by Lola Kidd
“I have no idea where to find Sophia. There’s no castle structure or a house that seems better than the rest.”
“Did you say 'Sophia'?” the topless woman said, rolling over and propping herself up on her elbow.
“I did.” Rory tried to avert her gaze, but all she could see was the fae’s perfect pert breast. They retained their shape even though the woman was lying on her side.
“You aren’t one of us. So you must be the sister! I haven’t seen her come this way so I bet she’s at the beach with Gavin,” the fae told her. The woman looked Cross up and down. “You can leave your dog here. I’ll take good care of him while you talk with the queen.”
Rory gave her a tight smile. “Thanks for the directions.”
She assumed the beach was over the hill at the edge of town and headed that way. She didn’t even check to see if Cross was following her. She had just told him they weren’t anything special. If he wanted to stay and “talk” with the pretty fae, he could go right ahead. It would hurt Rory’s feelings, but that didn’t matter. She was steeling herself to any possibility. She didn’t want to string him along anymore. She was putting him in enough danger as it was. She didn’t want to break his heart too.
“A beach?” Cross asked, following her to the bluff. Sure enough, as they got to the cliff the smell of salt water got stronger. A stretch of beach front with more houses dotting it greeted them. “Are you fucking kidding me?! We just got out of a fairytale village and now we’re on the beach? That doesn’t match up.”
“This isn’t real though,” Rory said. “I mean it is real, but they made all of this. You don’t think an alternate dimension with magically created terrain is going to act the same way that our dimension does.”
“I guess not, but this place is starting to really give me the creeps. Can we make this family reunion quick please?”
“I’m not promising anything. I’d like answers before we jump out of here.”
They jogged down the sandy bluff to the beach. The sand was pure white of course and the water was as perfect as the stream had been. This part of the Northlands Fae’s created world looked a lot like pictures Rory had seen of Thai beaches and the Caribbean. She had never visited those places on Earth, but she was sure they wouldn’t be able to compete with the fae version here. She wanted to strip off her clothes and jump into the water. The fae splashing around sure seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“I found her.” Cross pointed down the beach to two figures sunning themselves.
“You came! I’m excited…even if you did bring the dog,” Sophia said as they got closer. “Aurora, this is Gavin. He’s my most trusted advisor and sometimes bedmate.”
The man next to her wasn’t wearing any clothes. Rory quickly looked him over and averted her eyes. She knew she was blushing, but Gavin was gorgeous like all the other fae here. If only they would wear more clothes. Luckily, Sophia was wearing a swimsuit. Not a teeny-tiny bikini either. She was wearing a very retro, red suit with white polka dots. She looked flawless of course. Her pale skin was already getting a dusting of color even though she couldn’t have been out here more than a few minutes.
“Nice to meet you,” she mumbled in Gavin’s direction. She quickly looked back at Sophia. “Did you kill Elena?”
Sophia tilted her head. “That was your head witch right? No, we didn’t. That was the vampire. He really botched the whole operation to be honest.”
“How convenient,” Cross said. “It’s the person who isn’t here to defend himself who’s to blame.”
Sophia raised one eyebrow. “Why would I kill a witch of no consequence to me? Also, if we could open portals right into Cleary, why wouldn’t I have just grabbed Rory myself?”
“I don’t know. Deniability? You enjoy the drama? Who the fuck cares? Why should we believe you?” he asked.
“Have we tried to hurt either of you?” Gavin asked. “If we would kill the witch why wouldn’t we have killed you outright? Especially you, dog, you aren’t even one of us.”
“Rory isn’t one of you,” Cross said with a sneer.
“And you think she’s yours?” Sophia asked, amused.
“Enough,” Rory said, putting a hand on Cross’ chest. That line of questioning wasn’t going to lead anywhere she wanted to go. “Why did you bring me here?”
“You’re my sister and one of us. You should have a choice where you want to live,” Sophia said. “The rest of the supernatural may think they sent us to a prison, but we’ve created our own Eden. All Northlands Fae have the option to live here.”
“Bullshit.” Cross didn’t even wait to hear more. Rory really wanted to cast a silence spell on him, but she knew that would only piss him off more. If he would shut up for a moment, she could get what she needed and they could leave.
“Believe what you like,” Sophia said, settling back on her comfortable looking lounge chair.
“How can I be one of you? I’m a witch,” Rory asked. She was starting to sweat in her jeans. The beach was much warmer than the village and forest.
“You’re half witch and half fae,” Sophia said. “We have the same father, of course. My mother died when I was a young child and dear old dad ran out long ago.”
“You must be pretty old,” Cross said.
“Very,” Sophia said. “One of the perks of being fae that I’m not sure you’ll get, little sister. Maybe you’ll get to stay young for your short life, if not. That’s some consolation.”
“It’s possible,” Rory admitted. Cross gave her a hard look. “It is! I never knew my father. He could be a sasquatch for all I know.”
Cross’ scowl deepened and he nodded toward the bluff.
“Can you excuse us for a second?’ Rory said. She and Cross walked to an empty space near the bluff. “What?”
“Are you done here?”
“What?! No. I want to know more.”
“Rory, what is wrong with you? These are dark fae. I’m still not understanding what you expect to get out of this?”
“Well, if they didn’t kill Elena, maybe they don’t want to do anything to me. This place does look pretty nice. My alarm isn’t going off or anything. You don’t seem to be freaking out either. I really don’t think they’re going to do anything to us.”
“Then why would they go to all the trouble to get you here?!” He was yelling. Rory looked around furtively.
“Keep your voice down! We only know one side of the story. Who’s to say they’re lying? Elena didn’t see the person who attacked her. She just said it felt like how she had heard Lost Tribe magic described. I have to disagree now that we’re here. You do see how all of this isn’t adding up.”
“Maybe,” Cross admitted slowly. “You’re right. This place feels like its got way to much magic in it but nothing dangerous yet. Even if they don’t want to hurt you, they’re still here for a reason. Don’t forget that. They did try to wipe our kind from the face of the planet.”
Rory bit her lip. “Well…”
“Oh God!” Cross ran his hands through his hair. “If you start spouting conspiracy theory bullshit right now, I’m going to have one of these fae check you for a concussion.”
“You’ve heard it too?”
“Hey, wolf,” Sophia called interrupting their conversation. “Didn’t you wonder how you were able to claim my dear little sister?”
***
“Nobody's asking you, fairy,” Cross called without looking at her. The bitch was trying to weasel her way into the conversation. Cross didn’t know why Rory was stalling, but there was no reason for them to stay in this dimension any longer.
“It’s because she’s not like other witches,” Sophia continued. “She’s not like fae either. You have a smart wolf choosing this one.”
Cross’ wolf preened. He had chosen well. Rory was one of a kind, even without the supposed fae blood.
“Rory,” he said, quietly turning her face away from Sophia. “What else do you want to know? Everything you need is
back home. Your coven is your family.”
“I’m her family too,” Sophia called. “And if you’re here, wolf, I would say nearly everything she needs is right here. What do you think is going to happen when you go back over? You think her coven is going to welcome you with open arms?”
Gavin snickered. “That’ll be the day. They’re going to try to break the claim you two have made…which will leave at least one of you emotionally bankrupt.”
“What are you talking about?” Rory turned back to the pair of fae. Cross’ wolf was also very interested in what the fae had to say.
“If they break the claim, it will destroy his wolf,” Gavin said. “He won’t be able to just pick up and find a new mate. He’ll probably be alone for life.”
Rory looked back at Cross. The horrified look in her eye made his wolf strain against his confines again.
“They don’t know what they’re talking about,” he assured her. “And if you don’t want to break the claim, you don’t have to.”
“But I do,” Rory said softly. “Nobody would want us together at home. My coven would never allow it and if they did, we would be excommunicated from the greater witch community.”
“We’ll find a way to make this work for all of us,” Cross said. No way in hell was he going to let anyone even try to break his claim. The thought alone enraged him. Why would she even consider it? Who the hell cared if other people didn’t like it? All that mattered was what she wanted.
“I’m offering you a place to stay, wolf,” Sophia said. “You should consider my offer carefully. We don’t care for other creatures outside of our tribe. If my sister accepted your claim, we’re willing to make a one time exception for you.”
“Your coven is reasonable,” Cross told Rory. “They accepted my help right away and they let you leave with me. We’ll be fine back home.”
“You could just stay for a little while,” Sophia said. “Take some time to decide what you want while you unwind after that awful time back home. Even if you do go back, you’ll be sure you’re making the right decision instead of rushing into anything.”
Rory tilted her head. She was sold on the idea already. Anything he said now would be wasting his breath.
“Alright,” he called, beating her to the punch. “I’m willing to stay a few days. Get all of this sorted out. If Rory wants to, that is?”
She was already smiling. He didn’t need to hear her answer. At least this way, it would look like he was on board with this whole thing. He had no idea what Sophia was up to now, but she wasn’t trying to help him out that was for sure. Fine, two could play at her little game. He would stay for a little while and convince Rory that the claim needed to stand and they were perfect for each other. Then they would get the hell out of this dark dimension before Sophia knew what hit her.
Three
“Who’s being weird now?” Rory smirked. She couldn’t believe Cross had agreed to stay. He was so against it. Even his aggressive body stance told her that he was not happy with this situation. She couldn’t explain it, but she needed to stay just a little longer. Just a little. Sophia was right. Time to relax for a moment would be nice. So far they hadn’t tried to hurt her, the only reason she had tried so hard to stay away from them before was all the stories.
“I didn’t say I would stay forever,” Cross said with a smile. “I’m only staying long enough to convince you that you belong with me and not a second longer.”
Rory couldn’t help but smile. “Ulterior motive. I can get behind that as long as you’re not going to freak out on me anymore and play nice.”
“I’ll have Renn and Reno set up some living quarters for you two,” Sophia said. “They’ll come find you when they’re done. You two will be joining Gavin and me for dinner tonight, of course. That will be around sundown.”
“I guess that means we have some time to kill. Want to look around more?”
“Sounds good.” They headed off down the beach. She would have time later to grill Sophia over dinner. Whoever Renn and Reno were, she hoped they were good decorators. Most of the places in the village looked great, but she hadn’t seen the insides yet. Whatever. She would just change anything she didn’t like. She was already getting the feel of the magic of this place. Making the portal home might be easy.
The magic here didn’t work exactly like it did at home, but she could work that to her advantage. She thought. Maybe. She would need to test it more. Another reason they needed to wait a little bit before going straight home. Plus, after what Gavin had said she didn’t want to rush back and eternally screw Cross over. She felt too much for him. It was so hard not to touch him as they walked. Her body wanted her to. Her entire essence wanted to be with him, but she couldn’t trust it. Whatever this claim was, it was clouding her judgment.
She would ask Sophia for all the information she had about the claim. The fae queen seemed to know more than even Cross.
“What do you think about having a sister?”
“I don’t know yet,” Rory admitted. “She’s nice so far. I don’t trust her all the way, but she’s not going to hurt us right now.”
Cross nodded. “I agree. We need to work this to our advantage though. You still don’t really know what she’s up to or even if you’re related really. Her whole appearance could be a lie.”
“I don’t think so. Before Violet showed up Jamie was trying to get my Mom to tell me something. I think this was it. That my dad was a Lost Tribe fae and all.”
“But you’re not sure what she was going to say?”
“No, but it would make sense. If she had told me sooner, this whole thing would be a lot easier on that front. I don’t even know why she kept it from me for this long. Seems like the perfect secret to revel on my sixteenth birthday like in all the movies.”
Cross laughed. “I’d want to keep it quiet too. No mixing and all. There is less than a handful of Lost Tribe that got to stay behind if the rumors are true.”
“You don’t believe any of them?”
“That there was a giant conspiracy to get rid of the most powerful fae out of fear? No I don’t. It’s just too far-fetched. It would have taken secrecy on a global level.”
“Not really though. It would have only taken a couple of people to convince everyone that the Northlands Fae, Lost Tribe whatever you want to call them, were behind everything.”
“We can work on that assumption if that’ll make you happy. I think it’s a load of bullshit, but fine, let’s say there was a giant conspiracy. All the records and testimony from around the world was faked to get them out of the way.”
“Shut up,” Rory shoved him. “I didn’t say I believed it. I just wanted to know if you had heard about it.”
Cross pulled Rory back hard. He put his hand up in the air in front of them. It looked like the beach kept going for miles, but there was a wall.
Rory put her hand to it. “Whoa. Thanks it would have hurt pretty bad to run into this.”
“All magic. I’m surprised I didn’t feel it before we were this close. Can you get us around it?”
“Possibly, but I’m not even going to try.” Cross pursed his lips. “If I rip this wall, I won’t be able to sew up the tear quickly. We don’t know what’s on the other side of this. Maybe it's giant, brain-eating slugs. I don’t want to risk that.”
“Or maybe it’s a bunch of starving fae they don’t want you to see.”
“Wow. That’s your first guess. Cynical much?”
She was just as curious as to what was behind the wall. Not curious enough to rip it apart yet, but maybe she could find a way to see past it. Cross walked perpendicular to the wall and headed up a sand dune back into the village.
“I wonder how far out the water really goes. None of the fae are even trying to swim out there. Want to find the edge of the world in the forest?”
“Yeah. Too bad we can’t measure. I wonder if it’s a perfect shape. That would be so creepy.”
“Do you remember how many Lo
st Tribe were sent over?”
Rory thought about it. “I don’t remember. Quite a few though.”
Cross was looking around the village as they walked to the forest. “I thought it was close to 500. This village looks pretty small for 500 fae plus the generations that had to be born here.”
“I don’t think fae have a lot of children. I mean if they did, they would all be inbred eventually here.” She shuddered. Nothing good came of inbred supernatural creatures. Were-creatures had the problem long ago since they didn’t like to breed with other supes. The end products were almost always disposed of.
A blue-haired woman blocked their path as they were nearing the forest again. “Are you Aurora?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I am Renn. Please follow me.”
***
“This place looks great!” Rory squealed. Cross couldn’t believe she actually made that noise over what he was looking at. It was a nice place, but it was like every other house in town. Nothing to get that excited over. “Where is Cross going to stay?”
The blue-haired fairy twins looked at one another. It was a twin thing, but even he knew what they were trying to work out.
“The dwelling has multiple rooms,” Reno, the boy twin, said.
“So you aren’t going to make another one?”
“Calm down, Rory,” he told her. “We can share a cabin, it's no problem.”
The twins smiled and then walked away without any further discussion. They didn’t want to build anything else. They, like him, had assumed he and Rory would stay in the same place. He wouldn’t have stayed anywhere else even if they had made him a separate dwelling. Especially if they had made him a separate place! It would have been obvious if they were trying to separate them.
“I guess we’re bunk mates again,” she said with a tight smile.
“It worked out pretty great last time,” he smiled. He was going to make sure it went well this time too. If he had to be stuck in this stupid dimension, he was going to make the best of it. By the time they went home, Rory wouldn’t let her coven break his claim. Once they jumped home through the portal, that coven should have a parade for him. He was really going above and beyond here. Rory would never find a mate as good as him.
