Finding Fae

Something smelled really good. Not food, but better. This was pine trees and clean linen sheets. It was warm and soft and so nice. I buried my face in my pillow, a little surprised it was so comfy yet firmer than I would have guessed I would like. It smelled so good. I really needed to ask what detergent this was because I would never get up again if all of my sheets smelled like this.

“That tickles,” my pillow said and I froze. Pillows don’t talk.

I opened my eyes and squinted in the dim candle light. Why did that hurt my eyes so much? Wait a second. What happened? I frowned as I looked around. This wasn’t the cell I had been kept in since Rex kidnapped me. This was clean and had beds and windows without bars on them. Proper windows. Big and with glass panes to keep the elements out.

I wasn’t on the floor and chained. I was in a bed. I looked up and gasped as it all came back to me. Mal found me, killed Rex, then I was somewhere else. Charles, the Trials, the uncle with the bad attitude, the pain. All of it came back and I sobbed as I clung to Mal, burying my face in his shoulder.

“Where am I? What happened? Where are the others?” I asked quickly, but Mal put his hand over my mouth, stopping me from asking anything else.

“Slow down, Fae,” he smiled softly then held on to me tightly, like I was going somewhere. “Gods, I’m just happy your alive right now.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“You made it,” he said, muffled against my hair. “Barely, but you made it through.”

“Where are we now?” I asked.

“Big picture is the Sidhe,” he smiled down at me as he moved my hair away from my neck and face. “We’re in the manor of friends of mine. The ones that were Soul Bonded, like us.”

“How long has it been?” I looked up at him.

“It took you nearly a full day to get through, then you were so weak,” he frowned. “You’ve been asleep for two days.”

“Good grief. No wonder why I feel like I’m under a lead blanket,” I huffed and flopped back to Mal’s chest.

“And I’m not supposed to be here,” he chuckled. “I’m supposed to be in a room somewhere, but I can’t sleep unless I’m here.”

“Where are the others?” I asked and he got still and quiet to the point where I looked up at him again. He looked pained and sad and that was never a good thing to see. “Mal? What happened? Where are they?”

“Ben and Blaine are here, in their own rooms,” he said. “There was a bit of a battle when we found out where you were. A few bumps and bruises, but they were pretty much unscathed.”

“But?” I prompted.

“We lost Zane. He’s gone wild and no one can find him right now. But... Nando...” he shook his head and looked away.

“No,” I whispered as my eyes watered. “No. Tell me it’s not what I think. He’s fine, right?”

“I’m sorry, Fae,” he whispered. “He’s gone.”

-----

Nando’s funeral was two days after I woke up and back on Earth. No one argued when I demanded to be there, though I was advised by the head healer that it would be a heavy strain on me.

It was a very heavy strain and I ended up in a wheelchair, too weak to hold myself up, but I’d be damned if I missed it. Mal told me what happened that night and I told him that the people Nando saved were my parents. We decided to keep it between us until after Nando’s funeral.

As I expected, his whole family was in a state of constant grief. Especially his mom. She had completely checked out. She still took care of her other children, but there was no joy anymore. Just a broken hearted mother who was burying her son. I couldn’t even get a word out when I tried talking to her before I was a sobbing mess, just like her. We made quite the pair, I’ll tell you. Faces swollen, eyes red and puffy, noses raw and glowing red from the constant use of tissues.

The whole time, Mal didn’t leave me for a single second. I didn’t want him to, but never could say it. He just knew I needed him. Ben and Blaine were close by as well. After it was over and the family went back to the house, we remained. A silent homage to the one person that should never had been near a battle, but ended up saving a Queen and her Bonded King.

He saved my parents so I could meet them. In a way, he saved me, too. If they hadn’t have been alive, Mal said he never would have been able to save me when I needed it during my Awakening. Nando was, in every definition, a hero. No one would know his face or shout his name on the streets with honor. But we knew. I think he would have preferred it this way. He wasn’t much of a glory seeker. He always did what he did because it was right.

Ben was the first to leave. He looked nothing like the cheeky fox I had grown to know. His shoulders were slumped over and he looked like his mind was far away. No one said anything as he walked away either. We understood.

Blaine was next. He and his parents were still looking for Zane, hoping to find him before he got himself killed. The Sidhe was not a place a wild Morphi should be. People there understood the danger that was and often killed first and asked later. Zane was smart, though. Hopefully, he would avoid people as much as possible until his family could find him.

Then, there was only me and Mal left. We sat there for a long time before he gave my hand a squeeze.

“It’s not your fault,” he said.

“Isn’t it, though?” I shook my head. “He was so drained because he was looking for me. Then you got to the Sidhe and he was overwhelmed by the power there. He wasn’t thinking right. All because I fell into a stupid pool. How is it not my fault? If I hadn’t have been here, if I had just pushed Gary’s buttons, like I always did, none of you would have gotten involved and he would still be alive. Zane wouldn’t be a complete nut job, running around God knows where. You wouldn’t have had to kill Rex. Things would be simpler.”

“Don’t you dare wish this away,” he sounded stern. “You are the best thing that has ever to happened to any of us. Nando included. What would he tell you right now if he heard you talking like that?”

I was quiet again as I tried to think about what Mal was telling me. He was right. I knew he was, but part of me just wanted to hate myself for being the reason Nando was even there.

“He should have stayed here,” I whispered.

“We tried to tell him that. Even his mother tried, but he wasn’t going to,” Mal said. “He wanted to be there when we found you. He said you would need him after being through what you were going through. We should have fought him more. We should have done more to keep him away from all of it.”

“None of you would have been there if it wasn’t for that damned Call,” I shook my head.

“I will never regret our Bond, Fae,” Mal said, turning my wheelchair so I had to look at him. “Neither would Nnado. Ben and Blaine don’t either. Cranky ass Zane would do anything for you, which I kind of need to kick his butt for later, I think.”

“Possessive males, I swear,” I rolled my eyes.

“He just needs a reminder that you belong with me and I’m never leaving you again,” Mal smirked. “I mean it. From here on out, there will never be a second where I don’t have my eyes on you.”

“If you watch me in the shower, I will zap you,” I said, wiggling my finger as little spark of electricity moved around.

“I don’t care, as long as you’re safe,” he smiled and took my hand in his again, ignoring the tiny shocks.

“We should probably tell my parents soon,” I sighed.

“They’re back in the Sidhe for a while,” he nodded. “After what coming back here did to you, I vote for you getting healthier first.”

“They’ve been looking for me my whole life, Mal,” I shook my head. “Is there any way to tell them to come here for at least a few hours?”

“I’ll send a message with Blaine when he goes back, if it’ll make you feel better,” he said. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take, but it’s the best I can do right now. I gave you so much when you came back, I’m still not quite recovered either.”

I looked back at the fresh grave and sighed.

“If I had known what it would cost for me to meet them...” I shook my head.

“He would have paid it anyhow,” Mal said, taking my chin and turning my face back to his. “Nando was selfless like that. Any one of us would have paid that price in an instant if it meant you got to have your parents.”

“He didn’t know, though,” I said and felt my lips tremble again. “How could he have known?”

“He didn’t even know they were the king and queen, Fae,” Mal smiled a little. “I didn’t even know until just before I found you. He did it because that’s how he was.”

“Selfless,” I sniffed as Mal wiped away the few stray tears on my face. “How are you handling this so well?”

“I’m not, believe me,” he snorted. “But, I’m too grateful you’re here to be as upset as everyone else. I nearly lost you and it was the single most terrifying thing. It still is and it always will be.”

“I told you I was coming back,” I smiled a weak and watery smile, trying take his point of view.

“You did, and I’m happy you’re so damn stubborn,” he smiled back. “I probably won’t always say that, but right now, I couldn’t be happier.”

“I know you won’t always say that,” I chuckled.

“Are you ready to go home now?” he asked.

“I don’t have one,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Your home will always be with me, silly,” he said and got up pushing me back to the car we had come in.

-----

It’s been three weeks since the funeral. I’m currently living with Mal in the big mansion he hates because it’s always empty. I met Bianca, his step-mother, and instantly hated that woman. She screamed trophy wife. Pretty on the outside but one ugly hoe on the inside. She threw a fit because I was there “without permission” and went so far as to say Mal and I were using “her house” as a love den.

This went on for hours before Mal’s dad showed up. He told his charming wife that it was obvious we weren’t able to do anything, as I was still mostly wheelchair bound and clearly not in good health. That had her sputtering with indignation, which turned to pure fury when Mal told his father we were Soul Bonded. Glittery wings on display to prove it.

She left in a huff when she was told to stop gaping like a winded fish and go see about dinner, not to be seen by us again, though Mal’s father was there more often to make sure we had everything we needed for my recovery.

Ben came by once or twice a week and I was glad to say that he was getting back to the cheeky fox we all adored. He was busy, though, since he was back and forth at Nando’s house to help keep the little kids entertained while the older family members dealt with the loss.

Blaine was gone, back in the Sidhe with his parents while they tracked down Zane. Last thing we heard was that they were getting closer and it seemed like Zane was slowly fighting to come back on his own, which would help them in the long run. We still had no idea how he got from the room he had been trapped in to the battle in the first place, but him showing up had made a bit of a difference, since he was completely insane at the time.

We sent a letter to Justine and Quinn, saying that we would really like to see them, if only for a moment and they had sent someone back a few days ago, setting up a brief meeting. Which was why I was now pacing around in the study and biting my nails.

Mal came in and sighed, shaking his head at me as he made me sit on one of the sofas with a stern look he wasn’t quite able to pull off. It always made me smile when he tried to be bossy.

“You’re going to wear yourself out before they even get here if you keep walking around like that,” he said and pulled my finger away from my teeth and gave me a Jolly Rancher instead. It was how I was dealing with my anxiety, which I found I had after spending a week being tortured. I had nightmares, too, but only at first when we tried sleeping in separate rooms. So Mal got a bigger bed.

“I can’t help it,” I said as I put it in my mouth. “What do you say to your parents after eighteen years? “Hi, I’m your daughter. Nice to meet you”?”

“You could start there,” he smiled and sat next to me, putting his arm over my shoulders. “Blunt and to the point is kind of your thing, you know.”

“I’m not sure if you’re mocking me or being honest,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I could be doing both, you know,” he chuckled.

“Because annoying me is kind of your thing,” I huffed but snuggled against him anyhow. “What if they don’t believe me?”

“Tell them about Charles,” he said. “He didn’t have any other children aside from her and her twin brother, who, as you know, didn’t survive his Awakening. He had to have told you something only she would know.”

“I don’t know,” I frowned. “What if they don’t want me?”

“Now your being paranoid,” he rolled his eyes. “They’ve been looking for you this whole time. What makes you think they wouldn’t want you?”

“I don’t even know what I turned out to be,” I pointed out.

“You will, when you’re stronger. Right now, you’re still like a limp noodle and you look like a skeleton with skin thrown over it,” he said.

“Gee, thanks. Tell me how you really feel,” I muttered.

“I really feel like kissing you, but I’ll wait. You still have so much to deal with, you don’t need me mucking up the water just yet,” he winked.

“I don’t think you could “muck” anything,” I sighed. “You’ve been keeping me sane so far, so the idea that you’d complicate anything is like seeing a hellhound in a tutu.”

“Oh, now we have to get Blaine to do that,” he laughed.

“Dear gods, he’d kill us both if we tried,” I giggled.

Just like that, my anxiety was gone. Just like every time before, Mal gets me distracted and thinking about something else, like seeing a grumpy hellhound in a pink tutu with a sparkly tiara. Oh, Blaine was going to be so mad about this.

Then, the doorbell rang and all of that nervous energy came back full force.

“Are you ready?” Mal asked.