Soraya awoke with the wisp of a dream clinging to her eyelashes and a steely determination settling deep in her chest.
The beginnings of an early sun crept through her window; the dove-gray gloom of a new dawn outlined her curtains in a silvery-blue light. She realized she had slept through the entire day yesterday and through the entire night.
She clenched her jaw. She had only meant to sleep for a couple of hours.
She could feel Jesmine’s clock ticking. The winged demon wanted her alive, otherwise, it would have killed her on the spot instead of taking her.
But how long would it keep her alive? And why take her at all?
She flung the clothes that had kept her peacefully warm aside and stood from the bed. She could ponder its motives later. Feeling more energized than ever, she took stock of her room, mind buzzing as she examined all her earthly possessions.
Packing, moving, starting new—Soraya was familiar with being constantly on the go. She had been on the move for most of her life. But something was different. She could feel it as she looked over her books and knick-knacks, eyes skimming the newly bought makeup she had splurged on the week before.
Her gaze flicked to her favorite poster hanging by her desk—the one of the Devil’s Pool in Zimbabwe. She had dreamed of visiting the mighty waterfall and peering over the edge to watch as the water rushed down into the fast rapids below. And now, she had the strange sense that she would never get the chance to see it.
She didn’t have much, but it was enough. Each time she had to move, she took less with her. After years of shuffling around from place to place, she had gotten good at making snap decisions about what to leave behind and at would come with her. There were precious few belongings that made the cut, no matter what.
Like the poster she’d kept for the past eight years, or the little ceramic figurine of a horse, gifted to her by Delilah during her sophomore year of high school. There was also a drawing given to her by Jesmine depicting what their dream house would look like one day, and her stuffed floral bunny rabbit—the only item that was as old as her.
She won’t be able to take most of it, and that was fine by her. Even if she would never see any of it again, it could all be replaced with something new.
Her skin tingled as she went to her pack and pulled out a set of new clothes. She quickly pulled off the 5x large shirt and put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt from Laura’s shop. Locating her running shoes, she slipped them on over her socked feet and laced them up tight. She had lost her gun, but she doubted it would have helped her where she was going.
She headed to her desk and opened her laptop. She typed out an email to Delilah and sent it off, hoping her friend would see it sooner rather than later.
Looking up from the laptop, she quickly glanced at her braided hair and gave it a stamp of grudging approval before diverting her eyes away to keep herself from looking at herself too hard.
Shouldering her pack, she knew deep down that the journey ahead was going to be a long and tiring one. But if it meant getting Jesmine back, she did not care how long it would take. She will rescue her one way or another—with or without help. She would find a way to bring Jesmine back home and hope that, by then, the demon hell spawns would stop hunting them. Otherwise…what then? Be on the run for the rest of their lives and hope their pursuers give up? Again, Soraya stopped her train of thought. Those were questions she could ask herself later.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her door and marched out with the shirt and all their coats bundled in her arms.
Soraya found them already alert, standing loosely around the apartment.
“Glad to see everyone up,” she said by way of greeting. “And I assume these belong to all of you.” She dumped the clothing on the floor, not in the mood to return them individually. Even though it had been a kind gesture on their part, she still had every right to be angry at them—for, well…everything.
The clothing at her feet moved, drawing her gaze downward as the pile of clothes suddenly zipped through the air and landed into outreached hands.
Soraya blinked as they slipped into their jackets and cloaks.
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Right. She’d ask them about that later. For now, she had a more pressing question to ask. “I’m going to take a wild guess here and assume you know what’s going on with me. But before you tell me anything, I need you to know that for the past week, my memories have been…spotty. And I’m concerned it might happen often on our travels. As you can see how problematic that can be, do you guys have a way to solve that little issue of mine?”
Alkimos' answer came swiftly, “It’s called glamour.”
Soraya scrunched her brow. “Glamour?”
“It’s a type of illusion effect that can alter your perception of reality,” Tariq explained. “It can also manipulate memories or make you forget, depending on its strength.”
Soraya, more confused than ever, replied, “So it’s…magic?”
Lestis cleared his throat. “No. It’s a type of primordial energy that exists between our worlds. For millennia, there’s been an ongoing debate over whether it’s naturally occurring or was set in place by our ancestors—either to keep humans out of our world or to keep our kind out of theirs.” He studied her. “Due to our fundamental differences, it has a stronger effect on humans than it does fae.”
Soraya tilted her chin up. “Well, if that’s the case, wouldn’t that mean I’m human and not fae?” she questioned. “I’ve had a really rough week, and the whole glamour thing really puts a cherry on top of it all.” It felt like she’d been losing her mind—and if she were fae, then wouldn’t that mean she was immune to the glamour effects?
Sorenth cut in. “No, you are very much fae. However, you are correct—the primordial glamour affects you more strongly than other changelings who were taken and lost in the human world. That only makes things slightly more difficult, but nothing unsolvable.”
Changeling? Lost? Soraya shifted on her feet as she tried to understand what they were saying and how that related back to herself. “Why am I different?” she asked after a moment. Well…more different than already being different. It still sounded insane, but she had little choice but to accept their answer—for now.
“We believe someone cursed you.” Soraya turned to Alkimos, who was watching her from behind the bar. “Something you should know, it is highly unusual to lose a child to the human world, but when it happens, it's usually through nefarious reasons. I suspect whoever brought you here also cursed you from finding your way back to Alphame.”
Soraya pursed her lips. “So…like black magic?”
Makoto let out a husky chuckle that tingled down her spine. She had to mentally slap herself to pay attention to what he said next. “You can call it that if it helps you to understand. Either way, we have to observe you to know precisely what curse was placed upon you. Are you having memory trouble currently?”
“Well, I remember all of you.” She cast her gaze around the room. “But I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten,” she said dryly.
Raz flashed her a crooked grin from where he was leaning on the bar. “How exactly do you remember me?”
“Enough.” Lestis cut in just as Soraya scowled at Raz.
Raz’s grin turned razor-sharp as he dragged his gaze to Lestis. Something in their silent exchange raised the hairs on the back of her neck before he returned his gaze to her. “If you do have trouble remembering going forward, we will be there to help fill in the gaps.”
Soraya pinned Raz with a look. “You promise you won’t let me forget?”
She watched as Raz’s whole demeanor shifted. Holding her gaze as he straightened to his full height, he vowed, “By the Mother and upon my blood, I won’t let you forget, Soraya.”
A chill swept over her, her skin tingling with his promise. Soraya nodded as the apartment fell silent. It was good enough.
“Let’s go. You can explain everything else on the way,” she announced, standing straighter, her pack shifting on her back with the movement.
Lestis and Makoto both stared at her expectantly.
Tariq and Alkimos nodded.
Raz and Sorenth both shot her twin grins as they sized her up.
They all felt her resolve.
“As you wish, sweetness.” Sorenth sauntered over to the door and, with a flourish, opened it. Lestis and Makoto brushed past her, stalking out of the apartment first.
“You’re familiar with this method of transport, yes?” Sorenth asked.
Soraya blew out a breath and nodded. “Very.”
“When do you think we should tell her about the mating bond?” Raz murmured quietly behind her.
Her ears rang with his words, but she dismissed his question as she approached the door.
With each step, she knew that deep down, she would never see the apartment again. Although she didn’t have any sentimental connection with the place, it was still the apartment she, Jesmine, and Ahvi lived in. Had lived in. And there was this sinking feeling that it would possibly be the last time they would share such a space again. A feeling that only amplified her anxiety about leaving her life in the hands of strangers.
As she passed the kitchen, she noted the mugs were cleaned and neatly stacked on the counter. Something eased in her chest ever so slightly at the sight of it.
Stopping in front of the open door, she peered out. She could see that it no longer led to the hallway.
Instead, on the other side lay a world she knew was dangerous…and yet…as she gazed upon vibrant wildflowers just beyond the threshold, swaying beneath a crystal blue sky, she realized she could feel something calling to her. Something that felt strangely familiar.
“Soraya?”
Her heart thundered as she turned to look back at Tariq. “Once we find your friend, you know you can’t come back to the human world with her.”
Soraya stared at him, then at Raz and Alkimos, who watched her carefully.
She looked straight ahead into the meadow. “Fine by me.”
Not wasting another second, Soraya took a deep breath and stepped into a field full of wildflowers and sunlight.
END OF BOOK 1
How was Soraya Honei?
