by C. J. Abedi
He hadn’t come over to Odin’s yesterday and I wanted to talk to him so badly.
“Yes, of course,” he whispered back. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. It will be fine.”
Devilyn gave me a little bit of space, but I could see the tension rising in his tall, confident frame. This distance, and the uncertainty that came with it, was a feeling he was just going to have to get used to.
I needed to just be alone with Rowan. I needed someone I could truly talk to. Who understood everything. Who wouldn’t judge and would help me come up with a solution.
“We’re going to be late,” Devilyn finally said.
I smiled at Rowan and began walking toward the school with Devilyn.
“It might help if we hold hands,” he said.
He was right, even though I desperately wanted him to be wrong. He placed his large hand in mine and we began ascending the stairs to the school. I wondered when my breathing would be normal when he was near. Just touching him like this drove me crazy. It was suffocating. Painful. But a pain I desperately craved.
“Try to remember that everyone thinks we’re still boyfriend and girlfriend,” he said with a cautioning tone.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He looked at me as he rolled his eyes.
“Rowan is my friend,” I countered back with annoyance.
Devilyn shrugged. I had a feeling he was relishing the idea of making me uncomfortable for the next few weeks.
I was so frustrated, but I knew he was right. And the silver lining was that once this was all over I’d be able to try and get some of my life back. I didn’t even know how that would be possible, but I would try my hardest.
“Are you ready for practice?” Devilyn asked, Rowan turning in his direction. It was hard to miss the frosty tone in his voice.
Rowan was up for the challenge.
“Are you?” he asked.
Devilyn gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Always.”
There was an awkward silence.
“Well, this has been a really nice display of testosterone, but I think we’re going to be late for drama. Or shall I say, more drama.” Teddy broke the silence for us, laughing as he walked into his class.
Devilyn held on to my hand and we headed to our class.
“We don’t need to constantly hold hands,” I said to him between gritted teeth.
“Smile, baby,” he said. “People are going to think you’re not happy.”
“I’m not,” I retorted.
Devilyn shrugged and gave me a slow sexy smile that made my heart do a million summersaults at once.
“There’s nothing we can do about that now,” he whispered in my ear. “You agreed to all these conditions.”
“Desperate times.”
“Try and at least pretend like you’re happy with me.”
We reached drama and headed inside the large auditorium.
“I don’t think I have much of a choice,” I told him, disgruntled. “Unless I want everyone to know that my life is turning into an after school special gone awry.”
Devilyn actually laughed. He led me up the steps and we sat down.
My heart almost fell straight through the floor when he leaned over to whisper in my ear. “You always have a choice.”
His sexy voice almost had me jumping out of my seat. I looked over at his gorgeous face and had to stop myself from leaning in for a kiss. His eyes were dark with longing, making me feel like the most desirable woman in the world.
“You need to stop it,” I said to him shaking my head and myself back into reality.
“What?”
“You know what.” I leaned away from him forcing myself to look up at the front of the drama room.
A few minutes later, Tatiana and Rowan walked in the class joining Teddy who was already seated in front of us as I looked over at Devilyn curiously.
“They are here for extra support,” he told me. “You need it.”
“Isn’t Copeland going to think it’s strange that they’ve suddenly joined his class?”
“Odin took care of that.”
More magik.
“All right, class,” Mr. Copeland said as he walked up to the podium. “Let’s all get settled so we can begin today’s lecture.”
He did have a rather unsuspecting aura, which had probably made it easy for Puck to invade his body. It was unreal to think that it had happened so recently. And now here he was, back to normal, with no recollection of what happened to him. I shook the eerie feeling and opened my notebook as all the students quickly quieted down and waited for Mr. Copeland to speak.
“I’m going to dim the lights for a second,” he said, and when he did the projector came to life.
On the screen was an old black and white sketch of The Lost Colony. The name Eleanor Dare was written at the top and “where did they go?” at the bottom.
I looked over at Devilyn in alarm but he shook his head.
“I know you’re all familiar with the story of The Lost Colony, especially since most of you grew up here,” Mr. Copeland said. “How many of you have visited the Elizabethan Gardens?”
Most of the room raised their hands. The story of The Lost Colony and the Gardens was part of the Roanoke legacy. Everyone knew something about it.
“That’s what I thought,” he said with a smile. “For our Thanksgiving Day play this year, I’d like to put on a show about The Lost Colony with a supernatural twist.”
Again, I looked over at Devilyn but his eyes were glued on Copeland.
“I’ve spent some time writing this play,” Mr. Copeland said as he grabbed a stack of folders and handed them to students in the front row so they could pass them back.
Papers shuffled as everyone began sifting through.
“It’s my version,” he said. “Well, it’s my supernatural take on it. I thought we could really do it up and showcase it for the school play.”
Teddy turned and handed both Devilyn and me the binders. Even he looked surprised.
I flipped the pages open to find a picture of the great tree on Roanoke Island with the letters C R O etched into the bark. Everyone had always believed that the Croatan Indians were the ones who had caused such destruction and mayhem in the village. Killing the men, setting fire to all they had built and even taking the white women with them as slaves. Legend had it that CRO stood for Croatan, marking their territory, letting the world know that they had conquered the mighty English. But for whatever reason they had been unable to finish writing the name of their tribe, leaving unanswered questions behind.
“The tale most of you know is that the Croatan Indian tribe played a role in the events,” Mr. Copeland said. “But that’s not the story we’re going to tell. Turn to page three.”
The whole class did as instructed, some looking up at him in confusion, and others looking down at the paper.
My heart lodged in my throat.
It was a full page about the Tuatha de Danann and a sketch of a beautiful Fae that looked suspiciously like Alderon used to. There were three paragraphs that described the race of Fae and most of it was eerily accurate.
Devilyn’s face was pale as he read over the brief history, one that he knew better than anyone.
I wondered what was going on in his head.
“This is actually the story of star-crossed lovers. A beautiful human girl, and the Fae who fell in love with her. It’s romantic. Tragic. It has exciting magical elements, and I think you’ll all find my version of the story has more of a fun twist.”
Was this Puck’s work?
It had to be.
I looked over at Devilyn as the blood slowly left my face. My safety, the safety of those around me was imaginary. Puck and his cronies could infiltrate every moment of my life, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
“It’s going to be okay,” Devilyn whispered, taking my hand in his and squeezing it gently.
“Yo
ur assignment tonight is to read the play,” Mr. Copeland said. “And tomorrow morning, I’ll have a list posted outside the door of who’s playing what character.”
“Yes, Jordana?” Mr. Copeland asked after she raised her hand.
“Don’t we get to audition for the part we want?” she asked in a whiny voice.
“Not this time,” he shook his head. “I’ve seen all of your work and know what each and everyone of you is capable of and I’ve already made most of the decisions.”
My stomach sank in dread. There had to be magik involved here, so I knew I was guaranteed a starring role.
“Any questions?” Mr. Copeland asked.
No one raised a hand.
“Great,” he said as he hit a button on the projector. “Since we’re going to be up and running tomorrow, I thought we’d take it easy today and watch The Kid Stays in the Picture. You’ll learn about the movie making process, and I think you’ll all enjoy this.”
The movie started playing and Rowan and Tatiana turned around to look at Devilyn and me.
“What are we going to do?” Tatiana whispered.
“This is clearly your father’s doing,” Rowan said to Devilyn.
I felt him tense up.
“Alderon is not his father,” I said, finding myself strangely defending Devilyn. “Odin is. And we’re not doing anything. It’s all got to come to a head sometime. We might as well walk into it with open eyes.”
“Do you know what you’re saying?” Rowan asked in surprise.
“This is the endgame,” I told him. “My endgame.”
D
Hearing Caroline utter those words pierced my heart. Before I could convince her that what she was thinking was insane, that I would never let anything happen to her, Copeland told us to quiet down. All I could do was stare back.
In frustration.
And anger.
As fear rose inside of me.
The rest of drama class was pure torture. And for more reasons than one. First, I wondered what Alderon and Puck were up to with this new game. It had them written all over it.
Second, I wanted to shake some sense into Caroline. Didn’t she know as well as I that this would put her life in more danger? Endgame? Did she not understand the danger she was in? This was no longer some retribution—a life was on the line. Her life.
Third, I wanted to bash Rowan’s smug face in. When he had gathered Caroline in his arms earlier it had taken all of my willpower not to throw him across the parking lot. And now, with his reference to Alderon, nothing would make me happier than giving him a good punch in the face. Football practice couldn’t come fast enough.
I waited patiently, or at least my version of patiently, for drama to be finished. It was an endless hour of agony. A tsunami of emotions ran through my mind. I hadn’t been prepared at the Halloween party because I thought that my people would abide by our rules. But since all of those rules were out the window, I knew I had to be on guard at all times. And I had tricks of my own up my sleeve. My father wasn’t the only one who had darkness running through his veins.
My only consolation came from taking advantage of my time with Caroline. Even though we were only pretending to be a couple, it still meant we could be near each other. I planned on milking it. And using that to my benefit as much as I could. I knew it wasn’t fair to her.
But life wasn’t fair to me either. And quite frankly, I just wanted to touch her as much as I could. I wanted to be near her, smell the strawberry scent of her hair, touch her silky skin. Even though I knew she was frustrated and angry with me. If I thought she didn’t want to touch me back, I would stay away, but I knew she wasn’t immune to me. Her body physically reacted to my presence, and that gave me tremendous satisfaction.
It was the only silver lining I had in this dark time.
The bell rang and as soon as Caroline was finished collecting her items, I took hold of her hand, smiling to myself as I did it.
“We need to talk,” Rowan said.
“Not here,” I said, looking down at Mr. Copeland.
He nodded as we walked out of the classroom, passing Mr. Copeland. I knew Puck couldn’t take over his body again. Rowan had made sure of that, and Odin had even placed a magical barrier on the school, Caroline’s teachers and friends, and anyone that she interacted with. The barrier didn’t protect them from Dark Fae infiltration, but it warned us. We would know if someone was compromised.
We made our way outside. The cool air felt refreshing.
“Are you warm enough?” I asked Caroline in concern. She held her black hoodie close around her.
“I’m fine,” she said as she pulled her hand out of mine. “No one is out here, so we don’t have to pretend.”
I conceded, feeling the cold hit my hand as soon as she let go. Whoever said that love was easy clearly wasn’t living the same mess I had been.
Shaking off the irritated feeling I turned to the group. “Follow me. I know a place where we can talk in private.”
We walked out to the track field, which was thankfully empty, and once we were in the very center, my eyes lit up and I drew a circle of blue energy around everyone. No one would see or hear us now.
“What is this new game?” Rowan asked me.
“Why are you asking my brother that silly question?” Tatiana said, jumping to my defense. “Are you implying something?”
Her eyes were fierce when she stared at Rowan. It actually made me smile.
“I’m simply asking a question,” Rowan replied evenly. “He’s their King. He should know exactly what’s going on.”
“I don’t like the insinuation,” she told him.
“I don’t give a damn if you like it or not,” he said as he took a step toward her. “This is about my queen and her protection.”
My queen?
“Careful,” I warned him.
“That’s enough,” Caroline said as she stepped between us.
Tatiana and I stared at Rowan in fury as Teddy sat back and enjoyed the show. It was instinctual for us to hate everything about Rowan, more so for my sister since she didn’t have the Light running through her veins. I knew it must have been a constant battle for her to fight the urge to attack him. But she was strong. And it showed, now more than ever.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay in this town,” Rowan said to Caroline. “You’ll be much safer in the Light Kingdom. You’re far too exposed out here.”
“What would I do there, Rowan? Live as a prisoner forever?” Caroline asked him.
“It won’t be a prison,” Rowan said.
“It will for me,” she replied. “I want my freedom. I want the freedom to come and go as I please. Alone. I don’t want to look over my shoulder anymore. I don’t want to be told what to do. I just want it to be over with. To face whatever I’m meant to face and end this.”
“At what cost?” I asked her harshly.
“The cost of freedom is expensive, Devilyn. We all know that,” she continued. “I can’t live like this anymore. I want my life back. Even if that life is only for a day or a week. I want to be able to go for my runs without thinking about what’s waiting for me outside. I want to have dinner with my family. And I just want to be in school like a normal teenager.”
“But you’re not a normal teenager,” Tatiana said.
Caroline closed her eyes against us.
“Caroline,” Teddy said. “They’re right. You’re not normal anymore, not that you ever were, but you know what I’m saying.”
I actually smiled.
“I’ve made up my mind,” she said. “We need to take this path and see where it leads us. I really feel it in my soul. And if you don’t want to join me down it, then I will go alone.”
“You could die, Caroline,” Rowan finally said after a long silence.
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.
All of us, Teddy, Rowan, Tatiana, and me, watched her as she confidently met each of our gazes.
&
nbsp; “That’s possible. But that’s true for everyone. At any time. For any reason. Besides, Devilyn has made it clear that they have nothing to fear from me. Devilyn and I will never be joined together. So if they attack me, it will be for nothing.”
“It’s not a question of if. They will attack. Whatever Devilyn said to appease them isn’t going to matter. We saw that in Copeland’s class. They won't rest until they’re sure you’ll never be a threat to them,” Rowan warned. “I’ll support you in whatever you choose to do, but you need to be prepared.”
“My powers are coming to me slowly. It’s almost innate. But training and learning what you all know will be a big help.”
Rowan turned to me.
“I am at your disposal,” he said. “We can train day and night.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I answered, annoyed that he would even suggest it. “She’s not training with you.”
“You think she should train with you?” Rowan lashed out. “You forget that you’re not only part of the problem. You are the problem. I think it’s obvious to everyone that she has to protect herself from you.”
I felt the air leave my lungs. It was devastating to hear. But he was right.
“That’s ridiculous.” Tatiana’s blue eyes flashed at Rowan in outrage coming to my aid again. “My brother has done nothing but protect her. If he hadn’t gone back into the forest alone she probably wouldn’t even be here right now.”
Even as she said the words I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. She knew the truth as well as I did.
Caroline had stayed surprisingly silent. I thought she’d jump at the opportunity to be away from me and with Rowan. I couldn’t bear to look at her. Too afraid of what I would see in her eyes.
“No.” My voice was raw as I fought with the words leaving my mouth. “Rowan is right.”
“Devilyn, you can’t possibly be serious,” Tatiana scoffed. “As if you would ever hurt her? Or anyone, for that matter?”
“This isn’t a game. There is a prophecy,” I reminded her. “I want her to be as well-protected as possible.”
I met Caroline’s gaze.