Through Time-Frankie (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

FRANKIE WAS LOATHING to part from Graely.

She knew she had no choice. She knew she had to go but threw her arms around him, hating the moment when they would be separated.

Something was off kilter, she didn’t just feel it in her gut—she knew it with every fiber of her being.

Graely had experienced her vision and he knew it as well. She had to get to Jazz and Trevor and tell them.

It flashed through her mind that she didn’t think,
I have to get to Da,
and she already knew why. She had set her father apart because she knew he would violently disapprove of Graely.

She had chosen a side and although her choice was painful, she knew it was time she took a stand. She hadn’t wanted to choose. She wanted her father to give her his blessings. She rationalized that it was him making the choice, not her.

At any rate, Trevor would keep her da informed. And what was there to tell? She only had a feeling because her vision hadn’t been clear. All her vision had shown her was darkness, no stars, no moon, no house lights, no street lights, just a world of darkness and cold…it had been cold.

That could be a trick of the mind.

Graely stood tall as he tried to pry himself away from her. She knew he wanted to protect her from parental censure. He said softly, “Frankie, I don’t want you to go, but you must, and you know that I won’t be far off.”

This first parting from Graely was turning out to be more difficult than she had anticipated. It was as though she were leaving a limb behind. How could she go back to who and what she was, when now everything had changed? Now she and Graely were willingly bound to one another and declared their love.

Graely held her shoulders and kissed her forehead, but she had seen something in his eyes that worried her into a frown. Graely didn’t think this—
the us
that they had become would work.

She tapped his cheek playfully and said,
“Stop it
. I don’t want gloom and doom from ye, not about
us
.” She shook her head. “Ye think we can’t go public with what we are to each other and for the time being, we’ll work on that, but whether we do or not,
oh Graely,
that doesn’t change
what is
.” She smiled reassuringly at him. She was so much older than her eighteen years,
did he not see it?
She had always been so much older than her age. “Telling the people I love about ye, about the fact that I have chosen ye as m’mate and ye have chosen me as yers, well, that will come, and soon, Graely. We aren’t a secret. I won’t have that sort of secret. We will tell the world and soon, that
ye are mine forever
, just as
I am yers.
But now, I think, as do ye, the world is in trouble.
”

He crushed her in his embrace and his kiss she felt was born of desperation. When he finally brought his head up his voice was that of wild joy, tinged with insecurity. “I only know I love you more than I love life.  Frankie, all I want to do is make you happy and never be the cause of a moment’s unhappiness. I don’t want to be the reason you and your da have a rift. I can’t be the reason for that. It would tear me apart to know that I have come between the two of you and the solid love you have for each other. It is your da that worries me for he will not accept this.”

“Solid love?” she said softly. “Ye see it don’t ye, the solid love m’da and I have. I’m counting on it to get him through this. I don’t plan to have a rift with him, but I don’t plan on backing down. Ye are m’mate and when the time comes, he’ll have to accept it, and one day even
like it
,” Frankie said and smiled at Graely. She hugged him fiercely then and shoved herself back and away, saying, “Graely…it is getting worse, I can feel Pestale and I swear I can hear him laughing. Why would he be laughing like that, and he is. I can hear him everywhere. Something inside of me is going dark; something has happened…or is about to. I must get to Jazz!”

“Pestale—laughing? Aye then, Frankie, hurry, get to Jazz and I’ll do a little reconnaissance.”

She took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “Be careful and stay linked to me, Dark Prince or there will be hell to pay.” She beamed as brightly as she could muster, and shifted off.

* * *

Pacing,
Jazz found she could not stop pacing.

Her fingers clutched at each other, and she glanced  helplessly and saw Trevor’s brows knit together. He came to her, took her hands and kissed them, held them, steadied her, and asked, “Jazmine Decker, what is it?”

She eyed him fretfully, “I don’t know, but my gut is telling me something is the matter, Trev…something awful.”

A knock sounded at the cottage door and surprised they eyed one another. Trevor strode hard and Jazz thought he looked like he was ready to do battle as he flung it open.

“Well now, what kind of a greeting is that?” Prince Breslyn asked. His jiggling five year old son, who straddled his neck and held onto the top of his dark blonde hair, said “Uncle Trevor, Papa gave me a sword.”

“Did he, now? Do you have it with you? Will you show me how to use it?” Trevor asked at once in all seriousness.

“Bray!” Jazz went to him her arms extended her hands reaching for the little prince. He called out her name and went right to her and allowed himself to be hugged and kissed.

“You see that, Breslyn,” Ete said on a laugh as she followed Breslyn and her son inside, “We don’t matter anymore. It isn’t hello, how are you, Ete, my friend?” the very image of himself.

The prince took his mate into an embrace and whispered something Jazz could not hear as she played with Bray.

Ete smiled at Breslyn and then turned to Jazz to say softly, “You are certainly a favorite, for he has been telling me that he is too old to cuddle when I hug him.”

Jazz knuckled the boy’s belly and continued to tickle him as he laughed robustly and wiggled in her arms. She set him down and with a toss of his head (looking so much like his father), he said, “Look!”

A silver painted wooden sword was produced and he clutched it as he raised it high. “One day, Uncle Trevor, I shall be a warrior like my father.”

“Oh perhaps even more so,” said Trev grinning and Jazz noticed that Breslyn took no offense, only beamed proudly.

Jazz stood back and folded her arms, “Indeed, you have the knack already, Prince Bray.”

“Aunt Jazz,” the five year old said looking up at her, “I love you, and I like your yellow hair. Mama’s hair is pretty, but so is yours,” he said, turned and demanded, “Where is Frankie?”

“She should be here soon, but do you know what Uncle Trevor and I have for you?” Jazz said taking his hand and leading him to a large package on a sideboard table. He regarded the package with keen interest.

She put the large wrapped box in his hands, and the adults in the room all smiled as they watched Bray unconsciously rip the pretty wrapping to shreds.

He found the box held a set of trucks, pay loaders, Bobcats and various other vehicles, which Ete had told Jazz he was fascinated with.

Bray squealed and immediately went to work with the various vehicles.

Breslyn’s eyes softened and he pulled Ete to himself and kissed her forehead and then her nose and then whispered something in her ear.

But his mate had already sensed something was wrong and she moved away from him gently, touched Jazz and asked, “What is it? Has something happened? We took Bray to the human Disney playground in Florida and haven’t been to Tir yet. Are matters getting worse?”

Bray looked up and said, “Is it about the Dark?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes were focused on Bray. Jazz smiled sweetly at him and asked, “What do ye mean, Bray?”

“The pretty glowing lady…she went all dark. Something is hurting her bad. It made me feel sick to watch. Then it was gone.  I thought maybe it was a bad dream but I was awake,” Bray said and looked at his mother. “I was.”

“I know dear. It wasn’t a dream,” Ete said softly as she touched his ear.

“Bray, you saw a pretty glowing lady?” Jazz asked and he nodded vigorously.

Ete interjected at this point, “He has been getting visions these past few weeks. Not many, but enough. I was his age when it started for me, and they were very confusing to deal with. We have been trying to reassure him for they seem to trouble him a great deal.”

“Your visions were in a time of peace, Ete,” Jazz said. “I don’t think young Bray will have the same luxury. I am really worried…”

* * *

Frankie had just that moment shifted into the room and heard this last piece of conversation.

Bray instantly saw Frankie, jumped to his feet and ran to her, hugging her around her calves to say, “Frankie…will you take me flying today?”

“I promise that we will talk to yer mother and father about it, and that some day soon,
if they agree
, we will go flying. How is that?”

“Brilliant,” said the five year old and everyone laughed.

“His new word,” said his mother.

Frankie was on her knees now taking his hands, “Now tell me what ye saw in yer dream.”

“Not really a dream, Frankie, I was awake when I saw her,” he said his beautiful smile fading.

“That is not a bad thing, Bray. It happens to me as well. Some of the time, we can stop bad things from happening,” Frankie told him.

His face brightened, “Can we? Then we must.” He sounded so serious that if matters weren’t dire, Frankie would have laughed.

“Yes, but what is important is that when these waking dreams or vision come to ye, ye share them with yer parents.
Right?”

He nodded, “Yes that is what Mama says.”

“Okay, now, will ye share it with me?”

He stared with those open blue eyes and Frankie wanted to squish him as he asked, “Will you save her Frankie—the glowing lady?”

“I will try,” she answered although she hadn’t a clue what he was talking about.

“Do you know about the bad Fae, very bad Fae and other things?”” he asked gravely.

Frankie nodded, “I do, but what do you know?”

“We were at Disney? You would love Disney, Frankie,
but I fell
, banged my knee, it hurt and then it was all better—
I am Fae.”
 He announced obvious repeating the explanation he had received from his parents before he continued. “The lady in my dream though, didn’t get better. She is Fae—real strong Fae. I could feel her, but she didn’t get better and she was hurt. I felt bad. Then the dream was gone, and I should have told Mama right away, but I was afraid.”

“Afraid? What were ye afraid of lad?” Frankie asked.

He didn’t look up but studied his toes,
“The wolf.”

His father started forward, frowning darkly, worried and Ete put out her hand to stop Breslyn, lest her son clam up.

“Tell me about the wolf, for I have seen a few meself lately,” Frankie encouraged.

“You have?” he brightened. “A wolf with big yellow eyes was there growling, and its teeth were scary, and Frankie…” he looked directly into her eyes. “Ye were standing there staring at the wolf, and then it all went away and I felt sick.

“When did ye have this dream?”

“This morning on the pirate ride,” he said solemnly.

“Bray, don’t ye think about it anymore. We will take care of it, okay?” Frankie said and ruffled his bright yellow hair.

He nodded and Frankie steered him back to trucks and little vehicles before she looked at Breslyn who was frowning and Ete who was lost in thought.

Everyone was silent as they exchanged glances.

Finally Frankie broke the quiet stillness. “That is why I came. I had a vision, but it wasn’t even as much as Bray’s. All I know from mine is that something horrible has happened or is about to happen. And I don’t know why, I can feel the pull of Dublin—
Trinity in particular
.” She nodded her good-bye and added, “Going now to check it out.

Jazz was chewing her lip as she stepped toward Frankie, “I want you to be careful, Frankie. Whatever this is, my gut tells me Pestale is behind it. He will want to take you out of the equation because of what you managed to do six years ago. Promise me, you will be aware of everything around you. Look for a trap, Frankie. I will join you as soon as we speak with the Queen.”

Frankie hugged Jazz, winked at Trevor who was in deep conversation with Breslyn, but stopped and called out to her, “Frankie, do as Jazmine Decker tells you, aye, and keep in touch.”

“Aye, aye,” Frankie grinned, but then found Ete touching her arm.

She turned and smiled softly at the auburn haired beauty whose quiet grace had always, since Frankie was twelve, impressed her.

Ete said, “Bray gets his visions from me, you know, and Frankie I also have seen something recently, something that didn’t make any sense. Maybe between us, we can figure out what it means. I don’t know if he picked up on
my
vision, or if his vision is an affirmation that what I saw is meaningful. Perhaps you will know?”

“What is that?”

“I saw you facing a wolf, a honey colored wolf,” she pulled in her bottom lip with her teeth and nibbled it before a sigh escaped and she threw up her hands, “That is just it--nothing else.”