by Amy Miles
“Unless that woman happens to be you, of course,” he teased.
I blinked. Did he really imply he would bow only to my whims?
“You’re layin’ it on a bit thick, don’t ya think?”
“Not at all.” Raising me back upright, he placed his hand behind my head and drew me close enough to whisper in my ear. “You are quite beautiful when you are at a loss for words. And contrary to what you might think, that dress does suit you. Something pretty and delicate to soften the fire in your eyes.”
I turned his head and pressed my lips to his ear. “And you look like a right prat when ya catch me off guard in front of all these people. How dare ya do that to me? I thought we were a team,” I hissed.
Aed laughed as if we had shared a joke and then twirled me so fast it left me breathless. The song came to a close without us saying another word, mostly because I was too intent on remembering the blasted steps. He bowed. “It has been a delight as always, Taryn. Now I fear I must go and attend to my other duties.”
“Well, remember if those duties include bedding Hadley tonight, the walls between our rooms are not that thick.” I looked at Hadley. “I imagine she’s quite the screamer.”
His smile froze in place, and I knew I’d managed to get him back for forcing me onto the dance floor. Composing himself, he smirked at my challenge and walked away.
As I watched him approach Hadley, I felt a sudden and confusing twinge of jealousy. It wasn’t like he was mine, or even that I wanted him to be. At least, I didn’t think I did. This was all so confusing. Knowing Aed and I needed to end up together to save our people didn’t mean I had to get all gushy about him. That wasn’t me. I didn’t gush. At least I didn’t use to. Between him and Devlin, I’d turned into a bloody emotional geyser.
“Get it together, Taryn,” I muttered. I hurried off the dance floor before my internal conflict became public knowledge. I almost made it to safety when a hand took hold of my elbow and turned me.
“I have heard rumors of your beauty, but they did not do you justice, lady Taryn.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes at Connor’s eldest son, Nolan. Rumors about him had already proven to be true upon our first encounter when he dared to eye strip me in front of Aed as I stood dripping wet in his foyer. He was a scoundrel, no doubt about that, and the last person I wanted to speak to.
“Did your sister put ya up to sweet talkin’ me tonight? Keep me out of the way until she got her claws sunk deep enough into Aed?”
“You’re on a first name basis with the prince now? My, my. I do believe my sister has underestimated you.” He smiled, using his body to steer us towards the dance floor. “I did not need any persuasion to spend time with you. I find your presence rather...invigorating.”
The fact he was staring at my scars told me he knew more about me than most. Or he had at least guessed. He didn’t look the least bit repulsed by my differences. In fact, they seemed to be quite the turn on for him.
Lovely. Just what I needed.
When he took me in his arms to lead me into the next dance, he held me far too close for comfort. Even Aed, whom I’d known for far longer than ten seconds, had respected the invisible boundary between us. Nolan obliterated it, pressing his long, lean body against mine as we swayed. The arm he kept at my lower back ensured I would not be escaping any time soon. At least, not without me breaking his wrist and causing a scene.
And that’s when I realised what was really happening. I was the prey. He was the predator. He planned to bed the freak, rendering me unfit to wed Aed while his dear ole sis stole the prince. What a great plan. I wondered which of the devious women around me had thought that one up.
When I looked around in search of Aed, I caught sight of him smiling as he twirled Hadley around the dance floor. She was so graceful and her laughter sounded like church bells. Gods, how I hated her.
“Personally, I’ve always liked a girl with some fight in her,” Nolan droned on, capturing my attention. I had no clue what else he had said, but it was obvious it was all about him. Like father, like son. “The ones who give in too easy are boring.”
It was hard to swallow down my revulsion and smile, but one glance at Morrigan told me she was keeping a close eye on me.
“What luck to find ya without a partner for the evenin’. It’s almost like fate arranged it for us,” he said.
Or rather a nosy queen with an ulterior motive.
“Right,” I said instead. He flashed me a smile meant to dazzle. Too bad he had no idea all I wanted was to puke on his fancy shoes.
“Would you care to get some air?” he asked. “The nights here are clean and crisp. A far cry from your nasty city stench, I’m sure.”
I bit my tongue and looked for Aed. He was across the room. The farthest point from me. In his arms was the conniving wench who batted her eyelashes at me as Nolan pulled me away. Oh yeah, this was definitely a setup.
I allowed him to lead me out onto the dimly lit terrace. Tall torches lined the upper balcony. From there I could see the path leading to the gardens. It was lit with candles that hung from the tree branches overhead. Somewhere out there was a fountain or stream. A bird called to the night. If Nolan hadn’t been there, it might have actually been nice.
He led me down the stairs and onto the crushed stone path. Flower petals lay, dotting across the lawn in the moonlight. I wanted to kick off my shoes and be free to run through the lush grass, but Nolan pulled me away.
Perhaps this was my moment to escape the ball and find out what was going on at the Wall. Aed was handling himself well at the party without me. No one would miss me. Especially not the queen. I might even get a few hours head start towards the Wall. It might even be possible to catch up with Aed’s man so we could get answers together.
Well, it might have been if I had my leathers on instead of this blasted corseted dress and heels. Blast it all. If there was one thing I missed most from before royal life, it was my battle gear. I would’ve given anything to return home to retrieve them, but it wasn’t possible.
“Where are we going?” I asked, hoping it was someplace remote so I could slip away. Heels or not, this might be the best chance I would get to leave unnoticed.
“I have something to show you.”
Allowing him to hold my hand seemed easiest for now as I played along with the ruse. His palms grew clammy the farther we moved from the manor house. The trees rose around us. Bushes taller than my head lined the walkway, concealing us from the house. The farther we walked, the louder the sounds of rippling water grew, and I found myself intrigued.
The rivers here flowed in two directions. Either out to the sea or into the lower portions of the realm. I would be able to follow the edge, and it would lead me north to the Wall.
My stomach churned. What about Aed? It felt wrong to abandon him after all he’d done for me. He sacrificed his own happiness so I could keep my head. Blast my conscience. We can’t sit back and do nothing and play out this ridiculous charade. At least, I couldn’t.
For several moments, we walked in silence and I battled with what action to take. Though with each step I took, I knew I didn’t want to leave Aed behind. I would need him at the Wall.
Soon the lights of the house and the party vanished from sight. As we stepped off the path and moved through thick layers of sawdust, it became clear that his special destination was, indeed, secluded. Nolan had taken me to see his father’s millwork.
The door rattled on its rails as Nolan slid it open. I slipped inside before he turned around, having made my decision. I would not abandon Aed. He needed me as much as I needed him. The only thing I could do now was to find a way to spin this little scenario to our benefit and get us the heck out of here before Hadley found a way to convince Aed to linger.
“Taryn?”
Nolan searched for me in the dark, but I had already moved towards the wide opening along the far wall. From there I could hear the gushing of water.
“What is this?�
�� I asked, leaning through the glassless window. Peering below, I saw a stream rushing along. It was shallow enough for currents to form around the river rocks. In the dappled light of the moon, I could make out the shine on the wet rock faces.
“It is called a water mill.”
I stiffened when his hands came to rest on my hips, and he leaned into me from behind. For the first time, I was thankful to be wearing a hoop skirt. Otherwise, I would’ve taken him out right then and there. “If you look there, you will see a large wooden wheel spinning around. That pushes the water through, generating the power we need to run the logging equipment.”
I knew of such things from the human world, of course, but never had I seen it before in our realm. “Did your da do this?”
Nolan laughed. His breath brushed against my ear, and a new round of warning bells went off in my mind, but I remained still.
“My da isn’t a leader, Taryn. Not like me. He is a man of vision with no plan on how to achieve it. I brought back these plans.”
“You?” I was confused. Men like him did not cross the veil often. That was a banshee’s job and only to ferrying a soul. Nolan was far from reaper material, so that wasn’t a possibility.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am,” I said.
I heard the sound of rustling fabric and turned, realizing he was unlacing his tunic. My muscles tensed in anticipation of his inevitable advance. Instead, he pulled his tunic up high enough for me to spy three long claw marks.
Without thinking, I reached out to trace my finger along them, mesmerized at the sight of the scarring on his abdomen. Now I understood why he wasn’t disgusted by my markings.
“I knew the moment I saw you what had happened,” he whispered.
I looked up and met his gaze, startled to realize his eyes were similar in colour to Devlin’s. His hair hadn’t been the right colour inside the ballroom, but here, lost to the dim lighting of the moon, I could almost imagine that it was red. I blinked several times, reminding myself Nolan was most definitely not Devlin. Not by a long shot. I couldn’t deny the pinch of regret in my chest that lingered at the thought of being alone with Devlin in this place instead.
“You’ve seen the lorcan, felt their touch.” He stepped closer, his tunic still raised as he pressed against my fingers. It wasn’t until I felt his breath catch that I realised I was still touching him and he liked it.
I yanked my hand back. “How did ya come by these?”
“Does it matter?” He dipped his head to meet my gaze. “You and I are alike. Bonded by what we’ve lived through.”
“Bonded?” I laughed and took a step back until he pressed against the window frame. “So ya have a scar? That’s got nothin’ to do with me.”
“Doesn’t it?” He took another step. I watched him with keen wariness. His breathing had increased. There was a rising flush to his skin. “I understand the pain you felt. I know what it is that you want.”
“And what is that?” I countered.
Nolan smiled as he placed his hands on either side of me, gripping the windowsill to trap me. “You want to fight them.”
Well, I wasn’t expecting that sort of insight to come from him. It was that fact alone that distracted me from avoiding Nolan’s attempt at a kiss. And from hearing footsteps behind us until a voice spoke.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Prince Aed.” Nolan froze, his lips less than an inch from crushing against mine. “I did not realize that spying was part of your duties tonight.”
“And seducing my future bride should not be part of yours,” Aed snapped. “How much did my mother pay you?”
“Pay me?” Nolan’s nostrils flared with indignation, but he didn’t pull away from me. “I have no use for bribery.”
“And yet here you stand in a rather intimate position with my betrothed.” Aed moved to stand off to my right. I could see him from the corner of my eye as he leaned back, crossing one foot over the other and lounging against the wall. The smile on his face told me he was enjoying himself.
“What I do with Taryn is none of your concern. I see no ring on her finger claiming her yet.” Nolan’s eyes darkened and his lip curled.
How any girl would find him charming was beyond me.
“No. I suppose you are right.” Aed sighed. “My apologies. You may continue then.”
Nolan tilted his head to look at Aed. “What sort of sick game is this?”
“No game.” Aed raised his hands in surrender. “If Taryn welcomes your affections, then I will go on my way. No one will hear of this incident. I promise you that.”
I looked between the two men, hating them both for talking about me like I was a thing rather than a person.
“How dare y—” I started but cut off at a sharp look from Aed. It caught me off guard.
Nolan laughed. “I think the lady has made her choice clear. Bugger off, Prince.”
“As you wish.” Aed smiled. “Have fun.” And with that, Aed pushed off the wall but took his time sauntering away. I could even hear him whistling a cheerful tune. But there was also a dull thud against the floor that I thought I heard as well.
“Now.” Nolan reached for my waist and pulled me close. His hand roamed over my backside and began to trail up my side. “Where were we?”
“Exactly where we are meant to be.” I didn’t pull away when he trailed one finger down the deep cut of my neckline.
Aed lingered in the doorway and met my gaze. He looked like he was pointing at something on the floor. Then he disappeared.
“Do you like that?” Nolan whispered in a husky voice, drawing my attention back to the moment.
“Why don’t ya get a little closer and find out?”
When he crushed his lips against mine, I held my breath for three seconds. Then I lifted my hands to take hold of his face, deepening the kiss before I slammed him back into the wall. He coughed and reached for his head as I rammed my fist into his nose. The sound of cracking bone sent a thrill through me as blood splattered onto my dress.
Nolan tried to stumble away. Hiking up my skirts, I slammed my foot into his back as he retreated and sent him sprawling to the ground. A cloud of sawdust rose around him as he gasped for breath. Grasping the folds of my dress, I sank to the ground. I felt around until my fingertips touched on the blade Aed had dropped in the sawdust for me to find. I yanked Nolan’s head back by his hair and pressed the blade to his throat. In the dim light, it glowed a brilliant milky white. A reaper’s weapon.
“You and I are nothin’ alike, otherwise ya would ’ave never dared lay a finger on me. Did ya really think Aed was givin’ ya permission to have your way with me?” The blade pressed to his Adam’s apple as I leaned over him to speak in his ear. “You’re a bloody fool. He was givin’ me permission to put ya in your place.”
Nolan cried out as I yanked his head farther back.
“You’re a coward, a self-righteous, pig-headed menace. Touch me again and you’ll lose your favorite body part with a twist of my wrist. I promise ya, your ma will mourn for the loss of future wee grandbabies because there is no way in hell she’s gettin’ them from me or from Aed.”
“You witch!” he screamed when I sliced the blade across his cheek, parting the skin.
“Now ya have somethin’ to remember me by. Maybe next time you’ll treat a lady with a bit more respect.”
I shoved him to the floor and drove one spiked heel into the back of his hand for the hell of it. When I reached the open doorway, I found Aed chuckling to himself.
“Enjoy that, did ya?” I asked as he fell into step with me. I handed over the blade.
“Aye. A bit. And you?”
I grinned as he tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and together we walked back to the manor house. “Aye. More than a bit.”
Chapter 5
Devlin
The next morning, I was up before the sun. Seamus was still asleep. By looking at him, I knew he had taken a turn fo
r the worse during the night. Sweat saturated his pillowcase, and his colour had turned ashen. I was torn between staying to make sure he was okay, and with the need to find the veil so he could heal.
I opted for the latter and jotted down a quick note to leave him along with some provisions he would need when he woke up. Realistically, I didn’t know how many more days he’d get before the poison breached his heart. Already the spider web of veins off the claw marks had inched up to his collarbone. Time was not on his side.
“Hold on, Seamus. Hold on. I’ll find Tris. She’ll fix you up right this time. Don’t die on me,” I whispered. I couldn’t lose him too.
It was a Saturday, so I would have the entire day to hunt for the Veil. I texted Ma a quick message to let her know I’d be heading into Belfast with Seamus for the day. That way, there would be no reason for her to check in on us. The less she knew about Seamus’s deteriorating health the better. If she saw him, she’d insist he go to hospital. There would be no cure to be had there, only loads of questions about his scars we wouldn’t be able to answer.
With a pack strapped to my back filled with food and water, I made my way to the cliff. I was not coming back until I found that veil. The plan was to stick it out. For as long as it took. I was too close to give up now.
I passed the areas I’d checked a million times and went farther into the woods towards the falls. The sound of the water crashing to the pools below had my feet flying across the root-lined pathway. I knew I must be getting close to the veil when I saw a group of three banshees walking towards me. They were chattering about some cute reaper they’d sat next to.
Knowing I couldn’t freak them out again by acknowledging their presence, I pretended to be a dumb human that was going on an early morning hike. They didn’t seem to think anything about my being so close to them as they passed by me without so much as a glance.
Encouraged, I climbed higher up the mountain’s edge to reach the top of the cliff. A place I’d been a thousand times before. Alana, Seamus, and I spent countless summers jumping from the waterfall into the cool pools below. Had these banshees been walking around us the whole time and we never saw them? The idea of it made my head spin. There was nothing there. Nothing at all out of the ordinary. Until I looked down.