by C. J. Abedi
After a long race down the river, Robert finally turned toward us.
“We’re going to hit the Class III rapids now, guys! We’ll be passing the waterfall so it will get a little rough. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the ride of your lives!”
I turned again to give Caroline a smile of encouragement. I knew she was perfectly capable of handling the rafting, but I still wanted to tell her that I would be right there for her should anything happen or should she be afraid.
She gave me a thumbs-up signal and a broad smile and I felt my heart race.
Robert guided us toward the rapids and we hit them hard. We were sprayed with a hard sheet of water, and it was so exhilarating we shouted with joy. I knew Rowan found this just as fun as I did. We went down another more aggressive rapid and Robert shouted out to us, “The falls are coming up on your right-hand side!” He motioned toward the right with his oar. The raft moved straight down another bend, probably the most dangerous we’d faced, and harder to maneuver. It took work and as we landed we were sprayed again by the cold water.
Robert lifted his paddle in the air in exuberance. Once I could see past the waves of water, I turned to make sure Caroline was right behind me.
And my heart stopped.
She wasn’t in the raft. And she was nowhere to be seen in the waves.
Rowan noticed just a second after me—the water had blinded us both.
“Caroline!” I screamed out. Without a second’s thought, Rowan and I jumped in the water to find her.
Everything that came after felt like it was in slow motion. The water hit me hard as I felt the force of it rush around me, engulfing me. My life jacket was a hindrance for me, so I pulled it off and dove under the water.
I couldn’t find her. I couldn’t see her anywhere.
I came up and heard the guides screaming our names, Teddy and Tatiana shouting out for us and for Caroline, but I didn’t even look back.
I had to find her.
I went back down, blowing a deep breath out and heard a loud screech by the base of the waterfall. I swam toward it and heard a cacophony of sound. It sounded like the call of an eagle or hawk but muffled underwater.
And then I saw a bright, shimmering light. My eyes focused as best they could through the splashing water. It looked like a large diamond stone in the middle of the head of what resembled some sort of monstrous snake. It was enormous, with a width and length of a tall sequoia tree. Its long, slithering tongue slipped out of its mouth and encircled Caroline’s waist, forcing her underwater.
I made my way toward the creature in less than a second and stretched out my hand to release a surge of dark light toward the stone in its head. Once the light hit the creature, it fell back from the force and in doing so released Caroline. The creature was screaming out in agony as it writhed back and forth against the force of the waterfall that it lay hidden beneath.
I reached Caroline and grabbed her. Her life jacket had kept her above the surface of the water. Her eyes were closed and I couldn’t tell if she was breathing. We emerged from the water and I gasped for breath.
“Caroline!” I shouted, the force of the waterfall drowning out our voices. I could hear the group screaming out for us in the distance, but they were blinded by the crashing water hitting the river from above us.
I pulled Caroline toward the freezing shore.
“Caroline?!” I shouted again as I quickly unclicked the life jacket she had on. She was so pale! I lifted her head and leaned over to perform mouth-to-mouth.
“Caroline?!” I whispered in paralyzing fear.
My lips were a breath away from hers when her eyes fluttered open.
“Devilyn?” she choked out.
I couldn’t stop myself. I grabbed her face and kissed her everywhere. Her cheeks. Her forehead. Her nose. Her lips.
“Oh. My. God.” I could barely speak.
She let me continue to kiss her, to caress her, to pull her into my embrace. I knew the raft was rapidly approaching us, and they could all probably see me, but I didn’t care. I just needed to breathe her in. She could have died.
She could have died.
She lifted her hand to my face.
“I’m okay,” she said with a weak smile.
I still didn’t believe her.
“I am okay, Devilyn,” she repeated as she grabbed my hand in her freezing cold fingers and placed it over her beating heart.
“See?” she whispered.
I held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity.
“I thought I’d lost you.”
“But you haven’t.” She took the tips of my fingers and gently kissed them. We stayed like that for a minute before her gaze moved past my face and settled on Rowan, who I knew was behind me.
“It was a Cherokee God,” Rowan said quietly as he walked over to where we lay on the shore. “The Uktena. A great serpent awakened after a thousand years of slumber.”
I saw him in my peripheral vision. He was soaking, and I was suddenly grateful for him. So grateful to know that Caroline was loved and protected.
“Something woke him,” Rowan said.
“Not something, someone.”
And I knew exactly who.
• • •
We made it back to the campsite with no problems. Everyone was up in arms about what happened to Caroline and were all talking about what a miracle it was that she wasn’t hurt. Caroline had lied to the guides and told them it was her fault because she had let go of the safety line. They still blamed themselves, stating they should have spent more time prepping everyone for the ride. But they didn’t know that nothing and no one could have prepared them for today.
Caroline decided that she would eat her dinner in her tent, choosing to rest a bit at all of our urging. Once I had her secured, I decided to meet Rowan by my tent. We had both taken turns showering and changing clothes, so one of us could be on constant watch. I waited as he made his way back from the showers.
“I want to thank you for today,” I said when he reached me.
“There is no need for your thanks,” he replied evenly.
“But there is. You acted instinctively and without care for your life. I am eternally grateful.”
“Well then, I accept your gratitude.”
“You saw this creature like I did? This Uktena?” I chose to ignore the sarcasm I thought I heard in his voice.
Rowan nodded.
“I did.”
“I watched you hit him with the dark light, and as he retreated from the attack I used light magik to lull him back into his slumber,” Rowan explained.
“So the creature sleeps again.”
“Yes. And even if he were to be reawakened, he is bound by the waterfall he lies beneath. He can’t move from that place—it is old Indian magik that keeps him there. But I think you know as well as I that this was a calculated assault. He was jolted awake for one reason. And I am certain he was given her scent. Why else would he single her out? All the other students had just completed the same run.”
“I agree. I know you took care of the Uktena, but I think we should still check to make sure that he cannot rise again and hurt anyone else,” I said.
“Of course,” Rowan nodded. “I will personally make sure of this.”
“Thank you.”
Rowan was quiet for a second.
“You’re welcome, Devilyn.” His eyes were guarded as he motioned toward Caroline’s tent. “You will stand guard tonight?”
“I will stay with her inside her tent,” I said, meeting his gaze evenly. “I’ll make sure I slip in undetected by any of the teachers or students. No one will know.”
If he was displeased, he didn’t show it.
“You know there is no way your father could have already gathered enough strength to be on mortal land. He cannot command creatures of lore from the human world to do as he bids. He must still be recovering his previous power.”
“I know. I am fully aware of who was responsib
le for the acts of today. My father has many who are loyal to him in my court. There is one servant in particular that he has a deep bond with. It is Puck. He is my father’s servant.”
Rowan whistled.
“Infamous, devious, maniacal Puck,” I seethed. “This is a game for him. He is toying with us for his own pleasure.”
“And to see Caroline’s demise.”
“Perhaps,” I said. “Or maybe not. He is a mischief-maker. Wreaking havoc on human life is a joy that has been denied to him for years. Think of the fun he must be having watching us in agony.”
“I will go scout tonight and see if he is near,” Rowan said as he looked out into the forest. “I will be able to smell his darkness.”
“He is too clever for that. But nonetheless, I appreciate your efforts.”
He stared at me for a long moment.
“Good night, then.”
I watched him walk away before I went to Caroline’s tent. I hesitated at the entrance for a moment, not sure of what to do. A feeling I wasn’t used to.
Do I knock?
Do I stand here and hope she sees my shadow?
I was saved from further deliberation when a shadow approached the entrance and the door was slowly unzipped revealing Caroline on the other side.
“Devilyn.”
“Hi.”
She stepped away from the entrance, allowing me to come in. She was wearing oversized sweats and thick wool socks that were overwhelming her small feet, but she had never looked sexier. Her long hair was freshly washed and fell down in tumbling waves. She smelled of fresh flowers in an Irish meadow. All I wanted to do was draw her into my embrace.
“Are you coming to check up on me?” she asked. “I’m really okay.”
“Actually, given what happened today, we all feel it’s best if we stay with you.”
“By we, you mean you?”
“Yes.”
I waited for her to put up yet another fight, but before I could stop her, she said the one word I never expected.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, Devilyn. I understand now.”
I was so happy she finally understood the forces we were dealing with. And even happier that she knew I needed to be with her to keep her safe.
“I’m just going to go grab some of my things, and I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She smiled.
I returned a few minutes later, only then realizing how uncomfortable the night would be for the both of us. Her bed was placed in the right side of the tent and took up most of the space. I placed my sleeping bag in the remaining empty space. Everything about it was so intimate that I didn’t know if I’d survive until morning.
“This is going to be weird,” she said, voicing my own thoughts.
“It is.”
How could I lie? It was undeniably weird. How could we pretend like it was anything else?
“Well, I guess there’s nothing more that can be done because I know you won’t leave,” she sighed.
“Nope, I won’t.”
She sat down on the bed and pulled her sweatshirt up over her knees. I shifted a bit, lifting my hand and placing it under my head, trying my best to get comfortable.
“Are you going to stay here all night?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“But how?” she asked. I could tell this answer made her nervous. “You look so uncomfortable.”
You have no idea.
I watched her fight a smile and knew she heard my thoughts.
“Just go to sleep, Caroline. I won’t bother you. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“Right,” she muttered. “And I’ll just worry about you catching a cold or something on the hard ground—”
“I don’t catch colds,” I reminded her.
“Okay.” I could tell she was mulling something over. “Good night.”
“Good night, Caroline.”
She crawled into the bed and pulled the blankets over herself. She nuzzled her pillow and tried to get comfortable. But the air was so electric between us, I had no doubt it would be impossible, especially because I was silently wishing I was that pillow she cradled.
“Are you going to stare at me all night, Devilyn?” she asked.
My eyes flicked away from her as I gritted my teeth. But like a moth to a flame I was instantly drawn right back.
“Maybe.”
She sighed and flipped over so her back was to me.
“You could’ve at least lied to make me feel better,” she grumbled.
I smiled. “But where’s the fun in that?”
“Do you really think this is fun?”
“Not the part about your life being in danger,” I admitted, “but this particular part isn’t so bad.”
Then, after a few moments’ silence, she asked, “Why did you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Kissing me.”
My heart slammed in my chest, but my mind raced with the answer.
Because I can’t help myself. Because even though I deny you at every turn and tell you to find someone else, I don’t want you to. I just want you to love me.
“I don’t want to love someone else,” she whispered. “I don’t even know how I’m going to or if it’s even possible.”
I thought I was going to die from the twisted pleasure that came over me from her words.
“Can’t you just pretend?” she asked.
The room was electric.
“Pretend what?” But I knew what she was asking.
“That we’re normal,” she went on. “That we’re two people in high school that like each other. That there’s none of this other stuff between us.”
I was lying next to her in less than a second.
My arms wrapped around her body like a vine, pulling her against my chest, my face buried in her neck breathing her in, my eyes closed in the ecstasy of the moment. She put her hands over mine and pushed herself closer to me.
“Thank you,” she said.
I answered by kissing her on the top of the head.
When I knew she was safely asleep, I whispered what it had taken all my control not to say. Once the words left my mouth, I couldn’t take them back. But I didn’t want to.
“I love you.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Whatever our souls are made of his and mine are the same.”
—Emily Brontë
Gift Shop, Hill of Tara, Boyne Valley, Ireland
Tara had taken a job as the shopkeeper on the Hill of Tara. It was the perfect place for her to stay close to the roots of her people. She enjoyed helping customers pick fairy trinkets and crystal stones, assisting them in selecting their own special piece of magik. Everyone needed a little bit of hope in their lives, and Tara wanted nothing more than to give it to them any way she could.
Each night she walked the misty glen and would bow at the Stone of Destiny, paying her respects to the Fairy Tree, and then during the day she’d visit the New Grange. The very temple of the Fates, where she’d spend an hour in prayer asking for forgiveness, mercy, and for the redemption of her soul.
A young, sweet-looking boy blessed with dark eyes and hair walked up to Tara as she was organizing items on a shelf in the shop. His coloring reminded her so much of Devilyn. She bent down and came eye-to-eye with the boy.
“Are you looking for some fairy magik?” she asked with a wide grin.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said back to her then whispered, “My ma says that the fairy dust from Boyne Valley really works. That all you have to do is sprinkle it on something and your wish will be granted. She says this place is very special.”
Tara’s eyes twinkled with joy.
“Your ma is a very smart woman—this is a very special place. And if you believe in magik, then magik shall exist.”
“I believe!” he proclaimed. “I really do!”
“Then give me your hand, sweet child,” Tara commanded as she pou
red a handful of fairy dust in his palms.
“Now go on, you handsome boy, and sprinkle your magik everywhere. May the Fates grant all your wishes.”
The boy was beyond elated. Before he walked out of the shop, he turned to face her. “You’re very pretty,” he said shyly.
“Yes, she is.” A voice that Tara remembered as well as her own interrupted.
Her heart stopped as she slowly rose to face the one man she had run from for half her Fae life.
Her husband.
Her soul mate.
The only man who would ever own her heart.
Alderon.
Dressed in human clothes, he was just as handsome as she remembered when he first entered that pub in Dublin so many years before.
“Tara,” he said solemnly as his eyes swept her from head to toe. “I never believed this day would come.”
“What are you doing here?” she nervously replied, taking a step away from him.
“Isn’t it obvious? I came to reclaim what is mine.”
“There is nothing here that belongs to you,” she yelled, throwing the fairy dust that she held in her hand at his face and running out of the gift shop.
Hero was instantly at her feet as she ran out of the store and toward the glen. Night was already upon the valley, but Tara knew the land well. There were places she could go, places she could hide. She walked through the cemetery toward the Stone of Destiny in a panic, trying to devise a plan. But she came to a stop when she saw Alderon’s hooded figure standing at the gates, blocking her entry.
Hero growled menacingly at him, but Tara, fearing for his safety, calmed him down with a wave of her hand.
“Did you think it would be so easy to get rid of me? After living with me for as long as you did, I would think that you would have known me better than that.”
It was difficult for Tara to make out his face under his long, black hood.
“Don’t do this,” she begged him.
“Do what? Take back what was wrongfully taken away? My wife? A wife who betrayed me centuries ago and took my son and daughter away? Who hid them from their own father? A wife who left me when she swore to be my companion for eternity?” he shouted at her in rage.
