise Ian.” 

Danella smiled.  She loved being sneaky unless it was me doing something dangerous in her eyes.  “Yes, Miss Grace.”

I shifted back into the bed.  “No, Miss Grace.  You are expected on the firing range, then breakfast, afterward a meeting with the guards and Master Ian, and…”

“And what…” I folded my arms while lying down in defiance.  I just wanted to lie down and close my eyes for, I don’t know, another twenty-four hours.  I was so tired lately.

“And a picnic at noon meal in the garden.”  Danella probed the area like someone might actually hear her, leaned in, and said, “It’s a secret.  No one but me knows.  That’s why you have to come back here after the meeting so I can ready you, sneak you there, and the rest of it, I’ll get ready.”

“You are such a sneak.  Ian has you eating out of the palm of his hand.”  Forget napping.

“And you don’t?”  Her implications were acknowledged with a nod by me.

“For sure.”

I went to the firing range.  Bane, Ian’s right hand man, kept an eye on me I noticed after appearing too suddenly and only watching
me
.  He was ever the boss man’s friend.  I shot over fifty arrows just to release some tension of the three prince dilemma and no Ian to interfere. I kept looking back over my shoulder for Ian wondering why I was called and not met.

“Here!”

“You read my thoughts?”

“No!  Your face and body were both talking for me as always.  You were looking around for someone.  I assumed it was me.  Am I mistaken?”  His arms were open wide.  He nodded away from him, but I was too focused on his face staring me down to look away.

“No.”  I stepped back away feeling suddenly too sweaty.  He noticed the space added between us but didn’t ask, thank goodness.

“You are missing breakfast,” he asked still without looking elsewhere.

I looked back at the range.  Where it was full of life two seconds ago, everyone was gone but my two guards Rion and Caymin.  And Bane, who was just here.  Was he my protector now instead of Pike?

“Oh, I didn’t realize.  I guess I got caught up in the range, and then when you didn’t come, I.…”  I wasn’t sure I wanted to say it. “I was waiting for you all morning and you never came.”  I sounded like a teenage hormone drama queen.

“I had something come up.”

I raised my eyebrows. 

“There was a disturbance on the court boundaries.  I took care of it.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Of course.  All is in order again.”

I looked down at the arrows I had left.  He was leaving something out.  “I thought we would not hide anything from each other.  That is what you said, right?”

“You’re right!”  He didn’t want to tell me whatever it was.

His heavy sigh followed with,  “Pike is being a jerk.  He dumped the box of fireworks that didn’t set off at your parents’ house and lit it on fire.  The guards were in a big mess about it, but I recognized the signature he left for me alone to find and cleaned it up.”

I laughed, “And you didn’t want to tell me, why?”  That sounds like a disturbance worth investigating.  I was still laughing only because I realized Pike was mad because of his own dang eavesdropping ears.  Serves him right.  “What was the signature, may I ask?”

He sighed heavily, again.

“Come on now!”

“Grace, don’t make me say it.”

I was really rattled now.   My face stilled.  What did Pike do?  “Please!  What did the Jerkface do?”

He turned away from me and looked at the targets.  “You did well today.”

“I had a great tutor.” He beamed. “You’re changing the subject.”

He kept his face on the targets.  “Pike took the entire bag of…undergarments you left on your bed at your parents’ house and stuffed them in the box of fireworks.  They were all over the entire wooded area this morning.”

I stepped backwards landing on the range ledge where watchers usually sat to observe. 
OH NO!  OH NO!

Ian didn’t turn sideways to see my face but rather picked up a dagger and threw it. He most likely knew what my face was probably staging through.

“And my UNMENTIONABLES were all over the forest.”

“And ground.”

  Shock!  Panic!  Shock! 
I couldn’t look at him, but I had to ask.  “And who picked up…everything.”

“I did.”

I dropped against the rail, my hands flying to my face bellowing mortification.  I began to count in my head…one Mississippi…two Mississippi…until the fifth Mississippi I didn’t let out a single breath.  He followed me quickly with arms flying around me.

“He is SO…”

“Hey, at least you’re wrath is focused on him.  I had a blast, really.”

I looked up at him.  I shouldn’t have. “WHAT?”

He leaned sideways bringing one leg up to pull something out of his pocket.  My other black lacy bra that was sitting on the bed at the disaster house calamity yesterday was dangling before me.  I thought I’d stashed it in the bag.  I tried to grab it, but he held it higher.  I looked up at it and snapped my eyes back to his face scowling. 

“I like it!  I didn’t want to lose it,” he winked.  I looked side to side to see if Bane or the guards were paying close attention, but thankfully, they weren’t.

I was mad, no doubt.  But if I were standing beside myself watching, I’d be totally awed by the man sitting in front of me.  He was baiting me hook, line, and sinking faster by the second.  I fixed my tears that threatened to come.  “Did anyone else see?”  He was still holding my bra up between us waving it back it forth like a pendulum of what’s to come then brought it to his lap.

“Just all of my guards and several hundred Fey.”

  Tears of horror came anyway.

“Joking!  Just my two guards who were with me when the blast went off.”  He stroked my cheek with the non-bra holding hand.  His rogue smile found its way to me though he tried hard to keep it hidden.  His face really spoke as much as his words like he said I do to him.  As long as I’ve known him I realized now that his hands spoke too.  His fisted hands meant he was controlling his anger, gentle hands on my shoulders meant to ease, and barely there fingertips meant something more was to come.

“I sent them back to block anyone from coming.  No one but me, myself, and I saw anything that would put suggestions in one’s head.  My guards are loyal.  And Pike’s a jerk.”

I didn’t need to be reminded of that slime.  It was a relief that hardly anyone else saw, but still so embarrassing.  That meant Bane saw.  I’ll never face him.

“Don’t be embarrassed in front of me.   I want to know every inch of you and what surrounds all of you too.”  I saw the way his eyes lingered on various parts and back up to my face.  It wasn’t meant to be sleazy coming from him with all the years of restraint I know now he held back. He was showing me what was ever present in the back of his mind and what he struggled with holding back.  And I liked it.  “I can’t wait to see you in this.”

What is girl to do?
“Boldness here would be great but I’m not feeling very bold.  My husband to be just spent the morning picking up his future wife’s panties and bras.”

“And you don’t realize how much I really enjoyed it.”

“Ian!”  The infuriating man laughed.  “No laughing, husband to be.”  I put my finger to his chest beside the garment hanging there.

“Really!  Will you wear it today?  I’ll get your tie-dye t-shirt and jeans back.”

“What?  You have them?”  That could get the results he wanted.

“No, but I know where Danella hid them.  Two birds. One stone.”

“Oh, would you.  Please?”  Forget the fact that he just admitted he knew all along.

He held the evil rather transparent ammo bra up to me.

“Fine!” 

“Don’t look so mad,” he all but pouted.

“I’m not mad, just new at this really bold making the moves on me Ian.”

“And your blushing face is the highlight of my day.”  His face was as flustered as mine.

“But I didn’t spend the morning picking up your boxer shorts.”

“I’m not the boxers type.”

My mouth flew open.  Imagination, don’t fail me now.

He laughed.  “Speechless, once again, my love.”

“For someone who is new at this whole bold with Grace thing you are downright going the extra mile.”

“You bring that out in me.  I can’t wait to be married to you, Grace.”

“Me either.”   I had to smile at that.  Devil Grace stepped up to the plate
. 
I shifted my footing.  Fine then.  Bold!
 
“So no boxers, huh?”

“Commando!” He leaned in and kissed the side of my neck.  Angel Grace closed her mouth before a fly jumped in.  I shouldn’t have asked.  I knew better.  “Joking!”

“Really?”

“No!”  He looked all too serious now.  For all I know, all Fey go,
commando
.

Oh my,
to the tenth power!
 
I’m going to sink right down into the ground and slither away. 

“Clothes or not?”  He waved the ammo around again.

“This is blackmail.”

“I know.  But blackmail only I’ll know about.”

“Deal!”  Game on!

He got up to leave still waving his black flag.  I grabbed his shirt to come back making his body slingshot back around to face me. 

“You’re forgetting something.”  I looked at the ammo.

“Oh, yeah.  That means I have to let it leave my hands.” 

“I truly am amazed at this brazenly bold Ian.  Give me that!”  It’s like he has these moments where he just captures me in his snare and I can’t see around him.  Tunnel vision.  Loosely termed, the Ian tunnel effect since it hinders me at the greatest of moments when I , and he, should be focused elsewhere.

“I can’t wait to make you all the way mine.  And for the record…I can easily admit that I quite enjoy teasing the blush out of you.”  He pulled at a strand of my hair.

I couldn’t rely on true logic being an option right then. “I don't think you’ll ever stop stilling my heart,” I patted my heart and batted my eyes playfully.  On a scale of one to ten that made my skin electrify all the way up to a crazy wild nine. But the illogical heart driven part of my brain headed straight for the ten slot.  He was just too good to be true sometimes.

“Hope not!”  He placed a slow eye opened soft kiss on my lips and handed the bra to me.  Maybe it was the way he handed it to me, but it felt silkier than last I touched it.  I’d have Danella wash it quickly while I bathed.  Pike had his filthy paws on my stuff before it was blown all over the forest.

Ian turned to go, again.

“You’re still forgetting something,” I stepped closer hoping he got my hint.  He turned and kissed me.  A long time!  He tasted like salt mixed with his earthy mint, a leftover of cleaning the trees sweat.  “Yes, but still forgetting something.”  He eyed his
ammo
.

“No, Ian.  MY clothes.  MY end of the deal.”

“And here I thought my kiss was all you needed.”

“IAN!”  I pressed my hand to his chest and held it there, which was very warm at the moment.

“They are already lying on your bed.”

“What?  You deceitful man you.  You had it all planned.”

“No, I couldn’t be sure what you’d answer, but I hoped.  See you soon, my love.”

And he left me standing there bewildered by the fact that my Ian tunnel was keeping me from making sound decisions, set up from the start.  My audacious devil Grace giggled just a bit though because his whole aim was to get me to wear the black lacy bra under absolutely anything.