My shaking fingers lifted the lid. Inside lay my angel. Well, most of her. Her head sported a small crack down the center where she had been repaired. Only a scrap from her gold dress remained, but someone had attached it to a new dress made out of green satin. The new feathers of her wings were interspersed with old, broken ones. Her porcelain arms were lightly scorched, and one was a little longer than the other, but I didn’t care. She was even more beautiful than before.
“I tried to save what pieces Carlton found in the debris. I can always get you a new one later.” Sora’s voice wavered a bit uncertainly.
I looked up, tears clouding my vision. “She’s perfect. Thank you.”
“And now, the grand finale. Sora, the floor is yours.” Derrick stepped aside with a flourish of his hands.
“There’s more? I don’t know if I can handle more.” I wiped at my eyes and took a deep breath.
Sora moved over to the corner where the tree used to stand. She waved her hands in the air and closed her eyes, unfamiliar words falling from her lips.
As I watched, white light flew from her fingertips in a stream, dancing in the air as if it were alive. It turned and twisted, and before I knew it, came together in the shape of a tree that sparkled and twinkled with an iridescent glimmer. Everyone “oohed” and “ahhed” accordingly.
Sora smiled, looking slightly embarrassed. “It will probably only last a couple of hours.”
I gaped at the beautiful tree made of fairy magic. “I don’t care. It’s beautiful, Sora.”
Derrick clapped his hands together with anticipation. “I say, let’s eat!”
Warmed by Micah’s solid presence next to me, I smiled at the surge of contentment that raced through my body as we watched the children laugh and pick their seats. His arm snaked around my waist, pulling me closer. I leaned my head on his shoulder, cheered inside by a big case of the warm fuzzies.
I hadn’t found a job, or even my calling.
I’d found a family.
Fairy Fury
Hell House Series Book Two
By: Christle Gray
Dedication:
To my mom, Diana, who believes in my world just as much as I do. Perhaps more. Love you, Mom.
Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to editor extraordinaire, Darla Grant, for working tirelessly to make my story the best it can be.
And to all my friends and family, thanks for listening to my wacky plot ideas and never once telling me I’m crazy.
Chapter One
“I am not imagining it, Danielle! She stinks like old, rotten meat!” I wrinkled my nose to further illustrate my more than valid point.
Danielle Stewart, the director of Hellsner Halfway House for Troubled Paranormal Teens—aka Hell House—rolled her eyes as she continued sorting the warm laundry from the dryer, obviously unconcerned by my distress. “Sora, no one but you seems to notice this, which leaves me to assume that it’s you and not Zoe with the problem.”
Zoe the zombie had been left on our doorstep a few months ago, the end result of a night gone completely awry. She arrived Christmas Eve, to be exact. Or as I officially referred to it, the night of the Tree Incident. Please don’t ask.
I shook off the feeling of dread that particular memory dredged up as I plucked a shirt from the pile of clothes and crammed it roughly into the basket on the dryer, more exasperated by the dismissal of what I considered a completely legitimate concern. “It’s not just me. I’m pretty sure Derrick can smell it too, with his oh-so-sensitive doggie nose. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me that he even likes it, as much as he sticks to her like glue, making puppy-dog eyes all the time.” Derrick the shifter had been Zoe’s shadow since that night, completely taken with her zombie allure. Or something. Who knows what goes on in boys’ heads, anyway?
Danielle paused a moment, her hand frozen mid-air as she reached for more clothes, and I snickered at my own joke. “Puppy-dog eyes? Really, Sora?”
I shrugged. So the shifter had a thing for the zombie. Hey, I thought it was funny. Danielle shook her head and continued emptying the dryer.
“What? You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how he follows her around, mooning over her night and day. It’s kind of sickening, actually.”
Danielle cast me a sharp glance, her brown eyes flashing a mild warning that I had witnessed many times before. “I have noticed them spending a lot of time together, yes, but none of this ‘mooning’ business you seem fixated with. Besides, given Zoe’s situation, it’s good for her to share a connection with someone.”
Images of Zoe and Derrick acting all cozy ran through my mind, making me snort in disgust. I even added an eye roll for good measure. Just because Zoe had the misfortune of ending up on the wrong end of a resurrection spell cast by drunk teenagers, everyone walked on eggshells around her. Well, some people were icked out and avoided her altogether, but that was beside the point. I had been banished from my home, and no one treated me with kid gloves. And there wasn’t any fear of me suddenly craving a diet of brains at all!
I opened my mouth to deliver a proper retort, but Danielle held up that hand that she used to command silence, shutting me down. “And I know each one of you here at Hellsner House has plenty of problems. It’s just that Zoe’s situation is…delicate. And she’s been with us the shortest amount of time. So, cut her some slack.”
I nibbled at my lip, the tip of my tongue toying with the silver ring there I always wore. Truth was, I kind of liked Zoe. I just didn’t make friends easily. Issues with fitting in and all that. And being unceremoniously kicked out of the Hidden Realm of the Fae probably had something to do with it. “Whatever. I just know that if I have to witness them being all gooey and sweet with each other much more, I’m gonna yark.”
Danielle sighed heavily as she continued dealing with the laundry in what I imagined was an attempt at ignoring my comment. But I had other ideas.
“In fact, it’s almost as bad as watching you swoon whenever Micah is around.”
Danielle jerked upright and fixed me with a wide-eyed look at the mention of the man who helped us residents with our school lessons, and apparently made her heart flutter. Well at least that comment caught her attention. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
My jaw dropped in disbelief for a moment before I spoke. “Come on! Even Carlton notices how you giggle and smile at Micah and steal glances when he’s not looking. Not to mention how you call him to come over and help with things around here that one of the boys could easily do.” Carlton the ogre was pretty oblivious to anything not on a television screen or in a video game, so him noticing the looks between Micah and Danielle was telling, to say the least.
Danielle tugged absently on her blond ponytail as a blush crept slowly up her cheeks. “I do not giggle when he’s around.”
“You do so! And truth be told, I’ve noticed Micah stealing a few glances of his own. In fact—”
“I am not having this conversation.” Danielle’s firm voice cut me off as she plopped a basket full of clean clothes on the table in front of me. “Take these clothes up to your room. Zoe’s are in there, too.”
“But don’t you want to hear about how Micah’s into you as well?” Danielle turned her back on me, ignoring my question completely. “Danielle? Danielle? Where are you going?”
With a wave of her hand dismissing me, Danielle strode purposefully in the direction of her office. “Not having this conversation, Sora.”
I stuck out my tongue as she disappeared into her office. I was just trying to let her know that I thought Micah liked her, too. Love seemed to be in bloom here at Hell House. Not that I cared. Well, not much.
With a sigh, I grabbed the basket and trudged up the stairs to the room that, until Christmas, I’d had to myself. Now, I shared it with Zoe, the zombie, who I found propped up on her bed reading when I entered.
“Hey.”
Zoe glanced up from her book briefly. “Hey.”
The bed dip
ped as I deposited the basket of clothes at her feet. “Danielle sent up some laundry.” Rummaging through the basket, I grabbed what was mine. “I think the rest is yours.”
“Okay.”
Man, getting this chick to talk is like pulling teeth! If Zoe wasn’t clinging to Derrick, then she was usually reading and keeping to herself. A stark contrast to my own mouthy ways.
With a loud sigh that I hoped conveyed my irritation with zombie-girl, I took my clean clothes over to the small dresser on my side of the room. Various items protruded from each drawer, keeping them from closing properly. I yanked one already overflowing drawer open and stuffed some of the clean clothes inside, shoving it closed again with my hip. Well, as closed as it would go, anyway. I can’t help it if I have a weakness for fashion, so don’t judge me.
With a shirt still left in my hands, I turned toward the closet that Zoe and I shared. I paused for a moment, truly noticing for the first time how stark Zoe’s side of the room was. She’d come to us with a very small suitcase filled with a few meager belongings, so her side of the room was uncluttered and neat. My side, however, was overstuffed with clothes, makeup, and all sorts of other items that I’d decided I couldn’t live without. Danielle often called it a “disaster area.” Whatever.
I made my way to the closet and opened the door. My “half” of the closet ended up being like more than three quarters, but since Zoe didn’t have much to hang up, it all worked out. I slipped the shirt onto an empty hanger and roughly pushed some items aside to make room. As I surveyed the haphazard collection of filled hangers, the thought that I perhaps needed to get rid of a few things drifted through my mind. But then I came sharply to my senses.
The closet floor was scattered with an overabundance of shoes. Hey, clothes weren’t my only weakness, and the right pair of shoes could make or break an outfit. I stooped to gather up my favorite pair of boots—black lace up knee boots that I’d saved for months to buy. My most expensive pair, I actually made it a point to put them away carefully. The twisted pile I found them in was definitely wrong.
And as I examined the pair carefully, small teeth marks on the toe of the right foot instantly made my blood boil with heated anger. Those marks could only have been put there by one person.
Derrick.
With a shriek, I stomped through the bedroom door, right across the hallway to Derrick and Patrick’s room. I pounded fiercely on the hard wood of their door, my fist radiating pain with the force of the blows. “Derrick! Get out here, you mongrel!”
The door opened and Derrick casually leaned against the frame, crossing his arms, that annoying smirk of his making its usual appearance. I swear, sometimes just looking at him made me want to punch him in the face. Like right now.
“Yes, your highness?”
“You mind telling me about this?” My words came out through gritted teeth as I dangled what I considered to be foolproof evidence of his closet trespass in front of his face.
Chin in hand, he considered my chewed-on boot for a moment before answering. “Maybe you shouldn’t buy such expensive shoes. You know how much I love dining on fine leather.”
Before I even had time to think about what I was doing, my hand reared back and I let loose with the boot…which sailed completely over Derrick’s head and right through the transparent form of our very startled ghostly resident, Patrick. The violated ghost boy made a point to glower at me briefly before shimmering out of sight. I made a mental note to apologize later, after I’d thoroughly killed Derrick, that is. Damn those shifter reflexes!
“Looks like you need to work on your aim,” Derrick choked out through a fit of laughter, which only fired up my anger even more, making my head pound with fury.
My hand reared back again, that urge to flat out punch him taking over, but before fist could meet jaw, the air around him rippled like a puddle, and then I was staring down into the large amber eyes of a golden retriever.
What the…? I blinked a few times, some of my anger dissipating with the shock of his sudden shift. “That’s not fair,” I whined. How was I supposed to stay mad at an adorable dog?
To further fuel my distress, the dog cocked his head to the side in that cute way that dogs do. His tongue lolled out and—I know this sounds stupid—but I swear the animal smiled at me. “You. Are. A. Jerk.” I screamed at him, emphasizing each word with my finger.
As I stared, Derrick the dog padded past me and jumped up on the bed beside Zoe, settling next to her. Without looking up, she reached out and scratched him behind the ears, an expression of pure bliss on his doggie face.
I gawked at them and shook my head. “You guys are just…weird.”
I turned on my heel and stalked down the hallway, irritation prickling down my spine. The nerve of that shady shifter! He knew I wouldn’t kick around a defenseless dog, even if it was still Derrick on the inside. With guys like Derrick around to drive me insane, no wonder everyone said I was always in a bad mood!
With a groan of frustration, I bounded down the stairs, purely enmeshed in the thoughts in my head. But when I reached the bottom, I froze. Across the room, I caught a glimpse of the best thing to fill out a pair of skinny jeans in this realm or any other, for that matter, which made my heart come to a complete stop inside my chest.
Liam Crawford. Just thinking his name made me giddy. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not an exceptionally giddy person, so that’s saying a lot. I took a deep breath and willed my heart to start beating again as I straightened my new Paramore t-shirt and hurriedly yanked out the pigtails I’d put my currently jet black hair in, fluffing the strands into some form of messy organization that might pass for sexy in his eyes. It was a long shot, but at least I could say I tried.
Just in time, too, because it was at that exact moment that Liam turned around and saw me, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, making my knees turn to rubber instantly. Regardless of that fact, I sauntered over to where he stood just outside of Danielle’s office.
“Hey, Sora.”
His rich voice was like a velvet fingertip dancing up my spine, giving me the shivers. And it was anything but cold in the house.
“Hey, Liam.” I did my best to seem interested, yet unaffected and cool. No reason for me to visibly go all flirty on him. Just wasn’t my style. But when I looked up into his dark brown eyes, all I could think about was throwing myself at him. Repeatedly.
“What are you doing here?”
A lock of his spiky raven hair fell strategically over one eye, and I fought the urge to brush it aside. “My dad sent me to pick up a check from Miss Stewart.”
Liam’s dad owned Crawford’s Construction, which performed a lot of work around the place for Danielle. Like repainting the dining room after the infamous aforementioned Tree Incident a few months ago. A story for another time.
“Oh.” I stared down at my sneakers with the little skulls on them, silently praying that I’d think of something witty to say. But the little skulls just stared stoically back at me. Some help you guys are.
“But I also wanted to talk to you about something.”
My head snapped up so fast I might have given myself whiplash, but instead found those dark eyes regarding me intently. Whatever would you want to talk to me about, dark prince of my heart?
“You see…there’s this thing at my school coming up…and I was wondering…if maybe…you’d like to go with me…or something.”
The movement of his mouth held my rapt attention with thoughts of kissing, but then I realized that there was a question hidden in that statement. “Huh?”
Liam took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “There’s a dance at my school next weekend, and I want to know if you’d go with me.” The words came out in a rush this time, like he’d been afraid to pause, lest he forget what he wanted to say.
I stared at him for a good long moment, the words he’d spoken not completely making sense. Did the guy I’ve been obsessively crushing on just ask me out?
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Excitement and a healthy dose of apprehension churned around in my belly, making it do little flip-flops. You know how they say that you should be careful what you wish for? Yeah, well, that never made any sense to me. Until now. Because the prospect of going out on a date with Liam was just as nerve-wracking as him not knowing I existed at all. Why were matters of the heart so complicated for me?
I couldn’t think of what to say as he gazed at me with those amazing eyes. Should I play hard to get? Should I agree with much enthusiasm? Should I stop gawking and give the boy some kind of answer?
I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but as I opened my mouth, Danielle strode out of her office. Impeccable timing.
“Here you go, Liam. And thank your dad again for me.” She handed Liam a check. “Since it sometimes takes awhile to get some expenses approved, it’s nice that he works with me on a payment schedule.”
“No problem, Miss Stewart.” Liam quickly pocketed the check in his leather jacket, casting me a sideways glance.
Danielle’s gaze bounced between Liam and me a few times. “Am I interrupting something?”
Liam backed toward the door, his head shaking and causing more hair to fall into his eyes. “No. I was just waiting for an answer to a question I asked Sora, but I think she’s answered me after all.” With a thin-lipped smile, he disappeared through the front door, shutting it firmly behind him.
I stood there a moment, stunned. Because of my hesitation, Liam thought I didn’t like him. Great.
Danielle arched an eyebrow at me. “What was that all about?”
I glanced at her, shaken to the core by my own stupidity. “I’m pretty sure Liam just asked me out on a date.”
“I see.” Danielle nodded thoughtfully. “And what did you say?”
Hell House Books 1-3: The First Three Hell House Novellas in One Box Set Page 3