Authors: Leia Shaw
“Your sister is the Queen of the Underworld. She defeated
her father, who was a sorcerer turned vampire and previously the King and took
his throne. I made her drink blood which activated her vampire traits so she
could kill him. She is now a sorceress, a witch, and a…sort of vampire. I
believe she calls herself a ‘vwitcheress’. Anyway, the Colorado Rockies
contains a doorway to the Underworld where we will be meeting Sage in a few
days.”
Erin looked at him with a blank expression before busting
out with an exaggerated laugh.
He scowled at her. “Why are you laughing?”
She shook her head, cutting off the last of her chuckles.
“I think you’ve been watching too many Len Wiseman movies. There’s already a
series of movies called
Underworld
, clueless.
You’re just stealing stuff already taken. And the part about Sage killing her
father? Helloooo…
Star Wars
called and they want
their movie plot back. Can’t you come up with something more original than
that?”
Marcelo’s eyes narrowed as his lips pursed in irritation.
He grabbed her phone from his pocket and shoved it towards her. “Text your
sister.”
Erin took the phone with a shrug. She texted Sage, asking
if she was a real life version of a
Twilight Zone
episode. Erin was shocked, and a bit dismayed, when she confirmed every word,
down to the Star Wars ending rip off.
“Sorry. Wish I could have told u myself. Now get your skinny
butt over here! I have wicked awesome tricks to show you!”
She sighed and slipped the phone into her pocket. Marcelo
watched her but didn’t demand the phone back.
“Now do you believe me?” he asked.
She nodded. If Sage confirmed it, then Erin believed it –
unless this was all one big hoax. If so, there was going to be hell to pay. The
phrase “mind fuck” seemed appropriate. It was crude and not to her taste but
perhaps everything about her was changing. Resolving not to think about it too
much – lest her head explode – she studied her new claws instead.
“So, if you’ve lived in the Underworld so long,” Erin
asked, “how did you learn to drive?”
He shrugged. “Not much to it.”
Not much to it? It had taken Erin six months to be
comfortable behind the wheel. Did everything come easily to vampires? How
annoying.
“Explain this prophecy you mentioned. And what’s the
part about the witch? And who are the dark fae? Is that like ‘give yourself to
the dark side Luke’?” she said in her best Darth Vader voice. Jimmy was good
with impressions. According to Marcelo’s puzzled expression, Aila was not. “I
guess vampires don’t watch movies.”
“Underworld,
querida
,
remember? There are no movies there.”
“So vampires don’t have movie nights with popcorn and
cozy pajamas?”
“Sure we do. Right after we braid each other’s hair and
read gossip magazines.”
She swung her head to give him a dry look. “Ha, ha. The
big, bad vampire made a funny.”
“Big, bad vampire?” he repeated with dark brows raised.
“I should throw you in the mall fountain for that. Teach you some manners in
dealing with big, bad vampires.”
She smiled only because she knew he was bluffing. “So
what do you do for entertainment? Kill things?”
“Don’t ask questions you don’t – ”
“Oh, never mind!” It was quiet for a few minutes as she
wondered how Marcelo knew his way around the city without a GPS, or at least a
map. “So, you never came…up here – ”
“Topside.”
“Right. You haven’t been Topside in two hundred years?”
“I have. To feed. But not to go to movies.”
She cringed at the word “feed” and tried not to visualize
it. “Well, you’re missing out.” She sat up straighter in her seat, her mood
temporarily improved. “I’m a big movie buff. I can quote all kinds of movies
from
The Little Mermaid
to
Die Hard
to
Lord of the Rings
to
The Notebook
. I’m very eclectic.”
He cocked an eyebrow but his lips curled in amusement. “I
have no idea what you just said but I’m happy to hear more just to see your
beautiful smile.”
She couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off her face even
though she should have. Flattering comments were dangerous, especially when she
had a boyfriend. The word “mate” hung thick in her head. Jimmy was a good
boyfriend. Mate though? For life?
“Am I immortal, Marcelo?”
He sat in silence long enough for her to discern the
answer. “Yes,
querida
, you are.”
“Why do you keep calling me that? And the other one
too…cosina?”
“
Cosita
,” he corrected.
“That means ‘little one’.
Querida
means ‘dear’.
Terms of endearment, nothing more.”
“Oh.” She’d recognized
querida
from her beginner Spanish class. “Well, you probably shouldn’t say them
anymore. My boyfriend wouldn’t like it.”
There was a hint of regret in his eyes when he looked at
her. “How will you go back to your boyfriend, Aila?”
She shrugged. It hadn’t even been an hour since she’d
found out she wasn’t actually human. It wasn’t like she had time to think
beyond that. Anyway, she didn’t want a reality check at the moment. It was making
her grumpy. What she wanted to do was to put her hands over her ears and yell
“la la la” until it all faded away. What she wouldn’t give for a drink right
about now.
“He’ll be okay with it,” she answered optimistically.
“And why do you insist on calling me Aila?”
“Because it’s as beautiful a name as you are,” he said
with a sexy smirk. “And it’s your true name. The one your parents gave you.
Would you like to protest any other names while you’re at it? You don’t like
pet names or your real name. Would you like me to call you ‘female’ instead?
How about ‘woman’?” Sly eyes sparkled with mischief. “‘Angel face’?”
She raised a brow full of attitude. “Aila is fine.” And
for some reason, it felt comfortable on her.
“As for your first statement,
Aila
,”
he said with a twitch of his lips, “it is against supernatural law to tell
humans about our existence. So telling your boyfriend you are fae is out of the
question.”
“Then I won’t.” She raised her chin in firm resolution.
“Like you said, no one will notice.”
“The general public won’t notice,
querida
, but your boyfriend will.”
Her life was taking an unexpected turn too quickly for
her to adjust the wheel. Denial seemed a valid strategy at the moment.
She turned her head from Marcelo’s gaze and stared out
the window instead. “I’ll figure something out,” she whispered. It was her
life, damn it. She wasn’t giving it up that easily. She’d visit Sage until
whoever was chasing her stopped. Then she was going back to her normal life –
Christmas elf ears and all!
Marcelo must have sensed she was done with that
particular conversation, and he wisely shifted topics. “Shall I tell you about
the dark fae?”
She nodded.
“The dark fae were the first to become what they are. Created
by voodoo priests, which worried the gods. Voodoo can be dangerous and many
sorcerers have abused their powers, practicing dark arts, creating things that
were unnatural. So the gods created the light fae. The Seelie court. They’re
animal spirits too created by the gods to monitor the dark fae. But the Seelie
have interpreted that to mean they should hunt them down and enslave them. Of
course the Unseelie weren’t going to submit to that. And the two courts have
been warring for centuries.”
“And I’m dark fae?” she asked. That couldn’t be right.
She wasn’t evil.
Marcelo looked her in the eye. “You are.”
“But I’m not evil.”
He smiled wickedly. “Maybe you are and just don’t know it
yet.”
She scowled and crossed her arms. “I’m not,” she huffed.
Very mature
.
His chest rumbled with a dark chuckle, which only made
her scowl deepen. “Of course not,
querida
.”
“Stop calling me that!” She clasped her hands together
before she could strike out at him with her claws. Marcelo looked like he was
choking back a laugh. She growled at her inability to control her new body.
After taking some deep breaths to calm her rising temper, she asked, “So the
Unseelie are the good guys?
Did she really just say “good guys”?
Get a grip. This isn’t a 90’s Saturday afternoon special.
Taking his eyes off the road, Marcelo pinned her with a
know-it-all glare. “When have you ever known good and evil to be that simple?”
She sighed. “Never.”
“The Seelie truly believe it’s the god’s will that they
keep the Unseelie in line. The Unseelie are the masters at evasion and defense.
But now they are building an army, readying for war. They tire of running and
hiding. They thirst for blood. The fae may look innocent and attractive but
don’t let them fool you. They are vicious and cruel and they don’t listen to
reason. Centuries of built up hate has blocked the ability for either side to
see things clearly. That’s where you come in.”
“Me?”
“From what I’ve heard, you are half Seelie fae and half
Unseelie. No one knows how you were conceived but a prophecy says you will
unite the two sides. They will stop warring and become one, because of you.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I’m not.”
She gave a short bark of laughter. It sounded slightly
delirious even to her. “Fate has a twisted sense of humor.”
“Indeed.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I spoke with James last night. He has a friend
undercover in the Sorcery Counsel. When I heard they are looking for a fae
woman lost in America with hidden fae traits, I knew it was you. James and Sage
both agree.”
“But what do the sorcerers want with me? They’re not a
part of the fae war, are they?” She was too numb to do anything but ask questions.
Later she’d sort it all out. Maybe even pass out a few times once the shock
wore off.
Marcelo opened his mouth to speak then shut it again. His
forehead creased and his hands tightened on the wheel.
“Just say it, Marcelo. I need to know.”
He sighed. “Then Sorcerers of Wales have been at war with
the Underworld for five hundred years. The previous King instigated it. He wanted
their land, which is rich with magic. Since your sister’s taken over she’s tried
to smooth things out. But it’s too late. They already have a vendetta against
the Underworld. Tension between the two realms is escalating. There will be an
epic battle soon and…” Her face must have shown her fear because Marcelo shut
his mouth and shook his head when he looked at her.
“Keep going,” she said softly.
He gave her a somber look then continued. “If the
sorcerers have you in custody they can trade you with the Seelie for their
alliance in the war against the Underworld. The Seelie fae…they don’t exactly
want to be united. They’re too pious to see the truth of their actions. So the
best way for them to stop the prophecy from coming true…”
Is to kill me
.
He
didn’t need to say it.
“This is a fragile time for our world. The air is rife
with tension. The thirst for blood rises. Doors between realms are unstable. We’re
living on the edge of a knife. One soft breeze and we’ll slip.” Marcelo stared
out the windshield, his voice low and grave. Even with the sun shining brightly
around them, his dismal prediction made her shudder. If this were a movie,
there would be ominous background music while dark rain poured down around
them. “War is coming. And it’s going to be a bloody one.”
She felt like a deer in headlights. She must have looked
even worse. He turned his head to regard her with a smile. “So. Where do you
want to eat?”
“Marcelo,” she attempted to hold back the rising panic,
“you have to tell them fate got it wrong. That I’m not…I can’t…I –”
“Listen to me. Your life is still in your hands. Your
future still belongs to you. Just because there’s a rumor of some far-fetched
ancient prophecy, does not mean you are obligated or even destined to fill it.
Do you understand me?”
The familiar squeeze in her chest warned her of what was
coming. Her heart thundered in her ears.
Oh shit! There
goes my sanity.
Her chest tightened more and more with each
breath. Marcelo’s worried expression didn’t help.
“Aila,” he said. “You’ve got to calm down.”
She gave him a disgruntled expression.
As if I don’t already know that!
Her hands clamped
over her mouth to steady her breathing. But it didn’t work. She was already halfway
to a panic attack.
Marcelo dropped a warm hand onto her knee. “Don’t worry
about any of that now. Let’s just focus on getting you to Sage and you can
figure it out together.”
She nodded but still her breath came unevenly.
“Aila,” he said in a low, hypnotic voice. “Focus on me.
Don’t think about your breathing. Don’t think about the fae. Don’t think about
anything but my voice. Can you do that?”
He sounded calm. Reassuring. Confident. His deep, rich
voice was pure seduction. Yeah, she could do that. She nodded.
“Do you know what a vampire’s favorite kind of dog is?”
Puzzled, she looked up at him.
“A bloodhound.” The boyish grin he gave her was almost as
charming as the pitiful attempt at a joke.
She couldn’t stop a strangled laugh. “That was the worst
joke ever,” she told him, lowering her shaky hands. But it worked. Her body was
still suffering the after-shocks but her breath was almost steady. Who would
have thought a vampire would make a good therapist?
Marcelo pulled into a secluded parking spot at the city
mall. “I have worse jokes than that,” he told her, “but I’ll save them for your
next panic attack.”
She chuckled. God help her, she might actually be
starting to like this guy.