When I looked at the face of the man my heart stopped for a long moment and I couldn't catch my breath. Only because there was something oddly familiar about him. My stomach twisted, and I wasn’t sure what to do.
I brought my hands to my mouth.
"You can’t be… he can’t—"
"Hello, Miss Taylor, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you," the man said trying to shake my hand. He had an accent, Scottish maybe? I couldn't quite tell because I was too overwhelmed by his power.
I opened my mouth to ask Tron if he was having a magical pyjama party in his house, but I changed my mind, so instead I muttered:
"Hi."
I looked at the old man whose incredible green eyes reminded me of someone. At that point, I wasn’t quite sure of who yet, but soon the stranger was planning to resolve the mystery.
"Julia, this might be a strange but Mr. Dyffryn here, is a highly respected fairy inquisitor. He’s going to keep an eye on us while we try to execute your power," Tron explained, pausing for a second. Something wasn’t right here, and I couldn't put my finger on what it was, however, I didn't like how that Dyffryn guy was staring at me, as if he’d known me for years. "I insisted Mr. Dyffryn should avoid meeting you tonight."
"Why not?" I asked but Tron didn't even want to look at me.
"You don’t recognise me and I don’t expect you to, but you’re close to my only daughter."
I scratched my head wondering what was so familiar about this fairy; it was slowly driving me mad.
"Daughter?" I repeated trying to figure out what he meant. I’d met Nicky’s parents. Kate was a witch, so this didn't fit, and Kelsie was a shifter. Then my pulse started racing and I gasped, taking a step away from the man. I started shaking my head telling myself this wasn’t possible. This stranger, a fairy, couldn't possibly think he was related to Ella. My Ella, a pure human friend, whose parents were mortal. "You’re wrong, Ella’s human. She’s never shown any magical abili—"
I stopped talking and took another step backwards.
"Julia, I mean, Miss. Taylor, please. I think you should sit down," he said still standing in the same spot. His hair was chocolate, his eyes were like Ella’s; deep green and pure. My friend hated lies and she didn't accept that I tried to protect her all these years without revealing that I was magical. Now in her father’s eyes, I was seeing the same philosophy and warmth.
"No, I'm not going to sit down. I came here to learn how to control my magic but instead I'm thrown into a family affair. I'm sorry but I don’t think this is acceptable. How do you think I'm going to look into Ella’s eyes and pretend that nothing happened today?"
Fairies were normally tall and beautiful, but Ella’s father didn't have that natural glow. Yes, he was elegant and calm but there was something missing in his appearance.
"I know how much my daughter suffered when she found out about you. That’s why I wanted to talk to you first, without getting her involved."
"Hold on, I don’t understand. You know that we’ve been friends since we were little girls?" I asked pacing around the room trying to fit all these new revelations into my tiny brain. "I thought she was human. She never exhibited any signs, not until…"
"Until she witnessed the murder of a troll," Tron completed the sentence for me.
"I want to know what’s going on here. Better still, start from the beginning, otherwise I swear to God, I’ll lose control and you’ll both feel the extent of my unsettled magic."
Okay, I was being stupid threatening them, but I wanted answers and I wanted them now. Tron was smoking a cigar studying me carefully. My magic was absent, and I couldn't possibly to do anything anyway.
That night there wasn't any training. I sat down and listened to how Dyffryn had to leave his wife and two kids because he broke his family code by marrying a human. It turned out that Dyffryn was some kind of royalty within the fairy community, but he’d fallen for Mrs. Jenkins, a nurse, and married her. Of course, Mrs. Jenkins had no idea that Alex Dyffryn was a fairy.
As usual, Alex thought that he’d found his love and happily ever after. Shortly after they were married, Mrs. Jenkins was pregnant with Matthew.
"When my son was born my wife started having dreams about her and my death. I tried to ignore my nature, hoping that my parents would let it go. After all, I broke the law and turned my back on my duty, but I found my humanity. I was wrong, and the consequences were severe. Because of my royal blood my family lost their right to rule, losing their power within the fairy community. Some of my brothers couldn't deal with what happened, and they came to seek revenge. They threatened to take away my newborn son and tell my wife who I was if I didn’t leave. I abandoned my magic and my royalty for love, but I knew that my wife and family was going to die if I stayed with them. My wife found out she was pregnant again the night I left."
His voice faded, and I saw myself turning to look into his eyes. Royalty, fairies and family connection. Alex’s story didn't make much sense. Okay, Ella was immune to memory spells, but that didn’t mean she was half fairy. Her magic would have revealed itself as soon as she was born.
"I don’t think I want to believe you. Mrs. Jenkins and Mathew, well, they can’t be your family; they’re human, there’s no magic in their veins," I argued. My hands were sweating, and I wanted to leave. I didn't care about the training anymore. I would probably be worried tomorrow, trying to come to terms with Jennifer’s murder but while I was looking at Alex, the lies I told Ella were raw and real yet again.
Alex smiled and waved his hand and flames appeared in the fireplace. Tron was still watching me as if he was waiting for an outburst of energy that I kept telling him was boiling within me.
"My magic was taken away, but then Tron helped me to regain what I had lost. When I left my family, I wanted to make sure that all their magical genes were gone. Mathew preserved his humanity well but that night when your father used the memory spell, part of the magic Ella was supposed to inherit awakened."
"So, that’s why you unexpectedly showed up, because she suddenly started to show some signs of the power that has been within her since birth!" I shouted getting up. Half of what Alex was saying didn't make any sense, but I was pissed off that Ella had to find out from me that magic was part of this fucked up world.
"My daughter wasn't supposed to feel anything. I left to protect them from others. I had to hide, my brothers were ready to kill me. My family’s honour has been destroyed. I gave Patricia a new identity and created a new life for them in London to protect them. They were safe until Ella’s inheritance awakened—until she arrived at that networking event."
"What are you saying? Ella isn't safe, is she? Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, would you?"
There were too many questions and this whole story wasn’t even believable. Fairies weren’t royal, and he couldn't possibly be related to Ella. I felt like my brain was going to explode with the amount of information.
"I sacrificed my freedom and magic for my family, but my brothers were aiming for revenge, for them this wasn't enough. I'm afraid that you’re also the key as to what has been going on lately. Royals have been searching for me and now their eyes are on London. In the past few months more paranormals have been talking about a half elf with unsettled power whose father works for the Paranormal Unit and has a human mother."
Finally, I started putting things together. If Ella’s father was some kind of Prince, then my best friend was in real trouble. I put myself out there, other paranormals knew about my romance with the hottest bachelor in the country and the fact that we shouldn’t have been together in the first place. Then there was my cousin’s and Rufus’s kidnapping. Now we had Jennifer’s murder and my unstable power. It was clear that Alex was trying to protect Ella, and I was making it very difficult for him, especially considering the paranormal world was following my every movement.
"I'm sorry, but I can't lose Ella. We’ve been friends for years and I can't abandon her now," I said flexing my fingers
.
"This is not what I'm asking for. Tron is an old friend and I asked him to help you. I want you to stop bringing attention to yourself and to my only daughter who doesn’t even know that I exist."
"I hope you’re going to tell her. I mean, you can expect me to keep lying to her—"
"My daughter grew up as a human; she’s afraid of the new world. I can’t continue to protect her if she knows the truth. With Tron’s help. I spellbound her mother; I made her believe she married a human and left her. I can’t be in her life—"
"Oh, come on. You must be kidding me. Ella’s barely forgiven me for not telling her I was paranormal and now what, more lies?" I asked, getting up abruptly. Alex was delusional, and I was ready to call my grandmother and question her about this whole royal mess. "I need to leave, I can't listen to you any longer, but I can tell you right now I won’t be lying to Ella. You must come forward and stop pretending that magic doesn’t belong to her.”
Alex looked angry chewing his bottom lip. Tron wasn't even looking at me and I began to wonder if I went too far.
Ella, my best friend, was a fairy princess. I’d never expected that and now those two expected me to just carry on with my life, get my magic together and pretend that Ella wasn’t paranormal.
"Julia, you don’t understand what kind of danger we’re putting each other and Ella in."
"No, I probably don’t but Ella deserves better and I don’t think I can discuss this any further tonight." I turned around and walked away. For some reason I expected them to stop me, but once I was outside I realised they weren’t planning to follow me.
I felt overwhelmed standing in this posh neighbourhood knowing that I’d gotten involved into another affair. My best friend of all these years that I’d always considered to be human, was a lost fairy princess. There was royal blood running through her veins and I was the person that not only might have killed someone but was also risking Ella’s exposure to a bunch of power-hungry royals.
It took me an hour and a half to get home that evening and by the time I was in bed, my head felt like it was going to explode. In the end I decided to go back to sleep and figure out everything in the morning but falling asleep wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
In the morning I didn't feel any better. It was only the beginning of the week and memories from the past few days were floating through my mind from the moment I woke up. If I wasn’t killing myself with thoughts of Nathaniel, I was thinking about poor Ella. It seemed that trouble continuously followed me but Ella or my failed relationship was the least of my problems.
As soon as my shift was over, I took the tube to Ella’s salon. I was planning on telling the girls what was happening, but first I needed to find out if my energy was going to blow up, like the evening at the gallery.
It was cold outside, and I’d forgotten my favourite gloves; my magic was stabilised for now, although the scariest part was that I couldn't control anything, not even the death of my mother.
My stomach was in knots when I stood outside the beauty salon biting my lip until it bled. How was I supposed to tell my best friend that she was more involved in this whole magic business than she wanted to be? It was time to see her; she was my closest friend and knew me better than anyone.
"Oh, my God, who do we have here? Julia, how nice to see you, sweetie," Christina exclaimed hugging me tightly.
"Hey, Chris, how are you?"
"Fab, I'm still waiting for you to introduce me to some of your handsome friends. I can’t be single any longer."
"Chris, I'm sorry I don’t mean to be rude but I'm looking for Ella, is she around?" I asked hoping that my best friend hadn’t quit her job yet.
"You just missed her, darling. She left five minutes ago,” Christina replied while brushing her hair. I’d known Christina since she started working with Ella and knew that she wouldn’t lie to me.
"Did she change her number recently? I’ve tried to call her, but it goes straight to voicemail."
Christina frowned.
"I don’t think so. She’s been acting a little strange lately, though. Stressed and quiet, not like our usual Ella."
"Okay, thanks. I’ll catch up with her at home." I sighed and was just about to walk out of the saloon when Chris added:
"We all want the old Ella back; this new one’s worrying us."
I smiled and left feeling a little anxious about Ella and the difficult decision that I was trying to make. The streets were busy, and I was rushing back to the Tube station. Ella was probably heading home, and I needed to talk to her. Tron and Alex hadn’t forbidden me from telling her the truth—well, okay, maybe they did, but I had no obligation to listen to them.
I was sprinting across the street when someone bumped into me and I lost my concentration. My handbag was on the ground and all my paperwork from work went flying around London.
I started picking up the papers as fast as I could, along with my wallet and all the rest of the crap that I had in my bag when someone handed me a stack of papers.
"I thought you needed a little help," the voice said nearly crashing me back to the ground. I shot straight to my feet seeing Nathaniel in front of me. I had a one in a million chance to meet him on the street and tonight fate gave me that chance.
Chapter 8
Another lesson learned.
“I don't need your help," I snapped, taking the paperwork and shoving it back into my bag. He was probably following me; I couldn't think of any other explanation for him being here. I was in South East London, where he definitely didn't belong, wearing his highly expensive suit and that watch. My plan was easy; I just had to turn around and walk away, but when he stood there in front of me without his fiancé my breathing problems returned. Damn it! My magic that had been absent since my meeting with Tron and Alex suddenly came back to life.
"Julia, let me call Roberto, he can give you—"
“Don't you dare pretend like you care! Don’t you fucking dare!" I hissed, seriously pissed off. Nathaniel pinched his eyebrows together and exhaled. I tried to ignore the fact that my heart was doing a happy dance in my chest, and the fact that he looked so amazingly yummy and handsome right now. This was the second time that I’d seen him and each time my heart opened up again.
"Julia, please, I meant to call you when I came back to London—"
"Stop talking, Nathaniel. I don’t want to hear it. You don’t owe me an explanation," I barked, tossing my blond hair behind me. My fingertips started to sparkle, my throat went dry and the whole world started to spin. For eight months I didn't have to worry about my damn magic and as soon as Nathaniel stepped back into my life again, I was screwed.
He moved closer and his hazel eyes were penetrating me again, but I was a few steps ahead of him, so I took a step back trying to decrease my power.
"I want to explain, Julia. I didn't want you to find out like that. As soon as Lucinda told me about the murder, I decided to come back. It turned out that I didn't have to move to Geneva."
My hand was itching to cast a spell and waves of heat were hitting my body. I felt like I was in the desert standing in forty-degree heat. Even though I wasn’t prepared to admit it, I missed him. Everything was falling to pieces, because the connection that always pulled us together was alive.
"Spare me the details, Mr. La Caz, and go back to your fiancé because I'm not interested. I'm no longer single but in a happy relationship," I explained in high-pitched tone. Maybe I went too far telling him that I had a boyfriend. It was none of his business.
Nathaniel was still staring at me with his rich hazel eyes. He tried to hide his expression, but he was clearly shocked.
"Julia—"
"No, don’t Julia me,” I shouted, taking another step back. My body turned into mush and my legs were like jelly. "You don’t owe me anything. From now on our relationship is strictly professional!"
"The giant?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
This time he crossed the line. I swiftly turned around and
started running away. I didn't deserve this. I especially didn't deserve to be judged by the guy who was so afraid of commitment that he had to move away to a different country. He was so afraid of a relationship with me that he got engaged to a supermodel.
I heard him shouting after me, but I was so caught up with my escape that I couldn't turn around. Once I got into the tube I was finally able to breathe normally. Meeting Nathaniel again distracted me and instead of jumping onto a train that would take me straight to Ella’s house, I went back to my own neighbourhood.
My apartment was a five-minute walk from the station but my meeting with Nathaniel caused an eruption of lust in my body and my breathing was shallow. My street was quiet, and I walked into my home feeling exhausted. Thoughts of Nathaniel corrupted my mind. I felt guilty that I’d been thinking more about him than Quentin. He’d left me two voicemails while I was on my way home, so I called him. It was nice to hear his voice again. Quentin always made me feel better, no matter what kind of crappy day I had. We talked about his trip and about my day at the agency. Quentin had been planning our weekend away for some time now, and tonight he reminded me that I had to book a couple of days off as he was planning a big surprise for us.
As soon as I hung up the phone I felt like I needed to slap myself. I didn't understand what was wrong with me. Not only had I been lying to my friends but I was also lying to my boyfriend, and he was prefect.
My life was becoming more complicated every day and on top of everything, my ex was back in London.
I ran myself and bath and put some soft music on. Once I slipped inside the bathtub, I closed my eyes and imagined that my magic wasn't lethal, my friends didn't think I was going crazy and that my life was completely normal. The silence was helping and, for a long moment I enjoyed lying there aware it was my evening. My mother’s life was perfect. She didn't have to worry about magic or a super-rich, ex-boyfriend who was now engaged to someone else. My mum was going into work, dealing with normal human beings, making tea for my dad and thinking that her daughter was just like any other girl.
Elf's Affection: The Witching Hour Series Book 3 Page 6