Cursed: St. Croix Falls #2

by Melody Personette

  The goblin smirked and stepped up next to his merfolk friend. “Stay away from my cousin. Kai doesn’t need your bad influence. He has his family, and that is all he needs.”

  Mia’s temper simmered. This was about him. Rhett had warned her not to get involved with Kai. To not get between him and his family. Seemed his family didn’t like her setting him up with a Sidhe. Mia should have expected his cousins to try something else to push her away from Kai. They must have realized their little attempt at getting to Mia by telling her the truth hadn’t scared her away from him.

  Goblins came from notoriously close-knit extended family units. They were also very territorial when it came to their family members and who they should and shouldn’t hang out with. Kai had been having some issues over the past five weeks with his family concerning the fact that he was dating a nymph. His family also was not thrilled with him being friends with Mia, the half human, half Sidhe Seelie who had shut the doorway between Faerie and the human world, closing them off from their homes seemingly indefinitely. There had been more than a few family meetings over the past few weeks, all of which Kai came back from with a battered spirit and dull eyes.

  “You can’t make me stay away from him. He’s my friend and I make him happy. So does Angie. You can’t control him forever,” Mia shouted. “You can’t keep everyone away from him for the rest of his life.”

  The goblin sneered and strode forward, jabbing a finger at her. The water snakes were now wrapped around her chest, squeezing and making it hard to breathe. “Kai was happy with his life before you came around. Now we rarely ever see him. He’s skipping family meetings. Running around with that, that nymph and fraternizing with you. A half Seelie, half human mongrel. You’re dragging him down. Ruining his reputation. Stay away from him if you know what’s good for you.”

  Mia didn’t back away when he got up in her face. If anything, she inched even closer until they were nose to nose. “You can’t tell me what to do. Kai’s my friend and I’m not going to stay away from him.”

  His dark green gaze hardened, and his jaw clenched. “Fine,” he growled. “Seems like she has a hard time learning her place,” he said louder as he stepped back and cast his friends a sly grin. “Let’s show her what happens when she doesn’t listen.”

  His mer-friend smirked and clenched his hands into fists. The snakes around her chest tightened. One of them slithered up to her neck and squeezed. Mia gasped, grabbing at her throat. Her fingers slid right through the water though. “Oh,” the mer-boy said. “And I have a little message from Lilac. She says you should leave if you know what’s good for you. She’s the leader now. Everyone listens to her and no matter how strong you get or how brave Rhett gets, no one will ever listen to either of you. So you should just give up now and go while you can.”

  Apparently, Mia didn’t know when to quit because even as she choked, she glared at him and said, “Lilac can’t scare me away.”

  “We’ll see. Have a nice swim.”

  Before Mia could process what he said, the water tied around her ankles dragged her down. Mia barely had enough time to gulp in air before her head went under. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she clawed at the water as it dragged her further down until her feet touched the rocky, sandy ground. She opened her eyes, the tightness around her ankles subsiding. Mia kicked up off the bottom of the lake and was about to propel herself upward at an angle, so she’d come up closer to the shallow end.

  Mia gasped in air when she surfaced. She trudged out of the water and out of the lake. Her clothes were soaked, and her shoes were ruined. That mer-boy owed her a new pair of running shoes.

  Scowling, Mia swiped strands of hair plastered to her forehead away and headed back toward home. Her sneakers squished the whole long trek back while she tried to figure out how to retaliate against Lilac for what her goons had done to her.

  ***

  Mia was walking up the sidewalk in front of her house when Angelica’s pink convertible pulled up on the curb. She resisted the urge to groan. Angie had the worst timing. Of course she had to show up when Mia was soaked and unsure whether she was more angry or humiliated about what had just happened. There was no point ignoring her, so Mia prepared herself and turned around. Angie rolled her tinted window down and gawked at her. “Oh my stars Mia, what happened to you?”

  Mia shrugged. “Decided to go for a swim.”

  Angie’s eyes narrowed. Her flowery pink hair draped over a shoulder. She had decided a few weeks ago that she needed a change, therefore she’d had her entire head dyed a light pink. It made her look even more stunning and nymph-like. “What happened?”

  “Yeah, you look like a drowned rat,” Kai called from the passenger seat, snickering.

  Mia’s jaw clenched. She stomped over, holding onto the window and leaned in to scowl at Kai. “One of your stupid cousins happened.”

  Kai’s snickering died out. His eyes darkened. “Which one?”

  “I don’t know,” Mia said sarcastically. “I didn’t have a chance to ask him while one of his little mer-buddies was trying to drown me.”

  Guilt pinched Kai’s face and his shoulders slumped. “I’m really sorry Mia. I’ll talk to them. It won’t happen again.”

  Mia waved his apology away. “Don’t bother. It’ll just make things worse. Besides, he wasn’t acting on his own. This,” she said, stepping back and gesturing at her wet self, “is courtesy of Lilac. Apparently, she feels threatened by me.”

  Angie frowned. “Wow, she is so low.”

  “Yeah. Anyways I should go change and I guess head over to Cillian’s. I’m late for our meeting.

  “Alright. We’ll see you later? I’m taking Kai to show him my favorite part of the woods and then we might grab dinner... but tomorrow maybe we can have a movie night?”

  “Sure, and you can tell me what you two have been up to. See you then.”

  “Sounds good,” Kai said as Angie rolled the window up. Mia waved as they parked in Angie’s driveway. Inside she headed to her room and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, threw on her flip flops and then headed out to Cillian’s. Before she started the car, she shot him a text saying she was on her way.

  Chapter Four

  Mia’s body relaxed as she entered the shop. There was just something about this place. Ever since she’d first arrived in town, she’d been drawn to Cillian’s store. Maybe because it was so full of magic or just the eerie, dark atmosphere. The whole place gave off a gothic vibe. Dark wallpaper with purple flowers and bats. A glittering chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling, casting a dim light around the room. Shelves lined the entire store full of oddities and curiosities.

  “Mia?” Cillian called from the back.

  “Yep,” she shouted, heading through isles of shelves full of glass potion bottles with labels ranging from Mermaid Tears to Nightmare Away.

  “Sorry I’m late. I had a bit of a surprise encounter during my run,” she said, leaving the shelves to find Cillian in the office in the back of the store with the door open. The walls were crowded with boxes, and his desk was cluttered with inventory and papers. In front of his desk was a comfy chair Mia plopped down onto. She shoved her keys into her pocket. Cillian sat behind his desk, frowning at an aquamarine crystal he was polishing. Today he was in a distressed black button-down shirt and black jeans. His black hair was spiked upward, the tips midnight blue.

  His nails were painted black and he had metallic studs lining both earlobes and a diamond stud in his nose. One of the reasons Mia wasn’t a fan of her mother and him getting together was because he looked so young. He had the whole punk rock thing going on. Plus, he was immortal, so he would look in his late twenties forever, while her mom would get older. It was just... weird. And kind of gross.

  Cillian was a shifter. Mia hadn’t seen him shift yet but when she’d asked if he turned into a black cat, he’d given her an offended look and told her he turned into a panther. She told him she’d believe it when she saw it.
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  “What sort of encounter?” he asked without looking up from his jewel.

  Mia grimaced, lounging back in the chair. “Just some of Lilac’s friends trying to scare me off.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Did it work?”

  “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

  “So you are. Still having hesitations about your magic?”

  “Yes. I’ve decided to take a break from it, but I am going to keep sword training.”

  Cillian nodded slowly. “Magic is an important part of yourself and from what I hear, Ryker isn’t going to let you go without you at least trying your very hardest to open the door to Faerie, but... if that’s your choice then I think they should respect it.”

  “I one hundred percent agree,” Mia mumbled.

  “Although... I thought you hated sword fighting. What changed?”

  Mia’s jaw flexed as she tried to think of how best to put this. “After what Lilac had her goons do this morning... I’ve realized that I can’t let her win.” Mia shrugged. “Maybe it’s my competitive side taking over to a ridiculous degree, but I’m not going to let her scare me off. I want a way to defend myself when someone comes up behind me. I want to learn to sword fight, so she knows she can’t scare me.”

  “And to spite her?” Cillian said, head cocked and a smirk on his lips.

  Mia scowled and glanced away at the amused glint in his eyes. “Maybe a little,” she muttered.

  “Fair enough. I’ve got nothing wrong with a little spite, as long as it motivates you to get things done.”

  Mia met his gaze once more. She was glad to have someone who didn’t shy away from negative emotions and motivations that others would consider wrong. It was moments like these that she realized how Fae she really was. She found herself agreeing with Cillian on spite being a motivator or catching herself about to say something or do something selfish. Seelie or Unseelie, Fae had a messed-up sense of right and wrong. Murder could be considered a malicious prank, spite could be a powerful motivator, revenge could be a legitimate reason to go after a person.

  She decided to put that train of thought away in the Think About Later Box in the back of her head and got back to the whole reason she was there. “Anyways, I had a breakthrough this morning.”

  His eyes widened but his smile remained. “What sort of breakthrough?”

  “A new memory.” The instant Mia said it, her cheeks warmed when she realized she’d have to explain to him what that memory was. An intimate moment between her and Rhett... Not exactly something she wanted to talk to Cillian about.

  But it was too late. She had his full attention now.

  “What was it of? I need details.”

  Mia held back a grimace at the embarrassing content of it. “It was, um...” Mia brushed her hair to the side of her face. She decided it would be easier to stare at his desk for this part. “I was at the lake messing with my magic. I could make the water float up in bubbles and stuff... And then Rhett came up behind me. Some things were said, and we kissed.”

  “That’s it?”

  Mia nodded, her whole face burning up with heat. She was sure her face was as red as a tomato. “Yeah.”

  “When did this memory surface?”

  Mia bit her lip. “Rhett was trying to teach me magic.”

  “Was he close to you.”

  Mia rolled her eyes, embarrassed as she glanced up at him and found him grinning. “Yes, Okay? We were very close when the memory surfaced. I remembered it again at the lake but that’s it. It’s barely anything.”

  “Barely anything is still something.”

  “I guess. So what does that mean?”

  Cillian’s grin widened. “It means our sessions are working. Just like I told you they would. We should continue what we’ve been doing.”

  “Alright, but can we make this one quick? I haven’t eaten yet, and I wanted to take lunch over to Mom. Speaking of which,” Mia said, holding up a finger as Cillian came around his desk and leaned against the front of it. “You guys have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

  His eyes danced with amusement. “Yes...?”

  “Yes? Is that all you have to say for yourself? I don’t like it.”

  “You don’t like that we’re spending a lot of time together?”

  “Yes! I mean seriously, she’s gone all the time. She talks about you nonstop too.”

  His eyes lit up and he straightened. “She does? What does she say?”

  Mia rolled her eyes. They were like a bunch of teenagers. It was gross. “I’m not going to betray her confidence. But anyways, think you can dial it back a bit?”

  Cillian fixed her with such an adult look, Mia was surprised to see it on his face. She hadn’t known he had it in him to look so stern. “Mia, your mother and I haven’t seen each other, haven’t spoken with each other in ten years. I love her very much, and she loves me... Do you really think it’s fair to try and separate us? We’ve missed each other and all I want to do is make up for lost time. Your mother... she won’t be around forever. Not like you and me and I want to spend every moment I can with her.”

  Well... since he put that way... Mia grimaced, feeling a tinge of guilt. He had a point. They hadn’t seen each other in ten years, and she knew they loved each other. A lot. But still... “Ok,” she said at last. “I get your point. How about this? Can you try to leave at least two days out of the week for me and her to have dinner?”

  Cillian grinned, eyes shining. “I think I can do that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Now, can we get on with this?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

  Mia nodded. “Sure. Let’s have it.” She held her hand out for his potion. The first time he’d asked her to take it, Mia had been wary. It helped to loosen her memories and break through magical barriers placed in her mind. She’d seen little snippets here and there but nothing as vivid and as long as the one she’d had that morning.

  He plucked a small bottle of shimmery gray liquid from his desk and pulled the cork off. “Bottoms up.”

  Mia raised it to him in salute and then downed it in one gulp. The potion was fast acting. Within a few seconds the room swam before Mia’s eyes and she handed the bottle back before she dropped it. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the couch.

  “How are you feeling?” Cillian asked, his warm hand touching her arm in reassurance.

  Mia nodded, touching her forehead. Her thoughts had gone fuzzy, and her whole body felt heavy. “Weird,” was all she said.

  “Alright. Let’s start, shall we?”

  “Sure...” she trailed off and let her mind go blank like Cillian had taught her over the past five weeks. Maybe this time she would actually remember something. Have a real breakthrough. But even though a part of her wanted that, wanted to not be in the dark anymore, to remember, another part of her was scared to face her past. Mia wasn’t sure if she wanted to remember everything that had happened. Especially with Rhett. What if having all those memories of the two of them rush back made the pain hurt even more? Or worse... what if she remembered everything and the feelings were so overwhelming that she forgot about what he had done to her and went right back to him?

  “Mia,” Cillian said, a slight edge to his voice. “You’re not focusing.”

  She sucked in a breath and shifted in her seat. The whole memory thing, the whole past thing hadn’t felt so... imminent. So real or possible until now. Maybe that was why Mia had been so good about showing up to her meetings with Cillian and trying her best at focusing. But with the possibility of remembering her past becoming very real, Mia wasn’t sure if she wanted to go through with this. She should have thought about that before taking the potion, though, because it had already gone fuzzy.

  “Clear your mind,” he said again. “Breathe and go back to that memory at the lake. What did you feel? What did you see? Let yourself become absorbed in that memory.”

  Before Mia could open her eyes and
tell him she didn’t want to do this, her mind was already sucking her down into the memory.

  Chapter Five

  The lake... Rhett... it all came rushing back. How he kissed her and told her he loved her. How she whispered it back.

  “I wish I could stay here with you forever,” he murmured against her jaw, making her whole body warm. Her chin rested against his shoulder. Breathing him in, memorizing every part of him because she knew she wouldn’t get to see him for at least a week.

  His father was taking him to one of the big court meetings. Apparently, this would decide the big argument over whether to shut the portal to the mortal world or not. Rhett had promised her he would do his best to make sure they decided in favor of it not being permanently closed. He preferred if it was regulated or if only certain people could come and go. If not, then... Mia didn’t even want to think about that. She snuggled in closer to him at the thought of being separated from him for more than week. “I wish you could too,” she whispered. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too. As always. But I’ll be back, I promise. And once all of this gets sorted out life can go back to normal and we’ll never have to worry about being parted ever again. Angie said she’ll be staying here for a while. Girl bonding time or something,” he said, laughter in his voice.

  Mia smiled and slid her head back so she could look into those emerald green eyes. “You should take Angie with you,” she said, even though she really would like to have some girl time with her. Having Angie over might help her miss Rhett less when he was gone. Plus, Angie always had a project to keep Mia distracted. But she also knew Rhett could use the support of his best friend and future adviser. Rhett had once said that he’d appointed Angie his adviser years ago when they were just kids, and now that Rhett was of age and he was now crowned prince, he’d stood by his word. Angie was to be his adviser and most trusted councilor when he became king.