Sebastian (Bowen Boys, #5)(16)
Chapter 5
Sebastian went back to his store. He wasn’t sure what time Ama got off, but figured a quick call to Peter to ask him would give him all the information he needed. He also decided to have a cleaning crew hit his house pretty hard. He’d been too busy lately to do much more than toss his dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
As soon as he entered his office, he saw Jacob the wizard sitting there.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Sebastian sat down without answering him. “I told you the last time I was here that she was coming to change things for you.”
“Yes, you did. But you said nothing about whatever that was that was at my brother’s house being a part of it.” Jacob had the good grace to drop his head. “What the hell was that thing anyway?”
“A demon. Well, actually, he was a lesser demon. Not worth much other than to take messages and pick things up. He wouldn’t have been able to take her directly to his master, but he would have hurt her all the same.” Jacob smiled at him. “He didn’t tell his boss where she was, so in turn, he doesn’t know where you are either.”
“But he knows that I’m her mate.” Jacob nodded. “How does he know that already? I’ve not so much as kissed her yet and he’s coming to—”
“You’ve not kissed her even?” Jacob seemed so surprised by that that Sebastian was nervous. “You’ve touched her though, correct? I mean, there would be no way for him to find you if you hadn’t touched her at least.”
“I’ve touched her arm, and I might have brushed my mouth over hers. What the hell does that have to do with anything?” And why did Jacob’s smile make him feel like he was being laughed at. “What’s going on?”
“She’s an earth faerie. And she’s not the last of her kind, though your mom and dad believe her to be. The one who wants her can breed with her, and that’s why he wants her. It’s all very complicated. He can’t claim her once you do. If you wish to claim her. Do you?”
“She keeps telling me no. I can’t take her against her will no matter how much I want her.” Sebastian tried to muddle through what he was being told. “You say he can’t claim her once I have, yet he thinks I’ve already done so. Am I to assume that he thinks I’ve claimed her because you told him I have?”
“Oh no, I can’t lie to him any more than I can Amarizi or you. She’s very powerful. Actually, I think she’s considered by most to be all that and a bag of chips, as your generation says.”
Sebastian had never said that in his life, but he knew the reference. He sat up straighter in his chair and looked at Jacob for several minutes before speaking. He had to figure this out now so that when he picked up Ama from work he’d have intelligent questions to ask her.
“What is an earth faerie?” A book suddenly appeared on his desk, and he moved back from it when it suddenly opened up and began flipping through the pages.
“Some say that they were created to care for the earth for all time. See that picture?”
Sebastian nodded at the drawn picture once the book stopped moving. Before he could ask anything about the man and woman on the page who looked similar to what he’d seen Ama look like, the pages were turning again.
“Others think she’s a daughter to one of the Fates. Not able to say whether or not that one is true, because one just doesn’t ask.” Sebastian nodded, not sure what the hell he was talking about. “A few gainsayers say that earth faeries are simply that, faeries of the Earth.”
The book stopped again and there was another drawing. He put his hands on the pages so that he’d be able to look at it without it changing. The faerie looked just like Ama, except in this drawing she looked more…well, more of everything.
“A mated earth faerie.” Sebastian looked up at him. “That’s what they look like after they’ve mated. And she is everything people, all the people, think she is. Except for the daughter part. I honestly don’t know the answer to that one.”
The drawing showed her with streams of light coming from her fingers, and her hair glowed as well. Her sigil was more pronounced, larger across her face than even when he’d seen her in the kitchen. And this faerie had wings, wide and longer than her body. They seemed to be translucent, and also in this picture she was naked, with only a few leafs to cover her breasts and the juncture at her thighs.
“She said that you told her that she would come into her power once she mated.” Jacob nodded at him sadly. “This is what she doesn’t want. Not the extra power or me. She said she hates what she is and won’t become my mate because of it.”
“She said much the same to me when I told her about herself all those years ago. Then she didn’t know what she was; only that she was going to become more powerful than anyone when she did.” Jacob laughed slightly. “She is very stubborn and will give you a run for your money, I believe.”
Sebastian silently agreed. When he lifted his hands, the book began to move again. This time it went only a few pages before it stopped. The faerie lay on dark ground with what appeared to be blood around her, and her wings were gone. There was also a dagger sticking from her chest. He looked up at Jacob when he realized this was a male faerie.
“Her father. I knew him long ago before this, obviously. He was a good man. He had great ideas for keeping this world clean and safe. It’s what got him killed before Amarizi was born. Her mother died of a broken heart, never able to tell his daughter what they were.”