New World Order (War of the Fae: Book 4) (37 page)

Theresa turned to look at me, shame on her face.
 
“Felicia’s right.
 
I knew better.”

“Then why’d you do it?”
 
Something on her face made me ask the question.

Theresa looked like she was going to refuse to answer.

“Tell me, Theresa.
 
Stop messing around.
 
I’m getting crankier by the second here, not to mention freaked out.”

She walked over to the sink to help her sister gather their things.
 
“I did it to show you.” She began throwing things haphazardly into the bag.

“Show me what?
 
That you’re an idiot?”

She shot me the evil eye and then went back to her task.
 
“No, dummy.
 
I did it to show you that the cloak belongs to you – and it’s no small thing, to be given something like that.”
 
She stopped and looked me in the eye, leaning against the sink as she waved flat iron in my face.
 
“Ninety-nine point nine percent of fae go through their entire lives never even able to dream of that kind of honor.
 
And you know how long we live.”
 
She wrapped the cord around the now-cooled appliance as she continued to lecture me. “If you walk away from this, it would be an insult to all of us ... and an insult to the sacrifices many fae have made for you.”

Ooof
.
 
Talk about a gut punch.
 
This chick wasn’t holding anything back.
 
“Dammit, Theresa.
 
That’s playing dirty.”

She shrugged.
 
“Call it whatever you want.
 
It’s the truth.
 
It’s not just my truth either.
 
That’s how everyone here is going to see it.”

Felicia added, “You can choose not to wear that cloak.
 
That’s your right.
 
But it’s important for you to know what you’d be giving up and what message you’d be sending, that’s all.
 
It’s a big deal.
 
You shouldn’t take this lightly.”

“Can I tell them I’ll think about it?”

Felicia just shrugged at me.

I scowled at them.
 
“I think it’s kind of bullshit, really, that they send this to me and don’t give me some sort of warning – and then expect me to make this life-altering decision on the fly like this.”

Tim flew down to join the conversation.
 
“They don’t have time to let you get all girly and indecisive about it.
 
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going on around us.
 
Our council needs you.
 
We all do.
 
It’s time for you to pixie up, Jayne.”

I looked at him, unable to keep the worry from my eyes.
 
“What if I’m not strong enough to pixie up?”

“You are.
 
Trust me,” said Tim.
 
“I don’t hang out with wussies.”

I smiled, looking at the girls and then Tim.
 
“Neither do I.
 
I only hang out with bad asses.”

They all grinned back at me.
 
“That’s the spirit,” said Theresa moving to punch me on the arm, but then wincing at the pain it brought her back.
 
“Shit.
 
I need to go get another shirt.
 
I’ll be back in a flash.”

The next thing I knew the bathroom door was banging shut behind her.
 
I never even saw her move.
 
Five seconds later the door flew open and she was standing there in front of me again, sliding her old tunic off and the new one on.
 

“Damn, I wish I could do that,” I said shaking my head.

“You probably can,” said Felicia, zipping up her now full bag and throwing it over her shoulder.
 
“You have all kinds of untapped potential.”
 
She gestured towards the door.
 
“Come on.
 
Let’s go.”

“Put the damn cloak on, would ya?” said Theresa as she moved towards the hallway.
 
“Don’t make us beg.
 
It’s rude.”

I held the cloak out in front of me, examining it.
 
I wished I had more time to think about it.
 
I was feeling pressured.
 
But as I watched my friends walk out the door with their bag of tricks, followed by Tim practicing his midair barrel rolls, I thought about what they had said.
 
I had been complaining about the council since first becoming aware of their influence on our lives.
 
They were resistant to change.
 
They refused to see reason.
 
They were old and out of touch.
 
Maybe what they needed was a shot in the arm – some new blood to shake things up a little.
 
I looked down at the cloak and then at myself in the mirror, realizing I was about to make a life-altering decision while standing in the bathroom, next to a toilet.
 
How totally typical of me
.
 
I smiled.
 
What the hell.
 
Might as well go down swinging.
 

I held the cloak out in front of me and let its full length fall to the floor.
 
I found the shoulder parts and grabbed them with one arm crossed over the other, so I could twist it around to land on my back.
 
Before I could do it, though, the door to the bathroom opened and Céline stepped in.

“Oh good,” she said, relieved, “I caught you just in time.”

I stood there with the cloak dangling awkwardly from my hands.
 
“Just in time for what?”

“Just in time for me to help you,” she said, smiling warmly.
 
“Please ... ,” she said as she walked up to me with her hands held out, “ ... allow me.”

I held the cloak out towards her, confused as to what she wanted.

She took it from me and then gestured with her head.
 
“Turn around.”

I turned so my back was to her.

She stepped towards me and I looked in the mirror to see her reflected image.
 
She was right behind me, the cloak in her hands.
 
She had tears in her eyes.

“What’s going on, Céline?
 
Is this like a death cloak or something? Are you crying because I’m about to go up in smoke?”

She choked and laughed at the same time, her eyes bulging a little at the unexpected words.
 
“Death cloak?
 
What are you ... ?
 
Oh, Jayne.
 
You never cease to make me laugh.”
 
She threw the cloak over her arm and then faced the mirror, looking at our reflections.
 
“Why on earth would you think we wish you harm?
 
After everything that you’ve done?
 
After everything that has happened?”

I shrugged.
 
“I don’t know.
 
Because I’ve been causing trouble since I got here?”

Céline smiled for a moment and then got serious.
 
“You have ... shaken things up a bit, that is certain.
 
But more than that, you have united us.
 
You have reminded us who we are and who we are supposed to be.
 
Fierce.
 
Strong.
 
Loyal.
 
Dedicated to our purpose here.”
 
She put her hands on my shoulders and squeezed.
 
“We are proud of you.
 
And we need you to take a bigger part in our world now.
 
That is why the cloak is here.
 
It is a gift of the council.
 
We ask that you accept it and not question our motivations or our judgment.
 
This decision was not made lightly.
 
It’s the first time in over two hundred years that we have bestowed this honor upon someone.
 
Jared was the last.
 
And there is no one more deserving right now than you.
 
There are things coming for you ... for us.
 
You will be better prepared to deal with them as a council member.”

“Are you talking about me getting lost ... in my elements?”

“That and more.
 
Much more.
 
Now come on.
 
Our family is waiting.”

She pulled the cloak off her arm and once again held it up at my back.
 
I looked at her one more time in the mirror and said, “If I live to regret this, you’ll be the first one I come for.”

She smiled.
 
“I hope so.”

And then she laid the cloak over my shoulders.

I secured the edges of the cloak at my neck with the silver clasps there for that purpose.
 
I could barely feel the weight of it, but I could sense the slight disturbance in the air that it caused, as I turned and it shifted around by my legs.
 
I glanced down and saw that the colors were turbulent, in a lazy sort of way, shifting from blue to green and then back again.
 
I looked up in the mirror on my way out of the bathroom and noticed that my new crazy eye color matched the cloak perfectly, the twins’ hair creation making me look almost royal.

“It’s nice,” I said.

“It’s lovely.
 
As I knew it would be,” said Céline.

“Thanks,” I said, nervously, realizing I had to wear this thing soon in front of a few hundred fae, some of whom would be seeing me for the first time, having just arrived from different parts of North America and Europe.
 
I was afraid my reputation would precede me and loud booing would ensue.

“You go get your friends.
 
I’ll meet you in the assembly hall.”
 
She squeezed my hand on her way out and then stopped.
 
“Oh.
 
And don’t forget.
 
You sit in the front with me now.”

Tim was out in the hallway and caught the last comment made by Céline.
 
He waited until she was a few steps down the corridor before he began shouting.

“Woo hoo!
 
I’ve made it to the big leagues!
 
I’m gonna be sitting at the head table!”

I laughed at him, silently thanking the universe that I had a pixie friend who automatically bestowed any honor given to me upon himself.
 
I sure as hell didn’t want to be up there by myself, the only fae under two hundred and fifty years old.
 
I wondered if I could wrangle a tiny cloak out of Netter for Tim ... and another super fancy gray one for Tony.

I threw the door to my room open and said from the hallway.
 
“Come on out and get a good look.
 
First one’s free.”

Everyone stood up and came out, all of them admiring my new duds.
 
Tony came out last, taking my hand in his.
 
“You look awesome,” he said, smiling at me warmly.
 

“Thanks.
 
I want you to wear one too.”

“I’m happy doing what I’m doing – working with the gray elves.
 
I’ll support you any way you need, you know that.”

“I know.”
 
I squeezed his hand and let it go, adjusting the edges of the cloak in front of me.
 

I saw the twins staring at Spike and noticed that he kept catching them at it; but it was almost as if he was purposely looking away, trying to ignore them.

“You guys go on ahead.
 
I want to talk to Spike for a second.”

Everyone moved out into the corridor and started making their way to the assembly hall.
 
Spike stopped in front of me, taking my hands in his.

“What’s up, beautiful?
 
Wanna make out?” He beamed his impossibly sexy smile at me, making me blush a little.
 

“No,” I said, taking my hands back and pushing him gently on the chest to keep him at arm’s length.
 
“I need to talk to you about the twins.”

Spike’s face colored a bit, which is saying a lot because he’s usually so pale.
 
He actually looked like the human Spike for a second, making me slightly wistful for the time when I had no idea what fae were and didn’t have to wear a magical cloak around my shoulders while I hobnobbed with thousand-year-olds.
 

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about them.
 
They’re cute and all, but you’re the girl for me.”
 
He took a step towards me.

I stepped back, keeping the distance between us.
 
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually.
 
I’m ... uh ... not so sure that this
us
thing is such a good idea.”

He looked at me, confused.
 
“What do you mean?”