by Wendi Wilson
“But let us say, for argument’s sake, that you are correct and she could handpick a successor. What kind of person would she choose? It would certainly be someone who shared her same ideals, her same goals, and her same desire to subjugate the human race, destroy the Sylphids, and take over the world.”
“Now imagine the world,” Puck interjected, “should you take your place as the rightful heir. What choices would you make? With that responsibility, that power, how would you change the course of history?”
“December,” Ellie said, her voice soft and filled with empathy, “you do not have to make a choice right now.” Then she looked at her father, her expression stern. “You will not make decisions for any of us, or take away our free will ever again.”
Puck’s face twisted into a mask of guilt and regret, his head rearing back at his daughter’s forceful tone. Surprisingly, I found myself defending him.
“Mom,” I said, testing out the title and getting a little tongue-tied as Ellie’s face morphed from anger to surprise before tears of unadulterated joy sprang to her eyes. “He thought he was saving all of us, and after meeting Sebille on more than one occasion, I think he made the right choice. And don’t forget, he’s the one who brought us all back together.”
I knew I was being more magnanimous that I should have been, but I finally had what I’d always wanted—a family. I had a mother, a father, a grandfather and even a cousin. And it was because of Robin Goodman that I was there, sitting in that cramped room with all of them surrounding me.
If he hadn’t done what he had, I’d probably have been long-dead. Murdered as an infant. Even if Sebille never found us, the Sylphs hadn’t shown much tolerance for my mixed heritage either. Someone from the village could have just as easily ended my life in my early years.
I caught Puck’s eye and held his gaze, saying, “Grandfather, I’m sorry you had to make such a terrible choice all those years ago. It had to have been pure hell, living with the truth. I just want you to know that I understand, and I don’t hold it against you.”
He gave me a shaky nod without speaking. But words weren’t needed. Everything he could have said was shining in his eyes. I saw gratitude, affection, and a stroke of pleasure the instant the title of “grandfather” slipped between my lips.
“What’s wrong, Daddy? Cat got your tongue?” Ellie teased, though I didn’t really understand the phrase.
Did cats steal people’s tongues? I’d never heard of such a thing. Why would they keep such vicious beasts in their homes as pets?
She shot me a wink and said, “It’s just an expression.”
“Oh.” I kind of felt stupid, but no one was laughing at me, so I brushed it off.
“I was just teasing your grandfather,” she continued, “because I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen him at a loss for words. Let’s see if I can make him hold his silence.”
She reached out her hand and wrapped it around Puck’s. Leaning forward, she brought her face closer so she could look right into his aquamarine eyes.
“My daughter,” she said, her eyes flashing to me quickly as if she still couldn’t believe I was there, “has shown me that making the best of a situation and being grateful for what you have is the key to finding happiness.” Looking back at puck, she continued, “I am angry that you lied to me and told me she was dead. I am angry that, all those years ago, you lied about Cris and his motives for being with me. And I’m angry that you found December months ago and didn’t tell me. But I also understand that your heart was in the right place and that you were trying to protect us all. In the end, you did the right thing and brought us all back together. Daddy, I forgive you.”
Easton’s hand slipped into mine and squeezed it as tears trickled down Robin Goodman’s face. Real tears, born of love and guilt and the warm embrace of forgiveness.
“I forgive you, too,” Shaela said, filling the moment of silence, “for spending the last few weeks Glamouring me into believing you were the best thing since chocolate bars. Of course, you didn’t need to use magic to make me feel that way.”
She smiled at him, and he smiled back, saying, “Thank you, Shaela. I’m truly sorry for manipulating you into ruining your friendship with your cousin.”
“I understand it was for Aubrey’s benefit,” she replied, then elbowed me in the ribs. “But something you should know about December right off the bat is that she doesn’t give up on those she loves. She’s waited too long and fought too hard to have a real family to let any of us go without a fight. Your plan failed before you even began. She would’ve rescued me from your dastardly clutches. Do not doubt it.”
She waggled her eyebrows and everyone laughed as the tension in the room eased. She looped an arm around my neck, and I hugged her back. Then I pulled her necklace from my pocket and held it up in front of her. Her face lit up, and she took it and clasped it around her neck, the golden wings resting against her chest.
“Now that we’ve cleared the air,” my dad said, “we should get back to business. We need a plan to bring down Sebille before it’s too late.”
Everyone began throwing out suggestions, and we came up with a solid foundation for a plan. I watched the people around me, working together, building off of each other’s ideas, and I was overcome with emotion.
I had a family. Everyone in that room was my family, blood relation or not. We shared love and friendship and we watched out for each other.
And that was the key to true happiness.
EPILOGUE
“Where is she?”
Sebille stomped out of the elevator, snapping the words at the guard by the front desk. She’d fumed all the way down to the main floor after receiving the call. The guard trembled at the sight of her rage and lifted a shaky hand to point toward the couches in the lobby.
She strode forward, not stopping until she stood toe-to-toe with the young girl who was not supposed to be there. She was supposed to be safely ensconced behind the walls of that dreadful academy, reporting helpful information and planting the seeds of its eventual downfall.
“Speak,” Sebille ordered, the timbre of her voice deep and frightening.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I underestimated the half-breed’s strength, and she saw past my Glamour for only an instant. It was enough for her to bring her suspicions to Finn Oberon. I could not avoid the confrontation and they pulled the truth from me.”
“And what truth might that be?” Sebille asked, her voice deceptively friendly as she stroked a hand over Aubrey’s black hair.
“That I was there as a spy, reporting vital information back to you about their training, their army, and their best fighters. I also told them I let you in that night and took you to Finn’s office.”
“Why did you not lie, Aubrey?”
“I—I couldn’t. December has the power of command.”
A growl formed low in Sebille’s throat, rattling in her chest before escaping from her mouth as a high-pitched screech. The hand she had in Aubrey’s hair fisted around the limp strands, and she yanked, throwing her onto the couch behind her.
“You lie,” she gritted out, pointing one long-taloned finger at Aubrey’s face.
“I swear, I do not,” Aubrey stuttered as she cowered in fear against the cushions. “The king mentioned his grandson, Easton. He said that because Easton is heir to the throne, his power of command is developing. He told the girl to try it with me, because she in first-in-line to your throne.”
“And she was able to do it? You could not resist?”
Aubrey looked down at her lap as she answered. “I tried, Your Highness, but the girl is strong. I was compelled to answer her truthfully, and the words were forced past my lips against my will.”
“And what of Puck?” Sebille asked, placing a fingertip beneath Aubrey’s chin and lifting her face so she could look into her eyes.
“I told them only that I was to keep an eye on him for you because he is a strong faery and a threat.”
&nbs
p; “You told them nothing of his treachery?”
“No, Your Highness. The girl did not ask for clarification or more detail before I broke free and escaped.”
“Good. Now, get out of my sight before I kill you for being such a disappointment.”
The young Zephyr scrambled off the couch and ran for the front doors, using her black wings to propel her forward. Sebille watched her go, but her mind had already wandered back to Oberon Academy and what threat those idiot Sylphids might pose to her ultimate plan.
She strode back to the elevator and rode it up to her penthouse apartment. Lost in thought, she wandered over to the wall of windows, looking at the city that spread out before her. She looked out as far as she could see, imagining the ocean behind the hills and the other continents beyond that.
“This planet is mine,” she murmured. “I still have Puck in my back pocket, and I will use him to bring down the academy. Once that is done, I’ll be free to move forward with my plans and finish this.”
When those plans came to fruition, the humans would be practically obliterated. The few who remained would live as slaves to the Zephyrs.
And the Sylphids would be exterminated.
“It will be a perfect world,” she whispered, her feral smile reflecting back at her from the glass wall. “Absolutely perfect.”
AFTERWORD
Thank you so much for reading The Sylph! I hope you enjoyed it and if you have a moment, I’d love it if you would leave a review!
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Pre-order Oberon Academy Book Four: The Queen today!
Eventually, you have to face your fear and destroy the monsters before they destroy you.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks, as always, to my family for being so supportive. You are my rocks.
Thanks to Samantha Britt and Tiea McDonald for loving this series and sticking through it with me. You guys are the best.
Thank you to Molly Phipps for yet another amazing cover.
And thanks to you, my readers, for loving December, Shaela, Easton, and the others enough to keep reading, for your thoughtful messages and emails, and for celebrating each new story with me. I love you guys!
ALSO BY WENDI WILSON
The Shadowed Series
The Suppressed Series
The Blood Persuasion Series
The Unpersuadable Series
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Also by Wendi Wilson