The Chronicles of Kerrigan Box Set Books # 1 - 6: Paranormal Fantasy Young Adult/New Adult Romance

by W. J. May

  Rae listened in silent disbelief. When she’d first arrived at Guilder and had met Carter, she’d assumed she was meeting him for the first time. Why would she think otherwise? He’d certainly acted like it was the first time he was meeting her. But now what was she supposed to do with this?

  “I loaded you up in my car and asked you where you wanted to go.” His eyes grew almost warm as he remembered. “You didn’t even pause—you said you wanted to go to the Chunnel. I headed straight there.” His sudden chuckle made Rae jump. “And yes—you were very upset when you couldn’t see the dolphins. But when we got to the other side, I bought you some ice cream at a rest break and you seemed to calm down. When your mother called to check in on us a few hours later, she couldn’t believe I’d taken you to France. ‘Babysitting my kid for a few hours doesn’t mean skipping the country, James’,” he quoted.

  A lingering smile faded slowly off his face as he turned to Rae—still sitting dumbstruck in the seat beside him.

  “So yes,” he said in conclusion. “I took you.”

  There were so many things Rae wanted to say. So many questions she wanted answered. Why didn’t Carter tell her these kinds of things when she first got to Guilder? Why did it seem to be the policy of everyone she’d ever met to keep seemingly innocuous secrets from her—secrets about her own past?

  In that moment, Rae suddenly realized that it couldn’t have mattered less. What was done was done. They were all here now. There was no going back.

  Instead of ranting or interrogating, she simply glanced at Devon still dozing in the back seat before turning her eyes front.

  “If I was to tell you that when we get there, I’d actually like some ice cream…”

  “We’re not pulling over.”

  “Understood.”

  * * *

  The French city of Marquise was only about twenty minutes from the Chunnel, and despite Carter’s previous statement, they did in fact pull over. Devon had woken up and was staring around, quite surprised he was in another country, and Rae and Carter realized none of them had eaten a thing since breakfast. Carter pulled into a pub and the three of them piled out and headed inside.

  The first thing Rae did was head to the bathroom. There was a distinct possibility she was about to meet her long-lost mother and she realized she had no idea what she was even wearing.

  Thank goodness she did.

  Streaks of dried blood laced up her arms, making her look like some sort of serial killer, and there was a dark red stain from Luke’s head wound on the side of her shirt.

  “Great!” she muttered as she began scrubbing it furiously. “She’s going to take one look at me and think I take after my dad.”

  Once she’d removed the bulk of the blood and rolled up her sleeves, she scooped up her hair into a stylish ponytail and gave herself a once over. It was lucky that she’d dressed for a debriefing today. She was still in the same sky blue shirt and fashionable slacks as before. And while she and Devon may have done their best to undermine it, her makeup was holding up remarkably well. Altogether, she’d have to say that she looked refined, grown up. Exactly the way she’d want her mother to see her.

  If she was in fact going to see her today.

  A flurry of butterflies filled her stomach, and she floated back to their table at the far end of the bar. Carter was at the counter ordering for the lot of them, so Rae slid into the booth next to Devon as they waited for him to return.

  “Why didn’t you tell me there was blood on me?” she hissed through her teeth.

  He looked up at her in surprise. “I didn’t notice,” he said honestly. “I mean, lately you usually have at least a little. I guess it doesn’t jump out at me anymore.”

  “What does that say about me?” Rae shook her head in dismay. “I only look like myself when I’m dripping in somebody else’s blood? What a perfect way to present myself. I’m no better than freaking Kraigan.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

  Devon raised his eyebrows in alarm. “Slow down there, turbo. What on earth are you rambling about?”

  Rae blew a loose curl off her face in a huff before casting a sideways glance at Devon. “I want to look… I don’t know. I want to look like the daughter she left behind. Not some trained up, callous, killing machine for the Privy Council. Not like my dad.”

  Devon took her hands kindly and tilted her chin up to look at him. “First of all, and I’ve been trying to tell you for years now Rae, your dad did not work for the Privy Council. Most definitely not. Get it straight.”

  She couldn’t help but giggle a little at his teasing.

  “Second,” he tucked the runaway curl behind her ear and stroked the side of her face. “You are the most beautiful, extraordinary, loving person I’ve ever met. If we do end up meeting your mom today, there’s no way she’s going to miss that. You just need to relax, sweetie.”

  Rae sighed and leaned into his arms when he offered. “I’m just nervous.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I know. But it’s going to be all right, I promise.”

  Just then, Carter came back carrying three trays of burgers. Rae and Devon slid automatically to opposite sides of the bench and Carter rolled his eyes. “Yep. Because that’s still a secret, right?”

  “I think it’s a little soon for you to be making accusations.” Devon glared at him.

  Carter flushed, but pointed an authoritative finger at Devon’s plate. “You—get your blood sugar up. I’m done carting you across international borders. And you,” he pointed at Rae, “we need to figure out how you want to do this.”

  Rae nibbled on the end of a chip. “What do you mean?”

  Carter paused and when he spoke, it looked like he was treading carefully. “Your friend got knocked out before he could tell us anything about the address on that note. It could be your mother, it could be someone that has information about your mother. It could…” his face grew suddenly grave, “Rae, it could be that you’re walking straight into a trap.”

  “It’s not a trap,” Rae said firmly. “I trust Luke. If you’re going to do this with us, you’re going to have to trust me.”

  Carter studied her for a long moment before he nodded. “Fine. Then while you go to the door, I’ll keep an eye on the front while Devon circles around back to monitor the perimeter. And use a strong tatù, Rae. We don’t want to take any chances.”

  Much to the men’s surprise, Rae broke out into a huge smile. Did she detect some stalling here? It looked like someone was just as nervous to see her mother again as she was.

  “This isn’t a covert mission,” she reminded him gently, “this is a reunion. I’m not going to have the two of you going all black ops on my mom. You can both come to the front door, just like normal people.”

  Devon reached over and wiped something off the side of Rae’s neck. “Normal people don’t normally have someone else’s blood on them,” he teased.

  Rae’s hand clapped to the spot in terror. “I’m sure it’s just ketchup.”

  Devon grinned. “I’m sure.”

  They finished eating quickly, and before Rae knew it, they were back in the car. No one said much of anything as they headed away from the town and out into the open countryside.

  The roads got smaller and smaller as the houses grew farther and farther apart. Towering beech and oak trees shaded the side of the road, filtering the golden sunlight in a surreal, almost dream-like way. Rae pressed her face against the window. Could this little wonderland really have been where her mother was living all these years?

  “Shouldn’t you call your Uncle Argyle?” Devon asked suddenly.

  Rae looked up in surprise. She actually hadn’t even thought about it. After a moment’s consideration, she shook her head. “I don’t want to get his hopes up. I mean, I keep thinking we’re going to see my mom, but Carter’s right. We don’t really know what’s waiting for us.”

  In fact, the closer they got to their destination, the more convinced Rae be
came that their spectacular journey was only going to lead to another clue. It was too much to believe that her mother could really be just minutes away, tucked away in this magical looking scenery.

  The nerves and butterflies had started to once again overtake her, when Carter suddenly pulled off the road and into the drive of a small cottage house. Nobody said anything and Rae stared out the window in amazement.

  It looked like something out of one of the fairytales her mother used to read to her as a child. Flowering vines and ivy crept up the grey stone walls towards the thatched roof, and a million different wildflowers created an iridescent carpet to an old wooden door. The windows were thick-paned and clouded, but Rae could just make out a hint of a light shining somewhere inside.

  “Rae.”

  Rae turned to see Devon and Carter looking at her expectantly—each of them with a soft, almost tender smile in their eyes. When she didn’t speak, Devon squeezed her hand gently.

  “Are you ready?”

  Rae took another long look out the window, before she pulled in a deep breath and gathered herself together. She had been ready for this for a long, long time.

  Without a word, she pulled open the door and headed up the cobblestone walkway. The men trailed at a respectful distance behind her.

  What was she going to say?!

  The question struck her with instant panic. In all of her wishing and planning, she hadn’t considered what she would actually do if the dream ever came true. What would she say to this woman she’d been torn away from as a child? What words could possibly make up the distance between them?

  But as she raised her hand to knock, the door pulled open from the other side and Rae said the only word that came to mind. As simple as it was unbelievable.

  “Mom.”

  Chapter 12

  Time stopped as Rae’s mouth fell open and her eyes filled with tears. It wasn’t just the video-tape reminder or her absentminded recollections over the last ten years, her mother looked exactly like Rae remembered her.

  Petite, like Rae, but strong and fit—able to take care of herself. A wild mane of dark curls, identical to the ones Rae struggled to control every morning. The same eyes, the same mouth. A warm, heart-shaped face that seemed always a second away from bursting into a smile. In a lot of ways, staring at her mom was like staring in the mirror at Rae’s own reflection. Just a few years older.

  Only now, the reflection was complete.

  Then Bethany Kerrigan said the only words that could tear it all away.

  “I’m sorry…who are you?”

  Oh no… Please…no, no, no…

  Rae bent over as if she’d been punched in the gut. The cute little house spun around her and she literally doubled-over and put her hands on her knees. As she melted back down the steps, the men surged forward. Devon gathered her immediately into his arms, while Carter simply stood in front of them—staring at Beth like he’d seen a ghost.

  “I can’t believe it,” he muttered. His skin had gone shock white and his eyes dilated to their fullest extent. “I can’t believe it. You’re alive. All this time.”

  Beth looked at him like he might be crazy. She stepped back, ready to slam the door closed. “Of course I’m alive. Is this some kind of joke?” She leaned past him and fixed her eyes on Rae with concern. “Is she all right?”

  Rae had managed to stand up, huddled in Devon’s arms. When she saw her mother looking at her, she got caught in a full-body tremble and silently shook her head.

  No. She was most definitely not all right. In fact, she thought she might be sick.

  Devon took the cue and thought on his feet. “Actually no, Mrs.…?”

  “It’s just miss, actually.” Bethany straightened but kept her eyes trained on Rae. A slight crease formed in the center of her forehead, as if she thought she might have seen this troubled girl somewhere before. “Miss Landais. Why don’t you come inside…?” She gestured to Rae with a concerned frown. “We’ll get her some water. She doesn’t look well.”

  Devon smiled graciously. “Thank you, that’s very kind.”

  He had completely taken over talking for the bunch, as it seemed Carter was incapable of saying anything coherent and Rae had literally crumbled the second her own mother didn’t recognize her face.

  Keeping a supportive arm around Rae’s waist, Devon followed Bethany into a modest country kitchen as Carter trailed behind. Rae glanced around as she was lowered down into a chair beside the table. It looked exactly how you’d think it would by looking at the outside. Decorated in light yellows and creams, it caught the last light of the vanishing sun and sparkled it back on the walls through a series of sun-catchers and prisms. Old bronzed pots hung in orderly fashion from a series of nails in the stucco walls while dried flowers and herbs dangled in a corner from the ceiling. She’d hoped to find something about her inside the house. Like a picture or some hidden agenda that she knew who Rae was. Nothing.

  “I grow them myself.” Bethany caught Rae looking and tried to coax a smile. “Rosemary, lavender, thyme. Do you cook?” she asked politely, mistaking Rae’s interest with aptitude.

  “No,” Rae’s voice came out scratchy and she quickly cleared her throat. “No, I don’t cook.”

  Neither did her mother, as well as Rae could remember. On holidays and festive occasions, they had gone out. You couldn’t catch them on a day when their fridge wasn’t stuffed with Indian or Chinese leftovers.

  “When did that start?” Rae couldn’t help but ask.

  “Me?” Bethany asked. “I’ve always done it, ever since I was a little girl.” She spoke with complete confidence, but even as she did, the slightest of shadows passed over her face, as if sensing a vague disconnect.

  Rae latched onto this shadow with sudden fervor, clinging to it with everything she had.

  She had been caught off guard at the door—who wouldn’t? You show up and your own mother doesn’t recognize your face? It was enough to knock the wind out of anyone’s sails. But what happened to Beth had been done to her. Why doesn’t she remember me?

  A woman didn’t just show up after a decade of being thought deceased in a storybook cottage in France thinking herself an aspiring chef named Landais. She didn’t just inexplicably not remember the face of her own daughter. There was more to the story. There was someone behind the curtain, pulling at the strings.

  “Actually,” Rae said with a smile, “instead of water, do you think I could have a cup of tea?”

  Every night when she was growing up, her mother would make her a nightly cup of chamomile—Beth swore by it. Rae would sit on her lap and slowly sip it down as Beth combed out her messy curls before tucking her into bed. Even after all these years, it was one of the few things that could settle her stomach and calm her nerves.

  “Sure.” Beth looked surprised, but pleased. “I know I have a box here somewhere.”

  As she got up and began rummaging through the cupboards, Devon squeezed Rae’s hand gently in his own. “Are you all right?” he asked too quietly for anyone else to hear. Not that they were listening. Beth was busy in the spices and Carter only had eyes for her. “Rae, I don’t know what to do,” he said with a touch of anxiety. “I don’t know how to help you here.”

  “It’s okay,” Rae whispered back, keeping her eye fixed on her mom. “I’m working on it.”

  Beth returned a moment later with a steaming mug. Rae glanced at the label on the bag and couldn’t resist a small smile. Chamomile. So her mother was still in there somewhere. They just had to find her.

  “Thank you,” she smiled and took a steaming sip. At once, a flood of memories went coursing through her and she dropped her eyes quickly to the tea so no one could see them fill with tears. When she looked up a moment later, she was fine.

  Once it was clear that Rae was going to be all right, Beth perched on the edge of the table and regarded them all in a critical stare. “Well then, what can I help you people with today?”

  There was a moment of si
lence as Devon and Carter shared a panicked look.

  Rae, however, remained perfectly calm. “Actually, I was just feeling a little dizzy on my way back to school. Guilder. Have you ever heard of it?”

  That same shadow passed across Beth’s face but she shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

  Rae’s heart sank a little but she kept going. “It’s near London. We were just driving back there when I felt like I might faint so my…” she glanced at Carter apologetically out of the corner of her eye as she tried desperately to simplify things, “my dad pulled over.”

  Carter shot her a look of supreme agitation while Devon bit his lip and quickly dropped his eyes to the floor.

  Beth missed the entire exchange. She stared at Rae like she was trying desperately to place her. The two of them locked eyes and Beth diverted her gaze with an embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to stare,” she murmured. “I just can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen you somewhere before.” She brightened with a casual shrug. “It must be because we kind of look alike, right?”

  “Must be,” Rae mused, soaking in the precious details of her mother’s face.

  “You know,” Beth continued, “my mother had frequent fainting spells. It started when she was pregnant with me and carried on through her entire life.”

  “Really?” Rae tried not to smile. She certainly did know that, hence her strategic story.

  So the damage to Beth’s memory only went back so far. She still remembered her mother and her life before meeting Simon and having Rae.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty draining,” Rae continued her fabrication with the self-righteous suffering of a martyr. “I’m sorry to just barge in on you like this. I guess we should be getting on our way.”

  Beth frowned as she glanced out the window. Night had fallen and the world around them was growing darker by the minute. There were next to no road signs out this far in the country and she was obviously worried about Rae’s weakened state.