Catching Faete Read online

  Chapter Three

  Ben did not have to worry about being woken up in the middle of the night. He was already wide awake. He had managed to doze off for a few hours after he and Leo tucked Erica in, in between them, but a nightmare had jarred him wide awake.

  The dream had started out quite pleasant at first. He was in the nursery with Erica, Leo, and the babies. They were all on the floor on a multicolored playmat, the grownups sitting cross-legged as the twins crawled around.

  Then, the dream morphed into something horrific. Erica stood up screaming, “My babies! Where are my babies?” He saw himself as well as Leo frantically searching the entire castle, but Ellie and Finn were nowhere to be found.

  He had awoken clutching his chest and then immediately run straight to the nursery to find both of his children sleeping peacefully. He let out a long harsh breath while running his fingers through his hair, clutching at the strands. “Just a fucking dream,” he whispered.

  When he was satisfied that the babies were safe, he walked back into the bedroom, grateful that the gift of foresight did not belong to him. Erica turned to him in sleep when he got back into bed as if sensing that he needed comfort. He didn’t need to overanalyze his dream to understand why he had had it. As strongly as he felt that those children belonged to him, Erica, and Leo, the Dark Fae council had not made their final decision yet.

  He lay there, with his mate in his arms, sleep eluding him as he thought back on this past week and what was still to come.

  ****

  The trio had simply thought that they were going into the Dark Fae village to acquaint themselves with Fae brethren they had thought extinct, but not long after they had set foot there, the babies were placed in their care. The Goddess of the Dark Fae, Rysanna, had willed it so. Alak and Aeron, the High Dorum, explained that the parents had died in a tragic accident, though they did not go into detail. What they did reveal was that Aneena, Alak and Aeron’s cousin, and the newest Dorum council member, had been the one to save the twins, risking her own life in the process. She was unable to save the parents, however. Their mother, Halarra, had been her childhood friend, and Ben did not need Alak or Aeron to tell him that Aneena clung to her guilt. He could see it written all over her face every time he looked at her.

  “You’re wondering why Aneena wasn’t charged to take care of them?” Aeron had asked him.

  “I am,” he had replied. He had to be sure that there was no one who would suddenly decide to lay claim on the children one day. He had fallen in love with the twins the minute he had laid eyes on them, had known in his gut, despite not having any kind of seer abilities, that they were meant to be his, Erica’s, and Leo’s, but as hard as it would be to give them up before they even had them, it would be excruciatingly impossible later.

  “I know it may seem antiquated in your modern times,” Aeron began, “but my cousin is still unmated. Our instincts for parenthood work differently than those of humans, and she would be more of a loving caregiver to them, rather than their mother. And she already has a role to play in their lives as a Duva Matra.” At Ben’s puzzled look, he explained, “It means one who guides children. A secondary parental figure, if you will, who aids in the growth of a child.”

  Ben supposed it was similar to a godmother, but was satisfied with Aeron’s answer. He also reassured Ben that there was no other claim to the children, but a meeting was in order to make the handing over the care official. It took a few days to convene a council meeting. What Ben thought would be a simple matter of signing some documents—after all, it was their own Goddess who had decided to place the babies with them—turned out to be a heated debate, and not all were in favor.

  The two-story meeting place structure in the heart of the village looked very much like someone’s house from the outside, the face of the building was comprised of inviting yellow brick, trimmed grass and bushes, colorful flowers, and a paved walkway leading up to an ornately carved wooden door. Inside, however, the small foyer led into a grand room with high ceilings and a candlelit chandelier. Instead of pews, there were rows of either cushy looking chairs or couches facing the front. There was no podium in the front of the large room, only more comfortable looking couches facing forward.

  Ben, Erica, and Leo sat in the front row with the twins. Erica held Ellie in her arms with Leo’s arms around them. Ben sat on Erica’s other side holding Finn. He tried to tune out most of the arguing as Finn sleepily opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings.

  “Ignore them all,” Ben cooed to his son in a whisper. Finn let out a gurgle and then closed his eyes.

  Alak and Aeron were still arguing their case passionately, as Gabe and his mates arrived. They took seats near them in support.

  “Our Goddess has willed it so,” Aeron declared to the crowd just then.

  “Do you dare to go against her will?” Alak asked the opposition.

  “We cannot allow these Dark Fae children to be raised by their kind,” Ben heard an angry woman shout. He didn’t bother to look up as she continued. “Our Goddess is the one who separated us from the Light Fae. Did she not?”

  “And with good reason,” a male council member added. “They are selfish beings. Our children should be raised by their own kind.”

  “Selfish?” Alak roared. “That woman,” Ben saw him pointing at Erica in his peripheral vision, “nearly sacrificed her life, and did sacrifice her ability to bear children in order to protect her people from a tyrant. Those men beside her are shifters, not Fae, and yet they nearly died as well for the Fae cause.”

  “The time for separatism to come to an end is upon us,” Aeron said. “It is time for us all to band together if we are to survive what has been foreseen.”

  “I am inclined to agree with you, cousins,” came a soft-spoken voice from the back of the room.

  “Thank you, Aneena,” Aeron said.

  But it appeared that their cousin had more to say. “Though I agree with you about bringing our peoples together, including shifter kind, and I have no doubt as to the bravery and selflessness of Lady Eyrica and her mates, nor do I question their ability to be good parents, but they have no experience with our kind.” Ben heard no judgment in her tone as she went on, only concern. “Our Goddess told you to bring the Queen and her Kings of the Light Fae here to the village so that we may begin to bring our people together. She told you to show them the babies, to place them in their arms, and then what? How can we be sure that this trio is the right choice to raise these children? How will they know how to deal with their gifts when they emerge?”

  It was his Erica who answered, her voice barely above a whisper, but nonetheless sure in her response. “Because I already feel them in my very soul. They are our fate.” And then, as any loving mother would, she leaned down and placed a soft, sweet kiss on Ellie’s head, before doing the same to Finn.

  “A trial,” said a woman sitting in the back next to Aneena.

  Ben turned to look at her and recalled her as someone who’d argued not necessarily in their favor, but in favor of the Goddesses’ will, as she had said.

  “A trial period to see if these three Light Fae can be parents to our Dark Fae children,” she continued. “And someone to help guide and teach them about our ways. This person shall also act as a witness to their ability or lack thereof.”

  “That responsibility is mine,” said Aneena.

  Ben thought that was fitting for her to volunteer since she had a vested interest in the babies as their Duva Matra, not to mention what he had learned about her in relation to the twins.

  “Very well,” Aeron said. “A two-week trial.” He gave the two earlier naysayers the stink eye, a terrifying look, effectively preventing them from protesting. “Our Goddess would not oppose this.”

  Alak then added sternly, “And if at the end of this trial period, these Light Fae prove themselves worthy, Goddess help anyone who tries to interfere with their family.”

  Ben was really starting to like these High Dor
um.

  ****

  Sleep would not be had for Ben tonight, he was sure of it. He gently rolled Erica over to Leo after he softly kissed her lips, and proceeded to the nursery. This time, he found Finn awake, happily making his sweet baby noises in his crib and kicking up his feet.

  “Can’t sleep, little man? Come, Poppa will tell you a story.” He picked up Finn and then dragged one of the rocking chairs over beside Ellie’s crib so that she could hear the story, too, even though she was still sound asleep. “I want to tell you about my people—shifter kind—and now your people, too.

  “Once upon a time,” he began, “and a long time ago, there lived a large clan of people who faithfully worshiped Gods and Goddesses—four of them, to be exact. They were Earth Gods who nurtured the land and took care of its people.

  “And then one very harsh and horrible winter, the clan began to suffer and get sick, and they went hungry because they couldn't go out in the blizzard-like conditions to hunt. So they prayed and brought what little offerings they had to their mighty and compassionate Gods and Goddesses. They asked for help for their people to survive the cruelty of nature’s elements.

  “In answer to their prayers, the Gods and Goddesses spoke to the animals in the forest around the village and asked if they would be willing to help the suffering people. The animals told the Gods and Goddesses that they believed the clan was an honorable one. They never hunted more than they needed, and they had always been respectful of the forest and the animals they shared it with. So, the animals agreed upon one condition. The clan must join their lives to those of the animals, and spend equal time in their shifted forms to let the animal spirit be celebrated.

  “And so, the next day, the animals chosen by the Gods to save the clan, arrived in the village and they each merged with a human soul mate, creating the very first shifters. Wolves, bears, and cougars were among the first to be created. This joining brought harmonious delight to the Gods and Goddesses. The clan was stronger, smarter, and thriving in a way they could never have before.

  “Eventually the Gods and Goddesses chose other deserving clans across the world and other worthy animals, until the race of shifters was complete.”

  Finn gave a happy grunt at the end of the story and then grabbed Ben’s finger in his chubby little fist. “You liked that, didn’t you, my little man? I like that story, too.”

  Just as he leaned down to give Finn a kiss to his forehead, he noticed someone standing in the doorway. Aneena stood gazing at him with an actual smile. He hadn’t seen anything but sadness in her eyes since the day he had met her.

  She gave him a slight nod before she took her leave.

  Chapter Four

  “All I’m saying, is that it’s more than just a little bit creepy.”

  Erica grinned at Ben’s words as he continued to bounce Finn on his knee. The five of them were sitting on a blanket out on the grass in front of their home, enjoying the sun. Both children were awake, clean, fed and happy, and it was a rare thing indeed for both of them to be in that peaceful state at the same time.

  “She’s their Duva Matra, Ben,” Erica reminded him as she leaned over to tickle Ellie’s tummy, reveling in her giggle that had her heart melting. “Aneena has a responsibility to make sure these babies are raised right. She has to go back to her people and clear any doubt there might be that the three of us can raise these children as our own, but in a way that enables them to know all aspects of their heritage.”

  Leo leaned into her and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. Erica felt her heart stutter at the move and knew she would always feel like that whenever her mates touched her. “We know that, baby. It’s just hard to adjust to having a houseguest that seems to watch us at all times and critique everything we do.”

  Erica made a scoffing sound. “Oh, she’s not always watching us.”

  Leo reached out and hand and gently tipped her face back toward the palace. Erica saw Aneena standing on the balcony that led out from the main foyer and sure enough, her gaze was locked on the five of them.

  “Now, that’s just an awkward coincidence, I’m sure,” Erica said quietly, despite the tendril of unease that began to unfurl within her.

  Erica recognized the expression on the other woman’s face. It was a look she herself had worn at times after the Goddess had told her what her actions had cost her. It was the look of a woman who longed for what she saw in front of her, a woman who yearned to be a mother. What if Aneena wanted the babies for her own? Erica felt a pain strike deep within her chest at the thought.

  “Erica?”

  “Baby?”

  She heard the concern in both her mates’ tones and knew they must have caught the echo of that pain along through their bond.

  She smiled brightly at them both. “It’s nothing, just a bad thought that jumped into my mind, nothing serious.” Both men didn’t look convinced, and she sent up a prayer of thanks to the Goddess above that neither of them chased her for an answer. She was just being paranoid anyway, she thought. After all, Aeron had already explained to Ben that Aneena would be more of a caregiver to the twins rather than their mother.

  Determined not to let wayward thoughts ruin her day, Erica focused back on her family, and the rest of the afternoon was perfect. It was one of those moments in life that photographs would never do justice to. She still wore a gentle smile on her face hours later, when both her children were tucked up in bed, and both her mates were off running through the woods in their wolf forms.

  She walked into the kitchen in search of some of the chocolate Corrine had left last time she had visited, and drew to a halt when she encountered Aneena. The woman stood in the darkened kitchen staring out at the night.

  “Aneena?” Erica asked, and from the way other woman seemed to jolt back to awareness, she knew she’d roused her from deep thought. “Are you okay?”

  “I apologize, Lady Eyrica,” Aneena hastened to say, and Erica frowned as she watched the usually calm and unfazed Fae start to exit the kitchen as fast as possible.

  “Wait!” Erica moved to block her exit. “Stay and tell me what’s bothering you.” Aneena’s troubled gaze lifted to hers then dropped back to the floor. “Come on, Aneena. The babies are sleeping, and the boys are out in the woods doing their wolf thing. We’re the only ones here. Will you not sit with me and tell me what has you so lost in thought?”

  Erica watched as Aneena seemed to struggle with herself internally, and was disappointed when she shook her head. “No, it is fine. I will not allow my personal issues to color the reasons I am here.”

  Erica sighed. “Right. You’re here to critique me and my mates on our parenting skills.”

  Aneena frowned. “Why do you say that as if that’s something wrong? We are entrusting you and your mates with two of our most vulnerable. Would that not be the way things are done in the human realm? Or here in the realm of the light Fae?”

  Erica winced. “Of course it’s not wrong, and yes, it would be done here and in the human realm. It’s just upsetting to know that those two babies, who own a large part of my heart and soul already, could end up being taken away from me. Can you understand what that would be like? To be given a glimpse of what was possible, to be given everything you ever wanted before you know what that might be, but then face the reality that it might be taken from you?”

  A haunted look slipped into Aneena’s eyes for a moment before it cleared, and Erica had a feeling that perhaps the woman knew exactly what that was like.

  “I have had things taken from me, so yes, I can understand some of your fears.” Aneena’s words were quiet, and she paused as if unsure of herself. “Lady Eyrica, do you have regrets from the actions of your past?”

  Erica was touched that Aneena had decided to open up to her finally, and she tried to choose her words carefully. “I think everyone has some regrets, but we can only do our best to make our choices throughout our lives. There are never guarantees of which paths are the correct ones to choose. Someti
mes, you may think that you’ve made the wrong choice, but fate will surprise you.”

  “I have regrets … but I hope you are correct. Perhaps one day, I will able to see past them to my fate.”

  Erica thought Aneena would say more on the subject, but the woman looked thoughtful, seemingly lost in her head. She wondered, not for the first time, if it was the accident that had taken away her childhood friend that haunted Aneena—the accident that had left Ellie and Finn without their biological parents. Erica had discovered very little about what actually happened that day, other than the fact that Ellie and Finn were still alive because of Aneena, something Erica would be forever grateful for. She wanted to reach out and hug her, to offer her comfort, but Erica wasn’t sure that Aneena would welcome that type of affection from her. The Dark Fae were apparently different about social etiquette, she had recently learned. The moment of sharing passed, and Aneena nodded, her face resuming its normal stoic expression.

  “I am here for a few more days,” Aneena said quietly. “I will do my duty to the children as their Duva Matra and to my people as a Dorum council member. At the conclusion of that process, the children will be with whoever will provide them with the rich and loving environment that they deserve. What their parents both wished for them. It still remains to be seen whether that will be here or elsewhere. But remember this, Lady Eyrica. Eylwén and Finwén will forever be Dark Fae. Do not let your desire to be a mother outweigh what is best for them and their future, because I can assure you that I surely will not.”

  With that, Aneena left the kitchen, and Erica took a shuddering breath. She honestly had no idea what she would do if Ellie and Finn were taken from her. She felt a wave of love sweep through her from her mating bond, and she embraced the warmth of her mates. She knew without a doubt that they would be heading back for her as quickly as possible having caught her distress.

  She left the kitchen, all thought of a light chocolate indulgence gone, knowing that Leo and Ben would come directly to her no matter where she was. She walked back to the nursery and stood between the two cribs staring down at the sleeping babies, her heart swelling with love for them both as a single tear slid down her cheek.