“Nothing. I just stared at him like an idiot.”
“Oh.” Danielle seemed to ponder that answer a moment. “But I thought you liked him?”
I opened my mouth and closed it a few times. I do like him! He made my insides all warm and fuzzy, and my brain turn to mush, and my heart both stop and go into third gear at the same time. What’s not to like about that?
But instead of embracing all that, I just let him stand there and think I wasn’t interested. I suck at this stuff.
“Sora?”
Danielle’s gentle voice brought me out of my inner dialog. I took a deep breath. “I need some air.”
Purposefully, I strode through the house and out the back door to the small garden outside. Since winter had hung on for all its worth, spring was making her appearance slowly this year. A slight chill still infused the air, but as I walked further out to where the rose bushes would bloom, I noticed small green buds sporadically poking their heads up through the dirt.
I kicked at a rock with my shoe and sent it flying, mentally berating myself. Here I was, lusting after a guy who actually asked me out, and I went into shut down mode. Typical Sora, screwing everything up, as usual. But I knew the real reason I shied like a deer from Liam. My less than stellar history in the love department, for one. In fact, that played a role in why I had been banished from the Hidden Realm, not that anyone here knew that. So why wouldn’t I be ambivalent when it came to letting someone get close to me? It was probably better that Liam just stay a crush. Safer for everyone that way.
I sighed and flexed my fingers. It had been awhile since I exercised my magic. Before the Christmas fiasco, I had been working on keeping in control. My emotions and my magic were connected. If I was out of balance, things went awry very quickly. And sometimes, people got hurt.
My vision went blurry as tears welled up behind my eyes. Damn it, I don’t want to cry! Even with no one around, I hated giving in to that despair. Much easier to keep everything and everyone at arm’s length.
I’d had a moment during Christmas Eve where I let myself feel like I belonged and had a home. But even that was fleeting. Having everything you’ve known taken away from you makes one cagey about putting down roots.
I sniffed and wiped my nose and eyes, the back of my hand coming away with black streaks. Fabulous. Now I probably looked like a crazy person who couldn’t put on makeup. After using the hem of my shirt to wipe the smeared eyeliner from around my eyes, I rubbed the back of my hand along my jeans and flexed my fingers again. Closing my eyes, I concentrated, centering myself so that I could channel my magic properly. A few deep breaths quelled the chaos within. Well, enough to do what I needed, anyway.
Opening my eyes, I glanced along the ground, my gaze stopping on a rose bush a little to my right. My hand shot out toward the plant, my fingers splayed and stiff. A tingling sensation coursed down my arm to the tips of my fingers as I focused my energy onto the flower.
White light burst from my fingertips in a delicate stream, spiraling around the rosebush in a sparkling dance. The glimmer seemed to coax the leaves out of their wintry hiding places, bringing the plant to life in a burst of color. Dark red blooms burst out of the buds, the color intensely striking against the gray of the darkening sky.
Witnessing the beauty that I had the power to create when I tried made me feel a bit better. If I could do something so pretty and wonderful, how could I be so bad? We were all allowed to make mistakes, weren’t we?
My lips even curled into a smile as the roses continued blooming, the magic sparkling through the air like tiny diamonds. But then a low rumble under my feet broke my concentration and the white magic dissipated, leaving behind nothing but an out of place blooming rosebush.
My gaze whipped around the yard, the rumbling growing louder. A small pinpoint of light formed to my left, about the size of a softball. As I stared, it slowly grew bigger.
“What the…”
The light burst forth, a large whoosh of warm air knocking me backward onto my butt. My arm shot up, shielding me as I attempted to keep from being blinded by what I could only describe as a small sun forming in the backyard.
And then, almost as soon as it appeared, it was gone.
I blinked rapidly, my eyes trying to work properly again. Scrambling to my feet, the world slowly came back, and a figure stood right where the light had been. But as everything came into focus, I was certain that I was hallucinating after all.
A woman stepped cautiously toward me, her blue eyes clouded with concern and set in a face I thought I’d never see again as long as I lived.
My heart jumped up into my throat.
“Mother?”
Chapter Two
“Is it really you?” The urge to pinch myself was strong, as I feared I had actually either bumped my head or keeled over dead.
She smiled and stepped closer. “Sora, darling, it’s really me.”
I reached out and touched the gossamer fabric of her light blue gown, the material flowing over my fingertips like silk. Nothing but fairy-weave felt that soft. She was real.
I threw myself into my mother’s arms, the warmth of her embrace strong enough to reach down to my toes. The pure joy that filled my chest at seeing her practically split me wide open. And made me nearly knock us both over.
“I’m glad to see you too, Sora. But I’m finding it hard to breathe right now.”
Releasing her immediately, I took a few steps back, still nearly bursting with joy. My mother was here.
“But how? And why? And how?” My brain refused to function properly so that I could ask a coherent question.
My mother shook her head and smiled, her blond locks glossy in the low light of pending sunset. “That’s my Sora. Impatient as always.” She smoothed the iridescent material of her skirt before she continued. “The High Council has agreed to let me come and take you home.”
My brow furrowed deeply in confusion. I couldn’t have heard her correctly. “But I thought they never wanted to see me again?”
She sighed, a sadness seeping into her sapphire eyes. “Let’s just say that we’ve come to an agreement.”
As happy as I was to see my mother, suspicion immediately poked its cold nose into the midst of my joy. I squinted my eyes and took a cautious step backward. “What kind of agreement?”
A frown turned down the corners of her mouth. “What have you done to your beautiful hair?” She picked up a strand and examined it a bit before letting it fall from her grasp, then gave me a good once over from my head to my toes. “And your clothes? What kind of place did the Council send you to? Are these mortals making you wear such horrid things?”
Under her scrutiny, all my old insecurities came flooding back and snuffed out what was left of my overwhelming joy. I had never been good enough for my blond-haired, blue-eyed, perfect fairy princess of a mother. So I guess it was no surprise that once I was out from under her influence, I had transformed myself into the complete opposite of what she was. Psychiatrists would probably have a field day with that one.
With a pronounced eye roll, I absently fiddled with a belt loop on my jeans. “No one did anything to me, mother. I choose how I look and what I wear. Besides, you’re just changing the subject. What agreement?”
My mother took a deep breath and pressed her shoulders back. “In order to abolish the banishment order set forth by the Council, they have agreed to let you return if you relinquish your fairy magic.”
I gaped at her, shock numbing me as I pondered what she said. In order to go home, I’d have to give up my powers? But wasn’t that what made me a fairy in the first place? “How?” The question croaked out of me in a hoarse whisper.
“The Council will call together the High Priestesses for an extracting spell. It’s a potent bit of magic and quite difficult to carry out.”
My mouth went dry as a desert. “Will it hurt?”
She grasped my hands gently, her expression wistful. “I’ve heard it’s very painful, but considering t
he alternative, it seems to be quite a fair trade off, don’t you think?”
I didn’t know what to say to that. The mistake that left me banished and alone was the most serious kind you could make. I was lucky the Council hadn’t just had me executed. If I had been an adult, they very well might have. To have them even consider letting me come back home should be seen as an immense honor. But the price still seemed a little steep.
Silence stretched between us. The kind full of unspoken words that needed to be said, but never were. The joy at seeing my mother quickly extinguished by the “agreement” struck to bring me home. Was I really so dangerous that the only way for everyone to be safe was to strip me of my powers?
“Come, now. This is a chance like no other, my darling! The Council has reversed your banishment! We should be rejoicing!”
She tugged me over to where the light portal had deposited her earlier, which brought me out of my thoughts. “What, like right now? We have to go now?” My gaze bounced frantically between her and the back door of Hellsner House. “But I have friends here. People that I want to say goodbye to.” Panic snaked through my veins as I dug my heels into the ground and attempted to yank out of her grasp.
She dropped my hands, a scowl darkening her features. The same scowl I had perfected myself, I noticed with a start. “Really, Sora. I thought you’d be more pleased with how hard I have worked to bring you home. But I see that, as always, you think of nothing but yourself.”
Guilt washed over me in a sobering wave. This was an argument we’d had many times. Mostly when I refused to do what she wanted. Or act like everyone else. Or look like everyone else. Even so, convincing the Council to rescind a banishment order was an astonishing feat. I had to at least respect that, even if her motives seemed selfish. I knew having me as a daughter was a blight on my mother’s stellar history with the Council. She was royalty, after all. But these facts didn’t completely abolish the suspicion that fluttered around in my gut, making me wary.
I sighed with a tinge of resignation. “I’m amazed at the fact you were able to change the Council’s mind about me, mother. And I appreciate it, even if the price is a high one. It’s just that this is all happening a little fast. I need some time to think.” That was an understatement, if there ever was one.
She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. “Very well. You can have some time to gather a few things and say your farewells. I will return for you tomorrow.”
My mouth hung open in disbelief as she started toward the portal site once more. Hurt from my childhood bubbled up to the surface of my heart. I tugged on her skirt, blinking away tears again. Not crying. Not in front of her. “Don’t you want to see where I’ve been living? Or meet my friends? Or the people who’ve been taking care of me?” I couldn’t believe she had no interest in what my life had been these past months. She was supposed to be my mother, not a stranger who just happened to give birth to me. But given our strained relationship, what could I really hope to expect?
She stopped and waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I don’t see how that’s necessary.”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest defiantly and stared at her, my eyes wide in astonishment. In all the time we’d been apart, I had truly forgotten how snobby and uncaring she could be. Guess I had learned keeping others at arm’s length from the best, after all.
Realizing I wasn’t going to budge, her shoulders sagged in defeat. “I suppose, if I must. Though if your appearance is anything for me to go by, I shudder at the thought of what sort of people you’ve been spending time with.”
The disapproving look she cast me spoke volumes and only fueled my rising insecurities. Just a few moments in her presence and I was either reduced to tears or ready to spit nails. But, she was the only family I had. I had to take what I could get.
I turned on my heel and trudged toward the house, my mother’s soft footsteps echoing behind me. As we neared the door, my heartbeat sped up, and nervousness skittered through me like tiny ants. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all…
But I did my best to shake the feeling off by concentrating on my breathing as we made our way quietly into the warm interior of Hellsner House. The television was on in the living room, Carlton parked in front of it as usual. Danielle was setting the large dining room table for dinner, Micah at her side. Derrick and Zoe were at the bottom of the stairs, giggling and smiling as they whispered things to each other. Life was going on fine without me, so why did I suddenly feel like I was losing everything important again?
Noisily, I cleared my throat, causing all eyes to turn in my direction. I plastered a weak smile on my face as Derrick and Zoe stepped cautiously over, their gazes lit with interest. Danielle, Micah and Carlton followed not far behind.
“Sora?” Alarm and confusion were evident in Danielle’s voice as her gaze bounced back and forth between me and my mother.
I swallowed against a lump lodged in my throat. “Um…I’d like you guys to meet someone. This is…well…what I mean to say is—”
My mother stepped forward impatiently. “Really, Sora. I know I’ve taught you better manners than this.” She smiled sweetly and stuck out her chin. “I am Shaylee Starwind, Sora’s mother.”
She stared down her nose haughtily at the group that had gathered around us. “It is usually proper etiquette to bow when introduced to royalty.”
I cringed inside when she spoke—really cringed. My stomach wadded up into a tight ball that I hoped would draw me inward until I disappeared. My gaze flitted around the room, purely dumbfounded expressions returning my own.
“Muh—ther!” I cried out, the exasperation evident in the harsh tone of my voice. Sometimes, I really found it difficult to believe I was related to her at all.
“Royalty?” Derrick scoffed, nearly choking on his words as he arched a blond eyebrow.
I glared at him. A good strong glare that I had spent much time perfecting. Either that, or kill him. For once, I opted for the lesser violent route. “She’s a princess in the Hidden Realm, dog-face,” I spat back at him.
“So your mom’s a fairy princess? Your mom?” He doubled over in a fit of laughter as Zoe’s elbow jabbed him in the ribs.
Danielle stepped forward and held out a timid hand toward my mother. “Pleased to meet you. I wish we’d known you’d be coming. I’m afraid I’m ill prepared to receive fairy royalty.”
The radiant smile that spread across my mother’s lips practically lit up the room around us as she gracefully shook Danielle’s hand. “Finally, a mortal with some decent manners. In fact, I was just saying to Sora outside…” She paused abruptly, making a face and scrunching up her nose. “What is that dreadful odor?”
I shot a knowing I-told-you-so look in Danielle’s direction, which was promptly met with an exaggerated eye roll.
My mother leaned toward Zoe, sniffing the air loudly. “My dear, I think it’s coming from you.”
Zoe frowned. “I don’t stink.”
After a few more deep sniffs, my mother shook her head with a disapproving look. “Well, something in here smells quite dead.”
Zoe’s jaw dropped open just as Derrick’s smirk practically flew from his face. I had almost forgotten how quickly my mother could rub people the wrong way. It appeared we had something in common after all. Of all the traits to share…
I took a deep breath and propped my hands on my hips. “Zoe’s a zombie, mother. And Derrick’s a shifter. Carlton, here, is an ogre. Patrick, our ghost, is around here somewhere. Just about everyone here is paranormal in some way, and has various powers. So please think before you say something that might offend.”
My words might as well have fallen on deaf ears, for all the attention she paid me. My mother clapped a hand to her chest in overplayed alarm. “You let a zombie into the house? A zombie? What kind of a place is this?”
Zoe, who I had noticed was trying to discreetly sniff herself, stiffened like a stone statue. In one swift movement, she forced her way past Der
rick and flew up the stairs, a soft sob echoing behind her. I wanted to run after her and apologize profusely for my mother’s total lack of tact, but my feet seemed to have other ideas and rooted me where I stood.
I cast a pleading glance over at Derrick, but he appeared to be too busy scowling at my mother to notice. “I’ll go after her,” he managed to get out through gritted teeth before bounding up the stairs on Zoe’s heels.
My mother smoothed a wrinkle in her dress as an awkward silence descended upon the group of us. I shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably as I gnawed nervously on my lip.
“Um…so…what brings you to this realm, your highness?” Not one to usually break any silence, Carlton’s deep voice made us all flinch.
“Why, to take Sora home, of course.”
I chewed even harder on my lip, tasting blood as I heard a collective intake of breath. When I managed to force myself to look in Danielle’s direction, her eyes were as wide as saucers and she’d grabbed Micah’s hand. I knew they liked each other!
Danielle cleared her throat. “But I thought Sora had been banished for good?” A slight edge in her voice betrayed her worry.
My mother sighed and managed to look even more put out than she previously had. “As I’ve already explained to Sora, The High Council of Elders has agreed to rescind her banishment in exchange for giving up her magic.”
You could cut the silence that fell over the group with a knife, and all eyes focused again on me, the weight of their gazes like a lead blanket upon my shoulders.
“And this is acceptable to you, Sora?” Micah’s voice was gentle but cut sharply through that thick silence.
As I opened my mouth to reply, Jox and Jax came careening into the room, a blur of blue and yellow that plowed right into Carlton. Anyone else would have been completely knocked over. Carlton just managed to look extremely annoyed. “What’s going on?” they asked in unison, their bright yellow eyes wide and inquisitive.
My mother’s hand flew to her head as she gasped loudly in apparent alarm. “Imps? There are imps here as well?” She wobbled for a moment, making me afraid she might faint, which would just be one more notch on the parental embarrassment meter for me.
Hell House Books 1-3: The First Three Hell House Novellas in One Box Set Page 4