Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Luna finally pulled away. “I don’t understand. I was pregnant and died. We both died.”
Guilt slammed into me, along with an agony so dark that it was hard to hold in the scream building in my lungs.
For vengeance.
For an ending.
For everything.
Aengus stepped forward. “Before Luna’s death at your hand, Mother went to the Matchmaker and begged her to save the baby. The curse wouldn’t just take away your life, it was to take away your son’s, and she couldn’t bear it.”
“None of us could,” I rasped as I felt the waves of love pulsating from Luna to Malcom, it was impossible not to feel for him, and I hadn’t visited him in two years. “What happened next?”
Aengus smiled. “The Matchmaker promised that your son would survive, and she put a protection spell on the baby. Once Luna breathed her last breath and turned to ice, the Matchmaker sent the baby back into the healing realm to grow. When he was supposed to be full term, we threw a party. Everyone celebrated, and then…” He looked away. “He was gone. Stolen. We’ve been searching ever since.”
“I think I need to sit.” Malcom stumbled toward the couch and face-planted onto it, not moving or speaking.
“Did he pass out?” Aengus pointed.
A moan came from Malcom, and then a garbled, “It’s all just a really bad dream, or maybe I smoked too much pot? Yup, that’s it, too much pot, and I’m hallucinating and being told I’m a fairy that was stolen from the ground. Totally normal. I’ve always had an overactive imagination. This is just a figment of—ouch!”
“Sorry.” Aengus blew out the flame on his finger, the same flame that just hit Malcom in the ass. “Did that feel like a hallucination? I’m genuinely curious.”
Malcom turned to his side and glared, his eyes glowing blue.
“Neat trick.” Aengus grinned, his amber eyes flashing.
Malcom’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead. “What are you?”
“Sexy,” Aengus deadpanned.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “How did he end up here?”
“How did any of us end up here, really?” Aengus spun the globe next to the chair and then stopped it with a finger. “Everything has a plan, a purpose, a reason, so the fact that Malcom’s here? I suspect the Matchmaker knows all but finding her is like finding a Tic Tac in the ocean.”
“A Tic Tac?” Luna repeated.
He just shrugged. “I like Tic Tacs.”
Malcom let out another groan. “I think I’m going to be sick. What do I tell Sarah? That I’m a freak? That I’m not human?”
Luna moved to sit next to him, then grabbed his hand. “You’re still human.” She gave me a look that said, “help.”
“She’s right.” I cleared my throat, just as freaked out as her. I mean, our son was basically seventeen, close to Luna’s age, close to my mid-twenties. Whoever brought him to this realm had magic. “You are human. You’re just better.”
Aengus looked between us. “You guys really have this whole parenting thing down to an art, don’t you?”
“Shut up, Aengus!” we snapped in unison.
He barked out a laugh. “I’ll just be standing here ready to jump in at any point, but I do draw the line with the puberty talk.”
“I hit puberty,” Malcom said in an annoyed tone. “I’m seventeen. I’ve had sex, and you have the subtlety of a nuclear bomb, so I highly doubt any sort of sexual education chat’s going to end up with me too traumatized to even have sex again. Thanks, though. Really.”
Aengus snapped his fingers. “Message received.”
Tears filled Luna’s eyes as she scooted closer to Malcom. “I’m sure you have questions…”
He let out a snort. “Look, no offense, but just because you somehow magically gave birth to me—doesn’t mean you all of a sudden get to parent and do ‘the talk.’” He made air quotes.
It was on the tip of my tongue to admonish, “don’t speak to your mother that way,” but I knew it would only make things worse. He was confused. Abandoned since childhood by both of us. Orphaned.
My gut twisted into so many knots. It would take a millennium to straighten out. All we could do was offer our protection and love and answer his questions.
No sooner had I thought it when a sharp pain stabbed me in the chest.
I was getting too careless with the word.
Especially now that I had both of them in my house, mere feet from my hands.
I’d lost everything that day.
And now it seemed like I’d been given both of them back.
I was terrified to feel even a little content or happy, afraid that evil was just lurking around the corner, waiting to snap its fingers and rip everything I held dear away.
The thought was fucking debilitating.
Malcom pushed to his feet, running both hands through his thick dark hair. “This is such bullshit! I finally get the girl and feel like I’m normal, and now I make things freeze?” He stomped over to me. “Did you know? Is that why you gave me so much attention a few years ago?”