The Day Human Way Read online

  The Day Human Way

  Book Three

  The Day Human Trilogy

  By

  B. Kristin McMichael

  Table Of Contents

  Front Matter

  Other Books By this Author

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  Preview – Carnelian

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Books By this Author

  The Day Human Way

  Book Three of The Day Human Trilogy

  Book Six in The Night Human World

  Copyright © 2015 by B. Kristin McMichael

  www.bkristinmcmichael.com

  All rights reserved.

  Pre-Order Smashwords Edition

  Lexia Press, LLC

  P.O. Box 982

  Worthington, OH 43085

  www.lexiapress.com

  eBook ISBN-13: 978-1-941745-95-3

  Cover design: Ravven, http://www.ravven.com

  Editor: Kathie Middlemiss of Kat’s Eye Editing

  Editor: Melissa Ringstead of There for You Editing

  Proofing: Ashton M. Brammer

  This book is licensed for your personal use only. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means without written permission of the author. All names, characters, and places are fiction and any resemblance to real, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  If you did not purchase this book or get it from the author, then please go to a legit website to purchase the book. It may not seem like much to you, but it means the world to the authors to have people purchase the book and stop pirating indie books. Please don’t contribute to pirating and the demise of the cheap indie book.

  Summary: Devin has found that the sidhe world is filled with more troubles than he thought possible. Wasn’t it supposed to be easy? Save Nessa, threaten all the sidhe to get them to behave, put Nessa on the throne, marry her and live happily ever after. Nope. It wasn’t going to be that easy for Devin Alexander. His life was never that easy.

  Other Books By This Author

  The Night Human World

  The Blue Eyes Trilogy (Series One)

  o The Legend of the Blue Eyes

  o Becoming a Legend

  o Winning the Legend

  The Day Human Trilogy (Series Two)

  o The Day Human Prince

  o The Day Human King

  o The Day Human Way

  The Skinwalkers Witchling Trilogy (Series Three)

  o The Witchling Apprentice [2016]

  The Chalcedony Chronicles

  o Carnelian

  o Chrysoprase

  o Aventurine

  o Chrysocolla [2015]

  Standalone Books

  o To Stand Beside Her

  Join my mailing list for exclusive discounts and new release notifications.

  CHAPTER 1

  Devin Alexander stared at the love of his life, Nessa, waiting for her to acknowledge what he just heard. Some unknown redheaded sidhe had just asked to court her. She wasn’t available for courting. Vanessa McKinny was his, and only his. They loved each other. They were bonded. Their souls were entwined for eternity. They could never live without the other. They had tried to break the bond but found that their lives were linked permanently. She was already taken, so courting wasn’t even an option. What more of a reason did you need beyond that to be considered the one courting her? Nessa didn’t reply right away. She didn’t even look over to Devin. Was she actually taking the redheaded oaf’s offer seriously?

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  Devin stared at her in shock. He had come to the sidhe village to free himself of her, but along the way he found that he actually didn’t want to be free. He loved her and wanted to be with her forever. Only moments before the stranger showed up, he’d just been about to propose marriage to her, and now she was saying yes, allowing some unknown sidhe to court her. Devin had thought they were on the same page, that she even loved him like he loved her. He thought she would say yes to him. Again, his life wasn’t working the way he expected.

  “You know I can’t decline,” she added, finally looking at Devin, pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

  He didn’t understand. Devin turned his back to her, not even saying good-bye, and made his way to the bridge leading to the village. He didn’t stop to glance at her. The love of his life had just told someone else that they could court her. Even if he didn’t know the exact details of what courting meant to the sidhe, he knew enough to know that it meant competition for Nessa’s affections. As Liam began talking again, Devin blocked out what they were saying and slowly made his way back to the palace and the room he shared with Nessa. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to be with her. Maybe fate was telling him that they were not as matched as Devin felt. The moment had been perfect, and he still didn’t get the chance to ask her to marry him.

  When Devin walked into Nessa’s apartment, he began to look around the room for his things. He didn’t have much with him, as he originally thought this would be a short trip, and he placed it all in a bag. There were plenty of empty rooms in the palace, and he needed to get away from Nessa for a while.

  How could she just say yes? Why didn’t she say no? Was it that hard to do? Devin had just told her how much he loved her, and now she was allowing another guy to court her. It was wrong, and Devin didn’t need to stay around to find out why she did it. His bag was packed when his friends Ronan and Turner entered the room only moments later.

  Ronan looked to Devin and then at his bag. They obviously didn’t expect him back so soon.

  “I’m not sure, but I take that as a sign things didn’t go well,” Ronan surmised with a grim expression. Nessa’s older cousin had been rooting for them from the day Devin arrived.

  Devin shoved his last shirt into his bag and glanced up at Ronan. “Not exactly.”

  His tone was icier than he intended. Ronan looked a bit hurt. It didn’t faze Turner; they’d been friends since they were children, and he knew Devin’s tone meant he was closing things out emotionally. Devin had a knack for being able to close off everything emotionally and just do his job. It might have been since he was raised by one of the most powerful night humans around who had himself lacked the ability to feel for others, or it could have been from his traumatic childhood where his family was murdered by a night human before his eyes. Either way, Turner knew that tone well. Devin was shutting down.

  “What are you fighting about now?” Turner asked, pointing to the filled backpack. Turner, along with Ronan, knew that Devin and Nessa were a perfect match, even if they quarreled often.

  “And where are you going?” Ronan added, getting over the momentary anger radiating off Devin.

  “Going?” Devin echoed, as if he hadn’t thought that far yet. “I was going to find a new room in the palace, but I think I’d feel better in the village. I know a couple people there and hope that they can take me in for a day, maybe two, until I decide what to do next. I’m not sure where I’ll go after that, so it might take a few days to plan.”

  “You’re leaving the sidhe, not just the palace?” Ronan asked in shock. A fight meant Devin and Nessa needed space, but moving on meant something else altogether. “This is serious,” Ronan told Turner, who nodded. They both realized the truth behind his words. Devin wasn’t angry about something. He was sad, and Devin didn’t hide that from them.

  “What happened?” Turner asked a s
econd time.

  At that question, Devin shook his head. It made no difference now if he told them. He already heard Nessa’s reply. She would allow that other sidhe to court her. If she had her doubts about Devin, she made it clear now. She didn’t love him like he loved her. It had all been one-sided. What he believed he felt through the bond wasn’t really there. Devin could see it now; all he had been feeling were his own emotions, not Nessa’s feelings. Their love wasn’t what he thought it was. She wanted the chance to date someone else.

  Ronan looked at Devin. “What happened?” Ronan repeated Turner’s words. They both were worried. Devin’s anger melted a bit as they stared at him. Both were obvious in their concern.

  Devin sighed and gave them the short version of events. “I was about to ask her to marry me when some other sidhe showed up. Guess he took the early train to the village for the coronation, but whatever. He interrupted me as I was asking Nessa by making it very clear he’s interested in her also. He asked to court her, and she said yes.”

  Turner’s mouth dropped open in shock. He understood exactly what Devin was feeling. Nessa was choosing to allow someone else to court her. Devin looked like he might be repeating history.

  Ronan smiled and laughed. Turner and Devin both turned at his laughter in shock. Where they came from, you didn’t court other people when you already loved someone, especially someone you were already bonded to. Ronan, it seemed, didn’t take it as a serious matter.

  “Who was it?” Ronan was still smiling.

  Not finding anything about the situation amusing, Devin glared at Ronan. There was nothing funny about Nessa breaking his heart. Devin never really gave his feelings freely. When he loved, it was with his full heart. Now it was broken.

  “No. Seriously, who was it?” Ronan asked, sobering up at the look Devin gave him.

  “A big redheaded guy named Liam,” Devin replied like it mattered. Nessa had said yes, that was enough to crush him. Who did it matter who she said yes to?

  Ronan shook his head. “Liam Kay came early. No surprise there.” He didn’t seem worried about the situation at all. Devin was planning to leave the sidhe, and Ronan was laughing. How could Ronan laugh when the one person who held the power to fix everything was running away?

  “What do you mean?” Turner asked, getting into the gossip a bit when Devin just wanted to head into the village and disappear. He didn’t need to know more.

  “Liam Kay has had a crush on Nessa since we were all children. He put in a formal request to court her when we were small, and her father said yes. Nessa wasn’t saying yes because she was interested in him,” Ronan explained to Devin, “she had no choice. Her father already promised. She couldn’t break her father’s word that, when she came of age, Liam could court her. Nessa is just following tradition, and the promise of her father that was already given. It had nothing to do with her love for you. She’s just doing what she has to do and that’s all.” Ronan smiled like he was pleading for Devin to understand the situation meant nothing to Nessa.

  That was odd news. Devin wasn’t sure Ronan was correct. He had seen the smile she had when she recognized Liam. And if Liam truly had been one of the first ones to save Nessa from Rhys’ wrath, then she probably did have feelings for him at one point. There was no way Devin could sit around in the same room as her if she was confused about what she wanted from life. Just because they were bonded, that didn’t mean they were married. Nessa was still allowed to make her own choices, and Devin didn’t want any doubts in their relationship. He loved Nessa completely—that much he knew—but did she feel the same? He couldn’t be sure, and he was still moving out.

  “Fine. If you say so,” Devin replied, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

  “Wait. Where are you going?” Ronan asked. The smile vanished from his face as he realized Devin was still leaving. “There’s nothing to worry about.” Panic was about to set into the sidhe.

  “That may be why she said yes, but we’re nothing more than two people bonded together. She’s allowed to court and do whatever else her father promised. I don’t have to sit here and watch it,” Devin answered. Turner nodded in agreement. Devin was thankful that even though he had a rocky relationship with Turner at times, he was still his best friend.

  “But you can’t leave us,” Ronan continued, starting to panic. He understood what it meant if Devin left, even if Devin didn’t get the gravity of the situation. He was the force that was holding the sidhe together. Without Devin and his power to keep everyone under control, they would revert back to the old ways where the clans would fight each other for power. Devin needed to stay to maintain the peace if nothing else.

  “I’m not leaving the sidhe,” Devin answered. He could feel the anxiety pour off Ronan. He didn’t completely understand his powers yet, but they were keeping Nessa safe. He wasn’t about to leave her unprotected, even if seeing her with someone else was crushing him.

  “Then where are you going?” Ronan asked. He was getting to the verge of being hysterical.

  “I’m not leaving. I’ll stay in the village and tell your father where I end up. Don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure everything remains safe for everyone,” Devin replied. Ronan’s reassurances weren’t enough to keep Devin around when Nessa returned. “But I’m not going to sit around here and watch someone else win over Nessa. If she wants someone else, that’s her choice. I can live with that. But I don’t need to see it happen. I’ll be around.” With his last statement, Devin turned from Ronan and Turner and walked away. He gave a wave back to them as he walked. He would be true to his word. He would protect everyone if it came down to it. He would even protect Nessa if she decided to be with the big oaf. That was one part of himself that he couldn’t stop—he’d been raised to protect others. Too bad he forgot to protect his own heart this time.

  As Devin kept walking, he passed more people heading home after the night. He had never really noticed the time difference too much growing up inside, but out in nature it was different. It felt like the sun had set not too long ago, and the sidhe village burst to life. It was fun to see it happen. What looked like well-worn pathways through the woods were actually walkways through the village. The houses blended so perfectly with their surroundings that you didn’t actually see them as you passed by. Trees, large bushes, and vines hid just about everything else. After spending the past few days in the sidhe village, and time before that in the common part of the village, Devin was seeing the difference between everything. The large tree to his left wasn’t really a thick trunk, but the doorway to a home. The overgrown bushes on the other side weren’t just overrun; they were the front wall to another home. It was like that all around him. His first walk-through he could barely make out a single home—nature hid the inhabitants—but now, as he spent more time with them, he could see it all.

  Devin nodded to the first sidhe he encountered, and the person bowed to him. He was a little taken aback by the gesture, and then realized that everyone was figuring out who he was. Reluctantly, Devin nodded again to the man. It was simpler just to be the day human pet of some elite sidhe. No one treated him differently then. But now it was going to be different. He could already feel it. He made his presence known when he ran through the village the day before, wearing the sidhe king’s twin swords on his back and searching for the assassin. Things were going to be awkward now, and Devin wasn’t too happy about that.

  The pathway became more rugged as he walked on. He was coming to the end of the road and couldn’t go farther, or he would be out of the village. He had yet to find any options for a place to crash, and he didn’t want to stay in the palace, since it was too close to Nessa. Yet, he didn’t want to leave the village. It wouldn’t be safe to leave them either. There was something about being on the sidhe lands that made him connect with everyone. What was he supposed to do?

  “Day Human.”

  Devin turned to the voice of a man beside him. He had been lost in his thoughts and not realized that he
was standing still.

  “Hello,” Devin said to the old man. He had met Old Man Winters on his first outing in the village.

  “You look lost,” the old man commented, stroking his white beard.

  Devin shrugged with a slight smile. Winters had not bowed to him before speaking. The old man wasn’t acting like Devin was any different. There was no change, no fear in his eyes.

  “Just trying to figure out what to do,” Devin replied, looking at the pathway that ended abruptly feet away from him.

  “Whether to stay or leave?” Winters observed.

  “Oh, I have to stay,” Devin replied. He knew that much was true. His life was already linked to Nessa’s. “I just don’t know where. I’m not sure where I belong at the moment.”

  The old man nodded as if he understood. “If you need some time to decide, you can always stay with me,” he offered. “I know my place isn’t much because I don’t need much, but you’re always welcome with me. What’s mine is yours. That is our way here.”

  Smiling, Devin nodded. He didn’t want to impose on the man. In fact, he didn’t want to impose on any of the common sidhe; they had it hard enough as it was. Winters saw in Devin’s eyes that he would be refusing.

  “Why not just come in and have a seat while you think about what you will be doing? You don’t have to stay, just rest a bit. The sun will be full up in a few hours, and I’m sure you’ll have an easier time getting around with everyone in bed.” The old man had seen the reactions of the villagers that Devin was struggling with.

  The old man didn’t wait for Devin to reply, but walked up to his house and opened the door. Devin followed behind as the man led him into his small home. There was a bed on one side of the large open room, and a kitchen on the other hosting a small table. Only one chair sat at the table. The man went to his hearth and took a kettle off the fire. Pouring a cup, he set it on the table and motioned for Devin to sit, but Devin didn’t want to impose or take the only seat in the house.