I took my time in the shower. I knew I was stalling as I washed my hair twice and let the coconut-scented conditioner sit extra-long. My skin was positively pruney by the time I finally emerged. I threw the towel around my head, and wrapped myself up in a luxurious, hotel-style bathrobe.
Next to the bed were a few bags of clothes from Nordstrom’s. My heart fluttered a bit when I saw Nicholas had bought me some new underwear. They were simple cotton briefs… nothing sexy. But still.
There was a pair of new jeans, which fit perfectly, and a thick, white sweater. The sweater still had the tag attached, and my jaw dropped when I saw the price. It cost more than most people’s car payments. Next to these was a pair of black sheepskin boots, and when I pulled them on the warmth and comfort were pure bliss. Then I dried my long hair with the new hairdryer and pulled it back in a low clip. I rarely wore much makeup, but I started fiddling around with some of the pretty compacts, hoping something could help camouflage the puffiness around my eyes.
I stared at myself in the mirror.
Who is this person?
Looking back at me was an unfamiliar stranger. Some unknown girl with magical red hair and supernatural aquamarine eyes. A girl who didn’t know who her real father was and had just discovered her whole life had been a lie. A girl betrayed by her closest friends, and who’d left the only home she knew in order to literally sleep with the enemy.
Is this who I really am?
I stared at my reflection for a long time looking for answers…for any clue as to who I was, and what I was supposed to do next.
Finally, I knew I couldn’t delay any longer. No more hiding. No more stalling.
It was time to face the truth and figure out just how the hell I was going to fix this horrid catastrophe that had become my life.
Chapter 2. Invincible
Nicholas wrapped his hand around mine as the brisk morning air nipped at my cheeks. Smokey puffs were visible as I exhaled. But for some reason I wasn’t as cold as I thought I’d be, considering most of the ground and many of the pine trees were topped with a thin layer of fresh snow. It felt good to be outside, and I was happy he’d suggested we go for a walk.
The pristine white forest glistened like millions of crushed diamonds in the sunlight. We wandered down a narrow dirt path and through a grove of crystalline trees, and I was struck by how much this place seemed like a real-world version of the magical Island of Druantia, but without all the vibrancy of its surreal fluorescent colors. Everything here was white and green and brown. Earthy. Real. The sky was the palest of blue, with not a cloud to be seen anywhere. I wasn’t sure where we were exactly, but the isolation was palpable…as if Nicholas and I were the only two people on Earth. This was not an entirely unpleasant feeling, although the occasional paw prints and tracks reminded me that we weren’t totally alone out here.
Nicholas had mentioned something about a special spot that he wanted to show me, and we were both silent for several minutes as he navigated our way through the snowy woods, his hand securely fastened around mine. I thought maybe he was waiting for me to speak first, but I had no idea where to even begin. There was so much to talk about…so much to sort through and figure out.
But I couldn’t bear the thought of facing my problems quite yet. Right now, I just wanted to enjoy this majestic scenery in silence and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. I was all alone here in a magical winter wonderland with the guy I loved. That was it, and that was enough. Nothing else mattered.
Nicholas peeked down at me though his dark lashes. The sunlight bouncing off the snow made his eyes sparkle even more than usual. “You’re being awfully quiet. How’re you doing?”
So much for the silence. “I’m okay. Just so long as we don’t run into whatever it is that belongs to those…” I pointed down to the very large set of prints on the snow beside our trail and glanced around. We were in the wilderness, exposed and unarmed. Well, sort of.
Nicholas chuckled. “Those are just reindeer tracks. Don’t worry, they won’t harm us.”
I raised an eyebrow. Reindeer? Real, honest to goodness reindeer? I supposed that made sense. It felt like we were surrounded by thousands of Christmas trees… maybe Santa and his elves had a shop out here somewhere. I wouldn’t have been surprised.
“Come on…through here,” Nicholas instructed, as we ventured off the main path a bit. I noticed a red bird bouncing along the tree tops as we walked, almost like he was following us. He chirped a happy song as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Lucky bird.
“How do you know your way around so well?” I asked, as Nicholas weaved us through another patch of woods. Everything looked the same…how could he tell one trail or tree from another?
He shrugged. “I know this whole area like the back of my hand. I’ve been coming here for about five years. Sometimes for a day or two, sometimes just for a few hours.”
“I don’t blame you. It’s gorgeous. Like a whole other side of nature I’ve never really experienced.” And the complete opposite of the glitzy, sunny beachside community of Crystal Cove, or the bustling glamour of New York where Nicholas stayed part of the time, or the humid, cramped swampland I used to live in. This place was serene, peaceful, and entirely rustic…pure nature. Nothing phony out here.
We hiked over to some rocks that looked out over a valley. From up here we could see forest-lined canyons and mountains for what seemed like hundreds of miles. Some of the trees were bony and bare, some full and green, some graced with crystals and snow. The sight nearly took my breath away, and I was in awe of the sheer artistry. Looking out over the panoramic landscape, it seemed incongruous that there could be so much ugliness in the world. Not in a world that was designed to have so much natural beauty.
Nicholas wrapped his arm around me, and I snuggled into his chest. “Mmm, you smell nice,” he murmured, and kissed the top of my head.
“Thanks for getting me all that stuff.” I gazed up at him with a small smile. “I think I’m set for a few lifetimes.”
“Sorry if I went a little overboard. I wasn’t sure what you’d want or need, or how long you’d want to stay here.”
“How’s forever sound?”
He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Of course we can stay here as long as you like. That goes without saying. But you know you’ll want to go home eventually.”
“Home? What home? I can’t go back. You heard Ana. You were there.”
“She sent me away, not you.”
I locked eyes with him. “Same thing.”
Nicholas sighed, his face filled with compassion. “Calista, I know you’re hurting. I know you’re angry, and you have a ton of stuff to sort out. But of course you have to go home. Eventually. Go ahead and take all the time you need. You know I’m here for you.”
I shook my head and pulled away. “What is there to sort out, exactly? Ana has forbidden you to be anywhere near me or to come on her property. If I go back there, she’ll probably do something magical and awful to make sure I never see you again. Maybe cast some sort of spell, or try to make me forget I ever knew you.” My voice turned bitter as I thought again of Justin’s cruel fate, and I wondered if his spell had already been performed…if he was okay.
Nicholas drew me back to him, then rested his chin on the top of my head. “You know nothing could ever make that happen,” he whispered. “There isn’t magic strong enough in the world to make us forget we love each other.”
I smiled. “Yeah…you’re right. But how can I go back there? After all I know? How Ana lied to me about my mom being alive all this time, and that my dad isn’t really my dad—” My throat locked up on the last word, and to my surprise fresh tears again pooled in my eyes. I’d thought for sure I was all cried out for a lifetime. I glanced away, hoping Nicholas wouldn’t see. I was tired of feeling like such a blubbering idiot.
“Calista,” he murmured, stroking my lower back. “Of course he’s your dad. Maybe he didn’t biologically m
ake you, but he raised you and he loves you just the same.”
I felt like a sock was stuck in my throat, and I swallowed hard. “How do you know? You’ve never even met him,” I croaked out. “For all I know, he just raised me because my mom had him under some sort of spell—”
“His love is all over you. It surrounds you like a protective blanket. He’s inside you. In your heart. He’s a part of who you are.”
I looked at the ground. “I know he loves me… just as much as I love him.”
“Isn’t that what’s really important?”
“Yes, but it’s still a lie.”
Nicholas tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Calista, let me tell you something. Even though you weren’t raised with a lot of material things or the so-called finer things in life, you had a parent who loved you with all his heart. Someone who made you the absolute center of his world at all times. Do you know how lucky that makes you? I would’ve done anything for that. I would’ve traded all the fancy restaurants and the expensive gifts away in a heartbeat if I could’ve had someone care for me the way your dad cared for you. I may have grown up with servants and expensive cars and luxurious houses, but I promise you, you were the rich one. You were the lucky one. And if you’re going to walk away from that because of something as insignificant as a little bit of DNA, then you are making a terrible mistake.”
The passion in Nicholas’s voice and the intensity in his eyes stunned me. I’d never seen this side of him before. He’d always come across as a bit guarded, even nonchalant, when it came to his family life. So I never wanted to push it. But I’d never expected him to react like this, raw and vulnerable.
The tension in my posture softened somewhat, and I pressed up to him. “Of course you’re right,” I said in a quiet voice. “I love my dad, and I know how lucky I am to have him. I just feel so confused now, like I no longer know who I really am. My very existence is both a mystery and a lie. My identity is all confused.”
“Other people don’t define who you are. Only you can do that.”
I stared silently out at the abyss of trees. Why was it that even though I was a million miles from everyone and everything, and sitting in one of the most beautiful spots on Earth, my problems felt like they were blowing up all around me?
“Why, again, are you so sure he’s not your real dad?” Nicholas went on. “I know you told me, but tell me again. It’s all so crazy. I feel like I’m missing something.”
“Yeah, you and me both,” I muttered and rolled my eyes. “Long story short, I can see your Triple Star Mark. You know that only someone who is from that bloodline or who has been initiated, like yourself, can see it. And I can. Ana already told me that my mom had been in love with a Triple Star warlock named James. And then Sophie and Lily told me there were rumors that she was pregnant when she ran away.” I threw up my hands. “And voila! One plus one plus one equals three, and nine months later along came me! Oh yeah, and Lily and Sophie knew this the whole time and never told me,” I added, as a fresh pain stabbed my heart.
The two girls had become like sisters to me. We were more than just friends…we had connected on a spiritual and magical level that was indescribable, and our relationship was unlike any I’d ever known. Despite their betrayal, I didn’t know how I was supposed to carry on without them by my side. I needed them.
My hand automatically went to my chest, but of course my amulet wasn’t there. I let out a low chuckle and shook my head. It was all so sadly poetic. The bonds had been broken. The amulet that was to serve not only as my protection from harm, but as a symbol of unity with my Morningstar sisters, was gone. It was now on the other side of the world, in the hands of a witch I’d thought was trying to help me, but who had ultimately let me down and set this whole ugly chain of events in motion.
Nicholas stood up and held out his hand. He pulled me close as I rose, and I surrendered to his strong embrace. In his arms everything felt good…right. Here I was safe and loved. But I knew I had to find the strength within myself to do what I had to do… what I knew was the right thing to do, no matter how difficult, and whatever the cost.
I pulled away and looked deep into his eyes. He stared back with an openness that touched my soul. Without him saying a word, I knew I had his unyielding support in anything I needed to do. And that made me invincible.
“You okay?” He brushed a tendril of hair away from my cheeks. How were his hands so warm out here in the cold?
I nodded. “I will be.” Then I managed a faint smile. “I’m actually pretty hungry now. Let’s say we head back to the cabin and I make us a real breakfast.”
He grinned. “I definitely like the sound of that. I’m happy to see your appetite’s returned.” He took my hand, and we started to make our way back the way we had come.
I glanced up at the pale sky and noticed the red bird bouncing along the tree tops, chirping merrily. “I’m going to need my strength…we both are.”
Nicholas raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Oh yeah, for what?” The seductive tone of his voice did not escape my attention.
“I have plans.”
“Plans?”
I straightened my shoulders and watched as the red bird flew happily into the sky and out of sight.
“I’m getting my life back.”
Chapter 3. A Plan
I stood at the sink full of dishes and gazed out the window at a blanket of pure white. “You don’t have to do that, you know,” Nicholas whispered and began to massage my shoulders.
“You’re back.” I gave him a smile.
We’d just finished our feast of blueberry pancakes and bacon and eggs when Nicholas had told me he had to run a quick errand. I figured he was just going to grab something from a store somewhere, so after he shimmered out I busied myself with cleaning the dirty pans and plates. Truthfully, I was happy for the chance to be alone with my jumbled thoughts, to try and make sense of them. I knew what I needed to do. Problem was, I had no idea where, or how, to start.
I tilted my chin up and met his lips with mine. “I don’t mind. I always washed dishes by hand growing up. I never even had an automatic dishwasher until we came to live with Ana.”
Sometimes it was weird remembering my life before Crystal Cove. Not because we were so poor back then, but because I’d known I was different, and didn’t understand why. I just knew that I had to keep my strange abilities a secret, no matter what. But seeing as how it was just Dad and me for so long, it hadn’t been all that hard. It was instinct to protect him, and hiding my powers was second nature to me. All we had was each other. And for so long, I’d thought that was enough.
Of course, from time to time I’d wished for my mom to be alive. But it was pretty hard to miss something I never really had in the first place. I’d see other girls my age with their mothers and wonder what it felt like, but never quite understood it. I loved my dad, but that was different. There’s just some things a girl needs her mom for, especially a girl with supernatural powers like me. She’d known that I would be like her, magical and different. How did she expect me to manage on my own? Why was she so selfish and cruel to just abandon me like that and leave me helpless and confused?
Nicholas gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze, then grabbed the dish towel and started wiping the frying pan. I gave him a sidelong glance. “Can’t you just dry that by blowing it a kiss or winking at it or something?” I teased.
He raised an eyebrow. “Actually, I just need to touch it and say a few words. But this way is fun, too—both of us standing at the sink, while you wash the dishes and I dry them. It’s kind of old-fashioned and romantic, don’t you think?”
I laughed. “Doing the dishes is your idea of romance? Can’t wait to see what our honeymoon will be like—” I shut my mouth so fast my teeth actually clanked together. I stood there, shocked at the errant words.
“I think any time you and I are doing something together, it’s romantic. I like feeling like part of a team with you.” His
voice sounded intimate. “But I’ll tell you right now, there’s no way any wife of mine is scrubbing dishes on our honeymoon… or afterwards, either. Unless she really, really wants to, that is.” He pressed the side of his body against mine in a gentle nudge.
Bless his heart for not making a big deal out of my embarrassing slip. I may have been imagining it, but I thought I’d felt pleasure from him, not fear, when those words popped out. Was he thinking along those lines, too?
We finished putting the dishes away, then made our way over to the bearskin rug splayed out in front of the fireplace. Nicholas grabbed a few logs from outside and tossed them in the pit. The flames crackled and leapt in appreciation.
I propped myself up against a small stack of throw pillows, while Nicholas lounged beside me. “I need a game plan,” I began. “I have to undo everything bad that has happened. I have to make things right in my life again.”
“What can I do to help?” he asked, tracing a small circle on the small of my back.
“First things first—I need Sophie and Lily back. I feel so broken without them, and I hate how we left things. But…” I shook my head.
“But what?” Nicholas prompted.
“But… am I just being crazy? Why does it hurt so much that they knew the truth about me and my heritage and kept it from me? It feels like such a massive blow… such a betrayal of trust. I feel like it ruined everything with us. Before, we were this perfect, invincible group. We were truly one. But when I found out that they’d known the truth and kept it from me—”
“Maybe they were just trying to protect you because they love you. They didn’t want to see you hurt.”
I shook my head. “But don’t you see? That’s what makes it hurt so much worse – the fact that they intentionally kept me out. They were in on something together, a secret behind my back. Whatever their reasons were for doing it, I can’t help how it makes me feel.”