by Dyan Chick
I leaned back against the seat. "Wait, that's her goal? She told me she just wanted to get home."
"You must have learned your lesson about trusting the Fae by now," Adam said.
I swallowed against a lump that had risen in my throat. The way he spoke, it sounded like he knew everything I had done. The magical world might be new to me, but it sure seemed like word traveled fast.
I was quiet for a while, worried that if I brought up any more questions, Adam would turn them around on me. I wasn't ready to answer questions about my time with the Rose Circus, especially if he asked about Brenon.
Joe broke the silence. "So, this place we're going. This mysterious benefactor, it isn't a Fae, right? I mean, I might be new to all this, but so far what I'm getting is that the Fae are bad."
"Pretty much," Adam said. "And no, we're not going to see any Fae."
Joe leaned forward so he pressed against my seat. He lowered his voice. "Ara."
I turned around so he could whisper in my ear. "I think we should see who this person is. But if we get there and you feel like it's bad, you start running, I'll follow."
I smiled. "You got it."
Chapter 5
It was almost midnight when we arrived at a small, white farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Adam turned off the engine. "We're here."
When I stepped out of the car, the air felt thick and damp, reminding me of the later summer humidity back home in Chicago. Crickets chirped and the wind blew the tall yellow grass that bordered the neat, green lawn. An abandoned tricycle and a few other children's toys dotted the ground as we walked toward the front door.
Joe moved up next to me. "Remember what I said?"
I nodded. The toys were either the sign of a sweet family living here or a psycho who wanted to attract children. At this point, neither would surprise me. A light flickered on next to the front door, and it swung open. I couldn't make out the details of the person standing behind the screen door.
"Adam, that you?" An older woman's voice cut through the quiet night air.
I tensed and stopped walking. I knew that voice. My jaw clenched, and I balled my hands into fists. Without waiting for Joe or Adam, I pushed past them and marched up to the front door to find myself staring face to face with my Aunt Kay. The woman who abandoned Ryder and me after she cleaned out and sold everything my parents owned.
She smiled at me. "Thank the gods you're safe, Arabella."
Hands on my hips, I glared at her. She was the only one who knew me who used my full name. She was also technically family, though being my adopted father's sister, we weren't related by blood. I had hoped our awkward interaction at my parents' funeral was going to be the last time I saw her. "You have some nerve."
"Arabella, you have to let me explain. Come in, have some tea." She stepped back into the house, holding the door open for me to enter. I stood frozen on the porch. I didn't want to go anywhere with her.
Adam went through the door and spoke to my Aunt Kay. "Told you she'd be pissed."
"Thanks, Adam. Where's Maggie?" Aunt Kay asked.
"Stayed to fight the wolves. You were right, they were tracking her." Adam disappeared into the house.
Joe joined me on the porch.
"Who's this?" Aunt Kay asked, nodding at Joe.
"My friend, Joe," I said.
"Well, come on in, Joe. Arabella quit being so damn stubborn and get in this house. We have a lot to talk about."
Part of me wanted to just make a run for it. She was one of the long list of people who had betrayed me over the years. The last thing I wanted to do was spend any time with her. But somehow, she was involved in all of this, and she'd sent people to find me. With a sigh, I walked through the door.
Aunt Kay led us into a sitting room with couches covered in the most awful yellow paisley pattern I'd ever seen. In the middle of the room was a tray of tea and cookies. "Since when did you play the nice old aunt?"
She winced and a look of pain crossed her face. "You know, keeping my distance from you has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do." She motioned to the couch. "Please sit."
I sat down on the couch, and Joe sat next to me. He stayed close, his leg right up against mine. It was as if he was letting me know he wasn't going anywhere. I appreciated his support. He'd heard the stories about my aunt, and I was sure he hated her as much as I did.
Adam grabbed a cookie off the plate and stretched out across a love seat, chewing the cookie as he stared at me. I turned away from him and watched Aunt Kay. She sat down in a matching paisley covered chair.
The room was uncomfortably silent for a moment as we all stared at each other. Finally, Aunt Kay spoke, "As you know, you're not a normal human."
In the last twenty-four hours, my whole world had been turned upside down. It was one thing to find out that magic was real and that magical creatures existed. It was a whole different thing to find out that you are one of them. I narrowed my eyes at my aunt.
"Yeah, I got that." I couldn't help but snap at her. "What I don't get is how you are involved in all of this and why you didn't say something to me sooner."
"I know it's hard to see, but I have been trying to protect you your whole life." Aunt Kay blew out a breath. "Here goes, your birth mother was my sister."
I opened my mouth to object, and she raised her hand to stop me. "Hear me out."
I closed my mouth and lifted my eyebrows, not convinced I was going to like what she had to say.
"Our family comes from the ancient line of Sayges. Our great-great-great grandmother is the one who exiled the Fae five hundred years ago when she cursed Brenon and his court. Your mother and I were raised around magic, but your mother was never able to channel any. Angry and feeling cut off from the rest of the magical beings, she went to Terra for help, eventually joining her cause. We were heartbroken when she made that choice." Aunt Kay looked down at her lap and wiped a tear away.
A flicker of guilt rose in the pit of my stomach, but I wasn't ready to give up being angry at my aunt yet.
She looked up at me. "But when she found out she was pregnant with you, she realized she didn't want you involved. So she ran. She died giving birth to you, and I was able to find a family to take you in. Your adopted father was from a Sayge family that was in touch with the community, but no longer practiced. And I know he loved you like you were his very own."
I blinked a few times, not sure what to make of the story. "I already knew this. I mean, my parents told me that my birth mother died in childbirth. Why tell me this again? Other than to let me know you lied to me about how you were related to me."
"Because you should know that your mother ran to protect you. And because you should know the truth about your father," Aunt Kay said.
"They told me my father was some random one-night stand who didn't even know I existed."
"He was much more than a one-night stand, but I do think your mother kept the truth of her departure from him. If he had known he had a child, he would have found you years ago." Aunt Kay tugged at her fingers. She seemed to be struggling to say anything more.
"I take it he's not human." I slumped back against the sofa, feeling exhausted. Wasn't my life already complicated enough finding out that my mother had been magical?
Joe grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it. I glanced over at him, thankful to have someone with me who was part of the world I was used to knowing. Someone with no magic powers or curses or anything else surprising. I lifted my eyebrows as I stared at my aunt. "Just say it."
She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "His name is Tristan."
My face fell, and I could feel the color draining away. My hand went limp, dropping from Joe's. "No, it can't be."
"You've heard of him?" Aunt Kay asked.
"I've met him. I can't be his daughter. He's ..." I couldn't find the words I wanted to explain everything that was spinning through my head.
"He's one of the high lords of the Fae. One of the strongest
and temperamental creatures I've ever met."
I thought back to our meeting in the parking lot of the rest stop. He seemed powerful and frightening to me. And he'd flirted with me. My stomach churned in disgust. Was he really my father? "He must have hundreds of children."
Aunt Kay shrugged. "Perhaps. I'm not sure what is rumor and what is truth when it comes to him. From what I heard, he considered your mother his soul mate. He was devastated when she left him."
"How did she keep the pregnancy a secret?" I asked. "Wouldn't he have known?"
"I'm not sure. But the fact that he hasn't found you yet makes me think he never knew."
I sat in silence for a moment, staring at nothing. My adopted parents had given me so much love. They cared for me and treated me the same as their biological son. I rarely even thought of the fact that I was adopted. Sure, I'd wondered about my birth father, but I never thought I'd meet him one day.
I'd been told my mother had loved me, but due to complications, she had died bringing me into this world. I grew up thinking that my father had never wanted me. Now I was finding out I did have a parent out there, and he was one of the most powerful Fae alive. I looked at Aunt Kay. "You sure about this?"
She nodded.
"I need to talk to him," I said.
"I don't think that's wise," she said.
"That's one of the few things I have going for me, Aunt Kay, my ability to make terrible choices."
She pursed her lips and stared at me for a moment. "Where were you going before you came here?"
I pulled the card out of my pocket and handed it to her. "I met this Sayge, Gia. She told me if I ever needed anything I could go to her."
Aunt Kay took the card, eyebrows raised in a skeptical expression. "Did you say Gia?"
"Yes."
She looked at the card, then handed it back to me with a sigh. "This is much more complicated than I could have imagined. How did you meet her?"
"We met on the Circus train. Why? Who is she?"
"She's a rogue. A powerful Sayge who refuses to belong." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "What was she doing at the Circus?"
"She healed me." I hesitated, not sure if I should explain the contract I saw pass between Gia and the Ringmaster. It didn't seem like something that would look favorable on Gia, so I kept my mouth shut. I didn't know her, but she had helped me when I was injured.
Aunt Kay handed me the card. "You're better off here, with us. Gia's bad news."
I slid the card back in my pocket. At the moment, I wasn't sure who to believe, but I wasn't ready to choose sides.
Chapter 6
I stared at my aunt, still not wanting to like anything about her. She might have been keeping her distance because she thought it was best for me, but she'd lied to me my whole life. If she'd told me the truth about who I was, I may have avoided the time spent with the Rose Circus. I would have been better prepared. "This is all your fault, you know."
"I did the best I could," she said.
"No, you did what you thought was easiest. You could have helped me. You could have taken me in, taught me about my family. Instead, I grew up looking for something to fill the void." At least that was what my therapist had said was my reason for partying too much. I never believed her until this moment.
Suddenly, I realized how much time I had spent trying to fit in. I had thought it was the usual teenage self-exploration and that my therapist was a nutcase. Now, I realized that there must have been a part of me that knew I wasn't the same as the other kids.
"It broke my heart to let you go. I always planned on you coming to stay with me when you showed an aptitude for magic, but you never did."
"So that's what this was about?" I shook my head. "You didn't want me around if I couldn't be of use?"
"It's not like that. I wanted you here with me, but I thought it would be easier for you if you didn't know. Your mother could never use magic, and it broke her."
"Ara," Joe placed his hand on my shoulder. "Remember what I said earlier? Sometimes, people really are trying to help you."
I glared at him. "You're taking her side?"
"I'm always on your side. You know that. Your aunt might not have made the right choice, but she did what she thought was best for you. Nobody is perfect."
I looked from Joe to my aunt. Her lips formed a tight line and her brow furrowed. She was waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry."
Her shoulders dropped, and she smiled. "I'm sorry, too. Please know, that I'm here for you. Anything you need."
"You know, Kay's been using most of her magic to hide you since you were born." Adam was sitting on the love seat now. He looked at me, eyebrows raised.
"Shh, Adam," Kay said.
"What do you mean?" I looked from Adam to my aunt. "What's he talking about?"
Aunt Kay let out a sigh. "I worried that Tristan or Terra would try to find you. So I've been keeping your magical signature hidden. Well, up until you broke through it."
I blinked a few times, recalling the rush I felt when I released the lightning I had taken from Terra.
"Have you noticed anything different about the supernaturals you see from the humans you see?" Aunt Kay waited patiently. The whole room was quiet.
I glanced over at Adam. Like in the bar, he had a faint glow around him. Looking over at Aunt Kay, I noticed that she had a faint glow, also. I hadn't seen it at first. "They glow."
She nodded. "You'll notice that all supernatural creatures have a different aura than humans. The more in tune you are with your own magic, the better you'll be able to identify it. Soon, you'll know if you're looking at a Sayge, a Fae, or another creature."
"So we are getting involved in this thing," Adam said.
My head snapped over to where he stood next to the love seat. His relaxed demeanor gone.
"We were involved the minute you saved her from Terra's wolves," Aunt Kay said.
Adam ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't going to be easy."
"I know," she said. "But it was the wrong decision to avoid it for so long. It was a matter of time before Terra found a way around the curse. And we can't count on Brenan's abstinence forever."
My insides twisted at the mention of Brenon. I didn't want to care about him, but the words came out before I could stop them. "What's going to happen to him?"
Aunt Kay's face scrunched up for a second. "To Brenon?"
I nodded.
"If Terra has her way, she'll kill him and take his magic." Aunt Kay narrowed her eyes. "You know he was using you, right? He wanted to turn you against Terra. We don't think he has the same agenda as Terra, but you can't trust any of them."
"I know," I said. "But it seems like you might need to choose sides. I mean, how are we going to defeat them without the help of the other?"
"There might be a way to end all the Fae," she said.
"What?" My mouth dropped open in disbelief. Brenon and Terra might be manipulative and terrible, but not everyone I met was bad. "You can't possibly be talking about all the Fae. You can't do that."
"There aren't many of them left," Adam said. "And it might come down to them or the humans. We can't let Terra get back to Faerie. Who knows what kind of monsters were trapped there."
I swallowed down my desire to say more and looked over at Joe. His jaw clenched, and he looked like he was holding back his words, too. Each side of this war had given me a different story. Terra told me she wanted to go home, Brenon told me he wanted to stop Terra from getting back to Faerie, and my aunt wanted to kill all the Fae. There was an awful lot of groups wanting to kill the other.
"Look," Aunt Kay stood. "It's been a long day for you. Why don't you get some rest? I've got a guest room the two of you can stay in. We can talk more in the morning."
I looked over at Joe. I'd dragged him along on this crazy adventure. If I'd been thrown into this as he had, I would want out of here as fast as possible. "You doing okay?"
Joe stood, and offered
a hand. "I'm fine. And your aunt is right, you need to rest. Come on."
We followed Aunt Kay upstairs to the small guest room. Pink and green swirling paisley patterns covered the walls on a faded wallpaper. A green and yellow paisley bedspread covered the bed. The woman had an obsession with the design.
Once we'd said our goodnights and closed the door, Joe and I sat on the end of the bed. "I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this."
Joe laughed. "Ara, will you stop it? You know I'd do anything for you. I'm glad you don't have to go through this alone."
I leaned my forehead against his chest, and he pulled me in for a hug. The warmth helped to calm my racing mind. After hugging him back, I stepped away. "Thanks."
"Any time," Joe said. "Try to think of something else for a while, okay?"
Easier said than done. There were so many questions in my head. If Aunt Kay was telling the truth, I wasn't just a Sayge, I was half Fae. And my father was a Fae who traveled in a flock of Crows. I shivered at the thought. Could all the Fae turn into birds?
Squeezing my eyes closed, I wanted to think of something else. Something pleasant. The first thing that came to mind was Brenon and the feel of his lips pressed against mine.
Chapter 7
I woke up freezing and rolled over to see Joe wrapped up in all of the blankets. We'd never shared a bed before, and I would never have pegged him as a cover hog. Rubbing my arms to warm them up, I stared at the ceiling for a moment while I considered if I should steal the covers back or just get up.
Sunlight was pouring in through the pale pink curtains that were blissfully free of paisleys. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, stretching. I wondered how long it would be before I'd get to wake up in my bed. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. Thanks to Brenan and his circus, I didn't have a bed or a home. I leaned over, resting my head in my hands. If I wanted to get back to having a home again, I'd need to be safe to stay in one place without being hunted. Was I at risk from Brenon? Was he looking for me? Or was it just Terra who was chasing me?
