by Kimbra Swain
“What makes her servitude different from mine?” he asked.
“Would you please drop this barrier between us?” I asked. I’d moved my hand from his cheek to his neck. He shifted uncomfortably under my touch. The wall fell, and his emotions rushed over me. He was really afraid that because Dylan and I were engaged that I didn’t want him around anymore. He thought that Riley was my way of getting him out of my hair.
Levi was taller than me by a half foot, but I pulled his head down to mine. Our foreheads met.
“You are mine. I never want you to leave,” I said. He shivered as my voice echoed through his head.
“She said that you were willing to give me up,” he said.
“She’s never been in my mind like you. Have you ever thought I wanted you to leave?”
“No, but things are changing,” he said.
“Yes, they are. I need you more now than I ever did. I need you to embrace your gifts. This mess with my uncle will get worse before it gets better, but I need you here,” I replied. Our foreheads still touching. The rest of the world around us didn’t matter at that moment.
It should have though, because Dylan stood in the doorway when I opened my eyes. Levi flinched as he moved away from me. Dylan wore his sheriff’s uniform. It seemed like an age since I’d seen him wear it. I had forgotten how incredibly sexy he was in it. However, his eyes flared a brilliant blue when he saw us.
I decided to ignore him. “Did she tell you everything?” I asked, turning back to Levi.
He looked at Dylan then back to me. “I don’t know. Did she?”
“Want me to come back later?” Dylan muttered.
“No,” I replied, avoiding a fight with him. This wasn’t about him. “Who was her mother that died here when you first came to Shady Grove?”
Dylan and Levi looked at each other. Neither of them knew.
“If Rhiannon is her mother, who was the woman who died? The one everyone thought was her mother?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Levi said.
“Then she didn’t tell you everything,” I replied. Walking over to Dylan, I kissed his cheek. “You look sexy as hell in that uniform.” He blushed, but he was still confused about the position Levi and I were in when he showed up.
“Dylan, we weren’t doing anything, except talking,” Levi blurted out. He knew my feelings, and how I was fighting making the situation worse. He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“What were you talking about that close?” Dylan asked with his eyes on me.
“My bard thinks I want him to leave. He had that stupid wall up between us. I knew that if I touched him, he would drop the wall so we could talk,” I explained. “Do you really think that I’d mess around with Levi behind your back? In our home? With our daughter due home any minute?”
Dylan wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. “No, but that was too close, Grace. You find other ways,” he grouched. He kissed me lightly, and I nodded even though I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong. Keeping Dylan happy was important to me, but so was keeping Levi as my servant.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I tried blocking her,” Levi mumbled.
“Who was Stephanie’s mother?” Dylan asked as he released me to move into the kitchen.
“Any guesses?” I asked Levi.
“No. Just tell us, Grace,” Levi said as he sat down on the couch. Dylan took three sodas out of the fridge, tossing one to Levi, then opening another for me.
“Thank you,” I said as I took a swig. “Her daughter.”
“Daughter? How is that possible?” Dylan asked.
“She mated with a mortal and had a child who was also mortal, but as time passed, she called her mother instead of her child,” I said.
Dylan rubbed his chin thinking about the situation. He knew her mother very well during the time he was with Stephanie. “Makes sense,” he said.
I smiled. Hindsight was crystal clear once you knew the truth. “Who was the father?” Levi asked.
“I don’t know. He is probably long dead now though,” I replied.
“How did you find that out, Grace?” Dylan asked.
“If I told you, you would arrest me,” I teased.
“I’m going to use these handcuffs on you one way or the other. I’d prefer it be in the bedroom,” he smirked.
“Please stop. I don’t want to know,” Mr. Broody said.
I giggled. Handcuffs couldn’t hold me unless I wanted them to. “When I gained my father’s power, I knew immediately who Riley was. I spoke to her last night, warning her that I wouldn’t stand by and allow her to lie to you anymore. She assured me that she would tell you everything. It's obvious that she didn’t tell you shit. But I was able to call Tabitha at the hospital who looked into the records. She was able to find through medical records when Calinda Davis changed from the child of Stephanie Davis to the mother of Stephanie Davis,” I replied.
“That is so illegal,” Dylan muttered.
I held my wrists out to him. “Take me in officer,” I grinned.
He finally smiled. “Put your hands down,” he said shaking his head at me, but I saw the glint in his eye.
“Daughter. That’s crazy,” Levi said.
“Which you should be aware of that if you ever have a child, that could be changeling like you or just human,” I warned Levi. “You might one day face the same dilemma as Stephanie. How does my child become my parent?”
“Is that all she’s hiding from me?” Levi asked, as there was a knock on the door. He stood up and opened the door to find Jeremiah Freyman waiting to enter. “Come in.”
“Afternoon everyone,” Jeremiah said. Dylan pulled another drink out of the fridge, handing it to Jeremiah. He took a seat on a bar stool. “What’s the serious subject?”
“Riley wants me to release Levi as my servant,” I said.
“Hell no. Have you lost your mind?” he asked looking at me, but he swiveled in the chair around to face Levi.
“It wasn’t my idea,” Levi held his hands up in protest.
“Don’t do it, boy,” Jeremiah said.
I cleared my throat. We had made a pact not to call Levi “boy” anymore.
Jeremiah grunted, “Sorry.”
“I don’t know what I want,” Levi muttered. His words felt like a cold dagger through my heart. He was actually considering it. I sank into the chair at the table. Dylan leered at Levi.
“It’s not that simple, Levi. Grace has to let you go,” Jeremiah said.
“She said she would if it’s what I wanted,” Levi protested. Jeremiah’s steely gaze switched to me.
I took a deep breath. “I do not want to lose Levi. However, I will not hold him against his will,” I said.
“You know what Grace? Your father worried that when the time came, you wouldn’t be able to control his power, but he also feared your instincts for ruling. He didn’t bet on leaving this world as he did, but it happened. And his fears are realized. You couldn’t control the power, and you have no clue how to rule,” Jeremiah spat.
“Hey! Easy there, Jerry,” Dylan interrupted.
“She will get us all killed if she doesn’t stop thinking like a human and start thinking like a fucking fairy queen. This is not a potluck at the Baptist Church. We need that queen now. Sometimes you have to be ruthless, Grace! You cannot let servants determine their path. You determine it. You determine Levi’s path, and you determine mine. Now before you strike me down, I beg your forgiveness for speaking so harshly, but you needed to hear it.”
My anger flared at him. The last thing I expected was for my inadequacies to be thrown into my face by a man that I’d trusted for a very long time. Yes, he had lied to me for many years about who he really was, but he always fought for me. He brought me to Shady Grove. He paired me with Dylan, and now he wanted to cut me down. “How dare you?” I snarled.
“Whoa, Grace,” Dylan said.
I looked down at my tattoo. It had flared blue and silver.
My body shifted into the cold fairy queen under my glamour. Stepping back, I took a deep breath to release my anger. The ice queen shimmered away as my normal glamour returned. This was the exact feeling I’d fought when I held my father’s power. The one that wanted to strike down anyone that opposed me. It drained me, trying to fight it.
“If you continue to fight that power, it will kill you,” Jeremiah said, looking down at his empty soda can. He rolled it around the table on its edge.
“What power?” Dylan asked.
“This instinct to strike down anyone that opposes me,” I said.
“That’s why you were so tired?” Levi asked. “Like in the diner with Ella.”
“What in the diner with Ella?” Dylan asked. I had told him that I left the room that night to help Levi withstand Ella Jenkins’ sex binge, but I didn’t tell him that my tattoo had flared power. That I wanted to kill her.
“When I went to save Levi from her, I wanted to kill her. She’d disobeyed a direct order to keep her binge away from Levi,” I admitted.
“You should have punished her,” Jeremiah said.
“That’s not who I am!” I yelled at him. He didn’t flinch. I circled around to his position, getting in his face. “What do you want me to do? Strike out at you? Why are you trying to provoke me, Jeremiah?” The tattoo flared again. My hair turned platinum, and the temperature in the room dropped drastically.
“Grace,” Dylan said.
“Why?” I yelled at him. I felt Levi move toward me. “You better stand still, Levi Rearden or you are next.”
“Stop this,” Levi said.
“Do it, Grace. They need to see the real you,” Jeremiah prodded.
“Stop! Get out of my head!” I screamed.
“Grace?” Dylan said. I pointed at him to stay where he was.
“Do it! Hit me with it, Grace! Become who you are supposed to be,” Jeremiah urged.
“I am already who I am supposed to be. I may not be perfect, but I am not my father!” I emphasized.
Jeremiah stood face to face with me. His body brushed mine as he stood. “You are just like him. Show me what you’ve got, Grace,” he said.
“Wait! What? Why are you doing this, Jeremiah?” Levi asked.
“We are all going to die if she does not accept her father’s position and power!” he said. “Brock could roll through Shady Grove in an instant.”
I clenched my fists. “I could take him out if I wanted,” I said.
“But you won’t. You’ve become soft,” Jeremiah warned. “I’ve defied you, Grace. What is my sentence? Punish me.”
“Uncle Jerry needs a spanking?” Winnie interrupted. We all turned to the little girl at the front door holding her backpack. “Is Bramble here? I’m going to do my homework so I can play with him.”
I hadn’t heard the school bus come. We were all so wrapped up in Jeremiah that none of us heard her come in.
“Hey, I’ll help you with your homework. Who is Bramble?” Levi asked.
“She has a Brownie,” I muttered.
“Oh!” Levi said, taking her hand.
“Go do your homework, Winnie,” I said.
“Yes, momma,” she said, following Levi into her room. I heard her introducing him to Bramble.
My eyes filled with tears. My glamour once again shimmered back into place. Dylan’s warm body pressed against my back.
“That child is more important to me than anything my father gave me. I will not corrupt myself as long as I am her mother! She deserves the best of what I can give to her. So, if you can’t live under that kind of rule that comes from a broken fairy like me, then fucking leave Jeremiah! I don’t give a rat’s ass either way,” I told him.
“She deserves better,” he said.
When I tensed to rush him, Dylan held me back. “Get out, Jerry,” Dylan said.
He stared at me, daring me to order him to leave. “Is that what you want? Fine. Get the fuck out,” I said. The trailer rumbled with the command.
Jeremiah sat back down on the barstool and stared at me.
“What the hell?” Dylan said.
“Your father protected me from your wrath. Had you struck out at me, even a death blow, it wouldn’t have done anything. I’m here to push you to be the queen you need to be. Your commands roll off me like butter off a hot biscuit. I am your servant, but your father protected me from you,” Jeremiah said.
“Make him leave,” I urged Dylan.
Dylan released me, moving toward Jeremiah. “I think you should go for now,” he said calmly.
“Probably, but you need to realize, Serafino, that she’s got to decide all or nothing. If it’s nothing, then we have to find a new monarch,” Jeremiah said as he stood to leave. “Grace, I love you like family. It’s time to do your job.”
He stalked out of the house, leaving behind a stale feeling in the air. The feeling that he was right. Ever since those two kids were killed by my lawyer, I’d fought the urge to leave Shady Grove. That feeling washed over me again.
“Grace,” Dylan pulled me out of the desperate feelings with his calm voice. “You be yourself. Contrary to what Jeremiah says, you can do this and not lose yourself in the process. I’ll be with you the whole way, and Levi isn’t leaving.”
“He’s right. I’m not leaving,” Levi said. He’d left Winnie in the room playing with Bramble. “You need at least one loyal servant.” The sideways grin on his face seemed almost out of place. I was so used to the forlorn look on Levi’s face that a smile and a glint of hope was unusual.
“You look nice,” I said.
“Huh?” he asked.
“Smiling instead of brooding,” I replied.
“Hey, I’m not quitting my day job,” he said. The tension broke in the air, and I finally felt like I could breathe again.
“We need to finish this talk about Riley,” I said.
“Yeah, I know, but I’ve made my decision,” he said.
“I know. Did she tell you about Taliesin?” I asked.
“The bard? The guy that owned my book?” Levi asked. I had forgotten about the book.
“Where is the book?” I asked.
“I keep it in my room. Why?” he said.
“She wants the book?” Dylan asked knowing where I was going.
“It’s possible. Have you read all of it?” I asked Levi.
“Most of it. I even have parts memorized,” he replied. “It’s a big book. Some of it isn’t in English. What about the bard?”
“She knew him,” I said. “The rest you can get from her, but I have a feeling she wants more than just your gravy.” Dylan giggled. I elbowed him.
“Oh,” Levi said as the brood returned. “Fucking fairies.”
“You are one of us!” I retorted.
“One of us,” Dylan teased.
“One of us,” Levi echoed with a grin.
“You are freaks,” I replied. “On the other hand, I’m completely normal.”
“The Queen of Freaks!” Levi exclaimed.
“Love it!” Dylan replied. They bumped fists like big testosterone-laden freaks.
I rolled my eyes at both of them. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting kittens out of trees and stuff?” I asked Dylan.
“Actually, we did coax a big black cat out of a tree today. Once we got it down, he thanked us,” Dylan said.
“The cat thanked you?” Levi asked.
“Yeah. It startled me, but I should know to expect anything around here. Once he spoke I thought he might be a Cat Sith, but he told me that he was a pooka,” Dylan said.
“A pooka? There is a pooka in town?” I panicked.
“Yes. He seemed nice enough,” Dylan replied.
“A pooka is an omen. He was a black cat?” I asked.
“Yes, with a white patch of fur on his chest, just like a sith,” Dylan replied.
“Was he dark side?” Levi asked with a grin.
“Shut up, Levi! This is serious,” I replied while he and Dylan laughed.
> “Yeah, Levi, all sith are dark side,” Dylan replied. I hated them both at the moment.
“Not that Revan guy,” Levi responded.
“Please, stop. I hate you both,” I begged. They both died laughing. Hate was a strong word, but not strong enough.
“Tell me about pookas,” Dylan finally relented.
“Cursed fairies. They bring death with them like omens. What did he say to you?” I asked.
“He just wanted to shoot the shit. He said he climbed up in the tree to get out of the rain but couldn’t manage to get down. We were happy to help him,” Dylan said. “He seemed friendly.”
“They are shifters. The next time you see him he could be a horse or a human. He will always have black hair,” I said.
“And red eyes?” Dylan asked.
“Yes, they have red eyes,” I replied. “I’d like to talk to him.”
“Perhaps he’s just looking for a haven like everyone else,” Dylan offered.
“For a cop, you sure are optimistic,” I said.
“One of us has to be,” he retorted. “I do have to get back. I’ll be home in time for supper.”
Dylan hugged me, then gave me a promising kiss. He turned for a moment giving Levi a stern look.
Levi held his hands up. “I won’t touch her,” Levi said.
“Good grief,” I muttered.
“That’s right. Hands off,” Dylan replied.
I shook my head at both of them. “Bye, Dylan.”
“Love you. Bye,” he smiled.
“Love you,” I replied, but couldn’t muster a believable smile for him.
I heard a car start outside. Looking out the window, I saw him pulling away in his old sheriff cruiser. I knew that the town had bought a new SUV cruiser for Troy. He must have given Dylan his old car. Either that or Troy intended to give Dylan the top spot back. It wouldn’t surprise me. Troy had done a fine job, but everyone knew Dylan better. He could do more for the community. There were those who still feared Troy even though he was a lone wolf. However, with the recent influx of fairies, we had seen many new shifters in town as well. Perhaps this pooka was the same. Just another wayward fairy looking for a home.
“I think it’s about time I christened my bathtub,” I said.
Levi’s eyes lit up. I felt a little desire float from him. The same as if any woman mentioned getting naked. His hormones functioned quite normally. “Sounds good. I’ll keep an eye on Winnie and Bramble. Kinda strange that she caught him, right?”