Tainted (12 page)

I stood there a second before heading to my room stifling giggles the entire way. 

“Miss Grace.  Why are your undergarments on the outside?  They should be UNDER garments, not OUTER garments.”

“Thank you for that observation, Danella.  Can you help me get ready?  I have a new outfit to wear?”

“Did you have something made?  I can’t wait to see it,” she took a turn giggling and rubbing her hands together.

“No, Danella.  Miss Dan!  But I however, will find it very comforting.  You however will frown at me.”

I practically ran into my room and realized halfway through the garden I was still holding the
ammo
and tucked it in my sleeve.

A note was folded and lying on top of the neatly folded shirt and jeans.

Adventures behind us,

More will come,

Tonight we celebrate

What we’ve become.

Meet me in the garden

Right before noon

Wearing this and my secret

And the lavender perfume.

“He is demanding!” And poetic.

“What is it, Miss Grace?”

“Sorry, I forgot I wasn’t alone.”

“What is this?”  Danella gestured to the clothes.

“The clothes you hid from me.  I have them back, thanks to Ian.”

“At what cost?”

“Not your business, Miss Nosy.  Some things are best not known by my lady’s maid.  Now, my bath and some privacy.”

Danella’s crestfallen face showed me I’d let her down.

“I’m sorry, Danella.  It’s just Ian is really, really great and I don’t want to share this with anyone.  Can you respect that?”

She smiled a second time.  “Yes, Miss Grace, as long as it’s honorable.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, it’s a picnic, Danella.  You helped plan it, remember.”

“Who is Pete?”

I rolled my sometimes-I-have-to-explain-everything eyes.  “No one.  No one at all.”

“Okay!”  And she followed me to the bath.

I flipped the paper back open to the bottom and finished reading the final lines I didn’t get to before Danella was hovering over me.

Hurry, don’t be late

Our trampoline awaits

We haven’t had our first date!

                            In love with every part of you, Ian

I’m going on a date.  A real date.  With the man I’m going to marry.
 
Perhaps destiny is a real thing and we were meant to have this now.  Dang it if I still didn’t want my fairy tale fantasy.

I zoomed through the bath, lathered in lavender, and dressed slowly in my favorite well fitted, tie-dye princess sleeved t-shirt and button-up low-riding “diva” flare jeans.  Just a little strawberry flavored lip gloss and voila, ready
. 
And scared to death!

Walking quicker than lady like, the impatience of wanting to be there pressed more and more.  With him.  I concentrated on trying to catch his thoughts but nothing until rounding the garden entrance and finding my guards there waiting.  I was trying to catch Ian’s scent with the hope that he was already there.  Padding through the garden on tiptoes, the absence of others was easily noticeable.  I walked further in and stopped to send out my trace to find any thoughts or scents.

There, spread out on the ground in front of the fountain was a large blanket, more food then Ian or I could eat, and actual pillows. Thankfully there were no water sprites, but also no Ian. 

Something moved behind me and I twirled around.  And there stood the most amazing sight.  I looked him up and down rather suggestively before I had time to think.  The one raised eyebrow of perfection and crooked smile shined back in the glow of the fountain.  I drew in a breath to catch the wind and found him and someone else but concentrated and told the unwanted presence to buzz off. 

“Are you checking me out, ma’am?”

Ma’am! 
He was wearing an old concert t-shirt from our junior year, jeans, and boots. 
Hmmm! Mmmm!
He wants to play a game
. 
I smiled, “Yes, I am.  Have I met you before?”

His hands covered his heart, “You hurt me.  Forgotten already on the first date.”

“Oh, we
are
moving fast!  Next, you’ll pull out a ring or something.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, which was rare for me.  I loved this flirting thing having missed out on that for years.
More please?

Yes, I agree.

Huh?  You heard.

Concentrating on me that hard are ya?

Rub!  Rub!  My pendant was warm from my touch now.  He watched my other hand move through my hair second by second.  I bit my lip with him watching too carefully.  He looked at my chest.  Oh! 
Underneath
! 
Men!  Wow!  Power, I have.
  I was so glad he couldn’t read my thoughts now.

“May I?” he gestured to the blanketed area.

“Not hungry!” 
“Keep him guessing”
, Teen magazine used to say.

“Humor me, love.”  He took my hand and pulled me to the blanket.  We sat down facing each other and he raised a glass of something red in my direction and then to himself.  “Red or green grapes?”

“Red?”

He picked one up and put it in my mouth. 

As I chewed, “this is very forward for a first date.  I can feed myself.”

He circled his hand around as if to go ahead.  I took a bunch of them and started munching.  He copied me.  I sat so stiff like I had cramps in my side and tried to wriggle around to get comfortable.  If this is what I missed dating, I wasn’t missing the uncomfortable seating.  I felt like all eyes were on my every move, or at least his two eyes, though I was looking everywhere but at him.

“Are you avoiding me?”

“Oh, no!  I’m just…nervous, I guess.”  I checked the air once more.  Only Ian’s mint and woodsy smell did I meet and that made me ease a little but I kept up my alert. 

“Nervous?  Why?”

It spilled out before I meant it too.  “Because you are just staring at me, feeding me, focused on me, and this!”  I pointed all around me.

“It’s just me.”

“That’s the problem.  I’ve never done this.  Or with you.”

He reached over, pulled me closer, and kissed my cheek.   “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah!” I dragged out my confused sigh.  When I tried to take in a deep breath to calm myself I noted that Pike’s scent was no longer present. 

"Actually, we did this every Friday with chips and cookies and the stars."

Ian picked up a green grape, popped it in his mouth, and slouched back on one arm laying his legs out beside him.  “Is this the Romeo effect you like to reference, cause it's working?”  He looked too smooth.  Why could a man completely make a girl swoon with a smile? 

He caught my own personal reference to Shakespeare and I smiled too wide to play coy like I was better at it.  “What is your favorite book you’ve ever read?”

“You know the answer already,” I rolled my eyes.

“Humor me.”

“Tie!  Romeo and Juliet and Dracula!”

“Dracula?  You never had that sitting on your balcony.”

“That’s because it stayed under my pillow where I could read it when I wanted to,” I popped a grape in my mouth.

“What?  I didn’t know that!”

“Alas!  Not so one who peeps in windows. It is only the beginning to what you don’t know!” I giggled.

“A quote no doubt?”

“What do you know about Bram Stoker?  Anything, Mr. Know it all?”

“No, a surprise, no doubt,” he pouted.

“What do you want to know next?” I caught him off guard. 
Ha!
  I’ll save him.
 
“What is your favorite book?”

“Proving wrong the novel
Midsummer’s Night Dream
.”

“So expected that, but didn’t see it coming!”  I laughed.

He laughed too.

“What is your current favorite color?”

“Easy, green.”  I didn’t hesitate.  “Has been for years.”

“Why?”

“Ian, you know why?”

“No I don’t.”

“You should.  Your eyes have haunted me for longer than I can remember. Yours?  Favorite color I mean.”

“Never had one until now.  Only allowed to relish in your beauty on a recent note.” 

I raised a skeptical eyebrow.  “Blushing.”

“Favorite food?” he asked.  He knew this already too.

“A giant burger with dill pickles, aged cheddar cheese, and A1 sauce.”

“What, not chicken and dumplings?”
              “”No!”  My rolling shudder at the thought began to flutter.  He knew that too.

“For the record, I don’t either.”

“What, you ate them anyway?  Why?”

“It’s what I had to do to be there...with you.” 

I smiled admiring his hidden gifts of the past.  He really did go out of his way to be with me.  Yes, the guarding thing was rather an important part of the equation, but he didn’t have to do a lot of the things he went through.  My heart leapt up and sang a rather less soulful rendition of James Brown’s “I Feel Good” with a swivel of devil Grace dancing along.  And at the same time, I felt cherished.  I termed it that way before in my mind, but it was becoming clearer that he was all this mixed into a one wonderful perfect man.

“See, we both have found out things about each other we didn’t know before.  I want to know everything else now.”

We stayed like that for a while, laughing and talking about just about
every
thing.  When it started to get dark Ian looked at the garden entryway where my guards were just outside.  They nodded and walked all the way in and he nodded back to them.  I didn’t even know that hours had passed.

“How do you do that?”

“What?”

“Communicate without talking.”

“Unlike you or I all others read each other’s minds.”

“But they are not Fey, I thought.”

“Yes, but they are in my court.  And they were picked to guard specifically you.”

“Can they read my mind?” 

“Yes!”

“Do they tell you what I think?”  I might be okay with this ignorance and really wanted to not know the answer, but as the “in charge” person, I might need that tidbit of information for later. 

“Sometimes when it is necessary.”

“Ugh!”

“Not anything like what you think, Grace.  They only tell me where you are or what you need?”

“Oh, but they…can you teach me to block out others better?”

“Sure…first thing tomorrow morning.  Lessons begin.”

I was feeling great with that development and purposefully forgetting to bring up that Pike helped before with the same skills. When Danella walked up Ian asked if I wanted to take any snacks with me, but I said no. I smiled at her instinctive ability to automatically clean and turned back to Ian knowing what it was I’d forgotten.  “Wait.”  I told Ian.  I hinted to Danella, “Did you remember the cookies?”  Something appeared behind her back.

“Ready?”  I popped back over to Ian.  He held out his hand and we walked holding hands all the way to the trampoline.  When I felt a rose slide against my ear I didn’t let my heart miss a beat of it.

His smile was everything I wanted.  “You saved them,” he cried when I popped open the tin.

I jumped up onto the trampoline barefoot and patted the middle with Ian tunnel vision in full effect once again.  He smiled and followed.  We laughed, emptied the plate clean, and fell asleep just after dark holding each other. 

Altheon actually was the one who woke us from our outside slumbering bliss.  Ian opened his eyes beside me to the sound of a happy whistling.  Altheon was lighting the campfire down below us.

“Oh, did I wake you?”  He chuckled and kept folding sticks into the pile that started to crackle.

“No, Altheon, you knew precisely when you would wake me.”

“Yes, well are you two comfy up there?” Ian didn’t dignify with an answer and I for sure didn’t.  “Is Miss Grace ready for those blocking lessons?”

My head popped up at the sound of my name.  “How did you know?  Oh, never mind.”  I dropped back down closing my eyes to the sound of Altheon moving a stick around on the dirt for even in my sleepiness, my hearing was excellent it seems.  My hair was tousled in all directions and I had to rearrange my clothes.  I was discreet, but I was aware that Ian was guarding me like a wall of privacy.  I smiled up at my gentleman, “Good morning.” 

“Good morning,” he whispered close to me.  That same gentleman’s eye stayed glued to the black strap peeking out of my twisted arm sleeve I was wrestling with. 
Hmm!

“Altheon says he is ready for your blocking lesson.  Are you?”

“Might as well.”  I rolled over to him, kissed his cheek, and continued off the trampoline.  The fire smelled so nice and turned out to be a welcome morning aroma.

“Sit down across from me.  We will start with a simple thought and build up.”  Altheon’s contagious smile didn’t keep me grumpy too long.

“Here?” I motioned to the log across the fire, “Or here?” I motioned to the log beside him.

He pointed to the log across the fire from him.  “Now, think about a single idea, such as what you might eat for breakfast.”

No warm up sit-ups I see. 
I closed my eyes and pictured the fireworks exploding from the day before.  As soon as the other objects involved in the fiasco from Pike appeared I shouted, “No!  Wait.”

Altheon giggled like a school girl. 

“Stop that.  It serves you right for asking as soon as I wake up.”

“Sweet dreams last night I imagine for Master Ian.  I heard about the fireworks.”

Ian was building the fire during all this, but stopped and turned to Altheon at the sudden newsworthy tidbit.  Altheon said he learned of it from an inside source that would soon be found out if Ian had anything to do with it.  Ian knew my wrath was going to unleash on him later for anyone knowing about it and gave him a face that would assure it.

“Don’t worry, my queen.  It’s all rumors and you know how they gossip by now.  Now, shall we try breakfast?”

I kept my eyes open this time and folded my arms in protest but soon found myself in silent longing for another time and place.  I missed going with Ian and eating the eggs, the salty bacon, and rich buttery toast at the breakfast diner in downtown Winslow.
 
It was a tradition that was cut off now.

“This little restaurant must be good.  The food sounds splendid.”

“Yeah!”
I loved thinking of the times that Ian and I went there after our morning hikes to Devil’s Den.  “Being alone with him was heaven no matter what we did.”

“That’s sounds wonderful.  If I was young again you’d be one feisty young one to conquer.”

I was so shocked at him being a flirt much less him knowing my memories now.  “How do I guard myself from Fey like you?  That is extremely frustrating?”

“See, feist worth fighting for, my queen.  Ian knows what he has, I assure you." He grinned with his large mustache sticking out everywhere and then straightened his face like he was back to business.   "You first need to realize that you will have to use the most control when you are thinking of Ian, as he has to also.” Ian nodded to me smirking. “Because you have such a deep connection with him, per love and all that jazz, you will need to guard your innermost feelings if you don’t want them shared.”

“Are you saying that everyone knows what Ian is thinking about me and I him?”  I blushed.

“If we are close by you, yes.  I felt your dreams before you woke this morning.”

“My dreams.  You see my dreams.”  I am going to die of embarrassment from the mere thought of others knowing my thoughts before myself.

“We all do, my queen.  Your brain episode this morning confirmed the explosion rumor from yesterday for this is why you need to block.  We will not know them much longer if you can get it under control.”

“This is vividly embarrassing.”
Note to self.  Practice blocking every free minute.  And freaking find a way to control my dreams.

“Why, what do you dream other than our dream?”  Ian asked puzzled.

Strange enough, I’ve dreamed such odd things lately
.
  “Uh, well, my dreams have been different lately right before I wake up.  What am I saying, I’m not telling any of this aloud? And I am not facing anyone, ever again.”

“Calm down.  Only if they were near your room.  That leaves only Danella, Tren, and…” he looked over at Ian, “…Ian.”

I’d ponder later why Ian was near my room other than when I knew.   Checking on me I guess.

“And he can’t see mine so that leaves Danella and Tren.  That’s not so bad.”  I looked to Ian.  He sheepishly nodded a “yes” in my direction.  “What, Ian?”

“I can sense your dreams somehow.  It’s the only connection I have left that’s strong.”

“This is why you stay close to my room?”  But apparently just not the mornings.

He nodded.

Oh, Ian.  It was sweet, but
NO WAY!

“Back to guarding your thoughts.  Think of your breakfast again.  And this time keep your hand on the amulet hanging under your shirt.  Rub it between your fingers.   Focus on the thought, but focus more on the touch of the amulet.”

Ian was right all along.  But how did I block them for all those years if I didn’t know to hold it, or stroke it?  If my skin was the key to blocking, and when it loses contact they can read me…of course, I never realized that if I’d simply just put my fingers against it, it would create the skin touch it needed. 
Duh! 

It felt odd.  But here goes!  A fastidious left hand to the amulet and eyes closed, a whole minute passed.

“Very good Miss Grace!  I do think however you’ll not need the charm all the time.  You seem stronger with just minutes of practice.”

I jolted up hearing my name.

“I saw only darkness, my queen.  Good job.”  Altheon pointed to Ian.  “Your turn.”

“I can’t hear her.”

“No, but you can me.  I want to channel two links.  See if you can see her thoughts through me.”

The seer turned to me.  “First, think of the breakfast again without holding the amulet.” 

Why no amulet?

“Patience.”

Uhh! 

“A queen must control this.  Otherwise, we are sending you to the wolves.”

I thought and pictured the same breakfast and waited knowing will and can just ask others what I am thinking
. 

Ian gasped.  I watched him and knew he’d seen the way my thoughts had led. 
He saw
!

“You can do that?”  He looked at Altheon.  “Pike has done it, but I thought it was because we were both a prince to a prince.  No one else has ever….”

“Only because you didn’t try.  This is a good and bad thing to do.  It makes the queen very vulnerable.  As you!  It is not an advisable tool to share with anyone but your queen.  Try it again with the other amulet.  The ruby red one.  The other is too weak.  Even with amulets a powerful magic can break in so she needs only the strong one.  She is unaware of the amount she can conjure is and therefore at risk.  At some point, it will backfire and we don't want it at the wrong time now, do we?”

I did as he asked and set aside the older one my mom had given me and held the one Ian had given me in junior high for my thirteenth birthday party in the kitchen with my other two best friends.  Pizza and ice cream was all I wanted that night, as well as a bag of chips and my friends on the trampoline.  Boy, things had changed. 

“Control!  I don’t want to hear about your birthdays of the past.”

I grimaced and pulled the amulet out and held it for him to see giving a dirty look.  I’d asked Danella to slip it to me last night to surprise him.   He registered instantly what my thoughts had just lingered on. 
Surprise!

I kept my eyes open, watched Ian, touched the necklace, and pictured our breakfast for the fourth time this morning that hasn’t even happened yet. 
Getting hungry here!

A minute passed.

“Nice!  You are getting stronger.  I think Ian actually gives you strength instead of weakening you.”  Thanks for the assessment I didn’t ask for and already knew
.
“How?”

“You’re welcome.  My guess, you were wearing the amulet he gave you, your connection being love made the power of the amulet stronger.  I suggest you invest in more of those wonderful trinkets Master Ian.”

“Will be granted!”  He smiled at me.

Oh, Ian! 

“Discard the ones given to you otherwise.”

I mostly didn’t disagree with that.  I would miss the ugly ones from my mother, but only because of the recent sentimental value they obtained because of the lack of nearness to her.

“But I have a request and a side note.”  Neither of us responded to him.  “The side note is...a bonus of sorts.  After you have consummated the marriage, the two of you will be able to hear each other freely without any other able to, any distance.  This is a gift of the Seelie court to her king and queen.  Only Lazyra and I will know this as it is how it happens with each new throne.  Enjoy and use it wisely.   Do not see it as a hindrance.” This was directed at me.  I wondered if all princes were aware of the fact, Kin in particular.

“Kinsler is aware of the concept.”

Ian’s glare was on me.  I didn’t like it one bit.

  “Now, one more test and we will work some more tomorrow.  Eyes open, touching the amulet, off your neck, and in your hand watching your subject in concentration.”

I did.  We did the whole procedure again.  It worked the same with the exception that this was way HOT and too saucy to be done in front of someone.  A little privacy would have been nice!  The necklace slipped from sweaty hands.

“Very well,” he turned to Ian, “make those trinkets into bracelets, not neck pieces.”

Ian nodded. 

Humph! Already done!  Kin stole it!  Both of them.

“He did?  Well, then.  I’ll ponder that piece of information.  Meanwhile, we will meet here tomorrow morning, same time.”

“
Same
time
?  Another bat time! This is too early,”  I protested.

Altheon didn’t respond to my plea but instead turned the fire over and told us, “If her finery is not ready by morn, then bring the amulet by hand.  And Grace, please try to practice with it.  Block or we are all doomed. If done well, you will be able to block without the amulet before too long.”

Oh!  Lovin’ that!

“Oh, and Miss Grace,” he continued, “Kinsler is the Unseelie prince no matter what his king says, exiled or not.  And yes, his king can communicate with his queen in the same way after consummation if there were one and knows of things in the two courts he should not, but can’t be helped.”

It just seems that sometimes one has to pretend to be normal in a world of weirdness.  Smiling your best fake-it smile was sometimes the best you could do.   He knew something
still
I didn’t and wanted to confirm this fact with me.  I will never pretend to know Altheon’s mind, but I have learned to appreciate his unfounded knowledge and advice.

Ian and I left early to breakfast where I reluctantly voiced to Ian what Altheon was confirming about Kin.  He knew about the mind ability between king and queen and how to gain it.  I didn’t blush at the thought but rather cringed, more because he knew already.  Ian’s man hackles were up at thinking the same thoughts I did and he didn’t like that my mind pondered it, but it was only because I presumed this might be a good reason for Kin to attain me as his supposed bride.  Kin seemed to be one with a forceful nature.  I hated even entertaining the thoughts.

Danella met me at the garden with a brush and a reminder of the disapproval for my outfit.  I silently thanked her for slipping me the amulet unnoticed in the night. She detangled my hair just before rushing to join Ian at the table.  Greeted with several stares at my off human attire, I ignored them.  I ate, relished in the smell of the early morning baked bread and a cup of Earl Grey tea with one spoon of sugar, retired to my room, bathed, and stayed in the water to let my muscles loosen from the tension of sleeping on a trampoline.   When I came out of the bath, lathered in lavender and vanilla bean extract, I lingered before having to put back on the long gown I was expected to wear away from my human side of life.  I promised myself that Danella would take me shopping at the human mall for jeans and such.  I walked to my bed to wring out my sopping wet hair and sat down at the foot of it to toss it upside down and drain the water into the towel.