“It was nothing,” Brad said, looking over at me with what appeared to be an apology in his eyes. Or maybe it was pity.
“It was the truth,” Ben said, like he was warning Brad.
That turd sure did know how to push my buttons. I gripped the armrest on the door to help keep control of my temper as I looked up at my nemesis. “Whatever you said, it may or may not have been true, but that doesn’t change the fact that you—Ben—are not invited into this car or into my life, so you can just back the fuck off and be on your merry Dark Fae way.”
He leaned down, once again feeling very cock-sure, if his expression was anything to go by. “Hey, what’s up with the anger, Jayne? You and I are on the same team.”
I laughed right in his stupid face. “Oh, yeah? Since when? You’re Dark Fae, and I’m Light. Like, one hundred percent Light, so you can keep your little recruitment scheme to yourself.”
He looked genuinely confused. “You think you’re Light Fae?”
His face made me sick. Not because it was ugly or too impossibly handsome but because I could detect no lie in his voice nor any deception in his expression. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Hi, Jayne. Oh, hi, Ben. I didn’t know you were here, too.” Tony walking up with his backpack slung over only one arm almost made me barf. I was too late; Ben had already gotten to him.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“TONY, WHAT ARE you doing wearing your backpack like that?!” I nearly screeched.
He paused, slowly letting his bag slide down his arm. “What?”
I threw open the door to get out, hitting Ben in the knees. While the Dark Fae jerk bent over to tend to his injuries, I walked over to Tony, searching his face the entire time. How long has Ben been working on him? Getting into his life? Changing who he is?
Tony’s eyes grew wider as he took in my status. His gaze started at the top of my shaved head, roamed down my scrubs-clad body, and stopped at my pink Crocs. He had nothing to say as his backpack landed on the ground next to his left foot with a solid thunk.
I held up my hands. “I know. It’s hideous. I look like a total freak. But that’s not important right now. What’s important is that you come with me to Miami, no questions asked.” I pushed my palms together in prayer position, hoping it would make me look innocent and seem more convincing.
He reached up to scratch his head. “I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible.” His hair was sticking up in a clump where he’d messed with it. I’d forgotten how goofy he could look. It made my heart hurt with love for him. He had so much potential, but if he didn’t come with me, he’d never realize most of it.
“Why not?” I was almost crying. If I’d had any hair, I would have torn it out in frustration.
“Because. You…” He pointed at me, at a loss for words. But he didn’t have to say anything. I knew I looked like an escaped mental patient, and I was probably acting like one too. If the shoe fits…
A car door opened and shut and suddenly Brad was standing at my side. “Hey, dude. You’re Tony.”
Tony looked up at Brad, surprised, obviously, to see our high school’s football god standing there actually deigning to talk to him. “Uh. Yeah. And you’re Brad Powers. What are you doing here?” He paused and pointed at me. “With her.”
“Hey,” I said, offended. “Don’t act like it’s totally out of any realm of possibility.”
Tony looked at me with all the patience he’s capable of mustering. “Jayne…have you seen yourself lately?”
I dropped my gaze to my shoes. “Okay, so it’s not the latest fashion, but…”
Ben interrupted from behind me. “The girl you see standing here before you is not the real Jayne.”
I whipped my head around to glare at him. “I do not need your help, so shut it!”
“I think you do,” he said, gesturing at Tony with a nod of his head.
Tony was slowly backing away, dragging his backpack with him. “I have to get to class.”
“No!” I yelled, seeing our friendship disintegrating before my eyes. And hell no was I going to let that happen in this lifetime or any other. Time to bubble shun his skinny ass. I lifted my left hand, speaking to my Earth element. “Tony must stay and talk to me, bubble us in for privacy.”
A glorious dome of Green power immediately surrounded us, effectively encasing him and stopping his retreat while also hopefully blocking the others from hearing what I had to say.
Brad stepped back, gazing at the scene like he was watching a strange science experiment.
I glanced at Ben over my shoulder and saw that my move had not only surprised him but frustrated him, too. He was trying to use his elements to bust in, being all sneaky about it, but I easily held him off with one more little rhyme: “Water and Earth, hear my call, cool Ben down and bust his balls.”
Ben jumped back and grabbed at his crotch, mouthing some choice cuss words at me through the Green dome. I was pretty sure I could see steam rising from his body too, where the Water element had cooled his jets for him. I laughed with relief when I realized after not actually hearing Ben’s words that I’d successfully added a sound block to my bubble shun, as planned. I was totally rocking the party in this time-slip now. I stuck my tongue out and blew Ben a raspberry for good measure.
“What is this?” Tony asked, reaching out to make contact with the Green shield.
“I wouldn’t touch it if I were you.” I tried to smile through the warning. Easy does it; no need to scare the shit out of him.
He stopped immediately. “Why?”
I shrugged. “Wellll…it might put you in a coma or it might not. It’s hard to say sometimes.”
He looked at me and blinked rapidly, his hand frozen in midair.
This conversation was not going how I wanted it to go. He looked like he was about to pass out. “Okay, right now you’re having a little brain fart, Tones, but don’t worry, it’ll wear off. Just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll start explaining stuff.”
He was like a confused dog, the way he was tilting his head at me. His hand slowly lowered to hang at his side, but that was the only sign I had that he wasn’t totally catatonic.
I looked at my bare arm as if I had a watch on. “Any day now, though. I seriously do not have a lot of time.”
He shook his head as if to clear it and coughed once before finally speaking. “I can’t lie and say I understand any of this. Honestly, I’m wondering if I should be afraid of you.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, worried this was going to be over before it even had a chance to begin. Be cool. Be honest. Be smart. You can do this. I opened my eyes and prayed he’d see my good intentions shining from within. “Please don’t be scared. Please. I’m doing all of this for you.” I gestured to my head, to my outfit, to the bubble, and to Brad who was standing off to my left and staring at me. He actually looked like he wanted to ask me to prom, which I would have found hilarious if I hadn’t been so stressed about Tony.
“I don’t understand,” my BFF said. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would you think I’d want you to do any of that?”
I took a step closer and he backed away. He hit the edge of the bubble and it bounced him forward, sending him right into me. I hugged him to keep both of us from falling but then quickly released him, even though I wanted to hold him in a grip of iron and never let him go. He was trembling.
I took a step in reverse so he wouldn’t feel crowded. “I’m going to give you the super duper condensed version, because I honestly don’t know how long I can hold Ben off,” I said.
Tony looked over my shoulder at him. “Why are you acting like he’s got some sort of…thing…against you, or whatever? He just showed up at school the other day. He’s a new student and he doesn’t even know you. He’s really cool, I promise.”
I shook my head vigorously, nearly giving myself a headache in the process. “No. Nope. Not having it, Tony. He’s a liar, and he lies all the time. He’s been her
e for at least a year watching us, waiting for the right time to recruit us into his sick little world.”
Tony looked deflated. “Jayne, come on…do you know how crazy that sounds?”
I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. “I’m not crazy! I have proof! If you look at the photograph on your desk of us at that Halloween costume party…,”—I twisted halfway around and pointed at Ben behind me—“…you’ll see him in the background.” I faced Tony once more. “That photo was taken over a year ago, Tony. He’s not a cool high school student from some other school district who just moved into the area; he’s a powerful Dark Fae elemental who has control of Fire and Wind, who’s been hanging out here biding his time before he makes his move. He’s a megalomaniac bent on ruling the world, and he’s willing to use me and you and anyone else he can manipulate into accomplishing that sick goal.”
“What?” Tony’s eyes went wide and wild.
I gripped him by the forearms and stared him down, heedless of the risk I was taking by being so forceful. “I have known you for years, and I’m aware that during some of that time you’ve probably questioned whether it was wise to be my friend…but I also know that deep down inside, despite the fact that I can be a bit much sometimes, you love me like a sister. And I know that you know that I love you like a brother and I’d do anything in the world for you. You know my feelings for you are one hundred percent genuine and real. You are my best friend and vice versa.”
Tony tried to resist, but he finally nodded his assent.
I nearly cried with relief. “I would never lie to you unless I had to in order to protect you. But now is not one of those times. In order to protect you, I have to tell you the whole truth. And the whole truth is that you and I are of a different race. We are not human. Well, you are right now, but you won’t be for long.”
“Am I going to die?” he asked, sounding very wimpy. His eyes went suddenly bloodshot.
“No, you’re not going to die. Don’t be ridiculous. Anyone who tries to kill you will have to go through me, and I am a very powerful person. Fae. Whatever.”
“Fae?”
“Supernatural person. And almost a year ago—actually today, but whatever—you and I went down to Miami, and we met this guy Jared, and we started this whole new life as fae.”
“I’m fae too? But that doesn’t make any sense. A year ago, but it was today? What?”
“I know. Believe me, I know. I get it. This seems totally crazy.” I laughed. “I mean, really… Fae? It sounds nuts! But it’s not. It’s real, and this green bubble around you isn’t fake either. It isn’t a trick. It’s proof that what I’m telling you is real. The fae exist. I am fae. You will be fae.” I looked at the car. “Long is fae. Maybe Mike and Brad will be one day.”
“I felt the energy when I fell against it.” Tony pulled one arm out of my grip and reached up to stroke the edge of our bubble. “It’s like…it’s like…I can feel you in it somehow.” His expression lost some of its panicked look.
“Yes!!” If I could have jumped up and done a Russian split in the air, I would have, but since gravity still worked in the bubble and I wasn’t that flexible even on my best day, I had to be satisfied with a fist pump. “Because you, my amazing friend, are an empath and a wrathe, and you can feel my emotions and my energy better than anyone else’s.”
He turned to face me, his expression going serious. “I have felt them before, you know.”
I nodded, tears of hope and relief rushing to my eyes. “Yes! I know. You saved my life a year ago, Tony.”
“I did? How?”
“Well, it actually hasn’t happened yet.” I shook my head to remove the confusion that threatened to take over. Understanding this time-slipping business was a real bitch sometimes. “See, the problem is, I caused a bit of a fuss in our new fae world, and so some witch—who is totally going to die when I get my hands on him or her—sent me back in time to the point before we went to Miami and started this new, amazing life. So, we’re kind of, like, starting over, but with me having all the knowledge of what our future holds. It’s totally and completely fucked up that I have to convince you of this crap, because in reality—the first time around—you lived it with me and were right by my side the entire time.”
Tony pointed to the ground. “So you’re saying someone sent you back in time…to right now? In those shoes? Do Fae wear Crocs?”
“Yes…No….” I growled in frustration. “Please, for the love of all that is holy, Tony, leave the Crocs out of this. Forget you ever saw them on my feet.”
“That’s…kind of hard to do,” he said, still staring.
“Argh, would you listen, please?!” I shook him for good measure, finally getting him to break eye contact with the horribleness on my feet. “The take-home point is that someone is trying to stop me from doing my duty, but it’s not going to work.”
“Stop you from doing what duty? Or do I even want to know?” He looked at the sides of the bubble, as if he were trying to find a way out of it.
Emotions warred inside me. I was beyond distressed that after all I’d said and shown to Tony that he still wanted to leave and go back into the school building…that our friendship wasn’t strong enough to ease his doubts, even when backed up by a Green energy bubble surrounding him. But I also knew that I couldn’t let fear rule my life. At some point I had to have faith in something—fate, our friendship, karma…whatever it was that was going to make sure my future wasn’t totally effed up. It felt like Tony and I were standing on a precipice. Our friendship was either going to continue stronger than ever, or be severed forever as a result of this jumping off moment. And in order to move forward into one of those futures, I had to take a chance, take a leap. I had to take the biggest risk to get the biggest reward. Keeping him trapped was sending the wrong message, and I needed him to hear what my heart was trying to tell him, not impress him with my powers.
Screw you, Fear. I stepped back and exhaled a deep breath before letting the bubble disintegrate into nothing. It was the only way to prove to him that I was being honest. “If you really want to go, you can. I’m not going to stop you. But just so you know, you are one of the most important fae in our entire community. You’re super intelligent and they know it; everyone looks to you for guidance on just about everything. Fae that are hundreds of years old trust your judgment. All those years of playing chess made you the best strategist they’ve ever met. You have a special talent, too—you can walk the space between realms. You help lost souls find their way into heaven. It’s an amazing gift. And you meet a beautiful girl named Felicia, and she’s your girlfriend. You guys share a room at the compound. She’s way hotter than any of the girls at this school.”
Tony swallowed with effort. “You’re saying I have a hot girlfriend?”
“Yes. Very hot. Big boobs and everything. And she has an identical twin sister, and they sometimes fight over you.”
He picked up his bag and adjusted it over both shoulders. “Where do I sign up?”
My jaw dropped and I went speechless for about ten seconds, which for me is a really long time. “Are you serious?”
He smiled lopsidedly. “Yeah.”
“So, let me get this straight…you were going to say ‘No thanks’ when it was all about being with your best friend in the entire world, but once you heard about a bimbo falling in love with you, you’re ready to jump right in and say goodbye to your entire human life, no questions asked?”
His eyebrows drew together in concern. “She’s a bimbo?”
I sensed him slipping away again. “No! She’s super smart!! She just looks like she could be a bimbo because she’s too pretty…and hot!” I reached out and grabbed his arm. “Did I mention you lose your virginity to her and her sister during a threesome?”
He grinned lopsidedly. “Jayne, you had me at girlfriend.”
I didn’t believe him. I feared he was messing with me. It couldn’t be as easy as telling him he had a girlfriend, is what I was thi
nking. Tony was too rational and practical for that. “Please, I’m begging you. Please just come with me to Miami. If you meet Jared and you aren’t convinced, I’ll never bother you again.” My heart nearly cracked at that statement. Could I walk away from Tony and leave him to be recruited by the Dark? Yes. I would have to or he’d never trust me again, and Tony’s trust and love were the most important things in the world to me.
“Fine.” He sighed. “I’ll go to Miami and meet this Jared person, but I’m not going to promise anything, girlfriend or not.”
“Deal.” I held my hand out.
His face turned a little pink. “But hey…will that girl…Felicia be there?”
I yanked him to me and hugged him as hard as I could. “No, you perv. She comes onto the scene in a few months.” I left out the part about how she arrives at the Light Fae compound in response to a call to arms because we’re headed into war, and that Ben is the one causing all the unrest on the Dark Fae side. There would be plenty of time to ease him into that nightmare, and I planned to do it after his fae blood was awakened. Please, Jared, do not screw this up.
I turned to face Ben, a triumphant grin on my face. “Sorry, dude. No Dark Fae in this party. Not today.”
His nostrils twitched. “Like I said. You’re already Dark. I’ve seen it.”
“Been scrying again?” I taunted. I knew my comment hit its mark when he flinched. “Tell me…did you see yourself riding a dragon in this scrying, by any chance?” For once in my life, I felt like I knew more than Big Head Ben. It was a glorious thing. I’m walking on sunshine…whooaahh…
“As a matter of fact, I did.” He lifted his chin, obviously very proud of himself. I was pretty sure I could see his head swelling.
“Reeealllly…and what color was it?” I asked as innocently as possible.
His lower jaw stuck out. “Black.”
I grinned, my superiority assured. “The Dark of Blackthorn? Ha. You wish. Wrong answer.” I leaned in closer so only he would hear me. “See…the difference between scrying and time-slipping is the difference between what you think might happen and what already did. I know how your story ends, Ben, and it ain’t pretty. FYI…just a couple friendly tips…better be careful who you plan and scheme with, and you might want to let a little air out of that big head of yours.” I shoved past him and opened the car door, no longer interested in giving him any more glimpses into his future than I already had. “Hop in, Tony Baloney. We are about to drive south so you can be introduced to your destiny.” I wished I had my demon sword right then, because I would have held it up, bonered it out, and bopped Ben on top of the head with it.