Dark Roses: Eight Paranormal Romance Novels

by P. T. Michelle

  He still couldn’t forgive her for taking the travel money he’d worked so hard to earn. The money that would have gotten him to the national gaming tournament. It had been his ticket out - prize money, sponsorships, a little fame. All gone. He still felt sick when he thought about it.

  At least this time she had brought some cash. Tam didn’t ask where or how she got it, he just hid most of it. They needed food, and cheap fuel for the generator, and anything else they couldn’t put off. This time around, it would be a trip to the clinic for the Bug, to get his quarterly shot.

  Would there be enough for a new system? Yeah, right. No way was that going to happen. Tam laughed bitterly at himself for even having the thought.

  Not only did he have no system, he’d just ended his friendship with the girl who had the best set-up he’d ever played. He was an idiot.

  Forget about her sparked system, and her blue eyes. He’d go back to Zeg’s - when he got some time and some extra coins.

  Not soon, that was for sure.

  He didn’t have anything else to do, other than stare at the mess of his gaming gloves, so Tam picked up the book Jennet had brought. What a nutcase.

  What about that cut on your arm? a voice inside him whispered. He ignored it. There was no overlap from virtual reality to real life. None. To think there might be - that was craziness waiting to happen. It was surprising the authorities hadn’t taken Jennet in for psych testing.

  Or maybe they had. What did he know about her, after all? She was new in town. She could be hiding all kinds of things.

  Well, he’d never know. They were done. Though at some point he supposed he’d have to return her stupid book. Might as well take a look, now that he had it.

  It was old - she hadn’t been lying about that. The few color illustrations had a dreamy, saturated feeling, similar to Feyland. Jennet said the lead programmer had owned this book. Obviously he’d used it for some serious inspiration.

  There were black-and-white drawings, too. Gnarled figures perched in tree-branches, lovely women who called men to their deaths in deep water, winged sprites darting through a clearing. And the Black Knight. Tam’s gut clenched as he stared at the picture of the knight. The cut on his arm started hurting. Hastily, he turned the page.

  The Faerie Queen.

  For a second, Tam couldn’t breathe. So, this was the queen. Her face was delicate, her eyes haunted and compelling. She wore clothing that looked insubstantial as mist, the flowing gown revealing the curve of her hip and baring one shoulder. Pointed ears were just visible through her midnight-dark hair, gems tangled like stars in its silky blackness.

  She was beautiful. He couldn’t imagine wanting to fight her, even as the final boss in a game.

  “Tam?” It was the Bug, home from school. Tam hadn’t heard him coming up the stairs.

  “Hey there. Want a snack?” He shoved the book under his sleeping bag and went to distract his brother.

  ***

  That night the Dark Queen moved through his dreams. She whispered to him of his bravery and offered him a goblet of deep red liquid. His lips touched the edge - and he woke, tangled and sweaty in his sleeping bag. First light was sifting through the windows. He got himself a drink of water, and then went to check on Mom.

  She was sleeping - a restless, unhappy sleep from the looks of it. He could sympathize. Even though he was tired, he wasn’t going back to bed. The alarm to get the Bug off to school would ring in an hour, and it wasn’t worth it to lie there trying to rest for most of that time, only to get yanked back out of sleep again.

  He missed gaming. It had only been two days since simming at Jennet’s, and there was a big aching hole in his chest.

  He’d told Jennet to stay out of his life. Remembering the look on her face made him wince. Maybe he’d been a little harsh. But it had been too much - her just coming over, showing up while he was trying to deal with Mom, looking around his house like it was no better than a cardboard box some street bum slept in.

  And then that freaky talk about Feyland and some guy named Thomas. Obviously his death had hit her hard, but that was no excuse to go off the deep end about what was real, and what wasn’t.

  Still, maybe he shouldn’t have told her off. Even if that game had made her crazy, she was a nice person. Too good for him, really, with her fancy life and all. Not to mention that amazing system.

  He let out a deep breath, then went into the kitchen to heat water for instant coffee. It was going to be another long, tough day.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The rest of the week, Jennet kept hoping to see Tam at school. If only she could talk to him again and say she was sorry for coming over. She shouldn’t have gotten up in his space like that, but she had needed to make sure he was all right. Needed to try and make him understand.

  Each day crawled by, the hours oozing past like old ketchup, and there was no sign of Tam. Marny couldn’t tell her much, either. She just said that it was his life, his business, and that he’d be back. Eventually.

  Every afternoon Jennet went home, turned on the jammer, and snuck onto the Full-D, trying to get back into Feyland. Every afternoon, she was stuck again at the starting lands, unable to find a faerie ring to take her deeper in. It was no use - she was locked out. Without a companion, the game wouldn’t let her through. She could feel the extra energy she’d gotten back trickling out again, like a slow leak from a faucet. Pretty soon she’d start getting dizzy again - and how long would she last after that?

  It was better for Tam if he were done with her, done with Feyland. She knew that, but panic still crawled up her throat at night, choking her, and her dreams were full of the Dark Queen’s mocking laughter.

  Then at dinner on Friday, Dad decided to get all parental.

  “I hear you had a guest over,” he said, setting down his fork. “A young man.”

  He seemed pretty calm. Maybe he was just glad that she’d made a friend. “His name’s Tam. He’s in some of my classes.”

  “Oh?” Her dad lifted his eyebrows. His voice was carefully neutral, in that way parents had of trying to get you to confide.

  She let out a sigh. No doubt George and Marie had already given him their biased opinion. “He’s nice. And he’s a gamer. A good one. I thought he might like to take a look at the prototype system.”

  “Young lady.” Dad’s voice was suddenly hard. “I’ve told you Feyland is off-limits. That’s not going to change.”

  “I know that, Dad.” She pasted a smile on her face, trying to look like she had a major crush. “But the Full-D systems are cool to see, and I just wanted to show Tam…”

  “Impress him, you mean?”

  She didn’t have to fake the blush heating her cheeks. “I guess. He’s kind of sweet.” And messed-up. And still a hero in every way that counted.

  “I expect you to behave yourself.” He picked his fork back up and took another bite of meat. A good sign that the interrogation was about over. “Does this Tam have a last name?”

  “It’s Linn. And don’t worry. I mean, I like him, but we’re just friends.” Or had been.

  “If you continue seeing him, I’d like to meet Mr. Linn. And Marie is insisting on a clearance check.” His tone said there was no arguing around this one.

  Luckily, it wouldn’t be a problem. She wasn’t seeing Tam at all - not even in the most basic sense of the word.

  “All right.” It was way past time to change the subject. “How’s work going?”

  He finished chewing. “We need to find a new lead programmer.”

  For Thomas. His death had been strange; even VirtuMax acknowledged that. They thought it had been some kind of corporate espionage, though. Suddenly the push was on to get the whole project relocated here, to Crestview, where the security was tight as clenched teeth. And where the buried cables of the ’net ran right through - ready and waiting for when the company was ready to market their new release.

  “Maybe you should start something new,” she said. She
tried to keep it casual, though she wanted to grab Dad by the shoulders and start yelling that they must never, ever, release that game. “There has to be another way to showcase the system without finishing Feyland. What about a different kind of game?”

  Her dad shook his head. “I don’t know why you keep saying that, Jennet. The company has already put millions into this project. And I thought you liked the idea behind Feyland.”

  “Not so much, any more.”

  Not since she’d been sucked through it into a place that was perilous, real, and full of dark magic. What would happen if her dad’s team managed to finish the project? Once Feyland was released with the new sim-system, there would be millions of players. Would all of them fight the same battle with the Dark Queen that she had - and lose? Then what? Could the Dark Court somehow find a way to enter their world? The thought made her mouth go dry.

  “I’m sorry.” Dad’s tone told her he was apologizing for everything: Thomas’s death, their sudden move, even being such a workaholic that her mom had left for good five years ago.

  Jennet took a drink of water. The liquid in the glass shivered under her unsteady hand. Some things you couldn’t change. And some things you had to try, no matter how impossible.

  “You should start playing Feyland.” She couldn’t keep the urgency from her voice. “You know, see what it’s like inside this project you’ve been managing. It would help you get a feel for it. I could go with you, help you with the quests, show you around.”

  Maybe then he’d be able to see the danger, maybe then he’d listen to her. Although Tam had played, and he hadn’t believed her. Her dad would be no different.

  “I played the earliest version,” he said. “You know that. It was enough to give me a solid idea of the concept. Gaming’s not my strong point. Besides, I prefer to stay out of the artist’s vision at this point.”

  “There is no artist! You can never replace Thomas. You shouldn’t even try.” Tears clogged her throat, and she stared at her plate, appetite gone.

  After an uncomfortable minute, her dad let out a low breath. “How about we go see a movie tomorrow? There must be something good at the 3-Max.”

  “All right,” she finally said, swallowing back her hopelessness.

  Not that going to see a movie would change anything. Dad would never come around, and banging her head against that brick wall wasn’t going to solve her problems.

  ***

  Monday was better, especially when she caught sight of Tam at his locker. Relief blew through her like a welcome wind. Should she go up and say hi? Did he have her book? What if he just ignored her? Or worse, snapped at her and told her never to speak to him again?

  While she was still debating with herself, the first bell blared through the hall and it was too late. He didn’t look at her once during Early World History. Good thing she hadn’t said hello. She tried to ignore him in return, but despair settled over her like a thick cloak. When class ended, she moved blindly out into the hall.

  “Hey.” A touch on her arm.

  She turned, to find Tam beside her. His eyes, half-hidden by his hair, looked wary. But not mad, not the way they had when he’d told her to get out of his life.

  “What do you want?” She kept her voice even. No gladness. No anger. Students thronged past them, some talking noisily, others with heads bent to their tablets, barely watching where they were going.

  “Can I meet you after school?” he asked.

  She shrugged, like it didn’t matter, but a flame of hope wavered to life. “I guess. I’ll see you out front.”

  “Ok.” He hesitated like he wanted to say more, then gave her a brief flicker of a smile. “See you.”

  He walked away, and her body was suddenly lighter, like she’d finally remembered how to breathe.

  It still took years for the end of the school day to come. A few times, Jennet was certain the clocks had broken, their readouts stuck on the same numbers. But at last her final class ended.

  She made herself walk slowly down the stairs and out the big double-doors. There was no guarantee Tam would be there. He could have changed his mind. Even if he was waiting for her, things might still be bad between them.

  He was there, leaning against the brick wall with his hands shoved in his pockets, his mangy backpack at his feet.

  “Hi,” she said, stopping in front of him. It didn’t seem enough, but everything else she could think of to say was too dumb - or too personal. Clearly his mom was a dangerous topic, as was Feyland. Her apology stuck in her throat, but she scraped it out anyway.

  “I… I’m sorry I barged into your life like that.”

  “Yeah.” He looked down at his scuffed pack. “I’m sorry, too.”

  Ouch. “I’ll stay out of your life from now on, don’t worry.” Tears pricked the back of her eyes.

  “Wait.” He held out one hand. “I didn’t mean it like that - I meant for telling you to leave like that. I, um, brought back your book.”

  “Did you read it?”

  “Yes.” His green eyes caught hers. “It was interesting. Look, Jennet. I’m sorry I said those things to you.”

  “Which things?” She needed it to be perfectly clear. Needed to know exactly which parts he was sorry for.

  A shadow crossed his face. “That you should get out of my life. That you were crazy. Wait—” He held up a hand as she drew breath. “I’m not saying that you’re right, either. But I do know that something strange is going on.”

  “Do you?” It was a start. She pressed her lips together, trying to keep from hoping.

  He rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. There was a red line marring his skin.

  “I got this cut after the fight with the Black Knight. Yeah, I could have cut myself on something else, but…”

  “But what? You think maybe the game can affect the real world?” Oh, god. He might actually believe her. The painful knots in her chest began to loosen. She’d been carrying this alone for so long.

  “I’m also having weird dreams.” He cleared his throat. “And the game, Feyland - there’s something kind of off about it. So - I don’t believe you. But I don’t not believe you, either.”

  Jennet went limp with relief. She sagged against the wall, her whole body trembling. “Thanks.”

  The word wasn’t big enough to convey the enormous wave of gratitude rushing through her.

  He bent and pulled Tales of Folk and Faerie out of his pack, then handed it to her. “So, when do we go back in-game? I could come over almost any day this week. My mom,” he looked away a moment, then back, “she’s doing better. For now.”

  “That’s good. But I don’t think we should play again.”

  There was a flash of hurt in his eyes and he straightened. “What do you mean? I thought you needed my help. Or did you find somebody else?”

  “No - nobody else. But Tam,” she gestured to his arm, “you’ve already gotten hurt, and that was in the starting lands, where nothing like that is supposed to happen. It gets worse. A lot worse.”

  He pushed his hair away from his eyes and gave her a long look. She could almost see the thoughts turning in his head.

  “Did something happen to you in-game, Jennet?” His voice held a rough note of concern. “Are you okay?”

  She wouldn’t cry - not here, in front of the school. In front of Tam. Blinking hard, she summoned up the words. “I lost… I lost the game to the Dark Queen. And no, I’m not okay.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek. Then another. All the fear she’d kept inside was pushing out, making her skin hot, making her weep despite herself.

  “Jennet.” He reached out and touched her shoulder. “Don’t cry. You aren’t supposed to beat the boss the first time you try. It’ll be all right, I promise.”

  She drew in a shaky breath. “It’s not like that, Tam. You have no idea. The first level of the game—”

  “Hey.” He gave her a fleeting, crooked smile. “Give me another chance. I’m the best simmer ar
ound, remember? And this time, I know what we’re getting into.”

  “You don’t.” She pushed away from the wall and stared into his eyes. “Feyland is dangerous!”

  “Then show me.” He held her gaze.

  Stubborn idiot. He wasn’t backing down. She wanted to hit him and hug him at the same time.

  “Tam—”

  “Let me choose whether I should keep playing or not. I get it, something’s weird with the game. I’ll be careful. Besides, don’t you still need my help?”

  She dropped her gaze and stared at the ground for a long moment. That was the worst of it. It was hard to argue that he shouldn’t enter Feyland when she needed him so desperately.

  “Yes,” she finally said. “I do need your help.”

  “Then we’re still playing,” he said. “Together.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jennet settled in the sim-chair and glanced over at Tam. Helmet and gloves on, he was leaning forward like a free-faller about to jump.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  Please, let nothing go wrong. She had the twisting feeling that Feyland was a trap, waiting to spring. They shouldn’t be doing this - but she didn’t have any other options.

  “Ready,” he said. His voice was full of anticipation that she couldn’t share.

  “All right. See you in there.” She pulled down the visor of her helm and entered the game.

  WELCOME TO FEYLAND.

  The words scrolled across her vision, flared, then burned down to nothing. She braced herself for the transition, that queasy, whirling golden light that marked full entry into the game.

  When the light stopped spinning, she was standing in a ring of pale mushrooms. Tam was beside her, wearing his armor, his sword at his side. The sky was filled with the grey of early twilight, and the dark forest stretched away on all sides. Directly in front of them a thin trail cut through the pines.

  He glanced around. “Where are we?”