rogue shifter 05 - caught between

by Gayle Parness

  I watched his face as I mulled over all that he'd said. He was patient, but his eyes had a glint to them that I recognized from other lessons with Isaiah. "There's something else. Something regarding the training?"

  He nodded, pleased that I'd noticed. "Violent deaths often create shades. Their souls have already gone on to—wherever they go. These are just spirit-creatures, like a photocopy of the original. I can teach you to communicate with them. Your investigative team can gain much useful information from shades, and they also present you with another way to use your healing pow..."

  Garrett interrupted. "You're talking about necromantic abilities."

  "Yes. It is a natural ability born to a few higher demons. I sense it in her."

  "That's out of the question. Jackie will not be raising the dead." I was shocked to see that Garrett's eyes flowed with streaks of silver.

  Isaiah made an impatient face. "I'm not talking about calling up zombies. That takes a blood spell. I'm only discussing using shades to gain intelligence for your team and also helping them move on, so to speak." He looked around the room. "This property is infested with hundreds of shades. Eleanor was a busy girl."

  Garrett stood up suddenly, moving away from the table and taking my hand on the way. He looked at Liam and Kellaine. "Please excuse us. We need to talk privately for a moment." I followed him into the small office off the great room and closed the door behind us. Neither of us felt comfortable speaking privately in the same room as Isaiah.

  He sat down in a chair and pulled me into his lap, then buried his head against my neck. I twined my fingers in his hair and kissed his forehead, understanding his need for some physical comfort.

  "I'll send him back. I don't need to learn that stuff."

  "You've told me many times that you were excited about what you might learn from him."

  "It's not important."

  He pulled away so he could look me in the eye. "Of course, it's important, but can you—can you please leave off learning the necromancer skills? I don't think I can face..."

  "Of course I can. I don't want to talk to a bunch of spirits. I promise I won't let him teach me anything about contacting or communicating with shades or ghosts or anything like that."

  "Thank you." I felt some of his tension float away, so I mischievously thought of another way to help the process along.

  "So, Monsieur Cuvier, are you going to take advantage of our situation, or do I have to..." The kiss didn't last long enough to suit me, but by the time it ended he was smiling again.

  He continued to hold my hand as he opened the office door. "Madame Cuvier is sometimes more French than her mate." I giggled and the worried knot in my heart loosened.

  All the food had been cleared away and Liam, Kellaine and Farrell were whispering to each other conspiratorially in Fae. Isaiah was standing by the large window, watching the last pinks and oranges of the sunset disappear on the horizon. We joined him there, and because we wanted Isaiah to accept his authority as well as mine, I had Garrett speak for me.

  "This is our proposal, Isaiah. You may remain our invited guest as long as you give Jacqueline regular training sessions, the frequency and times to be decided by her, and as long as you obey our rules, which are not complicated or up for debate.

  "No killing or harming anyone, supernatural, humanoid or even animal. You will speak the truth to us, no lies or tricks. You may only use basic level magic unless you need something stronger for the purpose of training Jacqueline. If that's the case you must clear it with me or Liam. We insist that you remain in this form the entire time you're our guest. No transitioning to your true form or warrior form or taking on another's.

  "When we leave here, you'll accompany us back to our home in Crescent City where you'll take a room at the new house we've just built next door. You will treat Jacqueline and myself, my nest, my team and our friends with respect and I will ask them to accord you the same.

  "I must be allowed to defend myself if I'm attacked."

  "You may not instigate an attack, but if someone attacks you unprovoked, then you can defend yourself, certainly. But you cannot kill them or do them permanent injury. Just tie them up until Liam, Jackie or I can get there."

  "What if they're threatening sweet Jacqueline or little Charlie?" He smiled slyly, thoroughly enjoying the bargaining process. Definitely a demon thing.

  Garrett frowned. "If she needs help, she'll ask for it." Isaiah shrugged and nodded. "And no training her to communicate with shades."

  Isaiah's head whipped around toward me. "This is your choice?"

  "Yes. I don't want to learn necromantic skills."

  His eyes narrowed as he looked at my mate. "I'm disappointed in you, Garrett. This is not a smart move. Those skills could be a great asset to your team."

  "Isaiah, this was my decision." The tone of my voice brought him back around. "Do you agree?"

  He twisted his mouth into a pout. "Will I have freedom when I'm not working?"

  Garrett shook his head, saying, "You can't leave our property without someone to accompany you."

  "You mean guard me. Speak honestly. I'm a prisoner, not really a guest."

  I frowned at his annoyed expression. I mean what did he expect? We couldn't let a demon roam around Crescent City or Carmel, free to do what he does best, wreak havoc. "Well, you're free to go back to your realm anytime you want." I crossed my arms as he scowled back at me.

  He hesitated for another moment, obviously thinking it over. "Does this other house have a Jacuzzi?"

  I laughed. "Yes, and a soccer field in the back yard and a tennis court on the roof and a pool and the biggest flat screen TV you ever saw."

  That information perked him right up. "Who else lives there?"

  Garrett answered. "No one just yet, but my nest and one shapeshifter, a young lion who's being trained for the team, will be moving in tomorrow."

  He gave Garrett a cagey smirk. "I'll agree to your conditions if you agree to two of mine."

  "What?" Garrett was leery.

  "You will be honest with me in our dealings." Garrett nodded. "When I train Jacqueline, we are alone. No guards, no cameras, no spies."

  "Absolutely not. That's not acceptable." Garrett wrapped his arm protectively around me, as if Isaiah might run off with me right then and there.

  "According to your rules, I cannot take her off the property. I'll be training her in methods that I cannot, by our laws, share with creatures not of our blood. That includes you and your,—" he looked at Liam with disgust, "—faeries."

  When his gaze returned to Garrett, Isaiah's expression had grown deadly serious. "I swear by my magic and my blood that I will not harm her or the child in any way for the entire duration of my stay with you. They will be in no danger when they are with me. We must have complete privacy for the entire length of each training session. If you do not agree to this, I will be leaving immediately."

  "I agree." I said it before Garrett had a chance to argue any more.

  "Jackie..." He couldn't quite hide his exasperated expression.

  Isaiah beamed like a kid on Christmas morning. "Then I agree as well. Would tomorrow after lunch be an acceptable time to begin?"

  "Yes."

  "Do I have a room, or do you prefer that I sleep in the garden?" He smiled mischievously at me, while I motioned to Jon.

  "I've made ready a room toward the back of the house, Madame. I will show you, Monsieur, if you'll follow me." Jon looked at Isaiah as if he were a bug that had crawled in from the garden.

  "After I see my room, I will take a stroll around the garden, if that is acceptable. This conversation has worn me out, and I can use some time to work out a lesson plan." He gave me an impish wink, then followed Jon toward the stairs. As they left the room, he asked, "Jon, could you have someone bring me my breakfast at 7 AM tomorrow morning? An omelet with jalapenos and sour dough toast would be perfect. And very strong coffee. And could you tell me, is there a TV in my room, because if not, maybe w
e could move that big one..."

  I sat down again at the table and looked at the various expressions, all anxious. "Who's going to yell at me first?" I sighed.

  Liam spoke soothingly, but his brow was wrinkled with worry. "Jackie, this is not a good idea. You can't make yourself vulnerable to him in that way. One of us should be with you."

  "Too late." I answered, making Liam flatten his mouth in annoyance. "He was going to leave."

  "He said he was going to leave, but he was probably lying."

  "Remember, we said he couldn't lie." So there.

  "He hadn't agreed to the bargain at that point."

  "Oh." Liam had a nice way of making me feel like an idiot. "What do you think?" I asked, looking at Garrett and hoping for a little encouragement.

  "You've put yourself at the mercy of a dangerous being. I'm concerned for your safety, as always." Well that hadn't helped.

  Much to my relief, Kellie piped in. "If you do not like what he is doing, simply send him home. You can do that at any time." She gave me a reassuring smile. "I believe you chose well. Having a power that you cannot control is dangerous for you and Charles." She gave Liam a look. After a few moments of silent conversation, he shrugged and nodded in agreement. Apparently, she knew how to handle her man.

  Garrett frowned, probably not liking that Liam had caved so quickly. Liam stood up and took Kellaine's hand. "Kellie and I will go for a walk along the shore. It's a lovely night."

  They left in a poof, and I gave Garrett a look of my own, daring him to start in with his pregnant and vulnerable and extremely intelligent mate. He tried to look contrite, only managing to appear adorably huggable. "I confess to being overly protective yet again, but in this situation I can't help myself."

  "And?"

  "I agree that If your power is indeed unstable it would be safer for you and Charlie if you learned to control it."

  "Thank you." I squeezed his hand, appreciating the concession he'd made.

  He sighed. "The agreement with Isaiah is sound and it's in his interests to adhere to it. What bothers me is the way he appeared ahead of schedule. He was sent here for a reason, so we have to find out what it is as soon as possible."

  We glanced at the door that led to the upstairs rooms. "He seems to be enjoying himself and probably won't want to go home so soon, no matter what his motives for coming early." I said.

  He moved closer and sweetly kissed my cheek. "A movie? And popcorn? Or ice cream?"

  "I'll pick the movie, you make the popcorn and get the ice cream." He kissed my other cheek and walked in his graceful way toward the kitchen. I watched his body as he moved, happy that the room was as large as it was and that he wasn't using vamp speed. This would never get old.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The next day, Sondra, a sweet leopard shifter, cleared the table after our lunch. Farrell asked me, having ignored Isaiah the entire meal, "Will you be training with the demon now?"

  Isaiah answered while picking his teeth with a toothpick, annoying us both. "Yes she will, young warrior, so why don't you run along back to freaky fairy land?" He didn't even pretend to hide his disdain for Farrell, and that pissed me off.

  Liam leaned forward, putting a hand on Farrell's arm to keep him in his seat and not up and drawing his dagger. "Isaiah, Jacqueline has agreed to your acting as her trainer..."

  I interrupted him. "But I haven't agreed to you insulting my friends. Keep it up and you're back in scaly demon land faster than a speeding bullet." He'd spent the morning watching an old superman movie starring Christopher Reeves, so I figured he'd understand.

  "They keep glowering at me with acute hostility. I have been behaving." He allowed his eyes to flash orange as he scanned the fae side of the table and, as if in answer, Farrell's irises grew golden in response.

  Kellie stood quickly and took hold of Liam's hand, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. "Come Liam, let's go. Jackie will be fine, because if she isn't, Isaiah will regret it for centuries. Farrell, why don't you spend the afternoon with Ashlyn? The last time I was in Faerie she asked how you were." Farrell was Kellaine's brother.

  Liam nodded at Farrell, who stood gracefully. "I'll return tomorrow. Thanks Kellie." He popped out of the room, fae style. Isaiah was enjoying the drama.

  Liam sent to me, still frowning at Isaiah. "Call me instantly if you need me." They took the lines and I was once again alone with my slightly terrifying teacher. Maybe that crack about demons being scaly hadn't been such a great idea. I took a breath and forced myself to remember that this time I had the ability to send him away. The last time we were together, I was pretty much powerless.

  He rose and extended his hand, a surprising gesture because demons, like the fae, generally avoided physical contact with other species.

  "What?" I stared at the hand, a perfectly normal-looking appendage, feeling more than a little uneasy. I remembered the long claws of the creatures painted on the ceiling.

  "Please take it. I have something fascinating to show you."

  I sighed and put my hand in his, hoping that I wasn't making a mistake. What a demon might find fascinating could be something I'd find horrifying, but I needed to trust him if I was going to accomplish anything. For a tiny moment we were bathed in the burning magic of the lines and then suddenly I was in a very cold place blanketed in complete darkness, the difference in temperature making me gasp out loud. I clutched at his hand even harder, feeling an icy chill snake up my spine. "Where the hell is this?"

  "Hell indeed."

  I felt a breeze as Isaiah seemed to wave a hand. Torches came to life on the nearby walls, lighting up the dark stone, damp with mildew and other stains I didn't want to look at. The distinct smell of old blood, mingled with the stench of rot, waste and the aura of misery. When Isaiah dropped my hand, I held my nose and forced myself to take in a steadying breath. I looked around.

  We were in a room without windows or electric light. The walls and floor were constructed of stone blocks cut from quarries and a metal door, left ajar for who knows how long, lay straight ahead. There was only blackness beyond the opening, so I backed up against the wall behind me, nervous about what might lie beyond that door. When my shoulder touched the wall, I noticed a texture different than the rest of the stone. When I sent out my awareness, I discovered that a magical ward had been added to the mortar. Someone had sealed this room with cement and a spell.

  He pointed toward the existing door. "Through there are cells, cages really. When Eleanor died, Garrett ordered that the entrance to these chambers be cemented in."

  "Then I shouldn't be here." I tried to move away from him, but he grabbed my arm and held me there.

  "This was where she kept her prisoners, where she kept Garrett and his mother, father and sister."

  "He doesn't want me here. Otherwise he wouldn't have sealed it up." I jerked on my arm again but he still refused to release me.

  "If he knew who was here, he wouldn't have sealed the room."

  "I promised him. Please, Isaiah. Let go of me." Now I was starting to feel afraid. What if he'd taken me down here to hurt me?

  "You can release her and help him at the same time. Extend your senses and use your sight, Jacqueline."

  "Wh..who?" Oh god. The cold was suddenly so intense that I started to shake uncontrollably, tears filling my eyes "Please, Isaiah, please. I can't do this."

  Losing patience with me, Isaiah grabbed my upper arms, forcing me to look him in the eye. "You were born for this, little demon. The cold will pass. Use the sight your grandmother gifted you with."

  He slid his hands up my arms and grasped my shoulders, turning me to look toward the cells, then stepped back, moving a few feet away from me. A hot breeze scented with a strange spice I couldn't recognize ruffled my hair as the air in the room warmed again. With the increase in temperature I was able to stop my shaking and straighten up, backing away from Isaiah and looking around warily. The torch flames adding to the creepy ambiance by making shadows twitch acro
ss the floors and walls.

  A pale young woman, her hair a rich auburn, her eyes a lovely golden brown came through the entrance to the cells and stopped only five feet from me. Slightly blurry around the edges, she was dressed in an ankle length pale blue skirt covered in a cream colored over-skirt. Her white blouse had a high neck and was partially concealed by a short navy blue jacket. Her clothes were dirty and ripped in several places. There were red stains near the neck of her blouse. Her bare feet seemed to touch the ground and yet she appeared to move without lifting them, as if she stood on a slick surface and a breeze slid her half an inch forward and then gently back the other way.

  Her voice was hoarse and dry, perhaps from lack of use, and she spoke slowly, as if trying to remember how. "Please excuse me. I heard you mention Garrett. Are you acquainted with my brother?"

  I backed away from the female, ending up pressed against the cold stone wall, but too frightened to take my eyes off of her. "You swore you wouldn't teach me this, Isaiah."

  "I've taught you nothing, I've simply brought you here. She has come to you on her own." He took a step closer, smiling proudly, as if he was the greatest trainer on the planet. "I knew you had this magic the first night I laid eyes on you."

  I watched the shade looking back and forth between the two of us. She seemed confused and a little frightened herself, so even though I was still freaked out, I smiled to put her at ease. When she smiled back, my brain went into overdrive and I let go of my fear.

  Holy shit. She looks so much like him. This shade was what remained of Garrett's sister, and, my god, she could speak to me. "Are you Marie Cuvier?" She didn't seem to notice how much my voice was shaking.

  She took an awkward step back in surprise. "No longer. I am Marie Brody. How do you know my brother?" She looked around the dank room. "Where am I?"

  "I'm his lifemate, Jacqueline." I looked at Isaiah. "She doesn't know..."

  "Patience."

  "That cannot be true, Miss. He would have conveyed to me that he was..." Her expression became frightened as she glanced around furtively, finally beginning to recall what happened. "Vampires attacked our home and we were abducted. I recall it, now." She touched her neck and then wrapped her arms around her body. "They—they tortured us. Garrett tried so bravely to break free of his cell, but the bars were solid silver. He had burns down to the bone."