by Blythe Baker
I gave him a nervous smile. “Yeah…maybe that’s for the best.”
With a sharp inhale, I reached out and took his hand in mine, feeling the familiar spark as his gift passed from himself to me.
The rush of magic through me was incredible. Every other gift I’d inherited hadn’t felt this strong.
I stared from my hand to him. “…Wow,” I said.
He smiled. “It’s going to be just what you need.”
“How do you feel?” I asked him.
“Alright, considering I just lost my gift,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “I feel…strangely light.”
“Is that good?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said honestly. “But it is good that it’s you who is borrowing it.”
He rose to his feet and lifted the tray filled with empty plates off the desk.
“There now,” he said. “You’ve enjoyed a good breakfast, gotten a new gift, and can now go back to your business. The full moon is coming quickly. Be careful, Miss Marianne. You have all of our support.”
He turned to leave, but I called his name.
“Mr. Terrance?” I asked.
“Yes?” he asked, turning to look at me.
“…Thank you,” I said.
He gave me a warm smile. “You’re quite welcome.”
With that, he left the room like nothing ever happened.
I sat there, trying to work through the new magic Mr. Terrance had given me for a few minutes before Aunt Candace hurried back inside.
“Yes,” she said to the phone. “Yes, I – Yes, Mrs. Arleen, you have nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be just fine. Yes. The weather will be exactly as you’re hoping. We will all be having a wonderful week next week.”
I certainly hope she’s right about that…I thought. Next week seemed like a lifetime away…
“Sorry about that,” Aunt Candace said as she hung up the call. “That woman can just talk, and talk, and talk.” She gave me a searching look. “You look pleased about something.”
“I’m feeling a little more confident is all,” I said with a small smile. “I still think we’ve got a chance to win this thing.”
She smiled back. “I’m relieved to hear you say that,” she said. “Now, let’s get back to your list, shall we?”
13
“Are you alright?”
I turned to look up into Lucan’s face. It was hard to make out the expression on his face in the dark, but his eyes were bright gold, even in the pale light of the moon overhead.
“I’m as alright as I’ll ever be, I guess…” I said.
The truth was I was terrified. I’d never been one for public speaking, either, and here I was, surrounded by nearly fifty people, some of whom were nothing more than ghosts.
The night of the full moon had arrived. And it was bitterly cold. A thin layer of snow lay on the ground, and the tips of my fingers and the end of my nose were numb. I wished for my wood stove and a blanket. I wanted nothing more than for this to just all be over and done with.
Or for it to never happen in the first place.
It’s very quiet out here, Athena said, her nose pointed up, sniffing the air. Far too quiet. The monster must be nearby, waiting.
I thought the same thing, I said to her with my thoughts. I wonder what it’s waiting for?
“Is everyone here?” I asked, looking around the small clearing we had all agreed to meet in.
“All of my pack are accounted for,” Lucan said. “Everyone except those who are too old to fight, and those who are too young. They were left back at my estate.”
“Good,” I said. My eyes fell on Alessa and her brother Gian, who were standing nearby, talking with some of the other shape shifters who were there. They were wrapping leather strips around their knuckles and feet, preparing for the fight with more protection. I even saw one wolf older than Lucan wrap a metal casing around his throat like a collar. More protective measures, perhaps?
There was a bright flash of blue light along the edge of the clearing, and a portal suddenly appeared in the trunk of one of the ancient trees. Everyone’s eyes turned to watch two or three dozen people spill out, including all eleven members of the council.
They don’t waste an opportunity to show off, do they? Athena asked from near my feet, her fluffy tail wrapped around her small body for warmth.
Lady Yurl looked more than ready for battle. She wore a robe of blue silk much like her council robes, but it was adorned and fitted with chainmail and plate armor, especially near her chest, her shoulders, and her hips.
“Good, I see you received our letter,” she said, waltzing straight over to me.
I certainly had. A portal big enough for a hand clutching a letter to fit through had opened in my wall that morning, with instructions about where to meet the spell weavers in the forest that evening. I wasn’t sure why at first, but after doing some research, I realized this was almost dead center of the whole forest, meaning it might have very well been the same clearing that my mother had asked for the forest’s protection in. It was impossible to tell for sure, though.
“I have,” I said, glancing over her shoulder. “You brought more than I expected.”
“This is bigger than all of us,” Lady Yurl said. “We have families and friends to protect. And if this monster grows too strong, it would likely become a threat to the Hollow, as well. While we believe your cause is quite admirable, do not believe we do it entirely out of the goodness of our hearts. Fighting this monster will serve us as well.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” I said. “And I completely understand.”
Lady Yurl nodded her head and moved back toward the other spell weavers.
Except for Lady Margaret, who came over to speak with me as well.
“I’m glad to see you,” she said. “Are you doing okay?”
“I think so,” I said with a nod. I heard myself say those words, yet I knew deep down that I was as far from okay as humanly possible. Yet, for some reason, my brain decided it was better to lie to them all.
Was it to protect them? Or to protect myself?
“I’ve been practicing with healing tinctures for the last few days,” Lady Margaret said. “Here. Make sure you have these handy.”
She pressed a few glass vials into my hands, as well as into Lucan’s.
“What are they?” he asked.
“Quick healing,” she said. “Drink one down and it should stop any major wound from bleeding. It won’t heal it immediately, but it’ll drastically decrease the time it should take to heal.”
Lucan nodded and pocketed the vials.
“Thank you, Margaret,” I said.
“I am going to give this monster a piece of my mind,” she said. “I won’t let it get away with killing my brother like it did.”
I gave her a sad smile as she moved on to the next group, passing them their tinctures as well.
“I think that means every group is here,” I said, looking around the clearing.
My eyes fell on Cain, who was standing with his group of vampires just outside the tree line. Dressed in all black, it would have been quite hard to see them if I didn’t know they were there.
He gave me a long, lingering sort of look, which eventually slid from me and onto Lucan. He then turned away, facing the others he’d brought with him.
“So, that’s Dante Fain, huh?” Lucan asked in a low voice.
I followed his finger, which pointed toward a fallen log on the very edge of the clearing.
Dante was sitting there, alright. His dark trench coat spilled out behind him, mingling with the shadows. His hat was pulled low over his face, hiding his eyes, but if I knew him, he was looking around at everyone else who was there and evaluating whether or not they were a threat.
“Yes,” I said.
“He’s bigger than I imagined,” Lucan said.
“He’s pretty big, yeah,” I said.
I looked up at Lucan and saw his eyes
narrowed, his hands deep in his pockets.
“He won’t turn on us,” I said, recognizing that guardedness in Lucan’s gaze. “I know I told you everything about his past, but he knows this is bigger than all of that right now. I told him if he really wanted to, he could go back to hating us all after this is done.”
Lucan turned a suspicious gaze down to me. “That may not have been the wisest advice to give a man who carries a bow with silver-tipped arrows. Remember, you’re Gifted too, and those silver arrows have a tendency to leech magic.”
“I know,” I said. “And that’s a big reason why I asked him to fight with us. He’s the only one who has gotten anywhere near the monster, and we need that kind of advantage.”
“I don’t disagree,” Lucan said. “But he seems so…”
“I know,” I said. “Shifty, nervous, angry, murderous…you’re not wrong about any of it.”
“And he knows I’m a werewolf?” Lucan asked.
“No,” I said. “All he knows is that there are shape shifters here with us.”
That didn’t seem to make Lucan feel any better.
Dante looked up and saw us looking at him. And not even a moment later, he was on his way over to us.
Lucan stepped instinctively in front of me.
“It’s okay,” I said, walking out from around him.
Dante stopped a few feet short of us. “When’s this thing kicking off?” he asked.
“That’s no way to talk to – ” Lucan said.
“When the moon’s about…here,” I said, gesturing to a point behind the trees.
Dante’s eyebrow arched. “That’s all you have to go on?” he asked.
“The monster’s not here yet,” Lucan said.
“Clearly,” Dante said in a dark tone.
“Okay,” I said. “We can’t be fighting between us.” I glared at him. “I get it. Tensions are high. We all realize this fight is going to be tough. But we need to all get along.”
Lucan looked down at Dante; Lucan was quite tall, but Dante was broad. In that moment, I wasn’t exactly sure who would win that fight.
Dante’s eyes narrowed beneath his hat.
Lucan’s face hardened, but I was pleased to see him hold out his hand to Dante.
Dante glanced down at it briefly, and took it, shaking it.
I let out a breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding.
“Thank you,” I said.
Dante lowered his hat and made his way back to the fallen log, studying each and every person as he passed.
“He’s only here for one thing,” I said. “Not to make friends, not to face his past. He’s here to kill that monster.”
“Well, I’m glad he’s so focused,” Lucan said. “And I hope he leaves Faerywood Falls when this is all over.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because he’s not someone to be messed with,” Lucan said. “I’d be worried about my wolves doing patrols in the forest with him around.”
I understood. The only reason Dante had been overshadowed was because of the monster running amuck in the forest. Alone, he really was a formidable enemy.
“How are your powers?” Lucan asked. “What all did you manage to borrow?”
I glanced around the clearing. “Mrs. Bickford gave me her gift of ghost speaking. Her husband came with me to help fight the monster, which she wasn’t happy about, but he assured her that he couldn’t die twice, so there was nothing to worry about.”
“And did you practice with the shape shifting that Henry gave you?” Lucan asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Athena and I went out earlier today. I still transform into a fox, which is interesting, since I took the power from a werewolf.”
“It must have something to do with the fact that you’re a faery,” Lucan said.
Or because your familiar is a fox, Athena said.
I nodded. “Or it’s because my familiar is a fox,” I said, echoing Athena’s sentiment out loud. “And then I got a very special gift,” I said. “Have you ever heard of a moon-watcher?”
Lucan’s brow furrowed. “No.”
“It’s a rare gift that some spell weavers get, apparently,” I said. “And it’s a defensive gift. I was practicing with it, and…it’s pretty amazing.”
Lucan nodded. “I’m glad to hear it,” he said.
“I practiced spells from a book Zara gave me. I know they’re nothing amazingly powerful, but they might do in a pinch,” I said.
“It’s certainly better than nothing, isn’t it?” he asked.
Suddenly, he moved closer to me, his voice dropping.
“Marianne…can I…speak with you?” he asked.
My face flushed. His tone was soft, gentle. Why was he choosing to do this now? “I thought you already were?”
“I meant…away from the others,” he said.
I blinked up at him. “I…yeah, sure.”
He and I walked toward the tree line, away from the rest.
“What’s going on?” I asked him when we were out of earshot.
“I…there’s something I’ve wanted to talk with you about,” he said. “But with everything going on, I haven’t felt it was the right time. Fool that I am, I should have just said something, but now here we are, and I’m not sure how things will turn out tonight.”
I blinked up at him. I hadn’t ever seen him lose his composure like this except one other time…and it ended in a rift forming between us, and us not speaking for several weeks.
“I…don’t understand…”
He took a deep breath, reaching out and taking my hand in his.
“Marianne…we’ve known each other for some time now. When we met, I was quite enraptured with you. I had no idea what to expect, but coming to speak with me about a murder case was not something I’d have expected. And yet, I’m so glad that you did come to me.”
His eyes were blazing, and it was impossible for me to look away. My heart was in my throat, and I was having a hard time thinking clearly.
“When my wife died, I was positive I’d never be able to care for someone else the same way ever again. She was taken from me too soon…but when I met you, it was the first time that I felt hope for a future for myself. Up until that point, I’d invested all my time and energy into building up the other shape shifters in my care, including my son. I never thought of myself, though. Not once. But after you walked into my life, I started to again,” he said.
My heart started to glow, which was impressive, given how frightened I was because of the impending fight. Yet something in me was able to tune that all out and focus every ounce of my energy on him, making sure to absorb every word he spoke.
“I was thrilled when you joined me for dinner that night. I wanted you to feel as special as you’d made me feel. I felt like a young boy again, love-sick and infatuated with the prettiest girl in school. There was hardly a moment in the day when you wouldn’t cross my thoughts, and it startled me how much I cared for you…and how quickly…”
He moved even closer to me, so close I could feel his breath on my cold face.
“Marianne, I should have said something sooner. I’ve felt this way for some time, and I – I was frightened that you hadn’t felt the same. I shouldn’t have let my fear get the better of me, but after we had that fight outside…I convinced myself that you didn’t feel the same way about me,” he said. “And then Alessa came home one afternoon and said that you and Cain had a fight of some sort out in the front room of the flower shop, I was convinced I’d been fooling myself all along. I’d known that you and Cain knew one another, but I hadn’t considered that you’d be together…”
“We aren’t,” I said. “My feelings for Cain were…they were superficial at best,” I said. “But you, Lucan…how I felt for you didn’t waver. You made me truly feel as if you cared, and I found myself thinking about you and seeking you out more often than I ever did Cain. My relationship with Cain was useful for my investigations, and I think I tried to blur the lines…
but I came to my senses, and it helped me to see that what I felt for him was nothing like what I felt for you.”
Lucan’s eyes brightened. “You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that…” he said. A giddy smile appeared on his face. “Marianne, I – ” he hesitated. “I’m in love with you.”
When Alessa had told me that she thought Lucan loved me, it was a shock. But to hear it out of his own mouth…
I didn’t know what to say. The pressure of everything around me pushed against me; the fear, the elation, the possibilities, the things I could lose…everything.
It made it very hard to form words.
So I decided that words weren’t going to be enough, anyways.
We stared into one another’s eyes, my heart beating rapidly –
And then he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace…and kissed me.
I fueled the kiss with everything in my heart, the hope, the despair, the loneliness…
When I pulled away, I looked into his eyes, clutching his arms for support.
“Lucan, I love you, too,” I said. “I never thought I’d say those words ever again. The last man I gave my heart to tried to kill me. The one before him, was killed. But I’m almost convinced this monster is the reason for that, and I am not going to let it take you from me. Not now, not ever.”
I grabbed his hand and dragged him back toward the clearing, his face as pale as my own.
“Everyone,” I said loudly, raising my hands in the air. “Everyone, listen up!”
The small groups scattered around the clearing turned to look at me in turn, some confused, some fearful.
“Listen to me,” I said. “This fight is the thing we’ve all been waiting for these last few days. I’m grateful for each of you coming to aid us.”
I looked at each person in turn.
“I am fully aware that each and every life in this clearing is in my hands, and I hope you know I don’t take that lightly. When I first arrived in Faerywood Falls, I had no idea what being a faery really meant. As time has passed, I’ve learned the immense responsibility laid on my shoulders. But I also realized something else. I was prepared for this. I was equipped for this. The forest chose me back when I was an infant, when my mother asked for the forest’s protection, so this fight was destined to happen.”