The Chronicles of Kerrigan Box Set Books # 1 - 6: Paranormal Fantasy Young Adult/New Adult Romance

by W. J. May

  Rae sighed. Carter, Devon, Julian and Molls were the only people who really knew. And probably the entire Privy Council. No one had asked her and Carter had done a great job at covering everything up. Truth or lie? “It’s kinda complicated.”

  “I’d like to know if you’re willing to share.”

  “Lanford seemed like a really good guy. He really tried to help me deal with my tatù, set Devon up as my mentor.” Probably knew I’d be attracted to him and was hoping we’d hook up. “He really pulled one over on me, on everyone at school. It turned out he worked for my father and had hoped to brainwa—convince me to continue my father’s plans. It didn’t work out in his favor.” There. Basic truth, with little detail.

  “And he got killed?” He stared at her, and she nodded very slowly. “Is he really dead? You know that for sure?” Before Rae’s heart could add another beat, he spoke again. “What about your dad?”

  Rae scoffed. “He didn’t like me very much.”

  Kraigan’s eyebrows rose. “You really think that? Maybe he was just mad you weren’t a boy. Maybe he thought like Guilder and believed guys held more ability with their tatùs.”

  “Guilder used to think like that. They don’t anymore. Simon Kerrigan was like…like a dark nebula. With him, nothing was as it seemed. He had everyone fooled and kept everything hidden.” Rae shook her head. “It’s frustrating to not have known what he really was, and now have everyone expecting you to turn into the monster he was. Everyone is always waiting for me to turn into that chic from The Exorcist or something. Sometimes, I just can’t stand it.”

  “You are not a monster! Far, far from it.” Kraigan stuffed whatever papers he had been holding back into his knapsack. “You’re more like a kitten.”

  Say what? The statement caught her off guard, but it also lightened the mood a little. “Thanks, I think.” She laughed. “It doesn’t matter what other people think in the end. The only person you need to answer to, at the end of the day, is yourself.”

  “But don’t you think that with our tatùs, we have a right to do something with them? I mean, why have these powers otherwise? Man didn’t evolve without reason. They evolved to ensure survival, to rise above other life forms. Tatùs are the same! Otherwise, what’s the point?” Kraigan gestured wildly, making it obvious this was something he felt strongly about. It gave Rae a moment’s pause.

  She took a few seconds to carefully formulate her next words. She understood his questions and concerns— she had often wondered these things herself. It was easier to talk to Kraigan about this than it was with Devon. Kraigan seemed more open minded. So it was easier to tell Kraigan what she thought, even if she didn’t think it was prudent to spill all. “I think that’s why the Privy Council exists, and other agencies like it around the world. It gives us a chance to do something good with our powers, without being exposed.”

  Kraigan scratched along his jaw line. “I’m not so sure about the Privy Council. No one knows anything about them. How do we even know what their true motives are? Maybe they’re the dark nebula.”

  Dare she share her opinion? Rae weighed the pros and cons. In the end, sharing didn’t seem to pose much of a risk. “Maybe you’re right. But maybe everyone is, to a degree. Guess we’ll find out as we get older.”

  Kraigan glanced up behind Rae. She turned around to look as well. Someone was walking towards them. She squinted. “It’s Madame Elpis.”

  “She’s tight with curfew, isn’t she? Get going and I’ll hold her off. She shouldn’t be able to recognize you from that distance. I’ll cover for you.” He grinned. “I owe you one.”

  “Thanks.” She didn’t want to deal with a lecture from Elpis, or to have any rumors to start flying around that she was meeting Kraigan. Last thing I want is people thinking we’re on the sly and have that get back to Devon, when it’s so far from the truth. “See you around tomorrow then. I’m glad we talked tonight. It’s nice to know other people wonder about stuff like me. A…A lot of students, who’ve been here since being a kid, seem a bit more close-minded.” She slipped into the forest and took off running. Once she cleared the other side of Aumbry House she cleared out of the trees and ran to the front of the building. Slipping as quietly as she could to the stairs, she levitated up and into her room. At the window, she stared down. Madame Elpis walked on her own around the building, glancing left and right. Safe – for now.

  The rest of the week took an eternity to pass. The entire, long, drawn-out, boring summer of awaiting her return to Guilder had moved quicker. Rae tried to fill it by keeping busy with schoolwork, a challenge in itself since her education courses came easy and she had no trouble keeping up with all her assignments. She thought a lot about her conversation with Kraigan and wished Devon was around to ask him what he thought. Thinking about Devon only made her miss him more and make the time go slower. In the end, the only thing she could do was give herself extra homework.

  She practiced the skills and challenges she had learned with Devon and Julian, but they were boring to do alone. She talked Nicholas into scrimmaging with her, but after one session and Nicholas’ black eye the next day, he refused to practice again.

  One night, after dinner, as Rae strolled up the stairs to her room, she heard the phone in her room ring. Funny, no one’s ever called me on it. She paused as it rang again, trying to consider who might be calling and how important it might be to take the call. Uncle Argyle! She dashed down the hall, frantically trying to get her key into the lock before the phone stopped ringing.

  Worry filled her. What if something terrible has happened to him in New York? Uncle Argyle and Aunt Linda were the only family she had left. She flew into her room. Flicking the light, she grabbed the receiver and tried to catch her breath.

  “I’m here! It’s me, Rae. Uncle Argyle? Are you there?” she shouted. “Hello,” she tried again in a normal voice.

  Silence greeted her. Rae swore under her breath. Shoot! I reached the phone too late. Yet, she didn’t hear a dial tone. She kept the phone tight against her ear. “Is somebody there?” Walking towards her desk, she squinted and cocked her head, thinking she heard a swirling noise.

  The churning sound grew louder, along with a weird continuous bashing, like something slamming against a wall. Rae switched the phone to her other ear. Her heart pounded against her rib cage and she glanced frantically around. Is someone trying to scare me?

  “Rae?”

  Devon? His voice shouted through the phone, above the noise.

  “It’s crazy noisy here. Can you hear me?”

  “Yeah,” she shouted back in relief, and then lowered her voice, “Everything okay? Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine. The conn—nection here’s terr—ble, and between the wind and crashing waves, even with my tatù, it’s hard to hear.”

  “Do you want me to shout?” she yelled again.

  “Not if everyone there’s going to hear you.” There was laughter in his voice. Hearing that, the tension drained out of her body. He’s okay.

  “Why didn’t you call my cell?”

  “I tried but it kept going to voice mail.”

  She reached in her bag and checked it. The screen was blank. It must’ve bounced around in her bag during or after class and turned itself off. She pressed the power button to let it restart.

  “Hey Rae?” Devon said. “Happy Birthday.”

  It’s not for another two days. As soon as the thought completed itself, she realized that she was wrong. She blinked. How could she have completely forgotten? Who forgets their own birthday? I’m dumb as a stump. Due to a snow storm that had forced her mother to give birth to her at home and kept her from reaching a hospital for two days, in addition to an error made by the doctor, her birth certificate stated she was born on the fifteenth of November, but it was actually the thirteenth. After the awful confrontation with Dean Wardell and missing Devon, she had stopped paying attention to the days as they passed, totally forgetting about her own birthday. Last year she c
ouldn’t forget. This year she couldn’t remember. “Where are you?” I miss you.

  “Most northern part of Scotland. It’s awesome, I wish you were here.” Devon’s voice dropped at the end.

  He’s not alone. “Me, too,” she whispered, not sure if he heard. The longing inside her made her eyes fill. Mimicking a tatù, Rae closed her eyes, focused on the communication lines and cleared all the static away that she could. She heard the swirling wind and water on Devon’s end.

  “The buzzing stopped.” Devon chuckled. “You did that, didn’t you?”

  She imagined him shaking his head and grinning so his dimple appeared. “Yeah, sort of.” She coughed, clearing her throat and holding back the tears that wanted to fall. She stared at the map pinned on the wall by her desk. “What’re you doing in John O’Groats?” She remembered going there with her parents one summer long ago.

  “I’m actually about ten, or eleven miles north of there. If I can find a postcard, I’ll send it to you.” He sounded like an excited little school boy.

  Rae leaned over her desk to get a closer look of Britain. She found John O’Groats and slid her finger up. She saw a little town just to the west. “Dunnet Head? What’re you doing there?” In the recesses of her mind, the place sounded familiar. She tucked the name in the back of her mind, to analyze later.

  “Smartie pants.” He laughed. “Just finished work.”

  “Are you coming home now?” Guilder felt like home—sometimes.

  “No, we’ve got another place to go. Julian’s here with me. He’s mouthing Happy Birthday as well.”

  Rae sighed. She tried to avoid doing it into the receiver, but Devon’s pause proved he had heard it.

  “We won’t be much longer. Probably back in a week, or so.” He paused before changing the subject. “Hey I know how to make you feel better.” He cleared his throat. “I’m standing on Easter Head, facing west towards Cape Wrath, watching the sun set. It’s amazing. Can you do that tatù thing you did before--you know, when you touched my forehead and saw what I was looking at or thinking?”

  “I don’t know if I can do it through a phone. I’ve only been able to do that through physical contact.” She sniffed and closed her eyes as she spoke, trying to do as Devon requested. He was quiet on the line.

  The first image she had looked like a painting. Then the image changed slightly when Julian walked into view. Rae smiled and squinted as she focused on Julian. He stood near a cliff, his hair blowing in the wind. The rays of a beautiful pink setting sun lay behind him. Pressing her eyes shut tighter, the image changed. She caught glimpses of darkness and then a tiny, dim light. Hands reached for the combination on a box and turned the dial. She felt a weird taste in her mouth—fear—and then relief when the box opened.

  “Devon, what’ve you been doing? Are you okay?” She couldn’t hide the worry in her voice. The flashes were Devon’s thoughts. Something bad or dangerous had happened in Dunnet Head.

  “Rae, it’s cool. Stop worrying.” His neutral tone did little to calm her nerves. “I just wanted you to see the sunset, that’s all.”

  “Tell Julian to put his hair in a ponytail. He looks like a girl with the pink sky behind him.” She tried to change the disappointed tone in her voice. The last thing she wanted was to make Devon feel bad for letting her into his head.

  She managed a smile when she heard him tell Julian what she said. She couldn’t make out Julian’s muffled reply.

  “Were you able to see the view?” Devon sounded amazed.

  “I caught a few glimpses--not much but, between the bits I saw and the noise of nature on this phone, I get a bit of the idea.”

  “Cool. Everything alright at Guilder?”

  Rae shifted the mouth piece away when she sighed. “It’s empty without you.” No need to tell him about the meeting with his dad. If he already knew, he could bring it up himself. If he didn’t know, well—he had bigger things he needed to concentrate on.

  “I’ll be back soon.” The longing in his voice was unmistakable and it soothed her battered emotions a little. “Listen, I’ve got to go. My phone isn’t going to last much longer. The battery’s living on fumes right now. Have a great birthday. It’s—” The phone went silent.

  “Bye, Devon,” she whispered to the dead line and slowly hung up. At least he was safe. What’s he doing for the Privy Council up in Dunnet Head?

  A quiet but firm rap against her door scattered her thoughts. Her friends would say who they were and call out her name. The knock came again, more intense and harder. A hoarse, low voice hissed, “Kerrigan!”

  Chapter 17

  Land’s End

  Rae swallowed and forced her heart to slow its rapid pace. She took the three steps to the door and with her right hand on the doorknob she rubbed her left thumb over her fingers, prepared to send a zap or gust of air at the first sign of danger. She swung the door open as fast as she could, trying to scare the person on the other side.

  Kraigan jumped back and one arm winding back with a fisted hand, prepared to pound the threat. “Why’d you do that? I thought you were going to charge at me.”

  Rae relaxed and almost laughed. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” She stared at him. “Why’d you rap on the door so mysteriously?”

  “I wasn’t sure if you were in.” He glanced down the empty hall. “Plus I didn’t know who might be listening.”

  “You’re allowed in Aumbry House till curfew. Madame Elpis prefers you call our rooms and meets us downstairs but it’s not officially against the rules.” They just had to keep the doors open if there were any boys in their room.

  He waved his hand. “I know that. However, I don’t exactly want people to know I’m hanging out with you…someone might suspect something.” He winked. “If you know what I mean.” He chuckled. “It would be interesting to see what the school would do if rumors started. Kick us both out? Just me?”

  “I doubt anyone’s going to think anything.” After Dean Wardell’s warning.

  “I don’t trust anyone yet.”

  Join the club. “I kinda know what you mean.”

  “You took off after dinner so fast I didn’t get a chance to talk. Are you busy now?”

  Rae glanced back at the dorm phone and sighed. Not really. Might as well find out something interesting for my birthday. “Give me two minutes and meet me outside where we usually hang out.”

  Kraigan nodded and turned back to the stairs.

  She grabbed her coat, keys and backpack. If anyone saw her she could say she was heading out to study. She counted to sixty twice and took her time walking down the stairs. Feeling a little like a spy, she had to suppress a wild giggle as she tried to stealthily exit the doors. I probably look ridiculous. When she rounded the corner of the building she picked up her pace and jogged down the length of the building.

  Where is he? He wasn’t standing on the path or leaning against the wall. She squinted against the growing dark and finally found his outline near the trees. Halfway to where he stood she paused and waited for him to come the rest of the way to her. Something’s off tonight.

  Kraigan must have realized her hesitation as he finally came towards her. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you since the other night, I’ve just been busy with school work and—you know—” He lifted his arm and pointed to his sleeved forearm.

  She stared at his arm. Man I wish I could just touch him and figure out what his tatù is.

  “Ask me anything.” Rae tried to gauge his mood, but it was impossible. What her eyes saw didn’t mesh with what her gut was telling her.

  He started walking along the tree line without stepping into it.

  She followed. “Have you figured out your tatù yet?”

  “I think I’m getting an idea. It seems to be some kind of camouflage. I was hoping it might be something unique like yours, but when I saw the picture of what yours looks like, I knew it definitely couldn’t be.” He rubbed the material over his tatù. “How long did it take you to
figure yours out?”

  “It took a while. I’m still learning. It didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t until the end of the school year that I actually figured it out.” She smiled at his frustrated sigh. She might be feeling all bond-y but there was no way she was going to tell him she didn’t learn what hers could do until her life was in danger. Everybody has secrets, right? “It’ll come. Just keep working on it.”

  “I am! Between the dean and the head master, I just want to smack someone. They don’t let up! It’s like they want me to figure it out more than I want to myself. If they could crawl up inside me and pick it apart themselves, I think they would.”

  Rae laughed. “You’ve got nothing on me. Last year Carter had me in the Infirmary hooked up to wires and all this crap the night af--of my birthday.” She tried not to pause. Only five people in the entire world knew her real birth date and she wanted it to stay that way. Molly knew, but had probably forgotten. She might have mad skills with fashion, hair and makeup, but her mind isn’t exactly the proverbial steel trap. So here I stand, in the dark, with a new friend, a boyfriend at the other end of the country, a best friend who forgot my special day, and no call from Uncle Argyle or Aunt Linda. Happy freakin’ birthday to me.

  “Being Simon Kerrigan’s daughter, I got the entire lab-rat treatment.” She straightened, realizing he had leaned forward and so had she. The proximity made her uncomfortable for reasons unknown.

  “So you’re saying I have it easy?” Kraigan grinned as one of his eyebrows went up.

  “If you want to look at it that way.” She didn’t really care at the moment. She just wanted the rather disappointingly lack-luster day to be over.

  “Listen, I don’t like owing anyone favors.” His brow furrowed as he appeared to think hard for a solution. “I got it! You know Carter’s tatù?”

  “Yeah,” she said. Where are you going with this?

  “You can stop it, you know,” Kraigan said his face serious.

  “Stop what?” Rae had no idea what he meant.