Tears pricked behind my eyes, but I held them at bay. It was time to get some answers, once and for all. “Then why haven’t you? And why are you leaving me again?”
“From the moment you were born, I knew the Hidden Realm would be no place for you. Despite my best efforts, your father encouraged you to march to the beat of your own drummer and was entirely successful in his endeavor. When the predicament of your banishment came up, I knew in my heart that getting you away from there would be the best thing for you.”
I gulped, a lump that felt like a softball lodged in my throat. “But I killed Kheelan…”
She grabbed my hands and pulled me tightly into her warm embrace, her breath tickling my ear. “What happened to Kheelan was an unfortunate accident, Sora. If I had been doing my job as a mother, I would have seen what the other children put you through on a daily basis, and diffused any situation before it had happened. If anyone is to blame for Kheelan’s death, it’s me, not you.”
I hugged my mother back fiercely, her light, flowery scent filling my nostrils with memories of better days. Days before I was an outcast. Days before my father’s death. But when she released me and took a step back, I suddenly understood how we could never revisit those days again. Growing up has its perks, but sometimes, it really did suck.
“We need to go. It will be necessary to remain hidden for while until things blow over, but I’m certain your mother will be safe. I promised your father I would protect you both, and I plan to keep that promise.” Durin gestured toward the still open doorway that had brought him to the Mortal Realm. “I have friends who will help us.”
A sudden idea popped into my head, filling me with hope. “You could stay here in the Mortal Realm. We could be together, here.”
A lone tear ran softly down my mother’s cheek as she slowly shook her head. “My place is elsewhere, dear daughter. All I am and have ever known is in the Hidden Realm. I just don’t possess the strength to leave for good.” She wiped away the tear and took a deep breath. “Besides, you obviously don’t need me, here.”
“But…we’re family!”
She glanced at the house where the window was still filled with a myriad of now curious faces. “Even I can see you have more family here than I could ever hope to give you, Sora. Even if the characters it contains are…unique.”
I stared at the ground and sniffed, not wanting to give in to the tears that so desperately wanted to fall. For someone who didn’t like crying, I sure as hell seemed to be doing a lot of it lately. But, she was entirely right. Even dog-boy was like a brother to me. An annoying, frustrating, want-to-kill-him-most-days brother. But a brother nonetheless. One that obviously had my back. I’d never say that to his face, though. A shudder rippled through me at even the thought.
That heavy silence descended upon us again, filled with so many unsaid things. It did feel slightly lighter, though. Some of the things had been said after all. But then my pondering was cut short by Durin’s booming voice. “We must go, Shaylee.”
My pulse rate doubled—no, tripled—as the realization dawned that I would probably have to say goodbye to the both of them for good this time.
“I have to go now, Sora.” The bright emotion in her blue eyes pierced my heart like a dagger. Now that we’d finally made a connection, I didn’t want her to leave.
“Stay.” My voice cracked, betraying the tough façade I always managed to put up.
“You know I can’t. But I will find a way to see you again. Count on that.”
She hugged me again, and I inhaled her sweet scent deeply, wanting to never let her go. “I love you, Sora.”
Those words were like a spell unto themselves, magic so potent no Council ruling could ever cancel it out. “I love you, too, mom.”
The heat from the portal intensified as it increased in size, the light practically blinding me. I squinted as she let me go and stepped toward it, taking Durin’s hand. He was a good man, and I knew he would keep her safe. She paused a moment and glanced behind her, back to where I stood, my tears now flowing freely down my cheeks. “And I am ever so proud of you, daughter. Be happy. For me and your father, be happy.”
And with one large stride, the light swallowed them up, pulsing brightly for an instant before it vanished, leaving me blinking away spots.
I stood there for a while, trying to take in everything that had happened. My world had been given a good shake, but I was pretty sure it was for the better. I understood my mother more and what she had done. Hell, I think I even understood myself better, if that was at all possible. I had weathered the storm, come out the other end of the tunnel, and all that crap. And apparently, I’d even managed to find a real, honest to God, accept-me-the-way-that-I-am family. Who cared if it contained imps, shifters, ogres, ghosts, or even a zombie? I also had a sneaking suspicion that there was something not quite average-Joe about Micah as well. Point was, family was about way more than the blood that pumped in your veins. And that little revelation did wonders to settle the angry teenage outcast that screamed loudly inside my head, turning her cries to low murmurs.
With that thought, I wiped the tears from my cheeks, picked up my bag and lugged it back to the house. A flurry of activity and voices met me on the back porch.
“Where’d they go?”
“What happened?”
“Are you staying?”
“Does this mean I can’t have your shoes?”
I glared at Zoe for that last one, but she just grinned, making us both laugh. I glanced over at Danielle, the biggest smile I’d ever seen spread widely across her mouth. “Seems like the rumors of my leaving have been greatly exaggerated. So, got any spare rooms?”
“For you, absolutely.” Danielle dragged me to her chest in a big hug. I had a feeling that after this, I was going to be one of those “huggy” type of people. Blech.
Micah grabbed my bag as we made our way back into the house. “Besides, whatever would Derrick do without me around to try and blow him up?” I smirked in the direction of the shifter, now back in human form, but gave him a silent nod of thanks for helping me out.
“Lucky me,” Derrick replied sarcastically, turning to lumber after Carlton, Zoe, Banore, and the twins into the living room, but not before I caught the barest hint of a grin at the corners of his mouth.
“I’ll take your bag upstairs, Sora.” Micah smiled, his blue eyes so clear they sparkled. I got that weird vibe from him again that he was more than meets the eye as he sprinted up the stairs. I was going to have to keep my eyes open to find out his deal, for sure.
Since this seemed to be a day of taking chances for me, I took a deep breath and tapped Danielle’s arm. “Um…do you think you can get the number to Crawford’s Construction for me?”
Danielle cocked a curious eyebrow. “Can I ask why?”
“I have to answer that question Liam asked me the other day.” I needed to strike while my courage was up, not giving me a chance to chicken out.
She grinned and patted me on the shoulder. “Sure thing.”
As she walked toward her office, I turned in a circle and took in my surroundings, the unfamiliar elation of pure happiness making me see the place with new eyes.
“By the way, Sora.” I glanced over to find Derrick standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.
“What?” I eyed him warily, a retort at the ready, just in case.
“Welcome back to Hell House.” And with his trademark smirk, he sauntered over to plop beside Zoe on the couch.
A smile of unstoppable force plastered itself across my face.
Yeah, I am home. Now, where’s Danielle with that number? I have a call to make.
Chapter Six
“Wow, Sora! You really do look great!” Zoe gave me an appreciative glance, nodding in approval.
“Seriously? You’re not, like, messing with me or anything?” I was nervous as hell, my stomach churning with a whole flock of butterflies. Was I really doing this?
“T
ake a look for yourself, if you don’t believe me, then.” Zoe grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face my reflection in the mirror.
I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. Someone else stared back, looking rather fabulous in a red knee-length strapless dress. An overlay of black Swiss-dot tulle, paired with the black sash at the waist made the look completely retro, and just my style. What boobs I had were pushed up to my eyeballs, making me appear as if I had way more cleavage than I actually did. I mentally thanked Danielle again for insisting I buy the dress for the dance at Liam’s school. I’d decided to remove my silver lip ring, replacing it with a small black stud that looked like a beauty mark. Kind of cool, actually.
Zoe had managed to tame my unruly head of hair, the black tresses piled on top of my head and cascaded down the back in tiny ringlets. She’d even added a few red streaked pieces, keeping with my rock-chic style. Even so, I looked rather girly, but found that I didn’t mind. In fact, I seriously had the strong desire to do a little twirl but managed to rein it in. No need to go crazy or anything.
“I guess I do look…all right.”
Zoe rolled her eyes and proceeded to push me toward the door. “Don’t hurt yourself thanking me or anything. Now, get yourself downstairs. Liam will be here any minute.”
I silently mouthed a thank you at her before I braced myself for the trek down the staircase. A new pair of shoes completed my ensemble for the occasion. Candy red, platform heels that added about four inches to my height. I’d instantly begun salivating at the sight of them on the shelf at the store. After much begging and an advance on my allowance, Danielle agreed to let me buy them. I might not be able to feel my toes by the end of the night, but damn it, I’d look fabulous anyway.
Teetering a bit as I reached the top of the stairs, I inhaled deeply before beginning my descent. Not one to wear such high heels often, I had to concentrate to keep from breaking my ankle and ending up a tangled mess at the bottom. One foot, then the other. No hurry. Just my dream guy and a school dance waited.
Liam had been surprised, to say the least, to get my call accepting his invitation to the dance at his school. I’d still been riding the high from the conversation with my mother and apologized for acting like a dork when he asked me. The end result—here I was, trying not to fall down the stairs so I could go on my very first date. A date!
I fought the urge to giggle as I reached the bottom, especially since Derrick and Carlton appeared to be waiting for me, standing guard at the door. Instead, I put on one of my signature glares.
“You here to tick me off, dog-face? Because I’m so not in the mood.” I jabbed him in the chest with my best jabby finger for emphasis.
Derrick batted my hand away and scowled. “No. Carlton and I are just here to make sure Liam knows not to try any funny business. We have so much more for him to be scared of than normal guys. Besides, there have been those reports on the news about a group of suspected paranormals wreaking havoc on the neighborhood. We need to be sure Liam can keep you safe. Or else.”
I cocked a speculative eyebrow, unsure if I should be touched by the fact that they cared or annoyed at their presumption. I opted for annoyed. “I can take care of myself, guys.” I shot a pleading glance at Carlton. Usually, he could be swayed to my side. But the stern set of his jaw indicated otherwise.
Danielle then strode out of her office, camera in hand. Crap. I forgot about pictures. Maybe I can distract her. “Danielle, please make Carlton and Derrick quit with the scary big brother act. They’re going to scare Liam away before we even have a chance to leave!”
Turns out, distracting her was not an option. “Sora, you look absolutely beautiful! Let me get a picture of you!” She clicked away, the flashes blinding me like a red carpet paparazzi event. I’m sure she would have taken about a thousand more photos if the doorbell hadn’t rung.
My heart jumped into my throat as I pushed through the crowd to get to the door before Derrick and Carlton had a chance to think. I didn’t want anything to ruin tonight, no matter how many flip-flops my stomach did.
Deep breaths, girl. But this internal command was unnecessary, because when I yanked open the door, I abruptly lost the capacity to breathe altogether. Whoa.
Liam looked positively delicious in a pair of black tailored slacks, red silk shirt, and black tie. His trademark black leather jacket topped of the ensemble, keeping with his bad boy persona. His eyes brightened as he gave me a once-over of his own, and my knees turned to jelly when he flashed that gorgeous smile of his my way, indicating his approval. Man, but I had it bad.
“You look really pretty, Sora.” The sound of his voice went right through me like an electric current. I fought the urge to go all giggly again and managed to suck some oxygen into my lungs so I didn’t pass out.
“Hi, Liam. You look nice, too.”
A darkness passed over his eyes that made my stomach take a dip. A primal look. A hungry look.
“Let him in, Sora. I need to get some shots of you two together!” Danielle pulled the door open wider and ushered Liam inside. I snapped out of my lust-trance and groaned inwardly as the photo shoot to end all photo shoots commenced. Thankfully, Derrick and Carlton remained silent, just stood like marble statues and glared holes through my date.
After another five thousand photos, a reminder of my curfew, and a hushed conversation with my two scowly brothers, Liam finally managed to get me out of the house and down the walk to his car, a vintage red mustang that shined like a mirror in the moonlight. Gorgeous guy, gorgeous car, I’ve hit the jackpot!
After making sure I didn’t kill myself getting into the passenger seat, Liam walked around and climbed into the driver’s seat, situating himself beside me. My hands fidgeted in my lap as nervousness skittered through me. We were finally alone, and I so didn’t want to come off like a dork.
I tentatively cleared my throat. “I like your car.”
Liam turned to me, his grin as wide as I’d ever seen, turning my insides to a puddle of goo. “My dad fixes up cars as a hobby. This one he usually only lets out on special occasions.” He looked down at my lap and gently clasped my hand. “I guess he considers you a special occasion.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I mean, literally, my throat closed up and all capacity to form words fled from my being. I’d been many things in my life—odd, mouthy, rude—but having a guy call me special and mean it was a new one. I think I kind of liked it.
His hand was surprisingly cool where it held mine, but that didn’t make the little tingles at his touch any less pleasant. I gave his hand a little squeeze and managed to raise my head to meet his gaze. His always dark eyes managed to look even darker, the fathomless depths an inky black that was almost mesmerizing, and I found myself with the sudden urge to get lost there.
That thought gave a bit of a start, and I shook my head just a little bit to clear it. Of all the girls Liam could have, and I was positive that he could have his pick, why in the world did he choose me? Am I getting myself into another big round of heartbreak and humiliation?
I tilted my head to the side as I regarded him beside me. “Why me, Liam? Why did you ask me out when there have to be normal girls who would kill themselves to go out with you? You do know what I am, don’t you?”
His hand released mine, and his finger traced little patterns up my arm, giving me goose bumps. “I know what you are, Sora. And trust me when I say that normal can be just a tad bit…overrated.”
He leaned forward and tilted my chin up gently with his finger. “Besides, as far as I’m concerned, you’re the most beautiful girl I know.”
A feather could have knocked me over had I been standing. And the fact that he had leaned in so close had me focused on his lips, the bottom lip jutting out just a bit more than the upper one. Definitely made for kissing. Not that I had any experience in that area, mind you.
As if he read my thoughts, a wicked grin turned up the corners of his delectable mouth and he leaned even closer. My
heart ramped up into overdrive as I realized that he was, in fact, about to give me my first real kiss. My brain racked itself trying to remember if I had had enough forethought to brush my teeth, because stank breath would be oh so awful at this moment. Kind of late to wonder, now, though.
The gentle pressure of his smooth lips on mine made every nerve ending in my body ignite at once, sending me into a whirlwind of sensation that remained even after he pulled away. And the cool touch of his mouth was something I’d be unlikely to forget anytime soon. Were first kisses always this amazing? Since I found myself really looking forward to more of those kisses, I hoped all kisses were like that.
Liam leaned back, his arm draped over the back of the car seat. That hungry look I’d glimpsed earlier lit his dark gaze from within again. The heat of a blush crept up my face that I’m sure matched the red of my dress. I peered at him shyly from under my mascara-encased eyelashes. Huh. Me, being shy. Tonight is just full of firsts!
“You are quite adorable when you blush,” he murmured with a playful smirk.
I rolled my eyes. “Pretty, I’ll give you. Beautiful is negotiable. But adorable, that’s just right out, mister.” I wagged a finger at him.
He grabbed my hand and kissed the offending digit, which only added fuel to the fire he’d stoked inside me. “You are wonderful, Sora,” he managed to bark out through a laugh.
I shook my head in bewilderment at the fact that this hunk of a bad boy seemed so entranced by little old me. “You barely, know me, Liam. Once you do, you might change your mind about how wonderful I am,” I warned.
“You’re not the only one with secrets, Sora.” The mirth had left his voice, but there was still a glint in his eye.
And as I watched, two incisors lengthened on either side of his mouth to barely touch the lips I’d kissed. His eyes flashed red for a moment, before morphing into that fathomless black from earlier. One word echoed in my brain and made me shiver.
Vampire.
I stared, entranced, as the teeth that had magically appeared receded, and his eyes changed back to their usual dark chocolate brown. A worried look crossed his face at my silence. “Are you okay with this?”
Hell House Books 1-3: The First Three Hell House Novellas in One Box Set Page 8