He hadn't seemed to mind the fae guards during his prior visits. "What's different?"
"Today we begin in earnest."
"Perhaps we can give them some privacy today." I suggested to Charlie's guards.
Noriene scowled, speaking harshly to Isaiah. "Jacqueline is his mother and is to be respected as such, but our orders to follow you come from elsewhere, demon. She cannot prevent our efforts to protect her son."
I was opening my mouth to react to her statement when Isaiah flashed directly in front of the two fae, leaving Charlie several yards behind. "I cannot train him with you two breathing down my neck. We will be discussing things known only to my people. So—back—off."
In less than a second Farrell had his hand on the hilt of his blade. Then Liam appeared, blade already drawn.
Holy shit. This wasn't good. I flashed between them and nudged gently, trying to get them to back away from each other. "Liam, please ask your father to come." We needed someone here who could rescind the orders they'd been given.
Lord Caelen arrived a few seconds later, having already been mentally briefed by Liam. He gave me a scrutinizing look, then turned to Isaiah. "This issue of privacy presents a problem."
Isaiah shrugged at Caelen then twisted toward me. "You should let me take him to my home where I won't have any interference."
"What, so Mr. Slumpy the Freckstill can throw green goop on him?"
"Mr. Slumpy?" Isaiah started to laugh.
"Who's Mr. Slumpy, Mommy?" Charlie giggled.
Farrell shouted angrily at Isaiah in Seelie, until Caelen shut him up with a frown and a quick gesture of his hand. "I apologize, Lord, but Jacqueline was forced into the presence of a dangerous unseelie. This proves she is not safe when she accompanies the demon." I guess Farrell knew Mr. Slumpy's species.
Isaiah's anger had returned with a vengeance. "I took care of him. His progeny will be eternally grateful and peace will reign once more in the fen. She and Charlie will not be harmed in my presence, Caelen, son of Finvarra." He'd spit out the title with scorn.
Caelen's scowl became dangerous. I stepped forward and gently nudged Isaiah backwards, then found the courage to lay my hand on his chest. "Please calm yourself. You're in my home now and these are my friends and allies as you are. Give me a moment to speak to them." He took a step back and stretched to his full height. Fortunately, he kept his mouth shut.
I turned to Lord Caelen. "Will the Cascade fae teach Charlie everything you can to protect him?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, but it's not enough. Isaiah can teach him to use the magic of his people...my people. The same magic that will be used against my son."
'Blood Magic." Noriene spit out.
"No more than yours. I saw your queen rip out William's heart and eat his flesh. I have great respect for the fae of Cascade but the Faerie Court is...is not in balance. The queen is just as big a threat to Charlie as my grandmother is."
There was silence in the garden as Caelen, Isaiah and I stared at each other. I felt a small steady hand slip into my trembling one and then the high pitched voice of my son as he began to speak to Lord Caelen in Fae. Liam translated directly into my mind.
"I need to learn demon and fae magic. Both kinds are important. I can be a warrior knight on a horse like Sir Liam and Sir Farrell or maybe a huge warrior like Isaiah." He seemed really excited by that idea.
He took Isaiah's hand, then switched to English. To his credit, Isaiah didn't push him away. "He let me look at his brain. He's not gonna hurt me. Let him teach me. I need to keep Mommy safe." Then Charlie stood up straighter and nodded at Lord Caelen with his hand on his heart. There was nothing graceful in his movements, but it was every bit as elegant as any fae could have managed. Caelen nodded solemnly back, the beginnings of a smile touching his mouth. Charlie then nodded toward Isaiah, touching his left hand behind his ear. Isaiah returned the gesture with the same solemn respect.
Caelen and Isaiah studied each other for a few more moments. "You will stay on Garrett's property at all times." Caelen said.
"That is already part of the agreement. Jacqueline knows how to strike a deal."
"A link will be established between Charlie, Liam and his guards which will remain open during your time alone together."
Isaiah sat down on the edge of the fountain, mulling over the idea. "For now. But that may not be possible when he is older and we work on more complicated skills."
"Excuse me..." I tried to get their attention.
They ignored me. "You will let us know when this is to occur."
Isaiah nodded. "I agree."
I was shocked that steam wasn't pouring out of my ears. "May I speak to you privately, Lord Caelen?"
"Jacqueline...?" Liam looked worried, as well he might. I was pissed. These two were negotiating a deal without asking for my input. Who was the parent here? No way was I allowing them to ignore me in my own home.
Caelen answered, lifting a calming hand toward Liam and giving me a patronizing look. "It is fine. Jacqueline, your kitchen?"
I nodded then squatted by Charlie and kissed his cheek, knowing Liam would keep everyone in line. "Help Uncle Liam keep the peace. I'll be back in a few minutes." Caelen and I beamed into the kitchen. I spoke coolly. "Please sit, Lord Caelen. Would you like tea or coffee or wine?"
"No thank you, Jacqueline. Perhaps you should get Garrett so that we can discuss this together?"
He was due to wake in less than an hour, but I felt I could handle this myself. "Do you think he'll take your side?"
"He will want what is best for Charles."
"With all respect, you're the one who's drawn a line in the sand. You've given your people orders to keep watch over and even inhibit the actions of one of my guests. Isaiah has done nothing to warrant your distrust."
Caelen's voice remained calm, but there was no mistaking the anger flashing in his eyes. "Your guest is a mortal enemy of my people. Your son is fae. I will do what I must to protect him."
"Do you protect Grady like this?"
"Grady has Liam and Kellaine."
"He goes to a public school. He's vulnerable to attack." I added.
"He is watched at all times."
I slid into my usual chair, feeling tired. I respected Lord Caelen and didn't want to argue with him. "Farrell, Noriene and Aislin are wonderful. I feel much safer with them here. Sinlae and her demi-fey males too. But none of that changes the fact that Charlie needs to learn from Isaiah. He has to be allowed to..."
"What you want is unprecedented in our long history. You ask us to trust a full blood demon, a royal, with the life of a young fae. You say he's done nothing to warrant my distrust, but I have had several confrontations with Isaiah in the past. None of them led to bloodshed, but neither were they pleasant."
"My son's bloodline is also unprecedented."
"This is true and we are trying to adapt, but Isaiah lies as easily as he breathes. I fear that you do not see the truth of him. He will try to use Charles to gain his own ends."
"And the queen won't do the same?"
"The queen will never lay hands on your son. Charles is my nephew and will forever be under my protection. This is non-negotiable between Fionna and myself."
"Your people groveled before her. Only your father's direct line were able to withstand her magic, and there aren't that many of you. There's only so much you and your family can do against her and her army."
"She is blood bound..."
"Charlie isn't an ally. I saw what she did to Will."
"We can make him an ally simply enough."
"When he's an adult."
His eyes grew slitted in thought. "You would have Charlie use demon magic against the queen and those fae who support her?"
"She killed a member of Garrett's nest, so yes, if there was no other option." There was something he'd said... "Do you think there are fae at court who don't support her?"
"If this is so, I will not jeopardize their lives by n
aming them. You ask for more than you've earned."
He'd put me in my place, and I couldn't fault him for it. He was protecting his people the same way I protected the ones I loved. I needed to extend an olive branch. "I'm overjoyed that you think of Charlie as family and that you want to protect him. Try to remember that Isaiah is Charlie's great-uncle."
"Family relationships mean nothing to demons, except where they concern power."
We took a moment to scrutinize each other. Across from me sat this powerful male who'd lived over three thousand years, the senior fae elder in the Cascade Sidhe, the twin brother of the Queen of Faerie. Because of his friendship with Garrett, he was a fae I'd always trusted, whose advice I'd taken seriously. Yet for the first time since Charlie was born, I found myself wondering about his motives. Especially now that Charlie was showing signs of being stronger than any of us had imagined.
"What do you want, Lord Caelen? Why do you protect my son?"
"I've already made that clear. He is family and also the son of two respected allies."
"What else? I know there's more."
He studied my face. "How old are you now, Jacqueline?"
"That has nothing to do with..."
"Please answer."
"Twenty-two."
He smiled wanly. "When I was twenty-two, an infant in our world, I lived at court with my twin sister in a universe of light and laughter, ruled by our mother, Aine, and father, Finvarra. We did not journey to the human plain except when we met our darker cousins in battle. Occasionally a seelie life would be lost, but it was very rare, and because we practiced The Balance in all things, we were able to conceive more easily than we do in your time. Under my mother and father, our numbers grew and Faerie thrived."
I was sitting now, mesmerized by his sonorous voice as he told his tale.
"A thousand human years passed by without our notice. Through the urging of my parents, I bound myself to Lady Silvus, a fae of good lineage and exquisite beauty. To our parent's pleasure, we fell deeply in love, often wondering why we had not made this commitment sooner. We were well suited and happy with the arrangement.
"It was an unsettled time in Faerie. There were wars between seelie and unseelie, fae and demon, the losses becoming greater with each new battle. The Balance was put aside, and in our anger we destroyed more lives than were necessary. Innocents were sometimes killed by mistake. Father and a few other males took more lovers to reinvigorate our sidhe, but we still lost more than we'd gained.
"My father, Finvarra, deeply mourned the loss of life, fae, human, shifter and wolf, and so decided to leave Faerie and journey to the next plain of our kind. Tir na nOg, is inaccessible to any but those ancient fae who have spilled blood in a special ceremony and then crossed beyond the veil. They may never return unless there is dire need. Before my parents left, they gave me the crown and the rule of Faerie, a job I had never desired.
"Aedus' birth had been a difficult one. My lady could not have more young. She bade me to woo another fae female so that I might father a second child, but I could not choose another fae female when I already loved the most perfect one. I left Faerie for short periods and ventured into the human world. After two hundred years of searching, I found Lady Erin."
His expression changed as he spoke of her, his eyes growing warm with love. "I adored her the moment I laid eyes on her. She was the second daughter of an Irish chieftain, strong-willed and stubborn. Having had little experience with human females, I disguised myself as human and attempted to woo her. She would have none of me, determined to remain unmarried, though many young men pursued her. I became impatient, not understanding why she remained aloof. I took her away in the night and carried her to Faerie.
"I gave her lovely accommodations and the freedom to go wherever she chose, although she was not allowed to leave my realm. As you can imagine, Erin was furious at first and tried to escape every day, showing absolutely no fear. I knew then that I'd chosen the perfect consort and became even more determined to win her regard." He laughed as he remembered. "When I'd approach her she would pick up the first object available and hurl it at me. Twice, she broke a vase over my head and once, she managed to stab me in the arm with a fork. We still laugh about it. I did not even attempt to kiss her for an entire month, fearing that she would bite off my lip if given half a chance. Finally she began to accept me, and eventually came to love me."
"And you her."
"I loved her from the first moment I saw her standing near her father's fire. The young male she was with had made her laugh, and I remember wishing that I had been the one who had pleased her. When she finally agreed to our mating, Liam came soon after."
His sparkling eyes lost their shine. "Court had become a different place by then. As a boy, Liam was mistreated in subtle ways by dozens of my people, including my sister who had gained a following who urged her to overthrow my rule. Many in her circle spoke of an insurgence. As king, I could have had them all executed, but it would have been too great a loss for my people. Instead, I handed her the crown and walked away, forcing her into an agreement that protected me and any who followed us, as well as future families and allies. Many joined me, including all of my half siblings and their families. With our sister as queen, they feared for their lives."
His gaze commanded my attention. "It was a mistake to give her the crown. Fae have suffered and many innocents have died because I was too softhearted, or perhaps too selfish to kill my sister and her followers. At the time I was not prepared to lead my people into war against their own kind, nor was I willing to risk the lives of my family. Charlie is in danger now because of what happened long ago."
"You had to protect Liam and Aedus. Plus, she's your twin sister. Believe me I understand sibling conflict."
He smiled at me for the first time since we'd entered the kitchen. "I suppose you do."
"And Charlie wouldn't exist."
"The rape..."
I shrugged and smiled. "Kennet has no power to hurt me anymore." But as I said it, I realized it wasn't true. The rape would always be the elephant in the room when I was with my son. And soon I'd be forced to see Kennet twice a year, the mere thought twisting my gut.
Caelen chose to say nothing so I blundered ahead. "Look, I understand the negotiating thing with Isaiah, but I need to be in the loop. I must have final say in what happens to my son. I've earned it." I lifted my chin and met his gaze full-on.
A slow smile crept across his face. "Until I met Lady Erin, I had no appreciation or understanding of other species, thinking that seelie fae were the strongest, smartest and bravest creatures ever created. My lovely human consort reins in my natural arrogance and grounds me with her love and her strength. It has been her greatest gift to me. That and Liam, of course." He broke into a grin. "Cheetah shapeshifters are no less courageous. I will endeavor to—keep you in the loop."
I laughed at his teasing tone. "And Isaiah?"
"Will train my nephew according to our agreement, which we will need to renegotiate at regular intervals. You will be present at all such discussions. That is the most I can concede at present."
It was more than I'd hoped for. "Thank you, Lord Caelen, for protecting Charlie and for answering my impertinent questions with a lovely tale of adventure and romance."
He laughed loudly, then met my eyes with a touch of curiosity. "You are so unexpected, Jacqueline."
I chuckled at his choice of words. "Isaiah says the same thing."
CHAPTER TWENTY
A week later, I was whisked back to the Demon Realm, much better prepared for the journey. In fact, during my daily summoning hour, I'd taken to dragging around a shoulder bag stuffed with necessary items not found in the DR. These included my fully charged mp3 player, ear buds, two books, (I was leaving one there), tea bags, a big jar of peanut butter, dark chocolate squares and those all important items, extra bras and panties. Although I didn't mind wearing the odd tunics and dresses, the undergarments in the DR left a lot to be de
sired. They were more like guy attire: gym shorts and sleeveless tees, and not made from comfortable fabrics either. Ugh. A good lingerie store would make a mint in the DR.
There was also a sealed letter from Kennet in my bag that had come that morning. I'd wanted to open it with Garrett, but I'd been flashed into the DR before he'd risen.
Isaiah squinted at me as I stood in the circle, looking at the large bag warily. I spoke first. "You get three wishes, but no wishing for more wishes."
" Hmmm. I could use a djinn right about now."
"Bad day?"
"Bad year, except for your sublime visits."
" I like that word. You may use it often."
"Bad? I thought I used that one a lot around you."
"Ha, ha." I scowled. "At least I don't start wars while I'm a guest in someone's home."
For three beats of my heart we stared at each other, neither one of us backing down."Do you ever want to leave that circle, because I could make myself comfortable in this chair right here." The usual throne appeared behind him. "Then I could have Stan bring my lunch and he and I could relax and listen to your ridiculous remarks for three or four hours without any problem."
I frowned. "Bully." He sat down. "Okay, you win. I'll behave."
"Oh, false one, you lie." He made spooky gestures with his hands.
I laughed. "I'll try to behave."
"Good, because I have work for you to do." He dragged his foot thru the salt, freeing me, then motioned for me to sit in a chair at the table that had just appeared in the corner of the room. He took the seat across from mine.
"You've brought supplies. Anything I like?" I pulled out the peanut butter and slid it across the table. "Crunchy peanut butter. For me?" I nodded. "This might take a few points off your penalty."
"My penalty?"
"Your punishment because of the oath-breaking summoning. I told you I wouldn't forget." He stuck his finger in the jar and then licked it clean. "Yum. You've lessened your punishment by 5%."
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