PART THREE

Chapter 6

He saw the light streaking for him, and as on edge as he was, he knew all too well the power of this light racing towards him and knew well enough that now was not the time to be cocky. Having been in sticker situations than this, he was able to deftly dodge the blast, watching at it obliterated a tree, sending shards of wood everywhere. Though knocked by a few larger shards, Eric was not about to be intimidated by the likes of one smug faerie who admittedly had a ace up his sleeve in the form of Sookie, who was increasingly clingy to Jynx. It was upsetting to see her in such a state. To not only have her fear and not know him, but all the other vamps in her life that cared about her and loved her. That she had come to fear the race in general was disturbing.

"Let her go….I don't know who you think you're dealing with but I can assure you if and when I get my hands on you it will not be pretty. I will give you once chance to leave here and not return."

"Ah, but to leave a prize behind such as her…I don't think so. And I am the only one who knows where the real object is that can undo what I had done to her. But Don't you think she is better off? That she could have a happier life in Faery….a safer one. Though I would have to make sure that your kin over there would not be aware of her living with me….perhaps dear sweet Aurora and her Blaze would meet a unfortunate end…..get rid of her loved ones may well be the only way to keep her with me for all time…" he paused and then had a thought. Pulling something out of a pocket, it was the real cluviel dor. "Unfortunately, Niall never really wanted anyone but her from using it and so only she can make the wish come true….darling, would you do the honor of taking this and wishing those who would end us all away. Permanently." he forced himself on her, groping her and kissing her, at first she seemed to want to do it, even seemed to enjoy it. But something was feeling off and as she glanced at the ring on her left hand and saw the one on the vampire's hand, that they were similarly designed with intricate runes….she knew something was being kept from her and it was with that moment of hesitation that distracted Jynx enough, annoyed him enough to try to pry the object from her. "What are you waiting for? He'd drain you the first chance he got…with them all gone, we would be able to live wherever we wanted, free of worry about their fangs in our bodies…"

"I…..I know that something is wrong….I feel like there is something off. I know this isn't me, I can't explain it but…" she frowned and shook it off as if she hadn't been slightly jolted, as if her inner warrior hadn't been trying to alert her to there being something terribly off. It was at that moment when there came a sound only a supernatural could hear and down went Jynx and as he had been stupid enough to carry the real cluviel dor with him, he was no longer needed alive. Thanks to Jason using the iron loaded dart and thus incapacitating him, there was no longer any need to keep the rogue faerie alive and with great pleasure, the Viking ended the faerie with a decapitation that would make the strongest of stomachs churn. Even having seen as much as he himself had, it didn't take much for Jason to lose his lunch over the quick yet brutal killing, his reaction causing a slightly amused reaction from Eric.

"What's the matter? I find this is a bit more effective that your little gun there. More final and besides, I haven't had a real good kill in…." he trailed off as he took note of the girl standing a few yards away, taking in the sight. If she was fearful before, this hadn't helped matters, something which was just now registering in the mind of the tall blonde. And he cringed as he hadn't thought how this would affect her already tampered with psyche. And yet, she could have used the magical object to send him into oblivion and yet she was hesitating. Her grip on it was all too obvious and it would only take a moment for her to irrevocably change her life and those before her forever.

"Why haven't I used this?" she asked, mostly to herself but she was staring at the two before her. "Jason, why are you there with this…..monster? After what he just did to-and these rings…..they are so similar…something familiar and yet…" she was utterly confused, that confusion and wanting answers the only thing keeping her from unleashing the power of the compact like object in her hand. Something inside her was screaming the truth to her, she felt it in her bones, felt it in her blood. Slipping the object into her jeans pocket, she lit her hands with a soft yet deadly glow. "Try anything and I will end you with just a little blast." she said warningly as she walked up to him with a tremble in her step. As fearful as she was, she also knew her power and she wasn't afraid to use it if need be. Jason came to her side and tried to get her to listen. "What do you both know that I don't…..all I know is…." she closed her eyes tight, hoping that she would wake up from whatever this nightmare was. She knew she was capable of defending herself, of obliterating this stranger before her and yet something deep within her was screaming out at her, that she shouldn't act on that impulse. Still, she would do whatever she needed to do to escape this confrontation. Tears escaped her squinted shut eyes as she felt hands on her shoulder and found her brother looking at her with worry, concern and there was a trace of fear.

"You have no idea about the friends you have, those who that creep stole from your head. He made you forget the parts of your life that yeah, maybe you were once afraid of it and wanted gone…but back at the bar….Jess is your friend and you've got so many others like her who care about you and are part of your family. You see the rings on yours and his fingers….I think you gotta know what that means, no denying that. And all you gotta do is use that thing in your pocket and wish your memories back." Jason took her hands in his. "You may not trust him right now but you trust me, don't you? That faerie guy…he did a number on you and we can see that but just….don't do anything dumb. That's my job, usually." he managed to make a joke, trying to put her at ease, trying to reach her even knowing her mind had been tampered with thanks to the meddling of Jinx. There was something there in her eyes he saw as she looked past him to the tall figure nearby, who was watching her intently and though he seemed not to want to have her for a snack, she was not about to be fooled and wanted this over once and for all.

"I won't end you or those like you. But….I want to be left alone and if that magic is keeping me from knowing something terrible, then I would rather not ever know. I don't need more pain in my life and I also wont; be hunted like a animal." she started to tear up and took the little compact in hand. "Perhaps the less I know the better and magic like this….it is dangerous to have around. For some reason, I don't want to hurt you or any others like you. But if you or those such as you try coming after me, finding me….you know full well what I can do." the two men knew what was coming next and before she had time to act she felt the embrace around her and felt strangely at ease. Then the tall blonde dared to kiss her and she found herself…enjoying it, feeling as if it was something familiar to her. And as she tried reminding herself just what he was, something felt funny to her. Something else that she had been made to forget had reared its ugly head in the form of fangs she felt in her own mouth. Pushing herself away from the Viking, she looked up a them, horrified, realizing that they were tied together in more ways than she had feared.

"What am I? I don't….what…" she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out the compact what could change everything irrevocably. "I…..Don't know what I was ever doing with you or what you want with me or-"'

"I don't want anything but for you to remember those you were made to forget, especially myself. And for that fear that that Jinx put in you to be gone. All you have to do is wish for it all to be undone." there was a rare note of pleading in his voice as she stepped away from him, looking more frightened than ever and shaking her head, she was on the defense.

"I…don't want to extinguish anyone's life here tonight or do anything I may or may not regret. This magic in the hands of anyone is dangerous and so that is why…I wish this thing destroyed." she clutched the cluviel dor and with a single wish, the ornate object of power was destroyed, the force of the explosion sending all three of them flying flat on their backs but she looked up at the stars, a feeling of relief within her.

Chapter 7

She sat up and the others looked at her with looks of abject horror. Knowing what she had just done, destroying her chance to be restored as she had been….it was not something that would easily sink in to her brother or the stranger who she had come to learn she was supposedly attached to. Not that she was accepting that-she would defend herself in any way she needed to to keep her life as she knew it intact.

"You know things about yourself that you can't deny…..you wanted a way for the two of us to be together and after everything we went through….you became a hybrid., a powerful being unlike anything I have ever seen. Someone more than ready to defend her family, which includes myself….what the hell have you done, destroying that thing when you could have had the truth restored to you?" Jason grabbed the Viking by the arm, keeping him from getting closer to her as she vanished from the spot.

"Somethin's clicking with her, don't think this is over yet…if she was still as afraid and as confused about y'all as Jinx intended her to be, then she would have blasted you to kingdom come. That she left you alone…..I think she may be stronger than the magic used on her. Maybe this can be used somehow still….look." Jason pointed to the sparkling remains of the cluviel dor on the ground and there was, in fact a glow to it, the radiating magic causing Jason's skin to tingle as he pulled out a evidence bag in the pocket of his uniform pants. "I may not have gotten the faerie gene myself, but something tells me that the magic here ain't dead…..but we would need someone to check it out….maybe-"

There was a flash of light as two figured emerged from the porthole to Faery and there stood a harried and somewhat dirty looking Aurora and her husband Blaze. "We got here as soon as we could…I took a peek in the vision screen-its like a TV we can sue the check on the family here and plus I felt like something was off anyway but we were in training lessons and-" she was stopped from rambling as the situation was explained to them and the ruler of Faerie took the hands of her husband into hers and seemed disturbed by what she had learned. But then Jason revealed the powder that remained from the faerie made object.

"Only Niall was able to craft the cluviel dor." Blaze said with a sigh. "There is magic here, no doubt but the magic of a cluviel dor can only be fully undone with the magic of another one. Its something I read in a book of lore that I had to read for my training to rule the realm but…..there is something that Niall left for her before she decided to pass on the throne. Something I found when I took the throne." she vanished for a moment and returned a few minutes later, Aurora returned with a velvet pouch. "Restoration powder, a rare magic that is difficult to make but will restore any object to its proper state. Not anything living but…." she took the bag of powder from Jason and in a few moments, she threw the pouches together and there came a bright light. And then a thud hit the floor and all eyes turned to the source. And there it was, restored to its previous state. "I didn't think it would work….but as it was meant for Sookie, its still only she who can use its power, only she can unwish that which has happened to her and this is still going to be a hard battle….one that I think may be better fought with those who are not of that persuasion…" she grimaced as she herself was a hybrid and this had some vamp blood within her, and thus would be easily scented out by her mother. "I don't want to hide in a corner while others go after her." Aurora looked at her father. "And I know damn well you aren't gonna stay behind while-"

"I want to go after her on my own. I think that I may be the only one who can at least convince her to use that things to set things right. I feel like she isn't completely gone, I….I felt it right before she left here minutes ago. And this isn't some stubborn pride, thinking I need no one to assist…but think about it. It makes more sense for just me to go than for her to see all of us trying to get to her. At least there was recognition there." the Viking turned to Aurora and Blaze. "Stay if you like, but don't get close to us when I find her….I still feel her, she keeps trying to shut me out but I fan heel her curiosity." and with a last look at the family surrounding him he flew off to find what he hoped wasn't lost to him forever.

TO BE CONTINUED