Guardian (10 page)

Old Man Frankhorn’s farmhouse was just down the opposite side end of our street and backed up to the national forest and all its trails.  We lived on the outskirts of Winslow where everyone’s land was surrounded by woods.  The giant oak tree came into view that was used as a hide out during the younger years with Grace.  Freak stories to scare the girls, chips, and long hours of the girls making gossip would never escape my memory.  In the later years it was only me and Grace, but I never complained.  The only dilemma was being alone with her.  I wanted more than I was allowed.

Two days from now was the human holiday called Halloween, but my world would celebrate it as the coming of the new queen, Grace Starmen. I needed her at the court, my court before the window closed for her to enter. 

I walked to the oak tree, put both hands against it, closed my eyes, and whispered into the bark her name.  A human couldn’t enter our world without being invited.  Although Grace was half human, she had to have the invite.  When I was all set I asked her, “Ready?”

“For what?” she wondered trying to figure the deal with the tree.

I frowned not for the first time in the night, “Before we take the next step, I must tell you one more thing,” I left my words to hang in the air feeling Pike tense.  He thought I was being too risky but she had a right to know.

Hell if I could concentrate though since she wouldn’t stop internally chattering about my eyes and other things.

“Well?” she prompted.

“Sorry!” I said lifting my gaze back to hers.

“What were you thinking?” she smiled.

“Um,” I curved my mouth upwards not even bothering to hide my excitement, “Satisfying my curiosity.”

“What?” she was confused.

“Grace.  You’re not completely human either.”  I let that sink in.  She stopped breathing. 

“Take a breath,” I begged when she didn’t open up.  I grabbed her shoulders for the second time tonight and she let out a huge breath embarrassed. 

“You’re half human,” I paused again for her to breathe.  Not entirely true but would suffice for now. I dropped my eyes to her mouth meaning for her to take a breath.  Desire ran through me wanting more than just those lips on mine. 

She let out the other breath making her chest move in sync with it.   I.didn’t.look...the whole time.  Just a little.

Wow, she really was taking this all really well for the most part.  I knew somewhere deep inside that she’d known something for a while.  She was a strong female for a human.  Well, half.  Being the future summer Seelie court queen would be a bit of a shock above all to come.  She could deny me.  She could even deny her heritage.  But could she turn a blind eye to the people of our world? 

I’d tried to drop clues, but the summer and winter Fey courts would know, and I’d have been punished.  The Fey never told or showed a human anything that could possibly reveal themselves and endanger our world.  If so, we were banished to a place called the “in between” only to never return.  It wasn’t a real place like human reality but it was more like a place one stays while waiting for release designed as a punishment.  In some human circles, it was called purgatory.  Much worse.   In the summer court, one has to prove pretty horrible to be sent there.  I only knew of one who’d been sent into exile, the other bloke in our tale. Kinsler. 

Snap!  She snapped in my face pulling me back to her.  “I’m not human.  How?  Does my mother know?  Wait.  This can’t be real.  I can’t be talking about fairies?  Are there elves and goblins hiding here too?  Ian, I can’t explain what you are, but to say I’m one.  That’s just crazy.  Wouldn’t I know if wasn’t human?”

“I’ve been with you since you were born, Grace,” I had to make her see, and quickly.       I had permission to tell her once inside the court, but my words kept freezing with the tiny sounds of shock emitting from her mouth. “All those things you made people do with your mind.  You’ve never really been fully human.  You didn’t know you were doing it.  It was very hard to be sure I was always around to put things right.  Sometimes I didn’t make it.  Remember the librarian and the strange duck walk in the library.” 

Her blanched face told me she remembered.  The librarian at our school waddled like a duck around the tables when Grace got angry one day and wished it on her. She was mad at the lady because she allowed the ditz cheerleader invasion to take over the library.  Grace’s powers were already causing havoc before that.

“You have more talents than you’ll ever realize.” I stopped and looked purposely into her eyes, “No, you will know.  Because now I can tell you all the things I’ve never been able to say or show you.  I won’t hold you back anymore. Your world is about change, Grace.  You’ll develop talents that will save your life, guard your deepest thoughts, and hide even from other humans.  Some you already have.  Some will come later.  Are you sure you still want to come with me?”  I tried to do the honorable thing and warn her off of me.  I knew I screamed danger.  But she was actually wanting this. 

Pike screamed for me to shut up.

I loved the little detail check she did of her body for changes.  And more at her sigh with relief when all registered the same. 

“Am I so bad to look at?” My heated look gave me away. 

“Oh, no!  That’s not it,” her cheeks reddened.  I wanted to kiss them and see if they warmed even more.  She was only worried about how I saw her. 

”I’ve looked like Ian for eighteen years and now I look like this to you.  I promise
your
ears and skin will remain the same.  You’ll always look like
you,
this perfect Grace.”  I cupped her face.  Her heart jumped about and she fidgeted looking away from me to fumble with her sleeve. 

Oh, how I hated the day when she knew I could read her thoughts. 

She watched my lips.  It was about to drive me crazy with want.  It certainly didn’t help matters that her mind played out the act of measuring each part of my mouth.  Holy crap!

The pain of losing her doused the hasty lust and beat the want back down.

She composed herself, arched her back to seem more sure of herself than I knew her to be, smiled and said, “Yes, Ian, I do wish to go with you.  I don’t understand any of what you say though you are still one big mystery.” 

“I was hoping for that!”  She seemed to note my breath moving around her in the chilly air.   I thought that must be a girl thing.  Kinsler stood two feet away now watching me stall before the court took her from me for the night.  I wouldn’t be alone with her again until…forever.  

Her mind singled out the smell of the woods.  I had run out of time.  He’d have her at the first mistake.  My agitation sped up and then fell away at seeing her sweet face.

I hated when she was sad.  Oh well, no hiding anymore. 

I lifted her chin and pulled her up to look straight into my eyes as close as I could move her and keep a safety zone.  Kinsler yelped behind me indecently.  I shifted the glamour over us both hoping to keep her from seeing or hearing the voices starting up around us.

I kept my hands cupped around her face and knew she thought I was going to kiss her.  Her heart raced wildly as I forced the pull backward.  My voiced thick with want I said into her mouth, “Soon, very soon!  I’ll warn you, I’ll not give you back.”

She gasped several times reaching for air, clearly dazed.  She started to fall backwards and I caught her.  I did this to her.  I’d never seen a woman react like that.  I’ve kissed other girls.  I’ve watched them get all girl-like with closing their eyes in anticipation.  But their heart never sped up like Grace’s did when I pushed close to her like now.  Their eyes never glassed over and they never held their breath causing a near fainting spell.  For some reason, I affected her and heaven knows that she affected me. 

“It’s a different future than you planned originally.”

She shrugged nervously still under my gaze so I took her hand again walking on. “Let’s go!”

We had not walked more than ten paces when the sky began to darken to black and come closer to the part of the night long awaited for by my world. 

“You are still half human.  You will be cold in the goblin territory until we cross over the Seelie gardens.  Then you’ll be warm again.”  I held a ten inch dagger to my side. “I’ll keep you safe.” 

“Goblins only attack in their own fear.”  I answered her confused face.

She moved closer without touching me,
“So, I’m half and half what?  Tell me more.” I wanted more. Come closer I willed her without magic. I could produce a few enemies if it meant her doing that again. 

She thought about her parents.  Little did she know!
 

I walked her through the straight edged path tunneled by trees talking while she listened so intently.  I told her about the danger from the goblins, but only because she moved even closer against me.  I wouldn’t bat an eye at taking them out, treaties or not. 

“My mother sent me to protect you when you were born.”  I stole a glance at her face.  “When you were of a ripened age, I was to guide you back to...” I stopped myself from announcing something that might scare her away, like
Kinsler’s name
.  “THEY, the others, want you also.  THEY are willing to turn you into something unnatural to get you there and NOT here with… the Seelie court.  And there are other ones out there that want you too.  I’ve guarded you against everything for a very long time now.”

“All these…them…want
me
? Why?” she frowned so easily tonight.

“Your mother is the daughter of the previous Firebearer who ends the summer season for our domain.  He perished in an untimely death before you were born.  This event is what caused you to be born a bit too early, and thus far changed
my existence
forever.”   I paused again to check on her and she seemed fine.  She stopped me with her hand on my arm. 

“Does my mother know all this?” 

I didn’t hide the fear I held well enough so I nodded.  She watched the answer get stuck in my throat.  I decided on the truth.  Hell, she had no idea how much I hated the idea of losing her to simple semantics in family history.  “Your mother chose a human husband.  She’ll be okay.”

She wasn’t convinced. 

“There has not been a Firebearer since.  Your mother has housed the job and traveled to and from the realm until such an event would change for her to be unneeded.  You turning eighteen
is
that event.  Your grandfather died…trying to protect you.   Others were not pleased that yet another Firebearer had been born and their realm had been without for some hundred years.  Your mother was never convinced.  Needless to say, they wanted you dead.  That’s where I come in.  I’m your guardian.  They will never hurt you Grace.  Oh, they’ve tried.”  I lifted my shirt halfway to my shoulders.  Her eyes widened, her lower lip trembled.  Was she disgusted? 

No, she was upset the scars related to her.  Then something else surged through her.  Something warm and starved.   I liked that emotion.  I wanted to belong to her.  Her belong to me.

She was worried that she would never be allowed to see my scars that might have been caused by her.  No, that she’d not known it was there to be worried about in the first place.  That confused me.

“You wouldn’t know it was there,” I said.   Her eyes went wide every time I answered her thoughts without realizing it.  I quickly said, “There was never a reason to start worrying you. We have two days, Grace.  And then everything will change.”   

“What will happen to me?” she asked as she fumbled with her ears and touched her face.    Her whole body turned to stone.  My answers seemed to be jumping around just like her questions.

“I told you, you will still be my Grace, but with a new history to learn.  And you’ll finally understand some of the odd things that have happened to you lately.”

My Grace?
Her mind repeated. 
“What events do you mean?  And where will you be?”

“Right beside you.”  I needed to move quicker. I slid my hand inside my belt to reassure myself I had reinforcements.  I prompted her to walk again.  Pike wasn’t far.  Unfortunately, neither was Kinsler.

She wanted to hear me say it.  Another truth about the odd things.  I felt right back at home trying to keep up with her thoughts and the heavy breathers following us.

“You’ve been playing mind tricks with people for years and didn’t seem to realize it no matter how much I tried to shield you from it.  You see things that aren’t really there.  Mostly, you thought you were imaging all of it.”  She turned abruptly exhaling nervously.

“You’ll know soon enough,” My eyes didn’t deceive her, but they never had.  I think she’d always known something wasn’t quite normal about me.  But then again, she knew that of herself too.  

“Your birthday moon is in two days time.  Our court seer sees what is to come, but not the outcome, so to speak.  You’re expected before the night ends.”

I turned my head hiding my thoughts from her.  Kinsler was on the right now.  Pike on the left.  I barked at Pike to hold him off.  When I turned my attention back to her she’d said something about her hands and I’d missed it.  And she curiously mentioned Kinsler.  Why would her hands hurt?  Kinsler cursed and shook his hands in the air.  She’d mentioned it through the years.  I should have investigated it further, but now was not the time.  

“You’re thinking of your hands.  Kin, I presume?”  I didn’t know the connection, but I would!

“How do—

“Later.”

That is it?  He knows how Kin affects me!  Does he know how he himself affects me?    What do you know, Ian?

She gave me an ireful look that would normally make he cave.  I ignored her pleas. 

“Chach !  Chach!” 

I marched into action.  Putting my finger to my lips in her direction, she followed my lead, thank the holy dogs of Hades.  I pushed myself between two holly bushes to let her move under them.  Just goblins, but no need to be found by them.  They cackled again as Pike flanked their butts.

What are they?

“Goblins, pesky creatures,” I answered her thoughts without thinking first.  Damn!  I was letting my guard down already.  I’d started to love the idea that she knew what I was and accepted most of or at least what she knew.  There was a lot she did not know. 

“Do you fear them?” she asked just as Kinsler lit one of their butts on fire with a machete.

As if?  She thinks I’m a wuss.  I surged my face around to hers in utter disbelief that she would doubt my abilities.  Didn’t she see the knife at my side?  Didn’t she see the way I’d kept her safe from the greedy hands grabbing at her right as we speak?  I got so angry when she started to smile.  She was laughing at me.  I cooled my jets at screaming at the only girl who could probably get away with the response she just gave me.

“No, too daft and slimy.  Prefer a good fight that gives me a challenge.  Make me work for it.”  I forced a lofty response hoping to douse her little cry for making fun of me. 

“Are they dangerous?”

“Can be, if provoked or given a reason,” I told her.

“What reasons?” She swallowed her words.

“Oh, young half human girls running through the woods alone,” I stated off-handedly.

“Well, I’m safe. I forgot my red cape at home. The big bad goblins will have to take a rain check.” Her eyes cut low at me giving me a sultry look that was slowly becoming her favorite weapon.  Emm!  Only if that red cape involves you and me and...

After several more minutes passed, we continued on. Pike and Kinsler had it all taken care of.

“What’s so funny?” I asked curious if she’d share her random thoughts.

“Just the thought of Frankhorn shooting one of those!” 

“Humans would not see them?”
 

The maple tree stood dead center on the path. I watched her stare at the tree sprites.  Did she see them?

“The tree is so amazing,” she said. 

“Beyond this boundary, there is no going back.”

She followed me.  The entrance came into view.  “Ready?”  I kept saying the same thing.  I sounded like a friggin’ idiot to her.

She furrowed her brow and nodded.

“Close your eyes!”  I told her.

She didn’t want to be blinded, but I didn’t want the entrance known if she wouldn’t be back.  Memories can be erased, but the subconscious can recall the oddest events.  When the humans walked these woods, they only saw plant life.  

“Do you trust me?” I pulled out the pouty lip face she always gave me.  I knew what girls tried on us.  And worked.    

She closed her eyes.  I wrapped my arm around her waist feeling her tug into my hand as if it was a natural occurrence.  My body relaxed too much at the thought of being able to do it on a regular basis.  Her hand was warm to the touch.  I pushed her closer to my body telling myself it kept her from falling.  When my lip tipped her ear the blood rushed my brain with images that should be stifled rather quickly. 

“Hold still,” I told her feeling her tremble.   

Releasing her killed my patience, so I hurriedly grabbed the dirt and whispered my name on the wind.  Grace would never need it.  Being half human would save her time, yet cause her to be in danger more than ever.   One detail she could be spared of.

“Open your eyes!”