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

by Rachel Morgan

  “And you thought it was okay to look at my private things?” Kallan went on as if I’d not spoken. “I told you this painting was off limits.”

  “I didn’t come here on purpose. It just…happened.” I motioned to the canvas. “It’s beautiful.”

  He jerked the cloth back over the picture of me. I could read the tension and anger in the quiver of his shoulders. “Get out!” he ordered, not bothering to turn around or acknowledge me.

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. Running again, I let my feet take me as far as I could. I hadn’t had a chance to fully recover from my first long sprint, so it didn’t take long at all for my lungs to burn, but I kept going.

  “Oleander! Wait!” Kallan yelled. I could hear his heavy steps chasing me.

  I didn’t stop. I needed to get out of this place, away from evil dark faeries and a guy I should never have gotten close to. I ran faster and harder than I had before, trying to find a way out. There had to be a gateway or something. If there was a way in, there had to be a way out.

  “Rylie!” His voice sounded desperate.

  I froze when I heard him call me Rylie. There was something in his voice that made me turn back to him. Not once in the time we had spent together had he called me Rylie, yet now he did. That meant something.

  Kallan caught up with me.

  Our eyes met and our wings gave a quick flutter at the same time. My gaze moved from his eyes to his lips and back again. Every ounce of my body wanted him kissing me even though I knew it was wrong. He held my face between his hands with a gentle touch I never imagined he could have. His lips grazed mine, ever so softly. The tender kiss was quickly replaced with an increasing passion. I surprised myself by letting out a small moan and tangled my hands in his hair as the heat radiated between us. The kiss made me feel safe in his arms. I didn’t want to let go. He pulled away slowly, leaving me breathless and wanting more. I opened my eyes and met his.

  “Why?” I asked, touching my lips. “Why did you kiss me? You told your father you were fine with killing me.”

  “You overheard that?” His eyes were wide in dismay.

  I nodded.

  “I was testing him. I wanted to see how far he’d go.”

  “And?”

  “We need to get you out of here.” His fingers touched my lips lightly, sending shivers through my body. “But are you sure, Rylie? I could make you happy.”

  I stared at him in disbelief, and then shook my head. “I have to go home.”

  “Then I’ll take you there.” He took my hand firmly in his and tugged me as he began to walk. “I’ll deal with my father later.”

  “Now?” Was this really happening? My lips still tingled.

  “Yes. We must leave now. It’s our only chance.”

  I followed him through the thick forest. “Why are you doing this?”

  Kallan just shook his head. “I’m not a murderer.”

  I had a feeling there was more to it than that.

  Chapter Twenty

  The walk through the forest was long and arduous. I saw creatures I never knew existed. Kallan answered all my questions with patience, explaining the differences between my world and his. I loved listening to him talk. His voice was smooth, and he was so knowledgeable. We walked until it was almost dark.

  “Kallan, what do you have against my world? It seems like your friends think it’s cool to visit. Why would your father care if you went?”

  His face hardened, and he avoided my gaze. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Why not? I don’t get it. It’s really not that bad. There’s lots to do.” I really wanted to know, so I pushed on. “You have the ability to come and go as you please and blend in.”

  “Humans killed my mother!” he snapped. He hastened his step. “There, are you happy?”

  I inhaled sharply. That was the last thing I expected him to say. “Killed her? How?”

  “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She got caught in the cross-fire of a drive-by shooting—in your civilized world.”

  “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  “It was a long time ago. Let’s talk about something else.”

  In the silence that followed, my stomach grumbled. I looked down, embarrassed. I didn’t want to ask anything more of him; he was already trying to help me.

  “Would you like to eat now?” Kallan asked, his voice softer.

  “What would we eat?”

  “The forest provides everything we need,” Kallan said, reaching down and pulling something from a bush. “Try this.” He handed me a circle-shaped object.

  I eyed it cautiously. It looked like a large piece of candy. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

  “Yes.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “I would never hurt you.”

  I bit into it. The taste was amazing. It was juicier than an orange, but much sweeter. “Mmmm. This is delicious.”

  “It was my mother’s favorite, as well.” He grabbed another one off the bush and took a big bite.

  I had to keep from giggling as juice dripped down from his mouth. He quickly wiped it with his sleeve. Just watching his lips move, I thought of our kiss. How perfect it had felt. How our wings fluttered at the same time. I wondered if I should ask him why they did that, but decided not to. He was taking me home. I didn’t want him to lead him on any more than I already had.

  And I was scared that I had feelings for him.

  They weren’t like the feelings I had for Adam, but they were definitely there. I loved Adam, but I was obviously attracted to Kallan. Something in me had awakened, and I was frightened I wouldn’t be able to make it disappear.

  “We should find a place to sleep,” Kallan suggested.

  “Okay.” I didn’t argue. My legs were aching and sleep sounded wonderful. If Kallan thought we were in a safe enough spot to camp out without anyone finding us, I trusted him.

  I watched as his serious blue-green eyes scanned the forest. Pointing to the right, he said, “There’s a place that way where we can spend the night.”

  He held out his hand, and I took it without much thought. It just seemed natural. He led me down a narrow path, which opened into a small clearing.

  I hadn’t even noticed that Kallan had a backpack on until he tossed it on the ground. Kneeling beside it, he pulled out a gray and black blanket and spread it out on the ground. Suddenly, I felt very shy as I lowered myself to the blanket. We lay on our backs, looking up at the moonless sky. The stars were entrancing. I could stare at them for hours. There was a heat radiating between us, and it was hard not to respond to it. I just kept thinking of Adam and how much I loved him. I couldn’t betray him again…I wouldn’t.

  I stole a peek at Kallan. He turned towards me at the same moment. I laughed nervously, but his face was serious. For a long moment, his gaze met mine. I wondered if he was going to kiss me again. Instead, he sighed and turned to his side.

  “Kallan,” I whispered

  “Yes?” He turned back over to face me.

  “I know what my power is, it’s not mind control. They were right, it’s dangerous—well, it could be.”

  His face went blank. “Tell me.”

  “I can use the ability of another faery I’m near. I absorb what their ability is. But only when they’re close,” I whispered softly. I knew I shouldn’t tell him, but I felt I owed him that much. He was risking himself to get me home.

  He was silent for a moment. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Remember how I can control your mind? I tried it on others, and it wouldn’t work. After trial and error, I realized I could use whatever ability they had. When I’m with Lena, I can heal. There was a cook in the kitchen, and with her, I could use mind speak.”

  “Wow.” He placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky. “That is definitely something people would kill over. I wonder what happens when you’re around more than one faery at a time?”

  Good question. I hadn�
�t thought of that. Oh, the possibilities…I could very well be dangerous.

  “You’re not going to tell your father, are you? Or take me back?”

  “I will get you to your home, Rylie. I swear to you.” His lovely eyes met mine. “As far as my father, if he asks me directly, I have to tell him. Lying is not an option in our world.”

  I kept forgetting about that. It was such a foreign concept to me. “I understand. I guess he’ll find out eventually anyway.”

  “Hopefully not anytime soon. He won’t give up until he has you under his control.”

  I knew he was right. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

  “You’re welcome.” He turned away from me without another word.

  It took all my self-control not to wrap myself in his arms. Just the feeling of his body next to mine was almost too much to bear. I was very grateful that Kallan wasn’t a mind reader. The entire situation was embarrassing enough without him knowing how I felt about him being so near.

  Eventually, I dozed, but the next thing I knew, Kallan was shaking me awake. He had a finger to his lips telling me to be quiet. I looked around, trying to understand what was going on. The forest was still dim, but the rose hints of dawn had begun to filter gray through the branches above us. I rubbed my eyes, still groggy from sleep, but didn’t see anything unusual.

  He pointed to his ear. I strained to listen, and I could faintly hear the murmur of voices in the distance. My eyes widened and my heart raced.

  They’d found us.

  Kallan grabbed my hand. Run, he mouthed.

  We barely made any ground before a voice shouted into the still morning, “Over there!”

  Kallan pulled me behind him and whispered, “Make yourself invisible.”

  I closed my eyes and willed myself invisible. I had no idea if it was working, but when I looked over at Kallan, he was gone.

  Loud laughter erupted from the search party. Varwik. I would know that evil laugh anywhere. If I survived, I’d probably have nightmares about it.

  “Son, I know your aura anywhere,” Varwik called, as if he were hailing a disobedient dog. “You can’t possibly think you can escape me.”

  Silence. I pressed against the trunk of a tree, wishing I could merge with it and remain safe.

  “Show yourself now.”

  Silence.

  “Really, son, must we do this? Where are you?”

  Kallan appeared and glared at his father.

  “Where is the girl?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t see her.” He laughed bitterly. “I cannot lie, if I do not know. Why can’t you just let her go?”

  “You know why. This is our land, and we must protect it. Don’t blame me because you could not get Oleander to care for you.”

  Fury filled his eyes, and Kallan drew back and swung at his father. Two goon faeries were on him before the punch could connect.

  “How dare you raise a hand at me!” Varwik growled.

  I was so surprised by the exchange that I forgot to keep ahold of my invisibility glamour. Faster than I realized I was visible, strong hands were on me, and I was being dragged towards the evil faery king, kicking and screaming.

  Kallan thrust a hand into the abdomen of one the guards. When he pulled back, I realized he had a dagger in his hands. He turned to the other guard and slashed. Both guards went down, clutching their stomachs.

  Several dark faeries closed in on Kallan. I tried to think of a way to help, but I was next to useless. I had no fighting skills. Then it dawned on me. I could use Kallan’s ability.

  Let me go, I commanded the guards who held me. They immediately released me, both with identical expressions of shock.

  Standing on the outside of the circle that surrounded Kallan, I started commanding Varwik’s men to stand down. One by one, they obeyed, falling to their knees around us. I kept my face stoic—I didn’t want to give away what I was doing.

  Kallan stood across the clearing from me, his chest heaving from exertion. When his eyes rested on me, there was a tilt to his mouth that suggested he knew exactly what I was doing.

  Before I knew it, Varwik had Kallan by the throat. “Stop using your ability,” he told him. “You have overstepped your bounds, my son. Desist at once.”

  I couldn’t use mind control on Varwik, and I didn’t know what else to do. I felt helpless—Kallan was being punished for my actions. His face was a dark shade of red, almost purple. Would Varwik really kill his own son?

  “Lena!” Varwik’s voice boomed through the forest.

  Lena appeared as if out of nowhere. I wanted to feel sorry for her, always at that monster’s beck and call, but everybody had a choice.

  “Heal them.” Varwik pointed to the guards on the ground, the ones felled by Kallan.

  She nodded and bent over their bodies.

  Varwik dropped Kallan to the ground, drew back, and kicked Kallan in the gut, causing him to cough and double over. Varwik began kicking him over and over. “How dare you disobey me!” he spat. His eyes were those of a crazy man. He had lost control.

  “Stop!” I screamed. Tears poured down my cheeks. “Leave him alone!”

  Varwik looked up and stalked towards me, a sword drawn. “You had your chance.” He raised the sword high in the air.

  I closed my eyes. Peace fell over me. This was it—I would die, here, at the hands of the leader of the dark faeries. I thought of my parents losing not only one, but two daughters. Of Sierra and Adam who would never know what happened to me. Of all the dreams I had.

  But above it all, I couldn’t shake an image of Kallan.

  “Don’t!” Kallan’s shout was like a gunshot.

  I opened my eyes, face to face with Varwik’s sword. Behind the leader, I watched as Kallan tried to push himself to standing, but he stumbled back to his knees with a grimace. “Father—I love her.”

  The sword drifted down to Varwik’s side, tip resting on the ground as he turned to face his son. My heart had stopped as if I were in a free fall. Not only had I almost died, but Kallan had just declared his love for me.

  “You what?” Varwik and I questioned at the same time.

  Kallan finally stood tall, one hand pressed to his stomach as he stumbled a few steps forward, and met his father’s eyes. His shoulders were square and confident, not a flicker of hesitation. “I love her. Please, don’t kill her.”

  For once, Varwik was dumbfounded. After a long silence, he said, “Why do you think that matters?”

  “You were in love with my mother,” Kallan said softly, and there was a hint of pain in his voice. “You know what that feels like.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  Lena had jumped to her feet when Varwik charged me, and now she came to stand beside him, touching his arm. “There is another way, my lord.”

  Varwik turned his attention to Lena. “If you have a solution, speak now.”

  “What if she promised to return when she is eighteen, when humans are considered adults? She would still be promised to your family, but able to be with hers until she finished school.”

  I watched as Lena touched Kallan, healing him while Varwik considered her idea.

  Varwik rubbed his chin. “Interesting. I suppose I could live with that. If Oleander agreed to be promised to Kallan and return when the time comes. She could do us no harm if she was promised to Kallan.” He turned to face me. “Would you agree to those conditions? We allow you two more years with your precious humans, and then you return to us and join our family.”

  I thought of the sword that almost ended my life a few minutes ago. I thought about my life being over before it had really had a chance to get started. I didn’t want to die. If nothing else, it gave me two years to find another way out of this crazy predicament. Maybe Azura would have a plan, some kind of breach of contract that could restore everything to its proper place.

  I glanced over at Kallan. His face was unreadable. One thing I did know without a doubt…he loved me. It was impossible for h
im to lie. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that knowledge, but I was grateful he saved my life.

  “Yes,” I said, knowing in my heart that I meant the words.

  Varwik closed the space between us. Standing inches from me, his eyes bore into mine. “If you betray me, not only will I come after you, but also your family and friends. I won’t be as merciful in dealing with them as I was with you.”

  Varwik, Lena, and the army of dark faeries that had accompanied them went back the way they came with not another word spoken. Lena glanced over her shoulder once, a smile flitting across her lips.

  I seriously owed her one.

  Kallan came to stand beside me, his strong hand sliding into mine. “I’ll take you.”

  “You’re going to take me home? But you hate my world,” I argued.

  “Yes.” His other hand lifted to brush gently across my cheek. “I want to make sure you make it back safely.”

  We walked in silence for a few minutes, our hands still intertwined. I wasn’t sure how to respond to any of what had just happened. The adrenaline of nearly dying began to wear off, and all I could think about was what he’d said as Varwik ran at me with the sword.

  “Kallan?”

  “Yeah?” He didn’t slow down.

  “Do you really love me?” I asked softly.

  “Faeries can’t lie,” he said, not really answering my question.

  Part of me wanted to hear a more in-depth answer—I wanted him to tell me yes, to pledge his undying love and tell me he would wait forever. But mostly, I was grateful he was making the situation easier on me, because I loved Adam.

  “Thank you for taking me home,” I told him, squeezing his hand. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, but I need to be with my family.”

  “And your boyfriend. I get it.”

  My heart broke at the pain in his voice.

  “Rylie, my father is only giving you a couple of years. You’ll have to come back.” He finally looked my way.

  I stared at his face, taking in every detail. I wouldn’t see him again for at least two years, or maybe never again, if I could find a way out of the deal.