Devin was a day human stuck in the night human world. He spent his childhood surrounded by night humans who sucked blood to live, but never once had he been the one that others feared. Until Lord Randolph had begun training him, Devin was the one living in fear. One night human in particular killed his entire family. It wasn’t a good memory, but one he wouldn’t change now. The night human world brought him Nessa.
Nessa was peacefully asleep, finally. She didn’t want to turn people away as they came to her with planning and need for help, but Devin finally did. They had spent the day running from assassins and fighting for their lives. They had almost died, and yet everyone wanted a piece of their time. When dawn broke, and the sidhe should have headed off to bed, Devin thanked people for waiting and told them to come back another time before whisking Nessa away.
Nessa instantly fell to sleep once they were back in her room. They didn’t even have time to talk about the day, as they both were exhausted. It wasn’t like the next day would be any easier. It was time get ready for the coronation that would happen soon. In fact, in less than forty-eight hours Nessa would be queen.
Devin slipped his arm out from under her head. He was exhausted, but he was feeling the side effects of all the power he had received. The former sidhe king, Nessa’s grandfather, had, for some reason, felt it necessary to give day human, Devin, his immense sidhe powers. Now Devin was on a bit of a power high combined with the fact he rarely slept more than four hours in a normal day anyway.
Nessa’s eyes cracked open as he laid her on her pillow.
Devin leaned down close to her. “I’ll be back soon,” he said quietly. “I’m just going for a run to burn off my extra energy.”
Nessa sleepily nodded and tugged at the front of his shirt. He leaned in closer and kissed her softly. She mumbled something and then let go of him. Devin took in a deep breath of her flowery scent and stood back up. He still couldn’t believe she was his.
Devin stopped at the doorway and looked at the invisible assassins standing guard. The four women that had protected the old sidhe king were now standing watch for Nessa. He nodded to the invisible women and went on his way down the hallway.
He closed his eyes and looked around the whole sidhe palace. With his new powers he could feel each and every sidhe if he tried. He found the clearest route through the palace and took off running. He didn’t want to run into anyone else. Their fear alone was laughable, but all the bowing and running in terror wore on him after the first five minutes of dealing with them.
Devin listened to the sound of his shoes hitting the pounded-down earth at his feet and got lost in his own thoughts. He had only arrived at the sidhe village days ago and now he was there to stay. His whole life had been turned upside down. First, he was bound to Nessa. He wasn’t minding that too much now but the goal had been to break the bond. But then meeting the sidhe king changed everything. Devin now had a role and responsibility. Yes, he was planning to search for a purpose in life after unbinding to Nessa, but he didn’t think one would be given to him. His purpose was given to him, strongly, in the form of magic sidhe powers. Devin knew he had much to learn about the gift he was given to keep Nessa safe and change the sidhe, but he didn’t know how long he had. Her coronation was in less than forty-eight hours, and he was sure the other five families wouldn’t sit by nicely and let her claim the throne without a fight.
The sidhe clans were divided into five families. Everyone owed loyalty to one of the five families. When Nessa’s grandfather took over permanently, the others had no choice. The old man was powerful, and no one could tell him no. When Nessa took over in two days, Devin wouldn’t be nearly as powerful as the old man because he didn’t know how to use the power he was given. In fact, he knew very little about the sidhe even in general.
Devin turned down a hallway that was lined with open windows. He saw the wall around the palace. He considered trying to leave. Would the alarms sound? He did have a bit of Nessa’s blood within him, but he wasn’t the future sovereign. Was he free to come and go as he pleased? Something told him he was not. Agreeing to the power from the sidhe king to protect Nessa came with the bond of being stuck to the sidhe for the rest of his life.
He watched the sun shine through the windows and changed his course. It was too tempting to see outside and not be able to go as he pleased.
Devin began running down another cleared hallway. He liked that the sidhe avoided him, but he couldn’t avoid them forever. He was going to have to deal with them. Hopefully, it would be, after he learned more about them and the powers he now had.
He turned again and stopped suddenly. He had put a spell on the palace to not allow anyone to use magic to cover themselves unless he allowed it, like the sidhe assassins protecting Nessa. He had been able to see through the magic before, but now everyone saw exactly who everyone else was. It was Devin’s first step in stopping all the deception. Before him stood Fiona Ferguson. She was the daughter and only child left of the Ferguson family, one of the five that traditionally held power. Fiona had been rumored to have been Nessa’s older brother’s lover before he ran off two months ago to attempt to win over Arianna Grace, a more powerful night human and Devin’s former charge.
Fiona stared in shock at Devin, her mouth in an obvious ‘oh.’ She hadn’t been expecting to see him either, and the powerful, cunning sidhe wasn’t as prepared as she normally was to play the sidhe game of power.
Suddenly, Devin realized how Finn, Fiona’s brother, had followed them through the McKinny family crypt. He had been wondering since they left the crypt. Only blood family could open the door, and he was sure they hadn’t left it open.
“Day Human Prince,” Fiona said quietly, bowing her head to him. She didn’t run in fear, but her heartbeat had picked up. He was sure now that he was never meant to see the secret she carried. Coronation wasn’t going to go as easy and Devin hoped now.
Fiona Ferguson was pregnant with the former king’s child.
If you enjoyed The Day Human Prince and have already read The Blue Eyes Trilogy (which is the start to Devin’s tale), while you are waiting for The Day Human King to come out, you might enjoy my other new New Adult Time Travel series The Chalcedony Chronicles
Here’s the first chapter of book 1- CARNELIAN for you to read:
Welcome to College
I had the perfect idea of what going off to college would be like. I’d move into the dorms on the first day I could. My family would come, and my mom would cry over me growing up; especially since I was her only child. They would hang around, not wanting to leave, and finally I’d have to shoo them all out, reassuring them that I’d be okay. That’s how everyone pictures it going. Yet, here I sat, a day late, staring at my new home for the next four years, alone.
My mom and grandfather made the seven-hour trip north with me from Chicago to Minneapolis, but Grandfather got called away on business and my mom had to go with him. He was her ride home, after all. Grandfather was in the antique business and had a lot of wealthy and powerful clients. I was used to them calling him away at a moment’s notice by now. I drove the last two hours to Lake Superior and Castor, the nice college town that Morton Carole was in. I chose to go to school far away and now I regretted it as I sat outside the campus dorms, debating my first steps toward being grown up.
Independence. That’s what college was to me. I’ve spent my entire life with my grandfather and mother, and yes, my mother was the hovering type. I never was allowed to go on trips with my friends, or even leave the city without her by my side. She worried every day about my walk to school. She hated cars and was afraid I’d get in an accident. Luckily, grandfather convinced her I would need a car here at college, so I was not without wheels now. She never seemed to lack for something to worry about.
Sitting in my used Civic, looking at the massive dorms with people flowing everywhere, independence scared the crap out of me. Right now, the one thing every recent high school graduate wanted was staring me in the face, and I yearned t
o give it back. I was turning out to be the most timid college freshman in history. Thank you, Mom!
After taking a deep breath, I steadied my growing nerves and finally turned off my car to go to the registration table sitting outside. I gathered all the courage I found and exited my car. The large, square, brick building in front of me would be home for the next four years. It was intimidating yet exciting at the same time. College was the peak of growing up, and I couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to start a new chapter in my life.
The registration table was set up with several college students sitting around waiting. The fifteen-foot walk to the table was excruciating. I felt like everyone that passed was staring at me, the scared freshman. In reality, probably no one even glanced my way. The official move-in day was the day before, and I missed the opportunity to be lost in the masses of new students. I was late on purpose. Figuring the crowds would be less, I planned to arrive today with my grandfather and mother to help. I crossed the parking lot and waited. A beautiful, long-legged brunette sat talking to the girl next to her. They were obviously friends, as the brunette kept talking and the other girl kept nodding along, never getting a word in edgewise. I stood and waited.
“I’m sure by the end of the week he will be coming back to me. He always does. You know he can’t find anyone better than me,” the brunette assessed.
Poor guy, I wanted to add. I had grown up with girls like the one in front of me. Everything about her was fake, from her eyelashes to her boobs. Private school at St. Maria’s had prepared me for two things at the same time: fake girls and dealing with the people you never really want to be associated with. This girl was exactly that.
I coughed to get their attention; I didn’t need to learn more about the poor guy that the girl had her sights set on. The brunette looked up, surprised that I was there.
“Marcella Navina,” I told the girl, pointing to my name on the list.
“Oh, a new freshman,” the brunette said as she held out her hand to the girl next to her. The second girl was digging through a box, looking for the correct key. Finally, she found it and handed it to the brunette. “Welcome to Morton Carole. If you need any help, feel free to ask. We’re all happy to help new freshman.” I somehow doubted that. “You are in Murdley, which is on the opposite side of the dorms here,” she said Murdley with disgust, as if she couldn’t imagine who would want to be stuck in the studious dorm. She held out her hand and her minion placed a map in it. “You can either go through the courtyard, through the connecting hallways, or around the outside to get there. Room 215. Good luck, and welcome to college.” A smile was plastered across her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I gave her my best fake smile back as I took her keys and map. I didn’t really need the map. I had already memorized it weeks ago.
Still within hearing distance while walking away, I heard as the brunette added, “I hate freshman. They always think they’re better than the rest of us. Did you see how she talked down to us?” I had no choice but to talk down as they were seated. She wasn’t the brightest, I guessed.
“I hate fake people,” I added under my breath as I found my way back to my car.
I opened the trunk and looked at my few belongings. I had packed only two suitcases and two boxes. Good thing the dorms came furnished. I stared at my sparse possessions and sighed. The fact that I was on my own for the first time was starting to sink in. I looked ever my things, picked the lightest box first, and took a deep breath. Time to walk the gauntlet.
It’s strange how you can pack your life into such few boxes. It took me a total of three whole trips to my car to bring my life into my new room. It also didn’t take long to unpack it. In less time than it took to drive to my college, I was moved in and officially now home. As strange as it was, this ten-foot-by-ten-foot space with two beds, two dressers, and two closets was now my home.
I sat on my bed and stared at the empty bed across the room. My roommate, Sim, would arrive later today. She had been gone all summer in India and would be later in arriving than me. I was excited to meet her, but being alone didn’t bother me. My mother and grandfather often left for short weekend trips while I was growing up, always under the direct care of our maid. Adding to it, the dorm website said that Murdley was the quiet dorm, for those that wanted a bit of quiet in college. I didn’t mind this in the least. In fact I didn’t get stuck in Murdley like most of the students, I chose this dorm. I didn’t want to live in the party dorm, Mordoch, which was on the opposite side of the square from Murdley. The dorms at Morton Carole were actually four buildings connected to form a square with an inner courtyard; Murdley was one wall of the square with Mordoch on the opposite. I was completely happy to find my room didn’t even face the inner courtyard. I would get all the quiet I wanted in my room, and maybe a little bit more.
Outside my window, which faced the campus’ winding paths that meandered between large, ancient trees, Morton Carole students were wandering around. Most probably arrived yesterday and were already making friends. I didn’t know a single person attending Morton as I was miles away from home and all my high school friends. It was a bit scary to start over, but it was for the best. I was really only going to miss a few of my friends, and they wouldn’t ditch me for going off to some small school in the middle of nowhere.
As I puttered around my room, trying to find something to do; a massive maple tree outside my window caught my attention. It looked like the perfect reading tree. I could sit outside and feel the breeze instead of being stuck in my stuffy new home. I wandered down to the tree with my book under my arm. A reading tree was exactly what I needed. I could find time to make new friends and fit in later, after I got through my latest novel.
I opened the book to where I left off. It was new and the pages crisp. Most of my books were a bit tattered from multiple readings, but not this one. It was the third in the latest series I was hooked on. I bought it new when it came out two days ago, and I was already almost finished with it.
I began reading just where I left off. Marie, the protagonist, was just finding out her best friend was a demon. It was sad. Marie’s family were descendants of angels that were hunting demons. I felt bad for her. It was easy to slip back into the story and forget about the world around me. I continued to read and ignored the person who sat down next to me at my new reading tree. No one could pull me out of my little world. I needed to find out what Marie was going to do. Would she hunt her best friend? I could hear imaginary music playing as I got more absorbed into the story. If I could write music, I’d have a soundtrack to each book I read. The real world was completely gone as I read with the tune playing on in my head. I turned page after page and didn’t even know how long I had sat there. The last page came too quickly and the book was done. As with the rest of the books in the series, I would have to read it again.
I closed my book and looked up from under the maple canopy to the blue sky above. I had a normal life, but girls in books always went on adventures. I guess that was what going far off to college was to me, an adventure. My future was already planned, but I’d give anything to be one of those heroines. I wanted to live the life I found in these books. I was still lost in thought over the ending when there was a thump on my lap. College students were walking all around and a few tossing a football between them. I looked down expecting to see a football.
It wasn’t a football. The head of a perfectly cute guy was lying across my lap. He had tipped over from sleeping next to me and stayed fast asleep, even after his fall. I looked at him and waited for him to wake. I mean, his fall startled me out of my daydreaming. He didn’t wake. He kept sleeping peacefully.
He was gorgeous—underwear model material. His dark hair had a glint of red in it and was splayed across his forehead. He had high cheek bones and perfectly-shaped lips. Stubble ran across his cheeks, and it seemed like it had been days since he had shaved. I looked at his fluttering, sleeping eyes and wondered what color they were. Mystery man just kept sleeping
, like he had often found himself on unknown girl’s laps, and it didn’t bother him. I needed to move soon, but I was stuck and couldn’t help but admire him. He had his shirt off. It was draped partially over his shoulder now, but mostly on the ground beneath him. My eyes wandered down him to find he was very fit. Every muscle around his shoulders and arms were perfectly defined, along with his washboard abs. His athletic shorts were low on his hips showing off more than I had been close to in a long while since I’d attended an all-girls high school. I turned my eyes away before my eyes drifted any further. I had to stop checking out this guy. I mean, yes he literally fell into my lap, but I was beginning to feel like a creeper. How could he still be sleeping?
He murmured a few words in his sleep. “Maat mitra.” I didn’t know what they meant as I was sure they were another language. Beautiful boy spoke another language, at least in his dreams. A language I had never heard. He continued to talk softly enough that only I could hear him, but none of it was in English, or any language I knew, for that matter. He was foreign, beautiful, and laying across my lap half naked. If I was a bit bolder in my ways, I’d say I hit the lottery. This was going to go down as the oddest start to my school year, but an embarrassing one once he woke up and found me drooling over him.
I looked around at the other college kids wandering about. No one seemed to even notice underwear model guy sleeping on my lap. Or maybe no one cared. Didn’t this guy have a girlfriend following him around devotedly? Some girl out there had to be pissed at me right now. I glanced back down at him. Yes, he was probably the cutest guy I had ever seen in person, but that didn’t make it any less weird. I needed to move now, before he woke up and it got even more awkward.
Gently my hand moved under his head. His hair was soft, softer than I expected, distracting me again. The dark auburn color was different. It was almost a chocolate brown, but the red gleaming in it made it otherwise. He was a guy, but the color was just actually pretty. The red was more subtle than my own bright-red hair. I would have given anything to grow up with hair as dark red as his.
The Day Human Prince Page 21
