Sweetness filled my senses. It tasted like stone fruits picked in the height of summer; so ripe you can taste the sunshine on their flesh. Smooth on the tongue, sweet and tart. As the elixir slid down my throat, my whole body grew warmer. Energy hummed inside me as every cell within me started to resonate. I could feel each of my organs moving and working. I could smell every scent in the room, even myself (which wasn’t good). My heart beat loudly in my ears.
My eyes darted around the room and into the faces of everyone standing around me. Hyssop had entered, followed by my mom. She smiled at me from behind the others.
“Bee, my dear?” Cendrine said. “How do you feel?”
I sat up slowly. My body felt like I’d just woken from the most refreshing sleep I’d ever had.
“I feel…” I slid up into a seated position. “Very aware that I am practically naked under these blankets!”
Fae laughed. “I think she’s better!”
My mom smiled at me. So did Hyssop, his arm draped around her shoulders, his aura blooming as it mingled with hers. My mom wasn’t a touchy person. I’d barely seen her hug anyone other than me, Fae and Cendrine.
“I’m so glad you’re better, Bee.” My mom tousled my hair. “Thank goodness Hyssop was here to help.” But she felt distant somehow, like her mind and aura were somewhere else.
“Thank goodness,” I said, dryly.
“He made a tincture for your leg and he helped Fae. He’s been so busy.”
“Sorry about the awful tea before,” Hyssop said. “It was for the fever.” He smiled at me, his orange aura desperate for my approval.
Since I was a baby, my mom had been mine. She’d cared for me, stayed home most nights, spent every weekend with me. I’d never thought about her needing someone to love. Someone other than me. I’d never thought that perhaps she hadn’t allowed herself because of me. She had given me everything. Everything she had.
“That’s okay,” I said, smiling back at Hyssop. “Thank you. It helped.”
He gave a single nod.
“By the way, those FBI agents called me,” my mom said. “They said they’d found your car at Sheena’s.”
My heart thumped in my chest. “What did you tell them?”
“I lied,” she said with a grin. My mother was the most law-abiding person I’d ever met. This was her idea of being wild. “I said you’d gone over to offer your condolences and your battery had died.”
“They buy it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. They found what they think is a crime scene at Sheena’s house. They want to question you, Bee,” she swallowed. “Officially.”
I sighed.
“Don’t worry honey, I’m not about to let them arrest you. I told them I’d take you in when I found you. But that was just to buy us some time.”
“Mom, you badass!” I said with a laugh but my smile faded. “Have they come here looking for me?”
“Well if they do they won’t hear us.” Hyssop chuckled and rubbed his beard. “Absent home spell—one of my favorites! The house will appear deserted even if there are lights on and music is playing.”
I smiled. My mom could do a lot worse than Hyssop. He was a nice man, with a kind aura and a knack for magic. Yep, I thought. In this town, she could definitely do worse. Nasty Neil worse. “Nice touch,” I said.
Hyssop smiled back, then looked down at my mom, beaming.
“Well, Bee,” Fae said. “You’d better have a shower! If we’re going to make it to the prom tonight, we’d better get a move on!”
“What?” I said. “Tonight?”
“Yeah. It’s Saturday.”
“You mean I—”
“Yep, you’ve been asleep for three days.”
“Now Fae.” My mom stood to put an arm around Fae. “Are you sure you’re up to the prom tonight?”
Fae nodded. “I’m fine, Veronica. I’m sure I can control it now. Using my glow doesn’t bring on the same anxiety attacks as trying not to use it.”
“Just remember what I taught you.”
“The box breathing?” Fae smiled. “I remember.”
Box breathing? My mom had taught Fae box breathing? Then I remembered what Fae had told me. How my mom had been a lifesaver when she was learning to control her glow as a kid. The glow they had both kept a secret from me. I gritted my teeth. My mother seemed more concerned about Fae than she did about me. I was the one who’d been out for three days! The three days she’d spent doing who knows what with Hyssop. I narrowed my eyes. I mean, of all the times to come out of dating retirement!
Oh, your daughter has just found out she’s a unicorn and needs to defend the town from demonic creatures? Perfect time to hit Tinder.
“What is this prom, Fae?” Sunder asked. “Is it really that important? More important than say…saving the world?”
Fae rolled her eyes at him. “Sunder, going to the prom is a huge American tradition. And it’s super important in our town. It’s more of a community event than a high school event. It’s pretty much open to all students—not just juniors and seniors—most of the town will be there. The Mayor even goes. I guess no one in Pentacle wants to miss a good party! I think it’s important we attend.” Fae smiled slyly. “Like community watch. Just in case something happens, you know?”
She threw me a wink, as if she thought convincing Sunder to let us go to the prom was all a ruse. That there had been no logic in her argument. Just a desperate attempt from a sixteen-year-old girl who would do anything to go to the prom with her best friend.
But something she’d said snagged in my mind. The prom. The whole town will be there. A large gathering of people in the center of the town, surrounded by forest. Their collective auras pulsing brightly in the night, like a fishing lure. My chest filled with an icy chill.
“Oh no!” I said. “The prom!”
“I know!” Fae said, with an excited smile. “We have to hurry if we’re going to get you ready!”
“No!” I snapped looking to Sunder, but from the look on his face, he’d already made the same connection. “A surprise attack. The Skadhavar will attack at the prom!”
Sunder cursed under his breath. “How can I have been so foolish?! Of course they will.” He slapped the wall in frustration. “Sheena will be drawn to her old traditions, and the Master will hear her thoughts and— Of course!” He swore again. “Through Sheena, she will know!” He shook his head. “All those people in one place. The Skadhavar will be drawn to all those auras. Easy prey. If they turn one person, the lot will be turned in no time.” He looked up, his eyes boring into mine. “You are right. They will attack tonight. We need to be there.”
I nodded. “We will be.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I held my eyes tightly shut as Fae dabbed at my face with a strange drip-shaped sponge.
“How much longer, Fae?” I let out a long, restless breath.
“Bianca. What do I always say about makeup?”
“That you can’t rush art.” I sighed.
“That’s right. I am mixing three different shades of foundation and concealer here. This is serious!” She shot me a cutting glare.
“Okay.” I held up my hands defensively. “Take your time.”
Fae went back to her sponge work. She’d already been dabbing away at my face for at least half an hour. Occasionally I’d peeked at her face, tense with concentration. She was an artist. I was her canvas. And canvases were to stay still and not speak unless spoken to.
Prior to the assault on my face, she’d been at my hair. She’d blown it out, then fluffed it, then done something with heated salad tongs. She’d pulled and twisted and sprayed. Finally, she’d smiled and nodded. She’d also snapped at me when I asked to see the mirror.
“Not until it’s all done!”
I knew I shouldn’t argue. That I s
hould let her work her magic. I just had trouble sitting still that long. Considering that Fae happened to be one of the top beauty vloggers on YouTube, I didn’t doubt that she knew her stuff. She had over three million subscribers and made more money than the average adult. And all of it was something she called “an after-school hobby.” I wondered what would happen if she decided to make it her career. Would she take over the world, one makeover at a time?
Well, if she was going to do that, she’d need to learn how to be a bit more personable. Where was the warm, smiling Fae I knew? Her normally warm, glowing aura was as hard and cold as an ingot.
“Fae?” I asked, a little nervously. “Are you okay?”
She stopped what she was doing, which now involved some kind of powder, and scowled at me.
“It’s just that you seem a little mad… At me?”
Her face suddenly softened into a smile. “Oh Bee! No! I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?”
“Not at all. I’m just…concentrating.” She sighed. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long. Since we were kids. You know, you and me go to prom, me do your make-up, meet our dates here, get picked up in a limo.”
Limo? Who said anything about a limo?
“But,” she went on. “I’ve always known how much you hate the idea of the prom. Make-up, dresses, cheesy pop music. The whole thing. I never actually thought it would happen.” She smiled wistfully, tears glistening in her eyes. “Call me shallow, but going to prom with my best friend is one of the few things I have hoped for my whole life.”
“Really?” I asked. “All this time you’ve been secretly hoping I’d go to prom?”
Fae nodded.
“Why didn’t you just ask me? If I’d known how much it meant to you I’d have gone along.”
Fae looked down. “I didn’t want…” She fumbled for words. Her aura floated down around her, hiding, afraid to witness what she was about to say. Fae was afraid to ask me to go to the prom for the same reason I’d sworn never to go: Ridicule. Pranks. Humiliation.
Luckily for me, the bully in this scenario was dead, or as good as. It was safe for this unicorn to finally come out of the shadows.
Fae took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to be responsible for you getting hurt. Even as a faerie, even as your Tamer, I couldn’t be sure no one would pick on you.”
I nodded. “I know what you mean. If we’d gone, Sheena would have made it her mission to ruin our fun.”
“I really wish you could have gone last year.”
“I know.”
I’d seen the photos on Instagram. Fae, smiling widely in a shimmering orange gown, surrounded by boys. She’d looked amazing and so happy. And I’d been happy for her. I hadn’t wanted to go. Other than facing Sheena, the idea of all those excited auras floating around, full of emotions, did not appeal to me. Instead I’d stayed home, gone for a run, and watched reruns of Gilmore Girls with my mom. That was my idea of a good evening.
Fae looked down again. “Bee? Is it bad that I’m kinda glad she’s gone?” She looked up at me, her face full of guilt. She didn’t say her name. She didn’t have to. Somehow not saying her name made it almost okay to speak of her like this. “Does it mean I’m a bad person?”
I smiled sympathetically. “Fae,” I said, “you might be asking the wrong person.” I smiled. Then a tiny chuckle flew from my mouth. Fae started to giggle too. I laughed out loud. Then we stopped, a little disgusted at ourselves.
Sheena was nasty. I’d hated her. But I still didn’t think she’d deserved to die or be turned into an evil creature from another realm. Fae bit her lip and I placed a hand over my mouth.
“No!” Fae said in alarm. “I haven’t set your make-up yet! No touching your face!”
I apologized and Fae picked up her brush again. “Sorry if I seem serious,” she said. “I just want this to be… perfect.”
“It will be,” I said, closing my eyes to allow her to finish her canvas.
I’d texted Caleb earlier to confirm our date to the prom.
Hi Caleb, sorry I’ve been a bit sick. Still up for the prom if you are?
I’d felt giddy as I sent the text off into the cloud. Butterflies danced in my belly. Would he reply? What if he’d changed his mind when he hadn’t heard from me?
My phone gave a whistle and an envelope appeared on the screen. Caleb.
Hi Bianca! Good to hear from you. Fae told me you were sick. Feeling better? Great. See you at Fae’s at 7.
My heart walloped in my chest. I was going to the prom. With a boy! A cute boy. A boy I kinda liked.
Sunder’s eyes floated into my mind. The cool icy blue of them. I thought of him. His tenderness toward me as I lay in bed, weak, unable to move. My cheeks prickled as I remembered what I had said to him when I thought he’d been shot. When I thought I’d lost him.
Sunder I can’t lose you. I love you. Why had I said that? Was it true? Did I love him?
I knew I felt something for him. Something hot and urgent. When I was near him I had a strong urge to touch him. To kiss him. I couldn’t explain it, but it was undeniable.
With Caleb I felt fluttery. Giggly. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair. I wanted to lie in bed writing in my diary about him, listening to love songs, doodling his name.
But which one was real? Which one could be real?
Sunder was not of this realm. And he was older than me. Like a hundred years older. And he was immortal. He would be forever twenty-one, but I would get older.
Caleb was human. He’d never know who I was. Was I even allowed to tell him? How could I allow myself to fall for someone who I could never open up to? That wasn’t fair on either of us. If a guy was dating a unicorn, he had the right to know.
After what seemed like an eternity of poking and prodding at my eyes and lips, Fae spoke. “Okay. You’re done.”
I opened my eyes slowly. “Really? Like, actually? Totally done?”
“Well, no. You still need to get out of those sweats and put on the dress and shoes. But other than that, you are done.”
“Can I look?”
Fae rolled her eyes. “Yes, you can look.”
She lifted the chair to an upright position and spun me around to see the mirror.
My mouth dropped open. My snow-white hair had been coaxed into long, loose tresses that fell perfectly around my shoulders. My skin looked like flawless sandstone; polished to a smooth finish, with a warm opalite glow that seemed to come from within. My eyes, which normally disappeared into my pale face, were framed with a blending of mauves and grays. And my lashes, normally as white as my hair, were dark, making my green eyes pop dramatically.
“Fae, how did you…?”
Fae smiled. “I told you, I’ve been planning this look for like, ever.” She walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a white dry-cleaning bag. “Now! The dress!”
I’d forgotten about the dress. Dresses weren’t normally my thing. I was more of a jeans and sneakers kind of girl. But considering Fae’s excitement, I was willing to make an exception on this occasion.
“I found this in the attic ages ago,” Fae went on. “I’ve been waiting for the perfect time.”
“Yay!” I said, feigning excitement.
Fae let out a tiny squeal and jumped on the spot.
I unzipped the bag, revealing a long dress in the most amazing fabric I had ever seen. It was silver, like the sea reflecting an overcast sky. I lifted the hanger and held it up. The fabric moved in a peculiar way; swaying in slow motion, catching colors from around the room, in a subtle matte reflect. It was like liquid metal. Platinum. Silver.
“Oh Fae, this is…this is…” I reached out and stroked the fabric. It caressed my skin, cool and silky to the touch. “What is this?”
“Um, perfect?”
I laughed. “Yes. It is. But what is it
made from?”
“It’s Stygian zilverentium. A rare precious metal from our realm. It’s been spun to a fine thread and then woven.”
I stroked it again. So smooth to the touch. How could this be metal? “But it’s so soft.”
“The seamstresses of the realm are magical. Like, literally. They use magic.”
“Well, that makes sense.” I smiled. “Thanks Fae. I love it.”
“Well, let’s wait until we see it on!” Her face beamed with excitement. “Oh and remember to take off your bra.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t think—”
She silenced me with a single finger. “Just trust me,” she said.
I pulled off my clothes and stepped into the dress as Fae rifled in her closet.
“I should probably figure out what I’m going to wear soon, huh?” She giggled. “I’ve been sent so many dresses to film prom look-books I can’t even decide which one I like most.”
I pulled the dress up and slid the straps onto my shoulders. The fabric hugged me gently around the middle and then lifted and gripped my butt snugly. The sensation was pleasant if not a little disconcerting.
“I think I’ve narrowed it down to the emerald or the tangerine,” Fae continued. “You can help me decide.”
The fabric cupped my boobs. I looked down as my cleavage lifted upwards, separating slightly.
“Um, Fae,” I said. “This dress seems to be groping me.”
“Oh yeah,” she giggled. “It will do that a little. Remember what I said about not needing a bra?”
Fae turned to look at me and stopped. “Oh, Bee.”
“What?”
But she didn’t answer. I stepped in front of the full-length mirror. I looked amazing. Never in my life had I liked my reflection more than at that moment. As well as the amazing makeover Fae had done, I was now draped in a dress made of magical metal that hung off my frame perfectly. My boobs bobbed just above the neckline so that a nice mound of cleavage peeked over the top. A split in the left side of the gown revealed one firm, toned runner’s thigh.
Bianca De Lumière : High Suspense Urban Fantasy Romance (The Re'em Prophecy Book 1) Page 17