Synopsis
In Underlayes, a dimension separate from our own, where all mystical creatures reside, lies an orphanage for seemingly cast-off children, known as the Abbey. There, children who are born from two or more factions learn both who and what they truly are, and what powers they have lying within. What these children do not know is they were put there for their own good, for their protection, not because they were unwanted or unloved. In fact, the very opposite is true. Many would kill to get their hands on these children.
As Jelissa comes of age, she is about to learn the hard way to what lengths one such being is willing to go.
For most, turning twenty-five is the age at which they can finally drink legally. For a hybrid orphan, it's so much more. Jelissa has been a resident of the Abbey for as long as she has been alive. For that same amount of time, she has never known what she is, besides being part witch.
At the age of twenty-five, she will learn just what types of blood run through her veins, finally discovering what she truly is. She will also find out much more—that she is the long-lost princess no one even knew existed. Well, almost no one. Those who do know of her want to either love, protect, keep, cherish, and smother her, or kill and maim her, or just plain shackle and control her.
As most do when they come of age, Jelissa will learn the hard way that adult life isn't all it’s cracked up to be.
1
Birthday Wishes
I awoke with a start, gasping for air. Considering the situation, I’m surprised I didn’t come to and start screaming my head off like a banshee. Oh, I also woke up not knowing where the Hel I was, or how I got there. Some birthday this was turning out to be.
See, I went to bed like any other normal twenty-four-year-old. I was turning twenty-five, would be able to drink, legally anyway, and had finally saved up enough to move out on my own. I even went to bed early because my girls and I were supposed to celebrate all day and all night. The celebration was to include getting rid of my virginity. Growing up in a house full of orphaned witches, vampires, werewolves and other types of shifters did not make a dating life easy, believe me.
Well, one thing’s for certain, I no longer had to worry about losing my virginity. Oh stuff it! You stuff it. You’re the one who got us into this mess! Well, arguing with you isn’t gonna help us remember jack!
Great, I was having a mental battle with myself; that’ll really help me figure out what the fuck happened.
First thing I did was take in my surroundings, eh? I was stark-bootie-butt-naked besides some damn collar on my neck, in a huge bed with three just-as-naked men with collars on their necks. Thankfully they’re still blissfully sleeping. Thank Goddess for small favors. Hopefully, I could figure this out before they woke-up. And from the smell of things, I’d better act fast. I could smell shifter, vampire, and holy shit! A damn demon?
Hookay, Jelissa, let’s pull it together. The only thing I was missing, as of right now, was any memory of last night. Well, that and my damn clothes. Time to answer the question I’ve been dreading—did I still have any powers? Screwed up as they may be, anything was better than nothing at this point.
See, I’m a witch. Well actually, I’m more than that, but that’s all the orphanage seers could see clearly when I was brought to them as an infant. That, and the fact I was pretty much a mutt. They ended up having me sniffed out to try and figure out what I was. All that concluded was I have four different bloodlines within me. Talk about multiracial. The orphanage wasn’t an uncommon place for something like that. It was pretty much what made up the whole place, unwanted cross-breeds, misfits, or true orphans whose parents have passed on. Well, okay, there were usually only two things kids were cross-bred with, not four, and the seers usually had no problem figuring out what those were. Guess I was just special. So, I became a great guessing game, and the seers were biding their time waiting to see what powers, if any, I developed. So far, I had the ability to call insects, which came in quite handy in school, and some telekinesis (I say some ’cause if I got too upset, I blew up whatever I was trying to move), which would come in handy right about now.
I tried to use magick to open the door, not wanting to wake up any of the sleeping-beauties at my side if I didn’t have to, since I didn’t know yet if they were as innocent in all of this as I was just yet. But it must have been locked from the outside. Next, I focused on the lock itself, whether it unlocked or would simply blow up, who the Hel cared, as long as it opened. So, I focused, and focused some more, and the only result I got was a little dizziness, and went cross-eyed and nauseous in the process.
“Damnit,” I muttered.
Maybe I could do a past visualization. If I couldn’t get out, maybe I could at the very least figure out
