A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (39 page)

“Yes, Shade. Lana would know. She probably told your father to erase my memory to
keep me safe
.” Jade’s bitterness echoed in her voice as she spoke of Lana. Shade wondered what had happened between them which would make her speak of her that way. Lost in her thoughts, she realized her mother was now staring at her.

“What?” Shade asked. The rest of them were staring at her too. She felt the weight of their eyes boring into her and suddenly felt naked. “What is it? Do I have food in my teeth?”

Benton let out a laugh, but Soap and Jade remained silent and stoic in their places.

“I see you’ve met her. Good, maybe she explained most of what happened to you already. All I know is that one moment your father and I were madly in love, and the next, I’m a soccer mom with four kids. And now a single mom at that.” Jade shook her head, closing her eyes as the memories washed over her. “I find it hard to imagine life without your father, Varenis, but seeing he never consulted me in his decision to wipe my memory of him, I find this even more difficult to discuss. Benton, you, Anna and James are part Fire Witch Elementals. We are human, but we have powers like any witch to cast spells and use magic. Mainly our powers lie with the manipulation of fire.”

“Fire Elementals.” Soap spoke softly as he let the words roll off his tongue. He looked up at Jade, suddenly excited as he continued. “That’s why! Shade, that’s why fire has no effect on you! All this time, you’re a Changeling
and
a Fire Elemental Witch! Wow. What else does she not know?”

“Soap!” Shade elbowed him, signaling for him to shut up.

“Ouch! Sorry, I was just thinking how great this is, Shade!” Soap grinned as he rubbed his ribs, sore from her blow.

“Yes, that would make Shade impervious to fire or heat. I take it that you have run into some fire-wielding fey?” Jade glanced at her. “Can I ask what kind of faeries they were?”

Shade glanced at Soap and looked back at her mother. “Teleen. Soap is part Teleen and Changeling. I had a run in with a Teleen warrior named Darren at the caverns they live in. He tried to kill me, but his fire was useless on me. He was really surprised I didn’t burn up into ash. He’s insane.” Shade shuddered at the thought of Darren. She hoped he was still tucked away in the Teleen Caverns.

Jade’s eyes widened in horror, but she remained where she was as she digested the information. Her face turned serious.  She sighed as worry creased her smooth skin. She furrowed her eyebrows and pressed her lips tight.

“Shade, I had no idea you were in Faerie getting attacked. I don’t want you going there. There are things you wouldn’t understand happening right now in Faerie.” She shuddered and rubbed the goose bumps rising along her arms. “I can feel the magic in the air, flowing wild, with a wisp of evil. I know Aveta has probably become more powerful than ever before. Her evil leaks out of Faerie like a balloon waiting to burst. I don’t like you treading through there.” She glanced at Soap as she spoke. “Even with such powerful escorts.”

“But, Mom, I….”

“No buts. I mean it, Shade. You have no idea what her twisted, evil creatures are like.”

“Yes I do, Mom. We’ve just come back from fighting her horrific horde of vile things. I know what to expect. I know what they can do. Corb and Evangeline, her lieutenants, scare me more than her army. They are the ones I’m afraid of running into again.” Shade licked her lips. She had to make her mother understand how far she’d come in the last few months. If it meant telling her everything, so be it.

“What did you say?” Jade’s concerned look now turned into one of absolute shock.

“Which part, about Corb and Evangeline or Aveta’s army?” Shade waited impatiently for her to answer.

“Evangeline is one of her lieutenants? No, that can’t be. Are you sure?” Jade grabbed Shade’s arm, gripping it tighter than what was comfortable. Shade gulped, feeling a surge of panic jump in her chest.

“Yes, Mom, Evangeline is one of her warriors. Why does that matter?” Shade’s hand slipped onto her mothers, hoping the warmth of her hand would ease her grip. Slowly Jade loosened her grip and pulled away, shaking her head in disbelief.

“No, no, no. It can’t be. Vange? Why would she do that?” Jade leaned on the table, her hands covering her eyes.

“Mom, you know her? How do you know her?” Shade was getting a feeling the story wouldn’t end there. She bordered on wanting to know everything and not wanting to know anything else. Ignorance
is
bliss. How would her mother know the Witch Faery? Why did she seem so upset about her being Aveta’s second in command? Nothing was making sense to her anymore. Her mother wasn’t being too forthcoming, either.

“Mom?” She repeated, hoping to snap Jade back into the present.

“Evangeline is….” Jade paused, breathing in and sighing deeply. “She’s my sister, Shade.  She’s your aunt.” She eyed her daughter, watching her reaction with increased interest.

Shade felt like someone had just slapped the air out of her chest. Her face morphed into a scowl. How could she believe that? Everything which had happened to her, and one of the leaders of the evil Unseelie Queen’s army is her own flesh and blood? Her aunt
? No, this has got to be a mistake!

“What? You’re kidding, right?” Shade shook her head, wanting to stand up and shake some sense into her mother.
Mom’s off her rocker. She has to be. No other way to explain all this!
“How can you and she be sisters? She’s fey and you said you’re fully human, so that isn’t sounding right to me!”

“Shade, she’s my half-sister. We share the same mother. Our mother was a human Fire Elemental Witch, and my father was also. Her father was a faery. A powerful Sidhe faery. Vange is quite powerful, but we share many of the same powers. She’s immortal, but I am not.” Jade sighed, rubbing at her forehead again, willing the headache pounding in her temples to recede.

Shade sat back in her chair, chewing on her lip as she played the conversation over and over in her head. Everything was quite possibly true. Yet it all seemed so unreal, so impossible. She listened to the others quietly breathing and shifting in their seats as the silence hung thick and syrupy in the air.

“Does she know who I am, Mom? Does she know I’m your daughter?” Shade watched her mother open her pretty, tiger brown-colored eyes at her. Her grief filled them and gleamed with the edge of tears.

“I don’t know, Shade. I don’t believe so. If she did, she would’ve come here and taken you long time ago.” She studied Shade’s face. Her eyes lingered, taking in her daughter’s features as if it was the first time they had ever met. Her gaze slipped down to the necklaces dangling around Shade’s throat. Reaching out, she fingered the amulet of Santiran Water, which dangled next to her memory charm, a flower carved in jade.

“Where did you get this magic?” Jade inquired. “I can feel it vibrating under my skin like ice cold water.” Shade reached up, unsnapped the necklaces and dropped them into her mother’s hand.

“The water in the ampule is from the Santiran Fountains. I can wield water with it. The other is a memory charm. Soap told me to get one in case a faery attempts to charm my memory away. So far, I think it’s working. No memory is missing from me!” She chuckled nervously but stopped as she watched her mother study them. She seemed so engrossed she was barely listening to Shade.

“Mom?” Benton reached out and nudged Jade’s arm.

“Hmm?” Jade pulled her eyes away from the charms and handed them back to Shade. “I see. You must be quite powerful, Shade. I have never known anyone who could wield water and fire, be they fey or human.” She sighed. Her exhaustion resurfaced on her face as she reached out to sip on her coffee. “I know this is a lot to take in, sweetheart. I must ask you to do something else before you are even ready. You too, Benton.” She turned and stared at her son, almost not recognizing him for a moment.

“What is it, Mom? What do you want us to do?” Benton stood up at that moment, eager to sprint into action.

“Shade, Benton, you need to help me with a protection-barrier spell. Tonight.” Jade stood up. She straightened and now looked at the group with determination in her eyes.

“What do you mean a protection-barrier spell? I don’t know how to do one of those. Do you, Shade?” Benton’s face fell at hearing the word “spell.” He’d expected something more physical than metaphysical. Shade shook her head as she turned toward her mother.

“What do you need us to do, Mom?” She joined her brother, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans as she looked at her mother, who was serious and ready for whatever else was coming.

Jade finally smiled at them, a twinkle of pride spilling into her eyes. “Okay, well, let’s get started then.”

Chapter Eighteen

THE SHIELDING AND
protection spell had been more draining than Shade had initially anticipated. She rubbed her arm where a still-sensitive pink line lay as the only evidence of what she’d contributed to the spell. The flesh wound burned where she’d used her dagger to drag its blade across her skin, letting her warm, crimson blood drip along the large perimeter circle her mother had traced with salt. Shade and Benton had walked along the trail sprinkling drops of blood along it, strengthening the spell their mother chanted as they proceeded behind her around the grounds of the house. Shade was thankful they weren’t close to any neighbors. The nearest house was a few blocks away, and they were in no danger of being seen or heard.

Lucky for us
, Shade thought,
or we’d look pretty darn crazy out here waltzing around the house bleeding all over the place!

She sat on a tree stump in the front yard, moving one of her little brother’s bouncing balls around with her sneaker. The sun hung low in the afternoon sky, and there was a slight chill to the autumn air. Shade rubbed her arms, wishing she’d brought a hoodie out with her to keep her warm. The tree stump was big enough for one other person to sit on, which is exactly what Soap was thinking as he plopped down next to her.

“Hey, gorgeous.” He winked at her as she turned and smiled back at him. He still made her stomach flip when he shined his glistening green eyes at her. She pulled her gaze away from him, again feeling slightly guilty about her feelings for him and Dylan. Her heart lurched at the thought of Dylan missing from her life. It threatened tears at the back of her eyes, making her blink faster in hopes of keeping the tears restrained when Soap reached over and rubbed her back. She tensed for a moment but relaxed, feeling the warmth spreading from his hands and across her back. She felt the cold slip away, and the warmth embracing her like fire.

She turned toward him, surprise filling her face. “I didn’t know you could do that. Thank you,” she said softly. His face was calm and remained still as he gazed back at her. His eyes were full of things unsaid. Desire swirled in his irises, and flared them to an iridescent emerald.

She felt the heat radiating from him like the sun, almost sweltering in intensity. She liked how it felt. She had to admit that much, but her confusion hit her like a swift kick in the head.

Shoot, shoot, shoot,
thought Shade.

She wanted to give in and let his magic envelope her, and to hold on tight. How could that be so bad? Plus, what if Dylan didn’t come back? She’d spent more time with Soap lately than she’d ever had with Dylan. Even so, her heart was holding onto Dylan’s steel grey eyes, which remained emblazoned in her mind. The way he would look at her had told her all she needed to know about how he felt. That alone was what stopped her from running into Soap’s awaiting arms. Something about Dylan had her holding onto his memory so tightly, it made her feel unfaithful when she let Soap embrace her.

Soap’s strong arms circled her shoulders. His lips moved dangerously close to her face as he breathed her in, letting her hair tickle his nose and cheeks. Shade gulped, afraid to ruin the moment by letting her feelings overtake her.

“I’m a Changeling, remember? I burn just like a Teleen, but I can control the heat I emit much better than they can. They just torch things. I can make someone feel cold or hot and anything in between. Um, Shade?” He waited for her to answer him, but was met with silence. He sucked in a deep breath as he continued. “Shade, I
—I know you’re in love with Dylan. I can see that much. But I’m here, and he’s not. I’m here, and I would never leave you like he did. I promise you that.” His soft voice sent shivers down her spine as she let her head rest against his chest. He smelled like pine and sage. The comfort he gave her made her bite down on her lip to hold the well of tears threatening to explode.

“I can make you happy. I love you so much. It feels like a dagger in my heart to see you suffering because of him. Why won’t you let me in, Shade? We get along great, and I’m sure Dylan can’t crack a joke like me. Who’s gonna make you laugh like I do?” Soap ran his fingers through her brown hair, letting the smooth waves slip through his fingers. He turned his face to her hair, inhaling the sweet honeysuckle scent of her shampoo. He wanted to remain in that moment forever. Breaking contact with Shade would be a torment he could not endure.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Shade whispered. “You saw how I hurt Dylan by kissing you. I just don’t know what to do.”
There, I said it.
She really didn’t know what to do. She loved both of them. Dylan’s extended absence had taken a toll on her. She’d thrown herself into the teachings of her grandmother, weapons training and anything to keep her mind off of him. She hadn’t let her mind wander to him as much anymore because it seared her so painfully inside, she could burst out crying any moment. But she didn’t want to be sad anymore. She didn’t want to hurt anymore. Her grandmother’s death and Dylan’s absence were the worst things that had ever happened to her.

Pushing the thoughts from her mind, Shade tried to feel more at ease. She felt peaceful resting on Soap’s chest as his embrace warmed her chilled bones. She let the moment continue, afraid to break the spell of its comfort.

She finally sat up, letting the warmth of his arm slip away. Sighing as she looked into Soap’s ever expectant eyes, she hated not knowing why a twinge of fear knotted in her chest.

“Okay, I’m not promising anything, but we can see where this goes, all right?” Shade held her breath as she waited for his answer, her eyes scanning his face while looking for clues about his feelings. She felt the flutters in her stomach once again as she saw his jeweled emerald eyes light up again as his grin grew across his face.

“Wow, that’s just awesome! You won’t regret this. You have no idea how happy you just made me!”

“Wait.” Shade licked her lips as Soap paused, his face frozen in a half grin. “You have to promise to tell me everything, especially what Dylan meant back at Ursad’s castle.”

“Yes, Shade, of course.”

“And if this doesn’t work out, I don’t want you to hate me. You are special to me, and I don’t want to proceed if I risk losing you. Will you still come around, even then?” She pressed her lips together so hard they were turning a pale white. She almost didn’t want to hear the answer to her question. She just knew that if she lost Soap, too, she would lose her mind.

“Yes, Shade, I would still want to come around. I could never hate you.” He reached over and held her chin in his hand. The sweet wave of warmth spread across her face from his rough warrior hands. Weapons training had been hard on her hands, too. His were as callused as a faery’s hands could get. Hardly anything affected the softness of their skin. She reached up, placing her hands over his and pulling him closer, letting his arms embrace her again.

“Wow, I really am in a bit of a shock, Shade. I’ll make you so happy!” Soap exclaimed while hugging her. He lifted her up and swung her around, letting his contagious laugh ring out across the yard. Benton ran out the front door, looking alarmed, but frowned as he saw them spinning.

“Do you have to be so freakin’ loud? I thought something had happened! Keep it down. I’m talking to Mom!” He scowled at them and stomped back into the house, not wanting to watch their sickening embrace any longer.

Shade’s face flushed red. She wiggled loose from Soap’s hug, but didn’t let his hand go. Shaking her head, she turned toward Soap and laughed aloud again. She liked how she felt. Feeling happy for a moment in time, though not long, felt exhilarating.

*****

DINNER HAD BEEN
more than interesting. Jade had given the fridge a shake of her head before deciding to order pizza. Since Camulus had left before their big talk earlier, only Soap remained to eat dinner with the family. Jade eyed him several times during dinner while also glancing at Shade. It was no mystery why he was staying. She just didn’t know what to say to him.

The silence became a little too much to bear for Shade. She chased a bit of pizza down with her Coke and caught her mother staring at Soap again. “Mom, can you please stop staring at us? What’s the matter? Do we have sauce all over our faces?”

Startled, Jade straightened up and frowned at Shade. “I was just trying to see what the heck is going on around here. First I start remembering things I should’ve known all along, and I desperately want to know why I couldn’t before. Then your brother becomes a pyromaniac, setting things on fire in the garage, so I have to keep fire extinguishers around….”

“Wait, you did?” Shade interrupted as she turned, giggling at Benton.

“Shut up! I was trying my powers out!” he grumbled as he stuffed another bite into his mouth.

“Don’t interrupt me, Shade! Now, I won’t have you treading in and out of Faerie like some Fairy Princess, oblivious to the dangers there and with who knows what powers you’ve inherited to keep under control. Let alone bringing one of
them
here! When is he leaving?”

“Mom!” Shade dropped her half-eaten slice down on her plate, glaring up at her mother. What the rampage was about, she hadn’t a clue. “Did you forget
I’m
one of
them
, too?” She stood up, letting the chair fly back onto the floor. Everyone else sat stunned, including Soap. James fidgeted in his chair but began to pick the pepperoni off his pizza and fling it at Benton.

“Stop, you little brat!” Benton gave him a light whack but pulled away as Jade’s voice boomed out.

“Both of you stop that right now!” She pushed away from the table and also stood, staring back at her daughter. “I know perfectly well what you are, Shade. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It’s just….” She pointed her slender hand toward Soap, his face serious now as he watched her, glancing quickly at Shade. “He is one of them, Shade. Faeries don’t care how you feel! They’re not human like us! He’ll steal your heart and won’t give it back. He’ll trick you until he gets what he wants and then leave you all alone!” The tears flowed down Jade’s face as her sobs exploded from within. She sank back into her chair with her head in her hands. Her body shook as she cried, and her lonely wailing echoed in the room as the rest of them sat stunned, not knowing what to say or do.

Shade ran around the table and embraced her mother. She knew the pain of her mother’s memory rushing back to her had taken its toll. She hadn’t expected to see Jade fall apart in front of all of them. There was nothing to do but hold onto her and let the grief pass. She realized eighteen years of living in a lie can mess with you immensely. Shade’s own tears streamed down her face and wet her mother’s shirt as she rubbed her mother’s shoulder. Shade hated seeing her cry. She didn’t often break down. She’d always been the family’s rock.

As Jade’s sobbing quieted to nothing, Shade looked up to see Benton had shuffled James and Anna out of the room to watch TV. Only Soap remained. He walked over and handed Shade two napkins. Shade nodded as he removed himself to join the others. Now alone, she pulled away from Jade to offer a napkin. Jade took it and wiped her face, sighing deeply and shaking her head.

“I’m sorry, Shade. I didn’t know when everything came rushing back to me it would get to me so badly. I shouldn’t have said those things. I do hope your friend is not too offended.” She blew her nose and sniffled. She looked at Shade with red-rimmed eyes and studied her daughter’s face. She reached out, touched Shade’s cheek and smiled weakly. “It’s not easy loving a faery. No one can ever replace them, Shade. Usually, a human will love a faery forever, but forever is but a blink of an eye in their lifetime. Don’t forget that. Never underestimate them. I lost years of my life because of it. Your real father may have loved me, but he didn’t ask me if it was okay to erase my memory and make me forget who I was—what I am—and who you are. It will never be okay.”

She sniffled again, wiping her nose and sighing as she nodded. “I’m fine now. Please tell everyone I’m going to bed. I’m pretty exhausted from the shielding spell today. Goodnight, Shade.” They stood for a moment, staring at each other when Jade broke the connection and made her way to her room.

Shade’s eyes lingered in the direction her mother had gone. The weight of the world felt like it was pushing down on her and waiting for her reaction. She cleaned the table off and wiped the crumbs away, relishing the calming effect of such a mundane task.