Sandman (Forbidden Love Series II Book 5)

by Danielle James

“I heard that, honey,” he called out from by the stove.

  “Fuck you, cowboy,” she muttered.

  “Later,” Rebel called back to her. “After lunch.”

  “I’ll be there,” Leigh answered.

  “Oh, gonna be some hanky panky this afternoon!” Jacque snickered.

  “May I join you?” Serena asked, sitting at the large table with the women.

  “Of course,” Frankie answered her. Then to Rachel, “Serena is the local Fae princess. Or, Queen now since she married Gage. She’s gonna help us.”

  “What, exactly, do you want to do to me?” Rachel asked them.

  “Well, we’re gonna start with a spell to relax you, then we’re gonna see if there’s any latent memories of your birth family.”

  “What if I don’t have any?” Rachel asked. “I was only a baby when I was adopted. The pastor at my parents’ church asked them about me. I was found on the doorstep and needed a family. When my parents were told about me, they didn’t hesitate, just took me in as their own and eventually adopted me. They didn’t know my age, but guessed that I was less than a week old.”

  “She’s got a point,” Serena said. “Perhaps we should try something a little more invasive.”

  “I don’t like invasive,” Rachel told them.

  “Not like cutting you open or probing you,” Frankie laughed. “She means we can work a spell that will allow us to see into you on the DNA level. Then Jacque can run it through his algorithm and tell us what’s in there.”

  “Jacque?” Rachel asked with her brow raised. “The one with the spikes and facial piercings?”

  “Yep,” Frankie said proudly. “That’s my man. Drummer, husband, scientist, and doctor. He’s a genius.”

  “Wow,” Rachel said, truly amazed. “I didn’t know that.”

  “None of these men are what they seem,” Leigh told her. “Angel is a musician, Clan Leader, powerful vampire. Gage is a communications expert and bass player, all in addition to being the king. Jacque, well she just told you about Jacque, and my man, Rebel, he plays the guitar and is super awesome at being a pain in my ass. He also shares some of my magic, so he’s able to eat, go outside, ya know, things like that. Sebastian is a security and public relations guy. He keeps us all safe. And then there’s Antonio. He’s an explosives expert and an all-round warrior.”

  “I haven’t met Antonio,” Rachel said. “Is he going to be here today?”

  “He’s dead,” Leigh said bluntly. “But who knows with him?”

  “I’m so sorry,” Rachel said, genuinely feeling the loss for the family. “Wait, did you say ‘who knows’?”

  “Last we saw him, he'd been made an angel. A warrior angel at that. He drops in from time to time, but he has a lot of work on his plate, so we don’t bother him.” Frankie shook her head and laughed. “But we do miss him around here.”

  "I don't," Gage said as he entered the room. His hair was dripping wet, but still pink. "Jacque thinks he has to carry the torch."

  "I think you look great," Frankie told him, obviously trying not to laugh.

  "At least it's not blue," Serena reminded him.

  Gage looked at his wife and scowled. "It's pink."

  "Yes, it is," Serena giggled.

  "I'm lost," Rachel admitted. "Why is his hair pink?"

  "I didn't want you to miss Antonio," Jacque said from across the room.

  "Fuck off," Gage grumbled. "You'll get yours."

  Frankie turned to Rachel. "Antonio used to pull any and all kinds of pranks, including one time he filled Gage's shower head with blue dye. He was blue from head to toe for a week. Today, Jacque filled the shampoo bottle with pink hair dye."

  "Oh my," Rachel smiled. "I can understand why he's pissed."

  "He'll get over it," Serena said with a satisfied smile. Rachel wasn't sure, but she was willing to bet that the king's mate was in on the prank.

  "Here you go, ladies," Rebel said, carrying in three plates in one hand and two in the other. He sat them down in front of each female, turning the plates in the same direction as he did so. "Quesadillas for all of you."

  Rachel looked down at her plate and breathed in the scent of beef, cheese and pico de gallo. The quesadilla smelt and looked amazing. Her mouth started watering and she couldn't wait to taste it. She grabbed her fork and lifted it, then stopped. Her spidey senses were tingling as she looked up. All eyes were on her. "So, this isn't awkward at all," she said, lowering her fork.

  "Go ahead, try it," Rebel encouraged her.

  Rachel looked at him and his excited smile, then at the others. What were they waiting for? Why wasn't anyone else eating? Was it poisoned? Her eyes cut to Somnus who was still sitting with his father, but even he was watching her. When his eyes met her own, he got up and went to her. "Don't worry, Rebel would never disrespect food by making it less than perfect."

  In three strides he was at the table. He took Rachel's fork and cut a small bite off the end of the quesadilla and put it in his mouth. "Oh man," he said around it, laying the fork down on the table, "You've outdone yourself this time."

  Rachel hadn't realized that she'd been holding her breath. Why would his family want to poison her? It was silly. She picked up her fork and took a bite; the flavors exploding on her tongue. Somnus was right, it was delicious. After the third bite, she realized that Somnus had brought her a new fork, but she hadn't needed it. She just ate right off the same utensil as he had without even giving it a second thought. Hell, not even a first thought. The more time she spent around Somnus, the more comfortable she was becoming.

  If she were honest with herself, she had been comfortable with him from the start.

  When the food was gone and everyone was full, Frankie looked at Rachel and smiled. "You ready to get this party started?"

  Chapter Ten

  It was shocking how fast a room could clear out. Rachel watched as everyone except for Somnus, Azerial, Frankie, and Serena wished her luck and then disappeared. "Is this dangerous?" she asked.

  "Nah," Frankie told her with a genuine smile.

  "Then why did everyone split like the room was on fire?"

  "Because they want to give us the space we need, and they are giving you the privacy you deserve," Serena answered. "Besides, who wants to work in a room full of smart ass men hanging out?"

  "Somnus is still here," Rachel pointed out.

  "That's because you're his m—"

  "My charge," Somnus interrupted quickly. "I'm sticking with you to make sure that you're taken care of properly."

  Rachel didn't believe for a second he thought his family would do anything less. Besides, the goddess had promised her no less and Rachel believed her. "Don't be silly," she told him. "You don't have to stay."

  "No, I'll stay with you," he promised.

  In truth, Rachel didn't want him to stay. It wasn't that he was doing anything wrong, but what if they found something terrible in her genes? What if she was something embarrassing, like part ogre? Or worse, part leprechaun? No, she didn't want him to be right there when the news came out. She would tell him if he needed to know. "Seriously? I'm a big girl. I tie my own shoes and everything. Go spend time with your dad or your uncles."

  Somnus looked to his mother and aunts, but none of them were going to back him up. "You heard the girl," Azerial said. "Go."

  Somnus shifted his weight like a scolded teenager before huffing and stomping out of the room.

  "Oh, that's a good trick," Rachel laughed.

  "He knows better than to disrespect his mother," Azerial laughed. "Now, let's get going." She took Rachel by the hand and led her out of the kitchen and up the winding staircase in the living room.

  "Where are we going?" she asked.

  "To my altar room," Frankie answered. "That's where I keep all of my witchy stuff."

  "It's also a protected room," Serena continued for her. "It is protected by all of our magic."

  "I thought the whole house was protected," Rachel huffed as they went
up the third flight.

  "It is," Frankie told her. "This room, however, has an extra layer of protection. We have found that some of our magic is quite strong. The rest of the world need not know about it."

  "It also protects you from harm while you're inside," Serena said.

  "And here we are," Frankie announced.

  Rachel realized they were at what was the equivalent of the attic. The room was situated on the top floor, directly over the high ceiling of the living room. A heavy wooden door the color of aged driftwood was all that was standing between Rachel and her heritage. There was an ornate carving of a trifecta surrounded by leaves in the center of the door, and when Frankie touched it, the carving seemed to glow for a moment before the lock clicked and the door opened.

  It was unlike anything Rachel had ever seen before.

  Where she had expected to see herbs and vials in an old dusty space, she instead found herself standing in an utterly gorgeous and enormous room. There were no corners, but circular walls like in the tower of a castle. All along the walls were floor to ceiling bookshelves filled to capacity with books from over three centuries. The north side of the room had shelves, but there were no books on them. No, these were filled with little potion bottles of all shapes and colors.

  In the center of the room was a table adorned with trinkets and flowers. A crystal sat on a pedestal in the center. The sun shone through a skylight directly overhead; the light hit the crystal in a way that caused each color in the spectrum to separate and scatter throughout the room.

  "I've never seen anything like this," she breathed, trying to take it all in.

  "It is pretty impressive," Frankie said with real pride.

  "It is an altar any witch would be envious of," Azerial added.

  "I just have to gather a few things," Frankie told her. "Just have a seat in the chaise and get comfortable."

  Rachel saw the chair Frankie was referring to and sat down in it. At first, she kept her feet on the floor, but then thought that might be rude, so she laid back. But then she felt like she was in a shrink's office, so she sat back up.

  Serena laughed. “Just make yourself comfortable,” she said. “You’re gonna have to lie down for the spell, so how about putting your feet up?”

  Rachel nodded and did just that. The little chair was surprisingly comfortable and soon she was starting to relax. Frankie lit a bundle of herbs, and their smoke began to filter through the air. “Is that sage?” she asked.

  Frankie handed the bundle to Serena, who began waving it through the air and walking around the room. She was chanting softly in her native Fae tongue; the sound was musical and sweet to Rachel’s ears.

  “Yes,” Frankie told her. “Sage will help clear the air of any residual magic or energy that is already present in the room. We need a clean slate.”

  Azerial was busy placing tall white candles in a circle around the chaise Rachel was parked in. As she placed them, she touched the wick with her fingertip, lighting it on command with her own magic. “Mother of Fire, we beseech you,” she whispered over the first candle. “Mother of Air, we beseech you,” over the second. “Mother of Water, we beseech you,” over the third. When she lit the fourth candle, Azerial only nodded.

  Rachel knew a little bit about witchcraft, so she asked. “Why not ask the Mother of Earth too?”

  Azerial stood and smiled. “It would be a little silly to pray to myself, wouldn’t it?”

  Rachel felt her cheeks grow inflamed. Of course, Azerial was an earth goddess. She just hadn’t known she was the Earth Goddess. Mother Earth. In the same room. What a freaking head-trip!

  When Serena was finished waving the sage stick around the room, she pushed her hair out of her face and smiled broadly. “This house is clean,” she said in an old woman’s voice. Frankie chuckled and shook her head. Azerial rolled her eyes. It took a moment before Rachel caught on.

  “Oh, Poltergeist!” she said excitedly, happy to be in on the joke.

  “Serena spends too much time watching old horror movies,” Azerial told them.

  “Are we ready?” Serena asked, this time seriously.

  “Almost,” Frankie said. She dumped a satchel of herbs into a bowl and used a stirring stick to crush the delicate leaves. When she was satisfied, she picked up a potion bottle, popped the cork, and poured the contents into the bowl. The mixture smoked and popped, then began to bubble. Frankie nodded, and all three women stepped into the circle of candles.

  “Goddesses of the Wind, Earth, Fire, and Sea, protect us here, in this circle of light, so that we can know, give us the sight.” The candles blazed, and a blueish bubble surrounded them all.

  “You ready?” Serena asked Rachel as she took Azerial and Frankie’s hand.

  Rachel nodded. She was as ready as she was ever gonna be, which was not at all.

  “Revelare!” Frankie commanded, tossing the bubbling potion into the air above Rachel. She squinted, expecting to be covered by the liquid, but only a fine mist settled over her whole body. She could feel it seeping into her, right down into her soul. “Just close your eyes and let us do the work,” Frankie told her softly.

  Rachel did as she was told, terrified beyond reason, and yet, she was curious. She legitimately wanted to know what it was about her that made her different. She felt the three women put their hands on her; Frankie at her shoulders, Azerial at her right side and thigh, Serena at the left side and thigh. The women said nothing for several minutes.

  “Show me your secrets, child,” Azerial said in a tone that was just shy of singing. She always sounded like she was singing, Rachel realized. Serena was humming, and Frankie was being exceptionally quiet.

  “Oh, that’s interesting,” Frankie finally said.

  “What is that?” Serena asked quietly. “I’ve never seen this before.”

  “I have,” Azerial said. “And it’s big.”

  Rachel opened one eye and looked down her body to the goddess at her side. “How big?” Jeesh, she sounded like she was asking how big the tumor in her leg was. “I mean, what does that mean?”

  “You’re supposed to be relaxing,” Frankie chastised her jokingly.

  “I can’t just sit here and listen to you and not ask questions!” Rachel said, sitting up. The three women took their hands off her and smiled.

  “We know why you aren’t fooled by magic,” Azerial told her.

  “Well, you could tell me,” Rachel pointed out.

  “Do you remember anything of your birth parents?” Serena asked.

  Rachel shook her head and Frankie asked, “Did you ever wish something would happen and it did?”

  Rachel thought about that for a moment. Yeah, there was a time or two. Like when she was in eighth grade and Johnny Watson stood her up at the dance for a date with the class tramp. She’d wished he would fall on his face in public and the next day, he did exactly that. In the lunch line in front of everyone. There were other times too, but that was all coincidence, right?

  “I can see by the look on your face that you have,” Azerial told her. “And rightfully so. You have some pretty powerful lineage.”

  “I’m lost,” Rachel admitted. “What am I? Garden gnome? Ogre?”

  Azerial laughed and Rachel could swear that the flowers bloomed, the sun rose, and the angels sang along to the sound. “You are part deity,” she said.

  “Like a demigod, like Somnus?”

  Frankie nodded.

  “So, what you’re saying is that my parents were gods? No way.” If that were true, then Rachel had gotten the shit end of the stick. Other than a great bullshit detector, she had no power.

  “At least one of them was,” Serena answered. “Or a grandparent.”

  “One of the big three,” Frankie told her.

  “I don’t even know what that means,” Rachel told them. “How about we try English for dummies?”

  Azerial sat on her heels on the floor next to Rachel and took her hands into her own. “One of your parents was one of
the main three Olympians. Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades.”

  Rachel looked at her, deadpan, for a moment, then busted out laughing. “Oh, that’s rich!” she wailed. “And here I thought I was the child of something crazy like a werewolf or wood nymph! But no, not me! I get to be a goddess!” she snorted and then covered her mouth. Tears began to form in her eyes, but Rachel was helpless to stop the laughter. “Thanks for your hard work and thanks for lunch, but even this is too ridiculous for me. I’m out.” She stepped over the candles and went straight for the door. It opened for her without her touching it and Rachel knew that one of the women had opened it for her.

  “Rachel, wait!” Frankie shouted, jogging after her.

  “Nope. I’m sorry,” Rachel told her as she took the stairs down two and three at a time. “I can’t even wrap my brain around this. I gotta go.”

  “At least take this with you!” Frankie called. Rachel didn’t stop but Frankie used her vampire speed to get in front of her and drop an amulet around her neck. “It will protect you until you learn to use your power.”

  Rachel did stop then, but only to say “I don’t have any power, and this is insane.”

  She kept walking, but did not remove the necklace. The pendant hung just above her breasts, warming the skin it touched. It was comforting in a sea of insanity. It felt like a beacon, something stable that was leading her in the right direction. She pushed past the witch and flew down the stairs like a crazy person. She ran through the enormous house, making a b-line for the front door.

  All she knew was that she needed to get out of there.

  The house that was easily the size of the White House felt small and suffocating. The walls felt as if they were closing in on her, crushing her and stealing her air right out of her lungs. Rachel moved so fast she couldn’t feel her legs carrying her, but still she ran. She heard comments from Somnus’ family, but she didn’t really hear them. She didn’t know, nor did she care what any of them said. She could see the door.

  And then, she slammed into a brick wall. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. All the air remaining in her lungs rushed out as she impacted with an immovable object. The object encircled her, trapping her where she stood. Rachel couldn’t see and she couldn’t move. Was she asleep? Had the demon come to take her? She didn’t think she was asleep but maybe the spell? She didn’t know and that terrified her more than the fact that she was trapped.