Inescapable (Eternelles: The Beginning, Book 1) (15 page)

“If this woman is indeed a descendant of the twins, then yes, her blood deprived of Air can unlock the seal. But for that, the portal would have to be opened first.”

And a vessel of Sekhmet could achieve that....

Adri grasped the wrinkled hand and closed her fingers tight around the fragile bones. She had to know. “Faeries put the twins away, but witches might want to bring them back?”

All a power game, in the end. She’d heard rumbles how witches resented the strength wielded by faeries over the elements. Controlling Air, Fire, Earth, and Water implied one could control just about anything. Spells and magic didn’t work all the time, especially when faerie Elementals’ help was required.

“We are not the enemy, Adrasteia.”

The words rang clear, and she felt nothing except the certitude in that statement. Adri released the weathered fingers and stood.

She needed to find Sera. Too much at stake right then for her daughter to be safe except in the presence of her mother. Oh yes, the girl would kick and fight and blast her to Hades and back—
hello, Uncle
, Adri would have to say— but Adri had to protect her. At all costs.

She curtsied to Mother May. “Thank you for everything.”

“You have to go.”

She nodded.

The old woman indicated toward the door. The dog turned into the little lights again, and once more, they carried her to the threshold of the house. The gig waited for her outside, and she made her way down the steps and up into the carriage.

As the horses started forward, a sear of pain lanced through her head. Behind her closed eyes, she saw, like in a suspended moment of déjà vu, how everything spun around her. She could still taste the honeyed tea on her tongue. Then Mother May smiled, and said, “Seek, and you shall see.”

Adri blinked her eyes open and turned to stare at the house. It seemed to her the old woman smiled from where she stood on the porch.

What did those words mean? Could Mother May have gifted her with a version of Second Sight, a way to deepen her perception? She closed her eyes and willed herself to pinpoint Sera’s whereabouts.

As if by magic, the haze inside her head cleared to let her see her daughter laughing with Fiona at the counter of
The Stirring Pot
.

If she hadn’t been sitting, she would’ve fallen. Her back pressed onto the cushion, she reeled.

The oldest faerie alive had trusted her, and given her a gift. What was that supposed to mean? Did everything now hinge on her capacity to stop the portal from opening?

She was but an immortal, for goodness’ sake! She uttered a foul curse. How could she stop the end of the world, and protect her child in the process?

They had reached the edge of the fae world, and the horse snorted again. The minute she alighted from the carriage, the vehicle and the animal pulling it disappeared into thin air. Thank goodness she’d gotten out, or she’d be flat on her arse right then.

A current of air, like a twister, built against her back. The power pushed her forward, beyond the delineation of their territory, and let up once she stepped onto the other side.

Twilight had fallen. She stared around her, suddenly at a loss how to get to the Council meeting which was supposed to take place in mere minutes. She had spent more time than she’d thought at the old woman’s house.

The rev of an Italian sports engine made itself heard, and she smiled when she spotted a bright yellow Lamborghini Gallardo speeding toward her. The driver stopped the car in front of her and threw the door open.

She smiled at Sebastian. “You’ll be late for the Council meeting.”

“As will you if we don’t hightail it there ASAP.”

No sooner had she closed the door than he channeled the car at incredible speed toward the other side of Shadow Bridge.

“What did the fae want with you?”

Adri winced. What would she tell him? She still hadn’t untangled the twisted yarn in her own head. “Mother May granted me an audience.”

“Son of a— my apologies, Miss Adri. But Mother May? She exists?”

Adri nodded. “She does. And guess what, Bernum is her son.”

“She must be a harridan.”

“On the contrary. I wonder how such a sweet woman could’ve given birth to such a snake.”

“And speaking of the snake, he’s glaring in our direction.”

Sebastian stopped the car and they got out. The other members of the Shadow Bridge Council waited on the edge of Besom Forest. From the boot of his car, the vampyre handed her a ceremonial robe and she donned the garment, pulling the hood over her hair.

In a single file, they made their way through the woods, until they stood in the clearing where a stone henge had been erected. Far from them all to channel pagan beliefs and rituals, but stone henges concentrated the Earth’s lei lines and channeled energy and power. No place in their town except the circle in the heart of
Besom Forest carried as much earthly force as this loop of big rocks.

As they gathered in a wide circle and started to go about the agenda for that meeting, Adri couldn’t shake off the malevolent stare Bernum kept on her. Did he know his mother had summoned her, and did he not approve? It always seemed to her that short and stocky Bernum did whatever he could to further the interest of his people.

But Mother May had claimed they were not the villains in the story.

Then who were? The witches? She trained her gaze onto diminutive Rose, leader of the
Shadow Bridge coven. Before today, she would’ve said Rose could never hurt a fly, but she wasn’t sure any longer.

Adri surveyed the members of the Council one by one. Craig, the appointed connection to the outside, human world, stood to her left. On her right, Sebastian, as leader of the vampyre nest, held his position. Beyond him stood Jeff, the Chief of Police who had to be aware of every policy to be applied in town. Rose stood next to him, and on her other side was Bernum. Roscoe, the Alpha of the were pack, completed the circle.

She’d never trusted Roscoe, believing him too intent on glory to have the good of anyone else in mind. She’d breathed a sigh of relief when he declined joining the Shadow Bridge police force. With their extra strength and super-developed sense of smell, weres were the logical choice to head law and order in their town. Vampyres, eternal hedonists, provided the partying and nightlife, while witches with their spells kept the shopping district and food industry hopping, with their talent to spell and procure by magic. Only the fae kept themselves apart, but they did contribute much of the town’s livestock and crops from the organic fields on their territory.

Who in this setup could have obliterated the greater good of the town from their minds, and gone for the fleeting rush mayhem and chaos would bring?

Adri no longer knew who to trust anymore, and that unsettled her.

But worse, of one thing she was certain—she had to protect Sera, at all costs!

*****

“Remind me again why I let you drag me into this?”

Sera frowned, standing in the middle of Fiona’s very pink bedroom in her tiny Shadow Bridge apartment—the one she kept as a refuge outside witch territory. Fiona had worked her charm to keep Sera with her throughout the afternoon at her jewelry-making studio and now, Sera had just helped herself to a shower at her friend’s place, getting ready, as Fiona urged, “to paint the town all sorts of colors.” Here in this room, the air smelled of roses and lavender—a scent so strong that if Sera were sensitive, it would have triggered all her allergies within seconds of entering.

“Did you put some spell on me, Fi? Or am I completely nuts?”

“Nah, you just love me too much.” Fiona grinned, chewing gum. “Come on!” She sized Sera up and down. “My clothes look like a million bucks on you. Can’t hang around with you too often like this or you’d cramp my style.”

Her gaze settled on Sera’s flat booted feet, and she made the face of one who’d just stepped on fresh dog feces. “Good for us that Milly at
Shoeholic
closes late today. We can pick a pair of sexy heels and some sheers on our way to the party. Can’t help that I’ve got doll’s feet.” She winked and hooked a hand on her hip. “Look at yourself now!”

Sera turned to the full-length mirror and a stranger stared back. The figure-hugging teal, black, and white tank dress with hypnotic swirl designs was way too short for her; only with constant pulling and rearranging would it reach half-way to her knees. Plus, with its strapless, stretchy style, it hardly left anything to the imagination. Thank goodness for the boots. At least some skin was covered, although not the important bits, and according to Fiona those would have to go.
Heels? Haven’t worn those in ages.

At the sight of the barely-hanging-on elastic of the top, she let out an embarrassed moan.

“It’s way too cold for this and it’s not me. I can’t wear half a dress without at least a sweater on top.”

“Cool your jets, will you? I’ll drive us to the club, and you’ll have a jacket on.”

“I don’t like going without a bra. I feel naked,” Sera grumbled as she adjusted what seemed to pass for an acceptable length of skirt. “Let me wear my leggings at least. Then, if the dress rolls up, my privates will be safe and I’ll only have to worry about my boobs falling out.”

“And cover those killer legs? If so, you really are nuts! And that dress has a built-in shelf bra, so technically, you’re wearing one.”

“Fi, I’m not like you—”

“I know, I know, but hear me out. You’ve been living like a hermit and it’s time to have some fun. How wrong can it be to let your hair loose a bit? It’s not like you’re alone; I’m going to be with you.”

“Until Sebastian shows up and then you’re gone ogling him and his hot friends,” Sera pointed out, letting out a pained breath. “Never mind they’re blood-sucking creatures tied to imposed rules of civility.”

Fiona tsked and waved her off. “Sebastian always keeps his people out of trouble and they’re happy bunnies with the blood Uncle Seamus provides from his butcher shop. Luckily for me because I have no desire to accidentally be turned into a vampyre. I’m kinky but not
that
kinky.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“It’s Saturday night.
Everyone
goes to Vibiza on the weekends. Doesn’t matter if you have shiny pointy canines or not. It’s gonna be humping, baby!”

“Hmmm…no doubt about the humping,” Sera said skeptically. “Just don’t want to see it with my eyes.”

Fiona shook her head and smiled at her indulgently, like a patient teacher with a disinterested student who never ‘gets it.’ “You really do need to get out more often. Okay, lady, let’s put on some makeup. Time’s a-ticking.”

Sera sighed. “Sure, but I’ll do the makeup. If I left it to you, I’d need an ice-cream scoop to take it off later.”

Fiona flopped down on a chair and lounged back, examining her nails. “Hmmm. With that bod, who’s going to look at your face, anyway?”

Sera wished then her eyes had been laser weapons so she could smite the smug smile off her friend’s face. Grabbing the three-in-one face powder, she put on a light coat, and after applying mascara, a smudge of color to her cheekbones, and pink gloss on her lips, she was ready. She set the cosmetics bag aside and assessed the state of her hair. The curls had been tamed with some anti-frizz and other care products she’d put on that morning, and it still looked bouncy, healthy, and natural.

“A bit of eye shadow?” Fiona suggested.

“I added a dab of the rouge. It’s enough for me.”

“If you let me—”

“No.”

Fiona knew when to declare defeat. “Oh alright, my pig-headed friend. Guess your skin’s perfect enough, anyway.” She huffed. “Here you go.” She picked a short light blue denim jacket—more like a shrug—and handed it to her. “You’re a bit fuller than me up top, but this should fit.”

“Seriously? Only that flimsy thing? My coat—”

“Over my dead body. Now stop whining and let’s go to Milly’s before she’s gone.”

Soon after, they packed themselves in the car with Sera wondering why she let Fiona boss her around. As they passed through
Bridge Street, the town’s busiest thoroughfare, something caught her eye.

“Watch out! Stop the car!”

“Sera, what—?”

“Over there!” She gesticulated wildly toward a parking space.

Muttering a curse, Fiona pulled the car awkwardly into the spot and hadn’t yet switched off the engine when Sera leapt out and ran a few feet down the street to grab a hold of Jed Peasle just before he stepped out onto the street.

“Mr. Peasle, what are you doing walking alone at this late hour? You know you’re not supposed to.”

“That chit thinks I can’t take care of myself,” the old man grumbled as he tried to pull away from Sera’s grasp. “But I’ll show ’er—”

“
Nancy loves you,” Sera chided gently. “She’s your granddaughter and worries about you.” Peasle was ninety-nine years old and legally blind. A widower for the last forty years and a were, he treasured his independence like a fierce dragon with its egg.

“That girl’s still on the shelf because she’s stubborn and won’t mind her business,” he lisped. “She should find a fella and settle down. I can handle myself.” Finally, he managed to pull away and cross his hands in front of him, holding on to his dignity.