“Our father said you look just like his mother, you know,” I told her. I wasn’t sure if it would make a difference, but I tried.
Bella’s eyes twinkled. “Really?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “And I can tell you that our father is not lacking in fire or passion. He may look reserved and try his best to put a lid on his real personality, but it’s there, Bella. And it’s in you too. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta find something to fight for, something that will make you break the rules and stand up.”
Bella shrugged. “Maybe.”
The light in her eyes dimmed, as though she didn’t believe that was something she could ever feel for herself.
“No maybe about it. Plus, we can’t all be hot heads. Mother, Court, me... Jeez, we’d never get a moment’s peace.”
Bella grinned.
“We need you to rein us in, Belle,” I said seriously. “If we all followed our whims, we’d be weightless, floating, selfish. You anchor us, bring us to reality, make us understand that there’s more to things than what we feel. You help us see the truth.”
I sighed and leaned back against the couch. I felt... more relaxed. Happy.
“God, I feel so much better here. I’ve been so stressed.” I put my hands against the sides of my head and squeezed, needing the pressure against the weird headache that had developed.
“Well, looks like you’re staying with us for a while. So, you won’t need to worry about any of that shit.” Courtney smiled and stood up to go find something.
Her words didn’t bring with them the relief I was expecting. Instead, my shoulders were heavy and a frown touched my lips. There was a sadness that I couldn’t shake. I didn’t want to be without the magical realm. I didn’t want to just step away, hide, forget who I was and who I should be. Not forever.
If everything was fair and equal, I would be able to do as I pleased. But it wasn’t.
I didn’t say anything to my sisters. I didn’t want to worry them any more than I already had.
I relaxed with my sisters and chatted for hours, before falling into bed and getting another great sleep.
Even though I missed Tavlor and everything I’d left behind, when I was with my sisters, I was home. I was safe.
For now.
Chapter 9.
Life with my sisters was the same as it ever had been. That didn’t mean it was boring. I relished this, the way nothing happened, the way I didn’t have to look over my shoulders constantly, worried someone was going to discover us. Too soon we fell into a very similar routine our mother had set. Three meals a day, relaxing after dinner, study and training during the day.
The biggest difference was in our magical dynamic.
Bella was always the best of us, precise. She knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Magic came easily from us. Courtney was wilder. Her magic came from her emotions—whatever she happened to be experiencing at the time. This made her unpredictable. And powerful.
I’d always been slightly more advanced that my sisters, being the oldest. Bella might have been better but I knew more and had mastered more than she had. She would never admit it, but I knew she wanted to catch up to me, to beat me.
Regardless of my expertise, there were moments I resented the extra attention my mother gave me simply because I was the oldest. I always felt like I had to be perfect. Had to get mother’s approval.
But with everything I had experienced, with everything going on, I was league’s ahead. If we had been in different circumstances, I would have enjoyed a battle of magic between the three of us, just like old times.
We stood outside in a field, where we had practiced many times before.
I thrust my hand out in Courtney’s direction. She flew back with such force that even I winced as she crash-landed. I jogged over to where she sprawled on the ground and offered her my hand.
“Where did you learn all this?” she asked, breathing hard as she took my hand in hers. I pulled her to her feet. We walked back to Belle, across the field.
I’d knocked her ten feet backwards, easily, using some of the magic that Horlow had taught me. I missed him. I wished he was here. There was so much more I needed to learn.
“From a mage in one of the Fae realms I was hiding in,” I said.
“One of?” Courtney asked, tilting her head to the side. She began to undo her braid before braiding her hair tighter. “How many are there?”