Arranged (Arranged Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

T
he rest
of the meeting was comprised mainly of the logistics of the move. I barely paid any attention; my mind kept returning to Michael. I hoped he was resting well. It also bothered me that we didn’t know what had become of his brother. Hopefully the dragon had taken care of the issue but it was hard to say. I’d have to find him as soon as possible to find out. I still couldn’t believe that jerk betrayed his own brother in such a way. The anger welled up inside of me just thinking about it.

My mother jarred me back to reality with the touch of her hand. I blinked a couple of times before acknowledging her. “Are we ready?” I asked.

She gave me a soft smile. “You’re worried about him.”

I didn’t deny the implication. “He’s been through a lot.”

“Tulupea, you must not get too attached, you know nothing could ever come from your relationship.”

I gave her a look before walking out.
Nothing besides children
, I thought bitterly. It still pissed me off that she could be so nonchalant about the whole idea. But what bothered me the most was I knew she was right. Our kinds did not belong together. Faeries belonged with fae. It was just the way it was. I’d never expected to grow attached to the human boy. But I would be lying to myself if I tried to deny the way he made me feel. I wasn’t sure if he felt the same way, but by the way he kissed me and how his heart rate sped up when I was near, I had a feeling the attraction was mutual. I just wasn’t sure what to do about it other than let it run its course.

We walked in silence back to the portal. Without giving it much thought and letting my intuition take over I collected plants along the way, tucking them into my pockets. I would grow them near our living quarters. Lost in my thoughts, my mind kept wandering back to how it felt to have Michael’s arms around me. And the anguish I’d felt when I thought he was dead. We’d barely gotten to know each other yet there was a connection. A strong connection that had me deeply confused.

I shook my head, bringing myself back to the present. I had a lot of questions for my mother.

“What kind of power does the demon have?” I asked when I finally spoke.

My mother paused. “He has access to all of his life forces.”

I stopped in my tracks. “Wait. What?”

She laughed at my shock. “It’s truly incredible. I’ve never met another like him. Any form his spirit has taken since the beginning of time, he has access to it and can merge into it at will. And he has been many things other than a demon in his lifetimes. Even a human on several occasions, along with various other creatures. You have no idea the amount of knowledge that is stored in this being.”

I was too stunned to speak. The whole idea blew my mind. I mean, sure I grasped the concept that we’d all lived other lives and sometimes on different dimensions, but we all have to go through the valley of forgetfulness on our way into our new lives. I’ve heard of people being able to access past life memories through different forms of divinity. But to actually be able to take on the form of your former selves? To have all the memories and powers? It was—incredible. And sorta scary. “Wow,” I whispered in awe.

With a grin she laced her arm through mine and we continued on. “My thoughts exactly.”

“I’m surprised he agreed to help you.”

She shrugged. “He’s probably bored. And whether he’d like to admit it or not, he has a deep sense of kinship with the humans. He does not wish to see Mother Earth perish any more than we do.”

Interesting
. I couldn’t wait to talk to this man and pick his brain a bit. If he’d allow it.

“I also noticed you didn’t bring up the halflings in the meeting.”

My mother stared off absently as she considered her answer. “The timing wasn’t right. I had to make sure they would agree to the change in direction. And to be truthful, I’m not sure they’d agree with the idea. The last thing we need to worry about is someone trying to sabotage the plan before it even gets off the ground.”

An icy chill ran through me. The new breed would be born into a life of danger. We had no idea how they would be received. Not by our kind, humans, or the other creatures. It would not be a shock to most of the fae because my mother had not withheld this information from the courts, but seeing something and talking about something are two totally different things.

My mother reached for my hand, and next thing I knew I was trying to regain my footing. I looked around at the ruins of Earth, and it made me feel dirty. Magick had done this and magick would restore it. If not, the planet would become a lost civilization like others before it. What a heartbreaking thought.

As we continued to walk my foot stuck to something, and I quickly looked down in surprise. What in the world?

Leaning down I touched the sticky black substance. “What is it?” I asked in alarm.

My mother swiped her finger through the goo. “Blood.”

“Blood?”

“Yes, Mother Earth is bleeding. She doesn’t have much longer now.”

I was momentarily struck speechless. I didn’t even know such a thing was possible, although it made sense.

Without consulting my mother, I closed my eyes, reached for my magick, willed it to mingle with the atoms, focused on their structure and before me trees sprouted and instantly we were surrounding by woods. I let out a sigh of relief. I could sense the immediate shift of the energy around us.
Much better.

“Don’t say a thing.” I glanced at my mother. “If we’re going to take charge then we are going to use our powers fully. I never understood your line of thinking. Either the humans are with us, or they are not. Free will. They can venture off farther if they want to live in the rubble. Mother Earth needs us.”

“You’re very wise, daughter.” My mother closed her eyes. Fields of flowers sprouted around us. I grinned. This would be fun.

We continued down the path and restored the land as we walked. We didn’t have enough power to restore Earth on our own, but we could make a difference to our immediate surroundings. It would be a small reprieve for the planet.

As we approached the run down building, I reached for my mother’s hand. We were strong enough on our own to make changes in nature because it was close to our elements, but structures took a different kind of energy. Together we’d have enough power to make changes but on my own it would take a long time and be very draining. I felt her energy mingle with mine. She gave me a slight nod of her head.

A slow smile spread across my face as the crumbled down walls were morphed into a replica of our castle at home. The guards were uncloaked. I nearly groaned—it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I knew my mother meant well by tiptoeing around the humans, but now it was time to embrace our powers and show them that magick was not all bad.

The doors opened as we approached the front entrance. The guards were trained to keep their faces still, but even their lips were slightly turned up and eyes lit with approval. For the first time since walking onto the dreary planet I felt a renewed sense of hope.

“Guards. There will be others arriving shortly. They are welcome guests. Treat them as such. You may not approve of my methods but you will abide by them.” My mother practically snapped out the words like a whip.

“Of course, Your Majesty. We’re at your command.” Low bows were given all around.

W
e continued
through the large main hall. I glanced in wonder at the exact replica of our home. Everything down to the flowers climbing up the walls were the same. The mind in conjunction with the source of all things was an amazing thing to behold.

I wondered where Michael was now that the rooms had been changed and if he was freaked out about it. I ran up the spiraling staircase to my bedroom. Of course he was not there. I checked several rooms before I finally found his room. He was no longer lying in bed. When I walked through the door he glanced up and a look of surprise crossed his face. “You really are a princess.”

Laughing, I reached up to touch the small jeweled crown on my head. “We’ve decided to make a few changes around here. There will be no more hiding. Not for us or for the humans that choose to join us.”

Michael looked around the room. “I was sorta freaked out when the floors started shifting under my feet. I didn’t realize you could do such things with your magick. You’re not going to change me into someone else, are you?”

I grinned. “‘Nope, I seem to like you just the way you are.”

We each took a step forward, but before our lips could meet the doors opened and my mother burst through them.

“Mother, what’s going on?”

At my anxious face she beamed back at me a beautiful smile.

She looked joyful, her eyes bright and her cheeks rosy. It’d been a while since I saw that look on her face.

“What is it?” I repeated. “Tell me what makes you so happy.”

“We’ve done it.”

My heart stilled in my chest. I looked at her steadily. “The halflings?” I whispered. I knew this day was coming, I just hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

“Yes! Henrek said they are in the embryonic stage and it appears as if they will make it at least through the first stage. This is further than we’ve been able to get before.”

I glanced at Michael who looked like he was going to be ill. I felt pretty queasy myself.

“I want to see them.”

My mother shook her head. “Not yet. Henrek will let us know when it’s time. For now we need to focus on what is at hand. Creatures have already started to arrive. We need to make ourselves seen and available so there is no confusion.”

My shoulders slumped. “Fine. But the moment they become viable you must take us to them. Promise me.”

“Of course. And remember, do not mention this to the others. I’ve sealed off the laboratory so none of the creatures accidentally stumble upon the project.”

My gut twisted at her choice of words.
Project.

“I’d like a moment alone with Michael and then I’ll be down.”

She gave me a disapproving look before closing the door behind her.

“That was quick.” Michael ran his hand through his hair.

“Yeah, I thought we still had time. But then again, I have no idea how this science works.”

“Me either,” Michael agreed. Some of the color had returned to his face. “It’s really happening, huh?”

“Seems so.”

“If you made changes so quickly to this building, do we really need them?”

I nodded. “We’re but a small blip of this planet. And I cannot begin to explain to you the shape that Mother Earth is in right now. We are not enough to bring her back to balance. The idea of the merger is sound. Are you having second thoughts?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “Not really. I’m just a little freaked out about the whole thing. There are so many unknowns. Why don’t you just bring more faeries from your realm to speed up the process?”

I looked at him with a raised brow. “All faeries do not have the same gifts. Our realm was already thriving and full of magick. It did not have to be rebuilt. There are very few faeries with the abilities that my mother and I have. Each has their own power. So I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Even our own halflings. If we had them naturally, the chances are high they would have healing abilities but it wouldn’t be one-hundred percent. They could turn out to be warriors like my father’s bloodline. Or completely dormant. It’s only due to Henrek’s,” my nose scrunched, “splicing, that we are able to ensure they will have the powers needed to rebuild.”

“I didn’t realize. I guess I thought all faeries were the same.”

I laughed, a little taken aback. “That’s like saying all humans are the same. It’s not possible. By the laws of being, we are all unique. I really should get downstairs. Maybe you should stay out of sight, at least until everyone is settled.”

With a shake of his head Michael strode forward and put his hand on the door handle. “I’m going with you. I’m just as much of a part of this as you are.”

We paused for an instant, our gazes meeting briefly, both holding a little uncertainty. He was an arm’s length away from my side, yet I was overwhelmingly conscious of him.

“Fine.” Just as I was about to strode past him, his hand encircled my waist and pulled me into him. Unable to move, I felt caught. In the most wonderful way. My heart rate flew at the touch, the nearness. When our eyes met, I saw in his the awareness of what was taking place between us—it brought back all the emotions of our earlier kiss. Fate was such a strange thing. I never in a million years would have dreamed I’d fall for a human. And yet here I was.

“Not so fast,” he murmured, his voice huskier than normal. When his gaze settled on my lips it sent a thrill throughout my body. As his lips touched mine, I swear the rest of the world and problems dissolved around me. All I could feel, all I could think was,
Michael
.

I drew a jerky breath when the kiss ended. “We should get downstairs.”

A crooked smile crossed his face. His own voice was slightly breathless. “I do believe the most powerful creature I’ve ever met is afraid of me.”

Neither of us moved for several moments, both catching our breath.

I tilted my head and realized he was telling me the truth. I was terrified of the feelings he was bringing out of me. What I felt was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

Laughing, I reached up and lightly sunk my teeth into his lower lip and pulled. “Don’t flatter yourself, human.”

His eyes held an unnerving hunger, as well as the oddest combination of emotions. Once again his arms were around me, but this time he’d pushed me up against the door frame and the weight of his body on mine was the most delicious feeling I’d ever known. Then his warm mouth moved down my throat; I was surprised I didn’t melt onto the floor in a puddle. His hand left hot trails of awareness down the side of my face, my arms, finally resting on my hips as he bent down and once again we were lost in each other’s arms.

The kiss seemed to last a long time, but maybe it was only seconds.

He’s a human,
I reminded myself. Yet that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that I followed this path, this connection we’d somehow forged. Not that I had much choice. I couldn’t walk away now if I wanted to. Our lives were deeply entwined.

“What do you want from me?” With a tilt of my head I put space between us, pulling away as I asked Michael.

He hesitated there, inches from me, and took a breath. “Whatever you’re willing to give me. I knew from the instant our eyes met that my life would be forever changed.”

His words—along with the raw emotion in his voice—shocked me.

I touched my lips, still feeling his skin on mine. “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” I said quietly.

He nodded in agreement. My body relaxed, and suddenly I felt hopeful. Maybe we could make this work, even with all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together.

So many thoughts whirled in my head as we made our way down the long, spiraling staircase. I stared down in awe at all the commotion going on below. Creatures from varying dimensions moved about. The guards stood at the ready, as if expecting to jump into action at any second. Never had such a vast range of creatures been in our castle. Other creatures rarely entered our realm. But on Earth it was free rein and my mother had opened our home to them. I should have felt anxious or afraid but I did not. It was a new era. I was grateful that my mother was open-minded enough to expand her views. Something I did notice and found quite odd was there were no faeries to be seen. Perhaps they didn’t feel comfortable being in a contained space with the others.

My mother was commanding the room and handing out orders. The strange demon Demitrious was close to her side. I stared at him rather curiously. Such a powerful creature. As if he could sense my gaze, he looked up, and the barest smile touched his lips before he quickly glanced away.
How strange.

Behind me I could feel the tension and inner turmoil coming off of Michael in waves. I hadn’t given much thought to how he’d feel around so many beings. Creatures that he’d been raised to hate and distrust.

Suddenly I realized everyone was watching us, but they weren’t really watching both of us. All eyes were on Michael, the human. My magick was at the ready if it were needed, yet I did not sense any threat. More of a curiosity. I couldn’t blame them. We were all walking an uncharted path.

My mother did not acknowledge their unasked question but continued on with the planning.

Eventually they lost interest and returned to the task at hand.

There were large boards with notes, and color-coded maps. The closer I got I could read that they were the areas sectioned off within the immediate area and the tasks to be completed by different individuals. From now on we would be going from the inside out instead of the scattered attempt that had clearly failed. I skirted around the creatures, making my way to my mother.