Shimmerspell: The Shimmer Trilogy, #1

by Kimberly Spencer

  His eyes cut to her, probing and all business. “To protect humans, we must first protect ourselves. No one can know what we are.”

  So what did that mean for her? She hadn’t said anything about his winged status, well, except to Lauren. She wouldn’t say anything to anybody else, but that didn’t mean he’d just let her go.

  She tore her gaze away and focused on scanning the crowd, but everyone looked like sheep. Sweaty, shitfaced sheep. “What should I be looking out for?

  “Nothing. Brennen will come to us when he wants to talk.”

  A Latin-tinged beat poured through the speakers, winding through the air like a python. Strobe lights pulsated over the crowd, highlighting pink hair and boobs bursting through see-through tops and too small bras as glitter rained from the ceiling, grafting to every inch of skin it touched.

  Liam grabbed Jensen’s hand, tugging her through the throng of sweaty club kids to an empty spot near the water fountain.

  Jensen loosened her ponytail as she swayed in front of him, her thick hair tumbling across her shoulders in a mass of waves.

  Liam brushed it back, his warm breath tickling her neck as he pulled her tight against him.

  She met his eyes.

  He licked his lips. And Jensen shivered, this time for something other than fear. Something new and overwhelming and bad … very, very bad. This faerie boy, this “our secret must be maintained at all costs” spouting soldier was so not the best person to be crushing on when she was the one who could shatter his glimmerglass world.

  She averted her eyes, but not quick enough to stop the little green-thing’s next attack. He swooped down, grabbing a tiny handful of her left boob. She smacked the little pervert into a boy with a nickel-sized, black gauge in his ear. And that’s when she saw him.

  They say Lucifer was one of the most beautiful angels God created, pre-Devil stage of course. If that was the case, this kid must have been his faerie doppelganger.

  A handsome boy with pale blue eyes, a lean build, and that same pearlescent skin she’d found to be common amongst the fae. He had spiky blonde hair with thick black strands right above his ears. Realizing his creeping had been discovered, the wickedest of smiles stretched across his handsome face, exposing pearly white, pointy teeth.

  Jensen’s heart stuttered at the sight. She squeezed Liam’s hand, refusing to look away from the weird faerie boy, knowing he’d disappear as soon as she did. A smarter part of her knew he could probably disappear in less time than it took her to blink.

  She knew the exact moment Liam spotted him. His body stiffened and the air around them seemed to vibrate with anger. He stalked toward the boy, his hands pumping open and closed at his sides. “Brennen,” he bit out, tone lashing at the faerie. “You’d dare use compulsion on mortals.”

  The boy cocked his head to the side and laughed. “Only enough to get the kiddies dancing. You seemed like you were enjoying yourself,” he said, wagging his eyebrows.

  “You know the rules.”

  “And you as well, but that hasn’t stopped you from delighting in a morsel, ahem, I mean, a mortal.” Brennen one. Liam goose egg.

  Liam opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off before he could utter a word.

  “Before we get down to business, how about we take this somewhere a little more private. Wouldn’t wanna break anymore Seelie rules.” He rolled his eyes and spun on his heel, not sparing them a second glance to see if they had followed. Of course, they would follow. They needed him.

  Brennen took his seat behind a large desk, propping his leather covered legs on top and knocking over a wire canister filled with pens. “Now to what do I owe the honor of your company?”

  “I need you to read her.”

  “What for?”

  “Because she’s Sighted and I need to know why.”

  Brennen focused on his matte black nails. “I’m sure you’re aware some humans are born with Sight.”

  “She wasn’t.”

  He looked up then, his eyes roving up and down Jensen’s body before cutting to Liam. “Interesting, but I don’t see what I get out of helping you.”

  “How about our eternal gratitude?” Jensen asked.

  Brennen snorted. “Can this gratitude you speak of buy me a 4Dtv?”

  Liam popped his jaw, and the sound echoed in the small office. “What do you want?”

  Brennen lifted his gaze to the ceiling, tapping his chin as if he was seriously considering his options, though it was clear he’d known what he wanted from the moment he saw them. “There may come a time when I call on you. You will come to my aid, no questions asked, and no penalties given.”

  Liam nodded. “Agreed.”

  “Very well.” Brennen’s eyes jumped back to Jensen. “Sing.”

  Her brows bunched together. “Sorry, what?”

  “You heard me girl. Sing.”

  Oh no. “What for?”

  “Because I said so.”

  Jensen turned to Liam, grabbing his arm. “Tell me this is a joke.”

  “Brennen is siren. The only way he can read you is through song.”

  Well, that explained his lack of wings. “But …”

  Brennen lifted his hand, palm out flat. “Enough with the twenty questions; touch your eyelid with your tongue.”

  Jensen just blinked.

  Brennen rolled his eyes. “Either you sing or leave. Your choice.”

  Jensen glanced at Liam again, the hard expression on his face telling her there would be no going for option number two. She would sing or he would probably kill her. “What do you want me to sing?”

  Brennen smiled. “You know, I’ve been feeling that Beiber kid lately, but you can sing whatever you want.”

  Jensen concentrated on her feet, mortified over what she had to do. With nothing else coming to mind, she warbled through the chorus of “Somebody to Love,” managing to mangle the words and butcher the melody. The heat from her cheeks spread to her neck and she was sure the tip of her nose could now give Rudolph a run.

  Brennen grimaced. “Wow. Am I the only one who feels a bit awkward now?”

  Jensen closed her eyes, rubbing the back of her neck. “Not at all.”

  “What did you see?” Liam asked, his words more demand than question.

  “Nothing.”

  Liam frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I saw nothing. As in, empty space.”

  Jensen scratched her forehead. “Ok, so what does that tell you then?”

  “It tells me this read is way above my pay grade. You’ve been worked over by some serious juju girl.” Brennen swung his legs off the desk, then leaned forward resting his elbows in their place and his head in his hands. “Take her to the twins.”

  Liam sucked in a breath. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “No, but they are.” Brennen raised his hand, halting Liam from interrupting. “And they’re also the only ones with the power to cut through that wad of magickal red tape.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jensen rubbed the back of her arms as they walked through the cemetery Brennen had sent them to. “It’s deserted.”

  Liam arched an eyebrow as a quizzical expression came over his face. “Were you expecting a rave?”

  “Of course not. I just mean no one’s taking care of the graves.” The air smelled of rot and stone and she could even taste the metallic tang on her tongue. Dead leaves and dried flowers littered the grounds. Those same leaves would catch in the wind, ticking across stone from time to time. Moss wrapped around stoic angels, binding their wings. The gate creaked and Jensen nearly jumped out of her skin, twisting around to see if they were being followed.

  Liam grabbed her by the hand. “It’s just the wind.”

  Well why did it feel like something more? She glanced up and shuddered. A crow perched itself on top of a crooked headstone, its beady eyes peering at them. She had always hated those disgusting creatures, and the way this one sized her up was beyond creepy.
>
  Unnerved, her hand tightened around Liam’s. “Why does your sister hate me?” Good job Jensen. A question based on facts that have nothing to do with the bird that wants to eat your brains.

  “Fiona hates all humans. It’s nothing personal.”

  “Caw-ah-ah!”

  Jensen couldn’t stop herself from glancing back at the crow, with its blackened eyes still locked on them.

  As they passed a rotting oak tree, the crow swooped down and landed in front of them. It tilted its head back and let out a screech that could’ve brought life to ashes, along with one hell of a postmortem headache.

  Liam wrapped his arms around Jensen, pulling her back.

  Another bird flew behind them, its wings outstretched and its beady eyes glowing red hot. Then they got bigger. Much bigger, nearly rivaling Liam’s size. Then the crows burst apart.

  As black feathers floated in mid-air, suddenly standing before them were two tall twins with shaggy black hair, gray skin, and harsh protruding cheekbones.

  “It appears we have visitors brother,” one said, the jagged scar beside his eye the only way to tell the two apart.

  “I see,” replied the other. “State your purpose for being here or go.” While you still can, went unsaid.

  “Magicks have been used to give this girl Sight,” Liam said. “Powerful magicks. We were told you would be able to provide a reading for such a case.”

  “By whom?” the scarred twin asked.

  “The siren Brennen.”

  The twins glanced at each other for a moment as if they were speaking telepathically. “Very well, where is our token?”

  Jensen blinked. “Your what?”

  “Our token. Surely you have brought us one.”

  “For all who enter must pay the piper,” the other twin added.

  Of course Brennen hadn’t mentioned anything about it.

  Liam reached into his pocket, pulling out a burnished red and brown billfold wallet.

  “Foolish child. Do we look as though we care for the currency of man?”

  Nope. Jensen doubted they needed any money to look like The Blues Brothers threw up on them. Hell, they probably just raided the graves. She shuddered at the thought.

  Liam wet his lips. “I am of the Sidhe Guard. Provide the reading and I’m sure Auberon will be more than willing to provide you with a suitable payment.”

  “Oh look brother, now the child wishes to barter, based on the gratitude of a king who cursed us to ruin.”

  Uh oh. Jensen grabbed Liam’s arm, trying to tug him backward. “Maybe we should just go.”

  The scarred twin shook his head as a smile crept across his face. “I’m afraid the time for that has passed little girl.”

  Everything happened so fast. The scarred twin lunged forward, his claws raking down the side of Liam’s face. Liam shoved Jensen to the ground and unsheathed his blade, only to have it kicked away by the other twin. His hands wrapped around Liam’s neck before one hand slid to his chin and the other to the back of his head. The perfect position to twist.

  “Wait!” Jensen screamed, raking at the dirt and overgrown grass scratching her skin. How had the situation gotten so out of control? It took everything for her to stand up and raise her hand for everyone to see. “I have this ring. It was my mother’s. Let him go and you can have it.”

  “Ah, a token,” the twin holding Liam said.

  “Give it to me,” said the scarred one.

  Jensen gulped. “Not until you let him go.”

  The twins stared at her as if they could see right through her. Could hear the ebb and flow of blood gushing through her veins. Could tell how hard it was for her to stand still when Liam’s sapphire eyes begged her to become one with the wind. And for a moment, she could swear she heard them speak inside her head. “Brave one,” they agreed. She shook it off just as the twin shoved a coughing Liam forward. “Very well.”

  Jensen glanced down at the ring, hesitant to hand it over. She knew it wasn’t a real emerald in the antique gold setting, knew it probably cost less than a hundred dollars at the local JCPenney. But it still meant something to her. A precious connection to the mother she never had and her only source of comfort when the sister who’d raised her had just up and disappeared. And yet, she’d gladly give it up if it meant saving Liam. So why did the simple act of pulling it off feel like she was tearing herself in two?

  Her fingers circled the band, twisting and wiggling the tarnished metal past her knuckle. Bile crept up her throat. Jensen found herself hoping Liam had the strength to carry her, because with the way the world teetered around her, she expected to eat dirt real soon. Pulling the ring the rest of the way, she tossed it through the air, and watched as it whirled by Liam, hitting the chest of the twin behind him before it thudded to the ground. He hadn’t even tried to catch it.

  Three sets of eyes stared back at her, one filled with shock. No, not shock. Horror.

  She had done something wrong. There must’ve been some weird faerie custom for handing off the token and she straight quarterbacked it to him. How could she be so stupid? “I can pick it up,” she started, but as she spoke Liam’s eyes widened more, becoming somewhat wild.

  Jensen stilled. “What?”

  He didn’t answer, just continued staring in that same dumbstruck way. At least now he had managed to shut his mouth.

  “What is it? What did I do wrong?” she asked.

  “She does not know,” the scarred twin said.

  “She cannot see,” added the other.

  The icy grip of terror clawed at her chest, demanding entrance. Her breaths became ragged, labored. And Liam remained silent the whole time.

  “Say something,” she pled.

  The scarred twin stepped forward, his gray hands rubbing together in a strangely convoluted criss-cross motion. It was hypnotic the way he moved. His fingers would touch his wrist, slide down his palms, then switch sides, starting the process all over again. Wrist. Palms. Switch. Wrist. Palms. Switch. Making that same strange bird sign before pulling his hands apart, revealing a mirror of thick liquid between them.

  An aura of power rolled off of him. He was power. Ancient faerie power. He and his twin had bested Liam, had garnered both Brennen’s awe and fear, and had, at some point, managed to royally piss off the King of the Seelie Court.

  Still, Jensen stumbled toward him, one foot in front of the other until only inches remained between his powerful hands and her face. And through the wavering looking glass he held, she saw what had horrified Liam.

  Faint golden shimmers melting into blue along the hairline. Tiny green gems embedded along the temples. Large pointy blue ears parting through thick coal black hair. Wide set aquamarine eyes framed by thick black lashes.

  The screams started in the distance, harsh and shrill like a child realizing the boogie man stood at the foot of her bed.

  Jensen blinked, finding herself on the ground beside a crumbling grave marker. Kicking up grass and fake flowers, she fought for distance between herself and the creature. Liam knelt beside her, grabbing at her arms. The twins rushed forward, taking advantage of her madness. And through it all, the screams continued, until her throat trembled violently, her cheeks felt like she had been crying acid rain, and all she knew were the agonizing cries of her own self loathing.

  Chapter Eight

  Jensen sat in the center of the platform bed, armed with nothing more than her ring, a white plastic hand mirror, and the tome from the study. No special costume or cape. No trusty sidekick to solve the mystery so she could claim the credit. Over and over she slipped the ring from her middle finger, watching in manic fascination as her reflection shifted in the dusty mirror.

  It had been two days since she first saw the strange girl behind the glamour, since she learned the azure of her hairline continued all the way down to her pinky fingers and pinky toes, and she was still struck stupid each time she witnessed the change.

  “Damn it, are you even listening t
o me?” Fiona stood by the window, drumming her orange nails on the edge of the birch desktop.

  “Yeah, yeah sure.” Faerie. Human again. Faerie. Human again.

  “So what did I say?”

  Faerie. Human. “To disregard everything you said.”

  Fiona let out a huff of frustration and mumbled something in another language.

  Jensen’s eyes popped up at that, taking in the golden wings flapping stiffly behind Fiona and felt her lips stretch into something between a smile and a wince. A smince. “I’ll do better this time.”

  To be honest, listening to Fiona was important. She was Jensen’s only ally now, rallying for her to stay in the guestroom, when Liam couldn’t stand to look at her anymore, and Eiden couldn’t seem to look away, constantly watching for her to do something Unseelie like steal the silverware.

  But Fiona considered it a tax write-off since Jensen was a dumb bunny, with no clue how to be a faerie. And there was no way to fake that kind of stupidity. Her words.

  She was partially right; the faerie thing was a no-go, hence the last minute cram session on Glamour 101.

  “Like I’ve said for the thousandth time, close your eyes and picture the gems disappearing one by one. See only the gold and the blue, the smooth skin …”

  “Got it. Smooth skin, no gems.”

  According to Fee, those gemstones made Jensen Seelie, since only nixies of the Seelie court possessed them. Eiden quickly pointed out that black hair was the defining mark of the Unseelie, while Liam mumbled something about green eyes being boringly human.

  Then Fee agreed she’d never heard of a faerie with green eyes, and added that no faerie, Seelie or Unseelie, would be caught dead in homemade cut-off shorts.

  “Oww.” Jensen rubbed her head as the wooden paddle brush bounced off her head, landing on her knee. “What the hell Fee?”

  “You were doing it again.”

  “Doing what, you witch?”

  “Staring in that stupid mirror. You’re a nixie; it’s not gonna change, so get over it.”

  “Actually, when I put on this nifty ring-a-majig, it does change. See? Faerie. Human.”

  “Jensen, we only have four hours before the party and we still have to go over the different species.”

  Jensen shook her head. “I don’t see why we’re going to a stupid Unseelie party in the first place.” Because that definitely won’t make me look any better in Liam’s eyes.