TIED (A Fire Born Novel) (14 page)

I didn’t know how to explain that I knew the place.

“Anything else?” he asked as though he heard me.

“No, nothing else.” I sat up, averting my gaze, and with a shock, I remembered everything Max told me on the beach. The revelations came rushing back like a sledgehammer. Being the counterpart of Max; it was the reason we found each other; we were the same.

I hesitated and asked, “How much do you know?” in a steady voice.

He sighed. “A lot.”

My jaw tightened. “You’ve been keeping this from me, all this time.” It wasn’t an accusation or a question. Just a fact.

“Yes,” he mumbled.

“And Benny?”

He turned away. “Benny knows.”

“It was her voice; I did hear her.”

“Yes. She was with me when you went under. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

Overheating, I ripped the blanket away. “How long? How long has she known?”

“She’s always known.” He sank onto his back, facing the ceiling.

“And you? She knows what you are?” I started to tremble.

“Yes,” he said without shifting his gaze.

Heat flooded my face as though I’d been slapped.

“My mom,” I stated. Of course she knew. It made perfect sense. Max’s presence put me in danger, that’s why she hated him.

“Yes.” His voice grew faint as his eyes closed.

Anger swept through me.
What a fool I’ve been.
Who else was involved in this? Who else was ‘watching over’ poor little helpless Layla? A simmering rage brewed in my stomach. A life of lies.

“Well … I’m a real idiot, aren’t I?”

“No!” He popped up. “Layla you aren’t. Don’t ever say that. You have no idea the power you possess. No idea who you are. We’ve been trying to protect you. All of us. We love you. Please don’t think this has anything to do with you being weak. You’re far from weak.”

I swallowed the bile rising into my throat and steadied my breaths. “If I’m an Irish descendant of the Celtic Gods …” I shook my head as if the motion would make the words untrue. “What’s in the Otherworld that’s so bad? I mean, if we’re part of that world, you and I, what can hurt us there? Those are our ancestors, right? I don’t understand.”

He relaxed a little, shifting his weight. “Yes. They are our people, but that realm is different from this world. Time moves at a different pace there. Life isn’t what it is here. There are dangers. The Underworld; the World of Darkness. The Realm of Shadow and The Damned. They all lie there as well. Some view our kind as aberrations. Some view us as a threat.”

“A threat?”

“I’ll explain what I know, but I don’t have all the answers.”

I raised an eyebrow.
Who does have the answers?

“Well,” he said, “Benny.”

“But …”
What did Benny know? What could she possibly
know?

“Let’s go downstairs, and I’ll explain.”

“Where are we?”

“We’re still at my house. This is my room. You’ve been out for a long time.”

“How long?”

“Since yesterday,” he said, tentatively.

“Yesterday?” My voice shrilled.

“Calm down. Everything is fine.”

“I need to call my mom.” I glanced around the room for my phone.

“I already called her. I didn’t want her to worry either.” He smiled as if he’d done me a huge favor.

“
You
… called her? Oh, my god, this is going to be bad. What did you say?” I scrambled off the bed.

“That doesn’t matter. She knows you’re safe.”

“Max! My mom doesn’t want me anywhere near you. What do you mean
you
called her?” My chest heaved, breath coming too fast.

He rose off the bed and put his hands on my shoulders. “Relax. Your mom is just going to have to deal. She’s been fighting this since you were born. I’m not playing her games anymore.” He eyed me patiently and gestured toward the bed. “I’ll explain if you’ll calm down.”

I sat and crossed my arms.

He grinned and sat beside me. “Thank you.”

I gave a curt nod.

“Jeez, Lay, when did you get so spoiled?” He smirked.

My posture relaxed a bit, and I glanced out through the giant windows in the bedroom, which provided sweeping views of the ocean. From the goose down comforter and pillows, to the gauzy curtains, the walls and even the floors, Max’s room shone in a bleached creamy white. It was dreamlike.

“It really is beautiful here.”

“You’re the only beauty I see.” He leaned back, resting against his elbow.

My cheeks flushed before I flopped back on the pillows beside him, groaning at the unthinkable reality looming over me. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“I know. Listen, Benny’s waiting downstairs. She’s been here the whole time. You need to hear what she has to say.”

I shook my head, closing my eyes. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say.

“I’m sorry if I scared you on the beach.” He laid his hand over mine, resting across my chest.

“You didn’t scare me, exactly. You just caught me off guard.”

That was true really. Somewhere in the depths of my mind, the missing puzzle pieces of my life seemed to be clicking back into place, and although confused by what that might mean, I wasn’t afraid; I was mad. At least I knew why Max spoke in a different language to his grandmother. It was Irish. Which I could understand.

“Can you open your eyes?”

I scowled at him.

He smirked at me. “Benny brought over some of your stuff this morning. It’s all in the bathroom.” He pointed to a set of double doors across the room.

“I have rehearsals!” I jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom. “Where’s my phone?” I yelled back at him.

He was already at my side holding it in his hand. “No rehearsal today. Benny took care of that, too. You were out for a long time but everything’s under control. There’s nowhere you need to be right now, nothing you need to do.”

“But … you don’t understand ….” If I didn’t make rehearsals, Dena would worm her way into my spot.

He put his finger over my lips. “No buts. Just take a shower, get dressed, and come downstairs when you’re ready.” He shut the doors behind me.

• • •

I wandered around after changing and found Max in the kitchen.

“Feeling better?” Tea brewed in a mug.

“I still can’t believe this is your house.”

He smiled and handed me the cup. “I think my mom felt guilty about leaving when I was so young.”

“Do you remember her?”

He shrugged. “No.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” He kissed my forehead.

“I’m curious,” I said, changing the subject. “If you don’t live here, what’s up with your bedroom? Fully decked out bathroom?” If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought the place was some kind of bachelor pad.

He laughed, spitting his drink across the counter. “No.” He coughed. “That’s all my grandmother’s work.” He cleared his throat and grabbed a napkin. “She thought the transition would be easier for me if I felt at home. That room …” He pointed above his head. “… is an exact replica of my room in her house. Except the French doors overlook the garden there, not the beach. Come on, Benny’s in the sunroom.”

I tried to appear calm and controlled at the mention of Benny, but my world had flipped upside down and inside out, and my control slipped with each new revelation.

Benny leaned back in her chair, fidgeting with her hands as Max and I walked into the glassed-in room. The wind whipped wildly outside, throwing seagulls off course, and causing palm fronds to slap the windows.

I sat across from her in silence.

“Layla. How are you?” she asked in a formal, distant way.

“Fine.”

“We need to talk.”

“About what,
Benny
? If that’s even your real name. You’ve been lying to me all my life. What could you possibly say to make that okay?”

She leaned forward. “How about I’ve lied to protect you, to keep you alive.”

“I’ve already heard those excuses. Got anything else?” My pulse stabbed in quick, steady surges.

“Dammit, Layla!” She stood up, knocking her chair over. “I’m sorry. Okay? I couldn’t tell you. Would you have believed me if I had? There are things you couldn’t know. Dangers you can’t imagine. You don’t know who you are. You have no idea of the power you posses. I’ve been trying to keep you hidden. Keep you safe. I had no choice!” She snatched the chair off the floor and held it, setting it down a moment later. “Listen … I’m not here to argue. I’m here because it’s time. There are things you need to know.”

Too many questions. Too much information. Information that Benny knew, that she had always known.

I looked at Max. He had finally been honest with me. He knew the risks, but he’d told me more than anyone else. We were on the same side.

Benny coughed. “He can’t answer all your questions. He’s told you what he knows.”

“She’s half right,” he said. “There are details she knows that I don’t, but she doesn’t know everything either … none of us do …” He trailed off.

None of us do? Us?

“Go on …” I motioned to Benny.

“Lay, we thought you were safe. All these years. Besides your amazing dancing talent and this temper of yours …” She waved her hand at me as though my temper was some entity hanging above my head that she could swat down. “… there weren’t any signs that you’d ever become aware of what you are, but when Max showed himself again …” She eyed him. “That was it. There was nothing anyone could do.” She exhaled. “You are one of the last of the Ancients. Max has been keeping watch over you from a distance, keeping you safe from harm—like I have.” She glanced at him. “But, now—Layla, if you choose to be with him, if you choose to rekindle …” She hesitated and tilted down toward her hands. “The light—the Tie …” She huffed, seeming as though some invisible force silenced her words. She glanced at Max again.

He placed his hand over mine. “This is your choice, Lay. If you choose—me—our enemies will know where to find you.” He sighed. “They’ll know we’re Tied. They’ll feel it.” He squeezed my hand. “It’s a risk.”

“Lay, if the Fomore—” Benny shook her head and groaned. “If you give them any reason to think that you and Max are the souls of Legend … they’ll unleash all hell upon you.” She rested her head in her hands. “I can’t say anything else.”

Souls of Legend?
Fomore?
“Can’t say anything else? Something—or someone—is after me, and you can’t say anything else?”

“The Fomore are one of the ancient spirit races of Eire— Ireland,” Max said, picking up where Benny left off. “Unlike other races, they inhabit the Underworld, and they hunt for power—power they believe you and I posses. All of the attacks—on the beach, in your car, at the hospital—they were all Fomore. They have a huge arsenal of henchmen. Mostly the Damned but there are others.”

“For now, you have to learn to block your dreams.” Benny lifted her head. “Since Max is closer to you now, it will make it harder for the Fomore to get at you physically.”

I shuddered.

“But they have ways to attack through dreams. Max can show you how to block them.” She eyed him and said, “They will try to lure you into the Underworld through sleep, and you’ll never wake in this world again. They’ve been searching for you all your life. Your union with Max will only heighten their efforts. The Fomore will kill you, if given the chance.” Her blue eyes hazed over. “Don’t give them that chance.”

Nausea anchored in my throat, my stomach churning, feeding on disbelief and panic.

How did she know all of this?

Max squeezed my shoulders encouragingly, but I was numb.

“Who are you?” My eyes narrowed.
All my life, she betrayed me.

She sighed before looking me in the eye. “I’m a Fae. There are many types of Fae. I’m a BeanTighe—a Guardian. I was sent to watch over you from your birth.”

My brain began to reel, whirling around like a spinning top.

“So you’re … young eternal?” I squeaked out, remembering what Max had explained before.

“Yes, I can die. All Fae can die, but we are eternal.”

I had no idea what that meant.

“We can die by very few means. We don’t die of illness or old age or any mortal, earthly way that you would imagine, but there are ways that we can be destroyed.”

I gripped the armrest of my chair to keep from falling. “How old are you then? I mean, you’ve been my friend all my life. We grew up together. You were a little girl with me. This doesn’t make any sense.”

“We don’t think of time the same way humans do. My age isn’t a number. I have been with you all your life. I have appeared to you the way all humans would appear to you because I’m able to shape-shift—to change my appearance at will.”

Blood drained from my face, my body falling. Max caught me before I hit the ground.

“Dammit, Benny!” he said. “I told you not to go that far. This is too much. She can’t handle all of this at once!” He laid me down. “Her mind needs to rest. Leave it alone for now. She needs more time.”

“We may not have much more!” Benny practically spit at him. “They know. Even you can see the signs. This isn‘t safe!”

“She’s safe here. She’s safe with me!”

“Her body is safe with you—for today. Maybe tomorrow—we don’t know. But, what about her mind, Max?”

He exhaled and sat down beside me. “Lay, I need you to listen. To trust me to help you. Clear your mind of all your thoughts. Push them away. Can you hear the music playing?”

The same faint music that Max always played drifted in the background.

I nodded.

“Focus on the music. Only that. Don’t see anything; don’t dream; just listen to the music.”

I let it fill my ears, my brain, and drown my thoughts. Caught somewhere between sleep and wake, aware but unaware, I wouldn’t dream.

• • •

I opened my eyes to Max sitting next to me, my legs draped over his lap, and found Benny sitting across the room, reading.

“Hey there,” Max said.

“Hey.” I responded with little emotion.

“Feel okay?” he asked, in a timid voice.

I didn’t answer.

“Did you dream?” he pressed.

I shook my head, too mad, too upset, to talk to either of them.