by Kiki Howell
What would you do if you found out that you weren’t like everyone else?
That you were special, but only in a way no one could find out about?
What lengths would you go to prove yourself to your family? A family that you didn’t know you had?
Morrigana was moving through life with a part-time, minimum wage job, and only a handful of friends. She was different from other people and they treated her that way. However, she was happy with her life until the day she met Kheelan; that is when her life was turned upside down. She finds out that she isn’t even human, and that a family she wasn’t aware she had needed her to complete a mission. As Morrigana and Kheelan's adventure progresses, will their focus on business remain professional or will their growing passion take over?
Foreword
I’D KNOWN MY WHOLE life that I wasn’t like everybody else; I had felt it deep in the marrow of my bones. What I didn’t know was how different I truly was. When I finally found out the secret to my being it rocked me to my core. I wasn’t even human. There wasn’t a single shred of human DNA running through my veins. Hearing that had me questioning my entire life up to that moment of revelation. On one hand, it explained a lot of my mannerisms and the need to keep everyone at arm’s length; on the other hand, it made me wonder why my family would leave me to the whims of humans.
The day of my revelation had started out fairly tame...until I met Him. I was at work, going about my business, when he walked in. And of course, he had to sit in my section. All of this happened about ten minutes before my break and I was ready to take some time to myself away from the hustle and bustle of the diner. However, since I still had ten minutes left I had no choice but to go to his table, give him a menu and actually do what I was being paid to do.
Chapter One
MORRIGANA WAS LEANING against the diner counter and cursing the minute hand on the clock when He walked in. She tore her gaze away from the evil circle that was slowly ticking away and watched the male patron cautiously, praying that he would sit in the other waitress’s section. But Lady Luck had never been that kind to her, so when he sat in her section Morrigana simply sighed and made her way over to the new customer, a menu tucked under her arm and her order pad in hand.
“Hello, my name is Morrigana and I’ll be your waitress this afternoon. What can I get you started with?” Morrigana said with fake cheerfulness as she set the menu on the table in front of the customer.
He looked up from the tabletop he’d been inspecting and gave her a smile. Pulling the menu closer, he opened it, his gaze never leaving Morrigana’s face. She tried to pretend she didn’t notice the intensity in his eyes by looking bored, wrenching her gaze away from his and examining her nails.
The customer’s gaze finally left her face as he looked down at his menu, “I’ll take a Dr. Pepper, please. Easy ice.”
Morrigana jotted his drink order down on her pad as he continued to study the menu, “Sure thing. I’ll be right back with your drink.”
As she walked to the kitchen she felt as if the man’s eyes were burning a hole in her back. However, when she looked over her shoulder as she rounded the corner, he was looking down, seemingly scanning his menu.
Morrigana shrugged it off and picked up a clean glass, going through the motions of placing a small amount of ice into it and then setting it under the soda fountain to fill it with Dr. Pepper.
She returned to his table carrying the filled glass and set it down next to his right elbow, “Are you ready to order?”
He looked her right in the eye and replied, “Yes, but what I want isn’t on your menu.”
The customer gave her a wink and reached out for her, gauging her reaction.
Morrigana quickly moved out of his reach, “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
The look of surprise on the man’s face suggested that she’d moved faster than he had anticipated, “We have some important things to discuss, you and I.”
She tapped her order pad with her pen, “The only thing we’re discussing, Mister, is what you want to eat.”
He sat back and eyed her tapping pen, “If that is going to be my foot in the door, so to speak, then I’ll have the waffles and a side of strawberries.”
Morrigana quickly wrote his order down and turned on her heel, intent on getting away from the customer quickly, This guy is a fucking loon! Good thing my break is only a few minutes away. Hopefully I can push this fruit loop onto Carly and take my break a couple of minutes early after I turn in his order.
The customer grabbed her wrist, causing her to turn around and look at him, breaking her out of her thoughts as she glared at the hand that was wrapped around her wrist.
His grip tightened slightly, “I wasn’t kidding when I said we had some important things to talk about, Morrigana. What time do you get off?”
Morrigana eyed him warily, wondering what his issue was, “I don’t even know you! Why the hell would I tell you what time I get off of work? I mean, seriously, what’s your deal, Bub? What could we possibly have to talk about?”
The man gave her a secret smile, not put off by her demeanor in the slightest, “I know what you really are and why you feel so different; so separated from everyone around you. Except, I can’t tell you here, with all of these people around. Please tell me what time you get off? What I have to tell you is very important. Besides, what have you really got to lose?”
Morrigana yanked her wrist out of the man’s grip, “Yeah? I know what I really am too. Want to know what that is? Really annoyed with how pushy you’re being and starting to get pissed off. Now I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do; I’m going to turn your order into our cook and take my break. Hopefully I’ll calm down before I have to deal with you again.”
The customer opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, “Don’t push your luck, buddy. Just sit there and keep your mouth shut. Carly will take care of you while I’m gone.”
Morrigana turned on her heel once more and stomped off in the direction of the kitchen, Some people. I don’t care what Mitchel says, I’m taking my break three minutes early and he can just deal.
She rounded the corner and placed the order ticket on the rack sitting on the counter that divided the kitchen from the rest of the diner, “Got a waffle order for you, Hal. With a side of strawberries.”
Hal grunted his acknowledgement and plucked the ticket up.
Carly came out of the kitchen area while Morrigana was walking towards the rear door, “And just where do you think you’re going?”
Morrigana sighed, “It’s time for my break and I’m definitely ready to take it.”
Carly shook her head, “Uh-uh, you still have three minutes before your break officially starts, and I believe I heard you placing a waffle order that needs delivering before you take off.”
It was Morrigana’s turn to shake her own head, “Oh hell no! After the customer I just dealt with I’m taking my break three minutes early. Come on, Carly, do me a solid? I’ve covered for you millions of times when you’ve ducked out early. I think it’s time you return the favor.”
Carly looked over her shoulder, searching for their boss, “Shhh girl! Are you trying to get me fired? Fine, fine. I tell you what; why don’t you go top off your customer’s drinks and then take your break. I’ll cover for you while you’re out.”
Morrigana gave her a quick hug, startling them both as she wasn’t known to be affectionate, “Thanks, sweets! I totally appreciate this.”
She made sure her apron was tied snug as she rounded the counter to check on her customers.
Making sure to top off everyone in her station, she saved the gentleman who’d been so pushy for last, “Would you like a refill on your Dr. Pepper?”
The gentleman looked up, trying to gauge Morrigana’s mood, “If it’s not too much to ask.”
Morrigana forced herself to smile, “Of course not. I’ll be right back.”
She picked up his glass and headed for the soda foun
tain behind the counter. As she added a small amount of ice, she looked around for a napkin. Locating one, she pulled her pen out of her apron pocket and wrote:
I get off work at seven. You can meet me in the rear parking lot, next to the Egyptian Blue Camaro and we’ll go someplace more private to talk.
Morrigana
She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was curious as to what the gentleman had to say concerning her origins.
Folding the napkin in half, Morrigana picked up the customer’s fresh soda and slid a small stack of the paper product under the glass, making sure that her note was on top. She walked slowly towards his table, once again checking in with her other customers and letting them know that Carly would be taking care of them while she was on break.
Setting the glass of the fizzy brown liquid down in front of the gentleman she nodded toward his glass as the ice cubes clinked together, “Here you go, sir. Carly should be bringing your meal shortly. And I took the liberty of making sure you had extra napkins.”
The gentleman picked up his glass and saw the stack of the product in question. He picked the folded napkin up and smoothed it out, reading the short note. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he looked up to find that Morrigana was no longer standing next to his table.
Chapter Two
KHEELAN WATCHED MORRIGANA as she walked into the rear of the diner to take her break. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to tell her about her origins, he just knew he no longer had a choice. Now that she had taken the bait and let her curiosity get the better of her he wouldn’t be able to put it off any longer. Kheelan was running out of time and his father was getting rather impatient with his last remaining son. It didn’t help matters that the leader of the Dréggors Clan had chosen his son’s warrior training assignment himself. The training assignments were crucial to the clan because they helped the leader handpick the best warriors to defend Faerie. Kheelan’s assignment was more important than other warriors of the clan because he needed to prove to his father, and his people, that he had the skills needed to take over when his father finally stepped down. Unfortunately for Kheelan, his assignment was proving to be more than he had bargained for.
When his father had approached him about his mission, he had thought it would be a simple matter of approaching the girl, telling her what she was and helping her with the coming of age mission that her people expect of their young at a certain age. Of course, that wasn’t good enough for his father; he had to add to his son’s assignment. Kheelan was expected to return Morrigana to her to her family after she completed her mission. Kheelan was discovering that it wasn’t going to be as easy as he had assumed it would be. Regardless of the difficulty of the assignment ahead of him, Kheelan owed it to his people, as well as himself, to complete it as efficiently and swiftly as he could.
I will finish this mission and return Morrigana to her people with the news of how strong her powers are even if it kills me, Kheelan vowed with determination as he continued to stare in the direction the lithe woman had gone.
A chunky woman with fiery red hair appeared at his side carrying a tray of food, “Your waffles and strawberries, sir. Would you like anything else?”
The waitress’s voice brought Kheelan out of his thoughts and he looked up with a smile, “Some whipped cream would be nice.”
Carly, at least he assumed the waitress was Carly, gave him a friendly smile, “Sure thing, sugar. Be back in a jiff.”
Kheelan watched as the waitress made her way to the kitchen hoping that Morrigana’s break would be over soon. He really wanted a chance to speak with her once more before he had to leave. The sound of his phone vibrating on the tabletop turned his attention away from Carly’s retreating back.
He pushed a button on the side of the phone to stop the noise after looking at the caller ID, I’m running out of time and father is not going to be happy when he finds out how long it’s taken me to approach this girl. I’ll deal with that problem later though. Right this moment I have to figure out how I’m going to let Morrigana know about her unique heritage.
Carly returned with a small dish filled with a fluffy white substance, “Would you like me to top off your soda?”
He looked from the small bowl of whipped cream to the woman who had set it down in front of him, “No, thank you. I think I’m good until my waitress gets back.”
Kheelan gave her a sexy smile, “Besides I wouldn’t want to take you away from your other customers.”
Carly blushed and nodded, moving on to the next customer who was calling to her. Kheelan stabbed a strawberry with his fork, dipped it in the bowl of whipped cream and took a bite, closing his eyes. He wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t seem to get enough of the strawberries and whipped cream in this realm. Kheelan picked up the maple syrup and drowned his waffles in it, taking a bite of that sugary, sweetness as well. The rich flavor of the syrup mixed with the flakiness of the waffle was a small shock to his taste buds after the tart and sweetness of the whipped cream covered strawberry.
His gaze wandered around the diner, watching the other patrons as they enjoyed their meals and talked with their companions about their day or whatever subject they were passionate about. People watching had become a hobby of Kheelan’s since entering the human realm; it was one of the reasons he had waited so long to approach Morrigana about her heritage, he had wanted to be sure he was able to pass himself off as human, at least until he had delivered the revelation.
He continued to alternate from the strawberries and the waffles while he watched the humans in the diner; Father is going to want me to give him a call and report in tonight. I’ve been avoiding his calls for weeks now and I know he’s not going to be happy. At all. I’ll just have to deal with it the way I always have.
As he continued to watch the humans around him, Kheelan had an idea. Pulling a notebook out of his duffle bag he opened it up to a clean sheet of paper. He looked up from the page, staring into the distance as he chewed the lid of his pen trying to gather his thoughts so he could be sure that what he wrote was concise and to the point.
MORRIGANA STEPPED OUT the rear door of the diner and lit up a cigarette. She inhaled deeply as she leaned against the brick wall and thought of the gorgeous stranger she had agreed to meet at the end of her shift that evening. Morrigana pulled her ear buds and iPod out of her apron pocket and tucked the buds into her ears. She scrolled through her playlist, searching for something that might calm her nerves.
Morrigana settled on Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” and took a long drag off of her cigarette, How ironic. All this time searching for answers and feeling like I was getting nowhere. Then suddenly this handsome stranger waltzes into my diner, wrapped up nicely in an ass-hugging pair of blue jeans and a tight white T-shirt that shows off his finely chiseled abs, claiming to hold the key to unlocking my past? Can it be possible that I’m finally going to find out who I really am after all this time?
She took another drag off her cigarette as a new song started up, one of her favorites, causing her head to bob and her foot to tap. Morrigana’s mind was still spinning with the thought of finding out about her heritage. In her twenty years on Earth she’d never been able to connect with anyone, had never had anything that you could remotely call a best friend or even anyone to confide in. Morrigana supposed one would assume that she’d led a pretty lonely existence however it wasn’t until she turned seventeen that she even realized anything was missing.
She’d grown up living with her aunt, a woman who had taken her in when her parents had died, except she couldn’t say that she was particularly close to her either. Morrigana stared at the burning ash on her cigarette and watched the smoke curl slowly into the air as her foot continued to tap to the music in her ears, thinking about to her teenage years.
Morrigana had been a bit of a rebel once she hit puberty although she had always been a good student. Even though she would sneak out and drink frequently she did her best to keep to herself. Aut
hority figures were never her favorite people but she made sure not to cause many problems; she’d had no desire to draw unwanted attention to herself. There were rumors throughout her school years about the reasons Morrigana was always alone and no matter how much she argued there was no way to change her classmates’ minds, so she just quit trying. Her aunt worried, as most parental figures do when their children act out, except Morrigana was happy just existing. Until existing just wasn’t enough anymore. At seventeen, Morrigana began to crave something she never thought possible; the touch of another. With her fellow students pairing off and becoming couples she realized that she was missing that special connection. Since her classmates had been keeping their distance most of her young life she decided that it was something she would never have.
Pulling her mind out of those painful memories she glanced at her watch and gasped. She was five minutes late returning from her break. Morrigana threw her cigarette onto the asphalt and snuffed it out with her shoe. As she headed into the diner she pulled the ear buds out of her ears and turned her iPod off, returning them to her apron pocket.
“I was just coming to get you, Morrigana. Your break was over five minutes ago,” Carly greeted her as she came through the door.
Morrigana gave her a sheepish smile, “Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. I was lost in my music and time got away from me. It won’t happen again.”
Carly gave her a curt nod, “See that it doesn’t. Now get a move on. Your tables are waiting for you.”
Morrigana stifled a snarl and kept her snarky response to herself as Carly walked past her towards the bathrooms, Bossy bitch. Like she’s never been late returning from break. I guess since I don’t have a boyfriend, or hell even a life, she feels that she can afford to be so high and mighty. Well she’s in for a rude awakening the next time she pulls her shit.
She weaved her way through the kitchen and headed to the front of the diner to check on her customers. Morrigana couldn’t help but look toward the table where the stranger was sitting. She wasn’t expecting the rush of disappointment when she saw that the table was empty. Morrigana smiled when she noticed that he had left her a tip. Her smile grew as she made her way over to the vacated table, telling her regular customers she would be with them momentarily and asking others how they were doing, to collect her tip. While she was pocketing the money, she noticed there was a piece of paper sticking out of the fold. It appeared that a tip wasn’t all the handsome stranger had left for her.
