MIDDLE GROUND

28

Evelyn's POV

I have no idea how long I've been here but the longer I stay trapped in this nightmare the weaker I feel.

She is waiting for my will to fight to go; for my light of hope and life to dim. That's when she will take over my body. That's when I know that I will no longer be Evelyn, I'll be a host for Maggie.

"You are a child of the goddess Danu. Do you know what that means? You are part faerie. Your mother spoiled our great bloodline." I hear her laughing but all I see is darkness. "You can't fight forever half-breed."

But that's where she's wrong. I've learned a lot while Maggie tortures me. Danu has made herself known to me. The moon goddess has shown me favor too. My maternal ancestors of druidesses have left me for dead. I assume they are on Maggie's side. I'm tainted. Not worthy of their power.

"You are worthy little one." The thought comes into my head but I know it's Danu. "You are a faery and we fight back. We have boundless energy, energy she's trying to feed off of. Give her only a little bit but hang on to it. Be brave little one."

I try but the torture doesn't leave me with much ability to fight. She comes and splinters my heart. She makes it hard to breathe. And when she speaks, she speaks of her and Oisin. Of their love and how I am nothing to him.

"Little aes sidhe, I'm here for you. I will be full by the time you get to the stone circle. Hang on until then." Selene, the moon goddess whispers to me.

The darkness encompasses me and I'm falling again. I land on something sharp directly in the heart. I can't open my eyes to the outside world but in here I can see what Maggie allows me to see and the large icicle point that has pierced my heart is covered in my blood. I stay like that until the giant icicle melts into the darkness. Has it been hours? Days? Months?

Her heart is made of ice, not mine.

I'm going to fight.

***

Oisin's POV

"She's been placed on the center stone for the full moon tonight. They believe it will break the spell." Fiona is always so optimistic, but I don't see how the moon goddess would show her favor when she was so rude to the Alpha and Luna at the party.

The party where Rian danced with her. I haven't seen him with a human since, not even with Jennifer.

Deep down I'm glad to see some sort of his humanity has come back but why does it have to be because of my Leanan Sidhe?

One good thing to come out of all of this has been the 3 of us reconnecting. We weren't always family. Our 'father' trained Rian and I to fight to the death for the crown. Behind his back we formed a true brotherly friendship and swore to never go through with the old mans wishes. Fiona caught his eye to be the next queen, but the more he dotted on his 'daughter' the more Rian and I could only see her as a sister. Our father was cruel. He killed many supernatural creatures, including any vampires in the United Kingdom that didn't fall in line with our clan.

Instead of following his orders, Rian and I discussed what was best for our family of vampires. Rian was always more competitive and power-hungry, making him a great warrior in battle and leader on the field. My sensitivity towards humans and other supernatural beings made me a great second. I would make allies while he fought any enemies that came to our doorstep.

All 3 of us have looked out for one another, even when we've hated each other. When Fiona would flirt with a male vampire and our father sent her to be punished, Rian or I would take the punishment. He never cared enough to come down to the dungeon and supervise, so we would tell the guards that we were to take her punishment. They bought it for awhile, but some sadistic fuck started making her watch and she cried the entire time I was flogged. I healed quickly and even though Rian stayed by her side telling her I'd be alright, she stopped going against fathers wishes. She acted like the perfect princess, fit to be the next queen. She even would tell our father that she was dating Rian and I so when the time came she would be ready to mate with the winner.

Maggie changed all of that. We haven't been this close since my father died under mysterious circumstances. Fiona believed that Maggie had killed him, hoping one of us would turn her and she would become Queen. It took Rian and I years to see what Fiona saw within the first hour of our fathers death. Maggie had enchanted us with love spells making it hard to tell if either of our pull towards her was real. Of course we both thought it was real, at least I did until I met Evelyn.

"Let's play a game. Loser has to do whatever the winner says for an hour." I'm not surprised Rian wants to play, seeing how competitive he is, but giving Fi or me the chance to win and bark orders at him for an hour is not the King Rian I've come to know and loathe.

"What game?" I sit up on the couch that I've been passing out on everyday. "Are we talking old school or video games?"

"You watch TV in here," Rian pointed at the 65 inch flat screen in front of me. "So I think we should go old school." He's right. One of us will end up breaking yet another brand new TV and I didn't want to go to bed in silence. It was meant to be white noise but now I've come to enjoy American sitcoms like Seinfeld and Friends. Ross is so lame. Rachel should be with someone else. I realize I'm the Ross in my relationship with Evelyn. She deserves more.

I feel hands picking me up. "Stop moping around and come play cards with us. Gin Rummy. Best out of 5 rounds wins and gets to boss his majesty around." Fiona giggled while struggling to hold me up. "Dude! Use your legs. You're a vampire I know you can walk."

After I win 3 rounds in a row I give Fiona the power to boss our brother around. "It's not fair, he can read minds!" Rian barked.

"So what am I thinking right now brother?"

"Hmm...you want Rian to give you a piggyback right." I can't help myself, I laugh at the images I've seen in Fiona's head of making Rian her pony with him on all fours or giving her a piggyback ride for an hour.

"Exactly! Then I want a foot massage and a facial and a..."

"Oh I'll give you a facial." He's crass even to his sister. I've heard his thoughts about her, I know he would like to know what she's like in bed but he keeps it as a fantasy in his spank bank. Thankfully.

"Ew! Gross! Now go get me your crown and I want my royal piggyback."

"Fine. Fuck it. Oisin pick out the movie we are watching tonight. I don't want anymore depressing shit. Let's go with a comedy, maybe Life of Brian? Holy Grail? Or if you have to go American choose something with that Levi guy."

"Eugene Levy is Canadian." American Pie, Schitt's Creek, Best in Show...

"American Pie guy isn't American?" He looks at me confused before Fiona leaps on his back with the royal crown on her head. It's too big for her. "This is a comedy within itself." I tease. "Oh shut up brother. Go back to your lame couch and pick out something that doesn't make me want to kill myself."

"Fine." I know we are all trying to distract ourselves until we hear from the Fae's about Evelyn.

For once I pray to the Moon Goddess to energize her, heal her, and protect her. Even if that means from me.