by A Lonergan
One thing I knew for sure, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her, or the way her body filled out the pantsuit, and I hadn't thought of Freya once.
When we reached the compound, my father was waiting outside of the doors. He stared at Shay menacingly before he addressed me. "Where have you been?"
"I didn't realize I needed to put my every move by you." My tone and stance matching his.
"No, but something happened tonight." The anger on my father’s face started to melt away to fatigue and worry.
Dread coated my insides. Freya.
I forgot about the woman beside me and sprung to action. I raced through the courtyard and up the stairs. I would never forgive myself if something happened again.
I ignored my father's shouting and pushed Freya's doors open. My worry and dread eased and turned into guilt. Laying at the foot of the bed was the dragon and on either side of him was Freya and my sister. He blinked his eyes open, and smoke started to curl up from his nostrils.
“Vailen will kill you.” Freya’s sleepy voice floated across the room. She didn’t open her eyes or move, but the dragon continued to stare me down.
“Oh, really? He speaks to you now?” My voice sounded condescending, and I almost apologized for it. In response, the dragon blew out a puff of fire like he was blowing a kiss.
“Yes, he does, and he doesn’t like you disturbing me right now, especially with your guest downstairs.” I backed out of her room and closed the doors behind me. I had forgotten entirely about Shay.
My hand rested on the small of Shay’s back as I lead her down a series of hallways. This is what it was like on the bottom level of the compound. We had more than enough rooms down here, and I couldn’t fathom why my father contorted the mansion again for Freya. Yes, I understood her importance to a certain extent, but showing favoritism usually did nothing but start wars. We didn’t need any more of that around her, especially inside the coven. The robin’s egg glue walls matched Shay’s pantsuit, and she seemed happy enough walking the distance down the worn wood floors. Her heeled shoes clicked along as we walked.
“Wasn’t this called something else back in the day?” Shay asked, hesitantly.
“What? The Compound?” I wasn’t entirely sure I was ready for the can of worms she was about to open. We had made it past many of the family quarters and were coming along the single witches housing. It was pretty much like a hotel or apartments, though you would never know just by looking at the outside. My father worked wonders in the courtroom and in architecture. The man had frightened me for many reasons growing up. Most of it had to do with the unknown.
“Yes,” She smiled. Her canine teeth reminded me of a vampire’s. I hadn’t met many of them, but the look of them would haunt you to your core.
“Yes, it was called Coilette Maison.” As the words left my lips, I knew I wasn’t ready for the slew of questions that would come next. I didn’t want to talk about Freya or her mother. I didn’t want this new friendship to start off that way.
“Ah, how beautiful. I wonder why it changed.” She quirked an eyebrow at me. As a witch, she had access to that knowledge.
“Feel free to ask my father, Jonathan, tomorrow when he meets with you.” I unlocked her door with a small iron skeleton key and motioned for her to enter. She bowed her head forward, and her hair covered her face as she entered the beautifully furnished room. “You will be able to leave the room when he comes to fetch you tomorrow.”
She looked up at me alarmed and tried to walk out of the door. She hissed as the wall lit up with electricity. “Why are you doing this?”
“It isn’t my rule,” I said, unease filling my voice. I would have rathered my father do this. “But I do agree with it.”
She stepped away from the barrier that separated us. “Why?”
“It keeps the coven safe, especially when we don’t know who we can trust.” I briefly closed my eyes. “You won’t be able to exit the room at all. You are practically living in an electric box. My father thought of everything when he started this a few weeks ago.”
She nodded her head, accepting the terms of her being here. It could be much worse, though I also didn’t know what my father had in mind. He liked truth spells too much, and they were painful. I had been at the end of his magic many times.
Shay closed the door before she glanced at me one last time. Her smile was full of pity, and I didn’t like the taste it left in my mouth. I turned away from her room and didn’t look back. It was getting late, and I needed to hear what my father had to say.
I couldn’t help the anger that was bubbling to the surface. I had had to wait all night just to hear, what? Something I already knew and it had been kept from me my entire life!
“I was sent here when I was a baby, my mother was from the Mirror Realm. The Elven kingdom attacked, and she fled. We traveled many years before the Scandinavian coven took us in. My mother would jump back and forth between realms to see my father. Eventually, the High Priestess of the coven put a stop to it, but I saw where she hid her mirror.” He looked away from me then and looked army mother sitting at his desk. “When my mother died, I still hadn’t come into my magic. The Scandinavian people didn’t know how to help me, so I traveled for much of my young adult life. I didn’t go to school and didn’t have the necessary paperwork to do much.”
“How were you able to get into New Orleans then?” Ayre asked. She sat crossed legged on the floor in front of me. She carefully pulled at the tassels on the red and gold rug.
“Eventually my magic manifested, it was a long and painful experience. I later found out that my magic was having trouble because of the essence here in the Earth Realm. I should have died. My magic ended up warping because of that. That is why I don’t have a magi.” He shrugged and ran his hands down the front of his suit, all business. “I went back to my people and got my mother’s things. I unwrapped the mirror, and after that, I searched for my father. My mother had kept a picture of him in one of her bags, and his clothing, in case he ever came for us.”
Ayre frowned and looked back at the rug. Unshed tears shone in my mother’s eyes, and I wondered what Freya was doing while we were stuck in here. I would have preferred to be anywhere, but here. I felt uncomfortable and confused.
“I was afraid you would die too, Sterling.” His words startled me from my thoughts. “When the doctor laid you in my arms, I thought I was going to fall apart. I was terrified.” For the first time in my entire life, the man I called Father had a soul. The stone-cold face he always wore was replaced with fear and regret. His lips that were usually pressed together in a harsh line were parted and vulnerable. “I found out too much about my lineage, and it frightened me. Many of the books in here are from there.”
“What do you mean? Like you stole them?” I asked.
“Yes, I stole many things from the Mirror Realm, knowing very well that I would never return. I destroyed my mother’s mirror when I found out that my father could have visited. I destroyed many of her things when I found out that he was the king.”
Ayre spewed her water across the room. “What the actual hell?!”
“Cal and Armia are your siblings?” I shouted.
“No, my father was the true king before the mad king banished him. There is much to the story that I do not understand, nor do I care to.” My father shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away from us. “I don’t want the throne, and there has been a reason all of this has been a secret. Freya can’t even know.”
Ayre pushed herself from the floor and shook her head. “It isn’t my secret to tell, but she will know one day. The High Priestess knows her people, and Vailen kinda knows everything already. Soooo, there is that.”
Our father let out an exasperated sigh. “Indeed, but she has much to learn before that happens.”
I actually agreed with my father on something. That was a first.
Our mother stood up and ran her fingers through her long hair before she spoke, “Go have some brea
kfast and try to act normal. I know this is a lot to take on, but we must remain calm and collected. If Sariah knows something is up, she will not hesitate in her plans.”
Ayre was the first out of the study doors, she didn’t look back and just kept shaking her heading, muttering about how crazy I was and intuitive. I wasn’t precisely sure those two adjectives went together, but it was Ayre. Nothing about her seemed to make sense sometimes. I followed her out, wanting to get as far away from all of this as possible.
Shay was sitting at the bar in the kitchen, and Freya was biting into an apple. She wiped at the juice that was starting to spill down her bottom lip before she spoke, “Is Ayre all right? She seemed kind of shaken up.” She frowned. “Well, now that I mention it, you are looking a little pale as well.”
“No, everything is fine.” I passed by her and opened the huge walk-in fridge. With as many people as we had around here, we had to be prepared for anything. Freya didn’t say anything and took another bite out of her apple, while she narrowed her eyes at me.
Shay smiled at me brightly.
“I see you’re in a better mood and you met Freya.” Shay paused in the doorway at the tone of my voice. I wasn’t very inviting, but I did have a lot to process. She looked back at the strawberry blond munching on her apple. Her face was expressionless.
“Yes, Jonathan cleared me this morning. I was kind of surprised by how early it was, especially for a truth serum.” She leaned against the stainless-steel door. “Those things are nasty, and yes, Freya and I exchanged brief words.”
“It’s like he does it on purpose.” I grabbed the carton of eggs and the gallon of milk. “I think he secretly likes to torture people.”
Shay started to laugh until she saw my serious expression as I exited the fridge. “Oh, you’re serious.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know anymore, I can’t keep up.”
I watched Freya out the corner of my eye. Her top lip was pulled back slightly like she couldn’t stand what she was witnessing. When I turned around fully, I realized what she was sneering at. Shay was sitting on the island, facing me and her skirt had ridden up her legs slightly. Her smooth dark skin was on display for anyone that came in the kitchen, but she didn’t seem to mind. She gave me an inviting smile, and I couldn’t help but turn away from the situation, which wasn’t like me at all. I just couldn’t handle the way Freya was staring me down.
“Do you think there’s something in the fridge that Vailen could eat?” Freya said innocently.
“Who’s Vailen?” Shay said, mild curiosity in her tone.
“You’ll meet him soon enough.” Freya tossed her apple core in the garbage and winked at me as she walked by. I wondered what she was playing at. I didn’t like mind games, but I didn’t think that was what she was doing either. If anything, I would have assumed that she was going after Shay. For what, I had no idea.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Freya
“You think you could do your sniffy voodoo thing on the new girl?” I asked Vailen as he paced in front of the window. I could feel his anxiety and knew he wanted to fly. I didn’t know if it was our bond or not, but I wanted to feel the wind on my face too.
“Why? Do you feel like she’s a threat to your safety or a threat to your possible romance with Sterling?” I didn’t know if I was ever going to get over the fact that he was in my head.
I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Neither. I just think she’s a hoe.”
“I hate human slang. Can’t we think of something more intelligent to call her?” Vailen stared at me with no humor in his eyes.
“Fine, I’ll keep the human slang to myself.”
“Please and thank you.”
Ayre pushed the bedroom doors open then threw herself down on my bed. “I hate keeping secrets from you.”
I frowned. “How do you tell someone to not disclose the information?”
Vailen watched us both before he shook his head and left the room. I was pretty sure most of the coven wasn’t aware of his existence yet, and I didn’t know how this was going to go over. I guess it had to happen sometimes and the sooner, the better.
“Do you think that’s such a good idea?” Ayre watched him leave the room. Her hair was piled onto her head in a messy bun, and her dress was wrinkled. It was tied at the waist and dipped low in the front. From this view, all I could see was cleavage.
“I think it has to happen at some point. Plus, is anyone going to actually try to stop him from doing anything?” As I looked around my room, I decided that I needed more furniture soon. I hated not being able to leave. I wanted to live my life and go places. I loved New Orleans to a certain extent, I wanted to at least explore it with my new abilities.
“You do have a point there,” she said. “Do you think this is too low cut?” She pulled at the neckline on her dress. I had to admit, she did look hot.
“What are we trying to accomplish here?” I asked, picking at my fingernails inconspicuously.
Ayre laughed and shook her head. “I might like someone.”
“Why haven’t I heard of this someone?”
“Well, we have been trying to get you back to New Orleans for a few weeks now and before that everything was happening all at once. I haven’t seen much of him.” She shrugged.
“Well, who is he?” I asked she had my full attention now.
“He’s training to be one of the professors. He is in my father’s office every evening. I promise that you will notice him soon enough. His name is Liam.” She giggled like a little girl, and it made my heart happy. We deserved some happiness around here. Everything seemed to just suck.
Pretty soon our conversation was interrupted by the screams of terror. I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face as I peeked through the bedroom doors. I could have laughed. Vailen had grown a good 40 feet and towered over the courtyard. I guessed that was an excellent way to make an entrance. A few of the witches were perched, ready to use magic to take him out while others looked at him curiously, probably realizing that he is the only dragon in existence and they shouldn’t harm him. Vailen rolled his eyes and shrunk back down to his usual size. It seemed like he was just wanting to get a rise out of the coven and once he had succeeded, he was now bored.
“You aren’t far from the truth, little witch.” his voice purred in my mind, and I could just barely see him rolling his eyes as he walked away.
“At least he knows how to make an entrance,” Ayre said leaning in the doorway.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. He seems like the dramatic type.” I replied back.
“Are you sure he isn’t supposed to be my familiar then?” she said as she giggled.
One minute I was there in front of Ayre, about to reply to her and the next I was in front of the coven. I had a strange burning sensation in my throat, and I almost fainted when I saw myself walk across the courtyard. But it also wasn’t exactly me either, my eyes looked reptilian.
“Silly mortals, the bonding is completed. You cannot kill me, and you cannot kill my familiar.” Vailen’s voice came to life, spilling from my lips.
I could see Ayre practically throwing herself over the balcony in shock of what was happening. If I had been up there, like I was supposed to be, I would have been doing the same thing. I didn’t think a familiar was supposed to be this powerful.
People gasped as lighting bounced on my fingertips, ready to play. I started to smell smoke, then realized it was coming from Vailen’s snout. I still couldn’t believe we had switched bodies. I didn’t feel any different, besides the burning sensation in my throat and the agitation at Vailen. Vailen looked at me through my eyes and grinned. It was the weirdest experience I had to date. I had no doubt that there would be plenty more.
“Can I have my body back now?” I sent the thought to Vailen. I tried to sound as sweet as I possibly could, even though I was extremely agitated. When Shay and Sterling came running from the direction of Jonathan’s office, I could feel the f
ire clawing its way up my esophagus. She was grasping his arm for support, looking between me and my body.
This couldn’t get weirder.
“Sterling, tell these mortals to get used to seeing the big, bad dragon. This shouldn’t be a spectacle.” Vailen tossed my head back and placed one of my hands on my hip.
Smoke was rising from my reptilian nostrils, and I was afraid if I sneezed, fire would explode from me. Sterling raised his hands toward me in surrender, and I just threw myself down on my scaled front legs. There was no use in trying to do anything. I would destroy the compound if I tried to even move an inch. I could feel the magic underneath my skin growing and retracting as if Vailen was still in control of this form as well. For some reason, I knew he did.
Just my luck.
A man broke through the terrified crowd and gave me a disgusted glare. I tried to keep the offense to a minimal, this was all Vailen’s dramatic doing. “Why is she allowed back here? Didn’t she run off to be with her mother, the traitor?”
The terrified witches around him soon became angry. They resembled a mob with all their crazed expressions and tense composer. This wouldn’t be good.
Sterling’s mouth formed a harsh line, and I wished I could have seen Ayre and how she was reacting all of this. “She is a victim, just like the rest of us.”
“Really? How are we supposed to trust you? You have been seen entering and exiting her keep quite frequently.” The man folded his arms over his chest, and the crowd nodded their heads. Sheeple. Didn’t these people have a mind of their own?
Unlikely.
“I was there to come to an agreement with her on Freya’s behalf. There is much to be discussed and thought out. Sariah is a powerful witch, and we have yet to find out what she wants with the city.” Sterling looked above my head, and I had a feeling, he was looking to Ayre for some moral support. She was great at that. She seemed to be a beacon of hope to many as of late.
