Authors: Leia Shaw
“Jimmy…” Erin moaned. “Another nightmare.” She writhed in
the sheets, feeling hot and irritated. “Jimmy!”
“Aila,” a strange voice said quietly from beside her.
Aila?
Her eyes popped open.
The man from her nightmare sat next to her on her bed. Wait, not her bed. She
looked around the room. A hotel. And the man next to her was not a man. A
vampire. The memories of the last twelve hours plunged back into her mind.
“Nooo…” she groaned and closed her eyes, wishing it would
all disappear. Last night hadn’t been a dream. Room service, Marcelo’s cranky
ass, the bar, then…pain. Agony had consumed every nerve in her body. Her skin
had stretched painfully over bone and muscle, spasms raked through her so
harrowing she hadn’t known up from down. She remembered nothing beyond the
excruciating pain.
Maybe the alcohol went bad. Can
alcohol go bad?
Either way, the dread of the upcoming days weighed heavily
on her. She rolled over, curling her body inward, putting her back to Marcelo.
He sighed impatiently beside her. “Aila.” When she
ignored him he grabbed her shoulder and gave a firm shake. “Aila, turn around.
We need to talk.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?” she muttered into the
pillow.
“Because that is your true name.”
Maybe he drank too much too.
“That’s what we need to talk about. Do you remember
anything about last night?”
“Go away,” she grumbled.
God,
can’t he give me a few more minutes?
He sighed and shifted on the bed. Suddenly the blanket
was yanked from her grasp and she was forcibly rolled off the bed. Before she
landed sprawled on her ass like she thought she would, she ducked into a
reflexive crouch catching herself on the balls of her feet. She analyzed her
position. Strange. She’d never been particularly coordinated before. She looked
up to see Marcelo watching her, a flare of curiosity in his eyes. He wore a
black fitted t-shirt that looked damn good stretched over his bulky shoulders.
A loose pair of denim jeans hung on his waist. He looked as tasty as ever.
Raven brows arched in his condescending way. “Ready to
talk now,
hadita
?”
Rising from the floor, she felt a strange sort of power
within her. She shook her head, confused. “I feel…different,” she admitted.
“And what did you just call me?”
“
Hadita.
Little faerie.”
Marcelo stood with his arms crossed and his chin resting on his knuckles. “And
you
should
feel different. You changed species
last night.”
“What?”
“You are no longer human, Aila. You are fae.”
She laughed out loud, but it sounded humorless even to
her. “So someone drugged your drink too?” She reached down to pick up the
blanket on the floor. “That’s just great. We should both just go back to –”
“Erin,” he called. “Catch.”
Without giving her time to refuse, a glass vase – the
same one she’d thrown at him – soared at an incredible speed towards her head.
Almost with a mind of its own, her arm moved in just enough time to catch it
before it cracked against her skull. She stared down at the vase, eyes wide
with shock.
“How did I do that?”
“Like I said, you’re fae.” He sat on the edge of the bed
and patted the spot next to him. “Now sit down so I can tell you what that
means.”
Nodding dumbly she sat beside him.
“Last night was your twenty first birthday, correct?”
She nodded again.
After taking a deep breath, he explained, “You are fae –
a supernatural being like me. I did some research last night to find out who
you are. You are called ‘Aila the Foretold’. There was a spell cast that kept
your fae features hidden until your twenty first birthday. Your mother placed
you in the care of a witch to keep you safe because of a…prophecy.” He paused
at her confused expression. “We’ll get to that part later. But the witch died
unexpectedly, you entered foster care, and the fae lost track of you.” More to
himself he muttered, “Somehow the sorcerers found you. They must have a
powerful oracle working for them.”
Erin put her hands up to stop him. “Okay. Not that I
believe any of this, but what the hell is a fae?”
“A…faerie of sorts.”
“Like Tinkerbell?”
“Who?”
She raised her brows in surprise. “Tinkerbell. Peter Pan.”
He stared blankly.
“Off to Never Never Land.” She raised a hand in a flying
motion. “You can flyyyy…” She trailed when his forehead crinkled in confusion.
“Never mind. So, these faeries…can they fly?” She put a hand up before he could
answer. “Not that I believe any of this.”
“No, they can’t fly. But they have many other gifts.”
Then he grumbled as he scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “Ones I am going to have
to teach you, I suppose.” He looked exhausted, like he wished he could dump her
with some other sucker and walk away from this complicated mess. He probably
should.
Marcelo turned to face her and continued, “The fae came into
existence in the tenth century. Some of the animal spirits wanted to be human,
so they bribed a voodoo priest to give them human-like bodies. That is how the
dark fae were created.”
“
Dark
fae?”
“The Unseelie court.”
She shook her head, even more confused.
“We’ll get to that part later as well. The Unseelie
kingdom is in Ireland. Aila means ‘from a strong place.’” He smiled proudly at
her, as if that should mean something. But she was too stunned to process any
of it.
“You were able to catch that vase, Aila, because you have
natural animal instincts. The fae have keener vision – you will find you can
see in the dark. As well as better hearing. You’re more agile and have better
reflexes. Stronger and faster too.”
She shook her head, more forcefully this time, as if the
motion would dislodge all of this from her brain.
This
is stupid. Some kind of joke from Sage. She would totally do something like
this.
“Deny all you want,
hadita
,
but you can’t change what you are.”
“Stop calling me that!” she snapped. “I’m not…a…” She
trailed off when she saw her fingernails. They were…claws? She brought them to
her line of vision. Her nails had always been brittle, short. Now they were
long and pointy.
Marcelo chuckled beside her. Instinctively she swung at
him then gasped at her shocking behavior. He dodged her and laughed out loud at
her attempt to harm him.
“You see? You even have a fae temper,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes with an icy glare. “What did you do
to me?”
His lips formed a grim line as he stood, his patience
clearly diminishing. He grabbed her by the arm, pulled her into the bathroom,
and spun her around to face her reflection in the mirror.
Her lips parted. Staring back at her was her face, framed
by her still loosely curled long hair, but there was something different about
her. She stepped closer.
Marcelo sighed then grabbed her hair and pulled it back
behind her ears.
Her ears!
“Oh my God!” she gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth.
Leaning in towards the mirror she gave them a closer inspection. They were
longer and the slightest bit pointed at the top. “I look like a Christmas elf!”
Her voice trembled.
Then she noticed her teeth. No, fangs! Her eyes watered
and her hands shook as she covered her gaping mouth again. When she squeezed
her eyes shut and hoped this was all a dream, the tears spilled over soaking
her cheeks and hands.
Before she could run away in humiliation, she was pulled
into a warm chest, enfolded in Marcelo’s arms. He rubbed one hand up and down
her back, soothing her. The other hand covered her head as he wiped the tears
with a thumb as they fell. She wanted to push him away – being comforted by a
vampire about turning into a freak seemed counterintuitive – but she couldn’t
find the strength. She needed someone to hold her just then. Plus he was warm
and strong and smelled so damn good.
“It’s only noticeable to you,
querida
,” he said. “Trust me. No one else will think anything of it, especially
if you wear your hair down.”
His shirt was soaked with tears and she stepped back,
disappointed in herself for showing such weakness. Marcelo seemed hesitant to let
her go, but he did.
She wiped the wetness from her cheeks and put on a brave
face. “So, what does this mean? I’m like Sage? And you? Am I going to live
forever too? Why do the sorcerers want me? Who are my par –”
“Whoa. Slow down. I’ll explain everything.”
She couldn’t slow down. The questions overwhelmed her
until her heart raced. Her chest tightened in that familiar way.
Oh no!
Not only did she cry but now she was going to
hyperventilate too. Before she could drag the first constricted breath into her
lungs, Marcelo stopped her with a hand firmly cupping her chin.
“
Cosita
, relax.” He forced
her head up so she would look him in the eye. “You are still you. The beautiful,
sweet, caring girl I met two days ago. You will get through this –”
She knocked his hand away from her face with a scowl.
“How can you say that? You –”
Before she could finish her irritated thought, Marcelo
had grabbed her again. His thumb stroked her cheek as he spoke with confidence.
“I can say that because I know it. You forget that I was human once too. I also
saw your sister change. I was with her through it all.”
What?
“Change? What do you
–” Her eyes widened as she pulled away from Marcelo’s grip. “She’s…she’s…”
“A vampire. Yes. Not a full vampire. She doesn’t drink
blood. But she had to change in order to kill her father.”
“Her father? What the hell happened? And why didn’t she
tell me any of this?”
Marcelo sighed. “I assume she was trying to protect you.
I’m sorry. I didn’t realize –”
Huffing in a breath she stuck a finger into his brawny
chest. “
You
are going to tell me the whole
story! Everything. Or I’ll…I’ll…” She couldn’t think of a threat violent enough
for the situation.
Marcelo chuckled, grasped the finger still pointed at his
chest, and placed her hand at her side. “Calm down. I will tell you everything.
But first, food and supplies. I could hear your stomach grumbling from across
the room and we’ll need supplies for our trip.”
“No. I want answers now!” Where was this temper coming
from?
Was it truly a fae trait? She’d never been so direct.
“Aila,” he said in gentle warning, “you have many
questions but we don’t have time to sit here all day. I can answer you just as
easily while we gather supplies. And you will focus better once you have food
in your stomach.”
Maybe he was right. They had a long flight and then at
least two days of hiking. Plenty of time for –
Wait a
minute!
A disturbing thought crossed her mind. “The fae…they don’t…they
don’t…drink blood?”
A loud, husky laugh erupted. “No,
querida
. You won’t need blood. That part of you has
not changed.”
She exhaled a relieved breath. “Good. ‘Cause I’m a
vegetarian.”
“A what?”
“A vegetarian. I don’t eat meat.”
Marcelo shook his head slowly. “Has anyone ever told you,
you are a high maintenance woman?”
She dropped her head and mumbled, “Only everybody.”
He smiled once then wrapped a big arm around her
shoulders. “Come on then. Let’s find you some carrots.”
She scowled up at him. “I said a vegetarian, not a
bunny.”
With an arrogance only an eight
hundred year old vampire could possess, Marcelo took the car keys from Erin’s
pocket and led the way to the parking lot.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they walked through
the hotel hallway.
“To America’s favorite money spending destination.”
“Disney World?”
He shook his head. “The mall.”
And the day keeps getting better
and better.
When they reached the lobby she came to a halt. People
hustled about on cell phones, carrying briefcases and luggage, the doors opened
and closed as patrons filed in. Some sat and chatted, drinking coffee and
relaxing, bellboys pushed carts of suitcases. It was crowded and there was no
clear path to the door. The mid-morning light streamed through the large
windows.
“Marcelo,” she whispered, huddling close to his body.
“It’s daytime.”
“Yes.” He placed a hand on her lower back and gave her a
push towards the lobby.
She dug in her heels. “Won’t you explode or something?”
“I’ve already taken the elixir.”
Her feet glided across the carpet under his strength but
she leaned back against him to slow down. “You got the potion from the witch
last night?”
“Yes.” He bent down close to her ear and whispered,
“Come,
hadita
, it’s only a few steps to the
door.” He gave her a push that she couldn’t resist. With shaky breaths she let
him guide her through the crowd and out the door.
She inhaled a deep breath of the humid air, feeling at
once relieved though the air was thick with city pollution. When they reached
the car Marcelo slid into the driver’s seat.
Erin rolled her eyes. “Even with my new and improved
reflexes you still insist on driving?”
He grinned and started the engine. “Yes, but not because
you are incapable this time.”
“Then why?”
“Because I spent the last two centuries in the
Underworld. I don’t get the opportunity to drive very often. Indulge me.”
“Underworld?”
“An alternate plane. Like this one only it’s half way to
hell so it’s a bit hotter. And a bit more…dead.” At her disgusted expression he
muttered, “Might as well get this over with.”
He took a deep breath and Erin knew she wouldn’t like
what she was about to hear.