Bittersweet (Faerie Song Trilogy, #2)
Publisher: Astraea Press
Release Date: March 24th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
To save the Faery world and her mother’s life, Lorelei sacrificed everything, and the dangerous bargain she made in Nevermore had lasting repercussions. Now safely back in her own world, Lorelei seems the same to her highschool friends and her supernatural boyfriend. Yet love across dimensions is complicated, especially when an invisible Veil between the two worlds—the only bridge that links the pair, is sealing, threatening to separate Lorelei and Adrius forever.Determined to find a solution, Lorelei resorts to using her new found powers. But when her friends succumb to the same mysterious illness that nearly took her mother’s life, Lorelei can’t help but wonder if her own dark magic is responsible. Still, the nightmares from Nevermore continue their icy hold. Someone from Adrius’s past arrives, determined to destroy Lorelei’s world starting with those closest to her, and Lorelei is forced to choose between her family and friends and a love that was ill-fated from the start.
A dreamer at heart, Michele Barrow-Belisle has always lived with one foot in this reality and one foot in another, one of her own imagining. So it follows that she would grow up to write about and sculpt the characters from those enchanting worlds she knows and loves so well. As a fan of everything romantic, her young adult novels are populated with witches and vampires and faeries. Michele resides in southern Canada with her hubby and son who indulge her passions for writing, reading, lattes, and most of all chocolate.
“Stay.
Just…. Stay.” The second I said it I felt awful. What was I asking? I knew he
couldn’t stay, that he needed to return to his world to stay alive in mind.
Since the night of the dance we’d
carefully stayed away from discussing our little predicament. We were still at
a standoff. He couldn’t live in my world without magical aids to keep him
alive, because of the toxic nature of our polluted air, and I couldn’t go back
to his world, because of a bunch of angry beings trying to kill me. That left
us here. He would have to return to his world and refuel, to come back to mine.
How long the potions lasted depended upon how much stress he was under.
Physical exertion, extreme emotions all used up the reserve more quickly. Then
there was the issue of his still being tied to Venus, the daughter of the ice
witch I killed. A curse had caused his forced fealty to her. Killing the witch
was not only supposed to save Mythlandria from her destructive wrath, it was
also supposed to free Adrius of the curse that bound him to the ice witch’s
commands. Who knew there was a daughter who would take over the bonds, and that
she was also his ex-girlfriend.
Now she
wants me dead in payment for killing her mother, and as a bonus, I’d be out of
the way so she could get Adrius back in her life. That he could come here at
all means the curse is weakening. I want his freedom, but at which price? Was I
willing to kill for it? I’d have to end her life as well if I was going to
destroy the bonds. And I wasn’t a killer. Even Octăhvia’s death was more of an
accident than intended. I had no idea what awakening the magic would do, or how
to wield it. This arrangement seemed like our only option, for now. And while I
hated to see him leave, there was something comforting in being able to pretend
that my life was normal again. As normal as it ever was. I could enjoy being
back home with friends and back at school which surprisingly enough, I’d
missed. It’s amazing how coming to the edge of your life multiple times will
make even the most mundane routines a welcomed change.
“Think about
what you’re asking me,” he said. “You know why I have to leave.”
He watched
me suck in a breath of regret, as I wished I could take back my self-serving
plea.
Pain creased
his eyes. “Sleep soundly, Lorelei,” was all he said. He kissed the top of my
head and turned to go.
The tense
set of his jaw revealed the effort it took to leave. I watched him walk away,
biting down on my lower lip until he reached the driveway.
“How am I
supposed to sleep?” My voice was almost too quiet to be heard over the howling
wind. But his hearing surpassed most mortal’s.
“Warm milk
with honey works well,” he answered my whisper, his back still facing me. “It
helps with the night terrors too,” he added.
“You know that’s
not what I meant.” I moved closer, descending one step at a time until my bare
feet hit the cold of the pavement.
Adrius
froze. Electric pulses crackled between us.
“I was
talking about sleeping without you. Here.”
“You’ve
managed to do it before,” he said cautiously, the strain of his resolve
vibrating in his voice.
“I know.
But—“
This was
wrong. It was selfish. How could I ask him to stay, when I know that leaving is
what would keep him alive to return to me?
“I’m sorry.
I’m being silly. It’s just I can’t—“
With
whipcrack intensity, his resolve burned away and he rushed toward me and pulled
me into his arms. His touch burned though my shirt as his hands splayed against
my back, pressing us closer. He kissed me, hungrily at first, then it quickly
deepened to ravenous. Matching his fervor, I tangled my fingers in his hair.
Every inch of me was on fire. He gasped, his lips slowing against mine. By the
time we separated, we were both breathless. He leaned his forehead against mine
for a few rapid heartbeats, then pulled back. Our eyes remained locked in a
palpitating stretch of silence that spoke volumes. My head swirled, and all I
wanted was more of where we’d left off.
But he read my intentions. The corners of his lips quirked and he
shook his head. Warm hands slid down my arms with one last caress, before he
disappeared. Gone so quickly I didn’t actually see him leave. Swallowed by the
darkness of the night and the forest that held the secret doorway into
Mythlandria.
A dreamer at heart, Michele Barrow-Belisle has always lived with one foot in this reality and one foot in another, one of her own imagining. So it follows that she would grow up to write about and sculpt the characters from those enchanting worlds she knows and loves so well. As a fan of everything romantic, her young adult novels are populated with witches and vampires and faeries. Michele resides in southern Canada with her hubby and son who indulge her passions for writing, reading, lattes, and most of all chocolate.
She also loves shoes.
