by Brea Essex
A gasp escaped my mouth before I could rein it in, and I tried to dive for the flowers. It was too late. He was already trampling them under his feet. “Those were for my dead mother, you jerk!” I shrieked, momentarily forgetting I was trying to get him back to normal.
For just a moment, he softened. “I… I’m sorry. I had no idea.” His lip curled up in a sneer. “That’s what you get for following me around like a love-sick freak. Later, Crazy.” He pivoted and stormed away from me.
I watched him go with flowers strewn around my feet, and tears streaming down my face. After he stepped off the pier and disappeared around a corner, I knelt down and picked up the scattered pieces of the flowers. I cradled them close to my body, then flung them over the railing. “I’m sorry, Mom,” I whispered.
“Rae?”
Now what? This time it was a girl’s voice behind me. “How does everyone always find me out here?” I muttered under my breath.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear that. Enhanced hearing from being a cat, you know?”
“What do you want, Nuada?”
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Still I refused to face her. “I’m not,” I told her flatly.
“I know. I followed you from home. I felt like I needed to come out here.”
“Logan said the same thing.”
“He was here?”
“Yeah. He ruined the flowers I got for my mom.” I gestured below, to where the pieces of flowers still sat of the surface of the gently rolling waves.
“I’m sorry.”
Now I turned toward her. “So how did you know I was here?”
“Well, when your father asked me to keep an eye out for you, I needed a way to find you. I cast a location spell. It’s quite more elaborate than a regular location spell. I have to renew it quite often, but it enables me to be able to find you wherever you are.”
“Why didn’t it work when I was in the Shadow Imperium?” I asked bitterly. “It would have been nice if you could have helped me then.”
“It doesn’t work in other dimensions, unfortunately. Only on the earthly plane.”
“Will I ever see him?”
“Logan? You just saw him, didn’t you? Well, not as you wanted, but still…”
“No, my father.”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. He has to be careful. If he’s found — well, let’s just say things wouldn’t go well. For anyone.”
For some reason, the idea of never seeing my father, even though I hadn’t seen him before and had thought he was dead at one time, broke something in me. I flung myself into Nuada’s arms, sobbing. “Everything feels like it’s falling apart.”
She patted me on the back and let me cry. “It will work out.”
“I don’t even understand why I’m so upset. I don’t know my father. I thought I had gotten used to the idea of never seeing him. Why is it bothering me now?”
“You’re feeling overwhelmed. It’s understandable. It’s probably bothering you because if it weren’t for him, then you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
I pulled away from her and stared. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it. The devils want to sacrifice you because of your Nephilim blood. That’s your father’s blood. Without his angel blood, you would only be human.”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way. So is there a way to separate the angel blood?”
She stared at me like I was every bit as crazy as Logan claimed. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t get rid of your angel blood without getting rid of your human blood. In a word… you die.”
“That’s two words.”
She tossed her long black hair over a shoulder. “I don’t think making fun of me is going to help you at all.”
“You made fun of me too.”
“But that was to put you in a better mood.” She grinned. “How about if we go home?”
I agreed and we walked away from the ocean. “Let’s invite Andrei and Tristan over. I think we need a relaxing day,” she suggested.
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “I thought you hated Andrei.”
“He’s kind of growing on me.”
“Do you have a crush on him?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not. I hated him when he was evil. We worked on opposite sides. Now that he’s ‘good…’” here she used air quotes “…he’s not so bad.”
I laughed despite myself. “You have a crush on him. It’s okay. I did too once.”
“Yeah, and that’s what got you into this mess.”
“I thought you said my father’s blood was the cause.”
She thought about that for a minute. “Both. You’re a little naïve, you know.”
I decided not to take offense to that. “Nuada? How old are you anyway?”
She sniffed. “A lady never tells her age.”
“But you’re not a lady. You’re a shape shifting sorceress.”
“Sorceresses especially don’t tell their ages.”
“Because you’re so old?”
“Not as old as Andrei.”
“See, you’re bringing him up again. You do like him.”
She rolled her eyes at me, but said nothing. “Just call them.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Andrei. “Come to my house,” I said in lieu of a greeting when he answered.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Just come over.” I hung up. Nuada stared at me. “What? It was the easiest way to get him over. Although, I had to admit that after what happened, I never thought I’d see the day when I was inviting Andrei over my house again.”
I dialed Tristan. This time I was a little more polite. “Hey! Want to come over?”
“I guess… everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just need a hang-out day.”
“Is it just going to be us?” he asked hopefully.
Oops. “Uh… no. Andrei’s coming.”
“What? You’re inviting him over?”
“Don’t worry about it. Are you in or not?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there soon.” He clicked off.
“Well, that’s set,” I said as we were rounding the corner by the school.
“Two problems: one, Tristan still thinks I’m a cat, and two, so does your family,” Nuada said.
“Uh-oh. Why didn’t you think of this sooner?”
“It’s not my job to think of everything.”
“You’re the one who suggested Tristan come over.”
“Oh yeah.”
I smacked the heel of my palm against my forehead and stopped walking. “Okay, we can tell Tristan the truth. He’s Mr. Fantasy Guy, after all. He’ll be cool with it. Everyone else is another matter entirely.”
“Why don’t I just come in as a human and you say I’m your friend?”
“What name would we give them? It’s not like Nuada is a common name.”
“Umm… what about Natalie?”
“Close enough.” Then I thought of another problem. “How am I going to explain Andrei being there?”
She thought about that for a moment. “I can cast a forgetfulness spell on them — a very specific one, where they will remember Andrei, but not any of the bad stuff.”
“You’re sure it will work?”
“My magic always works.”
“Good enough for me. Let’s go.”
I paused again outside my house. “What do you need to cast the spell?”
“Already done,” she said smugly.
“When did you…?”
“As we were walking. Don’t worry about it. They might remember him, but nothing else. It will only be a vague impression.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
As I was reaching up to turn the knob, Andrei’s black BMW came tearing around the corner. He made a U-turn in the cul-de-sac, and parked in front of my house. He jumped out of the car as soon as the ignition was off, slamming the door behind him. He stormed up the drivewa
y. “What happened?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Nuada soon joined in. “What’s so funny?” he demanded to know.
“Nothing. I told you that already. We just wanted to have a hang-out day.”
“With everything that is going on, you want to just hang out?”
“Even ancient devils need to relax every once in a while, don’t they?” Nuada asked.
He glared at her, but addressed me. “How am I even going to come in your house anyway? Your family doesn’t exactly like me, remember?”
“Already taken care of.” I pointed at Nuada. “She cast a forgetfulness spell on them.”
“Thanks, Furball,” he told her.
She bristled, suddenly looking even more like the cat she sometimes was. “Don’t call me that.”
“So how are you going to explain her?” He jerked his head toward Nuada.
“You’ll see,” she said cryptically as she reached for the door.
“Genevra?” I called as I stepped into the foyer. “Are you home?”
She appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen, looking annoyed. “Yes. Where have you been?”
“I took flowers to Mom.”
Her expression softened. “I’m sorry. Today’s the anniversary, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Six months.”
“We should celebrate.”
“What do you mean?” She was out of her mind if she really thought I would want to celebrate my mother’s death, even six months after the fact.
“It was six months ago today that you moved in with us.”
I didn’t see how that was something that should be celebrated, but I didn’t want to say so and sound ungrateful. “Sure.” I offered her a forced smile. “That’s a great idea.”
That was when she noticed Nuada and Andrei. “Oh! Hello. Raena, who are your friends?”
“Sorry. This is… Natalie.” I gestured at Nuada, remembering the fake name at the last second. “And you remember Andrei, right?” Hopefully not as she should remember him.
“Oh yes. The nice boy who works at the coffeehouse.”
Andrei and I heaved a collective sigh of relief. “Yes, that’s him. I… uh… ran into them in the Village.” That wasn’t a complete lie. I had run into Nuada in the Village, technically.
“Out so early?”
“I had to open this morning, Mrs. Deville. I just got off,” Andrei explained.
“And I had to have my morning coffee fix,” Nuada added.
Wow. They were good liars. “We’re just going to hang out in the family room if that’s okay. Maybe watch some movies. Oh, and Tristan’s on his way over too. I called and invited him.”
“Okay,” Genevra agreed cheerfully. “I’ll let him in when he gets here.”
I thanked her. Nuada, Andrei and I trooped toward the family room. “Don’t forget to invite your sister to join!” Genevra called after us.
“Sure,” I called back. It wouldn’t hurt to invite her. I knew Tanis wouldn’t join us. Saturdays were always her time to study.
I closed the French doors that partitioned the family room off from the rest of the house. “Do you even still work at the coffeehouse?” I asked Andrei.
“When it’s convenient.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I still hold the job. I just don’t go in often — the perks of being a manager.”
“Why do you still have it anyway?”
He shrugged. “It’s a good way to hide. Being immortal, I don’t need the job. The house exists half in and half out of the Shadow Imperium. Most of the time, people don’t even know it’s there. It’s well hidden. So let’s just say I don’t exactly have to pay rent.”
“That’s horrible!”
“It is what it is. There’s no way to remedy it now. Don’t worry, I’ll make things right. Eventually.”
I began to make a retort, but then I saw Tristan approaching through the glass doors. I motioned for him to come in. “Why’s everyone standing around?” he asked as he opened the door.
“Just close the door,” I told him.
He did as I asked. “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“We’re just hanging out.”
“Yeah, like I believe that. Tell me what’s really going on.”
“Fine, it’s a super-secret planning session.”
He grinned. “That’s what I thought.” He finally noticed Nuada. “Well, hel-lo. And who might you be?”
“Calm down. That’s my cat,” I said before she could reply.
“What? Your cat?” He looked confused.
“Sit down. I’ll go get some snacks and then I’ll explain.”
“Genevra’s already bringing some,” Tristan informed me.
“Then I guess I won’t bring some snacks.” Everyone still stood. “Well, what are we all waiting for? Let’s sit down.”
Almost as one, Tristan and I pulled all the throw pillows off the couch and threw them on the floor. We both plopped down on top of them. Andrei gave us a strange look from where he sat in a chair across the room. “Can’t you two sit in chairs like normal people?”
“This is their norm,” Nuada informed him. “Besides, it’s not like you’re normal.” She frowned as she stared at the couch. “You guys took all the good pillows, as usual.”
“We left the cushions,” I said.
Tristan leaned over and whispered to me. “How does she know this is our norm?”
“Because she’s my cat. I already told you that.”
“Why do you keep saying she’s your cat? Am I supposed to understand what that means?”
“Shouldn’t Mr. Fantasy Guy recognize a shape-shifting sorceress?” Nuada asked from where she was now curled up in the corner of the couch.
“Seriously?” Tristan’s eyes widened. “That’s so cool!”
We all fell silent as Genevra brought in a tray piled high with snacks and drinks.
“Why so quiet? Keeping secrets?” She laughed.
We all returned her laugh nervously, and she left without another word.
Tristan immediately opened his mouth to say something else, but Andrei held up a hand, cutting him off before he could bombard us with any questions. “So why are you here, sorceress?”
Nuada’s finger hit the top of my head. “Her father sent me.”
Andrei’s eyes grew wide. “Her father? But her father is dead.”
“Oh, don’t go trying to pull that on me again,” I said. “Nuada already told me the truth. My father is very much alive.”
“No, he’s not.”
“Yes, he is,” Nuada said.
I could feel my temper rising. The fact he was continuing his story that my father had died was more than I could bear. “You lied to me!” I shrieked at Andrei.
“Not intentionally.”
“How can you lie unintentionally?”
“I didn’t know your father wasn’t dead.”
“Then why did you tell me that.”
He sighed. “Look, it’s just what I was told.”
“So you just passed along this information to me, his daughter, without bothering to check if it was true?”
“The one who told me is not the type that you question.”
“Who? Who told you this?”
“The Queen.”
“Your mother? You’re too afraid to question your mother? I was never afraid to question my mother.”
“You haven’t met my mother. If you had, you’d be afraid of her too, trust me. Everyone is. Sometimes I think my grandfather is even afraid of her.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re her son. It’s not like she’d hurt you.”
“Yeah, you definitely don’t know my mother,” he scoffed. “She’d torture me and then banish me to earth in an instant if I ever questioned her. In fact, she’d kill me if she knew I was working with you now… and it would be a slow death.”
I dropped back down on my pillows on the floor, laying my hea
d back against the couch. “So she’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous is an understatement.” He reached for some pretzels and popped them into his mouth. “More like insane and deadly. The worst things you could think of, the most horrible nightmares you have, she could make come true.”
“Funny you mentioned nightmares…”
He winced. “Sorry about that.”
“Did she teach you that?”
“Yes. And I’m sorry I used that on you. I was told to get you on our side by any means necessary.”
“What happens now?” Tristan interrupted. I had almost forgotten he and Nuada were there.
“Now we get my brother back on our side, and then take down the Queen,” Andrei said.
“Your brother?”
“I’ll explain later.” I stood. “As to now, let’s go down to Ismene’s shop and see if she’s made any progress.” I headed for the door. “You guys coming?”
They followed me out of the house.
Chapter Twenty-One
“So, Crazy… you have an entourage now? Did you cast a spell on them too?”
I froze as I heard Logan’s voice behind me. Andrei and Nuada stopped as well. Tristan kept walking, but stopped when he realized we weren’t following. We didn’t turn, but he came around to stand in front of us. Unfortunately, Sera was with him as well. Fantastic.
“Not an entourage. Friends,” Andrei informed him with a clenched jaw.
Logan slowly backed away, eyes wide, hands held in front of him. “Whoa. No need to get upset.” He dropped his hands and laughed. “Yeah, right, like I’d be afraid of you.”
“You were once.”
I looked at Andrei sharply. “Don’t start.”
Logan cocked his head to one side. “Does Crazy actually have a boyfriend?”
“Yes, but not him.” I took a step toward him. “Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. You think I’m your boyfriend. Hey, how did that psychiatrist work out for you? You’re obviously still crazy. Maybe you should ask for a refund.”
“I don’t need a psychiatrist!” I screamed. People stopped all around us, staring at me. Oops. I guess I was a little too loud. This side of Logan was bringing out the worst in me.
“Maybe you do. You keep trying to steal my boyfriend,” Sera spoke up.
