There was silence in the room for what seemed like an eternity and Fionna was ready to turn and leave the room, leave the house, and run. She didn't have a plan, she would just run. Just as she turned to leave, harboring no hard feelings, Lilly grabbed her hand. The look on Lilly's face was a mixture of emotions—grateful, hurt, elated, heartbroken—but most of all there was forgiveness.
“Fionna, don't go. I forgive you for everything. I forgive you for loving Shep. I mean, how could you not? He is hard not to love, but you let him go. You told him the truth. You sent him back to me. Most importantly, you brought my son home. For that I am forever grateful to you. Please stay here with us, don't go back to Kelsha. I can see you have it in you to be good, just stay,” she finished, now on the verge of tears herself.
“Thank you, Lilly. As much as I wanted to hate you, I can't. You and Shep are made for each other. I know that now. I will stay, and I will stand with you when Kelsha comes calling.” No other words were spoken. There was nothing left to say.
Chapter Thirty-One
The flight back to the Levannah manor seemed short. I was as anxious as Denali to see my grandfather. I was not prepared for the man I saw lying in that bed. His vibrant white hair was dull and gray, and his deep blue eyes were glossy and distant. His frame was frail, as though he had been ill for years. He had been healthy when we left him. We had only been gone a few days. I couldn't fathom how he had grown so ill in such a short amount of time.
As I sat at his bedside, trying to think of a way to help, my gift sprung into my mind. How had I forgotten I could heal? I had never used my gift, hadn’t the need to yet, but now I could. I could heal him. I looked up at my aunt Viv and said, “I can heal him. I have never used my power, but I think if I just lay my hands on him and push my power to him I could save him.” The look on Vivianna's face didn't show the excitement I was feeling. I glanced around at Denali and my meme. They both wore the same forlorn look as Vivianna.
“Lilly, my dear,” said my meme. “The imbalance of Neveah is making him weak. Even the strongest of healers couldn't help him. The only way is to stop the imbalance. Kelsha must be stopped.” The words rang in my ears, a repeat of what I had been told by Calista.
“Why him, though? How come I am not sick, or any of you? It's him and the Feys, why?” I didn't understand why we were all standing around healthy, while my grandfather was dying in his bed.
“Calista and her sisters are the only Feys left in Neveah and they can all see the future. Your grandfather can also see the future because his great-great grandmother was a Fey,” my meme informed me as she gently rubbed her husband's hand. I had never spoken to my grandparents of their abilities.
“So papa can see the future? Did he see this coming?”
My meme sighed and said, “No. He hasn't tried to use his ability in ages. Things have been so peaceful in Neveah for many centuries and he thought glimpsing into Specials’ personal lives was an intrusion of privacy.” She finished with that, seeming unwilling to go into more detail.
I wanted to push her to talk more, but decided now was not the time. It seemed the longer I stayed in Neveah, and the more I learned, the more questions I had. I was extremely frustrated at not being able to help, and thought my so called 'gift' was rather useless. I couldn't stand being in that room, so full of death, another minute. I quietly let myself out. I thought some clean air would help clear my mind.
I was making my way to the front door when Renny came to me, his face tense and his breath coming fast as though he had just stepped on a snake. “Miss Lilly, I was coming for you. There is a lady at the door asking for you. Please come quickly.” He didn't give me a second to protest, rather pulling me along behind him. I found Diallo, and a few other occupants of the house huddled in front of the door. They all seemed frozen in time. The air was still like the calm before the storm.
My own heart kicked up a few notches as I found my way through the small crowd of people. I literally had to push my way as it seemed none of them were willing to let me through. When I saw her standing there, a tiny little thing, with her nearly white hair closely cropped around her pretty face, I knew it was Fionna. I don't know how I knew, as I only briefly saw a painting of her, but I knew it was her, and she was holding my son. I reached for my boy. Every nerve in my body was working overtime as I touched him, smelled him, and kissed every inch of his little head.
I was instantly grateful to the woman. My mind thought a million different thoughts in just a few seconds. Part of me, a rather large part of me, wanted to punch her in the face and scream at her to get the hell off my family's property, but I couldn't because an even larger part of me was forever grateful to her. Yes, she had been instrumental in keeping Shep away from me, but she was also instrumental in sending him home. She brought my child home to me even though her actions would likely get her killed. Not to mention her angelic face standing there, looking deeply sorry and ashamed.
She turned to leave, and I stopped her, pulling her tightly in my arms, and telling her not to go. I knew it would be difficult to co-exist with a woman who Shep had loved, and made love to, but I pushed the feeling away. I couldn't let her go. I knew all too well the danger she would be facing once Kelsha figured out what she had done. She had nowhere to go now that she had betrayed Kelsha. The Levannahs were built on love and forgiveness, and I knew I had to forgive her. I had to forgive her for Shep if I was to move on and be whole again.
Thankfully, she agreed to stay, and I brought her immediately to my family. The return of James brought a feeling of joy to the air, and the looming death seemed to hang back just a little. My boy was passed from one family member to another, each one shocked and over the moon to have him home. The reception of Fionna was rather cool at first and Denali was ready to toss her to the fires until she spoke. Her face was sincere and full of sorrow as she explained how she had gotten James from Kelsha, and that she didn't think twice about bringing him home. She was sorry for Shep, and sorry for the life she had led. She begged for forgiveness, and I believed her sincerely. There was something about her that I was drawn to and thought we could have been great friends under different circumstances.
I was pleased to see Denali back down, and my meme welcome her with open arms. Fionna had given us information on Kelsha and would be very helpful in stopping her. My meme asked Aunt Vivianna to show Fionna to the guest room.
“You must be tired, dear. Help yourself to the shower, the closet, and the bed. We will discuss things further once you have rested. You will be welcome in our home as long as you wish to stay,” my meme said with compassion laced through her words. Fionna wiped the tears that had stained her rosy cheeks and gratefully followed Viv out of the room.
“Are you sure she is to be trusted?” Denali asked as soon as she was gone.
“No, but I believe her. I can't say why. I can't prove that she is being sincere and truthful. She did leave us the note telling us where Kelsha had run to and most importantly she brought my son back to me, so no, I can't be positive that we can trust her, but something inside tells me to,” I replied, hoping Denali would trust me enough to trust her.
“Okay, Lilly, but we need to keep our guard up. Don't get too close to her until we know for sure,” he said, and I knew he was thinking with his brain, not his heart, as I was.
“I agree we must be careful,” I began, but was interrupted by a groan coming from the bed. I rushed to my papa's bedside as did Meme and Denali. Meme reached for his hand, tears in her lovely, sad eyes. I could see her body tremble slightly as she tried to hold herself together. James stirred in my arms as my papa reached a weak, bony hand up to touch him. A smile formed, but his eyes remained closed. His hand fell back to the bed, and he began to speak.
“The child is home. He is a Special, more so than any soul in Neveah has ever seen, and Kelsha knows how special he is. She will come for him, I have seen it. You will have to fight for him, fight for Neveah. She wants power, control, and she want
s James. She must be stopped if balance is to be restored to Neveah. The good in Neveah will begin to wilt a little more day after day until she is stopped. Trust Fionna, she truly wants to be good, I have seen that as well.” He paused, trying to catch his breath. He tilted his head toward my meme, though still unable to open his eyes. He spoke to her.
“Eirene, my love, know that I have always loved you. I have made many mistakes in my time, but you were not one of them. You are everything that has been good and you will run this land beautifully. Please don't cry for me, I am going home to our daughter. I will wait for you, but please don't rush to me. Go on, be happy, and get our land back,” he finished and my meme fought back the tears as she held steadfast in his hand and kissed him gently on his lips.
He turned to Denali and me. “Denali, my boy, I am so proud of you. You are a noble and fearless leader and you will be victorious. Find happiness, my boy, and always remember my love for you. Lilly, how I wish I had been a bigger part of your life. You are so much like your mother it is almost painful for me to watch you. You are fearless and strong, and you too will be victorious. You are a forgiving soul and a loving one. Remember that when you are asked to forgive. Most importantly keep the boy safe. Keep him from Kelsha. He will be very powerful when he grows and in the wrong hands can be very dangerous. With you and his father, though, he will do good in his life. I love you, my dear,” he finished, breathless. He lifted his hand to touch my meme's face before whispering “I love you.”
Meme whispered, “I love you too,” and laid her head upon his unmoving chest.
Denali kept an arm around me and James as he cried silent tears. My grandfather was gone. My meme's cries were soft yet heart wrenching as she said goodbye to her husband, her best friend, her life partner. I leaned down to kiss his hand and over to kiss my meme's head before turning to embrace Denali. “I am so sorry. I love you,” I whispered, and then I left them to mourn their husband, their father.
Denali found me a while later sitting in the room that housed the wall that, if moved, would take me home. Take my son home. I had been sitting there since leaving my dead grandfather, contemplating leaving this land. This land was devious to me. In appearance, it was beautiful, breathtaking, but beneath the beauty, it was heartbreaking. I had experienced more loss here than I could imagine.
“You thinking of leaving, Lilly?” said Denali, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Honestly? Yeah, I thought about it. I have to admit I am afraid here, Denali. So much death has saturated our lives, so much sorrow. I don't know if I am strong enough to fight this and now that I have my child all I want to do is run with him. Hide him. Keep him safe and away from here. At the same time, I want to be the one to stop Kelsha. I want to make her suffer as I have suffered. I want to experience Neveah as it should be, wonderful, peaceful, and shining with beauty,” I said through tears. The urge to leave was so strong, but the necessity of staying was a little stronger.
“I know this is hard, it’s awful here, but we need you, Lilly. We love you and James and he will be safe here. We will keep him safe, I promise. We will support your decision either way, but you must know how much you are loved and needed here. You must know you belong to Neveah. Together, you and I, we will avenge our family. Please stay.”
“As much as I want to run, I know I can't. As scared as I am, I know I must stay and fight. I would never leave Neveah in shambles. I would never desert my family. I will always stand and fight with you, Denali, for the land and for our family.”
He smiled at me through the pain that was so obviously in his heart, and I found it in me to smile back. I knew with my grandfather's untimely death, Denali was left to rule the lands. He would be a wonderful ruler as his father had been, but he would have to fight to keep his land. The more I saw the illness that was taking over parts of Neveah, the more I was convinced we were fighting a certain evil, and I greatly feared that we would not win. We needed Shep here. We needed to know what Kelsha was planning. Having Fionna was going to be a tremendous help as well. Her knowledge would be very useful since she had stood with Kelsha since Jax's death.
My belly was tied in tiny knots at the thought of having Shep, Fionna, and myself in the same house. While she swore she let him go and sent him back to me, would she really be able to let him go once he returned? Would he be able to let her go? I knew he left in search of himself and of me, but he had believed Fionna to be his wife, maybe he really loved her. How would I feel once I finally saw him? Would I run into his arms and hang on as though my life depended on it? Would the sight of him make me uncomfortable, maybe even angry? Would I make him fight to have me? Most importantly, how was I going to deal with seeing him with Fionna, even if it was only as friends? What if he chose her? I would have to let him go. I was lost in my own thoughts, and had forgotten Denali was in the room with me. His voice shook me out of the questions that played over and over in my head. The ones I wanted to ignore, and I welcomed Denali's interruption.
“I couldn't help but wonder what Kelsha was dealing with on Ellurrah that would prompt her to have Fionna run with James,” he stated as though he could sense my uncomfortable thoughts and was trying to take my mind off the looming situation. I had a great respect for my uncle and a deep love. In the short amount of time that I knew him, we formed a deep bond, and I felt a little more confident fighting Kelsha with him beside me.
“I was thinking the same thing. What do you know about the island?” I asked, grateful for his perfectly timed interruption.
“Well, I know it's a floating chunk of ice. Not a lot of life can survive there due to the frigid temperature. If I recall, Ellurrah is the island where Specials and creatures that had committed crimes or were banished for one reason or another were sent. It has been some time since any being has been sent there, though. I will speak to my mother. Maybe she will have some answers,” he said, standing to leave. He glanced back at me just before leaving and asked, “Are you going to be all right when he gets here, Lilly?” Denali asked carefully.
I sighed deeply and answered as honestly as I could. “I don't know for sure, Denali. I'm all mixed up right now, but I will do my best not to let him affect me until we have won this battle,” I said, and it was the best answer I could think of. He smiled at me as he turned to leave.
Just as he was outside the door and walking away, he hollered back, “I will kick his ass if you need me to, Lilly! Hell, I may do it just because he needs it.”
He was gone before I could respond, but I giggled to myself. Yes, Denali was protective, and I thought my mother had been lucky to have a brother like him.
~Chapter Thirty-Two~
Leah had been slightly frustrated at not finding Shep at the Newberg house. She should have expected it, though, as nothing seemed to be that easy lately. She walked through the house, looking for clues that might tell her where he may have gone. The house was spotless except for two empty cups in the sink. She wondered if they had both been Shep's, or if he had a visitor. She lifted the newspaper that was open on the table. There were two sections, one open to the comics which she was sure was Shep's half, and one open to world news. She touched the world news section and knew exactly where Shep had gone—his father’s. This was a typical setting for Shep and his father. She would have to go home.
She found the keys to the truck. It was parked in front, and she hopped inside. She was nervous about going home. She had hoped to have Kelsha beat and Neveah back to normal before revealing herself to Michael. She knew he thought she was dead, as did Shep, she was sure. She hated to go back to her darling husband, only to have to leave him again. She told herself it was for his own good to think she was dead, at least until she was able to come home. It would save him heartache later on, but the truth was she didn't know if she would be able to leave him again. She missed him terribly, but had pushed her own feelings nicely aside. She didn't have time to miss him.
Her choice was made for her now, though. She would have to se
e him. She would have to leave him again. She drove the five hour trip in four and found herself at the end of the long, red dirt road much too soon. She parked there, able to see her home in the distance through the towering trees. She hated what she was about to do. She hated she was going to have to leave him and take Shep with her. Again!
She gathered herself and tried to calm the rapid beats of her heart before she made the long drive down that road. With any luck, Michael wouldn't be there, and she could grab Shep and go. As soon as she turned the final bend in the road, she saw his truck and knew she would not be so lucky. She pulled up and prepared herself to break his heart again.
She didn't have to wait long. As she approached her own front door, he came around the side of their trailer. He was carrying a gas can, his flannel shirt was dirty, and his Levis had dark green stains. He had been mowing, she thought. He was always at his most handsome, just after doing a hard day’s work. Today was no exception to her. Her heart fluttered as she looked at her rugged husband. The ache she had tried too hard to ignore was screaming through her body.
His head was down at first, and he hadn't seen her standing there. She murmured, “Michael,” in almost a whisper, feeling tears beginning to flood her eyes and a lump rise in her throat. She had missed him so much, more than she knew. He looked up at the sound of her voice and dropped the gas can he had been holding.
Neveah Box Series (Neveah Box Set Book 5) Page 43