Stay (4 page)

I glanced up to see Brokk looking at me. “We
need to make a quick stop.” He said softly in his smooth sexy
voice.

He turned down a small side street that was
lined with little wooden homes and stopped in front of one that was
painted sapphire blue. How fitting, I thought to myself as I stared
up at his eyes. My new favorite color.

Brokk stood me up on my feet on front of the
large yellow door. A small sign painted gold off to the right was
inscribed with the name Lucerne and the number twenty-three in
black lettering.

“Is this your house?” I asked, looking
around. He smiled slightly and nodded in affirmation as he used a
key to unlock the door. “Your name is Brokk Lucerne?”

“Yes, Callie Rose, that is my name.” He
sounded amused, but he said nothing more as he pushed the door open
and gestured for me to go in.

The inside of his home was warm and cozy,
just like I would have imagined it to be. The small living room was
neatly decorated with dark brown sofas and shiny black tables.
There were a few books scattered on the coffee table and several
framed photos hanging on the walls.

The photos were mostly done in black and
white. They contained pictures of a happy looking family with two
young children, a boy and a girl. “Is this you?” I asked, pointing
to the young boy.

“Yes.” He grinned as he stared at the photo.
“And that is you.” He pointed to the young girl in the picture. I
flinched and looked from him back to the photo. The girl appeared
to be about five or six years old. She was wearing a long flowered
dress and her hair was done up in braided pigtails. The two
children smiled happily at each other as they ran hand in hand and
played in a field of wild flowers.

It really did look like me. I could not deny
it. The boy in the picture looked familiar too. I was not sure if
it was because I remembered him as a child or because he so closely
resembled Brokk as a man.

“We looked so happy.” I murmured and then I
turned to face him. “What were we doing that day?”

“My parents had taken us to the surface. They
thought that we needed to experience as much of the human world as
possible. They wanted us to experience the sunshine and the fresh
air.” He smiled, mostly to himself I think.

“So we visited the surface regularly?” I
asked.

“Pretty often.” He replied. “It was one of
the advantages of being a royal at the time. Most of the Fae never
get to see the sun anymore. They spend their whole lives down here.
Only a select few get to go up there now. Mostly just merchants and
occasionally a guard can go, if needed.”

It must have been really hard to spend so
much time underground. I had only been there for a few days and I
was already missing the sun. Not only that but also the flowers and
the trees, and the feel of the breeze on a hot summer day. All of
the things that people normally take for granted.

“Why did you have to stop? Why can’t anyone
go up there now?” I asked.

“Well, once Lilith took control she made it a
law. I am not really sure why, but if you are caught going without
permission there are major consequences. Some have been jailed or
even killed.”

“Killed?” I was shocked. “Why would she kill
someone?”

“She did not want your parents alerted to
what was going on here. If they were to return, she would lose her
status. So she considered anyone caught trying to pass any
information on to them to be a traitor.” He looked grave.

“Then why would she want me here?” If she did
not want my parents to know what she was up to, you would think
that the last thing that she would want was for me to be here.

Brokk stood in silence for a moment. “Her
plan was to show the people that she is willing to work with you.
She would still be in power but she would be willing to take you
under her wing and prepare you for when you take the thrown.”

“This all seems a little crazy. Obviously, my
parents are going to wonder where I am. They are going to come
looking for me. I can’t possibly stay here. ” I started pacing the
small room.

“Maybe, but I think that she was hoping that
they would allow you to stay here if they knew that she was getting
you ready to take control.” He said.

That seemed a little far-fetched to me too. I
don’t know why but everything about this situation left me feeling
uneasy. I had never even heard of these people or anything about
being a queen or princess, or whatever. Now I was supposed to just
give up my life and stay here, far away from everything that I knew
and loved? I just did not think that I could do that.

“Brokk, even if you are right. Even if my
parents think that is okay for me to be here, I don’t know if it is
even something that I want.” I began. “I had a life. I was about to
graduate. I was supposed to start college in the fall. I never even
wanted to be a princess when I was a little girl. I wanted to ride
horses and roll around in the dirt. This just isn’t for me.”

He moved toward me then and held me in place
by my left bicep as he looked me in my eyes. “Callie, Petrona was
always meant to be yours. You were born here, your parents were
born here. There is not another place on this earth that is more
for you than right here.”

The tension in my body grew to a palpable
level, and not because of all of the talk about queens and
kingdoms. Brokk’s eyes bore into me with such intensity that I felt
myself drifting towards him without any effort at all. I stopped
thinking about cities and tunnels. I became solely focused on the
way that his mouth moved when he talked and I completely lost
myself in his eyes. I couldn’t even speak.

“Callie?” His faced changed to something
close to worry.

I snapped myself out of it. “Sorry.” I said
as I felt my blood rush to my cheeks in an instant and embarrassing
blush. I must have really zoned out for him to react like that.
“Maybe I better sit down for a little while.” I had to do something
to distract myself from wanting to pounce on him every time that he
looked at me.

Brokk directed me over to one of the couches.
It was plush and comfortable. I sank down into it and started to
relax. He went into one of the rooms toward the back of the house
while I waited.

When he emerged, he was carrying a small
cardboard box. He sat down on the couch a few feet away, but he
propped his back against the armrest so that he was facing me. He
stared down at the box for a few minutes, he seemed hesitant to
open it. When he finally did, he held out a ring to me.

The ring was gorgeous. The center stone was a
large square sapphire that perfectly matched the color of his eyes.
I was not sure which sparkled more, the stone or Brokk’s eyes as he
held it out to me. The sapphire was surrounded by several tiny
diamonds and even more ran around the platinum band.

“Brokk?” I was speechless once again.

“Callie, I know that you have only known me
for a short time but you and I were meant to be together. Not just
because our families arranged for us to be married, but because we
are so strongly linked to each other. You must feel it. I know that
I do.” He said.

I just sat there looking at him. The truth
was, I did feel it. It was hard to explain, but I was drawn to him.
Even under the most dire circumstances, I could not fight it.

When I did not speak right away, he
continued. “This ring belonged to my mother. She had always hoped
that you and I would be together once you returned. She gave this
to me just before she passed away. She always wanted you to have
it.”

He took my hand in his and slid the ring onto
my finger. “I know that it is too soon for us to make any real
promises to each other, but it would really mean a lot to me if you
would wear it. It was always meant to be yours, and so was I.”

I did not know if I was going to laugh or cry
but I suddenly felt tears spring up in my eyes. “Brokk, I don’t
even know what to say. It is so beautiful.”

“You do not have to say anything. I just
wanted you to have it.” He said nervously.

“Thank you.” I flung my arms around his neck.
“I will never take it off.” I said softly into his ear.

He pulled me even closer so that he held me
in his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around me, burying his face
in my hair. He held me as if he never wanted to let me go.

We stayed curled up together in his couch for
what seemed like hours. Neither of us really spoke, we just savored
the feeling of being so close to someone.

Our moment was interrupted by a sharp knock
at the door. Brokk rose to answer it. I could hear him speaking
sharply to someone outside. When he was through, he returned to the
living room looking very grim.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“The queen has sent her guards to see if we
have returned. She is expecting you at the palace shortly.” He
frowned.

I nodded. “Okay, I think that I am as ready
as I will ever be.”

He took me by the hand and pulled me to my
feet. He stopped just before opening the door and hugged me tightly
for a few more moments. Then we stepped out onto the darkened
street.

Chapter 4

Brokk cradled me in his arms again and I
savored the closeness as he carried me.

The shops along the main street of the city
were beginning to close up for the evening. The merchants were all
busy pulling their wares inside and they did not seem to notice us
as we passed.

I could not help but to be distracted by the
weight of the heavy ring that now occupied my left hand. I smiled
to myself as I looked down at it and imagined all the possibilities
it could mean for my future. I just did not think that my future
would be here.

Brokk was great, even if he did kidnap me,
but I longed to be back home in Louisiana. Maybe I could convince
him to go with me. We could have a normal life, and live in a
normal house. I could finish school and see my family again. I
would just have to convince the queen that she did not need me here
and that I had no intention of taking over.

We neared the end of the street and made our
way up several steps and to the front of an enormous palace. It was
pristine white, a sharp contrast from the darkness of the rest of
the city. On either end was a pointy roofed turret with little
rectangular windows on each side. In the center was a grand arched
doorway with marble steps that jutted out into a semi-circle. It
was beautiful.

The yard surrounding the palace was lush and
green, and there was an ornate wrought iron fence encircling it.
There were even flowers and shrubs lining the walls. It was
actually a pretty odd site considering that the sun never reached
this area.

We approached the door and Brokk set me on my
feet in front of it. “This is your true home, Callie. This is where
you belong.”

“This is it? We are going inside now? I can’t
go inside of there looking like this!” I frantically whispered.

“You will be fine Callie. The Fae that work
here will take care of you. They will make sure that you get a
proper bath, and something to eat before you meet with the queen.
You are where you were always meant to be now.” He said these
words, but a deep sadness was clearly audible in his voice. He
started stepping back down the stairs.

Was he leaving? What was going on?

I glanced back at him. “Does this mean that
you are not coming with me?” I asked.

“This is your home, Callie, not mine. You
will be fine.” He said with a smile that did not quite reach his
eyes.

“This is not my home either Brokk, remember?
I do not want to go in there without you.” I hissed.

Ignoring me, he stepped forward and knocked
on the door with a huge ornate knocker. A tiny window perched at
eye level flew open and a pair of bright green eyes peered out
through the opening. It was quickly slammed shut again.

There was a bit of a commotion on the other
side of the entrance and finally the large door was opened. A small
girl who appeared to be about my age was standing in front of us.
She was wearing a simple black dress and her reddish brown hair was
pulled up into a loose curly bun on top of her head. She had the
same green eyes that I spotted peering through the small
window.

“Brokk?” She looked at him in surprise.

“Bree, this is Callie. The queen is expecting
her. Callie, I would like you to meet Bree. She lives here too and
I know that she will make sure that you have everything that you
need.”

He turned back to Bree and said. “Thank you
Bree, call on me if you need anything more from me.” Bree nodded
and he looked back to me, his eyes seemed to search my face for
something.

“I will take my leave now.” He said
simply.

“Please, do not leave me here Brokk. Why do
you refuse to stay with me? I do not want to go in there without
you.” I pleaded with tears in my eyes.

He looked again at Bree and she gestured with
her head for him to go, and he did. He turned and ran back down the
steps and into the city streets. He never looked back.

I watched him leave until he disappeared
behind some buildings. I did not understand why, but my heart felt
like it was breaking in two and tears threatened to spill from my
eyes. I turned back to Bree.

“Well.” She said shaking her head. “That was
interesting.”

“Follow me. We need to get you cleaned up
before Queen Lilith knows that you are here. We can’t have her
seeing you looking like some sort of street urchin.” She said as
she breezed through the doorway.

I followed her inside of the house and into a
grand sitting area. The floors were a polished white marble and
there were cozy cream colored sofas arranged about the room on
fuzzy white carpets. Huge paintings adorned the walls and colorful
flower arrangements were scattered about on tables.