Return of the Fae Read online

  Cover Copy

  A witch in training, a hunter on the prowl, and a world in jeopardy.

  Learning the rules of being a witch takes years, but Parris McCall needs to master them in only weeks. Knowing how to wield her magic is the one thing she has to keep her grandmother safe and herself alive.

  Ty Wallace is going mad with his desire for Parris, but he has to maintain an emotional distance from her. She’s a distraction in his quest to find Coven X before they grow too strong, taking The Council and everyone he knows down with it.

  As Parris labors through the academy manuals, the couple takes a trip to find Ty’s mentor. He’s their only hope in helping Parris with her studies. To their dismay, the old man has disappeared. Their only clue comes from a witch banished for actions against The Council. When they return, not only do they find their own lives threatened, but casualties in the war between the covens have risen. And a new life hangs in the balance.

  A Lyrical Press Paranormal Romance

  Highlight

  She had been born a witch. Time to learn to act like one. And quick. The Council had made it clear a first blood strike seemed imminent. A long overdue fight between two rival covens would not only put the witch community in jeopardy but also endanger the human world. The Council wanted humans to stay ignorant of their interweaving into the mix as long as possible. Forever would be preferred.

  She took her second cookie and coffee back to the living room where she pulled the book close and resumed reading. If she had to be a witch, she would know everything about the life she could learn. And then some.

  Two hours later, she finished Volume Two. Volume Three sat on the table near Derek. She scooted the sleeping Dragon over to a pillow on the couch, stood and stretched. She dropped the book on the table as her cell rang.

  Derek shook his head.

  Smiling, she answered the call. She might be able to ditch study hall, sooner rather than later. “April, what’s going on?”

  Return of the Fae

  Book 2 of the Council Series

  Lynn Cahoon

  Thank you for purchasing this Lyrical Press book

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  Dedication

  To my husband for listening while I plotted out the story as we walked the streets of Cincinnati. And to my writing friends who pull me up when I stop believing.

  Acknowledgements

  Big shout out to my most awesome editor, Antonia Tiranth. Thanks for loving my characters as much as I do.

  Chapter 1

  The presence of a fairy is a blessing in a young witch’s life. Parents should nurture this connection, not question the imaginary friendship. If a witch doesn’t have a blessing fairy, applications may be made to the inter-species council. Less than beneficial relationships are not a valid reason to apply for a change in assignment. So suck it up.–The Academy of Witchcraft Manual, Volume 3, page 43.

  “Fairies, witches, and elves. What else am I supposed to believe? Gremlins are running around the town square?” Parris McCall sat curled up in her floral wing chair, reading a training manual, which was sounding more and more like the fairy tales her mom used to read at bedtime. Dragon curled next to her, sleeping peacefully. Parris absently rubbed the Pomeranian’s furry tummy as he stretched into the caress. She half expected to turn the page to read the story of Hansel and Gretel. She closed the leather bound book and tossed it on the coffee table. Wincing at the thud it made, she stood, and stretched the kinks from her back.

  “Giving up so soon?” Derek Chandler looked up from the display screen. He’d been researching Parris’s family tree, or at least he said he was researching. For all she knew, he could be visiting porn sites on his laptop. The Council assigned Derek to train her in her new witch hunter role. Ty Wallace, her other trainer, was Derek’s best friend. Parris didn’t know how to define her relationship with Ty, but she’d worry about the details some other time. First, she needed to learn the basics of being a witch. Ty held the position of The Council’s best witch hunter, the man who made her toes curl when he walked in the room and the one who’d turned her life into this mess. “Eight year olds fly through these books. You’re taking forever.”

  “Eight year olds aren’t running a business. Coffee. I need coffee.” Honestly, she needed a taste of the aged bourbon she’d kept on the home bar. She glanced at the clock. Quarter after nine in the morning, probably too early to chug a quick shot.

  “Alcohol doesn’t help you study. Believe me, I’ve tried. In college, I spent an entire semester drunk.” Derek followed into her bright, sunny kitchen and poured them a cup out of the already brewed pot. “Fun times. Of course, my GPA dropped like a rock. Eventually, my friends threw an intervention party.”

  “Who said I wanted a drink?” Parris sat on one of the wooden chairs surrounding her small kitchen table, curling her feet under her. The warm coffee flowed through her, making her feel like she’d been covered with a fluffy down blanket. She sat straighter. “Knock it off.”

  “Sorry, I forgot you’re sensitive to comfort spells.” Derek took a sip of coffee too. “Although you did notice quicker today than yesterday.”

  “I don’t need you or Ty calming me down. If I’m upset and want to talk, I will.” Parris twisted a strand of her curly black hair absently. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. Or at least the weight of her and Grans’ existence. Two months ago, she’d been a happy bar owner, different but adapting in what she thought could be a normal life. Her life.

  Unfortunately, her normal life consisted of a freaky witness protection program her grandmother crafted after the deaths of Parris’ parents. An accident looking like a death hit sanctioned by a coven of witches no one knew existed before that day. A coven made up of smoke and mist. She shouldn’t be so rude to Derek. It wasn’t his fault he’d been assigned to be her teacher. He couldn’t help that.

  Parris still hated him for his cool demeanor and insistent questions.

  “Most students read the first five volumes before they’re even admitted to the academy. The books help explain the witching world and our place in human existence. The fairy tale style of writing makes the lessons easier to understand. I don’t think the authors ever imagined their book would be used to train an over thirty witch just learning of her power.” Derek peeled a banana. “And, please, you know I can read your thoughts. Don’t play dumb with me regarding the bourbon.”

  “No wonder Grans always seemed one step ahead of teenage me. Now, it makes sense. She knew I planned on sneaking away with Nick Cook.” Parris grabbed a peanut butter cookie off the plate. She’d baked this morning. Sleep was overrated. At least her body thought so. “I’m having trouble wrapping my head around the things I thought were make-believe.”

  “And that’s why parents tell their children early, when they can handle the announcement. Kids haven’t had magic drilled out of them by the human world. You’re at a disadvantage, embracing your power now–belief is harder for adults. Not to change the subject, but your grandmother did an excellent job of covering your past. I finally found a small newspaper piece listing the accident.” Derek ran the tip of his finger over the coffee cup.

  Parris’s heart stopped. “Are you sure? What did it say?”

  “I can’t be sure, the article is short. The St. Louis Post reported a car crash on a rural Illinois highway in 1975, killing Mark Brown, his wife, Sarah, and their five-year-old daughter, Paige. Police assumed the driver fell asleep at the wheel driving home after attending the theater in St. Louis. Apparently they found ticket stubs in the car.” Derek
watched her.

  “But I wasn’t there. Why would the paper say a five-year-old was killed?” Parris frowned. She turned the name Paige over in her head. Even though she knew she had been given another name at birth, she’d been Parris most of her life, she didn’t feel like anyone else. “There couldn’t have been a body. Our last name wasn’t Brown, I’m pretty sure of that.”

  Derek sighed. “I think your grandmother glamoured the documents to show the fake name.”

  Parris put the cookie down. “But what about the child’s body? Could she glamour that?”

  “No. There had to be a real child’s body at the accident scene. The report says Paige had been thrown from the car–she wasn’t wearing a seat belt or in a car seat.” Derek wouldn’t meet her eyes.

  “So you think my grandmother found a dead body of a five-year-old and planted it on the scene so The Council would think they killed me?” Parris couldn’t control her rage. No way Grans would do something like that. Besides, where would she find a body?

  “Don’t judge. This happened a long time ago and, if it’s true, she did what she thought best.” Derek pushed the plate of cookies toward her. “Ty’s over there now working on reversing the forgetting spell she placed on herself after getting everything set. Matilda’s amazing. The woman thought of everything.”

  “What if I don’t want this life? What if I don’t want to know my grandmother is a witch? Hell, that I’m a witch?” Parris took a sip of her coffee and stared at Derek.

  “My lovely, you don’t have a choice in the matter. The Council made the point clear.” Derek stood and refilled both their cups. “Once they’ve decreed something, no one can break the agreement.”

  Parris watched Derek return to his computer in the dining room. He was right. She couldn’t turn this knowledge off. She wanted to turn time back to the moment Ty Wallace walked his sexy, six-two lanky frame into The Alibi and kick him to the curb. She’d felt danger seeping from the man in a wave, yet she’d ignored the warning signs. She’d thought she might lose merely her heart, not her entire life and history. Now, there was no going back.

  She had been born a witch. Time to learn to act like one. And quick. The Council had made it clear a first blood strike seemed imminent. A long overdue fight between two rival covens would not only put the witch community in jeopardy but also endanger the human world. The Council wanted humans to stay ignorant of their interweaving into the mix as long as possible. Forever would be preferred.

  She took her second cookie and coffee back to the living room where she pulled the book close and resumed reading. If she had to be a witch, she would know everything about the life she could learn. And then some.

  Two hours later, she finished Volume Two. Volume Three sat on the table near Derek. She scooted the sleeping Dragon over to a pillow on the couch, stood and stretched. She dropped the book on the table as her cell rang.

  Derek shook his head.

  Smiling, she answered the call. She might be able to ditch study hall, sooner rather than later. “April, what’s going on?”

  Parris listened to April’s concern over the morning’s delivery. The supply truck had only delivered ten cases of beer and with the weekend approaching, the bar would be short if the delivery wasn’t fixed. Her smile widened.

  “I’ll be right there.” Tucking the phone into her purse, she shrugged her shoulders. “April needs me at the bar. We can continue tomorrow?”

  “That’s what you said yesterday. At this rate, we’ll be retired before you finish,” Derek grumped.

  “Sorry, what can I do? My business needs me, even if I’m a witch.” Parris kissed her sleeping Pomeranian on the top of the head when she passed by the couch. “Make sure you let Dragon outside.”

  “I’m not a dog babysitter,” Derek called after her.

  As she walked the tree lined streets from her condo toward the bar, Parris felt light. Almost giddy. Sure, she’d spent the morning learning fairies, elves, and trolls lived in the world around her, at least she hadn’t been subjected to meeting one. She crossed the street and whispered, “Leprechauns, I wonder if they’re real too?”

  “Of course they’re real. Unless you’re Irish, they’re kind of nasty little things.” A small girl stood, as if she was waiting. The child wore a flowing summer frock, more suited for a tea party or church than playing on the sidewalk. Her hair hung past her shoulders, the blonde wisps sparkling in the sun but Parris thought she saw a tip of a point on the girl’s ears. Parris smiled, her reading was affecting her mind, yet something seemed familiar about the child.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Parris glanced down the street. None of the neighbors were outside, strange for mid-day. No one walking their dog, or hurrying to work. Just the two of them.

  “You asked about Leprechauns. I answered your question.” The little girl twirled around a light pole. “I’m glad we can talk again. It’s been lonely.”

  “Do I know you?” Parris frowned. Was this one of her neighbor’s kids?

  “You used to.” The girl put her hand into Parris’ and started walking. “Come on, I need to tell you some things.”

  Parris followed. “I don’t remember meeting. What’s your name? Do you live around here? Your parents could be looking for you.”

  The little girl stopped and looked up into Parris’s eyes. “I don’t have parents. Like you now.”

  Fear gripped Parris, freezing her in her tracks. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Toki.” The girl pulled on Parris’s hand. “Come on, we should keep walking or they’ll see us.”

  Toki’s real? Parris started walking again with her imaginary friend who she hadn’t seen since she was five. Of course, why not. At least their path took them toward the bar. “Who will see us?”

  “The humans, silly.” Toki stared at her. “You still don’t know. I thought they trained you in fairy practices early?”

  “I’m just starting my training.” Parris pulled up short. “You’re saying you’re a fairy and while I’m walking with you I’m invisible?”

  Toki shook her head. “Witches. You always want to know how magic works. Yes, I’m a fairy. I’m invisible to humans when I want to be. You’re invisible when you’re holding my hand or touching me. Hiding in plain sight makes it easy to have conversations the other world wouldn’t understand. We don’t have to be invisible but its easier keeping up the shields when we’re moving. Walking isn’t a requirement, only a good idea.”

  “Oh.” Parris didn’t know what to say after that.

  “You don’t remember me?” Toki’s voice sounded quiet, forlorn.

  “I remember my imaginary friend. I didn’t know…”

  “You didn’t know I was real. A fairy.” Toki laughed. “Smile, it could be worse. You could have been assigned a troll. They aren’t a bit fun. All business. And they stink.”

  A voice called out of bushes near the apartment building. “Hey–You try living under a bridge and see how clean you smell after a few hundred years.”

  “Sorry, Henry.” Toki raised her eyebrows. “And they’re very sensitive.”

  “A troll lives across the street?” Parris glanced at the building in horror.

  “Actually, he’s watching. We’ve been taking turns minding your house, ever since he started showing up.”

  “Ty? Derek? I think they’re okay.” Parris felt foolish. She believed a fairy telling her the men helping her weren’t trustworthy.

  “No, not the witches. They’re nice. And hot.” Toki winked.

  “That is freaky coming from a five-year-old child.” Parris shook her head.

  “I may look five but add a few hundred years and you have my real age. Or at least I think that’s my age. You’re the one who decides what you see when you look at me.” Toki smiled.

  Parris decided changing the subject a better option than thinking of Toki’s real age and physical projection. “So who are you watching for?”

  “He’s been outside your house for
the last two weeks. He’s young, but not.” Toki frowned. “He’s like a witch, only more. I’ve never seen anyone like him except the night your parents died. One like him watched outside your house that night too.”

  Coven X. A chill ran through Parris’ body. Could her long lost relatives have found her already? Desperate, she wondered what could she ask Toki about the coven to give Ty and Derek what they needed? Apparently, telling them she got the information from a fairy wouldn’t be a problem. “What does he look like? What’s his name?”

  “Some things I can’t tell you. It’s against the rules. All I can say is he’s there. We’re allowed to watch and act to save you if he makes a move.” Toki shook her head. “I should have seen this coming when your folks were killed. I thought the watcher had been sent from your dad’s side of the family.”

  “We know about the other coven. Or at least The Council does.” Parris wondered about giving away Council secrets. The book clearly said she could trust the fairy assigned to her. She read this morning about the inter-agency agreement between the two species. So weird, totally weird. “So you’re assigned as my fairy? What does that mean?”

  Toki shot her a look bordering on frustration and impatience. “Look, you need to read the book. After you’re done, you can ask me anything you don’t understand. I can’t answer open ended questions like that. Somebody needs to teach you these things.”

  Parris sighed. “Believe me, they’re trying.” She would check in with April then start reading the book she’d stashed in her oversize purse. “I’ll take it more seriously, I promise.”

  “Good, because I’m worried.”

  “About what?” Parris glanced down at Toki who’d stopped walking. “I can’t ask that, can I? Too open ended?”

  Toki shook her head. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “No, the question was fine.” She released Parris’s hand and faded. “Someone is trying to kill you.”

  Chapter 2