by Alicia Fabel
“Just…” Vera made a shut-up motion with her hand and then apparently found what she was looking for. A chair, which looked like it had been broken ten times over. She carried it over and set it down in front of him before climbing up to look him in the eyes. The chair wobbled.
Kale steadied her before she fell off. “Are you trying to kill yourself again? I thought we’d moved past that.”
“I thought we’d moved past you being a jerk-face too.” Vera planted her hands on her hips. “Now answer my question.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Vera grabbed his face and turned it until he was looking at her. “I thought I was going to lose you last night, and it scared the crap out of me. I kinda felt bad for everything I’ve put you through this last year. Kinda. A little. I mean, you really are a jerk sometimes, so just a little bad.”
“I get it,” Kale said, his lips twitching.
“You’re stuck with me. And Addamas. And Mimi. We’re not leaving you. If you try running away, we’ll hunt you down. You are our family.”
“I’m a monster.”
“Pshh. Did you count how many horns I had? And I breathe fire and have a pointy tail. Pretty sure my monster would beat your monster in a scare-off.”
“Your monster doesn’t give you urges like mine does. Yours isn’t bloodthirsty. It doesn’t want to take.” Kale tugged Vera against him to make his point. He let his eyes dip down her neck. Vera’s chest rose and fell faster. She was scared, and diyu, that wasn’t helping anything. He liked it. Kale pushed her back and smirked. “Your monster is a kitten.”
“You’re not as scary as you think.”
“I can practically smell the fear on you right now.”
Vera made a funny face. “You need to check your gauges again.” She yanked his shirt and captured his lips with hers. When she nipped his lower lip, his brain shorted. He pulled her in. Vera’s hair sparked and ignited. His body followed its lead. He was quickly losing control of his senses as Vera curled her hands through his hair. His monster roared with want. Stars save her. He jerked back, breathing hard.
“No,” he said. “I don’t like you.”
She flinched. There wouldn’t be bells ringing in her head, though, because he’d told the truth.
He tipped her chin to make her look at him. Like she’d done earlier to him. “I love you. Which is why I have to get away from you.”
He kissed her forehead and then retreated quickly, shoving Ferrox into the driver’s seat. Good bye.
“Kale, wait.”
“He’s gone.” Ferrox said through Kale’s lips. He untangled himself from her and set her on her feet. “As much as I appreciate what Kale sees in you, siphon girl, I’m not a fan of two-legged lovers.”
“Make him come back.”
“Can’t. He’s locked himself away.”
“Kalesius,” Vera growled. “Get out here. I’m not done with you.”
“You pushed him to his limits in two minutes flat—I’m impressed.” Ferrox, in Kale’s body, shook his head in a very non-Kale way. “He was just being dramatic when he left, by the way. He’s said goodbye before, but he always comes back. Now, you want to help clear cobwebs or get some sleep? For Goddess’ sake, if you need to cry, do it somewhere else. Girl tears wig me out.”
“I think I need some rest.” Vera felt like her insides had been scooped out and put back. And now they were mush that didn’t filled her completely anymore. “I can come back later and help?”
“Sure. If we’re not here, we may have to take a side trip to get something to eat.”
“I can bring you something.”
“Not unless you want to take up human sacrifice,” laughed Ferrox. “I think we’ll take our meals from the underworlds for now. That’s where we can find the most wicked flesh.”
“What about Kale?”
“When we’re bound, Kale and I have to keep a mixed diet to satisfy both our anatomies.”
“Oh,” Vera said. “’Kay. I’ll check back later then.”
Vera fled, trying to not think about Kale with blood dripping down his chin. Suzie had seen all this. More than that, she’d made sure it would happen. She’d destroyed Vera’s world and the man who loved her. Vera made it to the stairwell before her legs gave out. She sank to the steps as a sob choked her. Then she tipped her head back and screamed. Her hair bathed the stairwell red.
Once Vera’s throat was raw, she wiped away the tears and ran a thumb over her acorn charm. One way or another, she would shut down Suzie’s network. She would make her own freaking good luck and open all those doors inside her if she needed to, but she would make it end. All she had to do was figure out a path that Suzie hadn’t foreseen and planned for. And then she’d get her Kale back. Even if she had to tear the world apart to do it.
Oh, and Kanaloa, I’m coming for my heart. It belongs to someone else.
Also by Alicia
Unraveled World:
#1 Siphon Magic
#2 Tempest Song
#3 Oracle’s Luck (Jan 2019)
Legends Academy:
…coming 2019!
Newsletter Signup
To get author updates, sneak peaks, special offers. Plus, a free short story featuring Addamas - Pathmaker.
www.AliciaFabel.com
Acknowledgments
So many people to thank!
My husband, who never complains about the clack of computer keys when he’s trying to sleep. My kids, who make a mean bowl of ramen when mom is still in pjs and working. You guys are my greatest accomplishments.
Ali, thank you for being an extra eyes. I can always count on you to tell it to me straight.
You ladies who sprint with me—this would have taken so much longer without you guys to keep me focused…squirrel!
Lara (Wynter Designs), thank you for giving Kale some clothes. Chris and Erin (The Editing Hall), for making sure my stories make sense once they’re out of my head. You guys are fab-tastic!
And my readers. You guys make this journey so stinking awesome! Thank you.
Author Notes
I wrote my first story when I was eleven-years-old. It was about a girl named Eliza, who discovered an injured centaur in the woods near her home. The centaur turned out to be a boy, who was cursed by his evil stepmother. Eliza taught him how to survive a winter on his own, and they fell in love. Of course, the boy turned out to be a prince. Together, he and Eliza lived happily ever after they defeated the evil queen and took back his crown.
Anyway, I wrote that story in woods behind my family’s home. I’d sneak out there to be alone and write. I filled three notebooks with my eleven-year-old scrawl — all in secret. I never talked about my stories with anyone. I always worried that I’d be teased for writing “silly stories” about centaurs, princes, and finding true love.
It never occurred to me that I could become a writer. I definitely never dreamed that decades later, I’d be writing full-time. But here I am, living this insanely awesome reality. It took a lot of time for me to tell people that I wrote stories and even longer to call myself a writer. I was *just* a mom with a degree in finance. Oh, and I could bake. But otherwise, I was just me — no one special.
Well, guess what? I’m still just me. Only, I am beyond excited to be able to share my stories with you. Because it turns out that no dream is too big if you’re willing to go for it and never give up. <3
Oracle’s Luck
Unraveled World - Book 3
“What do you mean you can’t path us out of here?” Vera dropped behind a short stone wall beside Addamas. The clatter of hooves drew near. Teams of satyrs were searching the mountain village for them. Hopefully, the satyr couple, who lived in the cabin behind them, wouldn’t look out their window any time soon—what with all the commotion in the cobbled streets. If they did, or if anyone wandered over one of the suspended bridges above, she and Addamas would be screwed.
When the hunt moved farther away, Addamas answered, “I mean I
can’t make us a path. We’ve got to get off this mountain the old-fashioned way.”
“What’s wrong with your special-sauce? Your tank empty or something?”
“More like bottled up.” Addamas made a face. “It seems my people have acquired no-go dust.”
They held their breaths as at least a few satyrs approached their hiding place. Meanwhile, Vera’s heart stuttered at the implications of no-go showing up in the village. Suzie’s plans were in play. That was the only explanation for it. Her foster mom’s network had tried to trap Vera in Nibiru with the help of that stuff. There was no telling how they planned to keep her in Acadia. Or why.
Vera should’ve realized something was up. They’d been in the village for days without obtaining permission for a nymph unlock Vera’s nymphability. Kale would’ve been suspicious long before now, but he was still hiding in a corner of his and Ferrox’s shared mind. So yeah. Addamas had come with her to Acadia instead, and once more, they were up a creek. Moonlight glinted off Addamas’s silver tattoos. After Nibiru, he’d had an alchemist transform the black ink to silver. Black deception marks wouldn’t be camouflaged anymore.
“Check the root cellars and knock on every door if you have to. They can’t have gotten far,” said a rumbly voice. “The Aegis wants Addamas uninjured—relatively speaking—so he can have the pleasure of taking the first strips from the mutt’s hide.”
The fact the satyr king wanted Addamas delivered to him was unprecedented as far as Vera could tell. He had men to take care of everything on this mountain for him. Except eat, sleep, and do other things which Vera didn’t want to think about. His personal interest in Addamas could not be a good thing. She swung her head around to watch the gate in the center of the wall. Any satyr who walked through there would discover them. But they couldn’t run without giving away their spot either.
A cry echoed from a few streets over. Someone was yelling for help. The searchers took off running in that direction. Vera released her breath.
“That was lucky timing,” Addamas whispered. “Best get going before they come back.”
Vera followed him through the yard, staying low. Addamas had tied leather scraps around his hooves to silence his steps, which meant Vera was the noisy one. He looked at her feet pointedly when she sent a tiny pebble skittering across the walkway.
“Sorry.”
“I’m pretty sure they were not exaggerating about what they plan to do to me if they catch me,” he said.
She was careful to avoid anything else kickable in her path. When the reached the next street, Addamas dashed across and into the shadow between two buildings. He peered around the corner before waving Vera to him.
“What exactly did you do, anyway?” she asked while they paused in the alley, only a couple hundred feet from freedom. All they had to do was make it across the street that wrapped around the perimeter of the entire village—without being spotted. After that, they could disappear into the mountains around them.
Addamas’s lips twitched. “I needed to pee. They didn’t approve of where I relieved myself.”
“Addamas,” Vera growled. “Tell me you didn’t pee in the sacred fountain.”
“Can’t do that, girly.”
Vera cringed. “They are going to kill us. Why would you do that?”
“Because the satyrs are douchebags,” he said seriously. “And no one is going to kill us. We’re nearly home free.”
“Yeah, but I still need a nymph’s help before Mimi gives birth to your siphon love-child.”
“There have to be other nymphs somewhere else in this realm. We’ll find them. The Aegis was never going to approve our request anyway. These people will never do anything that might help me.”
“I think your father would’ve helped. If you’d kept your ding-dong put away tonight.”
“That sperm donor is not my father,” Addamas said tightly, then slid Vera a side-eye. “Did you really just say, ding-dong?”
“Don’t be a dick.”
Addamas grinned. He put a finger to his lips before towing her into the quiet street. Since he’d been dosed with no-go, Vera supposed they’d have to make their way to the world gate. Wherever it was in Acadia. What a mess. And here she’d thought waking up her nymph would be easy. Get in. Get out. Ha!
She couldn’t blame Addamas for the fountain stunt, though. The way satyrs treated nymphs as second-class beings was repulsive. She just wished he hadn’t gotten caught.
Aww heck.
Several satyrs melted from the shadows to block their escape. Moonlight at their back hid their features but did not hide how huge they were—one of the many things human records had gotten wrong. Addamas was practically a runt, which they liked to point out as often as the could.
“Oh look, you found me,” said Addamas cavalierly. He stepped in front of Vera to block her from view. “Now what are you going to do about it?”
“Take you to the Aegis,” replied the satyr at the front of the pack. “And if you don’t fight, your little freak there can leave unharmed.”
“Leave this alley or leave the village?”
“She’s free to keep walking the way you two were headed just now and never return.”
A whistle trilled from the throat of one of the goat holes. Vera eyed his cloven hooves with some interest. Man, this village sure knows how to grow some sexy satyrs.
Addamas extended his arms out in front of himself with his wrists pressed together. “Knock it off. Let’s go see Aegis Tub-o.”
A couple of the satyrs scowled, but at least the whistle cut off. The offending satyr smirked when Vera was released from its spell. The damned goaters could make a person feel any range of emotions with a whistle. Like lust for instance. When she’d asked Addamas why he never whistled, he’d just said it was a bad idea.
“I’m not leaving you here,” Vera told Addamas.
“Get to the gate,” he said. “Noble Valley is a day to the south. Just stick to the southern passes—cyclops nation is to the north. And I’ll be home soon.” One of the satyrs snorted, but Addamas ignored him. “I’ll be fine. Get back home in one piece, so Kale doesn’t kill me later.”
“Get walking, freak.” Lead-satyr tipped his head toward the path.
Addamas nodded for her to go.
She pulled her shoulders back. “I hope you all choke on hairballs from licking your own—”
“Vera,” Addamas interrupted when one of the satyrs started for her. He coughed to hide a laugh. “Go, okay?”
“If you come back, we’ll find a better use for that mouth of yours,” promised lead-goater.
Vera flipped them off without looking back and strode to the tree line. Twenty minutes later, and she was fairly certain no one was following to make sure she actually left. She turned around and headed back the way she’d just come. There was no way she’d leave Addamas in the hands of those bastards. The satyrs kept lookouts, in case a cyclops got lost and wandered uphill looking for supper, so Vera hugged the shadows. Getting kicked out of a village in the middle of the night had its advantages. Crouched between some mountain scrub and a boulder, she scrutinized the village built into the mountain. The Aegis’s home was an intricate mansion carved into the highest point. Its stone walls extended outward since, obviously, a mountain did not have enough space to keep a goat-man living lavishly. Vera rolled her eyes. Greedy idiot.
Most of the stone homes below and the cave homes lining the mountain walls above were dark. Plank bridges extended like a web overhead, swaying gently in the chilled air. At that hour they were all empty, but Vera couldn’t risk getting caught on one trying to sneak into the Aegis’s home. She’d be completely exposed with nowhere to go. Her other option was the stone steps carved into the rock facing. They didn’t extend all the way up, which meant she’d have to climb in a few places. At least she’d have shadows to hide in, in case one of the peace-keepers made rounds.
I am so going to die.
Movement caught Vera’s attention. She
spun around, stuffing her fingers into her ears. A few feet away stood a nymph. Her skin was transparent like a jellyfish, and her bones were made of something that looked like glass—and was supposedly just as fragile. The nymph was exotic and beyond beautiful, like all nymphs. She motioned for Vera to duck, and just in time. Vera hadn’t heard or seen the peace-keeper rounding the corner up the street. The nymph was practically invisible with the stars behind her shining through. Vera had noticed nymphs attempting to blend in with their surroundings, but not usually succeeding. Satyrs went out of their way to notice, mock, and abuse them. The peace-keeper didn’t notice the nymph that night, though.
Once the satyr was long past, the nymph beckoned for Vera to follow her. Vera balked, and the nymph motioned insistently. Since the nymph had already saved her once, Vera figured she might as well trust her. Plus, the beings seemed generally timid and non-threatening. The fact that one was acknowledging her was pretty remarkable. They headed deeper into the trees until their path ended. But the nymph didn’t stop. She stepped onto a narrow ledge that jutted out from a sheer rock wall and flower forward like it was a ten-foot path.
This is crap. Vera shimmied along the strip of rock, her toes hanging off the edge. She pressed back against the stone and spread her arms out from her body to keep from tipping forward. Sweat dripped down her neck. The nymph disappeared from her peripheral, but Vera didn’t dare turn her head to look. Suddenly, the wall gave way and she and fell on her butt inside a cave that faced out into a wide abyss. From above, the cave hadn’t been visible. From below, it probably looked like a shadow.
The nymph watched Vera crawl to her feet but did not offer to help. Nymphs were not fond of touching people or being touched by anyone outside their own kind. Addamas had explained that their skin was tissue-thin and even the gentle stroke of Vera’s finger would feel like a pummel to them. It was crazy that a nymph would stroll across a precarious trail to reach a hidden cave. One slip or a strong gust of wind and she would shatter. Of course, that high up, so would Vera. Don’t think about that.
