by Elle Wolcott
Once more, the doorbell rang and, thankfully, it pulled Cole’s attention away from me. He released my hands and the orbs dissipated. Then he stormed to the kitchen and ran the faucet.
I went and turned the outer light off so the children would go away, then I stood there in the doorway waiting for Cole to say something.
“Leave,” he said firmly. He wouldn’t turn around and look at me.
“We have to take Tristan the amulet.”
“You’re leaving this house and you’re not coming near me again.”
“Would you just stop already. I’m not going to just walk away and forget about us.”
“There’s no us!” he turned around and slammed the glass onto the counter and it shattered.
I jumped back from the noise, and there he was in my face again.
“Look at me,” his eyes held me still. “I’m not able to resist you.”
I reached up, saying, “Then don’t,” and he grabbed my wrist before I could feel his hair on my fingertips.
“You belong to someone else, and if you fight it, a lot of people will suffer.”
“I belong to myself, Cole. Don’t ever think otherwise.” I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Now, where’s the necklace?”
Chapter Fifteen
I couldn’t believe I got Cole to drive over to Scarlet’s with me. Of course, he didn’t agree to hand over the amulet, but at least we could try and talk to Tristan before something bad happened.
“How do you know he’ll be here?”
“I just have a feeling. He made it clear that he wants the stone, and that he’ll do whatever it takes to get it. Terrorizing our friends is probably at the top of his list.”
Cole shook his head. “Could you at least stop fidgeting.”
“I can’t help it. Is there something you could—”
“No,” he stopped me.
“But if you did—”
“Weren’t you paying attention back there?” he glared at me. “I’d lose control in seconds.”
I bit my lip. “What would happen?”
“Aside from what has happened, you mean?”
“You don’t have to be rude.”
“You need to fear me, not find me fascinating.”
“All magic is fascinating.”
“No, there’s a darkness out there that does nothing but hurt people. That kind of magic is terrifying.”
He parked in the long drive outside Scarlet’s house and turned off the car.
“Your element isn’t darkness, you said so.”
“That doesn’t mean there isn’t darkness in me.”
Sitting in the silence, I had to ask, “But really, what would happen?”
He let out a sigh.
“There’s nothing in the books about it. Nothing I’ve read so far. You’ve lived it, though. You know things about being a faerie I’ll never understand.”
“And we should keep it that way.”
“But, Cole,” I faced him. “You’re supposed to be my enemy, right? How can I protect myself if I don’t know what to expect?”
One more sigh, and he popped off his belt and faced me. “I would have kept you still as I pulled your essence—your life’s breath—out of your body and into mine, winding you completely. That’s how I feed, how I taste you, how I smell you. Your essence is intoxicating to me because of your nature, making it even harder to resist.”
“And afterwards?”
“If I was satisfied, I’d let you go.”
“If not?”
“I would have breathed you in until you fainted, taking so much of your essence that you can’t replenish your energy without my own to heal you. And then we would bond.”
Bond? I thought to myself. Would it be all that bad? He and I together on some cosmic scale. It sounded like a geek’s paradise—like my paradise. It didn’t sound so dark and gloomy as he was painting it to be.
“Can it be broken?”
“It would fade with time, but I would always be able to find you, to hunt you, to feed upon you.” His brow arched. “And I’d refresh our bond each time so that I’d keep you as my own.”
“What does that mean?”
“A living being can only hold one bond with one faerie at any given time. Unless I were to release you, you’d forever be under my control. And there would be nothing you could do to defend yourself against me.”
Yeah, that was heavy. The way he spoke, the weightiness in his voice, the pause between words—he was serious about it all. Serious enough to refuse my offers at every opportunity. I didn’t mind being his… his… mortal? Just his. But then the idea of belonging to others started to circulate in my mind. What if Tristan purposely created a bond between me and him? What if some other faerie came along?
“Would I have to be dying?” I wondered. This new world had many rules to digest.
Cole shook his head. “I could bond us together just by taking a little of your essence and giving you some of mine. The bond is as strong as the amount exchanged. But a small amount would be quick, and you could be entranced the entire time. You’d never know.”
I felt my heart hit my stomach. Tristan had been around several times. He could have already bonded to me. He could have while I was giddily standing on that cliffside enjoying the enlarged sun. Cole’s hand gripped my forearm and I realized I was breathing so quick that my mouth was getting dry.
“It hasn’t happened to you,” Cole gave a brief smile. “When I study your aura, I can see it’s pure,” he looked around my body then back to my eyes.
“You can what?” I sat up and felt my mind come to life. What couldn’t he do?
“It’s a bright, pearlescent blue. It glistens when you’re happy and dims when you’re sad.” I couldn’t help but smile, gasping at the brilliance of what he’d become. My sister had mentioned aura reading in the past, but she was still having trouble seeing them clearly.
I adjusted my jacket as Cole met me outside. We walked toward the white brick house and I could feel the wind under my skirt. I trembled, and Cole reached down and pulled my hand into his.
“You’re so warm.”
“I’m on fire,” he teased.
“Finally,” Scarlet smirked as she opened the door and pulled me inside. Cole walked behind us as we made our way through the living room. “You look great!” she swayed.
“Thanks,” I answered, and then looked back to see some of the girls I went to school with gawking over Cole. Their eyes were large as they licked their lips and whispered in the madness of the music and laughter. He was always mysterious and confident. But girls—the kind with constant manicures and bright blond locks, convertibles that their parents gladly handed over upon turning sixteen—those girls never noticed him until then. A single glare from a tall honey-haired young woman, whom I used to call Chrissy Prissy, and I wanted to lunge. Well, really, I wanted to shout, He’s mine, hands off!
But he wasn’t.
Lights blinked without rhythm, shadows lurked, and the music was enough to deafen. “Drinks?” Cole shouted.
“This way,” Scarlet answered in a muted but strained voice. We walked around the living room, passed her father’s study, went down the hall by the bathroom, and then into the kitchen. With bright wooden cabinets and yellow walls, there was enough room to hold a dinner party of ten. Thankfully, the music was dulled out in this part of the house, and I could at least hear myself think. My sister came up to me with a glass in her hand and popped her hip to the side.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming here,” I said.
“I don’t tell you a lot of things,” she answered.
“Are you drinking?”
Charlotte smirked. “Don’t act like you’re our mom, because you’re nothing like her.”
Passing through the kitchen, Charlotte met up with Caleb in the hall as her black cape hid the rest of the guests from sight.
“Maybe you should try some,” Scarlet grinned. Her high cheekbones and narrow ch
in were exactly the same as her twin Lucas’. They couldn’t have been more different, though.
I stared over the glass on the counter and shook my head. There was something else on my mind, something behind me, calling for my attention. As I looked toward the hall, Caleb and Charlotte walked out of sight, and I found Tristan staring back at me.
“We’re leaving,” Cole was at my side, gripping my hand before my fear had time to process.
“I want to see Lydia,” I contested. “She’s here, right?”
“Honestly, she’s a little busy,” Scarlet’s eyes flashed toward the stairs.
“And who might you be?” Tristan, smooth and oppressive at the same time, spoke as he neared her from behind. He had gone around the deck and through the crowd in a matter of seconds. Stepping closer to us all, and without the slightest noise, Tristan’s presence washed over me, and my fear arrived full force.
“Scarlet Fauster. But tonight, you can call me Red,” she said with a big smile.
“How wonderful,” Tristan glanced over Scarlet’s clothes then his eyes lingered at hers. “Wolves are quite sexy, aren’t they?”
“Absolutely,” Scarlet couldn’t help herself.
“Do you believe in them?” Tristan’s words slithered into the air. Scarlet placed her hand on her hip as her eyes trailed upward. “I guess not.”
“You didn’t let me answer,” she fussed, crossing her arms.
Scarlet was never one to shy away from an attractive guy—especially if he looked wealthy. But this interaction between them, it reeked of entrancement. The tight grip of Cole’s hand on mine, as well as my sudden innate fear of the creature before me, kept my senses clear. But Tristan was working all his magic. His scent was prevalent, and I wondered if he was even trying. The smooth musk filled the air around us and Scarlet leaned in close. Cole was determined to keep me safe as he tugged at my hand.
“And how are you, my young one?”
“I’m not yours,” Cole corrected, his eyes locked back on the man before us.
“Yes, that’s right. You’re Iliana’s,” he finished with a grin.
“Who’s Iliana,” I questioned.
“Irene!” I heard Lydia call to me from behind. I faced her for a split second, then turned back to see Tristan and Scarlet gone.
“I’ll find her,” Cole assured me, leaving my side as his sister arrived.
“What is it about fairy tales?” I smiled at her costume.
“You know Aurora’s my favorite,” she twirled. “Um, can we talk somewhere?”
“Of course,” I nodded.
We went into Scarlet’s dad’s study and closed the door. The room, big enough to be a living room, was lined in bookshelves and filled with leather and cherry wood furniture.
Lydia twisted her hands at her waist as she paced.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just… I don’t know how to tell you.”
“About what?”
She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes and spilled. “I know you believe in magic, and I know it’s real because I’ve seen it with your aunt and stuff. But Cole… he’s something else, and I wanted you to know. He told me not to say anything, but—”
“Lydia,” I laughed. She opened her eyes wide. “I know what he is.”
“You do?” she let her shoulders drop. “I’m so glad you already know. If I had to make sense of it, I’d probably go crazy.”
“How do you know what he is?”
“Irene,” she giggled. “He’s my brother. I mean, at first he was careful, but he knew he could trust me.”
“I wish mine had felt the same,” I mumbled.
“What do you mean?”
I had forgotten I hadn’t told her about the dragons. How could I even begin to explain? Luckily, she carried on.
“He’s not a faerie too, is he?” I shook my head. “Oh, I thought maybe I could ask you about the feeding. Has Cole fed on you?”
“No. Has he fed on you?”
“Where do you think he gets his essence from?”
“I had no idea.” We sat down on the sofa. “What’s it like?” I had to ask after a moment of silence.
“I don’t know how to put it into words,” she began. “It makes me feel tired, but also satisfied. You know, because I’m the reason he’s alive.”
“Every couple of days?” I assumed, just like he’d told me.
“Not the past few. Not sure why.”
“Maybe you should go find him,” I nudged. Her brow raised.
“Did he…?”
I shook my head. “Almost.”
Lydia looked over the ornaments on the coffee table. Lydia’s bright blue eyes and pale hair was such a contrast to Cole’s features. He had clearly taken after his father in so many ways. Lydia, though, was just like her mother.
I reached for Lydia and put my hand on her arm and an image filled my mind and clouded my vision. When I jerked back, I caught her eyes glaring to me with tears in them. I reached out again and held on tight. My vision again blurred into a haze. After a few seconds, my sight cleared, and I could see Lydia’s bedroom. The evening light made her beautiful white bedding and white walls glow. A flowing curtain made of lace danced in the open window and over to the dresser. The door opened, and Cole rushed inside with his hair a mess and his eyes red. He’d been crying, and from the appearance of his dirty, unbuttoned shirt and torn jeans, whatever was hurting him was eating him alive.
Before he could reach Lydia, who was sitting on her bed reading, I lost the vision.
“Irene, you’re hurting me!” Lydia shouted. She was on her feet tugging from my grasp.
“What’s happening to him?” I stood.
“Let it go,” she backed away and rubbed at the spot where I’d held her.
“Lydia, I’m so sorry,” I gasped. “I didn’t mean—”
“Hey,” Lucas opened the door and assessed the two of us. “You left this upstairs,” he handed Lydia her phone. With a bit of blush in her cheeks, she looked to the floor as she took hold of the device. Then she stepped out and toward the kitchen.
I plopped onto the sofa with more questions than I could comprehend.
“How about some air?” Lucas grinned.
“I’m fine here,” I kept my eyes down and tucked my hands under my legs.
“I know things are strange lately,” he said. “Lydia tells me Cole isn’t himself.”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“You can talk to me if you need a friend,” he offered.
“Thank you, but I don’t really know what I need.”
“Well, I’m here. So is Scarlet and her never-ending desire to please,” he laughed.
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Chapter Sixteen
Out on the deck in Scarlet’s backyard, I stood in the silence for a moment. It seemed to always rain on Halloween, but that night was clear and calm. I could see almost all the constellations in the sky. I could see Venus, bright and bold. To her left, hiding beneath the more known constellations, sat a cluster of stars I had long admired. When I was little, as my freckles started to appear, my mother made the connection between that constellation and a pattern on my forearm. She would say I was from the stars, fated for something greater than anything ever known. I always thought mothers just said those things. Lately, it was starting to feel like a reality.
Thinking of my childhood sent me into a frenzy of memories so deep that I barely noticed a woman, dressed in all black, walking toward me. She climbed the wooden stairs slow and careful, and then stood beside me. When I glanced in her direction, I could sense that she was different from others. The air around her had a certain feel to it, a strong push and pull.
I smiled to be polite as our eyes met momentarily, and then I went down those same stairs and into the yard. I felt better being out in the open air alone, but it didn’t last long. Near the edge of the patio, with wild bushes of tiny red roses and thorns so sharp I could see them glisten in
the moonlight, the woman’s shadow closed in on mine.
“Can I help you?” I faced her.
“Oh, I think you know you can.”
Her devilish smile got under my skin. She had slender cheekbones and big brown eyes. Her lengthy fingers tapped at her hips while she took me in. I was certain she was magical, but what exactly, I didn’t know. There was a faerie-like quality to her persona, but there was something more.
“Tristan, stop hiding and come help me,” she called out. Tristan came from behind the maple tree with his head lowered. The woman, dressed in a black leather jacket highlighted by flashes of purple here and there, flirted with her eyes as he neared. Her jeans were as tight as skin, and her heels were thin, long and sharp—they alone could kill. She laced her fine fingers together before me and tilted her head.
“What do you want?” I backed away, wishing I had just listened to Dylan and wore my ring.
“Well, I wanted the necklace that my husband promised me,” she began to walk around me as she tapped her fingers on her chin. “But when I found out who’d been wearing it, well, I realized I didn’t need that stupid stone after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough,” she grinned, taking in my features and my scent. Shifting her gaze to Tristan in one single, sharp motion, I found Tristan to be at my back with a piece of twine in his hands.
“What is that?”
“It’s called hawthorn,” she stepped back and crossed her arms. “Think of it as a sleeping pill… for dragons.”
I turned and faced Tristan as he reached for my wrists, and my heart kicked into irregular beats. It wasn’t long until his faerie nature took over his actions and mine through the entrancement. I wanted to run from him, but I also wanted to stay. There, in the shining twilight, I realized something I hadn’t seen at the bookstore. Tristan was hungry. He hadn’t fed, I could see it in his sullen eyes. He reached for my hand, but I withdrew and tightened my arms around my body. Tristan didn’t say a word, he just stood there with his eyes drifting further from mine. My desire to leave him swiftly returned, and I slipped by and ran toward the house.