Queen of the Fireflies (Aurelia Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2018 by Rinna Ford

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Francesca Vance of Reaper Designs

  Editing by Madison Ryan of Merfire Ministrations

  Formatting by Gina Wynn

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without express written permission from the author. Any unauthorized use of this material is prohibited.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales are completely coincidence.

  For my husband

  Prologue

  She looked down at the tiny child wiggling in her arms. The woman had memorized everything about her beautiful baby, but was still amazed every time she looked at her.

  “Tell me if these are acceptable,” her sister said, making her look up from the face of her newborn daughter. She shifted the baby into her right arm and took the two pieces of paper. One was a California birth certificate and the other an American Social Security card, all for the baby. “I will make all of the information available in the government systems on Earth, as we did for you many years ago if you approve.”

  The woman looked over both documents carefully, noting every detail. She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. She wasn’t crying out of pain or anger, but relief. These documents meant freedom for herself and her child.

  “They are perfect,” she responded, laying them on top of the only bag that would be going with them through the portal to Earth.

  She had learned that a person would need identification to get around on Earth without suspicion when she began to plan her escape from her home realm of Aurelia. Her sister had helped her create a new identity with all the documents needed 23 years before, including a driver’s license- that had been updated every few years- and a bank account that had plenty of money to start over on Earth, if she were ever brave enough to use it. Becoming pregnant with her daughter gave her all the strength she needed.

  Her sister gently took the baby from her arms and held her lovingly. “You are doing the right thing,” her sister told her, never taking her eyes off of her little niece. “But, I will miss you both dearly.”

  “I will miss you too,” the woman said.

  She began to cry even harder, knowing that this moment would probably be the last time they ever saw each other. Her sister was her best friend, and was there for her through so many trying times.

  The woman’s sister laid the baby gently down on a blanket and looked at the woman. She began reciting a spell to change the woman’s appearance, from her hair to her clothes. The only thing that wouldn’t completely change was her first name. The woman couldn’t bear to part with it no matter how foolish her sister thought it was.

  When the spell was complete, the woman’s sister turned back to the baby. The woman joined her and the two recited another spell together, binding the baby’s magic. It usually took only one person to bind a child’s magic, but the sisters feared the baby’s growing gifts. Especially with her father being so powerful.

  The woman and her daughter would be traveling to Earth where there was no magic at all, so they would need to appear human. It devastated the woman to do it, but they needed to do everything they could to stay protected.

  The baby began to cry as the sisters finished their spell, blocking the baby’s growing gifts. The woman picked up her daughter and kissed her forehead lightly in apology as the women finished their task. The baby slowly stopped crying and fell asleep as newborns tend to do.

  The two sisters embraced one last time before the woman opened a portal to Earth. San Diego, California specifically. The woman took a deep breath, looked down at her sleeping daughter one more time before walking into their new life.

  Chapter One

  Alya

  “Stupid. So, so stupid.” I kept calling myself names as I turned my light blue Jeep Wrangler left out of the apartment complex parking lot. I had only just stopped crying.

  Thankfully, I packed my bags and loaded them in the trunk before deciding to say goodbye to my boyfriend, Jesse, who just happened to be my next door neighbor. I only planned to be gone for the first few weeks of summer break to help my mom out at her floral shop back in Savannah, but now it may be longer than that. I thought I would surprise him by crawling into bed and doing unspeakable things before hitting the road. I definitely didn’t expect to see another girl wrapped around my boyfriend, naked, when I walked into his room.

  So, so stupid.

  He didn’t even know that I had caught him. He was fast asleep, but the naked girl wasn’t. She stared at me with wide eyes when I walked into the room.

  “Let him know Alya stopped by, please,” I told the girl, tears brimming in my eyes.

  Then I left. I sat in my jeep for what seemed like hours and cried. Jesse was the first real boyfriend that I ever had. He was the first person I went on a date with, had my first kiss with, and even the first person I had ever had sex with. The only person, actually.

  I was raised by a single mother who kept us both pretty closed off from other people. It took me coming to college, four hours away from her to make me open up and push my boundaries a little. She wasn’t controlling or even difficult to live with, but I definitely felt isolated living with her. Finishing up my Junior year, I could finally say that I had a best friend and boyfriend. Well, not anymore. At least not the boyfriend part. I may be a bit quiet and soft spoken, but I definitely wasn’t a doormat.

  The rain stopped as I was leaving Atlanta, my eyes finally drying up. It wasn’t very far down the interstate when my phone started ringing, and I knew exactly who it was. I let it go to voicemail several more times and received a dozen or more texts before pulling into a gas station and turning the damn thing off. Prick. I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet.

  I went inside the gas station wearing giant sunglasses that covered my blotchy tear stained face, and got as much junk food as my arms could carry. It was a long ride from Atlanta to Savannah and this girl was in the mood to wallow, for obvious reasons. Who could blame me? I finally put myself out there and got my heart ripped to shreds. Mom had the right idea keeping us from making lasting relationships. At least I know that my best friend and roommate, Tessa would always be someone that I could count on.

  As I drove, I kept going over and over in my head if there were any clues as to why Jesse would do this to me. He looked at me as if I hung the moon- at least that’s what Tessa told me. He always treated me like I mattered, like I was his whole world, but obviously I thought wrong. I didn’t matter. Not to him.

  So fucking stupid.

  Several hours, a couple full-sized bags of chips, and 4 candy bars later, I parked
in front of my mom’s small two bedroom cottage and sighed in relief. I turned off the jeep and sat there a minute before getting out and walking back to the trunk to get my suitcases.

  Rose, my mother stepped out onto the porch and put her hand up to shield her eyes from the late morning sun. My mom looked closer to 23 years old than 43 with her clear cream-colored complexion and shiny light brown bob. She hadn’t had an easy life, but there wasn’t a wrinkle or sunspot in sight. I knew I was pretty, but I hoped that I looked as great as her when I got to be that age. We have the same skin tone, similar heights around 5’8”, and slightly upturned nose. That’s where the similarities ended. Mom always said that I looked more like my father with my wavy golden blonde hair, big emerald green eyes, and full lips. My father died before I was born and there were no pictures of him, so I took her word for it.

  As I carried my luggage up the stairs of the small house, I noticed that Mom looked more tired than usual. She had dark circles under her light brown eyes that normally weren’t there. It’s a good thing I came to help her out at the shop. Maybe my new plan of staying longer was a good idea.

  “Why is your phone turned off?” Mom asked me with a worried tone as we walked through the front door. I dropped my suitcases and sighed. Here we go. I slowly turned around to face her, tears starting to sting my eyes again. Ugh. Hadn’t I cried enough today?

  “Jesse and I broke up this morning. I really don’t want to talk about it,” my voice cracked as I spoke. “He kept calling me and I didn’t want to talk to him, so I turned it off. Sorry if I scared you.”

  Mom gave me a compassionate look and held out her arms. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry.”

  I honestly doubted that she was really sorry we broke up, but I took her open arms as an invitation to curl into her and cry my eyes out. I wasn’t in love with him, but I was starting to fall, the prick. Mom stood there patiently, holding me as my heart continued to break, and that was exactly what I needed.

  As the tears started to dry up, hopefully for the last time that day, Mom told me that she needed to go into the floral shop to take over for her business partner, Harlan.

  “Do you want to come with me? It might take your mind off of you-know-who for a little while. You can even stay in the back and work on arrangements so no one will see how puffy your face is.” Mom grinned, trying to make me smile. She knew that I took a lot of care with appearance and liked to poke fun at me constantly for it.

  I chuckled. I knew my mother’s teasing was light-hearted and only meant to make me feel better. “Sounds like a great idea to me. Just give me a minute to put my bags away and freshen up a bit.”

  She rolled her eyes and smiled as I took my suitcases down the hall to my bedroom. It was exactly how I left it a few months ago when I last came home. At least there was no surprise in here. I opened one of the suitcases and got out my makeup bag before going into the bathroom to wash and fix my face. A few minutes later, we drove off in Mom’s small car toward the flower shop.

  Mom’s floral shop was another one of my favorite places in the whole world. I don’t care who you are, you can never be in a bad mood when you’re surrounded by flowers. I took in a deep breath, wearing my over-sized sunglasses again, and walked to the back room of the shop.

  “Hey there, movie star!” Harlan grinned over at me. This man was another reason I loved coming to the shop. Harlan was like a constant ray of sunshine. Always smiling and always knowing just what to say or do to make everyone else feel better. He was amazing person. I gave him a hug and sighed again. “What’s with the sunglasses? I know my smile is dazzling...”

  I slowly took them off, “I broke up with my boyfriend today,” I explained.

  “Ahhh. I never really liked James anyways.” He grinned.

  “His name is Jesse,” I smiled back at him, “and I should have seen it coming. I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to work and take my mind off the whole thing.”

  “Understandable. But let me know if you need someone to take care of him.” He flexed his right arm and kissed his bicep. I looked at him skeptically. Harlan was only a few inches taller than me with as much muscle tone as I had. I highly doubted that he had worked out a day in his life. “Oh, it won’t be me, but I know people,” he explained as he put his arm back down. I laughed at his lame joke, but knew my laughter was what he was going for. I gave him another hug before he left to go home.

  “What do you need me to do?” I asked my mom as she finished up with a customer and walked into the backroom. Mom showed me the inventory that needed to be counted and put away, and a few flower arrangements that needed to be put together.

  We worked quietly next to each other over the next few hours. Mom stopped occasionally to help customers whenever they called or came into the shop, while I kept on working with the inventory. She seemed to be moving slower and sitting down a lot more than she usually did. I was starting to worry more and more about her.

  It was late in the afternoon when the bell over the door chimed for what seemed like the tenth time, making Mom and me look up. In walked in the last person I wanted to ever see, looking as handsome as ever, although a little frazzled. His normally perfectly parted, silky black hair was all over the place. I always loved how he towered over me, looking down at me with his golden eyes. He had deep caramel skin, long, dark eyelashes that made most women jealous, and a dimple in his left cheek when he smiled.

  Prick.

  I gave a nod to my mom, letting her know that I’d be alright and slowly walked around the counter toward him, never taking my eyes off his perfect face.

  “Come on.”

  I didn’t wait for him to respond or even see if he was following as I walked out the front door. I knew that he would fall in line behind me because the last thing he’d want to do is talk about this in front of my mom. I didn’t stop walking until I entered the coffee shop next door and ordered myself an iced coffee. He could get his own damn drink.

  I quietly sat down at a booth in the back and waited for Jesse to join me. After ordering his drink, he sat down on the opposite side of the booth, his hands resting on the table.

  “I know what you saw,” he began, but I put my hand up to make it stop talking.

  “I don’t get it, Jesse. Why would you do that to me?” I asked. “You’re the one that wanted a relationship. Why? No excuses or lies, I just want the truth.”

  He looked down at the table with a pained expression and sighed. “Honestly, she was there and you weren’t. I don’t remember sleeping with her, but it really did mean nothing other than a nice lay.”

  He reached across the table to hold my hand. I pulled away quickly, leaving him grasping air. His head jerked up to take in my hurt expression.

  “I’m sorry. I care about you more than I have ever cared about anyone else and I want to be with you, but I’m a guy in college. You can’t expect me to not sleep with hot girls when they throw themselves at me.”

  I sat in the booth dumbfounded. Did he actually just say that to me? He pursued me! He was the one pushing for a committed relationship! Damn him.

  “So you’re saying you’ve been sleeping with other girls the whole time you’ve been in a relationship with me?” He reluctantly nodded his head. My heart broke even more right there in the coffee shop. He was not at all the guy I thought he was.

  “Do you even know what it means to have a girlfriend, Jesse? You may have been my first boyfriend, but I know that being in a relationship means that you care enough about the other person to put their wants and needs ahead of your own.” I looked at him with glassy eyes. “I was obviously in this relationship alone because you never once thought about me and what would hurt me, even though I didn’t want the relationship in the first place. We’re done, Jesse. Don’t call me, don’t text me.” I stood up and started walking toward the door. He reached out to stop me by grabbing my arm. “And definitely don’t touch me!” I screamed and backed up.

  He threw his hands back in sur
render. “Alya, I can’t lose you. I need you in my life. Why don’t we just keep things casual between us instead of breaking it off completely.” He looked at me with an arrogant grin, thinking I’d fall for his bullshit one more time. “We can still be together while experiencing college the way it supposed to be experienced.”

  Was he kidding? I laughed out loud at his suggestion. He didn’t think it was as funny as I did because he scowled at me. It was obvious he didn’t like being laughed at.

  “You’re kidding, right?” I asked.

  “Not at all. I think it is a great idea.” He stood up in front of me. “This way we can still be together and can fool around with other people too.”

  I laughed again and wiped at my cheek. “That has to be the worst idea you’ve ever had. I can’t believe you’d ever think I could agree to just being fuck buddies. Can you honestly say you’d be okay with the idea of me with another guy?”

  I could tell that he hadn’t thought that through because he started clenching his jaw and flared his nostrils.

  “You’d be out screwing half of the student body and expect me to be waiting at home for you. The fact that you could suggest this asinine idea makes me question even more, everything I thought I knew about you. You really are a selfish, entitled asshole. We’re over, Jesse. I never want to see you again. Please leave me alone.”

  I walked around him, threw my almost full drink in the trash and strode out of the store with my head held high.