Fates Divided: Halven Rising

Derek—her hot, possibly pothead neighbor—could make himself invisible? Of course he could, because that went right along with magic doors and self-healing Fae.

Elena sank to the floor, her head bent between her knees, breathing slowly so she wouldn’t hyperventilate.

Derek stepped up next to her, his leg a steady presence against her side. “What the hell is going on? Who are you people?”

Elena blinked and rolled her head against the firm surface of his thigh, looking up. He could make himself invisible, but he didn’t know Portia and the rest of them? If he wasn’t Fae, what was he?

“I asked you not to follow me,” she said.

A look of chagrin crossed his face for a split second before he stared back at the Fae. He laid a strong hand on her shoulder, his face furious. “I overheard one too many threats directed at her.”

Regardless of Derek’s overbearing streak, he seemed to be on her side. Sensing the tension building, she pulled herself together and stood.

Portia slowly returned to her seat. “Derek O’Brien, how fortuitous of you to join us. I see from whom you inherited your temper.”

If Portia knew Derek’s parents, and he wasn’t a Fae, was he a Halven like Elena?

Portia tapped the side of her chin. “It is an interesting pairing, but you may be of use. You live next door to Elena. We do not anticipate a problem, as long as she draws no attention. But an extra guard would not hurt. With your ability to disappear, you have an advantage over other protectors. And your grasp of the sciences is an asset—your knowledge of immunology particularly useful.” She nodded. “Yes, this could work out nicely.”

Derek stabbed Elena with a glare.

What? She wasn’t responsible for this. And anyway, he’d kept secrets too, considering his invisibility trick.

Portia cut off their silent exchange with a wave of her hand. “Enough. Elena must begin her training. You will go with Leo to one of our laboratories.”

Portia stood, along with the other two Fae, and opened a door on the back wall. Keen’s presence pressed at her and Derek from behind, and they followed the Fae out.

Elena paused just outside the door, her breath catching. The corridor beyond the classroom resembled the hallways of the palaces Elena had researched for her art history paper. Fine plasterwork, hardwood parquet floors, intricately painted ceilings. How did this place exist at Dawson without anyone knowing about it?

They continued down the hallway until Portia and Deirdre split off to enter a separate corridor.

Portia stopped and turned to them. “Follow Leo. And Derek, should you decide to abandon Elena, you will find your secret is no longer a secret. I wonder what your father would think of his brilliant son if he discovered the truth? Do conventional parents stand beside a child who is truly different? They accepted your school preference, but will they accept who, or what, you are?”

With that parting shot, Portia walked away.

Derek’s breathing grew loud and unsteady, tension radiating off his body.

Up ahead, Leo went through a door in the middle of the hallway.

Elena wrapped a palm around Derek’s balled fist and urged him forward, but he shook her off.

He lowered his mouth to her ear. “What is all this? Has it got something to do with your experiment last night? How do these people know who I am?”

Elena glanced at Keen, following a discreet distance behind them, and nodded. “How long have you been able to turn invisible? Did”—she winced—“did my solution do that to you?”

Derek blew out a breath and shook his head. “No. I lied about it making me see things. I wanted to find out what you were up to.” His humility didn’t last long. With his next breath, he glared down at her and said, “Now, tell me the rest of it.”

His tone grated, but she reeled in the urge to snap back at him. No matter how angry he sounded, Derek had stood up for her to the Fae, and he’d paid a heavy price. “I woke feeling off yesterday, my hands shaking. I didn’t think much of it until I made the solution boil in chem lab—without heat.”

“Go on,” he said cautiously.

“The same thing happened at home with water. I went to you yesterday because I was searching for someplace safe to experiment and figure out what was going on.” Her face heated. “You know how well my experiment went.”

He shook his head incredulously.

“I’m sorry about what happened in your lab. I thought that if I could just test out a few things, I’d figure out why the liquids were boiling.”

“Seriously?”

She threw up her hands. “What? It’s not like I knew any of this was possible. Not until these people confronted me today.”

“I get that part, but why are you making deals with them?”

“They’re dying. I can’t just walk away if I can help.”

“Yes, you can. I followed you and the giant into the room. Those people threatened you. If you were smart, you’d stay away from them.”

“My mother is a Fae. If I don’t help, they’ll make sure she’s exposed. Granted, I don’t know my mother—she left me when I was young—but she’s still my mom and I don’t like the idea of anything happening to her. More important, they threatened the family I do know, which you heard if you were sneaking around. They’re serious, Derek. I can’t risk it.”

She grabbed his arm and made him face her. “What they said makes weird sense—about my mother. They told me I inherited abilities from her and that I’m a Halven.”

“Halven. Portia called you that.” He turned to Keen. “Is that what I am? This Halven thing?”

Keen nodded.

Derek tilted his head to the ceiling, his face strained, eyes blinking.

“You didn’t know?” she asked quietly.

He looked down and shook his head.

“I’m sorry. If you’ve had your ability for a while, you must have wondered.”

“You think?” His tone was sarcastic.

She tried to come up with something to say that would make him feel better. She’d only lived with not knowing what she was for a day, and that was long enough. She couldn’t imagine waiting years.

“I know it’s hard to take in. I don’t fully understand it myself, but we have to try and move forward—because we have a very big problem on our hands. The Fae want me to use my magic to cure them of some Frankensteined virus, and you just agreed to help.”

Her words must have gotten through, because Derek started walking again, then he suddenly stopped. “Wait—did you just call what you did last night magic?”

“I don’t call it that, the Fae do. Why? What do you call your invisibility thing?”

He gave a closed-mouth grin. “Useful.”

Elena couldn’t breathe, let alone respond when he smiled at her like that.

She forced her gaze from his sensual lips, back to his arrogant eyes. “So useful, you’re afraid to tell your family?”

His grin faded. “Fine. What do we need to do?”

“Help them come up with an antivirus to the disease.”

“Oh, that’s all?”

“Supposedly they think I can. I don’t know much about the virus. Honestly, I’m getting the impression they don’t either. It couldn’t have been a Fae who created it. Not when it puts all of their lives at risk. Portia and Keen didn’t say so, but it’s possible a human made the disease.”

Derek’s face paled. “I wonder…” He didn’t finish his thought.

“You wonder what?” she asked.

He shook his head, but his eyes darted away. “Nothing. We better catch up to Leo.”