Arranged (Arranged Trilogy Book 1) (5 page)

T
he farther we walked
, the sadder I got. I’d never seen a planet in such ruins. The last time I’d been on Earth it had been so vibrant and alive but now it was desolate. So dusty and dreary. It didn’t take us long on our walk to come across destroyed neighborhoods and buildings. My heart literally hurt looking at them. How could this have happened? Tearing my eyes away, I asked, “Has it been this way since you were born?”

Michael nodded his head. “I’ve seen photographs of the way it used to be, but the war had been raging for a very long time before I was born. This is all I’ve known.”

How sad.

“How old are you, anyway?” I asked. I’d never been good at guessing human ages.

“Almost nineteen.”

I did the conversion in my head: so his life was about a quarter over if he were lucky enough to make it to eighty. With the condition of the Earth right now, that was not very likely.

“What about you?” He turned and walked backwards, watching my face.

“Our time is vastly different than yours. In your time, I’m over two-hundred years old.”

His mouth dropped open in surprise. “Did you just say two-hundred?”

Smiling, I nodded. “But as far as time frame, emotional and physical development I’m close to your age. A teenager as your kind likes to call it. A blink of an eye, really.”

He shook his head and got back in stride beside me. “It’s hard to wrap my head around.”

“I know. Just like for me it’s hard to believe your lifetime’s so short. I couldn’t even imagine.”

His shoulder lifted. “You got me there.”

I felt his eyes on me and flicked my own toward him. “Why are you watching me?”

His face reddened. “I’ve just never seen anyone like you. Well, other than your mother of course.”

“Surely you’ve seen stranger creatures than me?” I asked with a laugh.

“You have no idea,” he mumbled. “But none as unique as you. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like yours.”

I glanced down at the ground. I’d been born with a birth defect of sorts. One of my eyes was blue-green and the other amber. In my realm it was considered a sign of luck, but I’d always been self-conscious of the defect.

Sensing my unease, his steps faltered. “I didn’t mean to insult you. Sorry I’m making a fool of myself, it’s not often I share the same space with someone as enchanting as you. Your eyes … are beautiful.”

Now it was my turn for my face to flush. The compliment sent warmth spreading throughout my body, startling me. Compliments coming from this boy, strangely, made me feel particularly special. Very strange. “Thank you.” I managed to say.

Shaking his head, he continued on with a smile. I couldn’t help but stare at his profile. He had a nice face, strong jawline and a straight nose.

“So where are we going?”

He tilted his head toward me, and his blue eyes lit up. “I’m going to take you to a place that is not very well known. You can’t tell anyone, not even your mother.”

It surprised me that he trusted me so quickly. I didn’t respond and forced myself not to look over my shoulder. I knew mother’s private guards were all around us and they would inform her of our every move. I felt bad and like I was betraying his trust but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

We turned down a dirt road that was surrounded by more demolished buildings. I wondered what they had looked like before the war. Why hadn’t this area been repaired? Surely there was enough magick here to make that happen. So far, we hadn’t come across anyone other than my mother and Henrek; it was like the place was entirely deserted. Maybe they had all moved to a different area. Earth was quite large, and with only a small percentage of the world left, it would make sense for them all to congregate in one area. “Where is everyone?”

“Most people stay hidden during the daylight hours.”

I scrunched up my nose. “Why would they do that? The sun is like fuel for the body.”

“They are afraid.”

“Of what?” I glanced around, half expecting to see a demon jump out from behind a building.

“The unknown.” The tone of his voice made me look up and I met his troubled gaze.

Pausing, I let his words sink in. I’d never actually given a lot of thought to what the earthlings must have thought when the strange, magical creatures came and took over. I could see how not knowing would be frightening, especially if you had no powers of your own. And there were some very scary creatures in the universe.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. If you’d rather go back to your mother, we can do that.”

I shook my head. “No, of course not. I need to understand what is going on in this realm in order to make a difference. Do creatures really attack people all the time?”

Michael turned down a narrow street. “No. Not really. Not anymore, but attacks do happen. Mostly it seems people and creatures alike are reacting in self-defense.”

“Do any of the creatures get along with the humans?” Surely they must. Most creatures were not inherently bad.

“It’s hard to explain. There are certain magical creatures that are less feared, such as faeries, elves, and mermaids. Although friendships like you are talking about, no. At least not out in the open. Of course the shifters, witches, demons, and vamps are widely feared. By everyone.”

Interesting. And yet my mother and I were still targeted by the extremists, who just happened to be Michael’s family and friends
. I decided to keep that thought to myself.

“We’re almost there.” His hand squeezed mine sending a warm wave of pleasure throughout my arm.

My eyes darted around, searching for whatever it was he wanted to show me, but all I saw was more destruction. I could feel a shift in the air and my senses alerted me that we were close to water. My heart rate sped up a bit. All of the elements in nature made me happy.

We weaved our way around the piles of rubble. Michael dropped my hand as he reached up and pulled himself over a broken down brick wall. Without hesitating I followed after him, and my dress snagged on the brick, but I just yanked it free and continued on. We were now inside of a building that seemed as if it would crumble down around us at any moment.

“Where are we going?” I wondered out loud.

Michael glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “You’ll see. I should have asked earlier. Do you know how to swim?”

I laughed. Who didn’t know how to swim? What a strange question. “Of course.”

He opened a large metal door. It creaked loudly in protest. Once inside, we were met with total darkness. My eyes adjusted quickly, showing me that we were in a tunnel of sorts. Michael told me to wait where I stood, and he moved around a large wooden board before returning with a flickering torch. The light cast eerie shadows, making my heart rate rise in excitement. This was the most fun I’d had in a while.

Once again, he reached for my hand and led me down the long tunnel. I found I really liked the feel of his skin on mine. There was something comforting in the gesture.

I wasn’t sure how long we’d walked before he finally came to a halt. Michael set down the torch, climbed up a couple of steps that led to a door, and using both hands, he jarred it open. I brushed past him into the bright sunlight.

Leaning down, he extinguished the lantern before joining me. The door banged closed behind him and I wondered if the guards had been quick enough to get out before the door shut.
Hopefully not
, I thought, suppressing a giggle. If not, they would wait long enough before they came out to not alert Michael of the door re-opening. I knew they’d catch up but still the idea of it was funny to me.

The ground was pretty much clumps of dry clay, but at least there were no buildings and the occasional spattering of greenery gave hope. I could work with that. The smell of the ocean was stronger now. If I strained, I could hear the lapping of the waves.

Unable to stop myself, I moved toward a scruff of greenery. It was wilted and drying out. Michael followed after me. I told him to sit down across from me and rub his hands together. He did as I asked, but the look of confusion was clear on his face. “Now hold them over the plant.”

With a shrug, he held out his hands.

“Do you feel the trickle of energy?”

He laughed. “No, I don’t think I feel anything.”

I gave him a quizzical look. “Close your eyes.”

He closed his eyes. “Take a deep breath. Concentrate on the palm of your hands. It should feel like a wave of energy is being released. A tingling of sorts. Block everything else out.”

The side of his mouth quirked up. “I think I feel something.”

“See,” I said smugly. “Even humans have healing energy. It’s a gift from the universe that most have never tapped into. Okay, now open your eyes.”

His eyes flashed open, he turned his palms to look at them, and then dropped them to his knees.

My eyes never left his face as I placed my hands over the poor plant. Immediately I connected with the energy of the earth as well as the energy of the unified field. Mentally I whispered words of encouragement to the plant, telling her how beautiful she was and how much Mother Earth needed her help. I felt the tips of the plant hit my hand which I was holding a foot away from the ground. I pulled my hands back and the plant continued to grow. Michael’s eyes were full of wonder.

“That’s incredible,” he whispered.

I nodded in agreement. “Now this plant will send its energy to the ones around it and they will grow. Not as quickly as with my help, but they will thrive instead of die.”

Michael raked his hand through his wavy hair. “You said I had energy as well, but the plant stayed the same when I held my hands over it. Why is that?”

I grinned. “I said you had energy. We’re all made up of energy. I have fae magick. So let’s just say mine is super-charged.” I paused. “This is why my mother believes we can help the Earth. We cannot stop the wars, but we can rebuild the planet. One plant at a time. Obviously the more healing hands we have, the better. Which is where the new race will make the biggest difference. At least that’s the hope.”

He shook his head. “I still can’t believe I’m going to be a part of this. If my family ever found out…”

“You can still back out you know.”

He shrugged. “Never been one to give up that easily.”

We rose to our feet, and my heart fluttered as we exchanged a glance.

Looking back over my shoulder I noticed that the wilted plants were now bright green. They had not grown taller but they were healthy. It was a start. “Now it’s your turn to show me your secret.”

B
y the time
we made it to the ocean my dress was damp from sweat and clung to my body. The fresh water would be a welcomed reprieve, I could practically feel the salt water on my skin. However, as soon as I got closer I knew the water was in grave danger. There was so much toxicity there was no way it was safe to swim in.

My head snapped toward Michael. “You swim in this water?”

He nodded, and a look of concern shadowed his features at the sharpness of my tone.

I stepped forward and placed one hand on his forehead and the other below his sternum. Closing my eyes I entered into his being, and he drew a deep breath at the invasion. After a quick internal check I pulled back out, surprised. His immune system was in perfect order. He should be severely sick if not dead after being exposed to the radiation that filled the water. I wondered if evolution had allowed for the stronger immune systems to fight off all the contamination left from the wars. More than likely, it was my mother’s doing.

“What did you do?” he asked when my hands dropped to my side. “It felt really weird.”

“Nothing really, I was just doing a scan. Your body is free of any illness.”

He laughed nervously. “That’s a good thing, right?”

I took a breath. “Yes, it’s just unexpected. No one else knows about this area?”

Michael stared down at his feet. “I’m sure they do. It’s not really a secret or anything, but it’s where I come when I want to think or get away from my family.”

That I could understand. “I’m going to have to tell my mother about the ocean. It’s too contaminated for me to completely repair on my own, but it’s also vital that we remove the toxins to restore the planet. I’m so glad you brought me here. This could be a huge step in bringing Earth back into balance.”

He gave me a crooked grin. “I guess this means you don’t want to go for a swim?”

I looked back at the water. My mother would not approve, but I longed to immerse my body in the cool water. I walked forward until my toes touched the water, which lapped quietly in welcome. Dropping to my knees, I placed my hands in the water and willed a shield of sorts to be place around a section of the ocean, and then used my powers to transmute the negative particles into positive. The shift was almost instant.

Glancing over my shoulder I gave Michael a nod. “Just don’t go past the rock jutting out of the water.”

With a boyish, lopsided smile he pulled his shirt up over his head. His stomach and arms rippled with muscles. He was beautiful. Most of the faery boys were slight and soft unless they were in the guard. I found I liked the human’s broad shoulders and tapered waist better.

Thankfully he kept his bottoms on.

I willed a short polka dotted swim dress on before running into the water. Laughing, Michael was close at my heels.

“I wish I had your magick,” he said before diving into the water. That got me thinking,
Would it be possible to enhance humans?
I’d have to ask Henrek. Maybe we were going about this all wrong. What if we could just improve the humans? Then we wouldn’t need to go through with the merging.

With a grin I dove underneath the water which was now crystal clear. Off in the distance Michael flipped in the air off one of the smaller rocks. I swam toward him, but just before I reached him I felt a hard tug on my leg. I turned, my magick at the ready. There was nothing there, but I quickly realized it must have been one of the guards so I came to the surface and cast out my senses. At first I didn’t feel anything off, but then there was a low rumble. Nothing that could be physically felt, it was magick energy and only those sensitive would have known what it was. A chimera was nearby. They were disgusting creatures who prayed on anything with a heartbeat. Something else was with it, but I couldn’t get a handle on its essence, and that concerned me. At least I knew the guards were nearby.

“Stand down, guards. I’ll handle this.” My tone left no room for arguments. I knew they would step in if my life was in the balance and that alone increased my confidence.

Chimeras lived in the underworld. However, when the veil was lifted to allow magick, all sorts of nasty creatures were also given access. Not a very well thought out plan. But it was too late to worry about such things. What was done was done.

Lowering my voice, I said urgently. “Michael, you must stay in the water. Danger is close.”

I swam back to shore and stepped onto the warm sand. I didn’t have to glance back to know Michael had followed me out of the water. Hopefully he didn’t get in the way. My mother would be very unhappy if her plan was derailed due to his death.

A quick glance up and I saw the chimera standing on top of a hill. A loud roar vibrated throughout the wide open area. It was just as freaky looking as I remembered. The two headed beast was half lion, half goat with a snake for a tail. All three parts of the animal were equally as deadly. I’d seen one of them take out a slew of well trained guards before. They’d long been banned from our realm, but it seemed like Earth was free reign. I wondered how many creatures like this roamed the land. No wonder the earthlings were terrified of magick.

My power surged through my hands, demanding to be released. With a slight flick of my wrist I sent a burst of power toward the creature, but he’d been expecting it and slid to the right before bounding down the hill straight toward us. I still felt the essence of another creature but I couldn’t see it. This did not sit well with me at all.

I really wished Michael had stayed in the water. Worrying about him was a distraction I didn’t need right now. I’d have to take out this beast as quickly as possible to keep him out of harm’s way. My mother would never forgive me if I let something happen to him on my watch. Hell, I wouldn’t forgive myself.

Mind racing, I made a calculated decision. I turned slightly and threw up a shield around Michael before turning my attention back to the beast.

The creature had three life forces living inside of it, so it required me to kill all of them.

With laser-like focus I sent another burst of energy at the center of the being’s chest. It staggered for a moment—the lion had dropped forward dead, but the goat quickly took over and continued at full speed. It was no longer graceful like the lion but galloping as a goat. The snake hissed. I was watching all of this as if it were in slow motion, but in reality the movements were quick, deadly.

From the corner of my eye movement caught my attention. Two distant silhouettes hid in the shadows. I couldn’t worry about secondary threats right now; first I had to take out the chimera, or what was left of it anyway.

I shot magick out of my hands, barely missing the savage monster. Surprising me, the animal stopped just shy of us and cautiously began to move clockwise. I realized it wasn’t going after me—it wanted Michael.

Using my magick, I called forth a bow and arrow. The goat was focusing its attention on Michael, but the snake launched itself at me. It was hissing, waiting for an opportunity to latch its fangs onto me.
Not happening
, I thought as I pulled the string of the bow back. With lightning speed the arrow flew through the air. It pierced the goat in the ear, the arrow coming out the other side. A look of shock registered on the beast’s face before it dropped to the ground.

The snake attempted to take over but it was not strong enough to move the body. I glanced down at it in disgust. I could give it a quick death to end its suffering, but since it went after us and gods only knew how many others in this realm, its life could end slowly for all I cared.

I turned toward Michael, dropped the shield, and saw his eyes were widened in disbelief.

“How did you …” He scratched the side of his face. “Never mind. Thank you.”

The snake lashed out, narrowly missing Michael’s leg. He jumped back and took several steps backwards, putting more distance between them.

A frown creased his brow. “I didn’t think faeries had the power to kill? I thought you only brought life?”

My eyes flicked back to the shadows, surveying the area where the others had been, but they were gone.

I looped the bow over my shoulder. With a raised eyebrow, I said, “Michael, I’m a dark faery. I thought you knew that. I can take life as quickly as I can give it.”

Hesitation crossed his face. His hand covered his mouth as he glanced around as if waiting for another creature to jump out. “No, I didn’t know that. Your mother conveniently left that part out.”

I blinked up at him; his tone had completely changed. He stared at me warily now.

Hand on my hip, I glared at him. “You do know that creature would have killed you had I not killed it?”

“Maybe,” he admitted.

There was no maybe about it, but I wasn’t about to argue schematics with him.

“I think I should get you back to your mother.”

The tension in his words was so thick, I could have cut it with a sword. It was clear his views on me had changed instantly. I wondered if it would also change his mind on the DNA pairing.
Great.

Who was this human to judge my kind? It turned my stomach. But I also found I wanted to change his mind, prove to him that just because of my lineage, I was not a bad person. Dark fae were not inherently bad. We just had access to dark power when needed. And today it was needed.

“What? You’ve never killed before?” I demanded, and then thought better of using such a sharp tone with him and I softened my voice. “You don’t have to answer that.”

Without a word, Michael walked across the sand and grabbed his shirt, he shook it out before pulling it over his head.

“I’m not sure I can go through with this. Your mother should have told me. I understand there is good magick but there is also bad. I can’t help spread dark magick in our world. As you just witnessed, there is too much already.”

I really didn’t care for his narrow-minded attitude. His logic seemed foolish to me. What did he know about my kind? I gave a quick glance back at the chimera before trudging behind Michael. He hadn’t even bothered to wait to see if I was following. That ticked me off. No one walked away from a princess like that.

“You could be a little more grateful,” I grumbled.

He stopped and turned. “I am grateful you saved my life and for that I will always be in your debt. But what you and your mother are asking from me … it’s too much.”

“You’re a hypocrite,” I said in disgust. Maybe I didn’t want to pair with him either.

“How so?” He tilted his head as if he was really interested in what I had to say.

“Are all humans bad? Obviously not, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But you also know there are humans that are evil. You should not cast off a race because of a few bad seeds. You have this preconceived notion about dark fae. Why? Because we have access to dark magick? What if we use that access for good? Are there bad faeries? Of course, but that is true with light or dark. My mother rules our realm with love and we are raised to honor the balance of power. Could it be misused? Definitely. But there is no difference between me using dark magick and a human that murders out of fear or even pleasure.” I paused, unsure if I should say more, but what the hell. I could tell he’d already made up his mind. “You cannot begin to fathom the power my mother and I have. Either one of us could wipe this planet clean, leaving no life forces, but that is not why we are here. We are here to help you rebuild, because we are good souls who just happen to be very deadly.”

I strode past him. “Magick is a part of me. It will be a part of our halflings if you still want to go through with it. But if you change your mind, we will find another.” My voice was cold, distant.

There was no laughing or flirting on the way back. Nothing but silence.