Page 21 of Broken Lands

“What happened to Kala?” I asked. Earth had many religions before the Last War; it was one of the reasons we fought amongst ourselves. The concept of gods was not exactly new to me. I’d never believed in any, though, so the idea of them living and walking among the fae was a little unsettling.

“No one knows for sure. He hasn’t been seen since he ripped open the doorway. There’s some who think he died with the magic, some of whom think he was sucked into the void, and others who think he disappeared once he realized the mistake he made.” Interesting. I’d probably want to lie low if I let these monsters of the void loose on earth. This seemed like information we should know. How had it been kept from us? I’d never so much as heard a rumor about these creatures.

“Why is this kept from the humans? Shouldn’t they be told so that they can protect themselves? Your leaders only visit us once a year. They shouldn’t be left to fend for themselves against creatures they don’t even know exist.” I was on my feet then, not even realizing I’d stood. That red haze was making its way across my vision again. God, I hated feeling so volatile. The well of anger inside me just kept fucking growing. I wasn’t angry at Bee in particular, more so at the general disregard the fae had for the human community. I couldn’t fathom an explanation, especially not in this state. There was so much I didn’t know, though, and I knew I should give them a chance to explain.

Now wasn’t the time to lose it. None of this was Bee’s fault. I thought back to this morning and the way General Brand had had me count my breaths to find my calm again. Practicing it now, I sat back down in the chair. Closing my eyes, I counted to myself and thought about his arms wrapped around me. That was probably a better distraction than counting. I focused on the way his arms had felt wrapped around me, the way his body had caged mine inside his own. I studied his face in my mind, finding calm in the deep pit of his chocolate brown eyes.

I opened my eyes to find Bee smiling at me. “That was so well done. You’ll have full control in no time!” She leant forward in her chair and took my hand, placing it in her own. A fierce expression crossed her features, one in stark contrast to the placid fae I’d known so far. “I know that you feel strongly that we don’t do enough to help the human community. I know that’s how it seems from the outside. There are many of us that feel the same way. I promise, we are doing what we can, and working on doing more.”

There was a fire flaring in her eyes. At that moment, I knew I could take her at her word. I wouldn’t stop fighting for the human community, but I did have to trust that there were some Fae working on changing the way things were, and that there were reasons for the way things had been done so far.

Suddenly, a strong wind wrapped around my torso and I was yanked from the chair I’d been sitting in, immediately losing grip on Bee’s hand. My ponytail fell loose, my hair whipping around me as the wind thrashes around my body, lifting me up, up, up into the air, and dragging me across the room at high speed. A scream tore through my throat, but as quickly as it began, the lashing wind ceased and I was plunging downward, falling directly into a pair of strong, familiar arms waiting to catch me.

Our eyes locked as I looked up at Stefan’s handsome face, the silver in his eyes feeling as though it could see right into the depths of my soul. I’m sure he could read every thought I’d ever had just by focusing those eyes on mine. He smiled at me, amusement tugging at the side of his mouth, and for a moment, I was transfixed and completely vulnerable.

My heart was thundering wildly in my chest, not just from the shock of whatever this asshole just did, but from the closeness of him. His smell, rosewood and cinnamon, enveloped me, and I nuzzled into his chest, wanting to be closer to him. As close as I could get. My hands roamed over his chest of their own accord, down his sides, grazing back up his arms, feeling the large biceps underneath them.

Mine.

Stefan chuckled darkly, the sound of it so unexpected, so unfamiliar, that it tore me out of whatever spell I’d just been ensnared in. Stefan was grinning down at me. No sign of the joking, carefree man I’ve known so far. His smile didn’t reach his eyes as shadows clouded over them, taking away the jovial sparkle that usually lit them up. This version of Stefan was all predator and for a moment, it was all I could do not to shriek in fear.

My body tensed as my self-preservation instinct finally kicked in and I pulled my hands away from his biceps, grimacing inwardly, unable to believe I did that.

Not the time, Riley. Get away from the monster, then you can berate yourself all you like.

Even my internal monologue wasn’t going to cut me any slack.

Trying to maintain some dignity, I pushed hard against his chest and demanded he put me down. He obliged, placing me swiftly on my feet. Taking a few steps back, I worked to create some distance between myself and whatever this creature was standing before me.

I hardly recognized him. “What are you?” I blurted, unable to hold my tongue as I took another step backwards, closer to Bee. He didn’t make any move to follow me. The tightness in my chest eased as I realized he wasn’t following me, that he was allowing me to retreat. A move that didn’t marry with the terrifying aura rolling off of his body in waves.

The bitter taste of fear burnt my throat as I forced myself to swallow. The man standing before me was somehow more than a man, more than a fae. There was something so otherworldly about him, something that screamed ‘run away’, but at the same time drew me to him. My thoughts scattered as I became caught in his gaze again. I stopped backing away, instead reaching forward, my fingers stroking the sharp lines of his jaw. He really was beautiful.

“Turn it off, Stefan.” Bee warned, her voice closer than I expected. “Before you lose control and hurt her.” I dropped my hand from his cheek, clenching it into a fist at my side, and turned to find her right next to me, glaring up at Stefan. Her hands ball into fists at her sides, vines slowly winding up her arms and trailing down to the wooden floorboards.

She looked ready to attack him, her back ramrod straight, feet spread apart in a fighter’s stance. This petite little pixie, with sweet bells for a laugh, looked ready to go head-to-head with this monstrous version of Stefan.

What the fuck is happening?

“Now, Stefan.” She growled, moving her hands up in front of her face, palms facing towards him, while at the same time moving her body between us.

He blinked. Once. Twice. The darkness clouding his eyes began to recede as his shoulders relaxed and the tension slowly seeped out of his body. Bee relaxed too, lowering her hands, though she didn’t move from her protective position in front of me.

No one spoke for a long time. All of us caught in some weird, tension filled standoff. Just as I was about to ask what had just happened, Stefan spun on his heel and, in just a few long strides, left the library without so much as a word.

“Are you okay?” Bee asked as she turned around to face me.

“I don’t understand what just happened.” And I don’t. The Stefan that was just here was not my Stefan. He had been someone else completely. Something else, maybe.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to sit down. Making my way back to the chairs Bee and I had been in before that shit show happened, I plopped down, closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths.

My fingers fiddled with my locket as I tried, and failed, to make sense of all the new information and experiences that had happened over the last few days. I was starting to feel the weight of it, and I really needed some time to relax and process everything properly.

“Let’s leave the research for another day. We can grab some subs, borrow a canoe and float on the lake for the afternoon? I think you need time to work through everything that happened before classes start tomorrow.” This girl was seriously a mind reader—a saint and a mind reader.

I sighed heavily, wanting more than anything to take her up on her offer. I nodded quickly, deciding that there was no more I could do to find James until I found some kind of lead, and that I was more than deserving of an afternoon off.

My ascension had been anything but easy so far, and if that kept up, this might be my last chance to truly relax.

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