Soul Mates: Magic (Soul Mates Series) (14 page)

Chapter Eighteen

“What the hell happened?” I asked rushing to the front hall to see Daire collapsed on the floor, his breathing labored.

“We were attacked, just outside of the mound,” Avery said in a shaky voice.

I dropped to my knees next to Daire. “Where are you hurt?” I asked stripping off his shirt and checking his chest for injuries.

“One of the creatures tried to pick him up and fly off with him!” Kalen exclaimed. “Daire was awesome! He sliced off the head and fell thirty feet to the ground!”

“Oh my goddess!” I breathed in, feeling every bone in his chest to make sure it had healed properly.

Daire grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes. “I’m fine, my love.”

My eyes watered and I nodded, pushing my face into his neck. “You could have been killed,” I said.

“But I wasn’t. And I got the rings. We shall be well disguised, no one will see through this magic, not even the Queen. Shamus was quite happy with the trade, he even upgraded my ring and sent this powder for yours and Cole’s as well. We are able to take four additional warriors with us into the mortal world.”

“Cole has a ring?” I asked incredulous. He’d never worn it in my presence. I’d never seen him looking mortal.

Daire grinned. “Cole doesn’t like his mortal appearance.”

I stared up at Cole with a half smile and he shrugged. I looked back to Daire, who was still leaning against the wall holding my hands. “Can you stand?”

Daire smiled. “Yes, I can
stand; it wasn’t that bad of a landing. And the other creatures were dead by the time I hit the ground. Thanks to these six.”

“So have you decided who will get the rings?” Auberon asked as our whole party walked back to the throne room.

“Yes, I believe the best choice is to choose those that can pass for teenagers, who know the language.”

“That leaves me out,” Ferein said with a frown.

“Ferein, you would have the human girls falling all over you, you’re too… beautiful,” I said with a smile.

“Thank you, Princess,” Ferein said, his sweet voice enveloped me and it took me a moment to shake the enthralled feeling.

“And I have no wish to dress or act like a mortal teenager,” Nexil said.

Daire grinned. “I figured as much Nex, you and Ferein, Thane, Elvin, Cole and Siros will stay glamoured and be posted throughout the school. Peri, Avery, Kalen and Brokk will wear the rings and be enrolled in school. What classes I can’t be in, you four will join Abbey in and keep her safe.
Between classes two of us will walk with her. You will have two of us with you at all times.”

“Isn’t that a bit of overkill?” I asked. “What if I have to use the ladies room?”

Daire frowned. “You aren’t helping,” he said.

“Just thinking practically.”

“I will talk to Felicia. She wants to help as well. This way she can take care of any places we can’t go.”

“She’ll have to stay in glamour, for the same reason you will Ferein, but that should work.”

“Fine, whatever. I should go home. Mom and Dad are probably worried. I flashed out without saying when I’d be back,” I said heading for the door.

Daire caught my arm and pulled me into his embrace. “You aren’t going anywhere
, my love. You’re staying here. Auberon will call Max on the scrying glass and he can tell your parents that you will be staying in Faerie. After that last attack I’m even worried about us going out in the morning to school.”

“Daire, I have homework, it’s all at the house,” I said exasperated.

“Max can bring it, he’s the only one that can flash here and not have to worry about any nightmares coming after him.”

I frowned, I’d really been looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, but I supposed it was for the best and this way I knew Daire was safe too. “Fine.”

Max showed up a few minutes later with my backpack. “Here you go, Abs, homework delivery service,” Max said with a grin.

“Are Mom and Dad pissed?”

“They aren’t happy, but they know it’s for your safety.”

I nodded, picked up my bag and looked at Daire. “Don’t you have work to do too?”

“Probably, but I need to work out some more things. I’ll come say goodnight in a while.” Daire smiled at me then turned back toward the warriors.

“Fine,” I said and strode out of the room in frustration. This had been the longest day in the history of days. I was exhausted and really behind in my classes. All I really wanted to do was take a nice hot shower and go to bed, but I didn’t. I sat down at my table and pulled out my Algebra book.

I was asleep with my head in my book and my pencil in hand when Daire came into my room. “Mmm?” I murmured when he pulled the pencil from my hand. “No, gotta get this finished.”

“You are finished
, sweetheart,” Daire said picking me up and carrying me to my bed.

“Not,” I said sleepily.

“You’re exhausted, Abbey, sleep. I’ve brought a timepiece from Taban so you won’t be late for school. Now sleep.”

“Stay,” I said holding on to his arm and pulling him down onto the bed.

“For a while then,” he said softly, lying down next to me.

I awoke several hours later wrapped in his arms and I smiled. Then I remembered the unfinished Algebra assignments and the Government test I needed to study for. “Darn it!” I said sliding out of bed.

“Come back to bed, Abbey, you have plenty of time,” Daire said sleepily. “I had Taban set the timepiece so that an hour in here equaled a minute in mortal time outside of this room. You’ve only had…” Daire picked up the watch and looked at the face. “Six hours of sleep.”

“And how am I going to explain my absence from school for a week?”

“I’m sure your mother took care of that. Now come back to bed.”

I did as he asked and cuddled up next to him, drifting back to sleep for a few more hours. This time when I awoke Daire was gone. Probably
returned to his own rooms, but he’d left the timepiece. I smiled, got up and went back to work on my homework. I finished the algebra an hour later. I had just pulled out my Government notes and book to go over when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I said.

“Princess, is there anything I can get for you? Daire said you might be hungry.”

I smiled. “Thank you
, Aurora, I would love breakfast, but if it’s too much trouble, I will just have a sandwich.”

“It’s no trouble
, Princess; I will be back in a moment.”

I nodded and went back to my notes. Two hours passed before Aurora returned with food and I was starving. “Oh my goddess, you have no idea how much
I love you right now, Aurora!” I said taking a bite of scrambled eggs.

“I’m glad you like it
, Princess,” Aurora said with a smile. “If there isn’t anything else you need…”

“No this is fine, thank you,” I replied shoving another forkful of eggs into my mouth.

Aurora nodded and left the room. I went back to my studying between bites of nirvana. I was determined to pass this test if it killed me, and it just might with all of the information I had to memorize. I think I knew more about our legislators and their jobs than the actual legislators knew by the time I was finished.

I glanced at the
timepiece and realized I could still get several more hours of sleep before I had to leave for school, so I climbed back into bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I don’t know if I was dreaming or having a vision, but I was soon in the Dark Castle listening to the Queen rant about the loss of the Dark Stone and her failure to recapture Daire or me.

“That nauseating little girl thinks she is going to best me?” she said. “I will have her head on a platter and her heart for dessert!”

“Mother, why are you bothering with that child? She is no threat to you. You are the Queen of the Air and Darkness. She is nothing compared to you, to your power. She’s been lucky is all.”

“Lucky, yes the little bitch has been very lucky. Well her luck is about to run out,” The Queen said with an evil smile.

“You have a plan to get the Dark Stone back?”

“Oh yes, but first we need to find a certain Leprechaun…” the Queen said.

My eyes got wide, she was going after Shamus! I had to warn someone, I thought coming back to my body and waking up.

“Daire!” I called jumping out of bed. “Daire!”

I opened my door, ran down the hall and banged on his door. “Daire!”

Daire opened the door, still sleepy. “What is it my love, a nightmare?”
              “No! I saw her, she’s going after Shamus!”

“Shamus won’t deal with the Queen, he’s too smart for that.”

“I don’t’ think she is going to try and get him to work for her, I think she plans to use him to get to us. Like you did to get to him, she’s going to trace us through the rings.”

“Shamus isn’t going to allow it, but if it will make you feel better I will go and have a word with him.”

I nodded and then remembered the attack. “Wait, isn’t there someone else that can go?”

Daire looked at me with exasperation. “Abs, I will be fine. You can’t keep me from doing my job. I will take Cole with me. We’ll be back in time for school.”

“All right,” I said worriedly.

It was still early
, about three in the morning, so I went back to my chambers to wait for Daire’s return. But first I returned the timepiece to Taban. I didn’t want my waiting to be extended by hours. I think I wore a path into the ground from all of the pacing I did while I waited.

Daire returned two hours later. I opened the door before he had a chance to knock. “Well?”

“Shamus is aware of the Queen’s impending visit. He’s taking precautions. We don’t have to worry.”

“And you’re sure he won’t double cross us?”

“Well, not one hundred percent. He is a Leprechaun. They live to make trouble for the rest of us. But we’ve paid him fairly well, I don’t think he will.”

I bit my lip, nervous that the Queen would somehow find a way to get to us. “If you’re sure.”

“If I’m wrong, we’ll deal with her together,” Daire said stroking my cheek. “Now, you should get ready for school, we need to get there early so that the others can get into place.”

I nodded and allowed him to leave the room. I took my time making my bed and getting dressed for school. I really didn’t want to go. I was half afraid of what was waiting on the other side of the door. And then something inside me snapped. I was not going to let fear rule me, or my life. I was done being scared of what the Queen might do. I resolved to deal with her when the time came and
not hide from the inevitable. Daire was right. We could take on anything as long as we were together.

I met Daire and the others outside of the dining room. They’d all just finished eating. I wasn’t hungry, but Daire handed me an egg biscuit to take with me. “Cole and Thane will go
first; make sure the area is secure. The rest of us will follow and flash to the forest on the south side of the school, near the football fields.”

We did exactly as Daire said without incident. Everything went very smoothly and I was almost ready to let down my hyper vigilant guard and relax, but I dared not. I st
ayed on alert throughout the entire day, and for the next week. As the days passed and nothing of note happened I began to wonder if the dream had been just that, a dream and not a vision at all.

I was walking down the hall with Cole and Peri when I had that thought, and then I glanced up and caught sight of Michael leaning against his locker, a new girl all over him. She looked vaguely familiar. Her hair was a dark black, and her skin was a very pale white. I couldn’t place her and then she turned and looked me full in the face and I knew. My eyes got wide and I stopped short as the girl leaned in and kissed him. I could see the poison spreading through him as he dropped to the ground.

“No!” I shouted and ran to him. I hadn’t really cared for him and how he’d treated me, but he didn’t deserve to die because of it. “What have you done?” I asked staring up at Póg Tocsaineach.

“Turn over the Dark Stone or more will die,” she said in Gaelic with a smirk as she fixed her lip gloss.

“I can’t turn over what I don’t possess!” I shouted at her. I looked at Cole, wondering what I was supposed to do. Michael’s breathing was labored; he was going to die if I didn’t try to do something. I took a couple of deep breaths and recalled my training with Tatiana. There was only a slight chance that I would be able to counter act the poison she’d given him. I pulled the vial of belladonna and fennel seeds, the same one I’d used for Daire, out of Never Never, and opened the lid carefully. I had to administer it in the right amount or the belladonna would kill him. Daire had only had a tiny amount of the poison, it hadn’t been a full on kiss that time. With Michael I wasn’t sure how much would be enough.

“How much Cole?” I asked with a worried glance.

“Not my expertise Princess, I don’t know. Trust your instincts.”

I nodded, pulled an
eyedropper from Never Never and filled it to three milligrams. I held my breath and prayed to the gods and goddesses that this would work. Michael was slipping fast, his heart was racing so rapidly that I thought it might explode in his chest. I squeezed the dropper into his gaping mouth and pushed his jaw closed, holding it so that the belladonna and fennel seeds could do their job.