Tab Bennett and the Inbetween (6 page)

“Hmm,” I said noncommittally. “What about Rivers? Who was she?”

“Had she lived to take her place, Rivers would have sat at the head of the Council of Our Mothers. She would have helped you to rule the Inbetween.”

*******

“So I’m just supposed to believe I’m an elf because you say I am? How do I know this isn’t a joke? Can you prove any of this?”

“You think your heritage is a joke?” The vein in Pop’s forehead was throbbing with a never before seen intensity. Explosion: imminent. “Do you know how many of our people have died to protect you? Molly and Rebecca – Rivers – their deaths seem like a joke to you?”

We might have gone on like that for hours, Pop and me yelling at each other and accomplishing nothing, but Alex raised his hand and silenced us both. “What kind of proof do you require?”

I tapped my finger against my lips. “I’ll tell you what I want for Christmas, and if Santa brings it, I’ll know you’re telling the truth.”

Pop sputtered in surprise at my rudeness. Alex raised his hand, silencing Pop again. I made a mental note to ask him about the hand thing. That was a trick I wanted to learn.

“I know this is difficult for you to believe,” he said.

 “Seriously? Do you really expect me to believe I’m an elf?” I folded my arms across my chest in a posture that said ‘because I don’t’ as clear as words would have.

“You are Elvish, Tabitha; it’s not a question of belief. But since you only just found out,” Alex glared at Pop before continuing, “I understand your need for proof. With your permission, Bennett?”

Pop was not in a permission giving kind of mood. He wanted to refuse so badly I swear he was almost shaking with the desire to say no. But he gave it anyway. He didn’t really have a choice.

“Look at me,” Alex said, “I am going to show you that I am as I say.”

A desk lamp provided the only light. It cast shadows against the objects in the room, making everything seem unfamiliar. Pop and I sat across from each other with the expanse of his desk between us and he was the most unfamiliar thing of all.  “Well watch him,” he groused.

“Are you ready?” Alex asked as he moved a few feet away from me. When he closed his eyes the air began to sparkle and sway. A bright, white light swelled in front of him, wrapping itself around him. He stood, radiant, at the center of the glow. I was breathless, jealous, desperate for the light to hold me too. I took one step toward him and he disappeared.

“Alex?” He reappeared when I said his name. “That was amazing.”

 He made a little bow and then said, “Now listen to your grandfather.”

“Can you do that?” I asked Pop.

“Of course,” he said indignantly. “All of We of the Light can do that.”

“Can I?” My eyes were wide open at the thought.

Alex laughed. “Soon, love, you’ll be able to do that and much more.”

Pop cleared his throat. “Are you convinced then?” he asked.

The magic of Alex’s disappearing act was hard to ignore but some part of me, the part that had long ago given up on the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, wasn’t buying it. The whole story was too crazy to just believe. I was intrigued but cautiously so.

“You have my attention.”

After an annoyed grunt, Pop reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a box, and placed it in front of me on the desk. “This belonged to your mother,” he said. “Now it belongs to you.”

You’ve heard the phrase expectant hush, right? Well, one of those fell on us as I scrutinized the unexpected gift. Alex smiled and gestured toward it, his face full of a happy kind of tension. He wanted me to like it. He wanted me to put it on and say yes and be happy too. Something in his expression reminded me of the way Robbin looked right before he asked me to marry him.

 “It’s not a box of snakes, Tabitha. Just open it,” Pop snapped.

After a moment of hesitation I picked up the ornate wooden box and carefully worked open the silver clasp. Inside, a delicate circle of braided platinum vines and flowers and diamonds flashed and sparkled. I touched it tentatively, just with the tip of my finger, and the flowers and vines burst to life, transforming into living roses and ivy and vibrant blue forget-me-nots. Clustered around the diamonds, the flowers so alive and fragrant were more beautiful than the platinum version could ever hope to be.

“I’ve kept this safe for you just as I have tried to keep you safe while we lived in exile here among Those of the World. Perhaps I have made some mistakes but I have always acted out of love and loyalty to you. I have always done what I believed your mother would have wanted me to do.”

I had no idea if he was right, if he’d raised me as my mother would have. I didn’t know anything about her—nothing true anyway. He had kept her from me my entire life.

 “We have very little time to decide what you’ll do next. Your future, the future of your kingdom – I have been making plans…”

I snapped the box closed and pushed it away. “So whether I’m your granddaughter or the queen of Narnia you still get to boss me around and decide everything, huh? Here’s what’s happening in my future; I’m going home to take a bath.”

“I am not finished,” he began but when I raised my hand to silence him, to my surprise, he stopped talking.

“It’s enough for one day, Pop.” The familiar name stuck in my throat. I felt my face flush. “Wait; would you rather I call you something else now that I know? I could call you … Bennett I guess.”

 “Of course not.” He looked hurt by the question. “Whether or not we are bound by blood, I will always consider you my beloved granddaughter.” That was as close to a declaration of love as Pop usually got. “If you’re sure,” I said. “I mean, that’s how I feel too.”

Pop really wasn’t the hugging kind, but he did his best, briefly wrapping his arms around me. Then he nodded and straightened his tie. “You may take the princess home now.”

Permission granted. Some things never change.

*********

The air between Alex and me was buzzing with questions and doubts and curiosity. Sitting on the sofa with him was like trying to relax in a wasp’s nest. The longer we sat there, the louder the buzzing got.

“Would you like to ask me anything? Anything at all?”

“I should have thousands of questions for you, shouldn’t I? I can’t think of one.” I laughed at the absurdity of that. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

He was sitting just one sofa cushion away, staring at me with those bright blue eyes, that’s what was wrong. I knew there were things I should be concerned about but all I could think about was him. I jumped every time he moved his hand, hoping he was going to touch me. He seemed so calm by comparison, making my excitement more embarrassing.

I forced myself to concentrate until I could focus on something other than the voice in my head that was encouraging me to kiss him. “Tell me about We of the Light. What are they like?”

“If you think about it, you already know. You can look at your family to see the characteristics that mark us as of a kind.”

“Such as?”

“Well for one thing, We are all tall with slim, strong bodies. We mostly have fair hair and blue eyes. Although that’s not always true, obviously. Your hair is very beautiful but such a dark color is almost unheard of amongst our people.”

That’s me, always the rule breaker
.

“Our eyes are bigger and brighter and the colors are deeper and less fixed. You’ve probably noticed that intense emotions make the color of the iris appear to swirl. We’re better looking than the humans too and faster than they are. And we walk very quietly, which means we’re good at sneaking up on people.”

The way he was describing us brought a very clear picture to my mind—but not the one he was trying to conjure up. I started laughing so hard I could barely breathe. He smiled but he didn’t get the joke.

“You realize you’ve just described a house cat, right?”

“Elves get very little respect in the human world, but We are very magical beings. You already know that all Elves can lay enchantments and Appear and Disappear whenever they wish. But did you know that Elves can change their appearance at will? That’s how all the members of your household made themselves look like children for years, allowing you to grow up with them even though they were, in fact, already grown. Many Elves can levitate a foot or two off the ground – not quite flying, but close. Some Elves can affect the weather or even turn back time in small increments.”

“Will I be able to do those things?”

“If you’re anything like your mother, you will have many Gifts. The visions you’ve experienced are only the start of it.”

The idea of magic, power, thrilled and terrified me.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Of course.”

“Why haven’t I ever seen you before tonight? I didn’t know you existed before today but you knew about me, right? You knew we were supposed to get married and you knew where I was. Why didn’t you come to see me? Weren’t you curious about me?”

“I still am,” he said. “But you must understand, when Bennett brought you to the World, the Inbetween was in turmoil. Your mother was dead and you were too young to be queen; no one really knew who would rule until you returned to claim your crown. Not surprisingly, many of the Generals in your army felt they were the logical choice, which lead to a lot of unrest and sword rattling. Bennett feared a power hungry General would attempt to secure the crown by killing you, our infant queen. To ensure your safety he had each of the Generals, me included, pledge to stay away from you until you turned twenty-five. It was the pledge that kept me away, not a lack of curiosity. I came as soon as I was able. Happy Birthday, by the way.”

With everything that had been happening, I’d honestly forgotten all about it. “Thanks but I think this may qualify as the unhappiest birthday ever.”

“Maybe there is something I can do to make it better?” His voice was low and soft and seductive. I noticed that we’d somehow managed to drift very close together.

I swallowed hard and choked out a strangled “I don’t know,” even though my mind was full of things I’d be happy to let him try if cheering me up was his goal. I shivered, remembering the feeling of his body pressed against mine, his fingers skimming up the inside of my thigh. “Can I ask one more question?”
            He nodded, resting his hand on my knee. After a second he began to run his thumb from just under my knee to just above it.

“Why do I want you so bad?” I asked in a rush of air that sounded remarkably like a moan.

He moved closer to me on the sofa until we were just a whisper width apart. He brushed his thumb across my lips. “I don’t know. How bad do you want me?”

“So bad.”

He pulled me across his lap. With me straddling his body there was no denying that he wanted me too, not with the evidence of it pressing against me, hot and hard. He unbuttoned my blouse, pushing it open so he could trail his lips across my neck, my collarbone, along the swell of my breasts.

“I mean, it’s kind of been the worst day of my life.” I arched my back, pushing my breast closer to his mouth. Pulling the lacy cup aside, he flicked his tongue against my nipple. “My fiancé dumped me, my family is a sham, my best friend is dead, and I discovered that my kingdom is besieged by hobgoblins.”

“Dark elves,” he corrected as he moved to give my other breast his attention. He nibbled and sucked my nipple through the lace, creating a delicious friction that made it hard to think or breathe. “Dark elves. But honestly, in spite of all that, the only thing I care about right now is seeing you naked.”

He brushed his lips against mine and whispered, “Do I get to see you naked too?”

“Oh, God yes.”

I reached down and tugged his shirt up. He pulled it over his head. His arms and chest looked even better bare, muscled and strong. My blouse was long gone, my breasts spilling out of the bra, but when he reached up and unhooked it, sliding the silk straps slowly down my shoulders, I was suddenly shy.