Lily pulled her daughter into her arms and said, “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a member of our village and we’ll never leave you behind.”
Yarrow approached from behind and, overhearing Nikki’s suggestion, said, “Don’t worry, Lily. I’ll personally make sure she makes it to our next location. And I’ll do the same for every move in the future as well, whether she likes it or not.”
*~*~*~*
The scene swirled and, when the image became clear again, it was five years later. The village was settling in after another move and Nepeta was in the woods, kneeling beside Yarrow. She was pressing a cloth against a bad wound in his side and, as she began to wrap him in bandages, he cringed.
Seeing the guilt and pain in her eyes, he said, “Don’t look so worried. Thanks to you and your electric Pixie bombs, I’m fine. Tomorrow we’ll arrive at the new village location and, once there, I’ll let you thank me by kissing away my pain.” He ignored the stabbing sensations from his wound and pulled her down, pressing their lips together.
She returned the kiss and then pulled away, saying “But this time you could’ve been killed. If you keep trying to protect me, one of these times the ending is going to be so much different.” Looking down at her fingers, she added, “I’ve had too much blood on my hands in my life.”
Knowing the particular memory that was filling her mind, he said, “Callen died a long time ago and I thought you had finally put his death in the past. But when I look inside your eyes, I see a darkness where your inner demons are attempting to make a permanent home.”
“I can’t forget my past and neither can others. Although Poppy isn’t unkind to me, she still finds it difficult even saying hello and I don’t blame her. And Callen hasn’t been the only one to sacrifice their life because of me. I bring so such danger to you and everyone in the village. Look down at your chest to see that what I say is a proven fact, not a theory. You can’t deny that everyone’s life would be a whole lot safer if I was out of the picture.”
He replied, “Don’t say that.” While affectionately caressing the silk of her blue and purple wings, he added, “You’re an integral part of the village and a major part of my life now. The outside world isn’t meant for you and me. How do you think the Human and magical worlds would react to seeing our kind? Our lives would pay the price.”
“Fate has control over me and I can’t escape whatever it has planned.”
“I believe that your future is what you make of it.” Seeing that there was no convincing her, he said, “Enough talking, my little Polka Dot. Let’s get some sleep under the sun to let me heal. We’ll fly out as soon as the sun sets.”
She stared down at him and wanted his eyes to continue to shine brightly until he was a very old man. There was no way for her to shelter him, her mother, or her people from the dangers she brought with her presence. No matter how much pain it caused her, she knew that, as soon as they met up with the village, she needed to end her budding relationship with Yarrow before it went any further. Once she walked away from him, she needed to find a way to hide what and who she was. With a new persona in place, she would start a new life on her own, hidden away from the world of magic and the people she loved.
Yarrow pulled her down and wrapped his wing around her. She curled up next to him and her inner demons forced her to play out the excruciatingly painful tasks that lay ahead of her.
As her eyes closed, the scene swirled to gray.
*~*~*~*
Nikki’s eyes blinked opened to the buzz of an alarm clock. After knocking it to the floor, she plopped back onto her pillow and stared up at her apartment ceiling. The recurring dream announced to her that it was, once again, the anniversary of when she walked away from her magical life. The images brought back the pain as real as if the scenes had played out the day before.
Her cat was lying across her chest. As she scratched her between the ears, making the cat purr, Nikki said, “We made it another year, Cupcake. It’s time to tuck my Nepeta side away and face another day.”
Cupcake was from the magical world and was a gift given to Nepeta from Yarrow on their first date. Once Nepeta was able to wield the magic to create a Human camouflage that she named Nikki, she left the village. Although she left Cupcake behind, Cupcake had other ideas. At Nikki’s first stop, she found the tiny cat hiding in her car and Cupcake made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t going back. Nikki was thrilled to have a traveling companion so she kept her and they had been together ever since.
Although her furry roommate was the size of a kitten, she was a full grown adult cat with an attitude the size of a lion. She had fluffy chocolate brown fur on her legs, stomach, and under her chin. The color changed dramatically to pure white on her head, back, and tail. Like Nikki’s spots, Cupcake had dots of color on the top of her head, the tips of her ears and a trail down the center of her back, ending at the tip of her tail. Her thick, long fur made her almost as round as tall. Everything about her appearance made her resemble a vanilla frosted chocolate cupcake with sprinkles.
Nikki hugged her traveling companion and asked, “Can you believe that we’ve been on our own for ten years?” As her mother and Yarrow’s faces and the colors of her village appeared in her mind, she sighed and said, “I miss them all so much.”
Her cat also yearned to be back in their forest home and she rubbed her face on the edge of Nikki’s hand, offering her form of comfort.
Nikki kissed her nose and, after placing the cat on a pillow next to her, she threw off her covers. She stretched out her wings and announced, “No time to wallow in self-pity. It’s time to put on my Human face. Rent is due and we need the pay check.” She, with Cupcake at her side, prepared to embrace another day in the Human world.
Chapter 1:
California Dreamin’
Later the next night, Nikki sat at a table in a dark corner, staring down at a rainbow assortment of glasses full of liquor, ranging from fine wine to shots of whiskey. The steady stream of free drinks and offers of companionship had started shortly after she entered The Drunken Duck. This bar typically attracted single twenty-somethings and tonight it was standing room only.
The year before Nikki left her village in the trees, she had worked secretly behind locked doors to perfect a magical Human camouflage. She planned to live what she thought was a normal life in the outside world that she had initially only watched from the shadows. But, no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to completely hide who she really was. This was especially true when she was sad or home sick, which was especially true tonight. Accidentally exposing her true self was one of the main reasons she had been forced to move from city to city, never able to stay in one place for long. She hoped her latest move to San Francisco, California, would be different. For years, as she walked through winter-filled streets of various cities, her cold body begged her to move out west to live in a warm place where the leaves never turned brown and the sky was never gray. She finally gave in to her California dreaming and, although the move warmed her body, it didn’t fix her more serious problems. The Human men’s reactions to her at the bar, once again, reminded her of this fact and that she still had more work to do.
Nikki left her drink buffet untouched and attempted to not make eye contact with any man in the bar in hopes of discouraging her growing number of admirers. She hadn’t wanted to go out drinking, but her coworker Jackie had sensed her somber mood and hounded her all day until she finally agreed to join her and several of her friends for a ladies’ night out.
Jackie was the first true friend Nikki had gained since moving out on her own. They met six months earlier when Nikki started to work as a receptionist at a local women-only workout chain. Jackie taught aerobic classes and was assigned to show Nikki around the business. Jackie was tall, blonde, and had naturally tanned skin that gave her the constant appearance of returning from a cruise. She had ample curves, which her outgoing personality wasn’t afraid to show off. This made her a stark contrast to Nikki
who stood barely five feet tall, had shoulder length straight brown hair, brown eyes, and a petite figure. Nikki wore minimal makeup and, although attractive, she didn’t stand out in a crowd. Jackie, on the other hand, was rarely seen without looking like a supermodel. Although the two women were dramatically different, Nikki was drawn to Jackie’s overly flamboyant personality that made her glow with the joy of life. It was an inner fire that Nikki yearned for, but was unable to spark within herself. Jackie was drawn to an inner struggle she sensed in Nikki and, like a big sister, was determined to bring the real Nikki out that she kept hidden.
Although Nikki tried to fade into the bar’s woodwork, even tonight’s planned conservative attire didn’t help her detract the unwanted attention. If the reaction from the men in the room wasn’t bad enough, even without looking at the other women sitting around her, she could feel the burn of their jealous glares as if their eyes were shooting laser beams at her.
Jackie, while examining Nikki’s less than flashy presence, asked with genuine curiosity, “What brand of perfume do you wear?”
Nikki replied, “I’m not wearing any. Why?”
Jackie scrunched up her face in disappointment and said, “Damn. I was hoping that was your secret weapon.” She looked down toward her own cleavage and said, “Even my ladies aren’t able to do their magic tonight. You have the entire drink menu in front of you, while I’m forced to buy my own buzz.”
Nikki pointed to the assortment of liquor on their table and replied, “Take all you want. I don’t want any of them.”
Jackie knew Nikki was referring to her admirers as well as her drinks. “I don’t understand this. My day isn’t complete unless I have at least three men falling at my feet. Every time we’ve gone out together lately, you have all of the testosterone in the room locked on your every move. But instead of basking in their affections, you’re cowering away from it.”
Nikki shrugged. “I’m just not looking for a man.” In reality, she actually longed for someone to hold at night but, like every time she gave in to the temptation, reality would crash back and remind her of who and what she really was.
Jackie pondered on Nikki’s answer and then said, “Maybe that’s the key. Act like you aren’t interested and you become a challenge to be won. That or maybe your fairy godmother put a spell on you.”
Nikki chuckled sadly. “Fairy godmother? Yeah, good guess, but I wish she would wave her magic wand at someone else.” Nikki knew that wasn’t the real reason behind her uncanny abilities to attract Human men, but she couldn’t tell Jackie just how close she was to actually guessing her secret.
When another drink was added to the table, Nikki sighed, stood, and asked, “Why don’t you take the front line of this battle and I’ll go home?” Nodding down at Jackie’s overly exposed chest, she chuckled and added, “And I want all of the details on Monday about the men taken to their knees by those weapons of yours.”
Jackie wanted to argue with Nikki, but she could see the genuine frustration and sadness in her friend’s eyes. Instead of trying to convince her to stay, she replied, “Will do. I’ll text you with casualty counts.” Jackie then stood and said to the women sitting beside her, “Come on ladies.” She tugged her blouse down a little to expose more of her female curves and said, “Time to go into battle.”
Nikki chuckled and, waving goodbye to her evening’s companions, took a deep breath and headed for the door. Although she tried to leave without being noticed, the leering smiles and cat calls told her that she was completely unsuccessful. She ignored the colorful words of affection from the men she passed, but was stopped short when fingers wrapped around her wrist.
A slurring male voice said, “Excuse me, my lady, but you must have been sitting on a pile of sugar.”
Confused by the statement, Nikki twisted around in an attempt to look at the seat of her pants. While staring at her perfectly clean jeans, the man finished his thought, “…because you have a mighty sweet ass.”
When Nikki felt his hand squeeze her backside, her temper burst forward. Her eyes flared menacingly and a small ball of sparkling light suddenly appeared in her palm. As the electric ball impacted the drunk’s chest, the room flashed bright for a second. The man with the overly friendly hands flew backwards, landing flat on his back. While he lay on the ground panting as if he had been hit by a bolt of lightning, his friends laughed. They assumed that he was drunk and fell over. Nikki felt her body starting to fight her camouflage, so she quickly took advantage of the distraction and forced her way through the crowd, cursing at herself for almost blowing her cover again.
She stormed outside to her very old, rusted, faded red Volkswagen Beetle named Lady Bug. She naturally craved spending time in the sun so, when she saw the vehicle’s overly large windows and crudely installed sunroof, she fell instantly in love. Although the car’s performance was as temperamental as the weather, tonight Lady Bug started on the first try. It seemed the car was just as anxious to leave the bar as Nikki. After calming her body enough to maintain her current form, Nikki and Lady Bug drove off without looking back.
Nikki was so anxious to get away from the bar that she didn’t pay attention to where she was driving and quickly lost her way back to the main road. Just as she was about to pull over and check a local map, her skin began to tingle and she sighed as the sensation washed over her body. This level of magic was something that she hadn’t felt since she walked away from the magical world to venture out on her own. Although she tried to deny it, she was forced to admit that she deeply missed it.
Nikki continued to drive down the road toward the sensation, arguing with herself over whether it was wise to hunt down the source of the magic. Her inner battle ended abruptly when she turned a corner and spotted a glowing sign that read Mistyx. After she pulled along the side of the road, she sat and watched as people walked by and cowered away from the steps that led down to the tavern’s entrance. Their reactions made it seem like they had smelled something dreadful. Nikki giggled, guessing that the stink was only a mirage and was created by a spell to keep the non-magical out.
When she spotted several people walking into the bar without hesitation, she was overwhelmed by the desire to follow her fellow magical creatures. Trying to justify the decision to go in, she whispered to Lady Bug, “In my current disguise I could sneak in and stay for a few minutes. They won’t even know that I was there.” Although she knew it was a very bad idea, like placing a drink in front of a recovering alcoholic, her desire to be among her own kind for a while won out.
Moments later, Nikki found herself walking down the street without ever remembering getting out of the car. Unlike previous passersby, as she approached the entrance, she caught a very pleasant scent. The aroma led her down a set of steps and she opened an ancient looking door. As she entered the tavern, she took in a deep breath, as if walking into her home after being away on a long trip. She stared out at the room and couldn’t stop a smile from washing across her face.
She announced to herself, “Now this is more like it.”
Although the building was square on the outside, the inside was completely round and extended much larger than the bounds of the building itself. The first notable feature was in the middle of the room, where a massive Angel Oak tree grew up through the floor. Its trunk base was at least fifteen feet wide and had large, corkscrew branches growing up and out in all directions. The black bark was covered in bright green creeping vines and, from the branches, silky gray Spanish Moss cascaded down in dense curtains, giving the tree an elderly appearance. Encircling the base of this tree was the most unique bar Nikki had ever seen. The counter was a solid piece of highly polished wood that showed off beautiful swirled wood grains. The seats in front of this counter were the tree’s roots, arching up and out of the floor. A wide selection of liquor bottles were tucked within large knots and indentations located all the way around the trunk.
As Nikki looked up toward the ceiling, the tree’s twisted branches stretch
ed out under a wide dome and, its iridescent black leaves swayed gently as if there was a breeze. With the flickering light from the torches reflecting off the ceiling surface, it made the room look like an outdoor tavern under a twinkling star-filled night. She was brought back to the moment when she felt something touch her, making her jump in surprise. When she looked down, she found a branch from the tree gently caressing her arm.
She smiled at the friendliness of the magic and whispered, “It’s nice to meet you too. May I sit a while under your canopy?”
The branch extended out toward the room, welcoming her in. It then bent toward her, offering to be her escort. She accepted the gesture and was guided to a small table next to an inviting fireplace on the far side of the bar. When she arrived at the table, another branch pulled out a chair for her. After thanking the tree for its kindness, she sat back to watch the magical world at play.
Shortly after settling in, a gray-haired, stout barmaid approached the table, wearing clothes matching the old world atmosphere. Once she was standing next to Nikki, she said with a wide smile, “Welcome to Mistyx. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. Is this your first time here?”
Nikki nodded and said, “I moved into town about six months ago and I haven’t gotten out much.”
“Well, let me be the first to welcome you to Mistyx. My name is Beatrice, but everyone calls me Bee.”
“I’m Nikki.”
“Well Nikki, what can I get you to drink?”
Without thinking, Nikki replied, “It’s been a long, rough day. I could really use a Rose Absinthe.”
With her friendly eyes opened wide in surprise, Bee replied, “I haven’t heard someone order that in more years than I can count.”
Nikki scolded herself, knowing she should have ordered something ordinary to avoid drawing attention to herself. She tried to correct her mistake by saying, “Oh, just get me a beer.”
“No need. If you want a Rose Absinthe, that’s what you’ll have. That’s really tricky to make correctly, but there isn’t a drink on this planet that our bartender and bar owner, Styx, can’t make. He’ll enjoy the challenge. You just sit back and relax and I’ll return shortly.” Although Nikki looked Human, Bee could sense something lingering under the surface. She wanted to learn what form of magic flowed through her newest customer’s veins but, in the magical society, it was considered rude to ask outright. Styx had a gift with sensing inner natures, so she decided to ask him to see if he could solve the mystery.
Mistyx Sonata (Mistyx Series Book 1) Page 2
