Blown Away (Rogues Shifter Series Book 4) (5 page)

Aedus spoke up. “Surprisingly, yes. Most of us have lived long enough to understand that a being’s worth is determined by their actions and not their bloodline. You and Garrett are allies and friends. Our people trust you both, something that doesn’t come naturally to us. We tend to hold ourselves apart, for survival but also as we are commanded by our Queen.”

“I’ve heard of the dread Queen. Will I ever meet her?”

“
I hope that you never have that privilege, Jacqueline.” Aedus’ expression had turned grim. "She is not a tolerant being."

Philladre smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “Some of our people have approached us to see if you’d be willing to ‘heal’ the
m the way you ‘healed’ Aedus.” Her eyes glittered mischievously as I shook my head.

“I really don’t think I had anything to do with the baby.” I glanced at Aedus who was on the verge of laughing. “I swear
, I was only healing your mind.” I scowled at them both, starting to feel anxious. “I’m not some fae fertility doctor.”

“Still, the coincidence is astonishing.” They looked at me intently, making me think that they might actually agree with the oth
ers.

“
Aedus, you can’t really think…”

He interrupted me by clasping my hands and grinning, his handsome features lighting up as he chuckled. “Forgive us for
having a little fun with you. I solemnly promise not to bring it up again.”They nodded to me with a hand on their hearts as I shook my head and smiled good-naturedly at their joke. Aedus wrapped an arm around Philladre’s waist and pulled her playfully against him. “We’ll speak to you soon about all the arrangements for our ceremony. Have a safe journey home, Jacqueline.” They disappeared, and a second later, so did I.

CHAPTER TWO

When I got back to the house, I noticed an envelope on the kitchen counter with my name written out in a fancy scrawl. The envelope had a familiar scent, so I knew right away who'd sent it. After hesitating for only a moment, I opened it and read the message inside.

Jacqueline
Crawford Cuvier,

I sincerely hope that you are well and that memories of your few days as a prisoner of Lord Kennet, haunt you no longer.

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 you
r 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. M
y 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? Ok
ay, 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 lo
ok toward the far doorway. The archdemon is here."

A female materialized out of the lines at the far end of the ro
om 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 direc
tion. 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 feebl
e 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 expected. 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.