“You’re going to pay for this tomorrow when you’re fully awake,” he said, growling and I patted his chest, closing my eyes.
“Be a nice rabbit.” It only took me seconds to fall asleep as I was fighting sleepiness for the past hour and being so close to him relaxed me completely, taking my worries away.
◆◆◆
In the morning, I opened my eyes and seeing white walls surrounding me, I searched for any indication of where I was.
“Morning, Flower.” Jacques stood sitting next to me with his arms crossed.
“Why is it morning?” I complained. “How long have you been standing there?”
“It’s morning because it is and maybe you’ll think twice before staying up late, listening to hyenas, spilling their sorrows.” I shot him a surprised look as the night’s adventure came back to me. He smiled and kissed my cheek. Lying next to me, he gathered me in his arms. “Someone was at the door. Didn’t it wake you?”
“I didn’t hear anything.” I drowned a yawn and cast a look at him. “What time is it?”
“Almost ten—”
“What?” I yelled and made a move to get up but he pulled me to his chest. “Why? You have classes?” He smirked.
“No, I have to go shopping with Kristy and I am not ready. There are lots of things to do today and not enough time,” I complained.
“I’m sure Kristy can wait. She didn’t mention anything when she came.”
“Maybe she can but I can’t. It’s Diane’s birthday and I haven’t gotten her anything yet and Kristy said she’ll help me prepare everything that needs to be done.” I inhaled as I stopped talking and swallowed.
“Oh. She’s turning 17?”
“Yes. What is it?” The look in his eyes worried me, but he stroked my cheek.
“Maybe it’s nothing but 17 is an important age as you know.” He let his words hang and my heart sank when I realized what that meant.
“She’s not…” I tried to grab at straws as I said, “My parents don’t have powers or any special ability. It doesn’t mean she’ll get a power, right?”
“No, but it is a possibility. Sometimes, brothers and sisters both inherit powers and it enhances their bond, but not always.” Placing his forehead on mine, he looked deeply into my eyes. “Don’t worry, the witch will send someone to help her. It’s the usual tactic. She won’t be alone.”
I breathed, but still, the thought stung as I remembered how tough it was for me discovering I had powers. Diane might be thrilled that magic is real but still jumping from one reality to another was going to be a challenge. “But I won’t be here to help her.” My lip trembled and Jacques pulled me in a tight embrace.
“She will be all right, my flower. She will be all right.”
“Okay.” I tried to move, but he wouldn’t let me. “Jacques?”
“You’re not going anywhere.” He hugged me tightly, making my heart beat faster. “I won’t see you today and you kicked me out yesterday. Also, I haven’t thought of your punishment yesterday.”
I rolled my eyes playfully. “You can come to the party if you want and I didn’t kick you out. You left—”
“Without a goodbye,” he complained having his head on my shoulder and I tried to keep the smile that was rising on my face.
“It’s not my fault you toss ideas in uncomfortable situations and expect me to answer in a minute.” I looked at him and he glared, looking so much like his rabbit counterpart which brought a laugh inside me.
“Not funny!”
“It’s not.” I tried to shake my giggles before answering. “You look so much like a rabbit right now.”
“Maybe because I am a rabbit.” He kissed me and I forgot where I was for an eternity of moments. Pulling away, I tried not to feel disappointed.
“I have to go.” I slipped from his arms and he sighed.
“And I’ll take care of the howling animal, even though you don’t deserve it,” he said, sitting up and I gave him a kiss.
“Thank you. But aren’t you afraid of them?” He set his jaw and I blushed. “She’s probably near my house or inside,” I said, wondering how I could get in without her noticing me.
“Yes, but I have a lynx to help me settle things.” He winked. “She might be near maybe, but certainly not in. You supercharged Hope’s amulets yesterday and she’s not likely to get in or any other shapeshifter with ill intentions. That’s why she left so hurriedly.”
The amulets with the dotted stars and the sword in the middle spread in various positions in our house came to my mind and I smiled. “I didn’t know what these were and we didn’t remove them because they reminded us of her.”
“They have great use. Keep them close,” Jacques said seriously and we walked to the door. A knocking sound rocked the door and he opened to reveal a glittering fairy. “Kristy, twice in one day. What is the matter now?”
“We’re late!” She pulled my hand, snapping her fingers which resulted in changing my clothes into a more presentable outfit, she said, “I let you sleep but we are really late now! Come or we won’t be able to do everything we need to.” Grabbing my hand, I didn’t have any choice but to follow. Looking back, I watched Jacques glaring at me and smiled.
“See you later!”
◆◆◆
“Why did you sleep in his house?” Kristy said as we toured the shops in search of the perfect gift.
“The hyena was howling and I couldn’t sleep nor was my magic working. Jacques said she was mad at me. Why can’t she leave me in peace? Is it too much to ask?” I passed my fingers through the fabrics of the dresses in the racks and sighed.
“Oh yeah, he told me about her, but don’t worry, he’ll fix things and I’ll follow your family from a safe distance to make sure she doesn’t try anything,” Kristy reassured me and pulled a sunset dress. “How about this?”
“It’s nice, but isn’t too simple?”
“You’re right.” Putting the dress back, Kristy with her expert eye, searched for the perfect dress. While I wanted to help, I couldn’t offer but just my opinion as I didn’t know much about fashion as her.
“How is it going with Jacques?”
“Good.” I shrugged and she narrowed her gaze.
“So, you’re going on holiday with him?” I nodded and a big smile lit up her face. “How romantic!”
“How about that?” I said, trying to pull her away from the subject before she showered me with tons of questions I didn’t want to answer.
“I think we’ve found your gift!” Kristy clapped and closing her eyes, the dress gleamed a bit more than before. Yellow with roses stitched on the gown, it looked like a great summer dress and matched Diane’s eyes.
“Thanks. Can we go now? We have the house to prepare and Diane is at her friend’s house now so we’ll have some time before she gets back,” I said anxiously and Kristy put her hand under her chin.
“What about you? What are you going to wear?”
“It’s not that important. Diane has her birthday, not me.” I shrugged and Kristy stared me down and I sighed.
“What about Diane’s birthday present? Do you still have it?”
I blushed as I remembered the last time I wore the dress. “Umm…yes, but it’s at the academy. I couldn’t bring everything back with me.” Kristy turned to another rack of dresses and pulled a blue-green for me.
“Say, Jacques said she might be developing…umm…” I stood in front of the dressing rooms and tried not to panic as the thought formed in my head.
“Powers?” Kristy shook her head. “Not likely. Siblings sometimes both develop powers, but I can’t sense anything from her. Ever since I met you I felt a power stirring inside you. Even when you didn’t believe, I could feel it. Fairies can sense the powers hiding inside a person and Diane doesn’t have it.” Tilting her head, she smiled. “Although if she knew it, she would be disappointed. Fate has a weird sense of humor. She believes, but won’t have powers and you who didn’t, have them.” She gi
ggled and relief washed out my anxiousness. Casting my gaze around the shop, everything felt brighter now that my heavy burden had been lifted.
“Thank you.”
“Blue really suits you,” Kristy commented and I nodded, looking at my reflection. Sparks danced as fairy dust fell on the dress, making it glow. “You didn’t have to do that. It was already good,” I whispered.
“A little bit of fairy dust never harmed anyone.” She winked and after paying, we headed to the house.
After immense cleaning and an amazing amount of fairy dust, the house was decorated and my parents arrived with the party supplies.
“I really like how you decorated the house,” my Mom said, smiling. “Diane loves sparkling dust.”
“Kristy’s idea,” I blurted out and she smirked.
“Let’s get the last minute things done before the guests start arriving.”
By miracle, Diane arrived ten minutes before the guests and we were able to dress her in a timely manner. Her smile didn’t leave her face for one moment as she slipped the dress on and at the same time tried to stay still as Kristy did her makeup.
“Thank you, thank you!” Diane hugged me and I felt joy at how beautiful she looked. “Have you invited Jacques?” she said as she arranged her hair in front of the mirror.
“Umm…yes, I did.” I bit my tongue as I thought about the task he had placed upon himself and instantly felt bad.
“He’ll come, he just had a few things to arrange first,” Kristy pipped and Diane smiled.
“That’s great!” She headed to the living room while the bell sounded, signalizing the arrival of her classmates.
“What?” Kristy said when I stared at her. “He’ll come. It’s not like he’s going to miss an opportunity to see you. I’m sure if he could, he would be stuck at your side twenty-four hours a day.” I blushed and she patted my back, heading to the living room.
The party was as expected a mix of teenage hormones with drinks overflowing, but away from the adults’ eyes. Parents were sitting in the kitchen chatting loudly while the children danced and drank to their heart’s desires.
Since I knew Diane’s classmates, we talked for a bit, but my worry about Jacques didn’t let me enjoy myself like I normally would. I had put it away from my mind, distracted by the party’s preparations but now that everything stood still, my mind whirled with the possibilities that something went terribly wrong. He was absent for a long time.
The night was warm and with the combination of people crowded in a room made the heat unbearable so I found refuge outside. The cool air blew on my face and sighing, I cast my gaze on the dotted sky. Peaceful was the night with only the crickets’ singing voice to keep me company.
“Stargazing?”
I whirled, but then relaxed as a huge smile spread at the sight of my shapeshifter. “Jacques!” I ran and fell into his wide embrace, lifting me up.
“My Violet.” He breathed as he pulled me into a kiss that lasted minutes and centuries.
“I was so worried,” I said, hugging him and he traced my back. I sighed as relief washed over me and a weight I didn’t realize I was carrying, lifted off my chest.
“My flower,” he whispered, “I’m fine and you won’t have to worry about that howling beast anymore.” He looked me deep in the eyes and put a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I had a hard time calling the lynx. Since he is quite young, he doesn’t know how the calling works, but once we got things sorted out…it was quite interesting as an adventure. You can now say the case is solved!”
“Thank you, but what happened?” He didn’t appear hurt or even shaken. On the contrary, he seemed like he had an extremely good time. His eyes were glowing as he held my hands. Wearing a white button-down shirt paired with black jeans he looked much like the boys inside my house. Only his disheveled hair and the scars on his palms set him apart from the rest of the teenagers.
“Let’s just say the lynx showed his teeth to the hyena. It was interesting to watch.” My heart started beating faster, but he placed his hands on either side of my face. “Don’t worry, it was only for a moment. He’s harmless. I think you’re going to see a much different side of her now.” He winked. “How did it go with the shopping?”
“Fine. We managed to do everything on time and Diane must have told us ‘thank you’ at least ten times. I counted!”
Jacques laughed and the sound was music to my ears. “You’re beautiful.”
I played with my hands and mumbled, “Thank you.” Stirring the subject to a more comfortable, I said, “And just so you know, Kristy said she won’t have any powers.” Lowering my voice, I continued as he cast me a curious glance. “She can’t sense anything from her and fairies aren’t mistaken.”
He sighed and put his forehead on mine. “I’m sorry I worried you, but it was a possibility. I didn’t want you to be unduly surprised.” Jacques pulled away and sat on the dry grass. The heat had not yet changed its color, but like every year, it would eventually wither and then come back to its normal green. I kneeled beside him and watched as his brow creased in worry. Whatever his troubling thoughts were, I waited until he shared them with me, holding his hand.
“I was thinking…” He paused and casting a brief look behind his shoulder, he continued and with each word, his voice lowered but was full of passion. “If you don’t want to…umm…go anywhere, it’s fine. We can stay here if that’s what you wish.” His shaking breath was trying to overcome him, but he fought to keep it steady. “I…I just realized I might be going too fast for human…umm…human levels and if you don’t want to…”
I placed my finger on his lips, altering his speech. I could see it took every ounce of strength for him to produce these words, but I knew he did it for me. “Sometimes, I am thinking it’s going too fast, but others, I don’t mind. I know that’s not how you would normally do things.” I pushed away from my mind the image of the strikingly beautiful shapeshifter who almost ruined everything and added, “but I love you and that’s what matters the most.”
Jacques kissed my fingers and whispered, “And I love you, my flower. Always and forever.” He pulled me on his lap with a sudden move and gave me a long and wild kiss, making me forget everything. I managed to pull away before things went out of hand.
Getting up, Jacques helped me, giving me his sarcastic smile, bringing a blush to my cheeks. We slowly walked toward the house as we heard music drifting through the door and windows.
Stopping under an apple tree, he held his hand. “May I?”
I kept my footing steady as I gave him my hand and he placed it on his shoulder. Slowly, we twirled, having the music as the background, but nature’s sounds were the only music we needed. Staring at each other, we forgot the world around us.
Rain fell down upon us and Jacques looked up and grinned. Purple glowing drops shone and stopping, I held my hand and examined the glowing thing on my hand. It was nothing I had ever seen before, but it shone like a star and felt like a drop but it was neither. The teenagers poured from the front door and spread across our garden to watch the miracle of the sky.
Kristy walked and standing next to me, held my hand while Jacques put his arm around my shoulders.
“Astounding magic!” Kristy said, but I shook my head, confused.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“That might have been true if your eyes hadn’t turned purple.” His teeth shone in the dark and concentrating, I blinked. “Back to normal, but I liked them. Matches with your power.”
“Sometimes, magic comes involuntarily. It responds to emotions and this glow is immense happiness.” Kristy held my hand and I smiled, feeling my heart ready to burst. “So, where are you going?”
Jacques cast me a look and I blurted, “Italy.”
“Wonderful!” Kristy clapped and I was certain if her wings were visible, she would have soared high and low from her excitement. “You might be able to catch a glimpse of the sonar fairies! They usually reside in these parts
of Europe. You shouldn’t miss them when flying, it’s spectacular.” She tugged on my arm and I nodded.
“I will look for them,” I promised and Kristy hopped up and down.
I cast my gaze to Jacques and was startled by his flushed face. “Ready for a new adventure?”
Putting my head on his shoulder, we gazed at the stars, filled with purple glowing drops.
“Always, my shifter!”
THE SHIFTERS’ REVENGE
I felt cold and fumbling for my covers, I opened my eyes slowly but the sight in front of me made my eyes spring open. I screamed as a razor sharp paw was about to end me.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Acknowledgements
I have so many people to thank because this book had many setbacks and yet, it’s time has finally come.
Sara Miller, the amazing editor I can never go without. Carefully pointing out things that slipped through the cracks.
Fionn Jameson for her unbelievable patience as we dismantled the mysteries of the map in my head.
Adrijana as she worked her magic on the cover. I can’t imagine a more fitting cover for my book.
My betas with their wonderful suggestions, bringing out the greatest of this adventure.
Finally, you dear reader, thank you for unlocking the mysteries of this book and I hope you enjoy the adventures that are yet to come.
Dear Violet,
You and I never saw eye to eye but you got your wish.
Sincerely, your author
About the Author
Maria Vermisoglou is an International Bestselling fantasy author who loves throwing her heroes into impossible situations. She draws inspiration from books, travels and...the ceiling. (So, blame the ceiling!)
She started writing 4 years ago when an idea came to her. That idea started all...
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