by Noree Cosper
“You could always come to Bedlam and work on things from there,” the Mara said. “Once what Nimue did comes to light, The Prince of Dreams may look more favorably upon you. Perhaps let you back in Arcadia.”
Rhydian’s brow furrowed. “I’ll think about it. I’ve never felt comfortable in the City of Nightmares, though. And who knows how long all of this will take.”
The Mara laughed again. “Of course not. You’re too soft hearted.”
“By the way,” I said. “Your steward, turned traitor, is a few floors up. You probably want him as well.”
The Mara’s eyes seemed to glitter and an unpleasant smile stretched across her pale face. “Vaughan? Mmm, I was wondering where he got off to.”
“He ran to Nimue when he was found out,” I said.
“I must take him home and give him the warmest welcome.” Her tentacles slithered around Nimue, wrapping her up in a cocoon-like fashion. She glided back into the darkness. “Remember my offer, Rhydian.”
We all stared at the spot she vanished with our breaths held. When she didn’t pop back out, a collective sigh went through the room.
Colin moved back to Eryn, who had started to rouse. She waved him off as she sat up. Dylan had Gwen in his arms and he was bringing her around. Her eyelashes fluttered and she rubbed her face. The frown Eryn wore deepened as her gaze landed on Leri. That was going to be an interesting conversation.
“So, what now?” Dylan looked to me.
Colin stared at the bodies strewn through the cavern. “Well, we need to get these people organized and check on who is injured. Then, they are going to need a place to recover.”
“We’ll build them a sanctuary.” I moved closer to Colin and took his hand in mine.
Colin’s face lit up and he reached down to touch my cheek. “No more running?”
I shook my head. “I think it’s time I start helping my people, both sides, instead.”
Out of the corner of my eye, Dylan’s shoulders slumped and he nodded to himself. Gwen got to her feet and held her hand out to him. He took it and stood. Together, they walked to one of the nearby fallen witches and knelt down. Eryn had crawled to Leri and shook her with a quick jerk. Rhydian stepped up and rested a hand on Colin’s shoulder, smiling at me.
“I look forward to getting to know my son’s new love interest,” he said.
“Dad,” Colin said with a groan.
“It’s fine.” I laughed. “I look forward to it, too. I wasn’t the best guest before.”
His eyes widened. “You’re the witch he picked up. I knew you looked familiar. Didn’t have the ears then.”
“Half-witch, actually,” I said.
“So, my son’s not the only one. Intriguing.” Rhydian’s eyes glimmered with something. “As for your sanctuary, I humbly offer the Pleasure Palace as a starting point.”
I raised an eyebrow. “They won’t have to do anything weird, will they?”
Rhydian laughed and rubbed his chin. “No. In fact, I’m giving it to Colin.”
Colin’s brow furrowed. “What about you?”
“I don’t know,” Rhydian said. “I’m not comfortable in Bedlam, but maybe I’ll go there and start working on a way to get my place reinstated in Arcadia. Exile or not, I am still Fae and I witnessed what Nimue did, personally.”
Colin’s gaped. “Dad…”
“You’ve grown up. It’s time.” Rhydian smiled. “Besides, it’s time for me to stop hiding.”
“I…Thank you.”
Leri moaned and rolled over on her side, slapping away Eryn’s hand. Leri pushed herself up into a sitting position. Gwen stood and strode to hover over her sisters. Colin turned his head in their direction with a frown.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“I think she’d be better off at a Respite. I can’t have her near me. Not anymore.” he said. “Her sisters will most likely go with her, so she won’t be alone.”
I nodded. It was as close as he was going to come to forgiving her for her betrayal. I wasn’t even sure I would have gone that far.
“You should talk to them about it.” My gaze landed on Dylan. “I have a few things of my own I have to set right.”
Colin grabbed my hand. “Come back to me?”
“Always.” I smiled at him and pulled away.
I shuffled over to where Dylan was tending to a male witch and knelt down beside him. Dylan leaned forward to listen to something the witch whispered.
“It’s all right,” he told the man. “None of this is your fault.”
“But the Fae…” the witch’s hoarse voice trailed off.
I took the witches hand. “You don’t have to worry. We’ll take you somewhere where you’ll be protected.”
Dylan glanced at me before turning back to the witch. “Can you sit up?”
The man nodded.
“Good.” Dylan got to his feet. “We’ll try to get someone to tend to you as soon as we can.”
I stood and followed Dylan to the lake. He glanced in my direction and one side on his lips quirked in a smile.
“So, you’re Fae?”
“Half, actually,” I said. “Turns out my Dad’s pretty powerful.”
“I think I remember some guy at the Well. Was that him?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Even now, I couldn’t tell him who he really was. Maybe someday, when all of this had faded to memories.
Dylan seemed to sense that he wouldn’t get anymore from me on the subject and stared at Colin and the triplets. They all were standing now. Eryn and Gwen stood on either side of Leri, each holding her by an elbow. Leri wore an expression of contrition. She said something, clasping her hands in a pleading manner at Colin, but he just shook his head. Her back bowed and she slouched in her sisters’ holds. Gwen opened her mouth, but closed it and shook her head with a sad expression on her face. Eryn grimaced.
“What’s going on there?” Dylan asked.
“He’s sending them to the Respite,” I said.
“Oh, and what about you? Where will you go?”
“Back to the Pleasure Palace. Though I think it needs to be renamed. Sanctuary is good since we’ll be bringing the witches who were under Nimue’s power there to recover.” I glanced him under my eyelashes. “You’re welcome there as well.”
“I don’t think I’d fit there.” He murmured as he continued to watch the triplets as they trundled towards the exit of the cavern. “I think I’ll go to the Respite as well. There will probably be other witches who don’t want to stay at your Sanctuary. They’ll need help as well.”
“I understand. You’ll always be welcome,” I said.
“I know.” He wrapped me in a hug. “I don’t think I ever said thank you….so, thank you, for saving me.”
“It’s what friends do.”
“Friends, yeah.” A sad smile danced on the corner of his lip as he gazed at Colin who was starring in our direction. “I hope he makes you happy. You deserve it.”
He hugged me one last time, turned away, and strode from the cavern. I stared down at the ripples in the lake. The lump in my throat grew as a heaviness filled my chest. This was the end of a major part of my life. I closed my eyes and exhaled. I had to look to the future now. I smiled at Colin as he walked towards me. He took my hands in his and brushed my knuckles with light kisses.
“Wow,” I said, looking around. “We have a lot of work to do.”
“Yeah, but together, it won’t be so bad.” He grinned at me. “You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because I love you.”
I grabbed the loops of his belt and pulled him to me. “Hmm, good, because I love you too.”
His lips descended on mine and everything else faded to background noise. We’d fought Nimue’s twisted version of love. True love had shone through.
Epilogue
Colin woke me with a trail of kisses on my calves. I giggled and rolled over. He crawled up so that he was hovering over me, resting h
is weight on his elbows on each side of my head. His lips brushed mine.
“You’re finally awake,” he said. “Anyone who didn’t know you would be surprised that you used to be afraid of sleeping.”
“Just making up for all the lost time,” I said. “Besides, I needed my rest. We have a lot to do.”
In the last six months, we’d managed to turn Sanctuary into a safe haven for not only the witches who were victims of Nimue, but others, including a small number of half-breed who had come forward. We’d even swayed several Fae to our side as well. Dylan had worked to create a network between us and the Respites. The Wyrdlands had become a stronghold for witches, half-breeds, and sympathetic Fae.
“Speaking of things to do,” Colin said. “Dad wants us to come to Arcadia. He’s still trying to settle in and wants some moral support. Plus, he says your brother wants to meet you.”
“Hmm.” I pursed my lips. That was a meeting I’d been avoiding for a while.
The Prince of Dreams had difficulty recovering from Nimue’s influence. After months of negotiations with his brother, he’d agreed to keep Nimue confined in Bedlam. Her influence hadn’t been strong there. If she ever woke, she’d be brought to trial. Even though the Prince had been reasonable, I didn’t think he was ready to deal with witches, or half-breeds as equal. Rhydian said he’d work on things.
“I think we should go to the Well soon,” I said.
He blinked. “That’s sudden, but all right.”
I smiled. I knew it was, just like I knew the way would open for us when we arrived. When we stepped into that grove, my Dad would be waiting for us.
“It’s just time,” I said.
“Now?” His hardness brushed against my thighs.
I wrapped my legs around his hips. “I think we can delay for a little bit.”
“Have I said I love you?” He asked.
“Every day,” I said.
“Good. Never forget.”
He slid inside me and the world faded away. We’re were the only two that mattered in that moment.
Sure, the witches and the Fae had a long way to go before they would become an equal society, if that was even possible. But, movements have to start somewhere, and we were the beginning.
With Colin, there was hope. And love. With Colin, I had a dream I wanted to dream.
THE END
Noree’s Notes for Insomnia (2017)
Thank you! I cannot express my appreciation enough at the fact you picked up this book and read through it. Now we’re here together.
If you have read any of my other book, you probably know a little about this. If not, here is a little about me.
When I was a child, I could see fairies. They flitted about in the woods where I lived (Yes, there are woods in Texas!). I always had an active imagination. I used to be scared that a panther would break through my window in the middle of the night. No, there weren’t any panthers remotely close to where I lived, but I was four at the time. We lived on several acres of land and I loved exploring it. Every day, I was on an adventure. Anyway, we moved from that house and the bedroom, land, and fairies were gone.
I grew up reading fairy tales and moved onto fantasy as I grew older. I used to daydream that I was secretly a princess (blame Disney) that was brought from my world to this one for my protection. I’m adopted, so to me it was a possibility. In my adolescence, I turned to the darker aspects such as vampires, werewolves, and witches. I wanted so much to believe that magic and these creatures existed in the modern world. (And I still was holding out for that princess job.) I turned to Anne Rice. When Laurel K. Hamilton brought out the Anita Blake series, I fell in love. I have parted ways with Anita, but others have risen to take her place.
My love for reading expanded to other avenues: roleplaying, where I could choose the character I wanted to be and interact with others in a world filled with magic, danger, and the supernatural; and writing, where I could put the daydreams in my head-on paper. The first story I remember was once for my English class in middle school. While others had a page or two, I wrote ten. It was about a girl with a ring that could grant wishes given to her by the man who kidnapped her sister (though she didn’t know that). It had a really dark twist, but the message was be grateful for what you have. I’ve written many other stories since then, some finished and some not, but I will always remember that one. I became an Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance author because I wanted to write the stories I loved most: modern dark fairy tales.
The idea for Insomnia actually sprang from a roleplaying game with my friend. In the game dreams and nightmares were creatures that existed on in a dimension of their own. They visited humans to experience the emotions associated with dreams and nightmares. When I was invited to participate in the Isa Fae collection, I changed these creatures into Fae. I really enjoyed writing this story, even though it was a bit of a struggle at times.
I want to thank the other authors who have participated in this set. We worked hard to create a rich, dark world.
I want to also thank my husband Cody and my friend Ed and Cory. They helped work out the kinks in this story and give the characters more life. Thanks to my creative writing class for their insightful notes on the beginning of Insomnia.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Great reviews are motivation to keep writers writing.
If you are interested in more of the Isa Fae collection please visit our website.
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author, Noree Cosper loves writing about magic in the modern world. While growing up in Texas she constantly searched for mystical elements in the mundane. She buried her nose in both fiction and books about Wicca, Religion, and Mythology. Everyday became an adventure as she joined a group of role-players, acting out her fantasies of vampires, demons, and monsters living in the world-- she embraced her nerdom wholeheartedly.
Noree grew, but never left her love for fantasy and horror. Her dreams pushed her and her hand itched to write the visions she saw. So, with her fingers on the keys, she did what her heart had been telling her to do since childhood. She wrote.
Noree's first published novel was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion from IndieBRAG as well as Reader's Choice Award for Horror from the Blogger Book Fair.
Keep up with Noree:
www.noreecosper.com
