Page 36 of Bombshell

I took a long, deep inhale of it and felt an odd magic on the edge of my senses. It was light and faint, but felt nothing like anything I’d ever experienced before. Nor could I pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

It was almost like it was calling out to me, but I didn’t know where to go or how to follow it. The urge to throw myself intothe ocean was almost overwhelming as I stared out into the inky darkness.

I was so distracted by thezingof it that I nearly forgot that Odette was still standing next to me until she growled with frustration.

“Effie.”

I blinked hard, shaking my head as the magic all but disappeared from my senses and I was back in my body again. All of the noise that seemed to have faded away was back again, the laughter and music inside, and Odette’s huff of annoyance at being ignored.

“Sorry,” I muttered with a frown, shaking my head a little bit harder to get rid of the last tidbits of weirdness that was still lingering as I tried to remember the last words she said. “Youcando that, Odette, you are a fully fledged adult and have been for awhile.”

“It’s different for fae…” Odette trailed off, nibbling on her lower lip.

My brows shot up. “Is it that different? You’ve been on the mortal coil for the better part of a century and you can barely leave the house.”

This was the part of the conversation we didn’t get to finish earlier in Odette’s bedroom. The tough love part that I’d been hoping to avoid.

“How old are those faerie men in there, O? Are they centuries older than you?”

She shook her head. “No, Daddy didn’t want someone too old…”

“Exactly. They are all around the same age as you and yet it looks like they are all independent from their parents. They have jobs and lives that they get to live. But what about you? Do you want todoanything with your life? Or do you want to live in that giant ass prison you call a house.”

“That’s hurtful. I happen to like my house.” Odette’s golden brows drew together as she glared at me, showing the first true sign of anger that I’d ever really seen from the woman. “And I do want to do stuff outside of it. Of course I do!”

“Then prove it.” I knew I was being harsh, but if I didn’t do this now, in four months when Daphne gave birth and my deal with Alexander was over she would still be stuck in that damn house.

“Odette?” Arsenio’s voice came from the open doorway.

I dropped my voice as low as I could so that only she could hear me. “You don’t need me or James to stick up for you, Odette, you are strong and capable and can stand up for yourself. If you don’t like these guys, tell Arsenio that. If you want to leave the mansion you have to speak up or I’m afraid you’re going to be stuck with real life parental controls forever.”

Odette glanced over her shoulder at her waiting father before turning to look at me again, her shimmery pink lips thinning into a firm line. Then, she hurried inside, tucking her hand into her father’s elbow as they both left me standing on the veranda.

“That conversation went about as well as it probably could have,” Dallan’s voice came from behind me, making me jump and whirl around only to find him hovering on the edge of the balcony standing on a funnel of water.

It was so rare to see him using his ability to control water that, for a moment, I was sure I was hallucinating his presence here entirely.

Earlier he’d been dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of faded, ripped jeans, but now it looked as if he’d changed as he stepped over the balcony railing and landed right in front of me. He was dressed in a dark button down and equally dark slacks that cut an imposing but handsome figure.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, already reaching for him.

It had been hard to leave the shop earlier knowing that he was upset with me, but I’d been pushing the feeling off so much that just seeing his gold eyes was enough to nearly make me throw myself at him and never let go.

“I figured you could use some moral support, Lass,” Dallan said with a charming smile that made my stomach flutter. “Though I think going inside with all of those rich assholes might get the both of us kicked out. I have no fans there. Not since I’ve been busy jamming up their plans to turn the Wharf into a miniature version of this fucking place.”

“I thought you were mad at me.” I nearly cringed at the whine in my voice.

Dallan’s smile dropped a bit as he reached for my face, tilting it up so that we were looking each otherin the eye.

“Not mad, just worried. It feels like you keep pushing yourself further and further into this life and it scares me.” He gestured to the brightly lit party inside, his face grim. “I can’t help but think about what would happen if you actually came to like all of this and wanted it back full time.”

I’d be lying if I said that it was all bad all of the time. Finally being able to do the magic that I’d wanted to do desperately as a child filled me with a sense of fulfillment I’d never felt before. Not to mention the fact that I was even seeing new sides to Alexander that I’d never experienced before.

He wasn’t warm by any means. I wasn’t sure if Alexander Finch was even capable of the fatherly warmth I used to crave.

But now I finally felt a different sort of kinship with him. A magical one. It was suddenly like I was one of his peers and not just a resounding disappointment.

And damn it if that isn’t one of the most heady, addicting feelings in the world.

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