I saw a flicker of light ahead and noticed the air changed. A musty tang saturated the atmosphere, rotting wood, and leaves. A wispy mist crept along the ground and rose higher the further we moved until minuscule water droplets speckled my face and cooled my cheeks. The grass got lower, moving from our waists to our knees until it was a flat and chunky carpet of blunted blades the colour of ash. The grass became lumps of rock, pastel colored pebbles then abruptly murky water. It seemed to go on forever, a big puddle in the middle of nowhere surrounded by ferns and other plant life that liked the wet. I squinted. Were those dark, darting shadows under the placid surface schools of fish? At the edges I could see the pebbles continued down, curving into a steep slope that disappeared into a sapphire mirror overshadowed by fog.
I took a conscious step back. The last time I had looked into water, I had seen my reflection. I was used to my fairy form now. I had no choice. No amount of hard thought was going to make the end of my spine drop off, or my wings shrivel up. Maybe I would not feel so different, so alien if I could see others who looked more like me. Breandan said there were many variations in fairy coloring and form. Maeve was one extreme and I was the other. I guess I should be glad I was not green.
I swallowed, still not wanting to see myself and said, “It looks cold.”
He looked at me oddly before his expression creased with amusement. “You have magic.” He said this as if it was some big thing I had forgotten.
He kicked off his boots and unbuckled the leather strap across his chest.
“And….”
“You have the power to tear the sky asunder and shake the earth into a tumult yet you are bested by some chilly water?”
He threw his head back and laughed. It was not the usual chuckle or mirthless snort of delight that he usually reserved for me, but a loud boisterous hoot of glee. I was too ensnared by the sound to be upset that he was laughing at me rather than with me. Wanting to share in the joke, I giggled, but it soon became a strangled squawk as he undid his pant laces and pulled them down. He chucked the garment onto his boots. I looked away; blushing furiously.
My fingers curled under into fists as I fought the urge to jump him. I would not shame myself by succumbing to such a base instinct.
“Would you look at me?”
I choked on my own breath. “I can’t.”
He grasped my chin and deliberately turned my face to his. “Look at me.”
My eyes wandered down, over his broad shoulders, hard pectorals, and well defined abdominals. Lower, over his hip and hovering at his navel. I wavered, enjoying how much the strong strip of muscle that tapered inward from his outer hip to groin … my eyes bugled. Ah, yes, he was naked. My breath quickened and my hands trembled. Gods help me I could not help but stare. Was it meant to be so alluring? Should I not be frightened, feel all shy and retiring?
Swallowing loudly, I made a point of studying an interesting moss covered rock that rested on the edge of the riverbank by his foot. Moss, what an interesting … plant-like-thing?
Chuckling softly, he let me go and his foot slipped from view. I heard him enter the water. Rubbing my hands on my hips, I struggled to bring my ferocious lust under control. He seemed to be managing just fine, and so would I.
In a dream world, I would have been fiercely proud of my body. Reveled in how perfect my limbs were shaped and how they affected him. I would have swept the dress of in one smooth, leisurely move, slowly shaking out my hair as I did, watching him with slumberous eyes. Then I would gracefully step into the pool, running my fingers through the water that warmed to my touch until I was immersed waist deep, confidently and proudly waiting for him.
With that completely unrealistic and unachievable scenario firmly in place, sucking it up, I whipped the dress off in one toss, chucking it somewhere behind me. I stomped over to the pool edge, the lapping water sliding over my toes confirming the temperature was a few degrees shy of freezing. My control over magic was so temperamental I was afraid if I tried to warm it up, I would turn the pool into a bubbling cauldron. Acutely aware Breandan was seated comfortably in the centre I decided the risk was not worth it.
Cursing my foolish pride, I splashed my way into the frigid water, shrieking mentally as each move caused the icy water to lap higher over my naked skin before dunking down till only my neck, head, and wing tips showed. My tail coiled into a tight ball at the base of my spine, trying to conserve heat.
Shivering, sending large ripples across the pool, I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him defiantly.
“I am not prudish nor afraid,” I said through chattering teeth, lifting my chin.
“No,” he replied. “You have courage.” He was quiet. “We could stay a while.”
I turned my head, tilted it up to watch him. His jaw was relaxed and from this angle, I could only see a glimmer from his silver eyes as he watched me. Though the turn in conversation was abrupt, I knew exactly what he meant.
I clutched my arms tighter around me. “But … what about Devlin and the grimoire?”
We watched each other in the water. Somehow, a huge distance had sprung up between us though we stood a few paces away. Something broke the water’s surface drawing my gaze. I missed what it was, but watched the ripples fan out and disturb the placid water. It was just jumping fish, right? It wouldn’t be anything slimy or a small beast with many teeth….
A sloshing noise had me swallowing loudly. Breandan stood waited for me to look at him. I did, and he shrugged. “It can wait,” he said simply. He motioned to me then himself. “This is more important.”
“Uh, I don’t think Conall will agree with you.”
He stroked my hair, wound a thick lock around his palm, and rubbed it absentmindedly. “We need to think of a plan to retrieve the Alpha’s daughters from the Temple without being seen, without creating uproar. This needs to be handled with care. Should the humans catch us they would use it as an excuse to declare war.”
“We can do it easily enough. You know we can.”
“Oh?”
I counted off the reasons why this would be straightforward on my fingers. Awkward, since I was still keeping my chest covered. “We can pass the Wall without detection. We can move fast enough that they wouldn’t see us; I’ve seen that freaky ‘blending into the shadows’ thing Conall pulls, and I know you could do it too, even with all your glowing and pulsing.’ I pointed to myself with my thumb. “I’ve been trained in Subterfuge. I can manage a rescue mission, and with you at my side there’s no way we would be seen. We just need to find where they’re being held.”
I looked back to gage his reaction. He pursed his lips. “You seem to have become quiet invincible.”
I glowered at him, slapped him on the back with my tail. The tap I’d planned landed on his upper thigh. Wet skin hit wet skin and made a sharp thwacking noise. He hissed in my ear and I squirmed, the tip of my tail tingling.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, blushing.
Letting out a long, protracted breath he placed his hands on my shoulders, and pulled me closer. I did so reluctantly and focused on the pointed tip of his left ear. My wings flexed and rustled behind me restlessly, and rather than have my arms trapped uselessly between us, I unwound them to have them dither in the air. I had no choice but to place them at his sides, at the bottom of his ribcage. My head just reached his shoulder. He bent his knees, and with this half seated position my inner thighs slid over his outer legs until I sat on his lap. I stopped breathing and held still. Not sure what to do or what this meant I decided the best course of action was none. I waited, still staring at his shoulder as if the silvery skin had all the answers to every unanswered question in the universe locked in the pores. His hands slid down from my upper arms to lace together on my lower back.
After a minute or so of barely breathing I relaxed, one muscle at a time.
“Better,” he concluded and his thumbs stroked circles into my skin.
My eyes drifted closed. “So you get antsy when I get frisky on
the grass, yet naked frolicking in lakes is allowed?” I asked breathless and fidgety.
“Oh yes. We are not doing anything that would compromise your virtue. So calm down.” When my face got pouty, he spoke again and I heard a smile in his voice, but I was too mortified to open my eyes and see it. “I guess you’re wondering why I brought you here.” I nodded empathically because I was majorly confused. “You need to get used to being around me. This way there are fewer barriers between us.”
I couldn’t stand it … not seeing his expression as he spoke. My eyes opened long enough to send him a dry, accessing look. “At what point did clothes become insurmountable barriers?”
“When you feel ashamed or scared you twist your hands into your pockets to stop yourself touching me.” He frowned. “Always you should be touching me. It feels good and it makes us stronger.”
Gods above strike me down the boy had me worked out. “But … you avoid me. Sometimes.”
He stared at me. “I am an outcast. I have no Tribe, and you are a highborn fairy. It would be a dishonor to treat you so in public when we are not mated. You can always touch me.”
I was not sure I got it entirely. How could love be a dishonor? Why could I touch him and he not touch me? It hadn’t been an issue before. I knew Lochlann wanted us to be discreet, but Conall knew how we felt about each other. He may be a bit over-protective, but surely after a while he would just get over it.
Breandan moved off the topic. “We should stay here for a few days. Rest and be together.”
His hands were so warm, so hard, and gentle. They distracted me from trying to figure out why he was so careful all of a sudden. “Hmm, say-say?” I mumbled. It was more a moan than anything resembling agreement.
“I told you when Lochlann returned I would spend more time just being with you.”
He was determined to keep on talking so I peeked an eye open. “You want us to stay on the Pride?”
“Byron, Conall and I shall plan the rescue, and you can learn more about our ways. Who and what you are. No hovel is big enough for Devlin to hide in that we cannot find him. We have time.”
I blinked at the suggestion of the arrogant fairy High Lord staying anywhere that was remotely ‘hovel’ like. Devlin was an extrovert character, someone who played games and played them well. He had infiltrated the human Temple, posing as a Sect Disciple for an entire month to gain my trust before trying to trick me into joining him. He was beautiful and handsome, of course; most fairies were in their own way. Devlin had hair so blonde it was white, and mesmerizing green eyes that sparkled even in the absence of light. His features were sharp, pristine, and his gait assured, confident. But he was also cruel and hard of heart towards all apart from his life-mate, Wasp. His flair for manipulation was bone deep, engrained, and I knew he would not give up the High Lordship to Lochlann easily.
We had a hard road ahead of us and so what Breandan was suggesting was beyond tempting. He was saying I needed time to accept and adjust, to think about what I wanted to do next, and allow myself to shape the future rather than be swept into it by what was happening right then. Possibly I could plan a little rather than just reacting to each explosion that seemed to happen after every decision I made. To spend a few days tucked in Breandan’s arms seemed too good to be true. But then again sometimes good, normal things did happen to people. I could just have fun. Learn about the shifters, and get to know Alec more. He was so kind and he felt like a friend, something I had few of.
My heart squeezed painfully. No, I had no friends. My only friend was dead.
I looked down into the water’s surface and saw us. Our skin glowed. My ear tips were elongated to slender points and peeked through a tangle of hair that cascaded down my bare back, and Breandan’s fair arm that clutched me tightly. My tail weaved through the air over my shoulder, and my golden wings rustled. Pinions the width of my wrist supported the gauzy, multifaceted membrane that made up the main body of my wings, four ovals - the upper two broader - of shimmering segments that twinkled in the gloaming. I opened my mouth and saw the brilliance of my teeth, fang-like. My eyes sparkled like wells of light, even more so as tears pooled above my bottom lashes.
How strange and odd I looked to my own eyes.
Breandan, a silver sheen beside me, cupped my cheek, bringing my eyes to lock with his. There was sympathy and compassion there. Could he see my pain? His other moved to rest over my chest, fingers shifting gently as he closed his eyes, feeling my heartbeat pound against his palm. Could he feel my pain?
He leaned his head against mine then tilted his chin to kiss me. I sighed and brushed my lips against his, breathing in the scent of sunlight and rain. The water sloshed as I snuggled closer, into the warmth and comfort. My leg muscles tightened as my arms snaked around his neck to bring him closer.
He watched me out the corner of his eye as I rubbed my cheek against his, like he was afraid I was not real or something. His hands moved up, under my wing pinions until he smoothed over where they joined to my back. His hands swept over my lower wings and I made a strangled noise. They tingled at his touch. Stiffening, he stopped, and brought his hands to rest low on my hips instead, long, powerful fingers played across my skin applying pressure.
“So we stay?” he asked.
He was trying hard to respect me. His protection extended beyond the physical, he wanted me to heal emotionally before the cracks I knew were already there broke open and obliterated me from the inside out.
I cupped his face in both my hands and looked deep into his eyes. He was my home, my light in the dark. Already I felt my heart healing. I paused then placed a kiss to his clenched jaw.
“We stay,” I agreed softly and smiled.
*
My dreams were filled with dark and wicked things but always did the silver light that surrounded me keep me safe. The darkness could not have me and it was easy for my mind to become quiet and sink into a deep blissful sleep.
I woke before the dawn, overly warm, and tucked safely in Breandan’s arms, my head pillowed on his chest. We had curled up together on the bank of the river and talked long into the night. Dew was heavy in the air and the horizon was awash with dense pastel colors, announcing the suns imminent arrival.
A soft whistle over by the ferns revealed Alec standing in the gloom, jerking his head at me, beckoning. I cocked my head in question and he smiled cheekily before tugging on his pants. I leaned up onto my forearms then became painfully aware of the fact I had no clothes on. It wasn’t like before, when it was just Breandan and I. After a while, I had become relatively confident in my own skin as we talked. Now I just felt exposed. Dropping back down I wiggled further into Breandan’s side and crossed my arms over my chest. Managing to merge a blush with a scowl, I looked up to see Alec clamping a hand over his mouth hide his laughter. He held up his palms when I hissed quietly then turned on his heel, tapping his foot impatiently.
Jumping into a crouch, I breathed in the crisp morning and let the cool air refresh my damp body. I scanned the lake bank and found my dress in a crumpled pile a few paces away. Picking it up a few spiders and ants fell onto my leg and I slapped at them, cringing, and batted at the dress with my hands to make sure there were no more crawlies. Slipping it over my head, I itched at my neck and trawled my fingers through my hair, which cascaded down my shoulders in dark waves. Since I had embraced my fairy nature it was growing ridiculously fast, and I wondered when it would stop.
Hearing a lusty sigh, I turned to find Breandan awake, sitting up with his forearms resting on his knees, watching me battle with the tangle on my head. My fingers stilled. There was something … different. His permanently clouded expression and guarded eyes shone with warmth and happiness. He looked peaceful rather than serious and plagued. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before standing to find his trousers. “I will come with you,” he said.
I looked away as he pulled his pants on and heard the leather strings rub against each other as he knotted the tie, I
walked over to him and pushed him down. “No. Stay here and rest.” I kissed him briefly on the lips and then again because the first was so sweet and it made me tremble. We both sighed. “You need to rest and Alec is protection enough. Besides we’re on Pride territory, no wandering demon will come here.” He did not look convinced. I laced my hands behind the nape of his neck. “I’ll be fine.”
“Come on, Rae! Gods, what are you doing?” Alec stomped over to us and tugged on the end of my hair. I slapped his hand away when he tried again.
“Bring the fairy with you if you must. We’re going back to the Pride Heart anyway.”
“Why?” I asked untangling myself from Breandan, who stood gracefully and took my hand.
The three of us wandered back to the centre of Pride land and I enjoyed the peace of such a moment. Alec had a habit of talking until he ran out of breath. He’d heave in a gulp of air then start again, chattering on about how they ran the borders of the Pride at sunrise and sunset, and how the Alpha’s daughters were taken.
“So you were with them?” I interrupted when his face turned a ruddy pink from talking so much. “You saw who took them?”
“No. The twins were running together in the morning, but when they did not return by nightfall Byron knew something was wrong. He sent me to find them. I caught their scent quickly and with it human and silver. I found a pool of blood too. Not enough to suggest the wound it came from was fatal, but enough for concern.” He looked toward the east, in the direction of Temple. “There may be two of them, but to get both under your thumb all you have to do is threaten the other. Even if one of them was able to get away, she would not. They would never leave each other, even if it meant dying.”
“How long ago were they taken?” Breandan asked.
“Four days,” Alec whispered and hung his head.
“And you haven’t tried to break them out before now?” I questioned incredulously.
When Maeve had been taken by the Clerics she had been gone less than a day. She had suffered at their hands, and I dreaded to think what the shifters Alec referred to were being put through. I did not like thinking the Sect capable of such horrors, but my eyes had been opened to the real world around me. I had to accept certain things, no matter how much I disliked them.
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