Ghost Light

Chapter 7

I decided to take the long way home, organizing my thoughts as I walked. I was a girl in need of a shower and a bed, but I’d never get any sleep with my mind racing. It was best to sort through the storm of facts and questions.

I’d learned a lot from Kaye, but I still had unanswered questions. Other than my guess that she sought revenge, I had no idea what Melusine was doing in Harborsmouth. That was something I needed to find out, preferably before she made her next move. I also needed to warn her ex-husband that she was in town.

Ceff wasn’t going to be happy. Melusine had murdered his infant child and tricked him into the execution of his eldest son, leaving Ceff, and his kingdom, with no heir to the throne. Those were his most painful memories and by warning Ceff of Melusine’s return, I’d be casting him into the darkness of those times. Melusine was hurting Ceff with her very presence here.

My hands rubbed at the knives hidden beneath my jacket. I wanted to make her pay for what she’d done to Ceff. I’d lived through those memories myself when I’d touched his bridle. I knew how the death of his sons had nearly destroyed him.

I shook my head and pulled my hands from my knives. I wouldn’t lose myself to revenge, not like Melusine. Melusine was selfish and evil. I was nothing like her. But if she tried to harm the ones I cared about, I’d be happy to try out some of the moves Jenna had been drilling into me.

I continued to walk, boots nearly silent on bricks and cobbles. My fae heritage may be a liability, especially if I didn’t learn to create a glamour, but I was beginning to discover a few beneficial talents. My second sight and psychometry had emerged during childhood, but my improved night vision, increased agility, and ability to move silently were new. What other changes did my fae blood have in store?

My thoughts turned to my father. I had few memories of my him, due to a spell he’d cast over my mind before he left us. According to Kaye, it was a powerful spell. It had caused me to forget my own father, but now memories were breaking through—and so were my powers. Had he meant to keep my wisp abilities safely hidden away until I was an adult? What had he thought would happen when the spell broke? Who would teach me to use and control my new abilities?

Would he come for me? That thought scared me most of all. Since my memories emerged, I’d held onto the hate I felt for my father. He’d abandoned me and my mother and left me ignorant and defenseless. Now I had to find him because he had the information I needed to survive, but I didn’t expect a happy family reunion. A piece of me wished for my father to rush in to save the day with a story of how his leaving was to protect my mother and me from some form of evil, but that was a child’s wish, foolish and naïve. It was more likely that the wisp king had grown tired of his mortal wife and child. He’d probably ditched us for someone shiny and new. It was best not to get my hopes up.

But no matter my abandonment issues, I did need to find the wisp king. And my best chance for that was talking to the cat sidhe, Sir Torn. Too bad that meant entering Club Nexus—and being outed as a faerie princess.

Becoming a fae leader? Not on my bucket list.

If I accepted my role as wisp princess, I would also have to acknowledge my alignment in the world of faerie politics. Wisps, like kelpies, were members of the Unseelie court. Ceff had insisted that one’s court did not dictate all of one’s actions. He believed in free will, but I was less optimistic. Unlike Ceff, I did not have loyal guards and a royal entourage to back me up should I ruffle some feathers.

Walking through the doors of Club Nexus could change everything. It would mean acknowledging my royal responsibilities and my allegiance to the dark.

It was too much to think about, but, thank Mab, at least I didn’t have to act tonight. Tomorrow or the next day, but not tonight. Maybe I could find another way to locate my father before then. I drew in a steadying breath and let the tension melt from my neck and shoulders.

While inside The Emporium I’d begun to worry that I was coming down with something. My body had flashed hot and feverish, as if my skin were too tight and about to burst into flame. But now, with the cool air from the harbor on my face, the heat bled from my skin. I took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. Ceff was right. It was soothing for Unseelie fae to walk beneath the stars.

Ceff. My feet had carried me to the harbor. The fog which had shrouded the city had dissipated, crawling back into the dark places from which it had sprung. Stars danced on the water and the moon left a sparkling trail leading out into the ocean. Too bad I couldn’t place my feet upon the moonlit path and simply walk to Ceff’s domain.

I let out a sigh. I wasn’t used to having someone to care about other than Jinx, but Ceffyl Dŵr, king of the local kelpies, had strode into my life and stolen my heart. I sometimes wonder how Ceff snuck past the walls I’d spent a lifetime constructing. It may have been how unguarded he was at the time. I never saw him as a viable threat.

It was strange, but I’d known Ceff’s most personal secrets before I’d even met the man himself. And when we did meet, it was during a battle when he was at his most vulnerable. I’d held Ceff’s fate when a pooka dropped the kelpie’s bridle into my hand. Ceff pled for his release and I had returned his bridle, and tended his wounds while he sat dressed only in a tablecloth. After the battle, Ceff had asked me out on a date. Against my better judgment, the handsome thief had slipped past my defenses and stolen my heart.

I raised a gloved hand to my lips, powerless against the goofy grin spreading across my face. Even tonight when it seemed like my entire world was crashing down, the thought of Ceff could make me smile. Silly heart.

I bit my lip, pulled the tie from my ponytail, letting my hair fall across my shoulders, and smoothed my clothes with my hands. I could still feel the goofy grin on my face, but it would have to do.

Ceff and I didn’t have a date scheduled for tonight, but he had posted sentinels along the waterfront. The system was in place to keep Harborsmouth safe and to rebuild peace between the land and water fae, but Ceff’s kelpie soldiers and selkie allies would relay any message directly to his ears. If I called out for him, he would come.

I strode to the railing, cupped my hands around my mouth, and called out Ceff’s full name. There’s power in a name, especially for those with fae blood. I heard an answering splash near a pylon to my right and knew my message had been received. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

A flutter in my belly made my stomach churn. Should I have come to the harbor? It was selfish to take Ceff away from his duties just because I’d had a bad day. And telling him about Melusine would only cause him pain. I pressed my lips together, wishing I hadn’t called out for Ceff. Wishing I could take it back.

My eyes scanned the calm waters of the harbor and the ocean waves beyond. After what seemed an eternity, a dark form emerged. I gasped. I was always startled to see Ceff in his horse form. Kelpies are Unseelie fae who can shift into human form, but their natural shape is that of a water horse.

The horse swimming toward me had a glossy coat, dappled grey like a harbor seal. Ceff’s lustrous coat was marred by terrible scars, a parting gift from his each uisge captors. But instead of detracting from his beauty, the scars seemed to draw the eye and show off his smooth coat and rippling muscles by contrast. As he drew near, I could see the gill slits along Ceff’s neck move with the exertion of swimming a long distance in such a short time. I looked into his large, dark green eyes and smiled.

He was beautiful, and he was mine. My hands fisted and skin flushed hot at the memory of Melusine on the street today. How dare she come into my city and threaten our happiness?

Ceff tilted his head to the side, studying my reaction. I shook off my anger as he approached the dock. Ceff shimmered and hands replaced hooves. He gripped the side of the dock and pulled his, now human, body from the water.

Ceff’s water horse form was beautiful, but his human body was drop-dead gorgeous. Even in human form, he bore the scars from his abduction by each uisge, and the subsequent battle, but those scars didn’t detract from his beauty. Water ran down his chest, though his dress slacks appeared dry; just another peculiarity of fae magic.

I looked up from his chest—I was looking at the scars, really—and into his eyes. Ceff’s eyes were the one thing that remained unchanged when he shifted, large, midnight green pools in a handsome, otherwise human, face.

Ceff winked and I blushed, heat rising to my cheeks.

“Did you miss me already?” he asked.

His voice was like a burbling stream sliding across stones worn smooth with time. It made things churn and heat low in my belly. He started to reach toward me, responding to the heat rising between us. I flinched and took an involuntary step back.

“Sorry,” I said, sounding breathless.

I bit my lip. The apology was automatic, though heartfelt. I did feel guilty about my touch phobia—god knows I wanted to run my hands over his chest and fingers through his wet hair—but I’d nearly lost my sanity while touching his bridle. I didn’t know what would happen if I touched the man himself.

Immortals tend to accumulate painful memories in their long lives, and Ceff had experienced more loss and terror than most. Part of me wanted to reach out and share all of that with him, but most of me was a sniveling mess, rocking and shaking in the back of my mind. I wasn’t prepared, not yet.

Thankfully, Ceff was patient.

“Do not apologize,” he said, lips quirking upward. “We have all eternity.”

That sounded like a promise.

I stepped forward slowly, Ceff meeting me partway. We stopped within inches of each other, his hands in his pockets. Perhaps to keep them from straying? The weight of them pushed his pants lower on his hips and it was all I could do not to reach out myself. I drew in a calming breath and smiled at the peculiar mix of salt brine and cool skin that was Ceff’s personal scent.

Tension eased from my shoulders and I sighed. Ceff’s presence was calming, though I slid my gloved hands into my pockets as well.

“Thanks for coming,” I said. “I know you just left.”

Ceff traveled like the tides. He spent time here on land with me, but inevitably returned to the water and his people. Currently, we were trying a schedule of one day on land followed by six days at sea. It worked well for both of us. I was used to being on my own, and work kept me busy. Plus, Ceff had his royal duties as king.

Speaking of royal duties…

“I will always come when you call,” he said.

Yep, I was melting—big puddle of sappy goo over here. Ceff had that effect on me. But I did have questions which only he may be uniquely qualified to answer. I tried to decide where to begin. Focusing on my current problems helped to pull me back on track, and feel less like a love-struck puppy.

I nodded and took a deep breath.

“I met a cat sidhe today who may know something about my father,” I said. Ceff raised an eyebrow, but I pushed onward. “Kaye believes the cat to be Sir Torn, Lord of the local cat sidhe. If it’s the same cat, he holds court at a place called Club Nexus. But getting inside the club will be tricky.”

“Cat sidhe,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “I do not trust the shadow-walkers.”

Right, cats and fish probably weren’t the best of friends.

“I don’t trust him either,” I said. “But I need to learn how to control my wisp abilities, and that means finding my father.”

“Why did you not ask this cat sidhe earlier?” he asked.

I sighed. This was the part of the conversation I’d been dreading. I turned toward the harbor, but continued to watch Ceff from the corner of my eye.

“I ran into him while I was chasing after a perceived threat, someone from your past,” I said. I cleared my throat, swallowing hard. “Melusine is in Harborsmouth. I’m so sorry.”

Ceff’s face paled and he slumped forward as if the words struck a blow. But when he looked up again his face was flushed, eyes dark with fury. He thrust his shoulders back and held a clenched fist to his lips.

“Did she threaten you?” he said. “If so, she will pay.”

“Not…exactly,” I said. I thought back to the encounter. Ceff’s ex had looked like she wanted to rip my body to shreds and eat me. But since none of that actually happened, I didn’t bother to mention it. “She started to rush toward me through heavy traffic, but once I got Jinx to safety and stepped out to meet her, Melusine had disappeared.”

He didn’t ask how I had known it was Melusine. He knew I’d shared in his memories of his ex-wife when riding the visions from his bridle. I’d recognize the crazy bitch anywhere.

It wasn’t like lamias typically slithered the city streets of the north eastern US. There were two types of serpent fae, desert dwellers and ocean dwellers. Melusine was the latter, a half-woman half-sea serpent who normally spent her time in water. A lamia should not have been seen coiled and ready to strike on the busy, non-desert, non-ocean streets of Harborsmouth. The woman really was crazy, or I was chasing ghosts.

Crap. Where the hell was my brain? The cat sidhe had mentioned ghosts, and I’d been too keyed up to ask the right kinds of questions. I needed to get Melusine out of town. Being able to think quick on my feet and problem solve under pressure was what made me a good detective. But now I was making foolish mistakes because my head wasn’t in the game. Having that bitch in my city was too much of a distraction.

Not only had I missed an opportunity to ask Torn about my father and the ghost sightings, but I’d also forgotten to mention the ghosts to Kaye during my late night visit. I’d have to remedy that soon, but it could wait until morning—which was fast approaching. I wasn’t risking the witch’s wrath again in one night.

“Melusine ran, but you remain unharmed?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I’m fine, really. But seeing Melusine stressed me out enough to kick-start my wisp powers. I…I started glowing on a busy city street, in front of a crowd of humans, and a cop. If it wasn’t for the fog, and the cat sidhe, I’d be in deep trouble right now.”

Ceff knew all about fae law and the implications of my skin glowing unglamoured. He grew restless, running a hand through damp hair, bare feet shifting on the wet sidewalk. I froze, waiting for his reply.

As kelpie king he had a duty to uphold fae law. I held my breath while myriad emotions shifted across his handsome face. This time Ceff held my fate in his hands.

“Melusine will pay one of these days, but you are right,” he said. “First we must find this Sir Torn and learn what he knows of your father. The wisp king was reputed to be a solitary man, a lone traveler often seen wandering the moors and fen land before his disappearance. With no known friends or allies to contact, my own inquiries have turned up dry. The cat sidhe must be found. We must find a way into this Club Nexus.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding.

“We?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said. “I will help, if you will have me.”

Need stirred low in my belly, but I tamped it down. Thoughts of taking Ceff home to my bed rose unbidden. I bit the inside of my cheek to clear my head. I was just feeling grateful that Ceff wasn’t going to report my crime to either fae court. By turning a blind eye, he had saved me from possible execution. And now he was offering to help me on my quest to find my father, starting with questioning Sir Torn. I felt grateful, that was all.

I looked down to see my traitorous hands start to reach for Ceff, and shoved them back into my pockets. I was tired and emotional, a natural reaction to the day’s adrenaline rollercoaster. I needed a shower and my bed, alone.

My stomach growled and I mentally added food to my list. Ceff laughed, dispelling the serious mood that had settled on our conversation. I grunted and turned away from the harbor.

“Are you coming with me then?” I asked. “Or should we meet here in the morning? I need a few hours sleep. If you’re coming along, you’ll have to sleep on the couch.”

“I like the couch,” he said, eyes glowing green.

Mab’s bones. Ceff’s eyes had glowed like that, with passion, once before. It was during the Winter Solstice and we had been sitting on that very couch. In fact, that one piece of furniture had become a repository for the memories of that night. Sometimes, when no one was around, I’d sit there, remove my glove, and place it against the upholstery. My own private movie of that night imprinted there.

I swallowed hard and waved for Ceff to follow.