by Shea Balik
“Thank Odin, you saved them,” Arne, the more… exuberant of their group, cried out as he yanked open the back door. He practically caused Meghan to tumble onto the ground from the unexpected move. “Wow,” Arne exclaimed. “Hold up there, sweetie. Don’t want you falling on your ass, now do we?”
Meghan, who stood there in her new boots, gaped at the myriad of colors adorning Arne’s head. She slowly nodded as if she wasn’t quite sure what she was agreeing with but knew she was supposed to respond. That was the effect Arne had on most people.
Currently, his shoulder length locks were dyed with the top third a bright yellow, the shade getting darker through the next third with a mix of yellow into a burnt umber, until it met the last third which was a deep red. Basically, he looked like a tree had dropped all of its changing leaves on top of his head.
The effect was striking, but a bit jaw dropping at the same time. But that was Arne. He was the only person Eirik knew who not only could stand out in a crowd, but always knew who he was.
Even as kids, Arne had been more outgoing than anyone else in their village. No dare had gone untried. Even when he’d barely been able to walk, Arne had climbed to the top of his house because his older brother told him he was too weak to do it.
He’d broken his arm when he’d slipped after he’d reached its peak and stuck his tongue out at his brother. That was the other thing. No matter how many scrapes and falls Arne had experienced, the man had more lives than a cat.
“Were there only supposed to be two?” Hrafn asked, looking around as if he might have missed anyone else that had been with them. “Because I thought the Duggan clan was bigger.”
Tears instantly filled Meghan’s eyes as Hrafn’s abrupt words brought her out of the stupor she’d been in while staring at Arne. If it were possible, Eirik was certain steam should be coming from Ryley’s ears as he glared at Hrafn. He even had his fists clenched like he was prepared to hit him.
“Hrafn,” Ulf, Eirik’s brother, said through clenched teeth. “We’ve talked about not being rude.”
Black eyes blinked at Ulf completely confused. “What?” Hrafn asked. “I could have sworn Eirik said there were like eight or nine he would hopefully be bringing back with him.”
Knowing the conversation that was about to take place as Ulf explained why mentioning there were missing members of the family to the remaining two, wasn’t a good idea, Eirik quickly steered Ryley and Meghan up the steps and into the house.
“Is he always that rude?” Ryley grumbled as they went inside.
“Blunt?” Eirik corrected. “Yes. But he’s not trying to hurt anyone. He honestly doesn’t always understand why things happen.”
Ryley, who was still frowning, glared back to the now shut door. “What?” Ryley’s tone was still hard and unyielding. “Is he one of those dumb jocks?”
It wasn’t the first time someone had called Hrafn that. The man was about five-foot-ten with broad shoulders and enough muscle for people to assume he had played sports in his youth.
“No.” Eirik said, disappointed in the way Ryley was treating Hrafn. “His father used to beat him unconscious.”
Meghan let out a gasp. “Oh, my god. I hope his father went to jail.” The vehemence in her voice indicated, if not, she would be more than happy to take the man on herself.
Eirik would have loved to see the little spitfire take the cruel man on. If it hadn’t of been for Hrafn’s father, Eirik and his seven brethren wouldn’t have been cursed in the first place. But that was a story for later.
“Let’s just say, he got what was coming to him.” During that final battle, one of the Unseelie’s minions had pulled the man’s heart out while he was still very much alive.
Eirik hadn’t had a whole lot of time to enjoy the pure shock and more than a little terror on Hrafn’s father’s face as he stared at his still beating heart in the creature’s claws. To this day, Eirik didn’t feel a drop of remorse for taking glee when that heart was then crushed inside the beast’s hand.
The entire event hadn’t lasted more than a few seconds, but they were some of the most satisfying seconds of his life. They had also been the most petrifying. It was that battle that had changed everything for Eirik and his friends.
Dispelling those morbid thoughts from his mind, he gestured toward the staircase to the right of the foyer. “Let me show you to your rooms. I’m sure you both would appreciate a shower and if you would like a nap, we can wait until dinner to discuss things.”
“I agree with the shower, but I’d rather have an explanation than take a nap,” Ryley informed him as if he were somehow in charge.
That should have annoyed Eirik, as it often had in the past when someone behaved in that manner. Yet, as usual when it came to Ryley, Eirik found it endearing.
Endearing.
Since when did he use words like that? He had to be losing his damn mind. It was the only explanation that made any sense.
CHAPTER 9
“I’ve put you two in adjoining rooms,” Eirik said as he opened a door near the far end of the hallway. “This will be Meghan’s room.” He gestured toward the door one more down. “And that is yours, Ryley.”
Meghan stepped into the massive room and squealed at the pink and green motif, her favorite colors. “There’s a canopy bed,” she said as she ran and leapt upon the mattress, rolling around as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
For that reason alone, Ryley allowed the slight warming he was feeling toward Eirik to stay, instead of pushing it down like usual. Anyone who could make his sister forget, even for a few minutes, the hell they’d been through, Ryley was willing to forget the animosity he’d felt toward the man for not saving the rest of his family.
As Meghan stood up on the bed and bounced up and down like she was five again, Eirik pointed to a door on the far side of the room. “That door leads to your room. It locks on both sides so neither of you have to worry about the other just barging in, but I thought you might appreciate being close to each other.”
“Thank you.” The anger and resentment he’d been feeling toward Eirik didn’t disappear, but it did lessen.
“Come on, I’ll take you to your room.” Eirik led him down the hall to the next door and opened it before stepping aside.
The simplistic elegance of the room was perfect. Greens and blues decorated the space, leaving a calming presence throughout. Just stepping inside, Ryley felt a sort of peace flow through him. It was elegant, yet masculine all at the same time.
“The bathroom is through that door,” Eirik pointed toward the opposite side of the room from the door that connected him and Meghan. “We’ll meet downstairs in about an hour.”
Then Eirik left and damn if Ryley didn’t want to call out and ask him to stay. But for what? That was where Ryley’s emotions were confusing. A part of him was still shaking from witnessing his family’s murders and the fight with the Unseelie monsters. Another part was terrified of discovering his powers and what that meant for him.
But if he were honest, it was the lust thrumming through him that had him nearly asking the impossible. How could he want to be with someone he partially blamed for his family being killed?
Shaking off his gloomy thoughts, Ryley headed into the bathroom and stopped in his tracks. Just like everything else in the house he’d seen so far, the bathroom was enormous. Marble walls lined the shower. There was a jetted tub that sank into the floor.
He opened one door to find the toilet but there was another door that seemed a little out of place, since it was made of wood planks with a small window near the top. He glanced into the window while he reached for the door handle.
There was no mirror, but Ryley was sure he looked like one of those cartoon characters with his eyes nearly popping out of his head. “A sauna,” he whispered in shock. “They put a sauna in the bathroom.”
He shouldn’t be that surprised. The house looked more like a grand hotel, with a porch that extended along the front and wrapped
around the sides, that were more like wings of the building. As if that weren’t impressive enough, a ten-foot front door with a hand-carved scene of two wolves, a bear, an eagle, a horse, a hawk, a boar, and a raven, all staring down any who entered as if they were ready to pounce from the carving to defend their home.
Then there was the massive foyer that opened up to a living area with floor to ceiling windows, that overlooked what Ryley assumed were pastures of some sort, which extended for quite a distance before rising up to a mountain similar to the one they’d driven up to get there. Just as the house was jaw-dropping, the snowy scene out those windows left Ryley breathless.
Even the staircase was a work of art. Wooden steps that could easily fit four people across rose up on either side of the foyer, one headed right, the other left. The railings appeared to be made from tree trunks, but were smooth, without any rough patches or splinters.
Sure he’d already wasted too much time standing there with his mouth open in awe, Ryley went to the shower and turned on the water. The ten jets that came out of three of the walls were like nothing he’d ever seen before. Eirik and his friends clearly didn’t believe in sparing any expense.
***
It hadn’t been easy to drag himself out of that shower, but Ryley needed answers more than he wanted to stay under the pulsing hot spray. His mind flashed on that sauna and he was sure he’d let out a small whimper of protest that he couldn’t try it out then and there.
The thought of easing some of the tension that knotted the muscles of his body sounded so damn tempting. If only his entire world hadn’t flipped on its axis, maybe he could have relaxed enough to enjoy some of the features of that bathroom. Or better yet, the call of the mattress to finally get a decent night’s sleep.
Pushing all those thoughts out of his mind, Ryley opened the door to hallway, not at all surprised to find Eirik standing there. At least it meant Eirik wasn’t going to try and go back on his word about explaining things.
“Just let me get Meghan and we can head downstairs,” Ryley told him.
Eirik grinned. “She’s already in the kitchen helping Oluf make something for us to eat. Apparently, she said you were a very picky eater and if we didn’t make it just like your mom did, you’d refuse to eat it.”
Ryley rolled his eyes as his sister’s exaggeration. “One time I didn’t like her macaroni and cheese and she’d never let me live it down.”
Eirik chuckled. “Does that mean she’s right? Are you picky?”
Ryley scowled. “She put olives in it.” His whole body shuddered remembering that meal. “It was just nasty.”
When Eirik tipped back his head and laughed, Ryley tripped on air at the erotic sight and sound. Wait. What?
Erotic?
He had to stop thinking about Eirik like that. No matter how sexy he was, Ryley had to keep in mind that Eirik could have done something to save his family, but he hadn’t. Just a phone call would have helped.
Sure, his family knew about the existential threat of the Fae, but they didn’t know they would show up that night, or they would have been prepared. No matter what Eirik had said about them already knowing, Ryley didn’t believe for a second that his parents would have willing put their children at risk.
No way. Nothing anyone could say would change his opinion, either.
Eirik must have sensed his change in mood, since he didn’t ask any more questions as they descended the stairs. At the bottom, they veered away from the center living area, going to the far side of the staircase, then into a long hallway.
“There is a library, a music room that is mostly soundproof, and several other rooms to read, play card and board games, if you so choose.” Eirik had pointed to each door to let him know which room was what. Nearing the end of the hall, he indicated another door. “Laundry is through there. We have a schedule set up and we’ll get you and Meghan put on there, so you know when the washer is free.”
Then he pushed through a swinging door at the end. Even before they’d reached it, Ryley could hear his sister’s laughter, as well as a few other voices coming from inside. “And this is the kitchen.”
Ryley shook his head in awe as he looked around. The room was bigger than his parent’s house had been. Then again, with four men and his sister busy cooking, the room apparently needed to be quite large to accommodate everyone.
He hadn’t even realized he’d been glaring at Hrafn until Meghan, who had been standing next to the man, had cleared her throat and glared right back at Ryley, as if daring him to say a word. When Hrafn held up a spoon for her, she leaned in and gave an exaggerated moan.
“Oh my god, Hrafn. This is the best cheese sauce I’ve ever tasted. This will taste great on the macaroni.” She smiled at him and gave him a one-armed hug before picking up a large spoon to stir what Ryley assumed was pasta. “Next time, I hope you’ll show me how to make it.”
Hrafn’s grin was so big, it was obvious Meghan’s compliment meant the world to him. “There are so many recipes I’m learning to make, but this one is my best,” Hrafn stated.
“That’s not true,” Eirik said as he strode further into the room. “Your stroganoff is one of my all-time favorites.”
Oluf and Ulf both moaned in agreement.
“And you are quickly mastering how to make spaghetti sauce,” Oluf added. “If you keep learning to cook as quickly as you are, I won’t have anything to do.”
Pink flooded Hrafn’s cheeks as he stared hard at his cheese sauce. It was obvious the man was proud, but he also wasn’t one to boast. At the same time, the man’s movements were very careful, precise. Almost as if he had to think about each step he made.
Ryley didn’t know if what Eirik had told him about the man’s father was true, but he could see that Hrafn appeared to need more time to think than those around him.
Not sure what to believe any longer, Ryley just knew it was time to get down to business. He needed to know why his family had died.
“As much as I appreciate you going to all this trouble of making us something to eat, I would rather someone explain to me why the Unseelie killed my family.” All eyes looked at Ryley. “And I’d especially like to know, if you all knew it was going to happen, why did you do nothing to stop it?”
CHAPTER 10
“You aren’t one for beating around the bush, are you?” Arne teased. “Of course, once you get your answers, you might wish you’d waited.” Arne grinned widely. “By Thor’s hammer, I would rather have gone to Helheim, than know anything about the cursed Fae.”
Ryley’s jaw dropped when Arne winked at him. What in the hell did any of that even mean? But before he could ask, a strange energy filled the room. Ryley had a hard time understanding the sensations, but it was as if the entire space was suddenly filled with electricity, causing all the hairs on his body to stand on end.
“That would be Fen,” Eirik told him even as Oluf got a plate and filled it with the meal they’d been preparing.
Not sure who Fen was, but then again, Eirik had mentioned there were eight of them living in the house, Ryley started to ask who this Fen was and why it felt as if there was a current racing through his veins. But before he could make a sound, a light blinked brightly for a millisecond, to be replaced with a man standing in the middle of the kitchen.
Oluf reached over the large island and handed the plate he’d just filled to the man. “Good timing, as always,” Oluf said, his tone clearly indicating he wasn’t happy about it.
Ryley blinked; sure he’d imagined what had just happened. Right? But the unknown man was still there, smirking at Ryley. “Are you sure you went to the Duggan clan? I was expecting someone a little…” One of Fen’s eyebrows arched as if he were looking down upon Ryley. “Smarter,” he finished.
The chuckles from the others in the room had Ryley coming out of the daze he’d been in. Mutinously, he glared at Eirik, who was also laughing, which hurt far more than Ryley was comfortable with. “I’m smart.”
Child
ish? Much to his dismay, Ryley couldn’t deny it. If anything, he was bordering on petulant, with a desire to stomp his foot in a temper tantrum. Not that he would give in and prove them right.
Holding up his hands in surrender, Eirik exclaimed, “I wasn’t the one who said it.”
“But you’re the one laughing,” Ryley shot back with far more hurt in his tone than he’d meant to show.
“Sorry.” Eirik didn’t sound at all sorry. In fact, he sounded far too amused to remotely regret having fun at Ryley’s expense. Before he could point that out, Eirik nodded toward the man who’d suddenly appeared. “Let me introduce our guest. Ryley and Meghan Duggan, this is Trafen tu Ruladin, or as we call him, Fen.”
The man scowled at Eirik. “Not by my choice,” he said about the shortened name. Then he turned to Meghan with a smile. “Do you think she was the one you were meant to save?”
Ryley’s head whipped from Eirik, to Fen, to Eirik, and back to Fen in less than a second. “What do you mean, “meant to save?” Did you purposely allow our family to die?”
Meghan, on the other hand, scrunched up her nose and mouth as she studied Fen. “Trafen tu Ruladin. What kind of name is that?”
Eirik glanced at Ryley, those green eyes were already telling him everything he needed to know. “Fen was the one who told me where to find you.”
Taken aback by the admission - things started to click into place. It was like a light switch was flipped in Ryley’s head, illuminating things he’d really hoped hadn’t been true.
Ryley hoped the hatred and rage he was feeling at the moment showed in his expression as he stared Fen down. “If you knew trouble was coming why didn’t you warn my family?”
The bastard didn’t even look sorry that he hadn’t saved Ryley’s family. He had the nerve to shrug, as if their lives didn’t matter. “I can’t change what is - only what could be,” he answered cryptically.