Beyond the Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1)

Pins and prickles crawled all over her spine making her cringe. Bursts of colors blinded her in hues of off reds and pinks. Darkness swirled around blending them into incomprehensible patterns.

She could feel the heavy thudding of her heart pounding against her chest. The pain in her back crescendoed. Something tore out of her as she rolled onto her side. Dried tears were painted all over her face entangled in her hair as she thrashed on the ground feeling light she was fighting for her life.

When her sobbing slowed, she took a shaky breath. The cold pouring rain did little to soothe her. Her heavy wet cloak clung to her making her more tired. The deafening sound of lightning and thunder didn’t help any.

She shook like an autumn leaf ready to free itself from a branch. Something under her back moved and she opened her eyes. The sky above was shrouded in dark black clouds. Rain hit her face and she had to squint her eyes to see Lorcan through it.

His hair appeared a dull red due to the pouring rain and he gingerly was holding onto her arms with his chest pressed against her. Elaine didn’t know why he was holding her so close and she blushed.

“Don’t look behind you.”

Not listening, she looked over her shoulder and reality set in. She would have pinched herself if she wasn’t trapped in Lorcan’s arms. Two wings, dark pink with tints of black were somehow attached to her. She couldn’t stop herself from hyperventilating. She didn’t feel right in this world and wasn’t ready to be tied down as one of them -- the fae.

Lorcan never said this would happen. Elaine stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded, at him. She was too shocked to even utter a single word as she connected the dots. The terrible excruciating pain was because of her wings.

Too many questions crowded her mind. She didn’t know whether to be stunned or angry at him for doing this to her without her consent. Then again he said it wasn’t actually his fault. She had a feeling she would have turned fae either way, but maybe him making her his mate sped up the process.

She wanted to push him away from her. She was too tired and wondered if there was blood on her back. Lorcan lifted her up with him.

The moment his hands met her wings a low purr came from him and his grip on her tightened, but the sound got lost in the rain and Elaine hadn’t heard it. Oddly, something inside her became warm, but the feeling was easily buried under the dull pain in her back.

She could feel her wings drag on the ground probably getting dirty as he carried her back to the house. When they finally reached the house, Lorcan opened the door and took her upstairs. Elaine hoped he would leave her alone. When he walked down the opposite side of the hall from her room her heart raced. He was taking her to the last place she wanted to go, his room.

She shook her head furiously and pleaded at him through her eyes, but he just ignored her and set her on his bed. Her wings were beneath her weight now as her body slumped over on the mattress. She thought she would be squashing them, but she really didn’t know because they were still numb and felt...dead.

A heavy blanket spread over her. It was itchy, but warm. She was grateful that he was at least he’s trying to help her.

“Thanks.”

He didn’t reply. Instead, he walked over to the other side of the bed and lowered himself onto it. She gulped while trying, but failing, to scoot away. Her body was like dead weight. She couldn’t even move over an inch. She rolled her eyes at her helplessness.

“You’re still cold, aren’t you?” Lorcan asked.

She watched his wings extend from behind his shoulders. They easily reached out to the edge of the bed and above them. The darkness of the room made them almost glow and for a second she thought they were.

Lorcan laid on his side facing her. Her own wings caught her attention as she saw a slight shimmer radiate from them.

“Want to see something?”

Elaine didn’t think she really had a choice.

Lorcan watched her quietly staying completely still. She as confused at first when he didn’t do anything. Then she saw his wings slowly inch towards hers. Maybe it was because she just got them, but she felt like she still couldn’t control or even move her wings at all. One of his wings bumped against hers.

The color in her wings seemed to be glowing now like his. She still couldn’t feel her wings though. She was too caught up in the magnificent color of them right now to even care. The dark shades of pink simply intrigued her. The anger that boiled inside her at the thought of Lorcan being the cause of the unbearable pain she went through vanished for the moment.

With new strength, she was able to turn on her side and get a better look at her wings. Lorcan’s wings retracted a little, but they still glowed just as bright as hers. The dark red of them haloed around his head, radiating his face. She wondered if her face was radiating too.

Remembering the soft feel of Lorcan’s wings, she gently felt her own. Sure enough, they feel just as silky. Little sparkles landed over her hand and spread across her wings making them shimmer. She felt confused, but then remembered when Lorcan blew his glittery faery dust onto her face. Was it her own?

She felt something funny in her throat then spit up a goop of her own silvery pink faery dust into her hand.

It scared her and made her feel unhuman. She was angry at her parents and Lorcan. Too angry to bare to look at him anymore. The moment his wings touched her she felt filled with energy and took her chance to escape his nearness, “I’m g-going to my room now.”

“Alright see you tomorrow,” Lorcan said with a forced smile knowing he somehow upset her.

When she got back to the bed, she laid down thinking about how she could trust someone she barely knew.

How can I feel safe with someone who turned me into something without even asking me? Something’s definitely different about Lorcan and something’s definitely different about me now too. Am I really a faery or did Lorcan make me one?! I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see my family again and I don’t know what tomorrow will bring either, she thought while tugging the covers up to her chin.

Don’t trust him little faery. He did this to you, the familiar deep voice told her mind and she shuddered wondering if they somehow were spying on her now.

“Who are you?” Elaine whispered with a shiver.

Her question went unanswered though as she shut her drifting off.