“You’ve come to your senses, that’s what. Although stubbornness may be a quality some admire, I find your overabundance of it quite distasteful. You take an enormous amount of leading to reach the correct conclusions.”
“You know what I love? I love being manipulated! It makes me so happy and so willing to do whatever I’m being manipulated into!”
His mouth curved into a puzzled frown.
“It’s called sarcasm, you stupid faerie nitwit.” I picked up the nearest object, a froofy pillow with gold thread in intricate swirling patterns, and chucked it at his head. He stared at me, aghast, and I was pleased to see I’d managed to muss his perfect golden hair. “And I’m sick of being manipulated! Jack screwed with my life to try and make me do things, too, and remember what happened? I didn’t do it! So don’t think that you’re making me do anything. You’re not. I only do what I decide to.”
Reth stood, fury radiating off him as he walked around the couch to stand right in front of me. “Yes, you decide what to do, you silly little girl. It is your decision, it always has been. All I did was give you the information you didn’t trust others to merely tell you. You always have to see things for yourself, so I made sure you saw what needed to be seen.”
“Yeah, your detours in the Dark Court, brilliant. Fine. Whatever. But why haven’t you fixed Lend yet?”
“Because when you are happy, you don’t do anything! If you are content, the rest of the world and those who need you fall away into the background. And I for one knew that things needed to move. When you can’t have what you want, you become focused. I know you well.”
“You don’t know anything about me!”
“I know more about you than you understand about yourself! You’ll see when you’re made whole. That’s what this is all about. You cannot see how things will be when you’re changed, when you’re whole.”
“I don’t want to change!”
His slender hands curled into fists. “You don’t want to change? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through for you? Why do you think I keep coming back to that horrid, dirty, decaying world of yours? Because you changed me! It makes me sick to think of how I have shifted away from what I should be!”
I leaned back, terrified of the pure fury in his face.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and releasing all the tension from his facial muscles, returning them back to the mask of perfection. “But this is irrelevant. When I get back to where I am supposed to be, my connection to eternity will be restored and flawless. I will be restored. And you will be connected, too, and we have forever to—”
“Whoa, whoa, stop right there, psycho. I’m not coming with you.”
He got that infuriating smile, that one that all faeries have that says they know more than you ever will and you can’t even begin to function on the same plane as them but isn’t it cute that you think you have any right to consider yourself a rational creature. It was a condescending head pat in smile form.
“Evelyn,” he said, his golden voice trying to pull me in closer. “I love you. You’ll understand. You’ll want to come with me.”
“No.” I shook my head, trying to keep my voice even. “You don’t love me, Reth. You love this idea you have of what I should be. What I am now bugs the crap out of you.” He frowned, but I pressed on. “No, it’s true. You don’t like anything about me the way I am right now.”
“But that does not matter, because you aren’t what you should be. It is not your fault and merely temporary.”
“No. I am what I should be. I’m what I want to be. And I could never be with someone or love someone who didn’t love me and accept me for who I am now. Lend does that. He knows me, and he loves me how I am now, and he’ll keep loving me no matter how I might change. It’s not conditional on my becoming anything else.” It took me a while to figure it out, and I nearly lost him because of it, but I knew that now. And I knew that what I had with Lend was worth more than anything else I had in the world. Or could possibly have in another one.
“But you changed me. I changed because of you. I could feel you, worming your way into my heart and soul, shifting things. You’ve no idea how aggravating it is to have to adapt to new feelings and thoughts. But of course you have no idea, changeable and temporary as you are. You cannot understand what you could be, what you should be. Your mind cannot even begin to wrap around it. When you understand, you will know, and you will choose to be with me. It won’t even be a choice. It is what will be because it must be. It will be who you are.”
I put my hand against his chest where I could see the quivering, still dimming brightness of his soul, rested it there. Something was different about his heart, too. It used to beat so slow, so very, very slow, but now it was racing, a rabbit heart, faster even than mine. I used my hand to push myself back a step. “You’re wrong.”
“I am never wrong.”
“See, there you go, wrong again. Now, are you going to take me home and fix my boyfriend, or am I going to have to suck out your soul?”
He reached up and wrapped his hand around mine. “I know from experience you refuse to let in my soul. But, yes, I will fulfill the fourth condition to bind you in this contract.”
He opened a door and we walked into the Paths. His steps were tentative. I thought going to the Faerie Realms would help him, but it seemed like he was getting worse. The darkness seemed more oppressive than usual, so I tried to think of other things. Things I had to look forward to. Lend. Sleeping Lend. Reth fixing sleeping Lend, because…why could Reth do it? Oh, of course.
“You are going to be in so much trouble when Cresseda finds out you were the one behind the curse. It was you, wasn’t it? When you leaned down and touched his head after we got back—I can’t believe I didn’t put it together. You did the same thing to the werewolf in the Center.”
Reth had the nerve to laugh, the silver bell sound disappearing into the void around us. “Fortunately for me you have never excelled at observation.”
“Yeah? Observe this.” I snaked my foot out in front of his and caught it around his ankle. He stumbled and nearly fell, and I cackled with laughter. Sure, it was immature, but when trying to get revenge on faeries you couldn’t kill, the little things made all the difference.
“I do not understand you,” Reth said, his voice edged with annoyance as he straightened.
“Yup. Exactly. And you never will. And if you don’t fix my boyfriend the second we get to his house, I’m having Cresseda freeze you to the ground and then I’m coming after you with an iron pipe. I’ll bet anything you understand that.”
“Really, Evelyn.”
“No, really, Reth. But why’d you do it? I never could have gotten him back without you, and then you go and curse him.” I kept trying to be angry with him for doing this to us, but the fact remained that without Reth’s help Lend would still be in the clutches of the Dark Queen. I could hold the last couple days of stress and agony against him, but knowing that there was a fix—a ridiculously easy fix—made me feel so light I wanted to laugh.
“In spite of what you may think, I am not cruel. I knew that his death would destroy you. And you would be absolutely useless while he was still missing. So I helped you get him, and then I made sure you would be motivated to continue realizing the things you need to do.”
We walked in silence for a while until he formed the door and we stepped back out into the Virginia winter sunrise, halfway between the pond and the house.
“Are you quite sure you want me to stop the glamour? It has been rather peaceful without him around,” Reth said, wistfully.
“Oh, I’m sure.” We walked toward the house. I knew I should yell at him more, but in just a few minutes I’d have Lend to myself, awake, and I half skipped toward the house. I glanced sideways at Reth, whose quick, shallow breaths were fogging out in front of him. “You probably thought that curse was the cleverest thing ever, didn’t you?”
His lips turned down as he tried not to smile.
“It was one of my better moments.” I saw lights ahead of us past the trees, and for a moment I thought I was seeing souls in a whole new freaky way until I realized they were, in fact, red and blue and flashing. Police lights. Lots and lots of police lights.
YOU’D THINK THEY’D NEVER SEEN AN INVISIBLE BOY BEFORE
What the crap?” I hurried toward the flashing police lights, but Reth put a hand on my arm to slow me.
“Perhaps, for once, it would be best to evaluate the situation before charging in. This particular type of human carries weapons slightly more lethal than your beloved pink monstrosity.”
“Why would the police be here though? Something must be wrong.”
Reth looked exasperated. “When is something ever not wrong in your life?”
I frowned. “That’s my line.”
I heard someone yelling; it only took seconds to realize it was Arianna, reaming into someone with a profanity-laced tirade. I shook off Reth and ran, cutting away from the path in a straight line and breaking out of the trees onto the long driveway. Several police cars were jammed there, completely blocking the place. A SWAT truck, too, which ruled out someone having had an accident. Not that that would have been preferable, but…
Well, yeah, maybe it would.
I ran around the cars, then skidded to a stop. Jack was sitting on the ground in front of me and to the side of the cars, his arms behind him.
“What’s going on?”
He looked up at me, a scowl marring his cherubic features. “Bloody handcuffs—made of steel, which has too much iron, which means I can’t go anywhere.”
“Well, yes, clearly, but what’s going on?”
“Search me. Oh wait, they already did. You know, I take back everything I said about you being my only friend. I don’t like you at all. No amount of fun makes up for all the pain and annoyance you introduce into my life.”
“Right back at ’cha,” I muttered, walking past him. I wished I had Tasey, but then again, being armed right now was probably a bad idea. I wondered why no one was watching Jack, but that was quickly answered when I walked past the corner of the unattached garage and had a view of the wraparound porch. Arianna stood there, continuing her verbal abuse, surrounded by a dozen uniformed men.
I shouldn’t have found the sight amusing, but she had all of them fighting with one another. Clearly her vampire powers of compelling people were in full force, but since she could only push someone in a direction they were inclined to go anyway, the only police she could affect were those that felt some sympathy for her. Those ones were passionately arguing with the others to leave Arianna the creatively-cuss-laden-adjectives alone.
The unaffected ones, however, were utterly confused by their companions’ attitudes and were pushing back. Scanning how many firearms were holstered—or in some cases already in hand—I realized this situation could get out of control very, very quickly.
I stood behind the group, unnoticed, and waved my arms to attract Arianna’s attention. Her eyes widened. She quickly and furiously shook her head, then jerked her chin to motion for me to leave.
Even more confused than before, I started backing up. I’d go around and get in through the kitchen; David and Raquel had to know what was going on. Unfortunately for all of us, that was when Lend came out the front door, immediately collapsed with a thunk that made me cringe, and—perfect—went completely transparent.
The police officers stopped fighting, every eye glued on my boyfriend, now essentially invisible other than his T-shirt and flannel pajama pants.
“Okay,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “No. This is unacceptable. I don’t care what the bleep is going on, we’re going to get it settled immediately or I swear I will give you all to the Dark Queen and let her feed on your dreams for the rest of eternity.”
Every head turned my direction, their faces a portrait of shock and disbelief.
“What, you’ve never seen a boy made of water before? Yawn. Go down to the pond—it’ll really blow your mind.”
One close to the front—a barrel-chested, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a thick mustache—shook his head as though trying to clear it. “Are you Evelyn Green?”
“Sort of. Mostly. I mean, legally. Again, sort of.”
He tried to look at me, but his eyes kept drifting back to Lend. “You’re under—We’re here to—Could you please come with us?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I couldn’t. You’re last place in a very long line of people who want me right now. Besides, I haven’t done anything.”
“Actually,” said a painfully tall and thin officer with a voice that struggled between tenor and bass but really sounded like a dog with something caught in its throat, “you’re wanted for terrorism.” He shrugged apologetically. “We’re supposed to take you into NSA headquarters.”
“I think you have the wrong acronym there,” I said. This had Anne-Whatever Whatever written all over it. No doubt she couldn’t break the barriers that the Seelie faeries and all the elementals had set up here after IPCA snatched me, so now she was sending human cronies in to do her dirty work.
The vast majority of the officers hadn’t even looked up from Lend, their eyes glued as their brains tried to process something they simply couldn’t accept as real.
“Look, guys, I know you mean well and you’re doing your job, but it’d be better for everyone if you all got back in your cars and drove away. Pretend like this never happened. I promise I’m not going to blow anything up and the most un-American thing I’ve ever done is root for South Korea in speed skating during the Olympics. This whole thing falls so far out of your jurisdiction it’s not even funny.” I pictured the officers cuffing Reth and reading him his rights, then trying to detain Cresseda. “Okay, it’s a little funny. But seriously. As far as you’re all concerned, I’m just a teen girl who is really far behind on planning for the dance decorating committee. And also dating an invisible boy.”
“Orders are orders,” the mustachioed man said gruffly, elbowing the men around him and startling them out of their paranormal-induced stupor. “We’re taking you in.” He walked down the steps.
I sighed. “Don’t make me call the dragon.”
He laughed, and so did most of the others, but a few looked back at Lend and the blood drained from their faces.
“Look, kid, I’m with you. I think this is all a mistake, maybe even a clerical error. We’ll figure it out at the station.”
Arianna swore, stamping her foot. “That’s it!” She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill, earsplitting whistle. A rush of wind engulfed us as the dragon in all its serpentine glory snaked out of the trees, settling onto the ground and rearing up to stare down at all of us.
I thought I’d learn a few new words, but the men were too shocked to even swear this time. The tall, skinny officer raised both hands, the gun in them trembling so badly he could barely hold it up. Arianna set her hand on his arm, making him look her in the eyes.
“Put it down,” she said, her voice soft. He did as she said.
“Well, what are we going to do with them now?” I looked to Arianna for help.
“Allow me to handle this, Evie,” Raquel said, hurrying out of the trees with David.
“Sorry,” Arianna said. “Thought I could take care of it on my own.”
“Don’t worry about it.” David smiled kindly at her.
“If I can have all your attention.” Raquel’s voice was all business. “You will please come with me, and I will answer your questions and issue new instructions.” I didn’t think the officers would listen to her, but I guess when you’re staring at a dragon, anyone who sounds like they’re calm and collected is the person to follow. “Arianna, care to assist?”
She nodded, slouching off the steps and following Raquel to the group of cars. Not taking their eyes off the dragon, who merely stood regarding them with half-lidded eyes, they all followed, tripping down the stairs and bumping into one another in their eagerness
to leave.
I sat on the porch floor, pulling Lend’s head into my lap and hoping he wouldn’t be bruised from that fall. “Reth!” I shouted. “Reth!” Where was that blasted faerie?
After a few minutes Jack walked over, rubbing at his wrists with a sour look on his face as he casually dodged around the sentinel dragon. “I always forget how little sense of humor police officers have. Shame, really, considering how much fun they could have with their jobs.”
“I’d kill for a siren and lights. Or, you know, a car and a license.”
Jack sat on the steps, leaning back on his elbows. “That was a little more excitement than I usually like at dawn.” He shifted a few times, all awkward, pent-up nervousness. “Evie?”
“Jack?”
“What are you going to do? I mean, with all this.”
I looked out at the winterscape, absently playing with Lend’s clear hair. “I’m going to try to fix it, if I can. I’m going to open a gate and send all the faeries and paranormals back where they came from.”
He was quiet for a long time. I didn’t ask what he was thinking; I knew how much pain he harbored, how much hate seethed inside for the faeries that stole his life away. He’d wanted me to send them to hell, and instead I was giving them—well, most of them, anyway—exactly what they wanted.
“I guess,” he said, finally, “that’s okay, then. Gone is gone, right?”
“Right.” I smiled sadly at him. “No more faeries.”
“But it makes me wonder—without faeries, what happens to those of us who depend on the Faerie Realms for our food? And what about all those new people the Unseelies have taken? Will they even be able to take care of themselves without the faeries there?”
I bit my lip, thinking. There were a lot of logistical problems. I was more worried about actually being able to make the dang gate in the first place, but other things needed considering. I shrugged. “I know this guy. He’s a total idiot, but he’s also kind of smart sometimes, and he figured out how to make faerie doors and use the Paths. Which means that he can go back and forth whenever he wants, and take anyone else back and forth. I used to think he was worthless, but, I dunno, he’s kind of grown on me. I think he’s up for being responsible to a whole lot of innocent people who’ll need his help.”
Endlessly (Paranormalcy) Page 17