rogue shifter 07 - cut off (22 page)

"I need to keep him healthy, Mother. He owes me years of service." I could practically see the wheels turning behind Isaiah's eyes as he tried to think of a way to keep me safe and unharmed. He could easily kill me with a misplaced punch, especially since she'd expect him to go full out and I couldn't use my magic in front of Naberia if I was playing the part of a wolf.

"Take him to the edge. Then he can shift and heal. I don't believe I've ever seen a wolf shift form."

"I've found they have trouble shifting here in our world."

She took another sip of wine, this time closing her eyes. "Mmm...delicious. Did you ever get that female wolf back?"

"No. She was always ill, quite unsatisfactory."

"Bridgett thought there was something off about her."

"I know, but then Bridgett was off herself, wasn't she?"

"Isaiah, dear. One should not speak ill of the dead."

"I apologize. I'm sure you miss her, Mother."

"Not particularly. But she was useful." She looked me over as I tried to copy the upstairs guards, standing like a post and staring straight ahead. "I've heard rumors regarding Jacqueline and her son, Charles."

"What rumors?" Isaiah was doing a good job of staying in character, sipping his wine like a prissy twit, then smoothing out his hair. Too bad I wasn't a gifted actor. Adrenalin was shooting through my bloodstream in such large amounts I was gonna explode into action any minute.

"Have you not heard? Jacqueline's vampire mate has been kidnapped by Fionna. Charles has been sent somewhere safe so that he cannot be forced to come to court." She watched his face with the eyes of a hawk, but his expression remained neutral. "Perhaps you have heard this rumor but intended to keep it from me? Do you know where he is?" She looked directly at me when she asked that last question, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. Holy shit.

Isaiah smiled and shrugged. "He must be in Cascade."

A line formed between her brows. "Jacqueline would never send him there. She knows Faerie is Fionna's territory. She's of my blood, intelligent and courageous. She's not afraid to take chances." I was sweating buckets. Granny hadn't taken her eyes off of me for longer than a few seconds.

"Perhaps to Francois in Paris?" Isaiah suggested.

She smiled, snakelike, her head turning slowly in Isaiah's direction. "Son, do you think I am feeble-brained?"

"Mother, of course not." For the first time, he sounded unsure.

She stood, stalking toward me, an alpha predator hunting down a meal. I could try to run, but I wouldn't make it five feet. Instead, I held my ground and lifted my chin. I wasn't going out a coward.

She fingered the ends of my glamoured hair, now brown, then used those same fingers to lift my chin. Our gazes met and she smiled one of those mysterious female smiles, making me feel more clueless than usual. She was freaking me out, but I refused to look away.

Was she going to rip into my mind? I couldn't keep her out if that's what she wanted. Was I really dying here today? It seemed likely.

I almost jumped when she leaned in, kissing my forehead with a gentle brush of soft lips, her breath warm and fragrant against my skin. "Stay safe, young wolf. The demon is strong within you. You will better survive what is to come if you heed its advice."

She turned to Isaiah, her eyes moving in streams of red and orange, her voice icy cold. "We will speak soon." That sounded more like a death threat than a polite invitation for tea at her place.

After taking in a deep breath of my scent, she was gone.

For a few heartbeats we stood in silence, all too aware of the danger that had swept in and, for some unknown reason, left both of us still breathing. Stan appeared, probably summoned by his boss mind-to-mind. "Wine for the wolf. Something stronger for me."

"Cider, please." I needed my head on straight, especially since it was still attached to my body, at least for the time being.

Isaiah ran to the river and stripped off his clothes, then dove in, swimming against the rapid current. I guess this was his way of relieving stress, which we were both feeling in truck-loads. A blanket appeared near the shoreline along with a picnic basket, then Stan arrived with the drinks and a large towel for Isaiah. He dried himself then conjured a robe, lowering his graceful body to the blanket and opening the basket. I sat on the other corner and waited, taking shaky gulps of my spicy cider.

He ripped hungrily into a chicken leg tossing one to me at the same time. "I'm not often shocked, but Mother just turned my arrogant ass inside out and upside down."

"She knew it was me." The comment was unnecessary, but something inside me just had to spit it out—make it real.

"Yes, but then why would she leave you here? And why didn't she roast me on a spit for hiding you? Nothing about this makes any sense. She's told me over and over that she wants to imprison you in the DR so you can't lead the fae army against her."

"Maybe she's still gonna try and keep me here. Is there a way she can block my going home?"

"Not in my compound with me here to help." He ran his hand though his dark, unbound hair. "She's warned me off helping you or Jackie a dozen times."

"She could see through the glamour." I added before devouring another drumstick.

"That's impossible!" He tossed the chicken leg bones to the shore of the river. A fishy-looking creature with stubby legs and huge teeth crawled out and dragged it back under the water. I swallowed the bite I was chewing with a loud gulp. He was swimming with those things? I'd definitely be sticking to the pool.

Isaiah was mumbling between bites. "It doesn't make any sense."

"She's gotta have super powers at her age." I thought about how she'd looked at me, how she'd touched my hair, how she'd kissed and then sniffed me. "She looked at me like I was someone else. It was kinda creepy."

"Mother's the queen of creepy," he grumbled, showing his fangs for emphasis.

"She took in a sniff of me. Maybe she likes the smell of fae magic?" I suggested.

He scowled. "I suppose that's a possibility. When you use your magic, even under my glamour, the fae scent is still on your skin. It was there even when you were sparring with Stan."

"That isn't normal?"

"No. When you fight with demon energy, you should smell like one." He threw another bone toward the river. This time two of them fought over it. I tossed one of mine and they both scooted back with their prizes.

"River pups." He answered my unspoken question.

"Really? That's what you call them?"

"That's the English translation."

"Huh. River sharks would fit better. They don't bite you when you swim?"

"Nope. They recognize me because I feed them. They like bone marrow, not flesh." He shook his head. "Your mix of blood is unique, and I shouldn't have assumed that your wolf scent would hide your fae blood. That was my mistake."

"She got through your security," I pointed out.

"Are you trying to piss me off, because it's working."

I lifted my hands in submission. "Hey, I was just agreeing that her showing up was unexpected. So what now?"

"I'll reinforce the wards on my property," he murmured, frowning.

"And...?" I finished my next leg and threw it toward the river. This time it landed in the nearby bushes. Four river pups crawled out to wrestle over it, making little growly noises. Okay, so I guess
pups
made sense.

Isaiah narrowed his eyes and stayed silent. I knew enough not to interrupt. Finally he shrugged. "We'll go on as before. Tonight we'll work together on something new, as I've promised."

One of the pups barked. "They're kinda cute."

"Until they sting you and the wound turns black from the poison and you can't stop screaming from the pain of your body feeling like it's burning to ash. Because it is."

"Oh." I suddenly noticed the stinger on their fin-like tails.

"I feed them. They leave me alone. River pups keep other creatures away."

"Nothing seems to work on Moms."

He chuckled. "A good mother holds within her the strength of tungsten steel and the magic of a perfect dawn."

Sighing, I ran my fingers through my long hair, remembering the last few days I'd spent at home. Mom and I seemed to argue about every little thing, mostly because she wanted me to stay safe in a world she saw as dangerous, and with good reason. She'd been though hell and back and still fought tooth and nail to protect me. Right now, all I wanted to do was protect her, but she was out of my reach.

"You okay?" Isaiah asked."

"Yeah. I just feel like talking to Mom. Don't laugh."

"Kid, if I had a mom like yours, I'd want to talk to her too."

There was a sudden flux in reality as Marie appeared. "Forgive me for interrupting, Isaiah. Charles, your mother has sent me with a message." I listened, growing angrier by the second. Mom was going to court with only a few fae to protect her. Didn't she realize that Kennet was there and would definitely cause trouble?

It was pretty easy for me to read Marie at this point, so when she turned away, clenching her hands in her dress, I knew there was more. "Tell me the rest, please."

"Your father is being tortured by the vile Lord Kennet. He removed one of Garrett's fingers and sent it to your mother."

"I'm leaving now." I stood, feeling the usual tingle that indicated my eyes were beginning to show my rage. Marie backed away.

Isaiah took hold of my shoulder. "No, you're not. Thank you, Marie. Tell Jacqueline that her son is safe and healthy."

"I will tell her." Marie dissolved.

"You can't stop me." I fisted my hands at my sides. This was one battle I was winning.

"You know that I can." He stretched to his full height, all 6'6" of him.

"You'll have to chain me in silver or iron and you wouldn't do that to me."

"You think so? Even though I told you I was ready to beat you raw when you tried to control my mind? I wasn't kidding."

"But why are you keeping me here? She needs me."

His voice grew quiet. "I can't allow you to show your face in Faerie. I promised Jacqueline I'd keep you safe." There was something odd about his tone. His words seemed to hang in the air, a challenge between us.

I put my brain to work. What could I do to help Mom, but also make sure to stay safe? If I just showed up and told Mom I was coming, she'd send me back in a flash. If I went to the Faerie Court alone, I was dead meat.

My magical trinity stretched their claws, cheetah, demon and fae, all urging me to use some of the skills Garrett had drilled into me. This was a puzzle to be solved. I took in a slow breath and let my mind do the work, leaving my anger and frustration behind.

Garrett needed my help and so did Mom. I couldn't go as myself, but...maybe... I looked down at the werewolf form Isaiah had designed for me, then frowned. That wouldn't work. Caelen wouldn't take some strange werewolf to court, and I couldn't tell them it was me. Plus I didn't know if Isaiah could hold the glamour if I was in Faerie. But there had to be some way.

I glanced back up at Isaiah. He was smiling. Why? Then it hit me. Hard. "Is it possible?" I asked, taking two steps forward.

"We will see soon enough. You're Naberia's great-grandchild. You're also born of Fin's line with twice the potential. Once at court, your fae magic must feed your demon powers to hold the spell steady, otherwise it will implode and you'll be found out."

"I understand."

"Most importantly, you must promise me that you will flash out the minute your magic is compromised." I nodded. "Swear it."

"I swear I'll leave if I'm in real danger."

"Even if we discover that you have the gift, it may not work. We have only half the day. I may be forced to use some magic of my own to speed the process along, and that will take a toll on your mind and your body."

"My parents need me." That was the bottom line.

"We'll try it."

I laughed. "Everyone'll flip out. Especially Mom and Dad. I'll be grounded for years."

He grinned like the chaos-loving demon I'd grown to respect. "I know."

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Expecting to find me barely alive, Kennet was shocked that I'd healed. I probably looked healthier than I had in days.

The removal of my finger apparently didn't count toward my session of torture, so Kennet started in again with a whip, a long-time favorite of Eleanor's as well. Because I managed not to scream, I wasn't giving him as much pleasure as he'd hoped for. Disassociation was an old trick I'd learned while under the not so gentle hands of Eleanor. My body was suffering, but my mind had taken me back to an incident that had occurred when I was only a boy, living on our family farm.

Aaron and I were fishing, having finished our work and been given permission by my father to take a couple of hours off. My cousin
had been silent for at least ten minutes, which was so out of character I thought he might be ill.

Finally he spoke. "I'm considering becoming a vampire. What do you think?" He was seventeen, a full grown male, yet he acted like an unruly child much of the time. I'd only just turned sixteen, but was more constrained in my actions. Aaron called me a stick-in-the-mud, urging me often into mischief so he wouldn't be the only one in trouble when we were caught.

Aaron's mom was my mom's sister, also a cheetah shifter, but his dad was human. Aaron's DNA could have gone either way, but turned out human. It bugged him, so he'd often embellish the truth to make himself feel special. I thought he was the coolest cousin ever, at least most of the time.

I replied in my usual serious manner, my eyes wide. "Your father will kill you."

"I'll be dead already," he joked.

"He'll stake you."

"Nah. I'll be a good vampire."

"They don't exist. They're all evil." I argued.

"You don't know that. You've never met one."

"Neither have you." I added.