Free Arranged (Arranged Trilogy Book 1) by Julia Crane Page A

been taught to always be prepared.
    Of course, it meant I would have to do something I swore I would not do on Earth. But the cause was worthy enough to justify it. I closed my eyes and internally rearranged my energy field until I took on a completely different form. My hair was now chopped off, dirty blonde, my eyes both a faded blue, my body was taller and slimmer, giving me the appearance of lack of food, and my clothes were torn and dirty.
    Michael took a step backwards. “What the hell? How did you do that?”
    I lifted a shoulder. “Magick.”
    His eyes wandered from my face to my feet. “You look completely different.”
    My mouth twitched. “That’s kinda what I was going for.”
    He pulled his gaze away, a troubled expression on his face.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I don’t know. I mean, if you have the ability to change your form so quickly how do I even know you’re who you claim you are? You could be like some old man or something for all I know.”
    I laughed abruptly. “I promise that you have been seeing the real me. Here, give me your hands.”
    Hesitantly he placed his large hands in mine. I willed memories to telepathically enter his own mind. They were of me from a newborn on. Every important memory I could recall was played before him like a dream. All of my ups and downs, the trials of growing up, my kingdom fighting for my mother, the death of my father, my mother leaving, even Aiston. When I felt he’d seen enough I pulled my hands away.
    “Now you know me better than anyone else.”
    A frown crossed Michael’s face. He stared at me for a long time. Even though I was in a different form I felt like he was looking at me. Really looking at me. I’d just let him see inside my soul. What happened next was up to him.
    “Okay, I’ll take you. But you have to promise you won’t hurt anyone. And also I’m trusting you with our location. You have to understand the enormity of this.”
    I did understand. “As long as they leave me alone they have nothing to worry about, but I’m not going to promise I won’t protect myself or you. I will promise that I will keep my identity a secret. Besides, I have less than two hours left of your time. How much trouble could I get into?”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he mumbled under his breath.
    I didn’t know how to get around my mother’s cloak for the guards, so I decided the best course of action would be to cloak Michael and myself until we got out of there.
    Without telling him what I was about to do, I set about breaking down our energy fields and glamoured both of us, leaving a trace of our energy bodies in the room. That way my mother wouldn’t be able to sense us if we had to walk by her.
    Getting out of the building was easier than I expected. The hardest part was getting Michael to keep his mouth shut once he realized we were invisible. He was completely freaked out by it, which I had to admit was pretty cute. But the last thing we needed was for my mother to find out. She’d forbid us to go.
    After we were at least a mile away from where we were staying, I uncloaked us, remaining in the new form.
    “We need a name for you,” Michael said, giving me a once over. “Tulupea is just not going to work.”
    “What’s a good human name for a girl?”
    Michael shrugged and continued walking. “What about Sarah?”
    I nodded. “Ooh, that’s very unique, I like it.”
    He gave me a quizzical look but didn’t say anything.
    I wasn’t sure why it was important for me to see where he lived, but it was. Hopefully I could make a difference in some small way so he would understand that I wanted to help, not harm, the humans.
    The damp heat caused my clothes to cling to my skin. When I got back home I’d have to take a long bath. We didn’t have drastic temperatures like this on our realm.
    We ventured deeper into the fallen city than I’d been before. A stench I couldn’t place filled the air. We passed through much destruction