The others all seemed delighted to learn of my supernatural heritage, with the notable exception of Luc, Charley’s boyfriend, the wolf. He smiled and said congratulations, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes, which looked troubled. He whispered something to Charley, then left the room. Charley came straight over to me.
“Please don’t take it personally,” he stammered. “Luc’s got an irrational fear of the Fae.” He checked himself. “Well, hethinksit’s irrational but he’s not really sure, ’cause maybe he’s been traumatised by an incident that happened when he was a baby or something and he’s blocked it out, but anyway, I amthrilledto know you’re like me.” His smile enveloped me like my own personal sun. He tucked his arm through mine and spun me around with a giddy whoop. “I mean, obviously you don’t have avampire daddy, but—” Again, his brain appeared to screech to a halt. “Or maybe youdo,but in a very different way to Dad over there.” He giggled, then lowered his voice. “Is Edwin very stern about making you eat your veggies and take your vitamins as well as being a bossy fucker in the bedroo?—”
“Charley Entwhistle Millar, stop right there!” Dalziel’s voice seemed to cut right through everything even though he barely raised the volume. Charley snapped his mouth shut, then began chewing on his bottom lip as the senior vampire stalked over to us.
“James, I do apologise for my son. He has absolutely no filter and unfortunately we haven’t yet found a way to install one. Charley,” he said sternly, although I could tell there was a lot of love in the way he looked at him, “you will take several deep breaths, counting to six on the exhale, then you will apologise to James for your impropriety. He is Edwin’s shadow and friend.” His sigh was profound. “No matter how loved-up you are with Lucien, you cannot presume to comment on the relationships of others, not unless you are agreeable to the occasional punch in the mouth.”
Charley’s shoulders slumped, but he didn’t seem too upset with his father as he nodded quickly. I watched him do as Dalziel suggested, wondering if Dalziel could use thrall without his eyes going dark like Edwin’s did. By the time he’d sucked in and blown out the fifth breath, Dalziel had moved everyone else to the far corner of the room, leaving Charley to face me with a quiet determination in his blue eyes. I knew they’d all be able to hear us perfectly well, but it was nice of him to make the effort.
“Man, I’m sorry. I really should know better. I got too excited about you being part Fae and my mouth ran away with me. I didn’t mean to offend you. Or upset you.”
“You didn’t,” I assured him, although I was fairly sure my face had been on fire at the suggestion of Edwin bossing meabout in bed. “Do you want to get some tea or something and tell me what you’ve learned about being Fae? It’s all new and confusing to me. I only just found out and it’s a lot.”I’m low-key terrified in case I suddenly set something on fire or disappear a hedge.
Charley pulled a face. “Coffee and you’re on.” He laughed as he slung an arm across my shoulders to steer me back towards the kitchen. “Can I see your ears? You don’t have to show me, but I’d love to see. I wonder if Dad will think you should come and stay with us for a while. Isher’s brilliant. I thought he was dull at first, but he’s not, he’s just kind of quiet. Unlike me.”
He stopped dead halfway down the corridor. “Perhaps I should find Luc first. He’s bound to be feeling like shit for running off like that. He’s been better around Isher, because he can see how good it’s been for me to learn to control my magic. He won’t be prejudiced against you, I promise. He’s not like that. He just had a shock.” His thumbs flew over his phone keyboard as he sent several texts in a row. “C’mon, babe, answer me.” His eyebrows furrowed and the sparkle in his eyes dimmed. “D’you mind if I find him first then join you in the kitchen? Knowing Luc, he’s probably beating himself up right now for?—”
“It’s fine,” I assured him quickly. I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone else staring at my ears, so perhaps Charley would get distracted and forget about me. I made my way to the kitchen anyway and set the electric kettle to boil. Then I recalled the mug I’d been using was back in the office. I headed downstairs and found Baxter standing and staring blankly at the wall opposite her bank of computer screens, her hands by her sides. She was so unnervingly still, I almost thought she was asleep on her feet until she said quietly, “Come in if you’re coming, James. I won’t bite.” There was no hint of teasing in her tone.
I came to stand next to her. “You’re not angry with Edwin, are you?” I hoped not. I didn’t like to think I could be the cause of a rift between the pair.
My question sparked some life into her. She stepped backwards and sat down, gesturing for me to do the same. She raised her light brown eyes to mine and shook her head.
“Nah, petal, we’re all right, me and Eddie. Ain’t the first time we’ve had words, won’t be the last. He kicked off at me cos he was furious with himself and vice versa.” She shot a look at my hands on my lap. “How are they now?”
I turned them palms up. “Huh, healed.” I smiled at her, willing her to understand I wasn’t upset at what she’d suggested that had caused the injuries. “No harm done.”
“Could’ve been a lot worse. We were both idiots to risk you like that without thinking it through. Dalziel will have words with both of us for this.”
“I won’t tell him!” I said hotly.
“Never said you would. He’ll know anyway. Bugger knows everything that happens. Swear to God, he can sniff out guilt at a hundred paces.” At last, a grin curled the corners of her mouth. I mirrored it. She swivelled on her seat, then clicked the nearest keyboard to life. “Done a bit more research on your family tree. There’s mention of an old family Bible donated to a church back in—” she checked her notes “—1834, but it was the letters inside that were of interest. They ended up in some parish offices in, hang on.” She flipped the sheet of paper she was using to the other side. “Otley. Should’ve remembered that. The original church and even the settlement are no longer there, which is why I presume everything got moved.”
“What did they say?”
“The letters?”
I nodded and leaned towards her. “Did they say something about the Fae?” Now I’d had a sniff of excitement, I wanted toknow more. I didn’t kid myself I was special in any way, although a tiny voice inside my head muttered about seeing pink lights, but I figured I was entitled to be interested.
“Dunno. They apparently got ‘stolen’.” She put finger quotes around the word. “It’s more the gossip surrounding the alleged theft that pressed my nosy button.” She winked at me. “It appears the letters were concerned with the offspring of a soldier in the Napoleonic wars.”
“Oh?” I pressed even closer, as if that would somehow make what she said more real. What a pillock I was.
Baxter tapped a couple of keys and the printer whirred to life again. “It would seem as though they, that’s the fella and his wife back home, both thought their middle child was a changeling.” She paused to let this sink in.
“Isn’t that what they call a baby who gets swapped at birth by the Fae?” Why was I whispering? But Baxter merely nodded.
“Yeah, except the supposed descriptions of the child, a boy, could have simply meant he had albinism. White blond hair and ‘pale eyes that change colour’ could be accredited to that. I’m not sure though.” She gave a slightly self-conscious laugh. “I’m probably being fanciful, but perhaps mama soldier wife had herself a liaison while papa was off fighting the French or whoever, and her lover was a Fae.” She eyed me pointedly. “It tends to be that a family who attracts the Fae often attracts them as repeaters. So that would explain how you came into being. You’ve got a nice long line of faerie-seducers in your family tree.”
I choked out a laugh. “That sounds so wrong.”
She smirked, then sighed. “I don’t half fancy a road trip right now.” When I raised my eyebrows, she elaborated. “A little bit of breaking and entering never hurt anyone. There’s only hints about the contents of these letters online. I’m not convinced they were stolen at all. I’m more inclined to think the word was put about in order to prevent any more questions about them. Theonly way to know would be to poke about after dark.” Her grin this time showed her fangs, making me think that excitement was what brought out the vampire in her.
“You’d break into achurch?”I’d never been religious, but this seemed a bit scandalous, even allowing for all the dodgy dealings I’d been involved in.
She looked offended. “I wouldn’t damage anything. Anyway, I’ll check what needs doing over the next week or two and head off if I can be spared. I won’t be gone long. Why, you gonna miss me?” she teased at my no doubt stunned expression.
“I’d miss your tea-making,” I shot right back. Oh bum, I’d forgotten about Charley. I explained and hastily gathered the extra papers Baxter had printed out for me. “I should go.”
