“What’s wrong?” Rhett asked, worry in his voice.
Mia shook her head and pulled her hands into fists, cutting off the connection to her magic. There was a burst of energy from the ground that sent Mia backward. Her hands flew out to stop her fall.
“What happened?” Ryker asked.
Mia blinked several times, her head spinning from the sudden lack of magic. “The curse... it pushed me out,” she whispered.
“So it didn’t work?” Rhett asked, head cocked in concern.
Mia grimaced and let Ryker help her to her feet. “I need... more time.”
Rhett ran a hand through his hair, an antsy look on his face. “Mia, I don’t want to rush you and I don’t want to be that guy but... we kind of don’t have more time. Once they get to your house and find out you’re not there, they’re going to come here. I’m not kidding when I said Lilac has everyone whipped into a frenzy.”
“Well I just... give me a second,” Mia huffed out. She turned her back on them and stomped over to the water, giving herself some distance. Mia knew she could do this. Even if she wasn’t all powerful like everyone else, she still had magic inside of her. There was still a power inside of her. The past few weeks had proven that. Mia was at least capable of trying again. This time she had to get herself in the right headspace, though. If she wanted this to work, she was going to have to give it everything inside of her. No holding back.
Mia knelt down in the dirt and rocks and set the box down in front of her. She relaxed her shoulders, forcing her tense muscles to loosen up. Closing her eyes, she focused on taking deep, even breaths. This had to work, she told herself. Not to force pressure on her, but to prove to herself that she could do this. This was possible. If she believed in it then she could do it.
Mia placed one hand on the box and the other hand in the dirt. Then she reached out like she had before. This time she was prepared for the cold inkiness to prickle along her skin and try to worm its way inside her. Mia placed a mental barrier up around herself to ward it off. She could feel the darkness fighting against it, dragging its claws along the wall to get inside. Mia fortified it and kept it strong. This wasn’t some brainless disease. The curse was a living thing. It may not have thoughts or emotions, but it had a drive. It had a hunger that Mia could use. If it wanted magic, then Mia would give it all the magic she had.
Once she could feel the darkness battering against her invincible wall, clambering to get in, to devour her, Mia took a deep breath and dropped the barrier. She stiffened and bit back a gasp when the cold and hungry curse overwhelmed her. Mia felt like she was being devoured from the inside out. It ate at her, leaving behind nothing but emptiness and pain. For a moment she let herself feel it. This was what its victims had felt before they died. A cold, lonely emptiness.
She heard someone call her name behind her, but she ignored it. Mia had to focus if she wanted to survive this, if she wanted to do this right. Focusing in on the Curse gnawing her up inside, Mia gathered up as much of it as she could. She held it inside of herself for a second, and then, with all her strength and energy and will, shoved it out of her hand and into the box. This time Mia couldn’t stop herself from gasping as she felt the cold and inky blackness course through her veins and skin and bones down her arm and into the box.
She slammed the lid shut. Her whole body shivered. It was a cold so deep it burrowed into her bones. The kind of cold Mia wasn’t sure she would ever be able to get rid of it. Her teeth chattered and her thoughts fogged up as she tried to get to her feet. She stumbled and two arms caught her before she collapsed.
“She’s freezing,” Rhett said, pulling her closer to him. “We need to get her warm.”
There were agreements, but Mia hardly noticed. She was so cold... and her limbs were so heavy. Her head lulled to the side. She couldn’t keep it up anymore. She couldn’t stay awake anymore. Someone called her name, but Mia was already slipping away into the darkness.
***
Mia woke up with a dull headache throbbing behind her eyes and a shiver still in her system. Her eyes blinked open and she sat up, rubbing her head. She glanced around and instantly recognized where she was. She was in Cillian’s storage room on the couch she sat at during their sessions. And sitting on the desk with his legs dangling over the side was Rhett. He cocked his head and grinned when he saw her, his green eyes shining. “You’re finally awake. I was starting to think I’d have to kill Cillian for putting you into a coma,” he said, sliding off the desk and fluidly taking a seat next to her. He reached out, brushing his fingers along her cheek and chin. Mia’s heart lurched, and she yearned to lean into his touch.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, touching her forehead again. “What happened? Is the curse gone?”
“Yes, it’s safely packed away in the box,” a familiar suave voice said from the doorway. They both looked up to find Cillian standing there with his arms folded and worry lines on his forehead.
Mia’s whole body relaxed in relief. She felt like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders, like she could finally breathe again. “It’s really over then?” she whispered, glancing between him and Rhett. “It’s gone for good?”
Cillian smiled and nodded. “It is, thanks to you. I’m relieved to see you up.”
“Me too,” Rhett said, reaching out and touching her face again as if he thought that if he stopped touching her, she would disappear.
The curse was really gone. Mia didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Everyone in town was safe. Now all Mia had to do was worry about Ryker and the fact that he wouldn’t let her off the hook just yet. At that moment, Angie breezed past Cillian and into the room. She let out a squeal of delight and threw herself at Mia, strangling her in a hug. “Oh my stars, I am so relieved you’re OK. I was so worried about you. You were all pale and shivering and stuff... it looked really bad,” she said, hugging her even tighter.
Mia laughed and hugged her back. “Well I’m OK. I’m fine now, I promise.”
“Thank the stars. How do you feel?” she asked, bouncing back from Mia just as quickly as she had hopped at her.
Mia touched her forehead. “I have a little bit of a headache but other than that I’m fine.” She glanced at Cillian for confirmation. “I am fine, right?”
Cillian nodded, arms folded as he leaned against the door to the room. “Yes. You’re out of the woods now so, if you want to get out of here and get home you can. I know your mom will want to see for herself that you’re OK.”
“Mom... I totally forgot,” Mia groaned.
Rhett’s arm coiled around her waist and he flashed her a grin. “I’m sure she’ll be OK. Let’s get you home.”
“Fine,” Mia mumbled. She didn’t have it in her to shrug out of his grip and let her lead her out of the office. She gave Cillian a grateful smile as she passed him. “Thanks for the help Cillian.”
“Of course, my dear. Any time.”
Mia grinned and waved at him as she followed Rhett out of the store and to his car with Angie trailing behind them, ready to go home and put this whole curse thing behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mia flashed Angie a small smile to make up for her best friend’s downer mood. Angie was always the one who smiled. She was always the one who stayed positive and kept Mia from spiraling into pessimistic oblivion. Now it seemed Mia would have to pay her back for all the times she had been Mia’s pick me up. It was the day after she had ended the curse and her mom had insisted she get some rest. When she’d gotten home yesterday, Ryker had told her they would talk about opening the door once she got some of her strength back.
“We should go to Hazel’s party,” Mia said, grinning. Rue had been planning it a few weeks ago, but now it had turned into a celebration about the curse being broken. “You were so excited about it, and it sounds like it’ll be fun.”
Angie sighed, curled up on the couch in Mia’s living room. She had on pink shorts and a t-shirt. Not her usual fashion. Mia knew when it was b
ad when Angie stopped caring about what she looked like. “I don’t know... The goblins were invited. Everyone will be there. And,” she said, giving Mia a pointed look. “You don’t like parties.”
Mia shrugged and grinned, nudging her shoulder. “I’d go for you.”
Angie’s lips twitched into the smallest smile and she glanced away. “Hazel really wanted me to come... It was important to her, and she would feel bad if I didn’t...”
“Exactly! We should go. For Hazel,” Mia insisted.
This would be good for her friend. Angie loved a good party and she had been helping Rue plan the party for a few weeks now. After Rue died, Hazel had taken over and the party was supposed to be a memorial/celebration of her and everyone else who had died because of the curse. Besides... it would be good for the both of them to get out of the house and do something. All Mia had done for the past two weeks was train, try to sleep and worry. A party would do them a world of good.
“Good! It’s tonight, right?”
Angie’s smile widened and flashed her a dubious look. “You wanted to go to a party, but you didn’t even know when it was?”
Mia shrugged. “It is tonight?”
“Yes. And we should go early. Or at least I should, to help Hazel set up,” Angie said, already jumping off the couch. That was the best thing for Angie. A project. Something to focus on and keep her mind distracted with. Did Mia know her best friend or what? “I’ll go change,” her friend said.
Mia grinned. “OK. I might meet you there,” she said.
Angie frowned, stopping halfway to the door. “Why? You’re going to come on your own? I can drive you.”
“Well... I was going to ask Rhett if he wanted to go.”
Angie’s face soured. “Does he have to?”
“He doesn’t have to, but I would like him to. Look just go on without me. Either way, I’ll be there. Promise.”
Angie seemed to consider it, lingering in front of the door. The pros must have outweighed the cons, though, because she sighed and nodded. “OK. Just make sure you’re there. If Kai shows up, I’m going to need moral support.”
“I’ll be there,” Mia promised again.
Angie nodded and then left, hurrying to her house. Mia threw on some shoes and opened the door, when she bumped right into Ryker.
His fist was raised as if he’d been about to knock. He quickly let his hand fall to his side. “I was looking for you,” he said. “May I come in?”
“Actually, I was about to...”
He gave her an uncaring look and Mia sighed, stepping aside. Might as well get this over with. “Sure, come on in.”
He stepped inside and Mia shut the door. She folded her arms. “What’s this about?”
Ryker raised his eyebrows. “You know what it’s about. The door. Opening it.”
“Yeah... Do you want me to do it right now?”
“No... But soon. Very soon. You’re going to have to come through with us, you know,” he said, loitering in the front hallway.
Mia nodded. “I know,” she whispered.
“And do you plan to bring everyone with you? All your family and friends and such?”
After hearing Ryker’s story about what her father had done to his family and realizing how dangerous the guy really was... Mia was hesitant to bring anyone through the portal with her. She didn’t want to drag Angie or her mom into this. A huge part of her didn’t want to drag Rhett into it either, even though she knew he could take care of himself.
“I’m not sure yet,” she said at last. “Rhett will want to come and... I want him to come. But I don’t know about everyone else.”
Ryker nodded. “I understand. I say we act sooner rather than later, though.”
Mia frowned. “How much sooner?”
“Tonight. While everyone is at the party. Everyone will be distracted. We can open the portal without any interruptions and go through.”
Mia’s eyebrows went up. The thought of opening the door tonight, going to Faerie tonight, seeming a little sudden. “Are you sure? Maybe we should wait...?”
Ryker shook his head stubbornly. “No. The longer we wait the worse the situation may become. That little Sidhe girl, Lilac, could cause trouble for us. This is the safest and best thing to do Mia. We have to do it tonight while no one is around.”
Mia understood his logic. It made sense to her. Open the portal and go through before anyone knew what was going on. If anyone knew the time and day she was opening the door, the woods would be a mad house. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to concentrate. Then everyone would flood the portal, and it would make a mess and make their presence very known to her father.
“OK,” she said at last. “I’ll do it. I have to go talk to Rhett though and... I’m staying for the party. At least for a little while. I need just a night. One night. Even one hour to enjoy myself before everything gets messed up again.”
Ryker dipped his head. “Very well. We’ll see you tonight. Do not be late.”
“Don’t worry,” Mia mumbled as they both exited her house. “I won’t.”
Instead of going over to Rhett’s right away, Mia shut the door once Ryker had left and went up to her room. If she was doing this tonight, she couldn’t tell her mom or Angie. They didn’t need to worry. Mia knew she’d be in huge trouble when she got back for keeping this from her mother, but it was for the best. She knew Angie wouldn’t be thrilled about her ditching her either, but… she couldn’t put Angie in danger either. Her best friend was already dealing with enough.
So, she sat down, and she wrote out two letters. One for her mom and one for Angie. They were mostly long drawn out apologies for leaving them without saying goodbye and telling them not to worry about her. A written apology wouldn’t cut it, she knew, but at least it was something. Once she had those written, she stuck them in envelopes, wrote their names on them and left them on the kitchen table. Her mom would find them when she got home. She’d give Angie’s to her.
With that finished, and her heart heavier than it had been before, Mia made her way over to Rhett’s.
She had just walked up to the front door and raised her fist to knock, when the door swung open. Rhett stopped short, eyes widening when he saw her. “Mia. I was just coming to see you.”
Mia grinned, lowering her fist. “Oh, well, here I am.”
He smirked. “Here you are. What are you doing here?”
“You first. What were you doing coming over to my place? You know Angie was there, right?”
Rhett grimaced and glanced over her shoulder at Angie’s driveway. “I did not. Is she gone now?”
“Yeah, I convinced her to go to Hazel’s party. She said she wants to go early to help Hazel set up and everything. I said I’d meet her there... because I wanted to ask you... if you wanted to come,” Mia said, trailing off at the end.
Rhett’s eyebrows shot up and he shut his front door behind him. “You want me to go with you to the party? As in... a date?” he asked, his voice a bit more teasing than Mia would have liked.
Mia scowled but nodded. That was exactly what she meant, so why bother lying? So far, lying had gotten her nowhere. “Yes, Rhett. Like a date.”
His eyes lit up and his smirk widened. “Well, well Mia. I would be honored.”
Mia grinned and folded her arms. “Good. I’ll see you... later then.”
“I guess I will,” Rhett said as Mia walked backward off his porch.
With one more grin at him, Mia turned around and walked back to her house unable to stop smiling and contain her giddy excitement.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mia checked her reflection in the mirror one last time before heading out. She’d gone with a short sleeved lacy white dress. Her hair fell around her shoulders, and she’d done up her makeup. For the purpose of comfort, she’d gone with a pair of flats. There was also a change of clothes already sitting in the front seat of her car for when she opened the door to Faerie later.
As Mia got into her car a
nd headed out, she couldn’t help but glance at Rhett’s house. His car was gone. He must have left early. Mia grinned at that. She wasn’t sure she deserved his friendship...or love. Not with how she had been acting and treating him over the past few weeks. She needed to figure out what she wanted... what she was feeling. Mia needed to accept the fact that maybe... just maybe she was holding onto her anger toward Rhett for the wrong reasons. She had already moved on and forgiven her mother and Angie and Kai for lying to her. So why couldn’t she move on with Rhett? It was wrong and hypocritical of her to still be angry at him while giving everyone else a pass.
Maybe because if she finally let go of her anger toward him, finally forgave him for what he had done ten years ago then Mia would have no choice but to let in her other feelings. Feelings that were anything but hostile toward Rhett. Was she still mad at him? Mia didn’t have to think too hard to figure out the answer to that question. Yes... Erasing someone’s memories, implanting new ones and sending them out of town was hard to get over. But was it unforgivable and enough to make her never want to be with him again? Absolutely not. She trusted him. Mia wasn’t sure she had ever stopped trusting him. Even when she had first found out and had been furious with him... she had still trusted him. Still felt for him.
Mia hadn’t known it was possible to feel so many different things for one person. So... what was she going to do about this sudden revelation? They couldn’t go back to the way things had been before she found out and they definitely couldn’t go back to way things were ten years ago before her memories had been altered. They needed to move forward. Mia decided that was what she was going to do tonight. For good. She was going to move on from all of it tonight with Rhett.
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