Fae (28 page)

Only the Fae'ri murder.
And age doesn't matter.

I smile again and hug her,
burrowing my nose against her neck. "I'm sorry, Momma."

She sighs and tightens her
arms around me. When she doesn't say anything I know the sigh means
she's decided not to tell. I close my eyes, relief pouring through
me. Thank goodness for overbearing protectiveness.

Daddy comes up to us then
and puts his hand on my back. I'm sure he was waiting to see what
Momma would do. Now that she's made her decision, he'll back her on
it. No one will say anything, for now. They'll have to tell me
eventually, but I'm sure by then they'll have me home and safe,
comfortable, so as not to shock me. And I'm also sure they won't
tell me she'd been poisoned. I'll have to try to draw it out of
them, of course, because I'm curious and they'll expect
it.

I'm planning it all in my
head, what I think they'll say and how I'll answer them. I need to
be prepared.

Just then a glimmer of
hope makes my heart jump. Maybe now Cailen and I can be
bonded.

***

There is no party for me.
Too many people are still in mourning and many others think it's
too soon.

I'm sitting on my bed,
waiting, looking out my window at the birds flying above the bay,
silhouettes against the pink sky and rising sun. I hear their calls
through the glass and I know that's the only music that will play
for me. My gold ceremonial dress shimmers under the sun's rising
light. I feel so free, so naked without my binding. I keep
stretching my arms back, moving in ways I never could before under
so much restriction.

I wonder what color my
wings will be. Of course, I know it's silly to wonder. I'm still
too young to have taken on my color. They'll be pink like every
other young one's under ten. Cailen will have color,
though.

I smile. My
Cailen.

I imagine his wings being
bright green to match his eyes. I decide then that green will be my
new favorite color. He and I will be together and after we are
bonded, no one can separate us.

A few minutes later, a
servant knocks on my door and three women walk in to escort me to
the glass room. The women are wearing bright red suits with
enclosed helmets, all perfectly sealed, like they're escorting some
hazardous waste. Just being cautious. They're trained for bonding
ceremonies, trained to deal with young ones who prematurely release
their wings. In many ways, I am hazardous. I could kill everyone in
the palace if I chose to. And probably everyone in the surrounding
city. My wings would suck all their drilium like a black hole
sucking everything within its reach.

I shudder.

The women hesitate, their
arms extended. I can see in their questioning, worried eyes that
they think I might prematurely release. I shake my head at them and
relax my shoulders. After a moment, two of the women move to each
side of me and the third walks behind and they lead me to the glass
room.

The palace has its own
bonding room. It's small and plain, like all the others, but it's a
permanent fixture next to the throne room. I've looked at it every
day for as long as I can remember, waiting for my chance. Today I
will stand in it and when I leave, I'll never have to restrain my
wings again. And neither will Cailen. It will be the first of many
things we'll share.

The halls are silent as we
pass through them. No one is around. Though they all probably know
I'd never prematurely release, the fear is ingrained in everyone.
They'll return to their posts when Cailen and I are safely sealed
in the glass room.

We pass the throne room
with its green and gold arches and sloped ceiling, and stop at a
small, wooden door at the end of the hall. The door is fastened
shut and Cailen, with his three escorts, is already waiting
there.

I smile at him when I
catch his eye and he smiles back. His golden, open-backed tunic
drapes majestically to his knees. His thick, black hair is darker
than I've ever seen it. And his eyes, his crisp jade eyes, are
bright, excited.

One of my escorts opens
the door. Air hisses out as the seal breaks. When we both step
forward, my hand instinctively twitches toward his, but I pull it
back. We aren't allowed any physical contact until after we are
bonded. Not because the bond would be tainted or anything, but more
for symbolic reasons.

We pass under the arched
doorway and then there's a rumbling thud as the door closes and its
metal hinges latch. We are alone and we turn to face each other.
One by one, our families and friends come up to stand outside and
watch through the glass walls. Daddy is smiling. Momma, too. My
instructors have come also. Galen stands off to the side, watching
with troubled eyes. His skin is pale, his hair unkempt. I wonder if
he's sick. He doesn't take his eyes off Cailen. Not once. Not even
to blink. Cailen's mother hasn't come at all.

A voice booms through
speakers in the ceiling, going over the meaning of the bond, asking
us to say yes when appropriate, but I watch Galen. Within minutes
of the ceremony, his skin has turned yellow. I almost miss the
moment when I'm supposed to release my wings, I'm so transfixed on
Galen's horror-ridden face, but Cailen clears his throat to get my
attention and I rip my gaze away from his father. Cailen tilts his
head, curious. I smile to brush away his worry, and then we both
nod at each other because it's time.

I concentrate on muscles
I've never used before. It feels a bit like trying to make my ears
wiggle. I'm giving the command, but my brain has no idea how to
translate and send the information. Finally, I feel something. My
skin tingles and protests like a limb that's gone to sleep, but I
fight through it because I'm so close. Just...a...little
bit...more.

My wings slide out from
beneath my skin and plop down the length of my back. I open my
eyes--a little surprised to find I'd closed them--and see Cailen's
wings spill out from his back. They're green, just like I'd hoped,
but I'd never imagined they could be so beautiful. I reach my hand
out to touch them and fall on my back. Pain radiates just
underneath my skin and I think I'm screaming. It burns. It burns
and scorches, and now I know I'm screaming.

I'm going to die; I know
it. Cailen's drilium is eating me alive. I look up and my father is
staring at me. I see pity, and knowledge. He knew this would
happen. He knew.

I can't take anymore! My
back arches under the pain and I grit my teeth. Please no more.
Please!

And then the pain is gone,
washed away, replaced with warmth. Oozing, tingling warmth. I
feel...happy. Doubly happy, like there's two sets of glee and
they're bouncing off each other, making waves, growing stronger. I
roll over and see Cailen. He's on the floor, too. He smiles at me
and my heart leaps as joy bounces off from me to him and him to me.
And I laugh.

I scoot over to him and
move his now caramel blonde hair away from his ear and whisper, "I
love you, and I promise I always will."

***

It's almost evening and
we're still together. That fuzzy, tingling warmth hasn't gone away.
It pulses through my blood, making feel stronger and lighter at the
same time.

I never want to leave
Cailen. He and I belong together now and our drilium bond proves
it, reminds us of it every moment we're with each other. I can't
imagine the emptiness I'll feel when each of us has to go home
later tonight.

For now, though, we're
just enjoying us.

Right after the bonding
and after our families offered their congratulations--and Galen
stormed out for some reason--Cailen brought me to a field. A
bright, green field with swaying grass and purple wild flowers.
We've been lying here for hours, watching the clouds, not talking,
just feeling each other's presence, reading each other's
emotions.

My hound, Lolabelle, is
with us, enjoying the sun as she rests on the grass beside
us.

Cailen sits up and leans
over me to look in my eyes. A spike of joy bursts inside my heart.
He is happy. We both are happy.

His gaze drops to my neck
and his smile turns questioning, his eyebrows draw closer. "What is
that?"

I follow his gaze with my
hand and remember the locket I'd found. Shame fills me for some
reason as I draw it out from beneath my ceremonial dress and look
at its face. The flower glimmers in the sunlight. The death stone
shimmers with its rainbow of color.

"A locket," I
whisper.

Cailen's face has turned
from joy to worry. His lips purse as he draws the locket away from
my hands. "Where did you find it?"

Again, for some reason,
shame rips through me. I decide to lie, so I look away to hide the
truth in my eyes. "Oh, I don't know. I--I uh, just found it this
morning. Before the ceremony."

"You found it
today?"

I look off at a lone tree
in the middle of the field. Maybe if he sees I'm more interested in
something else, he leave the subject behind. "Yes," I say. Another
lie. I've never lied to him before and yet it's coming so easily
for me now and I don't even know why I'm doing it.

"Do you know what's
inside?"

I shake my
head.

"Do you mind if I have
it?"

I look back at him,
positive he's making fun of me. What would Cailen want with a
locket? But he looks dead serious, almost desperate, and I don't
have the heart to say no to him. So lift the chain and pull it over
my head.

He snatches it out of my
hand and puts it in his pocket.

I sit up and shove him
playfully. "What was all that for?"

He laughs and pushes me
back. We're on a slope and I'm sitting below Cailen, so as soon as
he pushes me, I roll over and down the hill, laughing the whole
way. When I stop at the bottom, I stand up in a hurry because
Cailen followed behind me. He's laughing and whooping and I can
tell by the way he keeps looking at me that's he's trying to run me
over.

I squeal and run as fast I
can to the tree line across the open field. Lolabelle is running
beside me, caught up in the fun. Tall grass and wild flowers whip
at my ankles. When I look over my shoulder, I see Cailen has gotten
to his feet and is running toward me, and gaining.

I laugh and push harder.
I'm so close to the woods. If I can just get there, I can hide
behind a tree and surprise him when he comes through.

Just...a few...more
feet...

I see Galen half hidden
several feet deep in the woods and I freeze. He's staring at me,
smiling, but it isn't a pleasant smile. It's cruel and
twisted.

A man steps out from
behind the tree in front of me. He stays just within the shadows. A
long beard covers his face and most of his front. I've never seen
anyone like him before and I know I've never seen anyone wearing
black robes like the ones he wears.

My heart starts pounding
beneath my chest. Danger oozes from the man. I look over my
shoulder and Cailen is still a far way off, but he'll be by my side
in moments. Somehow I know I don't even have that much time
left.

I take a step back, but
it's too late. The man in the black robes lunges for me and grips
my wrists hard in his hands. More people step out from behind the
trees. They all look like the first man with long beards and black
robes.

I scream.

"Ella?" Cailen's voice
travels over the field, much closer now, but it doesn't
matter.

One of the men steps
forward with chains and binds my wrists together. Something is
wrong. I feel weak, heavy, dizzy.

More men step forward and
grab Lolabelle.

I scream again and try to
fight my way out. They drag me into the trees, silently, ignoring
my screams. And I know why. Cailen and I have traveled far from the
palace today. No one will hear. No one except Cailen--or Galen--but
Cailen can't do anything and I'm sure Galen doesn't want
to.

"Ella!" Cailen's tortured
voice is right behind me.

I twist around to see him.
"Cailen!"

Horror covers his face and
for the first time I realize the despair seeping through my blood
isn't just mine.

They're pulling something
over my head, something dark to keep out the light, and the last
things I see are his bright green eyes.

More books by Emily
White:

Elemental (Book One of The
Auri Wars)

To Love or Die in a
Steamy-Reamy World

Almost Night
(2014)

Acknowledgments

There are so many people who have
contributed to my career over the years. Book bloggers, fellow
authors, family. It doesn’t matter how they’ve come into my life,
they’ve all become my friends, and I couldn’t be where I am without
them.

I want to especially thank my husband
and two boys for tolerating my “The Shining”-esque craziness when
it comes to not being disturbed when keys are clicking.

And thank you to Danielle Lohnas for
allowing me the use of her hairstyle for Ella. When I first saw it
on Facebook, I fell in love. And I know Ella loves it just as much,
even though she doesn’t say it.