New World Order (War of the Fae: Book 4) (33 page)

“My mom was a sucker for a smooth line, and Rick was full of that crap.”

“Well, I know he had to be evil for that demon to have possessed him so fully and completely.
 
You never suspected a thing, did you?
 
In all that time?”

“All I knew was that he was a total and complete dirtbag.
 
A molester.
 
A scuzzbucket.
 
A dickweed.
 
A ... ”

Céline cleared her throat.
 
“I think I get the idea.”
 
She smiled at me, letting me know she wasn’t censuring me.

“Anyway, I appreciate your concern, Céline, but you don’t need to worry.
 
I’m already scarred emotionally.
 
This whole thing will just add some more scars to my collection.”
 
I took a shuddering breath.
 
“I’ll be able to move on, eventually.”

“Yes.
 
You absolutely do have people who care about you.
 
Me included.”

I smiled for a moment and then got serious again.
 
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
 
Enough with this touchy-feely stuff.
 
I had to know the whole story about what happened with my mom.
 
“So, who was Torrie to you?”

Céline sighed loud and long.
 
“Who he was standing in front of you today, was a demon of high powers.
 
I’m not really that knowledgeable about demon hierarchy – you’d have to talk to Anton or perhaps a wrathe with more experience than our Tony – but I do not think you want to know who he was today.
 
You want to know who he used to be, am I right?”

“Yes.”

“Torrie was a friend of mine, many, many years ago.
 
A close friend.
 
In fact, he had a bit of a thing with my sister.
 
First, Torrie and I were childhood friends – then he took one look at Maléna one day, and it was all over for him.
 
He pursued her quite steadfastly for a long time.
 
She toyed with him but was never serious.
 
She turned away from him when Anton came into the picture.
 
But by that time, Torrie’s heart was well and fully owned by her.
 
Nothing I ever did or said could help him get over the loss of her.
 
Eventually, well ... ” she sighed again, “he left us.
 
I had no idea where he had gone.
 
Now I know, at least, where he ended up.”

A tear escaped her eye and dripped down her cheek.

“Where is he now?” I asked.
 
“I mean, when you kill a demon, where does its soul go?
 
Does it have one?”

She smiled without humor at my ignorance.
 
“I believe he returned to the Underworld.
 
He will receive a new demon form.
 
I don’t think we snuffed out his spirit.
 
Spirits never die.
 
They just move on to other realms.”

“So these guys are like undead bastards.
 
We can’t kill them?
 
They’ll keep coming back?”

She shrugged.
 
“I really don’t know.
 
I feel terrible saying that – the consequences are unthinkable, really, now that I see they are actually breaching the dividing space between the realms.
 
I feel as in the dark about this as you do.”

I swallowed the horrible misgivings that tried to come up into my mouth in the form of the worst swear words I knew.
 

“So, this Torrie guy.
 
You think he’s someone special ... down there?
 
In hell?”

“From what he said, it appears so.”

“Maybe you can convince him to get off the whole ‘I have to do the nasty with Jayne Sparks’ program.”

She looked at me in dead seriousness.
 
“If I could, I truly would.
 
I would do whatever was possible to keep something wretched like that from happening to you.
 
I ... I need to talk to Anton and the council members about the things Torrie said.”
 
She reached out across the desk to take my hand, which I willingly placed in hers.
 
“I want you to know what an amazing fae I think you are.
 
Even while all of us were standing there, shaking in fear over the grotesque vision that assailed our senses, you had the presence of mind to ask the right questions.
 
If you had been as terrified as we were, we would not have a single clue as to why these demons are targeting you and why the orcs keep appearing in our realm.”

I smiled shyly, coloring under her compliments.
 
“I was just as terrified as you guys were.
 
After he said we were going to do the dirty deed in the chamber, all I kept wondering was what a demon dick looked like.”

Céline’s hand jerked out of mine and she burst out laughing, the peals of joy bouncing off the walls of the tiny office cabin.
 
She put her hand on her heart for a second and then pulled it away, fanning herself as she said, “Oh my goodness, Jayne, you are a sketch, aren’t you.
 
Oh, my ... ”

I raised an eyebrow at her.
 
“Try to tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing.”

Céline pointed her finger at me.
 
“I will never tell.”

“Ha!
 
I knew it!
 
You were probably jealous when he said he was going to be my demon lover, weren’t you?!”
 
I was only teasing her, but I saw the sadness rise up in her eyes.
 
I stopped smiling.
 
“Uh-oh.
 
Whoopsy.
 
You liked him.
 
When he was Torrie, I mean.
 
Didn’t you?”

Céline’s eyes were on some empty spot on her desk, seeing nothing but her past.
 
She nodded sadly, saying nothing.

“So what you’re saying is, you have horrible taste in men, like my mom.”

She looked up at me in shock, but then began smiling.
 
“I guess you could say that.”
 
She paused for second and then said, “Oh, how I wish I could have had a daughter like you, Jayne.”

I was a little shocked at that confession.
 
“Whatever for?
 
So you could have aggravated stress every day of your life?”
 
That’s how my mom’s life had kind of played out with me.

“No.
 
So I could have looked at you and had the selfish pleasure of knowing that I was somehow responsible for your beauty, intelligence, loving nature, and fierce bravery.”

“Whoa, Céline, I think you’ve had a few too many of those little airplane vodka bottles.
 
Where are you hiding them?
 
Or did you finish all of them already?”

“No.
 
There is no vodka on board.”

“Okay, Ivar’s ‘knock-a-changeling-on-her-ass’ whiskey or whatever that stuff was.”

She smiled.
 
“No.
 
Sorry.
 
Just real, sober compliments you’ll have to manage without the help of spirits.”

I stood, deciding I’d had enough of her nonsense.
 
“Okay, whatever you say.
 
Thanks, I think.
 
I’m going to try and pretend it wasn’t your near-death experience today that caused a screw to come loose up there.”
 
I tapped the side of my head for emphasis.

“You do that.
 
Now go wake your friends.
 
We will be arriving soon.”

I left the office and went into the main cabin, looking at all my sleeping friends, noticing Finn asleep with his head on the table, his arms reaching out as far as he could towards the twins – they were both asleep, leaning as far away from his arms as they could.
 
I shook my head.
 
Poor guy.
 
He wasn’t getting any of that – and I was happy about it, as visions of Becky’s face danced in front of my mind.
 
She’d had enough bad news lately.
 
She didn’t need to learn she’d lost Finn to a couple of supermodel energy suckers.

I started blinking the main light switch on and off, over and over, while saying loudly, “Ladies and gentlefae, your captain has turned on the seatbelt sign ... ” the light went on with a happy
ding
and I looked up to see Ivar half-smiling at me from the pilot’s area.
 
“ ... Please bring your damn seats to their most upright and
most
uncomfortable position immediately.
 
Anyone failing to comply with the following orders will be forced to sleep with the pixieman on his or her pillow for the next week.
 
And I do not recommend this as he does have frequent intestinal problems.”

“Hey!” yelled a tiny voice from his bento box.
 
“That’s private information, Jayne!”

I went back to my seat and purposely nudged Tony in the leg on my way in.

“What?” he groaned.
 
“Why are you so ... full of energy?”

“I’m not, dummy.
 
I’m just glad to be going home.”

“Hmmm ... me too.”
 
He sat up and rubbed his face several times and then his hair.
 
It was sticking out all over the place, making him look adorable.

I grabbed him in a tight squeeze and said, “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

He patted my arm, yawning.
 
“Me too, Jayne.
 
Me too.”

The rest of the group slowly joined us, waking up gradually with yawns and wide-armed stretches.
 
Ivar was nice enough to serve coffee and cinnamon buns to everyone.
 
They were warm too, and the frosting was perfectly melting into the cracks of the fluffy dough.
 
I rolled my eyes heavenward, falling into a sugar-induced happiness coma.
 
If the looks on the faces around me were anything to judge by, I was not alone.

We arrived at the airport and wasted no time unloading our bags first.
 
Then Ivar came out of the area where he had carefully stored my mother’s remains, carrying her in his arms.
 
We all walked to the van where Niles was waiting with a coffin strapped to the top.
 
Tony and Finn worked together to take it down, stepping to the side so Ivar could gently lay my mom inside.
 
Together they covered her and lifted her coffin back up onto the roof of the vehicle.
 
After they strapped the pine box down firmly, we got into the van and left for the compound.
 
I didn’t bother to look at her during the process or talk on the way back.
 
I couldn’t stomach the idea of seeing her looking so battered again and I had nothing to say to anyone, lost in the memories of our better days.

As we pulled up to the edge of the forest near the path leading to the airplane symbol door of the Light Fae compound, I noticed some fae standing there who I did not recognize.
 
Once out of the van, I got a better view of the entrance of the path, and I could see now that it wasn’t just a few strange fae standing there; there were a lot of fae, standing in groups, some familiar and some not.
 
I slowly advanced towards them, my backpack thrown over my shoulder, wondering what was going on.
 
They all looked very serious and were staring at me – then looking at something behind me.

I turned to see what they were looking at, and it struck me.
 
They were looking at my mom’s coffin.
 
My eyes went to Céline and she nodded once at me.
 
I had no idea what she was trying to say.

Tony came up and stood beside me, taking my hand in his.

“What’s going on, Tony?” I asked, totally confused.

“They’re here for your mother.
 
Out of respect for you.”

Tears leapt to my eyes.
 
“No,” I whispered, unwilling to believe that so many fae might care about me like that – not sure if I even wanted it to be true.
 
The feelings were too overwhelming for me right now.

“Yes,” he said firmly.
 
“You deserve this.
 
You’re a good person, Jayne.
 
You are our Mother.
 
Now toughen up and hold your head high, and get through this.
 
I’m here with you.
 
I’m not going anywhere.”
 
He squeezed my hand so hard I winced.
 
This was Tony putting his foot down and I knew I had no choice.
 
I wasn’t feeling strong enough to make that kind of choice anyway.
 
I was glad Tony had made it for me.

I took a step forward, but before I could complete the motion, I felt someone else nearby.
 
Finn had taken up a spot on my other side, his hand held proudly on his bow, his face full of the quiet dignity I was used to seeing with the honorable green elves.