The girl gazed at Sam and smiled as if she knew something that Sam didn’t. She placed the jar down on the countertop. “But everyone dies eventually.”
“My blood can heal,” Jamie said and held his arm out to the girl. “You can take some if it will help.”
The girl smiled. “Thank you Jamie,” she said. Sam looked at her in surprise. He never introduced himself. “But I’m afraid I’m immune to Vampire blood. It won’t help.”
“How did you know my name?” Jamie asked, allowing his arm to fall back to his side.
“‘Cause I know everything,” the girl said as if it were obvious. She walked past Sam and tugged on Jamie’s arm to make him lean forward. Sam turned and watched as the girl stood on the tips of her toes and whispered something to him. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but halfway through whatever it was Jamie looked up at Sam. And spent the rest of the time the girl was whispering staring at her.
The girl finished speaking and slipped something into Jamie’s hand before she stepped away. She smiled at Sam, as Jamie put whatever she had slipped him into his pocket. “Bridget’s back,” she said. “You can get your things now.”
“What did you say to him?” Sam asked accusingly, taking a step towards her.
The girl just smiled and walked to the door.
“Effie?”
Sam turned at the sound of the voice to see Bridget behind the counter. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yes,” she said quietly, with a barely noticeable glance towards Jamie. “I did.”
Sam watched as the girl walked out of the store. Then she turned to Bridget.
“Who’s that?” she asked as if Bridget was in on some kind of conspiracy with that girl. Though couldn’t help being paranoid; that girl was creepy and Bridget knew her.
“That was Effie,” Bridget said, as if that was all the explaining that needed to be done.
“And who is Effie?” Sam asked. “What is she?”
Bridget took a moment to think, then frowned. “You know . . . I’m not sure. I never really thought to ask.”
Sam sighed and closed her eyes, wondering what that girl had said to Jamie.
She turned her head to look in his direction. He was staring at Bridget unabashedly, his eyes wide. He must be having a system overload with all the things he’s seen today.
Jamie always seemed to have a hard time coming to terms with anything that didn’t appear normal. He’d either deny the existence of anything that was inhuman, or, when he had been proven to be wrong in his denial, stand there and stare open-mouthed in a state of shock.
She could understand why Jamie appeared freaked out by Bridget. She still looked more humanesque than most other Faeries, but her skin had taken on a pale green glow as had her once chestnut coloured hair. Which gave her an aura of pure undiluted unearthliness. She would be a shock to anyone’s system if they weren’t used to seeing things like that.
“The usual,” she said, turning her attention back to Bridget.
Bridget smiled and started gathering Sam’s usual items.
Jamie looked away from Bridget and turned to gaze at Cayden through the window. “Um . . . so, why was he asking you about his ballad?”
Sam sighed. “He writes songs about everyone, and there’s one about me too.”
“Oh.”
“Here you are,” Bridget said, and placed a paper bag on the countertop.
“Thanks.” Sam took the bag and squished it into her backpack.
Bridget removed a glass jar from the shelf behind her, twisted the lid off and placed it on the table. Sam positioned her hand over the jar and projected some energy waves into it. She took her hand away when the energy inside turned a shade of lightning blue. Bridget put the lid back on, trapping the Magic inside, and replaced it on the shelf.
“See you next month,” she said with a smile.
“Bye.” Sam roughly pushed Jamie out the door in front of her and walked out behind him.
“What was that?” Jamie asked. “Don’t you have to pay?”
Sam smiled. “I did,” she replied. “They have no use for money here, things are paid for with Magic or bodily fluids or favours. I choose to pay with Magic.”
Jamie didn’t say anything in response. He was too busy watching Cayden.
Cayden smiled at Jamie before he turned his attention back to his mandolin and started singing.
“Her heart was filled with sadness—”
Sam grabbed onto Jamie’s arm and pulled him back towards the woods, where the portal was. She could still hear Cayden singing as she walked, with Jamie trailing along beside her. His melodic voice sounded through the streets.
“Yet tears would never flow
Her eyes that shone like sapphires
Were filled with wisdom’s glow
Childish thoughts of laughter
With time hath fade to dust
Come gather ‘round me passers-by
For listen now you must
The worlds lay on her shoulders
Such a burden for one to bear
Come listen to the ballad
Of the girl with golden hair—”
CHAPTER 44
“I wanted to hear the rest of the song,” Jamie whined as they reached the other side of the portal. “What does it go like?” he asked with a smile.
Sam sighed irritably. “I don’t know.”
That was a lie, she knew what the rest of it went like.
The whole of Tír na nÓg knew what the rest of that fucking song went like.
But that doesn’t mean he has to know, she thought to herself.
“How could you not know?” Jamie asked doubtfully. “Surely he would have told you . . . did he not have to ask you questions about yourself to write a ballad about you? Or was it just an observational song?”
Sam hadn’t really told Cayden anything. She met him on her first trip to the Faerie markets—well, not so much met as she did look at him.
But that was all it took, one look into her eyes and he knew everything about her. Of course Sam hadn’t realised that until a minute later when he started strumming his mandolin and singing that ballad.
That was when she found out that Cayden had the unique ability to view a person’s past. One look into their eyes and he could see everything that had ever happened in their life. If Sam had known that she never would have made eye contact. She hated that he could know so much about her without her saying a word, and the fact that he wrote a song about her only made it worse.
“I didn’t tell him anything.” Jamie looked as though he was about to say something else. “Have you ever been to the cliffs?” Sam asked, quickly changing the subject before he could ask anything else about Cayden’s song.
Jamie looked away for a moment as he thought. “ . . . I don’t think so.”
Sam pointed ahead, and walked in that direction. “They’re right down here,” she stated. “I usually walk along them on the way back from the market.”
“That sounds awfully dangerous,” Jamie said nervously.
“It would be kinda funny,” Sam laughed as she spoke, “if I died from falling off a cliff.” Jamie’s head snapped around in her direction. He looked at her seriously, his expression one-hundred percent unamused. I’d find it funny, Sam thought with an internal sigh. “Just because of all the attacks and stuff,” she clarified. Jamie’s serious expression softened slightly. “It would be funny if I ended up dying a human death.”
“Can’t you just make yourself immortal?” he asked. “I saw the spell, so you could if you wanted, right? And that way you wouldn’t have to die at all.”
“I could,” Sam said, as she looked towards the parting in the trees ahead, “ . . . but I don’t think I’d like living for an eternity.”
&n
bsp; Jamie stepped into the clearing first and Sam came in behind him. This was one of her favourite places. Just standing there made her feel at peace.
The grass was overgrown and wild plants grew haphazardly around the field, some of which dangled over the cliff’s edge. In front of her stretched a beautifully endless ocean. “Every time I stand here I feel like I’m at the edge of the world,” Sam said quietly, so as not to disturb the peace.
“I can see why,” Jamie said as he looked around. “This place is nice.”
Sam smiled. “Not dangerous then?”
“Well, yes, it is. But only if you step too close to the edge . . . or get bitten by a rat.”
Sam looked at him sharply. “There are no rats here!”
She saw him trying to suppress his smile. “There’s a couple right over there,” he said, pointing at the long grass to the right of Sam. “I can hear them.”
Sam looked to where Jamie was indicating. “I didn’t need to know that!” she said and Jamie laughed. He ruins everything I like, she thought with a sulk.
“Sam?” Jamie spoke when his laughter had died down. She turned towards him; he had been eyeing her nervously, averting his gaze when she made eye contact. “You know a lot about all things supernatural, right?” he asked, chewing his lower lip.
Sam nodded. “That I do.”
“So, then, you know a lot about Vampires too?”
She smiled, pretty sure she knew where he was going with this. “Yes.”
Jamie ran his hand through his hair and gazed at her expectantly. “I know that you said I could go see Aleczander sometime soon and he’d tell me all the stuff I need to know, but, well, that’s just gonna be a while because he’s so busy with all of his kingly duties . . . so, I was wondering, could you do it?”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “You want me to give you a lesson on Vampires?” Jamie nodded. She laughed a little. “Sure, I suppose I could do that.”
Jamie beamed. “Great.”
Sam stared straight ahead and chewed her lip. She cast a glance in Jamie’s direction and saw that he was looking over the edge at the ocean. Sam let a sigh. “So . . . what did that creepy girl say to you?”
Jamie looked at Sam, the corner of his mouth twitched up in a smile. “Why do you ask?”
“‘Cause I’m curious,” she said with her most uncaring expression. Which only seemed to add to Jamie’s amusement.
“Are you sure that’s why?” he asked, taking a step towards her. “Are you sure you’re not jealous that a pretty girl was talking to me?”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself!” she snapped and folded her arms across her chest. She wasn’t that pretty. “I was just curious to know what was so secret that I wasn’t allowed to hear it. And I know she said something about me ‘cause you looked at me when she was talking.”
Jamie just smiled more. “I’m not gonna tell you what she said.”
“Well, what did she give you?” she asked with a glance towards his pocket.
He shook his head. “That’s also private.”
Sam scoffed and turned around, marching towards her house with Jamie following behind her, giggling to himself like an idiot.
CHAPTER 45
Sam got up off the couch at the sound of the bell and walked to the front door, expecting to find Jamie on the other side. She felt her expression turn to a frown when instead she found a relatively tall girl with dark skin, shiny black hair and green eyes smiling at her.
Jade raised an eyebrow. “Expecting someone else?” she asked with a knowing smile.
“Maybe.” Sam looked Jade up and down, from the gold gladiator sandals on her feet to the gold jewels in her hair. “Or maybe I just wasn’t expecting to open the door to Cleopatra.”
Jade laughed and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. “Where’s your costume?” she asked as she looked at Sam’s outfit disapprovingly.
“I’m dressed as a human,” Sam said with a smile as she looked down at her jeans, then back at Jade. “Can’t you tell?”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Very funny.” She grabbed onto Sam’s wrist and marched through the hall, pulling her upstairs. “I knew you’d try to get out of it.”
“Get out of what?” Sam asked innocently.
“You know wh—” Jade was cut off by the chiming of the doorbell. She frowned as she looked at the door. “Whoever it is won’t get you out of this.”
Sam stayed on the landing at the top of the staircase while Jade went downstairs and flung the door open.
“Nice try Sam!” Jade called when she saw Jamie standing on the threshold. She threw the plastic bag she had brought with her up to Sam, who leaned forward and caught it with one hand. “Go put that on!”
“What?” Sam opened the bag and looked inside to find a black dress and a Witch’s hat. “You brought me a costume?” She gave Jade her most unimpressed look.
Jade just smiled. “I already told you. There’s nothing that will get you out of going. Now go and dress up.”
“Get her out of going to what?” Jamie asked Jade, then looked at Sam. “I thought we had plans.”
“We do,” Sam stated. “I promised—”
“I don’t care!” Jade interrupted, then turned to Jamie and said, “We’re going to a Halloween party . . . You’re coming with us.”
“I am?” Jamie sounded surprised. He looked towards Sam. “You mean I’m actually invited to be seen in public with you?”
Sam frowned, knowing that, at this point, there was nothing she could do or say that would get her out of having to go out tonight. She stormed off to her room with the bag swinging in her hand.
“That means yes,” she heard Jade say as the front door closed.
CHAPTER 46
“I’m Jade,” Cleopatra informed Jamie as he followed her up the stairs. “You must be Jamie.”
“You know my name?” he asked in surprise. Jade laughed. “It’s just, um . . . does that mean that Sam talked about me?”
Jade nodded in reply and knocked on one of the bedroom doors. “We’re coming in, so you better have clothes on!”
“I’m in the bathroom!” Sam yelled just as Jade opened the door to the room. Jamie took a hesitant step inside. This is Sam’s actual bedroom, he thought as he looked around, memorising every detail, from the cream carpet to the purple walls. I’m in her bedroom!
Jamie carefully seated himself on the edge of Sam’s bed. “So what’re you dressing up as?” Jade asked.
“What? I have to dress up for this party?”
“Yeah.” Jade nodded. “It is a costume party. Do you think I dress like this every day?” Jamie laughed and shook his head. “I’m sure I can find you a costume somewhere.”
The door to Sam’s bathroom opened and she walked out. Jamie could do nothing but stare. She held her arms out to the side and slowly twirled around, the end of her dress moving with her. Jamie studied her outfit; she was wearing tights with silver spider webs on them, a black long sleeved dress that stopped about eight inches above her knees and a Witch’s hat to pull the outfit together.
She stopped twirling and glared at Jade. “Happy now?”
Jade smiled widely. “Ecstatic.” Sam pressed her lips together tightly, looking as though she was trying to repress a smile and shook her head. “What about Dracula?” Jamie hadn’t realised that Jade was speaking to him until Sam looked at him expectantly.
“What?” Jamie asked and looked at Jade.
“Dracula,” she stated. “What about him?”
“I can’t be Dracula,” he said with an amused smile. “I don’t have any Vampire fangs.”
“Hmmmmm . . . ” Jade pursed her lips and looked at Jamie thoughtfully. “Smile for me.” He did as commanded and grinned, flashing all of his teeth. His canines were longer
than the average human’s, but in their current state they weren’t long enough to pass as Vampire fangs.
He was safe.
Jade moved towards him, and before he had any time to make sense of what she was doing or react, she pressed down on his gums with her thumb.
Forcing his canines to extend to their true size.
He heard Sam snort as she tried to suppress her laugher.
Jamie’s eyes grew wide. He slapped Jade’s hand away and covered his mouth with his hand. “What the hell?” he asked in a muffled voice.
“What?” Jade asked innocently, blinking her eyes as if she hadn’t done anything wrong. “You said you needed Vampire fangs and now you have some.”
Jamie looked to Sam for an explanation. “Did you tell her?” It wasn’t as though he had confessed his secrets to Sam, but she knew, so he had expected her to keep his secrets exactly that.
Secret.
Especially from humans.
Sam rolled her eyes. “I didn’t need to,” she explained. “Her mother leads the local Witches coven. They knew about you before I did.”
Jamie felt himself relax slightly at that. “Oh,” he said simply, not overreacting to the word Witches; after a few months of listening to Sam talk about a variety of magical and mythical beings, he found it easier to accept things like ‘Witch’ being thrown into everyday conversation. Even so, it still freaked him out slightly that they knew of him before he knew of them. It hardly seemed fair that they should be aware of his existence, yet leave him thinking he was alone amongst humans.
Jade scoffed. “More like leader of the local bitches coven.” She giggled at her own joke. Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head. Jade turned her attention back to Jamie. “So, are you going as Dracula or not?”
Jamie gave her a look implying that the answer was obvious. “ . . . Not.”
He wouldn’t have minded dressing as Dracula, but after Jade forced his fangs out he felt slightly violated, and was no longer in the mood to play dress up for her amusement.