Finding Fae

Three days. It’s been three days since Mal left and as pathetic as it sounds, I missed him. I was still angry but it just wasn’t the same without him here all the time. He always seemed to know when I needed a break, to sit on a couch with a blanket and a cup of coffee or cocoa and just talk. All of the guys did, but Mal took it to a different level. Of, course, now I knew why.

Since coming back from Heather’s, they all tried to fill the gaping void that Mal had left behind, and I was grateful for it. But Mal had this way of making me laugh that no one else could copy. No matter what was going on, it wouldn’t take but a minute or two for him to bring me back to good again. I hadn’t realized it, but he had become a security blanket for me.

“You look like something I buried last week,” Zane said. He was on duty to stay over at the club with me. “I mean that in the most flattering way I can get away with.”

“I’m fine,” I shrugged as I moved my food around on the plate.

“You’re not even close to “fine”, but whatever lie you want to tell yourself,” he shook his head. “I brought you something. I’m not sure how helpful it’ll be, but Mom said it had more information than what we have so far.”

He handed me a ragged old book that looked like it needed to be rebound decades ago with a heavy layer of dust on it. It looked pretty plain but the title had me interested. Bonds and Separations.

“Thanks,” I gave him a half-hearted smile. “You know, I’ve been wanting to ask you what you big problem with Mal was. Hindsight aside, that is.”

“There’s a lot of reasons, but I just didn’t trust him,” he shrugged. “Hindsight aside.”

“Is it bad that, even after he took off, I still would trust him the same?” I asked. “If he walked through that door right now, after I got done kicking his fairy butt into next century, I would still have no problems with letting him back in.”

“Normally, I would say yes, but the Bond... No, it’s not a bad thing,” he said. “Even if he didn’t start the process, that feeling won’t go away. Ever. It’s just not as strong.”

“Well, it doen’t help my abandonment issues any,” I snorted and he smirked.

“The rest of us are still here, Pixie,” he shook his head. “King’s a prick and an idiot of the highest order.”

“I can’t help think he might be the smart one in all of this. Get out while you can and all that,” I shook my head and grabbed the book, going to my bed and getting comfy for the night.

The book was, in a word, confusing. I talked about all kinds of bonds that made no sense to me at all. Each one was complicated and had their own drawbacks when the two, or more in some cases, were apart from one another for too long.

For instance, the Spirit Bond between me and each of the four guys. While each one had something in their personalities that I needed from time to time, being apart from one for too long made both of us a little grouchy. It made sense, in a way. It was like being away from a few fingers. You can function just fine, but it’s annoying.

But then it got to Soul Bonds. It was the most confusing part of this whole book and the smallest.

-

Those that share a Bond of the Soul rarely speak of the intricacies involved. Therefore, there is much speculation to be had about nearly all aspects. However, it is well known that the Bond is deeper and far more potent than any other. It is believed that, because of this, those Bound are given a choice. While the Bond will always remain, should they chose not to complete the Bond, it will be weak.

Separation of a Bonded couple is much like those that share a Bonded Spirit. Irritability being the most common side effect, as well as depression, though both will be far more severe, even in an incomplete Bond. Physical pain may also be present, but with the reluctance of other Bonded, it is unclear if this is true or speculation.

Unlike other Bonds, a Soul Bond cannot be altered or broken in any way. Once the Bond is recognized, it will always remain. It grows, regardless of completion, making it difficult for the couple to be away from one another for long. Once completed, Separation becomes easier to bear, though the effects remain powerful.

-

I snapped the book shut, making Zane jump up from his bed across the floor from me.

“Nothing,” I snapped when he opened his mouth. “Go back to sleep.”

“Grouchy,” he muttered as he yawned and laid back down, pulling his blanket back over himself.

As his soft snoring filled the quiet space, I could feel my mood darkening. I wanted to hit something, I was so angry, but it wasn’t exactly directed at Mal. Well, it was, but not all of it. Most of it was directed towards myself for feeling this way in the first place. It had never crossed my mind that, in all this time together, that the Bond between myself and Mal was different than the ones I had with the others.

Looking back, it was obvious. The whole “hindsight is 20/20” thing came to mind and I growled as I threw the covers off myself and got up, stomping towards the side door. I propped it open with the leg of a broken chair. It only left an inch or two for the fresh air to get in, but it was enough to peek out of the building. Sure, the view was of an alley, but it was better than the club’s horrible décor.

I stood there for some time before the sound of something shuffling around out there had me alert. There was nothing there, that I could see, but it sounded like something pretty big. And heavy. I was about to close the door and call out for Zane when a familiar sulfur smell tickled my nostrils and I opened the door wider.

“Brutus?” I asked the night quietly.

“None other,” came the deep reply. “You are in danger, young maid. It is coming for you tonight. You must flee.”

“What’s coming for me?” I asked with a frown.

“Evil,” he hissed and Nando’s alarm went off as a flash of light showed near the back exit. “Quickly. There is little time and my crippled form will be slow in this place.”

I heard Zane yelling for me inside and hesitated for a moment before the sounds of more men shouting joined him. I jolted forward, not sure where to go, until I felt a scaled tail wrap around my middle and lift me.

“Hold on tightly, fair one. It is not a smooth ride,” Brutus warned as I was sat on what I could only guess was his back.

As soon as my arms wrapped around a spike in front of me, we were moving. If you’ve ever seen a reptile run, you can imagine the way this went for me. There was a lot of side to side motion, but not as much as you would guess from watching those little green garden lizards moving around. Still, I was beginning to feel like my brain was being slammed against the sides of my skull one too many times before he bunched his muscles and made a small leap over a man-made stream and took off for the trees outside the city.

The farther away from obstacles, the smoother Brutus’s gait grew, turning more into a horses gallop over the sashay of a lizard. There was still quite a lot of swing, but it wasn’t so bad I was worried about whiplash.

Brutus ran for a long time as the trees whipped by. Eventually, the vegetation grew so thick, I had to duck against his neck, practically laying flat, as he ran, occasionally making a leap or sharp turn. The sun began climbing in the sky and the scales I felt slowly became visible, making me wonder at how I had been unable to see him before. Dragons were mysterious creatures.

I felt his sides heaving and the sound of his great lungs laboring made my concern for him grow until around dawn when he finally slowed to a stop and I jumped up and walked along his body as he flopped down and rolled to his side, completely out of breath.

“Are you alright?” I asked as I slid down one of his front legs and hopped to the ground.

He used his foot to keep me from walking towards his head as I saw smoke coming from between his frothing lips.

“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself so hard, old man,” I said, patting his belly scales.

“He’ll be fine in a few days, dear,” someone said and I jumped and looked around for a weapon or the source. Whichever came first. “No need to worry. I’m not much of a threat.”

An old woman hobbled out of the still murky shadows of the trees around us and I tilted my head to the side, utterly confused. I have always wondered what a person would look like in order to earn the description “wizened” and now, I had the perfect definition, if not a little beyond.

She had more wrinkles than not and, while her skin looked fair enough, it also reminded me of old leather. Her hair was so white, snow would be jealous, and she was hunched over something fierce, using a twisted branch as a cane. Honestly, she needed a third leg on her chest with how far over she was stooped. It made me nervous, thinking she was a breath from falling on her face. The fall would likely kill her, she looked that old and frail.

“I’m not one to judge on appearance,” I stated, warily. “I may not know a lot about fae, but I know enough to guess there’s more to you than the ancient old lady I’m looking at.”

“Ancient?” she asked with a smile. “What a lovely compliment. I passed ancient eons ago, child.”

“No offense, but who are you and why did Brutus bring me here?” I asked, looking at the still gasping dragon. He looked exhausted, but not concerned and I trusted him enough not to put me in any danger knowingly.

“I have honestly forgotten my name, but you can call me Nana,” she waved her hand. “Come. Leave him for a moment. He’s more likely to roast you than protect you right now. Let him rest and I’ll make some tea. It tastes like muck, but misery does enjoy it’s company.”

I hesitated again, looking back at Brutus as his sides continued to heave with the effort it was taking him to breathe. Still, he didn’t look like he was concerned about my following this Nana one bit. Biting the inside of my cheek, I followed the old woman.

She was surprisingly quick for someone so terribly frail. She was also incredibly spry, too. Ducking farther to get under a fallen tree or swinging one old leg over at a time to get over others. Every time she touched something, she did it in a manner a grandmother might cup the cheek of her grandchild. It was tender and full of care and love and I was a little jealous. Gary had his moments, I suppose, but he lacked the love other children got growing up. It made me so angry all over again.

“Oh, child,” the lady sighed as we got to a tiny little cottage covered in moss and vines. It almost looked like a rock, if you ignored the faint trail of smoke coming from the chimney. “You have so much anger inside you. You’ve been hurt so much.”

I couldn’t say anything otherwise because she was completely right. Hearing it made my eyes sting and I choked on a sob as I walked into the small house. Well, it looked small on the outside. It was huge inside. Like a castle.

“There, there, dear,” Nana said, patting my arm as she guided me deeper in the house and sat me in front of a fireplace on a comfy couch.

“I just wanted a normal life, Nana,” I sniffed around the sobs. “And now stupid Soul Bond butter brain took off and every bit of normal I had,” I snap my fingers, “Gone Like it was never even there.”

I was handed a steaming cup of tea and drained it, ignoring the burn in my mouth as a blanket was put over my shoulders. It was then that I felt how cold I was. The mad dash with Brutus while wearing thin pajamas, followed by the walk through the woods with Nana had me shivering as the cold finally got through to the rest of me.

“Your Bonded left you?” she asked, sounding shocked. “I would just love to meet him.”

“You’ll have to find him first,” I scoffed.

“Give me a name, dear, and I’ll have him here by nightfall,” she grinned, showing her aged, but healthy teeth. It was a wicked, wicked grin that made my toes curl with happiness.

“I might hold off on that for the time being,” I sniffed as she refilled my tea cup. “Ask me again when I’m not a complete wreck.”

“That might be a long time,” she said, sitting next to me. “You get to be my age and you sort of just know things. Like your angry and hurting and so scared and confused. It’s to be expected, dear, so there’s no shame in it. You haven’t been dealing with any of this mess you’ve found yourself in and it’s not so good here.”

She tapped my forehead with a bony finger and than patted my knee as I sipped the tea, careful of the heat this time.

“I wouldn’t know where to begin, Nana,” I sighed.

“Then it’s good your here, then,” she smiled warmly. “You look exhausted so why don’t you get some rest and we’ll talk more later. I’m sure Phineas will be thrilled some one new is here.”

“Phineas?” I asked.

A giant cat walked into the room and my eyes went wide.

“My name isn’t Phineas,” he hissed lightly. “It’s Jacob.”

“Whatever,” Nana waved him off.

Phineas, or Jacob, looked like a panther, but bigger and slightly more stream lined, like a cheetah. His back legs were a bit longer than the front legs and his paws were the size of a lions. He had a small mane, though it was more like longer fur than an actual mane and his eyes were an electric green. His fangs peeked out of his mouth slightly, even with his mouth closed and I couldn’t help the shudder at how sharp they looked. His tail was nearly twice the size of his body and was sleek and flexible as he flicked it around behind him, with a small tuft on the end, no doubt to add extra balance as he sprinted.

“I need the name of your shampoo,” I said eyeing his shining, silky, black fur that caught the light and made it blue.

“Cat spit,” Nana said flatly. “He’s a cat, dear. They don’t use soaps.”

“I do too,” Jacob growled and glared at Nana.

“You certainly don’t smell like it,” she shot back and I giggled at them.

“You two must be related somehow,” I explained.

“He’s my brother,” Nana admitted.

“Sort of,” Jacob shrugged. “It’s hard to explain.”

“He’s my son, my brother, and my nephew. He is of no blood relation, but blood isn’t always thicker,” Nana said. “I’m so old, I wouldn’t be shocked if I shared some genetics with the whole world.”

“You certainly weren’t too worried about spreading the genetic pools in your time, either,” Jacob rolled his eyes as he sat by the fire and tapped his tail patiently on the rugged floor.

“Are you insinuating that I was a loose woman?” Nana glared at the great cat.

“I’m insinuating nothing,” Jacob said coolly, like he was discussing the weather. “Merely stating facts.”

Instead of being angry, Nana threw her head back and laughed loudly, her aged eyes dancing with mirth.

“Come along, young one,” Jacob said shaking his head and stood up. “We’ll leave her to her madness. I’ll show you to a room where you can get some rest until one of your Bonded comes for you.”