Phoenix Rising I (24 page)

“I know,” Arielle chuckled. “So, how are you really? Do you have a place to stay? Please tell me you got the house? That is your house. All that work you put into it.”

“Yes, I did.” Juliana saw Maverick standing back from them.

“Good, good,” Arielle nodded. She turned to where Juliana looked.

“Ah, Maverick,” Juliana said. “This is Ariell--”

Arielle gave a small whistle. “Well, well, well, I see now why we haven’t seen you around lately. And, in which case, we all forgive you.”

Juliana tried not to blush.

“I’m going to head up.” Arielle pointed up the side of the tall courthouse. “But I’ll get in touch with you later. I need your help with some luncheon thing. You know those Tennian diplomats are so fussy. I can never please them, but they rave about you. I just might have to hire you to do it for me.”

“I’d be happy to help,” Juliana answered as Arielle waved goodbye.

“I see you have more friends than you thought.” Maverick’s voice washed over her. She’d missed him even though it had been a short time.

“It would seem so,” Juliana answered.

“So it’s over,” he said.

“Yes, completely over.” She sighed, feeling light and carefree.

“Congratulations. I heard a call go out over the dispatch for a couple of the officers to escort Jeff from the courthouse. Apparently, he’s causing a scene and broke a chair.”

“That isn’t too surprising considering his mood when I walked out.” Juliana touched his arm, lightly stroking his uniform. She wanted to lean into him, but was aware that they were in public and he was on duty. “I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he said, not meeting her eye as he looked up the building. “So I heard you got your house back.”

“Yes, I did.” She wondered at his tone. Her house didn’t feel like her home. She liked living with Maverick. “I got everything I asked for. A completely fair division.”

“You deserve it, Juliana. You deserve everything you could ever want.” He touched her cheek. “Are you ready to go celebrate? I got off shift an hour ago. Sean can give us a ride.”

“I know I said I wanted to go out after this was over, but would you mind terribly if we just went home?” Juliana asked, peeking up at him to gauge his reaction when she said ‘home.’ “I just want to take a long shower and relax the rest of the day while we watch an old transmission.”

“I suppose you miss your place, don’t you?” His face was strained as he glanced around the front of the courthouse. They were relatively alone, with only a few people walking back and forth.

“I don’t know. It’s just a house.” She gave him a coy look. “And I don’t have a water shower.”

“I can help you put one in,” he offered. She grimaced. That wasn’t what she’d been hinting at.

Juliana started walking, pulling him along with her. “Can we get out of here before they drag Jeff down? I don’t want to create another scene.”

“All right.”

“Is something wrong? You sound strange.” She studied his handsome face as he brought her toward the hover patrol car. His partner, Sean, was sitting inside, waiting for them. He lifted his hand, smiling and waving. All the guys on the force had been really nice to her, accepting her easily into their midst. A few of them even came to the house to eat, mostly the single guys with no woman at home, and Maverick had invited them over a few times for drinks.

“No,” he said, only to stop before the car, not opening the door. “Well, yes. No.”

“Maverick? What is it?” Her gut tightened. What was this? This was supposed to be a happy day. Now that she was completely free of commitments, did he not want her anymore? Was he going to end their affair? Demand she move out of his house now that she had her own? Did he regret the last months?

“I don’t want you to move out,” he blurted. “I want you to stay with me.”

Juliana gasped, suddenly realizing how silly her worries were. She knew this man, knew him with all her heart. He was good, kind and he would never hurt her.

Smiling, she touched his face. “Why would I move out?”

“Well, you have money now and you,” he paused, taking a deep breath. “You don’t need me.”

“Don’t need you? Maverick, that’s foolish talk. I don’t want to move out of your home. You’re my best friend. I like our living arrangements. Just because I have money doesn’t mean I’m going to change anything. If you’ll have me, I want to stay.”

Maverick shook his head. “That’s a real shame.”

Juliana gasped. “What? You--you don’t like the way things are between us? I don’t understand. I thought you said you didn’t want me to move out.”

He again glanced around. Juliana followed his gaze. No one was there. He was acting so strange. Sean knocked on the window to hurry them up. Maverick ignored him.

“I want more,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. “I’ve waited for this day. I knew you wanted to get this part of your life over with once and for all and well, now that it is, I have something to say.”

Her heart beat faster and her mouth became suddenly dry. She’d never seen him look at her like this.

“I love you, Juliana. I didn’t expect it to happen, but I do. I like having you at the house and these last months I’ve been so scared that after your financial arrangements were taken care of, you’d want to leave and start over. Well, I’m asking you to start over. With me.”

Juliana frowned, confused. What was he saying? He loved her? He wanted her to start over? It was all so sudden, and yet not. Joy unfurled within her, spreading over her entire length.

Reaching into his jacket, Maverick pulled out a ring, “I was going to give this to you tonight at dinner, but … marry me. Not right away, just someday. Say you’ll be mine. I love you. I want to give you a life that rocket boy never could.”

“Maverick,” she whispered, tears in her eyes.

“I love you, Juliana,” he said, cupping her face. “And I want to be with you. I don’t care if we get married tomorrow or in twenty years. I just want to know that you’re mine for the rest of our lives.”

Nodding, she smiled, never having felt so happy even as her eyes spilled over with tears. What was it about his man? He could take what should be her toughest days and make them the best. “Yes. I love you, too, Maverick and yes. Yes, I will marry you … someday.”

He whooped at the top of his lungs, darting forward to wrap his arms around her waist. Spinning her in circles, he kissed her. Everything was perfect.

Sean poked his head out of the hover car’s window. “I take it she said yes? Does this mean we are having a party at your house tonight?”

“Sorry Sean, tonight is a party for two,” Juliana said, unable to keep from laughing. Then, to Maverick she whispered, “I love you, Officer Perkins.”

The End

By

Cailleach

Cnoc Meadha

Daoine Sidhe

Fae Faery Mound

Faery Ring

Faolchú Finnbheara Fomorians

Milesians

Mo chroi

Mo mhúirnín bán Seelie Court

Seis Sidhe Tir Na n’Óg

Trooping Faeries

Tuatha Dé Danann

Well of Sight
GLOSSARY

(pronounced kahl-yukhk) - Old Woman. The Cailleach is an
ancient Celtic goddess, the bringer of snows, death, and sharp
storms. She is the protector and steward of wild animals,
particularly deer and wolves. She usually appears as a crone.
(pronounced nock meh-hah) - located in County Galway, the site
of the sidhe mound of King Finnbheara.
(pronounced deenie shee) - The Good People, refers to the Tuatha
Dé Danann who remained in Ireland after their defeat by the
Milesians.
Another term for faery.
A raised area in the earth, with communities of the Fae living
within them. Humans may sometimes find the entrance by
walking nine times around the mound.
A circle of mushrooms or dark grass. The Fae dance in and around
these rings and sometimes use the rings to capture humans. If a
human puts both of his/her feet inside a faery ring, he/she can be
transported to the realm of the Fae.
(pronounced fail-koo) - wolf.
(pronounced finn-varra) - High King of the Fae.
An ancient sea-faring race of magical beings who invaded Ireland
and were ultimately defeated by the Tuatha Dé Danann and driven
into the sea, where they became known as sea demons.
(pronounced mill-ee’-zhun) - any of the race of people from Spain
(from whom the Gaelic people are descended) who invaded Ireland
and defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann.
(pronounced muh kree) - My heart

(pronounced muh vor-neen bahn) - My fair darling.
Faeries who help and protect humans, as opposed to the Unseelie
Court, who hurt, frighten and sometimes even destroy mortals.

(pronounced sace) - A curse.
(pronounced shee) - A faery.
(pronounced teer na nogue) - Land of the Young. In Celtic legend,
it is the equivalent of the Christian idea of Heaven, the homeland
of the Tuatha De Danann, a land of beauty where the grass is
always green, fruit and flowers can be picked together, and where
death holds no dominion.
Faeries who appear in groups and many times form settlements, as
opposed to solitary faeries, who appear alone.
(pronounced thoo’ a-haw day dah’ nawn) - The People of the
Goddess Danu. The name of the race of beings who were the gods
and goddesses of ancient Ireland. A warrior race with incredible
gifts in the areas of science and artistry.
A magical well allowing the user to remote view anywhere in the
fae and human realms.

The Curse of the Wolf

The East be my witness, the West see my pain
,
North wind a squall, South wind a bane
.
Dark child of woe, not friend, but foe
.
The Wolf’s spirit will follow where’er you go
.
By our great goddess I lay this
seis.
Under the full moon shall we see your true face
,
None of Danu’s children shall be saf
e
Until the love of a fae unmakes that which I have made
.

Pronounced to Prince Connor mac Finnbheara by a Fomorian Cailleach Chapter One

“Where
are
you?”

Queen Una of the Daoine Sidhe passed her hand over the Well of Sight again and again, the scenes before her changing with each motion. First a small village near the sea, then a bustling city, a faery ring, a park with a lovely, placid lake ... but she didn’t find what she was looking for.

She searched for MacKenzie McCallum, a young woman for whom she felt a particular responsibility because it was her fault the lass had been exiled to the human realm nearly two hundred years before.

But at least wee MacKenzie had been given the chance to live as a human instead of a dog. Una had changed her from a wolfhound to a woman all those many years ago ... granted, it had been done in a fit of pique against King Finnbheara, and extending MacKenzie's life sevenfold may have pushed the boundaries a bit, but still ...

The lass should be embracing life with every breath, though Una was sure MacKenzie was moping about somewhere like some sort of bridge troll. “She cannae expect
normal
when she used to be a dog,” Una muttered.

Her oldest son, Connor, walked into the room. “Who’re you spying on now?” he asked with a smile on his handsome face. His deep tones reflected the cultured schooling he’d received in the human realm, although his voice still carried the lilt of the Sidhe. He was tall and strong, the best warrior the Fae had.

And that quickly, she knew a way to help both of these wayward children. Connor would be just the thing for MacKenzie. Una would use her son’s kind heart against him, as it were, but for his own good, of course.

“I don’t think I like the look on your face.” One dark eyebrow rose as he slowed his pace. The lad acted as if he didn’t want to get too close to her.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. The males of her race were so suspicious. Of course, it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that the women of the Daoine Sidhe were known to be a sneaky lot.

“Why, Connor, me love. Whatever do ye mean?” Una pasted what she hoped was an innocent look on her face which, by the dark expression on his, failed woefully.

“You’re up to something. I recognize that look in your eyes.” He narrowed his gaze. “You and your machinations. Whose life are you about to make miserable now?”

“Oh, go on wi’ ye.” She smiled and patted him on the cheek as if he were a wee boy in knee britches. The gesture would throw him off. “Ye’re just too distrustful, is what ye are.”

Sure enough, a scowl crossed his features, showing why he was sometimes called
Faolchú Cnoc Meadha
--The Wolf of Cnoc Meadha. Where most of the Daoine Sidhe were of fair complexion, he sported the darkest of hair and had skin with a tawny cast. And while the others of the trooping faeries were glad of heart, Connor tended to be serious and brooding. She’d have thought he was a Changeling had she not birthed the

lad herself.

Then, of course, there was the matter of his curse ...

And if that wasn’t enough for the lad to bear, here he was with one blue eye and one brown. Both of which were narrowed on her at this very moment.

She pretended reluctance. “Weel ...” Waving her hand over the Well, she created a picture from her memory, and pointed to a lovely young woman with short, curly blonde hair and sparkling eyes the deep blue of the ocean. “See that lass there?” She watched him lean in for a closer look.

“Aye.” He nodded, his gaze intent upon the young woman.

Una gripped her fingers together to keep from clapping in glee. He was interested. So like his da, he was. Show him a pretty face, and other interesting bits and pieces, and he couldna look at anything else.

Of course, Connor had more moral fortitude than did his da. She knew her son. Once he committed himself to something, he stayed committed. He was perfect for MacKenzie. “I’ve lost track of her. It’s important I make sure she’s doin’ all right.”

When she didn’t go on, her son shot her a look of impatience. “Why?” he prompted.

This is where it could get tricky. She crossed her fingers behind her back. “The poor thing has spent the last several years pinin’ for a cure.”

“For what?” he asked, staring intently at the young woman.

Victory was close at hand. Una fought to keep her feet still; she so wanted to dance in glee. “Her loneliness and isolation; the grief she refuses to acknowledge at bein’ exiled to the realm of humans.” Una heaved a sigh, looking at her son from under her lashes. “It would mean the world to me if ye’d find her, lad. Just to set me mind at ease that she’s doin’ well.”

Connor trailed a long finger across the surface of the water, making the young woman’s image ripple. He seemed deep in thought, a frown pulling again at his brow. Finally he asked, “But if she’s Fae, I’d be a danger to her.”

“Oh, she’s no’ Fae, Connor, no’ really. I dinna think ye’d be putting her in any danger.” She made sure she maintained a mixture of concern and hope on her face. He was such a stubborn man. Got that trait from his da, he did.

“We’re still a day away from the full moon anyway,” he replied in an absentminded way, still staring at the image of the lass in the Well.

Una wondered at his thoughts. She knew what he saw: a petite woman with a pixie face, stubborn chin and slender body, dressed in a knit top and flirty skirt.

“It shouldn’t take long, should it?” He trailed his finger in the water again, not taking his eyes off the reflection of the young woman.

“Weel, ye could also be about findin’ the woman who can break yer curse.” Una laid one hand on her son’s brawny forearm. When he made to draw away from her, she tightened her fingers. “It’s past time, Connor. Ye deserve some happiness, too.”

His jaw clenched, the muscles twitching, then he relaxed, though his face remained solemn. “Now’s not the time to be looking, Mother. One more day and the full moon is upon me; I’ll kill anything Fae that comes across my path.”

Una’s heart clenched at the misery that had been visited upon her eldest child. The three nights of the full moon were the worst for him, a time when he could not control his beast. When the moon rose full and bright, and bathed the night in its silvery glow, Connor shifted into a werewolf. Because he would attack any of the Daoine Sidhe in that condition, the king forbade him to be anywhere within the Fae lands.

And so he was banished to the human realm for those three days.

“Then ye’ve no worries here, for this one isna Fae. Well, no’ much, she isn’t. No’ enough to put her in danger,” she said, and pointed back at the image in the Well. “The wee lass has been living under assumed names for just about the entire time she’s been in the human realm.” She shook her head, wincing a little to remember MacKenzie’s incredible sadness after she’d found and lost love. “She fell in love with a young man an’ they were married. Then he died from a lingering illness and … weel, she’s been alone ever since.”

Una pursed her lips and tapped one finger against her chin. “The last I knew, she was goin’ by the name Bridget O’Neill. An’, of course, she could have changed her appearance as well. Two hundred years with humans is a long time for someone who ages very slowly.” Una slid her hand up to his wide shoulder and patted it, trying to comfort this wild child of hers, this man so full of sorrow.

As if being the heir to the Daoine Sidhe throne weren’t enough, he was destined to carry a beast within him the rest of his days. Unless a cure could be found.

This
had
to work. The son of King Finnbheara had borne his curse too long.

With a wave of her hand, she brought up a closer view of the young woman. “This is how I remember her, the last time I ‘saw’ her. But,” she said in a soft voice, laying her hand in the crook of his elbow, “you should have no worries. A day is plenty o’ time. All ye need to do is find her, talk to her, show her what a wonderful life she has, now that she’s human.”

“Now that she’s ...” he cocked one brow. “And she used to be ... ?”

“Oh, she was such a lovely wolfhound.”

“She was ... a dog?” He looked in the Well again, his frown lifting into a slow grin. “I’m fairly certain I can show her that life’s definitely better as a human than a furry mongrel.”

“Weel, now, she wasn’t just
any
furry mongrel, lad.” Even now, two hundred years later, Una still felt satisfaction at the deed she’d performed. Not that Finn had appreciated it. No, he’d not appreciated it at all. “She was yer da’s favorite.”

He stared at her. Voice a bit sharp, he asked, “You changed Da’s favorite dog into a human? I don’t remember that.”

“It happened while ye were in the human realm getting yer schooling,” Una told him. “I’d caught him in yet another of his … dalliances.” Her lips tightened at the memory, even after all this time. “To teach him a lesson, I transformed MacKenzie the wolfhound into MacKenzie the woman. An’ then when ye came back with the curse, weel, me changing his favorite dog into a human was such a little thing in comparison.”

His lips tightened for a moment, and then he seemed to shake the memories as a smile once again softened his mouth. “Aye, I imagine so. But what did he do?”

Una lifted her chin and crossed her arms over her bosom. “He wouldna dare lift a hand to me,” she said in a mock huff, loving this part. “Me husband knows better than to try to best me with magic. He may be the undefeated chess champion of all the Fae--and a wicked strategist--but I’m far stronger than he in magic, and well he kens it.”

“That you are,” Connor agreed. “Poor Da. He must’ve been furious, though.”

“Aye, he was.” Una grinned, remembering the way Finn had stomped about the palace for days on end. He had promised retribution, and what sweet retribution it had been. Connor’s younger sister Fionna was the result of that particular season of punishment.

Her son gave her a rueful look and she could tell he wanted to join in her merriment. But he was ever a respectful son, he was, and wouldn’t dare laugh at his father, the High King of the Daoine Sidhe.

“Like I said, she’s been alone a long time, lad. It’s been two hundred years since she went to live with humans.”

Connor’s brow shot up again. “If she’s been alive that long ... what did Da say when you made her one of us?”

“Don’t be daft, lad. O’ course I didna make her Fae--it’s one of our most sacred laws and one to be broken only under the most dire of circumstances.” Una gave him a fierce scowl. “Weel, not much I didn’t. I extended her life-span. To be truly Fae she’d have had to stay in Cnoc Meadha, an’ Finn would hae none o’ that.” She sniffed. “Said he didna want the constant reminder.”