Xander's Folly

by Belinda M Gordon

  CHAPTER FOUR

  TRESSA

  When we broke free of the woods, the picturesque estate with my grandmother's many gardens lay before us. The view was quiet and serene as the light from the rising sun melted the morning frost, but my heart pounded with eagerness to get home.

  All the familiar buildings were there: my farmhouse, inherited from my parents; the guesthouse, where Alexander and Sophia had lived when they first came to the Ridge; and the Manor House—what used to be my grandmother's home.

  The changes didn't become apparent until we got closer. The fire that killed my grandmother had also destroyed her home. They had rebuilt it to resemble the original building… but it wasn't the same.

  Pain ran through my chest and up my neck as it hit me: without my grandmother, Pine Ridge could never be the place I remembered. The extraordinary sense of loss crushed my excitement. To avoid thinking about the new Manor House, my mind ran to the other inhabitants of the Ridge.

  "I'm going to check in with Holly. She must be at home; it's too early for her to have left for the store," I said, letting the thought of seeing my friend chase away the sadness.

  "I'll go find Shamus… unless you want me to go with you? It looks like she has a fire going. Will you be okay?" Alexander asked.

  Smoke curled from the stone chimney at the farmhouse where Holly was living, at my request. The awful smell of burning wood wafted through the air.

  However, if six months had passed since I last saw her there was something else that drew me there. Something stronger than my desire to avoid the fire—a new baby.

  "Sure and I'll be fine," I said. "Sophia, do you want to come with me?"

  Holly yelped and swung open the door when I knocked.

  "Tressa! You're back!" she cried as we hugged each other ferociously.

  I held her at arm's length, taking in her appearance. She had already dressed for work, looking just as stylish as usual. She still wore her dark hair in a wispy pixie cut and had perfectly manicured fingernails. However, there was a definite change in her. Her aura had settled; the insecurity and sadness that always hovered around her had disappeared. I hugged her again, thrilled with the change.

  "I'm so glad to see you. With Shamus returning last month and Brenna showing up two days ago, I knew you must be arriving home soon."

  "I've missed you too, Pix," I said.

  "You look so nice and bright," Holly commented as she stepped back to let us in. "So much better than when you left."

  Holly tickled Sophia as she came through the door. "My goodness, you're getting big," she said. "How old are you now?"

  "I'm four and a half," Sophia answered without hesitation. I wondered if Sophia realized we had lost time in Faery. Perhaps not, since the weather in the Otherworld wasn't much different than the winter weather here. However, we had actually missed her birthday.

  "Miss Holly, how come you don't have a big belly anymore? Isn't the baby still in there?" Sophia asked, looking disappointed. Holly laughed.

  "No, sweetie. He was born a few months ago."

  "It's a boy!" I said gleefully.

  All the Sidhe are partial to children. We aren't a fertile race, so every child is adored by all. But this child was particularly special because we had nearly lost him, and his mother. Holly and the baby were both survivors of domestic abuse. I was pleased that my healing abilities had been a part of their survival.

  "What's his name?" I asked at the same time as Sophia asked, "Can we see him?"

  Holly looked over at the cradle that sat a few feet in front of the fireplace. Before I could stop myself, I flinched.

  "I'm sorry," Holly said in a rush, chagrin in her voice. "I got the idea to light a fire for the holidays, and I kept going with them after the New Year. It makes the house so cozy when it's cold outside. Why don't you guys make yourself at home in the kitchen? I'll bring the baby to you."

  Sophia started for the cradle, but I grabbed her shoulder and shuffled her into the kitchen. Cardboard boxes lined the wall of the corridor along the way. Either Holly had never settled in, or she had packed her things to go.

  I leaned against the island in the middle of the small kitchen and waited. Sophia, in her impatience, ran back out to the living room and danced alongside Holly as she carried the baby to me, swaddled in a pale blue blanket.

  "He's sleeping," Holly said.

  She handed the baby over to me. I cradled him in my arm and gently pulled away the blanket to peek at his face. His aura hit me first, light with streaks of deep red showing a strong will, like his mama, and some bright orange—he was very healthy. He showed none of the darkness of his father.

  Once my eyes had adjusted to his aura, I saw that his puckered little mouth blew bubbles as he slept. He had a layer of blonde peach fuzz over his head—that was from his father.

  "If he had been a girl I would have called him Tressa. But, with a boy, I had to be creative. I call him Trayce. Trayce William Moyer," she said, looking at me sheepishly. "After his godmother, if you'll take the job."

  I flushed with pleasure. In the fae tradition it was an honor to have a child named for you.

  "Nothing would make me happier," I said truthfully.

  "I haven't 'true named' him yet. I've been waiting for you to help me." Her face contorted with bitterness. "I don't want anyone to control him—to hold Dominion over him-and make him do something terrible, like his father."

  "Why not do it yourself? I'll teach you how. That's the Sidhe tradition—for the mother to do the naming." She shook her head with a surety that said she had thought this through.

  "No. It would be so easy for someone to learn my true name, and I could be made to give away his if it came to that. You're the only one I trust to do it for me."

  "I can do that," I said, smiling at her encouragingly. "We'll true name him at his christening."

  Sophia had grown impatient with our conversation. "I want to see the baby!" she said, pulling on my arm.

  The jostling woke Trayce and I grinned down at him. My grin evaporated and my jaw dropped when he opened his eyes. I looked at Holly in stunned silence. She raised her eyebrows and nodded her head.

  "There's a new Pixie down by the lake. Brenna says he's Trayce's. Any idea what it means?"

  "It has to be related to my healing you when you were pregnant... but I've never seen anything like it." I looked back at the baby. He had my facetted Sidhe eyes.

  Alexander knocked and popped his head through the door. "Okay if we come in?" he called.

  Holly waved him in and Matt, Alexander's assistant, came in behind him. The young African American man stood a few inches taller than Alexander. He smiled, a big toothy grin that left you little choice but to smile back.

  Alexander came through to the kitchen, inspecting the boxes as passed.

  "Are you going somewhere?"

  "Yes," Holly said at the same time Matt said, "No." Holly shook her head and waved a frustrated hand at him.

  "The apartment above the store is available. Shamus told me to expect you soon, so it seemed like a great opportunity for me. It's time to stand on my own two feet."

  "I think that's a grand idea," I said. "Although you're welcome to stay."

  "Wait a minute, I have something to tell you before you say that." Matt grabbed a paper napkin off the kitchen counter as he spoke and wiped the fog from his glasses. Holly sighed.

  "He's not going to rest until he tells you his story, so you might as well relax and eat something. I'll make coffee," she said as she retrieved a pink bakery box from the top of the refrigerator.

  The men settled onto stools around the island. Matt flipped the box open to reveal half a dozen muffins inside. My stomach grumbled at the sweet smell of sugar and blueberries; I hadn't eaten all morning. I took one of the muffins, broke off a piece of the crusty top and popped it into my mouth as Matt began his story.

  "I went in to the city last week. New York City," he clarified when he saw my puzzled expression. "I
was in the Diamond District visiting some of our contacts there—you know, just to be sure they don't forget we exist." He glanced over at Alexander before he continued. "Do you remember that guy from the basement shop on the fringes of the district?"

  "The little person?" Alexander asked, then he turned to me to explain. "This guy tried to pass off low quality stones as the real deal, pricing them far above their true value. Unfortunately, he was able to con many people—especially tourists who wanted to say they bought something in the Diamond District. Wasn't he gone the last time we made the trip?"

  "Yeah, last year the shop closed down. But I'm pretty sure I saw him last week. Only he's not a little person—he's a fae."

  I coughed as my second piece of muffin caught in my throat. Holly sat a cup of coffee in front of me before taking the baby, who fussed at my spasms.

  "What did he look like?" I asked after washing down the muffin with a swallow of coffee.

  Matt looked smug, aware his revelation had captured our attention. "He's about three and a half feet tall, pointed ears, strange emerald green eyes—not like yours, but flatter and intensely colored. He has a huge hook nose and his skin… most of it was kind of leathery, but some of it was smooth and shiny."

  "A Leprechaun?" Alexander said, mirroring what I had been thinking until Matt described his skin.

  "Maybe. Probably. You say he's swindling people from a shop?"

  "Not any more. By the looks of things, he was homeless, living on the streets."

  This also didn't sound right. Leprechauns were usually tradesman of some sort—cobblers, woodworkers, weavers, silversmiths. Born salesmen, they lived to make a trade. They bargained relentlessly until they won generous terms in any agreement. Some took this to a higher level by becoming outright conmen. Either way, Leprechauns were known to have money. They didn't live homeless on the streets.

  "What does this have to do with Holly moving?" Alexander asked.

  "Good question!" Holly said, looking smug in her turn.

  "The guy took me by surprise, and I'm afraid it was pretty obvious that I could break his glamour. I don't know if that's why—but I think he followed me home."

  "You've seen him on the estate?"

  "No, but I think I spotted him a couple of times in town."

  "What do you mean 'you think'? Did you see him or not?" Annoyance seeped into Alexander's voice. I laid my hand over his wrist and felt him calm at my touch.

  "Leprechauns are notorious for being hard to spot. They can move very quickly when they want to. The important thing to remember is not to chase them. It makes them furious, and you never know what abilities they might have."

  "But that's my point! Holly should stay here on the estate—at least until we know what this guy wants." Matt looked at me, silently pleading with me to agree. I smiled but shook my head.

  "Leprechauns aren't known for being particularly violent or dangerous without being provoked. Holly should be fine… just try not to let him know you can see him."

  "So, Matt is living in the guesthouse?" I asked, sitting at a vanity in the master bedroom of the new Manor House. I ran a brush through my hair, pulling the tangles out of my curls as I prepared for bed.

  "Yeah, he moved in soon after we left. My company paid for the bed-and-breakfast, but he spent every day here supervising the house's demolition. It seemed more practical," Alexander explained as he pulled his arm through the scabbard holster on his back. He stood the scabbard, sword still sheathed inside, between the bed and night table where it could lean against the wall and still be at arm's reach while we slept. "Smart kid. That's why I keep him around."

  I chuckled. Matt was more than Alexander's assistant. He was his friend. They had served in the Marines together. They'd spent a couple of years as rock hounds afterwards. Alexander found the gems, leaning heavily on his superior intuition, and Matt cut and polished them. Alexander kept the young man around for many reasons.

  "He said he brought a crew out for the demolition, but the house seemed to rebuild on its own."

  "Aye, that would be the Brounies," I commented. "They prefer to work at night when no one's watching."

  "He figured it had something to do with the fae. He just went with it," Alexander said with a laugh.

  I looked around the room. I would rather have spent the night anywhere else. The Brounies had maintained the old floor plan when they rebuilt; this had been my grandmother's room. Although pale mint and brown contemporary decor replaced her rose and cream Imperial style, it still felt like her room. It still reminded me of her absence. However, with Holly in the farmhouse and Matt in the guesthouse, we were in the new building by default.

  "So do Leprechauns really have a pot of gold?" Alexander asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

  "A pot of gold?" I repeated, confused by his question at first. "Oh, you're talking about the silly stories about catching a Leprechaun. I guess in a way they're rooted in fact, at least a little bit. Every Leprechaun has a cauldron in which they hold their wealth—not necessarily gold or money, though that's a part of it, of course. The cauldrons are where they safeguard everything related to their abundance; their health and wellbeing, their life essence, ties to family and friends, as well as their fortune."

  "Is it a physical thing or metaphysical?"

  "Oh it's an actual cauldron, though it can be glamoured to look like something else. But you can't take it from them. In theory they can give it to you—but why would they?"

  "Hmm," Alexander said, noncommittally. He came up behind me and kissed my neck before slipping into the bathroom. He returned a minute later wearing pajama bottoms and smelling of mint toothpaste. As he climbed into bed, I quickly pulled my hair around my shoulder and twisted the bottom into a simple loose braid.

  Already in my nightgown, I joined him under the covers and snuggled up to him, resting my head on his shoulder. He smelled of musky sandalwood and lavender. I took in a deep breath and held him tight, enjoying his scent. It didn't matter where we slept, I thought, as long as I could snuggle with him like this.

  "Did you see the library downstairs?" I asked after a moment. "It's filled with books from the Royal Library. Everything we could possibly want is in there: books on auras and healing for me, Sidhe lore, sword fighting and military tactics for you."

  "Really? That makes things easy. How do you think they got there?"

  "My guess would be Shamus, but how he did it or how he knew what we wanted is a mystery to me."

  He ran his fingers through my hair, untangling it from the braid. He gently pulled a strand until it straightened; then he released it, letting the curl bounce back before starting over again. The rhythm relaxed me as I nuzzled closer, laying my arm across his muscled chest.

  "There's a strange electrical humming noise in this house. I wonder what it is," I mused.

  "Electrical?"

  "Aye, I believe so. Like every room has a refrigerator in it."

  "Leave it to you to be annoyed by the sound of a refrigerator." His chest rumbled as he chuckled. "You may be hearing the new security system. Matt added cameras and motion detectors around the outside the house and the perimeter of the estate. Everything is monitored from a room downstairs—which he has dubbed Security Central. So there's a lot more electricity bouncing around."

  I sighed deeply before I could catch myself. He kissed the top of my head.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  "Everything has changed. I thought that once we returned things would go back to normal. But we're living in a new house. And this place isn't home without Mamó. Even my store has changed.

  "Holly told me she hired a new clerk, since she has Trayce to take care of now, and she changed out some of the merchandise. And that's fine. I'm glad she did… yet it's another change. Everything has changed."

  "Change is inevitable, but not everything is different. The gardens are still here, and your spot by the lake. Your grandmother lives in those places. The people you love are still here, i
ncluding Brenna and the Pixies. Isn't that what matters?"

  "Aye, sure. You're right. I guess the extra security reminds me of my public persona of the King's Jewel; I would much prefer the private life the Human World used to offer."

  "Sweetheart, I have to do everything I can to keep you and Sophia safe. I couldn't take it something happened to either of you."

  He had a point. I was dwelling on the bad when my focus should have been on all the good things around me—like the deliciously handsome man in my bed.

  I rolled over and straddled him. He smiled, his expression a mix of surprise and anticipation, as I leaned forward and kissed him, lightly at first and then filling it with salacious invitation.

  "Hmm. What's this about?" he asked as he cupped my breast, teasing my nipple until it was hard and standing.

  "You're right; I should enjoy the things that haven't changed." I twisted my bottom against his crotch. "Or have you changed? Maybe you don't like this anymore?"

  He laughed as he swept my nightgown up over my head and let it drop to the floor. He flipped me onto my back. A flash of heat ran through me as he ran his hand over my body.

  "I can guarantee you that will never change."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I dressed carefully that Sunday as we prepared to join Holly at the church to christen Trayce. I was venturing off the estate for the first time since returning to Pine Ridge, and I needed to have my glamour in place.

  I hadn't worried about it before; almost everyone on the estate could see past fae glamour anyway. Jenny Jamison, our cook, was the only exception. Jenny had known me for years and, like most people, she saw what she expected to see. I only needed minimal glamour with Jenny.

  I chose a conservative navy dress with long sleeves and a full skirt for the christening, well suited for a morning in church. The accessories held the secret to covering my otherness: I used gemstones, quartz and the other natural minerals in my jewelry to anchor my glamour.

  That day, because I wore such a plain dress, I decided on a long string of crystals. I wrapped it around my neck three times, letting each loop hang at graduated lengths down my bodice.