The Day Human Prince

by B. Kristin McMichael

  Devin sat back down at his blades and picked them back up. He could feel Nessa’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look up. He kept his own stare on his blades. If he saw her face, he might feel the regret that was building in the moment. He never wanted to be bound to anyone and have his own life connected to them. It wouldn’t be fair to them. He didn’t live a life that he expected would be long, and he hated to think his own dangerous life would cut Nessa’s short.

  “What will you do once you are unbound?” Nessa asked quietly from across the room. She was keeping her distance from him also.

  Devin shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Will you go back to Arianna?” Nessa asked, jealously or sadness tinging her voice. Devin couldn’t tell which, maybe it was both.

  “No,” Devin answered. Nessa quietly sighed in relief, but Devin still heard her.

  “If we do this right and wake grandfather, you can leave tomorrow during the trial. The town will be less guarded, and it will make escape easier,” Nessa said quietly.

  Devin nodded. She would be alright without him. She had excellent strategic skills. That would be an asset when he was gone.

  “The sidhe don’t exactly let day humans leave, do they?” he finally asked what he suspected all along.

  “No,” Nessa admitted. “I knew that they would keep you if they could, but I knew that if we were unbound, you’d find a way out. You’re not a typical day human, and they won’t even know you’re gone until you are.”

  “And Lindsey?” Devin asked of the old angry sidhe he had already met.

  “Oh, he’ll not stop you. His job is to test those coming in, not to stop people from leaving,” Nessa answered. “Even if you aren’t supposed to leave.”

  Devin nodded again, moving to his next weapon. He began sharpening the dagger in his hand as Nessa came closer to grab a few weapons herself. She strapped them strategically around her body, and Devin couldn’t help but watch from the corner of his eye. She was tall for a girl, but not anywhere near his height. Her long legs and knee-high boots left plenty of room for hidden weapons. She leaned down near him and took another weapon, a much larger blade with a slight curve to it. She picked up a sheath next to it and strapped it around her body, the handle sticking up behind her shoulder. Most high-family night human girls Devin met were awkward with weapons, but that wasn’t the case for Nessa. She knew exactly where to place the weapons, and he was sure she knew how to use them as well. Devin finally looked at her completely. She was dressed in all black, but the hint of silver from the multiple weapons on her made her look deadly. She smiled at him as she pulled back her curls.

  “Yes, I know how to use all of them,” Nessa said to answer the question in his eyes.

  “I didn’t ask,” Devin replied. He did think it, but he already knew she could.

  “Yes, you did. I saw you were thinking just that,” Nessa replied, back to her arguing self. Devin smiled again as he stood and tucked a loose curl behind her ear.

  “And now what am I thinking, if you plan to jump into my mind without my permission?” Devin asked.

  “I wasn’t,” Nessa complained, but stopped as his hand trailed down her face.

  “I can’t be what you want of me,” Devin said quietly. He saw in her mind with the bond and being close. Nessa didn’t want him to leave. “Your people don’t want me here, and I can’t change who I am.”

  “Yes, you can,” Nessa answered.

  It was true. At any moment, Devin could choose to be a night human, but he had made a promise to himself when he lost his family. He would never be a night human. His life was to be a day human, no matter how fragile they were. He would train and be the best day human he could be, but he would always be a day human. That was one promise he was never willing to break.

  “No, I can’t,” Devin replied.

  She saw what he thought, and he didn’t hide it from her. He showed her how his family died and the promise he made to himself. He would never become a monster dependent on human blood. She didn’t really know his past much, but the glimpse he let slip through was enough to convince her.

  “I understand,” Nessa replied, stepping back from him.

  Devin dropped his hand and nodded. There were many things he wanted in life, and it would be great to get everything, but he knew the reality. He was just a day human and nothing more. He didn’t belong in her world.

  The moment was lost completely with a knock. Nessa discreetly wiped away a tear as she ran over to the door. Devin tried to pretend he didn’t see. Nessa may have driven him nuts at times, but she caused feelings in him he never thought he’d ever feel. She broke down the wall he had spent years building to protect him from ever falling in love. There wasn’t room in his life for love, and there never would be. He hated to make her cry, but he couldn’t change who he was. He was just a day human in her night human world. He wasn’t welcome there, and had to leave for her sake.

  Nessa’s uncle stood outside the barrier on the other side of the door. He looked worried and glanced between Nessa and Devin. He hadn’t found an answer in their time off, but they hadn’t expected him to.

  “They are reconvening,” he told Nessa. She nodded.

  “Do I need to be present?” Nessa asked. The question startled Rolf.

  “No. You only need to be there for the verdict and decisions of the trial, which hopefully won’t be today,” Rolf replied. His tone was a bit surprised, but he was hopeful as he looked between them, waiting to be let in on the secret.

  “Good,” Nessa answered. Rolf was confused. “Devin and I are planning to look around for a few leads on how to save this trial.” Nessa stretched the truth a bit. Ronan was looking around, but he was doing it for them to do their own digging around.

  “Ronan mentioned you had business to do,” Rolf replied with a nod. Relief was written all over his face. He had no way to save Nessa. “Will you come back soon?”

  “As soon as we can,” Nessa replied. Rolf nodded.

  “Just know that any door guarded by lions is a no-magic zone. If you walk past them while invisible, you will become visible,” Rolf replied. He seemed to understand they would be sneaking around.

  Devin made a mental note to look for lions. It was great to walk around unseen if you were careful enough to not run into someone else, but it wouldn’t be great to just appear somewhere.

  “I wish you luck, and will do my best to bring the crowd over to our side if nothing else,” Rolf replied. Nessa reached through the barrier and squeezed her uncle’s hand.

  Nessa stood by the door as Rolf walked away. Devin didn’t wait to ponder what Ronan had told his father, as it was becoming clearer that Rolf wasn’t the enemy. Rolf didn’t seem to know much, but he seemed to be on their side. Devin waited behind her open doorway, out of view from anyone in the hallway. Nessa walked behind the door with Devin and instantly made them invisible. She picked up her bow as a last weapon, and was ready to go face their fate.

  ‘It’s now or never,’ she told him before walking out. Devin easily followed her, and she didn’t pause to wait for him to do so.

  Nessa led the way through hallways and out the main door. They passed several other people similarly invisible, but none were assassins. Devin had to guess they were patrolling the trial, looking for him. Once outside the palace walls, Devin moved in closer to Nessa. While the palace and several of the top families were all at the trial, the lower-ranked people were going on with the normal lives. Nessa passed home after home and a few shops, but no one even knew they were there. With his hand on Nessa’s shoulder, Devin kept his guard up, looking around, yet trusting Nessa to lead them both without fail.

  Devin watched the people they passed. While he had met the formal leading parties of the sidhe, he had little interaction thus far with normal sidhe. He looked for assassins through the illusion, but found most of the normal sidhe were like Nessa, illusion free. It was a stark contrast to life inside the palace.

  No one was followi
ng them. It was strange to find that not even one assassin knew they were gone. The elite sidhe-trained assassins were helpless against their own magic. The palace didn’t seem to know they were gone either. How could the future monarch just walk out the door while no one noticed or cared?

  Nessa turned abruptly and brought Devin’s attention back to the task at hand. They had made it to the back side of the sidhe palace. Devin looked to the doors and wondered why they had walked all around rather than just using the back door.

  ‘The door we left is the only one not set to sound an alarm if I leave the palace. My brother dismantled the spell years ago so that he could come and go as he pleased and not get caught,’ Nessa explained in answer to Devin’s unspoken question.

  Devin could now see their destination wasn’t far from the actual palace. Just beyond the palace walls was a pathway leading down a hill. Devin followed Nessa as they made it deeper into the woods and away from any living civilization. There were no homes or shops lining the walkway they went down, just trees and bushes. It would have been hard to walk that way with the dense canopy above not allowing the moonlight in, but there was an eerily unnatural glow from the plants leading the way. When Nessa began to slow, Devin saw the entrance to the cave, and someone waiting for them.

  Nessa walked forward and was suddenly there in front of Devin. He stopped immediately and looked to each side. There were lions protecting the cave, and now whoever was waiting would see them. Devin pulled a blade and was ready for a fight, but stopped as the person moved from the shadows.

  “About time,” Finn responded. “Here I thought Ronan was wrong and sent me on a wild goose chase.”

  “Finn,” Nessa said, filled with wonder and confusion.

  “Ronan ran into me as he was running off somewhere. He didn’t say where he was going, but he told me to wait here for you. He said you could use my help,” Finn shrugged.

  The whole situation seemed off. Devin watched Finn carefully. His eyes said one thing as his voice inflection said something else. Devin had no doubt that Finn wanted Nessa, but he wasn’t sure it was for love or hate. Finn masked it well, but Devin had spent years learning how to judge people. Finn may not be using an illusion, but he was hiding something. Devin had no doubt. Finn Ferguson wasn’t the person Nessa thought he was. The only question was, was Finn on their side or his mother’s?

  CHAPTER 10

  Nessa felt her confidence renew at the sight of her friend. She grabbed Finn and hugged him. He had been her friend her whole childhood, and best friend to her brother. He was like having a second older brother, but a much nicer and cuter one. He patted her back in reassurance. Nessa held on to him a bit longer and took in the calm, confident vibe he exuded. She had to stop relying on Devin and go back to her own kind. Finn was her own kind and she was happy he was still there for her after she broke the engagement.

  “Ronan didn’t tell me why you were going into the crypt, but he said you’d need my help,” Finn replied to the hug. “And I can’t let my favorite little sister going off somewhere dangerous on her own.” Nessa grinned more. Ronan, Finn, and Rhys always joked that Nessa, Fiona, and Gemma were all their little sisters since their families were close.

  “I’m…” Nessa began to deny she was alone.

  ‘Don’t tell him,’ Devin said quickly in her mind. ‘I don’t trust him, and don’t want him to know I’m following you. I’ll be right behind you, but in the shadows.’

  “I’m glad you are here,” Nessa covered up.

  Nessa didn’t know what Devin’s problem was, but she was keeping her mouth shut. Something in his tone made her do exactly what he said without argument. She trusted her life to him, and had to listen at this point. Devin wasn’t one for giving orders unless he felt something was off. When he was gone she would have to trust her own judgment, but for now she trusted his completely.

  “I had to be. Rhys, dead or alive, wouldn’t have forgiven me if I let you go wandering around the crypts alone,” Finn replied. “I mean, what if you found a monster or something down there? There could even be a snake or two,” he teased and pulled on one of her curls that had gotten loose.

  Nessa swatted at his hand. “I’m not afraid of snakes or monsters.” She stood defiantly with her hands on her hips, giving him the same reply she had for years.

  Finn laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

  “Sure you’re not,” Finn patronized her with a hint of laughter.

  “Then this.” Nessa pointed around her, indicating going into the crypt. “Has nothing to do with your mother’s insistence that you want to marry me?”

  “Nessa, I meant every word I told you two months ago. I don’t want to force you to marry me. We are great friends, and if that’s all we ever are, I’m fine with it. You’ll be my friend forever. Besides, you’re more like a sister to me than anything.” Finn’s blue eyes sparkled as he talked.

  Nessa had gone through a stage of having a crush on the strawberry-blond sidhe when she was younger. Everyone she knew had a crush on him at some point. Finn was handsome in that boyish way, and he had the charisma to go with it. But once she was old enough to train with the sidhe elite, and got to know him better, she lost that googly-eyed feeling. He was a great friend that backed her up and got her out of more scrapes than she could count.

  ‘Finn came here to help,’ Nessa complained to Devin.

  ‘I don’t trust him,’ Devin repeated. Nessa still didn’t understand, but she kept her mouth shut.

  “Your mother stopped by before we left and insisted we get married,” she told him as they both turned and looked into the cave. “She said it was because you loved me, and she would protect me if I married you. She told me it was the only way to save me from the trial.”

  “I suggested that,” Finn replied sheepishly as he ran his hands through his hair. Nessa smacked him.

  “Why would you suggest that if you agree we shouldn’t marry?” Nessa complained.

  “I heard Bray’s grandson Owen telling his father that’s what he planned to do. The trial hasn’t looked good for you. I figured I’d offer first and save you the trouble of having to marry that ass. I mean, come on, Nessie. I’m a much better knight in shining armor than Owen. He has a lazy eye, and he limps.” Finn pretended to not be able to walk straight. “Do you really want children with his nose anyway?”

  Nessa couldn’t help but laugh. Finn was right. Owen wasn’t a good catch in anyone’s book. His personality was ten times worse than his looks. Owen was the only sidhe male she knew over thirty still unmarried, and it wasn’t for a lack of proposals. He had yet to find someone to say yes.

  Nessa felt Devin walking close by, but she didn’t turn around to look. She didn’t want to give away Devin’s presence. He was close by and listening into their conversation.

  ‘And you could be wrong on your assessment. You don’t know him like I do,’ Nessa replied to Devin’s accusation that Finn was untrustworthy.

  ‘He cared so much that he didn’t come to your trial. His mother wants to force you to marry him. He even suggested it. Nessa, he isn’t want he seems,’ Devin tried to explain.

  ‘He cares about me. He showed up here didn’t he? You could be wrong,’ Nessa responded. Finn had to have been at the trial, even if Nessa didn’t see him. Finn cared to keep her safe, and she would need that once Devin was gone.

  ‘I’m never wrong,’ Devin replied, no air of hubris, just like he was stating a fact. ‘And I don’t know where he hid at the trial, but I studied each face there. He wasn’t in the audience. If he was there, he had to be invisible.’

  Nessa tried to hide her temper at Devin’s words by turning to Finn. Devin was just outside the lion barriers and still invisible, but he was there. She was unsure if she had gotten that good in an afternoon of seeing beyond the sidhe magic, or maybe it was just the bond. Nessa knew exactly where he was. She tried not to stare and give him away, and that was easy to do since she was still a little mad that he didn�
�t like Finn. How could he just not trust Finn? He was the last ally she had beyond her cousin, and he cared enough to come help her.

  “Which way do you want to go?” Finn asked.

  Nessa knew very little about the housing of the dead, just that grandfather was below with all the bodies. She had been down into the crypts several times, but it was always with an adult. She had gone down twice to see her father during the year he was out for viewing. She didn’t want to think about the McKinny family crypt now, knowing that Rhys would be down there for his year of viewing by the family. The sidhe had spells over each family crypt to keep the body preserved in death for a year before they disintegrated into ash. It allowed the families to grieve their lost ones and move on. Her grandfather wouldn’t be in the family crypt as he was still alive, and that room was only kept for dead bodies. She still didn’t know exactly where grandfather was. What disturbed her most about putting grandfather to sleep was that they were going to lay him with the dead bodies, like he was already dead.

  “Down,” Nessa replied, leading the way.

  Finn put a hand on her back and followed behind her. She didn’t stop to see if Devin followed. He was only a few feet behind them, but at the same time stayed further back to not be seen by Finn. If he didn’t trust Finn, why would Devin let Finn get as close as he was to her without Devin nearby?

  “You might want to try the upper rooms first,” Finn suggested. “Leander has only been missing two days.”