Tempest in Disguise (Darkest Faerie Tale Series Book 1)

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©
Riley Bancroft~October, 2014

Editor: WM Productions

Cover Design: Fiona Jayde

Dedication

This book is dedicated to K, the love of my life. Thank you for being my rock, my support, and my everything. My dreams became a reality because you believed in me.

     I would also like to thank my mom and my friends for helping me along this journey. You guys are amazing. To Lauren, Tina, and Leanore thank you so much for all your help. You ladies are awesome!

The Darkest Faerie Tales

There are two sides of me. One is good. The other is bad. Sure, everyone has bad and good in them, but my two halves are constantly at war with each other—I’m either extremely virtuous or terribly wicked—there is no in between.

In ancient Gaelic myth, the gods and goddesses were sent to earth, becoming known as the Tuatha Dé, God’s tribe in the form of a supernatural race
.
For centuries, as immortals, they ruled on the earth above humans. Then the Great Atonement happened. As people of the mound, they were stripped of the Tuatha Dé title and turned into Aos sí. They became nothing more than magickal human beings who happened to live a little longer than normal mortals.

The Aos sí are divided into two sects…Seelie or Unseelie. Dualities of light and dark instilled at birth. Though they lived in a semblance of peace, everything changed right before I was born and the factions turned against one another.

I’m half Seelie and half Unseelie, the only mixed breed ever to exist. My parents went to great lengths to hide my true identity during the wars.

I was supposed to live a normal life, the whole white picket fence and everything, but it’s all changing now. The Unseelies seek to take down the Seelies and restore themselves into power, back to the way things were on the magickal island of Sitnalta, before the Great Atonement. However, the Seelies only want to pursue balance, harmony, in all things.

And me? I’m stuck in the middle, torn between two worlds.

This is not a faerie tale.

CHAPTER ONE

M
ya sat on her loveseat researching myths on her laptop like she’d been doing every night for the past two weeks. Dull aches strained behind her eyes as she stared at the screen. She needed something to reset her mind from the hours of tedious research. Social media seemed to recharge her—maybe it was all the stalking and meddling in everyone’s lives from afar.

‘My brother is dead.’
The first post showed up on Mya’s feed. Nicole, her best friend, posted it not even one second ago.

A shimmer of fear shot down to her stomach as a sickening dread settled over her. Mya clicked on Nicole’s page, hoping to shed some light on what she just read. Nothing. The post disappeared. With a shaky hand, she grabbed her cell phone off of the end table and dialed Nicole. Each ring stretched out for an eternity until the voicemail picked up. A keen empathic sense told her something terrible happened. She texted her best friend…
Please call me. Please tell me it isn’t true.

Checking Nicole’s family’s pages, Mya hoped to find more information. There wasn’t any. She readjusted her position, turning sideways on the small couch and crisscrossed her legs, resting the laptop on the arm of the seat. Her fingers frantically typed as she tried to find out what happened to Nicole’s brother. A horrible nausea washed through her.

Footsteps crept above, making the subfloor creak in her bedroom upstairs. She froze and held her breath, waiting, listening. Slowly, she gazed up at the white ceiling. Since she lived in her house alone, nobody else should be here. Her heart thumped louder, faster in her chest until it banged against her sternum. Heavy steps moved across her room toward the bathroom.

Breathing became a task. She shuddered on each inhale and exhale, trying to stay as still and quiet as possible while assessing her plan for attack. With her magick nobody stood a chance against Mya. The phone vibrated and she jumped.
Nicole.

This was the battle which waged inside of Mya. The Seelie part of her wanted to hide, fearing what or who might be in her room and wanted to answer the phone to comfort her friend. The Unseelie side wanted to go upstairs and unleash an ass whooping to anyone who dared enter her home. If she started talking, the intruder would probably bolt. Then again, if she went after the trespasser, she wouldn’t be there for her best friend in what Mya deducted, might be a black moment.

Exact punishment or be there for her friend? No middle ground with her, but rather one extreme to the next. Anger versus fear. Retribution versus staying safe. Kicking someone’s unholy ass or providing sympathy.

Knowing she needed to do the right thing, she hit send on her cell and slipped off the loveseat, tiptoeing to the hallway on the other side of the house from the intruder. Whispering she answered, “Hey, is everything okay?”

Nicole sobbed through the phone.

Mya’s heart clenched. “Tell me it isn’t true.”

“It’s true. He’s gone.” Nicole sniffled. She didn’t mean gone, gone, she meant dead.

Mya’s voice caught in her throat. “Oh—oh Nicole, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe this.”

“Me either. I just found out,” Nicole paused trying to catch her breath, “How—how did you know?”

“I saw the post online.”

“What post?”

Her question made Mya’s anxiety grow. She tapped into her sixth sense and something didn’t feel right. “The one you posted two seconds ago.”

“I didn’t post anything.”

Mya swallowed. Deep down, she knew the truth. Something or someone sent her some type of message. “I’m so sorry about your brother. How did it happen? When?”

“My dad found him about an hour ago at his house. That’s why I didn’t answer I was on the phone with my mom. They think Brad overdosed.” Nicole and her family were Seelies. The Unseelies would be gunning for them, especially since her brother was a commander in the Seelie army.

Mya cupped her hand over her mouth, wondering if he really overdosed of if someone made it look that way. “Did someone break in?” Sensations tingled over her skin and her mind screamed ‘foul play’—from the mysterious posting that disappeared to the stranger upstairs.

“I—” Nicole stammered, “I-don’t—think so.”

She kept her voice low as she spoke, “My heart hurts so much for you. I wish I could hug you right now.” Last summer, Nicole moved to Los Angeles, so she could pursue her career in film.
Miss her so much. Can’t believe Brad’s gone.

“I know. I wish—we weren’t so far away either. I wish I could be there for my mom right now. I can’t fly back home to Austin until tomorrow morning.”

“Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?”

“Yes. I need you more than I’ve ever needed you.” Nicole sobbed.

Mya closed her eyes. She’d made the right decision by answering the phone, by being there for her best friend. Besides, if she were in some type of danger, her vicious Unseelie side could protect her from any intruder. Her Seelie half would never have forgiven herself for ignoring her best friend in her time of need. “Text me your flight info when you get it and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much. You have no idea what it means to me that you’re here for me.”

Yes, yes I do
. They were soul sisters. While Nicole’s brother was fifteen years older, she’d grown up basically as an only child too. After Mya’s parents died, Nicole’s family became her surrogates especially at holidays, and Mya loved Brad like a brother as well. “I love you and if you need me, call me.”

“I love you too. I’ll see you soon.”

With a heavy and troubled heart, Mya hung up. The war between the factions escalated over the last few months, but never did it hit so close to home as it did right then. She couldn’t shake the idea that Brad’s overdose was connected to the war somehow. The sadness dwelling inside her quickly turned to rage as her Unseelie side roared to the surface. Anger over the useless death of a loved one and fury over who would dare enter her home. They were no match for her interminable Aos sí strength or magick. Somebody would pay.

She raced down the hallway, through the living room and up the stairs. Turning right, she entered her bedroom and took an attack stance. Her muscles tensed as she froze, assessing the darkened room. With her magickal heritage, the darkness gave her sight an advantage over humans.

No one was there, but a dark and intoxicatingly rich scent lingered behind. As sure as her arms were connected to her body, a man from the Unseelie Court had been in her room. Her heart thundered with anticipation, amped up for a confrontation. Aos sí possessed the ability to move inanimate objects with their magick. The Unseelie trickster must have used magick to disable the alarm and get into the windows, ensuring his quiet stealth upon entry. She’d used the maneuver a few times back in high school to sneak out.

The back of her neck tingled as the hair on her nape stood on end. He was still there. She whipped her head to the side, looking over her shoulder, without the time to turn around—he pressed up behind her in an instant. So much larger than she, his muscular torso strung taut against her back and she craned her chin up to view him in the moonlight.

Heat from his warm body seeped into her, but the beautifully carved face she stared at spiked her temperature further—the sharp lines of his jaw and stern brows. Of course, as a member of the Aos sí, he possessed the luxuriant beauty and radiance of the race. Even the unruly waves of his dark hair gave him an edgy and sensual ruggedness.

“Don’t move.” His voice held a raw prowess—a hungry predator trapping his prey.

At his command, a delicious tingle vibrated in her core. Her wicked Unseelie side bounced around inside of her like a crazed animal caught inside of a cage seeking escape. It demanded she play this game with him and she would. Mya stood absolutely still for the mysterious stranger. A shiver rolled over her as his breath glided over her cheeks and torrents of pleasure roared through every nerve ending. Like oak moss in a freshly rained forest, his delicious scent enveloped her.

Pulling back a little, he nuzzled her earlobe. “Where were you tonight, Mya?”

A sudden coldness stabbed in her core, leaving razor blades of ice twisting in her gut.
Who is he? Why is he here?
Her heart raced in her chest, echoing in her ears. The trespasser knew her name—he sought her out on purpose. As the fight or flight reaction kicked in, she couldn’t decide if she wanted to haul around and punch him or run for dear life.

For the past few months, Unseelies were targeting Seelies and killing them off one by one. Well, if he came here to kill her, she chose to go down in battle—she would fight and let the Unseelie beast out of her cage. “It’s none of your business.” She tried to turn around to face him, but he wrapped his brawny arms around her shoulders tight and kept her in place. Having no control against him in this position and being pressed against his sensuous body, spurred her desire. Moisture pooled between her thighs and she craved more of his touch.
Damn it.
Mya willed the logical part of her mind to overrun the deep impulse she felt toward him with some sensibility—if she wanted to make it out alive.