“Like a lime?” I offered helpfully.
He shook his head. “No, more like one of those neon signs.”
Double crap.
It seemed more and more like he was speaking the truth, and that made me nervous. I didn’t want to be outed as a fae, least of all by one of my students—it was private. Worse, it was dangerous for everyone involved. Ellyllon, the King of all Fae, and a man I called Dad would not be pleased to have a fae child out in the open, especially near me. Discretion was key. Darkness knew what he’d do to the boy. The people he told would also be in danger. The first rule of being fae in the mortal world was to never, ever let anyone know our true identities. Worse, I didn’t know what I’d do; I’d have to leave the school and maybe even San Diego.
When he saw my expression, Henry frowned. “Ms. Williams, am I in trouble?”
I shook my head and tried to reassure him. “No, of course not. It’s just that I’m surprised. Would you mind keeping this a secret, just between us?”
His eyes widened in surprise, but he looked sad. “Ms. Whitaker says I’m not supposed to keep secrets. She told me it’s just as bad as lying.”
I nodded. “Your foster mom is a smart lady, but this is important. Could you do that for me, Henry?”
“Why?”
“Because people wouldn’t understand. They might not take it the same way as you do, and it could get me in a lot of trouble.”
Henry seemed to think for a long moment. “Okay, but only if you keep my secret, too.”
“Oh? What’s your secret?”
His eye twinkled when he grinned. Then his blue irises and dark pupils disappeared and, in their place, appeared a yellow hue with a cat’s narrow pupil in the center. They transitioned seamlessly from human eyes, into a cat’s, and then back again without ever breaking contact with me.
A shifter.
This was bad. This was really bad.
Shifters were some of the most dangerous variants of fae that existed in the human world and universally hated. They were almost always abandoned by their parents out of fear and struggled their entire lives to carve out some semblance of normalcy. I knew all this because I’d met one before—my sister, Leena.
I restrained my urge to gasp when his eyes returned to normal and swallowed the lump rising in my throat. When he gazed up at me, I saw the fear, the vulnerability, of what he just exposed, so I embraced him. He wrapped his tiny arms around me as I told him, “Your secret is safe with me.”
My heart went out to him, and I felt a connection that I rarely experienced even with adults. He was fae, living in the Mortal Realm just like me. He was alone. I knew what he was going through and wished that I could make that pain go away.
Sweet boy…I understand. I’ll keep your secret because I know what it means.
T hat evening, I decided to give Halle a call and logged into Skype. We hadn’t talked in a while, and I needed her advice on what to do. There was a fae child in my class, and my anxiety had overwhelmed me since I got home from school. The Xanax I took did nothing but dull the edge on my growing panic. I paced in my room for hours.
Finally, I calmed down enough to set my laptop the end of my bed while I sat by the pillows cross-legged and waited for the internet to connect. My herbal tea sat on my bedside table, and I pulled my hair into a messy bun. Eventually, Halle’s face appeared on the screen in front of me.
“Hey, Hal!”
She grinned at me, her dark brown hair tied into buns on either side of the back of her head, some new hipster hairstyle she was into. “Hey, you! How are you doing? I feel like we haven’t talked in days.”
“I know I’ve just been swamped.”
“I understand. Give Mom and Dad a hug from me the next time that you see them.”
Grinning, I said, “I will. What about you? Is the radio station driving you crazy?”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Our broadband lost connection over the weekend, and it was insane. We called a guy to come out and climb on the roof to fix it. On top of that, Peter is a real ray of sunshine. I swear, someday I’m going to punch him in the face.”
“Peter is the one who signs your paychecks,” I reminded her. “Try not to be too hard on him.”
“Okay fine,” she grumbled in agreement. “Only until I learn how to forge his signature. Then all bets are off.”
I chuckled. “There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“One of the kids in my class is…unique. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure, but today it was confirmed.”
“Cass, what is it?”
“He’s fae,” I told her honestly. “And not just any fae—he’s a shifter.”
“What?”
“I know! It’s completely random, but I am one hundred percent positive. I saw his eyes change and everything.”
Halle made a face and asked, “Is he one of Dad’s?”
I covered my mouth with my hands and gasped. “I didn’t even think of that! He could be another one of our half-siblings.”
“Really? Because it’s the first thing that occurred to me.”
“Yeah, well, that’s unfortunate because he’s a nice kid, and I like him. Dad isn’t the only fae who cavorts with humans, you know.”
She didn’t respond but raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
I huffed in exasperation and said, “Okay, fine. I’ll test a sample of his hair against mine to see if we’re related. That wasn’t the point, though. He could be a problem for me in the long run.”
“Right, because he could ‘out’ you,” she surmised.
“Exactly. But it’s not just that. It’s the variant that concerns me. Shifters are not exactly known for their tact.”
“Well, I understand your concern, but try not to stress about it. He could surprise you.”
I nodded. “That’s what Michael said. Though to be fair, I hadn’t realized the kid’s powers when I spoke to him. That charming nugget of information revealed itself today.”
Halle raised an eyebrow. “You’re still hanging out with Michael?”
Crap. Well, here goes nothing.
I shifted uncomfortably when I sensed her disapproval. “Um…yeah.”
“All right then,” she responded snippily. “You already know what I think about him.”
“I do, but that’s not what we’re talking about right now,” I reminded her. “I’m worried about this kid. I’ve even considered transferring schools to be extra cautious.”
She clicked her tongue. “Right, the kid. As long as he doesn’t act funny or run his mouth to his parents, you should be fine.”
“You’re right,” I sighed. “I just don’t want to end up with a crisis on my hands.”
“Then call Leena. She knows way more about this than I do.”
Our half-sister, Leena, was a shifter. She was several years older than Halle and me, more than half a century but you would never know by looking at her. Leena kept a low profile and didn’t usually like to be bothered but, when it came to shifters, she had a bit of a soft spot. I knew she’d want to hear about this; it was time to make the call.
“I will,” I promised.
Halle paused, then glanced at her clock before responding. “Look, I gotta go, but before I do, I just wanted to say that you’re doing the right thing. You don’t give yourself enough credit when it comes to fae ability.”
“What do you mean?”
Halle sighed. “You’re scared. I’m not sure why, but I can sense it. Something happened, and you’re starting to doubt yourself. That’s why you’re telling me this—in case you’re not strong enough. Well, I’m telling you that you ARE. You’re stronger than you realize.”
I swallowed hard again. “Thanks, Halle.”
She smiled. “I love you, Cass. We’ll talk again soon. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
The Lion Sleeps Tonight…
Chapter Seven
M y
arm burned with searing pain as I flew through the night and back into my bedroom.
I couldn’t believe it happened again. At first, I thought the Shadow Demon being able to touch me was a freak incident, but the blistering wound from tonight’s encounter proved me wrong.
My wings gently lowered me to the floor, then disappeared in a spray of glitter, leaving me to wonder about tonight’s events. Everything was fine when I entered the dreamer’s consciousness until the creep of frigid air made the hairs on my arms stand on end, and the shadows closed from the corners. I swept up as much Dust of Dreamers as I could, then flew as fast as I could to the Mortal Realm, but the demon touched me and left a handprint on my arm.
Last time, the wound faded after a week, but I had a feeling this one would take longer to heal. The mark was redder and angrier than before, more tender to the touch. I fell back onto my pillows and groaned. I didn’t know how to stop this, or if there even was a way. But at the same time…I couldn’t ignore the call.
I tried before, and it didn't end well. Was I doomed to spend my time in the Realm of Dreams running from this nightmare? How was I supposed to help anyone when I could barely save myself and anxiety overwhelmed my senses?
I couldn’t sleep with all these questions rattling around in my brain, so I threw on a cardigan and walked to the kitchen to make myself a mug of chamomile tea. I brought it back to my room, curled up at the head of the bed near my pillows, and stared up at the twinkling sky through my window.
Halle would insist I stop collecting Dust if she knew what was happening. Mom would flip out if she knew what I did every night. And Michael…I wondered what he would think. His gifts from Mother Lilith were generous and helpful. Communicating with animals wasn’t a skill that put him in danger like mine.
For the first time in ages, I wished I could contact my father, the real one, Ellyllon. I hadn’t seen him since Halle and I were twelve when he gifted me the flute, and who knew if he kept track of us after all this time or even cared? Whatever this Shadow Demon was, it wanted something from me, and I needed help to figure out precisely what.
T he next day flew by in a blur.
I was happy to have something to take my mind off the burn on my arm and the reason it ached. As I was getting ready to leave school for the day, my phone chimed with a message from Michael.
“Hey, Cass. Are you busy tonight?”
My stomach fluttered the way it did every time I got a text from him. “I’m free.”
He replied immediately. “Great! I want to take you somewhere special.”
“Sounds nice. Where are we going?”
His reply made me picture a mischievous smile spreading across his face. “You’ll have to wait and see. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
I drove home though the afternoon traffic thrilled with the knowledge I’d be seeing him again. When I got to my apartment, I gathered my hair into a loose braid while searching my closet for the perfect outfit. Finally, I decided on a blue floral dress and a pair of pearl earrings Halle had once complimented. I left the braid down over one shoulder so it could block my wound even more than the lace cardigan I chose. I felt weird not calling Halle before the date, but wasn’t sure I wanted to hear her opinion on the matter. It was the first time I could remember feeling defensive and wanted to keep my relationship with Halle and my relationship with Michael separate. Whatever was going on between Michael and I needed to be for us to decide.
It was personal—private.
At seven o’clock, Michael rang the doorbell, and I ran to open the door with a huge grin.
“Hey, you’re right on time,” I told him breathlessly.
Michael’s gorgeous brown eyes took me in and looked me over. “Hey, yourself, Butterfly Girl. You look beautiful.”
He leaned in to kiss me on the cheek just as Samantha stepped out of her bedroom. She smiled at the sight of us and said, “Oh, you must be the mysterious Michael I’ve heard so much about. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Michael shook her hand, “And you must be Samantha. I’d love to chat, but Cass and I have plans, so we need to get going.”
“Ooh, sounds exciting.”
Michael smiled at me, and my whole world seemed to stop. “I hope so.”
We said our goodbyes and made our way toward his truck. He opened the door to the cab and helped me inside, making sure my dress was tucked in before closing it.
“You’re killing me with the suspense,” I groaned. “What’s with all the secrecy?”
Michael chuckled, his low voice thrilling me. “We’re almost there. Relax.”
Soon enough, we pulled onto one of the roads crisscrossing Balboa Park, one of my favorite places in the city. Instead of parking near the Friendship Garden or one of the museums, we pulled up to the rear parking lot of the San Diego Zoo.
I turned to him, confused, and asked, “What are we doing here?”
Michael parked in an empty spot and shut off the ignition. “I want to show you something.”
“At your work?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I thought I’d introduce you to some of my friends. Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
My hands shook slightly when he helped me out of the cab. I followed him down what looked to be a staff entrance and through the back areas of the African exhibit. Though it was dark outside, the security lights provided enough illumination for the animals to roam comfortably behind wire fences and glass barriers. As we passed, the animals paused, looked at Michael, then returned to their activities.
“Oh, my gosh…” I whispered. “You were talking about animals. These are the friends you wanted me to meet?”
He glanced over at me with an impish smile. “Yep. Most of them anyway. Come on. I want to introduce you.”
We walked through a maze of exhibits until we came across a pane of glass that pressed against a mound of dirt. On the surface, it didn’t look like anything exciting but, when we got closer, I saw connecting tunnels where furry creatures scurried and nestled into crevices.
“Who are these guys?” I cooed as one popped its head against the window.
“One of our meerkat families. They’re a rowdy bunch who likes to play, eat, and talk. We have about forty of them in here.”
“Wow. I never thought I’d be asking this, but do they all talk to you?”
Michael chuckled. “All day, every day.”
“Huh. What are they saying?” I asked as more and more pressed against the glass and chattered loudly.
“They want to know what I’m doing here since the other night vet came through already.” He snorted. “And Chilly over there wants to know how I found such a pretty date. He thinks you’re way out of my league.”
I smiled. “Aw, they’re so cute. Thanks, Chilly.”
They clacked in response, and Michael said, “Trust me, they know. Let’s keep going. I have a few more I want you to meet.”
He led me through the exhibits to see to the penguins, who immediately started asking him for treats. The sleepy polar bears told Michael to come back during feeding time. Michael took my hand we walked toward a series of open-air exhibits set apart by mesh gates. We strode up to one of the padlocked gates. He fished a key out of the pocket of his jeans and unlocked the mechanism.
“What are you doing?” I hissed. “You’re going to get us in trouble.”
Michael scoffed. “No, I’m not. I already told Charlie we would be stopping by, and he was fine with it. Besides, you’re going to want to say hi to my buddy, Xena. She’s a two-toed sloth, and pretty much the sweetest thing ever.” He pressed his face against the bars and chirped, “Xena…”
Slowly a brown, fuzzy creature with six-inch claws dragged its way across the ground.
“Hey there, girlie. Remember that friend I told you about? Well, here she is. Say hello to Cassandra.”
The sloth turned to me and blinked, then slunk across the cage.
“She’s beau
tiful,” I breathed.
He nodded. “She’s also very slow.” Michael scooped her into his arms and carried her over to me. He extended his arm and let the sloth hang upside-down as she stared at me with intense brown eyes. “Xena likes to be petted just like a cat. Do you want to touch her?”
“Is it okay?” I asked worriedly. “She won’t bite, will she? I don’t want to startle her.”
Michael grinned. “She’s a vegetarian. Go on, stick out your hand so she can sniff you, just like any other animal.”
Hesitantly, I reached out and Xena pushed the top of her head into my palm while making a purring sound. I stroked her head, back, and belly, surprised by how soft she was. When I finally tore my eyes away, Michael’s eyes were shining with happiness.
He glanced down when Xena chirped and nodded. “You’re right, Xena. She’s the best.”
His arm drooped under the weight of the animal, so he picked her up like a baby and whispered his thanks to her as he set her back in the cage.
“Wow. This is amazing,” I said in disbelief. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
He smiled and said, “The date isn’t over yet. Do you want to meet some big guys? The lions are on our way back to the car.”
I shook my head nervously. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.”
“Are you positive? They can be sweet when they want.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
Michael laughed. “Not if you’re with me. If they don’t feel like having visitors, they’ll let me know.”
I took a deep breath and tried to feel as brave as I wanted to look. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Michael took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as we walked toward the largest enclosures. When we found the lions, they gazed at us with sleepy eyes but didn’t say anything to Michael as we approached.
“Hey,” he addressed them quietly. “I want you to meet Cassandra. She’s a friend of mine.”
Chasing Starlight: Cassandra's Story (The Daughters of Night Chronicles) Page 8