by Wendi Wilson
“While I applaud you for caring about your students, your reaction seems a little over the top, as the humans like to say,” Finn observed, his words slow and measured.
Cris coughed into his fist and cleared his throat, saying “Any child being preyed upon by someone who is supposed to be a parent, a caretaker, is disgusting. Besides, December isn’t just a normal student. I’ve grown quite fond of her after spending so much time together.”
He looked at me as he said those last words, and I couldn’t squelch the blush that bloomed across my face. Cris admitting he cared about me made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It also made me see him a little differently.
He wasn’t just a hard-assed mentor that pushed me past my limits. He was also what I’d also hoped to find in every foster home I bounced in and out of—an adult who had my best interests at heart.
“We’ve gotten off-topic,” Finn said, breaking up the weird thickness in the air. “I just wanted you both to know what Sebille has been up to, so we can all be prepared should anything come of it.”
“Thank you, Finn,” I said, standing.
Cris gave Finn a firm nod, then held out an arm, indicating I should precede him to the door. He followed me out without another word, closing the office door behind us. He motioned for me to follow him and led the way to his office.
“I know you’re tired,” he said, slumping into the chair behind his desk, “but I need to talk to you for a minute about where we go from here.”
I cocked my head to the side and waited for him to continue. When I didn’t interrupt with complaints or questions, he gave me a tight smile and waved me into the chair in front of his desk.
“Sebille has obviously added you to her agenda. Before, she just wanted to take over the school, to shut down our greatest strength, but now…she has to see you as her biggest threat.”
I swallowed thickly and nodded. I knew she viewed me as a thorn in her side, an abomination she needed to destroy because of my forbidden parentage, but a threat? She was the freaking queen of the Zephyrs for God’s sake. I got lucky, took her by surprise, but she wouldn’t be so unwary around me in the future.
“I can see you have doubts,” he noted, his eyes boring into mine. “She discovered a half-Zephyr-Sylphid, training with an army that means to ruin all her plans. Not only did one of her people defy her law and, quite literally, sleep with the enemy, they kept it a secret from her. Now this hybrid is training to fight in the war against her, and exhibited an enormous amount of power by ousting her from the school grounds in a very dramatic way.”
He smirked, but I could see the pride shining in his blue eyes.
“You think she’s scared of me?” I asked.
“Oh, December, I know she is. Nothing has ever frightened her more.”
We moved on to discuss upping my training schedule to twice a day—once before classes and once after. Yay! Like I wasn’t exhausted enough already.
And, since I had to get up two hours early in the morning, I said goodnight and headed for the door. Pulling it open, I turned back to look at Cris. He tilted his head, shooting me a questioning glance.
“Just…thanks for everything, Cris.”
He smiled with a nod and I slipped out, heading for the room I shared with Shaela. It had been a long, strange day, and I was ready for it to be over.
Hopefully tomorrow would be back to normal.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
24
“It came to me in the middle of the night.”
I was so tired, I could barely think straight, so I had no idea what Easton was talking about. After getting to bed late, getting up early for an hour-and-a-half long training session with Cris, then making it through two classes had really taken its toll on my brain function.
I turned in my desk to face him since Cris hadn’t arrived to start class yet. Shaela was oddly missing, as well. I hoped she wasn’t sick. Maybe she was as tired as I was, since she waited up for me the night before. She probably skipped class to take a nap.
“What came to you?” I asked, stifling a yawn.
“The reason for that,” he said, jerking his head to the left.
I looked in that direction to catch Tiana’s gaze on me. Her face lit up as our eyes met and she smiled, wiggling her fingers at me in a small wave. Not sure how I should respond, I returned the gesture and turned my attention back to Easton, who chuckled.
“You figured out what she’s up to?” I whispered.
He shook his head, confusing me, saying, “I don’t think she’s up to anything. I think she really likes you.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said, rubbing my fingertips against my temple where pain was blooming. “She hates me.”
“She did hate you, and now she doesn’t. I wracked my brain, trying to find a reason behind it, an ulterior motive, anything. But, December, every time I see her aura around you, it’s a positive emotion. No one could hide their true intentions one hundred percent of the time. That’s when it hit me. She’s not hiding anything. She really likes you.”
“Since when?”
He held up a finger, saying “And that is the right question. She likes you since yesterday, during gym class.”
“I don’t get it,” I said.
He leaned forward, bringing his face close to mine so he could whisper.
“Yesterday, during class, you looked at her and Aubrey and said, Things would be so much easier if they liked me.”
“So?” I asked, still not understanding what he was trying to say.
“It’s your ability, D. Like Shaela, you can affect people’s feelings. I think when your said those words, it happened without you really even trying.”
“Good morning, class.”
Cris’s entrance broke off whatever denial I was about to make. I glanced over at Tiana again, and she must’ve felt my eyes, because she looked over and smiled at me, a big, toothy grin that I’d never seen grace her features before.
Oh my God, what if Easton is right? What if I somehow made this happen?
And what was I going to do about it? I couldn’t go on letting her think she actually liked me. Could I? No. No. It was wrong. Yet, it would make my life at Oberon Academy so much easier…
No. I had to fix it. I’d talk to Cris after class and get his take. I was sure he would know what to do to make things go back to normal.
“So, class, any thoughts on what steps the humans can take to get themselves out from under the thumbs of the Zephyrs?” Cris asked, his voice projecting across the space.
Tiana’s hand shot up into the air. Cris nodded at her, giving her permission to speak.
“I’d like to hear what December has to say about it. I mean, she lived it, right? She would have the most insight.”
Cris’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline as his gaze shot from Tiana to me. I shrugged like I had no idea why she said that, but he lifted one brow like he didn’t believe it for a second. He mouthed the words “after class” at me and I nodded, having already decided to speak to him about it, anyway.
The period dragged on forever, but at least Tiana didn’t call any more attention to me. When class was dismissed, she bounced in my direction, an apologetic smile on her lips.
“Sorry if I put you on the spot, D. I just thought you’d know, better than any of us, how it really is out there.”
“It’s okay,” I said, managing to restrain a flinch at the sound of her calling me by Shaela’s nickname.
It was okay for my friends to call me that, but not her. Of course, at that moment, Tiana thought we were friends. It was so confusing, and honestly, more trouble than it was worth. I needed Tiana Avery to go back to hating me so the Earth could start spinning on its axis again.
“Well, that was an interesting turn of events,” Cris said as the room cleared out and he approached me. “Don’t you have somewhere to be, Mr. Oberon?” he asked Easton when he didn’t follow the others out.
“I’d like him to sta
y, if that’s okay,” I said, my fingers cinching around Easton’s wrist to hold him there.
“Okay,” Cris said. “Care to explain what’s going on with Ms. Avery?”
“I think,” Easton started, then corrected himself. “We think December may have inadvertently Glamoured Tiana and Aubrey to…uh…like her.”
“Is that so?” Cris asked, his voice mild.
At least he wasn’t angry.
“I didn’t mean to,” I said defensively. “I didn’t even know I had that ability. I mean, I still don’t know for sure. This is just a theory. We could be totally wrong.”
Easton twisted his hand and grabbed my fingers, giving them a comforting squeeze to stop my rambling.
“Yesterday,” he explained, “in gym, December made some offhand comment about how much easier her life would be if those girls liked her. There was no intention in the words, just an observation, and bam! By the end of class those two were inviting December to sit with them at dinner and they’ve been acting like they want to be friends ever since.”
“We thought it was a ploy, at first,” I added. “Like they were trying to trick me to gain my trust. But Easton can see their auras, so…”
I trailed off with a shrug and waited for Cris to digest the information and speak. I didn’t have to wait long.
“And what would you like to do about it?”
“What?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
“Well, we have two options,” he said, holding up a finger. “We can fix it, break the Glamour and let things go back to normal, or,” he held up a second finger, “we can let it go. Let them think you’re the best thing since sliced bread and check them off your list of problems.”
I was shocked that he’d even consider leaving things as they were. It was immoral, not to mention against school rules. At least, I assumed it was against the rules.
“I can’t,” I said. “It’s not right. Can you help me fix it?”
His lips stretched into a wide smile, letting me know I’d said the right thing.
“Were you testing me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He laughed. “Maybe a little. But it wasn’t to prove anything to me. I knew you’d make the right decision. I just wanted you to prove it to yourself, December. You are a good person. You should stop doubting that.”
Easton gave my fingers another squeeze in agreement.
“Okay,” Cris continued, “let’s get this fixed so you can go on about your day.”
I should’ve just left well enough alone.
I found the girls in the dining hall at lunch and sat down with them. They started gushing simultaneously about how happy they were that I was there. How they just wanted to get to know me better and how we would be the best of friends in no time.
Following the instructions Cris gave me, I concentrated on breaking the Glamour, whispering words to give Tiana and Aubrey back their free will. The chattering stopped as they both looked at me with questioning gazes.
Then the storm hit.
“You little bitch,” Tiana shrieked, drawing all eyes to our table. “I’m going to kill you!”
I stood quickly, taking a step back from the table. I held my hands up in surrender and attempted to placate her.
“I’m sorry, Tiana. I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t even know I could do it. It was an accident.”
“And you let me follow you around all day like some simpering idiot?”
My eyes inadvertently strayed to Aubrey, who sucked in a sharp breath. Tiana’s barbed words could very well describe her. She followed every step Tiana took. I almost felt bad for her. Almost.
Stiffening my spine and remaining calm, I said “I only just realized what happened and found out how to fix it. I took away the Glamour and I’ve apologized. What else do you want from me?”
Her lip curled up and her eyes narrowed. “Your total annihilation,” she hissed.
That’s just great.
I spun on a heel and walked away, keeping my head held high. There was no getting through to her. I was just going to have to watch my back.
I slumped into my chair next to Easton, and he reached over, rubbing his hand up and down my spine.
“Went that well, huh?”
“Just fabulous,” I deadpanned. “She’s out for blood. I may need you to help me keep an eye on her.”
“No worries,” he said. “I’ve got your back.”
“Have you seen Shaela?” I asked. “She wasn’t in sociology and now she’s missing lunch. I’m starting to get worried.”
“No,” he said. “But Charles is missing, too.”
“You think they skipped to hang out together?” I asked when I noticed his mischievous grin.
“It’s possible. Those two have been getting closer.”
I thought about it for a minute, then shook my head.
“No. No way. If Shaela was planning a skip day to sneak off with her boyfriend, she would have told me.”
“Maybe,” he said. “You want to go check your room? See if she’s there?”
I shot him a grateful smile and stood, grabbing a handful of French fries from his tray to eat along the way. Easton didn’t try to carry on a conversation while we walked. He just let me eat my fries and worry.
When we reached my room, I threw open the door and called Shaela’s name. The room was empty, her bed neatly made with deep purple throw pillows scattered across the headboard. I checked the chest by her bed and nothing seemed to be missing.
I walked to my side of the room, searching for a clue, a note, anything that would let me know where she might be. Nothing was out of place and there was no message anywhere. Fear spiked through me, sending a shiver down my spine.
Something wasn’t right.
“Let’s go find my grandfather,” Easton said. “If her schedule got rearranged, or something came up to take her off-campus, he would know.”
“Okay,” I murmured, but the fear didn’t abate.
With my early-morning session with Cris, I didn’t get a chance to speak to her before I left. When I got back to get ready for class, she was gone. I had assumed she’d went to breakfast, and that I’d see her later in the morning.
One thing I did know for sure, though, was that she would’ve found me. If something came up and she had to leave the school, she would have, at the very least, sent me a message. She wouldn’t just disappear without a word.
By the time we reached Finn’s office, I was a nervous wreck.
Easton knocked and, without waiting for a call to enter, swung the door open. We spotted Finn immediately, standing near the large fireplace, the light from the flames dancing across his face.
“Grandfather?” Easton called out as we stepped over the threshold.
Finn snapped out of whatever deep train of thought he was in, his body jerking toward us as if Easton’s voice had startled him. His eyes landed on us and his body relaxed, his expression a mix of equal parts pleasure and resignation.
“Easton, so good to see you. December.”
He said my name with a nod in my direction, but my eyes were drawn to the items clutched between his fingers. A crumbled sheet of paper and a small, purple backpack-style purse.
“That’s Shaela’s purse,” I said, my words sounding like an accusation as I stormed across the room. “Why do you have her purse? Where is she?”
I was falling into pure panic-mode. I knew on some subconscious level that Finn could never hurt Shaela and had nothing to do with her disappearance, but seeing him standing there, worry lining his face and Shaela’s purse in his hand, something inside me snapped.
It had been a day, and things just kept getting worse and worse.
“D,” Easton whispered from behind me, breaking through my anxiety.
I sucked in a few deep breaths, then apologized to Finn. He shook off my words, then handed Shaela’s purse to me as he spoke.
“That is quite all right, December. I understand your concern and do, in fact, share i
t with you. The purse was found near the edge of the forest with this note.”
I took the crumpled piece of paper he held out to me, smoothing it with my fingers before reading it aloud.
“I will return the girl, unharmed, in exchange for the half-breed. Send her into the forest by midnight. No negotiating. If she does not come, the Sylph dies. ”
My voice cracked as tears sprung to my eyes. It was my fault. Shaela was missing because of me.
“I’ll go right now,” I said as the note drifted from my fingers to the floor.
I spun around and stepped toward the door, but a hand on my arm stopped me. I glared at the offending fingers, my gaze travelling up the length of the arm until I met Easton’s icy-blue gaze.
“What are you doing? Let me go,” I demanded, my voice laced with fear and rage.
“Just wait, December,” he said, his tone even and placating. “We should come up with some kind of plan before you just go charging out there to hand yourself over.”
“They have Shaela,” I snapped, feeling like everything was spinning out of control. “I don’t care what she does to me.”
We all knew she was behind this. Queen Sebille. It probably wasn’t her, out in the woods holding my best friend captive, but she would have been the one to make the order, sending one of her minions to do the job.
“I got here as soon as—”
We all turned toward the door at the sound of Cris’s voice. He looked at my tear-streaked face, then to Finn, then Easton before focusing back on me.
“What’s going on here?” he asked.
“Thank you for coming, Crispin” Finn said, and his voice never sounded so weary. “Shaela Goodman has been kidnapped.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
25
After the three of them talked me off the ledge and out of running straight for the woods to turn myself over, we hashed out a plan to get Shaela back. Because the note said “I will return the girl,” we assumed there was only one of them, which helped our odds.
Finn stayed behind as we made our way outside an hour later. He was king, and we convinced him that he shouldn’t put himself at risk, no matter how powerful he was. The three of us could handle it.