Becka clutched at her chest, suddenly unable to breathe. How could Tesse be dead? She hadn’t expected her sister to live forever, but as a fae-touched, Tesse should have lived to at least one twenty. Perhaps even one hundred forty, if she’d been lucky. A few moments passed where she couldn’t think. Couldn’t speak. Tesse had been her last link to the world of her childhood. The last place she’d felt like a part of something larger than herself. Becka crumpled, her knees hitting the floor. She felt Lydia’s gentle touch on her shoulder.
Vott could have shot her through the heart and it would have hurt less. Now she was truly alone.
“When did it happen?” she asked, hearing the tremble in her voice
“Two nights ago,” he replied, the steady timbre of his voice cracking.
“But, I spoke with her two nights ago. Everything seemed all right.” Tears washed down her face. “She was about to marry.”
“You have been speaking with your sister?” he asked, tone laced with rebuke.
Becka swept away tears, her exasperation with fae custom flashing hot with sudden frustration. “Yes, occasionally we talked. Mostly, we messaged. Send me a citation,” she snapped.
Vott made the softest tsking sound. “I suppose it’s of no consequence now.”
For a few moments neither of them said anything. Becka continued to weep silently with Lydia passing her tissue after tissue. Becka cleared her throat and then pulled herself back on to her feet, absently straightening her clothes.
“How did it happen?”
“I refuse to divulge details over this device. As soon as you arrive, I will share what I know.”
They had to know what happened to Tesse. But the only way Becka would learn the truth would be to go back to House Rowan.
“Arrive?” Becka turned and paced the length of the hall.
“It’s customary for all immediate relatives to attend the funeral.”
She paused. “But I’m not family.”
“It’s true you are no longer a member of our Illusionists Guild or our house, but you were her twin. It would be improper to have you absent from the ceremony.”
All hail custom. “Is Aunt Lydia invited?”
“Oh, do not be absurd. Although you refer to Lydia as your aunt, there are no blood ties between you.”
Becka had to take a deep breath and stretch the sudden tension out of her jaw. Family was more than blood and guild ties. Lydia was her family of choice, and the tie was no less real for Becka. “Right. What was I thinking?”
“I would not venture a guess, my dear. Anyway, your escort should arrive shortly. Please be ready when he arrives.”
Becka had a sudden flash of Quinn standing outside Dr. Traut’s office. That’s why he’d offered her a ride! She set down the phone and walked to the front door and opened it. Quinn had followed her home and stood patiently, leaning up against his car, which he’d parked in front of her house. She waved at him and then slammed the door in his face.
Becka stomped over to the phone and picked up the receiver. Vott had continued to talk in her absence; unaware it had become a one-sided conversation.
“...It’s not like you could roam around fae territory on your own, after all. Can you imagine the impropriety?”
“Right, I mean, what would your nosy, gossiping neighbors think?” Becka replied, her voice filling the room.
The line went silent for a moment.
“And I’m just supposed to drop everything for the House of Mirrors?”
No response.
“I have my own life now!” she yelled.
“I am confident you do, Becka. I am asking you to drop everything for Tesse. Not for custom, not for anyone else, and not for the guild.”
Becka despised his blatant emotional manipulations, but how could she refuse her beloved twin’s funeral? “Fine. But you know what, Vott? The next time you want to summon me, you’d better ask my permission first!” she yelled.
Becka slammed the phone down.
Chapter 4
Lydia stepped in close and beckoned Becka into a hug. Becka leaned against her in tears, the enormity of her sister’s death hitting her full force.
“Aw, honey, I am so sorry for your loss. From everything you’ve shared with me over the years I know what a sweetheart Tesse was and how much she meant to you.”
Becka couldn’t find the words to answer. After a few minutes had passed and she was no longer gulping down sobs, Becka stepped back. She withdrew into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water.
Lydia followed, bringing the box of tissues with her. “You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah, but none of this even makes sense. This is just too sudden. Tesse and I talked that night. She sent me pictures of her wedding gala. Everything seemed fine. Something horrible must have happened. An accident or something?”
“Who knows? I remember you said you talked with her. You shared a few of the images with me the next morning.”
“Did I tell you she called yesterday?”
“You talked to her?”
“Well, no, I didn’t. I got a call from her number, but she said nothing.”
“Perhaps someone found her phone and called the last contact?”
“Yeah, maybe.” Becka blew her nose. “Ugh. I’m stunned. Pissed. And so heartbroken.”
Lydia cocked her head. “I get why you’re shocked and heartbroken, but why pissed?”
“I’m upset the guild has drawn me back into their world. Their customs. Rules. Talking like they’re from another freaking era.”
Lydia nodded. “I remember mainstream human culture being a shock to my system when I was first outcast. The fae only seem unusual to you now because you’ve been on the outside.”
“That’s just it, I thought I was over being emotionally torn apart by the fae. Over the loss, over the heartache. Then today happens and all of that history is bubbling up as fresh grief, making the separation feel new all over again.”
Lydia placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. “First, don’t be so hard on yourself. Second, perhaps consider this an opportunity to search your feelings and gain the closure you’re looking for?”
Becka pulled herself up, straightening her shoulders. “You’re right. And full of appropriate platitudes, as per usual.” Becka blew her nose. “This is a learning opportunity, and if things get awful, I can always leave.”
“Atta girl!”
“Tesse always said she envied me my freedom.” Her breath hitched as another tear escaped, and Becka caught it with a fresh tissue.
“Which I’m proud to say you’ve exercised to the fullest. I doubt there’s a better-educated fae within the four territories.”
Becka returned Lydia’s smile. “Well, college-educated you mean. They do plenty of hocus-pocus in the territories.”
Becka dried her eyes yet again, and then walked to the front door and opened it.
Quinn stood on her porch, hand on his hips.
“So wait, you’re my escort?” she asked Quinn.
“I’m not what you expected?” he smiled.
She narrowed her gaze but then waved him in. The last thing she needed was to be seen arguing with him by her not-nosy-at-all neighbors. “I know my father works with some shifters who run errands in and out of the Territories because they can pass unnoticed amongst the humans. I’d assumed he’d send one of them.”
He inclined his head. “I was in the neighborhood when the request for an immediate transport came through and I wanted an easy assignment.”
Becka’s heart ached from the news of Tesse, her nerves were fried from her interview, and now this fae showed up to rattle her cage?
“I am not easy!” She blurted out and then crossed her arms. “Anyway, how did you find me at the Institute?”
“I have my ways.” He looked her directly in the eye. “They informed me your transport is a time-sensitive matter, so I have done my best to comply.”
A moment later his gaze flowed over her, pausi
ng as he took in her ear piercings, ombre-dyed hair, messy braid, and flowing clothes. “This is a curious outfit to impress a potential employer.”
A heated flush warmed her cheeks. “This position is an internship at a political institution. They value a certain level of personal expression over conformity.”
“So you are a calculated non-conformist?” He raised a single brow, his heated attention unwavering.
Becka shrugged with a ‘so what of it?’ gesture.
“Why are you getting such a serious job? Doesn’t your birth guild cover your living expenses?”
Becka rankled at the reminder. Sure, they financially supported their outcasts, but it came with the legal caveat: if she ever had offspring who evidenced magical gifts, then the child would be welcomed home by the guildhall...without the mother. Which was some unlikely, yet epic, crap.
“They do, but I choose to not just sit around all day.”
“So you would prefer to sit around all day in an office instead?”
“No, I’m hoping to be a research associate in the Interspecies Department of the Institute for World Politics.”
“Researching…?”
“How the history of fae/human relations influences our present and informs where our likely future is heading.”
He chuckled. “That sounds like a line out of a textbook.”
“No, it’s my Ph.D. thesis statement.”
He regarded her afresh, brows raised. “It still sounds like proper human...what would they call it...mumbo jumbo.”
“It’s an unfortunate injustice that someone so attractive can be so irritating,” she said under her breath.
“I,” he paused, a sly smile creasing his lips, “think that was your outside the head voice?”
“I don’t honestly differentiate.”
He let out a soft laugh with a hint of a rumble, which predictably and much to her chagrin, Becka found charming.
“Were you this eccentric when you were still with your family?”
It was Becka’s turn to have her temper rankle. “Pardon me?”
“I mean, did you have this curious fascination with humankind’s culture all along? Or did it develop after you moved to the city?”
Her cheeks and ears flushed red. “After, but I’m glad of the opportunity. I would never have come to a better understanding of humanity otherwise. Besides, the fae are just as flawed as humans, only in different ways.”
Anger flashed in his eyes, their golden sheen all aglow with the intensity of his emotion. “I take umbrage to hear you speak ill of our people.”
Becka set her hands on her hips and squared off to him. “How would it have been for you, Quinn, if you’d been found ungifted and cast out like yesterday’s trash?”
His eyebrows squished together. “Earth Guild powers are innate in nature, unlike Rowan’s additive magic. Although Oak’s fae-touched abilities increase during puberty like other houses, it is less dramatic and more of a linear gain.”
Becka’s stomach churned, souring her mouth. She’d learned about the different magical abilities of each fae-touched house in school and had studied all things fae in the human libraries since then. “I know the House of Stave’s powers are innate in nature. I’m asking if you can imagine what it would have been like?”
“Honestly, I never pondered the question.”
Of course. Why would he?
Becka opened her mouth, and he held up a finger, pressing it gently against her lips. Sudden arousal warred with anger inside her. Was she so desperate for fae companionship she’d respond to any who got close enough? What was wrong with her?
“You are not wrong, Becka. There are flaws aplenty, human and fae-touched alike. I am unused to hearing a fae as outspoken as yourself. My apologies.”
“Thank you.” She sighed. “I need to pack a few things before we head out to fae territory.”
“Um,” he replied, looking her up and down. “Not to offend, but I am guessing your family will provide a more suitable wardrobe during your stay. Assuming your typical apparel matches your present attire?”
Becka shook her head. “I refuse. I’ll wear my own clothes, if only to spite them.”
“Even if you packed your clothes they might mysteriously ‘go missing’ in the most polite way possible. If you leave them here, at least you waste no time fighting a losing battle.”
Becka pinched the bridge of her nose, attempting to ward off an impending headache. “No, just no. I agreed to go, but I do not have to agree to their reindeer games. I’m going back on my terms.”
“All right then. Also, do you find embracing human idioms like ‘reindeer games’ aids your ability to appear more relatable to them?”
She was taken aback by his question. “Why yes, I suppose it does. But that’s just how people talk.” She shrugged.
“Yes, human people.” By the softness in his smile she knew he didn’t mean the comment as an insult, and yet she felt unsettled.
“And yes.”
“Pardon?”
“Yes, I’ve always been curious about humans. Shifters too. I’m something of a history buff.”
He inclined his head, the golden sheen of his eyes back to their burnished gold. “A curious pastime, to be sure.”
“My bluntness developed during my years with the humans as I’ve made efforts to fit in. Believe it or not, they think of me as yet another stuffy fae despite my efforts to blend in. At this point I’m afraid it’s an untreatable condition.”
The right corner of his mouth curled up. When he smiled like that Becka couldn’t help smiling back despite her repeated attempts to ignore his charms.
“Then it seems my easy assignment will also be an entertaining one.”
Chapter 5
Becka tossed her bags into the trunk and then took her seat inside the car while Quinn held the door open for her. He shut her door and then got in on the other side.
The main compartment of the car was standard issue. It had four doors with two seats up front and four seats set in a circle in the back. However, there was one notable exception.
Quinn took the seat next to her, but instead of stating a destination he accessed a control panel at the center of the console and keyed in an access code. A panel within the dashboard slid down and out of the way while a steering column emerged and self-adjusted to his height.
“Wow, I haven’t seen someone do that in... maybe never, except on TV shows. Wait, does that mean this car isn’t AI-guided?” Becka reached for the door.
“Hold onto your anxiety horses over there. Yes, it’s still AI-guided. I am allowed to override the system as needed.”
“Oh. Still, it’s got to be less safe?”
“Marginally, yes, but I have had additional training.”
Of course, he had. Becka held tight to the dash as he pulled the vehicle into traffic.
“Do you use the steering feature because you run errands in and out of fae territory?”
“This is my dedicated cruiser. It means I have no excuses to be late to work and I can travel off the grid as needed.”
“That makes sense, I suppose,” Becka replied, settling herself back into the seat.
Becka dozed off and on for a while, the stresses of the day finally catching up to her.
Even before they crossed over into fae territory the landscape around them had transformed. Where the horizon had been rolling plains covered with farms with field upon field of corn, soybeans, or cabbage, it was replaced with foothills and emerging peaks of red sandstone uplift.
The land felt wilder. More alive. Becka had missed this vibrant spectrum of verdant greens. Somehow watching the scenery from her childhood quieted her mind. She lowered her window and breathed deep. The air felt alive. The harmony of nature infused with magic was palpable. Within human cities, all colors had long ago faded to shades of gray. She’d forgotten the lushness of fae lands, but now recognized these brilliant hues as a homecoming.
She caught Quinn watchi
ng her gaze out at the scenery. “What?”
He waved her off and shook his head. Despite their earlier conversation, she’d found comfort in his quiet presence.
As the afternoon crept on, the wildlife changed in the land around her. Fae territory was known for its prolific and diverse ecosphere, and today’s show did not disappoint. A herd of whitetail deer broke out from a copse of trees, bounding across a flourishing glen. They joined other species gathered around a lake at dusk. A mountain lion drank along the far shore, no present threat to its natural prey. Even a rare elliseyan fae bird had emerged and joined the others at the lake, its plumage consisted of an unusual combination of forest green, ocean blue, and sunset orange.
When their car crested the hill to the lands of Rowan, a sense of foreboding and anxiety churned in the pit of her stomach. This was not the homestead of her youth nor the family she had once called her own. She had no claim to this land. No standing with her house, family, nor fae. No guild allegiance. It was familiar and foreign all at once.
She dreaded the inevitable feeling of being an outsider while surrounded by those she once knew and called family. How could she help but to feel alone amongst so many familiar yet distant faces?
Becka recalled the times she’d roamed for hours in the extensive rose gardens at the manor. Perhaps she’d take a lot of long walks and avoid family as much as prudent.
One of her headaches loomed on the horizon, the tight band of discomfort pressing inward around her temples. Becka was glad she’d packed the hot sauce when they’d swung back by the townhome for her clothes. Generally avoided by the palate-sensitive fae, it was the one thing she’d found which had any impact on these sporadic headaches of hers.
She watched farmhouses and small estates pass by on the horizon, perfect like pictures in a museum.
She caught Quinn checking on her again and threw up her hands in a ‘what gives’ gesture.
“You bite your lip when you are pensive.”
The corner of Becka’s mouth twitched. Was he flirting with her? “I hadn’t noticed.”
“You do. Repeatedly,” he said as more of an offhand remark than an accusation. “We have arrived.”
Twinned Shadow (The Shadow Series Book 1) Page 3
