Faery Realms: Ten Magical Titles: Multi-Author Bundle of Novels & Novellas

by Rachel Morgan

  Dad sighed. “I wish she hadn’t. I don’t like to bring my work home.”

  “I’m not a little girl anymore,” I reminded him.

  “No, you’re not,” he agreed, tapping my chin gently. “You’ll be going off to college soon. But I still want to protect you as long as I can.”

  “You’ve done a good job so far.” I grinned, trying to ease the mood. It made me a little uncomfortable seeing my dad upset. He was always the strong one.

  “I can’t imagine what that boy’s family is going through right now.” He rubbed his face and looked away. There was so much emotion in his eyes.

  I didn’t know how to respond. “It’s not your fault, Dad.”

  “I know. I just wish there had been a better outcome. Have you thought more about college?” Smooth subject change, if a bit abrupt.

  “A little,” I answered, sitting back down on my bed and tugging a pillow into my lap. “I have a couple of years to make up my mind. I still like the idea of joining the police department.”

  He scoffed. “Not too much fun most days. Definitely not as glamorous as it appears on TV.” His eyes settled on mine, and he said softly, “I support whatever you want, but I’ll always worry if you join the force.”

  “But what you do is important. You help a lot of people.”

  Dad just nodded. “I’ll be proud no matter what you decide to do. With that voice of yours you might be the next—what’s her name? Your favorite singer?”

  “Adele? Hardly, Dad, she’s one of a kind.”

  “So are you, sweetie.” He ruffled my hair like he used to when I was little. “Good night.”

  “Night, Dad.” I watched him trudge from the room, his shoulders hunched and weary, and for the first time, I was really worried about my dad.

  Chapter Five

  I woke up feeling strange: lightheaded and foggy. I really didn’t want to get up, but I kicked the blankets off and stood. The room spun, and I put my hands on the wall to steady myself. What the hell was going on? Just my luck. My birthday was tomorrow, and I was going to be sick for it.

  I carefully crossed the room, my sights set on simply making it to the closet, but something in the mirror over my dresser caught my attention. I stopped and stared.

  My skin looked different—smoother. Confused, I moved closer to the mirror and leaned forward to study myself. Usually my face was a little red and blotchy when I first woke up. Today, it was pale and had no imperfections—not even the little whitehead that had been coming up on my nose.

  My eyes drifted to my ears, and my breath caught in my throat. I took a step closer to the mirror. They looked different, too, as if they were pointed. Oh, c’mon! I rubbed my eyes and looked again, and then let out a deep breath. I looked perfectly normal.

  I told myself either I was still dreaming, or I could be going crazy.

  After a hot shower, I dressed in a pair of my favorite jeans and a white cami with a floral blouse over it. I leaned over the sink in the bathroom, wielding my concealer stick. Staring at my birthmark, I pursed my lips and asked it, “What should I do with you today?”

  Strangely enough, it looked like it was pulsing.

  I blinked and stared, sure I had imagined it. It looked normal. Maybe I really was coming down with something.

  Sierra picked me up as usual and talked about Ian the whole way to school. I smiled as I listened to her, and when the excitement drew to a close, I said, “It’s good to see you so excited about someone. Been a long time.”

  She glanced over at me, frowning. “I don’t want to talk about Trent. We are never to mention his name again? Understand?”

  “Umm, sure, but I didn’t even say his name.” Trent and Sierra had dated for almost all of ninth grade. Over the summer, she found out that he had cheated on her, and she dumped him. Even now, nine months later, she was still hurt and didn’t like talking about him. I was just glad she was moving on, and steered the conversation into safer territory. “What movie are you and Ian going to see?”

  “I don’t know yet. We’ll decide when we get there.” She shifted in her seat and flicked the air conditioning on. She didn’t have the top down like she usually did. “You feeling better today?”

  Not really, I thought, but said, “A little.” Seemed like I was doing a lot of lying lately.

  “Good. You can’t be sick for your birthday. That would really suck.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Did your mom get everything for your party?” she asked as we turned onto our school’s street.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “You know how she is. I’m sure she’ll have every detail covered. She loves birthdays. She’s probably been planning my sixteenth birthday since I was a baby.”

  Sierra laughed and whipped into her parking spot. “I’ll be there early to help set up.”

  “I know. You always are.” She had spent the past seven birthdays with me, and vice versa. I didn’t even know if a birthday could ever be complete without her.

  “Maybe by then, you’ll have a new boyfriend,” I teased. I gripped the strap of my backpack and pushed open the car door.

  “We haven’t even gone on our date yet. Maybe he’s a jerk,” she said with a laugh, exiting the car on her side. She slammed her door and met me at the front of the car. “You going to Adam’s game later?”

  “Yup, wouldn’t miss it.”

  We met Adam in our usual area out front, where he was talking with Colin. Colin was a long, lanky guy with dark hair that swiped across his forehead, and a freckled face that always seemed to be smiling. I gave him a wave as I slid in next to Adam, bumping him with an elbow.

  He put his arm around me. “Hey, babe.”

  I chuckled. He only called me “babe” when he was around his baseball buddies. He also developed a ridiculous jock swagger and deepened his voice. It was silly, but it tickled me.

  “Hey, slugger,” I teased back and punched him on the side of his arm.

  He rolled his eyes and planted his lips on mine. “Mmm. Cinnamon?”

  I blushed. “I had cinnamon toast for breakfast.”

  The bell rang, signaling the start of our school day.

  “I’ve gotta get goin’,” Colin said in his deep, southern twang. “Catch y’all later.”

  “Bye, Colin,” I told him, and Sierra waved, even though her face was pointed down at her cell phone. That girl was always on Facebook.

  We walked inside hand in hand, and Sierra split to go to her locker at the other end of the main hall.

  “So, Sierra and Ian? That’s kinda strange, isn’t it?” Adam asked, yanking open his locker. It always seemed to get stuck.

  “I guess. She seems to really be into him.” I was jostled from behind as a crowd of football players in orange and white letterman jackets rushed past, their raucous yells echoing off the ceiling. I rolled my eyes at Adam, and he chuckled.

  “Interesting, though,” he went on. “Ian’s a strange one.”

  “As long as he’s good to her, I don’t care how he looks or what he wears,” I responded with a shrug, locating my books in my locker. I’d forgotten to take my biology notes home, but luckily, I didn’t think we had any homework last night.

  Adam nodded like he agreed, but he didn’t say anything.

  “You be nice to him,” I warned. Not that Adam was the kind of guy to be mean to anyone.

  “Of course.” He slammed his door and gave me a wicked grin, turning to press me against my own locker. His body leaned into mine, hard and muscular, and his eyes drifted to my lips and back again. His kiss, when it came, took my breath away.

  “Mr. Garner, Miss McCallister, break it up and get to your classes.” The teachers always posted up in the hallway during breaks, watching for misbehaving students. We’d just been caught.

  I felt the heat rush to my face, and we broke apart guiltily. Adam relieved me of my books, and we took off towards our first-period class.

  It turned out to be a long day. My hea
dache came and went a few times, and I spent all of sixth period arguing with myself whether or not I should ask my mom to take me to the doctor.

  Thankfully, my head stopped pounding by game time. If it hadn’t, the packed bleachers and the loud, discombobulated sound of the announcer would have killed me. Plus, I wouldn’t have been able to cheer as loudly for Adam—tonight was an important game for the playoffs.

  Adam glanced up from the pitcher’s mound and waved, looking so cute and sexy in his uniform. There was something about the tight white pants that gave me shivers. He struck the next batter out, and the crowd screamed and stomped on the bleachers, the thuds reverberating through me. I felt like jumping up and yelling, He’s my boyfriend! but figured that might be a bit much, and Sierra would never let me live it down.

  We huddled together on the bleachers, my legs squeezed between Sierra’s and the girl next to me. Jack pushed his way through the stands, carrying a large tray of nachos and sodas. I reached over to grab a chip as he took his seat on the other side of Emma, and she slapped my hand. “Get your own. Jack got those for me.”

  “Don’t be greedy, Emma. It’s not an appealing look on you,” Sierra chimed in.

  Emma threw a nacho at Sierra, and she picked it off her shirt and ate it. I giggled and shook my head. I loved these guys; it was never a dull moment.

  “Pay attention. Adam’s up next,” Jack said, shushing us.

  It was the top of the seventh inning, and the game was tied. Adam strolled over to the dugout and gulped down some water before taking his place as batter.

  I bit my lip in anticipation as he let the first ball go by.

  “Strike!” the umpire called.

  “C’mon, Adam,” I whispered.

  Adam hit the second ball, and it flew high. He tossed the bat and started running. The crowd cheered as he rounded first base, then second, and third. We were on our feet as he slid into home.

  “Woo-hoo, Adam!!!!!” I yelled, my voice lost in the roar.

  After the game, we all went to the local high school hangout, Bob’s Diner. They had the best burgers and milkshakes in town. Sierra and I jumped out of Adam’s truck and made our way to the door. As soon as we walked inside, everyone started clapping and chanting, “Garner! Garner!”

  Adam was bright red, but a smile spread across his face. He might have acted like he didn’t, but he loved the attention. I looked around and found Jack and Emma sitting in the corner booth. They waved us over. Emma scooted closer to Jack, and Sierra slid next to her. Adam and I took the other side.

  Jack’s face was animated and full of excitement. His hazel eyes lit up. “Man, we’re going to the playoffs because of you. I couldn’t believe it when you hit that home run. The game was in the bag after that.”

  Adam shrugged. “Wasn’t just me. It’s a team effort.”

  “Uh-huh, stop being humble. We all know you lead the team,” Emma teased.

  “We need to order. I’m starving,” I griped, and waved the waitress over. I loved my boyfriend, but if I let them go on any longer, I wasn’t going to get to eat.

  As I listened to them banter after we ordered, I realized my headache had returned, and it was worse than before. Now I really was concerned.

  Chapter Six

  The doorbell rang.

  I glanced over at my clock. It was nine o’clock at night, kind of late for visitors. I made my way to the top of the stairs, curious as to who it was, and I heard the door open. “Mrs. McCallister?”

  “Yes?” my mother answered. I could hear the question in her voice, indicating it wasn’t someone she knew.

  “I need to talk to you and your husband about your daughter. It’s important.”

  What? I snuck further down the stairs. There was a beautiful lady with long light blonde hair standing at the door. She was young and lovely, and looked like she could be a runway model. I wondered why in the world she wanted to talk to my parents about me.

  My father was at the door now. “What is this in reference to?” he asked, his voice all business.

  “Please, may I come in? This isn’t something I’d like to discuss outside.” The woman glanced over her shoulder as if looking for someone.

  My parents looked at each other, but I couldn’t see their faces clearly, and then my father nodded. “Okay.” They both stepped aside to let her in.

  Although this lady seemed familiar, I didn’t know her and didn’t like the fact that she was here because of me. I continued down the rest of the stairs and followed behind them.

  My mother led her into the living room. The lady’s piercing green eyes rested on me, sending a chill down my back. My father followed her gaze. “Rylie, do you know this woman?” Dad asked.

  “No.” I shook my head slowly. “I’ve never seen her before.”

  “Rylie, maybe you should go to your room,” Dad suggested, his gaze demanding I do as he said.

  “No. If this has something to do with me, I want to hear it.” I crossed my arms and sank against the back of the couch.

  Mom and Dad exchanged a worried glance, but turned back to the lady on the couch. “Please, go on.”

  Without taking her eyes from me, the lady calmly stated, “My name is Azura, and I am Rylie’s birth mother.”

  My father, who was always a level-headed man, was on his feet in seconds, his face hard. “What are you talking about?”

  I felt like I had fallen into some kind of parallel universe. Did this woman just say she was my birth mother? How could she be my birth mother? That would mean I was adopted, but wouldn’t my parents have told me something like that?

  My mother shook her head. “Birth mother? Rylie isn’t adopted.” She reached over and took my hand. “Believe me, I’ll never forget the eleven hours of labor.”

  The woman sat perfectly still in the blue armchair across from us, with her hands clasped on her lap. “I know it’s hard to accept, but it’s true. Your daughter died shortly after she was born. I switched the infants. Rylie is mine.”

  The wind left me as if I had been punched in the stomach. I couldn’t breathe, and the room spun. I gripped the pillow next to me with my other hand as I clung to my mother.

  Silence filled the room for a moment, and then my father exploded. “You need to leave now!” He pointed to the door. “Get out of this house and don’t come back without a court order.”

  The lady smiled sincerely, her face still as calm as it had been when she walked in the door. “Please, hear me out. I realize this is a lot to take in.”

  “No! This is preposterous! Nobody died. Rylie is ours.” Dad’s voice was like thunder.

  I studied the lady. She seemed so honest and soft-spoken. Why would she pretend something like this? Why would she ruin our family if it weren’t true? And if was true, why was she coming clean now? Something in me believed her even though I didn’t want to. I swallowed hard and rubbed my sweaty palms on my shirt.

  “Let her talk,” I said hoarsely.

  “Rylie, you can’t believe her.” Dad looked stricken.

  “I’m curious as to why she thinks I’m her daughter. Let’s hear her out.” I crossed my arms and scooted closer to my mother, comforted when she wrapped an arm around me.

  Dad turned back to the woman called Azura, and his frown deepened. “Fine.” He sat back down in his seat and glared. “Talk.”

  “Thank you. I’m going to tell you something not many humans know, and I have to trust you to keep it secret for Rylie’s sake.” She addressed the statement to my parents.

  Humans? Who talks like that?

  Her eyes rested on me. “Sixteen years ago tomorrow, you were born. When you arrived with a birthmark, your father and I were overjoyed. To us, it meant you would have special abilities. But then temptation came, and your father, being weak, succumbed to it. I had to hide you. I had to keep you safe. So, I went to the hospital in search of a baby who was dying. There is a special aura around people who are about to die, and I found a baby with that aura. I switch
ed babies, leaving you and taking the dead baby girl with me. After duplicating the birthmark, I passed her off as my own and buried her.”

  Mom’s hand flew up to her mouth.

  I was dumbstruck. “But why? Who was your child in danger from?”

  “You were born with a powerful gift, one that many would like to get their hands on.”

  I rubbed my temples, hoping the headache that had started earlier would go away soon. This was insane. This lady must be crazy. In danger? A baby? I took a few deep breaths. “I still don’t understand. I can assure you that I do not have any special gifts. I’m boringly normal. I think you have the wrong person.”

  “Rylie, she’s lying. This woman clearly has mental issues.” Dad walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “She’s probably just seeking attention or money.”

  “I assure you, sir, I’m not seeking either one of those. You can get a DNA test to prove what I’m saying, but there are things you all need to know before tomorrow.”

  “What?” Mom’s voice sounded weak.

  “Rylie and I…we’re not human.” She looked directly into my eyes.

  What the hell did that mean?

  “Now I know you’re insane!” Dad raised his voice again. “Get out of our house this minute.” He strode to the door and flung it open. Cool night air rushed inside.

  “We’re faeries,” Azura continued, “and tomorrow, Rylie will finish her transformation.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mom asked shakily. She glanced between me and the lady calling herself my mother, wiping tears from her eyes.

  “You’ve been having headaches,” Azura said simply, her gaze resting on me with a familiarity I didn’t like. “Backaches. You’ve been tired and sleeping a lot. Maybe you noticed little changes in the mirror. You know something is happening to your body. Tell me, am I wrong?”

  My mouth was dry. I couldn’t answer her in words, but I nodded in agreement.

  “Oh, c’mon. This is ridiculous!” Dad threw his hands up. “Get out of our house before I get my gun and make you.”

  “Rylie, you will look different. And unless you use glamour, everyone else will see the changes, too.” Suddenly, the lady changed right before our eyes. She was the same person, yet different. Her ears were pointy, and her green eyes brighter. And then there were the wings. She actually had wings. Sparkly, beautiful wings a shade of light green I had never seen before.