His muscles tensed beneath her fingertips and he abruptly got out of bed and gathered his clothes from the floor.
Skye sat up. “What’s wrong? Where are you going?”
His face was hard, his lips pinched. “We shouldn’t have made love.”
His words shocked her like a sudden dousing of ice. “But why? I don’t understand.” She reached out to touch him but he twisted away.
“Don’t you get it? I’m not like you.” He pulled on his jeans and pointed to his back. “Can’t you see my deformity? Unlike you, I have no wings, no power, no magic.”
Hot anger surged through the earlier shock. “I wouldn’t care if you sprouted horns on your head. Do you really think I want these . . . these, things sticking out my back?”
Kheelan pulled his shirt back down, facing her. “You say that now,” he warned in a voice so deep it vibrated through her body. “Just wait. A little time in the Fairy Realm and you’ll look down on me too.”
“I can’t believe you think so little of me.”
Kheelan went to the door and turned. “It’s dawn. You should be safe until tonight. I’ll be back then to make sure the Unseelie don’t catch you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
The door closed and she hugged her arms. Yes, she could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be alone. It would have been heaven if Kheelan had stayed with her and held her through the night.
Chapter 16
Fairy Repellant
“I don’t see you for a couple of months and now you’re a totally different creature,” Callie said after a prolonged silence.
Finding her best friend on the doorstep only minutes after Kheelan stormed out was a goddess-send. No one else would believe everything that had happened the last couple of weeks, let alone have advice. Talking over all the weirdness with Callie was a huge relief. Skye told her everything, from seeing the first black speck to being able to fly.
Had it really been a mere two weeks? Her world had been shaken like a miniature snow globe, a blizzard of strange events. Callie remained silent, a concerned look in her eyes. She lifted the metal pendant from Skye’s chest and stroked it thoughtfully.
“That iron medallion isn’t enough protection.”
“Tell me about it,” Skye agreed, rolling her eyes. “The same night he gave it to me, I was attacked by elves.”
“How much do you trust this Kheelan guy?” Callie asked.
“Completely,” Skye answered at once. “Well, at least I did until a few minutes ago. Now I’m not so sure. Is there a way to know? If anybody can figure this out, it’s you.”
“You overestimate my abilities.”
“C’mon, Callie. I’ve seen you in action.” Her friend had amazing witchy talent.
Callie tapped an index finger against her lips, deep in thought. “Still wanting to open your own crystal jewelry store one day?”
“It’s why I went to work at The Green Fairy. Got more than I bargained for though. Wish I had your magic abilities.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. I’ve never seen anyone manipulate energy with crystals like you do. It makes perfect sense though.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re half-fairy and that means you have a special connection to earth magic. Do you still have the obsidian you found in the store’s basement?”
“Sure. Think you might be able to see anything with it?”
“I’ll try.”
Skye hurried to get the obsidian from her bedroom and they sat across from each other and lit candles and incense. Just like old times. The heavy scent of the dragon’s blood incense and the hypnotic flicker of the candle flames put Skye in a drowsy trance.
Callie reverently held the stone in her open palm and chanted.
“Of molten lava you were born
From earth’s hot core you were torn
Now within you much is stored
Traumas and visions are your hoard
Trapped inside metallic sheen
You hold a memory, not a dream
Release it now that we may see
Who our friends or enemies be.”
Wisps of grayish-green smoke arose from the stone’s center, leaving its surface looking like melted black glass.
There was the carafe of absinthe with pixies glowing above the green fluid. As before, the black gloved hand came into view, placing a metal tray over the top of the bottle, trapping the pixies where they would die by drowning after a prolonged period of exhaustion and lack of oxygen.
Callie moved her hand over the obsidian, manipulating the angle of the image so that a bit more of the glove came into focus. A dainty silver bracelet shone at the edge of the glove where it met a wrist.
“Definitely a woman,” Skye whispered. So much for her theory the killer was the guy who came in for the after-hours tarot readings. “Can you zoom any closer on the bracelet?”