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Chapter Two

RAIN

S omehow, we made it through lunch with the Sparks.

It felt like it took forever, but there was something about the ordeal that reminded me of closing a book.

This was an ending - and maybe even a new beginning?

I wasn't sure, but it felt big, or maybe important?

Necessary, that was the word I was looking for.

Even better, my shadow was a normal one again.

No more shimmering or moving on its own.

Yet just as we got back to his car, Liam's phone beeped.

A press of his key fob unlocked the doors, so I slipped into the passenger seat while he pulled his phone from his pocket.

Then, for a little too long, he just stood there.

He didn't call anyone. I couldn't see him typing. The man simply stared at the screen.

"Liam?" I asked.

He let out a breathy laugh, then dropped down behind the wheel. "Bracken has news," he said before passing me his phone.

The moment I took it, he moved to close his door and put on his seatbelt.

I saw that from the edge of my vision, but I was looking for the newest message.

The conversation between these two was filled with the most disgustingly cute emojis.

Hearts were everywhere. Green ones from Bracken and black ones from Liam.

A few rainbows were mixed in the middle of the text - just on principle, it seemed - and there at the bottom was what he wanted me to see.

Bracken:

It's done. She's ours. WE HAVE OUR DAUGHTER!

Next came a line of excited emojis and balloons. Then there was a picture proclaiming, "It's a girl!"

Bracken:

Paperwork should be mailed whenever the govt. gets around to it. Her name is legally le Fae now too. Lorraine Brooks le Fae. It's real, baby. No one can take her from us now!!!

I was smiling at the screen. My teeth had clamped down on my lower lip, but my mouth was trying to smile around it. The crazy thing was how the text kept getting blurry. How could my eyes be watering if my lips wouldn't stop smiling? That shouldn't be possible.

I'd never had anyone want me like this before.

I barely knew these two! I'd met Liam because of a fluke, and Bracken was supposed to merely be my teacher.

There was no logical reason why they'd want me, of all people, and yet they did.

There wouldn't be so many emojis otherwise.

Never mind how cute it was that Bracken called Liam "baby.

" Yet seeing "daughter" on the screen hit me right in a place I hadn't expected: my heart.

"Rain?" Liam asked, reaching over to ease the phone from my hands. "You ok, kid?"

"So you're officially my dads now?" I had to fight to keep my voice from cracking.

"Sounds like," he said. "You still ok with this?"

I nodded quickly before he could try to apologize or something. "And it's legal, right? I mean, I know you used magic and all, but as far as the state cares, it's all legal? Permanent?"

"No take-backs," he assured me. "I'm pretty sure there was a little magical involvement, but I don't know what type yet, and it doesn't matter. You're stuck with us for the rest of your life. When I'm old, you and Brack will have to wipe my ass and put me in diapers or something."

"Eww!" I groaned, but it made the tears fade. "Liam!"

As if that was some kind of cue, he started the car. "And, since I'm legally your dad now, we're going to do something about your fashion sense, young lady. I have a reputation to uphold as a gay man or something. What do you think, maybe a few new outfits for next semester?"

"No," I said. "You don't have to do that. I mean, you already went overboard on Christmas. I have some things, and I don't need much since I wear my..." I paused when he backed out of the spot, the look on his face making it clear he was ignoring my complaints. "Liam!"

"Rain!" he mocked back. "You have gift cards that need using.

Besides, if your girlfriend is spending the night, then you need new pajamas - at the very least. I'm also thinking some comfortable clothes for after school, a few pairs of jeans since my brother threw them all away, and maybe an ugly sweater.

You know, we only went with gift cards because we weren't sure of your size and taste.

So if you don't pick for yourself, that means I'll have to, and you've seen how I dress! "

"Ok," I relented, because I did have quite a few gift cards to spend. "And maybe you can put on your fae whisperer hat for a second?"

That was enough to make him glance over at me. "Sure. What's wrong?"

Funny how he'd nailed it in one. Maybe my face was giving me away? I honestly had no idea, but not even Bracken's cuteness could make me forget about what had happened to Nancy's shadow in the restaurant.

"Um..." I caught the hem of my shirt and started messing with it. "What do you know about this magic I'm supposed to have?"

"Not much," he admitted. "The previous Morrigan died a very long time ago. I know she fought with the wildlings when a rebellion happened, though. I also know she was the same woman we called Joan of Arc."

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Um, did she have shadows?"

He shot me a very confused look. "Huh?"

"Like shadow magic," I clarified. "I mean, I'm not sure what else to call the black stuff I used on the Solstice, you know."

"Shadow magic is rather fitting, actually," he agreed. "But I don't have a clue, Rain. We can ask Bracken if you'd like."

"Yeah, um, but like..." I grimaced. "So remember when Nancy choked?"

"Mhm."

"It was because my shadow decided to choke her."

His brow furrowed, but this time he didn't look away from the road. "Your shadow?" I watched as his face clenched a bit, like he wasn't sure what to make of that, then he nodded a few times to himself. "Ok, shadow magic. So, like the black fog appeared and I didn't notice?"

"No, like my shadow!" I groaned because that didn't exactly clarify things.

"You know, the silhouette from light? That!

It just reached out to Nancy's shadow and was strangling her around the neck.

Ok, I'm not sure how else to strangle someone, but still!

And when I put my foot on its butt to pull it back, the thing turned and looked at me like it had a mind of its own! "

"Ok..."

His head was still bobbing. It was a rather comforting motion, making it look like he was thinking.

I had a feeling his years of being a counselor made such things into habits.

Sadly, he wasn't reassuring me this was normal, or manageable, or anything.

He was just thinking - and too hard, for too long.

"Is it still doing that?"

"Uh..." I held up my arm, looking under it to find my shadow. "Nope. It's normal again."

"So maybe it's a one-time thing," he decided, nodding once more with determination. "But when we get back, I'll ask Bracken what he knows, ok?"

"Am I... I dunno, safe?"

That made him not only scoff, but also turn to look at me. "Of course! Rain, it's just magic."

A little laugh burst from my lips. Never, in my entire life, would I have expected to hear those words together. "Just" and "magic?" Yeah, there was nothing "just" about it. Magic was powerful, dangerous, and completely beyond my comprehension.

That was what I'd learned last semester.

It was the important thing. Sure, the history of Faerie and the hints of their world in our ancient books?

That stuff was cool and all, but seeing most of the school attack my friends?

It had cemented one thing into my mind: magic was crazy, it obeyed rules I didn't understand, and it could be deadly.

"I mean, maybe we should skip shopping?" I suggested. "I really don't need anything, Liam, and I don't want to make the Sparks be right."

"By being greedy?" he asked. "You're not. I'll say it again: gift cards . You also need things for school, and I want to buy them. It's the fun part of being a dad."

"Yeah, uh, that's not the 'fun part.'" I informed him.

"It is for me." He flicked on the blinker and slowed to turn into a parking lot.

"Bracken said you need some athletic clothes for your training sessions, and that is definitely not what we want you to spend your presents on.

Presents are for fun things. School things are the responsibility of your parents, right?

Well, guess what? I'm a dad now - " That made a smile break through.

" - and it sounds like your gym classes require better shoes, some stuff for when you train, and there was something about a curling iron. "

Yep, that made me forget about my shadow paranoia. "Bracken thinks I should get a curling iron? For my weapons classes?" I asked, pretty sure I'd missed something in there.

Liam grinned. "Not for that. Evidently you complained at some point, Aspen heard and told Brack, and Brack told me. I would say you should get some makeup too, but you seem to have that."

"Wait..." I turned in the seat to face him. "So who got me the makeup when I moved in?"

"What makeup?" he asked, making it clear it wasn't him.

"There was a gift bag filled with it on my bed that first day. Like, this cute green one with little flowers drawn on it. I mean, the print had the flowers. It had pretty much everything."

He just chuckled, checked traffic, then turned into the parking area before another boutique store. "That sounds like your girlfriend's work. Don't try to thank her. You already used it, and that's all Aspen will want. Most likely, it's her apology for glamouring you."

"She never said a thing!" I gasped.

He found a space and stopped the car. After turning it off, he looked over.

"That's how they work. If she doesn't tell you, then you don't need to feel like you have a debt.

If you appreciate it, she feels like she did good.

She doesn't need the personal accolades.

She merely wanted to be nice, and that's not always easy for them.

They're a proud people, Rain. Even the wildlings.

Just make a comment about how nice it is to have and she'll be tickled. "

"Easy," I assured him. "But the shadows?"

"Seem to be fine," he replied. "Rain, you are the Morrigan. You control the magic of the wildlings now. No, I don't know how that works, but I know it makes you the champion of the Crow King."

"Jack's only a bastard prince," I countered.

"And the highest-ranking crow on Earth," Liam said. "If he wasn't, he wouldn't have the power. It could also mean his father is trapped on Faerie, dead, or anything else. But if Jack has the ability to make a Morrigan, I'm thinking that says he's recognized by the magic."

"Ok?" Because I wasn't quite sure how any of this applied to my situation now.

"Jack picked you, Rain," he clarified. "That crow chose you, out of all the possible people he's met in his very long fae-crow life. You. I happen to think it's because he felt you're strong enough and responsible enough to control the magic he's given you."

"Ok, and?" I pressed.

"And that means you can go shopping without letting it cause problems, right?"

Oh, great. Put all the responsibility on me! "But I don't know how!"

"Then just watch it, and if things get weird, we'll leave." He lifted a brow. "Good compromise? Because you really do need athletic wear for your detention class."

"Morrigan class," I grumbled. "Ms. Rhodes said I wasn't in trouble."

"Mhm, but do you feel special because of it?"

"No," I said around a little chuckle. "I feel like I got a semester of detention."

"Exactly." And he pushed open his door.

I paused to scrub at my own face, then hurried to get out and join him.

This wasn't the same place we'd come for my school uniforms. This was a much bigger store, and from the stuff I could see through the windows, a lot nicer.

We walked in together, but I paused to get my bearings.

Liam simply clasped my shoulders and angled me toward the women's side of the building.

"That's the side you want, kiddo. At least get a few outfits, ok? Otherwise, I might end up buying you a poodle skirt just to make sure you're clothed."

I shot him a dirty look. "You really need to work on your dad jokes. Poodle skirt? Really?"

"I was trying to think of the one thing I knew would be a threat. If I said pink, it would be your favorite color. If I said black, then that would be. I'm pretty sure you don't have some secret poodle skirt obsession, do you?"

"Nope." So I wandered my way into the racks of clothes. This would be ok. It had to be. But just to make sure, I looked down at the shadow under my feet and whispered, "Don't screw this up for me, ok?"