by Julia Crane
Kallan thrust a hand into the abdomen of one the guards. When he pulled back, I realized he had a dagger in his hands. He turned to the other guard and slashed. Both guards went down, clutching their stomachs.
Several dark faeries closed in on Kallan. I tried to think of a way to help, but I was next to useless. I had no fighting skills. Then it dawned on me. I could use Kallan’s ability.
Let me go, I commanded the guards who held me. They immediately released me, both with identical expressions of shock.
Standing on the outside of the circle that surrounded Kallan, I started commanding Varwik’s men to stand down. One by one, they obeyed, falling to their knees around us. I kept my face stoic—I didn’t want to give away what I was doing.
Kallan stood across the clearing from me, his chest heaving from exertion. When his eyes rested on me, there was a tilt to his mouth that suggested he knew exactly what I was doing.
Before I knew it, Varwik had Kallan by the throat. “Stop using your ability,” he told him. “You have overstepped your bounds, my son. Desist at once.”
I couldn’t use mind control on Varwik, and I didn’t know what else to do. I felt helpless—Kallan was being punished for my actions. His face was a dark shade of red, almost purple. Would Varwik really kill his own son?
“Lena!” Varwik’s voice boomed through the forest.
Lena appeared as if out of nowhere. I wanted to feel sorry for her, always at that monster’s beck and call, but everybody had a choice.
“Heal them.” Varwik pointed to the guards on the ground, the ones felled by Kallan.
She nodded and bent over their bodies.
Varwik dropped Kallan to the ground, drew back, and kicked Kallan in the gut, causing him to cough and double over. Varwik began kicking him over and over. “How dare you disobey me!” he spat. His eyes were those of a crazy man. He had lost control.
“Stop!” I screamed. Tears poured down my cheeks. “Leave him alone!”
Varwik looked up and stalked towards me, a sword drawn. “You had your chance.” He raised the sword high in the air.
I closed my eyes. Peace fell over me. This was it—I would die, here, at the hands of the leader of the dark faeries. I thought of my parents losing not only one, but two daughters. Of Sierra and Adam who would never know what happened to me. Of all the dreams I had.
But above it all, I couldn’t shake an image of Kallan.
“Don’t!” Kallan’s shout was like a gunshot.
I opened my eyes, face to face with Varwik’s sword. Behind the leader, I watched as Kallan tried to push himself to standing, but he stumbled back to his knees with a grimace. “Father—I love her.”
The sword drifted down to Varwik’s side, tip resting on the ground as he turned to face his son. My heart had stopped as if I were in a free fall. Not only had I almost died, but Kallan had just declared his love for me.
“You what?” Varwik and I questioned at the same time.
Kallan finally stood tall, one hand pressed to his stomach as he stumbled a few steps forward, and met his father’s eyes. His shoulders were square and confident, not a flicker of hesitation. “I love her. Please, don’t kill her.”
For once, Varwik was dumbfounded. After a long silence, he said, “Why do you think that matters?”
“You were in love with my mother,” Kallan said softly, and there was a hint of pain in his voice. “You know what that feels like.”
“That was a long time ago.”
Lena had jumped to her feet when Varwik charged me, and now she came to stand beside him, touching his arm. “There is another way, my lord.”
Varwik turned his attention to Lena. “If you have a solution, speak now.”
“What if she promised to return when she is eighteen, when humans are considered adults? She would still be promised to your family, but able to be with hers until she finished school.”
I watched as Lena touched Kallan, healing him while Varwik considered her idea.
Varwik rubbed his chin. “Interesting. I suppose I could live with that. If Oleander agreed to be promised to Kallan and return when the time comes. She could do us no harm if she was promised to Kallan.” He turned to face me. “Would you agree to those conditions? We allow you two more years with your precious humans, and then you return to us and join our family.”
I thought of the sword that almost ended my life a few minutes ago. I thought about my life being over before it had really had a chance to get started. I didn’t want to die. If nothing else, it gave me two years to find another way out of this crazy predicament. Maybe Azura would have a plan, some kind of breach of contract that could restore everything to its proper place.
I glanced over at Kallan. His face was unreadable. One thing I did know without a doubt…he loved me. It was impossible for him to lie. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that knowledge, but I was grateful he saved my life.
“Yes,” I said, knowing in my heart that I meant the words.
Varwik closed the space between us. Standing inches from me, his eyes bore into mine. “If you betray me, not only will I come after you, but also your family and friends. I won’t be as merciful in dealing with them as I was with you.”
Varwik, Lena, and the army of dark faeries that had accompanied them went back the way they came with not another word spoken. Lena glanced over her shoulder once, a smile flitting across her lips.
I seriously owed her one.
Kallan came to stand beside me, his strong hand sliding into mine. “I’ll take you.”
“You’re going to take me home? But you hate my world,” I argued.
“Yes.” His other hand lifted to brush gently across my cheek. “I want to make sure you make it back safely.”
We walked in silence for a few minutes, our hands still intertwined. I wasn’t sure how to respond to any of what had just happened. The adrenaline of nearly dying began to wear off, and all I could think about was what he’d said as Varwik ran at me with the sword.
“Kallan?”
“Yeah?” He didn’t slow down.
“Do you really love me?” I asked softly.
“Faeries can’t lie,” he said, not really answering my question.
Part of me wanted to hear a more in-depth answer—I wanted him to tell me yes, to pledge his undying love and tell me he would wait forever. But mostly, I was grateful he was making the situation easier on me, because I loved Adam.
“Thank you for taking me home,” I told him, squeezing his hand. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, but I need to be with my family.”
“And your boyfriend. I get it.”
My heart broke at the pain in his voice.
“Rylie, my father is only giving you a couple of years. You’ll have to come back.” He finally looked my way.
I stared at his face, taking in every detail. I wouldn’t see him again for at least two years, or maybe never again, if I could find a way out of the deal.
I couldn’t tell Kallan that I didn’t want to come back. I couldn’t tell him that I planned to find another way out of this mess. I wondered if my silence was answer enough.
Because I also couldn’t tell him that maybe I loved him, too.
We came to a huge, ancient tree. Its enormous roots were spread like a blanket over the ground. I had to be careful not to trip.
“This is the end of our territory,” Kallan told me.
“Are you leaving me here?” I asked in a panic. I wasn’t sure where to go from here, and I didn’t want to go alone. Truth was, I wasn’t ready to let him go yet.
He turned and looked into my eyes. “I told you that you will always be safe with me. I will make sure you make it all the way home.”
I nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “Come on, then.”
“So, this is light faery territory?” I asked as we walked. The forest looked different, the colors were more pastels, and the sun seemed brighter, if tha
t were possible.
“It’s more of a neutral ground.”
“Will anything happen to you if you’re found out of your own territory?”
“Not as long as it’s neutral land.”
“You can never go to the light faery side?” This was all so confusing to me.
“Well, technically if I were invited, I could enter the light world, but I would not be welcomed.”
“You really hate each other that much?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “But Rylie, you really must stop thinking of us as ‘them.’ You’re one of us. A faery.”
“But I’m a light faery. Why don’t you hate me?” I asked stubbornly, stopping abruptly. If I was going to go back to my real life, then I wanted all of my questions answered.
Kallan sighed, rubbing his brow. “I don’t know. Maybe because you didn’t grow up with the light, or maybe because I’m just so damn attracted to you that I don’t care where you came from.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Anything else you want to know?” Kallan started walking again, and I tried to keep up.
“What’ll happen to me if I do marry you?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
“Will I become a dark faery?”
He laughed. “No. You’ll always be light.”
“So my wings won’t change?”
He shook his head. “Nope. They’ll always be the beautiful color they are now.”
I was secretly dancing inside that he thought my wings were beautiful. “Why do our wings flutter when we see each other?”
“It means we’re physically attracted to one another.” He clenched his jaw and kept walking.
That was pretty much what I thought, but having it confirmed made it seem real. I wondered if his wings fluttered often at other faeries. I was surprised to feel slightly jealous at the thought.
I blushed. “What if we had children?” I slowed my pace and waited for his answer.
His head jerked up, and he looked over at me. “Children?”
“Just curious,” I said, looking away. “Would they be dark or light?”
“I’m not sure. I guess they would be a mixture. You have to understand that not all dark faeries are bad.”
“I can only think of one that isn’t,” I muttered. “Would I be able to come and go into light faery territory as I pleased?”
“Yes.”
“What about the human world? Could I come and go there as well?”
“You wouldn’t need to.” He bristled.
“But I might want to. Visit my parents or friends.”
He sighed. “That’s not how it’s done.”
“Well, maybe it should be,” I countered.
He stepped over a fallen tree and took my arm to help me over. I let him. “I’m sure something could be arranged,” he conceded with a smile.
“What about humans? Can they come here?”
He paused before replying, “Yes, but it’s rare.”
There was a strong wind and a burst of vivid color as Azura appeared before us. I stared, shocked.
“Oleander!” she cried out. “We’ve been searching for you! Are you okay?” Her forehead wrinkled as she looked between Kallan and me.
As relieved as I felt to see her, I was glad she wasn’t trying to hug or kiss me. I still didn’t have those kinds of feelings for her.
She reached out and grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards her. “I won’t hesitate to hurt you if you try to take her away again,” she threatened Kallan.
“Azura, Kallan is a friend. He’s okay.”
“He’s the son of the evil one. He cannot be trusted.”
“Not only did he stand up to his father to save my life today, but he’s taking me home. I trust him.” I didn’t know how much to tell her. “Please, let me go.”
“Are you okay? Physically?”
“Yes.”
She dropped my wrist, but her eyes didn’t leave Kallan. “I will take you the rest of the way.”
“You can come with us if you want,” I told her while smiling at Kallan.
Kallan stifled a laugh. “Let’s go.”
We walked on silently, Azura in front of us. “Your human father has been patrolling the area constantly,” she told us. “He loves you very much.”
“I know he does. What did they tell everyone about my disappearance?” I asked curiously.
“Nothing.”
“Why not? I went missing!”
“You’ve only been gone a few days in human time.”
“What?” My mouth dropped open.
I glanced over at Kallan, and he shrugged. “I told you. Our time is different.”
“You could have been more specific.”
Azura turned to face us. “I knew you had been captured by the dark faeries. That’s not exactly the type of thing you run and tell the police. I told your family this, as well as the fact that they’d never be able to find you. But they insisted on searching. They haven’t stopped.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t wait to see my parents, but this time difference was confusing. I thought I had been gone a lot longer than a few days—weeks, even.
Kallan’s pace slowed. “We’re almost there,” he muttered with a pained look on his face. It was dusk now, and I could make out some familiar lights between the trees.
“My house!” I exclaimed, wanting to break out into a run. I refrained as I caught the expression on Kallan’s face. He didn’t show much emotion, so to see him looking so sad sent a stabbing pain through my heart. “Azura, can I have a minute?”
She looked surprised, but nodded and walked ahead a little.
“I’m sorry.” I touched his hand. “This is where I belong. I hope you understand.”
Kallan’s eyes were unfathomable. He reached up and unclasped the necklace of shiny black stones around his neck. As he moved to place it around my neck, I stepped back, shocked.
“No way,” I told him. “Your mother gave you that!”
“Hematite,” he said, as if I hadn’t even spoken. He closed the distance between us and snapped it around my neck. “It repels negativity. It will protect you.”
I didn’t need protecting, but I wasn’t going to argue. I touched a cool, shiny stone. The necklace was heavy, but it was comfortable. “Thank you.”
“I’ll be back on your eighteenth birthday,” he told me softly. He stepped close, and I felt a breeze as his gorgeous wings flapped absently behind him. “My father won’t let it go. You have to realize that.”
Ignoring his comment, I said, “Thank you for helping me. I’ll never forget it.”
He looked over at Azura, and then back at me. He reached up and gently brushed my wings with his hands, sending a shiver down my back. Gasping at the feeling, I closed my eyes. When I opened them, he had disappeared into the forest without another word.
Azura was staring at me when I walked up to her. “Something is different. You’re different.”
“It’s nothing. I just want to go home.”
Her face softened. “I’m sorry, Oleander. This is all my fault. I should have forced my way into your home and told you everything that could happen. I should have prepared you better. Maybe if I had hidden you further away…but I was selfish. I wanted you close by so I could watch you grow up.”
I felt guilty. “It’s okay. We can talk about everything later. Right now, I just really want to go home.”
She nodded. “Don’t forget to glamour yourself.”
Good thing she mentioned that. I hadn’t done it in so long, I would have forgotten. “Thanks.” I quickly visualized myself as a human.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.” She reached out and cupped my face. I let her have her moment. “I love you.”
I just stared at her, unable to respond.
“What did Kallan mean about your eighteenth birthday?”
“Varwik allowed me two years here, and then I’m to return.”
“Why?”
“To marry Kallan. Apparently, this makes my oh-so-special ability ‘theirs.’ Thanks to a deal my father struck.” I narrowed my eyes and glared at her. Even though it wasn’t her fault. She could have picked a better person to have a child with.
“Did you promise this?” She looked worried.
“Yes. I had no other choice.”
“Then you must, Oleander. Contracts in the faery world must always be obeyed.”
“I’m planning on finding a way out of it by then.” I looked towards my house. “I need to go. I’ll see you later.” I left her in the woods.
I wanted to leave behind everything faery.
I ran through the back door of the house, yelling for my parents. The house was so quiet. There were dishes in the sink, mail on the island, and there was clutter everywhere.
I heard a thump, and then footsteps from upstairs. “Rylie?”
“Mom?” I ran to the stairs just as she was coming down them.
Upon seeing me, her hand flew to her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes. Her hair was a mess and she had dark circles under her eyes. I wondered if she’d slept at all since I went missing. “Rylie?”
“It’s me, Mom.” I took a step closer.
She reached out, grabbed me, and pulled me to her. “Oh my God, oh my God. I can’t believe you’re home.” She started bawling. “This isn’t a dream, is it?”
“No, Mom. I’m really here.” I hugged her tighter, inhaling her warm vanilla scent. The tears fell down my cheeks. Being in her arms was a dream come true.
She pulled away and looked me over. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where have you been?” She bombarded me with questions.
“I’m okay. I’m not hurt. I was captured by the dark faeries. They kept me in in a castle.”
She shook her head. “It’s so odd to hear you say that. They didn’t hurt you, though?”
How could you tell your mother that if you didn’t marry a certain faery, they would kill you in a couple years? “No, Mom, they didn’t hurt me.”
“How did you get away?” She brushed my hair out of my face.
“One of them helped me, a boy named Kallan.” I didn’t feel like going into details.
“Oh! We have to call your father! He’s out searching. He’s going to be so relieved.”
