by Julia Crane
Contents
Broken Promise
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Acknowledgements
Also by the Authors
About the Authors
Broken Promise
A Between Worlds Novel
Julia Crane and Talia Jager
Broken Promise: A Between Worlds Novel
Copyright © 2013 Julia Crane and Talia Jager
Published by Valknut Press, LLC
ISBN:
mobi edition: 978-1-62411-025-2
All rights reserved.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission of the author.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events; to real people, living or dead; or to real locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.
Cover Art by Eden Crane
Editing by Heather Adkins & Christine LePorte
Formatted by Eden Crane
Dedication
To our beta readers. Your insight is invaluable.
As I belted out the last note of my solo, my eyes caught a flicker of teal in the back of the auditorium. The sighting was brief and happened so fast I almost missed it through the harsh glare of the stage lights. Even lost in the music and half-blind, I would have known those wings anywhere.
Kallan.
My heart sped up, and my palms grew clammy. I searched the back of the auditorium, though I had the presence of mind to keep the note strong. Could he really be here? And if so…why?
Thunderous applause erupted as soon as the music trailed off into silence. Mrs. Lopez’s amplified voice said brightly, “Rylie McCallister, ladies and gentleman! Isn’t her voice just lovely?”
I barely noted her praise as I smiled and bowed. Gathering up the hem of my long, black evening dress, I rushed off the stage, taking the stairs at a quick yet cautious trot. The last thing I needed was to trip in front of everyone. I ignored the gawking stares of my fellow choir members and my family in the front row; I’d barely given them a chance to cheer for me.
I hurried up the aisle, my eyes still frantically searching the darkened hallway in the back of the auditorium for Kallan. He was just there; he couldn’t have gone far. The applause continued, as if my abrupt exit was some strange part of the show. At the top of the ramp, I hit the doors, shoving on the bar to open them, and spilled into the lobby.
A quick look left and right verified what I’d already expected: My search was in vain. He wasn’t there. The lobby was empty of anyone but a gray-haired man in a blue janitor’s uniform collecting trash.
My heart sank. Maybe I had imagined it.
I touched the necklace of black stones that encircled my neck. It was an ever-present reminder of Kallan, the dark faery who had somehow kept a part of my heart when I left him. It had been a year since I last saw him, and I still had a year until I was supposed to return to him and the dark faery world. The only reason I’d even agreed to such a thing was that my family had been threatened. I clenched my fist tightly to my side at the thought of Varwik, Kallan’s father and the leader of the dark faeries.
Despite the hatred I felt for Varwik, there was a deep-seated part of me that yearned to see Kallan again. I shook my head and tried to push away the sadness that had washed over me.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Startled, I spun around and came face-to-face with Adam, my long-time boyfriend. His shaggy brown hair fell over his forehead above sparkling green eyes as he beamed at me.
“Oh. Hi.” I could hear the detachment in my voice, but I was too bothered by the thought of Kallan to even care.
“Are you okay?”
I cringed inwardly as I realized what my flight from the auditorium probably looked like to the people who loved me. “I’m fine.”
“What are you doing out here?”
“I thought I saw someone.” Damn the not-being-able-to-lie thing. There were some aspects of being a faery that were cool. The inability to lie, not so much.
Adam looked around and then back down at me. “Who?”
I hesitated. Adam didn’t know about my time imprisoned in the dark faery world, and I wasn’t going to share now, either. He certainly didn’t know I had feelings for another guy. “Just someone I haven’t seen in a while.”
As usual, Adam took my explanation at face value and didn’t press further.
“You were awesome! Like always,” he said, the pride evident on his face. He ran his warm hand up my bare shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. What was I doing thinking about Kallan when I had the perfect boyfriend in front of me?
I blushed. “Thanks.”
“Let’s get back inside. Your parents were worried when you rushed out.”
With one last look behind me, I followed him through the heavy metal doors. The choir was wrapping up the last song of the evening. I should have been up there with them, and I would probably get a lecture from Mrs. Lopez about it, but I didn’t care. I sank into the empty seat next to my mom and willed myself not to turn around in search of Kallan.
“Are you okay?” my mother whispered.
“Fine,” I mumbled. I wasn’t about to get her worked up. My parents had done their best over the last year to try to act like none of this had happened, that I was just a normal girl instead of a faery with strong powers. They always told me if I wanted to talk about it they were there for me, but I didn’t want to talk about it. I tried to convince myself that it was all a terrible mistake or some kind of dream that I would eventually wake up from. Although the wings sticking out of my back were good proof that wasn’t going to happen.
And the necklace was verification that Kallan really did exist. Not to mention my faery mother, who was desperately trying to be a part of my life. I knew it was time to let her in, but I just couldn’t. At least not yet. I had to give her credit, though; she was being very patient.
The audience clapped again at the end of the last song. The curtains closed, and I felt my mother’s eyes on me. I turned to her and bit down on my lip, ready for whatever scolding was about to take place.
“What happened? Why did you run off?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you when I get home,” I said in a hushed voice. I didn’t like to talk about anything related to faeries where other people could overhear. It was
still hard enough for me to believe it, much less letting some stranger in on the secret.
My mother’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself. “You better go talk to your teacher.”
I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to. “I’ll meet you at home?”
“Is Adam going to bring you?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
We all stood up and collected our belongings. As I turned to leave, my mother’s soft voice rang out. “Rylie?”
“Yeah?”
“You sang beautifully.”
I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. “Thanks.”
I slipped my hand into Adam’s, and we walked through the dark, silent halls of school to the choir room. When the big wooden door loomed in front of me, I let out a heavy sigh.
He pulled me to him without a word and kissed me with his soft lips. I closed my eyes and returned the embrace, letting myself forget my worries for the moment. When we broke apart, he said, “Don’t worry. You were so good out there, she can’t be mad at you.”
“I hope you’re right.” I swept his light brown bangs out of his eyes. “I’ll be right out.”
“Good luck.”
I took a deep breath and opened the door. The rest of the choir was already in the room, seated in their usual chairs around the U-shaped bleachers. Everyone turned to look at me. I ignored them, smiling at Mrs. Lopez as I walked up to her. “I’m sorry I rushed out of there like that.”
She turned her back on the class, her concerned voice low as she asked, “Are you sick, Rylie?”
“No.”
She looked at me, probably trying to figure out what had happened. “I assume it was something important.”
I didn’t answer with words, but I nodded. It was important to me, finding out if I’d seen Kallan. What my music teacher considered important, however, was up for debate.
“Don’t let it happen again.”
“I won’t.”
She turned back to the rest of the class. “Very well done, class. I’m so proud of you! All your hard work has paid off, so now go enjoy your weekend. I’ll see you Monday.”
I went back out to the hallway where Adam stood. It felt so good having someone there waiting for me. “She didn’t yell.”
“Told ya.”
As he hugged me, I noticed another flash of teal from my peripheral vision. I stiffened, my gaze snapping towards it in time to see the girls’ bathroom door inch shut.
What in the world?
My heart fluttering, I stepped back from Adam’s arms and motioned to the bathroom. “Gimme a minute.”
He rolled his eyes. “Girls.”
I laughed at the face he made, and then cautiously pushed open the bathroom door.
At first glance, it was empty. Fluorescent lights made the tile walls bright and shiny. The left wall was lined with mirrors and reflected the cream-colored stalls.
I pushed open every stall, and then checked the dark corner beneath the window. There was no one inside. And frankly, why would Kallan have gone into a girls’ bathroom anyway? I was so paranoid I was seeing things. That had to be it.
When I stopped in front of one of the mirrors, I could see a reflection of the real me in the mirror. The faery me.
My wings fluttered behind me a few times. They were shaped like a butterfly’s and were a shimmering mixture of pink, lavender, and white. I liked my wings; I’d only just gotten used to them being there. I think the thing that bothered me the most were my pointy ears. I could definitely deal with the flawless skin and not needing to wear makeup anymore, but the ears annoyed me.
There was also the star-shaped birthmark on my face—the one that refused to be covered up —that marked me as an Aurorian faery. A rare breed with powers that far surpassed anyone in the faery world.
A responsibility I really didn’t want.
The door opened. I quickly turned on the water, pretending like I was washing up.
A girl from choir walked in and stood next to me, fixing the clip in her curly brown hair. “Hey, Rylie.”
“Hi, Lara.” Looking between her and myself in the mirror felt awkward. She was a normal-looking human, and I was a faery with pointed ears and wings. She couldn’t see my true form, though. Humans couldn’t see past the glamour that made me look normal. I smiled at her. “See ya later.”
I waved as I left the bathroom, glancing at the stalls again and hoping for a glimpse of teal wings.
Back out in the hallway, Adam put his arm around me as we started walking. “So what are we going to do tomorrow night?”
“I don’t care. What did you have in mind?”
“Movie? Dinner? Whatever. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.”
I laid my head against his shoulder, silently berating myself for being so crazy over an imagined glimpse of Kallan. Who cared? Adam was my everything. “A movie sounds good.”
The doors clicked shut behind us as we exited the side entrance into the brisk evening. From the front of the building, I heard the sound of the auditorium emptying, and a steady line of red taillights stretched towards the road. Adam’s silver pickup truck waited in the parking lot, alone but for a few of my classmates’ cars.
Adam opened my door for me and then got in on the driver’s side. He started the truck as he said, “I have baseball practice at ten, so I’ll text you.”
“Okay.” I looked out the window and watched the streetlights pass. Adam turned on the radio, but kept the volume low.
I didn’t realize I’d been searching the darkness until Adam killed the engine in my driveway. My eyes darted to the tree line, looking for a sign that Kallan was here.
“You seem a little distracted,” Adam said.
“Sorry.”
“You sure everything is okay?”
“Mhmm.” It wasn’t okay; I was obsessed with Kallan. But I couldn’t tell my boyfriend that. I scooted closer to him and looked from his green eyes to his lips.
He took that as the invitation it was, and our lips met. I put my hand on the back of his head, deepening the kiss as I pressed my body against his. A minute later, we broke apart, breathless.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” I murmured, smoothing my hands over his shirt.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. You know that.”
I nodded. It was true. He’d never been anything but supportive. “See you tomorrow.”
I couldn’t help but scan the forest one more time as I took the sidewalk to the house. When my faery mother had initially sought me out to warn me that my sixteenth birthday would bring some major changes—wings and pointy ears—she used to hide out in the trees and watch me. If Kallan was in my world, he could be doing the same thing.
Exhaustion hit me as I entered the house through the garage door. My parents waited at the kitchen table, and they didn’t look very happy.
Great.
“Spill,” my mother said sternly.
I shrugged out of my light jacket and hung it on the rack next to the door. “I thought I saw someone.”
“So you rushed off stage?” Dad asked. He was using his “detective voice,” the one generally reserved for criminal investigations.
“Yes.”
“Who did you think you saw?” my mother asked.
“Kallan.”
Her light brown eyes showed a hint of recognition at the mention of his name. “The faery boy who helped you get home last year?”
“Yes.” And the one who I’m promised to marry. The one I dream about a few times a week. The one my heart aches for...no matter how hard I try to forget him.
“Did you talk to him?” my father asked with his arms across his chest.
“Nope. He wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean ‘he wasn’t there’?” Dad barked. He hated not getting straight answers. “You didn’t see him or you thought you saw him?”
“Didn’t you say faeries can disappear at will?” my mother asked. I
knew they constantly worried that I would get abducted again. The tension between her eyebrows proved that was foremost on her mind.
“I honestly don’t know if I saw him or just imagined it,” I said irritably.
My mom was right. I’d briefly forgotten that faeries could disappear at will, which meant I probably had seen Kallan. The thought both terrified and excited me more than I wanted to admit.
The next morning, I stood at my bedroom window and gazed out at darkening clouds that promised a storm. I often found myself rooted to this spot in the hope I’d catch a glimpse of Kallan. The edge of the woods that lined our property was the last place I’d seen him, almost a year ago. His pained expression was still etched in my mind.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he was really back or if I had imagined the whole thing. So much time had passed. I figured he’d moved on and forgotten me. I constantly caught myself wondering what he was doing, who he was with, or if he thought about me.
I closed the curtain and scolded myself for acting so ridiculous. It should have been Adam that I thought of so much. He was the one I loved.
The hardest part of all was I had nobody to talk to about my dilemma. The only people that knew about Kallan were my parents, and there was no way I could tell them about my conflicting feelings for him. They wouldn’t understand. They saw him as the enemy.
I pushed Kallan out of my mind and started getting ready. My best friend, Sierra, would be over to pick me up soon.
After my shower, I stepped into a blue shirt with a low back to complement my eyes. One of the most annoying things about being a faery had been finding clothes that my wings felt comfortable in. It was a lot harder than one would think. Sometimes I had to suck it up and wear clothes that weren’t comfortable.
Since I no longer had to bother with makeup, I pulled my long blonde hair in a quick ponytail and ran down the stairs.
My dad was standing behind the counter in the kitchen reaching for a coffee mug. “Morning, Rylie.”
“You’re just getting up?” I peeked at the clock. It was ten o’clock, and he was still in his pajamas. My father was a morning person, so sleeping late was totally out of character. He looked even more ridiculous with his dark hair sticking up all over the place.