Fae Like Me: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Selena Pierce Book 1)

by Lucy Auburn

  “Alright, table is set.” I got out of the way as Maggie brought the large pot of fresh jambalaya to the table. She set it in the middle, tucking an oven mitt beneath it as she did so. My mouth watered at the sight of it. “Get the sides, will you?”

  “Got it.”

  I grabbed the red beans, rice, and green beans out of the kitchen, balancing them in my arms as I brought them over. Maggie grabbed the top bowl from my precarious grasp and placed it on the table, while I put the other two beside it. All in all it was a great spread that reminded me of the first days I spent with Maggie, slowly being coaxed out of my bitter shell with French Creole food as she did her best to make me whole again.

  We took seats at the table opposite each other, and Maggie placed her hands in the middle palm-side up. I knew what came next: her prayer over the food, an odd tradition that I’d never quite gotten used to. My parents weren’t the most religious people in the world, but when we did go to church it was Catholic. Maggie was different; the things she worshiped weren’t exactly traditional—or Christian.

  “C’mon.” Wiggling her brows at me, she smiled. “No food until the words are spoken.”

  I reached across the table and took her hands. Her palms were warm beneath mine, the dishes of food brushing against our arms. If the table hadn’t been so small we wouldn’t have been able to reach each other at all, but like everything in this house it was modest and well-worn.

  “Blessed Mother, we thank you for these gifts that you have given us. The creatures of the land and sea who perished to make this dish are nourishment for our souls. We thank you for the earth, the water, the air, and the sun above.” My hands tingled with a strange and unfamiliar feeling. Frowning, I grasped onto Maggie’s fingers tighter as she continued. “Let those who stray from the path find it again. Bind that which is buried within.” I winced as pinpricks of sharp, painful energy erupted across my palm. “Protect us from evil and—”

  “Maggie!” I yelped and withdrew my hands, unable to bear the prickles tingling across my skin. “What was that?”

  Frowning at me, Maggie curled her hands up into little fists on the wood between us. “What was what?”

  “That feeling—it was like when a limb goes to sleep and there are pinpricks, but worse.” I rubbed my hands against my jeans, and they started to feel a little better. “It was you. The words you were saying, or your hands on mine—I felt something happening.”

  Alarm crossed her face. Leaning back into her chair, she put her hands in her lap and stared at me. “I think you’d better tell me what happened to you last night, Selena.”

  I froze. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But if my instincts are right, you’re in trouble, and the sooner I figure out why the sooner we can fix it.”

  Haltingly, I started to tell her the story. I skipped over the part where Naomi and I kissed, mentioning only that I got a strange drink from a dark-haired woman. Then Talia’s scream, running into the kitchen, finding her standing over Todd with a knife in her hand. The more I talked, the more frightening and conflicting emotions rose up in my chest. It felt like a living thing, this story, and it pulled its way out of me whether I wanted it to or not.

  When I was done—when I’d mentioned the black knife, and Talia’s personality change, and Todd’s death—one more thing occurred to me. So I added, in a small and scared voice, “And then on the way over here I had this hallucination. It was just stress, I’m sure,” I hurried to clarify, “but in the vision I... I was Naomi. And I stabbed this—this thing, this demon, I stabbed it to death with a long knife.”

  When I’d imagined telling this story to my foster mother, I’d imagined all the reactions she might have to it: surprise, horror, disbelief, maybe even fear. What I hadn’t expected was the grim expression that I saw her wear now, as if she’d known this was coming and didn’t look forward to dealing with it. Maybe some part of her had always believe I would go mad one day.

  So I asked her, “Do you think I’m crazy?”

  “No,” she said quickly, but her tone wasn’t reassuring at all. “I think you’re old enough now that it’s time I told you the truth. The whole truth. Because what’s happening to you—you’re not ready for it, Selena. And if we’re not careful it’ll eat you alive.”

  In all the time I’d known her, my foster mother had never made me feel afraid. But her words and her expression now definitely struck fear into my heart. “What is it?”

  “Settle in, and get a good plate of food.” Standing up, she walked over to the counter and picked up the bottle of wine, which she deftly uncorked, pouring two large glasses. “You’re going to need a drink for this conversation.”

  Chapter Five

  I breathed deeply and held it as Maggie scooted her chair closer to me, reached across, and took my hands in her own. She’d waited until I’d eaten at least half a plate of jambalaya before abruptly announcing, “Okay, it’s time.”

  Now she was staring at me, something deep and emotional in her eyes, like grief. She almost looked afraid. It frightened me to see her like this; even in the darkest times, Maggie had been my rock. If she was afraid, that meant this was big.

  “Tell me,” I whispered, squeezing her hands. “I want to know what the hell is going on. Do you know?”

  With a sigh, Maggie nodded. “There are so many things I have to tell you. But first, for all of this to make sense, you should know: your parents adopted you.” I inhaled sharply, surprise and hurt knifing through me like an arrow. “I’m sorry to have to be so blunt about it. I know some part of you suspected...”

  “A while after they died, when I turned eighteen, a social worker asked me if I wanted a copy of my birth certificate.” My chest rose and fell rapidly at the memory. “I told her no. I always suspected, from the way they talked about me. There were no pictures of my mother when she was pregnant, or of me before I was almost old enough to walk. But I thought I was imagining things.”

  Gently, Maggie said, “They planned on telling you when you turned eighteen. But as you know, that day never came.”

  I nodded sharply. “Okay. Keep going. They adopted me, but what does that have to do with what happened last night? Or my hands just now.”

  “Because of how it relates to who you are. This next part is hard to explain.” She leaned back, taking a big sip of her wine, and I did the same. It was earthy and slightly bitter in my mouth, but I drank as much as I could as deeply as I could before setting it down.

  “I’m ready,” I told her.

  Maggie nodded. “Okay. So you know how I’m superstitious? And I don’t pray like most people—the words I say are a little different?”

  “Because you’re Pagan.”

  “And a witch.” For some reason, this startled me less than I expected, which Maggie seemed to take as a good sign. She continued. “Your whole life, your parents did whatever they could to protect you. After they died I took on the task. You see, Selena, you’re not quite like other people. Something about you is a little bit... different.”

  My brows knitted together. “How so?”

  Another deep sip of wine. “You have powers. Abilities that will take some time for you to fully understand. Your whole life, your parents bound them, so that they wouldn’t hurt you or anyone around you. Since I took you into my care, I’ve been binding them instead. That’s why we have these dinners every month. It’s why I hold your hands and pray over you.” She took a deep breath, even as I felt myself start to panic, my heart racing at her words. “I’ve been replenishing the spell that keeps your powers tightly bound, but every month I can feel it take less of an effect. You’re growing stronger as you get older. And one day it won’t work at all.”

  My head swimming, I grabbed my wine glass and choked down its contents with my breath held so I wouldn’t taste it. The liquid was deep and heavy on my tongue, different than the liquor Naomi had given me the night before.

  Th
oughts of Jack flitted through my head. I had kissed him, and somehow—taken something from him. The hunger that I’d felt had seemed unnatural. But that was impossible; it didn’t make sense. Maggie had to be talking about some other type of powers, like the ones she said she had.

  I drank all of the wine in one go. When I was done with my glass, I set it down and wasn’t surprised at all when Maggie grabbed the bottle to top me up again.

  “Why? Why would you have to... bind them?” I wasn’t sure if I believed that I had powers, of all things in the world, but something about it seemed familiar. “Why not just... leave me be?”

  “Because the power you have inside you is too much.” Reaching out, Maggie took my hands in hers again, trying to comfort me. It was only then that I realized tears were spilling down my cheeks, rolling unchecked to my neck and shirt. “When you were born, your powers were born with you. And they were strong enough that they had to be bound. That’s why your parents adopted you—they wanted a child anyway, and they were one of the few capable of keeping you safe.”

  “What happens if they’re...” I hesitated on the word: unbound. “What happens when I have my powers? Why is it so bad?”

  “This is where I have to get real with you, and I’m sorry about it.” With a grimace, Maggie explained, “The day your powers rip out of you, you’ll be a risk to everyone around you. That’s why we had to bind them until you were old enough to control them. If you’re not careful you could kill someone—or worse.”

  I began to cry in earnest now, little hiccuping sobs bursting out of me. Maggie slid her chair even closer and wrapped an arm around me, comforting me as best she could. I pushed down the tears as much as I could, trying to be strong enough as my life and everything I’d known about myself was smashed to pieces by her words.

  “Why did you never tell me any of this?”

  “Because it was one of your parents’ strongest wishes that you have as normal a life as possible.” Leaning forward, Maggie kissed my forehead, and I calmed as much as was possible in this sort of situation. “I never told you this, but I knew Jake and Leah when they were alive. Not very well, but well enough. You were their world, in every sense of the word. So after they died I took on the task of protecting you. And one of the things they wanted was for you to grow up as much as possible before the burden of your powers was placed on you—so that’s what I tried to give you.”

  Sniffling, I wiped my face off and took a sip of the wine. It wasn’t the sort of drink I would’ve chosen for myself, but at least it was taking the edge off. “Okay. So, I have powers. And last night? What was all of that, and what does it have to do with powers?”

  “Last night, you saw your best friend be possessed by a demon, and the demon exorcised from her body by a demon hunter.” Standing, Maggie began to pace back and forth, deep in thought. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that there are very few people capable of killing demons like that. A dark hunter is the best guess I’ve got—and the only dark hunter I know in town is Naomi Shostakovich.”

  “That’s her!” I stood up, for some reason excited to finally have some sort of lead on what had happened the night before, and who Naomi really was. “She said her name was Naomi.”

  “Good. That means that whatever happened to that poor boy Todd last night, the authorities are aware. And they’re going to take care of it. Demons never possess humans on their own—there’s always someone behind it. Naomi will be looking for the culprit, and when she finds them your friend will no longer be a suspect.”

  For the first time since I’d found out charges had been brought up against Talia, hope surged in my chest for her. “I have to find Naomi—I have to talk to her.”

  “In due time, sweetie.” Walking over to me, Maggie gathered me in her arms and hugged me tight. “This is all so new for you. Let it settle in for a night or two before you start chasing darkness.”

  “But it’s Talia,” I said weakly. “I can’t just let her go to prison.”

  “And you won’t. But Naomi is the more experienced one when it comes to things like this. Let her handle it—she works with the police.”

  The scene from the police station, when Naomi and Leon had been chatting, made more sense now. As I pulled back from the hug and tried to steady my heart, my mind whirled with all this new knowledge.

  There was one more question I had, though. “Maggie, you said Naomi is a dark hunter. And you’re a witch. So—what am I? Am I a witch like you, just more dangerous?”

  “No, that’s not what you are.” She squeezed my shoulder, a sympathetic look on her face. “People like you can take in energy from others. You’re part fae, like a lot of people. One of your parents, or more likely both, had fae heritage.”

  My mind whirled even more. “I’m a—a faerie?”

  She chuckled. “Not in the tooth fairy sense, but basically. You’re what’s called a succubus. People like you survive off of energy you take from others. The energy you take in is mostly sexual, though succubi use their powers in all kinds of situations.” With a rueful shake of her head, she added, “I’ve heard some people these days call them ‘sucks’ for some reason. The things young people come up with.”

  “Yeah,” I said, my voice weak. “What a dumb nickname.”

  “It’ll be okay.” She drew me into her arms and held me close. “There are others with powers like you.”

  “But you said I could kill people,” I murmured, unable to hide my fear. “I don’t want to kill anyone, Maggie.”

  “You won’t! I won’t let that happen.” Stepping back from the hug, she took my hands in hers and stared deep into my eyes. “I’m going to do the spell to bind your powers again, okay? And it may hurt, like it did when I tried it earlier, but this way at least we can keep them in control for a while longer. Until you learn to control them yourself.”

  “Okay,” I whispered, nodding to her. “Do it.”

  As Maggie spoke the prayer I’d always thought was just one of her idiosyncrasies, my hands tingled with pain and I had to fight not to cry out. Clamping down a whimper, I made a promise to myself, deep inside: that I would do everything I could to control what I was. Because if what had happened with Jack was any indication, I was capable of much more than I knew.

  I’d never been as strong as my parents or my foster mother. But if what Maggie said about my powers was right, I was going to have to learn, and very quickly.

  Because it was going to take a lot of strength to survive in a world where I could take someone’s life without even intending to.

  Chapter Six

  There was something comforting about sleeping in the bed that cradled me through the grief of losing my parents. It was like coming home, in a way, even though my home had been destroyed the day that they died. The sheets smelled like Maggie’s laundry detergent, and the room was bare without most of my things in it. But it was still mine, and I knew that it would be here for as long as I needed.

  I slept fitfully, my mind going over the things I’d been told and trying to reconcile them with that I’d believed about myself my whole life. I was a succubus, Maggie said. Part fae. Capable of taking energy from people; capable, even, of killing them if I wasn’t careful.

  In a way, strangely, it explained a few things. I’d always been fitful and restless. As soon as I was old enough to know what sex was, I craved it, in a way none of the girls around me seemed to crave it. My libido was higher than any man I’d ever dated—not that that was completely unusual, if my time in college had taught me anything.

  But if this was what I was like with my powers bound tight inside me, what would I be like when they were loose? That was the thought that kept me up, more than anything. I dreamed dark things, too: that I killed my ex-boyfriend by draining the life from him. That Naomi was in the school at night again, only this time I was the demon and she was killing me.

  When the sun started to stream through my windows it was almost a relief. Sitting up, I glanced at the glowing r
ed digital clock and tried to figure out if it was early enough for Maggie to be awake: the time read 6:45AM. Throwing off the covers, I padded to the door and opened it quietly, staring out into the living room beyond.

  Maggie was sitting at the coffee table in the living room, papers strewn in front of her on the dark finished wood. She glanced up when she heard me, murmuring, “I couldn’t sleep at all.”

  “Neither could I.” Walking over, I stared at the pieces of paper. They were handwritten letters, all unfamiliar to me and strange; I’d never seen anything like them in my life. “What are these?”

  “They’re from your parents.” Taking one, she held it up to me. “Your parents wrote them in case something ever happened to them. One for every birthday. I guess some part of them must have known they might leave you too early.”

  A lump stuck in my throat. I stared at the letter, but there was no way I would be able to read it so soon after learning so many difficult truths. “Maybe some other time. I don’t want to start crying again so soon.”

  “Well enough.” Gathering the letters together in a pile, Maggie put them back into the dark wood box she must’ve taken them out of in the first place. “I know it’s a lot all at once. The most important thing you know about yourself, though, is your powers. Because they’re coming fast, and you need to be prepared for them.”

  “How do I do that?” I asked, sitting next to her on the couch with my legs curled up under me. “How in the world do I prepare for something like this?”

  “I’ll help you. There are others, too—guardians who watch over new fae, to guide them into using their powers safely. And even doctors and teachers just for the fae world. There’s time for you to learn, Selena. You just have to be strong.”