rogue shifter 05 - caught between Read Online Free
Author: gayle parness
utterly useless."
"It's lovely, thank you." She beamed at me and nodded in the fae way. "And so Farrell is a prince, too?" Farrell was very young in fae terms, only eighty-five mortal years, and he spent much of his time learning about and using modern technology.
She snorted out a derisive laugh. "My brother certainly thinks of himself as a prince. He likes to be waited on hand and foot when he is home, driving mother to distraction. But he is another one who loves the mortal world. I am afraid he has been breaking hearts here for the last year or so."
"But aren't he and Ashlyn...?"
"They are lovers, but not bound to each other. She has other lovers as well. They are very young." My face was heating up in a blush. When she noticed she shook her head, laughing. "If your race conceived so rarely, and you wanted a child more than anything else, you would also be taking in lovers. This is our way."
We were quiet for a minute or so, watching our men lean over the pool table in interesting ways to make their shots. I broke the silence first, hoping she didn't think I was judging her. "Well, that King Fin....whatever, he sure was a busy guy."
Her musical laughter brightened the room. "Finvarra, yes, and amazingly fertile. As you see, the Elders each have two children, so they inherited his potency." She looked back at Liam, who was chalking the tip of his cue, focused only on the game. "I would give up centuries of my life to have a child with Liam. I take no other male to my bed."
Her frank statement didn't shock me, as I'd grown more used to the honestly of these extraordinary people over the few months I'd known them. Although she didn't look at me, I knew she wanted me to say I'd help her. I'd healed Aedus when he was injured by Lord Kennet during my rescue, and soon afterward Philladre had become pregnant. There were rumors flying around Faerie, that I'd somehow been responsible for his fertility. I knew that wasn't the case, but it didn't stop the talk. My healing had been only of the psychological variety.
I decided to offer a suggestion, having been through the process myself. "There are hundreds of thousands of human children who need homes and love. Why don't you adopt?"
"We cannot, because we are Seelie Fae, and cannot raise those that are without fae blood in Faerie. After four or five years, the constant flow of magic would cause them to grow ill and die. It has been tried in the past."
"Can you raise them here?"
"Liam has his house here in the mortal world, but our true home will always be in Faerie. We could not leave the child behind."
I tossed around what she'd said. "There might be some kids who're fae, but think they're human, abandoned by their fae parents. I didn't know I was a shifter until a few months ago."
"No fae would leave their child behind to be raised by humans."
Her eyes had darkened with anger, but I continued. "What if the child were half fae, like Liam?"
She wrinkled her brow in a very human expression. "Perhaps, if the fae father did not know about the child." I had her complete attention now. "Could you find such a child, if he existed? Is it possible with your team's investigative skills?"
I suddenly realized I might have opened a can of worms. "I can only help you if the child is in foster care. If the child is living happily with his mother, or has been adopted already, I can't..."
"He will be ill if he is only living in the human world. I can convince the parents to give the child up. A fae child should be raised by..." She looked at my belly and then met my eyes once more, realizing her mistake. "I understand, of course. I could never truly take a child from its mother. Forgive me."
Somehow I knew I could trust her, the way I did Liam. I felt her distress, so without thought I touched her hand, being careful not to send out healing energy, a serious faux pas when dealing with the fae.
"My life would have been very different if a shifter family had adopted me instead of
"It's lovely, thank you." She beamed at me and nodded in the fae way. "And so Farrell is a prince, too?" Farrell was very young in fae terms, only eighty-five mortal years, and he spent much of his time learning about and using modern technology.
She snorted out a derisive laugh. "My brother certainly thinks of himself as a prince. He likes to be waited on hand and foot when he is home, driving mother to distraction. But he is another one who loves the mortal world. I am afraid he has been breaking hearts here for the last year or so."
"But aren't he and Ashlyn...?"
"They are lovers, but not bound to each other. She has other lovers as well. They are very young." My face was heating up in a blush. When she noticed she shook her head, laughing. "If your race conceived so rarely, and you wanted a child more than anything else, you would also be taking in lovers. This is our way."
We were quiet for a minute or so, watching our men lean over the pool table in interesting ways to make their shots. I broke the silence first, hoping she didn't think I was judging her. "Well, that King Fin....whatever, he sure was a busy guy."
Her musical laughter brightened the room. "Finvarra, yes, and amazingly fertile. As you see, the Elders each have two children, so they inherited his potency." She looked back at Liam, who was chalking the tip of his cue, focused only on the game. "I would give up centuries of my life to have a child with Liam. I take no other male to my bed."
Her frank statement didn't shock me, as I'd grown more used to the honestly of these extraordinary people over the few months I'd known them. Although she didn't look at me, I knew she wanted me to say I'd help her. I'd healed Aedus when he was injured by Lord Kennet during my rescue, and soon afterward Philladre had become pregnant. There were rumors flying around Faerie, that I'd somehow been responsible for his fertility. I knew that wasn't the case, but it didn't stop the talk. My healing had been only of the psychological variety.
I decided to offer a suggestion, having been through the process myself. "There are hundreds of thousands of human children who need homes and love. Why don't you adopt?"
"We cannot, because we are Seelie Fae, and cannot raise those that are without fae blood in Faerie. After four or five years, the constant flow of magic would cause them to grow ill and die. It has been tried in the past."
"Can you raise them here?"
"Liam has his house here in the mortal world, but our true home will always be in Faerie. We could not leave the child behind."
I tossed around what she'd said. "There might be some kids who're fae, but think they're human, abandoned by their fae parents. I didn't know I was a shifter until a few months ago."
"No fae would leave their child behind to be raised by humans."
Her eyes had darkened with anger, but I continued. "What if the child were half fae, like Liam?"
She wrinkled her brow in a very human expression. "Perhaps, if the fae father did not know about the child." I had her complete attention now. "Could you find such a child, if he existed? Is it possible with your team's investigative skills?"
I suddenly realized I might have opened a can of worms. "I can only help you if the child is in foster care. If the child is living happily with his mother, or has been adopted already, I can't..."
"He will be ill if he is only living in the human world. I can convince the parents to give the child up. A fae child should be raised by..." She looked at my belly and then met my eyes once more, realizing her mistake. "I understand, of course. I could never truly take a child from its mother. Forgive me."
Somehow I knew I could trust her, the way I did Liam. I felt her distress, so without thought I touched her hand, being careful not to send out healing energy, a serious faux pas when dealing with the fae.
"My life would have been very different if a shifter family had adopted me instead of
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