Fae (7 page)

“That's not very nice, brother.” No, it wasn't, but I didn't feel like being very nice today. Odin tapped Tatiana on her arm.

“Why don't you leave your brother and me alone for a minute? We'll join you soon in the drawing room for some tea and sandwiches.”

Tatiana smiled at Odin and danced away. “I hope you can change that attitude of his. It's getting old.”

I waited until she was gone before I turned to Odin.

Before I could speak he snapped his finger and suddenly the two of us were standing on a cliff overlooking a beautiful ocean. I guessed we had to be on one of the Hawaiian Islands, one of Odin's favorite places.

I looked out on the ocean and couldn't help but admire the magnificent view.

“You're angry.” It was a statement, not a question.

I chose not to deny it. “Yes.”

“I appreciate your anger, Devilyn. I do. I can even understand it, but as I have told you a thousand times, you must control that anger around Tatiana.”

I closed my eyes, knowing he was right.

“Do you foresee my half-sister's betrayal?” I asked.

“I have not,” Odin began quietly as he stared out at the roaring ocean. “Not yet. But the love I feel for her can be blinding, though I have faith that she will make the right choice.”

“And yet you still warn me.”

“I would be failing in my duty if I did not. Tatiana will ultimately face the moment where she will have to choose between the life that I have shown her and the one that she was born into. No one can help or make the decision for her.”

“You ignore the anger she will have when she realizes she is not who or what she was led to believe,” I replied, softly.

“I hope she will realize why I kept this from her. I hope my love will calm her soul.”

“I don't have the same faith in her that you do.”

“I hope you are wrong.”

We were quiet as I took deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves. My mind immediately drifted back to Caroline and how she'd haunted my every move. Odin must have read my thoughts.

“I wanted you to be as close to her as possible. And you know, that posture isn't going to win you favor with her.”

“It appears that you don't have faith in me. I made a promise, and I intend to stand by my words.”

“You cannot protect her if she doesn't trust you,” Odin chided.

“I know what I'm doing.” I turned to face the ocean.

“Dear boy, you need to
protect
her from what is coming. The consequences of anything other than this will be grave for
all
of us.” His voice was suddenly calmer, soothing like the sound of the waves below.

I turned quickly and fixed him with a stare. “When are they coming?”

“They are close, I am sure.” He took a deep breath. ”I love the smell of the ocean. There is nothing like it. The sea can be so calming. It is too bad the humans don't embrace this natural remedy for the soul.”

He took in a light breeze, inhaled the air deeply, a small smile on his lips. He remained so calm when the fate of our world rested on the life of a single girl. He must have sensed the turmoil in me, standing beside him, ruining his peaceful moment.

“I say these words to you because you seemingly oppose your chosen direction. Although you must know that I'm not worried because I know you'll ultimately look after her in the right way.” He opened his deep blue eyes and looked at me. “Your presence here is already shielding her. Making it harder for them to find her.”

I found it hard to believe that my mere presence near her wasn't exposing her to greater threat.

“They would never assume that you would be so close to her, especially given the time. Her age. It would be natural for you to keep a distance. The smarter move. With the powers you have, you have placed a cloth over their eyes. And together with my great cloak, we are shielding her. But you must stay close, so that she isn't devoured by them.”

“What if I can't—”

“You will.”

“You sound so confident.”

“I believe in you, Devilyn. Even if today you do not believe in yourself.”

It was so easy for him to stand there and act magnanimous with his words. He was a God. He wasn't the monster I was. His ancestors were not evil creatures that created havoc and misery wherever they went.

He was a different being.

He was all-knowing.

He was
all good.

“The sins of your ancestors are not yours, Devilyn. That is something you need to understand. It is something that I've tried to teach you, to show you, all these years.”

“You do not walk in my shoes. You do not live in my mind. You are not made of darkness.”

Odin smiled and pointed at the sea. I watched as the waves begin to swirl magically.

“In the beginning of time there was a great battle,” Odin began, the waves spitting out shapes above the sea. “We fought for all mankind against an evil force.” As he spoke the battle took form before me, unfolding above the ocean. “Warriors fought against a treacherous monster. Sons and fathers fell together for the hope of something good. There was bloodshed, tears, and then in what seemed like a fleeting moment, all was quiet. The battle had been won.”

The shapes that Odin conjured fell with a splash to the ocean. Enormous waves rose and crashed in their wake. “There came a new birth. One filled with hope and the promise of a greater tomorrow. This hope, Devilyn, this promise of what could be, was worth fighting for. It was worth defying the heavens for. Sometimes we have to take fate by the hand and trust that it will guide us in the right direction. And then it may surprise you.

As we stood on the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast and endless ocean I tried to block out his words. He was wrong. Our fate had been written in the stars before we even existed. I knew what my fate was; there were no surprises. I had known my purpose since I was a babe. I had known what would be. And now he told me this?

“I will not be swayed from my decision.”

“You are trying to guide a fate that will not be guided, Devilyn. When will you understand that it is not your decision to make?”

Just as quickly as we had arrived at the cliff, we stood once again in the foyer of our home. He said, “You cannot fight what will come naturally to you.”

“Caroline.”

“Your love for her.”

“Life is what we make of it.”

Light shined everywhere in the beautiful glen, glistening from the electricity dancing around the trees.

She was coming.

A sweet breeze rustled the leaves, fluttering at the excitement of her arrival. The Goddess, Dana. Revered by all. Worshipped. And most especially, loved. Her long white muslin gown flowed behind her. Her smile made the flowers bloom, the birds chirped to see this miraculous sight. And even with all of her ethereal beauty and otherworldly knowledge she truly loved life. Every species that breathed and lived, she worshipped and embraced.

She brushed her brown hair away from her face as she leaned down to run her hand against the water in the stream. It sparkled with pleasure at her gentle touch and she laughed as a few fish swam happily around her delicate fingers.

“Why the secrecy, my friend?” She smiled radiantly at Odin. He stood before her majestically, more God than man, with his trademark cape and winged helmet.

“I cannot risk her life. If there is anyone among your court that could be a traitor—”

“I would see through their souls,” she finished as she stood to face the mighty Norse God.

Dana lifted her hand, and as she did, she closed her eyes. A light moved from her palm toward the center of his forehead. His third eye. It opened instantly, a blue circle forming where Dana's energy hit.

“You worry for his soul.”

“Yes.”

“His fate will lead him down the right path. His path.”

“He doubts himself. I see the struggle. Every day. Every night when he sleeps, he believes he will be overcome.”

“It is a strong calling, the Dark. The hunger. The need to do bad things. Humans have lived with this conflict since their creation. And then there are the
Fae
. We have been blessed to be either one or the other.”

“He is my son,” Odin said quietly.

Dana smiled. “Yes, Devilyn is a unique soul. Given both the dark and the light. He is much like a human. He can feel empathy for them. The love. The hate. All of the emotions that they possess, Devilyn understands. That is why his bride will be part human. That is why she is his fate. She is his salvation.”

“But will he choose her?”

Dana was quiet.

“That is not for us to decide. Or to see.”

“And her life? The danger that is coming for her, how can we protect her? Should we take her away and hide her here?”

“You know we cannot. She is human.”

“She is more
Fae
than human.”

“But human, nevertheless. We will wait to see what tricks Alderon plays. He still does not know her identity. We must see what he plans, and then we will act accordingly,” Dana pulled her hand away from Odin's third eye. “This indecision, it is unlike you.”

“I know,” Odin replied. “I always knew this day would come. But I am not sure if I am willing or able to see him in such great pain.”

“Your strength, courage, and foresight guides us all. As you said, you knew this day was coming. How long have you prepared for it? How much love have you given the future King? How much guidance? He could not have asked for more.”

“He is my son,” Odin stated solemnly.

Dana smiled. “I know, my dear friend.”

“It pains me to see him struggle. I only want his happiness.”

“It is not for us to decide. It is in the hands of Fate.”

“Then may we hope to face the soft hands of Fate.”

“Think of today as a new beginning,” Mr. Allen instructed. I closed my eyes and silently agreed.

Today
was
a new beginning.

No more regrets.

No more insecurity.

No more thoughts of Devilyn Reilly.

As I sat in our history class with Mr. Allen I decided that I would try my hardest to ignore the man that had dominated my thoughts for the past forty-eight hours. It had been difficult in English. It had been nearly impossible in advanced trigonometry, but here, in history, I would ignore him.

I would.

I kept telling myself that I
could
do it.

“Okay class, settle down. We have a busy day ahead of us,” Mr. Allen motioned for students to take their seats.

“We are starting a big assignment today,” he continued, “It's a project I like to call, ‘Project Declaration.'” He handed each of us a sizeable packet as he walked past our desks.

“This project is very important because it will have a special meaning to each and every one of you, as each of you will look at the long branches of your lineage and learn a little bit about your genealogy, your history. In this exercise you will each play a role in preserving your past for future members of your family.”

Mr. Allen had definitely piqued my interest. I sat up in my chair and flipped through the packet.

“In learning the details of your family tree, you will also learn about the history of your fellow classmates. Over the next few months, you may come to find the true meaning behind concepts like six degrees of separation, and you may realize that you are closer to your friends than you ever imagined.” He paused and then continued, “To make this project interesting, I've decided to pair each of you up with a partner.”

Great
, I grumbled to myself. I loved working alone. Especially since I usually got stuck with a partner who wasn't as enthusiastic about education as I was, which then meant that I would end up doing all of the work.

“You'll find the name of your partner on the last page of the packet that I am passing out. Once you've located your partner's name, I want you to find that person and sit down next to them, and then we'll begin the first part of this exciting semester-long exercise. I sullenly flipped through the packet, my anticipation growing with each passing page. Once I got to the last page I easily found my name: Caroline Ellis.

And then I looked to the right of it.

Partnered with Devilyn Reilly.

Did I read those two words correctly?

I closed my eyes and re-opened them. This had to be some kind of joke.

My heart stopped.

I looked up and over to my right where Devilyn sat. It appeared that he had just discovered whom he would be partnering with as well, and he obviously wasn't too thrilled with this particular match, either. His jaw clenched tightly as he glanced over at me like I was diseased.

“Alright guys. Get up and go and meet your partner. You'll be spending a lot of time with each other over the next three months.”

Did he say three months?

I wasn't about to be the one to get up and walk over to him. I sat firmly at my desk, turned my gaze to the front of the classroom, and waited. Pigs would fly before I would ever give him the satisfaction of going to him first.

Chairs squeaked as people shuffled by to meet their partners. Some were excited and others were clearly as disappointed as I was. It felt like an eternity before I heard him mutter to himself and get up to walk over to me. I could feel him looming over my desk, staring straight down at me.

This time he waited for me.

After what felt like an eternity I finally gave in and looked up at him. He raised a brow.

“Let's get this over with,” he said stonily.

That wasn't exactly how I pictured it, hoping for something a bit more endearing. With every word he uttered there was more confirmation that the man positively loathed me.

“Gladly,” I responded, trying to be just as cold as him. He reached out and pulled a chair across from my desk and opened his notebook.

I looked up to Mr. Allen for some direction. This was going to be a long semester.

“Ok, is everyone settled?” Mr. Allen called out. “I'd like you to take the remaining hour to begin writing down the first branches of your family tree. Your mother and father's names, grandparents, and so on. But I only want you to go back three generations, if you can remember all the names, of course. While you are working, try to think about these connections, these unions,” he continued. “One important element of this project will be to understand the depth and meaning behind the connections that were made throughout your family history. Were they for love? Were they for money? Upward social mobility? Convenience? I promise you that you will all learn a lot about life and about history in general. And you will see that although time may change, people rarely do.”

I tried to focus on Mr. Allen's words instead of the annoyance of the boy that sat across from me. He tore out a blank sheet of notebook paper and slid it over.

“Ladies first.”

Seriously? Gentlemanly words certainly did not suit him. I looked into his onyx black eyes and tried to think of a smart retort, but I was suddenly lost. I sucked in a deep breath and prayed he didn't notice the effect he was having on me. Maybe my imagination was getting the best of me but suddenly I felt as if we were the only two people in the world. Everyone around us disappeared and it was just us, and I couldn't stop staring at
him
.

I didn't want to stop staring.

“Caroline.”

Oh my God. He said my name. It sounded like music to my ears. My gaze moved to his lips. Perfect. The man was unblemished. What would it be like to kiss him?

“Caroline?” He said again, getting agitated.

“Yes?”

“Are you finished?”

And then there it was. Humiliation. It hit me like a bolt of lightning. But I raised my chin, and it took all the courage I had left to stare him straight in the eye.

“Finished with?” Would he say it? Could he actually call me out on staring at him? I doubted it. Even he wouldn't stoop that low.

“Checking me out.”

Where to hide? Where to run?

“Actually, yes,” I answered coolly. My face had to be beet red.

Who was this person that had invaded my body and taken over? I did not recognize her. The old Caroline would never have answered. Maybe stuttered, run for cover… but this? What was wrong with me?

“Good. I'd like to get on with this,” he almost smiled.

“Right,” I began. I wrote up at the top of the piece of paper, CAROLINE ELLIS' FAMILY TREE and drew a diagram.

“My parents,” I said, practically defeated. “I guess I'll start with them. Lisa and David Ellis.”

“You have beautiful penmanship,” he remarked softly.

Excuse me? Did I hear him correctly? Had he just complimented me? I looked at him, confused.

“Go on,” he growled as if he had not uttered those words. As if it were even possible, he seemed even angrier and more distant than before.

“Umm…” There was that
umm
again. “My mom's mom, her name was Poppy, and she was married to…” I was a disaster. I couldn't even think straight. His smell. His proximity. It was driving me crazy and completely making me lose my train of thought. My mind wandered. “His name was…” What was his name? I rested my hand against my forehead. For the life of me, I couldn't remember.

Moments passed.

“For the love of…his name was Harry!” he shouted at me. The rest of the classroom looked at us. I stared at Devilyn in complete shock. How could he possibly know what my grandfather's name was?

He stared down at the desk. “Lucky guess.”

“
Guess?
” I said in disbelief. “I don't understand.”

“There's nothing to understand. I just guessed. Harry was and is a common name.”

He sounded so sure of himself. So confident. But how could he know something like that?

“Are you going to take up the rest of the time in class asking me ridiculous questions, or do you think you can manage remembering your grandparents' names?”

Right. Back to being the jerk again.

“I think I can manage that,” I said coldly as I scribbled the names down. I was beginning to realize that I really didn't know that much about my family background. Most of my history was one big question mark. Luckily, Mr. Allen only asked that we go back three generations. I ran pen over the empty branches. Funny that I had never thought of asking my mother about it.

“I guess that's it.”

This couldn't be—only a few branches with actual names attached. I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to talk to my parents about our family history. Our relatives. Our past. Both my parents were only children. There were never any large gatherings of cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was always just us.

I had a vague memory of my grandparents, but they had passed when I was a young child. And up until this moment, I had never thought that it mattered to have a large family around. My parents were everything to me. They were enough.

But now, because of this stupid assignment I wanted to know more. I wanted to know why I loved to run long distance. Had there been an athlete in our lineage? Neither one of my parents had liked sports. Why was my hair darker, while both my parents were fair? Who did I look like? What relative in our family tree had shared my love of the arts? Had anyone been quiet like me? And as Mr. Allen had asked, what were the reasons behind their unions? It seemed that by answering these questions that burned in my mind, I would suddenly understand myself. My core.

I couldn't wait to get back home.

Devilyn leaned across the table. “What's wrong?” he asked softly.

“Nothing.”

Her answer was curt. It wasn't as if I deserved to know more. I continuously treated her like she was infected with the plague.

But when she creased her brow and looked genuinely perplexed by the fact that she couldn't remember a single relative, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. It wasn't her fault. She didn't even know that she had been adopted by the Ellis family. They had made the decision to never tell her.