I am contacting you because there is someone in my realm most interested in making your acquaintance. It is someone, I am sure, whom you would like to meet as well. This person is willing to answer some of the questions you carry regarding your parents.
If you wish to meet with her, you must walk immediately to the fountain on your patio. You may tell no one until your return in one hour of your human time. You may not leave a note. I swear to you on my blood, and the blood that was shared between us, that no harm will come to you or any you care for, while you are with us today.
This opportunity will only be available for the next five minutes. I hope that you make the correct choice.
Isaiah of the Bas Demonic level.
There was a single red splotch on the paper beside his name.
Okay, this was one of those times when I had to completely trust my own instincts. Always a scary situation when I had real time to mull things over, but today I was rushed into a fast decision.
Isaiah was obviously talking about my grandmother. My grandmother wanted to meet me. An actual blood relative. Yeah, I mean, I know she's a demon, but how could I not do this? She could tell me about my mother, and maybe my father. I started walking toward the sliding glass doors to the patio, when I felt an unexpected wet and then furry nudge against my palm.
Samson whined at me. "You want to come too? Okay, maybe that's a good idea. I'll bring you along to protect me." Samson wagged his stubby tail, which made his whole rear end wiggle too, so I grabbed his leash off the hook by the wall and we rushed to the fountain.
As I felt the energy of the ley lines wash over my body, I wrinkled my brow, worried that Garrett and Liam were going to be annoyed. Ah well, they'd get over it.
Feeling the usual few seconds of disorientation, I materialized in a large room with a domed ceiling and a colorfully tiled floor. Since no one was there to greet us, Samson and I walked around the perimeter of the room, curiously checking out the hand carved wooden benches and randomly placed statuary. There was something disorganized about the placement of the furnishings, as if it had been put together in a hurry. The stucco walls were covered with painted murals depicting battles between fae warriors and strange creatures with leathery wings, thick horns and clawed feet. I wondered if this was a demon's true form and if so, hoped that Isaiah wouldn't choose to appear that way. They were all naked in the pictures and, well—it would be awkward to say the least.
Samson started to growl at the same time that I felt Isaiah materialize behind me. My departure had been so quick that I'd forgotten to bring any kind of a weapon with me, except for the enormously furry one with the very large teeth and the now, blood-red eyes.
I patted Samson on the head and turned around. Separated by six feet of tiled floor, Isaiah and I faced each other wearing neutral expressions. Happily, he'd chosen to appear as he had in the small room where I'd first met him, an average young man with an average build and features. There was nothing threatening in his expression or his demeanor.
He placed two fingers on the demonic birthmark behind his left ear and nodded, the customary greeting in the Demon Realm, I assumed. "Jacqueline. I am glad that you decided to come. You look to be at peace and your aura is clear. Are you well?"
"Yes, Isaiah. Are you?"
"Yes, thank you." He glanced at Samson whose growls were getting louder. "Clever little demon to bring your Cu Sith of all things. Other weapons would have been confiscated instantly. Can you quiet him? For the span of this visit, you will come to no harm. However the Archdemon Naberia will not enter if your canine bodyguard is behaving in a hostile manner. It is disrespectful to show hostility toward your host. That is true in your world also, is it not?"
I found it interesting that he'd said for the span of this visit no one would harm me. Demons seemed to be very precise in what they said, at least Isaiah was. I was already here and at this point I had no choice but to trust him in order to get the information I wanted.
I knelt beside Samson and hugged him around the neck, whispering, "They've sworn not to hurt us. Quiet down. Watch for a signal." Samson and I had a secret code, which we'd been working on this past week. I gave him the sit and stay on alert signal and he obediently stopped growling and sat next to me, his eyes focused sharply on Isaiah.
Isaiah smiled and nodded. "It would not hurt to let him know that I saved you from Kennet."
"I saved myself." He gave me a skeptical look. "Fine. After you trained me, which you wouldn't have done without our blood agreement."
"Without the agreement, perhaps not." I must have looked shocked by his candid words, because he spread his hands as if to say this is only the truth. "However, since then I have discovered much about you and your sister."
He turned to look toward the far doorway. The archdemon is here."
A female materialized out of the lines at the far end of the room and took her time walking toward us. She glanced around curiously, as if she was seeing this space for the first time. When she came alongside Isaiah, he immediately touched behind his ear, bowed at the waist and stepped back. She was Sasha's height and looked similar to the fae females I'd met, in that she was beautiful in an unusual, exotic way. Her movements were graceful, yet slightly alien, as if this body was not her usual manifestation. Her hair was thick and dark like Aedus', her nose was prominent and her thin-lipped mouth was turned up in a pleasant smile that held no warmth. An orange fire lit up her eyes, brighter even than Isaiah's. Instinctively, I understood that taking this form had been a courtesy, and that if I saw her truly, I'd be afraid.
Power pulsated through my body as she pushed a tendril of her energy in my direction. Her icy mental touch was fleeting, but it still made my skin crawl. I damped down my fear and met her gaze.
Isaiah spoke clearly. "Jacqueline Crawford Cuvier, may I introduce you to your grandmother, Archdemon Naberia of the Alter Demonic Level: Purest of Blood and therefore Powerful beyond Imagining." I nodded my head the way the fae do and she smiled her icy smile, probably amused by my feeble attempt to show her respect.
"Archdemon Naberia, may I present your granddaughter, Jacqueline Grace Fitzgerald Crawford Cuvier; Cheetah Shapeshifter, Rarest of Healers and Blessed Receptacle of the Power of your Blood.
I started to speak, confused by the Grace Fitzgerald added to my name, but Isaiah sent me a mental slap. "Remain quiet and still."
Her expression was neutral as she carefully looked me over from head to toe. "Turn around child." Her voice was deep and sultry.
I lifted my chin. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, Grandmother, but I won't turn my back on a powerful supernatural."
The corner of her mouth twitched. "Your aura is a rich shade. Has it always been so, Isaiah?"
He answered, "It has grown deeper since her time in the fae's prison."
She seemed to be waiting for a comment from me, so I said, "I haven't noticed a change."
"The beast is soul-bonded to you." She was looking at Samson now.
"I don't know what you mean, Grandmother." This was one of the weirdest conversations ever, but I couldn't just start asking questions out of the blue.
She narrowed her eyes and huffed in annoyance. "Isaiah, you told me you were training her."
"Madame, I trained her in order to help her escape, but I will resume her training when I return the fae scum to Faerie."
"I see. Young demon, your mixed blood suits you well. And you've mated with a master vampire?"
"Yes, Garrett Cuvier."
"And he pleases you?"
Not sure what she meant, I hesitated, then decided a simple answer was best. "Yes."
"Males are weaker, and so must make themselves useful however they can." She cast a sly glance at Isaiah who met her eyes without hesitation, then turned back toward me. "Cast out the ones who offend you and the others will behave."
She tilted her head the way Isaiah did sometimes, as if it helped her come to a decision. "I find you more to my liking than I had expect
ed. You may ask three questions today. In return, you must answer three of mine. Do you agree? You must be honest with your answers as I will be with mine."
"Can I choose which questions I answer?" She nodded. "I can only ask three? No more?"
There was a gleam in her orange eyes that wasn't there a moment ago. "Yes, but I will be seeing you again very soon and I may permit you to ask more then, in exchange for more of your answers."
"Then I agree." She gestured with her hand that I should begin."Where is my mother and what's her name?"
"Dead. Her grave is in Cypress Cemetery in Tahoe City. Her full name was Adele Fitzgerald. Those were two questions but I'll allow it as one."
I let that sink in for a moment, breathing deeply to keep my emotions from showing. Adele Fitzgerald. I said it over in my mind, drinking it in like cool water in the desert. Dead. She was definitely dead. Liam had already told me that Nathaniel thought she'd died. "And my father?"
"Your father is a sorcerer, Simon Crenshaw, a professor at Stanford University. The two never married. He knows that she is dead but he does not know that you or your sister exist."
My heartbeat picked up speed. My father was alive. "How did my mother die?"
"In a fire. She was murdered in her sleep." My grandmother was speaking about her own daughter's death, and yet there was no emotional connection in her voice. That right there should have been a flashing neon sign warning me about what kind of creature I was dealing with.
My knees wobbled as I sank down next to Samson. He licked my face. "But who...?"
"I've fulfilled my part of the agreement and now you must fulfill yours. What spell do you use to get through the Cascade Faerie portal?"
I looked at my grandmother in horror. She wanted information about the fae. My friends. My allies. Shit. I was such an incredible idiot. I'd agreed to answering three questions. I took a brief moment and then forced myself to stand and face her. I could not appear weak.
"I'm sorry, but I won't give you any information about the fae. I'm allied with them and I won't betray them."
She looked me over once more and smiled. "Not today, perhaps. You are brave, young demon, and I feel your power, but you were still a foolish to agree so quickly to my price. You owe me three answers. I will collect when I see you again, which will be soon." She disappeared before I could respond.
I must have looked stricken, because Isaiah huffed in irritation. "What did you expect? We are creatures of chaos and have long been enemies of the seelie fae. The archdemon is not tolerant. If you fail to live up to your agreement, the consequences will be grim."
He touched my shoulder so I'd look at him. Surprisingly, Samson didn't object.
"When I'm finished with Kennet, I will come to you. There is much you can learn that will protect you, even from her. Use the lines to go home." He was gone, leaving me feeling shaken and more confused than ever. I hugged Samson and then took us home.
When I materialized on the patio I was faced with two extremely angry males. Samson wagged his tail and ran over to Liam, but Garrett and I had locked eyes and minds and it wasn't pretty.
"What-were-you-thinking—or was your brain involved at all?"
"I wasn't in any danger."
"You should have woken me. Or gotten Liam. You acted irrationally." He started to pace, our gazes still linked.
"They told me I couldn't even leave a note." The note they'd sent me had dissolved after I'd read it. "I only had five minutes to decide. How do you even know where I went?"
"There was a distinctive odor in the kitchen and on the patio." He ran his hand roughly through his hair. "What could have possibly urged you, against all common sense, to go to the DEMON REALM—ALONE?" Somehow, he'd managed to yell using only mind speech.
"To speak to my grandmother and learn about my parents." Now I knew my mother's name and where she was buried, and that my father was alive...
Liam spoke out loud, his tone concerned. "Jacqueline, I have to ask. What did they want? What did you tell them?"
"My grandmother asked me what spell I used to enter Faerie and I told her that I would never give her any information about the fae. She told me she'd see me again soon, but I won't be going back, that's for sure." He looked relieved. "You know I would never..."
"Of course. I just needed to ask officially." I nodded. We both looked at Garrett's tightly drawn face and I felt myself wince. "I'll leave you two to sort this out." Liam beamed into the lines.
" Coward," I sent after him.
Garrett took hold of my upper arms so I'd have to look him in the eye. I'd never seen him so upset. "I don't understand. Why did you put yourself in danger—again?"
"She told me about my mother and father. He's still alive. I can..."
He interrupted loudly, wrapped up in his own anger. "How could you disappear like this? Do this to me—after what I went through the last time? This was reckless. I thought you'd matured..." Ice cold fingers tightened on my arms as silver popped in his eyes.
"I've been searching for information about them. You know I have. Please don't be upset."
"I'm not upset. I'm furious that you'd throw away your life and everything we have together for information about people you've never even met." He let go of me roughly and stalked back into the kitchen. I followed him, trembling just a little, not from fear that he'd hurt me, but from my own anger, which was rearing its ugly head.
"Garrett, I'm sorry that you're so angry, but it never occurred to me that you wouldn't be supportive in my efforts to find out as much as I can about my parents. You've known all along how important this is to me."
"Jackie, it's one thing to do research on the internet or contact a private detective, but you went to the fucking—Demon—Realm. You were completely vulnerable. It was a hundred times more dangerous for you there than with Kennet."
Garrett practically never cursed: another sure sign that he was livid. "Isaiah swore in the note that I'd be safe for the hour I was there."
"Demons lie."
"I took Samson."
"The one intelligent thing you did."
Now I was just as pissed as he was. The volume of my voice rose. Samson flattened his ears against his head and whined. "I-can-handle-myself."
"Like you did with Kennet?" I could see that he regretted his comment the moment it left his mouth, but it was too late. It hurt.
"Nice one, Garrett." I glowered at him. "In case it slipped your mind, I did handle Kennet. His ass is burning in the Demon Realm right now." As we glared at each other, I tried to get him to see reason. "Look, I just fought beside you at Nathaniel's and you had no problem with that."
"Beside you. Two key words."
"Oh, so I need a constant babysitter, now? Are you going to stop me when I go alone to meet my father, the sorcerer."
He looked at me straight on. "I'll be going with you when you decide to meet with your father."
"I see. You don't trust my judgment or my abilities. We had a full partnership and now it's become a half-assed dictatorship." We were both breathing hard in anger." I think maybe you should go out to feed from one of your sweet little obedient donors." I turned away from him. "I can't fight with you now. I'm afraid of what I might say. We both need a break."
He barely whispered his reply. "I agree, but this conversation is not over." He left at vamp speed through the open sliding glass doors.
I sat down at the kitchen table, still trembling with anger and frustration. Why is he insisting on treating me like a child? I'm his lifemate. I've killed a master vampire in a duel. I've escaped the prison of a fae lord. I've even helped rescue Garrett from werewolves and a blood witch. Why does he think I'm incapable of looking out for myself?
My anger turned to tears of frustration, so I got up and ran to my room. I locked my door and took a long soak in the bath tub, hoping to melt away my surface tension so I could see past my anger to the root of the fight.
My mind tried to puzzle it all out. Garrett has always bee
n protective of me; from the day he first gave me blood to save my life after a brutal attack by thugs, to this afternoon's argument. He's been the life preserver that keeps me safely afloat as well as the anchor that prevents me from actually drifting away into the chaos. Logically, I should expect a strong reaction, but he'd never been this angry with me before, so what was different about today?
I thought about his expression and the strong emotions rolling off of him when I'd first gotten back. I saw fear, then relief, then anger. The Demon Realm is a dimension where he can't follow, unlike Faerie or the woods where Kennet had kept me hidden. Garrett was a male used to feeling in control. My little excursion had left him frustrated and feeling powerless to help me if anything went wrong. Not an ideal situation when his master-vampire adrenaline kicked in. Even so, I was gone for less than an hour. I wiped another tear off of my cheek with the back of my hand.
I dried off, dressed and then sat at my computer trying to get my mind off of the argument, which was still making me achy and depressed.
There was a knock on the door, followed by a sweet cherry scent. "What do you want, Sasha?"
"I've brought you a sandwich."
"Garrett's orders?"
"Suggestion." I could hear the amusement in his voice.
"Come in, but I'm not really hungry." He set the plate and the coke on my desk next to my laptop. "Where is he? Is he back?"
"He's back, but he's giving you the privacy you desire, letting you stew and sulk for awhile." My eyes widened. "My words not his."
I twisted my mouth into a frown, sure that he wasn't only here to give me food. "I suppose you heard the argument."
"The out-loud part."
"And I'm sure you agree with Garrett."
"It's none of my business." He shrugged but didn't take his eyes off of mine. I felt suddenly self-conscious because it was easy to see that I'd been crying.
"You're right. It's none of your business." I crossed my arms stubbornly, pretending to exude an air of confidence that wasn't genuine.
His mouth twitched as he held back a smile. "Could I explain something to you about your mate?"
Blown Away (Rogues Shifter Series Book 4) Page 4