Sapphires and Desires (The Gem Fairy Series Book 1)

by Tarisa Marie

  “Lay?” A child’s voice calls and my heart jumps. It’s my step daughter Mary.

  “Mary?!” I ask and rush over to the door.

  A grin spreads across the little girls face when she sees me and she rushes into my arms.

  “When daddy told me that you were back I ran here as fast as I could. SO fast that I lost one of my shoes!” She exclaims and I look down at her feet. Sure enough she only one sports a tiny black shoe.

  “Here you go.” I say and use my magic to glamour her a new one. She laughs excitedly and kisses my cheek.

  “Where were you gone to? Daddy told me that you got sick of him and left! But I knew that you wouldn’t leave me forever…or him! I knew that it was lie!” She says kicking her feet and swinging her arms in exaggeration.

  “I was…doing business for the Courts.” I lie and she rests her head on my chest, crushing her dark curls.

  “Don’t ever leave for that long again, okay mom?” She asks and I think I feel dampness on my chest, is she crying? Did she just call me mom? She’s always called me Lay.

  “I won’t, dear,” I soothe her, rubbing her back.

  She’s quiet for a moment and then I hear her giggle. “Do you want to meet my new pet Lacey?” She asks and squirms from my embrace.

  “Sure.”

  She grabs my hand and leads me from my room, down the hall, and out to the barn.

  “Lacey is a dragon.” She announces as she opens the door.

  My eyes widen in surprise. “Your father bought you a dragon?”

  “Just a small one! Don’t worry, he won’t bite!” She assures me and walks over to a small grey creature about the size of a cat lying on the floor.

  “Lacey, wake up. This is my mom, Laytah. She wants to meet you.” The five year old chimes.

  The dragon lifts its head and stares at me. Mary reaches into her dress pocket and pulls out a small brown chunk of something. She tosses it to the dragon and it jumps up to catch it with its mouth. She laughs at it as if it’s the funniest thing she’s ever seen.

  “I stole that from the kitchen for you, Lacey.” She says softly, petting the small creatures head.

  “Mary?” I ask her gently.

  “Yes?” She answers while sitting down next to her pet.

  “Do you get sad that you’ll never grow up?” I ask her remembering Blahyne’s words from a few days ago.

  The little girl shrugs. “I only get sad because all my friends grow up and don’t want to play with me anymore because I’m a kid. Did my dad tell you that?” She asks me.

  “No why would you think that?” I wonder.

  “Because…I know that wishes I never turned fae. He’s sad that I won’t ever grow up.” She states blankly, no expression on her face.

  “I think he just wants you to be happy.” I tell her truthfully.

  “You can tell him that I am happy. If I wasn’t fae then I would be dead and I wouldn’t even know you or Lacey or I wouldn’t have even ever lived in a castle or be’ed a princess. I never would’ve even got to try bugle berries or even went to school or had friends. You tell him that okay? If he seems sad about me, you tell him that.” She says, concerned.

  I nod. “Okay, Mary. I will, I promise.”

  Chapter 9

  It’s not long before the Dalyas return with their owners. They report that Geoff is still in Michigan, in an abandoned house, in the basement, and most importantly, alone. As soon as I get the news, Blahyne and I take off to Michigan where we find him exactly where he was reported to be. I was afraid that by the time that the Dalyas returned to Andaglon and we snapped ourselves to Michigan, he’d be gone.

  When we get there we have to glamour ourselves in case it’s true that he’s no longer human and the wards in the human world no longer work to disguise our appearance. We don’t want to scare him. As we enter the house and head down into the basement my nerves get to my head and I find myself shaking.

  “Geoff?” I ask quietly, knowing that if it’s true he’s fae, he’ll be able to hear me.

  I watch as something moves out of the corner of my eye and runs around an old hot water heater. I roll my eyes and approach the object quietly. If he is a vampire, he could be very strong, and inhumane, blood crazy, as all new born vampires are for the first year or so.

  “Laytah?” A raspy voice asks from behind the water heater.

  “Yes, Geoff?” I ask.

  “What’re you doing? How did you find me? Get out of here.” He calls.

  “I just want to talk.” I tell him truthfully.

  The stench of rot fills my nose as I finally realize that there is in fact a dead person in the room somewhere and I have no doubt that he is in fact a vampire. Why else would he be in an abandoned house with a dead person.

  “Don’t come closer. I don’t want to hurt you like I hurt my mom.” He warns carefully.

  “You can’t hurt me,” I say truthfully and take a step closer.

  He’s quiet but I can hear his footsteps as he tries to sneak away.

  “Where the hell are you going?” I ask him incredulously.

  “How...how did you know I was moving? You can hear that?” He asks shocked.

  I laugh.

  “Yes.”

  He jumps outs from behind a wall and rushes towards the stairs where Blahyne awaits. The look of surprise on Geoff’s face is priceless as he realizes that I didn’t come alone. Blahyne grabs him with a single hand and pins him to a wall smashing the drywall. I am now able to see how Geoff’ features have changed slightly, his skin is pale, his eyes sunken into their sockets and he’s lost weight. Not that he was fat before by any means but now he’s so skinny that his face looks sunken in. His cheek bones poke out from under his skin.

  “Put him down, Blahyne.” I demand annoyed.

  Blahyne snorts out a laugh. “I’m going to let go of you, don’t run,” Blahyne instructs and let’s go of him.

  “What the he-“ Geoff starts but Blahyne cuts him off.

  “What the hell are you doing, kid? How many people have you killed? How long has this been going on?”

  Geoff hesitates and ignores him, staring at me.

  “Who is this guy?” He asks nervously.

  “This is Blahyne. He’s a uh…friend of mine.” I tell him truthfully. Geoff struggles and tries to escape up the stairs but Blahyne sighs and grabs him with a single hand throwing him into the wall again and smashing it further.

  Geoff’s eyes fill with shock as realization sets in and he finally figures out that Blahyne, like him, is not human.

  “Geoff.” I warn bluntly and approach the two men. “He won’t hurt you if you don’t try and get away.”

  Geoff considers and apparently decides that Blahyne is quite obviously stronger than him. “Kill me. Kill me now.” He begs. “I’ve tried so many times, nothing works.”

  “Geoff!” I scold loudly and shatter the space between us.

  “I’m in pain. I’ve killed people. I killed my own mother. The police are looking for me.” He rants quickly in explanation. And there it is, it’s true then, he killed my aunt. Guilt sets in as realization hits me like train. It’s my fault. If I were never in his life, like I never should have been then this wouldn’t have ever happened. He would be a normal kid, going to school, getting good grades, maybe have a girlfriend and he’d be happy. I didn’t cause this directly, but it’s still my fault. I also blame Damon who obviously knew that Geoff was in transition and lied to me saying he was okay. My rage towards Damon builds with this fact and I struggle to control it. By telling me the truth we could’ve saved my aunt’s life as well as any other people that Geoff killed. I pray that Geoff didn’t manage to pass on his vampiric traits to any of his victims.

  “We can help.” I inform him.

  He scoffs, “I doubt it.”

  Then Blahyne, also a vampire, flashes Geoff a smile that I know contains the fang infested grin of a vampire. Geoff stares at him in utter shock and sucks in a breath.

&n
bsp; “You…” Geoff trails off and his muscles relax.

  “Laytah, you’re not..?” He asks worriedly wondering if I am like him and Blahyne.

  I shake my head.

  He let’s go of his breath and stumbles for words. I speak instead.

  “We have a lot to tell you. Will you come with us?” I ask him hopefully.

  When he nods, I don’t hesitate long enough for him to change his mind. I pop us back to Andaglon, and directly into the Opal Court’s Kingdom, glad that since I am technically queen of this Kingdom, that the ward don’t stop me from popping right into it and making me walk through the Amber Evers for an entire day with a starving vampire and an awfully chatty husband.

  When we appear within the Kingdoms walls Geoff gasps in shock and cusses with surprise. I try to remember the shock that I’d felt only weeks ago when I’d arrived in Andaglon without my memories. I understand how overwhelming it is but now that I have my memories back it just seems like home to me.

  “Where the hell are we and how did you do that?” Geoff says shocked but not nearly as shocked as I was by the same thing. Probably because he’s quite obviously already aware that something screwed up is going on. I’m not sure if he knows what he is, I mean surely he’s come to the conclusion, how could you not? But I’m not sure if he knows about the fae, or if he has had to figure things out all on his own. I wonder if he went back to that club for answers, if he found out what really happened that night. I think back to the other men that were in that dark room with him that night now knowing that they too are probably now bloodthirsty creatures, roaming the streets of Michigan, murdering people.

  “We are in Andaglon,” I say giving no details. “Sit down.”

  Geoff takes in his surroundings with wide eyes but listens to me obviously curious about what I have to say.

  I take a couple hours and explain to him everything from the beginning. Why I really went missing when he’d thought I’d died in the car accident, I tell him who I really am, what I really am, I tell him about the night that we found him and I tell him about Damon, I tell him about Blahyne and my uncle. I highlight everything for him and then I leave the room so that Blahyne can talk to Geoff alone and answer any questions he has about what happened to him that night at the club and get him set up with a mentor that can help him learn the ropes of his new life.

  I wait outside of the room for what seems far too long as I wait for them to exit and finish their conversation. My mind is clouded with guilt over my aunt’s death as well as over however many others he killed.

  It seems like forever before they finally emerge from the room. To my surprise Geoff is smirking wildly as he approaches me.

  “I knew there was something going on with you,” he states and rustles my hair playfully. “You were acting god damn strange. Well you’re usually pretty weird but you crossed a line.”

  I laugh sadly. I feel bad for the young boy. What was he to do with his life now that his mother was dead? He had nowhere to go to and certainly he wouldn’t want to stay here with me, I remember how much I hated this place before I got my memory back.

  “Thanks for coming back for me. You didn’t have to do that.” He thanks me and nods to Blahyne as well in appreciation.

  “Yes, I did. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened.” I tell him. “After everything you’re still my cousin.” I say with a smile, so that he doesn’t think I’m about to just move on with my life now that I have a life to go back to that is not the one that involves him.

  “It’s not your fault. If I’m going to blame anyone I’m going to blame myself. I should’ve listened to that Damon guy when he said to leave that girl alone. Even if he is a dick, he kind of warned me.” He admits.

  “If it wasn’t for my messed up family issues this never would’ve happened.” I argue.

  “Yeah but then I never would’ve met you. You wouldn’t have been my best friend, sister, or cousin growing up. I wouldn’t even know you.” He continues and follows Blahyne down the hall.

  “Where are you two going?” I ask them, confused.

  Blahyne turns around to face me, grinning from ear to ear and say, “To find something to snack on before this guy eats my hired men.”

  I cringe and wave them off before going up to my room for a nice hot bath.

  Later that afternoon I’m in the courtyard with one of Blahyne’s trainers brushing up on my sword handling skills when Blahyne finds me.

  “Whatcha doing?” He asks casually.

  “Practicing so I can stab a certain uncle of mine in the back.” I say truthfully.

  “Ah, a little rusty are we?” He teases and takes the sword from Edward, the trainer. “Let me help.”

  “Alright, bring it!” I taunt and swing my sword at him.

  He laughs and pins me against the castle wall. “You’re dead,’ he says grimly. “I think rusty is an understatement.”

  “I’m just getting warmed up,” I argue and push him off of me.

  “Ah…right…” he says, not believing me.

  I swing at him but he’s faster than me and pins me again, sword across my throat.

  “Ow!” I scold him.

  “You are rusty. I bet Mary could beat you.” He says with a smirk.

  “Oh shush!” I push him off of me and get tensed to start again. “Maybe you just got faster.”

  He laughs. “I did, thanks for noticing. It’s been a while since you’ve been around you know.”

  I suddenly remember a trick that Geoff used to pull on me when we had wrestling matches in the living room growing up. I send my foot back behind Blahyne’s, causing him to back up and trip over my foot. He hurls to the ground with a chuckle and just as I’m about to end the play with my sword at his gut, he kicks my knee in and sends my flying backwards, and then he’s on top of me.

  “You’re going to need a lot more practice if you’re going to send your uncle into the dirt.”

  “Yeah. I know.” I say with a sigh, giving in.

  He returns the sword to the trainer and helps me up.

  “Where’s Geoff?” I ask him looking around.

  “Oh, I set him up with that little brat that’s been running around here taking care of the gardening. Thought I’d promote him and let him help Geoff out, they’re probably out causing mischief in the Kingdom somewhere. He turned young, like Geoff. I’m sure they’re getting along just fine. The kid was ecstatic when I took him off gardening.” He snorts with a laugh.

  “So who’s doing the gardening?” I ask him, wondering if he thought about that, you know men.

  “You know that Brownie that came with me to Lenaya’s? She somehow persuaded her sister Annabelle to come back with her. Annabelle is taking over the gardening.” He says with a shrug. “Also…Lenaya also has come to the Opal Court. I have set her up in the living quarters.”

  After hearing the truth Lenaya decided not to be so against the Opal Court. She knew that a war between the other four Courts was brewing and as old and frail as she is, she decided to settle down in the Opal Court. This was a slight surprise to me.

  “Do you think that they’ll involve our Court in the war?” I ask Blahyne suddenly.

  “No, I think the rest of Andaglon thinks this Court is a bunch of monsters. People who disobeyed rules and refused to follow them. They don’t care to invade our small Kingdom only to release its inhabitants back into the Kingdom to cause mischief. We’re more work than they consider worth. But in all honesty, this Court is made up of those who at some point in their lives, stood up for something they believed in. Any traitors of the four Courts are murdered not exiled. We are those who were caught for stealing bread from the Kingdom to feed our children or bothered to stand up for their family.” He explains. “No offence to your family’s Court but none of the Courts are very…democratic.”

  “I know exactly what you mean but I’m going to change that.” I tell him matter of factly.

  “How do you suppose you’re going to go about doing
that?” He ponders.

  I giggle. ”Well, firstly I’m going to spend the next week practicing my fencing skills. Then I’m going to go kill my uncle. Once Jadorn is gone, assuming I can kill him, then I will be queen of the Ruby Court and I will have to deal with that when it happens. Surely, by then there will be a new ruler of the Emerald that will be easily persuaded for peace, surely they do not like the way things are setup now, the Diamond Court has always wanted democracy, and as for the Sapphire, they, like us, are in a way, misfits, after Damon is out of there, we can probably persuade them too.” I explain to him vaguely.

  “How do you intend on getting rid of Damon?” He asks.

  “I don’t have a clue,” I murmur.

  “Want me to kill him?” He suggests and I can’t tell if he’s serious.

  “No,” I whisper. But I’m unsure, will it come to that? If it does, will I be able to kill the man that I once loved? A man that before he became power hungry, was one of the nicest men I knew? Power does strange things to people. There haven’t been many rulers that have not been corrupted over time after gaining power. Even my parents could hardly handle it while they were in rule. I hope to be the exception. I hope to make all the wrong that’s polluted this land, right.

  Blahyne wraps his arms around me in an embrace that I wish could last a lifetime knowing what’s coming in my future.

  The next week passes quickly as I spend most of my life outside practicing with a sword. This fight will be the hardest of my life. I will be fighting the only thing that can kill me with a silver blade that will only injure my opponent, not kill. I spend day in and day out outside and find myself unbelievably sore after not handling such activity in many, many years.

  One night Geoff comes out and practices with me and Blahyne. Blahyne shows him how to hold the sword, how to swing it, a few tricks and then sets him up with the trainer. If anyone is worse than me at handling a sword, it’s Geoff. Which is understandable because he’s never even picked one up before, whereas technically, I’ve been using one for many years. It feels nice to have my blade back at my side, ready whenever I need it.