Dark Matter (2 page)

Chapter One

I stared at Cassie, wondering what had
gotten into her today. She was glowing brighter than the morning,
and in the fire realm that was saying something. She shut the door
behind her then faced me with a grin, her eyes shining with
excitement. “Did you hear, Rayla?”

There went my hopes that she wouldn’t
bring up the one thing I was dreading more than childbirth at the
moment. “Afraid so,” I said miserably.

She gave me a sympathetic frown. She’d
been trying but failing to cheer me up for days now. “I guess
there’s not much chance Zach or Luke will come, but you should
still have plenty of men to dance with.” She cocked her head
slightly. “Why aren’t you excited?”

What would she be doing if Finn had
gone to that island and she was stuck here without him? She’d be
right here with me feeling like she had lost something she hadn’t
known existed within herself, that’s what. Zach and Luke haunted my
thoughts every time I closed my eyes. No one had heard from them in
days, eight to be precise, but I was the only person that seemed to
be concerned. “Don’t remind me.” I placed my hand dramatically
against my forehead. “I think I’m coming down with a fever.” I
would feel a lot better about things if that excuse had even a
slight chance of working.

The Ignisian people were holding a ball
in my honor. Only death would get me out of it this time. The queen
wasn’t about to let me ditch this one. I had run out of excuses as
far as she was concerned.

This was her third attempt to get me to
come to an event other than dinner. The first had been a simple
welcome party.

I had taken one step into the room and
fainted dead away from the raw power of five hundred fae men
blasting into me like a gale force wind. The queen had graciously
given me a day to recover before she suggested I join a smaller
group on a leisurely hunt. I faked a gag and told the emissary I
was a vegetarian.

I made it clear to him, in no uncertain
terms, that I would be forever traumatized by such a dreadful
thing. I had definitely not been lying about that part, just eating
meat. I had already witnessed the execution of plenty of chickens
back home. I should have gotten used to seeing them slaughtered,
but it made me puke every time. Aunt Grace had mercifully given up
on me after a few attempts of showing me how to pluck
them.

Cassie flounced cheerfully over to my
side as if she were a sidetracked butterfly. “It can’t possibly be
that bad having an endless supply of hot men courting
you.”

I stared at her in disbelief. Was that
what she thought was going on? I chuckled to myself. She had the
enviable distraction of being in love with Finn as an excuse, but
how could she have been that oblivious?

Our secrets had been what had nearly
destroyed our friendship, and I wasn’t about to let that happen
again. Even though I didn’t think it was the best idea, I had to
tell her what was going on. “I wouldn’t mind so much if that was
all they were doing,” I said softly, hoping I wasn’t about to ruin
her happiness.

She was the most content I had ever
seen her. She was even nearly back to her old carefree self, and I
wasn’t about to spoil it by cluttering her mind with my growing
pile of garbage. I had missed Cassie while we were at St. Mary’s
College even though, for the most part, she had been right by my
side.

She had become something I didn’t think
possible for her—withdrawn, depressed, and downright ornery. I
hadn’t been much better if I was being honest. Finding out
everything you thought was real was actually an illusion has a way
of doing that to people. Let’s just say I had let fear rule every
part of my life; I vowed I would never again.

Not only had I not known the fae
existed when Cassie and I left for college, I had no idea that I
would be literally hunted for the power I possess.

Cassie’s been able to see the fae her
whole life, but she denied it even when I started seeing them
myself. I had narrowly escaped being bound to Jett, well, Jafan is
his real name. And yes, he’s just as uppity as his name implies. He
is lord of Earth, and he makes no qualms in letting you know that.
He’s one scary lord, but that was beside the point, at least for
now.

As long as I could bond with Zach or
Luke before he finds me, I’d be just fine. So what if I still
couldn’t tell which of them I wanted more.

I figured my drama could wait because,
just like the men in this realm, there was bound to be more popping
up before all was said and done.

Cassie sat beside me on the bed and
stretched her legs out next to mine. She got settled before she
turned toward me with a serious expression hardening her features.
“I know that look. Spill.”

I didn’t really want to elaborate, but
she had asked me outright so I felt obligated to give her the
complete truth. It was part of our new bargain: if you didn’t
really want to know, you didn’t ask. “It’s all I can do to keep
most of them out of my mind. Compulsion has been harder for me to
resist since we arrived here.” That was an understatement, but she
was better off not knowing how bad it really was.

Her brows furrowed. “But I haven’t
heard a single person here call you by name.”

I nodded gravely. I was confused by
that too. “It seems they have discovered a way around
that.”

She looked over at me; her face twisted
into a compassionate stare. It would have been so easy for me to
whine, but I couldn’t let myself think that way. Cassie had been
feeling sorry for me a little too much lately, and I didn’t want it
to rub off. Besides, I needed to find a way to get on with my
life.

“
I’m sorry to hear that,”
she said. “I wish I knew how to help you, but aren’t you even a
little bit excited about tonight?”

I considered her question. Having
attractive men fall all over themselves to talk to me, get me
things I didn’t even want, or just stare at me with a determined
look on their pretty faces should have been flattering. It would
have been in any other circumstance, but underneath all the
kindness was the undeniable fact that each one of them was trying
to compel me into wanting him.

I pinched my lips together and looked
out the window. My mind drifted to musing about what might happen
this evening. “Sure I am.” I was able to manage more enthusiasm
than I felt, but it still wasn’t good enough. “It’ll be
great.”

Cassie took my hands into hers. “Come
on, Rayla. When are you ever going to have a chance to go to a real
live masquerade ball again?”

A slow smile curved my lips. This was
just the sort of thing we used to dream up as kids. My heart beat
faster as I thought about being swept across a crowded floor in the
arms of prince charming. Two faces fought for dominance in my mind,
and I found myself floating wistfully into the daydream. Even if
Zach and Luke couldn’t be here tonight, I would pretend they
were.

I barely noticed Cassie stand up. But
it wasn’t until she touched my leg that I came back to
reality.

“
Will you help me decide
which dress to wear?” she asked softly. “I want to look pretty for
Finn.”

I snorted, thinking of the way Finn
always stared at her with puppy-dog eyes. He was all-out gone over
her. “You could wear a garbage bag and he wouldn’t notice, but I’m
in.”

She grinned radiantly and headed for
the bath. My thoughts strayed to what I was going to wear. I had an
entire closet full of enviable fashions, but what was the point?
Who did I have to impress? I gritted my teeth. The sentiment of a
ball was nice, but reality was much different.

I’d thought I had it bad back at
college. If I had known just how awful this could get I would have
insisted on choosing a bondmate before I came here.

I had expected Zach and Luke five days
ago, but no one other than me seemed to notice their absence. I
kept telling myself that it was a good thing that they hadn’t
returned because I needed the time to decide. I figured that
distance would help me to see who was best for me, but the longer
they were gone the more confused I became. My heart was a tangled
mess of uncontrolled emotional strings. I would follow a line
thinking it would lead to a choice only to end up at the beginning
again.

To make matters worse, every underlord
here had decided that now was the time to move up in the ranks by
conquering me for their queen. Fighting back the onslaught of
constant compulsion attempts was not my idea of fun. I didn’t have
a clue why they were even bothering. What made them think they
could do better than Luke had? He was an actual lord for heaven’s
sake.

I had to get out of here before one of
these weasels found a way to really compel me and there was only
one fae I could trust to help me do it.

I found Finn in the Great Hall. The
room was bursting with the stale stench of crowded bodies. Our
gazes touched briefly, but he looked away faster than I could pin
him down. He started for the foyer at a brisk pace. I called after
him, pushing past a couple of guys that were trying to penetrate my
mind. I had no idea who they were, but the attempt was subpar at
best.

I didn’t have time for this. I threw up
walls so thick an atomic blast couldn’t bring them down. Each man
clutched his skull, groaning as though their brains had just
exploded.

Served them right. I skirted around
them, trying to keep Finn in sight. He wasn’t ditching me this
time.

I followed him out of the castle and
into the frozen tundra that makes up the majority of the fire
realm. The most I could hope for was that he would agree to help
me, but the least I would accept from him was an explanation for
why he was avoiding me all of the sudden. He was looking straight
forward, his long auburn braid swaying in the wind.

I had to jog to even have a chance to
reach him. The air was crisp from the scent of ice mixed with pine.
I inhaled deeply trying to capture the freshness.

“
Hey, Finn,” I yelled. “Wait
up!” He hadn’t slowed down at all. In fact, it looked as if he had
sped up. The worst part was he hadn’t even bothered to hide the
fact he was trying to get away from me.

I kicked into a full run, pulling my
fur jacket tighter around my neck. My breath swirled around me in a
chilly fog.

His sigh echoed off the frosty cliffs
looming above us. He had attempted to explain why a people who
control fire had to live in a frigid environment, but it was still
a little odd to me. He said it had to do with balance. If his
people occupied a more temperate clime, they would most likely
destroy it from how they use their power.

I loved being around Finn. He was the
only male I had met lately that hadn’t tried to seduce me. Somehow,
fae males have a way of amplifying their charm based on reactions
from their prey. I saw Zach do it in my dorm-room at St. Mary’s and
the effects were earth-shattering for me. He could have had me then
if he had only asked. Sometimes, I wish he had.

Being here was much worse than I had
ever thought it could be. For the most part, I have been able to
overcome the feelings the lordlings constantly inflict on me, but
it has gotten rather tiring.

I’ve realized something that I hadn’t
before, though. These men have the ability to make me feel as if I
am in love with them without much of a problem. Unfortunately for
them, my mind can still see through their guise even if my heart
can’t. They had a disadvantage where I was concerned because they
couldn’t make the connection with me they enjoy with normal
Elementals.

Finn was different. He had never tried
to compel me, and I found it rejuvenating to be around him. I just
wished I had the same effect on him. He always seemed uncomfortable
whenever he was anywhere near me, which over the past few days had
been not at all. I needed to find out why.

He glanced at me then grimaced. “It is
not wise for you to seek me out like this.” His sultry voice always
made my insides tighten slightly, but I had learned to ignore the
feeling.

I gave him a big sloppy grin and
chuckled. “Being with you is the safest place I can be right
now.”

He stopped cold and faced me. His chest
heaved rapidly; his fists clenched at his sides. “You take much for
granted. Have you forgotten I was sent by my people to claim
you?”

Hadn’t he told Tabitha he didn’t want
me? He had said it was only a formality. I shook off the thought
then punched his arm lightly to emphasize the fact that I was
trying to be his buddy. “You could never do that to Cassie.
Besides, Luke already tried to hijack my mind, and I’m still here.
Your people will have to understand that I’m not going to bond with
just anyone.” After realizing I had insulted him, I added, “No
offense.”

He smiled crookedly, his straight white
teeth gleaming in the morning sun, and coughed as though he was
fighting back an ironic laugh. I could see why Cassie liked him so
much. He seemed gruff on the exterior, but, really, he was just a
big teddy-bear.

He leaned nearer. “If I do not fulfill
my calling soon, another will be chosen. Then where will you be,
little miss smug attitude? You think just because you escaped
Luke’s paltry attempt you will be able to escape all? I would not
be so naïve, Rayla.”