Hidden Hope (Hidden Saga Book 3) (16 page)

I’m sorry. I didn’t hear anything. What’s going on? Why are you sitting down there?

I ran into Davis when I was trying to rescue Mom. I have to go home with them—he thinks I’m swayed. And I lied to him about where I’ve been staying. Can you get my bag to a seedy motel near the airport? I told him it was at the American Inn. Davis is going to send
s
omeone to pick it up.

I’ll leave right now and take care of it. But we need to talk about how to get you out of there. Should I summon him to my house?

I don’t know. Maybe. Give me a chance to talk to my mom first. At the very least I’ll see you Friday at the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Oh no...

Yep. Davis just gave me a golden ticket. 

We all rode home together in the back of Davis’s limo. Mom, having fully enjoyed the complimentary champagne, fell asleep on the ride. She lay slumped against his shoulder.

He asked me a few questions in a hushed voice, all of them having to do with Lad—how we’d met, how long we’d dated, how serious things had gotten between us.

Keeping in mind it’s always easier to remember and repeat the truth than lies, I was as honest as possible. “I loved him. I believe he loved me, too. We’d still be together if Vancia hadn’t come along.”

Davis nodded. The more he heard, the more pleased his expression grew. “I wish you’d told me sooner,” he said. “I’d have done more to facilitate your relationship. And kept Vancia out of the way.”

“Why would you do that?” I asked, honestly perplexed. His whole scheme to draw the Light Elves into the battle had revolved around using Vancia to influence Lad. 

“Because you’re my daughter,” he said. “I want you to be happy. I want you to have what you want. And... it would have been good for
all
of us to have such a fine young man in the family.”

Ah. So he didn’t care
which
of his daughters was with Lad, influencing him to join the Dark Elven plot. He’d just realized he backed the wrong horse in this race. Now that he’d heard my story, he was happy to switch up his bets, like any gambler who’d gotten a hot tip.

“I’m glad you’re here, Ryann.” Davis stroked my mom’s hair as she slept. “It will be good for us to spend time together as a family. Your mother has missed you terribly. And you’ll enjoy attending the Olympic Games with us.”

“I’m sure I will. I’ve never been.”

“Of course you haven’t. You’ve been buried in those woods your whole life, poor child. But your life has changed. You’re about to discover a whole new world of wondrous opportunities—now that you’re with
me
.” 

His tone was so certain, so smug. He really believed he was doing me a favor by taking me into his “family.” The glow of his white teeth in the dark limo was eerie as he smiled at me. I forced myself to return the smile. It was what he expected. And now that I
was
with him, I could
not
let him know his glamour didn’t affect me.

Not until I was ready to reveal I had some of my own.

*     *     *

Davis’s house was immense. So large in fact, I didn’t see Mom until nearly noon the following day. I finally found her outside by the pool.
              “Sweetheart!” She bounced up from her lounger to hug me. “I’m so thrilled you decided to fly out and join Davis and me. What a terrific surprise. He said you were really tired and to let you sleep in today. Did you get a good rest?”

“Um, yeah... I did,” I lied.

Mom didn’t seem to have any memory of seeing me last night at the Hollywood Bowl. Maybe Davis didn’t trust me quite as much as I thought he did and had wiped her mind in case I’d gotten in a few words last night and managed to plant some seeds of doubt before he’d apprehended us.

“How’s your California vacation been so far?” I asked.

“Oh it’s beautiful here. I almost hate to leave for Boston next week. But the Opening Ceremonies are supposed to be fantastic. I’m so happy you’re coming with us. Things are perfect now. I’ve been complaining non-stop to Davis about how much I miss you.”

“Didn’t you think about that before you decided to move out?” I hadn’t meant to ask it, but I couldn’t help myself.

She looked at me, blinking rapidly. “Move out? What do you mean? We’re just doing some traveling. I’d never move out and leave you, baby.”

Oh. So
she
hadn’t been the one to pack all her belongings and take them from the house. Or the one who’d texted me that day to inform me. Or if she had, she’d been swayed into forgetting it all.

Speaking of that, it was time to get busy. Chances were, we wouldn’t have much uninterrupted time together.

“Mom.” I took her hand and waited until she was looking directly into my eyes. “I need for you to listen to me. Davis is not who he says he is. He’s been manipulating you.”

She shook her head, her brows lowering over confused eyes. “What? Why are you saying this, Ryann?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but a stream of blood ran from one of her nostrils over her lips and dripped onto the lounger cushion.

“Oh my God. Your nose is bleeding.” Grabbing the fluffy white towel folded over her chair back, I held it out to her.

“Thank you.” Her voice was muffled as she brought the towel to her face. Her eyes squeezed tightly closed, and she raised her other hand to massage her temple.

“What’s the matter? Are you okay?”

Her head bobbed in answer. “I’m getting another migraine, I think. I’ve started getting them lately—nosebleeds, too.”

“Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“It’s not that bad. Davis says it’s probably a pre-menopause thing or something.” She rose from the chair, the towel still pressed to her nose. “I do think I’ll go lie down for a while, though, and get out of the sun. I’m sorry, sweetheart—I wanted us to have lunch together. I hate for you to be alone on your first day here.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I walked slowly beside her as she made her way into the house and down the hall to the master suite. Her gait was unsteady, and with my hand wrapped around her arm, I noticed how thin she was. She’d lost weight, and didn’t need to. What was happening to her?

At the doorway to the bedroom, she turned to me with an apologetic smile, looking embarrassed. “I’ll lie down for a while, and then I’ll feel better. We have an event tonight I don’t want to miss. We’ll have fun then, okay? Ring for a servant when you’re hungry. They’ll fix you anything you want—they’re so helpful.”

“Sure, okay. Just feel better soon.”

She nodded and stepped into the dark room, closing the door behind her. I stood outside it for a long time, surveying the expensive artwork lining the hallway, making note of the high ceilings and pristine stone floor. The hallmarks of luxury were everywhere I looked, but all I wanted was to be back in Grandma Neena’s rustic log cabin in the woods, back with my family safe and sound.

Safe. We certainly weren’t safe here. In spite of the posh surroundings and the bright California sun streaming through the place, there was a dark sense of foreboding hanging over me. Something was really wrong with Mom—something more sinister than a migraine, which she had no history of, by the way.

She’d seemed so happy and healthy when I’d first walked outside and seen her by the poolside. How could things have changed so quickly? What had happened?

And then it hit me. I had used my glamour on her. That’s what had happened.
I’d
caused her sudden illness. That had to be it. Hadn’t she said she was getting migraines and nosebleeds frequently? It had to be because Davis was using his Sway on her constantly. That was how he was keeping her with him all these months, how he was keeping her away from her daughter, her mother... from Daddy.

It must have been causing damage to her brain. And when I’d added my own opposing Sway to the mix, she’d gotten a blinding headache and nosebleed instantly. Her mind must be very fragile at this point.

Oh my God—how was I supposed to rescue her, to get her out of here now? I’d been counting on using my Sway. I couldn’t risk doing any more damage. I would have to look for a chance to whisk her away the old fashioned way—kidnapping. But how? And when?

Tonight wouldn’t be soon enough. Wait—she’d mentioned some sort of event tonight. Hopefully it was somewhere outside of this house and would present an opportunity for us to escape together at a moment when Davis was otherwise occupied.

Lifting the hem of my full-length gown, I climbed into the back of the limo waiting in the courtyard outside Davis’s mansion.

The gown was a navy Herve Ledger bandage dress that clung to me everywhere and plunged at the neckline. Obviously, it hadn’t come from my own suitcase. 

True to his word, Davis had sent a courier to pick up my bag from the East L.A. hotel I’d claimed to stay in. Thankfully, Nox had packed my things from the beach cottage and gotten the bag to the hotel in time. But of course, nothing in it would have been appropriate for the evening’s event, which would be quite formal according to Davis.

Instead, the slinky gown had been hanging in my guest room closet when I’d returned from the pool. It was creepy how things seemed to get automatically done around this place. It was even creepier how well the dress fit, as if it had been made specifically for me.

Coordinating jewelry and a pair of sky-high heels—also designer by the looks of them—waited on my bed. These Dark Elves weren’t afraid to show off their figures, their money... or apparently their daughters. Subtle, my outfit was not.

Settling into the limo, I strapped on my seatbelt and watched as Mom allowed Davis to fasten hers as if she were a child being secured into a car seat by a parent.

I had to grit my teeth to keep from growling. “So, where is this thing we’re going to?”

“At a mansion in Malibu,” Davis answered. “A young friend of mine owns it. He’s throwing an impromptu gathering tonight.” Leaning across to me from the opposite-facing seat, he whispered, “It’s a meeting of the Dark Court. I’ve been summoned. Don’t worry—I think you’ll enjoy it.”

He leaned back with a smile. “Your mother is very excited. There will be many celebrities present. And my friend... he’s royalty.”

She beamed and nodded. “I’ve never met a king before.”

Oh God. I closed my eyes and clenched my hand to my rolling belly. We were on our way to Nox’s house.

*     *     *

The transformation of his beachfront mansion astounded me. When I’d first been here a couple months earlier, it had been large and beautiful, but since then someone had gotten hold of it and made it elegant, fit for a king. It certainly didn’t have the feel of Nox anymore, but it did seem perfect for the crowd here tonight.

It was like watching the pre-Oscar night telecast Emmy had forced me to sit through every year since we were eleven years old. Everywhere I looked, there was a famous face, each one more beautiful than the last.

In one corner, a big band ensemble played jazz standards, and at the piano sat a famous singer-songwriter I recognized as a judge from a popular television singing competition. What the heck was I even doing here? I fit into this world—Nox’s world—like a shoe fits a salmon. 

Though it was still early in the evening, some of the party goers were already dancing. Most were chatting with each other, laughing, their glittering gowns and jewels throwing prisms of light around like a disco ball. Black-clad and white-gloved servers moved deftly through the crowd, offering small but delicious-looking hors d’oeuvres.

Somehow when I’d pictured a gathering of the Dark Court, I’d expected something... darker. I’d never seen so much sparkle in my life, not even at the rooftop party I’d attended at Vallon Foster’s mansion with Nox and his fan pod.

Davis seemed to be in high spirits, greeting nearly everyone he saw and introducing my mother as his wife and me as his daughter. Of course I wanted to correct him. But one of those statements
was
true, and the other was soon to be if I didn’t keep my cool and do something to stop it.

When a particularly handsome and intimidating-looking man approached us, Davis grasped his hand and introduced him as Audun, a member of the Dark Council. He could have been Davis’s brother they looked so much alike with their similarly defined cheekbones and slightly menacing smiles. The more Audun spoke, the more I realized
how
alike the men were.

“Ryann, it’s delightful to meet you, and what a gift for your father to find a child just as he has lost one.” He was referring to Vancia, but I wasn’t sure I was supposed to know about that, so I didn’t respond, just stood there smiling like an idiot. 

Turning to Davis, Audun asked, “I see the family resemblance. Does she also share your abilities?”

Davis shook his head. “Apparently not.”

Audun pursed his lips in a genteel pout. “Too bad. She’s lovely... for a mix. Could have been useful to us.”

I met some other members of the Council, including an elegant red-haired woman called Thora and her voluptuous ginger daughter Ava, who I learned was a successful model. When I’d seen the Light Elves, I’d found them fantastically beautiful, even without makeup or any sort of artifice. They were perfect in their natural state. But these Elves were different. They had a darkly alluring quality, almost to the point of being irresistible.

What did it say about me that I found them more beautiful? Once again, I worried about the dark side of my nature, about my genetic birthright. In his anger, Lad had suggested maybe I belonged in the Dark Court, with my biological father and all these people. Could he have been right?

My thoughts were interrupted as Davis suddenly bent forward at the waist in a bow so deep it seemed done in sarcasm rather than deference. I looked around to see what had caused such bizarre body language and realized other party-goers were doing the same thing.

And then I saw him, moving through the crowd like a ship parting the sea. Nox was magnificent in a scheme of black and white. His tux was undoubtedly designer-made, the elegant lines somehow making him look even taller and more beautifully proportioned than ever. His skin was tan against the crisp white collar, and his hair was slightly gelled and styled back from his face in a perfect complement to his already flawless bone structure. If the girls back in Deep River could get a look at him like this, their eyeballs would pop right out of their heads.

Oh no.
My own head snapped to the side to take in Mom’s expression. I’d come to a terrible realization—she
knew
Nox. What would she do when she saw him here? Should I attempt to sway her into not recognizing him? I dismissed that idea immediately. Any further mind control and she could suffer permanent damage. 

Turning back to Nox, I took note of his formal attire, his slicked back hair. He did look different than he had in Deep River. Maybe she
wouldn’t
recognize him in this setting, so far from home, in a completely different context from our old life.

But then really, how many guys of her acquaintance were six-four and stunning? We were screwed. Those unique hazel eyes alone would give it away.

He came to a stop in front of us. Davis straightened. He held up my hand and my mother’s.

“Your Highness, may I present my wife Maria and our daughter Ryann.”

Nox gave us a devilish smile, no trace of recognition in his eyes for me or my mother. Nodding graciously, he said, “Welcome to my court, ladies. I do hope you enjoy yourselves this evening.”

“Thank you.” I somehow managed to breathe without wheezing.

“Thank you,” Mom mumbled, showing no signs of recognizing Nox. Or any excitement, though in the car on the way here she’d been so jazzed to meet a king.

It was disturbing, but it was also extremely convenient. For the first time, I was actually happy she was under deep Sway. I could only imagine the scene that would ensue if she told Davis that Nox and I knew each other.

“You are full of surprises, my friend,” Nox said to Davis. “I thought you had only one lovely daughter. You’ve been holding out on me.” He winked at me, causing me to blush hotly.

What the heck are you doing? You can’t flirt with me right now.

Nox’s grin widened, and Davis noticed. He glanced between us with a disquieting gleam in his eye.

See?
I accused.
Now he knows something’s up.
             

You’re the one using mind-to-mind communication right in front of him.

He can’t hear us.

“My apologies,” Davis said in an overly solicitous tone. “I would never willingly keep information from you. I certainly would have told you about Ryann. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about her myself until recently. We should arrange for the two of you to get better acquainted, shouldn’t we, my dear?”

He looked down at my mother’s face as she nodded woodenly and murmured, “Yes.”

“Oh my. You’ll have to excuse us.” Davis pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and tucked it into Mom’s hand. “Your nose is bleeding again, my darling. Here, let me show you where the powder room is.”

Before leading her away, he whispered into my ear. “If you don’t have glamour, I’ll eat my hat. That boy is totally under your spell.”

His next words were for both me and Nox. “You two chat a bit—we’ll be back in no time.”

My mind reeled from the double-blow of Mom’s sudden nosebleed and Davis’s parting words. He thought Nox was under my Sway. He’d read the attraction between the two of us, and that was the
first
thing that had come to his mind.

Vancia had said it.

Lad had said it.

And now I had confirmation. Nox didn’t actually love me. I had swayed him without knowing it. Without meaning to.

As soon as Davis and Mom were out of earshot, Nox said, “How are you? Is everything okay? You have a strange look on your face.”

Fighting to pull myself from a swirling abyss of dismay, I asked, “Did you throw this party to get me here tonight?”

He nodded. “Of course. And it worked. How are you? He hasn’t hurt you, has he? Vancia says he can be very cruel.”

“No. I’m fine. He trusts me. But he is hurting my mom—his glamour is damaging her brain. She’s getting constant migraines and nosebleeds. We’ve got to end this thing soon.”

“Agreed. What can we do? Maybe Alfred and I can make a list of those we know are loyal to me and take him down by force.”

“That sounds too dangerous. And it won’t solve the larger problem—the plot that’s already started among the Dark Elves. I have a suspicion if you take Davis out, Audun will be more than happy to step into his role as Dictator-In-Chief.”

“No kidding. That dude is mercenary, and you should meet his
kid.
”

I glanced over my shoulder, surveying the room, feeling the need to speak quickly in case Davis returned. “I have another idea.”

“Let’s hear it.”

My nerves bubbled as I realized the implications of what I was about to tell him. “Lad and I figured out that saol water seems to dampen the effectiveness of glamour. That may be why it doesn’t seem to work as well on other Elves as it does on humans.”

“Okay, so what—douse the planet in saol water?”

“Well, obviously that’s impossible. But... we could get more people drinking it. You know Davis is taking me to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Boston next week. There’s going to be worldwide media coverage. If I could somehow get on TV and encourage people to drink Magnolia Sugar Tea, they’ll be less susceptible to Dark Elven Sway. If enough people drink enough of it, the takeover could fail. People would fight back instead of following orders like sheep.”

Nox nodded enthusiastically. “That could work. And I’m the band leader for the song. If Davis doesn’t bring you onstage, I can. I had an idea myself, something along the same lines. We may need both of them—there’s no guarantee we can keep people drinking your tea or get it to everyone in the world who’s been swayed. You may not even be able to produce enough in time.”

“So what’s your idea?”

“An
alternate
song for the Opening Ceremonies.”

“You’re writing one?”

“Yes, what Vancia said the other night got me thinking, and I’ve been working on it ever since. And the message is a
little
different than the one Davis wants to get across. Of course as the band leader
and
their king, that pack of celebrities is going to sing whatever I tell them to.”

“Instead of swaying the world to accept Elven rule, your song will do the opposite. That’s
great
, Nox.” In my excitement, I embraced him, then quickly realized what I was doing—I was supposed to have just met him. And even more troublesome, Davis’s comments were still banging around in my head.

I tried to pull away, but Nox held me tighter, whispering into my hair. “God you feel good. And you smell good. I miss you, Ryann. I need you with me.”

I slid my hands between our bodies, pushing slightly against his chest to make him release me.

“Nox. There’s something else we need to talk about. I think you should start drinking more saol water, too.”

“What? Why?”

              I swallowed hard. “Have you ever thought that it might be glamour that drew us together…that keeps us hooked on each other?”