“Is that what you believe? That life is predestined?”
He thought about it before answering. “I wouldn’t have thought so before meeting you, but I must admit my viewpoint is starting to evolve some, yes. There are things we’re meant to accomplish with each life we’re given, and what could be better than realizing an epic love is at least a part of our purpose?”
I thought about that, disturbed. I turned away from him and rubbed the headache forming at the base of my skull.
Hellion moved up behind me and wrapped his arms gently around me, laying his chin on my shoulder. A slight tightening of his embrace warned me he had a hard question to ask, but a little more query foreplay would have been good. “Are you worried about what Bahlin would think?”
I thought carefully about how to phrase my answer. In the end, I just answered as honestly as I could. “Yes and no. I’m pretty sure that, on some level, Bahlin loved me–loves me–and he’d want me to be happy. He said as much before, just…just before. But now I can’t help but wonder, you know? He absolved me from all guilt yesterday morning, but it wasn’t with the knowledge that this would happen.”
Hellion turned me to face him, holding me away from him by my shoulders. When he answered me he proved he was a far better man than I gave him credit for. “Worry a little, anamchara, then leave it go. He’d not want you to live your life looking back and missing what was right in front of you.”
“Are you so sure?”
“I knew Bahlin for years, Maddy. He wasn’t one to live with regret until—”
Right. Until he’d killed his father and sister to save my life. And what had I done to repay him? Thrown myself out the window of a thirty-story building after him. Now there was a brilliant way to convey unmitigated love.
I sighed and pulled myself out of Hellion’s arms. “I’m going to shower while you go to the hotel. Please look—”
“I will. I’ll be thorough, Maddy.”
“Thanks,” I said, struggling to speak around the emotion lodged in my throat. “I’m keeping the phone. In case he calls.”
Hellion casually nodded.
“I’m going to have to start looking at finding the Ripper impersonator and schedule a meeting with the remaining Council member to start the election process for new leaders. It’ll wait until you get back, though. Until I know.”
Unable to finish the thought, I turned and willingly walked away from what I feared was my destiny.
Chapter Seven
It took me a while to actually work up the energy to shower. Eventually I made it to the bathroom, ignoring the elegant landscape of marble tile and elaborate lighting. The only thing I really got into was the heated floors. I was only slightly apathetic as I went through the motions, wondering what Hellion would find when he went back to the hotel. I thought about Bahlin’s face as he’d told me to be happy. No. Not going there. I hunched my shoulders in an unsuccessful effort to deflect the painful assault of memories. His smile, his smell, the feel of his hair running through my fingers…the look on his face the last time I’d seen him, freefalling. No!
I slammed my fist into the tiled wall, and the door crashed open. I shrieked and snatched up a towel as Hellion stormed into the bathroom. He swiftly assessed the space, determining there was no threat. He looked at me, and the flat black of his eyes creeped me out again until they softened.
“You yelled?” He reached in to turn the water off.
“You scared the shit out of me?” I snapped, dripping wet and only marginally covered by the small piece of terrycloth.
“No cause to get bitchy, love.”
He was right, but my galloping heart didn’t feel particularly forgiving yet. “You weren’t gone very long.”
He looked uncomfortable and sighed, a small sound issued in harmony with the dripping faucet. “The window had already been repaired—no need to draw attention to ourselves—but not much else seemed to have been changed.”
“No sign of Bahlin anywhere?” I reached back and turned the water off, pulling the towel tighter around me.
“I went to the concrete pad below the window. As the weyr said yesterday, there was a small amount of blood but nothing more. Everything had been cleaned up and the area swept for glass. I searched for him again and still can’t find him. I even went so far as to question one of the dragons there. No one has heard from him. After his brother sent out his frantic call, the weyr went silent. If they’re locking down this tight, it may well be in an effort to prevent a hostile faction from taking over their weyr while they’re without a leader. It wouldn’t be unheard of for them to hide the body in a situation like that. I’m sorry, Maddy. I just feel you need to know the truth so you don’t fill yourself with false hope.”
I choked on the tears that clogged my throat. Hellion reached for me, and I slipped and stumbled away from him. “No. I need…just, no.” A small sob broke free, dense with grief. Sucking in air, I stood and faced him at the same time I swiped single-handedly at the tears coursing down my face. “What else?”
“I was frankly surprised to find no one in the room on the off chance you came back.” He leaned against the far wall, watching my reactions carefully.
“Why would I? Go back, that is.” I busied myself with a large bath sheet, situating it carefully around my body before letting the smaller towel fall away. “There’s nothing there for me.” Not anymore.
He surprised me by pulling me roughly into his arms, wet hair and all. “We’ll seize our own bit of happiness and the world be damned.”
“How can you be so sure?” My voice was muffled by the folds of his shirt.
“How can you not?”
I smiled into his chest but said nothing. I was a little worried about what I felt for him, but more worried about the enormous vacancy that felt permanent in my heart.
The next two weeks passed in fits and starts of mind-numbing misery and strange, budding camaraderie. I left several more voicemails for Bahlin and had Hellion send a note to the hotel, but none of my messages was answered. As much as it hurt me, I was beginning to accept the fact he must be gone. Somehow, he had completely disappeared. It was the only thing I could piece together, because he wouldn’t have ever let me hurt this way, not if he could stop it.
Bahlin’s name wasn’t mentioned but his shadow seemed to hang between Hellion and me, particularly early on. Guilt kept me trapped in the spare bedroom at Hellion’s flat where I’d taken up temporary residence at his insistence. It diminished a little with each passing day, aided by the development of a tenuous friendship. The more time I spent with the wizard, the more I found I truly liked him. He was charming, witty, intelligent and very compassionate.
After I’d fallen off the paranormal map, the killings had stopped. More than once I found myself wondering if I was bearding the lion in his own den, but my emotions dismissed every attempt at logic my mind made.
It was the end of the fifteenth day after the accident when Hellion came to me and said he’d been in touch with Sarenia, the last remaining Council member. Nominations and elections had to be made to fill the Council vacancies. I winced at the mention of vacancies but Hellion went on as if I’d not reacted. We’d leave after lunch, giving me plenty of time to pull myself together. I was going to need it.
Hellion and I rode the elevator to the underground garage to retrieve his car. Hellion had advised Sarenia of Bahlin’s death and asked her to come to us at Avebury Henge in Avon. Sarenia was Atlantean, as in from Atlantis, and while I had no idea where the Lost City was or how he called her, it was apparently reasonable to expect her to show up at the stone circle within six hours.
We dumped our stuff in the trunk of his Mercedes and settled into the coupe for the three-hour trip. It wasn’t possible for Hellion to materialize somewhere he hadn’t physically been before or somewhere he didn’t have an effective safe room waiting. It would suck to get snatched up by scientists for showing up at the right place at the wrong time—with witnesses—so
we were driving.
I thought about my last road trip across England only a few weeks ago with Bahlin. The memories were new enough to still be painfully bright. Ironically, Hellion had tracked us down and made himself part of that trip too. Don’t think about it.
The day was typically overcast and a soft rain fell. The sweep of the windshield wipers was hypnotic. Hellion reached across the console and held out a hand. I took his giant paw in mine, seeking only comfort. His hands were work-roughened, and I asked him why.
“It’s from the gardening and harvesting I do at my country home in Ireland. It’s not all city living and funds management for me,” he teased.
I looked over at him to find him staring at me, a soft smile playing around his lips.
“Watch the road, please,” I murmured. He turned back to traffic and I said, “I should be able, and I’d like, to visit Ireland once these murders are solved.” The thought of putting some distance between me and current events was appealing.
“We can go for a night if you’d like. I can just materialize at home.”
“That would be nice.”
“Let’s plan on that tonight. I’ll find a place in the woods for us to dematerialize, and we’ll spend the night at my home. I’ll send one of my coven members after the car, and they can return it to me in London. We’ll materialize at the London house tomorrow morning and begin working on the murders.”
I thought about it briefly. The idea of some more casual privacy in which to get to know this man felt important. And the opportunity to get out of England and Scotland was truly priceless. “Before we go, can we take a minute to see Stonehenge since we’ll be so close?”
He smiled over at me. “Of course, mo chroi.”
I flinched and couldn’t control a small intake of breath. I took my hand back gently.
“I’ll find my own pet names for you, Madeleine.” He rolled his eyes up to the roof dramatically and said, “Maddy,” as if he were put upon.
I forced a watery smile and realized that was all he’d been after. He offered me his hand again, saying, “If I may offer you any ease, Maddy, take it. I’ll not push you in any way.” I took his hand and he was right, it was comforting. We held hands for the rest of the trip, with Hellion occasionally lifting my fingers to his lips and murmuring to me in Irish. There was almost enough difference in the language that it wasn’t too painful to hear…almost.
We arrived in Avon long before our appointed meeting with Sarenia, but we went to the stone circle anyway. Any stone circle with five or more standing stones, one for each Council member’s sect, was a safe haven among the supes. No violence could occur within the original circle, thus explaining why the megaliths were all over Europe. I’d snorted with laughter when Bahlin had explained this to me, debunking the ageless extraterrestrial theories. He hadn’t been entertained.
The circles were governed by magic dating back to the days of creation. Anyone attempting violence on another within a circle was marked on the cheek with a symbol similar to mathematical Pi and subject to an immediate death sentence and execution by the High Council. Getting to and from the circles was the tricky part since ambushes weren’t unheard of. Hellion had picked a very public circle, the largest in the UK, to give us room to maneuver without too much tourist interruption. He wanted to be well seated when Sarenia arrived because she and Bahlin had been allies for over two thousand years and, as I’d recently learned, she was his godmother. It would be easy to strike first and pretend to ask questions of his flaming pile of ash later. She struck me as much more level-headed than that, but this was based on a single meeting with her.
We parked the car at the car park and walked to the small vegetarian restaurant near the circle for lunch. I wasn’t hungry, but Hellion again insisted I eat something to keep my energy up. We’d been sitting in the small diner for about half an hour, our food just delivered, when I realized we were being watched by a small man wearing a bulky jacket and having a hard time sitting still. The man looked somehow out of place in the restaurant. I probably would have figured out what it was that set him apart if I’d been able to get past his gaze. If a pair of eyes could speak, his were issuing me threats of violence and promises of pain. I looked away and shivered, unnerved by the level of malevolence held for me by a complete stranger.
“Hellion?” I leaned forward and spoke low. “We’ve got an audience.”
“Aye, we do. He’s a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Maddy.” Hellion took a big bite of his tabouli and said, “He’s been following us for about an hour, love. He picked us up outside Avon as if he knew we’d be here.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Setting my fork down while still looking at Hellion, I missed the edge of the table and dropped it to the floor with a clatter. I had to bend toward the faerie to pick up the fallen utensil. I thought it over before sighing and beginning to move very casually. He shot out of his chair and ran out of the restaurant.
“Oops.” Obviously my mad stealth skills still sucked.
Hellion smiled. “I’d imagine he was supposed to deliver a message to one of us, but finding us together threw him. The fae know of the prophecy, but their king and queen had hoped you would bond with Tarrek. Beyond their wishes, they’ll be as surprised as any of us to find we’ve been cast together.”
“Oh. I, uh, had no idea they’d wanted that. That’s a little awkward.” The sentiment seemed insufficient in the wake of their son’s death, but I couldn’t find it in me to regret his demise. “Should we go look for our messenger?”
“The little fellow? No. He’ll either show up again or we’ll be approached by another of the fae. I would imagine the king or queen, or both, seeks an audience with one of us.”
That reminded me—the queen had asked to speak to me. I opened my mouth to tell Hellion about Clay’s message when I realized the couple at the next table were listening unapologetically to our conversation. They’d gone so far as to give up their meals in order to lean closer. I glared at them, and the man sat back, but the woman couldn’t take her eyes off Hellion. I cleared my throat and she didn’t flinch so I leaned forward. “Boo.”
She jumped back as if I’d yelled at her instead of spoken softly. Standing, she gathered her tourist flotsam and stalked out of the restaurant, muttering about the rudeness of the locals.
I laughed out loud and leaned over to her partner. “Tell her I’m from the States. The locals here are much nicer than I’ve ever been.”
He gathered his coat and dropped some bills on the table before scampering after his table partner.
Hellion laughed softly “That was brilliant, Maddy! They’ll likely remember your attitude and not the topic of conversation. Good thinking, chit. I’m typically more conscientious, but I’m a bit distracted today. Apologies.”
It hadn’t been thinking at all, which I wasn’t going to tell him. Instead it had been pure, unfiltered jealousy at the woman’s interest in Hellion. Okay, it was prefaced by concern, but the knee-jerk reaction was in response to the jealousy. I shoved my plate away. “I’m done.”
“You’ve hardly eaten a half dozen mouthfuls.”
“And you’re not my keeper, so can the attitude. One father was all I ever needed.”
“Where are your parents, Maddy? I’d like to meet them.”
I closed my eyes and felt the hot burn of tears in my throat. “They died,” I rasped. Two traitorous tears fell over my lower lashes and raced for my jaw. A roughed thumb beat them there and brushed them away.
“Ta bron, Madeleine.”
I opened my eyes and looked at him, laying my cheek in his hand. “Taw broin?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” Again. “I’d say it’s okay, it’ll be fine, but it’s not and it may never be. Some things never really seem to heal.”
“I hope that others will.” He stood, took his wallet out and dropped a few bills on the table before coming around to pull out my chair for me. I sighed. My status as an independe
nt, modern woman seemed to have caved under the force of these western European men. I smiled, sure it had something to do with their accents. Oh, and rugged good looks didn’t hurt. Bahlin would be happy to know he’d influenced me and created in me high expectations.
We walked out of the restaurant companionably, my hand tucked in Hellion’s arm.
We sat in the fast-diminishing sunshine on thermal blankets designed to keep our rumps dry. Hellion had his arm slung casually over my shoulders, chatting about his childhood and his Irish estate. I gradually relaxed and enjoyed this new open, easy manner of his.
It wasn’t long before the creep of power swept into the circle and almost forced us apart. Sarenia wasn’t happy. Mundanes in the area began to wander away without seeming to notice they were more interested in leaving than in staying. I stood and turned to face her as she walked into the circle, her rage palpable.
“Sarenia.” My voice was cooler than spring water. I only inclined my head to her in deference to her status.
“Niteclif,” she bit out. Oh yeah, she was pissed. She looked over at Hellion, who was just getting to his feet. “Wizard.”
“Come now, Sarenia. I’ve known you for more than two centuries and you’ve never called me simply ‘wizard.’ Let us discuss this like rational beings.”
She sat and we followed her lead. “Tell me what happened,” she commanded.
So I did, beginning with the prophecy and Odin’s little interruption, my conversation with Bahlin, the conflict and fight and, ultimately, our plunge out the window. I made sure to explain that Bahlin had instigated the fight against my express desire. It mattered to me, if to no one else.
Sarenia took it all in, tears coursing down her face at the mention of Bahlin’s plunge and my account of his death. “Did you see his body?” she asked.
Struggling to maintain the little bit of control I felt when Bahlin’s name came up, I answered her. “No. But Sarenia, I’ve left messages for him everywhere I could think he might be and he hasn’t answered—his cell, his brother’s cell, the hotel, with several members of the weyr. Hellion has looked at the hotel. We’ve scried for him. And I’ve pleaded with the gods to interfere.” My shoulders slumped. “There wasn’t time for him to change. I don’t think there’s any way he survived the fall.”
Wrath: The Niteclif Evolutions, Book 2 Page 7