Alberico clears his throat and I turn my focus towards him.
“I think we are going to enter the Underworld and attack one week from tomorrow.”
“Next Saturday?” I know that we need to take action soon, but I was hoping to have a little more time to practice and improve. I don’t feel ready yet. But of course, how can you ever truly be ready to face your worst nightmare?
I feel like I need to throw up.
“Yes. We feel it would be in the best interest of both our worlds to end this as soon as possible. Preferably before the next new moon,” Alberico answers. “We’ve never taken offensive action before. They won’t be expecting us.”
“Mia, everything will be fine. Alberico is right, they won’t be expecting us. That is, assuming they haven’t somehow infiltrated Álfheimr and are being informed of our plans,” Grey says, glaring at Jacoby. I know that despite the fact that he saved me and has been helping me master my abilities, Grey still doesn’t trust him.
“Grey. You know Jacoby is on our side.” I stare at him reproachfully.
“And you know that I still question whether or not he has your best interest at heart,” he retorts. “As demonstrated today when he persuaded you to leave school without informing me.”
Jacoby jumps up ready to retaliate but I put my hand on his chest to stop him.
“No,” I tell him simply, using mind-speak, and he—surprisingly—backs down so I turn my attention back to Grey.
“What has he done that could possibly deserve your disdain?” I ask Grey.
With a huff, Grey turns and storms out of the room.
“Well, I must say, I don’t quite recall a time when there was ever so much angst in my castle,” Alberico chuckles cheerfully.
“Yeah, well, it’s kinda getting on my nerves. I don’t understand what his problem is.”
“Don’t you?” Alberico asks softly with a knowing look in his eyes.
I feel the blood rush to my face but I don’t try to deny knowing what Grey’s problem is.
I haven’t forgotten that night in the garden. The way he kissed me so passionately, only to adamantly renounce any possibility of ever being anything more than friends five seconds later. How do you go back to being just friends after a kiss like that? I don’t think it’s possible. So I guess my relationship with Grey is doomed to be forever awkward.
“Do you realize how easy it is to read your thoughts on your face?” Jacoby whispers in my head.
A tight-lipped smile is my only response, because I can feel the tears of frustration forming along with the growing pit in my stomach. The last thing I want right now is to do something stupid like cry over a boy.
“C’mon Lark, we should probably head back,” Jacoby says as he reaches out for my hand. I look back at Alberico, but he just smiles and nods.
“It is getting late. You should go ahead and head back home before Kate starts to worry. We’ll talk this weekend when you have more time.” He hugs me then. “Remember, be vigilant and always wear your amulet.”
Sometimes it is still unnerving hearing such an affectionate, wise, fatherly tone coming from someone so young looking.
“I’ll never take it off.” I pull it out from underneath my shirt just for confirmation. “See you tomorrow, Dad.”
As soon as we are outside the throne room, Jacoby reverts back to mind-speak.
“Are you going to tell me now?”
“Tell you what?” I ask innocently.
“You know damn well what I am talking about. Something happened.”
“It’s between Isobel and me. I can’t tell you yet.”
“Why?” His brow creases.
“Can’t you just trust me? If I could tell you, I would. Don’t you know that?” I plead.
Surely he must realize he is practically my best friend these days. I can’t exactly tell Hannah about the elves, and with things currently all messed up between Grey and me, he really isn’t an option either. Jacoby is the only person I can really talk to.
“I just want to make sure you are okay.” His expression softens as he brushes his fingertips along my jawline. “Safe.”
“I know.”
But I’m trying to keep you safe, I think to myself. Then I look up to make sure he didn’t hear me. I really do need to practice blocking my every thought.
“Is Grey still here or did he already transport back?” I ask as we near my room.
“I’m not sure. But I am guessing he is still here. Just off pouting somewhere.”
“For your information I do not pout,” Grey’s voice resounds from across the room. He apparently had chosen to not pout on my balcony.
“You could have fooled me,” Jacoby utters under his breath. Grey’s answering glare leaves no question in my mind that he heard him with his super keen elf hearing.
“What are you doing here?” I ask trying to distract Grey from Jacoby’s smart mouth. “And on my
balcony?”
“Waiting for you to finish so we can head back home. Obviously.”
“There is no need to get all patronizing. I just asked you a simple question,” I snap. He momentarily looks shocked that I would speak to him so harshly but quickly recovers.
“What else would I be doing in here, Mia?”
Oh I don’t know? Waiting for me so that you could apologize for being such a jerk earlier, perhaps?
I hear Jacoby cough uncomfortably, and I realize that he has heard my thoughts even though I wasn’t speaking to him directly.
Yes, I definitely need to make it a priority to figure out how to filter my thoughts.
“Well, in case you forgot, I am perfectly capable of transporting myself home now, thank you very much. There is no need to wait.”
His eyes harden, and I feel a pang of guilt that I might have hurt his feelings.
“Don’t you dare apologize to him. He is the one who should be apologizing to you,” Jacoby interferes.
Grey remains standing in silence, and when I don’t say anything else, he finally says, “Fine. If that is what you wish. I shall remain in Álfheimr tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
And with that he leaves the room.
Now I feel really guilty. How can I expect Grey to get along with Jacoby when I can’t even seem to get along with Grey lately? I feel the tears start to well up in my eyes. How did everything get so screwed up between us?
“Aw, Lark.” Jacoby pulls me into his arms and the flood gates open up. “You’re killing me babe. Why are you getting so upset?”
“I don’t know. I wish I knew how to make everything better.” I manage to get out in between my quiet sobs.
“What can I do?” he asks soothingly as he rubs my back.
There is only one thing I can think of that could possibly make me feel better right now. A certain bubbly, strawberry blonde that I haven’t been able to spend any quality time with during the last few weeks.
“I think I need some girl time with my best friend.”
He pulls back and looks at me.
“Well, that isn’t the answer I was hoping for,” he teases.
“Yeah, I just need a little mental break from all of this. One evening with no elves. No prophecy hanging over my head. No training. No babysitters. Just a night to feel…human.”
He seems to think it over, probably analyzing all the risk factors involved in a night free of my guards.
“Okay. Here’s the deal. I am not sure I feel comfortable with you being away from me or Grey,” he reluctantly spits out the latter’s name.
“I’m sure I could keep myself out of trouble for one night,” I throw out there before he even mentions following us on our girls only night.
“I’m not so sure about that,” he mumbles but I hear him perfectly.
“Please Jacoby? I just need a break,” I beg.
“Fine. But as far as anybody else is concerned, I was with you the whole time, understand?” he unwillingly concedes. “I don’t want Mr. Intensity accusing
me of slacking on my duty.”
“Really? Deal!” I feel a burst of excitement at the prospect of getting in some seriously much needed girl bonding time. I can hardly wait to get home and call Hannah!
“I hope I don’t regret this.”
“You won’t. I promise I’ll be extra careful,” I assure him as I throw my arms around his neck and plant a swift kiss on his cheek. He responds by squeezing me tighter. “Thank you!”
I am definitely ready for this day to be over. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. And with the promise of girl time, I see no reason why it won’t be.
Chapter Twenty
It is still dark when I awake the next morning. I lie in bed, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars scattered on my ceiling, not wanting to wake anybody else up yet, but unable to go back to sleep. I laugh at myself for acting like a kid on Christmas Eve, too excited to go to sleep. Tonight is my girl’s night with Hannah, and I guess I’m looking forward to the normalcy more than I thought.
As I expected, Hannah nearly busted my eardrums with her squeal of delight when I asked her if she could hang out Saturday night.
“Yay! Oh Mia! I’m so excited! I feel like we haven’t had a girls’ night in forever!” she chirped cheerfully.
It had been so long since the last time we hung out, just the two of us that she was feeling just as deprived as I was. We decided to take advantage of my one, and only, employment perk and take in a free movie. I didn’t care what we did as long as it had absolutely nothing to do with elves for one evening.
“I have to run some errands in the morning, but I’ll pick you up before the seven o’clock show, okay?”
“Sounds perfect. Dessert afterwards?”
“Duh!” I responded with a smile. Of course we would go get dessert after the movie. It was our tradition. “See you tomorrow.”
I hung up the phone feeling excited about the prospect of one whole evening to just be a normal teen again. Unfortunately, I only get the evening free of elves. I still had to make a trip to Álfheimr this morning to check in with Alberico. It was part of the deal Jacoby and I made. I was desperate enough for girl time that I would have done pretty much anything, so spending the morning in Álfheimr was a pretty good trade for an entire evening to escape my reality.
I really don’t mind though. I was actually hoping I would have a chance to see Grey and try to make peace. Jacoby seems to think I don’t owe him an apology and a part of me is inclined to agree. After all, I’m not the one who has been giving mixed signals and jerking him around for the last six months. And I won’t even go into the issues surrounding the bittersweet kiss that I wish I could just erase from my memory. But I can’t stand the way things are between us right now, so if I have to apologize to make things a little easier, then it’s a small sacrifice. The problem is I don’t know what to say. Things are so weird between us now. I’ve rehearsed my speech to Grey a dozen times, but whenever I see him the words leave my head and all I do is make everything worse.
I definitely need a breather. I get out of bed as quietly as possible, throwing on some jeans and a t-shirt. I tip-toe quietly down the hall to Maddie’s room to check on her before I go. She is sleeping soundly. I brush a blonde curl off of her forehead and tuck it behind her ear before leaning over and kissing her softly on her forehead.
“You have no idea how lucky you are Maddie Rose. Enjoy your simple, uncomplicated life where the biggest challenge you face is potty training. Because you never know when you may wake up one day to discover that creatures of mythology are real, prophesies determine fates, and boys undoubtedly will mess with your head and your heart. Trust me, growing up is not all it’s cracked up to be.”
She rolls over and sighs deeply in her peaceful sleep.
“See you later, baby girl,” I whisper.
Instead of trying to sneak back out of her bedroom and down the stairs I transport myself outside to my car and fist pump the air when I do so without any of the usual negative side effects. I don’t feel dizzy at all! I really must be getting stronger. I briefly consider transporting somewhere else just to see if I can do it again so easily, but while it is definitely one of the perks to being half-elf, I still love to drive, so I unlock my car and climb in.
I don’t think about where I’m going. I just drive with all my windows down, hair blowing wildly in the wind, allowing myself to fall prey to highway hypnosis. Soon, I find myself on the familiar back road that I love, surrounded by the tall grass and nothing but sky as far as I can see. This is my happy place. A place where everything is still simple. But I can’t fool myself for long. Life is anything but simple these days. Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed with emotion and tears sting my eyes as I pull over to the shoulder to collect myself.
So much has happened in the last few weeks. I find out I’m an elf princess, meet my father, get kidnapped and find out I’m blessed by the Sun goddess. What does that even mean anyway? And why does everyone else seem to think it’s such a big deal? So I can light up like a firework on the 4th of July, what good does that do? At most it only distracted Dugan long enough to allow Jacoby to transport us out of there.
My little car feels claustrophobic so I step outside and take a deep breath, inhaling the intoxicatingly sweet fresh air. I stand facing up towards the sky with both arms outstretched wide, palms up, letting my skin soak up the sun. The warmth both calms and rejuvenates me. The energy feels like it’s just bubbling under the surface, the force of it is almost too much for my body to bear. I do the only thing that feels natural. I push the energy out and away from me with as much force as I can muster. The beams burst forth all at once and I am bathed in warm, bright light. I bask in the warmth, feeling the power being absorbed and reflected. I stand still, letting myself enjoy the sensation for a few more moments.
Even after the beams of sun are gone, I still feel the power pulsating through my veins as I drive back home.
I stop by Starbucks for a Mocha Frappuccino. As I sip on it, I decide that nothing will complement its creamy yumminess more than one of my favorite chocolate-coated granola bars.
As soon as I get in the house, I head to the kitchen to grab one before leaving for Álfheimr. Mom and Paul are already sitting at the table eating breakfast and reading the paper together. Paul reaches out and squeezes Mom’s hand gently, causing her to look up at him and smile lovingly. They are obviously very much in love with each other, but now that I know my dad, a piece of my heart breaks because he is pretty great too. I wonder what would have happened if Alberico would have told Mom everything? If she actually had a choice, who would she have chosen? How does one choose between two great men? I decide that maybe she was lucky that she never had the choice to make, after all. She is blissfully happy now and that’s all that matters.
“Mornin’,” I greet them as I head over to the pantry.
“Mornin’ sweetheart. Where did you venture off to this morning?” Mom asks me before taking a sip of her coffee.
“Needed some caffeine,” I say as I hold up the clear plastic cup. I take a big bite of my granola bar and join Mom and Paul at the table. “I’m going to the movies with Hannah tonight and I’ll probably sleep over at her house if that’s okay?”
“That’s fine with me,” Mom said.
“What movie are you going to see?” Paul asked.
“I don’t know yet. I told Hannah it was her choice.” I get up and throw away the empty cup and the plastic wrapper from my granola bar. “I’m on my way now to meet Jacoby at the library.”
“Jacoby?”
Mom isn’t a fan of Jacoby’s. I don’t think she has anything against him personally, she’s just a big fan of Grey’s so she doesn’t really understand why I’ve been spending so much time with another boy.
“Yes, Mom, I told you, I’m tutoring him.” It was the easiest explanation I could come up with for why I’ve been spending so much time with him at the library.
“What ever happened between you and Grey? He was such a perfec
t gentleman.”
“I told you, Grey and I are just friends. Jacoby and I are just friends for that matter.” I tell her, completely exasperated by this conversation.
“Will you be back before dinner?” She changes the subject.
“Yeah, we’ll probably grab some lunch after we finish studying then I’ll be home for the rest of the afternoon. Hannah and I aren’t meeting up until seven-ish.”
“Sure, I don’t mind.”
“Okay, cool. Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you later.” I hug her good-bye. I do this every time I’m about to leave now, just in case. “I love you.”
“Love you too, honey.”
Then I hug Paul too.
“See you later, kiddo.” He smiles kindly, his eyes twinkling with affection.
I drive over to the library and park near the back like I’ve done every day for the last month. Nobody ever parks back here so it’s always deserted which makes it the perfect location. I scan the parking lot and make sure nobody is around before locking my car door and transporting to Álfheimr.
Once the room has stopped spinning, I check the clock in my room and realize that Alberico is probably at breakfast. My mouth is already watering at the thought despite the fact that I just inhaled a granola bar and a Mocha Frappuccino. Nothing could keep me from enjoying an elfish breakfast though. Elves do breakfast up right. Well, really any meal but I am especially fond of breakfast. I’m actually surprised I haven’t gained at least twenty pounds since I’ve been freely enjoying all the deliciousness.
Before I make my way down, I decide on a wardrobe change. Alberico will undoubtedly be surrounded by his council and other important elves, so I should probably look the part of a princess. I enter my massive closet and browse through the endless rows of flowy dresses, finally deciding on a pale yellow dress with long sleeves that flare out at the wrists. The bodice is laced and ties at the neckline. I don’t really know what to do with my hair, but since I will likely be doing some training later anyway, I pull it to the side and braid it. I notice that Freya has a vase of freshly cut yellow roses on my bedside table so I pick a few buds and slip them in my long braid. Once I deem myself presentable enough, I take a deep breath and head down the hall.
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