Wayward: St. Croix Falls Book 1

by Melody Personette

  Rhett grimaced. “I’m sorry Mia but… we did it together. We thought we were doing what was right.”

  Tears stung Mia’s eyes and she shook her head. Why did what he said make sense to her? She hated that she believed him. Hated that he had robbed her of even the choice of denying the truth. And yet what slipped out of her mouth had nothing to do with the barrier and the truth. Her mind went straight to the one person she had trusted her whole life above all others. “How could my mother do this? She’s been lying to me for ten years? Why?”

  “She was protecting you. Your mother knew this was the best way to keep you safe. She made sure you were happy. That you had a good life.”

  “An oblivious life! A life that’s a lie,” Mia shouted, flinching away from him.

  Rhett grimaced and let his hand drop to his sides. He didn’t try to move any closer to her.

  “How could… how could you let this happen to me? If you really had loved me, you wouldn’t have done this.”

  Rhett’s whole face crumbled, filling with pain. “Mia please.”

  Mia shook her head. “No. Just… just stay away from me.”

  He tried to reach for her, but Mia spun on her heels and ran. She ran and ran and didn’t stop. Not even when she burst out into the evening Summer air and kept going past the parking lot and into the woods. Mia didn’t stop even when she could no longer hear Rhett pursuing her. Tears streamed down her face and she kept running until she was all out of breath and her legs burned from the strain.

  Only then did she slow to a stop and lean against a tree, sobbing. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be… she couldn’t be one of them. Not even half of one of them. But she had never known her father and she knew, deep down she knew Rhett was telling the truth no matter how much she wanted it to be a lie.

  A crack of a twig sounded behind her and Mia spun around, hands clenched at her sides. “Rhett, leave me alone!” she screamed. Did he not get that she was furious with him? She’d thought… thought she loved him, and he had lied to her. Sent her away and had her memories wiped clean. And ever since getting there, he’d lied to her. So had Angie and Kai. The joke was on her.

  But when she turned, she didn’t find Rhett. She found someone that made horror curl in her stomach. Her stalker. “You,” she gasped.

  He grinned, prowling toward her. “Me. Having a bad night?” he asked, cocking his head and puckering his lips in fake pity.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Mia spun around to run. She screamed when two hands latched onto her arms. Another Fae had come up behind her. He leered at her. “Gotcha little Amelia.”

  “It’s been a long time coming,” Stalker whispered in her ear as he came up behind her.

  Mia shivered in fear and disgust. “What do you want with me? Why have you been following me this whole time?”

  “Ah yes,” he said, smirking at her. “I forgot. Your prince wiped your memory. I suppose he was trying to save you from painful memories. Too bad he didn’t hide you well enough. It took us a long time and a whole lot of sacrifices, but we finally found you. Now we’re taking you back to the courts. Joelin?” He jerked his chin toward the woods and started walking. His accomplice – Joelin – kept hold of her arm and yanked her forward.

  Mia screamed, trying to fight him off. He grinned. “You can scream all you want but no one is going to hear you.”

  “You ran a long way,” Stalker said, smirking at her over his shoulder. “Thanks for that by the way. Makes life easier for me.”

  “You – you can’t take me back to the courts,” Mia said desperately. “The portal doesn’t work.”

  “Ah, you’re right,” Stalker said, turning around so he was walking backward. He spread his arms out wide. “People can’t come in, but they can leave. How do you think Joelin, and I left Faerie, got through the barrier and searched the city for you? It took a whole lot of magic and power, but we managed to pry it open long enough to sneak through. We risked the chance of never seeing our home and families again to get to you, and since you are the one who closed the portal, you can open it for us.”

  Mia shook her head. “I don’t know how. I didn’t even know what I was until tonight.”

  Stalker shrugged. “Let’s hope you’re a quick study.” He turned back around and kept walking.

  Mia continued to struggle even though she knew it was futile. She almost wished she’d ran home. There was no way she could open the portal. Mia had no idea how to use any sort of magical powers or anything like that. And if she couldn’t open the portal… what would they do to her?

  All too soon the sound of the Falls drifted to her ears and minutes later they walked out of the trees to the bank of the lake. Joelin jerked her toward the lake with brutal force. Mia lost her footing and hit the ground. She let out a whimper as the rocks dug into her knees and palms as she caught herself.

  Stalker bent down next to her. “Sorry about Joelin, he’s just a little anxious to get home. Open the portal and no more harm will come to you,” he promised.

  Mia scowled up at him as she struggled to her feet. “Why me? Why would you risk never going home to come get me? What did I ever do to you?”

  Stalker laughed bitterly, his finger under her chin. Mia jerked her head away, and he just smirked. “Oh, you didn’t do anything. But the courts need you. We need you to draw a very important someone out of hiding.”

  “Who?” Mia shouted, growing angry at his vague answers.

  “Your father,” Stalker said.

  Mia drew back a step but Joelin came up behind her, probably thinking she might run away. “My father?” She’d never known her dad… or maybe she did… in her past Seelie life. “I don’t know where he is. I don’t even remember him.”

  “Lucky you,” Stalker sneered, prowling toward her. “Your father angered some very powerful people and destroyed not just my life, but many other lives in Faerie. And people want revenge. Justice. The only way that’s going to happen is if we can draw him out of hiding.”

  “And you think I can do that? I don’t even know the man,” Mia shouted, raising her hands in exasperation. “Why would he ever come out of hiding on risk of probable death for me?”

  “Because you’re his daughter. Never underestimate the love of a parent for their child,” Stalker said. “Now open the portal. Like I said, your father didn’t do me any favors. I’m not one to pin the crimes of another on an innocent, but just looking at you makes me sick. So, do what I say before I decide to take my anger out on you.”

  Mia’s whole body trembled as Joelin gave her a little shove toward the lake. She stumbled, her slippers and the hem of her dress quickly soaked as she tripped into the shallow water. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and focused like Rhett had taught her to. When she opened her eyes, she saw Faerie in the waves of the water pouring over the rocks into the lake. But beyond that, she had no idea what to do.

  She glanced over her shoulder at Stalker. “I don’t know how,” she said desperately.

  His jaw clenched, and he marched into the water next to her. He grabbed her arm and jerked her hand up, so it was pointed toward the waterfall. “Close your eyes,” he instructed roughly. When Mia hesitated his grip on her arm tightened, making her cry out. “Close your eyes.”

  Mia slammed her eyes shut.

  “Now concentrate. Feel not with your body or your senses but with your mind and your heart. There’s a spell put up here by you. Once you feel it, grab onto it and untether it,” he said, letting go of her arm.

  Mia swallowed and felt out like he said. Past her senses and body, using her heart and mind. But all she felt was the spray of the water against her face and adrenaline coursing through her veins, fed by fear. She tensed her arm, trying to focus harder, but again, all she got was nothing. After several minutes, Mia shook her head, her hand dropping to her side. “I can’t,” she said, her voice breaking into a sob.

  Stalker growled, grabbing her arm painfully and pulling it back up. �
��You aren’t focusing!”

  “I am,” Mia shouted back, wrenching her arm from his grip. “I am focusing. Rhett taught me how. I can see past glamours.”

  Stalker snorted bitterly, sharing a bemused glance with Joelin. “Looking past glamours is a parlor trick. Children can do that. You need to look beyond to the spell. Feel for it. You’re the one who put it up.”

  “I don’t have any sort of magical power or anything,” Mia shouted, anger flaring. Hot tears streamed down her face, and she stomped her foot like a child. “I have nothing! Get someone else to open the stupid portal.”

  “We can’t,” Stalker said with deliberate slowness as if she was stupid. “You put the spell in place. Only you can take it away. You need motivation.”

  Mia shook her head, fear quickly replacing her anger when Joelin came toward her. “No, no, don’t.”

  Stalker, at least, didn’t look happy to be doing this. His lips formed a grim line. “I find no pleasure in this. But there are people counting on me to get you back to the courts. So, one way or another you will take this spell back.”

  Joelin came up behind her and his hand clamped around the back of her neck. Mia let out a scream as he jerked her to her knees. Stalker leaned over her. “Take the spell back.”

  “I can’t, I can’t,” Mia sobbed, trying to reach back and tear Joelin’s hand off her neck.

  When she peered up into Stalker’s face, she saw a wavering uncertainty cross his features and hope sparked in her heart. Maybe she was getting through to him. “Please, I don’t know how. I don’t have any sort of magic,” she pleaded.

  His lips pressed together in a thin line and he nodded at Joelin. “Let her up.”

  Joelin muttered under his breath but let go of her. Mia scrambled to her feet and tried to make a run for it, but before she could, Stalker’s hand whipped out and grabbed her wrist. He jerked her toward him, grabbing both her forearms with an iron-like grip. Vines whipped up from the ground, curling around her ankles. “Stop struggling. I’m not going to hurt you. Just hold still,” Stalker demanded.

  Mia squeezed her eyes shut. She stilled as his hands left her forearms and went to her temples, holding her head rather hard. Several minutes passed before Stalker let go of her and Mia opened her eyes to find surprise on his face. “Someone not only bound your memories but bound your magic too.”

  “Who could have the power to do that?” Joelin mused.

  Stalker shook his head. “I don’t know, but I do know only one way to unbind someone. And it is very painful.”

  Mia shook her head, already not liking this idea. She started to shrink away from him, but Stalker reached out and grabbed her arms once more. He held her in place long enough for Joelin to come up behind her and grip her shoulders.

  Real pity crossed Stalker’s features as reached for her temples once more. “I truly am sorry, but it’s the only way. You’ll thank me later.”

  “You sure this is a good idea Ryker?” Joelin asked.

  “We don’t have any other choice.”

  Stalker – Ryker’s – jaw clenched, and he peered at Mia. “Close your eyes. It’ll go by faster that way.”

  Mia let out a whimper but closed her eyes. She had to get out of there, but she didn’t know how. These guys were too strong for her. They were Fae. She was only half Fae. But… she was still strong. She could run faster than a normal human, and she knew from experience that she was stronger than one too. With both of them focused on whatever Ryker was about to do to her, this could be her only time to escape.

  Mia stilled, pretending to give up. Ryker’s grasp on her head relaxed a bit, and he closed his eyes too. He began to chant in a language she didn’t recognize. Mia rallied her strength even as she felt a spark of heat in her heart, in her head. Ryker was doing something to her, and Mia didn’t want to stick around to find out what it was. Steeling herself and taking a deep breath, Mia made her move just as his chanting became louder and an excruciating pain ripped through her chest and head. She let out a scream and shoved Ryker in the chest. His chanting cut off and his hands slipped from her head. Ryker’s sudden fall caught Joelin off guard enough for Mia to shrug out of his grip and make a run for it.

  “Stop!” she heard him yell behind her. “I wasn’t finished.”

  Mia didn’t slow down. She kept running but the further she ran the more the pain grew in her head and heart. Mia let out a gasp, tears falling down her face as the pain increased until it felt like someone had caught her brain and heart afire. She let out a scream, the world blurring as another wave of pain rocked through her. Mia lost her footing and tripped. She would have hit the ground if not for two arms grabbing hold of her. At first, she struggled blindly, afraid it was Ryker or Joelin but then her rescuer spoke. “Mia, stop, it’s me. It’s Rhett,” he said, trying to stop her thrashing.

  Mia’s eyes burst open and she found Rhett. “Rhett… they… they got me. They want me to… open the portal… My head…” she sobbed, gripping her head as another wave hit her. “It hurts so bad.”

  “Shhh, you’re going to be OK. I’ll take you to Cillian. He can cure you.”

  “Cillian Prentice can’t fix this,” Ryker said behind her.

  Mia gasped and jerked away, flinching into Rhett. He wrapped his arms around her. “Get away from her or I will kill you,” he growled.

  “I was in the middle of unbinding her magic. She ran off before I could complete the chant. I think you know how dangerous that is and what may happen if she goes on like this,” he said.

  Tense silence fell over them, and an excruciating pain hit Mia in the chest, making her heart try to pound out of its ribcage. She let out a whimper.

  “Fine,” Rhett said, his voice pained. “Finish it.”

  “No,” Mia groaned even as Rhett released her. The whole world had turned to darkness, blurring around her.

  “Shh, I’m going to be right here the whole time,” Rhett said, “but he has to finish this, or it could leave permanent damage.”

  “Wise choice young prince.”

  Rhett growled in response and Ryker wisely said nothing more. Mia felt two warm hands on her temples and his chanting commenced. The pain only grew. The louder the chanting the worse the pain until Mia could no longer stay conscious. The last thing she felt was Rhett holding her in his arms and telling her she would be alright.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Mia woke up to a throbbing headache and an argument going on downstairs. Unfortunately, she didn’t wake up with the brief moment of not remembering what had happened the night before.

  Nope.

  Mia remembered everything in horrible detail. Finding out she was a Seelie Sidhe. Rhett and Angie and Kai lying to her. Stalker – Ryker – finding her and torturing the magic out of her. Passing out… Mia groaned and laid back down in bed. She felt like crying and yet no tears came. Maybe she had cried all her tears out last night.

  Placing her hand over her eyes, she listened to the argument play out downstairs. The voices came up through the floorboards with a strange sort of clarity, one Mia shouldn’t have.

  “I can’t believe you let this get out of control,” her mom was saying. “She could have died.”

  “I wouldn’t have let her,” Rhett said. “You know I would do anything to keep her safe.”

  “And you let her find out?” her mom went on, ignoring Rhett’s words. “What are we going to do now?”

  “Look,” a different voice – Ryker, Mia realized – drawled. “It’s not the end of the world that the girl knows the truth now. Did you two really think you could keep this up forever?”

  “Shut up,” Rhett and her mom said at the same time.

  Mia smirked despite the situation. She wanted to say way more than shut up to Ryker after what he did to her.

  “You should go see her,” her mom said. Mia flinched. She didn’t want to see him. Not now.

  “She doesn’t want to see me. I’m sure she’d rather see you. So, before she wakes up, I
’m going. And you two are coming with me.”

  “I don’t think so. We have a mission and I am not leaving until Amelia opens the portal,” Ryker said.

  “That’s too bad. Mia is resting and recovering. Your little mission is going to have to wait. Either you come up with me willingly, or I’ll make you,” Rhett threatened.

  There was a moment of silence and then an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I’m only doing this because the girl needs to recharge. The unbinding spell takes a lot out of a person… she wouldn’t be able to do anything even if she wanted to right now anyways. The instant she’s ready though, we are opening this portal.”

  “Whatever you say. Let me know how she is Della,” Rhett said.

  Mia tensed as she listened to the three pairs of footsteps leave the house. She held her breath as she listened to her mom head up the stairs. Before she could decide to pretend to sleep or not, the door opened, and her mom stepped inside. Her eyes watered when she saw Mia and she took a step forward but then seemed to think better of it. “How are you feeling?” she whispered.

  “Lied to,” Mia snapped. It hurt her to hurt her mother like that, but she was angry. Angry at her. Angry at Angie. Angry at Rhett. Just… angry.

  Her mom nodded, biting her lip. “I know, and I am so sorry Mia. Really, I am. I know I lied for all these years, but I did it to protect you. We all did. The Unseelies were furious with you for being a Seelie, a halfling and for shutting the barrier. They would have killed you.”

  Despite still being mad at her for lying to her… she was still her mom and Mia couldn’t help but reach her arms out for a hug. Her eyes teared up the same moment her mother’s did, and she rushed over to her, strangling her in a hug. “I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me for lying,” she whispered.