by S. L. Knight
A jolt of sadness hit me as I thought of Alice. I wished she were still alive. I could call her and tell her what happened, and she'd verbally slap some sense into me. Magic isn't real, honey, she'd once said, when I told her I wanted to be a fairy princess when I was a kid. All of that stuff is nonsense.
She was right. I'd just have to make myself forget about the Adonises and their bizarre story.
But as I drifted off to sleep that night, another thought niggled at me. How did they know about the dreams?
The next day I woke up determined not to let my experience of the previous day ruin the rest of my vacation.
Sera accompanied me without protest to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and then we toured a nearby old bookstore rumored to be haunted. Sera pretended to be interested as the owner explained the history of the store. She thought I was heartbroken over Brian so she was trying to be a good sport.
Despite my attempts at distraction, the men dominated my thoughts. After lunch, we took a guided tour of the French Quarter, and I couldn't help but recall the buildings Xavier had pointed out the day before. When we stopped to listen to musicians in Jackson Square, I recalled how Noel told me that jazz was his favorite type of music. Earlier that day in the bookstore, my eyes had lingered on a well worn-copy of The Great Gatsby; Adrian told me it was one of his favorite books, he'd read it over and over again. Even at lunch, I remembered Gabriel's confession of po'boys being his favorite meal.
I shook my head as if to clear it from thoughts of them. We left in a few days. Maybe then they’d finally get out of my head.
"Are you sure this is about Brian?" Sera asked, as we headed back to our hotel later that day.
"What?" I asked, startled. Could she tell that I was thinking about the Adonises?
"Well, you haven't seemed that broken up about him. It's an odd coincidence that you seem so heartbroken after things went south with the four hotties."
Sera was staring at me with vague suspicion, and I looked away. She could be irritatingly perceptive sometimes.
"It just made me realize how much I miss him," I lied, avoiding her gaze. Sera's shoulders slumped; she had somehow sensed I was lying.
"When you want to talk, I'm here," she said, reaching out to squeeze my hand.
I abruptly froze just outside of our hotel while Sera entered ahead of me. I could have sworn I felt eyes on me—it was the same sensation I’d felt in the cemetery.
I turned. I was both disappointed and relieved to not see the four Adonises. It’s for the best, I told myself. They had probably found some other naïve tourist to seduce, though jealousy skittered through me at the thought.
Later that evening, I sat cross-legged on my bed, flipping through my worn copy of New Orleans: A History in a futile attempt to distract myself, while Sera dressed to go out. She had made friends with some Tulane grads while she was out to lunch the previous day, and they were going to try a new club.
“If you change your mind about coming, let me know. I will not let you spend the rest of the vacation sulking," she said, giving me a half-firm, half-playful look before she left.
Once she left, I shut my book, rubbing my eyes. What were the Adonises up to right now? Were they in some club like Flame right now, chatting up some other lovestruck tourist?
Pushing away the thought, I got up to pad to the bathroom. As I reached for my toothbrush, I stilled.
My heart leapt into my throat, and my toothbrush slipped from my grasp, clattering to the floor.
In the mirror, I could see Edelnar standing in the center of the hotel room, his cold grey eyes trained on me.
I opened my mouth to scream, but he was instantly on me, his hand pressed to my mouth.
“Hold still, Liana,” he murmured. “I’m taking you home.”
And my entire world went black.
I came to with a gasp.
Panic seared my insides as I looked around. I was in a massive bedroom; it was twice the size of my tiny apartment back home.
As soon as I sat up, Edelnar appeared by the doorway. He gave me a pleasant smile, as if I were a guest he’d invited over for coffee and not someone he’d just kidnapped.
“Liana,” he said, his eyes roaming over me from head-to-toe, in a way that made me feel naked. “Now that you’re awake, we need to be properly introduced.”
I stumbled out of bed, trying to appear brave though I was quaking with fear.
"Let. Me. Go," I hissed. "I don't know what's going on between you and Gabriel and the others, but I have nothing to do with it. I'm never going to see them again, so just leave me out of this."
His eyes darkened dangerously when I mentioned Gabriel, and he moved towards me with slow lethality. It took everything in my power not to cower against the wall, and I held myself rigid.
"You're right about never seeing those monsters again," he snarled. He stopped until he was only inches away, his expression softening. "Liana," he murmured, reaching out to touch my face, but I jerked out of his reach.
“I’m—I’m leaving, and you're not going to stop me," I warned, stepping around him. But he grabbed my arm, studying me. Genuine surprise flickered across his handsome features.
“You really don’t know, do you?” he asked.
I yanked my arm out of his grasp, whirling to race for the door. But he beat me to the door, moving impossibly fast.
“I’m losing patience with you, Liana,” he growled. "I didn't want to do it this way, but so be it."
He lifted up his arm. Fear darted through me as I instinctively lifted my hands to shield myself. As I did, a ferocious burst of light exploded from my hands, shooting towards Edelnar. His eyes widened as the force of light hurled him backward out of the room.
I looked down at my hands, astonished. But there was no time for me to try to contemplate what the hell just happened—I needed to get out of here.
I raced out of the room. Edelnar lay on the ground, unconscious, and I darted past him down the hall.
I was in a massive penthouse, and as I ran out of the hall and entered a living room, I saw the skyline of downtown New Orleans outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. At least I was still in the city.
I scrambled to the door, wrenching it open and darting out.
I screamed when I saw four male figures sprinting towards the door. But I stilled when I saw who they were. Gabriel, Adrian, Noel and Xavier.
Noel was before me at once, gripping my shoulders.
“Are you alright, ma cherie?”
“There’s no time for that,” Gabriel said, and my pulse sped up as he looked past me, opening his mouth to reveal . . . fangs. “Get her out of here. I’ll deal with Edelnar.”
Noel pulled me into the circle of his arms, and before I knew it we were back in the same living room they’d taken me to the other day.
I stumbled, dizzy, but Noel held me steady. Adrian and Xavier hovered, watching me with concern.
Once the room was steady again, I looked down at my hands. That flash of light that burst from my hands had been real. Gabriel’s fangs had been real. The enormous speed at which Noel had taken me from the penthouse had been real.
I looked up at them, trying to keep my voice steady as I spoke.
“Tell me everything.”
Chapter 5
I sat in silence, looking down at the mug of tea Adrian had placed in my hands, trying to come to terms with everything I’d just learned.
The four men were vampires, they came from a world called Velar. In this world, vampires and fae existed. They had been at war with each other for thousands of years until a truce was called. The terms of the truce included a decree that a small percentage of the vampire population would mate with a fae woman, and vice versa. But there were many on both sides who opposed the truce, who wanted fae and vampires to remain separate.
My family were fae. They didn’t want me to mate with vampires, though I was chosen at birth to mate with Xavier, Gabriel, Noel and Adrian.
To avoid the mating, my parents had fled Velar to come to the human world, and chose to live as humans instead. Fae had tracked down my parents and killed them, furious with them for turning their backs on their own kind—their own world. Before my parents died, they’d entrusted me to my grandmother, a fae who kept me hidden in the human world. Edelnar was fae; he was a part of the group that killed my parents. He was from a powerful fae family in Velar and wanted me as his mate.
A part of me screamed that none of this could be true, but I couldn’t deny what I'd seen. Now . . . it seemed like all the puzzle pieces had fallen into place. Why Alice didn’t like talking about my parents. Why she didn’t want me to have social media accounts and encouraged me to stay nearby and go to a local college. Why she had approved of stable, boring—human—Brian. And this all explained the dreams I’d had for years, the dreams I now knew were of my bonded vampire mates.
“Liana?” Xavier asked.
I looked up. Xavier, Noel and Adrian hovered, studying me with varying degrees of concern.
“This . . . it’s too much,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“I know,” Adrian said. “You must be overwhelmed.”
“The light that came from my hands,” I said slowly. “How —“
“Vampires have speed, immortality, thrall, and strength,” Xavier said, “while many fae have magical abilities. Your instincts were to protect yourself—and you activated your magic in doing so.”
Shaking, I looked down at my hands. Not only was I not human, I could do magic as well? I closed my eyes. This all kept getting crazier.
“And why does Edelnar want to mate with me?” I asked. “In this world—in Velar—there have to be other fae women.”
“You’re no ordinary fae.”
It was Gabriel who answered my question as he entered the living room. He had a jagged scratch across his face and blood stained his shirt.
“Edelnar,” he said, gesturing to his scar. His expression darkened. “He fought well, but he escaped.”
“Damn it,” Xavier muttered, closing his eyes.
But I was still focused on Gabriel's first statement.
“No ordinary fae,” I repeated, meeting his eyes. “What do you mean?”
The vampires exchanged a glance.
“You just told me I’m a mythical creature from another world,” I said. “Trust me, nothing else you can say will shock me.”
“Your family line is one of the oldest and most pristine in Velar,” Xavier said. “There are no kings and queens in Velar; not anymore. But your family was once royal.”
OK, I was wrong. They could shock me.
The room around me tilted on its axis, and I drew a ragged breath.
“If . . . if I’m royal, and we’re mated,” I whispered. “What does that make you?”
“We come from old royal families as well,” Xavier said. “It's probably why we were mated with you. Edelnar wants you as his mate because there are few fae that have royal blood. It's why the fae were so furious when your parents fled Velar.”
So. I was a fairy princess after all. If I wasn’t so astonished, I would have laughed.
I leaned forward, pressing my fingers to my temples.
“So what happens now?” I whispered. “I assume I can’t just go back to my human life?”
“You have a choice in this. We want to emphasize that,” Adrian said. “You can go back to your human life. We will do the best we can to protect you. But—“
“It won’t be much of a life,” Gabriel said bluntly. “You’ll have to go into hiding. Change your name, your appearance, move frequently. It’s like—what humans in this country call the Witness Protection Program. Now that Edelnar’s found you, he’ll report this to the other fae. They’ll keep coming after you.”
A heavy silence fell after his words. I made myself speak past dry lips.
“And if I don’t go back to my human life?”
“You can accept or deny the mating bond,” Adrian said. “If you accept our bond, you will live amongst our kind and receive the highest level of our protection. If—if you deny our bond,” he said, his eyes shadowing with pain, “you can still come to Velar, but it would be much like living here. You would have to be in hiding and move frequently. We would do our best to protect you, even though it would be more difficult.”
My stomach was in knots. It didn’t seem like I had much of a choice.
I looked up at the four vampires, who had fixed me with their characteristic unwavering gazes. I was attracted to them—to all of them. Very much so. But I wanted them on my own accord, not because of some supernatural bond. I wanted a choice.
“If we were bonded,” I said. “How does that work? Is it like a relationship? I’m your girlfriend—you’re my boyfriends?”
“It’s much deeper than that. It’s like a marriage here in the human world, only it can’t be broken. You'll belong to us, and we'll belong to you,” Gabriel said, his blue eyes trailing over my body from head-to-toe. The heat of desire swept over me, and I averted my gaze.
“And . . .” I hesitated, but I needed to know. “And . . . sex?”
“There will be lots of that, cherie,” Noel practically purred, and I had to cross my legs against the spiral of arousal that coiled through me. “If you choose so, of course. You can have us one on one, all together, or —“
“OK,” I interrupted, trying not to let my brain cloud with multiple erotic images of the Adonises. I needed to focus. I took another breath, forcing myself to think past the desire that coursed through my veins.
“The safest thing would be for me to come with you to Velar, and accept the bond,” I said, after a long pause.
Their eyes lit up, but I shook my head. “Hold on. I still want the ability to choose. I want to see this world. Get to know all four of you better. And then I’ll make my decision.”
They all exchanged glances. Xavier stepped forward, taking both my hands in his.
“Agreed,” he said. “We will do everything we can to prove our worthiness to you. You have our word.”
Chapter 6
Though everything I had learned still overwhelmed me, I got through the next week with my sanity intact. They wanted to wait a few days before we left to ensure that Edelnar wasn't trailing us. In the meanwhile, I had to prepare to leave.
The first order of business was to take care of my affairs back home before I left. And there was Sera.
Noel had informed me, with a dash of guilt, that they had used something called a “thrall” on Sera to make her believe she was ill the day of our first outing. They suspected she’d want to come along, and they wanted to spend time with me alone. Before Edelnar interrupted us, they'd planned to tell me everything.
I was too amazed that they had the ability to do this to get annoyed or angry—I still had a lot to learn about vampires and their abilities. Nonetheless, I wanted to tell Sera everything, but they insisted I would only put her in danger. So I begrudgingly agreed that they could use the thrall on her; Adrian told me it was akin to hypnosis in the human world. We would tell Sera that I had to cut my vacation short after learning of a family emergency, and I was leaving the country to take care of it. They would also wipe her memory of ever meeting the four of them.
I recalled the electricity that flowed through me when I first met them and studied them with vague suspicion.
"Have you—or will you ever—do that to me?" I asked. “Use a thrall on me?”
"Never," Adrian breathed, looking horrified.
“Besides, you're fae. We couldn't do that to you if we tried. And we wouldn't. We don't like doing it to humans; usually it's only for their safety,” Xavier said.
"We will be nothing but honest with you, cherie," Noel added. "You have our word."
I could tell they were being sincere, and relief washed over me.
I met up with Sera at a small coffee shop on the outskirts of New Orleans. After I told her my false story, Gabriel sat next to her, gently plac
ed his hands on the sides of her face, and I watched in amazement—and with a bit of guilt —as Sera's eyes went dull, she nodded, and stood.
Without a word, she headed toward the door. Watching her leave, tears pricked at my eyes. I scrambled to my feet.
"Let me say one last goodbye," I said to the vampires. I didn't know when—or if—I’d ever see her again.
“Liana—“ Gabriel began, frowning.
“It’s OK,” Xavier said, scowling at Gabriel. “Say goodbye to your friend.”
I hurried out of the coffee shop after her.
“Sera!”
She turned, blinking at me in surprise.
“Hey,” she said, with a puzzled smile. "Shouldn’t you be on your flight to Europe?”
“I’m—I’m heading to the airport now," I lied. "I just wanted to say . . . goodbye. And I'll miss you."
"I'm sure you won't be gone long," she said, still smiling. "And you better stay in touch."
I knew I couldn't. Gabriel had said in no uncertain terms that anyone who’d had contact with me in the human world would be closely watched by Edelnar and other fae.
Without responding, I stepped forward to embrace Sera. Sera returned it, then pulled back with a casual wave, and walked away. I watched her go until she disappeared down the street.
As for my job, I called to tell my boss at the museum that I would be out of the country for a family emergency, and I wasn’t sure when I’d return. She cooed sympathetically and told me that my job would be here when I returned.
Would it be? I wondered, when I hung up. The vampires told me I'd be free to return whenever I wanted, but until the threat with Edelnar was gone, I'd have to be in hiding.
The vampires told me not to worry about my apartment; rent had been paid on it for the year. They told me this casually, and I looked at them in astonishment. How much money did they have? By the looks of their mansion . . . lots of it.
I settled into the mansion in the Garden District after Sera left; it wasn’t safe for me to stay in the hotel alone. I learned that it was built in the nineteenth century, it had five bedrooms and three bathrooms. If I wasn’t so dazed by all the supernatural things I’d just learned, I would have taken more time to explore and take it in. Xavier was dismissive of the home; he said it was nothing compared to the noble homes in Velar.
