Arranged (Arranged Trilogy Book 1) (10 page)

R
eluctantly I pulled away
from his touch. My stomach filled with icy dread. There was no getting around it, I had to tell Michael the truth and deal with the consequences. It was best to get it over with before I chickened out and he found out from someone else. I sucked in a deep breath before letting the words roll off my tongue. “I killed your parents and a good portion of your tribe.”

Michael blanched, a horrified expression crossing his face as he stared back at me in stunned silence. The tension made his body as tight as a bowstring. Finally he blinked but still did not speak. Turning his head he stared off into nothingness, as if he were trying to soak in the words. I know it must have come as a shock to find out the people that raised him were no longer alive.

Panic welled up inside of me. My heart hammered against my chest. I swallowed hard. What if he didn’t forgive me? Had I made a huge mistake by acting in anger? No, I followed my instinct and I didn’t regret it even if he did hate me.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke. His mouth twisted, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “What happened?” The pain caused his voice to shake.

Instead of trying to explain myself, I once again touched his temples and replayed the events from the time I found him beaten till it was over.

Pulling away, he glanced at me for a moment and then looked away as if he couldn’t stand the sight of me. “You didn’t even give him a chance to speak.”

“He didn’t deserve a chance. He forfeited that right when he didn’t stop the tribe from beating you to death. He relinquished that right when he chose hatred over the love for his own flesh and blood. Hate me if you wish, but I don’t feel an ounce of remorse. If I could bring him back to life and kill him again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

Michael covered his face with his hands.

I stood up. I knew he couldn’t stand being near me and it was tearing me apart.

“Michael.” My voice shook with emotion.

“Don’t. I just need time to process.”

“You hate me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. My insides twisted.

His hands dropped and he shook his head before pulling himself back up to sitting. He attempted to smile though sadness was etched on his face. “I don’t hate you. I probably would have done the same thing if the roles had been reversed. It’s just a lot to take in. Everything is happening so quickly. And even though my parents were cruel people, they believed in their cause. I cannot fault them for that. As much as I’d like to believe they were redeemable, I don’t think it’s true. It doesn’t mean I won’t mourn their deaths. I hope they find peace wherever they go after this life. But it doesn’t mean that I think you did the right thing either.”

I fought the urge to reach out and run my hands through his disheveled hair. I wanted to touch his heart and remove his pain, but I knew he had to process this on his own without the help of magick. I didn’t want him to like me again because I removed his pain, his memories. I wanted him to accept me for who I was. We were moving forward with something life changing for the both of us … that is if he hadn’t changed his mind. My heart seized. I hadn’t even considered that. Even though my mother said we had enough DNA, I would not allow Henrek to go through with it if he was not willing. I don’t care what my mother wanted.

“If you’ve changed your mind …” I let my words hang in the air.

He dropped his head into his hands and rubbed them across his face as if trying to scrub his mind clear. I knew he must feel guilty for going against his family. Even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“You mustn’t blame yourself. My actions were my own. Even if we hadn’t come to an agreement about the halflings, I would have done the same.”

Michael swung his legs over the bed and stood up. Pacing the room, he said, “I do blame myself. If we hadn’t met they would still be alive. Deny it if you want to, but it’s the truth.”

“Your father was filled with hatred. That is not being alive, that is taking up space in a shell of a body and radiating hate. He projected evil.”

“Evil brought on by your kind! If magick had never entered our realm we would have still been living in relative peace.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, my chin jutted out. “That is a lie. The world was crumbling long before your father came into existence. He had an opportunity to forge peace, but instead he chose to take the offensive and kill any magical creatures out of his fear. I do agree that magick coming to Earth, out in the open, was probably not the wisest choice. But it was made long before you were even a thought in the creator’s eye. To default to that line of thinking serves no one. What we must do is move forward from here. There has to be a merging. And like it or not, getting rid of your father has taken us a giant step forward.”

Michael crossed the room and stood before me. His eyes were filled with anguish. “Do you know what the worst thing about all of this is?”

I shook my head. I saw both shame and despair on his face.

“That I still want to do this.” He moved forward; his voice was rough, his jaw clenched. He sounded mystified and a little scared.

I couldn’t breathe. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I was surprised it didn’t jump out and dance around on the floor.

We were now so close our energies were merging as he stepped into my space. I could feel the very essence of his body; it was as if we’d somehow dissolved into one. I’d never felt anything like this before.

He looked down at me, his eyes so focused on me that it made me shiver.

The ease with which he took my breath away was both exhilarating and frightening.

He stroked the hair away from my face, and I nearly groaned at the sensation. His fingers were hot against my skin. All my senses were heightened. If I could stay in that moment forever, I’d be blissful till the end of days.

I reached my hand forward and placed it on his chest, feeling it rise and fall under my touch.

Frowning, he leaned down. I tilted my face up as his lips touched mine, his mouth hesitant, unsure. I pressed myself against him, his body firm beneath mine. I opened my mouth, increasing the kiss. His hands were in my hair, kissing me desperately. As if he needed me to breathe.

When we finally pulled away to catch our breath, I took a step back searching his face for any signs of regret, but there was none.

“I’ve wanted do that since we first met.” He smiled sheepishly. “I just didn’t expect it would happen under these circumstances.” I could feel him pulling away from me.

“I should probably go.” I absently smoothed down my dress, not sure what to do with my hands, but he reached out and grabbed my arms, tugging me closer.

“Don’t you dare. I don’t think I could stand to be alone right now,” he whispered, his voice filled with emotion.

I stilled. We stood there in silence, listening to each other’s breathing. Not knowing what to say.

Without giving it much thought, I grabbed his hand and dropped down onto the bed, pulling him with me.

I scooted over to the side near the wall. “You should rest. It’s been a long day.”

I leaned forward as his arm slid around my shoulders and I dropped my head to his chest and relaxed into him. His body stilled beneath me. How was it possible that I still felt accepted in his arms after what I’d done? I’d expected him to throw me out of his room and never speak to me again. Not offer me comfort.

“How are you feeling?” I asked without lifting my head.

He turned his head side to side and stretched slightly as if testing his body. “Physically, I feel fine. My head and heart are quite conflicted.” I felt his muscles tighten beneath me. “My family is gone. I’m lying in bed with the enemy. And I’ll soon have powerful halflings running around that may someday despise me for bringing them into this world. They will be shunned for their differences. It’s a lot to take in.”

And maybe someday Michael would hate me for bringing this all on him. My stomach clenched at the thought.

With the touch of my hand I commanded his body to drift off into sleep. I don’t think either of us were ready to discuss the kiss or what it meant for us. His head lolled to the side and his breathing became steady.

M
y mother burst
through the door, startling us both awake. I hadn’t even realized I’d dozed off, I’d been so relaxed in Michael’s arms. She stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw the two of us curled up together on the bed.

Don’t embarrass me. It’s not what it looks like. Nothing happened.
My thoughts frantically entered my mother’s mind. The last thing I wanted was for her to throw a fit in front of Michael. This was confusing enough as it was.

Michael pulled his arm from under me.

My mother glanced away. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Michael. I’m sorry, but I need to borrow Tulupea for a little bit while you get some more rest.”

Looking a bit flustered and uncertain, he ran his hand down his face before pushing himself up to sitting. He was still half asleep so he just nodded.

I gave him a little squeeze before I detangled my legs from his and rose to my feet.
Thank you.

My mother didn’t reply, instead she turned and walked out the door. I couldn’t quite place her mood but something was up. I had to find out what, even though I hated the thought of leaving Michael on his own. I reached down and touched two fingers to his forehead. Immediately his eyes glassed over and he yawned. “I guess I am still tired. Wake me up when you’re done.”

I gave him a smile before his heavy lids closed and he faded off into a peaceful slumber. I’d wake him when we got back. I didn’t want to worry about him having nightmares about his parents or waking up and trying to find us.

With one more glance over my shoulder I closed the door softly behind me. I knew my feelings for him were growing stronger and I should try to put distance between us, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. Honestly, I don’t think I could if I tried.

My mother stood in the hallway waiting with her arms crossed over her chest. “Tulupea, I hope you know what you are doing.”

So did I. But what was life without a few risks? “You’re the one that pulled us together,” I reminded her.

She closed her eyes and took a breath. “I’ve called a meeting with the other creatures in the lands. I’ve thought about what you’ve said. I cannot reign over the humans, but I can convince the creatures to work with us. What I’ve been doing on my own is not enough, we need a more targeted approach. Thank you for your guidance.”

“Umm, okay.” It seemed strange for my mother to take my advice on something so much bigger than the both of us. “So where are we meeting?”

A radiant smile crossed her face, taking years off her. “One of the few havens left in this world.”

She grabbed my hand and led me out of the hallways and into the kitchen. We hurried out of the house and made our way to the portal.

We grasped hands and closed eyes. Next thing I knew we were struggling to remain standing. My mother held onto my arms to steady me. I blinked a few times, waiting for the surroundings to come into sharper focus. I sucked in a breath. “Mother, are we still on Earth?”

“Yes, a small section of the rain forest remains intact. You’ll find plants here I’ve never heard of that do miraculous things.”

I glanced around in awe. “Why don’t we bring everyone here? And start fresh?”

A pensive look crossed her face. “I had the same thought when I found out about this place, but the arguments made to keep it to ourselves are quite valid. There’s only a few acres left, and if it were to become depleted we wouldn’t be able to duplicate the plant species. The humans have destroyed so much already. It’s truly not worth the risk. You will see.”

I chewed on my lower lip but didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure I agreed with this assessment, yet I kept my thoughts to myself. My soul felt light and free amongst the beautiful greenery. I touched plants as we walked and with each touch, the plant would talk to me. I’d ask it what its medicinal properties were and I’d hear its reply in my heart space. My mother was right. Many of these I’d never heard of either and they could cure so many illnesses. I couldn’t help but wonder if we could bring back some of them to our realm to plant there. I didn’t voice my idea out loud because I was too enamored with my surroundings. It wasn’t long before my mother cleared her throat. I looked up and realized we’d come to a larger clearing. Hundreds of magical creatures stood in clusters, mostly separated by their kind. I was surprised to see there weren’t very many faeries amongst the group as I glanced around and took in all the variations of beings.

Would we ever be blended? If more of us worked together sharing our gifts, I knew progress would be made more quickly. Mentally I transmitted my thoughts to my mother and she gave a barely perceivable nod.

She glided to the center of the clearing. I realized her crown was once again on her head. The faeries amongst the group bowed. Others just looked at each other as if wondering who she thought she was.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. We’ve had another run in with the rebellion which lead to a majority of their tribe being slaughtered.”

A cheer rose up amongst the group.

My mother’s stare silenced them immediately. “I am not proud of what happened, but it is an opening that we must take advantage of. My daughter and I have given this a lot of thought. I know our original thought process was that we should spread out and work in the communities but it’s not going as we’d hoped. Very little progress has been made. I think we need a shift. If we all came together and used our skills and worked from the inside out we could grow a strong community, and as we strengthen, if you so choose to, you could move outside of the sanctuary. We’re through hiding and working from behind the scenes. The humans, if they are smart, will understand this is their sole chance of surviving. So what I am asking of each and every one of you is that you gather all the humans that are open to a new beginning and bring them to a common area. And the ones that refuse are to be left to fend for themselves. Do not bring harm to them. They will have to try to survive on their own and many will perish, but it cannot be avoided.”

Murmurs trickled through the crowd as they turned to each other, talking in hushed whispers. The fae were the first to step forward and drop to their knees. Some of the more unsavory creatures cackled and went off on their own. No one was sad to see them go.

Soon more and more of the creatures came forward. Many of them dropped to their knees while others just stood there. There was no protocol for them to bow to a faery queen. But it still ticked me off. My mother deserved respect.

A large red demon strode forward. His head thrashed side to side, and a low growl emanated from his mouth. His bulging muscles rippled when he walked. My hands crackled.

My mother’s face had become unreadable.

Magick sparked off my fingertips.

“What gives you the right to make demands of us? You do not control us,” the demon stated in a tone that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Demitrious. I’ve made no demands of anyone. What I’m asking is that we start over, a blank slate. We’ve gone about this all wrong and I was too blind to see it until my daughter brought it to my attention. I would really like you on our side, but if you choose otherwise, I will understand.”

My mouth dropped open. My mother was asking a demon to be on our side? Obviously a lot had changed since she’d been gone. Demons and fae have never worked together. Ever.

“What if your plan fails? What if all you do is speed up the process of extinction?”

My mother frowned in thought. “That is a very real possibility. I will promise you this, if Mother Earth gives up and there is no hope to revitalize, I will bring everyone back with me who wants to go into my realm.”

I sucked in a breath. Heads snapped up in surprise. Our realm was closely guarded and the borders always protected from outsiders. Why would she promise such a thing? That could cause an uprising amongst our own kind. Her crown could be overthrown.

The demon tilted his head to the side, thinking. He scratched his jaw, lowered his head slightly. “Then I shall stand with you.”

“Thank you, Demitrious. Your skills will be invaluable.”

I glanced between the two of them. What in the world just happened? And what skills did this demon possess that my mother felt him worthy enough to offer up entrance into our lands? My mind raced with possibilities and I couldn’t come up with a single reason that would justify such an offer.