Fairy-Struck

Chapter 5

We contacted the Human Council, and they immediately booked a flight for us on one of their private planes. I guess we'd made the right decision in keeping Aideen alive. They knew nothing of her death warrant and would not have approved it without more proof of her crimes. They also agreed with me that the whole matter was suspicious.

Aideen sat on my twin sized bed in my spartan room and watched me as I packed a bag with some clothes and essentials for the trip. She was very still, her hands clasped in her lap, but those large eyes followed my every move; like Dian Fossey studying her gorillas. It made me want to pound my chest and roar at her.

"What is it?" I finally asked.

"Have you any fairy blood in you?" She appeared nonchalant; letting her gaze wander over the bare, white walls, the arsenal of bladed weapons displayed on my dresser, the chipped bedside lamp placed precariously on a cardboard box, the stack of worn paperbacks leaning against the foot of the bed, and then, finally, myself.

"No, of course not." I huffed a laugh as I waved my hand at the weapons; using apportation to roll them up in their fabric holder. "You should know better than to ask that; I'm an extinguisher."

"Yes, I know what that means but still¡ª" She frowned and looked me over again. "The way Lord Tiernan reacted to you was odd."

"I've stopped wondering why fairies do the things they do." I shrugged but my heart was racing. It had been odd but what was even odder was that vision of mine. It had felt¡ªno, that wasn't possible; I could never be intimate with a fairy. Not because of my issues with my mother but simply because I was an extinguisher.

"There's always a reason behind a fairy's behavior." Aideen pulled a pair of my jeans out of my bag and rubbed her hand idly over the material. "Especially when that fairy is a member of the peerage."

"He's a royal?" I stopped and blinked at her.

The title of lord meant so many things in fairy culture. You called everyone from a Baron up to a Marquess, My Lord before it jumped up to Your Grace for a Duke, Your Highness for a Prince and then, of course, Your Majesty for a King. Lord of the Wild Hunt simply meant that Tiernan was the equivalent of a General, not that he was in charge of the entire organization. On top of that, fairy royals rarely joined the Wild Hunt; they were too busy gliding about with self-importance, doing whatever nonsense it is that royal fairies do. So, Tiernan being a peer was very surprising.

"Yes, he was a royal of the Seelie Court," she sounded hesitant and a little sad.

"Was?"

"Did you noticed his scar? It's that thin silver line on his cheek." Aideen was back to staring at me again.

"Yeah, I saw it." I turned and grabbed some underwear out of a drawer while I apportated the weapon roll into my bag. "So what?"

"So, you know how superficial the Seelie can be." She reached out and stroked a hand over my long, black braid. "He's a bit of an embarrassment to his family. Most believe that's why he joined the Wild Hunt, but whatever his reason was, he's proven to be quite good at his job and has advanced rapidly through the ranks."

"So, his peerage didn't warrant him an immediate advancement?" I frowned and went on before she could answer. "Wait, you're saying his family is embarrassed by him because he has that little scar?"

"Yes." Aideen ran a fingertip over the delicate, diamond, star pendant at my throat. "This is beautiful."

"Thank you," I whispered; touching it automatically as I pulled away from her. "It was a gift from my mother."

"Your mother?" Her eyes widened. "Do you wear it all the time?"

"Yeah, she asked me to." I shrugged. "Plus, it reminds me of her. It's the only piece of jewelry I wear."

"What about earrings?" Aideen waved a hand toward my pierced ears.

"I used to wear studs occasionally but then I just took them out one day and never put them back in. I figured it was better to not wear anything that could be ripped out in a fight." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why are you so interested in my jewelry?"

"Just curious." She smiled; her eyes going even wider. "Do you ever wear anything besides these thick human trousers?" She put the jeans back in my bag; folded into a perfect square.

"Sure." I shrugged. "Sometimes I wear shorts or yoga pants."

"Yoga pants?" She looked horrified. "You're going before the Human Council garbed as a yogi?"

"No." I laughed. "I have a little black dress for that." I pulled my only dress out of the closet to show her.

"Oh, thank Danu." Aideen heaved a sigh. "That should do nicely. And for your feet?"

"Shoes." I rolled my eyes and handed her a pair of sturdy black heels."

"What are these?" She was aghast. "No, no, no, sweet, lovely, Seren. You should not wear these. Not ever. I understand that you must wear solid boots when you work but a beautiful woman should never wear shoes like these unless she's forced to."

Aideen tossed the shoes up into the air and when they came down, they were a pair of sexy, strappy, stiletto pumps.

"What the hell?" I apportated my shoes away from her. They flew straight to me. I caught them and looked them over with irritation. "I'll break my ankles if I wear these."

"You'll be fine," Aideen huffed. "Didn't your mother ever teach you how to dress?"

"We're not going to talk about my mother," I growled as I tossed the dangerous shoes into my bag.

"Oh." Her face fell. "I apologize if I said something impolite."

"My mother was killed by pukas." I went into the little bathroom which was connected to my bedroom and grabbed my face wash and toothbrush... while I took a moment alone to compose myself.

"I'm very sorry," she whispered when I came back out. "Is that why your father is so... angry?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "We 're both angry."

"Pukas," she murmured. "Did they find the beasts' master?"

"What?" I froze; my toiletries halfway into my bag.

"Pukas never attack unless ordered to do so." Aideen's frown shifted into a confused expression. "How do you not know this?"

"No one's ever told me," I whispered. "I'm sure my father is unaware too or..."

"He'd be hunting the fairy responsible?" She offered.

"You're saying that my mother was murdered?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"It's a strong possibility." Aideen went still; as if finally sensing the magnitude of what she'd so offhandedly revealed.

"But¡ª" I sat heavily on the bed. "Who? Why? My mother was well-loved by all who knew her. There was a huge outcry over her death. Those pukas were all hunted down and killed."

"Poor beasts," she whispered sadly and shook her head.

"Poor beasts?" I asked; aghast.

"They were merely the weapon, Seren," she said softly. "They knew not what they did. Would you destroy a sword if it had been used to kill her? Or would you go after the hand who held it?"

"Perhaps they were only a weapon." I felt my face harden. "But they sure did seem to enjoy their job."

"All beasts enjoy blood." Aideen shrugged. "It's their nature and one cannot fault them for it."

"But I can fault whoever was behind it." I set my stare on her. "And I can enjoy their blood."

"Yes." Aideen swallowed visibly. "I believe that you will."