by Julia Crane
“Could I ever bring a friend here?” I asked.
“We don’t usually let humans just come in and out.”
“I understand...but she’s my best friend. She’d love it here.”
“This is the friend with the brown hair who picks you up for school?”
“Yeah, Sierra.”
Azura smiled. “‘I’ve always liked her.”
“She’s the best.”
“Is she the one you chose to confide in?”
I gaped at her, surprised. “How did you know?”
With a chuckle, Azura shrugged. “I know you have been struggling with things. I’m glad you have someone to talk to.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Of course not. I trust your judgment.”
I took a deep breath and asked the question that had been niggling at me for almost a year. “What happens if I can’t get out of the promise?”
“We’ll deal with it.”
“I don’t want to be stuck in the dark world.”
“No matter what, we’ll make sure you aren’t.” She glanced at my necklace. “You like Kallan, don’t you?”
I ran my fingers along the black stones. “Yeah. But I don’t want to be with him because we have to.”
“And Adam?”
I groaned. “I love him, too. I don’t know what to do. It’s really not fair.”
She patted my hand. “We’ll figure it out.”
“How?”
“Your heart will tell you when the time is right.”
I rolled my eyes. Why did everyone think I would just magically know? They had no idea what I was going through.
I was relieved when Violet’s voice interrupted the conversation. “May I steal Oleander for a minute, Aunt Azura?”
“Of course.” Azura smiled, obviously happy things were going well between us.
Violet tugged me in the direction of a group of guys. “They’ve been talking about you all day, about how much they wanted to meet you. I was sick of listening to them, so I figured I’d introduce you.”
I smiled, not sure what to say.
Violet went around the circle, telling me their names, but other than the two normal names—Warren and Drake—the others were so strange I knew I couldn’t spell them, much less remember what they were.
“So I hear you’re promised to someone else?” a blond faery asked. His wings were mostly white, but had orange tips.
“Unfortunately.” And even if I wasn’t, I was still in love with Adam.
“That sucks.”
“You’re telling me.”
The blond faery laughed. The five of them were definitely attractive, but none of them made me feel the way Kallan did.
We hung out with the guys for a couple of hours. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Violet had a crush on the blond faery. He seemed to be interested in her, too. I remembered my attempt at matchmaking with Sierra and decided I would stay out of it.
Azura came up and softly asked, “Would you come with me, Oleander?”
I waved to Violet and her friends, then followed Azura to a large clearing behind the row of houses where Azura lived. The sky turned darker as the sun got closer to the horizon. I was almost sad to find the day was over. The light faery world seemed like such a happy place. If I did have to marry Kallan, we’d have to talk about where to live. Living in that castle he called home seemed like a lifetime of punishment to me.
A few older faeries were throwing wood in the middle of the open field. The growing pile was surrounded by large stones.
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking to Azura for clarification.
She gestured to a stout, flame-haired faery who put his hands over the wood and closed his eyes. “The bonfire is the end of the celebration,” Azura whispered.
Beneath the faery’s hands, the woodpile burst into flames. In seconds, the wood was engulfed, and flickering orange flames reached high into the sky.
Suddenly, fireworks exploded above us. Wide-eyed, I took Azura’s warm hand in mine, and we leaned on each other, our gazes on the sky.
I realized I could get used to living in a place like this, and that scared me.
Sunday morning, I was back home and studying at my desk just like Azura had promised. My mind kept floating back to the faery world, and then to Kallan, and then Adam. I’d texted both Sierra and Adam early on telling them I had a lot of homework to do and would talk to them later that night. Then I turned my cell phone off and forced myself to focus on my schoolwork. I was glad my parents didn’t pester me about the time I spent away. It must have been killing them. I just wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.
Halfway through my science homework, I turned my phone on. My heart sank when I saw there wasn’t a text from Kallan. Two days had passed and he hadn’t replied to the text I sent. I wondered if he went home for the spring equinox and that’s why I hadn’t heard from him. That was probably the case. But why didn’t he let me know he was leaving? Not like he had to answer to me or anything. Or maybe he was mad at me over what happened the last time we were together. I sighed and tossed the phone on the bed to stop myself from checking it every few moments.
I was so immersed in my schoolwork, the sharp rap on my door startled me. Mom called, “Rylie, come eat.”
“Be right out.” I dropped my pencil, grateful for the distraction. Throwing my arms in the air, I stretched. I felt like my eyes were going to cross from all the studying.
My parents sat at the dining room table with a large box of pizza in front of them. My mouth watered at the fresh, garlicky smell that filled the room.
My mom smiled warmly. “Thought you could use a break.”
“I’m starving.” I took the chair next to her, and my dad handed me a plastic plate with a couple of slices of pizza.
“How’s the homework going?” Mom asked.
I groaned. “It’s never ending. I don’t know how I’ll ever catch up.”
“One thing at a time,” Dad spoke up. “If you need any help, let us know.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“So are you going to tell us about the faery world or keep us in suspense?” Mom asked, her brown eyes dancing with excitement. I still found it hard to believe that my mom thought it was cool I was a faery.
Between mouthfuls of pizza, I gave them the scoop on my weekend with Azura. They asked questions and seemed really interested, which felt so weird.
Later that evening, I was brushing my teeth getting ready for bed when my phone dinged. I rinsed quickly and hurried to my phone sitting on the edge of the desk. I smiled when I saw the name that scrolled across the screen. Kallan.
Sorry I didn’t reply. I had to go home. There is something I need to talk to you about. In person.
My heart beat a little faster. Um, Ok.
I’ll meet you outside your house again.
I glanced at the clock—it was just after eleven. Now?
Give me 5 minutes.
I tugged on a sweatshirt and stepped into my tennis shoes, taking my time. I wondered what was so important he needed to talk to me now, and sincerely hoped it wasn’t bad news.
In the dark back yard, Kallan’s wings glowed. I ran towards him, my heart rate going out of control. The way he made me feel, I sometimes believed I could walk away from my life and start a new one with him. The feeling was even stronger after my weekend with Azura.
I stopped short when I saw how serious his face was.
Panic rose in my chest. “What is it? You’re not taking me back now, are you?”
He shook his head. “No. That’s not it.”
“What is it then?” I snapped.
“It’s about your dad,” he said quietly.
“My dad? Has something happened?” I thought he was in bed sleeping.
“Not your human father, Rylie. Your biological father.”
“Oh!” I relaxed. “What about him?”
“There’s been a sighting.”
I inha
led sharply. “He’s alive?”
“It seems so. My father has been searching for him since you surfaced.”
“Why?”
“If he’s alive, my father has to hold up his end of the bargain.”
“I don’t understand.”
Kallan shifted his weight to his other foot. “If Oren knows you’re alive, and that the deal can be completed, he might come after you.”
“But Varwik and I already have a deal.”
“True. However, I still worry. I was hoping Oren was dead. It bothers me that he hasn’t come to collect. It’s like he’s waiting for something. He must have heard by now that you’re alive. It’s been almost a year. Our world is small and news travels fast. So what is he waiting for?”
I shrugged. “Maybe he just enjoys his new life and doesn’t want to get caught up with any of this anymore. He’s brought shame to his family. You should’ve seen the looks on his parents’ faces when I met them.”
Kallan rubbed his brow. “We really thought he was dead. My father has men scouring both the faery and human realms looking for him. He’s been evading them until recently. Someone saw him in the human realm.”
“He’s here?” I gasped. “He’s been living with humans all this time?”
“It seems so.” Kallan shook his head. “I don’t like this at all.”
“I can’t believe he’s alive.”
“If he’s alive, then my father is obligated to complete the deal.”
“And?”
Kallan clenched his jaw. “If Oren doesn’t come to collect, my father will be furious. I think he might take it out on you. I’m...scared that he could hurt you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your father is a brute and bully.”
Kallan chuckled. “That he is. I’m sure once your father is caught, the deal will remain. It’s just very odd that he is avoiding us.”
“From what I know of him, you’d think he’d be jumping at the chance to have this magick.”
Kallan was silent for a moment, and then he stepped forward. The movement put him in my personal space, and my breath caught in my throat. He brushed his fingers down my face. “If he tries to talk to you, promise you’ll let me know.”
I backed away, my hands coming up like mini shields between us. “I don’t like making promises anymore.”
He rolled his eyes. “Just let me know.”
“Do you think he will? I don’t even know what he looks like.”
“I don’t know. I just want to protect you from any further pain.” Kallan’s eyes met mine briefly before he looked away into the dark woods. The man who bargained my life for his gain could be alive—could come back. My mind raced with all the implications. It was too much to take in.
Kallan cleared his throat. “I heard you went to the spring equinox festival. What did you think?”
“You heard?” I asked suspiciously.
He flashed me an arrogant grin. “We have ears everywhere. It seems quite a few of the boys are smitten with you. Not that I blame them.”
There was a slight growl in his voice that gave me goose bumps. “You’re one to talk. The girls I met were all in a flurry that I’m promised to the dark prince. They wanted to hear all about you. I was pretty surprised to learn that the light and dark interact sometimes.”
Kallan shrugged. “It’s not unheard of.” He paused. “Have you ever considered that maybe you are meant to bring faeries together instead of tear us apart?”
I stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“Aurorian faeries are so rare and powerful. The last one tore us apart. Perhaps you are meant to bring us together.”
I had never thought of it that way. Talk about holding the weight of the world on your shoulders. It did sound a lot better than destroying each other. I still wasn’t ready to resign to my fate. If there was a way out of the promise, I was going to take it. I had no doubt about that.
“I should get you back home. I didn’t want you to hear about your father from anyone else. I also want you to be prepared in case he shows up on your doorstep.”
“Thank you. I should probably talk to Azura.”
Kallan nodded.
Once I was safely back in my house. I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed, where I stared at the ceiling with my mind whirling. My father was alive, but had never sought contact with me. A year after my existence had come to light, he had suddenly been “sighted.” What was he up to? Other than trying to find a way to use this to his advantage, I thought, disgusted. Why wouldn’t he want dark magick? Unless he had changed. But how would I know that unless I met him?
And unfortunately, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to meet him.
Adam greeted me on the front steps the next morning with a long kiss. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured, brushing his hands through my hair. “I know it’s only been two days, but it feels much longer.”
“I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately.” Guilt filled me when I thought of seeing Kallan last night. I was keeping so much from Adam.
“We’ve both been busy. Baseball takes up a lot of my time.”
And faeries take up a lot of mine, I thought wryly. “So what did you do last night?”
Adam grabbed my backpack and slung it on his other shoulder. “Went out with the guys to celebrate my acceptance into Southern California. We had a blast.”
Usually Adam would have invited me to go out with him. I should have been there with him to celebrate, but instead I was stuck doing homework. And having clandestine meetings with a guy I was supposed to marry. What kind of girlfriend was I? A horrible one, that’s what. I tried to push the negative thoughts aside, for now.
“We’re going to the spring fling dance, right?” I squeezed his hand and smiled up at him, hoping he couldn’t tell that a dance was the last thing on my mind.
“Of course. It’s this Friday, right?”
“What tipped you off? The thousand posters plastered around the school?”
Adam laughed. “The guys are complaining they don’t want to go, but they always cave.”
Adam pushed open the door and almost banged into Kallan.
“Adam,” Kallan said curtly.
“Kallan.”
The door shut behind the dark faery, and I turned to Adam. “You know him?”
Adam’s jaw clenched. “I know him. He’s trying to take my place as pitcher. Coach has made him the backup.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure how to respond. “Is he any good?”
“Real good. He seems like a prick, if you ask me.”
I inhaled sharply. Adam rarely used language like that. “Why would you say that? You hardly know him.”
He shot me a crazed look. “He just waltzed out onto the field and told the coach he wanted to take over as starting pitcher.”
My lip twitched. I could see Kallan doing that. “Yeah, that does sound a little arrogant. What did the coach do?”
“He tossed him the ball, and then the jerk struck out five of our best hitters.”
That didn’t sound good. I wondered if Kallan used his power to influence the coach and to play well. Just the thought made me furious. Baseball was everything to Adam. There was no way I was going to let Kallan take that from him, especially since he was trying to take me too.
I gripped Adam’s hand tighter. “I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. You hold every record in this school.”
Adam stopped in front of my locker, his face still tense. “For now,” he muttered under his breath.
Great. Just what I needed. Two alpha males going at each other. I had to talk to Kallan soon to squash this before it went any further.
Later that afternoon when I was in the library doing research, Kallan walked by my table, his nose in a book. My wings fluttered and the blood rushed to my face. I hated the way my body reacted to him.
Closing my notebook, I stood up and followed him down the aisle. Thankfully, the library was relatively quiet other tha
n a few freshmen studying.
“Kallan,” I whispered.
He turned, his book snapping shut. “I’m surprised you’re talking to me in public.”
“Why are you messing with Adam?” I hissed.
Kallan met my eyes. “I don’t leave things up to chance.”
“What does that mean?”
“I didn’t come here to watch you run around with your boyfriend. I came here to win your love.”
I took a step back, surprised by his words. “Then do it fairly. Please, Kallan. Just leave him out of it.”
“It means that much to you?”
I stared at the inky black hair that fell over his eye and had to stop myself from brushing it out of the way. “Yes. It really does. It’s not his fault. Can’t you just play another position or something? Baseball is really important to him. More important than anything.”
Kallan raised an eyebrow. “More important than you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I glared at him. “You’re not going to win any points with me by doing this. In fact, that would do the opposite. If my love is really what you are after, I suggest you reconsider.” I spun on my heel and hurried out of the library. Once I was in the hall, I realized I left my books inside. “Damn it.”
Before I could turn around and go back through the swinging door, Kallan emerged. I recognized the sparkly purple folder under the stack of books he held, and it made me even angrier that he was being such a gentleman.
He offered them to me, his face unreadable. “You forgot something.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would bother you so much. I was just sick of hearing how great he is. My competitive streak came out.”
I moved the books to my other hip and studied his face. “Really?”
“I’ll talk to the coach. I’d rather play first base. Maybe he’ll give me that slot. The guy they have now is terrible.”
I sighed and felt the tension leave my body. “Thank you.”
The rest of the week passed quickly. Between music rehearsals, trying to catch up with my homework, and taking tests, I barely had any free time. When Friday arrived, I couldn’t believe I forgot to go shopping for a dress.