Aislyn looked down and shuddered with horror. She’d drown if she let go. She had to carry on. She was fairy force, dammit! If she let go and fell to her death, the board and Seamus would never give another female the chance she’d been given. Aislyn reached for another handhold, and inched her body down the rope to the dinghy.
"The girl’s not here."
"She can’t have vanished." Johnson’s disgruntled voice sounded from above.
"You didn’t lock the door."
"I locked it. I had to unlock the door to get into the cabin." Fury and a trace of fear colored the man’s voice.
Aislyn glanced the length of the rope to see how far she had to travel to safety. The water looked black and endless. A swell hit the side of the dingy, kicking up a curl of white. Droplets of seawater hit her square in the face. She spluttered for breath and almost lost her grip on the rope. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she clung to her lifeline. The journey to the dingy became a battle with the elements--a quick frenzied scramble in between successive waves.
When her feet clattered against the side of the dingy, she sobbed with relief. Just a little further, she thought fighting the tremble in her arms. They ached as if someone had yanked them from their sockets. A tiny metallic rattle sounded when her legs and bottom hit the aluminum dingy. Aislyn let go of the rope and fell in an untidy sprawl against the solid surface.
A wave hit, water rushed over the edge, sweeping her across the dingy bow like a piece of flotsam. Aislyn’s hands grabbed the nearest handhold. Her jaw clenched. Her shoulders shrieked with pain, but she clung like a limpet. The water subsided, and she half clambered, half fell down into the body of the dingy before another wave hit.
Safe.
Her chest heaved, each muscle in her body screamed of abuse, but for now, she was safe.
"She’s not in the dingy either. Damn, the woman can’t just disappear like that. I locked the door, I tell you."
"You can tell Maximillan tonight when we meet him."
The voices faded, still arguing. Aislyn slumped in a dry corner where she hoped to escape notice when the men used the dingy.
Hours passed. Exhausted, she slept and woke in alarm when the boat tilted violently to one side. From her hiding place, she saw a faded canvas shoe. Aislyn edged back until the wall of the aluminum dingy pressed against her spine. A pulse roared in her ears. If she was seen at this stage ... She prayed the closing night would hide her until they reached the shore.
The engine started with a gruff roar. The dingy lurched, the movement sending Aislyn flying. She grabbed for a handhold, saw the man’s striped T-shirt before she secured her hiding place.
Johnson stepped into the boat, his face sullen.
The journey to where they were meeting Maximillan seemed endless. Aislyn was thrown from side to side and battered against the hull of the dinghy. She bit her bottom lip, almost bitting right through in an effort to remain silent.
"Over there," Johnson grunted. "There’s the light."
The dinghy changed direction. Waves pounded against the hull. Aislyn closed her eyes and prayed that they would drag the dinghy ashore in the same way they had last time they’d landed. She’d never survive the waves crashing to shore otherwise.
The noise the dinghy made as it kissed the sandy bottom brought tears to her eyes. Solid ground. Johnson leapt out, and Dave turned off the engine and jumped from the dinghy too. They hauled it onto dry sand.
"They’re over there," Dave said. "Don’t forget, you tell Maximillan about the girl."
"I’m not likely to forget with you harping on the subject."
Aislyn counted to fifty in her head and then cautiously crept from hiding. She cocked her head but could hear nothing except the waves hitting the beach. Ignoring her aching body, she hauled herself up onto the rim of the dinghy and slid down the rope that hung over the side.
As she stood, indecisively, trying to decide in which direction to hide, a gunshot echoed through the night. A shout followed then a second gunshot.
Pounding feet raced toward her, and Aislyn scrambled for cover behind a nearby rock.
"Damn, did you see that?" Johnson spluttered. "The man’s crazy. He came out of nowhere and shot Maximillan point blank."
"I was there, dammit. I heard the same you did." Aislyn watched Dave seize the dinghy and manhandle it towards the sea. "Give me a hand, will you? I want out of here, before that fanatic decides to come after us."
"Who was he?"
"Looked like Watson, to me. Maximillan’s stepbrother."
Johnson peered over his shoulder. "Shit."
"Exactly. Come on, we’re out of here."
As the sound of the dinghy outboard receded, Aislyn stepped from behind her rock.
She’d heard the gunshots. She’d heard the discussion between the two men, but she wasn’t sure she believed it. Watson had shot Maximillan? Did that mean he was dead or merely injured? And had she heard correctly? Maximillan and Watson were stepbrothers?
Aislyn crept in the direction the men had run from to see if she could discover the answers. Then she needed to figure out where she was and how to get back to Auckland.
Voices guided her steps. She slunk as closely as possible. A group of people stood around two bodies that lay on the ground. In the light coming from a lamp held by a burly man, Aislyn noticed neither body moved.
"John, what are you going to do next?"
The speaker was a woman. The cluster of people moved and the light shone clearly on the woman’s face. Sameth--Maximillan’s personal assistant.
Aislyn frowned at this new piece of the puzzle.
"I’m going to play the bereaved brother to the hilt, my dear. And savor the feeling when I inherit all of Max’s beloved belongings." He chuckled. "Ah, my dear, revenge is so sweet. And I owe it all to you. A reward. Anything within my power--ask and it’s yours."
"All I want is to marry Kyle and a couple of months off...."
Watson grinned. He turned to the tall, silent man at his side. "I think that can be arranged. Look me up when you get back. There’ll be jobs for both of you."
While Aislyn watched, the couple left.
"What will we do with the bodies, boss?"
Watson stared down his stepbrother, the expression on his face dispassionate, cold. "Leave them for the birds to eat."
As one, the rest of the men turned. Aislyn noticed the boat pulled up on the sand and cursed. With no time to get to the boat, all she could do was watch while the men departed, leaving her stranded.
* * * *
The piercing cry of a gull jerked Aislyn from a deep sleep. The flap of wings and painful peck on the foot galvanized her to action. She leapt up and ran, zigzagging to a small pile of rocks, out of sight of the gull. Her skin felt stretched and tight. Sunburn, she realized in dismay. She cursed inwardly. Talk about stupid.
A thud sounded then an irritated squawk. Aislyn could see the gull’s dark legs as it strutted toward her hiding place. Her heart pounded. She knew she was safe for the time being, but she needed a better hiding place.
After five long, heart-pounding minutes, the gull gave up and took flight, leaving Aislyn to search for another place to shelter.
She peeped from under the rock and scanned the beach and sky above. No birds. No animals. No humans. Aislyn wriggled from her hiding place and after reconnoitering, she raced toward the undergrowth to find shade and protection.
The mew from the bushes took her by surprise. She froze, her heart lodged halfway up her throat. Two orange eyes glowed from the depths of the bush. A purr rumbled from within so loud the ground under her feet shook. Aislyn backed up rapidly. The eyes edged toward Aislyn as the animal stalked her. Terror made her knees lock.
"Joe?" she croaked. It was Joe. Ohmygod! He looked ... hungry.
The black cat stalked closer. With nowhere to hide, she trembled, but held her ground. All she could think of was Seamus and how much she loved him. Her last words to him had been hateful,
angry ones, too late to take them back now. Her mouth quivered. And it was too late to tell him how much she loved him. How much she had always loved him. She hung her head knowing that this time there was no escape. She was going to die. Seamus had been right.
She wasn’t cut out to be a fairy force member.
Leaves rustled and grass twigs snapped as Joe moved steadily closer. Hot fishy breath whooshed across her face. The stench was indescribable. Aislyn held her breath, waiting for sharp teeth to rip her battered body apart.
And waited.
When nothing happened, Aislyn’s eyes flew open. Joe sat in front of her, and she could have sworn the look on his feline face was a smirk. Hope of survival surged through her only to die when Joe stalked closer. His furry face and wet nose took up all of her vision. Her breath quickened, her skin grew clammy, and her legs trembled beneath her.
This was the end.
Joe rubbed his nose against her, opened his mouth, and swiped his pink tongue over her face. Then he backed up. Aislyn stared, reeling in astonishment and still shaking. She was alive. As she stared a myriad of colors sparkled around Joe. His feline features warped to take on a new shape.
"Yes!" he squeaked in a high voice. His fur changed to a smart red shirt and dazzling lime green trousers. A pointed hat appeared on top of his head, held in place by a pair of pointed ears.
Aislyn’s mouth dropped. Joe was a ... "You’re a gnome."
"Of course I’m a gnome," he snapped.
"But you were a cat."
"Old Lady Wickham put a spell on me."
"Lady Wickham from Glenveagh?"
"That’s the one. Wanted me to pose nude while she painted, and when I refused she put a spell on me. I’ve waited for twenty years for a fairy female to flout the rules and leave the colony. And now I’m free!" He spun about, his heels clicking together in a snappy jig of delight. "I’m free, and I’m going home!" Joe warbled, way out of tune.
As Aislyn watched, he started to fade from view. "Wait!" she shrieked in panic. She limped after him. "I helped you. Can’t you help me too?"
"Nope," Joe said. "Maybe. I’ll think about it."
Her hand darted out to grab his shirtsleeve, but she missed, snatching empty air instead. Joe dissolved in front of her eyes, leaving her alone with no way of returning home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Seamus heard the pounding of feet on the floor outside his office. The door flew open, hitting the wall stop with a dull thud. He leapt to his feet.
"We’ve had a man ring the station. Said he saw a young woman who matched the missing person’s report on last night’s news." Gary’s chest heaved as he fought for breath. "Sounded like Aislyn to me."
"Did he give a name? Where is she?" Hell’s teeth, she had to be all right.
"Joe. That’s all he said. Told us to look on Kawau Island."
"Let’s go." Impatience had him heading for the door.
"But Gill said a team had searched Kawau."
He stopped. "Use your brain. Aislyn hasn’t had access to pills. She’s most likely shrunk. Round up a team. Fairy force only. Use the experimental infrared gear that the scientists devised for the fairy force. We’ll search on the far end of the island away from Governor Grey’s mansion." He waited until Gary left and rubbed his right hand across the silver amulet that circled his left bicep. Frustration built as nothing happened. The bloody thing was like one of those extinct birds.
Dead as one of New Zealand’s moa birds.
His hand dropped from the amulet in disgust. What was the point of being the Guardian if he couldn’t use magic to save the woman he loved?
* * * *
Seamus hadn’t realized the island was so big or that there were so many private coves where a boat could land without attracting attention. Aislyn was somewhere on this island. He sensed the anonymous tip held truth. But where?
One hour lengthened into two. Seamus returned to the designated meeting point they’d decided on. Gradually, the others in the twenty strong search party drifted back. Seamus surveyed the faces. They hadn’t found Aislyn either. He counted heads. Three more to return.
A cry went up.
"Found her," a man hollered. He neared them, wheezing out his next sentence. "Pure, dumb luck."
Seamus grabbed the bag that held precious medical supplies and sprinted along the beach in the direction the man indicated.
"Where is she?" Seamus gasped.
"Over there," the man said. "Gary is with her. We’ve found two bodies. One of them looks like Maximillan. Looks like that’s the end of the scavenger hunt. Another case closed."
Seamus hurried over to Gary, ignoring the news of Maximillan’s death. The news that the main crime lord in the Auckland region was dead didn’t drag his attention from Aislyn. She had to live. She just had to.
"She’s taken shelter in the drainpipe," Gary murmured. "I think she’s alive, but I don’t want to touch her when she’s fairy size in case I hurt her."
Seamus’s heart turned over. She looked frail and defenseless lying there. Her skin had burnt and blistered. Some of the blisters had broken and they wept, oozing clear liquid. A long scratch ran the length of one forearm and her hands ... He swallowed. It was a miracle she had survived. Seamus reached inside the pipe and picked her up so she lay on the palm of his hand.
"Gary, make sure all the team get back to the mainland safely. Thank them for their help. Tell them I’ll see them tomorrow."
"But--"
Gill ran up to them. "I thought you’d found Aislyn?"
"We have. Gary will explain."
"I will?" His dark brows shot upward, looking incongruous with his red hair. He glanced from Seamus to Gill and back again with something akin to horror. "I will?" he repeated.
"Yeah. Explain what you need to." He glanced at his best friend. "I’ll talk to you later, Gill." Seamus closed his eyes and concentrated on the magic humming through his veins. He pictured the hospital in the colony and focused before saying one of the Guardian’s incantations. He felt the displacement of air and cupped his hands carefully around Aislyn to protect her during the journey to the colony. Thank the Gods the bloody thing had worked this time.
Before he shimmered out, he heard Gill’s shocked curse, then the island and the swish of the sea racing to shore receded. Surroundings blurred, and an instant later they materialized, both fairy size, in the colony hospital. Seamus clutched Aislyn to his chest and hollered for a doctor.
* * * *
Aislyn opened her eyes slowly, aware of the pain that throbbed relentlessly in her ankle and her shoulders. Her skin felt tight and her face and lips sore. Sunburn. She recalled the heat of the sun and wasn’t surprised to see the redness of her arms. A sheet covered her body while bandages swathed her chest and upper body. Her right hand was hooked up to a drip while her left was held fast. She turned her head, and her gaze alighted on a dark head, resting on her mattress. She attempted a smile. Seamus. He held her hand but was in a deep sleep.
A flash of movement caught her eye, and she looked up to see a nurse taking the chart from the end of her bed.
"Ah, you’re awake now. I’ll get the doctor."
"Seamus?" Aislyn croaked.
"He’s plain worn out. That worried he’s been about you."
The Irish in the nurse’s voice made Aislyn want to smile. "Where am I?"
"The colony hospital," the nurse said with a smile. "We’ll have you right in no time. Now you’re awake, I’ve no doubt you’ll progress in leaps and bounds."
Seamus shot upright, his eyes clear and instantly alert. "Aislyn. You’re awake."
The nurse grinned. "I’ll get the doctor, but I’ll be taking my time, so you can say hello before all the prodding begins."
"Hell’s teeth, Aislyn," Seamus roared, squeezing her hand so hard the skin went white. "What did you think you were doing?"
Aislyn’s cracked lips flattened. Nothing had changed.
He swept an agitated hand through his
hair, leaving it sticking up in unruly tufts. "Hell’s teeth. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ve been worried. Aislyn, I love you. Please, will you marry me?"
Joy spread through Aislyn until she remembered Seamus was betrothed. She snatched her hand from his touch. "Renee might have something to say about that."
"Aislyn. No. I love you, not Renee. Renee and I talked. We’ve called off our betrothal. So now, will you please marry me?"
And he still didn’t feel right about it. It was obvious in his tense face, the way he wouldn’t quite look at her. Honor was everything to Seamus, and now she understood why. It was because of his father. Seamus could spend a lifetime trying to make up for the wrongs caused by his selfish, weak father, but he would never outrun the guilt.
"I ... I love you too," she said. "I always have. But Seamus, you’re not thinking. What about the colony? You’re Guardian and me...." She shrugged then winced at the pain that sliced from her shoulder down her arm. "I’m a rebel, Seamus. I know it. I admit it. I don’t think I can change, not even for you. You have to marry for money. For the good of the colony."
He ignored her stumbling protests to smooth a forefinger across her dry lips. "Great. We can get married at Summer Solstice."
"You’re not listening to me."
"You do want to marry me?" The note of panic in his voice made her want to smile.
"Yes, but Seamus, I can’t change. I won’t change. If I think a rule is stupid, chances are good I’ll break it."
He snorted. "Don’t you mean you refuse to change? You’re the most stubborn female I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet." He paused to work up a glare but failed dismally. "And I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?"
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