by Kimbra Swain
Levi had become a fixture in our lives. I knew that if anything ever happened to me, that Levi could fulfill his original role as Grace’s protector. He could also pull her back from the brink. Grace told me that the depth of his power scared her because if he was ever lured by the darkness, it would destroy all of us. I allowed him to seal himself to her for that reason. I didn’t want her to fear him, and I certainly didn’t want him as an enemy. She loved him, and for me, that was enough to accept his role in our lives. Winnie was pretty fond of him too. I considered him to be a valuable part of our misfit family.
Suddenly, the dream didn’t seem to be so farfetched. Until I stopped having it. When we were facing the problems with the sylph I drank more than usual out of frustration. The dream was a comfort for me, then it became a given in my life. A hope for our future. However, the dream was fading. Then the night after my birthday party, it was gone completely. I didn’t realize how much the dream grounded me and kept my focus on the future. The worst thing was that I wasn’t dreaming at all, which could only mean one thing. Not just death. Extinction. My focus changed. I needed to make sure that Grace and Winnie would be safe. Of course, Levi picked that time to lose his mind. I wasn’t prepared to leave them, and I was sure they weren’t prepared for me to go. I tried to savor every moment. It was tough, and Grace was smart. She caught on easily to my demeanor change.
Things were never quiet in Shady Grove, especially with Stephanie stirring the pot. Her return threw us all for a loop. Grace matured more in those days than I ever thought she would, but I had to remind myself, that a lot of what Grace said and did was an act. She was so used to pretending to be something she wasn’t that it had become a part of her. However, there were moments when she was wise beyond even what I realized. She loved deeper than I thought possible. She ruled like no one else could. Even if by some unlucky happenstance I passed from this world, I knew that Grace would survive. She would continue on without me, which hurt to consider, but it was a hope for the future beyond my control.
In my life, I always thought I would have time to make my legacy. Jeremiah lured me to Shady Grove with lofty dreams, but he was right in the end. I found exactly what I never knew I wanted. My legacy would be loving a fairy queen that lived in a trailer park. It was enough. It was more than enough.
Levi
Lost in my thoughts of all he had told me, Dylan pulled me back to the present.
“Swear to me that you will not give this to her unless I am gone,” he said. “But you should give it to her not long after. Please, Levi.”
“Of course. Dylan, look, I’m sorry for all the problems I’ve caused,” I said.
He waved it off. “There is no way you could have known. I cannot fault you for falling for her. Hell, I did. I put up with all sorts of shit to keep her,” he said.
“You did. More than I think I would,” I said.
“No. Should the time come, you will do it too,” he said.
“I’m hoping for the wedding,” I said.
“Maybe you’ll get the one I will never have,” he said.
Smiling, I said, “I am hoping for your wedding. Not mine. I can’t possibly fill your shoes, nor will I ever try.”
I saw the rare tears of the Phoenix build in the corners of his eyes. He wiped them before they fell. “I cannot dare to hope, Levi,” he said.
“I’ll hope for you,” I said. “And for her.”
“So, you will be my best man?” he asked with a chuckle.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I replied.
He leaned back on the sofa in the trailer as she slept from the exertion from the previous day. She had us all worried. Dylan took the time to tell me his story. “It feels like things are changing faster than we can keep up with here. The influx of fairies. The growing evil in the Otherworld. She will try to deny it bothers her, but I know that it does. She doubts herself. She needs both of us to reassure her. Do you think you could do that without hurting her?” he asked.
Frankly, I was ashamed of myself, and the way I had been acting. Here Dylan was pouring his heart out to me preparing for her future while I binged on whatever female attention I could get. I thought about Dylan’s last mistake with Stephanie. I’d had twenty of them of the last few months. Grace and I weren’t together, and I couldn’t fathom how any of it would hurt us. However, seeing what Stephanie was trying to do to Grace and Dylan with her child haunted me. Thankfully, I hadn’t dabbled past third base with the girls that I’d entertained. One wrong slip, and sometime in the future I could be reliving Dylan’s mistakes.
Looking down at the spiral notebook, I marveled at the things that Dylan had to endure to win Grace’s heart. It wasn’t right for me to tempt her the way I had. I decided to put the notebook in the vault as I traveled with Finley into the Otherworld. If something happened to us, I would make sure she knew where it was beforehand. Dylan seemed so sure that he would never get the dream. It didn’t matter how I felt about her, I wanted him to have the dream, too. They both deserved to be happy.
He consistently put himself down while telling me the story, but from my perspective, he was definitely the hero. All heroes make mistakes. He made his fair share of them, but he also did the time following his heart to her. In a way, it inspired me to be patient. If something happened to Dylan, as he suspected it would, then jumping in to save her heart wouldn’t work, because the only person that had ever earned it was Dylan. But I was sure that one day, perhaps I could earn it too. Until then, my heart would belong to her, and I would serve her as she wished.
I needed to be a better man. Not just for Grace, but for Shady Grove. She bore most of the responsibility here outside of what Dylan and Troy did with the police force. My task had already been given to me. Grace wasn’t ready to tell her story, but I was sure there were those in town who would gladly let me record their adventures and tales. My purpose was there. I just needed to embrace it.
“Yes, I can do that,” I said.
“You okay, Dublin?” Dylan asked using her name for me.
“I’ve never been better. Thank you for trusting me with this,” I said.
“I trust you with her,” he said. “There is nothing in this world that means more to me than Grace. I’m not here for the leadership or the police work. I’m here for her and Winnie. Everything else is just secondary. You be safe in the Otherworld and come back in here in one piece whether you get that damn songbook or not.”
“The songbook isn’t the only reason we are going,” I said. He looked surprised. “Finley and Grace talked about getting information from Rhiannon about Brock for a future attack.”
“Oh, yes. She and I have discussed strategies,” he said.
I picked up the notebook and said, “The Grace in here doesn’t seem like a war strategist.”
He laughed. “No, she doesn’t, but she is. Leadership is natural to her when she embraces it. You saw her tonight with the town. They live on her every command, plus I wondered whether she had it in her to execute a traitor, but as you saw, she does.”
“It will haunt her,” I said.
His face darkened knowing that I was right and probably thought it long before I did. “Nice suggestion on keeping Stephanie alive, by the way,” he said.
“How did you know that was me?” I asked.
“Levi, come on. I know when the two of you are talking. I know the look on her face when it’s you. Trust me. I’m not concerned. You could even make a move for her, but I have no doubts she would ever succumb to it,” he said.
“I haven’t tried yet,” I said.
“Try it. You will see. Besides, you wouldn’t go through with it either,” he said.
“Especially not after this,” I said indicating the notebook.
“If it makes you feel better, get it all off your chest. Hold nothing back. Never lie to her and get caught in the web that I have,” he said. I looked over to Nestor who sat quietly listening to Dylan tell the story. He didn’t speak, bu
t I knew he agreed with Dylan. I decided before I left for the Otherworld that Grace and I needed to have a talk.
Tabitha entered the room breaking the privacy ward I’d placed while Dylan told the story. “Someone else sit with her. I need a breath of fresh air,” she said. “I’m burning up.”
“I’ll go,” said Nestor.
“Mind if I walk with you?” I asked Tabitha. She looked down at the notebook which I promptly tucked into my empty guitar case.
“Of course not,” she smiled. As we stepped into the rain cooled night, she said, “At least it’s a little cooler out here.”
We walked out into the darkness, down the gravel drive to the main road of the trailer park. She stopped to stare up at the moon. It waned away after it’s fullness just a couple of nights ago.
“What is wrong with her?” I asked.
“No way to tell. Something is drawing power from her,” Tabitha said. “I can’t tell what it is.”
“She’s pregnant,” I said.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“I don’t. Just a speculation,” I said. “Would it have the same effect?”
“She can’t be pregnant unless she slept with you,” Tabitha said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Dylan can only have one heir,” Tab said.
“And what if that boy with Stephanie isn’t Dylan’s?” I asked.
She sighed. “Wishful thinking, Levi.”
“I didn’t know you were such a realist.”
“I’m a physician. I have to be,” she said.
“Then do a pregnancy test,” I said.
“I can’t have her pee on a stick, Levi. Fairy children grow in a womb faster than normal children. Traditional methods won’t work. Besides it’s too early to tell if she is,” Tabitha said dismissing my assertion.
I still believed that was exactly what was wrong with Grace. Nothing was sucking her power except the child growing inside of her. Time would prove me right. I don’t know how I knew. I just knew. I decided to keep it to myself. Once Grace realized it, she would tell everyone.
“What are you going to do when she has a child with Dylan?” she asked.
“Things won’t change for me. I’m her servant. I love her,” I said.
“Do you think you could ever love someone other than her?” she asked.
“Not in the same way,” I replied. I knew that I could probably focus my attention on someone, but I’d never be able to give myself to someone completely.
“She loves you, too,” Tabitha said. I stared at her in the darkness trying to make out her expression.
“Why did you say that?” I asked.
“It’s true. We are friends. I see the way she looks at you. It’s different than Dylan, but it’s still love. If you wait long enough, you might just get your chance,” she said.
“She and Dylan are meant to be together. I was the fill-in when Dylan didn’t get it right the first time,” I said remorseful that I didn’t meet her first.
“You pout too much,” she said laughing at me.
“Shut up. You don’t even know me,” I said.
“Sure, I do. You are the guy all the women want, but can’t get,” she said.
“Even you?” I asked.
“No, Mr. Cocky. I’d never cross that line with Grace, but we can be friends,” she said.
We turned to walk back to the trailer. “I would like that,” I said.
Back inside the trailer, I retreated to my old room to look through Dylan’s story. I decided to put a title on it. I wrote it out, then admired my choice. I fell asleep in my old bed only to be awakened by Tabitha knocking on the door.
“What is it?” I asked.
She opened the door slightly. “She’s starting to stir. She will be awake soon,” she said.
“I’ll be right there,” I said.
Dylan met me in the living room. He smiled seeing the title on the book. “I like it,” he said.
“It’s about the truth. Sometimes it comes in a homebrew,” I said.
“Sometimes it comes with time,” he added.
“Sometimes it just takes love,” I said.
Tabitha waited for us at the door to Grace’s bedroom. Nestor already sat inside for us to join them. The doctor smirked at us.
“You guys are a couple of saps. You should just kiss each other,” Tabitha said. “Oh wait, you already did that! “
Dylan chuckled, then puckered his lips up at me. I stuck my finger down my throat to gag myself.
“You are just like her,” I said to Tabitha.
“That’s why we are friends.” She grinned then said, “Levi, flick on that air conditioner, it’s hotter than blue blazes in here.”
A Message From The Author
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Reviews on Amazon:
Bless Your Heart
Tinsel in a Tangle
Snake in the Grass
Comin’ Up a Cloud
Gully Washer
Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen Box Set
Acknowledgments
First of all thanks to all the readers of the Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen. I thought up this crazy idea one day last October, and it’s turned into a series of books that have changed my life. I love these characters, and so much of their lives are based on the true stories of my friends and family with a twist of fae. Writing Gully Washer scared the crap out of me. I knew it would be a cliffhanger. Also, I knew it wouldn’t be resolved until Hotter Than Blue Blazes. If you are reading this, thank you for hanging in there.
Secondly, I often thank the independent authors that have challenged me, but I want to specifically thank Shayne Silvers. I told him what I planned to do with Guly Washer concerning the cliffhanger, and he eased my fears by sharing knowledge from his experience on how to handle it. I can’t thank him enough for taking time from a busy schedule and the ever-growing empire that is Nate Temple and friends. If you haven’t read his books, you definitely should.
Every book I thank Carol, Erica, and Hampton. I will never break that tradition. They do the things that I cannot, and I’m forever grateful.
Thanks especially to Tabitha Battles. She’s allowed me to use more of her life stories than anyone else. That’s why Dr. Tabitha Mistborne is Grace’s best friend. Everyone needs a friend as loyal and fun as Tabitha.
Finally, I want to thank my husband, Jeff, who helps me hash out the details of how and why things happen in the books. Sometimes I get irritated at him, but it’s just the frustration to accept a different perspective than my own. However, I know that he is always on my side. I love you, Jeff.
Sneak Peak
The first chapter of Hotter Than Blue Blazes is too much of a spoiler for me to put it here for you, but it will be published at the end of June. The cover is a spoiler too for those who haven’t read the series, but I have a super secret webpage to share the cover with you as well as the first chapter if you choose to be spoiled.
Follow the link below and type in the password: SpoilMe
Hotter Than Blue Blazes
From early in life Kimbra Swain was indoctrinated in the ways of geekdom. Raised on Star Wars, Tolkien, Superheroes and Voltron, she found herself immersed in a world of imagination. She started writing in high school and completed her English degree from the University of Alabama in 2003.
Her writi
ng is influenced by a gamut of favorite authors including Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, Timothy Zahn, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, Kevin Hearne and Jim Butcher.
Born and raised in Alabama, Kimbra still lives there with her husband and 5-year-old daughter. When she isn't reading or writing, she plays PC games, makes jewelry and builds cars.
You can view my publishing schedule on my website:
https://www.kimbraswain.com/tentative-publishing-schedule
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www.kimbraswain.com