A Life Earthbound (12 page)

And just when she thought the coast was clear to continue her observations, she caught Brogan watching her as well, smiling at her shyly when she noticed him.

This was most curious. She had been virtually unnoticed her entire life and now two boys were suddenly adamant about getting her attention. Even her father noticed, and he protectively hovered over her, trying to be subtle even though she could see the difference in his demeanor. She was completely puzzled. What was it that was suddenly different about her and why all of a sudden had she become someone worth noticing?

That night, she sat in her room at her dressing table, staring at her reflection. She didn’t look any different than she had the day before. She still had the same long, straight, bark colored hair, the same almond shaped, sage green eyes and the same rounded face with cheekbones that were just beginning to show.

Out of pure curiosity, she reached for the makeup set her mother had given her for her birthday and opened it hesitantly. She had hardly seen the need to wear makeup, had deemed it impractical and useless, but perhaps it wasn’t so bad…

She lifted one of the large brushes and dabbed it in the blush, then brushed it on the hollows of her cheeks. She examined herself, wondering if it really had done much.

Deciding to try something else, she reached for the eyeliner and smudged it behind her lashes, darkening her eyes. Adding some shimmering eyeshadow and black mascara, she sat back and took looked at herself in the mirror once more.

This time, the difference surprised her. She looked years older; more mature and even kind of beautiful. Her lips tugged into a smile, even though she tried to fight it back, turning her head to admire herself at different angles.

Maybe she really was worth looking at, she thought, tugging at her still slightly chubby cheeks and eyeing her slightly too small ears critically. She wasn’t stunning, but maybe she was...pretty.

Deciding she was being foolish, she went to her bathroom and rinsed the makeup off. Drying her skin with a hand towel, she stared at her reflection once again, feeling confused.

Deep down she knew the only reason she had bothered with the makeup at all was because of Liam. The way he’d smiled at her earlier that day had sent her heart fluttering, as much as she’d tried to deny it to herself.

But perhaps the weirdest part and what was really bothering her the most was that she’d known him her entire life. They were raised together, and although she didn’t think of him as her brother the way Blythe did, she still knew him. It wasn’t like he’d dropped out of the sky all of a sudden; he had always been around.

So what had suddenly changed? When had he gone from being a nice boy who smiled at her every once in awhile, to suddenly giving her strange and unfamiliar feelings? Feelings that she tried to convince herself she wasn’t feeling, but knew she couldn’t deny. They were buried deep, but they existed. Despite how long she’d practiced closing her heart to emotion, to steeling herself against the threat of others having any hold over her like her parents had, she still found herself unable to resist him.

And then there was Brogan, who she had been surprised to find so agreeable. There was something relaxing about being around him and his obvious admiration for her was undeniably flattering. But he was a Fury, and it was an unspoken rule that the Dryads were not to socialize much with them. Not that she’d discovered the reason, but it made her wonder why others feared them. Brogan seemed perfectly fine; albeit a bit shy, but still very kind and polite. Perhaps he was just different than the other Furies, and therefore maybe the rule didn’t apply to him. She would have to find out.

Folding the hand towel neatly, she hung it back up and walked to her bed, where she folded back the covers and fluffed up her hypo-allergenic pillows. She crawled under her linen sheets and turned off her bedside lamp, trying to convince herself that the odd events of the day were just getting to her, and that tomorrow everything would be back to normal.

She had to believe it, had to know that she still had some semblance of control over both her mind and her carefully protected heart.

The garden room
had always been one of her favorite places in the castle, with its enormous skylights open to the heavens and the all encompassing presence of Earth. It was really more of an enchanted forest than a room, despite the practical furnishings and mirrors Thea used for day-to-day operations. Plants and trees of all types lined the walls, bursting through the cracks in the stone floor and climbing the enormous Greek columns that held up the tall glass ceiling.

Perhaps it was because her element was so heavily present that she felt drawn to this room. Or maybe it was because during most of her childhood when she couldn’t play in the courtyard because her father deemed it unsafe or because Blythe and Liam were there, Thea would let her come to the garden room and play with the animals.

It was a simple thing and Thea had not minded one bit, but Rhiannon still felt humbled and in awe every opportunity she had to come in and just sit.

Thea kept all kinds of animals, mostly for companionship. Her newest addition was a young wolf named Bane, barely more than four months old, who Thea had rescued from an uncertain, motherless fate in the Alaskan wilderness. Rhiannon had already fallen in love with him.

She sat with him, petting his scruffy silver fur and admiring his golden eyes. He was surprisingly docile for a wolf, but maybe that was her power over him. Because in the same way that Air Dryads could charm birds, Rhiannon connected with most other animals, especially those most linked with the soil and the trees.

The room was empty except for herself and the animals, which was how she liked it. Thea and Sebastian had left on a trip with the Furies and would be gone for awhile, hopefully giving her plenty of time alone.

She just hoped her mother wouldn’t catch her. Even though Thea was adamant about Rhiannon being allowed in the room whenever she wanted, she knew her mother would expect her to be studying.

And while she knew there was studying to be done, she rationalized that sitting in the garden room and basking in the essence of the Earth element was a good way to hone her powers even further. Surely her mother couldn’t argue with that.

Reaching for the rope toy Thea had got for Bane, Rhiannon tossed it across the room and watched him race to fetch it. He lumbered back with it in his mouth, tail wagging cheerfully. She laughed and played tug of war with him, enjoying herself for the first time in…well, longer than she could even remember.

Out in the corridor, Liam walked, his hands tucked in his pockets and his mind focused on figuring out how to convince his dad to let him go to California to go fishing. His dad had been iffy about the idea, but he was slowly bringing him around. He didn’t see what the big deal about it was; it wasn’t like he was gonna kill the fish or anything. He just wanted to catch a few and release them back into the lake. No harm, no foul.

Thinking if he brought up the idea of a father and son camping trip that maybe his dad would loosen up about it, Liam grinned and mentally patted himself on the back. He’d drop a few hints about wanting to do manly stuff like hiking, making campfires, cooking hot dogs and telling scary stories. His dad would then come up with the idea, and bam! Fishing in the Sierras!

Distracted, he almost didn’t hear the sound. It was faint and distant and something he had never heard before.

It was laughter, though for the life of him he couldn’t figure out who it was.

Intrigued, he followed the sound, stopping outside the closed door to Thea’s garden room. He pressed his ear against the solid wood and listened intently. Hearing the sound again, he slowly and silently eased the door open, peering inside.

What he saw made his heart leap into his throat and quite literally stopped his breath. The sight of her, sitting on the stone floor with her long, dark hair spilling over her shoulders, her face glowing with laughter and her eyes filled with a joy he had never before seen shook him to the core.

The only thought that managed to race through his mind was:
when had Rhia become so beautiful
?

She was playing with what at first glance he assumed was a big gray dog, but when the dog turned and stared at him, a growl rising from deep within its throat as it bared its teeth, he froze. It wasn’t a dog…it was a wolf. Fear almost had him charging into the room to rescue her.

Rhiannon’s head whipped around at Bane’s growl, and she caught sight of Liam in the doorway.

All she could do was stare, unsure and wary. He was watching her with the strangest look on his face; a look she had never seen before. When he smiled, she felt more at ease, but the memory of that look stayed with her.

“Hi.” He edged into the room, shutting the door, his eyes flicking apprehensively to the wolf.

Sensing his fear, Rhiannon rubbed her hands up and down Bane’s fur, her mind urging him to calm. She felt him relax under her hands, and he turned and licked her cheek lovingly.

“Can I come closer?” Liam asked.

Rhiannon nodded, keeping Bane close for comfort. Seeing Liam sent off sparks within her that were not welcome.

He crouched down and sat beside her, his eyes never leaving her face. She felt exposed and strange, as if he was seeing her for the first time.

“What are you doing in here?”

She bit her lip, hoping her voice didn’t betray her nerves. “Thea lets me come in here sometimes.”

“I never knew that.” He grinned, casually brushing back his hair and resting his arms on his knees. He glanced around the room. He had been inside many times, but had never lingered more than a few minutes. “So is that your pet wolf?”

She shook her head as she looked at Bane, who decided to lay down in front of her with his head resting on his paws. “No, he’s Thea’s.”

“He seems to like you a lot.” Liam watched the way she was petting the wolf with slender, delicate hands. “What’s his name?”

“Bane.” She chanced a glance at him, her eyes deep pools of green, full of intelligence and uncertainty. He found it impossible to look away. “Why are you here?”

“I heard you laughing, from the corridor,” he said softly, his smile fading and wonder replacing it. “It’s been years since I’ve heard you laugh, Rhia.”

Had it really been that long, she thought sadly, her heart aching even as her face remained carefully blank. Shrugging, she started to turn away; that look had returned to his eyes, making her uncomfortable.