Chapter 2: Big Brother

By now the house and back yard was filled with familiar faces I really was happy to see.

GreatGram's husband, Demetrius Strong, offered me a smile and a wave hello when he joined us through a tunnel of white light, on the heels of the Sorcerers League leader, Piers Southway. I waved back, delighted to see the final distraction for GreatGram was enough to at least make her smile too, pause on her way to the house, and ignore me.

I'd take it, though a hug from Demi would have been awesome right then. But he and GreatGram lingered with Piers and I found myself blushing like I always did when the handsome sorcerer grinned and winked at me in that way he had. I used to like to listen to Piers talk with his deep, British accent and hilariously sick sense of humor that tweaked my own. But the last year or so I'd become acutely aware of just how handsome he was, with all that tall leanness inside his longcoat and the way his silken hair hung almost to the floor in an ivory waterfall.

Made me wince and flush every time. He was Mom's age, way too old for me, but with the face of a runway model or a film star. Sigh to the depths of my poor little heart. Why was it that all of Mom's friends were too damned attractive and more than twice my age?

As if I needed another problem, two appeared. I skirted Charlotte and Sage, the gorgeous but stoic queen of the werewolf nation watching me pass with her cold, blue eyes. Her husband was always kind, though, his sea green gaze sparkling. I'd learned to fight from the lychos Prince Consort, but it was hard to focus when he was so damned cute. I'd ended up pulling a muscle last lesson at the dojo he kept here in town in an idiotic attempt to impress him or something equally childish.

Seriously, I knew better. If someone could just do something about the hormones I had to deal with the last few years, that would be great.

I really needed to start hanging out with boys my own age to make myself feel better instead of layering on the glum reality. I would, I honestly would. If only they weren't such jerks. The witch ones, anyway. All, that was, but my brother.

Speak of the Gateway, I spotted Gabriel at the buffet table under the floating white lights Mom strung a few hours ago, his open, honest face hiding nothing, as usual. Shining blond hair and hazel eyes lit with green topped his broad shoulders and that face I knew still hurt Mom with how much he looked like his dead father. I'd seen pictures of Liam, snuck peeks when I didn't think my mother knew I was looking and had to admit my brother was the spitting image of the dead half-Sidhe Gatekeeper.

It was hard not to see from Gabriel's engaging and charismatic way of just being why everyone treated him differently than me. I knew my own face had scrunched up in the last few minutes and it took a great deal of effort to smooth my features as I slipped away from Ameline's attempt to ease my duty. She didn't protest, though I felt her watching as I joined Gabriel and hid behind the golden boy of the Hayle coven. Maybe no one would notice me if I stood here in his shadow. Oh, wait, that was my life. Right.

Yeah, bitter. No judging until you've flown a mile on my broom.

Gabriel smiled down at me with that genuinely kind and caring smile of his that always made me want to smack him until he lost his temper. Which he never, ever would. He'd take the hits and try to fix me, all concerned and worried and huggy and crap. I could just kick him.

I knew better than to put my own hurts on him. It wasn't his fault he was the favorite or anything, that he was more his father than our mother. From what I understood, Liam was about as loved as Gabriel. It also wasn't on my brother that I felt like the pariah who no one gave a crap about. Because that, well, that was all on my little shoulders, wasn't it? My choices, my reactions and 100% pathetic princess talk.

Deep breath, Ethie. Wallowing didn't do me a lick of good and only made things worse when I actually had to find it in me to pretend I was having a good time.

"Hey, sis." Gabriel hugged me, the warmth of him making me aware of the chill of my own body, a reaction to my aggressively unhappy emotions, I guess. And the familiar scent of fabric softener and the loamy smell of fresh turned earth actually did me good, despite my need to snarl

at him like a wild animal. Ooh, sweet brothers who are perfect at diffusing cranky sisters. I couldn't muster any further animosity, sagging into him a moment and hugging him back before letting my arms drop and giving him a small smile of my own. Weak and fake and lacking in enthusiasm, but an attempt at a smile.

No matter what, I really did love my brother. Even if I hated what he stood for sometimes. The perfection that was the Gateway, the easy and awesome joy of being Gabriel Hayle. But, what was way worse? The things he was allowed to do I wasn't. Like cut and run out of this oppressive little witch town whenever he felt like it.

Which led me down the dark path all over again and to ask a question I really didn't want the answer to. "How was school?"

He'd been gone all week, my despicably perfect and studious brother. Off studying with the drach on the Stronghold plane. Hanging out with the first race, chatting it up with the soul that was the giant fortress. Having general fun adventures his little sister never, ever got to partake in.

Not that I was jealous of the opportunity to get out of Wilding Springs, explore a self- actualized fortress on an ancient plane populated by dragons. Nope, not jealous one bit.

Gabriel's smile turned brighter, those green sparks popping in his eyes. I guess he didn't sense my growing resentment as he gushed at me. Of course he didn't. Gabriel didn't do dark emotions. I'd have to hit him with them to make him see just how much his excitement hurt me. "Mabel is amazing," he said. Blah, who cared? Stupid dragon people and their stupid rainbow power. "And the Stronghold itself has been showing me around." So what? Dumb building, brain of a rock. "Did you know it actually circles the entire plane? It's practically endless, as if it adds more passages and rooms as needed." He took a big bite of a sandwich and chewed enthusiastically, his wide jaw jumping while he nodded and swallowed hard. "I can't wait to go back."

Argh. I resisted the urge to beat him with the punch bowl ladle. "I bet." I looked away, not wanting him to see the tears standing in my eyes now, my usual reaction to the utter unfairness of my life. A vicious bout of fire magic aimed at the inside of my wrist helped snap me out of my sadness but sparked my anger all over again.

He got it at last. My brother wasn't exactly slow, but I don't think he realized other people didn't live the idealized, glowing and exciting life he did. Seventeen and respected by everyone,

handsome, kind, charming and genuine, he was who I wanted to be. Well, he could keep the handsome part. Still.

One big hand settled on my shoulder as he leaned closer and whispered with his voice and his magic. "I talked to Mom," he said. "About you coming with me next week."

I looked up then, spark of hope alive but dying at the sorrow on his face, the regret in his eyes. "Let me guess," I snarled under my breath, though he was close enough to catch my words. "She said no." Huge shocker there, let me tell you.

Gabriel squeezed gently before letting his hand fall away. "I wish she'd understand how much benefit would come from you gaining experience and education away from home and the coven."

A biting laugh escaped me, startling a pair of young witches who walked by at that moment. One quick glance in my direction and they moved on, heads down. GreatGram didn't care if they liked me, as long as they respected me. Didn't matter it made me feel all alone even in a crowd like this.

"But I'm heir," I said, sarcasm so heavy my throat hurt, "and what if something happened to me? The Hayle coven needs me. All of my teachers come to me, don't they?" I grunted when his face crumpled. "The center of the Universe, Wilding Springs, Pennsylvania."

"To be fair," he said, at a time fair wasn't exactly on the menu, "it's not just Mom and GreatGram. Nanna, even Council Leader Barrett, all agree it's safer to keep you here."

"Against what?" I shrugged off his hand and the power he extended to me. "Mom killed all of her enemies and everyone's afraid of her now. Who would ever come after me?"

He didn't answer and he didn't have to. We'd had this conversation many times in the last nine years. Always the same result. For an instant it was as though I were alone, a giant wall of silence wrapping around me, shoving outward, muting the voices and the laughter and cutting me off from everyone. I could see them as if from a great distance, my heart pounding and heavy, breathing the only sound in my suddenly silent world, even as the power I carried felt like it crushed me slowly under responsibility until panic made me gasp out loud.

I snapped back into focus, Gabriel's concern washing over me while he slipped an arm around my shoulders. I pushed him away a moment later, shaking my head, knowing I had to be pale from my self-induced bout of anxiety. These incidents were happening more and more

often, isolating me but I had no idea how to stop them. And maybe this was just part of being who I was.

Ethpeal Miriam Hayle, daughter of Sydlynn Thaddea Hayle. Cursed evermore to bear the history of the savior of Creation across my narrow back.

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