04 Shadow Blood - Witch Fairy by Bonnie Lamer Page A

it’s huge, but time has kind of been a commodity while I’ve been here.
     
    “A book of sonnets by Luella.  I am sure you’ve never heard of her,” she laughs softly. 
     
    I scrunch up my nose.  “No, can’t say that I have.  There aren’t a lot of books written by Fairies floating around my realm.  There’s a lot of books about Fairies, but I’ve learned they’re not very accurate.”
     
    “Yes, my mother has told me some of the stories from her realm.”
     
    I forget that Alita’s mom is a human, not a Fairy.  “Where was she from?”
     
    “She comes from a place called Ireland.  Is that near where you live?”
     
    I laugh.  “No, that’s pretty much on the other side of the world.”
     
    She looks a little sheepish.  “I did not do well in my Cowan geography class last year.”
     
    “You had to take Cowan geography?  Why?”
     
    “Fairies are supposed to have full knowledge of…”  She pauses and bites her lower lip.
     
    “Of lesser realms,” Kegan says cheerfully from the doorway.  “You know, those pesky Cowans and Witches and such.”
     
    I narrow my eyes.  “Aren’t you half Cowan?”  A fact that he likes to ignore.
     
    That sobers him up pretty quickly.  Ignoring me now, he says to Alita, “Are you well?”  He can’t hide the concern in his voice or on his face.
     
    “I am fine, thank you,” she says quietly. 
     
    “I came to see if you will be able to join us for dinner.”
     
    She smiles demurely, or, at least, what I imagine demurely to be.  Watching the two of them is almost painful sometimes.  They’re so careful around each other even though their attraction is plain.  Alita’s mother is human and her father is half human, so she’s what the Fairies call ‘twice tainted.’  Which makes her taboo in Kegan’s families eyes.  I have a hard time dealing with the whole idea of bloodline prejudice.
     
    “That would be lovely.”  I roll my eyes.  That would be lovely?  Did she really just say that? 
     
    Kegan holds his hand out to her and she takes his shyly and stands up.  They start walking to the door like I suddenly don’t exist.  I look down and check my body.  Yup, still there, so I haven’t suddenly gone invisible.  Just in their eyes.  I guess I’ll walk down on my own.  I get up from my chair a little too quickly, though, and I have to sit back down for a moment until the dizziness and vertigo passes, like before.  I hope I’m not coming down with something.
     
    I stand up a little slower this time and I feel much better.  Once I’m sure I’m not going to fall down, I head downstairs.  I’m starving and my stomach growls loudly as I descend the stairs and start smelling the good food coming from the kitchen.
     
    I run into Zac and Kallen in the large living room downstairs.  They just came in off the terrace.  Zac runs over to me and gives me a big hug.  Stepping back, he starts talking a mile a minute.  “Kallen just showed me a crab!  And he said maybe after dinner, he’ll take me swimming in the ocean!  Will you come with us?  Please?  Pretty please?”
     
    I laugh.  “Yes, I’ll come with you.  Providing Mom and Dad say it’s okay.”
     
    He scrunches up his face.  “Mom’ll probably say no, so I better ask Dad first.”
     
    Smart kid.  “Good plan.  Why don’t you go wash your hands for dinner and then maybe Kallen can make you some new magic clothes.”
     
    His eyes light up.  “Really, he can make me magic clothes?  What kind of magic will they have?”
     
    Obviously, he misunderstood.  “The clothes won’t be magical.  They’ll just be made with magic.”
     
    “Oh.”  Disappointment shows in the slump of his shoulders.  “That’s no fun.”
     
    “Perhaps I can make you a shirt that glows in the dark.  Would you like that?”
     
    The smile’s back.  “Yeah, that’d be cool.”  With that, he runs off to wash up.  Hopefully.  You can’t trust boys