PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “Aodhan,” I gasped, but there was no response.

  Panic blossomed in my chest. I had to keep moving forward. I needed to find Aodhan. But my joints were locking up, making it difficult to do anything more than draw ragged breaths. I tried calling out to him again, but my voice came out as little more than a croak. I couldn’t let it end like this, curled up in a web of brittle vines and thorns.

  As I finished that thought, I heard a low moan come from ahead. I pushed my leaden legs up from beneath me, moving as best I could toward the sound.

  When I found Aodhan, he was tangled in a mass of coiled vines. His arms and face were sliced open even worse than mine, and his bloody lips were parted. I knelt beside him, carefully cutting away the vines that ensnared him. It was like trying to cut down an oak tree with a butter knife.

  I could feel him watching me as I worked, and after a few minutes, he became more coherent and wriggled his arms free.

  “Get back,” he whispered. I scrambled away as he tore himself free of the net of branches and vines.

  I leaned back on my elbows and inhaled the sickly sweet air. The edge of the thorny forest was only twenty feet away.

  I started to tell Aodhan how close we were, but he didn’t give me a chance. “Come on,” he said, holding out his bloody hand to help me to my feet. “It’s time.”

  Chapter 12

  Beyond the briars and thorns, the ground was covered in dry, brown grass that crackled when we walked over it. Trees with no leaves dotted the landscape, their limbs reaching up to the sky in a silent plea for mercy. The ground turned rockier, and the trees were replaced by stout bushes that resembled steel wool.

  The sun was hot and unforgiving in the jaundiced yellow sky, but we didn’t even stop for a drink. The scent of salty sea air mixed with sulfur got stronger the farther we walked. We came to the edge of a steep cliff before Aodhan spoke again. His voice was barely audible over the crash of waves below.

  “The entrance to Aoife’s house is on the face of this cliff. The path is steep, so stay alert.”

  I looked over the ledge and down the narrow path, the wind whipping strands of hair in my eyes. I saw the gaping mouth of a cave halfway down to the rocky shore. Aoife had chosen the perfect place to live if she didn’t want visitors.

  I followed close on Aodhan’s heels. As I walked, I leaned my body into the rocky wall.

  When we reached the cave, I could only see about five feet inside before the path was swallowed up by darkness. Aodhan walked in, and after three steps, a chain of fey lights blinked on in a domino effect, lighting the cavern within.

  I hurried after him. The cave entrance was charcoal gray and smooth, but as we walked deeper inside, we came to a corridor carved with intricate scrollwork, like trees with long curly-cue branches. The corridor came to an end with two crescent-shaped wooden doors. Aodhan opened one side with no trouble—we must be expected. I shivered at the thought.

  Inside was a high-ceilinged entryway, lit by dozens of fey lights lining the walls. Beautiful spiral designs were carved into every surface. It didn’t smell like the sea in here; there wasn’t really a smell at all, just clean air. But it was quiet, and each step we took felt like the beat of an ominous drum.

  Three doors led out of the entryway. I looked over at Aodhan for instruction, and he headed for the one directly in front of us.

  A gasp escaped my lips as we entered the room. I remembered this place from my dream of Liam and Aoife. A man sat casually across the room—the same one I had dreamed of standing there with a black bird on his arm, smirking at me.

  Breanh.

  “Welcome, Allison. I’m so pleased you came,” he said, a wicked grin spreading across his features. His black hair was shoulder length, framing his angular face.

  At first I couldn’t think of anything to say. I just stared at him until I sensed how much he enjoyed my discomfort. I looked up at Aodhan, but he just stared blankly at Breanh.

  “Where’s Ethan?” I asked, my voice as firm as I could make it.

  “Oh, Ethan is fine. More than fine, you might say.” The look of delight on his face increased as he spoke. Breanh took a step toward us, and I shrunk back, which only seemed to add to his pleasure.

  “I must tell you . . . I’m impressed you made it through those nasty vines. They tend to be such a problem,” he said with mock sincerity. “It’s just too bad Aodhan wasn’t so lucky.”

  Before I could say aloud that this guy was a total lunatic, Aodhan’s form wavered beside me. I came close to screaming when I realized the man by my side was not Aodhan at all, but a complete stranger wearing a glamour.

  Icy cold panic ran through me as Breanh looked on with another cruel smirk.

  “What have you done with him?” I whispered.

  He leaned forward on the balls of his feet, as though he was savoring my fear. “Aodhan took a terrible fall into a pit below the vines. I do hope he’ll make it out soon. I’d love to see him.”

  “You’re a monster.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus on the fact that Aodhan was still alive. I needed to find Ethan before he was completely enthralled by any of those women, then I would somehow find Aodhan in the thorny vines.

  “This doesn’t have to be painful, Allison,” he said, speaking each word slowly.

  “I just want to bring Ethan home,” I said, hating the way my voice sounded so small.

  “Of course you do.” His words dripped with false sympathy. “And you will have him just as soon as Aoife is returned here.”

  “You think I know where Aoife is? Last I knew, Liam and Niamh captured her in a fey globe and gave it to Deaghlan.”

  With a flick of Breanh’s wrist a curtain at the opposite end of the room lifted. “I believe you can be persuaded to find out more.”

  Behind the curtain, my nightmare came to life. On a low bed covered with silky sheets lay Ethan. Tangled up in his limbs were the women from my dream. They all ran their hands along his naked body, making sounds of lust and longing. His eyes were closed, and his lips were parted as they kissed his arms and stroked his thighs.

  The girl who had been glamoured as me ran her tongue from his navel to his clavicle and turned her head to smirk at me.

  My knees went weak, and I held onto the wall to keep my balance. If he slept with one of them—I shuddered at the thought—he’d end up addicted to her, the way my mother was addicted to my father. He could end up schizophrenic, too, or worse. The room grew hotter as I struggled to breathe.

  “As you can see, Ethan is a bit preoccupied. I’m sure while we wait, you and I can come to an arrangement of some sort.”

  “Ethan!” I shouted, my chest starting to heave in panic. “Ethan, look at me!”

  Breanh laughed, slowly clapping his hands. Ethan didn’t open his eyes but rolled his head back as the women continued nipping and tasting his skin.

  Unable to watch anymore, I ran toward the bed. “Ethan, listen to me!”

  Before I made it halfway, Breanh grabbed me. He chuckled in my ear as he gripped my neck. “You actually think Ethan would prefer you?” He laughed. “I can be very patient, Allison. And you have no idea how much I will enjoy getting you to cooperate.”

  The sound of footsteps behind us surprised Breanh. He turned around, taking me with him.

  “Just what do you have in mind, Breanh?” The woman standing there had her eyebrow arched up over one of her bright azure eyes as she waited for a response. Her black hair was loose and cascaded over the shoulders of her deep navy gown. At the base of her throat was a silver amulet on a delicate silver chain.

  Breanh’s hold on me loosened, and I sucked in a deep breath.

  “Aoife. You’re here at last,” he crooned to her.

  “Answer the question,” she said, not moving.

  “I would do anything to get you back where you belong, of course.”

  “I see,” she said coldly. “Then let her go.”

  Breanh’s arms fell to his sides. Without p
ausing to consider what was happening, I ran to Ethan. He lay alone on the bed now—the females had apparently scattered when Aoife arrived. His head was on a pillow, and his eyes were closed. Fingers trembling, I pulled the sheet up to cover his body before turning back to Breanh and Aoife.

  “Aoife,” Breanh began, glancing over to where I sat.

  “Don’t,” Aoife cut him off. “How could you bring her here?” She flung her hand toward me.

  Breanh’s eyes widened as he struggled to answer her. “I-I told you I would have done anything...”

  “The last thing I want is for Liam to know about her,” she said.

  “But . . . ” The glare she shot him silenced him.

  I secretly enjoyed watching as Breanh transformed from a ruthless brute to a whimpering coward as Aoife paced in a slow circle around him.

  “Every time the responsibility to take charge falls on you, you create more problems than you started with. First with Liam and the human, then with the imbeciles in Canada.” She shook her head and came to a stop directly behind him.

  Breanh swallowed hard and waited for her to continue. Aoife moved in closer to him, standing flush against his back, and trailed one finger up his arm. His eyes fluttered as he inhaled a shaky breath.

  “If Liam finds out he has a daughter, do you know what that means?”

  “But, I didn’t—”

  She tapped his chest with her finger. “Answer the question.”

  Breanh inhaled as she trailed her hand from his pectoral muscles down to his abdomen.

  “It means I lose everything,” she whispered. “Again.”

  Breanh let out a grunt and swayed on his feet for a moment before collapsing into a heap on the floor. Sticking out of his back was the jeweled hilt of a dagger.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, once again grasping in my mind for a way out of my current predicament. I was within an arm’s length of Ethan, although he was still in some eerie lust-filled oblivion, and Aodhan was trapped in a forest of vines and thorns.

  Aoife sidestepped Breanh and walked over to the bed where I sat beside Ethan’s still form. She tapped her lip thoughtfully and narrowed her eyes.

  “You will be easy enough to get rid of. Provided we have no more problems.”

  I didn’t think she was actually speaking to me, but rather thinking out loud. I stood, hoping that I looked braver than I felt. I clasped my hands behind my back to hide the trembling.

  “How did you get out of the fey globe?” I asked, struggling to keep my composure.

  Her eyebrow arched again. “It seems my mother doesn’t subscribe to the whole imprison Aoife plan.”

  “Saoirse let you go?” That made no sense. Why would Saoirse let Aoife just go free? She’d admitted to the trouble her daughter caused and the harm it did.

  “Tell me where Liam is”—with a frustrated huff, Aoife’s eyes flickered to Ethan—“and I won’t harm a hair on this boy’s pretty little head.”

  “Liam is lying in a bed unconscious right now because one of your crazy guards stabbed him with an iron blade.”

  A flash of concern showed in her eyes before she rearranged her features into a coy smile.

  “I must admit, Samantha . . . this is an exquisite human you’ve got here,” Aoife said as she ran her eyes down Ethan’s exposed chest.

  “Samantha?” I asked. “Who’s Samantha?”

  Her eyes darted to mine. “Isn’t that what the humans named you?”

  “My name is Allison.”

  “Hmm, no matter.” Aoife blinked. “Come, we must get you back home to Thunder Bay before Liam wakes up. I’ll deal with him then.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “I need you out of TÍ r na n’Ó g before Liam wakes up. Breanh was a fool for bringing you here, but once you’re back in Thunder Bay I can straighten everything out.”

  “Straighten what out?” I asked. “I don’t understand.”

  “I have lost the upper hand with Liam. He can’t find out about you, too. Humans are sentimental about their children. He’ll wonder why I never told him about you.” She waved her hand dismissively.

  A faint buzz began in my ears at her words. I could hear Eithne sobbing that I must forget everything she had said, and then it all clicked. Aoife had given birth to Liam’s child. Another child. And, like Eithne, Aoife thought I was her.

  A pinpoint of hope ignited in my heart as I looked at Aoife’s waiting expression. “I don’t live in Thunder Bay. I’m not your daughter, either. My mother is Elizabeth. And she is with Liam right now, nursing him back to health.”

  Just as her lips parted in understanding, Aoife grabbed me by the throat. I struggled against her, but she had a firm grip as she pulled me to her face.

  “I will enjoy killing you, then.”

  I tried to speak, but her fingers were crushing my windpipe. Frantically, I fumbled along my belt for my dagger. Stars were dancing in front of my eyes as I pulled it out of the sheath and, with all my strength, stabbed it into her side.

  Aoife cried out, and let go of my throat. I coughed and gasped, my lungs desperate for air. She tilted her head to one side and laughed cruelly.

  “He’ll never love you if you kill his child,” I croaked. I knew it was a stretch, but I had to use her obsession with Liam against her; it was my only chance.

  Indecision played across her features. “He’ll never know it was me,” she hedged.

  From somewhere close I could hear the pounding of footsteps and a deep voice calling my name.

  Aoife’s eyes grew wide with panic as she scanned around the room. “Who else knows you’re here?”

  “Aodhan came here with me.” I barely recognized the sound of my own voice.

  Aoife grabbed a fistful of my t-shirt, pulling me toward her again. “You won’t say a word of this to anyone,” she whispered, her eyes boring into mine.

  I licked my lips and nodded, feeling a little strange as I watched her pupils dilate. A word, never a word to anyone.

  Then, with a glance over her shoulder, Aoife disappeared.

  Seconds later, Aodhan charged into the room, looking around in alarm. When his eyes settled on me, I sunk down onto the bed. The adrenaline that had been coursing through my body had fled, leaving me drained.

  Aodhan looked down at Breanh lying in a heap on the floor and back up at me. I let him draw whatever conclusions he would. It was easier at that point than trying to come up with a story of my own.

  “Well,” he said, a tiny smile playing at his lips as he walked over to where I sat with Ethan. “It looks like you didn’t need me after all.”

  Chapter 13

  I sat in the chair like my mother had the night before to watch my father sleep. Ethan now lay in his place.

  His eyes were closed, and his breaths even. There was a shadow on his cheeks. I’d never seen him with stubble before—if I didn’t know better I’d think he was just sleeping.

  But I did know better.

  Aodhan had carried him all the way back to the Bruidhean. He’d used mind magic to get Ethan to sleep, but the glazed expression on his face was still vivid in my memory. I forced myself not to think about the Danaan woman tracing her finger down his jawline.

  Aodhan stood guard at the door while we waited for Deaghlan to come alter Ethan’s memories. It felt very wrong to let them tamper with his mind, but there wasn’t much of a choice. If we let him go back to Stoneville as he was, he’d think the women were just a dream, but he’d also be missing a three week chunk of memories. A day and half in TÍ r na n’Ó g meant we’d missed nearly a month back home.

  A dark brown curl fell over Ethan’s eye, and I reached out to smooth it back.

  Saoirse and Niamh had been here a little while ago. Niamh had showed me, what had happened while we were away from reality so I could play along when we returned. Saoirse’s watery basin was pretty handy when you needed to get caught up to speed on what you’d missed in your life.

  The story was th
at I’d found my mother sitting by the Duck Pond halfway between our house and the house Joanne had grown up in. Life had gone back to normal after that, or as normal as life can be when it’s a bunch of faeries disguised as you and the people you care about. Both Ethan and I had come down with “mono” to keep our interactions with others limited. I could just imagine all the jokes about us both coming down with the kissing disease.

  Pop had spent a lot of time going to the doctor. He’d been feeling some discomfort in his chest, and I watched Gram tell fake-Allison that Pop would be fine, that the doctor visits were “just to be on the safe-side.”

  Aodhan cleared his throat, announcing Deaghlan’s arrival and breaking me out of my thoughts.

  As soon as he entered the room, Deaghlan’s eyes found mine. He walked toward me, and I couldn’t make myself look away. I could feel each step he took in my pulse as he got closer. Aodhan had said Deaghlan was like a wolf, but to me he was more like a tiger. Every move he made was a smoldering combination of intimidating and enticing.

  His lips curved up, he knew exactly what he was capable of. I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing together the tiny threads of my mind that hadn’t come completely unglued.

  “Allison,” Deaghlan said. His smug expression confirmed that, yes, he absolutely knew the effect he had on me.

  My face screwed up into what I hoped passed as a pleasant smile. I drew my knees up under my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs. Tearing my eyes from Deaghlan wasn’t easy, but I managed to somehow focus on Ethan lying on the bed.

  Deaghlan stood in front of me, and with one last smirk, he leaned over the bed and placed a hand on Ethan’s forehead. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, not making a sound.

  After several minutes, he opened his eyes and stood. I glanced over at Aodhan, still standing by the door. His face was completely blank, but I didn’t miss the way his jaw stood out or that his knuckles were completely white.

  “He’s done,” Deaghlan said, clasping his hands in front of his waist.