by E. A. Weston
“Do you wish to train or stare?” he asks.
“Oh, oh, yeah train.”
Jumping up off the grass I take one of the staffs from him. He swipes at me so fast I don’t even feel it until my back hits the grass.
“Ouch.”
“You must always watch,” He smirks.
Okay, buddy, game on. Gripping the staff, I face him and watch. I make notes of his footsteps and move when he advances. I’m thankful that I trained with the girls for a few days. We try to beat each other for a few hours but I manage to stay on my feet for the most part. Stopping for lunch, Samiel, smiles at me.
“You are getting better with the staff.”
“Thanks,” I smile back at him. “Maybe I’ll get good with a sword too.”
He chokes on his water before looking at my scowling face. Biting my bread, I huff at him and he chuckles. Ignoring his laughing, I lie down and cover my face with my arm. The sun is so hot, like a desert hot and I’m sweating so much. My body hurts and I miss Killian. The pain in my chest is getting harder to bear but I have no choice. He doesn’t want me to be around him, it stings, the realization that he doesn’t need me as much as I need him. I am beginning to wonder if he really wants me at all.
Why am I whining like a thirteen-year-old? Pulling myself out of my head, I sit up and look around. Samiel is stretching his body by the lake, twisting right and left then bending over.
Hot damn! If Alex were here, she would have a running commentary on Samiel right now. Grabbing my phone I take a picture of him and laugh, maybe one day I can text it to her. I slide it back into my bag and watch as he walks back to me.
“How do you feel?” he questions.
“I’m okay, still sore and a bit dizzy but it’s getting better.”
“Would you like to come flying?”
Jumping up I grin at him, “Heck yeah!” grabbing my bag I race back into the cave and hide it in my little spot. “Will our stuff be safe here?”
“Yes, we are alone,” He answers.
My skin prickles with goose bumps as he wraps his arm around my waist and presses his chest against my back. He bends slightly and we are up, flying. The wind rushes against my hot skin, helping to cool me off. Samiel banks right and moves higher.
“Where are we going?” I ask, turning my head.
“To the Summer Sea,” He smiles at me.
Our faces are close, too close but his eyes intrigue me. Although they are dark, I can see the fire burn in them just like Nerida’s. He looks away and I turn my face forward again. I can feel the shift in the air as we get closer to the sea. The smell of salt and the fresh breeze hits me now. Samiel flies lower until we land on the soft beach that feels like powdered sugar beneath my feet.
“Wow this is…” looking around, I am lost for words. I have never seen anything so beautiful. Samiel smiles at me.
“Yes, it is. It has been too long since I have visited this side of the realm.”
We walk down the beach and I can’t understand why the sand is so light. I don’t feel like I’m dragging as I move. The ocean is blue, I want to run and jump into it.
“Can we swim?” I ask.
“Yes.”
Without waiting, I strip down into my bra and boy shorts and charge all the way into the waves. The water envelopes me in a warm embrace and I float for a minute.
“You like the sea?” Samiel asks.
“Yes, it’s beautiful and so warm. I feel like I am on a tropical island.”
“Did you not have warm sea in the human realm?” he looks perplexed.
“Yes we do but not near me. I lived where it was cold most of the time and surrounded by mountains.”
“Do you miss your world?”
“No, not really. Apart from feeling sick and missing Killian, I like it here.”
This causes him to smile and splash me. We play in the water, chasing and splashing but he cheats and uses his wings, to propel himself away.
“That’s not fair,” I tell him. He just laughs and flies up to the sky, revealing his naked form. “Oh my God!” I scream and cover my eyes.
“Do you not like to see a fairy?” he asks from behind me.
“What! No! Only Killian.” I retort, although, wow!
“But you and the prince are not bonded so you may take another if you so wish.”
Oh, fuck.
“Samiel, I like you and you are my bodyguard but I love Killian and I will never pick another over him.” I feel like crap when his face falls but I can’t allow him to have feelings for me.
“Forgive me, I thought…” shaking his head he smiles at me. “Let us eat.” He dives into the water and disappears. I make my way to the beach and stand in the sun to dry off. The sea does not make you dry like the bathing pools. Samiel arrives back with fish. Groaning, I flop down onto my back.
“No fish please.”
“This is another species,” He laughs at me.
I watch him start a fire in his palm then lower it to a few sticks. They light instantly and he begins to roast the fish. They don’t smell as bad as the other ones but still - they are looking at me. Samiel breaks off a piece and holds it out to me. Taking it, I shove it into my mouth and chew. It’s not too bad not something I’d eat often but after spending a while in the water, it will do.
After our fish, I am dry, so I pull back on my clothes. Samiel covers up the fire and we take off back to the cave. The night seems to creep in on us as we lounge around the cave. My fingers are itching to make some jewelry, with all this doing nothing I am getting bored. I wonder what Killian is doing, if he is missing me or glad to be rid of me.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Oh no, I just wish I had my jewelry with me.” I smile and take a seat by the pool.
“Do you have many jewels?” Samiel asks, seeming confused.
“Oh no,” I can’t help but smile at him. “I make them, see.” I hold out my favorite bracelet I made just after my parents went missing. It’s a reminder of them.
“I see, is this what you gifted the prince?”
“Yes, I gave him my other one to wear.”
“He is very lucky Reagan, I have waited for many moons for my true mate.”
I want to ask him about this whole true mate thing but his eyes take on a faraway look, so I leave him to his memories. My fingers glide over my bracelet and I lose myself in memories of my parents. Mornings when dad would make mom and I breakfast in bed. My first day of high school, and when they both walked me to class, so embarrassing. But I’d live it all over again just to see them, to see Claudia. We stay lost in our thoughts for a while, neither of us needing to break the silence with mindless chatter. My mind is full of Killian, which makes my body ache and my heart hurt. I can feel the moon moving across the sky and start to shine through our hole in the roof. I can’t get over the magic of seeing such dark water become crystal clear. Samiel smiles at my face when he notices me staring in awe.
“It is a beautiful sight.” He says.
“Yes.” I agree, hoping he is talking about the moon. He stands and holds out his hand to me. Taking it we walk outside and lie on the grass to watch the night sky, it’s peaceful and beautiful.
“Do you know Avery very well?” I ask Samiel.
“No, we fought to take back the castle in the first battle but we failed.” His frown is full of pain.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“You did not. I was thinking about the King and Queen.” He answers, glancing over to me. “That was my first and last time enjoying a summer solstice with them.”
“Oh, you actually met them?”
“Yes and I was lucky enough to dance with both the Queen and Princess Aurelia.” His smile stretches across his face as he remembers that night. “It was quite a beautiful night. The King announced the brothel of the Princess and Warrior Avery. That was truly the first time I ever saw him.”
“Dancing with the Queen? That must be quite s
trange.”
“No, she was truly a wonderful Queen and often danced with fairies at the revelry.” He grins at me and grabs my hand, hauling me to my feet in one move. We dance around in the moonlight without music. Samiel makes fun of me in a lighthearted way and I rag on his dancing skills. After a while, we stop dancing, and laughing and make our way back inside our cave. Exhausted, I crawl onto my vine bed and close my eyes smiling as I drift off.
Samiel and I have spent five days here at the cave and I am seriously missing Killian. My body is physically aching but I push through it with Samiel’s help. We have been training on the beach every day and he has been telling me stories of the realm at night. He gets sad every time he talks about his home on the Fire Island but he said he would never trade the Tenebrosi, he loves being a warrior.
“Again.” He barks at me. He has turned into a real hard ass with the training but I like it. It helps keep my mind busy. We swipe and slash at each other over and over again. My hands are raw from the staff and I have a few blisters already.
“You need to move faster Reagan.”
Shaking his head, he lunges at me again. Swiping my staff, it crashes into his sending the vibration up to my shoulder. After another few hours, we finally stop to take a break. My stomach can’t take any more bread although it’s all I can really eat without losing it a few minutes later.
“I’m going for a quick swim.” I pant, peeling off my clothes. I’m glad that I can rinse them off at night. Otherwise, I’d be hanging out in my underwear all the time. Samiel doesn’t seem bothered and I’ve convinced myself that it’s the same as being in a bikini. Once the warm waves wash over me, I can feel my aching body begin to relax. I float around for a while feeling the push and pull of the waves before I finally swim back to shore.
“Good swim?” Samiel inquires with a grin.
“Yeah but I still feel yuk,” I reply. I’ve been teaching him some words so at least he will be able to understand me when I feel a little crazy.
“Would you like to return to Tenebrosi?”
His question catches me off guard and I snap my head around to face him.
“Really? We can go back.”
“Of course,” He laughs at me.
I wasn’t sure if I was even allowed back to the camp. I have been trying not to think about it too much but the longer I am away from Killian, the more my body hurts.
“Yeah, when can leave?”
“When you wish,” he answers.
“Okay, lets go.” I smile climbing to my feet. We take our time walking back to the cave. I want to enjoy the scenery a little bit longer. I’ll miss the sea and white powder beach but not as much as I miss my fairy prince. I’m sure we can come back here just Killian and I, maybe we can have a date here. I can’t help the big grin on my face as we walk.
“Why do you smile so?” Samiel questions.
“Oh just thinking.” My voice almost sings with glee when I answer him.
“Your thoughts make you happy?”
“Yep Samiel, very happy.”
He laughs at me knowing full well how excited I am to be going home to Killian. I never thought of myself as one of those girls that gushes about a guy but when your guy is a hot ass fairy prince, I allow a little gushing.
“I will gather some food for our journey.” Samiel nods at me then takes off running. I am used to him now so I am not worried about walking the rest of the way, it’s a short trek that only takes me about ten minutes. Packing up my bed and bag takes me all of about five minutes so I pack up Samiel’s stuff too and wait outside for him. I can see a figure move through the trees and shout at him to hurry up. Turning around I gather up our bags, still full of glee until I hear Samiel shouting.
“Run! Reagan Run!”
Whipping around I drop the bags and watch as five fairies jump on Samiel. They pull his wings and he screams out in pain. My heart is thundering as I watch rooted to the spot. His eyes find mine and I can see pain, and an urgency in them, he mouths for me to run again then falls to the ground with a thud.
The fairies laugh as they kick him. One of them lifts his head and finds me. My legs wobble as I take in the sight of them. I thought fairies were supposed to be kind and loving but these look angry and menacing. Having no clue how to get back to the training camp I just run towards the trees all while screaming out to Killian through our bond in the hopes that he will catch something.
One of the fairies drops from the sky landing in front of me. Skidding, I scramble back and hit into another one. The force sends me to the ground while my head spins. The pain in my head intensifies, as I am pulled up by my hair. Screaming, I kick out at the fairy but I miss him by miles. They speak fairy for a while and I don’t understand them so I don’t reply. They get angry with me and drag me over to Samiel.
The one fairy who seems to be in charge slaps Samiel until he wakes up. They have him tied up but he is still fighting. They speak back and forth in fairy and Samiel is finally released. The angry looking leader laughs at me before walking over to me, his eyes are black but they look dangerous.
“You are human?” he asks. I don’t reply. Samiel is glaring at me trying to tell me something but I have no idea what. The fairy reaches out to touch my face and I pull back then kick him, catching his thigh.
“Reagan!” Samiel calls before I am about to kick this fairy again.
“What is this!” he roars, turning to look at Samiel. The fairy grabs my hair again and pulls me over dropping me in front of Samiel.
“Do not talk or move,” He says. Standing he smiles at the fairy. “I have only found her. I have not had time to play.” He says.
“Time is over.” The other fairy answers, “we must find the way she entered our world.”
Samiel begins to argue with them claiming he found me, therefore, I am his property but they are not listening to him. They keep saying I have to be punished for my entry into the fairy realm. More fairy words are spoken then Samiel punches one of the fairies closest to him. Ducking down he grabs my face, “do not talk about the Prince, ever!” he hisses at me as he gets attacked by two of the fairies. Once again I am grabbed by the hair and dragged off into the woods. I try to slow down my movements by dragging me feet and kicking out at the fairies. They are getting tired of me and the one with bright green hair slaps me across the face. It stings, more than I thought it would. I’m not sure what to do now, closing my eyes feels good, but I want to know where I’m going and if anyone will come find me.
Chapter 8
Killian
* * *
Training these past few days has been tougher than I expected. Avery and I have been training from the days of old and I will admit it’s kicking my ass, as Ethan would say. But I continue to train, fight, and sleep, knowing it will help if I am to take back my home.
“Brother, how are you feeling?” Avery laughs at me sprawled on the grass.
“I’m well Avery and you?”
“Oh, I am too well. It has been three suns and yet here you are flat on your back. This is not the behavior of the warrior prince I once knew. I fear your time in the human realm has made you forget yourself.”
I can see the smirk on his lips as he tries to hide it but he knows the one way to get me to move. “I fear you are right brother. Let us sword fight,” I announce clapping him on the back as I rise.
“Now?” he questions.
“Of course now, do you forget we trained at night?” I tease him back until he finally stands and follows me to the grounds. No one else is around they are all sleeping or eating or the lucky ones are wrapped up in the arms of their lovers. Thoughts of Reagan assault my mind as Avery swings his sword at my head. We parry back and forth moving in a dance as old as time. Our swords crashing together with a resounding clang that echoes around the clearing.
After a few more hours we finally quit, knowing neither of us will beat the other. My muscles are sore and I ache all over. Avery and I fall onto the chairs in his dwelling
and I close my eyes.
“Would you like some food?” he asks.
“Yes but I fear I am too tired to eat.”
I hear him laugh as steps out of the house for a few minutes. Once he returns I can smell the meat and wine. We eat in silence for a few minutes, both as weary as the other.
“I must sleep.” He yawns and leaves me to go to bed. I don’t even move from the chair but close my eyes and dream of Reagan and wondering when she will come back. I hope her camping is not too much fun without me.
“You did not move brother?”
Avery’s voice floats into my subconscious. Opening my eyes, I groan from the pain in my neck.
“No, but I wish I had.” Rolling my shoulders, I stretch out my body. “I will be back I need to bathe.” Leaving the house, I walk over to my own living quarters, which has a private bathing pool. I wish Regan were here with me, more so I wish I could talk to my father. Sliding into the warm water, I relax a little allowing the tension to leave my body. I miss my apartment. I liked the shower and my own kitchen. Here at camp, we share everything but sometimes a fairy needs privacy and perhaps a coffee.
“Are you going to bathe all day brother?”
“Yes.”
“Come we must train you to be a warrior.”
I listen to Avery laugh as he leaves. I’m not sure if having me back has caused some sort of fear that I will disappear again because he is always around. Climbing out of the water I pull on my training gear and grab some food on my way out. Although I miss coffee, I much prefer the food of fairies. Popping one of my favorite fruits into my mouth I run into Tatiana.
“Good morning prince.”
“Hello,” I reply and keep my feet moving to where there are a few fairies.
“How do you feel being back in your own realm?” she asks.
“It is good to be home, I missed it very much.”
“Yes, I would imagine so. Forgive me but did you send the human home?”
