Rhett smiled, his hand coming up and fiddling with a strand of her hair. “I told her she should come too, but she insisted I can take care of this myself. Apparently, I need to learn to stand on my own two feet?”
Mia grinned, ducking her head. “Yeah, sounds like Angie.”
“So you two enjoy your time together, and I will be back as soon as I can. I promise. I love you so much.” Those five words made Mia’s heart swell in her chest and feel like she was floating on clouds. Her lips split into an even wider grin and all she could do in response was kiss him as fiercely as she would miss him. He kissed her back, both of them pouring every ounce of longing into every touch and every kiss.
Someone cleared their throat behind them. They both parted, whipping around, arms still wrapped around each other. Angie stood between the trees, hands on hips and a teasing grin on her lips. “Good thing I showed up when I did, or Rhett would have stayed here all day and missed the royal guards waiting for him,” she said, giving the two of them a meaningful look.
Mia’s face burned with embarrassment. Rhett just grinned lazily at her, one hand still against Mia’s back and the other in her hair. “Mia’s much better company than any soldiers my father sends,” he said.
Angie rolled her eyes. “Maybe so, but you still have to leave. Maybe I should go with you, so you aren’t late all the time.”
“Well...” Rhett glanced at Mia, still grinning. “I won’t be distracted there.”
“Are you calling me a distraction?” Mia asked, wrapping her arms around his neck so he was forced to face her.
He grinned, his other hand sliding down to the small of her back. “Yes, I am.”
Mia smirked and kissed him one last time. Angie cleared her throat. “Excuse me. Best friend, standing right here. I do not need to see that. Let’s just get a move on you two, alright?”
They parted, grinning at each other and let go one of another. Their fingers twined together between them though as they walked over to Angie. Rhett wrapped his free arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Alright, alright, I’m coming.”
“Thank you,” Angie said, sounding exasperated but smiling as she shared a look with Mia.
Mia blinked and opened her eyes, sucking in a sharp breath as she lurched back into Cillian’s office/storage room. Cillian leaned back, giving her a once over. “What did you see?”
Like always after taking the potion, she felt a little queasy and her head still spun. Mia rubbed her forehead and leaned forward, staring at the ground. She’d seen... a different life. A different Rhett and a different Angie. A time when they’d been best friends. The way they had smiled at each other, teased each other, felt so foreign to Mia. She was so used to them hating one another. Would they ever be able to go back to the way things used to be? Now that Mia saw what they had been like, how happy they had made each other, Mia’s heart ached for both of them, for their ruined relationship.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I did see something.”
“What was it?”
“The rest of the lake scene. Angie was there... Rhett and I were saying goodbye because he had to go to some meeting with the courts.”
Cillian sucked in a sharp breath, making Mia glance up at him. He watched her solemnly. “That was right before the war. Right before everything went to hell. That meeting was what sparked the whole battle and created this chain of events.”
“That was the last time Rhett, and I were happy?” she murmured.
Cillian touched her arm, sympathy in his eyes. “You two were happy to be together after the battle but... it was the last time things were normal. I’m not surprised one of the first full memories you had was right before the battle.”
Mia nodded and ran her hands over her face. Cillian’s hand dropped from her arm as she tried to process this. She had felt so happy. Mia wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so happy and loved in her whole life. Being there, kissing Rhett, being held by him... She’d felt like nothing could get to her or hurt her as long as she had Rhett. The ironic thing was, the person who had hurt her more than anything else was Rhett himself.
“I know this is a lot to take in, but it is just a memory, Mia. That’s in the past,” Cillian murmured. “You can still make your own decisions in the present and for your future. You’re the same girl you’ve been since arriving in town.”
Mia glanced up at him, tears burning in her eyes. “I told Rhett that I wasn’t the same girl. That I’m different than who I was before.”
Cillian nodded. “That’s true.”
“But... what if I want to be that girl? She was so happy and strong and had total control over her abilities. She was sure of herself,” Mia whispered. Mia had been her past self in the memory. She used to be so confident. Quick to trust and laugh. Fiercely loyal and strong. So self-assured. Not the Mia she was now.
Cillian gave her arm a squeeze. “I think... that the more memories come back the more you’ll know yourself. You won’t be the Mia from before. You probably never will be, but you also will be a little different than the girl you are now.”
Mia swallowed and nodded. “I guess... It’s just so complicated and messed up.”
“I know. But the more we work at this the more things will make sense.”
“I hope so...”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Cillian letting Mia process and think through things. She wasn’t even sure what to think... all she knew was she wanted Rhett and the more memories that came back with the two of them, the harder it would be to hold onto her anger toward him. To... resist the pull she felt toward him. Mia didn’t want to be mad at him forever, but she also couldn’t trust him right now. He was the whole reason she was going through this, the whole reason she had to work so hard to recall what her past looked like.
“Alright,” Mia sighed at last, straightening. She gave Cillian a tight smile. “I have to go get something to eat. I was going to bring food over to the bookstore for Mom too.”
Cillian nodded, a cat-like smile on his lips. “OK. If you need anything or recall anything else, let me know right away.”
Mia nodded. “I will. Thanks for... everything.”
“Of course, my dear. Send your mother my best.”
Mia gave him a look as she got to her feet. “I suppose I can...”
He smirked. “Thank you.”
She grinned back and headed out, unable to get her kiss with Rhett out of her head. Just as she got to her car though, her phone dinged with a text. Mia frowned when she glanced down and saw it was a text from Angie. Need to talk now. Emergency, was all it said. With Angie an emergency could be anything from someone had died to one of her manicured nails chipped off.
Before starting her car, Mia sent a quick text back. What’s wrong?
A minute ticked by and then... Faerie emergency. We need to talk. Stat. Meet me at the Falls.
That seemed like an odd request but... Angie wouldn’t ask her to meet her in the woods if it wasn’t serious. Mia shot her a quick text saying she was on her way. Before she headed to the Falls, she also texted her mom, saying she’d have to rain check on the lunch, and headed to the Falls instead.
It didn’t take her long to get from the parking lot to the picnic area that led to the Falls. Mia ran a hand through her hair as she made her way down the path where she could hear the water crashing into the lake. Why were they making her trek all the way back out here after just being attacked there this morning?
Just as Mia could see the water fall ahead of her, her foot caught on something. She shrieked and went sprawling to the ground. Mia scowled and pulled herself up. If this was Ryker with his stupid vine trick again, she was going to hurt him. She turned around to see what had made her fall when her eyes landed on not a vine or a branch or even a rock but... a body. A very dead body.
Chapter Six
“No one thought to warn me of the dead body in the middle of the freaking hiking trail?” Mia shouted at the small cluster of people in front of her.
She glanced down at the body and wrinkled her nose. Mia didn’t recognize him but that didn’t make seeing him less horrible. His skin was a pasty pale, white as snow but it was his eyes... his eyes were open and black with gray splinters in them. As if someone had turned them to black glass and then shattered them. Not a gash or drop of blood was on him. Whoever had done this had to have been Fae.
Angie grimaced, hugging herself as Kai wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “I’m sorry... I didn’t think about it.”
“Didn’t think about it? I’m going to have nightmares for weeks,” Mia said, pointedly looking away from the body. It didn’t matter how long she looked at him or not, the body was permanently etched into her brain now. But when she turned her gaze on the cute couple Angie and Kai made, Mia’s heart ached. She almost preferred the corpse than to watch Kai comfort her as Angie lean into him. Her eyes slid away from them to Rhett who she found already staring at her. His ever-present sunglasses were perched in his hair, and his arms were folded, but his gaze was soft and imploring. Mia had no idea what he was imploring about, though.
Ryker cleared his throat, interrupting the moment. Mia glanced away before her heart could betray her. “I think the better question is who did this?”
From the corner of her eyes, she saw Rhett give his head a little shake. He stepped forward, surveying the body. “Whatever it was, it’s the same thing that killed Angie’s uncle. After Ryker and Joelin arrived. We got rid of the unrulier and nastier creatures years ago. They were terrorizing people too much to have around so whatever did this can’t have been here the whole ten years.”
Ryker shot him a narrowed glare. “What are you saying? That I brought it here?”
Rhett shrugged, staring his nose down at them. “You two opened the portal, didn’t you? Anything could have slipped in when you weren’t looking.”
“We were careful,” Joelin intervened.
“Doesn’t matter how careful you are. Things tend to slip out unnoticed. Fae are very crafty like that as I’m sure you know.”
Ryker scowled. “We had a very limited amount of time until the portal shut. Mere seconds. The power it took to pry it open even for that long was tremendous. What kind of creature is swift and stealthy enough to sneak past us within a few seconds?”
“There are lots,” Kai chimed in.
All eyes turned to him and to his benefit, he didn’t shrink away. He stood a little straighter, an arm still around Angie. “There are lots of creatures who could have snuck past, of the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Boggarts, Each Uisge, sluagh, wildlings. So, really,” he said, glancing between them all, “there are lots of things that could have gotten through.”
Rhett grinned as if that proved his point. “We didn’t have any troubles until you two came along. So this,” he waved his hand at the corpse, “this is on you.”
“Fine,” Ryker snapped. “We can argue about whose fault it is after we figure out what did this and how to stop it.”
At that everyone fell silent. Mia didn’t know the first thing about Fae creatures or their different abilities, so she took a small step back. No one would be asking her for her opinion on the matter, and she was Okay with that.
Kai shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at the body. “I don’t know... It looks like the life has been sucked out of him. Or like he was literally scared to death.”
At that Rhett perked up, eyes widening. “Scared to death?”
Kai nodded.
“Ever heard of a Farr Darrig?”
Angie and Kai’s faces paled. Joelin’s eyes widened, and Ryker’s lips formed a thin line.
Mia frowned. “So I’m assuming a Farr Darrig is a bad thing...?”
Rhett met her gaze, expression hard and his jaw set. “Yes. They’re creatures of the Unseelie court. Malicious creatures who enjoy tormenting others for their own amusement. They also tend to either become their victim’s worst nightmare or trap them within their worst nightmare. That’s how they kill. But to them,” Rhett shrugged grimly, “it’s all a joke.”
Mia’s hand went to her mouth. “That’s horrible,” she whispered.
Angie nodded. “They’re nasty creatures. One of the Wildlings who were banished from both Courts. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them made their way here. They love the mortal realms because of how gullible and fragile humans are.”
Ryker racked a hand through his hair, staring down at the body. “If it is a Farr Darrig then we need to put an end to it, but not before Mia’s training. Her training must be first priority. If we can open the portal, we can send it back.”
“Or let in more,” Angie argued.
He shot her a glare, but she just raised her chin unrepentant.
“We can’t let this thing keep hurting people,” Mia agreed. “Others could die, and it seems to me that the Fae are the targets to this thing. We’re all in danger and we need to put a stop to it.”
“I agree,” Ryker said with a nod. “But not today. We don’t have the time or the daylight to waste searching for it today. We should get back to your training and search for it tomorrow.”
“And let it get into town and kill more people?” Mia argued gesturing the way she’d come, toward town.
“It won’t kill anyone else today.” Ryker sounded far too confident in his words.
“How do you know?” she asked, arms folded.
Rhett was the one who answered this time. “Because the Farr Darrig will have filled up on this guy. He won’t need more life energy for a little while. For now... as much as I hate to say it, I agree with Ryker. We should focus on your training and searching for it tomorrow. They hate the sun.”
Mia swallowed. “What about the... body, though?”
“I’ve already called the sheriff.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “The sheriff? He knows...?”
Rhett flashed her a grin. “Everyone in town knows. The sheriff is well equipped to handle stuff like this. He’ll take care of it.”
“Oh...” Mia didn’t know what else to say. This was not how she’d thought her day would go. First being jumped by Lilac’s goons and now a dead body turning up? Tomorrow they’d be on the hunt for some evil nightmare-loving creature. Not exactly how she’d like to spend her day.
“We can stay behind and wait for the sheriff,” Angie spoke up, eyes on Mia. “Kai and I were the ones who found the body anyways. He’ll want our reports of the incident.”
“Good,” Rhett said, clapping his hands together before Mia could say anything. He grinned at her. “Then let’s get back to training. We only have a few hours left till the sun starts to set. If what happened this morning is any indication, we’ll need all the time we can get.”
Mia shot him a scowl. When she turned to Angie though, she gave her a big smile. “Thanks,” she said, stepping around the body to wrap her friend in a hug. “I’m sure you didn’t plan on sticking around next to a corpse today.”
Angie shook her head as they parted. “No I did not but I have excellent company, so I’ll be fine.” She gazed up at Kai. Mia’s heart ached with envy. Her thoughts again turned to Rhett and then to the memory she’d had of the two of them. How much she yearned to have that back. For him to wrap her in a hug and kiss her forehead and tell her everything would be alright.
Mia bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder. Ryker and Joelin were already gone while Rhett loitered nearby, kicking at a rock. “Alright, well, I guess I’ll see you guys later.”
“Definitely! I hope training goes well,” Angie gushed.
Mia gave her a tight smile. “Me too. See ya.”
She waved and then followed Rhett away from the falls and the dead body.
Chapter Seven
Finding a Farr Darrig the next day was easier said than done. Mia had gotten up early to get in some training with Ryker before Angie and Kai met with them. They headed to the woods.
If Ryker had thought the creature would just come out and surrender, he
had another thing coming. They drove back to the falls and decided to split up to cover more ground. Ryker wanted to be back before the evening so Mia could get in some more training. Yay. Kai and Angie, of course, left together. Rhett tried to buddy up with Mia, but she insisted it would be better to cover more ground if they weren’t together. He had just grinned and shrugged, heading off in the opposite direction. Now though, Mia kind of wished she hadn’t turned him away. She was so far in the woods she couldn’t hear the sound of the waterfall anymore
Mia swiped her sword through the air out of boredom and went through a few of the movements Ryker had taught her. If she was going to be lost, at least she could get some practice in. Besides, she doubted they would find this creature today. It had been hiding since the moment Mia arrived in town and hadn’t been caught since. And if everyone was right and it came through with Ryker and Joelin, it meant it could leave the town whenever it wanted too. Since Ryker, Joelin, and this creature weren’t there when Mia put the barrier around the town, the magic didn’t affect them. That was how they were able to come and go from St. Croix Falls, unlike everyone else.
A twig snapped behind her. Mia spun around, her sword out. She stopped just in time before her blade hit Rhett in the chest. He raised his hands, grinning. “I come in peace,” he said.
Mia scowled and dropped her sword to her side. “What are you doing here?”
“I got bored,” he said with a shrug.
Mia turned away and started to stomp off. “Well go be bored somewhere else.”
“I’d rather be bored with you,” he said, falling into step beside her.
“Well I’d rather you not.”
“Why? Because you’re trying to avoid me, so you don’t have to admit you still have feelings for me?”
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