by Wendi Wilson
“Won’t you get fired? I mean, they can’t let you continue teaching after you’ve taken four students into a deadly situation, regardless of the outcome.”
His face fell for an instant before his lips curved into a sad smile. “At the very least, I’ll lose my position. The repercussions will probably be much worse than that.”
I’d left it at that, despite an inner desire to argue with him further. Arguing would be counter-productive. He wanted to help, and we needed him. No matter how selfish it sounded, it was true.
“Hold on!” Cris shouted, the present crashing back in as he jerked the wheel to the right and slammed on the brakes.
“What the hell?” Easton shouted from the backseat.
“Is everybody okay?” Cris asked, turning in his seat to look behind him before settling his gaze on me.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“It’s her,” he said, his voice firm despite the fear I could see on his face. “She found us first.”
“December Thorne, come and meet your fate.”
The words reverberated through the car, amplified by magic to pierce our eardrums with their intensity. A large hand clamped down on my shoulder as I jiggled a finger in my ear to clear the ringing. I looked back to see Easton leaning toward me, a desperate look on his face.
“This is not the plan. We should get out of here. We can regroup later and try again,” he said.
“Easton’s right,” Shaela added. “We can’t meet her on her terms. It has to be ours or nothing.”
I looked behind me at Charles, and he nodded in agreement. I sat back in my seat, the fuzziness in my ears subsiding and heaved a sigh. I wanted to jump from the car and end it, right then. But my friends were right. Straying this far from our plan, flimsy as it was, was way too dangerous. I turned to look at Cris.
“I think they’re right,” I said. “We should get out of here and make a new plan.”
He nodded, saying, “I agree. We’ll come back when she’s not expecting us.”
The car was still running, so he popped it into reverse and started to back up onto the road. Sweat was pouring from his face, despite the chill inside the car from the cold, wintry night. Then it hit me.
He looked exactly like he did the night we faced down Elias. Desperate. Scared.
“Cris, are you o—”
“Stop the vehicle. Get out and face me.”
The words pierced my skull, battling my own free will to make me obey her command. The urge passed quickly, my hybrid nature once again making me immune to her power. My sigh of relief cut short when the car came to a sudden stop.
“I’m so sorry,” Cris muttered, throwing the car into park and flinging open the door before stepping out. “Someone else drive. Get her out of here.”
With that, he slammed the door closed and walked away.
“What the hell?” I shouted.
Easton climbed between the seats and slid in behind the wheel. He snapped his seatbelt into place before throwing the car in gear and pushing the gas.
“Wait,” I said, shaking off the shock of Cris’s unexpected departure from the car. “Go back. We have to help him.”
“You heard what he said, December. Besides, something is not right with that guy. Why did he get out of the car? And why did he look so nervous?”
“We’ll never figure that out if we don’t go back.” I countered. “Please, Easton, we can’t leave him there to face her alone.”
He gritted his teeth and, swearing, slammed on the brakes while spinning the steering wheel. The oversized vehicle spun in a great arc, the backend sliding back and forth across the roadway a few times before straightening out.
As we neared the group in the road, Easton slammed on the brakes, slamming everyone in the car forward. Thank God we were wearing our seatbelts. I looked at him like he was crazy, but he stared straight ahead, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.
“What the fuck?” he murmured.
I turned my head to see what he was staring at, and my heart stilled in my chest. I gasped, the sharp intake of breath sounding like some kind of reverse-scream. My heart restarted, pounding its way up into my throat.
Sebille stood on one side of the road, flanked by four guards, and Cris stood on the other. Alone, yet defiant, his chest was puffed and his arms were crossed over his chest. His wings were out, and I realized that it was the first time I’d ever seen them.
Of course, he’d never let them out before.
They were black.
Chapter 34
“Cris?”
I know it was probably the stupidest thing I’d ever done, but I hopped out of the car and ran straight toward them. And I completely ignored Sebille.
“December, get out of here,” he ordered, never taking his eyes from Sebille.
“Oh, ho ho. Isn’t that just precious?” Sebille cooed, but the sweetness of her words was overshadowed by the venom in her voice. “Crispin is concerned for the filthy hybrid.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, continuing to ignore the queen.
I heard footsteps and felt my friends skid to a halt behind me, but I didn’t take my eyes from Cris. I couldn’t look away. It was physically impossible. Those dark wings on his back had me mesmerized. That is, until he turned to look at me.
With eyes as black as a dark, starless sky.
“Holy shit!” Charles yelled from behind me.
Cris looked away quickly, turning his eyes back to Sebille. She smirked, cocking her head to one side as she observed him. Her smirk quickly morphed into a deadly smile.
“It seems you’ve been playing dress-up, Crispin, hiding inside that school. Surrounded by them, day and night. These dirty Sylphids had no idea what you are, did they?”
“Please, Sebille, just let them—”
“Do not address me so!” she shouted, cutting him off. “You will use the proper respect when speaking to me, just as you always have.”
Cris’s teeth clicked together as his mouth snapped shut. A muscle flexed in his jaw, like he was grinding his teeth together in frustration. My eyes, drawn back to his wings, watched them flutter in the light breeze.
I just couldn’t believe it. We’d worked together for weeks. And, somehow, he’d managed to always appear with no wings and blue eyes. His Glamour was strong. I thought back to the few brief moments when his eyes appeared to darken. He’d let his control slip a little before reining it back in.
I was in awe of his abilities. But not mad that he hid them. If anyone understood wanting to keep part of yourself hidden from the world, it was me. I just hoped my friends didn’t try to desert him because of his deception.
And I hoped he had a damned good explanation to give us.
“Do it now, Crispin, or I shall have my guards tear the three Sylphs to shreds. Then I’ll make you watch as I, personally, choke the life from that girl.”
She spat the word like a curse as she flung out a finger to point at me. I had no doubt that she’d do those things, with or without Crispin’s use of her respectful title, but whatever. He needed to stall her as long as possible so we could find an opening to get out of there. All of us.
I was not going to leave him behind, Zephyr or not.
“Please, mother,” he spat, “let them go.”
My heart stopped beating again, and I was pretty sure that this time, I really was dead.
“Holy shit,” Easton muttered as Shaela gasped at the exact same moment.
A long whistle came from Charles, who seemed to never let anything get under his skin. Always running with punches, that one.
“Much better,” Sebille said, the satisfaction oozing from her. “Now, tell me why you have betrayed me, turned your back on me for these vile creatures, and helped this monstrosity in her quest to…what?” She glanced over at me. “Revoke my power? Banish me from this side of the veil? Kill me?”
I kept my face blank and didn’t respond, waiting for her to turn her attention back to her son
. It was too much. The surprise appearance, Cris being a Zephyr with none of us knowing, his being her son…
I didn’t think I could handle another shock. I prayed that the time for surprises was over and we’d somehow get away from Sebille, all of us, and regroup to try again later.
My prayers were one hundred percent, completely, and irrevocably ignored.
“I’m helping her because she’s my daughter.”
Every single person on that road, with the only exception being Cris, himself, gasped. A thick silence ensued for about four heartbeats as Cris looked my way, his expression filled with apology and affection. Shock, pain, and disillusionment shot through me in rapid succession, followed immediately by something that felt very close to hope.
Then all hell broke loose.
Sebille reared back and slapped Cris across the face. Unprepared for the blow, which was obviously strengthened by some kind on elemental magic, he tumbled to the ground. I lunged forward, intent on helping him, but a hand grasped my wrist, holding me back.
I looked over my shoulder at Easton, who held me with a determined look on his face.
“Let go,” I said. “We have to help him.”
“No, we have to get out of here. Now,” he said. “She is going to kill us, but she won’t hurt him. He’s her son. He’ll be okay.”
His words sounded rational, but I didn’t agree with them. The way Sebille hit Cris…she obviously had no real love for him and wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him. Or worse.
I turned to face him and the others, gently extricating my wrist from Easton’s grip. I motioned for them to gather around, peeking over my shoulder to make sure Sebille was still occupied with berating her son.
It was so weird to think of him like that. I cleared my throat and my mind, intent on convincing my friends to help me help him.
“Listen, guys. I know this is off-the-charts insane. But Cris is our teacher. He’s my mentor and friend, and he’s done nothing but support and help me since the day we met. I can’t…deal with the whole father thing yet, but when I do sort through my feelings about it, I’d like him to be alive.”
“But he’s a Zephyr,” Charles said. “And a prince. He belongs with them.”
There was no malice in his tone as he spoke those words. They were simply facts, like saying “fried chicken is good” or “the sky is blue.”
I was shaking my head before he even finished.
“No he doesn’t. The fact that he’s a Zephyr doesn’t automatically make him one of them,” I said with meaning.
My tone dared them to refute my words. They’d all spent the last few weeks trying to convince me that my Zephyr half didn’t make me evil. That my intentions and my heart were the real me, not the blood in my veins or the color of my wings.
“Lies! Tell me this isn’t true, Crispin. You will remain at my feet until I decide to let you up.” Sebille’s voice echoed around us, vibrating with power and letting me know we still had some time.
I looked at my friends. Shaela nodded, letting me know she’d go with whatever I decided. She was on my side, no matter what. Charles shrugged, ticking his head toward her. He would do whatever made her happy. Easton still looked undecided. His aura told me he was worried.
“Please,” I said to him. “I’m doing this with or without you, but I’d much rather do it with you.”
His eyelids drifted down for a moment, and he nodded.
“Of course, I’ll help you. I’d do anything for you, D.”
“Thank you,” I said, pecking his lips with my own.
I looked back at Sebille and Cris. She was still berating him like a wayward child, ordering him to lie about his crimes so she wouldn’t have to kill him. The four guards looked down at him, still held to the ground by the queen’s power, with cruel smiles that reeked of twisted pleasure. They enjoyed seeing their prince brought so low.
“She seems to have forgotten all about us,” Charles whispered.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Easton replied. “We should probably assume that this show is to distract us, to get us to let our guards down.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “She seems really pissed. What’s her aura say?”
“It’s red,” he admitted. “She’s angry, for sure.”
“Let’s do this,” Shaela said, her voice filled with anticipation. “Time to kick some Zephyr butt. No offense, D.”
I waved her off to tell her I wasn’t offended. She was right. It was time to kick some Zephyr butt.
“Ok, Shaela, you and Charles take the two guards on the right. Easton, you take the two on the left.”
I knew he could handle them. He was an Oberon, after all.
“I’ll free Cris from Sebille’s control, then we’ll take her on together. You all back us up when you’re done taking your guys out.”
“I don’t like this,” Easton sighed.
“I know,” I said. “I’m strong enough, Easton. I can do this.”
And I knew those words to be true. For the first time, I really believed in myself. I was a half-Sylph, half-Zephyr hybrid with crazy powers that raged out of control most of the time. But I was a good person, and I would always try to do the right thing.
Giving my friends one last nod of encouragement, I turned and started walking toward the Zephyr queen and her son, Prince Crispin. Things were getting weirder by the minute.
Chapter 35
“Hey Granny, let him go,” I yelled as I stalked toward them.
I kept my eyes on the queen, so I had to trust the others were doing their jobs and sneaking around to take the guards by surprise.
“What did you just call me?” she asked, her voice dripping with venom as she turned all her attention toward me.
I stopped several yards away from her, propping my fists on my hips.
“December,” Cris grunted, “get out of here. Please.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I said, my voice a solemn swear. Then I looked back at Sebille, and my power started to swirl up within me. “You don’t like Granny? How about Grandma?”
I was out of my damned mind. That much was obvious. Not only was I determined to face down the queen of the Zephyrs, who was also apparently my grandmother, I was taunting her. It was sheer lunacy.
But I couldn’t help it. I’d just found out my trusted mentor was a full-fledged Zephyr, who also happened to be a prince. The prince. Son of Sebille. And, as if that wasn’t enough, he was my father? Anyone would lose their shit.
That was okay, though. For me, heightened emotions of any kind were a bonus. I let them flow—the fear, the anger, the disbelief, the shock. I could feel my power blooming inside me, building in strength, yet remaining obediently hidden until I was ready to use it.
I was getting better at this.
“Do not speak to me, mongrel. I do not care a whit for your parentage. You are nothing more than a nuisance. A bug to be squashed under my foot.”
I watched her as she spoke, but I wasn’t really listening. Instead, I was remembering the night she attacked the school. Finn had given an order for the students to evacuate, but his magically-infused voice didn’t control me. It couldn’t.
But something else happened, too. When I told my friends to stop, to stay with me, my voice broke the control Finn had over them, as well as that of everyone else within listening range. I didn’t know if it worked the same with Sebille and her powers, but it was worth a shot.
“You can’t control me, remember? You tried, and you failed. I guess you’re not as powerful as you thought.”
I threw in a smirk for good measure, hoping I could push her to the point of carelessness by enraging her as much as possible. It was a risky move, but necessary. I took small, measured steps to the side, trying to get as close to Cris as possible. Her black eyes seemed to flare with an inner light as she took a step toward me.
I saw movement in the darkness behind her, where the guards still stood, waiting for her command. Easton and the others were ready. I
took a deep breath, and with determination and purpose, let my power loose.
Wind swirled around me, lifting me into the air as I’d come to expect. I formed a fireball between my hands, pumping power into it to make it grow. Electricity zipped across my skin as lightning flashed across the sky. I was a force of nature, and unstoppable hurricane of power.
And Sebille laughed.
“Your theatrics do not frighten me, child. I underestimated you when we first met, but this time I am ready for whatever parlor tricks you decide to throw my way.”
Her taunts were meant to anger me further—and they did—but I used that angry energy to feed the storm brewing all around me. Something deep inside me clicked into place with that effort, and I came to a realization.
For months, I’d been trying to control my power. And while I’d had successes, I’d also had many failures—namely, when I lost control of my emotions, went all psycho-villain and blacked out, not knowing what I’d done.
What I realized in that moment was that my powers couldn’t be controlled. They rebelled every time I tried because I treated them like some foreign entity inside me. But they weren’t. They were me. I just had to trust and mold the energy, not restrain it.
I had to trust myself, and right then, in that moment, I did.
Fire blew from my hands toward Sebille, but she dodged the flames with a flap of her black wings and a spin to the side. We were both in the air then, and she sent a huge gust of wind my way. I braced for it, imagining a shield protecting me.
Apparently, shield-conjuring is not something I could do, because the wind hit me full-force and I was driven backward. Gritting my teeth, I leaned forward with intent and air complied, zooming me back toward her.
I pulled the brewing storm toward us, and lightning struck nearby, making Sebille’s hair stand up with electricity. She didn’t even flinch. I called to the lightning again, but it didn’t come quickly enough. She flew to the left, out of range just before the energy cracked through the air.
I looked down at Cris where he still lay on the ground. It kind of pissed me off that Sebille could battle with me and keep her control over him at the same time. I let that anger feed my power once more.