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All of Thursday and Friday were spent searching for Laikynn. We scoured the campus. Even checked other colleges. Judah had his men find similar setups at two other colleges in the city, and no doubt there were most likely more.
By the time Friday evening arrived, I was exhausted and annoyed. Waylon and Jason were giving me a wide berth, not wanting me yelling at them again. Foster didn’t react or care about anything I said to him. He refused to leave me alone. He had always been like that.
“I’m ordering food, do you want anything?” Foster asked, phone in his hand.
I glared hard at him as an answer.
“Right.” He turned away and mumbled into the phone.
I kept pacing around the room, glaring at all the maps. There was something there we were missing. I could feel it in my gut.
There was a knock on the door, and I glanced at Foster. The other two were dealing with their jobs and had left about an hour ago. They weren’t expected to be back for another hour or so.
“Is room service that fast?” I asked.
Foster frowned and shook his head.
I went to the door and peeked through. Maybe one of the guys forgot something and had to come back, but forgot their key cards? I doubted that.
The eyehole was dark, whoever was out there covered it up. A chill ran down my spine and I tried to reach out with my magic. All I sensed was a human. I glanced at Foster, my expression saying it all. He moved just out of sight, pulling out his gun, ready.
Keeping the chain on, I opened the door and peeked out. “Yeah, how—” I cut off as shock drove through my gut.
On the other side of the door was a young woman, almost a replica of me, except she had adopted Mom’s light brown eyes and I had adopted Dad’s. I blinked, wondering if I had fallen asleep at some point.
No way. There was no way Addie was here. That had to be impossible.
“Josie?” Foster asked behind me.
Addie frowned. “Josie?” Her voice was exactly how I remembered it. Warm and soft, and everything good in the world. “Josie?” She blinked back tears and sniffed. “Is it really you? Please tell me it’s really you. I didn’t believe them when they came to see me and I tried to get away as fast as I could, but...” She took in a sharp breath. “Josie, it’s me, Addie. Your baby sister.”
I shook my head. This couldn’t be right. This couldn’t happen.
Tears fell down her eyes. “Do you not recognize me? I’m Madeline. I know I’m older, but I’m still me. Your baby sister.”
“What’s going on?” Foster moved passed me. Things happened not the way I wanted as he pushed me back and opened the door.
“Madeline,” he said, voice low, sounding distant.
They both looked at me, Foster with concern, Addie with anxiety.
I blinked furiously as my heart shredded apart at seeing my baby sister. “Addie,” I tried to say and had to pause. After clearing my throat, I tried again. “Addie. What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? Where else would I be? Why didn’t you tell me you were here? Why didn’t you contact me for so long? Do Mom and Dad know? Have you talked to them yet? I think they’re in Egypt right now, but if you call them, they’d definitely come back right away. We missed you so much.”
She kept rambling on, stepping closer and closer. Once she was within reach, she grabbed my shirt. I could tell she wanted to hug me, to hold me close. I wanted to do the same. But I was afraid to say anything. This was too delicate. All that work I put into keeping her safe was about to crumble underneath my feet. The more questions she spilled out, the more unraveled the magic around her became.
“Why did you leave me?” she wailed and threw herself at me.
The magic shattered.
Addie gasped and crumpled to the ground.
“Addie!” I kept her in my arms, holding her close, all the memories of her crashing forward, all feeling like it was just yesterday and yet so long ago.
“Oh my god. Oh my god.” She wailed and squeezed me hard. “I am so sorry, Josie. I’m so sorry. I should have known. Why was I so stupid? Oh my God. Josie. What have I done to you?”
She squeezed harder, bawling her eyes out so hard, I thought she was going to hurt herself. The sounds of her cry tore at me.
“I remember it all. Why didn’t I remember before? What happened to you? You’re here now.” She kept rambling and crying. My shirt got soaked by her tears and I was sure her snot too. She had always been a messy crier. Addie tried to draw in a breath, but it shuddered as another bout hit her.”
“Sh,” I said, feeling a bit numb, trying to process what was going on. I met Foster’s gaze. It was twisted in a grimace as he frowned at my sister. Guilt had weaved its way through his body, and it took me a moment to figure out why.
Then it clicked.
He knew.
He fucking knew.
My gaze hardened as fury swept through me. Only Addie in my arms kept me from doing anything about it. I was forced to swallow my rage, the only space it had was within me. And it hurt.
It hurt so fucking much.
I wanted to lash out. To destroy him.
And the others? Did they know too?
They had to.
I squeezed Addie tighter to me and kissed the top of her head. It was foreign to me, only a distant memory, but it also felt like riding a bike as I comforted my sister like I did so many times in the past. She had always been the passionate one in the family.
“Come on,” I said and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go sit down.”
She took in another shuddering breath as we relocated. Berry came over, cautious as he sniffed her.
Almost smells like you.
“Berry, meet my sister. Addie, meet Berry.”
She stared at him. “He’s a big dog.”
I am not a dog!
“Careful, sister. He’s from Faerie, so he’s more than you think. He’s my familiar.”
“Oh.” She reached out hesitantly to pet him.
“Be nice,” I warned him.
I hate you for this. He let her pet him.
She smiled, her expression radiant. It also relaxed her enough that it got her talking. I got to listen to stories about her, her relationships, our parents, other family, old friends. It was like she was giving me a report on everything I had missed over the last ten years.
The other guys came back, briefly surprised to see Addie. She had smiled and waved at them. They awkwardly waved back before seeing my expression and deciding it was best to leave us alone, unless they no longer wanted their heads connected to their bodies.
They didn’t understand what they’d just done. To me. To Addie. And if she told our parents or anyone else. Fuck, I hoped not.
We ate, and she kept talking. I listened intently to what she said, soaking every little piece of information, desperate for that connection. Ten years of their lives that I was not part of. She told me about how our parents had begun traveling a lot the last two years. The way she said it though hinted at something more than them enjoying the world.
I sighed. “Please don’t tell me they’re searching for me.”
She glanced away, focusing on Berry who was sitting at our feet.
“No. Addie. Please tell me.”
“They say they are only traveling to have fun and enjoy retirement. But who goes on vacation to Egypt, or Iraq, or Afghanistan. Heck, they plan to go to the Congo later this year. They keep going to areas that are marked unsafe for travelers. If they get a hint of any kind of legend or story that suggests that it could be an answer to where you are, they’re going. I can’t even begin to think about how many times they’d been swindled by someone claiming to be a witch or have special talents.”
“They never moved on,” I whispered, leaning back and covering my face.
“Of course. You’re they’re daughter. They’d tear this world apart for the both of us.”
I gritted my teeth, trying to fight the tears. “Except I haven’t been in this world to be found.”
“Where have you been? I never really understood. That man... that fae...” Her eyes darkened. “Where did he take you exactly?”
“To Faerie.”
“But how? Why? That was all on me. You shouldn’t have done that.” Tears were falling again. “That was my fuck up.”
“But I’m your blood. That’s how I weaseled my way in and took your place.”
“I absolutely hate that you did that, you know that, right.”
I reached over and grabbed her wrist, squeezing it tight. “I’m your big sister. I’m supposed to do that. And I wanted to. You have always had a lot going for you, and I didn’t want you losing that because of some asshole.”
She squeezed hard. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I did.”
“And now you’re back. We can call Mom and Dad. They can finally stop traveling.” Her excitement built and kept going until it was too much. I was about to choke on the sorrow that was growing inside of me.
“No. Addie.” I turned to face her. “No.”
“What do you mean?”
It was like I was back to that very day again, fighting to keep my composure, knowing my sister was going to be devastated.
“I have to go back. I can’t stay here.”
Her skin went two shades lighter as she furiously shook her head “No. No. No, no, no, no. No!”
I tried pulling her closer to me so I could comfort her, but she wouldn’t have any of it. She fought out of my grip and jumped to her feet. “No, Josie. I just got to see you now. Stay here. Stay with me. Please, stay with me.” Her voice dropped low and vulnerable. “Don’t leave me again. Please. I promise, I’ll pay more attention. I’ll be more careful. Just... just don’t leave.”
Fighting against my tears was my hardest opponent, one that was impossible to win against when I had to face my sister at the same time. “Addie.”
She sensed that I had nothing good to say and was shaking her head. “No. Josie.” Anger slipped into her voice. “Fuck them. Fuck them all. I know you. You don’t want to go back. I know that. You’ll leave Foster, Jason, and Waylon behind again. You’ll leave me. Mom and Dad. You have people here. We will keep you safe. Just let us try.”
I jumped to my feet and cupped her face. The moment we made contact, her mouth cut off, eyes still wide, begging me to choose her, our parents, the guys, everyone I loved over fucking Faerie.
“If only it were that simple,” I said softly. “I’d always choose you over a heartbeat. I have always chosen you without a second’s hesitation. And if I could, I’d choose to stay here with you now. I love you so fucking much, Addie. I know you don’t get it, and maybe you never will, but you have always been my first choice. Even the guys know it. That’s why I went to Faerie. That’s why I took your spot. Because you are the sun and the world to me. You’re my baby sister.” I leaned forward, resting my forehead against hers, my heart breaking at the small sounds she was making—her heartbreak.
“Please,” she begged. “Let me fix it.”
I winced at the please, refusing to even let my fae side contemplate what I could get out of that. Not with my sister. Never with her.
“Please. Please. Please.”
Each time she said please was an attack against me. It slammed into me, trying to stutter into something. And every time, I punched through the magic, not allowing it to take hold. Addie wasn’t making it easier.
“Enough, Addie,” I whispered.
She quieted.
“If I stay here, sure, I’ll have all of you, but for how long? Faerie owns me now. I am part of them. But I’m a changeling.” I rubbed my thumb across her soft cheeks, wiping away her tears. “If I stay here, I’ll age, and not at a normal rate. Within a week, I’ll be the true age that I am. I will age those years that I lived in Faerie.”
“That’s only ten years. That’s fine.” Her desperation soaked into me, turning into a dark acidic pool in my stomach that churned around and around, making me nauseous. “You’ll look your age and not like I’m the older sister. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re hot, Josie. No wrinkles will change that.”
I chuckled, but it was dark and angry as I pulled away from her. “I lived a hundred years in Faerie. I won’t be thirty-five. I’ll be a hundred and twenty-five. Tell me? How many people that age do you know? That was one of the first things I figured out when I got access to the Internet. The oldest person was just over a hundred and twenty years old. And the shock of aging so quickly will break my body. I won’t make it. Staying here past my duty is a death sentence.”
“You can’t be serious. What you speak about is impossible. I may be your little sister, but I’m not gullible.” She cut herself off and grimaced. I had a feeling even after I left, she made some choices she shouldn’t have. I was glad she seemed to have gotten out of them okay. “Joslyn, please. Let’s talk to Mom and Dad. They’ve been digging in the darkest parts of the world. They’ll know how to help you. They have to have answers at this point.”
“No. I don’t want them knowing. I don’t want them digging around. They’ll get themselves into trouble. The fae like to keep their existence a secret and anyone who finds out loses their lives.”
“Then what about me?” Her voice rose. “I know. I fucking know and you’re asking me to not do something about it. To watch you disappear again. To go about living like everything is all hunky-dory when my sister is missing. How is that fair?” She sobbed and stumbled back until she bumped into a chair. She sat down heavily, looking exhausted and broken.
It was like we were back to ten years ago and I had to protect her.
I kneeled down, resting my hands on her knees. “You’re going to be fine. You’re strong. You’re resourceful. I know you’re going to be fine.”
“I can’t. I just can’t. Knowing that you’re stuck there, without anyone. Knowing that I got you in this situation. I can’t. Why didn’t you let me go? You should have let me be the one to go.”
I softened my expression and gave her a shaky smile. “You’re my baby sister. You will always be my baby sister. And one day, when you finally have kids, you’ll get it. You will feel it so much deeper as a mother. But you’ll get it.”
She snorted. “Kids?”
“You’ve always wanted kids.”
“I did. But—”
I squeezed her knees. “No buts. Live your life. Find a man, settle down, and have those kids that you want. Kick ass at your career. Find your happiness.”
“But you—”
“Will be doing the same, carving out my own life. Kicking my own kind of ass. I promise. I do have people over there. No one like you or our parents or the guys. But there are people there who support me and stand at my side. They’ve been helping me since I went there. Besides”—I tilted my head toward Berry—“do you think Berry would let anyone hurt me? He’s the scariest of them all in Faerie. He’s going to keep me safe.”
“I can’t do it, Josie.” She leaned forward, practically in half. I caught a whiff of her shampoo, something with mangos in them. She always loved mangos. Touching her made it so easy to feel her heartbreak, the way her soul quivered, the way I was devastating her. She wasn’t going to make it out of this. Not again.
“You will, Addie. I’ll make sure of it. I always make sure.” I leaned forward and kissed the top of her head, letting the contact be the bridge between us as my magic moved forward and wrapped around her mind.
Moments later, she was asleep, out cold. I shifted her so that she was in a comfortable position. I’d have one of the guys move her to my bed once I was done talking with them.
If one of them was still alive.
“Protect her,” I said to Berry.
She is yours. I will make sure no harm ever reaches her under my care.
“I know, friend. I know.”
All three of them were hiding in the extra bedroom, staring down at all the information we had gathered over the weeks. They didn’t notice me right away, mumbling about something I couldn’t care to tune in on. A red-hot fury was aching to explode out of me and there was no holding it back anymore. Not wanting to risk waking Addie, I put up a sound barrier, and then slammed the door shut.
They whirled around together. Jason was about to smile and say something when he paused, taking in my expression.
“Josie?” Foster asked.
“Who knew?” I said in a dangerously soft whisper. It was simply a breeze, only a warning to the brewing storm that was coming. They knew it too as they glanced at each other, no one speaking up. I took in a sharp breath. “All three of you. All three of you knew my sister was coming?”
“Not that she was coming, but we had reached out to her,” Waylon said.
Numbness spread out until my whole body didn’t feel anything.
“You contacted her. After I said not to.”
“Yes.”
That numbness turned into a cold tingle that penetrated every layer of skin. “What were you expecting to happen?”
“We wanted to know what really happened,” Jason said. “It was obvious that something bad happened and she was the only person to know. So we went to her when we visited Boston.”
The tingle turned into a sharp prick, and unable to hold back anymore, I snapped. “How dare you! Do you have any fucking idea what you have done? Not to me, but to Addie. The danger you put her in?” My magic slammed into them and they were forced to their knees. I stalked toward them, looming over them, my magic whipping around me. The papers in the room flapped around; the maps on the walls threatened to be torn off. “All my work, everything I sacrificed to do and you three fucking jokes fucked it all up, put everything at risk. You practically wasted everything I had done for her. Made it all useless. Now she’s in danger and all because you guys can’t keep your fucking curiosity to yourself.”
“What did you expect us to do?” Foster choked out. “You were hurting. And we didn’t understand why. We wanted to know more.”
“You have no right to know my story!” My magic pushed on them harder, until their muscles bulged with strain. Any more pressure and I was going to flatten them. “And because you had no right, you went behind my back and talked to my sister. You knew it too, that I didn’t want you guys knowing. That’s why you went to her. That’s why you guys never bothered to talk about it, push me for more details. You figured you could disrupt my sister’s life for your own sick curiosity. Now she knows, and all the magic, all the deals I did to ensure her safety are fucking useless. You broke all my work in keeping her safe. You put her in danger. You put my parents in danger. And what’s going to happen when I go back to Faerie? She gets to go through all that heartbreak again. They will not have closure. There is no closure I can give them and that eats at me every fucking second of the fucking day. I made it so they could move on at least, so they could have a life. You destroyed that the second you decided to go to my sister.”
My voice cracked as my pain slipped out. I stopped, my breathing heavy. It took me a moment before I could talk again.
“Everything I did, you risked making it pointless. All for what? The dirty details?” I lowered my voice. “You want to know about how my sister was too nosy for her own good and got swindled. How she stumbled into the world of the fae and an asshole decided to mess with her emotions before taking her away from me. She fell in love with that bastard. He had her twisted around his finger until she wasn’t my sister anymore, but his slave. How I wanted to protect her and didn’t like the guy, so I fought for her. How I discovered who he really was, but even then, it was too late. He got a promise from her. He wanted an Evans. I gave him an Evans. I gave him me instead so she could still have a life. I had to bleed for her to get the fae to numb my sister to the events, so that she could move on with her life. That’s what you guys want to know. That’s the information you were looking for when you decided to talk to my sister, when you decided that the work I put into keeping her safe was nothing against your stupid curiosity. And now that magic is unraveled and she’s feeling it. She’s feeling it very hard, and it’s destroying her. Thanks a fucking lot, assholes.”
I turned and stormed out of the room. Not able to look at any of them, I used magic to give me enough strength to pick up Addie and bring her to my bedroom. I closed the door and locked it, refusing to open it or talk to any of them when they finally managed to recover and come knocking. I couldn’t even look at them without wanting to blast them to pieces.
