Ignoring this peppy ball of energy next to me, I look back at my bacon and consider that. I suppose that isn’t completely unbelievable. After all, I use sarcasm as a defense mechanism for absolutely everything. Maybe there’s some truth to her words and she seems genuine enough so far.
Holding a piece of bacon and gesturing with it at Lilli, I say, “So, say I believe that—what do I do, going forward, to smooth things over? I wouldn’t like anything to distract from my reason for being here, which is my training.”
Look at me trying to be mature. I deserve a pat on the back.
Lilli mulls over my question with a pinch of her lips. “Honestly, she doesn’t have many friends, what with being the leader of our realm. If you can give her banter right back to her, I would say keep doing that but only if it’s in jest. Not because you dislike her. I think she’s potentially excited to have a friend that shares the same weight of responsibilities as her, even if she can’t see that yet.”
Well shit. Never expected to feel bad for Witch Bitch.
Finishing up my bacon, I gulp down my coffee. There’s a lot to think about and I have nothing more to say on the matter.
“We need to head out to the training grounds before Serenity finds out I’m letting you have a late start.”
I ask, “What time is it?”
She checks a sleek, black watch on her left wrist. “It’s about ten in the morning. I’ve been here since eight o’clock but I figured I’d cut you some slack on your first day, since Serenity is busy. It’s going to be a long day for you.”
I offer her a small smile of gratitude. Maybe she really isn’t like her sister.
I glance over to find the boys playing a video game on a device I’ve never seen in the living area. It’s Zedd against Leo as the rest of the guys watch intently.
That’s strange. I’ve never known them to be into video games. They must be trying to give us privacy to the best of their ability.
“So why is Serenity suddenly busy this morning? She told me she’d be here. Although, I must admit I’m enjoying your presence much more. I don’t have the urge to maim you, which is a nice change.”
She doesn’t even blink at my passive-aggressive statement before answering. “Well, in order for her to hold her position as Queen of this realm peacefully, she invites anyone to challenge her to a duel at any point. Gaia appointed her and gifted her with her powers but she has no problem proving to anyone that she’s the best person for the job. If a witch feels they’re stronger than her and would be a better leader, they issue a duel.”
Mad respect, Serenity.
With everything Lilli shares with me, my opinion of Serenity is changing. It must be lonely to feel like everyone is out to get you.
I get up to put my plate and cup away before leaning against the counter with my arms crossed. “Does she get challenged often?”
Lilli hops out of her chair. “Not for the past thirty years or so. She’s reigned for almost forty years now. In the first ten years, there were a lot of challengers but people backed off when she beat them down, every time. It didn’t seem worth it to take the hit to their pride, I suppose.”
What the fuck? They don’t look older than mid-twenties.
I stare at her with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. I think my ears are broken. Did you say she’s reigned for forty years?”
She smiles gently at me. “You heard me correctly. As supernatural creatures, we age at a fraction of the speed humans do. Technically, I am forty-eight and Serenity is sixty-two. We’re not immortal but you can expect to have a very long life.”
Well, damn. There might be some cool perks to this whole Fae thing after all.
“How old are your parents?”
She drops her gaze to the ground, looking forlorn. “They’re dead. Serenity was twenty-two when they were killed in battle with a warring, dark kingdom in another realm. She’s raised me since. I was only eight.”
This is getting much darker than I intended.
Unsure how to respond, I straighten off the counter and let her know that I’m going upstairs to change and get ready for training. I make my way across and up the stairs into our messy bedroom. No one bothered to make the bed and the comforter is still bunched up from where I threw it in my haste.
Leaving that for another time, I pull out a pair of black leather pants and matching leather vest top from the drawer.
What the hell? Let’s try it out.
Trying to shimmy into the pants proves a battle and I almost fall over more than once. I’m filled with a ridiculous sense of pride when I manage. The top is much more manageable. I just slip it on and button up, pleased with the extra boost for my boobs. Well, hello there, girls.
Spying black ankle boots with a flat sole, I pull them on and head to the bathroom to check out my new badass outfit. I look damn good.
Excited to show off my new outfit, I skip back down, my wavy hair bouncing lightly as I practically gallop down the stairs.
Whistles sound from the guys as they stand at the base of the stairs. I grin and do a little twirl, showing off every angle for their viewing pleasure. Flicking my hair, I say, “Why, thank you very much. I feel ready to take on the world now.”
A squealing sound comes from behind the guys as Lilli pushes her way through. “Oh my gosh, you look so hot!” she gushes, making my cheeks flush slightly at her compliment. The compliment is different coming from another woman.
I never had any girlfriends growing up so dealing with this is completely uncharted territory for me. I became somewhat of a social pariah for the rest of the girls in school because they were jealous of my relationship with the guys.
She’s different, Lana. Give her a chance.
I give her a genuine smile. “Thank you, Lilli. Let’s head out.”
She holds her arms straight out, encouraging us to touch them. “I’m going to zap us to the training grounds to save time so everyone touch my arms, please!”
Zap us? Here goes nothing. Doing as asked, we all reach out to touch her and are instantly transported to a new area which I assume is the training grounds. Luckily, none of us appears to be sick. Maybe only traveling in portals between realms causes nausea.
Taking in the vast, open interior, I find black walls, illuminated by LED lights hanging from the ceiling. It’s devoid of the bright colors I became used to, which makes me think that this facility was either built for Serenity or she gave it a gothic makeover.
The section where we landed is covered in mats on the ground with an intimidating obstacle course next to us, on the left. Right across from us, there’s a weapons room with a target range off to the side.
Holy intense. I think I might accidentally stab myself in the eye if they make me work with those. That sounds a lot less pleasant than my penis-in-the-eye rhyme.
As my palms begin to sweat, Serenity’s three men pop into existence, only drawing a short gasp from me this time. See? Improvement! They announce that they’ll be working with the guys on locating and drawing out their powers for the day. Each of my guys drop a kiss to my cheek as they head with them to the open area in the weapons room.
Standing awkwardly with Lilli, I say, “So … where does that leave us?”
She plops down onto the mat with a soft laugh. “Oh, I’m not training you, silly! Serenity will be here any moment. She’s the only one that understands your powers to some degree. Think of me as your cheerleader on the sidelines for today.”