by Wendi Wilson
“I would never hit you,” he said, rubbing a palm against his chest. “No matter how much I may have thought I hated you, I’d never do that.”
“I know,” I said, really believing it. “But I wasn’t really thinking straight when it was all going down.”
One side of my mouth turned up into a smirk. Cris chuckled, the tension between us lifting once more.
“You are something else, December Thorne. Whoever left you on those library steps as a baby missed out on raising an amazing daughter. And they regret it. I guarantee you that.”
Chapter Sixty-Four
31
“I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” I said, keeping my head low so only my tablemates could hear me.
Dinner was in full swing, yet the room was eerily quiet. Much like it had been at every meal since Tiana spread that video around. It was so strange, like they all thought if they spoke louder than a whisper it would set me off. Like I’d lose it and burn the whole damned place to the ground.
“It’ll pass,” Shaela replied with a sympathetic look.
“Nope,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t do it anymore. I have to stop hiding out with Cris all day, or I’m going to go insane. I need to get things back to normal…or, at least, as normal as things get for me.”
With that, I rose from my chair, planted my foot in the seat and pulled myself up to standing. Most eyes in the dining hall shot to me. Those who didn’t notice me got patted or kicked by their friends until everyone was staring. I fought against the nerves and raised my voice, keeping my words clear and concise.
“I know you all saw that video some nasty, horrible person took and spread without my consent,” I said, projecting my voice and looking pointedly at Tiana for a moment. “There are some things you must know to put what you saw into context. I’m here to give you the truth so the rumors can stop flying.
“You saw that I lost control and killed a Zephyr, but you don’t know why. That faery kidnapped Shaela Goodman,” I jabbed a finger in her direction, “to draw me out so he could take me to the Zephyr queen. He nearly killed Charles Everest. He actually thought he did and gloated when he told me about it. Then, when I tried to give myself over willingly, he threatened to take Easton Oberon so the queen could kill us both. But not before he killed Shaela and Professor Jonas.”
Heads turned back and forth as the students glanced at each other. I knew they didn’t know any of what I was telling them. Whether or not it would make a difference, I didn’t know. But, at least they would know the truth and could make an educated choice.
“So, yes, I lost control of my powers. My life, and the lives of every person I love were being threatened. Can any of you admit that you wouldn’t do the same? That you wouldn’t lose your shit if every important person in your life were about to die in front of you?”
“December Thorne saved my life,” Easton shouted, standing up and pushing his chair back.
“December Thorne saved my life,” Shaela repeated, leaping up and pointing a finger at me.
“December Thorne saved my life,” came a shout from behind me.
I turned and saw Cris standing in the doorway of the dining hall. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at me, then let his eyes rove over the rest of the room. Some students met his stare brazenly, others glanced away, faces heating with shame.
“December saved my girlfriend when I couldn’t, and I am so grateful for that. Who cares how she did it? She could’ve set the whole forest on fire, for all I care. All that matters is that we’re all here. And alive.”
I watched Charles as he spoke up for me, my eyes burning as I fought back tears. I felt so blessed, having these people in my life.
“But how did she do it?” Tiana yelled, rising from her own chair. “No Sylph so young has that much power, and she’s half-human.”
She spat the word human like an accusation, like it was some terrible thing that resided inside my DNA. I watched as students nodded at each other, agreeing—at least in part—with Tiana. They knew something strange was going on. What they were told just didn’t make sense.
I stepped from the seat of the chair up onto the table, making a decision that was bound to have terrible repercussions. Or maybe not. Maybe they all knew, somewhere deep down inside, that my dark colored hair and wings could only mean one thing and they chose to ignore it. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
Or my first instinct was right, and all hell was about to break loose.
“When I first arrived at the academy, Rowan Dobbs,” I choked on the name as the memory welled up inside me, “told me he could feel the Sylphid inside me. He made an assumption that day. He determined that because of my coloring and my delayed powers, I was only half-Sylph. And that the other half was human.”
“December,” Cris called out in a warning tone as he stalked toward me.
I shook my head at him before refocusing on the crowd. I had to tell them. I couldn’t live like this anymore. I looked down at my friends. They stayed where they were, looking around in high alert and ready to have my back at the slightest threat.
“But, he was wrong,” I said, continuing my impromptu speech. “When Queen Sebille attacked our school and took King Finn hostage, I confronted her alone. I defeated her, ejected her from this place, but not before she told me something very important.”
I took a deep breath, ready to spill my guts.
“You don’t have to do this.”
I looked down at Cris, who had come to stand beside Easton.
“Yes, I do,” I said. Then I looked back up, meeting as many eyes as possible, and said, “I am half-Sylph. I am also half-Zephyr.”
For about two-point-five seconds, the room was completely silent. Not even a breath could be heard. Then someone shouted and the room erupted into cries of denial and angry bellows. The roar of the crowd grated against my ears, blending together into an unbearable cacophony that was impossible to decipher.
Then fingers slipped through mine, and I looked over to see Easton standing beside me on the table top. I gave him a tight-lipped smile, appreciative of his support, but worried about how his association with me would affect him.
My other hand was taken, and when I glanced to my left, Shaela stood there, shoulders thrown back in defiance. Charles jumped up to take her other hand, and together we stood, united amidst a sea of angry shouts, pumped fists, and snarling faces.
All that was missing were the pitchforks and torches.
“That’s enough!”
Finn moved into the room, his voice echoing off the walls as every mouth in the room snapped shut, almost in unison. I wasn’t sure if he was using his kingly power to control them, since it didn’t affect me, or if it was just the respect he garnered. Either way, the resulting silence was a blessing.
“Sit down,” he ordered as he made his way to where my friends and I still stood on the table.
They climbed down at once, taking their seats along with everyone else, so I hopped to the floor to do the same. Finn placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me to stand beside him as he spoke.
“I do not generally become involved in the ever-revolving dramas of the students at this school. You are young, and are expected to make mistakes, errors in judgment, and bad choices, but I also expect you to learn from them. What we have here is one of these learning experiences.”
I watched the faces of those around us as he spoke, and while most remained skeptical, a few students’ faces turned thoughtful, like they were really considering what he was saying.
“December Thorne,” he continued, “is, indeed, half-Zephyr. I know that may concern you, being raised with such hatred and intolerance toward the dark Fae. But let me pose a question—one that I know has been discussed in your classes as of late. Does having Zephyr blood make a person inherently evil?”
There were some nods and a couple of shouted yeses, but for the most part, the students remained intensely quiet. Once the comments die
d out, Finn spoke again.
“December has lost control of her powers a few times, that much is true, but has she done anything besides protect herself and those she loves? She ousted Sebille from my office, saving my life and this school. She eliminated a Zephyr that threatened her, my grandson, other students and a teacher. Her elemental magic may have bruised a few of your egos,” he said, and my eyes unwittingly traveled to Tiana, “but has she ever really hurt any of you? Think about that before you decide a lynch mob is the answer.”
And with one last squeeze of my shoulder, he turned and left the room. Cris jerked his head toward the exit, silently begging me to follow him out, but I hesitated. I stood stock-still, mulling over Finn’s words like everyone else the room.
I could only come to one conclusion—Finn was right. Having Zephyr blood didn’t make me evil. A little unpredictable, yes, but I had to have faith that I’d eventually get that under control. I tried to be a good person, a loyal friend, a loving girlfriend, and a model student.
That’s all any of us could do. Try. And it didn’t matter what our DNA told us about ourselves. We were who we were because of the choices we made. We just had to try to make good ones.
I wasn’t a monster. I was a girl carving out a place for herself in the world.
Chapter Sixty-Five
32
I walked into Cris’s office a few days later, worry eating away at me as I started pacing back and forth in front of the desk he sat behind.
“What’s wrong? Are the other students bothering you?”
I dismissed his questions with a wave of my hand. “Most people are still avoiding me like I single-handedly caused the Great Famine, but it’s fine. Little by little they’re coming around, realizing I’m not the threat Tiana and Aubrey have been campaigning against. You know they started a petition to get me expelled?”
Cris barked out a laugh, but sobered quickly. I didn’t blame him. It was pretty funny, seeing the two girls walking around with clipboards, damning my presence and handing out flyers that read, “Don’t ever trust a Zephyr.”
So much for the lessons on tolerance and not judging a person by their blood.
“I’m worried about Sebille,” I said, bringing us back on topic.
“What do you mean?” he asked, a slight edge to his voice.
I stopped pacing and looked at him, propping my fists on my hips.
“We…sorry, I killed the commander of her army. It’s been almost two weeks and she hasn’t retaliated. Nothing, not even a threatening note. I don’t like it, Cris. She’s up to something. I can feel it in here,” I said, slapping a palm against my chest.
“Knock, knock.”
Shaela poke her head in through the doorway, and I waved her inside.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I asked the others to meet me here. We need to talk this through. All of us, together. I feel like we should do something proactive before Sebille can enact another strike against us. We might not be so lucky if she catches us by surprise again.”
“I agree with December,” Easton said as he walked into the room, coming over to peck his lips against mine. “You saw how crafty Sebille is. She made herself very visible, visiting with humans, making out of character promises and handing out food to the poor. She even targeted her good will toward foster parents to make us think she was trying to get information on December. While we were watching her, Elias snuck right into Alvaro Forest and took one of our own with none of us the wiser.”
“We don’t know that she wasn’t trying to get to the Holts and get information on me,” I countered, “but you’re right. Her flamboyant public appearances did serve other purposes. She distracted us so Elias could get in, and she has also endeared herself further to the humans. If this comes to war, we don’t know whose side they’ll be on.”
“What did I miss?” Charles asked as he came in, walking over to take Shaela’s hand.
Cris scrubbed a hand across his face with a groan. “You guys are just kids. You should be hanging out and having fun like teenagers, not planning to take on the biggest, baddest Zephyr of all time.”
“Um, pretty sure that would be December. She kicked Sebille’s ass last time they faced off.”
My head snapped around to look at Charles, but there was no malice in his expression—just respect and, maybe, a little awe. It was the first time one of my friends referred to me as a Zephyr, and though it was a little bit of a shock, he wasn’t wrong. I was a Zephyr.
And I had kicked Sebille’s ass.
“Cris, please. You have to help us. I know you somehow knew Elias, which means you know way more than we do about Sebille’s headquarters in the city.”
“Wait, you knew Elias?” Easton asked, his eyes flashing from me to Cris and back again.
I started to apologize for keeping the secret, but Cris cut me off.
“I did know him. I admitted that much to December when she noticed some…uncharacteristic behavior on my part the night we went up against him. I gave her no details and asked her not to tell anyone, as it could put my job, and maybe even my life, on the line.”
Easton closed his mouth and nodded. I shot him an apologetic look but he waved it off. My keeping Cris’s secret wasn’t important. The secret itself, however, was.
“Maybe you should tell us how you know him,” Easton said to Cris, his voice ringing with the authority of a future king.
I actually felt that little wobble in my center of gravity, the same one I felt that day Finn had used his authority to make everyone leave the school. I looked at Shaela, and her eyes were wide as saucers. She’d felt it, too.
“Easton,” I said, my voice firm. “What are you doing?”
He shook his head as if to clear it before glancing back at Cris.
“Sorry,” he said, cutting his eyes toward me. “Sorry. The older I get, the more that particular talent tries to make itself known. I don’t do it on purpose—I won’t until I’m actually king—but sometimes when things get too intense, it’ll come through without my permission.”
I looked at Cris, who hadn’t spoken. Easton’s royal ability must not have been strong enough yet, because it appeared to have zero impact on my mentor.
“At this point,” I said, “how Cris knew Elias is irrelevant. What’s important is if he has any knowledge of Sebille that can help us. Will you help us?”
I gave him an imploring look with that last question. He stood firm with eyes narrowed for a few moments, then rolled his eyes as his shoulders slumped.
“Of course, I’ll help you,” he said. “But only because I know you’ll just head off and do it on your own if I don’t.”
He knew me so well.
“Let’s do this,” Charles said, pumping a fist in the air before leaning over to kiss Shaela full on the mouth.
I laughed, unable to help myself despite the seriousness of the situation. Easton’s fingers tugged on mine and I looked at him, still smiling. He smiled back, and my heart throbbed in my chest.
I couldn’t believe we were actually going to do this.
We were actually doing this.
I caught the black, long-sleeved thermal shirt Shaela tossed at me in one hand and a pair of black leggings in the other. I held them up, my eyes travelling between them before focusing on my best friend with an arched brow.
“What?” she asked defensively. “I know it’s cliché, but the dark colors will help you stay hidden. And if someone sees you, you’ll blend right in. Don’t Zephyrs wear black all the time?”
“No,” I said with a laugh, pushing a burst of wind in her direction, just hard enough to tangle her hair.
“Hey,” she said, smoothing it back down.
Then, with a devilish smirk, she shot her palm out, and the floor beneath me rocked hard enough to send me flying back. I landed on my bed with an oomph. Shaela quickly followed, using her wings to lift herself up so she landed squarely on top of me. She straddled my waist and pinned my wrists to the bed above my head b
efore I could blink.
“Do you yield?” she asked, her voice overly dramatic.
“I yield! I yield!”
With a triumphant whoop, she rolled off of me and onto her back. I laughed with her, and it felt good to have a little fun in the midst of all the angst and drama we’d been surrounded by the last several weeks.
“Who knew you were such a badass?” I teased.
“I did,” she said, her voice smug.
“And Charles? Do you tackle him to the bed like that, too?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows.
She blushed and shoved at my shoulder, telling me to shut up before rolling away and hopping to her feet. Something was happening between them, I could tell. And I didn’t miss her facial tick when Charles declared her his girlfriend in the dining hall the day of the big reveal. She was surprised—pleasantly so—but tried to hide it like it was no big deal.
I felt bad, because I’d been so wrapped up in my own drama, I totally forgot to ask her about it. Some bestie I was.
“Hey,” I said, drawing her attention, “when all this is over, let’s have a girls’ day. Just you and me, okay?”
“That sounds great,” she said, smiling. “I’d love that.”
“Me, too.”
“Are you guys ready, yet?”
Charles stuck his head through the door, one hand clamped over his eyes in case we weren’t decent. He immediately ruined the effect by spreading a large gap between his fingers and peering around the room. At the sight of both of us fully clothed, he dropped his hand with a sigh.
“Damn,” he murmured.
“Get out, so we can change,” I hollered, laughing.
As soon as his head was clear, I used wind to slam the door shut. Shaela giggled as she whipped her uniform off, changing into an outfit much like the one she loaned me. I followed suit, getting changed as quickly as possible and pulling my black hair up into a ponytail.