The Matchmaker's Mark (26 page)

Training and control couldn't keep him from reaching out this time. He smoothed her hair back behind her ear. "I saw you. In my dreams. You were – "

"That is enough."

The commanding voice rumbled beneath their feet and gently rattled the leaves in the trees. The light from the fire weed faded as the flaming grass turned to wisps of ash.

Powerful magic removed Dare's hand from Lily's cheek and firmly pinned it to his side. If he'd had any control of his body, he would've shown appropriate respect for a member of the royal house. As it was he could only hope they both survived the elf's next thought.

"This place is forbidden to you, young guard." That ruthlessly controlled voice materialized into a tall elf, glowing softly and tattooed with the royal crest over his left eye.

Dare had barely comprehended the elf's identity when he found himself staring at the Angel Oak for the third time that night.

Throwing himself at the tree, he tried to get back to Lily, but failed.

The royal elf had sealed the route, blocking him from Lily and the future he'd been about to claim.

Though his heart howled, he wouldn't shout. He couldn't risk waking the neighborhood and exposing his world to the oblivious, sleeping humans.

He slumped against the massive tree trunk and considered his skills and options. Years with Camille had taught him that often the best laid plans were impossible to execute if two hearts were determined and dedicated to an opposite course of action.

But he didn't know if Lily understood or reciprocated the depth of his feelings.

Ah, well. It wasn't as if he'd feel whole again by ignoring his heart. Pain was pain, but being proactive was a better risk than walking away from the only female who made him want to take that risk.

He sighed. When he finally needed a Matchmaker for his own purposes, he didn't have one close. Fortunately, his experience with Camille gave him a very good idea of how to proceed without one.

~*~

Lily stared at her father, not the least bit cowed by his 'elder of the royal house' routine. "Hi, Daddy."

He arched an eyebrow, and his tattoo rippled. There was a coldness in him she'd never seen. Considering what he might have seen if he'd looked in on this clearing while she and Dare had been occupied... She felt the blush staining her cheeks and made a study of her shoes.

"I see you do have some shame." He stepped closer, his cloak whispering over the tops of his boots and his hands fell on her head like a benediction. "This place is forbidden to you, little one."

She considered rebelling and knew he wouldn't understand. "Yes, sir." He glared down at her and suddenly she didn't want to be polite and deferential. She wanted to bite and snipe and make him release her from this infernal binding spell. She glared back at him. "I didn't come here on purpose."

"That's hardly the point."

She thought Dare might argue it was precisely the point. "Well, I'd love to leave, but you'll notice I cannot."

"How did you come back?"

"Intentionally." No way would she admit it was an accident sparked by desire and need. Wood elves valued their calm and logic as much as their control.

"A little respect for your sire would not be misplaced."

"You can't be serious." But he was serious now, just as he'd been at their every meeting since she'd settled in Charleston. She missed the days when they'd been close, when she could tell him anything and he still held out hope for her future. "What do I have to do or say to go home, Daddy?"

His eyes fell to the mark on her arm. "You have only to remember, little one."

She scowled down at the mark she'd carried since birth, the mark that was itching yet again. She rolled her wrist and watched it ripple, much like the tattoo on his face had done.

"This isn't a matchmaker's mark is it?"

His head moved slowly from side to side. "No." He snapped his fingers and a stump rose from the ground so he could sit. "But it is of similar magic."

She looked at him wondering how much he was willing to share. "You meddled with my birthmark?"

His gusty sigh was full of regret. "I did what was best. For you. I do not presume to ask forgiveness. We are family first and last."

She knew she was the 'last'. "Will you let me go now?"

"Do you promise never to return?"

"No." Her temper was simmering. "My magic is changing, growing stronger." She'd thought she'd been on the verge of a break through with Dare, and he'd interrupted them. On purpose. "No. I don't promise any such thing unless you give me some answers." She clamped her mouth shut against further outbursts. It wasn't smart to push him too hard.

"I see." He rested his hands on his knees. "You were born marked. As Lily." He twitched a finger and she was jerked to the spot right in front of him. She shivered as he lifted her arm to the moonlight.

"This bothers you?" He studied the pattern on her skin. "Look closely."

She watched as the mark she'd known all her life trembled, parts of it fading away. "There is your birthmark."

She stared. It was so small and pale. A simple sprout from a heart shape leaf no bigger than her thumbnail. The mark morphed again as she watched. "And here is the truth for you." She felt as if he held her arm under a mister when a cool fog hovered and blurred the edges of what had been so very familiar all her life.

"That is powerful magic on your arm, my daughter. More powerful magic is within you."

A warmth of certainty warmed her heart as a weight of failure lifted.

He squeezed her hand. "I suppressed this magic for your own protection." He smoothed a hand over her arm and the mark was exactly as it had been this morning. "And the protection of men who would be mesmerized by you."

"Suppressed?" Her eyes met his and his face softened into a wry smile.

His touch, his words, Lily wasn't sure how it happened, but she found herself looking back on her life from her father's perspective.

"But I failed all my magic. I failed your heritage."

"You have never failed me or our house. There were reasons, little one. Reasons you might see more clearly now?"

She did. It was all rushing through her mind, like a movie on fast forward, blasting away her confusion and insecurities. She'd been a child dancing in this clearing so many decades ago, casting spells for daisies. She managed to coax forth the stems and leaves, but the flowers refused to bud or bloom. She had wished for someone to understand, to accept, to love her as she was.

Her mark had changed later that day.

If her father's shared memory was accurate, he'd done the changing, because her wish had gone out into the world to land on Dare.

But what did that mean? She didn't want to think he loved her simply because he was compelled.

"A halfling with your power was a threat to those who believe tradition is paramount and bloodlines should not be compromised."

He was admitting the royal house had wanted her dead. Something she'd suspected for years. Tugging free of his grasp, feeling cold, she huddled into her jacket.

"And now?" Now that she could travel through the Angel Oak the royals must be having conniptions.

"Your arrival tonight proves you are ready." He pulled her to him, and she clung. "This place was forbidden because you drew such power here. If you turned it against the elves or humans…"

"So the binding spell was meant to hold me until assassins or instructors arrived?"

"Crudely stated, but true enough." He held her at arms length.

"Because causing flowers to bloom is such a threat."

"We both know you have more than that inside you. A girl who can turn wishes to truth?"

"So you'll instruct me now?"

He shook his head, his smile sad. "I don't believe you need me to instruct you."

"I'd rather you didn't assassinate me either."

He laughed. "Impossible. With my protection lifted, your power is your own. You can claim your rightful name as Lily of the House of Angel Oak."

Goosebumps rippled over her skin as the implications sank into her brain, her heart. "You mean tulips won't bloom unless I want them to?" She'd always be a halfling, but with full control of her power the options were wide open.

"Neither will the moonflowers." He chucked her under the chin when she blushed. "Or the fire weed. Whatever happens, Lily, whatever you do, you will always remain my sweet angel."

"Always." She followed his gaze as her mark morphed yet again. It was less comfortable this time, but the end result was beautiful. An elegant calla lily resting on a vine of heart-shaped ivy leaves.

"In your heart, little one, is your power. You wished long ago for the one who could keep you safe in here," he tapped her chest, "and out there." His arm swept an elegant arc to encompass the world beyond the clearing.

"Your magic responded when he found you."

"My mark was fighting your suppression?"

"Among other things." Her father laughed and a light wind ruffled the trees, laughing with him. "You will be well in your life, little one." He hugged her close once more. "No matter where you choose to live." On a sigh, he released her, only to stare wistfully at the horizon. "Watch the sunrise with me?"

"Of course, Daddy." How could she refuse?

They sat, watching the sun warm the sky in a peaceful silence she hadn't known in far too long.

His exit was as quiet as his entrance and no evidence of either moonflowers or fire weed remained when she was alone again. Instinct told her she could leave the clearing, but Lily was suddenly uncertain about where she might go.

First to the Angel Oak. Then the car. She couldn't wait to share all this with Dare.

~*~

Defeated, Dare hid in the alley behind Lily's shop. He'd used every ounce of magic in his vast arsenal and all of Gilly's techno-skills to find Amy, but the new Matchmaker was off the grid. She couldn't possibly have learned to cast such a strong shield already, but the alternative was too horrible to contemplate.

He'd hoped she would agree to help him petition the royal court so he and Lily could be together. Unless Lily didn't want to be with him. He couldn't let his thoughts wander down that dark path.

Regardless of her decision about him – them – he wouldn't let Lily be controlled or manipulated by the royal house. He knew the prejudice against halflings. He was ashamed to admit he'd thought similar things himself at one time. But a halfling with the power he sensed inside her could throw the royal court into a debate that might end with an assassination order.

He'd never let them do it.

Somewhere under those vast calming arms of the Tree of Life, after failing to get back to the clearing, he'd decided Amy was the key to saving Lily. Except now, according to Gilly, Amy was effectively gone.

He was alone in the alley, the sun was climbing and still Lily's shop was dark, in every sense. Even Henry was notably absent. He was about to climb the fire escape when she materialized in front of him. "Lily?"

"The one and only."

"I'm so glad you broke the binding spell." He took a step closer, certain the eventful night was playing tricks with his brain. "You're safe?"

"I'm perfect." She threw herself into his embrace, clinging and sprinkling kisses all over his face. "So much has happened."

He could feel the changes in her, see the confidence on her face. "As long as you're okay."

"I'm way better than okay. But all that can wait. I'm so sorry you had to walk."

"I needed the air."

She laughed, laced her fingers with his and suddenly it all seemed worth it.

"Why didn't you wait at the tree?"

"Let's go inside," he said, buying time. Where to start? How to explain all he'd felt and his failed emergency plans? He loved her, but what if she didn't want to hear that right now? "I tried to get back to the clearing, but the way was blocked."

"I bet." She unlocked the door, led the way inside, still holding his hand.

"After that, ah." He hesitated, sensing something was off as the fluorescent lights winked on. He rubbed at the nerves prickling on his neck. "Well, I called a friend for help, but it didn't work out."

"What kind of friend?"

"Doesn't matter – "

The stairs creaked. Both Dare and Lily followed the sound to see Cade glaring at their joined hands. A glance confirmed she was as surprised to see her brother as he was.

"Where have you been?"

Lily held tight when Dare would've released her hand. "Out." She snuggled closer, clearly oblivious to the murderous light in Cade's eyes. "With Dare. Why are you here?"

"Business. Let go of him."

"No."

Dare let the siblings bicker, using Cade's distraction to evaluate the cloaking spell draped over the shop. It was powerful magic that had turned the shop into a 'black hole', fooling anyone who might be looking for it, or mythical entities inside it. He'd seen it employed once before, in a containment trap a pack of werewolves had planned for the Matchmaker.