Fateful

by Cheri Schmidt

  Danielle didn’t know how long the fairies danced, but it felt like a very long time to her. Weak and hungry as she was, she was beginning to feel a little woozy. Ethan had brought food for her in the backpack, but they hadn’t taken the time for her to eat as they tried to get to the fairies faster. She fisted her hands into his shirt and looked up at Ethan. His smile was replaced with a look of concern when he saw the expression on her face. Then his spellbinding eyes unintentionally finished her off and she fainted.

  “Danielle!” She heard his alarmed voice through the haze, and she could feel him holding her. The fairy music stopped abruptly, then Danielle drifted further into unconsciousness.

  When she awoke, she opened her eyes to find a thick canopy of trees above her. She realized she was lying on a bed, a bed in the forest. Frowning, she forgot where she was for a moment, but then remembered when she saw fairies hovering over her, looking down at her.

  “She’s awake!” one fairy shouted in an itty-bitty voice.

  “Sprinkle more fairy dust on her,” ordered another.

  Danielle watched as glittery dust tumbled lazily down on her. She thought it might make her sneeze but it didn’t. Leaning up, she wondered where Ethan was. A hand landed on her shoulder stopping her upward motion. “Slowly, Danielle.”

  He was kneeling next to the bed.

  “What happened?”

  “You passed out. I shouldn’t have let you go so long without eating. I’m sorry.”

  Tipping her head to the side, her gaze focused in on Alora standing on his shoulder, pinning Ethan with a stern look. The tiny sprite stomped her wee foot on his shoulder and ranted at him in her cricket-like voice. “Really, Ethan! I thought you said you wouldn’t kill her?”

  Ethan rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

  A fairy was disciplining a vampire right before her eyes? Danielle couldn’t help it, and she busted out into a fit of laughter. Her arms wrapped around her stomach because it hurt to laugh so hard. “It’s okay. I’m okay” she said between giggles, trying to release him from the fairy’s wrath. “Really, don’t be mad at him. Please?”

  Ethan gave her a grateful smile. “Let’s get some food in you, then they’ll let me off.”

  That sent her rolling with more laughter. It was just so funny. Ignoring her mirth at his expense, Ethan presented her with some bread. The sight of it shut her up. She grabbed it greedily, realizing she was hungrier than she’d thought. Sitting up to eat, Danielle tried to keep her manners in check. Becoming thirsty as she finished, she looked to Ethan again. Apparently he knew she’d need a drink because he handed her a goblet carved from wood and filled with a purple liquid that sparkled like the fairy dust.

  Danielle sniffed at it. “What’s this?”

  “That’s wild berry juice the fairies make. You’ll like it.”

  She tipped the cup to her lips and gulped down the contents. It was sweet, somewhat tart, and very refreshing. It felt like a magical potion going down her throat, relieving her aches and pains. When she was finished, she looked at Ethan in shock.

  “Yes, it’s magical. It will make you feel renewed.”

  Ethan stood and sat on the bed next to her. Several fairies suddenly flew up to Ethan, who held out his hand. She realized they had berries for her to eat as they dropped them into Ethan’s open palm. “You’ve never had berries like this, I can promise you that,” he said as he offered them to her.

  Danielle peered at what looked like blue raspberries. She took two and popped them in her mouth. Her eyes widened as the flavor burst from the fruit onto her tongue. Nope, she’d never had anything so juicy and delicious before. Smiling now, Danielle plucked the rest of them from his hand and finished them off.

  Wow, she thought, as she took mental note of how she was feeling. She just might be able to walk the whole way back by herself.

  “Thank you,” she said, addressing the fairies. “Thank you so much.”

  “We like her, Ethan, you had better take better care of her from now on!” snapped Alora.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ethan replied softly.

  “We hope you come back again to visit us,” Alora said to Danielle as she hovered by her nose and kissed the tip.

  “I’d be delighted to,” Danielle said, trying not to giggle.

  The fairies left them alone then, and Danielle took the time to take in her surroundings more fully. She looked at the bed she was seated on. Sized for her or Ethan, it was made of branches and blanketed with soft moss. The pillows were made of down goose feathers, held within a pillowcase of stitched together flower petals. Looking closely, she touched the treads and wondered how they did it without the delicate petals ripping.

  Lifting her head she asked, “Why is this here?”

  “They have this for visitors like us. They may stay away from society, but they love houseguests.”

  “Wow,” she said, realizing it was going to be a little hard to leave this magical world and return to reality.

  Drawing up her knees, she wrapped her arms around them, when a thought occurred to her. “How many girls have you brought here?” she asked hesitantly.

  “None. You’re the first.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, Really,” he said firmly.

  “Oh.” Did she believe him? she wondered, now touching the moss bedding beneath her.

  “There has never been anyone else before you, Danielle.”

  Meeting his gaze, “But haven’t you dated other girls?”

  “Well, a few dates here and there, but no commitments.”

  Looking into his sapphire eyes, she wondered if she’d be able to see the truth of that in his gaze. While she could sense things about his personality, she couldn’t exactly see his past. Deciding to trust him, she confessed, “Truthfully, you’re my first real boyfriend. I haven’t been on that many dates.”

  Ethan studied her eyes for a moment, probably trying to do what she’d just attempted. “You’re nineteen. Certainly you could have had other boyfriends.”

  “I focused on my studies more than dating. And to save up for coming here, I worked full-time. There just wasn’t time for much of a social life.” Plus I didn’t want to move here and have to leave a boyfriend behind, she thought. “I have dated other guys, but none seriously.”

  His eyebrow lifting, Ethan smiled and then leaned in for a kiss that lingered long enough for her to feel the influence of his spell. When he released her mouth, he gazed into her eyes as though he were simply trying to show her his soul. With familiarity washing over her, she mused, Wow, that’s still so weird.

  “How do you feel? We really need to be going soon because of the sun,” he reminded.

  “How much time do we have?”

  “We only have an hour to get back to the Land Rover, and then another hour to get you home.”

  “But, that’s not enough!”

  “I think we can do it,” he said as he motioned for the fairies to return. Chanting words she didn’t understand they dusted both of them with more of the fairy dust. As the fairies moved away, Ethan took her hand and pulled her from the bed. She felt oddly lighter on her feet.

  “Now run,” Ethan commanded with a note of urgency in his tone. He kept her hand in his and began moving. They ran at an incredible speed. Not quite as fast as he’d run in the fog, but faster than she could run naturally.

  “Does this wear off?” she asked in awe.

  “Yes, it will, so don’t slow down. We need to get the Land Rover before it does.”

  It took them less than thirty minutes to cross the distance. The breeze whipped her hair out of her face as they flew past trees and rocks. Danielle didn’t even want to think about hitting something while running at such an unnatural velocity.

  As they ran toward the Land Rover, which was now in sight, Danielle could feel the magic wearing off. Her legs felt heavier as gravity began to regain its hold. But when they did reach
it and climbed inside, she was amazed to find that she didn’t feel tired.

  The sky was growing to a deeper shade of pink as the sun sank lower into the sky.

  “Will we make it before sunset?”

  “If I speed.” Ethan said with a mischievous grin. He revved the engine and drove back toward the city.

  Thinking about what she’d just witnessed, Danielle said, “Ethan, that was incredible! Thank you so much for taking me!”

  “You’re welcome. I must confess, I really enjoyed watching you experience that.”

  “I’m sorry I fainted on you.”

  “No. I’m sorry I dragged you on a long hike, when you were already tired, telling you not to bring anything, because I had it for you, then never actually feeding you. The fairies were justified in their anger towards me.”

  “Well, I’m not angry with you because that was absolutely worth it.” She leaned over to kiss him swiftly on the cheek.

  “I’m still sorry,” he said smirking.

  “I’m still grateful,” she countered with a grin.

  Ethan chuckled softly.

  After a few moments of quiet, Ethan glanced at her, and she noticed something different in the look he gave her, like he had something new on his mind.”What is it?” she asked, out of curiosity.

  Following another pause, he said, “I had a discussion with the fairies while you were out. They seem to think we should see what happens at night between us. The thought had crossed my mind before, when we were at the ruins. But I was afraid to follow through, especially after the disagreement with Beon. He’d be livid if he knew I was even considering this.” Danielle watched his expression as he talked because he seemed slightly more intense than usual. With hesitation, he finally asked, “Are you willing to risk being around me at night?”

  She thought about that for a moment, then said, “But I’ve already been around you at night.”

  He shook his head. “Only briefly, and I kept my eyes from you for the most part. We might need to see what happens when I gaze into your eyes full force.”

  “So what does happen when you look into someone’s eyes at night, ‘full force,’ that is?”

  “With my gaze, I can entrance you, and make you feel intensely weak. Then with my breath, I can sedate you completely, but you will remain aware of what’s happening … and you will want it, you’ll want me to bite you. The victim practically begs for it.”

  Danielle shuddered because he’d described that a little too vividly.

  “But I already feel entranced by your gaze during the day, and your scent does sedate me.”

  “Yes, and that’s the strange part, that shouldn’t happen during the day. So then we have to wonder, what happens at night? Will you not be affected? Will you be able to fight it? Or will I be the one who is affected by you?”

  “Or will I be affected more strongly, and not wake up for days?” she added.

  An anxious frown spread across his features. Obviously her last question disturbed him. “You’re right. We’d better not risk this.”

  “No! I think we should…. We should test it tonight!” For some reason Danielle really wanted to know despite the risk.

  Ethan looked disturbed, so she fought to convince him. “I trust you, Ethan. That’s why I think it’s worth it. I’ll take the risk.”

  He pondered her words silently for a moment. “Are you sure?”

  “If the fairies were suggesting it, then I’m in.” She knew she had him swayed with that, and smiled.

  “Very well. Tonight it is then.”

  “Where are we going to do this?”

  “In your bedroom,”

  “Why my bedroom?”

  “If you’re in your room, I can leave you there safely if I feel like I’m going to lose control.”

  And that’s when Danielle felt a twinge of fear. Could he actually kill her? Is it that tempting for him? No. No, she told herself, it’s not in him to kill. That was one thing she had seen in his eyes. Ethan Deveroux was not a killer. Plus he’d saved her at night—twice now—he couldn’t kill her after that, could he? Of course in the back of her mind while she knew Ethan didn’t have that kind of brutality in him, she didn’t really know if he could fight a curse that was out of his control.

  “I’ll go hunting first and then return to your room. Are you still okay with this?” he asked, probably sensing her momentary twinge of fear.

  “Yes,” she said, not really knowing if that was true or not.

  “All right,” he whispered, and ran his fingers along her cheek to sweep her hair away from her face.

  Ethan pulled up to her house as the colors of the sunset deepened to a vivid red. He opened the Land Rover door for her, lifted her out of the vehicle, and then, never allowing her feet to touch the ground, walked her to the front door. He lowered her feet to the porch, bent down and brushed his lips softly against hers. His eyes sparked with mischief when he suddenly tugged her close to nibble and kiss her neck flirtatiously. She shrieked and giggled. “That tickles! Cut it out!”

  Ethan only chortled softly and left, whispering over his shoulder. “Later, tonight, I shall return.”

  Danielle shuddered as the goose bumps left her and then went inside.

  Chapter 13

  To Look a Vampire in the Eye

  Danielle had dinner and tea with her family and then excused herself to take a shower. She felt very dirty after spending half the day in the woods, and she needed to relax—which was a difficult task—knowing Ethan was coming to her bedroom to test his magic on her.

  She was nervous, partly because she had no idea what would happen, and partly because she’d never had a guy in her bedroom before. But even more than that, he wasn’t an ordinary guy, he was under the influence of a powerful curse. A curse meant to make him kill mortals like her. She reminded herself of the good things she knew about him as she stepped into the hot spray of water.

  When she was finished showering, she blow-dried her hair so she wouldn’t have to sleep with it wet. She slathered her body in her favorite, scented lotion, changed into her silky pajamas absentmindedly and then wondered if he expected her to be dressed. She really didn’t know. She finally decided to put some fresh clothes on and paint while she waited for him.

  But after she’d painted for a couple hours, she became too tired to continue. Danielle was beginning to wonder if he was actually going to show up, or if he’d changed his mind.

  She changed back into her pajamas, tucked herself into bed, and switched off her light. Drifting helplessly into sleep, she’d given up on expecting Ethan tonight.

  Feeling a pressure on her mouth drew Danielle from sleep. Also noticing her bed was tipping as if someone else was in it, her eyes burst open and she tried to scream, but it was muffled by the hand previously placed over her lips. Instinctively, she tried to fight but she was held down by strength far beyond her own. She searched for a face to see who was holding her down. “Shhh, Danielle, it’s me, Ethan.” He leaned over her, his face lit by the moonlight filtering in through her windows. His eyes were closed to narrow slits, therefore protecting her from his nighttime magic. “Are you going to scream again?” he asked gently.

  She shook her head.

  Ethan slowly removed his hand. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I knew it would frighten you when I woke you, but I had to make sure you didn’t wake the rest of the house.”

  “I waited but you never came, so I went to sleep. How long does it take you to hunt?”

  “That depends on where I go hunting, I wanted to make sure I was well satisfied before I got near you like this. I went hunting for something bigger than my usual deer.”

  Her eyes enlarged. “What did you go hunting for?”

  “You don’t need to know that,” he replied curtly.

  “Just tell me, I’m curious.”

  “No.”

  “Please?” she begged.

  “Fine. Black bear,” he said grimly.

  Danielle gasped l
ouder than she should have.

  Ethan plopped his hand over her mouth again. “Shhh.” He shushed her with a reproving look on his handsome face. “Are you going to behave or should I just leave?” He didn’t appear to be in the best mood after hunting.

  Danielle mumbled under his palm in reply. He rolled his eyes and lifted his hand again.

  “I’ll be good, I promise, but I didn’t think there were any bears around here,” she said in her most hushed voice.

  “There aren’t, I had to go to France to get one. There are some big cats here, but they’re not natural to the area, and they’re not big enough to be more filling than a deer,” he replied flatly.

  She covered her own mouth this time while she gasped loudly again. He went to France for dinner? And ferocious cats aren’t filling enough? “So that’s what took so long,” she said, feeling staggered as she tried to imagine this.

  Ethan nodded.

  Then she wondered how the man who killed a bear for dinner had gotten into her room. “Did you come in through my window?”

  “No, you’d locked that.”

  “Sorry, I thought you’d changed your mind.”

  He sighed, like he didn’t really want to talk about how he’d gotten in, but said, “I found one unlocked window on the main floor.... Danielle, are you really ready for this? If you’re not—”

  “Yes.” She pushed her curious thoughts out of her head, trying to focus on the real reason he came. “I’m ready.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Yes, Ethan, please.”

  “All right, sit up … or maybe you should stand … and close your eyes.” He seemed slightly unsure of himself.