"Why don't you tell her she can stay with you? If she has somewhere to go, maybe she'll do it."
"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"
Matt and I had been encouraging Holly to leave without giving her a place to go. The idea was so simple, so obvious; I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it earlier.
I reached for my phone on the nightstand and called her number. It went straight to voicemail, so I left a message asking her to call me. In case Fred screened her messages, I didn't leave any details.
"If she doesn't call back by this afternoon, I'm going to ask Tommy to check on her," I said.
We lay quietly for a bit. Finally, my conscience wouldn't let me ignore my patient any longer.
"I need to check on Matt, but with all the laying of hands I did on him yesterday, nothing will camouflage my appearance anymore."
"Yeah, I noticed he reacted to it last night."
"Perhaps you should warn him before I go into the room. Come on, let's go."
"Not until I get some breakfast in you. Wait here; I'll bring you something. I'll talk to him while you eat."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ALEXANDER
When I entered the room, Matt was trying—with difficulty—to rearrange himself in the bed. I quickly went to help him. He sucked in air through his teeth when he leaned forward to let me prop his head with some pillows.
"Damn, that hurts," he said as he slowly leaned back.
I waited until he looked as comfortable as he was going to get before starting.
"Matt, we need to talk about Tressa. Do you remember anything from after I brought you here last night?"
"Not much—at some point I started hallucinating or something." He touched his jaw, testing it in various spots. "I thought they broke it. Thank god it's just sore."
"That's what we need to talk about. It was broken, along with your hand and a couple of ribs. I brought you here last night because Tressa isn't who you think she is," I said. I thought for a second and sighed; this would not be easy to explain.
"I know this is going to sound nuts, so bear with me... Tressa is a faery." I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for his reaction. He had always been good with accepting my hunches; maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
"You're telling me your girlfriend is a faery?" Matt laughed. He grabbed around his waist and grimaced as his body shook. "Stop it man, it hurts to laugh."
I nodded.
"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy. But your jaw was broken last night, and now it isn't." I held up my right arm. "It may not look it, but she fixed my hand, too."
"Come on, Xander, you're making me think you're the one who got hit in the head. You think Tressa is some kind of magical creature?"
"I take offence to the 'creature' part," Tressa said as she entered the room carrying a steaming mug.
Matt's mirth died. His eyes bulged and his sore jaw fell open. After a silent few seconds, he turned to gape at me.
I completely understood Matt's reverential expression. Tressa was breathtaking. She glimmered like a fine jewel and moved so gracefully she nearly floated. I still couldn't take my eyes off her, even after all this time.
"How's the patient today?" she asked, setting the mug on the nightstand next to Matt.
"Ugh," Matt tried to talk but merely grunted. He could only gawk at Tressa while she assessed his wounds. She spoke to him during her examination in a soothing tone, using her voice to help him relax.
She inspected his hand last, rolling her finger over the fractures. Satisfied with what she felt, she removed the splint and replaced it with a sling she tied around Matt's neck.
"All things considered, you're healing pretty well. I'm sorry I couldn't finish the process," she said.
I stiffened as I started to protest; I wouldn't let her hurt herself again, especially with Matt looking so much better. She waved me off to indicate that she wasn't intending to do any more for him, and I relaxed.
Matt turned to me, finally finding his voice. "My god," he said. "I wasn't hallucinating!"
I refrained from saying I told him so, settling instead for a smirk.
"How long have you known?" Matt asked, still wide-eyed.
"Not long."
Tressa continued with her doctoring. "I brought a tonic for you. It will help your bones heal. You should eat soft foods for a day or two. How is the pain?"
"Umm, not bad I guess," Matt conceded.
"There's ibuprofen at my house," I said.
"That's a good idea. He’ll need to take something; we're going up to the Manor House. We'll have lunch there."
"No, Tressa. I don’t want to impose on your grandmother. I'll just have Xander take me home," Matt protested.
"Have lunch first. I want to keep an eye on you for a few more hours, and I'll need you around when I explain to my grandmother why I opened your eyes. It would be best if she could see you to help her understand the extent of the problem."
She handed Matt the mug and encouraged him to drink. He took a tentative sip.
"This tastes good," he said with surprise. He took another swallow. "Opened my eyes, is that what you call it?" Matt asked.
"Why don't you get that medicine, Xander? Matt and I can chat while you're gone." She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head toward the bedroom door, signaling to give her some time alone with Matt.
"So did you break a rule or something?" Matt asked as I was leaving the room.
"Many," Tressa said.
Two hours later, the three of us sat with Órlaith in the living room of the Manor House. The women had insisted that Matt lay on the sofa because of his injuries. Though Matt had protested it wasn't necessary, the tension in his face relaxed when he lay down.
While Tressa explained what had happened the evening before, I amused myself by watching Matt. The younger man attempted to scrutinize Órlaith furtively. I understood from experience the shock of seeing the regal Sidhe Queen Mother sitting in place of the nice elderly woman he thought he knew.
I turned my attention to Tressa, looking for any residual effect from her ordeal the previous night. True to her word, she looked fully recovered.
If I had known how much she gave of herself when healing others, I would’ve taken Matt to the hospital no matter how much he fought the idea.
Órlaith listened to Tressa's story without interruption. She seemed to have no reaction, positive or negative, to the news of what Tressa had done.
Tressa worried a lot. It was hard to gauge how concerned I should be about the odd things she told me. She talked about the danger surrounding her, but I saw nothing yet that made that danger seem real.
"It is best not to let the fae know you can see through their glamour," Órlaith counselled Matt as she had with me. "Never underestimate a fae or judge them by their appearance. Some are beautiful, some are tiny, and some are funny looking—however, almost all of them are deadly if they want to be."
There it was again: another warning against a vague danger. I took Órlaith's words as another reminder to keep alert, though I would prefer to have a better idea of what form the threat would take.
"I must tell all of you, I don't know if you are helping Holly by keeping this away from the authorities. You may well be making the situation worse," Órlaith said.
Her words had Tressa calling Holly's cell phone for the fourth time that morning. It went straight to voicemail again.
"I would be pleased if you young people would join me for lunch later. I need to speak with Jenny about a dinner party I'm having later this week, so I'll make sure she prepares enough food for us all."
When her grandmother had left the room, Tressa turned to me, eyes wide with fear.
"Are you sure Holly's okay?"
Matt stared at me as well, equally anxious for my answer. I still felt convinced that she was fine, but I couldn't predict when that might change.
"She's not hurt right now, but Órlaith has a point. Let's go with your plan that if she doesn't
call you by noon, we'll call Tom...."
The front doorbell rang. Shamus must have answered it, because a commotion broke out in that direction. Tressa, who always heard things before everyone else, concentrated on the voices. Her expression changed from confusion to surprise.
She jumped from her seat and beckoned me to follow as she left the room. When I caught up to her outside the living room door, I slipped my arm around her waist.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"We have guests," she responded joyfully.
I followed her gaze through the large foyer. Two identical Sidhe woman stood in the doorway. They both had metallic blue hair that hung straight to their waist. Each had a diamond shaped sapphire that hovered around their head on a silver band; they must have anchored their glamour with the jewels. I had a hard time imagining how they must look to everyone else.
When they were a few steps closer, I identified a single distinguishing feature. From a distance, they both appeared to have matching sets of electric blue eyes the exact color of their hair. On closer inspection, one twin had one blue eye and one gray eye.
"Rosheen! Keelin!" Tressa ran to them, throwing an arm around each of them. The three women huddled in a group embrace, all vibrating with excitement.
I leaned against the doorjamb and crossed my arms over my chest as I watched, astonished to see my serious Tressa become so childlike.
Two male Sidhe came up behind the women.
Gilleagán!" Tressa exclaimed, throwing her arms around the neck of a tall blonde man.
Gilleagán's hair was the same color as Órlaith's, but without the silver streaks. His brilliant blue eyes, also matching Órlaith's, had a razor sharp glint. Judging by his resemblance to their grandmother, I guessed that he had to be Tressa's brother.
Behind Gilleagán came another man of similar age and stature. Everyone in the group of Sidhe was tall, wispy, and exceedingly good-looking. They carried themselves with the same ethereal quality as Tressa.
"Hey Jewels, good to see you," Gilleagán said.
Tressa stiffened. She dropped her hug and stepped away from him. Her smile faded from her eyes, then disappeared altogether when she noticed the second man.
"Connor. What a surprise," she said flatly.
"I hope you don't mind that I decided to tag along with this guy." Connor dropped his chin and looked at her through the thick lashes of his half-lidded eyes. He took a step closer to her. "When he told me he was coming, I couldn't resist the chance to see you, Jewels."
"Don't call me that," she said. "You both know I hate it."
Then, in a delayed reaction, something in what he said rattled her. Her eyes narrowed as she looked over the group.
"None of you seem surprised that I'm here."
"Of course not, Tressie, why do you think we came?" one of the twins asked.
"To visit Mamó, of course. No one is supposed to know I'm here." She looked warily around the group. "Who told you?"
The twins looked at each other. "I thought you told me," they said to each other and laughed. They turned to the men. "One of you must have told us."
Connor shrugged.
"I've known you were here for a couple of weeks now. I may have told the girls. Gil, didn't you tell me she was here?"
"What does it matter? We came to visit you, aren't you glad to see us?" Gilleagán asked, sounding hurt.
Tressa's neck flushed.
"Yes, of course. I'm thrilled to see all of you."
She looked discombobulated by the turn in the conversation so I walked into the foyer and stood behind her.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
She stepped back so that her shoulder touched my chest.
"Xander, these are my cousins Rosheen and Keelin." Tressa indicated with a wave that Keelin was the blue-eyed twin and Rosheen was the one with the gray eye. "And my brother Gil and his friend Connor."
"Xander? What kind of name is that?" Rosheen asked, moving in closer.
"Xander is all you need to know," Tressa told her.
"Oh, this one is yours?" Rosheen asked, grinning. "He is; I see it in your face."
"You're seeing someone?" Keelin asked. "That's great! It's about time."
All four visitors stared at us, seemingly in disbelief. I didn't understand why our relationship was such a surprise. Tressa lifted her head in a good imitation of her grandmother's regal bearing.
"We're Handfast," she said, reaching back and linking her hand with mine.
I didn't know why she said it. Tressa and I hadn't discussed anything like this, but I wasn't about to contradict her.
"You're kidding. With him?" Gilleagán hooted. "Connor, saints alive, a human has edged you out. And a scarred one, at that."
"The Jewel with a human?" Connor said, obviously displeased.
I didn't care if these men wanted to needle me, but their insults affected Tressa. Her posture wilted a little more each time they called her that name. I tried to step forward, but she held onto my forearm, keeping me next to her.
"You got it, she's with me. Is there a problem?" I scowled at them.
Órlaith's arrival in the foyer dispersed the tension in the air. She entered from the direction of the back porch, walking stiffly with her cane.
"Shamus says more of my grandchildren have arrived. Who is it that I’m hearing?”
The twins squealed and ran to her. I lost sight of the older woman for a minute as their hugs enveloped her.
"Gil, is that you?" she asked over the girls' heads.
"Aye, Mamó, it is I. Connor Dwyer is with me."
"I hope it's not an imposition, Your Grace," said Connor as he greeted her with a bow.
"Of course not, dear boy. The more the merrier."
She let her grandson hug her before she held him at arm's length.
"What's different about you? Have you changed something since the last time I saw you?"
"I haven’t. Is this going to end with a punch line about me not visiting often enough?" he teased.
"Now that you mention it..." she laughed, and then she patted his cheek. "It is good to see you, dear boy."
"You too, Mamó." He kissed her palm.
"Let's not stand here in the entryway,” Órlaith addressed the group at large. "Go on in to the living room. Isn't that injured boy in there?"
"Aye, Mamó. Mattie's still there," Tressa said.
Matt attempted to rise from the sofa, but gave up when Tressa admonished him. She introduced him to the new arrivals.
"Seriously, Tressa, the people around you are always getting battered," said Gilleagán. "You're a walking disaster zone."
Gilleagán exchanged an amused look with Connor. I balled my fist, wishing I could take a swing at him.
"Geez, Tressa, can't you do anything for this guy?" Connor asked.
Matt stayed quiet, although his wary eyes told me the younger man was on alert as he assessed the scene. Matt glanced at me to signal that he had noticed the tension in the room before continuing to watch the group dynamic.
The twins cuddled up to Matt on the sofa, one on either side.
"Oh, I like his face!" Rosheen cooed.
"Poor baby, I'll kiss it better." Keelin pecked his cheek.
"Where did you pass the threshold? Did you come through Niagara Falls?" Órlaith asked, ignoring their antics.
"We came through in Switzerland about six months ago. Roe and I have been skiing all this time, until Gil said he was coming here," Keelin said.
"I came through Niagara Falls," Connor said.
"Did you notice anything out of order at the crossing?"
"Not that I remember. Why?"
"It's probably nothing." Órlaith waved her hand, dismissing the topic.
Tressa's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and rushed to answer it.
"Holly, thank goodness you called. Are you okay?" She paused to listen. "No, wait. Holly, I want you to come stay with me." Her brow furrowed. "Please, Holly? I really don't think
it's safe.... But he can't make you... I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you absolutely sure that's what you want? We'll come get you..." Tressa blinked rapidly, holding back tears. "Okay, if you're sure. Holly, remember what I told you about the shop—that it's a safe place. Promise to remember that."
When she ended the call, everyone was staring at her.
"That was my assistant at the store. She won't be coming back to work." Tressa spoke directly to Matt and I. "Fred doesn't want her to come back. She said it was her decision, but I don't believe her."
The conversation continued around us as the newcomers prattled on about what they wanted to do while they visited. Matt, Tressa and myself seemed to be in our own world, communicating our concern for Holly through meaningful looks. After a few minutes of this, Órlaith's voice interrupted my musings.
"Why don't you young people continue to make plans over lunch?" Órlaith asked. Just then, Shamus entered the room to announce that lunch was ready.
As the rest of the Sidhe chattered on their way to the dining room, Tressa and I each took a side and helped Matt up off the sofa.
"Listen carefully," Tressa whispered. "Never give a fae of any kind your entire true name."
"Hmmm, I noticed the Xander bit," I said.
"If a fae knows your full name they can hold Dominion over you. They can control what you do," she explained. "The weaker-willed a person is, the less of his name you need to gain Dominion. You should be fine as long as you don't lock eyes with them for too long or drop your guard."
"But this is your family, Tressa. Shouldn't we be able to trust them?" Matt asked.
"I trust them not to do you any lasting harm, but fun and games may not be the same for them as they are for you."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
TRESSA
I insisted Matt spend at least one more day with us so that I could monitor his progress. Alexander helped him into a clean t-shirt and sweatpants while I fluffed and arranged the pillows on the large, king size bed in the free bedroom of the guesthouse. It took some extra effort for Matt to ease himself onto the bed, but the pain he had experienced earlier in the day had gone.
Tressa's Treasures (The King's Jewel Book 1) Page 14