Jamison looked down at her hand, took it in his larger one. “Have you forgiven her then?” he asked as they started up the trail.
“I think I’m beginning to,” Miranda said.
Chapter Sixteen
Jamison
They found Abagail working in the flower bed in front of the cabin; she raised her eyebrows when she saw their joined hands but didn’t comment. She looked nervous when Miranda let go of his hand and approached her, but stood her ground, her eyes searching Miranda’s face. It hit him then that Abagail had paid a heavy price for a girlhood mistake, and he hoped that Miranda was going to go easy on her.
“How long did you and my father date?” she finally asked Abagail.
“Six wonderful months,” Abagail said. “I have lots of stories about him if you’d like to hear them.”
Miranda’s eyes lit up. “I’ve spent years wondering what he was like,” she said. “I’d love to hear anything you can tell me about him, even the bad stuff.”
Abagail laughed with relief. “I’m sorry, Miranda, I didn’t know how else to tell you. Now you see why I put it off for so long,” she said, her voice full of relief.
“I understand,” Miranda said. “If you’d told me right away, I probably would have tried to leave.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Abagail said. “But you’re staying now, right?”
“I’d like to if that’s okay with you,” Miranda said.
“You are both welcome to stay as long as you want,” Abagail said, gathering her tools. “How about some lunch?”
Jamison was happy that they’d worked things out, but he hadn’t forgotten about the tattoo on Miranda’s shoulder. “Abagail, there’s something we need to show you,” he said.
Abagail looked over at him, saw the serious look on his face, and quickly finished gathering her tools. “Then we’d better go inside,” she said.
When they got back to the kitchen, Miranda unbuttoned her shirt again and showed Abagail the tattoo. “My mother put it there,” she whispered.
Abagail reached out and ran her fingers over the design, then drew her fingers away quickly as if she’d been burned. “I didn’t think I’d ever feel Portentia’s magic again,” she said, reaching out to touch Miranda’s shoulder once more.
This time, she closed her eyes and mumbled some words under her breath before firmly placing her fingers on Miranda’s skin. She didn’t recoil, but her face scrunched up with what looked like pain, and her eyes took on the far-away look he’d seen before. After gasping several times, she drew her fingers back, tears springing to her eyes, and hugged Miranda.
“You should have told me sooner,” she said.
Miranda looked down at the floor. “I was ashamed,” she said. “I felt like I’d done something wrong, but Jamison made me understand that I didn’t.”
Both looked over at him, and he shrugged. “I didn’t do that much,” he said, suddenly uncomfortable. “Can you do something about that?”
Abagail looked at the tattoo again. “There’s a lot of powerful magic in there and I’m not sure what it will take to remove it,” she said. “I’ll need some time to figure out a spell that will work without hurting Miranda.”
“We’ll make lunch,” Jamison declared. “Then you can get started right away.”
Miranda looked over at him, a question in her eyes, and he knew immediately what she was thinking. “If that thing is connected to the Unseelie, they might be able to find us,” he explained.
“He’s right,” Abagail said. “The sooner we get rid of it, the better.”
He could see the fear in Miranda’s eyes. “What if you can’t get rid of it?” she asked. “Will they find us here? I don’t want to put you in danger, Abagail. Maybe I should just leave.”
“I’ll find a way; don’t worry,” Abagail said, “I’ll just make myself a cup of tea and go to my study.”
“We’ll call you when lunch is ready,” Jamison said, smiling at Miranda, who looked a bit stunned.
When they called her to lunch, Abagail ate her sandwich, then disappeared back into the study. He wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad sign that it was taking her so long, but he knew nothing about witchcraft and didn’t want to rush her. They both picked at their food, neither in any mood for conversation, the ticking clock the only sound in the room.
Finally, they heard an excited cry from the study, and a few minutes later, Abagail came rushing back into the kitchen. “I finally found what I was looking for,” she said, shoving their food to the side with one hand, a huge book balanced in the other.
When the table was clear enough, she slammed the book down on the table, and ran her finger over the page, stopping about half-way down. He got up and stood behind her, looking at the page of tiny print, then realized that it was in a language he didn’t recognize. “What language is that?” he asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Abagail’s lips were moving as she read, but she stopped and looked up at him. “It’s an ancient Fae language that died out long ago,” she said. “It says that this spell will break any spell of dominance.”
He waited impatiently for Abagail to finish reading, but instead of excitement, he saw her face fall. “It will break the spell and remove the tattoo,” she said, “but there’s a side effect that you’re not going to like.”
“What does that mean?” he asked. “What kind of side effect.”
“As soon as I start breaking that spell, the Unseelie Miranda’s attached to is going to feel it; that’s the point of this kind of spell,” she said. “Miranda is tied to him, connected through a magical tether.”
“Will he know where I am?” she asked, her voice small in the big room.
Abagail nodded. “I think he will, but I can’t be sure,” she said.
“Then we can’t do it,” Miranda said. “I won’t risk your life or Jamison’s.”
***Miranda***
Miranda’s mind was made up, but she knew that Abagail and Jamison were going to try to convince her that she was wrong, so she let them, deciding it was better to get it over with all at once. For the first time in her life, she’d chosen her own path and it felt good. Nothing they could say would change her mind, especially since it could mean their lives.
“Just let me teach you to use your magic then,” Abagail pleaded. “You are capable of defending yourself against the Unseelie. In fact, with a little training, you could probably break the spell yourself.”
“And how long is that going to take? Months? Years?” she asked. “If this thing can lead them here, I doubt we have that much time.”
“Then what are you going to do?” Jamison asked. “Give yourself up to them?”
“No,” Miranda said. “I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I won’t stay here and put you at risk. I couldn’t live with it if something happened to either of you.”
“Isn’t there any way we can change your mind,” Abagail pleaded, making her feel bad.
But she shook her head. “I’ll stay for a little longer, but then I’ve got to leave.”
Jamison opened his mouth, but Abagail shot him a look, and he closed it. “I’m going to weed the garden,” she said, getting to her feet. “Maybe some time to think about this will help you change your mind, Miranda. Running isn’t the answer.”
“Why not? Isn’t that what you did?” she asked, hating to say the words but desperate to end the conversation before she was tempted to change her mind.
Abagail sighed. “Yes, that’s what I did, and I’ve always been sorry. If I hadn’t run, I might have been able to do something to help you and now you won’t let me.”
Jamison was giving her dirty looks but she ignored him. “I’ll clean up the kitchen,” she said, getting to her feet.
Abagail got to her feet and walked out of the kitchen without another word. “I think I’ll go with her,” Jamison said, getting to his feet and following her through the door.
Miranda’s heart felt like it was go
ing to break, but she could only imagine what it would feel like if something happened to Jamison or Abagail; she’d already been responsible for one death, and that was enough. She was in no hurry to get the kitchen cleaned up, unsure what she’d do once that chore was done, so she took her time putting the food away.
When she started to clear the table, the book Abagail had left behind kept attracting her attention, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. Finally, she slammed it shut, picked it up, ignoring the tingling in her fingers, and stomped out of the kitchen, planning to leave it in the study and go back to her cleaning. But when she walked into the study, she hesitated, the shelves of books lining the wall even more enticing than the one in her hand.
Before she knew it, she was leafing through the books, her heart beating happily in her chest, the magic inside her finally being fed what it had always needed. She sank into Abagail’s chair with an especially interesting book on the history of witchcraft and lost track of the time. The sun was sinking in the sky when she heard the front door and came back to reality with a stunned gasp, put the book down on the desk, and jumped to her feet.
She could hear Jamison and Abagail laughing as they came through the door and felt a stab of jealousy, but pushed it away. When Abagail saw her coming out of the study, she looked surprised. “You were in the study,” she said.
“I was, umm...putting that book back you left in the kitchen at lunch,” she said, just then remembering that she hadn’t finished cleaning up from lunch. “I guess I got sidetracked.”
“We just had a very interesting visitor,” Jamison announced. “A man from a nearby village wearing a panther costume.”
Abagail nudged him in the ribs. “They think it will keep them safe in the haunted woods, and maybe they’re right,” she said. “Don’t make fun.”
Jamison grinned at her. “Sorry, I’ve just never seen a grown man dressed up like that.”
Miranda was getting impatient; it was clear that the man was no threat, but it worried her anyway. “What did he want?” she demanded.
“I have to go to a local village and help with a difficult birth; it’s something I do every once in a while, if there are problems. This one is twins, and they’re big, first babies too, so I’ll probably be gone for a couple of days,” Abagail said. “Miranda, promise me that you won’t try and run off before I get back.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said, knowing that was a promise she couldn’t make.
“She’ll be here,” Jamison said, returning the dirty look she gave him.
“Well, then I suppose that’s the most I can hope for,” she said. “I need to pack some supplies and then I’ll be on my way. Will you two be okay here alone?”
“We’ll take care of everything while you’re gone,” Jamison said, flashing Abagail a bit smile. “Won’t we Miranda.”
She nodded. “I’d better go finish the kitchen. I’m sure we need to take care of the animals before dark,” she said, pushing past Jamison.
They both sighed, but she ignored them until she heard Jamison begin to whisper to Abagail. She stopped right inside the kitchen and listened, not the least bit sorry she was eavesdropping. “Just give me a few minutes to write to my family. You’re sure you can get them my messages?” Jamison said.
“Don’t worry; they’ll get to them,” Abagail said. “I just hope they can help us if the Unseelie come.”
“You don’t know my family very well,” Jamison said, pride in his voice.
Chapter Seventeen
Jamison
Composing a note to Colin turned out to be harder than he’d expected, in the small space he had, and it took him a few minutes to put the words together. By the time he was finished, Abagail was packed and ready to go, so he walked with her to the barn to saddle her horse. Miranda was still in the kitchen, and he was happy to give her some space since nothing either of them could say would change her mind.
“You have to make sure she stays here,” Abagail said as soon as they were out the door. “If she leaves, they will find her; that tattoo is probably how they found her on the way to Rushbrook.”
He nodded. “I thought of that too,” he said. “But why can’t they find her here?”
“I’ve protected the glen with an intricate web of protection spells,” Abagail said. “It was one of the first things I did when I started building the cabin. I was afraid that Portentia or the Unseelie would come looking for me.”
“So, as long as she stays here, they can’t find her,” Jamison clarified. “But you said that if we remove the tattoo, they might find her.”
“Well, that’s different; when we start messing with the magic, it will activate that connection between Miranda and the Unseelie. My protection spells can’t block that,” Abagail said.
“Then we’ll hang on until you get back, and hopefully, my brother, Reese, and Keaton will come as fast as they can,” he said, opening the barn door for Abagail and following her inside. “If Miranda sees that she’s not alone, that there are people willing to stand with her, she might change her mind and let you remove that tattoo.”
“It’s the best chance we’ve got,” Abagail said, leading her horse outside and letting him saddle it.
When he was finished, he handed her the reins, but she didn’t mount the horse right away. Instead, she studied him for a few seconds. He was just beginning to feel uncomfortable when she said, “Jamison, there’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about,” she said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “I’m not sure how to put this but you need to leave Miranda alone. I saw you kiss her this morning and I’m afraid that she’s just not ready for a Fae like you.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, slightly offended.
“I’m trying to say that Miranda is innocent, and her experience with the Unseelie has hurt her very deeply; those kinds of scars take a long time to heal,” she explained. “I don’t want to see her hurt when you get tired of her.”
“Who says I’ll get tired of her?” he asked, more than slightly offended.
“You are a Royal Fae, Jamison; everyone knows that your love affairs don’t last long,” Abagail said, then swung herself up into the saddle. “Just promise me that you won’t hurt her more than she’s already been hurt. You have the power to do that.”
Her words hit him like a punch to the stomach, and all the air whooshed out of his lungs, but then anger brought it rushing back in. Abagail didn’t know him, didn’t know what he was thinking, and it burned that she’d so easily grouped him with all the other Royal Fae. He wasn’t anything like the other Royal Fae in Ballantine, he realized suddenly. He found no gratification in casual sexual encounters, he’d never used his good looks to get his way, and he hated getting dressed up and showing off.
Watching Abagail ride away, the sting of her words still fresh, he understood that she was trying to prove something to him, not just warn him. He knew as well as she did that Miranda was fragile, but what he hadn’t known was how it felt to have someone believe he was something he wasn’t just because of the blood that flowed through his veins.
The injustice of Abagail’s words still lingered, but what nearly took him down was the startling discovery that he’d been championing the wrong things all along. He’d been protecting a way of life that was unjust and unfair, that had elevated people with the worst type of morals and alienated an entire group of people. His prejudice had led him down the wrong path, a path that led nowhere but to the Unseelie.
Staggering with the weight of his thoughts, he made his way over to the barn, sat down heavily on a bench in the shade, and took several deep breaths. He’d behaved like an idiot more times than he could count, and he wished Colin was there; not only did he owe his brother an apology, but he was finally ready to listen to him. Putting his head in his hands, he thought about his petition to the Grand Council of the Fae and wished he’d listened to his father and waited.
He wondered what the council would think when he withdrew his pe
tition, which was definitely going to happen, but what worried him more was how he was going to repair the damage his stubbornness had done to his relationships with his family. Thinking about relationships made him think of Miranda, and he sat up, then got to his feet. He’d left her alone too long already, and it was nearly dinner time; the animals needed to be cared for.
He’d have to save his brooding for later that night; right now, his job was to protect Miranda until Abagail came back, and if he knew her, she was probably planning her escape right now. But he couldn’t blame her for being scared enough to run; she’d seen more than anyone her age should have, been through a terrible ordeal, and he hadn’t helped the situation by kissing her.
When he got to the front door, he stopped and took a deep breath, promising himself that he wouldn’t let his attraction to her cause any more problems. If things had been different, he might have considered trying to seduce her, but Abagail was right. For all of her bravado, Miranda was fragile, and he wasn’t going to be the one to break her.
***Miranda***
Miranda scrubbed the last pan, then slid it into the rinse water, trying not to watch the play of Jamison’s muscles when he reached for it. They’d spent the rest of the day tending to the animals, then made a simple dinner and ate it in relative silence. Jamison had come back from seeing Abagail off with a pensive look on his face and hadn’t spoken much since then.
She wished she knew what they’d talked about but was afraid to ask, and tired of the strained silence between them. “I think I’ll get a book and go to bed,” she said, drying her hands on a towel. “If you want dessert, I saw an apple pie in the icebox.”
Jamison couldn’t help but smile. “Abagail’s not even here and she’s taking care of us,” he said. “I’m glad I was wrong about her.”
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