Blood of the Exiled (Witch Fairy Book 10) (9 page)

Lailah laughs.
 
“Yes, I suppose you would.”

I bite my lip and then say, “Can I ask you another question?”

“Of course,” she says.

“Why did you hate Kallen when you first met him?”

She sighs.
 
“What a complicated question that is.”
 
She stares out to the sea again.
 
“Things had gone so differently than I thought they would.”
 
She looks back at me.
 
“As with the rest, I only knew my part to play.
 
It was my job to protect you and I had failed.
 
Your mother was seduced, forced to run away and was then hunted.
 
You had already been targeted by assassins by the time I found you both.
 
I was angry with myself.
 
I was angry with the Witches.
 
But I feared the Fairies and what they might do to you.
 
If things had gone wrong on my end, I thought maybe Isla had failed as well with whatever she was asked to do since Fairy assassins had come for you.
 
I was desperate to protect you when I found you and I would have been distrustful of any Fairy at that point.”

I purse my lips.
 
“I can see that, I guess.”

She pats my hand and says, “I now know he is perfect for you.”

I grin.
 
“He is.”

She stands, ready to leave.
 
“I have taken so much of your time and you have a long journey ahead of you.
 
I simply wanted you to have a true understanding of the situation before you become embroiled with your grandfather again.”
 
She hesitates,
then
says, “Be kind to him.
 
Just as your mother, he was not given a choice to be part of such a great destiny.
 
He played the role as best he could, even if it was not the way we wish he had.”
 
The disappointment twists her voice until it sounds almost bitter again.
 

That seems wrong on too many levels to count.
 
The Angel of Love should never be bitter or have a broken heart.
 
Softly, I say, “I’m sorry.”

Lailah lays a hand on my cheek.
 
“Do not ever be sorry for anything that made it possible for you to be a part of the Universe.
 
I have eternity to be happy.
 
My time in the Cowan realm was such a tiny part of my existence that it hardly matters.”

She says the words but her eyes belie them.
 
“Nice try.
 
I don’t buy it, though.”

A beautiful smile forms on her perfect, heart-shaped lips.
 
“You do not hesitate to speak the truth.
 
Never lose that.”

I roll my eyes.
 
“Don’t
worry,
I can’t keep anything from falling out of my mouth.”

She laughs.
 
“Come, give me a hug and then I will let you get back to that handsome Fairy of yours.”

Even after what she said, I am still surprised.
 
“You really do like him now?”

Her smile is so pretty.
 
“As I said, my unhappiness colored my judgment when we first met.
 
Now I know that it is his love that helps give you the strength to do the things you must do.”

I’m glad to hear that.
 
“I guess as the Angel of love you would know.”
 

“Before I was called back,” she says, “I told your grandfather to expect your return.”
 
With a last flash of an amused smile, she is gone.
 
I am no longer in Angel time.

Kallen looks around the room wildly, wondering where I went.
 
When he sees me sitting on the bed, he asks, “Who was it this time?”

I know what he’s asking.
 
“My grandma came to tell me about her arranged marriage with my grandpa.”

He nods.
 
“That explains a lot.”

Laughing, I say, “That’s what I thought, too.”

“Breakfast?” he asks, holding his hand out to me.
 

“I’m starving,” I say, standing up and taking his hand.
 
Starving for both food and information.
 
It’s time to see what Raziel has to say.

As usual, the gathering place is the kitchen.
 
We find Adriel and Raziel enjoying fluffy pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup and crisp bacon.
 
Tabitha is at the stove pouring more batter on a flat, square skillet.
 
Isla is enjoying a cup of coffee and leaning against the counter near the pot.
 
When I peer a little closer at her, I can see worry behind the casual expression she’s wearing.

Sitting at the island counter with the two Fallen Angels, I help myself to some pancakes.
 
“Good morning,” I say to the room in general as I reach for the syrup.

Grabbing the orange juice from the fridge, Kallen gives Tabitha a peck on the cheek.
 
She slaps his hand when he attempts to steal a piece of bacon from the warmer.
 
“There is bacon laid out on the counter,” she chides.
 

“I like it hot,” Kallen says with a grin, stealing a piece anyway.
 
Tabitha rolls her eyes but she smiles.

“How is Lailah?” Raziel asks.

Of course he knows she came to me.
 
“Good.
 
She’s a lot happier being an Angel again.”

“She has always been an Angel,” Adriel snarks.

“Someone’s touchy this morning,” I mumble around a bite of pancakes.
 
She narrows her eyes at me but lets my comment go.

“She told you of the circumstances under which she
Fell
?” Raziel asks.

I laugh and shake my head.
 
“I’m pretty sure you already know she did.”

He smiles.
 
“I find it easier for others if I try to converse as if I do not already know the answer to all.”
 
He gives a pointed glance in Kallen’s direction.
 
Kallen ignores him and starts eating.

“I’m impressed with the orchestration of my birth.
 
You guys went all out,” I say, then pop more pancakes into my mouth.

Amused, Raziel says, “Your birth has been destined since the beginning.
 
It seemed wrong to shirk on the details.”

I shake my head.
 
“An arranged marriage.
 
I could never do that.”

This time it’s Adriel who gives a pointed look in Kallen’s direction.
 
“Of course you couldn’t,” she says.
 
Kallen glowers at her.
 

Suddenly defensive because she’s probably right, I say, “Our marriage wasn’t arranged.
 
It was hoped for.
 
There’s a difference.”

Adriel is unconvinced.
 
So is everyone else in the room except Kallen and me.
 
Coming to my rescue from the awkward silence, Isla says, “There is a difference.”
 
Clearly, she’s just humoring me but I appreciate it anyway.

“Can we move on?” Kallen grumps.

“What do you have to tell me?” I ask Raziel.

Winking at me, he says, “Promise not to get annoyed with my cryptic response?”
 

I pretend to think about it.
 
“No.”

He chuckles.
 
“As I suspected.”
 
Sobering, he continues.
 
“Your previous interactions with the Witches have not been forgotten.”

Kallen snorts.
 
“That is not news worthy of dragging us out of bed.”

It’s Raziel’s turn to ignore him.
 
“Your actions were recorded and studied.
 
Every detail of your interactions with them has been analyzed in great detail in preparation of your return.
 
The result is that they are better prepared for your magic this time.”

My turn to snort.
 
“Are they tougher than Dragons?”
 
Or evil Archangels?
 
I don’t say the last out loud.
 
It brings back too many memories I’ve shoved into the back of mind, never to be seen or heard from again.
 
But I have learned a lot about my magic since the last time I saw the Witches.
 
I doubt they’re truly prepared for what I can do.
 
Wow, when did I get so arrogant?

“It is not always about who is the toughest,” Adriel says like I’m two.
 
“Sometimes, a battle of the minds can decide who wins the war.”

Okay, I’m pretty sure she just called me stupid.
 
“So, you want me to go to the Witches and act like I’m at war with them?
 
I know I can be brash, but even to me that
doesn’t
seem like the best approach to take.”

Adriel scowls.
 
“I am not suggesting you go to war, only that you hold off on any shows of strength until absolutely necessary.
 
Do not show your hand unless you must.”

Coming to my defense, Kallen says, “I believe that is Xandra’s intent each time she embarks on such a journey.”

I grimace as I think about how often that has worked out for me.
 
“Look, I know my diplomacy sucks, but you guys aren’t telling me anything new.
 
I thought you were going to give us some useful information before we left; especially since we moved the trip up several days.”
 
A bit of petulance may have seeped into my voice, but getting out of bed at the crack of dawn to hear the same old lecture is really annoying.

Raziel looks slightly abashed.
 
“You are correct.
 
I did promise you new information that you will need before embarking on this journey.”
 
He sighs and says wryly, “I have thought carefully about how to tell you this without letting too much slip.
 
I may not currently have my wings, but I do not want Tabbris to keep them from me forever.”
 
Ah, Tabbris, the bane of my existence sometimes.
 
Is free will really that important?
 
Yeah, I guess it is.

“Okay, what
can
you tell me?”
 
I can feel Kallen’s frustration growing and he is considering his fork in a way that makes me think he’s about to fling it at Raziel’s forehead.
 
Hard enough to make it stick.

“I can tell you that your grandfather is no longer fit to rule over the Witches.”

Kallen snorts.
 
“Was he ever?”
 
I’m pretty sure that’s rhetorical.

I let Raziel’s words sink in.
 
Grandpa’s no longer fit to rule?
 
And Grandma is no longer
Fallen
.
 
Mom’s a ghost.
 
My eyes widen as understanding grows in me like internal small pox.
 
“You want
me
to rule the Witches?!”

“That is ridiculous,” Tabitha chimes in, wildly waving a spatula in Raziel’s direction.
 
“The girl’s place is here.”

Still leaning against the counter, Isla’s face is harder than stone.
 
It’s more like titanium.
 
“I agree,” she says between clenched teeth.

Raziel holds his hands up in front of him.
 
“I know this is a lot to take in.”

“A lot to take in?!”
I shrill.
 
“You want me to spend the rest of my life babysitting the Witches?
 
How am I supposed to do what my destiny proclaims if I’m trapped with
them
?”

“Yet you expect to take the throne of the Fairy realm someday?” Adriel asks calmly.

I’m rendered speechless.
 
No retort comes to mind because she’s right.
 
So, I opt for wrinkling my nose and growling at her.
 
Her reaction is amusement.
 

I want to say it’s not the same, but it is.
 
When did I start feeling like the Fairy realm is more my home than the realm I was born in?
 
A look around the room answers that question. It happened when I gained an extended family and close friends, people I had never had in my life before.
 
In my home realm, I had my parents, my brother and my aunt.
 
Three of them are here with me and I can visit Aunt Barb anytime I want.
 
There is nothing else left in the Human realm that makes me feel like I belong there.
 
Pushing my empty plate aside, I bang my forehead on the countertop.
 
Why?
 
Why does my life have to constantly involve upheavals?

“Xandra,” Kallen says softly.
 
“Are you okay?”

“Mm hmm,” I mutter.
 
“Just peachy.”

“Xandra,” Adriel says, “if you do not sit up, I do have enough magic in this form to make the counter disappear.”

She would do it, too.
 
Reluctantly, I lift my head and glower at her.
 
“I changed my mind.
 
I’m not going.”

Raziel chuckles.
 
“I am afraid that is really not an option.”

“Hey, what about free will?” I exclaim.
 
“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do, right?”
 
Yes, I am being radically immature, but I have no desire to spend my life with the Witches.

“True,” Adriel says in what for her is a soft tone.
 
It’s not really.
 
“But then you would not be taking the responsibility of your destiny seriously.”

“Destiny, smestiny,” I say, waving my hand.
 
“I’ll make up for it some other way.”

Kallen reaches over and takes my hand in his.
 
“This is something you must do.
 
But you are not alone.
 
If our life is in the Cowan realm, then so be it.”

I look up at him and the love and support shining through his eyes almost makes me cry.
 
He really means it.
 
“Thank you.”

Kallen slips an arm around my shoulders and squeezes gently.
 
“Maybe we should go back to bed and start this day over,” he teases.

I wish that would make a difference.
 
I give him a weak smile and then turn to Raziel.
 
“How soon do we have to leave?”

“I’m ready when you are,” a new voice says from the vicinity of the hallway wall.
 

“Nixie?”
I say with surprise.
 
“You want to come?”