Free Rising Shadows by Bridget Blackwood Page A

you and I both know the score on that, Firefly.”
    I start to say something to him, but I’m interrupted. The woman from Lune Rouge explodes into the bedroom with Bastien on her heels.
     

 
    CHAPTER 13
     
    Rachel
        Livia looks frightening. Her skin is deathly pale, her lovely red hair is dull. My heart is breaking in my chest. A man is bowed over her bed, surveying her then writing furiously in a notepad. He’s not a Fae, I learned from meeting the Fae bartender, Winter at Lune Rouge that they are mesmerizing. He doesn’t hypnotize me with his beauty the way Winter does. No animal qualities, so not a shifter. He sticks his pen in between his teeth to turn the page on his notepad. Dangerously sharp canines too long to be human rest over the pen. Vampire. If I had not seen his teeth, I wouldn’t have known. Arcana has a point of weakness.
    Crossing the room, I sit down in the chair next to Livia. I hold her uninjured hand in mine.
    “ Livia, its Rachel”  Her eyes flutter but don't open. I glance over for Bastien, and find he’s standing by my side. He seems torn between anger and sadness. His father Claude is close by. He mirrors his son's dark countenance.
    “ Livia, sweetheart please wake up. I need to talk to you. I need to hear your voice. We're free. No more tests. No more bossy men in suits. You can be a little girl now.” The tears fall fast. I can't see Livia clearly. Bastien lifts me from the chair into his arms. With my face buried in his neck, I let myself sob. I cry until the tears ran out.
    When I’m sure I’ve no moisture left in my body to give I speak to Bastien.  “You can put me down now. I think I am done.”
    Bastien rumbles in his chest, and his arms get tighter.  “I like you here.”
    I like me here, too.
    “At least let me stand on my own two feet. Marriages are built on compromise.”
    “Human marriages maybe,” he says as he sets me down.
    I pause to take in the room’s occupants. Claude has moved closer to Bastien and me. He catches me looking at him and supplies a nod. A simple nod that feels full of favor. Winter has tear tracks down her cheek. One side of her face is pressed to the chest of a tall, handsome blond man. His arms are around her, and he’s resting the side of his face on the top of her head.
    Is that her husband?
      The doctor closes his notepad and addresses the room.  “Humans created a dangerous cocktail. Why did they infect a child?”
    I clear my throat before I respond ,  “To use as leverage against me.”
    The doctor does not like that answer. He makes a scary face and says something in a language I don’t understand. The blond man embracing Winter grunts in agreement.
       “They call us monsters, and they infect children with death,” the Doctor sneers.
    I jump like I was hit. Bastien rubs my arm to soothe me.
    “Death? Does that mean you can’t do anything for her?” Bastien asks before I can.
    Mussing his hair, the doctor rubs at his head absently.  “Our options are limited. Time is running out,” he sighs.  “With the samples I gathered I can give her a chance once I get the original compound they used. Magic would work, but the Fae refused the petition.” The doctor wanders out of the room mumbling about cures, antigens and blasted humans.
    I find Winter’s eyes and demand an answer.  “I thought she was a Royal Red. Bastien said she was the daughter of some lost princess. Why won't they help?”
    Winter disentangles herself from the stoic blond. Swiping at her eyes she says.  “Because she’s only half Fae. The queen will not take a halfling. If Amalia was alive, then she might be persuaded. Fae are not known for their loving families.” Winter, is angry for Livia. Guess not all Fae are anti-family.
      Madalaina opens the door.  “All of you look beat. Take a break. I am going to read to my niece for a bit, and I hate an audience.”
    I don't want to leave, but Bastien coaxes me out. There is nothing I can do