Demon Blood: Book 16 of The Witch Fairy Series

by Bonnie Lamer

  “Just when I get my hopes up things might be the slightest bit easier, you stomp all over my dreams,” I mutter.

  His lips curved into a half smile, Kallen says, “Sorry, my love. I will try not to stomp on any more of your dreams in the future.”

  I smile back. “Much appreciated.”

  “If we could stay on topic,” Dagda drawls. “I would like to remove that thing from my wife sooner as opposed to later, and we seem to have the answer now.”

  I try not to snap at him. I understand he is in pain, but as far as I can see, we aren’t any closer to his goal than we were when we came back into the house. “Then we need to think of something that does not involve Keelan. There is no way I am going to use him.”

  Meeting my annoyed glare with his own, Dagda says, “I am not suggesting you do anything which will harm the boy.”

  I jab a finger toward my Familiars. “You saw what happened to them.”

  “They do not carry Demon blood in their veins,” Dagda counters.

  “And we don’t know for certain that Keelan does, either, do we?”

  “How do we determine if he does?” Kallen interrupts.

  My mouth drops open as I stare at my husband in disbelief. “Are you suggesting I use a baby to fight my battles?”

  Scowling, Kallen’s words are terse. “I am not suggesting you bring a baby into battle, no. I am suggesting that there may be power in his blood. If this is the case, there may be a spell you could use to activate the power.”

  Oh, that seems reasonable. If all I need is a drop or two of blood for a spell, that wouldn’t be so bad. Yet, the words morally desolate from the prophecy come back to haunt me again. I think it unlikely I will get off that easily or Raziel would not have used such a phrase. But, I’m going to try to be optimistic. “Okay. So, who is going to tell Kegan and Alita that their baby is part Demon? And Alita, too, for that matter.” Alita already struggles with self-esteem issues. This is not going to make them better.

  “I believe it is time Alita and Kegan came home,” Isla says matter-of-factly. “Kallen, send them a message.”

  “What?! No.” All eyes turn to me and I rush to remind them all, “Alita can’t be around dark magic, remember?”

  Kallen reaches over and squeezes my hand. “There is no dark magic for her to react to right now. And if the Demons do attack, there is no guarantee she is any safer with her parents.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “You were just as insistent as me about them staying put earlier.”

  Lips pressed in a grim line, Kallen nods once. “That was before we had all the facts. My love, if Keelan really is the beacon who called the Demons, whether we use him as a weapon or not, his life is danger. We need to protect him and I do not believe leaving him in a cottage with three of the least powerful beings in this realm is the way to do it. Even with Kegan there, they as a group will provide little resistance if attacked.”

  Now that he has put it that way, I feel really stupid. Of course Keelan is in danger. But, before I can open my mouth to agree we should bring them home immediately, Dagda cuts me off. “Xandra, please be reasonable…”

  I hold my hand up to cut him off. “Before you say something that totally pisses me off and we get into an argument where I do something stupid or dangerous to you when we have other things to be focusing on, I am going to get Kegan, Alita and Keelan.” Look at me being all self-aware.

  “Shouldn’t Alita’s parents come, as well?” Mom asks.

  I nod. “They can hang out with Dad and Zac. I’ll make two trips.” Standing on my toes, I give Kallen a quick kiss. “I’ll be back in a minute.” I teleport myself back to the beach debating how much I tell Kegan and Alita before bringing them home. I’m pretty sure I’m going to take the coward’s way out and wait until we can tell them as a group. See, I’m becoming even more self-aware.

  23 Chapter

  The cottage is so quiet when I arrive, for a second I fear I am too late. I am relieved when I feel magic behind the door. Before Kegan can whip the door open and attack first, discover my identity later, I call out, “It’s me!”

  The door opens a crack and I see one of Kegan’s green eyes. “It looks and feels like you, but how can I be certain you’re not a Demon?”

  Oh, good question. Um. “I don’t know,” I admit.

  To my surprise, Kegan opens the door completely and steps outside with me. “I suspect a Demon would have had a better reply than that.” Good point.

  “Yeah, I’m not up on my supervillain excuses.”

  “Why are you back here?” Concern washes over his face. “Is someone hurt? Do you need my help?”

  “No and sort of,” I hedge. “Actually, I came to bring all of you home.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Kegan gives me a hard stare. “I’m considering the idea that you might be a Demon again. After all, it was you and my cousin who insisted this is the safest place for my family to be.”

  “We’ve uncovered some things which make that less true now.”

  Of course Kegan’s not going to let that vague as hell statement stand. “What, exactly, have you uncovered?”

  “We’ll explain at the house,” I stall.

  Shaking his head, Kegan says, “Uh uh, you will explain now or we are not going anywhere.”

  I’m tempted to reach out and simply teleport him back to the house, but I try not to use my magic against the people I care about. Instead, I need to gather my courage and tell him. So, in my usual blunt style I blurt it out instead of easing into it. “Alita has Demon blood in her family tree and Keelan is the reason the Demons are here.”

  To my surprise, Kegan doesn’t say anything. I take a step closer, assessing him for shock. He looks fine, though. He’s not pale, his skin isn’t sweaty or pasty. His eyes aren’t dilated and he doesn’t appear dizzy or queasy. “Um, did you hear me?” I ask.

  Kegan nods. “I did. Since what you said is too ridiculous to be true, I am simply waiting for you to tell me why you are really here demanding my family return to Grandmother’s with you.”

  He doesn’t believe me. Considering the fact that I don’t really believe it myself, I can’t blame him. “I know it’s a lot to take in, and I don’t even know for certain if it’s true or not,” I admit. “But, if there’s even the slightest possibility that Keelan is in danger, we need to protect him.”

  His eyes flashing with anger, Kegan growls. “I am protecting him.”

  I put my hands up, palms forward. “I didn’t mean to insult you or insinuate that you’re not protecting him. The rest of us simply want to help protect him. And we can do that better if we’re all together,” I insist.

  I receive a full minute of Kegan glaring at me, probably deciding the best way to dismember my body after he kills me considering the crazy glint in the corner of his eye, before he finally says something. “We will accompany you back to the house simply so I can laugh in your collective faces when it is proven my sweet wife and innocent child have no blood flowing through their veins other than Fairy and Cowan.”

  I nod. “Fair enough. I will teleport you in two trips.”

  This takes him by surprise. “You want to separate Alita and me?” he asks suspiciously.

  “No,” I assure him. “I will take the three of you first and then come back for her parents. We don’t want to leave them unprotected, either.”

  Scowling now, Kegan reminds me, “They were safe here during the first Demon attack.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t guarantee their continued safety. They will be keeping my dad and Zac company while the rest of us figure out how to stop the Demons.” I mention my dad and Zac to put Kegan’s mind at ease. He knows I will die before I let anything happen to either of them.

  With a curt nod, Kegan turns back toward the door. “Come on.”

  I follow him inside. Alita and her parents are sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of tea. Alita smiles when she sees me, but it is forced. She knows my return canno
t possibly be a good thing. I always love being the harbinger of doom.

  “Things have gotten worse,” Alita says softly. Not a question.

  I glance at Kegan and he shakes his head slightly. Yeah, like I was just going to blurt out, ‘well, if you being part Demon is worse, then yup, things got worse.’ Okay, I did sort of do that outside. He’s probably right to warn me away from the topic. But, she does need to know sooner as opposed to later. I raise my brow in question. When should she find out?

  Kegan answers my unasked question. “There is a theory the others have and they need us to weigh in on it. We are all going to Grandmother’s house.”

  “All of us?” Alita’s mother asks in surprise.

  I nod. “We really want to make sure you’re safe.”

  Instead of replying to me, Alita’s father defers to Kegan. “Do you believe this is for the best?”

  Kegan nods. “I do. Xandra is going to teleport us.” Turning to his wife, he asks, “Is there anything you would like to bring?”

  Alita shakes her head. “No, when Raziel insisted Keelan and I come here in the middle of the night, we did not have time to grab anything.”

  My jaw comes completely unhinged. How else can I explain the loud thump of it hitting the floor? “What?”

  Kegan explains. “Right before the Demons cast their spell, Raziel and Adriel got Alita and Keelan to safety. I thought they would have told you that already.”

  “They’re missing,” I blurt. I slap a hand against my mouth before any more stupidity falls out of it. I had not meant to worry them yet.

  “Missing?” Alita gasps.

  “Okay, I need to get you guys home where everything can be explained by someone much better at it than me,” I declare.

  Alita stands up and reaches her arms out toward her mother who is currently holding Keelan. The baby’s grandmother relinquishes the child, but there is reluctance in her eyes. She suspects all is not well in the realm. She is one perceptive, possibly Demon-infused Cowan. Once Keelan is safely in her arms, Alita walks to Kegan. “We are ready,” she announces stoically even though she is obviously far from ready.

  Reaching out, I pull her into a quick hug. “Everything will be fine,” I assure her.

  Alita nods. “It always is.” Sure would have been nice if there was some oomph behind her words.

  24 Chapter

  I teleport Alita, Kegan and Keelan to the beach in front of the house. Too crowded in the kitchen to teleport so many of us directly there, and I don’t want to risk causing Alita to drop the baby. I also don’t want them to see Tana trapped in magic on the other side of the house quite yet, hence depositing them on the opposite side of the house from where everyone is assembled. There is so much for them to learn. Might as well shock their system with an overload of information all at once than bombard them with it one piece at a time. Though, either way is going to suck.

  “I’ll be right back,” I say before teleporting back to the cottage. I grab Alita’s parents and am back home before Kegan and Alita have entered the house.

  “Where would you like us?” Alita’s father asks.

  Biting my bottom lip, I debate how rude it is to send them off without giving them all the pertinent information. I guess not as rude as I think because Kegan says, “I believe Xandra mentioned keeping you safe with her father and brother. Are they upstairs?” He gives me a pointed look telling me I better respond in the positive. He isn’t ready to share the Demon-infusion theory with his in-laws yet. Can’t say I blame him. I didn’t want to share it with him.

  “Yes,” I nod. “They are in the sitting room on the second floor. Do you know where that is?” I hope so. I don’t want to waste the time showing them. Wow, I really am rude. That’s really not new information, though.

  “Yes, of course,” Alita’s father assures me. Makes sense. They’ve been guests here many times over the years.

  Inside the house, we part ways. Alita’s parents make their way upstairs while the rest of us go to the kitchen. There, we find a bunch of somber faces. At least, until the baby enters the room. Then, there is a lot of gushing and oohing and aahing which tries hard to mask the somber faces. It barely works. It’s really hard to be truly excited when you are about to tell the child’s mother he is the only weapon available to fight off seven Demons. It’s been a while since I mentioned this, but our lives can really suck sometimes.

  After Keelan makes the rounds and ends up in his great-grandmother’s arms, Isla clears her throat. “We have some information we must share. Alita, Kegan, perhaps it is best if you take a seat.”

  “Xandra already spoiled the surprise,” Kegan says, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I do not believe a word of it.”

  “Believe what?” Alita asks.

  “Believe that you carry Demon blood in your veins.”

  “It is true?” Alita gasps, clasping a hand over her mouth. She seems to be surprised and horrified, but not altogether shocked by the information. Okay, maybe I need to sit down because this is not the reaction I expected. Glancing around the room, I see I am not the only one eying a stool.

  “You knew?” Kallen asks.

  Alita’s pale green eyes are locked onto Kegan’s. No one in the room is quite as surprised as her husband at the moment. The shock I expected from him earlier has come on with a vengeance. His pupils are dilated, his skin has instantly acquired a sweaty, pasty appearance and he may have stopped breathing.

  Kallen reaches out and steers Kegan toward the nearest stool. “You should sit down.”

  “I never believed it,” Alita says miserably. “Mom told me the story when I was young, but I thought it was simply a story parents tell their daughter to scare her into being a good girl. I never thought she was telling me the truth.”

  “Perhaps you should enlighten us. What story did she tell you?” Isla asks as kindly and patiently as her raging curiosity will allow. Which means she sounds pushy and demanding.

  “Yes, please tell us the story of how my wife and child are part Demon,” Kegan insists roughly. I have never seen him angry with Alita before. I am going to assume it is because she kept this from him, not because he is going to love her any less with Demon blood running through her veins. I know I would love Kallen just as much. He could have toad blood running through his veins and croak every third word he says and I would still love him just as much. I would probably keep our conversations a little briefer, though.

  Alita sends Kegan a pleading look, begging him to still love her despite her possible heritage. Not being a fool, at least not always being a fool, Kegan’s features soften and he moves closer to his wife, hugging her close. “Tell us the story,” he says in a kinder tone.

  Her courage reinforced by his actions, Alita begins to speak. Her eyes remain steadfastly on Kegan, but the tale if for all of us. “It was Black Donald.”

  I snort. Really, I can’t help it. “Black Donald? The Demon’s name was Black Donald?”

  Isla remarks coolly, “The less we interrupt, the sooner we will have the story.” Fine. I make a buttoning of my lips motion with my hand and indicate that Alita should continue.

  Taking a deep breath, Alita says, “One of my mother’s great-grandmothers was a Scottish lass with more fire in her loins than brains in her head. At least, that was family legend.” Her cheeks color at such a description of a member of her own family. Next to me, Kallen needs to cover a snicker with a cough and Kegan is no better. This time, they are the ones getting the censuring looks. Ah, vindication.

  “So, she lay with a Demon?” Dagda asks, hoping to hurry the story along.

  Alita shakes her head. “No, she turned him down flat.”

  Nonplussed like the rest of us, Kallen asks, “Then why do you believe you carry Demon blood in your lineage?”

  “She is not telling the story correctly,” a soft voice says from the doorway. We turn to find Alita’s mother standing there. Apparently, she didn’t like the idea of being stuck away upstairs. Can
’t say I blame her.

  Relief passes over Alita’s features. “Mother, will you please tell the story?”

  Coming farther into the room, her mother nods. “I do not know how familiar you are with Scottish Cowan lore,” she says, glancing around the room.

  “Not at all,” Dagda informs her, not unkindly but with a sense of urgency for her to get the tale told.

  Taking the hint, Alita’s mother begins speaking and no one interrupts until her tale is finished. “In Scottish lore, Black Donald is the devil himself. He tries to hide his identity when dealing with Cowans, but he has cloven feet which cannot be shod, therefore exposing him wherever he goes to those who are observant.” Yes, I would probably notice a fellow’s cloven feet.

  “The Cowans try hard to appease Black Donald for fear that he will destroy their crops and ruin their lives.” I try to hide a smile. It has been a long time since Alita’s mother was in the Cowan realm, centuries by their measure of time. A lot has changed in Scotland, including their belief in superstition. “Part of each field was left barren as a sacrifice for him,” Alita’s mother continues. “It was in such a place my great-grandmother came across this Demon in disguise. It is true what Alita said. Our ancestor was thought to have more fire in her loins than brains in her head. But even she would not lay with the devil, no matter how charming he proved to be. He teased and cajoled and even tried to trick her. She would have none of it. She was a puzzle to Black Donald. A woman who could be so free with her wiles would not succumb to his. She did, however, agree to meet with him again. And again. Eventually, as she continued to thwart his attempts at seduction, a reluctant respect for her developed within him. Each time they met, their unlikely friendship grew. Finally, he came to care for her so much, he trusted her with his most precious secret. The secret to his demise.” Doubtful expressions circulated the room like fireflies attempting to light the darkness.

  Alita’s mother ignored us and continued her story. “When my great-grandmother kept his secret, not telling a soul of what they spoke, Black Donald’s trust grew even more. Finally, he had found a Cowan in which he could trust not only his most precious secret, but his most precious possession, as well. His blood.”