Blood, Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter Twenty-Four

The need for coffee awoke me from my blissful slumber, and Lex mumbled something vaguely coherent at me as I slipped out of his arms. It was early, especially considering how late we’d gotten to sleep after our daring escape from Harrison tower, so I drew the covers up around him and told him to go back to sleep. Lex nodded, mumbling again, but this time I was able to decipher that he wanted me to take the dogs with me if I went anywhere outside.

I didn’t plan on wandering around the property, considering my current ensemble was distinctly lacking in pants, but as the coffee brewed the idea began to sound more and more appealing. The morning was cool and clear, not a single cloud left in the sky after last night’s rain. With mug of coffee in hand, I headed out into the yard. The nearest neighbors were far enough away that I didn’t need to worry about being seen wearing only my borrowed T-shirt. The dogs ran past me once I opened the back door, and then they trotted around, sniffing and inspecting their territory to make sure nothing had changed in their absence.

Blades of wet grass stuck to my bare feet as I made my way down to the river. Everything was quiet at this early hour. The river was calm and placid, its surface smooth as it eased by. Later on in the day the water would be stirred up by boats, and choppy waves would lap against the concrete seawall that lined the bank. Weathered wooden planks made up the pier, and Lex’s boat rested in its station next to it. I glanced over the speedboat as I cautiously made my way to the end of the pier. The craft was long and sleek as I remembered, but I spotted a new detail when I reached its stern: flowing script spelled out “Catherine.” Huh. I couldn’t wait to hear the story behind that one.

When I reached the edge, I sat down and let my legs dangle over the water. Though the recent rain had swelled the river’s water level, my legs were still too short to reach the surface. The German shepherd, Bubba, lay down next to me and plopped his head in my lap. I scratched behind his ears. Though I’m a cat person, I like dogs too. Cesár took a spot behind me and began gnawing on a large stick that must’ve blown down during the storm last night.

I sipped my coffee, enjoying the morning quiet. I had a suspicion that there weren’t going to be many more quiet mornings in the near future. Faint and distant, Harrison’s magic tugged at me, a light itch in the back of my mind. I didn’t know what this connection was between us, but I knew it was going to be a problem.

The sudden thumping of dog tails and a slight shaking of the pier alerted me to Lex’s approach, and I turned around to look at him. Shirtless and shoeless, he wore only an ancient pair of blue jeans that were so worn and full of holes that sheer willpower was probably the only thing holding them together. He carried his own cup of coffee, and when he arrived at the end of the pier he nudged Bubba with his foot.

“You’re in my spot, Bubba,” he informed the shepherd. Giving me a parting slobbery kiss, the dog got to his feet and trotted away. Grimacing, I wiped drool from the side of my face as Lex sat down. “Here, let me take a look at that bruise of yours.”

“It looks better.” Turning my face toward him, I let him run his fingers over the faded bruise. The combination of food and a good night’s sleep had let my magic heal a good deal of it. By tomorrow there wouldn’t be any left of it at all.

“We’re goin’ to work on your hand-to-hand combat skills next.”

“What hand-to-hand combat skills?” I smiled dryly.

“Exactly.” He put his arm around me and then began drinking his coffee. I leaned against him, and we sat in comfortable silence.

Lex brushed a kiss across the top of my head. “You ready for the ceremony tonight? I talked to Portia, she said the council wouldn’t grab us ’til after nightfall, so we have the day to prepare.”

“I’m ready. Are you?”

“Definitely.” He nodded.

“You’re not… I mean, you’re okay with this? No regrets?”

“No regrets. I love you, Cat. Bein’ Oberon is goin’ to take some getting used to, but I think you and I are meant to do this. Together.”

“Good. Well, then there’s only one thing left to worry about.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“How are we going to convince our pets to live together?”

Lex threw his head back and laughed. “We’ll think of something.”

When the time came for the ceremony I fully expected to appear back in the great hall of the Underhill clan, but much to my surprise Lex and I were popped into a forest. The night air was a bit warm, and the scents of rich earth mixed with the smell of smoke from a nearby fire. Flickering light filtered through the trees in front of us, and faint music floated on the breeze.

“Nice change of scenery,” Lex commented. Taking my hand in his, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s see what kind of party the council’s throwin’ us.”

“Don’t try to kill the hosts of this one.”

Lex grinned in reply, and we started toward the light. We emerged from the dense wood into a grove-a suspiciously familiar grove, in fact. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve sworn it was the same grove that we’d been in during the dreams we’d shared during my time in the tower. That was impossible, however, considering the wards around the building would have prevented me from drifting into Faerie.

Unlike the dreams, the grove was filled with people. A bonfire burned in the center, and the three council members stood in front of it, waiting for us. Off to our right, Portia and a group of my cousins were gathered, white and shining in the moonlight. To our left were five human women, one of whom I recognized instantly as Lex’s sister Marie-the pink hair gave her away-and the rest had to be Lex’s mother and his other three sisters.

Lord and Lady. I really hoped they weren’t here to kill me for de-guardianifying Lex. I’d probably want to slay me if I were them-here I was taking the only man in their family and destroying his opportunity for carrying on the family tradition. Nervous, I nearly tripped over my feet, and Lex glanced at me, looking concerned.

“You still hurtin’?”

“Yeah,” I grudgingly admitted. “Though that’s not the problem. Did you call them?”

“Who?”

“Your family.”

“Nope. Don’t worry, they’ll love you,” he assured me. Before I could panic any further, we reached the waiting council. Cecelia of the Silver Crescent gave us both a long, measuring gaze, and then she did something I never thought I’d see: she smiled.

“We are glad that you both have weathered the storm,” Cecelia informed us. “These are difficult times. The path that brought you here was not easy to tread, and though tonight is a new beginning, the road ahead will be long and arduous.”

The faerie paused, and I fought the urge to sigh. Cecelia definitely wasn’t going to win any awards for motivational speaking. She turned toward me and motioned me to step forward.

“Catherine Marie Morrow, do you accept the position of Titania, and agree to perform as liaison between the realm of the Faerie and the Midwestern region of the United States of the realm of Earth?”

“I do.”

Cecelia turned to Lex, and he stepped forward. “Alexander Duquesne, do you accept the position of Oberon, and agree to perform as liaison between the realm of the Faerie and the Midwestern region of the United States of the realm of Earth? If you choose to do so, you agree to forfeit your position as guardian and the abilities that accompany it.”

“I do.”

There was no hesitation in his voice, no tinge of regret, and it made my heart flutter and my face flush-he loved me, he wanted to be with me.

Cecelia’s eyes sparkled, and her smile widened. “Excellent. You have passed your third test.”

“What test?” I asked, confused.

“Because Alexander did not participate in the first test with the other candidates, the council decided to give him a separate trial. We chose to test his willingness to make sacrifices for this position. Though you were willing to give up your guardian abilities, we have…negotiated on your behalf. You will be allowed to retain most of them, and as is tradition for guardians, your children will be born with guardian blood.”

Lex and I glanced at each other in surprise. It looked like his family wasn’t going to have to kill me after all. Though the prospect of trying to manage a herd of little drawling guardians was intimidating. Possibly even terrifying. But hey, if I can deal with Portia, kids should be a piece of cake in comparison.

“Now, shall we proceed with the handfasting?” Cecelia asked.

Handfasting? I didn’t recall a wedding being a part of the process of becoming Titania…but then again our situation was unique, and we were already planning on the marriage thing, and our families were here.

Why not?

“I knew I should’ve worn a dress.”

“You look beautiful,” he assured me with a grin.

Smiling, I turned to Cecelia. “We’re ready.”