Return of the Fae Read online

  Ty wasn’t there. A tall, black man sporting a basketball jersey and shorts frowned at her and kept walking.

  Great, now she heard voices and talked to herself. The day was getting better and better.

  Parris kicked her legs out, stretching her back, reached for her feet. Maybe she needed some sugar.

  “You’re going to eat ice cream in this heat? Water would be better for you, not as heavy.”

  This time Parris didn’t turn, or react. She kept her head down and continued stretching. Quietly she asked, “Who and where are you?”

  Parris heard a giggle. “Right in front of you, silly. On top of the fountain.”

  Parris looked up the black marble fountain, knowing she wasn’t going to see a human. The fountain tiered with statues of two men on the bottom and a woman standing on top, water pouring out of her outstretched hands. “Great, now a fountain is talking to me.”

  A young mother glanced her way and pushed her stroller faster, away from Parris.

  Parris didn’t blame her. She probably looked like a loony sitting here alone, talking to no one.

  “But you’re talking to me,” said the stone woman. “I wait for months, maybe years, for a witch to visit with me and you’re worried about what humans think? Priceless.”

  “Until last month, I belonged to that group,” Parris muttered, glancing around at people milling nearby, not close enough for them to hear her. She put a hand up to her ear, mimicking talking on a blue tooth and getting too much noise.

  “Not my problem. Besides, your hands-free trick should protect you. I swear, technology is so amazing now-a-days. Tell me, what year is it?”

  “2012. Why?”

  “Just wondering how long I’ve been a water girl. This place sucks. Sure, on weekends I get a lot of company during the different festivals, and in summer, humans bring their lunches here to eat. Winters are brutal. The city shuts off the water. My arms just hang, stretched out like this. I look like an idiot.”

  “If no one comes to see you, why do you care?” Ty’s voice broke into the fountain’s complaint.

  “Well, if it isn’t Ty Wallace, the most handsome of The Council’s flunkies. How are you? Is this your latest conquest? Or a rogue witch you’re taking back for The Academy to break?” The fountain laughed. “Should I ask if Rowena knows? Maybe I’ll keep your secret, maybe not.”

  “Prudence, I don’t think it matters. Besides, by the time you get released, you won’t remember today.” Ty handed Parris an ice cream cup with a plastic spoon. “Parris, meet Prudence, a level six witch who dreamed of glory.”

  “No need to be nasty, Ty. You know I tested at level three.”

  Ty shook his head. “I’m pretty sure you slept with the tester to get a rating that high. What got you in this predicament? Last I heard, you lived overseas, teaching at the Great Britain Academy.” Ty took the spoon, filling it with a bite of ice cream. “You need to eat this before it melts.”

  “Always the gentleman.” The Prudence statue crooned. “She is pretty, Ty.”

  “And you’re avoiding my question, Pru. What happened?”

  “Seriously, it was a big misunderstanding. Who knew the royal family had witch hunters protecting the royal jewels. I needed to borrow them and the prince for a night to attend a party.” Prudence sighed, a gush of water flowing out of her hands, splashing the fountain.

  “You got caught crafting a spell.”

  “Basically.” The statue paused. “Why are you here in Cincinnati? Last I knew you and Rowena were in St. Louis. Where is she?”

  “Banished two years ago.” Ty’s eyes went dark. Even Parris noticed a chill in the air.

  “Oh.” The statue didn’t press Ty for more information. Something must have warned her she skated on thin ice.

  Ty looked up at the statue thoughtfully. “I wonder,” he muttered.

  Parris understood his thought immediately, asking, “You think she knows?”

  Ty cocked his head, “Maybe.”

  “Maybe what?” Prudence demanded. “Why can’t I see her thoughts anymore?”

  “Parris is pretty good at locking you out once she knows you’re reading her.” Ty smiled. “I know.”

  His pride in her ability showed. Parris wasn’t going to question the compliment, even if she’d no idea how she did the parlor trick. She felt a niggle and blocked it. That must be how she controlled her thoughts. How did she block all the time? That was the real question and one she hadn’t found the answer to in the Academy’s manuals. At least not yet.

  “So Prudence, have you seen Robert?” Ty asked the statue directly.

  “You mean the old man who used to be a hunter?” Prudence hedged, even Parris could feel the air change.

  “You know who I mean. He’s not old.” Ty pressed.

  “Maybe. What if I have?”

  Parris felt the niggle again. Prudence searched for what Parris knew about the missing wizard, trying to find a way using the information to her advantage. Apparently Ty had blocked the statue’s attempts to read his mind.

  “Tell me what you know and I’ll call The Council and tell them you helped me.” Ty put his cards on the metaphorical table. “That’s all I can do. The Council can shorten your sentence.” Ty hesitated for effect then added, “Or lengthen it.”

  “Fine, you don’t have to be pissy.” If the statue could have lifted her arm with the sigh, Parris thought this would have been an Oscar winning performance.

  “Well?” Ty pressed again.

  “He comes around noon, looking for food. He said he’s sleeping around the angels.” Prudence whined. “You’ll talk to The Council? Tell them I helped you?”

  “If I find Robert, yes. If you’re leading me on a wild goose chase, they’ll know that too.” Ty stood. “Last chance, anything else you need to say?”

  “He’s pretending to be homeless. That’s all I know. I don’t know why he’s hiding from someone.” Prudence paused, seeming to consider her next words.

  “And what?”

  “Ty, he’s scared. I’ve never seen him scared before. Not of anything.”

  Ty held out his hand helping Parris off the bench. “Thanks Pru, we’ll stop back before we leave Cincinnati.”

  “I’d like that.” Prudence hesitated. “It can get kind of lonely here.”

  As they walked out of Fountain Square, Ty’s arm circled Parris’ waist. They walked a few blocks through the throng before Ty turned her away and down a side street. “There’s an amazing barbeque place a few blocks this way. Ready for dinner?”

  “Sure.” Parris had been lost in thought about Prudence locked in stone, for a crime which didn’t seem like such a big deal. Maybe she didn’t understand everything yet, but she knew one thing now, politics weren’t only a big deal in the human world. They ran rampant in The Council’s world too.

  Fear gripped her as she thought about her grandmother’s risk in hiding her. The Council’s memory seemed long. What punishment would be waiting for Grans after they didn’t need Parris’ cooperation anymore?

  She needed an ace up her sleeve protecting herself and her grandmother.

  Right now, she didn’t have a clue.

  Chapter 7

  Notice we haven’t discussed spells, magical herbs or casting runes. All these are the tools of a witch, what the fakes call identity, not essence. First you learn your essence, your power. Then we’ll teach you the practices of being a witch. What is your power? Your essence? –The Academy of Witchcraft Manual, Volume 3 page 612

  Ty focused on the coleslaw on his plate. One bite at a time, focus. Focus. Think of Robert. His vision waivered and he saw a statue. This statue was pure stone, no essence hidden inside like Prudence in the fountain square. Just stone. As he watched, the statue’s eyes opened and it said one word. “Angels.”

  “Ty? Are you okay?” Parris’ voice called him back from his vision. He blinked and the stone woman disappeared. Her word still echoing in his head. Angels. What the heck did that m
ean? He blinked several times.

  “I’m fine, just trying to focus in on Robert. Now I know he’s still here, since Prudence has seen him, I should be able to contact him, let him know we’re here.” Ty took a long drink of draft beer. The restaurant doubled as a small brewery, featuring several micro brews on tap. The amber tasted particularly nice.

  “But you’re not able to find him.” Parris finished his sentence.

  Ty twisted his lips. “All I get is more of the same thing Prudence gave us. Angels.”

  “If last month someone had told me a guy hung with the angels, I would say he was dead. Of course, now I know fairies are real. What’s to say angels aren’t too?” Parris smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  He’d done this. He’d changed her world. His only duty had been to make sure she fell at or below the level five witch her grandmother portrayed her to be. A witch who didn’t want to own her power. The only thing Parris wished for was a normal life. He’d erased the possibility from her future.

  “You’ll get angel instruction in volume four. They’re harder to understand, what with religious mythology surrounding them. Many witches don’t see the Bible even as historical text, especially since men touting God’s law have persecuted those performing witchcraft for centuries.” Ty sighed. “It’s hard to take angels at face value, no more than they truly were designed for and no less.”

  “So you think your friend is hanging with the angels, literally.” Parris took a bite of her pulled pork sandwich. Ty smiled. The girl could eat. He loved that about her. Not like those skinny models he usually took to events as arm candy. He reached over and, wiped a bit of barbecue sauce off her lips with his thumb.

  “Or hanging around somewhere angels exist.” Ty finished his beer. “You ready? I’d like to walk back to the room so I can do some research on the churches within walking distance of Fountain Square. If I’m right, we might be able to track Robert down before noon tomorrow.”

  “Then what?”

  He pulled out a credit card to pay. “We’ll figure it out when we find him.”

  “If?”

  “When,” Ty corrected her. “Positive thinking creates a doorway through which opportunity loves to walk.”

  “Who said that?” Parris pushed her plate away and grabbed her own glass, downing the rest of her own draft.

  “I don’t remember. Me, maybe.” He waved the waiter back to their table.

  When they reached the room, Ty checked the desk for a phone book. Nothing. He opened his phone and punched in a number. When the other line picked up, he started talking. “Derek, I need a list of all religious buildings within walking distance of Fountain Square.”

  “How far is walking distance? You or someone in shape?”

  “I don’t know–five miles max? How far can a guy Robert’s age walk?”

  “Probably farther than you could. Last time I saw the guy he pretty much could keep up with warlocks half his age. Five miles should get you started.” Derek paused, “You have any luck keeping Parris on track?”

  Ty glanced at Parris and laughed. “No, she hasn’t cracked a book all day. She says you’re a slave driver.”

  “Glad it’s not just me then.”

  “Hey.” Parris leaned close to the phone. “I read on the way down here. I’m done with volume three.”

  “Sounds like she’s ready for some harder stuff,” Derek said, chuckling. “I’ll pick up the next set while you guys are vacationing.”

  “Some vacation. She’ll read on the way back, too. I promise. Send the list to the front desk. They’ll print it for me.” Ty clicked off the phone. A pillow hit him dead in the face. “What?”

  “I can’t believe you tried to get me in trouble with Derek.” Parris shook her head. “So now what do we do?”

  “We wait until morning to work Derek’s list.” Ty sat down next to her on the bed, pulling up the spaghetti strap on her shirt, then letting it pop down on her skin.

  “Morning’s a long time away. What should we do until then?” Parris asked, dragging the tip of her nail up his arm, slowly.

  “I think we can entertain each other.” He moved her onto his lap and kissed her, bringing her head down meeting his lips. Her curly hair fell forward, enveloping him, tickling his arms as he reached up tangling his hands in the raven locks.

  She answered his kiss, deeply, opened her lips and darted her tongue in his mouth, slowly at first, then with more urgency. He pushed her back to a standing position. “This time,” he said with a rumble in his voice, “we’ll be on my pace.”

  The first and only time they’d made love, the sex had been amazing, hot, fast, and over too soon for his liking. She’d needed the release, especially after she’d found she and her family to be witch folk. That kind of news messed with someone’s head. Sex brought things into perspective.

  Perspective was his goal tonight. He needed comfort this time. Starting with her shirt, he lifted the Lycra tank over her head. His breath caught as her breasts were revealed, rewarding him for the effort. His mouth watered as he sighed and pushed his head in between, feeling the warmth and kissed her cleavage.

  Her fingers dug into the flesh on his arms, urging him on. He took a nipple in his mouth, teasing, nipping, until she groaned. He found the button on her shorts. He fumbled for a second, needing his other hand to finish the task, and she wiggled out of her bottoms. She stood there in front of him, perfect.

  This time when he moved her onto the bed it would be slow and easy, like the Doors song about drugs. Sex, his drug. Parris, his only supplier.

  A knock woke Parris. She heard the shower running and slipped on a robe before crossing over to the entrance. She glanced in the dresser mirror, running her hands down the rat’s nest she called hair. She pulled it together tucking the ends into the edge of the robe, making it look like she hadn’t climbed out of bed after a wild night of sex. Of course, that was exactly what happened, so why shouldn’t she look it? She smiled, remembering making love, not only once, but twice last night. The man knew his way around a female body.

  She peeked through the peep hole. A waiter, dressed in kitchen whites stood with a covered tray. Fear gripped her. Who’d called for breakfast? Maybe she shouldn’t open the door. A voice behind her caused her to jump.

  “The warlock ordered food before he went to shower.”

  Parris turned and Toki jumped on the unmade bed. She took a deep breath, “You got to stop just popping in.”

  “I didn’t pop in. You asked a question, I came to answer it.”

  A second knock sounded, “Just a second.” Parris turned back to Toki, but the fairy had disappeared. Having Toki around would take some getting used to.

  Parris let the room service guy in, signed the bill, and poured a cup of coffee. All before Ty appeared, a towel around his waist and water dripping off his hair onto his toned shoulders.

  Parris couldn’t help it, her body tightened and she wanted nothing more than to throw him back on the bed.

  Ty grinned. “Sorry, honey. We’ve got things to do today.”

  “You think I wanted more?” Parris sipped her coffee, feigning indifference.

  “Like you always say, I’m not a normal boy. I know you want more.” Ty poured himself a cup of coffee. “Even if I was a normal boy, I’d know you want more. Last night was amazing.”

  “Kind of full of yourself aren’t you?”

  Ty opened one of the covered plates, the smell of bacon overwhelming her. “Let’s just say we had fun and not fight. Hungry?”

  Parris gave in. Her body and thoughts betrayed her. Might as well enjoy the food. “Starving.”

  Ty stopped, glanced around the room, asking, “Toki stopped in this morning?”

  “How’d you know that?” Parris shook her head when Ty opened his mouth. “Never mind–not a normal boy, I get it. She stopped in because I wasn’t sure about the room service guy. She said I asked her a question, but I didn’t.”

  “There are many ways
to ask a question. Toki is probably sensitive to your needs since you ignored her for so many years.” Ty threw her a napkin.

  “I didn’t ignore her. I didn’t know she existed.”

  “Keep telling yourself that. Here you go.” Ty handed her a plate with the largest omelet she’d ever seen. He sat at the other end of the bed, braced against the wall.

  She sat cross-legged on the bed, and snagged a slice of bacon off his plate. She took a bite and grinned at his mock outrage. Crunchy goodness. Some places didn’t let the bacon crisp to the almost burned stage she loved. The hotel’s restaurant hadn’t disappointed her yet. She would miss the food when they went home on Sunday. She cut into her mushroom provolone omelet, almost groaning in pleasure when she tasted its perfection. Yes, she would miss this place.

  Ty offered her a slice of toast, holding the plate outside her reach. “I want to keep my fingers out of biting range,” he deadpanned.

  “Sorry, if I enjoy a good meal.” Parris leaned closer and grabbed a slice of toast. Warm butter dripped down her finger, and she used her tongue, saving the drop from hitting her clothes.

  “You’re killing me here,” Ty said, taking a bite of hash browns.

  “Good to know.” Parris reached up, wiping the corner of his mouth with the tip of her finger. She held it up like a trophy. “Ketchup.”

  “We’re on a mission.” He sighed. “Stop playing with me and let me eat, woman. We have places to go.”

  “And people to see,” she added. “So, why are we here again? This can’t be an old homecoming weekend, showing me your old school, especially since you didn’t go to college here.”

  Ty polished off his over easy eggs before he answered her question with one of his own. “Why do you think we’re here?”

  “You think he knows something about my parents?” She stopped with her fork frozen midway to her mouth.

  “Kind of, more though on the other coven. Let’s think more about your dad. There has to be some kind of record somewhere on Coven X, or at least the original members. The Council couldn’t have been blind to its existence all these years.” Ty finished off his hash browns, took the last piece of toast off the plate and put the plates back on the serving tray.