Chapter Fifteen Ivan
Chapter Fifteen
Ivan
The human realm smelled bad. I was astounded at how the humans could walk around as if their nose hairs weren’t burning.
Xander warned it took some getting used to when he stayed in this realm for a while with Lila.
However, no warning could prepare me for the chemical smell floating through the air.
It was not natural. Not the fresh crisp air that I was used to in the realm.
Even the sky looked duller than our own.
The colors of nature around us, what little there was, seemed dead.
We were staying at a human realm fae’s guest house. A pack that was a friend of Lila and Xander agreed to let us stay on their grounds. They lived further out from the city with more trees and grass. While the air was less congested, it was still nothing like home.
However, beggars couldn’t be choosers. Not that the estate was anything to scoff at.
It was quite nice, which made sense as there were many people living here.
It was a pack of five, with four alphas and one omega.
They were wealthy and seemed to all love each other despite their differences.
In the fae realm, we would never see a vampire, werewolf, incubus demon, faerie, and witch all live together in a pack.
We were currently sitting in their massive living room with Xander and Lila discussing our predicament.
We’d only been in the realm for a few hours, but the pack had been very hospitable so far.
Also, I liked their liquor. Perhaps not everyone in the human realm was horrible, but I’d give it more time to decide along with the liquor.
It was just us, Billie, the pack’s omega, and Daniel, their fae alpha leader.
He wasn’t what I expected in a faerie. He was from the lost earth tribe, those fae who were separated from the realm centuries ago when the fae closed human access to the realm.
He even looked more human than us, but I could tell from his aura that he was using glamour magic to hide his true appearance.
Right now, he looked like a human. Sophisticated with his short black hair freshly trimmed and dressed in a tailored three-piece gray suit.
Apparently, he’d come home from work running his expensive restaurant.
Billie, a doctor and witch, sat down beside him on the opposite end of the massive L-shaped sofa from Jalisa and me.
Lila sat between us, and Xander sat in a cushioned armchair near sliding glass doors leading to a backyard.
A large glass coffee table stood in front of the couch under a larger beige rug.
Across from us was a massive fireplace and a flat screen TV mounted above it.
I supposed everything was large here because they had five adults under one roof.
Daniel placed a hand on Billie’s thigh, and she tipped her curly brown head in his direction.
There was an unspoken comfort between them that reminded me of Jalisa and I before our breakup.
Right now, although she was sitting beside me, she was stiff.
Ever since the attack two nights ago, she’d been tense.
Unable to sleep, despite me saying I would stay up to watch over us.
Jalisa was a worrier, I knew that about her.
She would get wrapped up in her thoughts and would not let it go until she could find a way to fix her problems. Sometimes those fixes were problematic.
Such as breaking up with me. Unfortunately, I was of no help to easing her mind.
This was especially the case when each day it felt as if I was losing more memories that were important to me.
However, I kept the level of my memory lapse hidden from her, for now.
Billie sighed, placing her hand on top of the one Daniel had resting on her thigh.
“Well, I’m so sorry this happened to you both.
But I’ve never heard of ward magic that removes specific memories or any at all.
A ward is to keep things in or out. So, I don’t think it was a ward.
Someone cast a spell on you while they were in hiding or under invisibility magic so you couldn’t see them and disguised it under the ward. ”
Jalisa nodded. “Possible, but the fae don’t have spell magic. Potions, sure.”
Daniel narrowed his dark eyes. “It has to be witchcraft.”
Xander adjusted in his seat, an exasperated look on his face “So, there’s got to be witches still in our realm. I guess we didn’t get them all.”
I leaned forward and picked up my glass of brown liquid called bourbon.
I wondered if I could sneak a bottle or several back to the fae realm.
I knew our court didn’t want anything from the human realm there, but they’d made exceptions in the past. “We have a lot of enemies, so I wouldn’t be surprised if witches were hired to take us down. We’re very popular.”
Jalisa snorted, resting an elbow on the arm of the couch. “And by popular, he means we have several people who want to see us fall. So, we’re here to not only break whatever magic has hold of his mind but have a safe place until we can figure out who is after us.”
Billie tapped her chin in thought. “It’s someone who doesn’t want to see you both together.”
“Sadly, that doesn’t narrow it down for us.”
Billie shook her head. “Well, that’s unfortunate because from the little I’ve seen of you both, you seem like a beautiful couple. And any friend of Lila’s is a friend of mine. So, you must be good people, er, faerie and dragon.”
I smiled at that. She was really making humans look good. They were letting us stay with them for free. Although we’d brought fae goods to exchange with them, they refused it. Anything from the fae realm, I was told, was quite prized in the human realm. “Oh yes, Lila and I are practically family.”
Lila nodded with a smile. “I’ll claim him as kin. He’s an ice dragon.”
Billie’s eyes widened. “I’ve never met a dragon before. That’s amazing.”
I puffed out my chest, not used to receiving such a welcome reception for being a dragon. “Well, maybe later I can shift into my form for you.”
She clapped her hands excitedly. “Ooh, can I take a picture of you when you do?”
“I don’t know what that is but sure.”
Lila leaned toward us. “It’s a copy of your appearance. Like a painting but much quicker.”
I never had anyone want a painting of me before. Even in dragon form. Between the bourbon, Billie’s pack, and now this adoration, the human world really wasn’t what I thought. Despite the unnatural scent in the air.
Xander clapped his hands together, grabbing our attention. “So, what’s the plan? These two only have a month here before the court starts imprisoning their family.”
Billie’s honey-colored eyes rounded in shock. “Right, so I think we should start with my coven. It’s probable that someone can help you. I called a friend to stop by who might help. She does mind magic.”
Daniel nodded. “Also, I can put feelers out to the fae in this realm and Kai, our incubus, is good at tracking down types of magic. For all we know, it could be demon, angelic, or elven magic.”
I hadn’t thought about that, but if witches could get in our realm, it wouldn’t be surprising if other beings could as well. “Oh, that reminds me. I need to find a family member here as well. He’s an ice dragon, and Lila, he could be of help to you with finding your people.”
“Do you know where he is?” Daniel asked.
I nodded confidently. “Yes, he is in the United States.”
Lila cackled. “Care to narrow it down?”
I lifted my shoulders. “That’s all I got. Why, that’s not enough?”
Daniel rested his head on the back of the couch. “Like a needle in a haystack.”
“Well, that’s all my family would tell me. My mother was estranged from her brother. I don’t even know if he knows she’s gone.”
Jalisa placed a hand on my back, slowly rubbing in circles.
It wasn’t a leap for her to figure out that the lack of information was frustrating for me, even with our bond.
“We should be happy they knew enough to tell us he went to the United States. We can give you his name. Assuming he didn’t change it. ”
We heard the doorbell ring, and Billie moved to get up. However, Daniel patted her knee and stood up. “That should be Shante,” he stated before leaving.
I rubbed my forehead, suddenly tired. “It’s very probable that my uncle is in hiding and using a false name.”
Billie frowned. “Why would he be in hiding?”
“He left because he did something really bad and had to go on the run. He was giving the family a bad name and putting us in jeopardy. My father only knew a little of the details because my mother didn’t talk much about it. Apparently to protect him.”
Xander gave a low whistle, gray eyes excited. “Family mystery. Intriguing.”
Approaching footsteps stole my attention, and I looked behind me to see Daniel return with a wide eyed, polished woman.
She had long, straight, black hair and was wearing a purple dress and knee-high boots.
A small, structured bag hung from the inside of her right elbow.
I wasn’t great at reading energy, but there was something very confident about her.
If she was here to help, she certainly gave the aura of someone who could get things done.
“It’s a packed house tonight,” she surmised. She waved at Billie and Lila. “Hey girls.” Then her eyes went to Xander, and she narrowed them. “Xander.”
He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, his face highly amused. “Chilly greeting.”
“You caused a fight at a bar when you last visited that my husband had to pull several strings to cover up. He owes favors he shouldn’t have to owe in order to protect you. I thought he banned you from ever coming back.”
Xander raised a finger, looking far from remorseful. “Actually, he said, I was only allowed to move about if supervised.” He pointed to Lila. “My guardian is right here with me.”
She sucked her teeth. “I should call him. You should have told me he was here, Billie.”
Billie gave an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Shante.”
Ah, the mind witch. If she and her husband could put Xander in line, then I liked her already.
Xander raised a hand. “Please don’t call that berserker demon here. He’s actually quite terrifying when he’s angry.”
Lila clapped her hands, a wide smile on her lips. “How’s newlywed life?”
Shante turned her attention from Xander and dropped her scowl to talk to Lila.
“Wonderful. Devin is a great partner.” She waved her hand around the room.
Her brown eyes then settled on Jalisa and me.
“You must be the fae they told me about. I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I will do everything in my power to help you with your memory issue. I’m Shante by the way.”
We exchanged introductions, and then Shante sat down next to us, placing her bag on the couch.
“I don’t know how this is happening to you, and I definitely don’t know fae realm magic.
I barely know earth fae magic. All I can do is go into your mind and root out the trauma.
I don’t know if that’s the same thing as finding what’s essentially eating your memories of certain things. Just managing expectations.”
I nodded. “I appreciate your taking the time to help.”
She gave a gentle smile and then opened her hands to me. “Need to hold your hands.”
I gave her my hands, and she shivered. “Wow, you are like an icicle. Okay, be still but relax. I’m going to root around in your mind a bit, but it won’t hurt. You might feel a little sleepy, maybe hazy.”
“Fun,” I stated and then closed my eyes.
I thought it would be a challenge to mentally relax.
I was on edge in my new surroundings and still concerned about our growing list of problems, however, in seconds, it felt like a cloud of darkness wrapped around me.
My mind just shut off. I had no idea how long I was in that state.
However, after what felt like moments later, a clap thundered through my mind and the black cloud dissipated.
When I opened my eyes, I was met with several faces, all looking at me. I didn’t feel any different, but that didn’t mean it didn’t work. “Did it work?”
Shante sighed. “There is powerful magic wrapped around your mind like a vice. I tried to pull at it, but it digs in deeper and that’s not what we want.
There’s no root to it, it’s dispersed. And it’s multiplying.
That’s how it’s covering your memories. And it’s strong.
It took a lot of my energy to try to slow its progression.
I put up barriers around some of the magic to limit its growth, but it’s possible the free parts will break it down.
I’ll do some more research and keep working at it. It’s going to take time.”
I dropped my shoulders. “So, I’m still going to keep losing my memories?”
“I’m so sorry. All I could do was slow it down. This is a spell, not an affliction, which is more my background. This magic has purpose. I have to figure out a way to remove what it’s trying to do. It’s a challenge, but hopefully I bought us some time.”
“What if it’s not enough time? If everything goes, will I never get it back?” I felt sick thinking about that possibility. Would I even be who I was if I didn’t have memories of the people I cared about?
Shante gave me sympathetic eyes. “Whatever you’re losing, we will get it back. Just give me some time. I’ve helped people regain lost memories.” She stood up. “I’m going to help you. And we’ll work our coven networks.”
I stood up as well and shook her hand. “Thank you. I can pay you for all that you’re doing.”
She waved a dismissive hand at me. “You’re Lila’s friend. So, you’re my friend.”
Xander made a coughing noise. “Actually, he’s more my friend.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t think that’s going to help me, mate.”
Shante pointed at me. “I like him.” She waved at us all, then turned and headed out of the room. “Just remember to relax and not get agitated. That will help keep that magic from moving too quickly. Binge watch mindless TV shows! We will fix you. Toodles all.”
She really was certain I could be healed. I hoped she was right because I didn’t want to lose another precious memory of Jalisa.