Chapter Fifteen
“No.” Beau crossed his arms and glared at his brother.
“We have to—“
“I said no. You didn’t see her, John Luke. She was terrified and I mean, white as a ghost, shaking and looking at me like I was a monster.”
“Which is why we need to make her see that we’re not monsters,” Ily argued in a gentle tone.
“Don’t do that.” Beau’s tone was cross. “Don’t try and get inside my head. I’m telling you both to leave Grace alone. Please. I did enough damage letting her see me shift.”
He groaned and turned his back on John Luke and Ily to stare out of the window of the family home. Even now he could see Grace’s face, the horror on it. Horror. That’s what she felt when she looked at him.
He’d lost her because of what he was.
“You haven’t lost her.” Ily argued and held up both hands in a placating manner when he turned toward her. “Just hear me out. We all know the kind of shock that goes with finding out you’re not like everyone else. That you’re a Scythe like me or in your case, one of the Kindred, a hybrid breed of Human and Seven. It’s difficult. It’s the same for her. She needs time to process it, yes, but she also needs to see that we’re—that you’re not a monster. That you’re still the same man.”
“She won’t let me within a hundred feet of her. Seriously,” he added when she gave him a skeptical look. “The other day I was walking by her shop on my way to the barber and she was coming out of the door. When she saw me, she bolted back inside, slammed the door, and pulled the shade.”
“Then maybe she needs reassurance from someone other than you,” Sabine suggested.
“Like who?”
“Like me,” Ily said. “Or me and Sabine? Sabine’s a mother now. Maybe if Grace saw her and Lilyann and got to know them, and me, maybe then she wouldn’t react so negatively. Maybe she’d see that we’re like her—just different races of humanoid, kind of like being a different nationality or religion.”
Beau looked over at Sabine, sitting on the couch beside Logan who was holding their daughter Lilyann. “Do you really think that’s going to work?” He directed the question to Logan.
“I don’t know. What I do know is that we have to do something. And fast.”
“Why?”
Logan looked over at Ily and she answered. “According to Severin and Darius, the cloaking spell has weakened to the point that a Daemon or Wizard level four or above can discern it. Our enemies have many that level or higher, so we need to do something to get the spell reinforced, and we need the complete spell to do it. Not to mention what’s happening with the Weres. And in case no one told you, there are now three Shifters affected.”
Beau said something he’d been thinking for a while and had kept quiet about to avoid argument. “I don’t want to start a fight, but can anyone here really think that our enemies don’t know about this place? For crying out loud, it’s our family’s town. We started it and we live here. It’s not a secret so a cloaking spell…”
“It’s not just our family,” Logan argued. “Yes, we’re obvious but there are others at risk.”
“If our enemy manages to breach our defenses here, anyone could be a target,” Sabine said quietly. “Including Lilyann. She may have Shifter qualities.”
“And it may be more than Shifters and Weres who are susceptible,” Ily added. “This could be a threat to all our people.”
A sound outside had everyone freezing. When they heard their father’s voice, there was a noticeable lessening of tension. A few moments later, he walked into the room, followed by Mysti, her husband Jean Paul, and Ravyn. “I’m glad you could all be here.” John said. “We’re in great need of a family meeting.”
“About?” Logan asked and looked over at Ravyn. “Why didn’t you bring Wayne?”
“He’s out of town.”
“Good reason.” Logan looked at his father. “What’s on the agenda, Dad?”
“Grace Summerfield for one.” John looked at Beau. “And news from the Council of Seven that will affect everyone.”
“Let’s start with news,” Logan said.
“Fine.” John took a seat and waited until everyone else was settled. “As you all know, when John Luke, Ily, and Severin went to Florida, they spent time at the deceased King’s home. Ily and Severin left clues for Michael’s daughter and Ily came up with the idea of having an attorney contact the daughter to tell her about her inheritance.” He paused and looked around before continuing. “She found a letter Michael had written to his daughter. Thanks to a lot of people helping, we located the daughter and the letter was mailed to her from Florida. She has now gone to Florida to claim her inheritance and with luck will discover the clues left for her.”
“And then what?” Ravyn asked.
“Then open the portal between dimensions.”
Beau would not have admitted it, but that sentence sent a shiver sliding over his skin. Parallel dimensions were supposed to be the stuff of science fiction. Well, once they were. Now, according to what he’d read, the theory was widely accepted in scientific circles.
Why he’d have trouble with the idea was a bit of a joke. After all, he was a man who could turn into an animal. It didn’t get much more sci-fi or fantasy than that.
“And?” he asked.
“And either the Light will have control of the other side and join with us to combat the darkness here, or the dark will have prevailed and we will fight to the death to keep more of the Dark Fae from entering this realm.” Ily’s words delivered more than a shiver.
“Am I the only one who wishes we could find out in advance of opening the portal who is in control on the other side?” he asked.
“We all wish that, son,” John agreed. “Now to the matter of Grace Summerfield.”
“Yeah, I’m curious what she has to do with any of this besides being scared out of her mind and barely able to leave her home for fear of seeing me.” Beau made no effort to keep the anger from his voice.
“She has quite a bit to do with the cloaking spell we need to strengthen,” John answered. “Her father and King Michael created it and it’s believed that she is the only one who can reinforce it.”
“That’s crazy. She’s not a magician, she’s just a—a—“
“Kindred,” John said bluntly. “She has Fae blood.”
“No.” Beau shook his head.
“Yes, son. The Fae Council person told me himself.” John looked over at Ily. “And Severin said that Ily can confirm this to be true. Grayson Summerfield was actually Grayson Summerfield Whitehorse, younger brother of King Michael. He followed King Michael here many years ago and didn’t want to return.”
Beau looked at Ily and she spoke up. “I don’t know that much about Grayson except that I liked him. He was kind and gentle, smart and could make Michael laugh and see the beauty in life. He was not just King Michael’s younger brother but also his best friend. And Lucan of the Fae is a man to be trusted, so I believe what your father has told us.”
Beau thought about it for a moment and then addressed his father. “So, you’re saying that Grace is part Fae.”
“Yes. Kindred. Just like you and your brothers—like me.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t mean she has any—any abilities. I mean, what abilities could she have?”
“Magic.” Ily answered.
“Magic?”
“She could have inherited abilities to control air or water, or perhaps plants. There are thousands of magical abilities and I don’t know what hers are, but if her father created the cloaking spell, then I’d guess she’d inherit abilities similar to his, or perhaps she has a particular affinity for plants and can alter their constituents in a way a non-magical can’t.”
“Which would explain why Ily couldn’t reverse engineer that formula Mom had made,” John Luke said.
“I thought it was because she didn’t have all the ingredients?”
John Luke looked at Ily and then back at Beau. “We found the bog lily. Grandmother Beaudreaux had it planted at the edge of the swamp on her estate. It was the Dragon’s Blood we didn’t know about.”
“Grace said that could be a hundred different things.”
“Actually, it can only be one,” Ily said. “Blood. Scythian blood.”
Beau felt his spine stiffen. His connection to Ily ran deep and he felt the rage that simmered inside her. Someone had either killed or taken a Scythe prisoner and used her blood to create a poison.
“I can’t believe that Mr. Summerfield would willingly go along with making something that required blood.”
“I agree,” his father said. “And Augustus has people looking into this. If there’s a Scythe being held prisoner, we’ll find her.” He looked at Ily. “We’re all in this together.”
“Yes.” She gave him a smile. “And stronger for it. But back to the cloaking spell. Beau, maybe it’s time someone else approached Grace.”
“Who?”
“Like I suggested earlier.” Ily looked around and gestured. “The women of this family. She knows Mysti and Ravyn so they shouldn’t pose a threat. Sabine and I are the newcomers, but as long as I don’t go into warrior mode, I shouldn’t frighten her. And Sabine has a child; that gives her common ground with Grace. Perhaps Mysti could invite Grace to a luncheon or gathering?”
“Yes, I think that would work,” Mysti agreed. “We’ve been talking on the phone and have had coffee and lunch a couple of times.”
“Before she saw me shift.” Beau blurted and when all eyes focused on him, continued. “Yeah, she saw it and it scared the living daylights out of her. She’ll run back inside the store if she sees me on the sidewalk and isn’t taking my calls.”
There was silence for a bit and then Sabine spoke up. “Well, she has no cause to fear Mysti and if permitted, I can lessen whatever fear she has of us. Nothing drastic, just a bit of calm.”
Beau knew everyone was waiting for him to agree and at the moment, he couldn’t see a reason not to. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you if she hangs up on you when you call.”
“I stand warned.” Mysti gave him a smile. “Okay, so what’s next?”
“Food.” Sabine said. “I’m starving”
“Yes.” Ily immediately agreed. “Me too. Who wants to help me get it on the table? Everything’s ready and in the oven keeping warm.”
“You cooked?” Beau asked with a bit of trepidation. The last time he ate Ily’s cooking, he accused her of trying to poison him.
“I followed recipes from that cookbook you gave me.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “I have two doctorates, smart-ass. I can follow a recipe.”
“We’ll see.” He stood and gestured for her to precede him. “I’ll help.”
“We’ll all help.” Mysti was the first to stand.
In under a minute, the entire family was in the massive kitchen, setting the table, fixing glasses of iced tea, getting food from the oven and refrigerator and taking it to the table. Talk turned to lighter matters, and before long, there was laughter in the house.
That was just what Beau needed. A dose of family normalcy. They might be Shifters and Angels and Scythes but before all that, they were family and loved one another.
He just wished he had not blown his chance to bring someone new to the family, someone he loved and wanted to share a life with.