by CC Dragon
I looked at Mason for a signal that he was on their side or believed them.
I felt the rift still between us, but I didn’t drag him down here.
“You’re not hurting children or taking them?” I asked.
“Of course not,” she said.
“But you left symbols on children and in a jewelry store that made it look like you did…or as a clue to draw me out?” I asked.
“I have no idea what you mean,” she said.
I traded a look with Mason. “Someone is lying.”
Mason stepped between me and Gileal. “Someone usually is. Let’s go home. We won’t get your answers here.”
“Why don’t you look inside your home? It’s here anytime you need to escape the surface.” Gileal gestured to the little cottage.
“No, thanks. You may think you did the right things for me. You may have done the best you could, but your actions built no loyalty or trust with me. All I ever felt from the Fae was rejection. Now that you can’t bully me, I wanted to see this for myself, but I don’t want to be one of you.” I shook my head slowly.
“You are, half.” She put her hand on my arm.
I waved a hand at her, and she flew into my cottage door, breaking it.
Mason suppressed a grin.
“I guess my other half is stronger than some Fae.” I grabbed Mason’s arm and, in a blink, we were on the surface again.
We stared at the ring of stones.
“You’re stronger than you even know. You need to keep that in check,” Mason advised.
“I’m sorry she dragged you into it. Cleary, I need your help. We need to talk. We need a truce. Please,” I said.
“Let’s get some lunch.” He nodded.
“Mason, I’m trying. I’m not getting pissed off that you guys had a Fae circle and never told me. That’s something you know I’m sensitive about, and you could’ve warned me about the agreement, but you didn’t. You were trying to protect me, I get it. We both are doing what we think is best, but we’re better when we tell each other everything and deal with the fall out. Okay?” I asked.
“I didn’t want you to run off because of the Fae. They promised not to freak out if you got close to their entrance and not to approach you for any reason. Your power shift made it impossible to hide it from you,” he admitted.
“It’s hard to adjust when so much is changing. I know I saw those symbols. Zel wouldn’t lie. I don’t trust anyone else but you and Margo. The people here. Please,” I said.
He took my hand. “Let’s get some food in Bethel. Away from here and the village.”
I tightened my grip on his hand. “What do you have a taste for?”
He shrugged. “Surprise me.”
Half an hour later, we were in a Bethel hole in the wall that featured pizza. It was owned by a vampire, and I liked the added layer of protection. If I was one hundred percent paranormal, I had to start trusting some of the paras out there. The décor was cozy, dark, and private. It felt like a safe place to talk para stuff and people minded their own business.
We nibbled on garlic breadsticks while we waited for our pizza. I did enjoy the irony.
The deeply cushioned booths were well worn, but no one could see us tucked in the back. Mason nursed a beer and a glass of ice water.
“So I overdid it with the Shadowmen and you kept the Fae from me,” I began.
“Dot, I need you to trust me,” Mason said.
“I do!” I caught myself and kept my volume down. “I’ve been trying and working with these expanded powers. That’s trusting your advice. I also know that these powers are beyond Fae. Beyond a witch or Native or whatever other normal para thing I’d ever encountered. If the Shadowmen pushed me too far, and I lost control, I didn’t want to hurt you in the process. I need you, and you need me. Truce?” I asked.
“You could’ve hit them without hitting me,” Mason countered.
“I wasn’t sure of that. I don’t have that level of confidence in these new powers yet. Can you try to understand that?” I sat back. “I’m so sick of wanting to fit in. To have approval. I was trying to help those kids. I needed answers. I stood up to people probably considered stronger than me. Full Shadowmen, I’m just a half. I knocked them out. Do I get credit for that? Is that impressive? No, you’re just pissed off I knocked you out beforehand. I wanted you safe, and I’m the bad guy.”
“Maybe I wanted to see it and be impressed?” Mason shrugged.
“Don’t try to be cute. You’re mad I’m stronger than you? I thought you were better than that.” I sipped my wine.
“That’s not it,” he said.
“Then what? I’m sorry I did that without warning you. In a battle, we have to trust each other. We have to be partners.”
“You still don’t trust me. Or the Fae or anyone,” he said.
“I trust you and Zel. And Margo, that’s about it. The Fae never wanted me. The Shadowmen definitely aren’t trustworthy.” I snapped the breadsticks into little pieces.
“The Fae didn’t arrange your birth or your parent’s relationship. Taking you in would’ve put them at risk if the Shadowmen came looking for you. I’m sorry your mom is really dead. I didn’t know any details of your life except what you told me.”
“But they have a ring on your land.” I rolled my eyes.
“It’s a much older connection than us. The Shadowmen, that’s a complication. I’m not any more up on those guys than you are.”
“But I’m one of them, well, half. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to screw up. I want to help those kids and not hurt others, but I’m not sure how. If you don’t trust me enough, then how do I know you won’t turn on me like them? The Fae or Shadowmen? Use me when it’s convenient for you?”
Mason put his hand on mine. “I was afraid you’d kill me if I gave you my blind faith. I never really thought of it from your side. You always seem so strong.”
I smiled. “I never had a choice. I had to power through my childhood with little powers and no real family. Now I have bigger powers and phantom parents but groups who claim me.”
“Because it benefits them,” Mason filled in.
I nodded. “The Natives are the only ones I trust because they didn’t make it too easy. Not everyone loved having me there. It’s home. If you can stand having me around.”
“I swear, we will never use you for leverage.” He smiled. “I always thought you had a handle on your place in the world and liked the humans.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t hate them, but I never belonged anywhere. I’ll never trust the Fae.”
“And the Shadowmen?” he asked.
“I just want to get the bad guys taking these kids. Maybe it’s the Shadowmen? Maybe it is the Fae and they’re lying? They hate hybrids. They hate anything not fully Fae. Those kids would qualify. Maybe they have a group that are hunting any hybrids out there?”
“They only tolerate you because you’re more powerful,” Mason agreed.
“We can’t trust that. They may be caring for the Earth, but I…I don’t have a tribe, Mason. Not like you. I know you might look at my actions and think I’m confusing or wrong, but you’re the only one I really do trust. Your village is the only group I’ll fight for. But these innocent kids, that has to stop. We have to stop it.”
He grabbed my hand. “We need to talk more and remember we’re on the same side.”
I nodded. “Partners.”
Our pizza arrived, and we dug in. It seemed to ease the tension.
Chapter Five
That night, I was pissed that Green hadn’t called me back. Had someone put a spell on him to warn me off in that message, and then it was all gone? Zel hadn’t followed up with me either. The FBI network I’d counted on for so long felt a million miles away. Officially or not, it seemed like I was cut off.
The Fae, the Shadowmen…humans…it seemed like everyone was taunting me, but no one had any answers.
Full of pizza, we grabbed ice cream, sodas, and
a hotel room in Bethel. Even in the drab little room, it felt better. When Mason and I were around other paras, Fae or Shadowmen—it put us at odds somehow. Alone, we were just us and I felt safe.
“What can I do to help?” Mason asked.
I pulled out the laptop. “You’ve done a lot. I want to help. Be my partner and help me work this case. Were there any other kids from this area taken?”
He sat next to me on my bed as we shared ice cream and surfed the news for questionable cases of missing kids.
I felt warm and safe with him. Mason’s energy was protective and calm. I could stay here locked away with him forever.
“You are part of us, you know. Margo is ready to adopt you if she has to,” Mason teased me.
I smiled. “That’s sweet, but it’s sort of sad.”
“She never had any kids. She’ll expect grandkids from you. That’ll be complicated,” Mason teased.
“Because the Shadowmen will try to breed me like a horse?” I asked.
“No, I think you’ve got enough power to keep away anyone you don’t want touching you. But what will a one quarter Shadowmen kid be able to do?”
“I didn’t get those powers until I was in my mid-twenties.” I shrugged.
Mason nodded. “But you didn’t know what you were. If the kid does, will that matter? Were your powers bound by the Fae or the Shadowmen when you were tiny? We don’t know what’s natural and what was done to you.”
I shoved ice cream in my mouth and leaned into his warmth. Finally, I’d chosen my group. The Native village was perfect for me, of course then the Shadowmen show up and throw another monkey wrench.
“Of course, first you need a guy willing to sleep with you.” Mason smiled.
I shot him a glare as I fought an ice cream headache. “Should I be insulted?”
“Do you really want the entanglement? I mean, you could kill him in the middle with those unpredictable powers of yours. Knocking him unconscious wouldn’t exactly be useful or fun.” Mason nudged my shoulder with the spoon.
I swallowed the last of the ice cream. “You’re just being mean now. I’m sure there are plenty of para men out there who’d love to have a kid that’s part Shadowmen. The powerful connections. Ugh. I don’t want some guy who just wants the weird kid.”
Mason nodded. “Agreed. You should marry a Native from the tribe. Safer.”
I shot him a look. “Really? Who do you suggest?”
He nodded. “That’s your call. The Fae won’t mess with you. Shadowmen have to respect you. It’s not the most powerful, magic-wise, but it’s the most grounded option. Plus, you’d have a family around you.”
“Anyone specific you have in mind?” I teased.
He took the laptop and clicked on a newspaper article. The blush on his face faded quickly.
I felt like we were very close to him admitting feelings, but he’d just jumped topics.
“What guy did you have in mind?” I pressed.
“Look at this. The woman thought her son was possessed,” Mason said.
I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t fit the other cases.”
“We don’t have a lot of cases that fit each other when magic is involved so we have to look for points in common. If the local protection of Fae and Natives fought the bad guys, maybe our cases won’t look like the ones from Anchorage?” Mason suggested.
“I suppose.” I leaned over him and typed in a new window, a search for faery sightings in and around Bethel or Native villages.
That showed a lot of stories but no crimes or injuries associated with them.
“The Fae are often seen, but that doesn’t mean they did anything wrong,” Mason defended them.
“If they’re only interested in protecting the Earth and full-blooded Fae, why bother humans so much?” I asked.
“It’s just kids. They’re innocent. Not jaded at all by the world. They can see things others don’t believe in.” Mason dripped ice cream on my shoulder.
“I don’t have a lot of clothes; can you not drip ice cream on me?” I teased.
“You can sleep without clothes,” he shot back.
I scooted a few inches away from him. “What is going on? You went from hating me and not talking to me to flirting? Wanting me to marry into your tribe. Who?”
Mason looked away. “I have to tell you something. It’s weird, but when we were both in the Bureau, I thought you were the one. I saw a future with you. But you weren’t ready. You only had eyes for the cases, for the magical stuff working in the cracks of the human world.”
I got goose bumps. “True, but you never even asked me out.”
“I didn’t want to complicate your life. Some people are workaholics and don’t make time for a personal life. A lot of those human men like that end up divorced and ignoring their kids,” Mason explained.
I nodded. “You’re right. We saw enough of that. Sacrificing for the job. Women have to do it twice as much to be taken seriously.”
“You did that too. I understand and respect that you wanted to treated right, and Green didn’t really do that. I saw that my future wasn’t there even if I wanted you to be part of it. I had to trust fate and let that part of my life go. You’re the reason I left, not the village or the FBI. It was too hard,” he said.
“You were mad at me for that death,” I said.
He shook his head. “I was hurt and mad that you didn’t see we were in it together. Now I get it. I see that you had so much more to figure out about your life. You’re not done, but you’re closer to the whole truth. I want to help. I want to be in it with you. Good or bad, we’re in it together.”
“You never told me.” I shook my head. “I had no clue.”
Mason smiled. “I know. You never looked at me like that.”
“No, I did. I mean you’re hot obviously. I knew that and some people thought we were a thing. I’m not a Native. I was a mess about myself, you’re right. We would’ve blown up and hurt each other so badly.” I shook my head. “But you didn’t have to leave.”
“I did. You needed to know you could do it without me. You had to figure it out on your own. Now you’re stuck with me,” he said.
“Promise?” I asked.
He nodded. “We’ll figure it out together.”
I kissed his cheek, and he shifted just in time. The touch of his lips on mine was like a jolt of magic that could bring me to my knees.
One of us leaned on the computer, and it began to beep annoyingly.
We both laughed. He shut the computer and nudged it away.
“The possessed kid might need help,” he whispered.
I nodded as I closed the laptop. “It’s nearly midnight. We can’t go now. We can call and go over in the morning.”
“You sure you don’t want to do more research?” he asked.
I snapped my fingers, and the lights went out. I kissed him and forgot about any cases, Fae, Shadowmen, or FBI agents on the planet.
The next morning, I hopped in the shower before things got awkward. Not that I felt wrong about anything, but I wanted to clean up and get some coffee before I said the wrong thing and made it weird. Then again, maybe things had been up and down with Mason because he’d had such strong feelings for so long.
Being attracted to each other when he was in the FBI, sure, but he was intent on me, and that would’ve scared the crap out of me a couple years ago.
Now, it somehow made things make a lot more sense.
The dingy light in the bathroom flickered like the bulb needed to be changed. Everything was shades of beige but the water was hot and the towels were soft.
If I stayed in the village, I’d need my own home. Margo was great but Mason’s little place was too small for the both of us and we needed our privacy. I rinsed my hair then turned off the water. Shoving the beige on beige shower curtain out of the way, I felt the cool air on my skin. Inside, I felt warm and tingly still. Mason was a solid partner in every other way. Now I knew he was good in bed. I grabbed a towel
and faced the fact that we couldn’t spend all day in bed hiding from the world.
When I got out of the shower, I found Mason was ahead of me on the coffee.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Avoiding me?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Bed head and all that. You don’t like me clean?”
He leaned over and kissed me. “It’s okay. We can take it slow.”
I nodded. “That ship may have sailed but I’m not rushing things. No bagels or something?” I teased.
He smiled and opened a bag. “Don’t eat mine. I’m going to grab a shower, and then we can call that woman. I swear the Fae were supposed to be done with changelings.”
“Whoa, who? What is a changeling?” I asked. How could there be so many weird paras I’d never heard of?
“The Fae used to swap out kids when they wanted innocent human or powerful magic kids to feed their lines. The replacements were weak Fae, sometimes Fae hybrids to be taken as human. They didn’t always fit into the family, and some struggled with powers, like you. Usually the human kids would be drained of any magic and be killed,” Mason explained.
“I’m a changeling?” I asked.
He laughed. “No, you knew your mother. She died. Her friends raised you. But some Fae groups are darker than others.”
“And the parents don’t notice?” I asked.
“The Fae did the swaps when the kids were infants, often in the hospital, but the behavior might not fit well. They might not match their family. They might have powers, and the families are confused. They’d call them possessed for lack of another human diagnosis.”
“If the parents are humans, none of these people are strong enough to handle a Fae or even half.” I sipped my coffee.
“I agree. Now eat. Mull it over. I’ll shower, and we’ll sort it out. Sorry, I keep forgetting some of this stuff was kept from you.” He headed for the bathroom.
“Seriously, you knew these missing kids weren’t Fae because there was no kid left in their place?” I asked.