The Gazing Globe (14 page)

"Hugh won't mind. He's used to me being out at odd hours."

"With Rhiannon?"Aftonasked. She stood up and threw Blain his clothing then turned so he could dress.

"Yeah. Hugh told you all about my relationship with her, didn't he?"

Aftonshrugged and tried to act as though that particular subject was of no concern. "He mentioned something about her."

Blain continued to dress.Aftonprobably thought he was chasing after her and having Rhi on the side. At the moment, however, there were more pressing problems to deal with than his love life. And finding out he was a fairy was pretty pressing.

Aftonwrung her hands and let out a long breath. "Shayla will have a piece of me for this."

Blain finished buttoning up his shirt and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him." Don't worry,Afton. We won't tell her anything about it."

"She's going to know, Blain. You can't hide something like this from the Sorceress "

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it Right now, let's take my truck and get back to the farm I'll turn off the lights and coast up to the house so we won't bring attention to ourselves "

When he tried to walk, the heaviness he felt caused him to stumble With Afton's help, he made it to the truck They made the short drive in silence Afton didn't seem any more anxious to discuss what had happened than he It was too overwhelming at the moment

By the time they got back to the farmhouse, he almost felt like his old self again He wondered what his life was going to be like from now on He'd sprouted wings like a dragonfly' What was next?

Before they got out of the truck, Blain put an index finger to his lips to warn Afton to be quiet They carefully opened the car doors and made it to the porch, but then the lights came on inside the house

"Oh, no' Shayla's awake," Afton whispered

"We'll just have to make something up, then "

"That won't work She'll sense something's wrong and grill us both with questions until our feelings give us away " Afton shoved her hair back, and an idea suddenly popped into her head She turned to Blain, stood on tiptoe and pulled him down to her level

"What the " Blain began.

Aftonkissed him as hard as she could. To steady himself against the unexpected embrace, Blain wrapped his arms around herAftoncould sense his complete confusion, but she kept kissing him all the same

"What are you two up to?" Shayla asked as she opened the front door and glared at them.

Aftonbroke away from the kiss and pushed herself away from Blain "Uh sorry, Shayla. We were just uh,"

"I can see what you were doing, young lady Get up to your room this minute," she ordered, her gaze lowering to the hem of Afton's torn Druid robe

Aftonnodded and started to walk away, but Blain grabbed her arm to stop her. "Look, Shayla, I don't know what kind of hold you have over Afton, but you can't just order her around like that. She's a grown woman. She has every right to be out with me or anyone else she chooses. She doesn't have to answer to you."

"Don't test me, Blain McTavish. I'm not in the mood," Shayla responded, angrily.

"Blain, stop," Afton placed a hand on his chest. "It's all right. I'll see you in the morning."

Shayla waited untilAftonwalked into the house. Then, she stepped out onto the porch. "What have you two done?" she asked.

Blain saw the queenly arch of her brow and decided to do whatAftonhad and retreat. "I don't want to discuss this with you. It's between Afton and me. Now, If you don't mind, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Blain walked to his room, but he'd never felt less like sleeping in his entire life. Everything that had happened suddenly hit him in the face like a wall of cold water. He was a damned fairy! Things like him weren't supposed to exist. What other creatures existed that he knew nothing about? And what in the world was that act Afton had staged? If it was to throw Shayla off, it was debatable whether it worked.

But it had certainly thrown him for a loop. He could still feel her lips against his. A second more and he would have been responding quite ardently.

But that kind of relationship would only cause more confusion. Everything in his world was in chaos.

How could he go on living a normal life with the kind of knowledge he now possessed? According to what Afton had told him, mingling with other members of this so-called Order was acceptable. Mingling with anyone outside it might get him killed. That meant any normal plans he'd made for himself were out of the question. So what was he supposed to do now?

***

By Friday morning,Aftondespaired of getting to see Blain alone. Both Shayla and Hugh watched her like beady-eyed owls. Obviously, they knew something had happened, but hadn't yet figured out what.

The Solstice would be upon them by Saturday. Both of them would know then what she'd done with her conjuring.

As afraid as she was, she was conscious of the fact that a few of her powers had never been so strong.

And that left her with a feeling of elation. Back in England, she had never been able to complete the ritual vision circle. Yet she'd done it for Blain. It had drained her, but she'd still accomplished the task. What was different here that gave her the necessary focus she hadn't had back home? She believed it wasn't the place so much as the person who'd been involved.

She was walking away from the herb garden and into the woods when the sensation of being watched came over her.

"Afton, it's me," Blain said as he stepped from behind a large bush. "I finally gave Hugh the slip by telling him Shayla needed something done in the kitchen. Where's Shayla?"

"When they met in the hallway to talk, I slipped out the front door toward the woods." She paused to look behind her No one was following either of them. "So you're the reason I was able to get out of the house?"

"Yeah. The two of them are bound and determined to keep you and me from being alone. I can't figure out why." Blain ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"I wasn't aware they were watching you, too. I'm sorry. I'm afraid it's my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"When I kissed you the way I did, I knew you'd radiate confusion and surprise. Shayla picked up on that instead of what we'd been doing in the woods. She dislikes it when she thinks people are hiding things."

"So the kiss was just a diversion?" He felt a twinge of disappointment.

"Yes. Shayla has extraordinary powers, and I didn't feel like answering her questions."

"I still don't know why they're following us like hunting dogs. What have we done that's so wrong?"

"If I were Shayla and didn't know whether you'd accept your place m the Order, I wouldn't want you becoming involved with someone who was a member of it,"Aftonexplained.

"Like you?" he asked.

"Exactly."

"Well this crap has got to stop! I've only tolerated Hugh following me as long as he has because I know he respects Shayla and takes orders from her. But this is my land, and they're in my house. You and I are adults, and they'd better get used to leaving us alone."

"Blain, please don't anger Shayla. You don't know what she's capable of. She's been far more lenient than I've ever known her to be. Don't push her." Afton put her hand on Blain's arm and gazed pleadingly into his eyes.

"If she's the fair and just leader you've told me she is, then she should be able to handle the truth. I'm going in that house right now and let her know that I'm fully aware of who and what I am."

"Then you' d better know the rest as well,"Aftonsaid softly.

Blain regarded her suspiciously. "What else is there?"

"She and Hugh think someone's after you. And so do I."

"Do you want to explain what that's supposed to mean?" Blain crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.

"When Hugh found you, he contacted Shayla. He convinced her to wait a few weeks before coming to meet you herself. Hugh wanted to get to know you, to see how much your parents had told you about your heritage and whether you'd be receptive to finding out about the Order. In the time between meeting you and Shayla's arrival, he learned that someone was trying to harm you."

"Along with everything else that's happened, I'm supposed to have some kind of enemy? Why? I've never done anything to anyone." Blain held his hands out in frustration.

"Do you remember feeling tired? As if something was draining your energy? Do you remember passing out on the floor of your room?"

Blain turned his back on her and ran his hands through his hair. Of course he remembered those things, though he'd attributed it to too much physical labor and a deteriorating mental state. It also occurred to him that many of those physical problems left soon after the two English women invaded his life. But, conversely, his mental anxiety had grown.

He turned back to face her "Was someone using magic on me? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes. We found evidence of black magic being conjured, and you're not safe yet" Afton moved closer to him. "You found that same evidence I saw you burning some of it one day."

He sighed in frustration. "What else?"

"Hugh and Shayla think someone may be using this evil magic either out of revenge or because they're trying to gain control of your blended powers. It may be that someone knows what you are."

"Except for the ability to turn into a damned fairy, as if that isn't enough, I don't know that I have any powers. And how could anybody know what I was before I did?" He paused to think. "I don't know why I'd have any enemies. This is all too crazy." He began to pace. "Why didn't Hugh tell me any of this sooner? Why didn't you7"

"You said it yourself. You wouldn't have believed us I had to take you into the woods and conjure a vision circle before you'd understand. I think you would have eventually denied what you'd seen if not for the fact that your body changed."

"Tell me one more thing." He pulled her to him. "Have you, Shayla and Hugh had something to do with the disappearance of the weakness I've been suffering?"

She nodded "We've been putting herbs into your food and placing objects around the farm to keep you and your livestock safe "

"That's why I've been finding branches of yew, ash and oak on the stall doors in the barn, and why you gave me the amethyst, isn't it?"

Afton saw his hand touch something beneath his shirt and knew he wore the pouch containing the fairy stone "Yes The night you passed out, we found a lock of your hair bound with a black thread in your room Someone was trying to place a binding spell on you, and they needed something very personal to make the spell work. Obviously, whoever is doing this has access to your property. They can come and go as they please, and they can mask their powers from us. But Shayla believes they can't do so forever."

Blain wasn't sure if he wanted to believe any of what she was saying. But how could he not believe?

The evidence that magic existed was undeniable. All he had to do was remember sprouting wings in the woods.

"I still don't see what anyone could gain by harming me. I'm not even sure who I am anymore. After finally getting one whole hour of sleep, I woke up wondering what was and wasn't real. I don't understand anything," he said as he sat upon a nearby rock and placed his head in his hands.

Afton could see that everything was beginning to overwhelm him, and she wondered just how much he could take before the control he'd exhibited deserted him. She moved closer to him and pulled him into her embrace. It was a gesture of concern and friendship. But Blain responded by hugging her back with an urgency born of fear. He might be a strong hulking figure of a man, but his life was drastically changing minute by minute. All she wanted to do was comfort him in some small way and let him know he wasn't alone. It comforted her to know he wore the fairy stone she'd given him. It would help protect him as well as calm him a little.

Blain clung to Afton. The world and all its realities were rapidly disappearing and being replaced by magic, ethereal forest creatures and things best left in dreams and nightmares. One of them could be out to destroy him. He couldn't fight what he didn't know, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know any more than he already did. He buried his head against Afton's chest and let her sweet presence fill him with a little peace.

Her hands stroked his hair and back, and she softly said, "I know this is so very hard to accept. Please don't be afraid. Shayla, Hugh and I would never let any harm come to you. The world will come together soon, and everything will be right again once you're with your own kind."

"I don't know what to do anymore," he whispered. And the ever present fear he had earned with him was magnified. There was more to come. He knew it.

Afton pushed far enough away from Blain to see his face. She saw the turmoil in his sage-colored eyes and wanted to replace it with understanding and calm. She gently caressed his cheek as her mouth claimed his.

The kiss started slow and sweet, but it quickly changed as Blain found release from the tempest he was feeling. "You're so warm. It's like having the sun come out after a cold rain," he murmured against her lips.

They were a breath apart when Shayla saw them. "What, by all the stars, is going on? I want an explanation for this sneaking about, Afton."

Blain broke the contact between them. Knowing how Afton feared Shayla's anger, he stood up and pushed her slightly behind him. Shayla looked absolutely furious and, surprisingly, so did Hugh. His uncle stood to Shayla's left with his hands on his hips. Because of Hugh's resemblance to his father, Blain almost believed his father was present. For a moment the likeness kept him from speaking in his and Afton's defense.

"Lad, you'd better be about your chores. We need to speak with Afton," Hugh said as he glared at Blain.

"I'm not going anywhere. Afton and I have nothing to explain to anyone, but the two of you do." Blain stared back at both of them. The time for running from his fears was over.

"You dare defy me .." Shayla suddenly stopped speaking, tilted her head slightly and walked slowly toward Blain. When she was no more than inches from him, she looked into his face and raised a hand to his cheek. "He knows, Hugh. Afton has shown him," she said without moving her gaze from Blain's face.