Blood of the Exiled (Witch Fairy Book 10) (8 page)

I nod.
 
“Yes, we are.
 
We know privacy can be hard to come by here.”

“Do Grandmother and Dagda know about this?” Kegan asks.

“Sort of,” I hedge.
 
“I ran the concept past Isla and she thought it would be nice.”
 
She did not, however, say go ahead and do it.

“But you did not tell her you were planning to give us the key regardless of what she thought?” Alita guesses.

Hands on my hips, I ask, “Does she really need to know everything?”
 

“What a curse that would be,” a deep voice says from the doorway.
 
I turn to find Raziel and Adriel standing there.

Surprised, I say, “Hey, I thought you two went to bed ages ago.”

For some reason, that brings a blush to Adriel’s cheeks even though the two of them sleep in separate rooms.
 
At least, they give the appearance that they do.
 
ses himed.
 
at she would cause a stir and she needs to deal with the consequen
I consider it for half a second and then decide I don’t want to know anything about their sex life.
 
Or lack of one if that’s the case.
 
I’m not up on Fallen Angel premarital sex etiquette, nor do I want to be.
 
Do Angels even get married?

“We have not yet retired for the evening,” Raziel says.

“We took a walk on the beach.
 
I forgot how beautiful it is here,” Adriel says, leaning against the door frame.
 
“It is a shame we must leave tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” I start to say and then realize what she just said.
 
“Tomorrow?”
 
I wasn’t planning to leave for a couple of days.
 
I figured Alita and Kegan deserved a few days of pleasant married life, maybe in Colorado, before dragging them into god knows what with the Witches.

“Let me guess,” Kallen says dryly, “If we do not leave tomorrow there will be disastrous consequences.”

Raziel tilts his head towards him.
 
“You are correct.”

“Tomorrow?”
Kegan says, sounding very much like someone who has changed his mind about going.

“You’re not going to tell us why, are you?” I ask.

Coming in and plopping down on the bed next to Kallen, Adriel says, “Quit whining.”
 
“You know the rules.”
 
I feel a great need to stick my tongue out at her.
 
So, I do.
 
She laughs.
 
“That is mature.”

I shrug.
 
“It seemed the correct response to your snark.”

With consideration I couldn’t feign at the moment, Kallen says to Kegan and Alita, “If you would rather stay behind, we can easily go without you.
 
We will not pressure you to come with us.”

I try really hard not to appear disappointed.
 
I was looking forward to having them with us.
 
Not only to show them the realm
I grew
up in, but also having Alita around to detect dark magic.
 
I hope to sound chipper when I say, “It’s true.”
 
Apparently, chipper is not in my repertoire at the moment.
 
I sound as disappointed as I feel.

Kegan turns to Alita and a silent communication goes back and forth between them.
 
Kegan raises his eyebrows, Alita shrugs and then they both kind of grimace.
 
Finally, Kegan says, “What time tomorrow?”

“Does that mean you are still coming?”
 
I can’t hide the excitement in my voice.

“Of course we will,” Alita says,
then
she covers her mouth and yawns.
 

Kegan immediately stands and holds his hand out to her.
 
“Yes, we will still come.
 
Just try not to make it too early.”
 
He gives Kallen a meaningful look.
 
Kallen smirks in return.
 
“Now, if you will excuse us, my beautiful bride and I will be retiring.”

Adriel gets up.
 
“Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea.”
 
She walks to Raziel who gives us a slight wave of his hand in good night before they disappear down the hall after Kegan and Alita.

Kallen gets up to close the bedroom door.
 
“Raziel has the unnerving ability to give
all
 
plans
an ominous feel,” he gripes.

“I think it’s worse from his point of view.
 
He knows whether or not things will go well, or if we will meet our doom, and he can’t tell us either way.
 
That has to suck for him.”

Kallen’s face becomes a blank page.
 
“I believe I will shower before coming to bed.”

Irritated, I say, “Stop it.”

His eyebrows smash together.
 
“Stop what?”

I walk over to him with a smile on my face and wrap my arms around his tense body.
 
“Stop acting jealous every time I say something nice or considerate about Raziel.
 
I chose you, remember?”

After a second’s hesitation, Kallen’s arms come up from his sides and curl around me, holding me close.
 
“Yes, thank god.”

I peer up at him, “So you’ll stop acting jealous?”

I squeal as I am suddenly lifted from the floor and cradled in his arms as he walks towards the bed.
 
“The day I stop being jealous of anyone who desires you will be the day I die,” he purrs.
 
He lays me down gently on the bed and settles over me on his hands and knees.

“You have nothing to be jealous about with Raziel,” I try again.

He grins.
 
“I know.”

Annoyed now, I huff, “Then why do you get jealous?”

He leans down and kisses me.
 
“Because I refuse to ever take your love for granted.”
 

“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” I say, pulling him back for more kisses.

“Then I am free to be a jealous husband?” he asks, nibbling my ear lobe.

I laugh.
 
“To a point.”

“Then I guess I need to make sure you never desire anyone else,” he whispers in my ear.
 
He proceeds to do so.

Stopping at the exact spot where I had opened a passageway to this realm, I turn in a small circle looking at the unfamiliar trees surrounding me.
 
I was told they are bitternut trees.
 
The sky is dark, storm clouds blocking out the moon.
 
The sky looks how I feel.
 
How poignant this all seems.

I close my eyes and let power build inside of me, a rush of magic so strong I should not be able to hold it all.
 
But I do.
 
I call my wings to me now.
 
I am going to tap all of my power on this night – Witch, Fairy and Angel.
 
Magic flows into me like molten rock, hot and heavy.
 
My fingers and toes begin to tingle as I hold back, not releasing any of my power yet.
 
The air crackles around me, waiting.
 
Finally, I open my eyes once again and say the words I may regret later.
 
“By my blood and ancient rites, I call the creatures of evil to me tonight.
 
Earth, water, sky and fire, bring me now my desire.
 
Enemies anew and those of old, come to me strong and bold.
 
Show me your faces, the magic in your soul, come to me and atone for the lives you almost stole.”

I drop to one knee and touch my hand to the ground.
 
Light shoots from me in many directions, my magic searching for those I seek.
 
It will bring them to me whether they are on land or sea, close or far.
 
They will have no
choice,
they cannot resist my magic for it is infinitely greater than theirs.
 

My eyes let go of the light and travel up the house to a window shining brightly in the night.
 
My friends are watching me, wanting to stop me, but they know they can’t.
 
I feel Kallen in the shadows of the night, close but far enough to leave me to what I must do.
 

All around me, Witches are beginning to appear.
 
Witches who are young and old, heavy and thin, strong and weak stand before me now.
 
None of them are happy to be here, but they cannot escape.
 
Peeking back up at the window, my friends are no longer watching.
 
Perhaps they can’t watch me do
this,
watch me become as evil as my enemies.
 
Are they right?
 
Do I have a choice other than this one, I wonder.
 
Nothing comes to mind.
 

I awaken with a gasp, struggling to get air into my tight lungs.
 
A nightmare, that’s all it was.
 
My worst fears come to haunt me in the night, but it felt so real.
 
I could smell the freshly mown grass and the scent of the flowers growing near the house.

Kallen stirs next to me.
 
Still half asleep, he mumbles, “Everything okay?”

“I just had a bad dream, go back to sleep,” I say quietly.
 
His strong arm wraps around me and he pulls me close.
 
I curl into him and lie awake until dawn before sleep claims me again.

As always, morning comes way too soon.
 
We are awakened by a knock on our bedroom door and then Adriel’s voice saying, “We must leave soon.
 
Rise if you have any hope of breakfast.”

“Breakfast is overrated,” I grumble through the door at her.
 
I close my eyes again and snuggle closer to Kallen.
 
I haven’t had nearly enough sleep yet to function properly.

“Raziel has things to tell you before we leave.”

That has my eyes flying open.
 
Kallen’s
,too
.
 
“What kind of things?” I ask, throwing the covers back and getting out of bed so quickly I nearly stumble.
 
I head to my closet in search of clothes.
 
It is rare Raziel will divulge anything of importance and I won’t give him time to change his mind.

“You will only know that when you come down for breakfast,” she says smugly.

“Fine, we’re coming,” I tell her, not hiding my annoyance.
 
“Give us two minutes.”
 
I guess she’s okay with my response because I can hear her footsteps growing faint in the hall as she retreats to the stairs.
 

“What do you think he wants to tell us?” I ask Kallen as I step into a pair of jeans from my ‘real’ clothes stash.
 
I pull a dark blue t-shirt over my head while waiting for his answer.

“I am sure it will be something cryptic,” he says as he dresses himself with magic and runs a hand through his messy hair.
 

I give him a sour look.
 
“Be nice.”

He grins and pulls me close.
 
“I am always nice.”
 

I snort.
 
“That’s like saying I’m always nice.”
 
Um, I think I just insulted myself.

Kallen leans down and kisses me.
 
“I promise to play nice if you do.”

I grimace.
 
“For how long and under what circumstances?”

He chuckles and shakes his head.
 
“Yes, life with you and that constantly whirring brain of yours will always be interesting.”

I step back.
 
“My brain is not constantly whirring.”
 
Did I just insult myself again?
 
I’m not sure.

I don’t hear what Kallen says in response because a blinding light fills the room.
 
A light so bright, only an Angel could have created it.
 
“Hello, my beautiful granddaughter,” Lailah’s sing-song voice says behind me.

I turn around and smile.
 
I’m still not used to seeing her young and devastatingly beautiful.
 
She wasn’t ugly before, far from it.
 
But when Angels Fall, they lose some of their Angel glamour.
 
Not to mention, Lailah had grown old while she was in my realm.
 
Now, she is a vision with blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen.
 
They look like the ocean at high noon.

“Grandma!”
I say and give her a big hug.
 
Stepping back, I ask, “What are you doing here?”

Lailah reaches a hand out and pushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Like Raziel, I have things to tell you before you leave.”

I groan.
 
I’m beginning to think this is the Angel version of ‘we have to talk’.
 
Nothing good ever comes from that conversation.
 
“Do I want to hear what either of you have to say?”

A pretty, tinkling laugh escapes her.
 
“You are such a delight.”

That didn’t answer my question.
 
I try a different approach.
 
“Is it about Grandpa?”
 
My throat gets tight just thinking about him.

“Yes,” she says softly, a shadow falling across her face.
 
Not her favorite subject either, I see.

There’s a question I’ve been dying to ask her.
 
“What made you choose him?
 
He’s a weenie with a capital W.
 
Why did you Fall for him?”

Her expression lightens again and she laughs.
 
“Yes, I suppose he is a weenie.”
 
The words sound strange coming from someone so beautiful.
 
Lailah sits on the edge of the bed and pats the space next to her.
 
“Come, sit with me.”
 

I give a guilty glance to Kallen’s still form.
 
I know it’ll feel like no time has passed when Lailah leaves, but it still seems rude to leave him like that.
 
Regardless, curiosity gets the better of me.
 
I sit down next to my grandmother who now looks young enough to be my sister.

“Where to begin?” she says, shaking her head.
 

Trying hard not to sound snarky, I suggest, “At the beginning?”

Amused, she says, “Of course.”
 
She takes in a deep breath and her words come out on her exhale.
 
“I was asked to
Fall
.”

It takes a moment for the full weight of what she said to hit me.
 
Grandma waits patiently for the impact.
 
“You were asked to
Fall
?” I repeat stupidly.
 
“So, you and Grandpa had an arranged marriage?”
 
That explains a LOT.
 
“So, you didn’t pick him?”
 
I have infinitely more respect for her right now.

She smiles sadly.
 
“Yes and no.”

“What do you mean?”

“I did nothing against my will, but in order for you to be
born,
I had to be the one to Fall.”

“The whole Angel of Fertility and Love thing?”

She nods.
 
“Yes.
 
No other Angel would have been able to bear a child while
Fallen
.”

My mind is having trouble accepting this at face value.
 
“If you knew I would be born, why did you freak out when Mom told you she was pregnant?”

Misery forms a shroud around her.
 
“When I told you this before, I know you doubted me and with good reason.”
 
She looks towards the balcony and the sun that is rising.
 
“Even though I knew what was to come, it was still a shock when my daughter, who had been kept in relative seclusion, had managed to get pregnant.
 
I was both flustered and a little scared when faced with the responsibility set before me while I was
Fallen
.
 
My magic was so limited in that life and you are so important.
 
You needed to be guarded, protected.
 
I told your grandfather immediately, thinking we would work together to do this.
 
I thought we would whisk your mother away to somewhere you both would be safe.
 
I had grown to love your grandfather during our life together and I forgot his role in your destiny – to be weak of mind.
 
My heart was shattered when he reacted the way he did.”
 
She looks at me again.
 
“The thought of not bringing you into the world was such a foreign concept that I was dumbfounded.
 
I did everything I could in that form to go against him and his Witan.”
 
She says Witan like it’s a bowl full of cow intestines she’s supposed to suck through a straw.
 
Great.
 
Now I’m imagining what cow intestines would taste like.

“But, you said you knew he was supposed to be weak-minded,” I say, remembering what Raziel had told me about the whole thing.
 
As part of a pact between the Angels, Witches and Fairies, his mother made this concession.

Lailah smiles sadly.
 
“To know a thing and to experience it firsthand
are
two completely different things.
 
In our day to day lives, it was difficult to see the subtle effects.
 
He was a good King in the early days. He was kind and just.
 
The changes were slow, occurring over the course of years.
 
It was not until your mother was gone that I realized I had lost your grandfather as well.”

I feel so badly for her.
 
I long ago stopped doubting her side of the story.
 
“You were so miserable.
 
Why didn’t one of the other Angels call you back?”

She shakes her head slightly.
 
“That is not the way it works.
 
A choice to
Fall
is a commitment to live a full life, regardless of how that life turns out.
 
It is only if we are desperately needed that we may be called back before the end of that life.”
 
Like when she was called back to claim me from Hades.

“That sucks,” I mutter, thinking of all the miserable years she spent with a man she grew to despise.
 
It says a lot about you if the Angel of Love can’t even love you.
 
I would have been a lot crabbier and bitter than she was when we first met.

She lays her hand on mine.
 
“It was my destiny.
 
As you know, destinies are not always easy.
 
We must walk our paths regardless if they ‘suck’.”
 

It sounds so weird to hear that word coming from her that I have to laugh.
 
“Yeah, I guess.
 
Did he know?
 
About me, I mean.”

Lailah shakes her head.
 
“Not really.
 
He knew of the legend, he knew that if the Fairy King could seduce a Princess among the Witches, he would try to return to this realm.
 
He did not know I was a Fallen Angel sent to seduce him, nor that he would play a role in bringing the prophecy of your destiny to life.”
 
She’s quiet for a moment.
 
“Perhaps if he had, things would have gone differently.”
 
I think she’s right.
 
From his point of view, all
Grandpa
could see was the danger that could come from my birth.
 
I still don’t think that justified killing me, though.
 
He could have manned up and protected me instead.

The regret on Lailah’s face makes my heart heavy.
 
Trying to lighten the conversation a bit, I say, “I seriously doubt that you had to seduce him.”

A little twinkle flicks in her eye.
 
“I admit
,
he seemed to welcome my advances.”

I shake a hand in the air towards her.
 
“No, stop.
 
I’ll get mental images of the two of you, and I want to avoid that.”