Excerpt from Trial By Fire

Chapter 1

I never should have touched the pendant.

What was I thinking? Didn’t my mother warn me every day of my life?

“Reese,” she’d say, her blue eyes serious as a heart attack. “Never touch anything that you feel is wrong. Never.” Then she’d slap my hand—or sometimes my cheek—to drive the point home.

The pendant sitting on the counter of my jewelry store felt all kinds of wrong.

But something about it pulled at me, in a way I couldn’t describe—or ignore.

So I disobeyed years of warnings, and reached for the tarnished silver disc. I didn’t even have on the thick cotton gloves I usually wore to “keep oils off the metal” as I told my customers.

Nope—I touched that beauty barehanded.

And the second my fingers brushed the edge, the world my mother spent so much time and effort protecting me from exploded into life.

***

My name is Reese Pierpoint, and I own a jewelry store in Santa Luna, California.

Sounds ordinary, doesn’t it? I thought so, which is why I chose the small, narrow storefront, on tree-lined Forest Street. I so needed normal, after a lifetime of my mother’s obsessive protection.

Fiona Pierpoint meant well. I understand now that she knew things, about life, appearances—and that neither one was ever what it seemed.

I spent my childhood as alone as she could manage. I was homeschooled, every minute of my day supervised, my friends thoroughly checked out before they were allowed to be my friends. Yeah—that process led to very few friends. So did moving every year or two.

Then there was my hair. I’ve had a thick blonde streak on the right side of my head since I could remember. On the first of every month Mom would religiously cover it with some nasty smelling liquid, and on the last day of the month, the streak would predictably reappear. Overnight.

I grew up well educated, with an ingrained fear of touching anything unfamiliar, and lonely.

I was good with everything but the lonely.

That finally led to the shouting match prompting my sudden move from cookie-cutter suburbia to bohemian, laid-back Santa Luna.

Which takes us back to the day my life exploded.

***

It started like most June days in Santa Luna—overcast in the morning, what the locals called the June gloom.

I walked the three blocks from my tiny second-floor studio to my store. The Dragon’s Breath was an unusual name for a jewelry store, but I played up the dragon love of treasure, and the interior reflected that, looking like the stone treasury of a castle. With modern touches, like lighting.

I loved my eclectic store, and I was choosy about what I sold there. Because of my reputation, the seller of the pendant walked into The Dragon’s Breath, instead of the pawn shop down the street.

She looked ordinary enough when she walked in, ringing the bell over the door. But as she got closer, the humming I can sometimes sense around people vibrated from her.

I should have trusted my instinct and refused to buy anything from her. But when she unwrapped the pendant and set it on my counter, I knew I had to have it.

This was a possession that startled me. I’m not a big jewelry wearer. Yeah, I know I sell it, and I do wear pieces in the store, to show them off. My own collection is tiny—partly because of my mother’s aversion to jewelry. She hates that I chose to sell it for a living.

“Where did you get this?” My voice sounded—odd, like I was hearing myself from the end of a long alley. I wanted to snatch the pendant up and clean it. The need to know what lay under the grime made my fingers itch.

The pendant had some kind of stone in the center, but was so tarnished and dirty, I couldn’t tell what the stone was.

“A family heirloom,” the older woman said. She watched me, probably more than a little freaked by my reaction to the pendant. Hell, I was more than a little freaked. “I wanted to know its worth, before I considered selling it.”

“It needs to be cleaned,” I muttered. I wanted to spend the time, slowly reveal the beauty hidden by neglect… I yanked myself out of the too-vivid image. “I can’t give you an estimate until I see what’s under the tarnish.”

“Why don’t you clean it for me, dear?” I jerked at her suggestion. The knowing smile on her face should’ve warned me.

“I normally don’t—”

“But you want to, Reese, don’t you?” Her quiet voice pulled me in—so much so that I didn’t notice she called me by name. “I believe you’re the only one who can do the pendant justice.”

Before I could stop myself, I reached for the pendant.

The second I touched it, the world my mother had spent her life hiding from me burst into my normal world—starting with the woman in front of me.

The woman who wasn’t a woman.

I stumbled backward, my fingers sliding off the pendant. But the damage had been done.

The woman who had turned from normal to strange studied me with her aqua blue eyes. She could’ve stepped out of my mother’s book on supernaturals.

She was a faerie.

Never, ever confuse real faeries with the pretty, laughing variety in storybooks. They couldn’t be more different. Mom had told me all the stories—which I understood now weren’t just stories.

Crossing paths with a faerie never ended well for the human. That would be me in this scenario.

“Reese—look at me. Focus on me.”

I was too busy trying to blend into the stone wall behind me. When that didn’t work, I turned to the faerie, the wall at my back, and put as much distance between us as I could manage.

“Who are you?” I already knew what she was, thanks to Mom’s “bedtime stories.”

“I promised Fiona we would not activate you. But these are desperate times, and we need your particular talent.”

“What—talent?”

“You are a Seer. They are rare in our world, and never untrained. But,” she stepped around the counter and stopped just out of arm’s reach. “I believe you will do fine. You were born with the power, Reese, and it is part of you.” The switch from talent to power scared me. “Most Seers acquire their skill after tragedy.”

“What do you mean—born with it?” Just how much did Mom hide from me?

“She should be here any moment to—ah, there she is.”

The faerie turned—and a second later the door flew open.

“Reese!” Mom almost shoved the faerie off her feet to get to me. “Are you all right?”

“Not really, Mom.”

I stepped forward, and tolerated her hug. I was more than a little angry at her right now, but if she didn’t hug, she’d hover until I let her. So I got it out of the way.

When she stepped back I saw something I’d never seen before—delicate silvery tattoos, wrapping around her wrists like vines, and climbing both arms. What the hell were they, and why didn’t I notice them before?

Mom’s furious voice jerked me back. “What did you give her?” She tossed the question at the faerie, not intimidated by her—or surprised. “Answer me, Maeve.”

“One of Aidan’s pendants, Fiona. It was time.” Maeve held up her hand when Mom started shouting. Mom’s voice halted mid word, and she grabbed her throat, fury in her eyes. “You deprived us of a Seer, when you ran from the Light Court, and bore a child.”

I stared from Mom to Maeve. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I told you that you were born with your power.” She waved at Mom, who still tried to talk, her face red with the effort. “Your mother passed her power to you when you were born. That was fortunate; normally, the ability to See dies with birth, when one of the parents are not Fae. It is the reason we do not allow Seers with your mother’s power to mingle with mortals. True Seers are too rare to squander.” She glared at Mom when she said it.

Mom tried to talk again. With an impatient huff, Maeve waved her hand.

Mom coughed, rubbing her throat. “We only wanted to live in peace. When Reese began to show signs, I gave up everything to keep her from your world.”

“Your world as well,” Maeve said.

“Not after what happened.”

That shut Maeve up. Until she looked at me. “We need your help, Reese.”

“I don’t know you.” I didn’t want to know any of them. Ever. Not if this was the way they operated. “Get out of my store.”

“Please let me—”

“Get out.”

“Reese.” Mom looked at me, her gaze so intense it scared me. “Tell her she’s not wel—”

Maeve waved her hand again, and silenced Mom before she could finish. But I heard enough.

“You’re not welcome here, Maeve.” A strange tingling swept over my skin. “Get out.”

“Reese—you need—”

“You. Are. Not. Welcome.”

She flew backward—and the door opened just before she hit it, slamming after her.

I stared at the door. “Did I just do that?”

“I’m afraid so, honey.” Mom walked over to me and took my hand. “I’m so sorry, Reese. I wanted to protect you, keep you from becoming part of the world I left.”

“I said no to her, Mom.”

She squeezed my hand. “Once you can see the Veil, Reese, you can’t unsee. The world is always going to look different to you now.” She sighed. “I wanted to keep this from you. I wish I’d done a better job.”

“It was my fault, Mom. I touched the pendant, even knowing I shouldn’t.” I hugged her, because we both needed it. “Maybe it’s time to start telling me some things.”

“You’re right. How does dinner—”

A pounding on the window interrupted her. We both looked over, and I almost groaned when I saw Maeve practically dancing in front of my store.

“Stay here, Mom.”

“Reese—”

“I can deal with this.” I had to—now that I’d be seeing only God knew what walking down the street.

I stalked over to the window and stopped in front of Maeve, hands on my hips. She quit pounding, and pointed to the door. I shook my head—no way in hell was I letting her back in. So I compromised by stepping outside.

I had the distinct feeling she was not going away.

“Reese—”

“Before you ask, or beg, or demand, I want to know one thing. And I want the truth.”

“Of course.”

“Not your truth. The truth.”

She deflated a little, but nodded. “I will tell you the truth.”

“Why me? There have to be other Seers. And why now?”

Maeve crossed her arms. “That is two things.”

“Fine.” I just managed not to roll my eyes. Which one did I want answered most? “Why now?”

“The murders last week.”

I flinched at her blunt tone. I did want the truth, after all. “Can you elaborate?”

“Now that you can See, take another look at the victims.”

I didn’t want to. Those murders had been vicious. Worse, the victims had been teenagers, out for a night of fun after their senior prom.

“I’m guessing you have a visual?”

Maeve pulled the local newspaper out of her bag. “Do not study the photos, Reese. Glance at them, let your power show you the truth.”

She handed me the paper. The same strange tingling rushed up my arm—and Mom screamed, so loud I thought she’d shatter the window.

I watched her sprint for the door, almost in slow motion. When I turned back to Maeve I saw the reason—she had one hand raised, all her focus on Mom.

“No!” I shouted as I tackled her, taking us both to the sidewalk. I’m sure I looked like the bad guy to the other shoppers on the street, taking down the tiny, older woman. Not that I was much bigger, at 5’4”.

“Free me.” She spit out the words.

“Touch my mom again, and you’ll be crawling away.”

“She keeps interfering—”

“Crawling changes to not at all if you keep arguing.”

That shut her up—and should’ve warned me. Why would a faerie be afraid of the jewelry store owner who just learned about her power?

“Understood,” she said.

I climbed off her, and my mother appeared, standing between us like a shield.

“Reese will not be bowing to your demands. I know you’re here without sanction.”

Maeve’s reaction told me Mom hit the truth on the head. “I sidestepped our agreement, yes. But we need her help.” She turned to me, and for the first time since she walked into my store, I believed she was sincere. “These young people will not be the last sacrifices.”

“Sacrifices?” I whispered the word, because my throat threatened to close up.

“You are needed, Seer, to help us find the supernatural who did this, and stop them.”

“I can’t—” I cleared my throat, leaning against the front of my store for support.

“You can.” Maeve looked at my mother. “Will you tell her, Fiona, or should I?”

Mom stiffened. “She does not need to—”

“Now that she can See, she needs to know.”

“For God’s sake, just tell me.” I was already tired of the secrecy that had been part of my life since I had memories.

Mom shoved Maeve out of the way and took my hand. “I will tell you, Reese. Inside.” She glanced at the audience we were attracting. “I promise you, I will answer any questions you have. There’s no more hiding, for either of us.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Not one bit.

~ * ~