The nightmares flashed through my mind.
“No. He was just about to when Ian arrived.”
“Well, you all didn’t get there fast enough for me. Gabriel raped me… repeatedly. He said it was for some mission. After… he’d be gentle and kind—in his own twisted way—for days, sometimes weeks. I finally noticed it was when I got my period that he would fly off the handle again. He’d beat me to the brink of death, just to heal me and start the cycle over again.” She stopped and locked eyes with me and continued, “I. Want. To. Help.”
How in the hell could I say no after that? My nightmares were horrific, but they in no way compared to actually being raped by Gabriel. If he had raped me, I’d do everything in my power to kill him. It surprised me her brain hadn’t broken after everything that sicko had done to her. People have gone crazy from way less, yet she was still sane.
“Okay. I’ll go talk with Ian.”
Chapter Thirteen
“You have to let her help us, Ian. You don’t understand. She needs closure, just like I do, but much more than I,” I pleaded, and then added softly, “He raped her, Ian.”
“I do not care.” He let out an exasperated sigh when I growled at him. “I am sorry, of course I care. I only mean it is not safe for her to be a part of the actual fight. She can help us by telling us where his hideouts are. I also do not yet trust her enough to tell her how to kill a banshee.”
“Ian, please,” I said as I moved to stand in front of him. He looked down at me with soft eyes making me think I had him.
He leaned down and kissed me so tenderly I thought I’d won him over.
“No,” he said.
“Dammit!” I pushed him away.
“You can look at me with those big, golden-brown eyes and pouty lips all you want, but the answer is no.”
“He will never stop wanting her. Never stop looking for her. She’s different, and he likes that… really likes it. When the fire exploded in the fireplace, he thought I’d made it happen. He became even more excited. My differences fascinated him.”
“What fire? Why didn’t you mention this fire earlier?”
“I forgot about it until now. When Gabriel went to the fireplace to get the branding iron, the fire exploded up to the ceiling. I had yelled at him at the same time, so he thought I’d caused it to happen.”
“You may have.”
“What?”
“Will you try something for me?”
“I guess?”
He took my hand and led me to the fireplace. “Envision a fire. Believe it is there. Picture it, feel its warmth, believe.”
Even though I felt a little silly, I did as he asked. After a few moments I felt my aura begin to warm. The warmth grew, spreading through my body. I envisioned a fire sparking to life. Suddenly, a small fire appeared in the fireplace. I jumped out of Ian’s reach with a yelp.
“How the… I did that?”
“You hold fire.”
“Say what now?”
“It is rare, but not unheard of for a member of the Fey to have the ability to control an element of nature. We refer to it as ‘holding’ the element. You hold fire. With practice you may gain full control and the skill to call upon it at will.”
“Whoa,” I breathed.
I felt panic rise and my stomach clench. I looked up at Ian and the affection I saw in his eyes helped me to calm. To help myself relax, I took a few breaths and sat on the sofa.
“Okay, I can do this. I dealt with finding out I am fairy and that banshees are real at a young age. I handled being super-charged by banshee essence. ‘Holding’ fire isn’t so bad, right?”
I had been through, seen, and done a lot in my short life, and holding fire should be the least of my concerns. I had ended the lives of bad banshees and had helped save the lives of innocent mortals. I had been beaten, stabbed, kidnapped, and tortured. So, holding fire could be of some use, no?
After thinking it through, I liked the idea of holding an element of nature. Fairies, well Fey in general, had always been more in tune with Mother Nature than mortals. We honor Mother Nature with certain rituals and celebrations throughout the year. Fire is an important element; it’s a purifier of nature. It’s a part of me. I just had to accept it.
“It is in no way bad,” Ian said as he sat beside me. “You should feel honored. Fire was the element of Brigid, Daughter of Danu.”
Danu had been known as the Mother of Banshees. Basically, Queen of Banshees. She was the oldest living Fey, making her the most powerful. Her eldest daughter, Brigid was well-respected and loved by the banshees. Danu’s younger daughter, Balora, was jealous of her mother and sibling.
One night, Balora killed Danu while she slept. Brigid rose to glory by avenging Danu’s death by killing her own sister.
Unfortunately, Brigid died during the Great War. Stories of her combat prowess, and alternatively, her compassion we still told today.
“All right then, that settles it, if Brigid held fire, I am honored to hold it as well.”
“The gift of an element is something mysterious and special, but you must keep it to yourself.”
“Yeah. That makes sense. Don’t want to confirm Gabriel’s suspicions and have him pursue me full speed ahead. So… is it only banshees that have this ability? Or have fairies had it as well?” I asked, the thread of an idea beginning to weave its way through my mind.
“Until now, I have only heard of banshees having this ability. I know of a banshee who holds wind. He can bring forth the fiercest of storms with a blink of his eye,” Ian said with a grand smile that I had never seen on his face before making me wonder…
“Uh-huh, and this banshee wouldn’t be you, by chance, would it?”
He only winked at me before continuing.
“Let us get back to your new ability. Practice.”
“Obviously. I have no choice but to practice. I don’t want to start a fire accidentally. Are you able to help me practice? Or is it a personal thing?” I asked.
“It is something you must do on your own. You need to envision what you want the fire to do and believe it is happening, and it will happen. It may start on a smaller scale as tonight, but eventually you will hold it fully.”
“Okay. Okay, I will do that… but I think I’ll start outside,” I said thinking it safer to play with fire on the beach than inside.
“Well, not out in the open, so maybe the garage.” Ian replied as he moved in for a kiss.
When his lips moved to my earlobe, I shifted to allow him better access. I had two motives for this move: one, it felt wonderful and two, maybe if he was in a playful and amorous mood, I could get him to agree about Juliana.
“So,” I began as I slid my hands into his hair, “about Juliana—”
“No,” he replied, his voice muffled as he moved his lips down my neck.
I pulled out of his grasp. “I understand not trusting her with how to kill a banshee… yet. But why not let her train with me? Just to get stronger, more agile… become a better fighter. You can see how she does. This way when you do trust her, she will be ready. If she is willing to risk her life to stop the asshole that took hers away from her—which is exactly what he did—why not let her?”