"There are queens?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the darker turn it was taking. "Like actual ruling royalty?"
"Of course," Aleksander smiled, the darkness disappearing from his face. "Like I said, it’s also our government. Mab rules of the Unseelie. She has a distaste for mortals and for Síofra who have not immediately declared their choice. I would warn you to avoid her, but you will not meet her until after you have made your choice. Queen Titania and King Oberon are the rulers of the Summer Court and they keep our Síofra safe."
"You mean like in A Midsummer Night's Dream? I thought that was a play." I racked my memory, trying desperately to recall the play I'd been forced to read in high school.
"Rumor has it William Shakespeare was a Síofra as well," he grinned at me as we rounded a bend in the road. "He chose to remain a mortal and wrote a play with the ghosts of memories he kept."
I turned to fire another question at him but felt it die in my throat. The tree line broke away and before me there was a town. There was a town! Not just any town, but the prettiest town I'd ever seen. Each of the beautiful little buildings were cream-colored, tidy little structures with wide-paned windows, arched doors, and cheerful gardens full of beautiful flowers that were too large to be real.
We walked through an arched gate, and followed the road through the town. I gawked at the Fae who moved through the town, most smiling and waving cheerfully if they felt my gaze rest upon them. I waved back hesitantly, overwhelmed at the friendliness. Most of the Fae looked like mortal college students, young and lithe with smiling faces and dancing eyes. I caught sight of one or two Fae who looked different to me, as if their features were larger than normal. Wide eyes and wider smiles, their faces were all angles and planes, and I felt a tremor of fear rip through me. They would have looked exactly like Niall, except where he had looked cold and disinterested, these Fae looked cheerful and warm. The effect was stunning, but it still left me feeling uneasy.
"Aleksander?" I whispered fervently. "How come the man over there looks different than everyone else? Is he Fae too or something else?"
He followed my line of sight and grinned. "Oh Jackson? Yes, he is a Fae too. He looks different because he was never a Síofra. Síofra's souls are a reflection of their mortal bodies in appearance. That is why you still look like you and I still look like mortals. Fae who are born into Otherworld without becoming a Síofra are a reflection of pure Fae. You see it more often in the Unseelie Court than you do here. Jackson was my Caomhnóir when I was a Síofra as a matter of fact."
I nodded, feeling heat climb my neck when Jackson felt my gaze and smiled widely as he waved at me. So this was the voice I had heard while I was sick. He looked as young as Aleksander and me, with dark, curly hair and unlined skin, but his eyes reflected a maturity and gentleness that put me at ease. I shyly returned his wave and hurried after Aleksander, embarrassed to have been caught staring.
Aleksander led me through the streets to a beautiful garden in the center of the town. Large trees grew around the edges of the garden, giving shade to its lush green grass and flower beds full of a riotous tumult of every color I could imagine and a few I hadn't ever seen before. The smell of honeysuckle hung heavy in the air, and I felt a calmness creep over my soul as I inhaled its heady fragrance.
"These are the village gardens," Aleksander said as he steered me toward a young couple sitting on a bench near the flowers. "It’s a common meeting area. I thought perhaps you would like to meet others like ourselves."
The Fae stood as we approached, and I slipped my hand into Aleksander's, gripping his palm nervously. He squeezed back and it reassured me.
"This is Erik. He is a Caomhnóir like me."
My gaze traveled up until they finally rested on the face of the tallest person I'd ever seen in my life. He had to have been well over six feet and probably closer to seven. Aleksander released my hand and Erik reached forward and grasped it, shaking it firmly, his meaty hand practically swallowing mine. I might have been intimidated if it weren't for the kindness in his eyes and the big grin on his face.
"Erik, this is Cassie Marshall, my charge."
I swung my gaze to Aleksander, a frown creasing my face. His charge? I didn't like that term. It made it sound like he was my babysitter.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Erik replied, oblivious to my inner drama, his voice deep and rich. "And this is Caroline Walters. She's a Síofra like you."
"Hi!" Caroline had a kind face, her smile wide and her eyes bright and untroubled. She bounced around his side and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly while I blinked in surprise.
I felt the sudden urge to return her hug, but she released me first, and I stood with my arms awkwardly stuck in the air. She pushed her long dark hair over her shoulder and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to a shady spot beneath the tree.
"Come sit with me. I haven't met any other Síofra yet, so I am probably going to pester you until you get tired of me and try to send me away. I say try because it isn't going to faze me any, but I'll pretend to go along with it for about ten minutes or so if it makes you feel any better."
I snorted. She was up front and I liked that. I sat in the grass next to her and stretched my legs out in front of me, watching Erik and Aleksander conversing several feet away.
"So where are you from? Have you been here long? Nutella or Peanut Butter?"
"One question at a time," I laughed happily. "I'm from California, I've only been coming here for a few weeks, and I have no idea what Nutella is so I'm going to have to go with peanut butter."
"Blasphemy!" she exclaimed, a look of fake despair sweeping her face as she clutched her chest dramatically. "Nutella is only the nectar of the gods! Chocolate and hazelnut mixed together into tiny little jars of epic. You have to promise that you'll go buy a jar in the morning and then come tell me how right I was tomorrow night."
"I suppose I could give it a whirl. But if I don't like it, I'm blaming you. That is assuming of course if I can even find it."
"Oh you'll like it," she reassured me, plucking a blade of grass from the ground and sandwiching it between her palms, attempting to whistle from it. "And if I can find it in Kansas, you can find it in California. It's going to be the only thing I’ll miss about the mortal world."
I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. She had my full attention now.
"So you've already decided?"
"Oh yeah!" she nodded. "It wasn't exactly a hard choice to make. I work a cruddy job flipping burgers at a fast food place and I live with my mom. We don't exactly have an ideal mother-daughter relationship if you know what I mean. So when Erik there told me I had to choose between staying here forever with him or hiding all my wire hangers from Mommie Dearest in the real world, I jumped at the chance. I'm guessing it's not wrapped up in a pretty box with a bow on it for you, is it?"
I chewed my lip as I thought about it. I was sad that her choice was so easy to make. I loved my mom and dad. Going away to college had been pretty rough on all of us as it was and at least then they knew they would get to see me on long weekends and holidays.
"No, not really," I admitted sadly, my mind wandering to my family. No matter what Aleksander said, I knew my memories of them would never fade. "I have a lot I'd be leaving behind."
"Yeah, I can see how that would be awful. But you’ve just started coming here. You have a long time to get your head wrapped around it. And who knows? Maybe your heart will get wrapped around it too. That guardian of yours is pretty easy on the eyes if you don't mind me saying."
I followed her gaze and watched him laughing at something Erik said, his eyes twinkling with mirth and his mouth stretched into a wide smile.
"Yeah, I guess he is," I agreed softly. "But he's just my guardian. No heart wrapping going on over here." The fib felt uncomfortable on my tongue. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. I wasn't sure how to put words to what I was feeling for Aleksander. I only knew that it wa
s strong, and the thought of leaving him behind made my heart ache in an uncomfortable way.
"Do you have a boyfriend in the real world?" she asked.
"Um, not technically? There's a guy I'm kinda sorta seeing, but I'm thinking that's not going to work out if I’m going to seriously consider being here." I swung my gaze to Aleksander and worried my lower lip with my teeth. He glanced my way and caught my eyes with his, a gentle smile tugging at his lips, and I felt my heart jump. "It's kind of hard to get emotionally invested in someone when you don't even know if you'll remember them this time next year."
"I can see how that would be a problem. My ex and I split up because he was going off to college and I wasn't. And let's face it, it's not like a weekend road trip can cover the difference from one dimension to another," she joked, and I laughed. I could feel my spirits lifting. There was something about Caroline that put me at ease. I could see us becoming great friends quickly.
"What about Erik? Did he wrap your heart up?" I glanced from Caroline to the tall Fae in question, watching how his eyes kept darting back to her and his gentle smile I glanced back to Caroline to see if she noticed and she was beaming in his direction.
"Yeah, I guess he did," she grinned.
"Oh wow, really? I was just teasing." Jealousy for the openly affectionate relationship they had flared in my stomach. More than anything, I envied her easy choice.
"Yeah, it’s been pretty amazing," she grinned, looking back at me, her eyes twinkling. "He feels the same, so no fear of heartbreak there. It's kind of hard to resist a guy who has spent years waiting for you, you know? Nobody ever waits for me. He's perfect for me. Except the kissing thing. He's so darn tall he has to pick me up to do it. Not that I'm complaining. Every girl wants to be swept off her feet. I get to experience it literally." She smiled as she gave up on her grass whistle and nibbled at the edges instead.
We chuckled at the mental image, and I forcibly banished my envious thoughts and relaxed next to her, happy that at least someone was comfortable with expressing their emotions. If I knew I was staying, would I be as comfortable telling Aleksander how I felt?
"What's so funny over here?" Erik asked, he and Aleksander moving to join us where we sat.
"Everything," Caroline told him solemnly, the corner of her mouth twitching with laughter. I snorted and we both collapsed into a fit of giggles.
"I am glad to see you are enjoying yourself, Cassie." Aleksander smiled wide, sitting down next to me in the grass, his knee brushing mine. Suddenly, my full attention was focused on the warm spot where his skin had touched mine.
"I am, thank you," I replied, returning his smile, a warm glow settling over my chest and easing the ache that had been there only moments before.
"No wrapping going on, my ass," Caroline said under her breath, and I laughed, shooting her a dirty look that begged her to hold her tongue. Was I that obvious?
Her eyes twinkled merrily in response.
"What is this about wrapping?" Erik asked her.
"Oh nothing. Girl talk. I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you. And since you can't actually die, well… That would take up far too much of my personal time, so I'm going to zip my lip."
I held up my hands innocently. "It's the girl code. Sorry, you’re not in the club. Can't do it," I chimed in.
"That's code for they were talking about us," Aleksander whispered loudly to Erik.
I felt heat climb my neck as I flushed. "You shouldn't make assumptions," I scolded, my breath drawing in rapidly. It was one thing to be transparent to Caroline. It was something else entirely to be transparent to Aleksander. "It only makes an a—" I broke off as a voice filled my head, disorienting me.
"Cassie! Come on!"
"Cassie, are you okay?" Aleksander's eyes focused on mine, and I could see the worry lurking in their depths.
"Come on! Get up! You're going to be late for class!"
"I'm fine," I muttered, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. "Hearing things I guess."
"Well, whatever you were hearing it wasn't your alarm clock." Becca's voice sounded over me.
Confused, I opened my eyes to find myself back in my bedroom, Becca standing over me with my brass alarm clock in her hands.
"This thing has been going off for the past twenty minutes, Cassie, and your cell phone has been buzzing all morning. You're going to be late for class if you don't get a move on."
I groaned and turned my face back into my pillow, wishing I was still sitting in the shade with Aleksander and Caroline.
Unfortunately for me, the real world was waiting.
Chapter Thirteen
I stumbled out of bed, grinding the sleep and bleariness out of my eyes as Becca stalked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I grabbed my cell phone off of the nightstand and scrolled through the messages.
Good morning, beautiful. I haven't slept at all thinking about you.
Dom. I groaned. I was so not ready to deal with that. The more time I spent with Aleksander, the more confused I felt about everything. I knew that eventually I would have to make a decision, but either way, I was pretty sure that Dom and I had no future, and it was time that I clued him into it and let him know that he was wasting his time. The problem was that, even though I wasn't into him romantically, I really did like him and I enjoyed hanging out with him, so I was afraid I wouldn't see him again after we had that discussion. Not that I was good at those discussions anyway. I so wasn't ready to think about all of that, so I did what I did best and opted to ignore the whole thing for now, scrolling to the next message and hating myself for being coward. Maybe I could ask Santa to bring me a spine for Christmas. Ugh.
Elliott is coming home for Thanksgiving. You're still coming right?
My mom. I felt a jolt of longing run through me as I thought of my mother. If I chose to be a Fae, I would have to leave her behind and never see her again. Of course I would go home for Thanksgiving. I was horribly homesick for my mother and I suddenly wished that I could confide everything in her. She would know the right words to soothe me and would tell me which path to choose. She always knew which path was best for me, but that was part of the problem. I had always let her make my choices for me, and now that I had to do it for myself, I didn’t know how.
I'll be there with bells on.
Is Becca coming too?
I'll ask, but probably.
The bells won't be necessary. Just bring yourself and Becca and I'll be happy.
I grinned and told her that I loved her and would call her that weekend. Thanksgiving was a long three weeks away, but at least it was something to look forward to. I would welcome the break from classes.
"Class!" I scolded myself, catching sight of the clock.
I wasn't exactly an early riser and usually cut myself enough slack to get to class on time. There was no way I was going to make it on time now, and my math professor was infamous for kicking tardy students out of the lecture. There was no point in rushing now only to be sent back home.
I wandered into the kitchen, still in my oversized t-shirt and flannel pajama pants, and poured myself a bowl of cereal. Becca was already seated at the table, eating her twig berries and soy milk. I turned my nose up at her unappetizing food as I slid into the seat across from her and used my spoon to isolate all of the marshmallows for immediate consumption.
"So," Becca grinned, "I'm guessing your date with Dom went well."
I looked up at Becca, confused. "Why would you guess that?"
"Well you slept awfully late this morning," she smirked, her dark eyes shining mischievously. "Would a certain blue-eyed hottie have anything to do with that?"
I shook my head. She was way off. It had been a green-eyed hottie keeping me from wanting to rejoin the waking world. "No, nothing like that happened."
"Oh, so something did happen then?" She pounced on the tiny kernel of information I’d let slip. Damn.
"He kissed me," I admitted sheepishly, heat creeping into my
cheeks as I shoved a spoonful of marshmallows in my mouth and let the sugar dissolve on my tongue.
"And? Did you kiss him back?" Becca was like a dog with a bone—she wasn't going to give up until I fed her every morsel of information she wanted.
"I might have," I sighed. "But I wasn't ready for that so I asked him if we could take things slow and he said he was fine with that. I've got work and midterms coming up, and I don't have a whole lot of time to get involved with anyone right now." That was a lie. There wasn't anyone on that particular dimension I wanted to make time for. It was a good thing words didn’t have the same power in the mortal world or I would be royally screwed.
Becca snorted and rolled her eyes at me.
"Oh spare me the excuses, Cassandra Diane! You are making up reasons why you can't because you're scared. You've always talked your way out of any guy who was interested in you and hid behind me so you wouldn't have to admit it."
"That's not true!" I argued. "I went on dates. Sometimes."
"Yup," she nodded. "Sometimes. But when you did, it was always someone you knew was a jerk so you would have a reason not to date him again. Well I've got news for you, girlie. I'm done letting you hide in your little shell. I've seen the way Dom looks at you. That guy has it bad, and he deserves a chance to screw things up for himself before you turn tail and run."
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and my thumb. I didn't run guys off without giving them a fair shake, did I? After all, I felt pretty strongly about Aleksander. Even if I hadn't told him how I felt. Or allowed myself the opportunity to think about it.
I wished, not for the first time, that I could come clean with Becca. She would be able to help me make sense of my complicated relationship with Aleksander in a heartbeat, but I knew she wouldn't believe me if I told her. I suddenly felt very alone in the world.
"Can we just drop it?" I asked, my voice sharper than I had intended, and Becca's face softened, her eyes wounded. I immediately felt guilty for snapping at her.
The Changeling (Book One of The Síofra Chronicles) Page 10