Sight for Sore Eyes (Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen Book 8)

by Kimbra Swain

  “I don’t have a son!” he said. “You couldn’t get pregnant.”

  “No, I was. I did. We have a son. I named him Aydan, just like you wanted,” I pleaded with him. His eyes never fixed on me. He watched Levi. I saw Levi gathering power around us picking through the green haze. I watched as the strings on his guitar tattoo started to glow with bright blue Winter power.

  “Levi, when I released you from that hell, I begged you to do one simple thing, but no, you couldn’t do it. It would have been best for you, for her, and for me. Now I’ll kill you for ignoring my request. Then it will force her hand,” Dylan said.

  “You are wrong, Dylan. She won’t do it. Not for me,” Levi said, preparing to unleash an attack on Dylan.

  “Please don’t do this,” I begged them both.

  “Grace!” a female voice called from the crowd. I searched for Jenny who continued to frantically call my name.

  “Bring it, Bard,” Dylan said.

  Levi played the protection ward spell through his tattoo. I felt his protections cover both of us. It wasn’t necessary. I knew that Dylan wouldn’t hurt me. I just knew it. I kept lying to myself saying that he was fine. He just needed to calm down and relax. Everything would be fine. I thought that up until the moment, Jenny Greenteeth stepped into the clearing carrying the limp body of my daughter. I looked over at her shaking my head. Tears streamed down Jenny’s face as a mournful howl echoed over the field.

  “Winnie?” I muttered. Before I could make a move toward her, Levi magically shoved me out of the way before Dylan’s flaming form brushed past me, then plowed Levi to the ground.

  “Go get her!” Levi said in my head. “I’ll keep him busy.”

  Taking one last look at my bard before rushing across the field to my daughter, I saw his eyes pleading with me to go, but I also saw the confidence that he could handle Dylan’s assault. Flames surrounded his body, and I turned my back on him to run to my daughter.

  Heaving breaths by the time I reached her, Jenny had laid her body on the ground.

  “She’s not breathing,” Jenny said. “She got hit by debris from the fire.”

  Her dress was singed, but the brunt of the damage was to the side of her face. She wasn’t breathing. Finley rushed up to my side keeping his eyes on the fight behind us. I could hear Dylan and Levi fighting behind me, but it was almost as if they were in a distant tunnel. Tabitha joined us with Remy in tow. My hand shook as I tried to wake her.

  “Winnie, it’s Momma. Please don’t leave me,” I begged.

  Tabitha felt her neck then shook her head. “She’s already gone, Grace,” Tabitha said.

  “No, she’s still there. No, this can’t be,” I muttered, leaning over her body. She seemed so small lying there in her twirly dress. I sobbed as the small howl unleashed another wail. Soon several other howls echoed his mournful cry.

  Looking over my shoulder, Levi was defending himself from attacks by Dylan. He used a method I’d never seen him use before by duplicating himself through the chords of the song that echoed around the area. Dylan attacked the fake Levis while the real one crouched low to the ground focusing on the spell, but then Dylan launched a fireball the size of a basketball toward Levi who looked up just in time to dodge it.

  “She’s gone,” I said to Levi. It was the worst thing I could have done. His attention moved from Dylan to me, and a fireball strike hit him square knocking him to the ground in flames.

  “Stop!” I screamed.

  Silence filled the field. Ice covered the ground, and the fires died out. Everyone in the town froze on my command. Shifting to my Winter self, I reached down to pick up my lifeless daughter. I carried her to where Levi and Dylan were fighting.

  Dylan’s body no longer flickered with flame but glistened with ice in the moonlight. I stood in front of him with our daughter. His eyes cut to me, and I saw a tear fall. The boiling tear melted the ice covering his face in a long streak.

  “Stop fighting,” I said.

  Levi stood up approaching me carefully. It was my instincts to leave him unaffected by the spell, but I’m not sure I could have stopped him if I had tried. I noticed his power shift when time stopped. He had learned something new since I had stopped time in his fight with Astor. Something that wouldn’t allow him to fall to my time spell again.

  The healing song started to play through his tattoo, but I knew it was too late. He did too, but he felt helpless. Looking across the crowd, I found Astor, Finley, and Tennyson, releasing them from the spell. The ice that covered the rest of the townspeople would protect them if I wasn’t able to control Dylan. Astor and Tennyson moved up on our left and right. Finley came up to within a few feet of Dylan’s back.

  “We are ready, Grace,” Tennyson said.

  I released the spell on Dylan, and he sank to his knees. I fell to mine in front of him. He took Winnie’s body from me. Holding her tightly to his chest.

  “My girl. My little girl. Oh, Winnie, no,” he cried. He reached his hand up from her to touch my cheek. The warmth I’d missed filled me from cheek to toe. “Oh, Gracie, I’m so sorry.”

  He rocked back and forth with her in his arms. “Levi, find Nestor, please,” I said.

  “I’m not leaving you,” he muttered.

  “Levi, I won’t hurt her,” Dylan said. “Please, go get my son.” When Dylan’s eyes met mine, the pain there wasn’t just our dead child, it was the tortured look of a desperate man.

  Levi skipped out of the field. I felt his movements in the RV park behind where the party was held. The ice didn’t reach the RVs, so I knew somewhere Nestor was there with Aydan. Dylan moved forward dragging his hand from my cheek to my waist as he pulled our bodies close together with Winnie between us.

  “I’m so sorry, Gracie. I’ve missed you so much. This is not what I wanted,” he muttered. “Not like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

  I didn’t know what to say to him, so I just leaned over on his shoulder as we clutched Winnie tightly. I could feel Levi and Nestor working their way through the frozen town folk.

  “Grace,” Finley said with tear-filled eyes. I looked up to his outstretched hand. A vial of blue liquid sat there. “You could try.”

  I grabbed the vial, then turned to Astor. “The fruit is at the house,” he said.

  “Go!” I ordered.

  Astor twirled his sword in the air opening a rift to the farmhouse. It stayed open, and I could see him through it rushing up the porch into the house.

  “Wow! Look at that,” Dylan said. “The house.”

  “Our house,” I muttered. “Your car is in the garage.”

  “What is the vial?” he asked turning back to me.

  “Water from the fountain,” I said as I removed the cork from the top of the vial. Astor stepped back through the portal, and it closed with a whooshing sound that echoed through the still field. He handed me the fruit.

  “Pinch just a little bit off. It doesn’t take much,” he instructed.

  “Lay her on the ground,” I said. Dylan gently laid her tiny body on the ground. Her aura faded as I pinched off a bit of the fruit. Levi came up with Nestor who held Aydan in his arms. You couldn’t see the baby, because he was bundled up in a blue blanket.

  “Wait, Grace,” Dylan said.

  “No, her aura is fading,” I said.

  “Let me meet my son,” he insisted on taking the baby from Nestor.

  “Grace, do it,” Levi urged.

  “Hello, little man,” Dylan said to Aydan who reached up to touch his face. His small hand rested on Dylan’s tear-stained cheeks. “He’s beautiful, Gracie. You did well.”

  “Can I save my daughter now?” I asked.

  “She is going to live,” Dylan said. “I promise. Go ahead.” He never looked up from Aydan’s face. The baby giggled as Dylan made faces at him.

  My whole body shook from the stress. Levi’s tattoo began to play, and I heard him mutter, “Calm.”

  “Thank you, Dublin,” I said, lowe
ring the fruit to Winnie’s lips. Forcing her jaw slightly, I placed the fruit on her tongue, then poured the water over it. The words came to me in the suddenly needed knowledge of my father. “By the Queen of Winter and the King of Summer, I call upon thee, fairy child, rise.”

  The elements in her mouth flashed with twinkling lights, then disappeared. We waited holding our breaths.

  “This child is amazing,” Dylan said, staying focused on Aydan. His disconnect from Winnie was disturbing. Evidence of his torture. Levi was right. He wasn’t the same man.

  “He’s alive and she is dead,” I exclaimed in frustration. “You have been gone!”

  “Gracie, I told you, Winnie will live,” he said. “Give the spell a moment to work.” A smile covered his face as he looked at me. “Damn, I’ve missed you, Woman. Did you know that you are the absolute best thing that had ever happened to me until this little bundle landed in my arms? I’m sorry to say, my love, that he has captured my heart and soul.”

  “Grace, just give him a minute, he will come back to reality. It comes and goes.”

  “Bard, stop talking to my fiancée as if I am not here,” Dylan said soberly.

  “Dylan, it was hard to explain what happened in the Otherworld to her,” Levi said. “Do you remember it?”

  “I do. You took my beatings like a man, then put me down each time. Somewhere inside of there, I knew it was you. I also knew that you wouldn’t kill me. When I finally realized you were trying to save us both, I knew that it wouldn’t work. That is why I begged you to kill me. Not just dust me. I needed my daughter to live on, and now, she doesn’t breathe,” Dylan said. His eyes tilted up from Aydan. Blue fire embers flashed at Levi who grimaced and looked away.

  “Don’t you dare blame him,” I whimpered. “This is no one’s fault. I should have changed her. I was too stubborn to do it. I wanted her to choose.”

  “Grace, take my son,” he said offering me the baby. As I took Aydan in my arms, his warmth shattered the ice in my heart. The spell holding the fairies dissipated. My son giggled looking up at me not knowing the gravity of the situation. Dylan moved over to me on his knees. “Would all of you please give us a moment in private before my daughter wakes up? Except for the bard.”

  My Knights moved away from us, but not too far. Just enough to keep the rest of the crowd from approaching us. I saw Tabitha on the fringes. She wanted to get to Winnie to see if she could help more, but Remy held her back under Tennyson’s instructions.

  “Levi, I hope that one day you will forgive me for what I put you through. I did want to kill you, but it was a fit of jealousy knowing that you would return to Grace, and I wouldn’t,” he said.

  “You are here now,” I said.

  A weak smile tried to surface on his lips, but instead, it quivered to a frown. “Winnie is dead, Grace,” he said.

  “I know that!” I cried. Aydan’s giggles stopped and he lay silently looking up at me.

  Taking my cheeks, Dylan pressed his warm lips to mine. Hungrily I latched on to him, trying to make up for all the kisses I had missed. He groaned as we continued the passionate moment. I didn’t care who was watching. I had missed this. His steady hands pulled my face from his. It was the only way to get me to stop.

  “Winnie is dead, but now she is a fairy. Did you change her name like I asked?” he questioned.

  “Yes. She is officially Wynonna Riggs. Your daughter,” I said.

  “Wonderful. Names are so important. Almost more important than blood. She may not have my blood in her, but she is my child,” he said. “Promise me to tell my children the good parts of our life together.”

  “You can tell them,” I said.

  “No, I won’t be here,” he said.

  “Why? Where are you going?” I muttered.

  “Winnie is a dead fairy. She must rise. The only way to do that is to take my fire,” he said. “She will be my heir.”

  “But Aydan,” I said.

  “He already has my thunderbird abilities. A shaman will seek you out to bless him with the final rights to his inheritance. My phoenix fire, I will give to Winnie. She will rise,” he said.

  “What happens to you?” I asked.

  “Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust,” he said.

  “No,” I groaned in horror. “No, Dylan. I can’t do this without you. Please don’t. Please.”

  “It’s my choice. I choose my child to live,” he said.

  “There has to be another way. We will find it,” I said.

  He pulled me to his lap, holding Aydan and me tightly. “This is the way it has to be,” he said.

  I shook my head in protest. I didn’t want Winnie to die, but I was about to lose Dylan forever. If either of them died on this field, in this cursed town, they could never return. This was not a choice. This was a nightmare. It was my worst fears come to fruition.

  “I have full confidence that you have plenty of support here. Levi will be a wonderful Uncle, and I see that you have your own knights now. You will become the Queen you were always destined to be. I am so proud of you, Grace. You are pure strength and beauty with just enough sass to make it interesting,” he laughed lightly. “I love you, Grace Ann Bryant.”

  He pressed his lips to mine again. When he pulled away, I still couldn’t let go. “You dreamed the wedding dream,” I said.

  He winced. “I did dream about the wedding,” he said. “But it wasn’t our wedding, Gracie.” He looked over my shoulder to where Levi stood. I felt Levi backing away from the conversation. “One day, you will stand in a beautiful dress with our son and daughter, and pledge yourself to a good man. A man that I love and admire, but it wasn’t meant to be me.”

  “You lied,” I said.

  “Yeah, because you were so worried about me worrying about dying. I never expected to get out of that jar once I got in. Every time that I’ve come out of it has been torture. My body is tired. My inheritance should go to my child. She needs it. Look at her, Grace. Winnie deserves to live.”

  “What do I do with a girl phoenix?” I asked.

  “She will be nearly impossible to contain, but I’m sure you will find a way. You always do,” he said. “We shouldn’t wait any longer.” He took Aydan from me, hugging him tightly. He pressed his lips to Aydan’s forehead. “Nestor,” Dylan called out to my grandfather. “Take care, old man.”

  “We will miss you, Dylan,” Nestor said with tears in his eyes.

  “Just watch out for my family,” Dylan said, handing him our son. Nestor nodded, then backed away with Aydan.

  Dylan stood up took a look around the crowd. His eyes landed on Troy who stood several steps into the field. Dylan strode over to him and they embraced.

  “Never blame yourself, my brother,” Dylan muttered.

  I couldn’t make out what Troy said to him in return.

  They patted each other on the shoulders, hard, then stepped away from each other.

  Dylan approached Levi who focused on the ground at his feet. “I don’t know if I could do this if I didn’t know you would be here, but I know you won’t leave her. No matter how difficult she can be, she will listen to you. I’m counting on you, Dublin.”

  Levi nodded his head but didn’t speak.

  Dylan looked around the circle again to the people of Shady Grove. The sheriff stood in their midst one last time. He nodded to Deacon Giles, then to Lamar who stood next to Cletus and Tater. The two country boys held on to each other as tears rolled down their cheeks. When he looked at Betty and Luther, she blew him a kiss, then winked. I saw him grin at her. When he eyes fell on Astor, his head tilted.

  “You are the First Knight of the Tree,” Dylan said.

  “I am, and it’s an honor to meet you, Dylan Riggs,” Astor said with a slight bow.

  “It is for me as well,” Dylan said. They clasped hands.

  Tennyson nodded to Dylan, and Dylan returned the gesture before shaking hands with Finley.

  As he approached me, I heard the sound of Levi’s guitar echoi
ng across the field. The song was sad and haunting. But I felt the townspeople fade away as if we were in our own private cocoon. Dylan held me tightly and kissed me slowly. Our lips danced around each other as if it were the first kiss and not the last.

  “My life was made perfect by you. I had no idea what I was missing until you filled my heart, Grace. I’d had a good life, but with you, it became the best life,” he said. “I will love you forever.”

  I could barely contain myself. My emotions bubbled out of my eyes in fluid cold tears. “I will love you forever too. I can’t do this…”

  “Yes, you can. You have always been stronger than you let on. I have faith in you, my Love. Now, I must raise our daughter before she leaves us completely. Okay?” he said.

  “Okay,” I muttered.

  “You’ve got to move away,” he said.

  “No, I want to stay here with you,” I said.

  “Grace, you gotta move back. I don’t want the transformation to hurt you,” he said.

  “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t feel a thing at the moment,” I sobbed.

  “Levi,” Dylan said softly.

  I felt Levi come up behind me. His hand brushed over my arm, and I felt the tingle shift between us. Instead of the rush of passion, it was a flood of comfort to keep me from shattering to pieces. Levi was controlling the power, so that it didn’t feel like it once had. I had no idea he could do that. Perhaps even I didn’t know the depths of my bard’s power.

  “Back away, Grace. You will have a last moment with him,” he said, pulling me gently away from Dylan who grinned widely.

  “Damn, Grace, you look great in that dress,” he said.

  I heaved a heavy gasp, and Levi tightened his grip to keep me from rushing back to him. Dylan nodded his head in approval as we moved away from him.

  Lifting Winnie’s limp body in his arms, he turned his head to the sky and called out to it. “I am Serafino Taranis. Son of the last Phoenix. I stand before you now to declare that this child, Wynonna Riggs is my daughter. My heir. She will inherit my fire when I die. I choose her.”