Ever since I was a little girl, I needed organization or else I would get stressed out. It felt a little like giving in, though, this mad cleaning. Like I was accepting my fate, and that was not what I was doing. This was not my room; it was my prison.
Fatigue finally set in. I picked myself up off the floor. I changed from my flowy pink gown and into a long cotton nightgown. I crawled into bed and pulled the soft tan blanket up to my chin. The tears silently fell down my cheeks.
Adam, I’ll find a way home to you. Closing my eyes, I let the sleep come.
*
“Hey, beautiful.”
I spun around and came face-to-face with Adam. We were standing on my front porch. “Adam! You’re here.” I covered his face in small, fluttery kisses. “You’ll never believe where I’ve been.”
He put his strong arms around me. “It’ll be okay. I’ll never let you out of my sight again.”
“I was so scared,” I told him, looking into his loving, green eyes.
“I know. You’re safe now.” He cupped my face and kissed me softly, his lips like velvet. “Let’s go up to your room.”
Taking his hand, I led him to my room where we lay on my bed, his arm draped over me. I closed my eyes and murmured, “Never let me go.”
“I won’t,” he promised.
*
When I opened my eyes again, I was alone in my cell of a room. Tears filled my eyes once again, and I turned over to bury my face in the pillow as I sobbed. I don’t know how long I stayed there before the door opened.
“Why are you still in bed?” Lena snapped. “It’s almost time for dinner.”
“Dinner?” Time was so screwed up…or I was. I put the pillow over my head and mumbled, “Leave me alone.”
Lena grabbed the pillow and tossed it towards the other side of the room. “You need to get it together and do what is asked of you. I don’t think you comprehend how serious this is. He will kill you and not think twice about it.”
“I can’t believe that’s my only choice!” I yelled back.
“Well, it is.”
I wished I still had my pillow so I could throw it at her. Or something harder would be good. “I’ll find another option.”
“Marry him! You will grow to accept this life,” Lena reassured me.
“No,” I said stubbornly. “I will not marry someone I don’t love. They’ll have to kill me.”
“It won’t be that easy. You need to think of your loved ones.” She lowered her voice. “They can get to your family, your friends, your boyfriend.”
I looked at her in horror. “Why would they do that? Varwik said one of his options was to kill me, why wouldn’t he just do that?”
“I don’t know. I’m just saying he can, and he might use that to convince you. He wants power more than he wants you dead. He is known to be cruel when he thinks it’s called for.”
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to have dinner with those creeps again. I didn’t ever want to see either one of them ever again. I felt sick to my stomach and curled up in a ball, my head on the cool mattress.
“Playing sick won’t help. Get dressed and come out.”
“I’m not playing. Just leave me alone.”
I heard Lena’s dress ruffle as she left the room, the door closing softly behind her. I shut my eyes and willed sleep to come.
A few minutes later, the door opened. Peeking out from the covers, I saw Lena was back with a small cup. She held it out. “It’ll help your stomach.”
I met her eyes. “They won’t just let me be sick?”
She didn’t answer.
I took the cup from her and drank it. Within a minute, my stomach was feeling better. I handed the cup back to Lena and sat up. “Thanks, I guess.”
“Oleander, you only have a short time and your life could be over. Don’t allow that time to be miserable.”
I looked at Lena for a moment, considering her words. “It’s just so unfair. It’s hard to see the positive in this situation.”
“Life takes many twists and turns. Follow your path and be open to change. I know it’s not easy, but life is a wonderful gift.”
“I’m a prisoner. How can that be wonderful?”
“Get dressed. I’ll be waiting outside.” Lena practically floated out the door. I had no idea how she could be happy in her current life. I could not accept my fate that easily.
I dragged myself out of bed, used the bathroom, and rummaged through the closet. I refused to wear any of the black dresses. I didn’t want to look like I fit in. After dressing in a coral-colored strapless dress, I stepped out into the hallway.
The scent of garlic filled the air as we descended down the long staircase. The aroma made my mouth water. We entered the dining room to find Varwik sitting at the head of the table as usual. His son was to his right. Once again, as soon as I saw him, my wings gave a little flutter. He didn’t look up until I sat down. When he did, I noticed his wings did the same. Very odd that I had no control over the movement. I wondered if it meant something.
Kallan held my gaze for a few seconds and then looked back down at his food. His face was impossible to read. I wondered what he was thinking.
“Feeling better, Oleander?” Varwik asked in a neutral tone.
“Yes. Your medicine works fast.”
“You’re welcome. We have some of the best healers. They make amazing potions from the land. It’s quite impressive. Lena has been kind enough to share some of the light ways with our healers.”
“I’m sure humans would love to get their hands on it,” I said lightly.
Varwik’s eyes flashed. “We do not share with humans. It is forbidden. You really need to learn the laws of our land.” He turned towards Lena. “You need to take time and explain the way things work in our world.”
“Of course,” Lena replied with a smile.
I ate the food in front of me—much more slowly this time—and accepted seconds when they were offered. The meal was interminably long and uncomfortable, as Varwik tried to make everyone talk and none of us did anything but give one-word answers.
When everyone was done eating, Varwik waved a servant over to the table. Immediately the faery with auburn hair began cleaning up around us.
“You have a decision to make.” Varwik stood. “You better hurry up and make it.” He took Lena’s arm and walked out of the room, leaving Kallan and me at the table.
I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest, fighting a sense of déjà-vu since we’d only just done the same thing at the last meal. I waited for him to speak first, because I certainly wasn’t going to.
He echoed my posture, and we just stared at each other. I was getting more and more annoyed by the second, but I wasn’t giving in. I had no desire to be here and wasn’t going to pretend I did.
I don’t know how long we sat there until Varwik and Lena came back in. Looking at me, he said, “It’s not looking good for you.” He motioned to Lena. “Take her away.”
Lena stood by my chair and waited for me to get up. Once I did, she led the way back to my room. I turned to her before she closed the door and locked me in for the night. “Can’t I at least have a book?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.” I walked inside and the door closed with a loud clang.
A few minutes later, Lena returned and handed me a copy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. “Really?” I asked. Just my luck to end up with Shakespeare again. “This was all you could find?”
“Do you want it or not?” Her eyes flashed with irritation and she shoved the book at my chest.
I took the book from her and once again, she locked me in. I paced the room with the book in my hand, flipping through it. Was I really supposed to fall for Kallan? Sure, he was gorgeous, but I hated him. He was cold and uptight, and I didn’t like that at all.
Boredom set in. I sat down on the bed, propped against the headboard, and began reading the book. I finished a third of it
before I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and fell asleep.
*
Things went just as well at our next meal as they did at the last one. After I refused to play nicely, Varwik’s eyes flashed with anger. “Both of you are stubborn!”
Lena knelt down next to him. “Varwik, I was thinking that it would be a good idea for Kallan to take Oleander out of the castle so she can get a glimpse of the beauty that comes with the fey life.”
Varwik tapped his finger to his chin and glanced over at his son. There was affection in his gaze when he looked back at Lena. “That is a brilliant idea.”
The rest of the meal passed in idle chitchat and uncomfortable silences. Once the meal was over, the servant entered the room and cleaned up the mess. Varwik stood up to leave, and Lena followed. He stopped at the door and turned. “Kallan, take Oleander to see the grounds.”
“Yes, Father,” Kallan said in a tone that made it obvious he would rather scratch his eyes out than be with me.
He pushed his chair back and stood up, then walked around the table and held out his hand to me. I glanced at it and stood up on my own. I didn’t need his help to get out of a chair. Just how pathetic did he think I was? My cheeks burned, and I seriously considered throwing something at him. I was doing that a lot lately.
He rolled his eyes. “Well, I won’t bother offering you my arm, then. Let’s get this over with.”
“We could just go to our rooms and tell your father you took me.” I crossed my arms and glared at him.
“My father has eyes all over this place. It’s best just to do as he asks. It’s really not a big deal.”
“What is with you people? You just follow blindly, not willing to take a stand—it’s annoying. How old are you anyway?”
“Seventeen in human years.”
“Human years? What’s the difference?”
Kallan started walking towards the door, and I followed, curious to hear his reply. “In our world, we age much slower once we hit eighteen in human years. I will look this way for several human generations.”
“You mean when everyone else is almost forty, I’ll still look like a teenager?” I had to admit that was pretty cool, but also scary. Adam would age, and I wouldn’t. Suddenly, I realized the enormity of the situation.
“Well, if you decide to stay in the human realm you will age normally. It’s only in our dimension that time is slowed.”
I tried to process this information. I was relieved to know that I could grow old with Adam if that was what I chose. If I could find a way to get out of this place alive, anyway. I didn’t know what to say so I just replied, “That’s intriguing.”
We were at the main entrance when Kallan paused and looked back at me. His intense blue-green eyes met mine and my wings fluttered again. That was so annoying. “You’re going to see things that will amaze you and some that might scare you, but I assure you that you are safe with me.”
What the hell does that mean? “Umm, okay.”
He pushed the large wooden doors open and a whole new world appeared before my eyes.
“Wow,” I whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
The sky was black, and the stars were several different colors: pink, purple, turquoise and more. Trees taller than I’d ever imagined with trunks as big around as houses flanked us on all sides but behind us.
I didn’t want to tear my eyes away, but Kallan was already way ahead of me. He noticed that I was lagging behind and walked back to where I stood. His fingers closed on my elbow to steer me away. As soon as he touched me, a shot of electricity coursed through my body. I pulled my arm back and looked up at him, stunned. He stared at me intently for a moment, and then looked away. I wondered if he had felt it, too. What did it mean? First, my wings move involuntarily, and now his touch sends surges through my body.
I decided to ignore my feelings. For now. “Where are we?”
Kallan smiled wryly. “This is the world you were born into.”
“But I mean, where are we? The sky doesn’t look like this where I’m from.”
“Just think of it as another dimension. There is only a thin veil between the magickal world and the real world. Which is why we are able to travel back and forth between them.”
“Everything is so much brighter here. Even in the dark, the flowers seem to glow, and the trees look like something out of a fairy tale. I half expect them to start singing and dancing.”
Kallan laughed, and the sound made my heart leap. He always sounded so serious. To hear him laugh and see his face come alive in the moonlight made me think there could be some good in him after all. I had to force myself to look away.
What the hell was I thinking? Adam was the only one for me. I needed to shake these crazy thoughts from my head. Besides, Kallan couldn’t stand me.
We walked forward towards a path lined with huge shrubs sprouting with beautiful flowers. The amazingly sweet smell drifted to my nose. I leaned down to touch one, but Kallan yanked me back.
“Don’t touch them.”
I blinked, surprised, and snatched my hand back. “Why not?”
“They’re poisonous.” He continued to walk forward, and I tried to keep up.
“Oh. Why would you have poisonous flowers?”
“To keep enemies away. Extra security measure.”
“Oh. The dark faeries have enemies?” There really was so much that I didn’t know. It was almost overwhelming.
“Doesn’t everyone?” he said with a chuckle.
The trees erupted into childlike giggles, and I snapped my head up. “The trees are laughing,” I whispered.
Kallan scoffed. “Not the trees, the piskies.”
I caught his eye. “The what?”
“Piskies. They’re like miniature faeries.”
“Oh, right. Azura told me about them. Are they dangerous?” I asked.
“No, they wouldn’t hurt anyone. However, they do like to play, and when you play with them, you lose all track of time. So don’t give in,” he warned. “When I was a young boy, I often got yelled at because of those little trouble-makers.”
I tried to imagine Kallan as a child, and it just wasn’t happening.
The trees giggled again, and I wondered what these piskies looked like. Maybe I’d find out someday. Sadness filled my heart once again. I didn’t belong here; this was not my home, no matter how beautiful or mystical it was. I longed to be back with my family and friends.
“We should get back,” I said solemnly.
Kallan met my eyes and nodded. “Very well, then.”
He escorted me to my room. At the door, I turned and faced him. “Thanks,” I said, trying to be polite.
“You’re welcome, but I’m not sure for what.”
“The walk. I didn’t realize how much I missed fresh air.”
“Oh. Sure.”
He was inches from me, and I had an odd desire to reach out and touch him, but I resisted. I bit my lower lip and looked at the door.
“It was a pleasure,” Kallan finally said, but his face was distant.
Without bothering to respond, I hurried inside the room.
I got ready for bed with my mind bouncing around, utterly confused by the past few days. The fey world was beautiful, and I’d be insane not to want to be a part of it. But not like this. Not captured, not forced, and definitely not without Adam.
Chapter Fourteen
The next night, we walked around the side of the castle and took a different path. “Where does this go?” I asked curiously.
“A fountain.” He didn’t offer any details.
“Man of many words,” I muttered. Even if I wanted to get to know him, I couldn’t because he wouldn’t offer anything. He didn’t even seem like he wanted to be with me. What was the point? The only good thing to come out of Varwik’s decree that we take walks together was I was able to escape my prison for a little while.
The further we walked, the better I heard the water in the distance. We soon stepped out of
the woods into a circular clearing dominated by a giant, clear crystal formation that flowed water. The sun shone brightly, shooting facets of light through the combination of crystal and water. Three marble faery statues appeared to guard the crystal, their stoic faces facing away from the water and into the forest. The large, smooth rocks beneath my bare feet felt cool, and the mist of the fountain’s spray hit my skin. Its beauty left me speechless. I didn’t think I’d ever laid my eyes on anything so peaceful before.
I sat down on one of the low wooden benches surrounding the fountain and smiled. The sound of the water trickling was almost musical. I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the sun.
After a few minutes, Kallan said, “We should go.”
I didn’t want to leave the fountain. It was the most relaxed I had felt since I got to this awful place. “It’s so serene here. Can’t we stay a little longer?”
“We need to get back to the castle,” Kallan murmured, wrapping his long fingers around my elbow and propelling me to my feet.
I opened one eye and glared. “I don’t want to.”
“Well, you don’t have a choice. Now, let’s go.”
I was getting madder by the minute. “You listen to me, you jerk. I’m not one of your father’s servants. You can’t order me around.”
He pressed his lips together. “You seem to have forgotten that you are a prisoner here.”
“No. There’s no way I could do that,” I retorted, yanking my arm from his grasp. “The way I’m jerked around and yelled at all the time keeps me reminded.”
A brief look of sympathy passed through Kallan’s eyes, and then he looked away. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with my father. We’ve been out too long. Please, let’s just head back.”
“And what if I don’t go with you?” I planted my feet. If he wanted to drag me kicking and screaming, I could make it fun.
Kallan ran a hand through his dark hair, his eyes closing briefly. “There are consequences.”
“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ve already been kidnapped, what else could you possibly do?”
Faery Realms: Ten Magical Titles: Multi-Author Bundle of Novels & Novellas Page 41
