Fae

Diversion Books
A Division of Diversion Publishing Corp.
443 Park Avenue South, Suite 1004
New York, NY 10016
www.DiversionBooks.com

Copyright © 2013 by
Colet & Jasmine Abedi
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

For more information, email
[email protected]
.

First Diversion Books edition July 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62681-101-0

This book is dedicated to our very own
Faerie
princess,

ELLA

Live in Laughter.

Love with your soul.

Never,
ever
, forget

to dream…

In 1587, a small group of settlers came from England to the Americas in search of the New World. They crossed a wild sea and braved unknown dangers with hopes of having a second chance at life. Led by Governor John White, they came upon a wild and untamed island off the coast of what is now North Carolina.

They named their new home Roanoke Island.

Once the new colonists were settled, White returned to his ship and set sail for the journey back to England. Upon his departure, he assured them he would return soon.

When White's ship left the shores of the Americas, he left one hundred and fourteen settlers behind. One hundred and fourteen men, women, and one pregnant widower named Eleanor Dare.

Within her womb, Eleanor carried the hope of a new world, the hope of a brighter future. Several months went by as the settlers adjusted to their new home and surroundings. It was during this time, in the middle of this unchartered territory, that young Eleanor gave birth to a baby girl and named her Virginia.

After three years of absence, Governor John White returned to Roanoke Island armed with supplies and gifts from their old land, anxious to see the life the settlers had created.

What he found would be whispered in tales for centuries and would burn like acid in the hearts of future colonizers.

Not a trace of shelter.

Not a trace that anyone had ever been left on the island.

Not a trace of life.

They were gone. All one hundred and fourteen settlers had vanished.

It was as if they had never even existed.

Today they are known as
The Lost Colony
.

The old woman's ancient voice rang with a quiet authority, her tone not to be doubted. Her hair spun wild and gray around her small, frail face. Her eyes shone a pale translucent blue, which would frighten any mortal that dared cross her path.

But I was no mortal.

We sat in an ancient Tuatha DéDanann circle, one that our people used for centuries when looking into the future. I glanced up at the silver moon and savored the cold breeze that hit my face. I tried to hide my reaction from the old woman as I concentrated on the circle of trees that surrounded us. But it was difficult, even for me.

It wasn't as if I was frightened of her, like the mortals would be. No, I wasn't afraid of her person. I was only afraid of her
words.

They seemed to permeate my soul.

I willed myself to wake up out of this fog-like dream. But the old woman was cunning and knew that if I awoke, I would disappear into the air, and she wouldn't be able to chant her prophecy to me. Instead, she came to me in my dreams, trapped me so I couldn't leave. Her hold was too great, all-powerful in sleep.

I would remember everything that she said when I woke, and I would ask
Him
what it all meant. It was a premonition. One that would be solidified by the runes.

“The Fae have existed since the earth was born. They have lived here, beyond human comprehension, among mortals since the beginning of time.“

With her husky voice, she began to weave her tale as she laid out the runes in the traditional way, in order to read the future.

“Your people came here from distant lands and created their very own universe, one that was designed to live within the world of the humans. To co-exist with the mortals but never interfere.” While she spoke, her eyes took on a faraway gaze as she recounted the history that I knew as well as I knew my own name.

“But as in all kingdoms, there is
Dark
and there is
Light
. And in all races, superhuman or not, a line between good and evil is drawn from the beginning.”

She stared knowingly at me. “You are the
first
. The chosen one. The only Fae to ever be gifted with both light and dark. To have a father that rules over the dark kingdom and a mother who was, before her destruction, a princess of the light. But as you know, dear boy, you cannot stay in between forever. You must be either one or the other.”

My muscles tensed as she stared at me with an ominous look. Was she hiding something? I wanted to shake the truth out of her, but I kept my face impassive, my thoughts clutched to myself.

“It was inevitable for the Dark Fae to infiltrate the humans and live among them, vying to have positions of power and to control what they deemed to be an inferior race.” She paused for a moment, then slowly continued on. “For power among the Fae is the ultimate aphrodisiac. You are all gifted with limitless magical attributes and blessed with staggering beauty. You are a race that is in need of nothing.”

Nothing, I thought silently to myself, but the desire to seek pawns to move about at our will.

“The ultimate goal of the Dark Fae is to eliminate the Light, who prevent them from wielding their power over humanity. Conquer those that are weak and destroy the ones that will fight them. Once the battle is won, they
will find their peace. For in the end, it is all a game, where winner conquers all,” she continued on, the magnitude of her words belied by her calm voice

“The time has arrived.” Her voice grew grave. “The baby that was conceived in love and left to grow up in the human world on her own has turned sixteen. She has never known that she is more Fae than human, protected for all these years, hidden from the Dark Court, she has lived in peace. But no more.”

I closed my eyes in sadness. I had waited for this moment for all of my life. But hearing that it was time was staggering.

“As written in the Great Book and in accordance to the prophecy, when the girl turns sixteen, as she has, what is destined will begin. And, my dear boy, there will be a great and terrible war.”

I tried to still the frantic beating of my heart. I tried to open my eyes and wake from the intensity of this dream. But the old woman leaned in toward me and waved her hand slowly, methodically, in front of my face. A soft tingle of electricity brought me back to the moment. The
magik
she used made me incapable of any movement.

“A newborn baby's laughter will set the Fae free. It opens up a world of endless possibilities. The laughter echoes in
all
hearts and signifies a new beginning. A beginning with only Light.”

She set a few ancient runes on the ground in front of me and laughed. “She will arrive in your life like a thunderbolt from the Gods. And when she does, you will know her. Your soul will recognize its other half. You will protect her.”

She set another stone on the ground, and her eyes seemed to take on an eerie glow. Her hands moved in the air like claws as she drew circles into the still night.

“Know this. You will not be the only one who covets her. There will be others who will desire her just as equally as you.”

My eyes narrowed at that. I was a possessive man by nature. What was solely mine was mine alone, and there would be hell to pay if someone tried to take it away from me.

Suddenly she grabbed my hands in her calloused palms and pulled me out of my reverie and closer to her face. “Heed my warning dear boy, don't let them take her away.”

“Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.”
—Seneca

I know that people always say that when it happens, it's like a bolt of lightning that rushes through your body. It's a feeling you never forget. I always thought that when people described the feeling, they exaggerated it for dramatic effect. Their descriptions were always so cheesy. But there I sat on the cold, crusty bleachers of the Manteo High School football field on October 11 at 6:41 at night, and my heart felt like it stopped beating.

The moment may have been just that, a moment.

Instantaneous.

All powerful.

But to me it felt like hours had passed. Coach Brown was rambling on and on about the new year and the new football season, intentionally enunciating every other word for dramatic effect. At first I couldn't have been less interested in listening to yet another one of his horribly boring and overdrawn speeches.

I started focusing on the flames billowing through the large bonfire, which all the eager students sat around. The bonfire was a tradition at Manteo High School. We started out each year and the football season with one as a way of introducing the players. Not that they needed much introduction. The town we lived in was rather small. Everyone knew everyone else.

But this year was different. Our team had a new player.

There was one flame in particular, undulating around and around, that caught my attention. I was entranced. It looked like a dancer kicking her legs as she twirled in magical circles.

I was hypnotized.

The loud applause pulled me away from the flame. Apparently, Coach Brown had just said something extremely exciting. I shifted uncomfortably on the icy steel bleachers. It was then that I actually started listening to what the man was going on about.

The Coach was talking about
him
. I searched the familiar faces of the football team and suddenly as if a magnetic force was calling out to me…

Our eyes locked.

His deep and penetrating gaze stopped my heart.

Had I known, I would have definitely washed my hair. I would have been much better prepared. Had I known that our eyes would connect for what seemed like an eternity, I would have taken time putting together a cute outfit for the day and maybe even bothered to wear some makeup. But true to form, I didn't. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room that morning and telling myself,
why bother, Caroline
?
It's not like anyone is going to look at you
.

And yet miracle of all miracles, there he was staring straight at
me
.

Time stood still. I felt like I had been hit in the chest by some unseen force. My breath, God, did I even breathe? I don't think I did. How could I? He was beautiful.

No:
Handsome.

No:
Gorgeous.

Perfect.

If I were ever to have closed my eyes and dreamt up the perfect man and set him on this lonely island of Roanoke, he would look exactly like
him.

“Now let's give a big Roanoke welcome to Devilyn Reilly! Manteo High's newest quarterback!” Coach Brown said with a little too much enthusiasm. He was like a kid, proudly displaying his new toy for the overzealous crowd.

“Devilyn Reilly!”

With that introduction, our moment passed. He looked away just as he stood up to shake the coach's hand. But I didn't. I continued to stare. A quick look around would have assured me that I wasn't alone in my obsession. The entire female population of the school was staring at him the same way I was.

In complete and utter lust.

And I couldn't stop.

Teddy snapped his finger in front of my zombie-like gaze.

“Umm, Caroline?”

I looked over, embarrassed. I'm sure that my face had turned nineteen different shades of red because I knew that Teddy would notice. He noticed everything.

“Yeah?”

“I was talking to you.” He brushed back his thick blond hair away from his face in agitation. “I had a whole conversation with you.”

“You did?” I was instantly remorseful. How had I not heard anything he said? I pulled my arms around my chest trying to ward off the horrible cold. “I'm totally sorry.”

“Forget it.”

“No, tell me.” I gave Teddy my most charming grin and leaned in closely so he could see it. It didn't take long before he smiled back at me. We had been friends since we were both in elementary school. He knew me better than anyone else. And he would always forgive me, just like I would do the same for him.

“I was just asking if you had a chance to think about what you're going to write for Mr. Simmons' assignment. Has anything annoyed you today? He said it has to be descriptive but almost like a position paper,” Teddy said in frustration. “I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what he means by that.”

I mulled it over and answered honestly, “I know what you mean. I actually haven't had time yet to figure it all out. I don't know what has specifically annoyed me the most. I mean, there's the usual stuff, but I don't think that warrants one full page.”

“Well I know what annoyed me most. It just happened,” Teddy said grumbling as he looked at me. “I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to articulate it and take a stance against my annoyance.”

“Oh no, please don't,” I joked. I knew deep down he wouldn't. Teddy would never humiliate me like that. We were both too loyal to one another.

“We'll see,” he mused cryptically. “Were you actually listening to what Coach Brown was talking about?”

“No, I just was—I was just thinking about things.” I covered lamely. Yeah, I was thinking about things. Things that had to do with Devilyn Reilly. I could never confess that to Teddy; he'd be too disappointed in me for fantasizing about a jock.

“Like what?”

“I dunno. Stuff. You know, girl stuff.” I knew that would stop him cold. And it worked better than I imagined, but he still looked intrigued.

I looked away from his questioning gaze and found that my eyes were drawn straight over to
him
.

Staring again.

Hopefully not drooling.

I felt her before I ever set eyes on her. I can't say that it was fate that pulled us together by some unexplainable force, or if my soul instantly recognized its chosen mate. Whatever it was, I knew her. I sensed her.

I was drawn to her.

It's just simply curiosity
, I told myself. I just wanted to see her for myself. Because I knew that my mind was already made up. Regardless of what I was told, I didn't want it. I wanted no part of what she would offer me.

It was too easy to find her. I could scan a crowd and see only her in an instant. My eyes would recognize her. They would feel the bloodline that flowed so strongly in her veins.

The heir of Virginia Dare.

As if she sensed me searching for her through the screaming crowd and the open flames, our eyes connected. I looked at her and wondered what it was that I would be drawn to. Her looks were plain—nothing like what I was used to.
Accustomed to
. There were definite signs of royalty in her. She had a proud look, but not regal like I was expecting.

Her chestnut brown hair was severely pulled back away from her small face. She wore little makeup, unlike her counterparts, who were at that moment busy jumping up and down in front of me trying to get my attention. She had big gray eyes that were beautifully shaped. Inquisitive and intense.

She had the kind of eyes that could draw you in. But not me.

Never me.

I was too good at hiding my heart. I had built a careful fortress around my soul to guard me from any kind of love. Especially anything she had to offer me, and which the
Fates
would then take away.

I made that decision before I arrived. I would protect her at all costs. But I would not get involved. I wouldn't allow it. I would never let my guard down around her. Never let myself be accessible in any way. I couldn't afford that risk. And neither could she.

Coach Brown introduced me to the crowd. I waved at the fans.

My fans.

It was too easy. So easy for these humans to fall for me. My kind, we were part of a super-human race. The Tuatha DéDanann, the people of the goddess, Dana. We were all beautiful. Granted, some more than others, but nevertheless, our looks were our key into the human population. They gravitated toward us. They wanted to be friends with us.

Be us
.

The Fae had fought wars for the humans years and years ago. Protected them. We fought so they could live, but after one brutal battle too many, we simply stopped. Humans craved war, and there was nothing we could ever do to end the thirst unless we used
magik
, which was a deadly sin among the Light Fae. The use of
magik
to change fate or free will would inevitably lead to darkness, and to the Light Fae that was worse than having their souls destroyed.

Because the temptation was so great, the Light Fae decided to stand back and distance themselves from the human race; they decided it was in their best interest to only mingle among the mortals. Mostly, they kept to themselves.

But there are some that have a differing opinion. They are
Dark
. They are children of the dark arts, the
Dark
Fae, and they are intent upon destroying the human race. In the past, they entered weak humans and whispered to them to commit heinous crimes. They were usually found to be the right hand man or woman of the cruelest dictators of the world. They are here now, and they were here then. In every ugly moment of the human race, they were there. The instigators, goading and coaxing evil on.

They were my people.

I am a descendant of the Dark Fae. I was to be their king. The chosen one. The king who, according to all legends, would unite the dark and light. If only I could keep the
Dark
from consuming me. And each day it was becoming more and more of a battle. The
Dark
was my blood, my soul. It flowed through me like a powerful force. But somehow, miracle of all miracles, I managed to escape its call, the
need.
I had risen above it and had remained a perfect combination of both.
He
told me that I would never fall. But at night, when my inner soul waged its private battle, I did not believe him.

I stared at her again. Found her easily. It was difficult to fathom that this tomboyish child was to ascend a throne and become a powerful, indomitable queen.

A queen that was already promised to a warrior king.

A queen that would fall in love, and with that would make the greatest sacrifice.

Her life.

She would leave a brokenhearted husband behind and live in the minds of her loyal subjects for centuries to come. She, the queen of all queens, would save her kingdom from ruin, and for this honor she would give her life.

All of this, her future, was written in the heavens before this girl was even born. I wondered if she sensed her greater purpose as she sat on the bleachers with her head held high, without a care in the world. I wondered if she knew deep down that there was something unique about her.

Special.

Did she know what her fate was to be?

A queen.

And I was to be her king.

I continued to stare, wondering if he noticed me at all in the crowd. Hoping that I stood out among the masses of girls staring at him in utter lust. My mind raced as I thought back to conversations I had heard earlier in the week.

I think I remembered hearing his name mentioned around school that week. I wish that I paid closer attention to what was said about him. But I never paid attention to gossip. Especially because half the time it was mean-spirited. No one had anything nice to say anymore.

It was just then that Teddy turned to me and answered some of the questions running through my mind. He could probably tell that I was gawking. But everyone was gawking, so at least I wasn't alone.

“You know the rumors don't you?”

“No,” I answered trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

“He was forced to leave Camden County High,” Teddy said turning to me.

Manteo High School's eternal rival.

“Supposedly he got together with another player's girlfriend. Real scandalous. It got so bad in school that he had to leave.” Teddy excitedly told me as he gossiped away.

For some strange reason I felt sick to my stomach. “Fact or fiction?” I asked a bit defensively.

Teddy shrugged, “Who cares? It makes for the beginning of a great story.”

Not to me, it doesn't. I didn't share that sentiment out loud. Teddy was impressed, though, by the obvious hype as he continued his story.

“This guy is a supposedly a legend over there. He's like one of the best quarterbacks our state has ever seen,” Teddy continued.

I stared openly at him again. Yes, everything about him screamed legend. You could tell in his past life he had probably been a great warrior. Not that I believed in that sort of thing, but if I
were
to believe, I'd bet he was the leader of a great army that was unbeatable… Oh Lord, my fantasies were sure taking a turn for the strange.

“If he's such a legend, why would they let him go?” I asked desperately trying to poke holes in Teddy's story.

“He apparently decided to leave on his own,” Teddy said with a hint of sarcasm. “What a martyr.”

“I'm sure there's a lot more to the story,” I added trying very hard to sound indifferent. “People always leave out the most important details, you know. Like the truth.”

“Well you know what they say, behind ever rumor there's a bit of truth,” he reminded me with a laugh as he rolled his eyes.

“I mean take a look at Brian Baker. He looks like he's been hit in the gut. He must be pissed that this guy is just coming in and taking his place as quarterback,” Teddy continued as he all but pointed.