With a final squeeze, I pull away reluctantly. “Yeah.”
And it is. When you can kill your girlfriend with a simple touch like I can, you appreciate the little things.
I mean, that’s what date night’s all about. Us finding our place in this world, a place where we can just…be.
No Agravaine, no Fiann, no dark or fair Fae, no Moribund or Ouroboros.
The waitress comes to take our orders. I know what I want, but I also know that E hasn’t really looked yet. “Could we have a few more minutes?”
“Sure thing.” The waitress smiles and heads off.
When I turn back to E, my vision goes a little blurry and I see the urgency rising off her with my Fae-sight—her aura cloaking her in a deep purple. Like all dark Fae, she’s duty-bound and über-traditional. She’s laser-focused on taking out the Moribund.
Ugh. Thanks, Fae-sight. I’ve had it ever since the train crash that started all this, and while it does show me the surface mood—the aura—of whoever I look at, sometimes it’s really TMI.
“Look.” I reach out and barely brush her fingers with mine. “We can put this night on hold.” Let’s face it, Syl, saving the world from dark Circuit Fae magic is waaaaaay more important than date night.
But Euphoria shakes her head, her dark hair haloing her beautiful face. “No way,” she says emphatically. She shifts in her seat and fidgets a bit, and my inner worrywart sits up and takes notice.
Euphoria is serious and broody, but she’s not one to fidget.
What’s wrong? And why does she keep touching her right front pocket? “Are you okay, E?”
The nod she gives me is a little too eager, her smile strained. “I…I’ll be right back.” She shoves her chair back and heads into the restaurant, toward the restrooms, leaving me staring after her.
What just happened?
Whatever it was, it’s not looking good for date night.
In fact, it looks like another Ouroboros fight is in my near future.
Chapter Two
Rouen
Do I dare love you,
Sweet Summer princess?
My darkness yearns
To take you, possess you
“Possess You,” Euphoria
Breathe, Roue. Breathe. I finally can once the door whumps shut, the antiseptic stink of bathroom blotting out all other smells—the savory tang of cooking food, the humidity of summer, the gas-and-river-and-steel smells of the city…
And Syl.
I stagger to the sinks, my heart hammering like a kick-drum. Despite my cool appearance—flowy burgundy shirt, leather pants, smoky eyeliner and shadow, my black hair falling in loose waves to my shoulders—I’m so not. My senses are drowned in the scent of Syl, sweet vanilla and skin musks driving me wild.
I can’t get enough of her, and at the same time, it’s all too much.
Viciously, I twist the tap on. Water rushes out, and I put my hands under, needing to feel the cold, needing it to remind me that Winter flows through my veins, that I shouldn’t be so…hot and bothered.
But can you blame me? I’ve been running around all summer, battling Ouroboros and Circuit fiends with Syl, who looks completely kissable and adorkably yummy when she fights.
We’ve fought some tough battles.
But I’ve been battling myself even harder.
Even now, my dark heart races, urging me to go back to her, to take her and possess her, body and soul.
I turn the water off, dry my hands, and press them to my cheeks. They’re burning up, like the rest of me. Burning up to be close to Syl.
It’s probably good that her power’s been trying to kill me.
If her white flame didn’t keep me away from her, there’s no telling what I might do. After all, it’s a dark Fae’s nature to possess the things, and the people, we want.
I won’t be like that with Syl. I swear it.
Reaching into my pocket, I take out the ring. A winter topaz in a wintersteel setting. A ring befitting a princess.
My princess.
Flooosh! One of the toilets flushes, and the stall door pops open.
Silly me, didn’t think to look.
My mind whirls. Hells and Harrowing, I didn’t say any of that out loud, did I? Because that’d be awkward. I turn toward the mirror, letting my raven-dark hair hide my face like a curtain. Maybe I can just act chill until whoever it is leaves.
“Euphoria?”
Damn it. Please don’t be a fan, please don’t be a fan, please don’t—
“Hi.” I turn, and there’s Lennon, dressed up and smiling at me. She looks different away from school—no cat-ear headphones or cute anime backpack—but she’s wearing a cute black A-line dress and her stylish Pusheen Mary Jane’s, her long straight black hair tied back with a simple ribbon.
“Hi, Lennon. What are you doing here?”
“Came with my folks.” She moves to the sink. “You?”
“Here with Syl.” A pang of guilt hooks me. We haven’t hung out with Lennon even once this summer. She helped us a ton when Syl and I were undercover last year trying to figure out Agravaine and Fiann’s master plan, and I know Syl misses her.
“Are you okay?” Lennon washes and dries her hands, looking at me in the mirror.
“I’m good.” I put on my game face as Syl calls it, but I’m forgetting one small detail.
“Oh, wow, is that a ring?” Lennon forgets all pretense and leans into me, her hand hovering over mind where—yup, the ring is sitting there, making me look guilty as sin. “Are you…” Lennon’s eyes meet mine in the mirror. “Are you asking Syl out? Like, for real?”
Sweat breaks out down my spine. Am I? I’m not one hundred percent familiar with mortal customs. I just know I want to bind myself to Syl. Forever. “Y-yeah… Well, I want to.”
I sigh inwardly. What’s your problem, Roue?
Well, let’s see: I can’t touch her because of her power. And if I could touch her, my darkness might hurt her.
You know, ordinary couple stuff.
“I just don’t know when,” I finish, feeling like a complete fool.
But Lennon’s got this goo-goo-eyed face on, like this is the most romantic thing she’s ever heard. I don’t get it. I’m completely messing this up. If this were a movie or TV show, I’d look at the camera, and some narrator would help me out.
But here, in the bathroom of the rooftop restaurant where I’m supposed to be on a date night with my girl? No such luck.
Lennon’s waiting, a Well? look on her face.
I clench the ring and stuff it back into my pocket. “I just want the moment to be perfect.”
“I totally get it!” Lennon lets out a girly little sigh-squeal, clasping her hands together. “This is so romantic.”
If she only knew.
It might be romantic, but it’s torture. I want so much to get close to Syl, but our powers are warning us away from each other.
If there’s one thing I’ve trusted through all this, it’s my powers.
“Yeah.” I slump against the sinks, trying not to let “my broodiness” as Syl calls it, run away with me. I have a tendency to be gloomy-doomy. I want this to be a happy moment.
But…our powers, the Ouroboros, school tomorrow—there’s so much in our way.
“Maybe I should wait.”
Lennon nods excitedly, her dark brown eyes on me. “I understand. You want the moment to be perfect. I don’t blame you. It’s like a fairy tale, you and Syl.”
“I’m really lucky to have her.”
“Don’t forget it.” Lennon gives me a little warning look, which is funny because she’s about as intimidating as Luna Lovegood. “Well, good luck. I’ve gotta get back to my folks. See ya!”
With a smile and a wave, she leaves.
I wave, and the door whumps shut again.
Okay, what am I waiting for? I splash some water on my face, dry off, and take a deep breath. I’m in it with Syl. No matter what happens. I want to be with her.
/> I’ll give her the perfect moment she deserves.
Steeling myself, I push open the door and stride out of the ladies’ room.
Syl’s waiting at the table, halfway through her cherry Coke. She’s waited for me to order. I can tell. When she sees me, she looks up, the concern and worry in those summer-storm-grey eyes hitting me like a punch to the gut.
I made her feel that way.
Well, I’m going to fix that. Right now. I stuff my hand in my pocket and feel the ring. Do it now, Roue. Before you lose your nerve. Before something else happens.
My hand edges to my pocket. “Syl, I—”
A stabbing pain lances my chest. I double over, my fangs gritted over a cry. In a flash, Syl’s out of her chair and right there next to me.
“Rouen!” she cries, and I’m pretty sure I’m dying. Syl never calls me by my real name unless it’s serious. I clutch at my heart, half expecting to see blood gushing from a wound, but no.
It’s just the Ouroboros.
It does this every time one of them awakens and spawns somewhere in the city. Except, right now is literally the worst timing in the history of ever.
Everyone’s looking, all the other people in the restaurant, Lennon and her parents, the staff, Syl…
Embarrassed, I get to my feet. My breath comes hard, sweat slicking my brow and not just from the hot summer night. “I’m okay.” But I’m not.
I know what comes next.
A terrible pulse begins to beat inside me like a second heartbeat trying to strangle my own. The Ouroboros! Syl helps me into my chair and slides my water closer to me.
I grab it, take a sip. The coolness clears my mind a bit.
An Ouroboros is spawning somewhere in the city. If we don’t hunt it down and destroy it, it will infect everything it touches—living and dead—with Moribund circuitry, turning it into black magic machinery hell-bent on killing everything in sight.
“We don’t have much time.”
Not to mention, a spawning Ouroboros leaves behind harrow-stitches—tiny snags and pulls in the Shroud between realms.
And that can’t be good.
“Rouen…” Syl’s face falls.
I try not to see the worry, the hurt in her eyes.
The pulsing in my chest grows stronger, pounding in my ears. I stand up through the pain, and look at her. My beautiful sleeper-princess.
Tonight was supposed to be the night. The night everything changed between us.
But no.
“I’m sorry, Syl. The Ouroboros…”
“Come on.” My girl wastes no time. She throws down a ten for our drinks and takes my free hand. “We’ll just go take care of this super-fast and be back in no time.”
She smiles so brightly, my heart hurts.
She loves you, Rouen.
That thought exhilarates and terrifies me.
I am supposed to be her enemy, and I am leading her right into danger.
Again.
My hand, still stuffed in my pocket, lets go of the ring.
Will we ever get our perfect moment?
One thing’s for sure: I’m going to make the Ouroboros pay for messing up this one.
Chapter Three
Syl
Once spawned, the Ouroboros infects
Everything it touches
Living or dead—
People, cars, buildings, cities, the entire world…
-Glamma’s Grimm
Never challenge a dark Fae to a race. You know why?
They cheat.
“Ready…” I call, standing atop the railing of the rooftop restaurant. I’m always stressed when we’re hunting down Ouroboros, so Euphoria and I make a game of racing to wherever one pops up. It sounds silly, but it keeps my mind off the fact that the entire city’s at stake.
No pressure or anything.
“Steady…”
Euphoria and I both have our don’t-see-me Glamouries on, so we’re practically invisible. I throw one last look over my shoulder. Goodbye, barbecue ribs and chocolate cake.
Goodbye, date night and “us” time.
I touch the chain around my neck. Goodbye, giving Euphoria Glamma’s ring.
“Set…”
Whoosh! In a rush of wintry fairy wind, Euphoria leaps off the railing into the night.
“Hey!” I get my butt in gear and go after her, the little cheaterface.
At least she cheats for a good cause.
I chase E through the night, over the rooftops in Richmond’s center, over banks and office buildings, over the newly built Dominion tower—thirty-three stories of metal and glass. And me? I leap it in a single bound.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane… It’s Syl Skye, Awakened sleeper-princess!
I’m pretty badass. Well, kind of. Sort of.
Euphoria’s way ahead of me—all black leather, gothy-dark eyeliner, and bad-girl attitude. She’s the true badass here, not me.
She flashes me that smirky-smirk and teases, “Are you even in this race?”
“Am I—Oh!” That little… But it’s mock-indignation. Her flirty teasing just revs my heart up faster. “We’ll see who’s in the race.”
I kick it into high gear.
In three strides, she crosses the next building and leaps—all grace and power and sexy dark Faeness—across the crazy-wide gap of Main Street. One hundred and fifty feet, she hurtles out into the night, her hair streaming like black flames. She lands on the other side, easy-peasy, tossing that teasing grin over her shoulder.
“Come on, princess!”
I screech to a clumsy stop at the edge of a hotel rooftop. Main Street is a million feet down, the cars like tiny ants meandering across a damp black ribbon.
Maybe it’s a good thing there weren’t any barbecue ribs, because my guts are doing more barrel rolls than an X-Wing trying to dodge the Death Star.
So far to fall. Blurggg…
Euphoria stands waaaaaaay on the other side atop the SunTrust skyscraper, blue eyes all intense and glowy. She glances at her wrist like she’s reading an invisible watch. “I’m waiting.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Darn dark Fae princess.
Even if I couldn’t make it, I’d totally jump for her.
You got it bad, Syl.
The irony’s not lost on me. We’re deadly enemies—a dark Fae princess born to royalty and a newly Awakened fair Fae sleeper-princess.
So of course we’re dating. Our status is officially “It’s complicated.”
“Get ready!” I flash her a flirty smile and jog back from the ledge. My enhanced strength will only get me so far. I’ll need to summon my own fairy wind to get across.
This is where it gets hairy.
Because ever since summer came—the summer solstice, to be exact—my power’s been ramping up, getting stronger and stronger as the weather gets hotter and hotter. It’s like I just leveled up like twenty times in D&D. Which would be awesome, except for two things:
One, there’s no rulebook for being a sleeper-princess. I’m the last one.
And two, my power seriously wants to murderface my girlfriend.
It’s okay, Syl. You can do this.
I pelt for the edge. My heartbeat pounds like crazy as I sail out into the darkness. The city lights flash by beneath me, the wind in my red curls probably turning it into more of a rat’s nest, but hey. Date night went kablooey, and it’s not like I need perfect hair or the perfect outfit to fight Ouroboros.
I mean, yeah, my cute Alice in Wonderland minidress, fishnets, oxblood Docs, just the right nude-tone lipgloss, my eye shadow a subtle, glimmery gold to bring out my grey eyes…
Ugh. It was perfect.
Quit being a Miss Whiny-Pants, Syl. E needs you. I get my head in the game. All right, Ouroboros, it’s on!
But first, we have to find it.
The skyscraper’s rooftop comes into view. At the height of my leap, I reach for my gramarye, tapping into the fair Fae magic in my blood, calling all things Summer to me.
In a whoosh, my fairy wind comes, all hot breezes and the stifling humidity of Summer wrapping me up, catapulting me across the gap.
My oxblood Docs slam down, roof-side. Whew! I stumble a little on the landing. Misjudged a bit. I look up at E, grinning. “How was that?”
And then my power surges, ripping out of me.
Crap! White flames burst from my hands, flaring out at Euphoria.
But my girl’s ready for it. She dodges the first blast, ducking behind a rooftop HVAC, and then, I’m struggling, wrestling with my power. Only, wrestling my sunfire is like trying to hold with a burning white tiger by the tail.
“Syl?” E’s voice is worried, her aura flashing from light blue concern all the way to red-orange fear.
Because yeah, at the Winter Formal, my very same sleeper-princess sunfire burned Agravaine to ashes. To be fair, dude was an evil Circuit Fae who spliced black-magic Moribund circuitry into innocent people to enslave them and feed on their life-forces. All to give the entire city of Richmond a dark Fae makeover…
Euphoria was on his side for a hot second.
And it’s like my power remembers.
I pull back on the reins, hard, willing my gramarye to chill out. “Whoa!”
E’s nothing like Agravaine. She teamed up with me to defeat him. “Almost…” I struggle with my sunfire flames as they twist and leap.
“Relax,” Euphoria calls. “Breathe out.”
“Okay!” Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep… “Got it!” The flames flare down, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “That was too close.” Closer than ever before. You’re getting worse, Syl.
Slowly, Euphoria comes out of hiding, sweeping her black hair from her face. I’m half-expecting her to be mad, but there’s only worry and those electric-blue eyes of hers smoldering on mine.
Suddenly, all the butterflies in my stomach are Riverdancing.
“It’s okay, princess. See?” She twirls, somehow looking ridiculous and badass all at once. “Not even singed.”
“I’m so glad!” I move to hug her, but my mind flashes, Warning! Warning! No touchy. I back off, sudden tears stinging my eyes.
Not being able to touch her sucks worse than a million wrecked date nights.
“Hey…” Her voice is gentle as she brushes a few stray red curls from my face. “It’ll be okay.”
Derailed: A Prequel Novella Page 9
