The Portal to Sidhe: Book 1

by Kelsey Schaeffer

  As they were walking away, my father yelled back at me, “Check on Lauren and Allison and bring them to the mansion.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “We’ll go check on the other fairies,” Delia said

  As soon as Delia and Victor left, I fetched my unharmed grandmother and aunt, and the three of us headed to the mansion. It was late, but the mansion was full of town member’s. Most everyone looked unharmed, but there were a few members with bandages.

  Maria found me and said, “Miranda I’m glad you’re okay! I’m making sure everyone is okay. How’s your father?”

  “He’s fine. He helped Nathen to Dr. Glintin’s office. He was had part of a tree fall on him.”

  “Is he doing okay?” Maria asked.

  “I think so. He’s acting pretty touch.”

  Maria laughed, “I haven’t seen Delia, Victor and Damon. Are they okay?”

  “Yes, they are all fine. Is everyone else okay? Is anyone hurt?”

  “No one badly injured. Debris and branches hit a few. No one was hospitalized.”

  “That’s a relief!” I cried.

  Maria walked away and I went to sit with my grandmother in the sitting room. On the way there, I passed by Ben. When he noticed me, he immediately looked my way and grinned. It was odd, but I quickly smiled in return. I headed to the sitting room and sat with my grandmother until my father arrived.

  “Let’s head home,” he said. “It’s late and you need some sleep. What a way to remember your graduation.” He chuckled.

  The next day, my father had the town cleaned up just as quickly as the unusual tornado had swept through. Work crews and volunteers worked from morning until night cleaning up debris and fallen tress until our charming town was perfect once more. The storms continued on each day as the week passed by. High winds blew through the night as rain trickled from the sky. An occasional moment of relief allowed the sun to shine from behind the clouds, but it seemed that the weather was going to be bad this year.

  Damon and I had always been close, but the tornado had brought the two of us closer together that night. Being in his arms had made me feel safe and secure. I knew that most of the older town members had been through tragic events, but the tornado was the scariest thing I had ever witnessed, even though the damage was minimal. Nathen and the others who had been injured all recovered quickly, and no one was sent to the hospital.

  The rest of the week, Damon and I spent day and night together. Damon and I practically lived at each other’s homes the entire week. He even slept on my couch one night. I think he feared when I became Queen, I would no longer have time for him, but Damon was always welcome at the mansion.

  The evening before orientation, Damon and I were sitting on my couch watching a movie. As the movie went on, I could feel him inching closer and closer. Finally I could feel his shoulder touching mine. I felt a bit awkward by his closeness, but I promised him I would give him a chance. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he put his arm around me. I felt warm and cozy by his embrace, but I felt nervous by his touch. In my entire life, I had never been intimate with a man, not even a kiss.

  He held me tight until the very end of the movie. When the movie ended, he didn’t move. Instead he leaned his face towards mine. I could see his blue eyes sparkling from the dim glow of the television. I could feel his face growing closer to mine as I felt the warmth of his breath. Finally, when he couldn’t come any closer, I felt his lips caress mine. His kiss was like nothing I had ever felt in my life. It tasted like something wonderful and sweet and I hungered for more. I kissed him back, a bit harder this time. When he felt my intensity, he kissed me even harder, while his arms held me tight. I had never kissed before, but the kiss came so naturally, it wasn’t weird or awkward in any way.

  After several minutes of kissing, he laid me down on the couch as he climbed on top of me. He caressed my cheek as he gazed into my eyes. As he looked at me, his eyes sparkled and I felt possessed by their intensity. He took his hand and held it out. He rubbed his fingers together and as he exposed his palm, a small glowing ball of light appeared. It was so beautiful; I smiled and he laughed. I had never seen Damon use his magic before, as younger fairies typically don’t begin to use their magic until they are eighteen.

  The two of us watched the glowing ball for several moments before he took it and touched it to my bare arm. He pushed the glow down my arm as if he was rolling a small ball down it. It felt amazing, like nothing I had ever felt before, and it made me want Damon more than ever. I pulled his head towards me and kissed him once more. The two of us continued to kiss, while he rubbed his glowing magic into my arms.

  After several moments of kissing and playing with magic, he reached his hand underneath my shirt and touched my bare shoulder. I felt the magic touch my skin as it sent chills down my spine. I shivered as he ran his hand down my back. I felt him take hold of my bra clasp and pull my bra off from underneath my shirt. He quickly reached his hands around and began to slowly caress my breasts. I could feel his hands tremble in fear as he slowly pulled off my shirt.

  Once I was completely topless, he slowly took off the remainder of my clothing and used the dim lighting to gaze at my naked body. I felt a bit uncomfortable by his observation, so I pulled him on top of me and began to kiss him once more. As we kissed, I pulled off his shirt and felt his bar chest against me. The sensation of his skin against me, sent chills up and down my spine.

  My aggressiveness gave Damon the confidence he needed to pull of the remainder of his clothing. He stood undressed for seconds before he climbed on top of me. I could feel the warmth of his skin as he lowered himself onto me. Completely lost by desire, we continued to kiss passionately as our bodies pressed together.

  Just as I felt my virginity fading away I cried, “Wait, wait!”

  Damon jumped off me as reality kicked in and he grabbed a blanket.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I just couldn’t…stop. I love you Miranda…so much.”

  I felt my cheeks turn to pink, but I didn’t know what to say, “It’s okay,” I replied, “I’m just not ready for this yet.”

  “I understand.” He said as he gazed into my eyes.

  I quickly changed the subject as I put my clothing back on. “When did you start using magic?” I asked.

  “Just about a week ago. I was visiting with Nikolaus and he showed me a few things. I have been reading my new magic books and stuff, and this is something I learned. It is attraction energy.”

  “So you seduced me with magic?”

  “No…I mean…I wasn’t trying to. I thought you would like it.”

  “I did like it. But let's slow down.”

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Have you discovered your superhuman powers yet?”

  I frowned, “No, I have no idea what my superpowers are. Sometimes I feel warmth and energy from others touch. I can run fast and I’m stronger than most humans, but that is every superhuman. Maybe I have no powers at all.”

  “Our course you have powers! Maybe the two of us could work on our powers together. I am half superhuman too. I still don’t know my powers. Maybe our fathers could help us. “

  “I’m sure my dad would love that!” I laughed. “I’ll talk to him later.”

  It was starting to get late. Damon rolled over next to me as the two of us held one another on the couch. Only moments later, we fell asleep.

  I woke up and saw the sun was finally shining through the window bringing warmth and happiness into my bedroom. I had forgotten to set an alarm for my orientation. As soon as I moved, Damon bolted awake and jumped from the couch.

  “Oh shit!” he cried, “Your dad is going to freak out!”

  “My dad doesn’t care Damon. How many times have you slept on my couch?”

  “But not with you?”

  “How would he even know?”

  “You have a point,” he laughed, but he still loo
ked nervous.

  “He is going to freak out if I’m late to orientation though.”

  “Oh no,” he said with a look of worry on his face.

  I quickly went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I took the quickest shower I could and dressed myself fast. When I was ready to go, I saw Damon was still waiting in the sitting room.

  “Don’t you start warrior training today?” I asked.

  “I thought we could go together, I have…” he looked at his phone, “three minutes.”

  The two of us bolted down the stairs and out the door. My father would already be at the mansion. We jogged to the mansion, which was right across the street. As soon as we entered the mansion, Damon kissed my cheek and headed to the basement where the warriors trained. I headed to Maria’s office. I still had a half hour.

  My father was already waiting in the office and he smiled profusely as I entered. I soon realized I had nothing to eat; I had been in such a hurry.

  “I forgot to eat,” I said, looking at my father.

  “Oh that is no problem at all!” Maria cried, “Let me call Nancy and have her bring you breakfast. Anything sound good? We have bagels, bacon and eggs, toast…”

  “A bagel would be great!”

  Maria picked up her phone and pressed a button, a few moments later she requested a few bagels be brought to her office. After a few moments, Nancy, the mansion caretaker, entered with a tray of bagels, butter and cream cheese, and a few glasses of orange juice. Maria thanked her and the three of us enjoyed a few bagels as we made small talk. Shortly after eating, Brandon entered her office. Nathen joined us right on time.

  It was eight o’clock and Maria began an introduction. The fairies, Ayden and Addison who were on the council as well, would be joining later in the afternoon. Maria announced the first part of orientation would be the tour. I had been in the mansion many times, but there were parts of the mansion I had never seen. I had actually lived in the mansion with my father until I was five years old, but I only had vague memories of the living quarters and other areas of the home.

  The first floor and the mansion basement were public areas. The ballroom was on the first floor and it was where the ball was held each year. Other parties and meetings were often held in the ballroom as well. There was a conference room where several important meetings took place. Like our home, the first floor had a parlor where guests and residents could relax and socialize. There was a massive gourmet kitchen, where meals were cooked for residents as well as guests. Off the kitchen, was a small breakfast nook, where the residents could eat their meal. The first floor also had several offices for the King and Queen and the council members. Although my father had a home office, he had an office in the mansion as well.

  Maria guided me down to the basement where I had only been a few times. The basement was mostly for security and the warriors. Virgo and Sophia had a small office in the basement next to the training room, where the Warriors met everyday to train.

  The two of us peeped in on the warriors. I saw Sophia and Virgo speaking with Damon, as it was his first day. There were four other Warriors, Melody, Mark, Dave and Laura. All of the Warriors except Damon were close to my dad’s age. Very soon, some of the younger town members would be joining the warriors, so the older members could step down and retire. The vampires helped the warriors on occasion, but did not train with them, as they did not need it.

  Next to the training room was a security room, where the warrior on duty would stay. The room had a few comforts, like a mini fridge and couch for the overnight guard. The room was mostly full of screens that monitored each area of the mansion, except the bedrooms and bathrooms. There was also a camera at the front of town. It seemed overkill, but my father said too many lives were lost and the town was almost destroyed once. He took no risk.

  There was a holding cell next door to the security room. It was kept for many purposes, but Maria said it was rarely used. The cell was just a bedroom that was locked from the outside.

  The final part of the basement was the safe house.

  The safe house is always kept stocked,” Maria said, “If the town is under attack, this house can save many lives.”

  I had never been in the safe house before, but Maria showed me how it worked. She stood still as a beam scanned her eye. I heard a click and the door opened. I was pretty impressed. Maria let me know, later today, Sophia would set me up for full security. She told me all the warriors, The King and Queen and the Council had access to the safe house.

  I was impressed by the safe house; Maria explained how the entire safe house had a backup generator that would last several days. The room also had a fail-safe and could use waste product to create energy to keep the generator running. She told me the safe house was almost indestructible and had several methods of airflow.

  The safe house had a restroom with a shower, and a small kitchen with running water. It had several bunks and a pile of cots against the wall. There was also a supply closet with an abundance of food, batteries, flashlights, bottled water and medical supplies. She let me know the entire town could survive in the safe house for at least a month and possibly up to a year. She also told me, the mansion was practically indestructible as well. The windows had been coated with bombproof film and the walls were fireproof.

  I was so impressed by everything Maria had shown me so far. My father had worked with some of the best engineers and security professionals on the west coast to rebuild the mansion after my mother died. My father never spared an expense when it came to keeping the town safe.

  After an exciting tour of the lower level, Maria took me upstairs. I had not been on the second floor since I was five. The second floor consisted of a giant hallway with many doors. The second floor was the private living quarters and was extremely fancy. I always thought my father and I lived in a fine home, but the mansion was even better.

  Most of the rooms were guest rooms, each decorated with beautiful furniture and fine decor. Each bedroom had a private bathroom. Maria let me know, it was important to open the mansion for town members when they were in need. The final room on the right had been my nursery many years ago. It was now Brandon and Maria’s youngest daughter’s bedroom. I had vague memories of playing in the room as a child. I smiled as she shut the door.

  The final room at the very end of the hall had the largest door and was the master suite. The master suite was the most private room in the house where the King and Queen could enjoy their own space. The door opened to a large sitting room with couches and recliners to relax. An entire wall in the sitting room was completely engulfed with bookshelves. Nestled in between the bookshelves was a cozy fireplace. There was a large flat screen television above the fireplace. Maria went to the bookshelf and opened a cabinet at the bottom; to my surprise it was a mini fridge.

  “Luxury,” Maria said, “a perk of being Queen!”

  There was another door in the sitting room, which led to the bedroom. The bedroom was massive and a giant king size bed was the centerpiece of the room. Above the bed was a beautiful sparkling crystal chandelier sending light dazzling in every direction. All the furniture was large and made of beautiful solid cherry wood. The walls were tan with a glistening gold tint and the carpet was a cream color with a gold design. The bedroom was an indulgence of rich luxury and visual desire. Maria informed me she would leave the decor as is, and I could change what I wanted as I preferred. I smiled, because I couldn’t believe in a few weeks, this would all be mine.

  The bedroom was not without enormous closets and a hidden safe. There was a monumental bathroom attached to the bedroom. The bathroom had a gigantic walk in shower with several showerheads spraying in multiple directions. It looked amazing. There was a massive claw foot soaking tub in the middle of the bathroom with another astonishing chandelier directly above. I was mesmerized by the amount of luxury that would be thrust upon me in a matter of weeks.

  The master suite had concluded our tour and Maria and I headed back
to the office where the men awaited us. For the next few hours the four went over town rules and safety. Maria and Brandon had stacks of guidelines for the town. It was a lot of information, but my father let me know that the council would always be here to help me along the way.

  Around noon, Addison and Ayden, the two council fairies, joined us and we had a nice steak lunch in the conference room. After lunch, Nathen and my father took a break while the fairies continued the orientation. We went over more rules and guidelines. I was exhausted and overwhelmed by the information. Finally at seven o’clock, Maria excused me for the evening and reminded me, we would continue again tomorrow.

  Damon had left a few hours before I, so my father and I walked home. He asked me how I felt and I told him I was very overwhelmed. He laughed and explained that the council was set in place for a reason. He told me the town burden was never mine alone.

  When we arrived home, my father and I sat quietly together in the library, reading to decompress from an overwhelming day. After several minutes of being heavily indulged in a novel, the doorbell rang. The chimes of the doorbell brought my mind back to reality, from the deep engagement with my book. Without thought, I quickly jumped to answer the door expecting Damon. I did not think to look before swinging open the door.

  It was a great surprise to see a strange man standing on our front porch. The man was tall, but not as tall as my dad. He looked to be late middle-aged with a few wrinkles on his face. He had dark blond hair with only a few greys swaying between the golden strands. He had dazzling green eyes; eyes that instantly looked familiar. He looked recognizable in a sense, but I didn’t know who he was.

  Before I did anything, I remembered what my father taught me. I reached my hand out towards his and he shook my hand. I felt a zap as his hand embraced mine. The feeling was frightening, but calming all at the same time.

  I knew something wasn’t right, so I stepped back and said, “Can I help you?”

  The man had a spellbinding smile as he said, “I’m looking for my daughters.”