by Deanna Chase
“I can think of worse things to be doing,” I said honestly.
“Well, I enjoyed it,” Cheney said dryly. “Or I did until I noticed all the other men I was hunting with watching you as well. Then, of course, I yelled at you.”
“Naturally.”
“I tried to make you put on my coat, which you absolutely refused to do. You said if I was embarrassed, I could avert my eyes. You informed me in no uncertain terms that I should continue on my little hunt and leave you to commune with the goddess.”
“Did you leave?”
“No, I sent the rest of them on their way and I stayed.”
“Did I take that well?”
“You ignored me. Even when it started to rain, you continued right on doing what you were doing. When you finished, I was soaked and you were glowing. You were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I walked you home very much against your will, but we talked. That night changed everything.”
She sounded great—but nothing like me. I would never dance naked in the woods. I would never let all of those people leer at me. “What will you do if she never comes back?”
“Who?”
“The girl you knew. What if tonight doesn’t work? What if I don’t get my memories back?”
“You say that like you aren’t the same person.”
“I am not the same person. I don’t share those memories. Even if I did, what makes you think my life here hasn’t changed me?”
“The memories will come back.”
“What if they don’t?”
“Then we’ll make new ones—”Cheney sighed like he couldn’t bear to say whatever else he needed to. He shook his head. “It’s time to go.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely,” he said with the confidence I didn’t have. His arms wrapped around me and I waited for the dizzying pull, but it didn’t come.
“Cheney?”
“Yeah?”
“Are we going?”
“Soon.” His arms tightened and his lips brushed my hair. “You didn’t say what you thought of the house.”
“It’s lovely.”
“Would it be acceptable to you?”
“Acceptable as what?”
“Our place to stay while we come up with a plan. You can’t go back to your house after tonight. They’ll be looking for you there, especially when they feel your magic.”
“How long do you think we’ll be here?”
“I don’t know.”
“I won’t leave Stewie.”
“The cat will be here when we come back tonight.” He squeezed me a little tighter and I closed my eyes shut. When I opened them, the studio was dark and silent. I gave Cheney the keys to unlock the front door while I got the lights. It seemed like a lifetime since I’d taught a class or seen my friends. Was I really giving all this up? I sat on the floor and opened Grandma’s Book of Shadows. I needed to find a spell that would work.
The book was a fountain of hand-scrawled information but seemed to have no order. It would take ages to find the correct spell. There was no way we could do this tonight. Relief washed over me. I’d received a reprieve.
“Looking for the spell?” Cheney asked.
“This will take hours to read through.”
“I know. I read while you slept last night.”
“You read this entire book?”
“Yeah, we needed to find the spell. Do you want me to show you?”
I offered him the book, my stomach sinking. Cheney flipped right to the correct page and handed the book back. It was an undoing spell and actually rather simple in its nature. “This doesn’t seem too bad. I have everything on hand.”
“Simple, yet powerful. It should do the trick.”
The bell of the door chimed. “Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee,” I muttered.
Cheney smiled. “John Donne,” he said the same time Kat and Jess walked into the studio laughing.
“Selene, you whore. What’s so important we had to meet tonight?” Jessica asked before she noticed Cheney.
Kat looked at Cheney with an arched brow then back at me. “Hey, pretty lady. You going to introduce us to your friend?” She gave me a look that said that’s not Michael.
“Kat, Jess, this is Cheney. Cheney, these are two of my best friends, Kat and Jess.”
They both shook his hand and made appropriate greetings. Kat mouthed, “He’s hot,” behind his back.
“So how do you know each other?” Jessica asked.
“I’ll explain everything once Devin and Leslie get here,” I told them.
They both eyed Cheney. “Are you a witch?” Jess asked.
He gave them a mischievous grin. “No, but I can use a wand.”
“I bet you can,” Kat mumbled under her breath.
“Kat!” I said, my cheeks turning red as Cheney’s laughter filled the room. They both looked at him with renewed interest.
“Damn it, why’s Devin always late?” Jessica complained.
“The two of you remind me of one another,” Kat said, shaking a finger between the two of us.
“That’s the second time I’ve heard that tonight. I don’t see whatever it is you people are seeing.” I crossed my arms over my chest, not liking any of this. I had a suspicion of what they were noticing and I liked that even less. I wasn’t an elf, even part.
“There’s always been something I couldn’t quite place about you, Selene. Something mysterious and timeless that I’ve never seen in another person. I still can’t tell you what it is, but you both have it.”
“Are you a seer?” Cheney asked her.
“I just get feelings now and then.” Kat smiled and continued to inspect us.
“What about you, Jessica? What’s your talent?” Cheney turned his gaze to her.
“I’ll tell you mine when you tell us yours,” she said, studying his face and not seeming to buy into his whole charming thing.
“Fair enough,” Cheney said, not at all bothered by her shortness.
Finally the bell chimed and Devin and Leslie rushed through the door. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry we’re late. It’s completely my fault. I was ready, then…” Her voice trailed off as she saw Cheney. “I had a dream about you,” she said bluntly.
My breath caught in my throat. Devin’s dreams came true nearly as often as she had them. She didn’t continue, just stared off into space. “Devin! What happened?” I asked.
“Ummm, I don’t remember it very well. I had it a couple days ago. He was playing the piano, and you were sitting with him, and your hair color kept changing as he played. I was going to tell you tonight that something was going to threaten your identity, but I think maybe it was a more literal dream.”
“I’d say both translations are pretty accurate,” I whispered. Leslie took my hand, concern erasing her normally jovial smile. I cleared my throat. “Devin, Leslie, this is Cheney. Cheney these are the last members of our coven.”
“I’ll lock the door,” he said after he shook their hands. When he left the room, they bombarded me.
“Where do you find these guys?” Katrina asked.
“Why’s he here?” Leslie said. “I can’t feel anything from him. It’s weird.”
“How does he know about us?” Jessica asked with distinct curtness.
I withdrew my hand from Leslie’s, needing space, and held it up for them to stop. “I’ll explain everything. It’s rather unbelievable, but to the best of my knowledge it’s all true.”
“And Cheney?”
“He’s a big part of this story.” I ran my hands through my hair.
“Are you okay?” Devin asked, sitting on the floor, the rest following suit. “You look like this is the last place you want to be.”
“What’s that book?” Jessica asked, nodding toward the black book at my feet.
I sat down, completing our normal circle. “My grandmother’s Book of Shadows.”
“What!” they all said in unison.
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“I told you, it’s a very long story.” I handed Jessica the book. “You’re welcome to look through it.”
Cheney strode back into the room in his typical fast and fluid movements. His gaze sought mine, but I stared down at my hands, at the ring on my finger.
“We need to make space for another,” I told the girls.
Jessica and Kat parted, allowing him to sit across from me rather than beside me. They were protecting me; they really were the greatest in the world.
“I don’t even know where to start.”
Cheney’s eyes met mine, glittering gold. “I imagine it would be easier for you to find a starting point than me.”
I nodded. I could start with my parents dying, but I didn’t know enough of the details to fill them in on the particulars. I could start with when I first met Cheney, but that was hardly the beginning. Or I could start with Gram, though I still didn’t know much about her part in all of this. None of it seemed right. None of it addressed the reason why they were here.
“I’m not human,” I blurted. I was met with silence; not even breathing could be heard. The beat of my heart roared in my ears. “Well, at least not all human. Apparently, I’m half elf. Cheney is all elf.”
My hands twisted together in my lap. My lovely ring cut into my fingers. “There’s some big fuss over who gets to lead the faeries or whatever.” I recapped everything to the best of my memory and as quickly as possible. “Now one faction wants to use me as a weapon, because apparently I have a lot of potential, and the other faction…Well, I’m not sure what they want to do with me. Cheney would know more than I do.”
Everyone, including Cheney, looked at me with wide eyes. “Some big fuss?” Cheney asked, recovering first, a smile twitching on his lips. “I guess that’s one way to put it. What was World War II, a tiff?”
I shrugged. “They got the idea.”
“Whoa…Wait a second, back up. What makes you think you’re not human?” Jessica asked me.
“Both Cheney and my grandmother told me so.”
She narrowed her eyes at Cheney. “Your hand.”
Cheney gave her his hand without question. Jessica shut her eyes. A few seconds later she opened her eyes and nodded to the circle. We all knew what that meant. He was telling the truth. My stomach roiled.
“I know it’s hard to believe,” Cheney said to the girls. “Elves and faeries are mythical creatures to you, but I assure you we do exist and our fight is very real. If the rebels take over, the effects will be felt everywhere, not just in the Abyss. My family has ruled peacefully for thousands of years. The rebels have no interest in peace.
“So it’s the elf I see in both of you,” Katrina reasoned aloud.
“Most likely,” Cheney said. “We aren’t related.” He looked over at me. “We aren’t related.”
“Color me relieved,” I said dryly, and he smiled wickedly.
Devin was still staring off into space. “I take it the two of you were in love before she became a changeling,” Devin said
Cheney stared me directly in the eye. I could see it all over him, which scared me even more than becoming a different me. “Yes.”
Devin nodded. “You know what this is, don’t you, Selene?”
“Stressful?” I offered.
She smiled. “No. It’s the goddess. The three great events: love, death, and resurrection. To fulfill love you must return again and meet, know, remember your love. You have returned again. Now you need to remember.”
My mouth fell open. I vaguely remembered reading that story about the goddess and the horned god.
“Only I don’t think you can use magic to remember. I think remembering is something your heart has to desire.”
“I found the spell,” Cheney said. “It should work.”
“Not for this,” Devin said confidently. “To fulfill love you cannot force it with magic. This form of magic can only come from a willing heart. But you can awaken her other powers.”
“We shouldn’t do this spell inside,” Katrina added. “Selene is ruled by the moon and Venus. We should do it outside underneath the moon. It’s nearly full right now, right? It will increase our power.”
“We’ll triple circle so it will be more stable that way. Are you participating in this?” Jessica asked Cheney.
“Only in a form of power. Human magic is forbidden to elves, so I’ll participate by adding to your power, but I will not take an active part in any of the rituals. Selene’s grandmother is a very strong witch. We’ll need all the power we can get to undo her spell.”
“Well ladies…and gentleman, gather your stuff. We have a lot of work to do,” Devin said with a smile, clasping her hands in front of her.
Everyone stood up except for Leslie and me. “Wait,” Leslie spoke for the first time. “You’re all making plans for Selene, but none of you have asked her if this is what she wants. Selene?”
I twirled the ring and looked at Chaney. “No. Not tonight.”
“But—”
“No.” Jessica stepped between us. “She said no.” One by one each of the girls stepped in line in front of me, forming a wall.
Chapter 15
The tension was palpable in the room. I sighed and stood, breaking through their wall. “Thank you. I love you all, but I need to talk to Chaney. Please read over the spell. We’ll have to do it eventually.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” Kat said, taking my hand.
I squeezed hers back. “I know. Just give me a moment.”
I led Cheney to the back office and closed the door behind us.
“I thought we agreed,” he said, brushing his hand down my arm.
“No, you commanded me. I can’t leave tonight. I have things I need to take care of.” My eyes flickered back to my ring and my hope of a future that was fading away fast.
Cheney didn’t miss the gesture. “This is about the buffoon?”
My laugh sounded bitter, and perhaps it was. “You’re only asking me to give up all I have ever known in my life. Why should I need time to come to terms with that?”
Cheney slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall. “How much time?”
“I don’t know. However much it takes. I know you think you’re going to get the woman you love back, but damn it, I have a life here—a life that I love. I can’t just leave.”
“You can have until the full moon. Two days. That way you can cast at full strength and have time to wrap up whatever you need. Once we leave you can’t have any contact back here until it is done. At that time, if you still want to come back and pick up your life where you left it, I will do everything in my power to ensure that you can.”
“And if I say no?”
He sighed. “I will assign Sebastian to come and guard you, and I will return to my duties. You’ll never hear from me again.”
I rubbed my hand over my face. The memories made me want to get to know him more—my heart ached for it, actually—but my mind said maybe it would be for the best if he left for good. I could have a perfectly nice life with Michael. “Two days.” I nodded, turned on my heel, and walked out.
The girls looked up as I entered the studio.
“We’ll do the spell in two days.”
“What are you going to tell Michael?” Leslie asked.
“Good bye,” I whispered. My heart was heavy, but not as sad as it should’ve been. Why did Cheney make me feel so much when I felt so little for a man I’d known and cared about so much longer?
***
Two days wasn’t enough time. How could I wrap up all the loose ends of my life in two days? I convinced Jessica to take over the administrative operation of the studio. I arranged with other instructors to have my classes covered. Leslie agreed to keep Stewie. Cheney said I could bring him, but I didn’t know what I would be doing or how my new life would be. I wanted to make sure someone could be with him. I kept putting off talking to Michael, not wanting to hurt him but seeing no other choice. Fin
ally, on the day of the full moon, I was out of time. Michael agreed to meet me for lunch, but Cheney insisted on coming, too.
“No.” I crossed my arms. “Absolutely not. If I have to break up with him, you can’t be there.”
Cheney sat on my couch watching reality television. He didn’t even bother to look up at me. “You can’t go alone. It isn’t safe. This isn’t up for discussion.”
I threw my hands up in the air and walked away. He was impossible. Cheney didn’t believe in discussing anything. He threw out orders like I would just take them. Break up with your boyfriend, become an elf, blah, blah, blah. I went to my bedroom and flopped down on the bed. My phone chirped with a new text message—Katrina wishing me luck with a frowny face. This royally sucked.
I read the spell to reverse the awakening for the millionth time. I needed that safety net in case I didn’t like being a half-elf. I needed to know I could come back. But stupid Cheney kept entering my thoughts. He was like an ember inside of me that was constantly being fanned, and Michael was the person I wished I felt like that about. I didn’t know Cheney, at least not that I could remember, but a part of me craved his touch. I couldn’t break up with Michael with him in the same room. The guilt would be too much to bear. If I couldn’t go alone, however, I had to find someone else to take me. Cheney probably wouldn’t view my friends as protection, but I knew one person he couldn’t object to. I dialed the number and waited.
“Cheney piss you off already? That didn’t take long. I never understood the two of you.” I could hear the smile in Sy’s voice.
“No. I’m supposed to do my awakening tonight, but I need your help with something.”
“Sure, anything. What’s up?”
“I have to break up with my fiancé before I go, and Cheney won’t let me go alone, but I don’t want him there.”
Sy groaned. “I meant anything except get involved in your relationship with the damn prince.”
My stomach dropped. So much for that idea. “Thanks anyway.”
“Wait. I’ll help you. Why are you breaking up with this poor guy?”
“Because I’m awakening my elf half. I have to.”
“No, you’re half-elf. You can do what you want. Don’t let Cheney bully you. If you love this guy, stay with him. Anyone, even a human, makes more sense than you and Cheney together.”
