by Wendi Wilson
I knew I was being a bit of a bully, taunting him that way. Normally, I wouldn’t condone that behavior in anyone, especially not myself, but Alwyn Jameson deserved much more than a little fear and embarrassment.
He abused his family—emotionally, verbally, and, in Easton’s case, physically. He kept mother and son apart for most of his life because of his petty jealousy. He didn’t deserve respect or dignity.
“What do you want now, Father?” Easton asked, his voice bored despite the tension I could feel rolling off of him.
“Show your father some respect,” Alwyn gritted out, his arrogance overriding his fear of me. Remembering himself, he cleared his throat and adopted a more subservient tone. “I am only trying to help you, son.”
Easton’s face remained passive, but I noticed the immediate increase in tension in his shoulders and the slight tightening of his jaw at the word son. My own blood heated in response. He had never been a true father, nor had he ever shown the slightest bit of affection or love. I bit my tongue to keep from lashing out.
That man did not deserve to call Easton son.
When neither of us spoke, Alwyn’s lips twitched as if he took our silence as a good sign. As if we were duly chastised, and were ready to listen and accept his so-called help. God, I hated him.
I opened my mouth to tell him as much, but Easton’s fingers wrapped around my bicep and pulled me in close to his side. He pressed his lips to my temple and whispered a few words before turning back to his father.
He’s not worth it.
The words rolled through me, and I realized he was right. Getting all worked up over Alwyn only gave him more power. Reacting meant he affected me. And he didn’t deserve my anger. He deserved nothing.
“Our people are growing restless,” Alwyn began when Easton and I remained silent. “As more days pass with King Finn showing no signs of recovery, the Sylphid community is fracturing. They need a leader, someone they can look up to with respect and admiration.”
“They have one. Easton,” I snapped, my ire rising a few notches with each word he uttered.
Alwyn pressed his lips together so tightly the color leeched from them. He was obviously biting back a retort, and some part of me wished he’d just spew his hatred so I’d have a good reason to smack him down.
My instincts screamed at me to protect what I loved and Alwyn Jameson was a threat to the thing I loved most. While I usually fought to bury my darker Zephyr-induced urges, Easton’s father had a way of bringing them to the surface in record speed.
“While you will no doubt be a great leader one day,” Alwyn continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “you are young and inexperienced, two traits that do not inspire confidence in a king. I would like to offer myself as your confidant and advisor, to show the public that you have strong guidance that can be depended upon to lead us into the future.”
I literally choked on my own spit.
Alwyn’s eyes tried to fry me on the spot as I coughed into my hand. I hacked until my airway cleared, then stared back at him with incredulous eyes.
“You have got to be kidding.”
“I assure you, I do not kid,” he replied with as much condescension as he could muster. Then he looked back at his son. “Think about it, Easton. I shall await your response.”
He slipped from the room, wisely giving me a wide berth as he did so. He closed the door behind him, this time so gently it didn’t make a sound. Smart man, heeding my warning from before.
I turned to Easton, ready to rage about his father’s audacity, but the look on his face stopped me. His expression had turned thoughtful, like he was weighing his options. A deep feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
You’re not seriously considering his asinine offer, is what I really wanted to say, but I held my opinion in check. I would be supportive, no matter what he decided. Even if it killed me.
Easton’s eyes refocused and locked on mine, narrowed into slits that boiled with suspicion.
“He’s up to something,” he said. “I’ve always known his endgame in marrying my mother was to be king. That possibility was lost to him the moment she abdicated her claim to the throne to me. But now…now he thinks there’s a chance he can rule through me.”
“By making you think you need him,” I added.
“He must think I’m so stupid,” he said, barking out a derisive laugh. “Like, somehow, I’ll just forget everything he’s done to my mother—to me—and trust him.”
He paused for a moment, his eyes searching mine, as he shook his head.
“Never,” he vowed. “I will never trust him, nor will I ever take one single piece of advice that flows from his lying, cheating, abusive mouth.”
Relief washed through me at his words. He’d really scared me the other night when he was considering letting Alwyn take over as king. Obviously, he had come to his senses.
My head tilted as I had a thought, and I said, “Maybe you should take some of his advice. Or, at least, pretend to.”
“Why?”
“There was this phrase I read in a book once—keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I think this situation calls for something like that. If you act like you trust him, he’ll be more likely to reveal his true motives.”
“And if I keep him at a distance, he’ll still do what he wants, and I’ll never see it coming.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll think about it,” he promised. “I just don’t know if I can control my urge to beat him to a pulp, being around him all the time.”
“Believe me, I know the feeling.”
I grinned at him, and he returned the gesture. We were a united front and no one, especially his awful father, could tear us apart.
No one.
Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
16
“We have something to tell you.”
My heart died in my chest, then burst back to life as I stared across the dinner table at my parents. They looked nervous and uncomfortable, which had my breath puffing in and out in short bursts.
“Did something happen to grandfather?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
It had been several days since he left to join Sebille and, as far as I knew, no one had heard a word from him. Earlier in the day, my dad asked me to come to his room for a private dinner with him and Mom, which told me that whatever it is they wanted to tell me, they didn’t want an audience.
It had to be bad.
“No! No, honey, nothing happened to you grandfather. At least, as far as we know. We still haven’t heard from him, but that’s to be expected, considering where he is,” Mom assured me.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but my spine remained stiff as my eyes darted back and forth between them.
“Then what is this about?” I asked.
“There are going to be some changes in our lives, and we wanted you to be the first to know,” Dad said, wrapping an arm around Mom’s shoulders. “I’ve asked your mother to marry me.”
My eyes widened into saucers as I looked between them. Dad wore a satisfied grin and Mom’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears as she stared at me, her expression hopeful.
“He did?” I asked.
She nodded. “And I said yes.”
“You did?”
I knew I sounded idiotic, but my brain was trying to switch from fearing the worst to hoping for the best. While I knew they were growing closer every day, I never imagined it would lead to marriage. Despite the time that had passed since they first met, the views of both the Sylphs and the Zephyrs had not changed—the two races did not mix.
And a marriage was a very public kick to the gut to those outdated beliefs.
“Are you okay with it?”
My mom’s face held a strange mix of fear and hope as she asked the question. Like she wasn’t sure how I was feeling, and was worried I might object.
My chair flew backward and hit the floor a
s I stood and raced around the table. Not giving them a chance to rise from their own chairs, I looped an arm around each of their necks and squeezed them to me.
“Congratulations,” I squealed as Dad laughed and Mom started to cry in earnest.
I released my hold on them and Dad stood, smiling at me as he said, “I guess this means you’re okay with it?”
“Okay?” I asked, shaking my head. “I’m not okay, I’m ecstatic. This is amazing news.”
I lunged forward and hugged him again, pressing my cheek against his chest. His heartbeat thudded against my ear, and I closed my eyes to listen to its rhythm. Strong and steady, just like the man, himself.
After a moment, he pushed me away and spun me at the same time. My mother stood there, happy tears trailing down her cheeks as she smiled at me through them. She spread her arms and I dived in, hugging her just as tightly as I had Dad. Her chest vibrated as she laughed, and I could feel the joy emanating from her.
I soaked it in for several more moments before pulling away. I swiped the moisture gathering in my own eyes and laughed.
“Where’s the ring? I want to see it,” I said holding out a hand expectantly.
“December,” she said, shaking her head, “I don’t have one.”
“Why not?” I asked, my narrowed gaze burning a path to Dad.
“I know Cris loves me,” she said. I looked back at her, and she gave me a soft smile. “A ring is but a symbol of what I already know to be true—we love each other without end. Always have and always will. I don’t need the reminder.”
“That’s mostly a human tradition, anyway,” Dad added.
“It’s true,” Mom confirmed. “A lot of faeries have adopted the custom of exchanging engagement and wedding rings, but it’s only because we like pretty, shiny things. Not because we need the symbolism.”
Her words made sense, but I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed for her. Maybe it was shallow and a little materialistic, but she deserved nothing but the best…and that included a big, sparkly engagement ring.
Just because she didn’t need it didn’t mean she didn’t want it.
“Ellie,” Dad said, pulling me from my thoughts.
My eyebrows shot up at the serious expression on his face. I took a big step back as he fell to one knee. He pressed one hand to his chest, right over his heart, as he stared at her bewildered expression. His eyes cut to mine, and he gave me a conspiratorial wink before focusing back on her.
“I have loved you since the very moment I first laid eyes on you. You were a vision, an angel among mortals that I felt an immediate connection with. My life began that day, and ended a few short days later when I lost you. It wasn’t until I found our daughter that I began to live again. She is the perfect product of our love, and I thought it only right that she be here for this.”
He reached into his pocket and my heart jumped into my throat. Light refracted through the bright diamond ring he pulled out, nearly blinding me with its brilliance as he held it out to Mom between pinched fingers.
I was dazzled speechless as I stared at the delicate piece. A thin, silver band rimmed with tiny blue gemstones held the large, square diamond. Sparkles shot from it as his hand trembled slightly.
I tore my eyes away from it to look at Mom, who was crying in earnest.
“Ellie Goodman, you are already my life-mate. No one will ever come between us again. Will you do me the great honor of accepting this ring and becoming my wife?”
I knew he’d already asked her and she’d already said yes, but something about that moment felt monumental. Like everything in my life shifted, and nothing would ever be the same again. But only in the best way possible.
“Yes,” she breathed. “A thousand times, yes.”
Dad stood with an emotional chuckle and took her hand, slipping the gorgeous ring onto her finger before pressing his lips to her knuckles. I giggled through my tears as she threw her hands around his neck and hugged him. He wasn’t ready for it, and her momentum took them both to the floor, where they laughed and kissed and cried.
My own heart felt like it might explode, it was so full. Dad staged this whole thing to make us happy. All of us. I’d hit the parent jackpot, and I swore to myself right then and there that I’d never take them for granted.
A niggling of doubt tried to worm its way into my head about how the Fae community was going to react. I pushed it away and focused on my joy. I could worry about the rest later.
We were family, and that’s really all that mattered.
Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
17
“Good morning, everyone.”
Mom glided into the room like she was walking on clouds. A few students echoed her greeting, but one voice was particularly loud and grating on the nerves…and it was my own fault.
“Good morning, Professor Goodman—I mean, Ellie.”
I flinched a little at Tiana’s overly chipper and adoring tone. While I’d felt extremely justified in using my Glamour to make her love my mom at first, a little bit of guilt was seeping in to tarnish my satisfaction.
And her constant simpering and cooing over Mom was getting on my last nerve.
My mother rolled her eyes and pinned a glare on me. It was pretty obvious by that point that I’d been reinforcing the Glamour. There was no way it would still be in effect if I hadn’t. Mom jerked her head in Tiana’s direction and silently ordered me to take care of it.
I gave her a slight nod and mouthed the words “after class.”
Shaela chuckled next to me and I glanced over at her. She smiled and rubbed her palms together.
“This is going to be good,” she said. “Tiana is going to lose her shit.”
“You’re twisted,” I teased. “What if she tries to take it out on Mom?”
Shaela’s face grew serious as she crossed her arms over chest. “Then we teach her a lesson she won’t soon forget.”
“Oh my God, Ellie, is that an engagement ring?” Tiana squealed with delight, ending our quiet conversation. “Let me see.”
Blushing, Mom held up her left hand and waggled her fingers. The diamond and sapphires sparkled under the lights before she gave us her back and began organizing the papers on her desk.
“Let’s just get this out of the way so we can focus on our work,” she said, turning back to face the class. “I am engaged to December’s father, Crispin Jonas. No, we haven’t decided on a date, but we have talked about waiting until Finn recovers and this battle with Sebille has been resolved. We’ve also talked about next week.”
She raised her eyebrows and shrugged, making me giggle, but the rest of the class remained completely silent. I waited for the barrage of insults to begin, for cries of denial, the outrage that she’d dare to join her life to a Zephyr’s.
I squeezed my hands into fists and brought my magic forward, keeping it contained just below the surface.
I was ready to rumble.
“Oh my God, that’s so romantic,” Tiana hummed. “Two lovers, hand-in-hand, weathering the storm and defying the strictures of society to be together. I love it.”
She swooned in her chair with a dramatic sigh. The other girls in the room followed suit because, well, they always followed her lead. Congratulations were called out and scattered applause echoed around me.
I smirked at Mom, who returned it with an exasperated look.
“You’re welcome,” I mouthed, and she rolled her eyes, calling the class to order.
The Glamour I’d placed on Tiana made the revelation of Mom and Dad’s engagement a positive event. Of course, as soon as I lifted the magic, things were going to go south, fast. I knew that from experience. I’d unintentionally Glamoured her to like me and she nearly lost her mind when I undid it.
I dreaded her reaction when I released her from this very intentional manipulation. Not because I was scared of her. I wasn’t. But she could take it out on Mom, which would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
I mis
sed most of the lecture and class discussion due to the wanderings of my mind. I spent the whole hour imagining ways to punish Tiana if she hurt Ellie. I was snapped out of one particularly enjoyable daydream when Shaela nudged me back to reality. Everyone was packing up their things.
“Tiana, a moment, if you please,” Mom called out, shooting me a meaningful look.
“Of course,” Tiana replied, skipping toward her desk.
“Ugh, here we go,” I muttered under my breath.
“I’ve got your back,” Shaela vowed dramatically, crushing a fist into her other palm.
I chuckled and made my way to the front of the room. Tiana sneered at me and Shaela when we joined her at Mom’s desk, like she wanted my mother all to herself and we were encroaching on her time.
I heaved a sigh. Mom was right. I couldn’t let this go on any longer. Tiana was getting more and more obsessive every time I boosted the Glamour.
“Tiana,” I said.
“What do you want?” she barked, her hackles raised.
Then she seemed to remember that her idol was my mother and she smoothed out her expression. Mom gave me an encouraging nod and I sighed again.
“I release you from my Glamour,” I said, staring into her navy-colored eyes.
She blinked several times, and I took a big step back. Her gaze flew from me to Mom to Shaela, then back to me again. That’s when I saw it—the realization of what had been done to her, and who had done it, hit her. Hard.
A wail a banshee would have been proud of flew from her lips, rising in pitch and volume until the screech nearly burst my eardrums. Her chest rose and fell in rapid movements as she took short, choppy breaths, her eyes burning with the fires of hell as they tried to fry me on the spot.
I prepared myself for her attack, but she whirled and ran for the door instead of launching herself at me like I’d expected. I watched her go, hearing her stomping footsteps and angry growls echoing behind her as she moved down the hall.