Fae Cursed: Legacy of Magic Book One

by Dyan Chick

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Fine.” I didn't want to talk any more. I didn't want to feel anything. All I wanted to do was shut down. In the past, that would have scared me because those were the emotions that led to doing stupid things. But there wasn't even the slightest craving running through my mind right now. It left me feeling strangely empty. I'd fought that monster for so long, I wasn't prepared for a moment when I didn't feel the urge to succumb. I stretched out on the couch, feeling oddly at peace. Or perhaps it was just defeat mixed with vodka. I'd given up everything to try to save my brother and here I was back at ground zero.

  My eyelids felt heavy. I rested my head on a pink throw pillow that looked incredibly out of place here. Yawning, I closed my eyes. The last thing I noticed before I fell asleep was the feeling of a blanket being tucked around me.

  23

  My eyelids fluttered open to see Brenon sitting across from me, watching me. I snapped my eyes shut and pulled the blanket over my head. It took me a minute to recall all of the events of the last day. I'd left the circus, but it had cost me.

  "Good morning," Brenon said.

  I peeked over the blanket, then pulled it down to my chin. My head was throbbing and the light pouring into the car from the wall of windows made the pain more intense. I squinted against the light and groaned.

  "Sorry," Brenon said.

  Fighting the pain, I sat up. That sounded like a confession. I recognized the way he said that word. I was an expert at that sorry. "What did you do?"

  Instantly, I regretted speaking and pressed my hand against my forehead, trying to ease the pounding. A wave of nausea rolled through me. Everything hurt.

  He handed me a cup. "Drink this, you'll feel better."

  I took it from him and looked at the orange liquid. It looked harmless enough. The same sense of defeat I'd felt last night was lingering over me. I felt powerless around these people, like I had no choices anymore. Did it matter what was in the drink? It was unlikely I could feel much worse. I slammed back the drink like it was a shot of tequila. It tasted like orange juice mixed with something I couldn't name. I handed back the glass.

  Surprisingly, the pain in my head eased right away. I looked up at the windows, the sunlight wasn't hurting anymore. "Whatever that was, you could make a fortune selling it to college kids for hangovers."

  He set the glass down. His face was still free of the makeup I had washed off of him last night. In the intense sunlight, the scars looked even more severe than they had in the dim evening light. His dark hair was messed, going in every direction. He must have slept, too. Though he'd remained in the same clothes he'd worn to meet me at the Rest Stop.

  "I didn't plan on having you in the middle of all of this. I knew there was something different about you, and I was curious. There hasn't been a lot of reason for me to be curious over the years. So when your brother managed to lose so spectacularly in poker, I saw an opportunity to figure you out."

  I was right, his sorry had been a confession. I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it. The words weren't there. How do you respond to that? He'd kept me because he was curious about me? "What would have happened if I didn't go with you?"

  He ran a hand through his hair. "I suspect Terra would have shown up at your home and taken you."

  We were both quiet while the words sank in. While he hadn't asked me to join the circus out of the kindness of his heart, the act had managed to save my life. It was strange how things worked. "Is that why I was drawn to the circus? I mean, my heritage? Is that why I got in?"

  "I think that's why you were drawn to the circus, and why I was drawn to you." I thought I saw a faint flush on his face before he stood and walked away.

  These were the most answers I'd gotten from anybody since falling into this whole mess. I didn't want him to stop talking to me. But as most things go in life, something always happens to throw a wrench in your plan.

  Somebody pounded on the door to his car. Nervous flutters rose in my stomach and I clenched the blanket tighter. I didn't want any more encounters with members of the Rose Circus. Evangeline's begrudging assistance last night had been a clear enough message about how unwelcome I was.

  Brenon went to the door and opened it. "Miles, how did I know it would be you? Come on in."

  My heart raced as the horned man walked into the room. He had to duck to enter, reminding me of how large he was. Would he try to harm me while Brenon was in the room? My fingers trembled and I'm sure the fear I felt was written across my face.

  "She slept here last night?" Miles asked.

  "Where else would she sleep?" Brenon asked. "If I let her out of my sight, who knows what you would do to her. She's not safe anywhere else."

  Miles stared at Brenon for a minute. "We're still cursed."

  "Did you honestly think I'd break the curse for some stupid human?" Brenon sounded disgusted.

  I bit down on the inside of my cheek. How could he say that about me? After everything we'd been through? Did he think so little of me? For a moment, I let myself feel like the teenaged version of myself. Upset that a guy I was interested in didn't like me back. Then, the insult started to make me angry. I wasn't that girl anymore. I had worked my ass off to find the confidence that I didn't have when I was younger.

  Tossing the blanket on the ground, I stood and marched over to Brenon. "Hey, I'm not stupid. And you know damn well that I'm not just human."

  Then, I turned my anger on Miles and stood right in front of him. I had to look up at him because he was so tall. Feeling like tempting fate, I poked him in the chest. "And you, you are going to start being nicer to me. I'm stuck on this damn train with you. I didn't ask for this and I don't want to be here and I certainly don't want to break any curses. So stop being so damn self-centered and get over yourself. It's not all about you. Maybe I just want to survive. Maybe I just don't want that crazy faerie to kill me, okay?"

  Miles expression changed from anger to surprise. He looked from me to Brenon. "Crazy faerie?” Then he looked at me. "What do you mean, you're not human?"

  I sighed. "Look, I'm still figuring it all out but apparently, I have more in common with all of you than I thought."

  "She's from the same line as the Sayge who cursed us," Brenon said. "But she lost her magic."

  "So Terra?" Miles said.

  Brenon nodded. "She's been looking for a way to break this curse. She wanted Ara to do it, but it's not possible without magic."

  Miles set his hand on my shoulder and I flinched at his touch. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I wouldn't wish losing magic on anybody."

  I pressed my eyebrows together in confusion. I didn't remember having magic, but I knew that after my overdose, it was like a switch was flipped. Nothing in my life made sense and I went to a very dark place. If that was what they were living in, why live at all? "They why not break the curse? Get your magic back?"

  "Are you offering to break the curse?" Evangeline walked into the room. "Didn't we talk about this last night?"

  "I'm not offering anything." My face felt hot and I knew I had turned scarlet. Having sex with Brenon wasn't on my to-do list but I had a feeling the people standing in this room knew the requirement for breaking the curse. "I was just asking why you don't just stand up to Terra. Can't all of you together take her down?"

  "Maybe," Evangeline said. "Until you showed up and got Tristan involved."

  Miles' face drained of color. "Tristan's back?"

  "Thanks to this one." Evangeline pointed to me. "You're new here. I get that you'll be staying for a while. But don't try to pretend you're one of us. Or that you know what we've been through."

  "I'm not." I glanced to Brenon. Why didn't he say something to her? Wasn't he the one who was in charge here?

  "Miles and I will keep the others from killing you, but that's it." Evangeline pushed past me to walk into the room.

  "Miles, can you take Ara back to Goldie's room? Have Goldie get her ready for tomorrow's performanc
e," Brenon said.

  "That's it?" I said. "We just pretend like none of this happened?" I pointed to my bruised face. I could open both eyes, but the aching told me I probably still had a pretty obvious black eye.

  "The show must go on," Brenon said. "You're part of the circus now, Ara." He turned away from me.

  "Come on." Miles tugged at my arm, leading me through the door.

  I hadn't felt this hurt and betrayed in years. Why was he like this? Why was Brenon so sweet to me when we were alone? Why the act? I told myself that I should ignore it and ignore him. I told myself that I didn't need to be around a man as irritating as him. If he could blow me off like that, I shouldn't have any feelings for him. But I did. And that scared me.

  24

  "Welcome back, Ara," Goldie said as she held her door open for me. She smiled at me, then turned her gaze on Miles. She glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

  "Just showing Ara back to her room," Miles said.

  "So she's Ara to you now?" Goldie put her hands on her hips.

  "I still don't like having a human on the train, but Brenon's made it clear he's not breaking the curse. Besides, she's more like us than we thought." Miles walked away without saying goodbye.

  "What's he talking about?" A voice from behind Goldie sounded.

  I peeked into the room. The fish-scale covered girl was sitting cross-legged on Goldie's bed.

  "Come on in." Goldie walked into her room and I followed, closing the door behind me.

  I stood frozen next to the closed door, staring at the girl on Goldie's bed. She had been one of the people who threw me off the train.

  "I'm not going to bite," she said.

  Slowly, I walked over to the other bed, the one Goldie had said would be mine, and sat down.

  "Now, what was Miles talking about?" she said.

  "Wait," Goldie said. "Manners?"

  Goldie smiled and gestured toward the seated fish-girl. "Ara, this is Bella. Bella, Ara."

  "Nice to meet you," I said, more out of habit than honesty. Then I decided I didn't feel like playing nice. "You tried to have me thrown off the train and threatened me."

  "True." Bella shrugged. "Now tell me why Miles isn't trying to kill you anymore. Maybe we can even be friends."

  I had a feeling we'd never be friends. But I was stuck on this train so I might as well try to be nice. "Miles knows I'm not here to break any curses."

  She leaned forward on the bed. "What did he mean when he said that you had more in common with us than we knew?"

  Based on Evangeline's words, I was surprised the whole train didn't know by now. "Apparently, my family were Sayges. But I lost my magic before I even knew I had any."

  Her fake smile faded. "That's terrible."

  Goldie sat down on the bed next to Bella. "I told you she wasn't so bad."

  "To lose your magic and not even know." Bella shook her head. "You must have gone through some pretty dark times after that."

  I swallowed. I didn't want to get into my past with her.

  "I mean, it was bad enough when I lost my magic, but I knew why I had and there were so many of us going through it together. Plus, that whole staying alive thing was good motivation."

  Goldie covered a yawn. "Being human isn't so bad."

  Bella brushed the hair from Goldie's forehead and rested her fingers on the girl's cheek. "Of course it's not."

  I felt like I had walked in on the middle of something. "Um, I was told that you'd help me get ready for the show? Whatever that means."

  "Of course! We have a big one coming up tomorrow night." She yawned again. "Usually, we're sleeping right now, though."

  I forgot that they were mostly nocturnal. I'd fallen asleep when most of them were awake. That was probably how word spread to Miles so quickly. I stood. "I'll let you sleep, maybe I'll wander the train for a while."

  It had to be safe for me now, right? Miles and Evangeline seemed to be the second in command after Brenon and if they were telling people not to kill me, it was probably as safe as I'd ever get on this train. Plus, all the members of the circus might be sleeping.

  "See you in a bit," Goldie said.

  I stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to decide where to go. Then, I remembered about the key to the library that Brenon had given me. I looked down at the ruined black dress I was wearing, trying to remember where I had put the key. Had I already lost it? A wave of guilt swept through me. Brenon had said it was the only copy. I hoped it was in Goldie's room and turned, resting my hand on the doorknob. Before I opened it, I let go and stepped back. I didn't want to wake them up or walk in on anything. I'd just have to find another place to go for now.

  The train car was quiet and all the doors were closed. My first instinct was to go back the way I came, back to Brenon's car. But he had acted like I was of no importance to him as soon as his friends arrived this morning. That wasn't somebody I wanted to spend my time with. Besides, I didn't know if I could handle walking in on something intimate between him and Evangeline. It was possible she didn't like me because she saw me as a threat, somebody moving in on her territory.

  Instead, I walked toward the open dining car where I had been before I left the circus. Maybe I could sit and watch the countryside go by for a while. I wished I had my bag and the couple of books I packed. It would be a great time to get lost in an imaginary world. I chuckled to myself. I'm living in an imaginary world.

  When I walked into the dining car, my whole body relaxed at the sight. It was blissfully empty. Finding a seat near the window, I zoned out for a while staring at the grass that whizzed by. There was nothing around us. No buildings or animals or people. I wondered where we were, then realized it didn't matter.

  That was when everything came crashing down. The fact that I was stuck with these people, that a crazy Fae was trying to kill me, that there was magic, and this whole other word I never learned about, this world that I was somehow a part of. I had worked my ass off for the last five years to get sober, to graduate college. None of that mattered anymore. All that hard work had been for nothing.

  I buried my head in my arm and shook with tears. It was too much. How was anyone supposed to deal with something like this? Would it have mattered if I had made better choices? If the overdose never happened? What if I had retained my magic? Had my mom or dad known about this? Why hadn't they told me? My whole world used to make sense. There was logic and solutions to every problem. Math was easy. This was hard.

  The seat dipped as someone sat down next to me. I wiped off the tears with my forearm and turned to see Brenon sitting next to me. "What do you want?"

  I hadn't forgotten how we'd left each other less than an hour ago. He hadn't seemed like he cared. Why had he bothered to show up now? I looked around the dining car. We were the only occupants. My heart raced and flutters filled my chest. I didn't want to respond this way to him, but it was like I didn't have control of my own body. "You going to be nice to me again since there's nobody around?"

  "Yes," he said. "I'm sorry, but I need the others to believe that we won't end up in bed together."

  "We won't end up in bed together," I said.

  "That's probably true, but I have a history of getting women to do things they don't want to do."

  "Before or after the curse?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. "I'm sorry."

  "I get it. I'm not much to look at anymore." He leaned in closer to me. "If you had met me in my prime, you wouldn't have stood a chance."

  Goosebumps rose on my arms. Was he talking about his appearance or his reputation for not being such a nice guy? I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to that. Something was alluring about him just the way he was. I could feel even more control slipping away. It was the kind of thing that would get me into trouble. The old him may not have had the same appeal to me. Perhaps, that's where it all went wrong.

  His hand moved to my thigh and his mouth was next to my ear. "If I were to break the curse, it would ha
ve to be you. I've never met anybody like you."

  All sorts of feelings stirred inside me. The kind that I had kept buried for years while I focused on finishing school and playing it straight. I wanted to let go. I wanted to feel his lips pressed against mine, his fingers tracing along my bare skin.

  He lingered next to me, our faces so close, our noses almost touched. I could see the details of every scar. I wanted to say something smart, or sexy but the words weren't forming clearly. Instead, my mind was a pile of goo that couldn't process anything besides the pure lust that was rising inside me. My breathing grew heavy as he stared into my eyes. He was waiting for me to do something. Waiting for me to make the next move. I blinked a few times and took a deep breath. "You should go."

  Without hesitation, he removed his hand and leaned away from me. He smiled. "Like I said, I've never met anybody like you."

  He stood and started toward the doors. "You should rest if you can. Tonight is the Fire Festival. Biggest party of the year."

  I didn't respond as I watched him leave the dining car. My mind was too full. On top of all the other questions I couldn't answer, I was facing this inexplicable attraction to him. It didn't make any sense. Every ounce of my being was telling me it was a bad idea. There was nothing good that could come from acting on my feelings. It had to be my hormones acting out, just my body's response to having a member of the opposite sex notice me.

  I rubbed my eyes and went back to staring out the window. All the other questions had vanished from my head as I replayed what just happened over and over. What if I said something different? What if I acted on these feelings? I knew I couldn't. Not only was it stupid to get involved with a supernatural being, but I would also risk breaking the curse that none of the people on this train wanted broken. I always fell for the wrong guy.

  I jumped when somebody shook me awake. I didn't remember laying down on the seats in the dining car, but somehow, I'd managed to fall asleep. I pushed myself to sitting. As the sleep cleared from my vision, I saw a whole room full of people.