“You could just float some crazy urban legend about why you don’t age, like you bathe in the blood of virgins or something—there was a queen that did that centuries ago.” I studied the tiny little spider-web cracks in the tanned leather between us.
“I could….but she was eventually burned at the stake for being a witch. So I’m thinking it’d be easier to disappear.” He leaned up slightly to grab another cookie, his arm never leaving my back. I sighed and scooted around so my side was flush against his.
“Where would you go?”
“Wherever you are.” I thrilled with his words and tucked my head up to his, so close I heard his teeth working against the bite of cookie. “Until my powers fail. Then I could change into Cotton”—he raised an eyebrow at me when he said the name I’d bestowed on him— “for a few years to restore my power and be as good as new.”
“So I’d have a boyfriend, then a lapdog, then a boyfriend again who hasn’t aged a day since I met him?” I rolled a little fold of his t-shirt between my fingers, feeling the hard muscles beneath. “I’d look like some old cougar taking advantage of an innocent young man.” I giggled, and was rewarded with a great whoop of laughter bellowing out of his chest.
“What do you know about cougars?”
I shrugged, blushing slightly and continuing to study the wrinkle of fabric between my thumb and forefinger.
“You’ll make a hot cougar,” he said brushing my hair back.
“I’ll be an old woman!” I argued.
“But we’ll know I’m really the silver fox,” he said in a naughty whisper, his wink equally sinful.
“What about LisTirna. Would I age there?” I asked after I was able to coax the gulp that had lodged in my throat down where it belonged.
“Not as quickly. Our time moves differently. A year here is like a minute there.” He played with the remote on the armrest of the couch, letting it slide through his fingers as he turned it over and over.
“That sounds like the better option.” I rested my head again, relieved that there was a place for us after all. Back on screen, there was a nasty dogfight playing out at 40,000 feet.
“You can’t leave your family.” He shook his head, doubting I would really leave it all behind.
“Yes I could.” I nodded adamantly, turning to him and leaning far enough away that he could see how serious I was.
“It’s not just that. I would never put you under the kind of spell humans must be under to enter LisTirna. You’d be some freaky, robotic Stepford wife.” He cringed at the thought. “Far from the Faye I know and love.” It melted my heart when he used the word love, but I wasn’t letting this go so easily.
“I’m a really good actress.” I argued.
“It’s not just that, Faye. My world is too dangerous for us. I told you how different my views are.” He dragged a hand through his hair, fisting it behind his head and releasing it to settle slowly around his face again.
I nodded.
“Well, politics are extremely important in my world. There are some who would try to get rid of me because of my views, afraid I may try to actually change what our world has become. That’s another reason why I’m stranded here. The queen knew it was getting dangerous for me on that side, but I think she also hoped it would change my mind about humans.” I grabbed a handful of his tee shirt and bolted up right on the couch, horrified by the thought of anyone wanting to hurt Dayne.
“Why would she want you here?”
“To convince me human life has little value.”
“Has it worked?”
“No.” He grabbed the remote and paused the movie when the real action began. “It’s only solidified my views. I have to watch while innocents are taken back to LisTirna. I can do nothing to stop it. But believe me, if I could, I would. No one deserves that fate.” He reached over and traced his fingers down the pink toenails I’d painted one bored afternoon. I watched his hand move down the line of them, resting on the weathered leather. Curling them when he tickled the pinkie just slightly.
“Phin thinks his first fiancé was taken by the Sidhe. She disappeared days before their wedding only to return years later without any clue where she’d been.”
“He’s probably right.” Dayne nodded and rubbed a hand down the length of his barely whiskered jaw. My mind immediately flashed to another missing innocent.
“What about Christine?” I asked, still looking at my toes, not knowing what I would do if he had watched her slip away without intervening.
The room seemed to grow darker and colder. My heartbeat picked up and he dragged me into his lap, holding me close and chasing away the chill.
I leaned into him and felt his shoulders shrug in a defeated way beneath me.
“I was too busy trying to save you.”
Chapter 20
Moondance
Late Friday afternoon I was in my room, sorting through the mountain of dirty clothes that had accumulated in the corner and wishing I had magical powers myself. I tried to stare at the pile of clothes before me as Dayne might and force them to be magically cleaned. Not so much.
According to Rose’s report from town we were the only topic of conversation these days in the sleepy little seaside village. We hadn’t officially “gone public” with our relationship, but after the scene with Tara in the tavern earlier that week everyone knew we were together. I stretched and yawned leisurely, procrastinating as long as I could.
A loud knock sounded on the door below.
“Well I wonder who that can be?” Rose said to herself from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner.
“Dayne?” Rose exclaimed from below. I dropped the pile of dirty clothes I had collected and tiptoed to my door to peek downstairs. Why was he so early, and why was he coming in the front door?
“What a nice surprise. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you on my doorstep,” Rose said, with the same sweet lilt her voice always carried.
“Good evening, ma’am. I hope I’m not interrupting dinner?” Dayne said, seeing the wooden spoon Rose held in her hand.
“No, not at all. Would you like to see Faye?” Rose asked wiping her hands down her apron.
“Please, if she’s home?” I loved how polite he was, such a gentleman.
“Faye? You’ve got a visitor.” Rose called from the base of the staircase. I could tell there was a smile on Rose’s face as she was saying this. “Oh, well, come on in, Dayne. How rude of me not to ask!”
“Thank you.” Dayne said as he stepped inside. I chuckled to myself, wondering what Rose would say if she knew the truth.
I had been listening to every word of the conversation below and not really thinking about having to go down myself. I looked in the mirror. A dirty old t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts was not an appropriate outfit to see Dayne in. I knew he didn’t care what I looked like, but he always looked so amazing. I had to at least make a little effort.
The only clean article of clothing in my closet was a pale blue sundress my mother had insisted I pack, just in case. I slinked out of my clothes, threw on the dress, my tiny pearls, and some mascara. Shoes? The only option I had was my cowboy boots. I had seen the look in the gossip rags April obsessed over, but I had no clue if I could pull it off.
I didn’t really have time to worry. Dayne was down stairs, and I was wasting time. I threw them on and glanced in the mirror. To my amazement, I looked like I had just stepped off the pages of April’s magazines. Funky, but cool. I combed my fingers through my hair, brushed on a coat of lip-gloss I had bought at the store and sprayed some perfume in a cloud before me and walked through it.
In two minutes I was out of my room and down the stairs, the cowboy boots clunking down the wooden steps. I slowed my pace as I reached the bottom, not wanting to seem too eager.
“Hey,” I said to Dayne when I reached the tiny den, suddenly unsure of how to act around him with an audience.
A smile took over his face as he walked straight over to me and kissed
me, not bothered at all by our audience. “You look and smell amazing. I thought I was going to surprise you, but you look like you’ve been waiting for me all afternoon.” He winked at me, knowing how I wished away the hours until everyone was asleep and we could be together.
I glanced over his shoulder at Rose, hoping she didn’t pick up on the inside joke between us. She quickly glanced back down at the bowl in her hands, giving us what little privacy the open room offered.
Dayne looked especially handsome that afternoon. His normal work clothes were gone. Instead he wore dark blue jeans, cut so perfectly they were probably custom-made, a blue and white checked shirt and a perfectly tailored tan blazer. He was the epitome of privileged country life.
“What are you doing here?” I didn’t want to pull away from him, but I knew Rose was watching us out of the corner of her eye with great interest. “Do you want to sit down?” I said, turning to the couch in front of the fireplace. “Do you want something to drink?” I offered, completely unsure of what I was supposed to do in this situation.
He just smiled at me, entertained by my discomfort, enjoying how difficult it was for me to stay out of his arms and not making it any easier by smiling naughtily at me like he knew every secret I’d ever kept.
“Dayne, won’t you stay for dinner? We’d love to have you,” Rose said, filling the silence in the room.
“Thank you, Rose, but I was actually hoping Faye would let me take her to dinner. I hear we are the talk of Clonlea, but I still haven’t had the pleasure of taking Faye on a first date.” He held my hand and pulled me along behind him as he made his way over to the kitchen, where Rose was stirring a pot of noodles.
“Well, I think that’s a wonderful idea!” Rose said, elated at the thought of us making things official. “Faye, don’t forget a sweater. It’s going to get cold,” Rose said just like a mother would and winked at me like a friend would.
“Um, yeah. Ok.” I looked to Dayne, a little caught off guard by his plans. I didn’t even think I would see him for at least four more hours, and now I was going on a date with him? My first date ever? I didn’t have the first clue how to act.
I walked back up the stairs to my room in a bit of a daze, dumb struck by the events that had just unfolded below. In the privacy of my room I danced around like a fool letting out a little of the nervous energy that flowed through me…I was going on a date with Dayne DeLaney!
He chuckled from below. It really wasn’t fair that he knew so much about me. A girl needs to have some secrets.
I grabbed a sweater and joined him downstairs. He and Rose were talking like old friends, joking about the recent gossip around town.
“Am I supposed to give you a curfew?” Rose asked, clearly unsure of what her role was supposed to be, too.
I shrugged my shoulders and looked from her to Dayne. I didn’t know how this was supposed to go either.
“I’ll have her home by eleven?” Dayne offered.
“Sure, sounds good to me,” Rose said, not wanting to be overbearing. She turned away from the stove, wiping her hand on her apron. “You two certainly make a handsome couple. Right off the pages of a magazine,” Rose beamed like a proud mother.
I blushed and she gave me a hug, “Have the time of your life, girl,” she whispered in my ear.
“Thanks, Rose.” I squeezed her back tightly and couldn’t keep the smile off my face as we walked to the door.
We stepped off the porch, and for a moment I wondered how I was going to ride LeSheen in a dress. I was relieved when I saw the old Range Rover parked beside Phin’s little truck. It was a classic. At least 20 years old, but so lovingly cared for it looked like it had just driven off the lot.
“I love your car,” I said to Dayne as he held the door open for me.
“Thanks.” He whispered in my ear, a simple gesture that sent my body into overdrive. Whether it was the anticipation of our first date, or the nerves associated with making things public, or just because he was him, his breath blowing lazily into my ear did the craziest things to my poor stomach. It was all I could do to slide through the door and onto the seat.
It was so odd to be in a car with him instead of on the back of a horse. The inside smelled just like he did and a familiar song drifted from the speakers around us.
“I love Van Morrison,” I said, leaning over to turn up the radio. I sat back and immediately wondered if I should have. “I’m sorry, do you mind?” I asked, feeling so unsure of myself.
Dayne looked at me and smiled. “Relax, Faye. You’re with me.” He reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling it up to the console that separated us, knowing how badly I needed reassurance. As soon as he touched me, my worry blew out the open window with the breeze that sent my hair scattering. He held my hand there, driving with one hand down the little road that led into Clonlea.
“So, where are you taking me on this first date?” I wondered if it was obvious to him I had never done this before.
“I thought we would go to the tavern for dinner. Since I am pretty sure everyone there is talking about us anyway, I figured we would really give them something to talk about.” The sharp rays of the setting sun shone brightly in his eyes, highlighting them to an unnatural color. He squinted and lowered the visor.
“Are you sure?” I couldn’t believe what he was saying. Hiding out at the barn or in the woods around Ennishlough was one thing. Half the town would be at the tavern on a Friday night. Was he really ready to take himself off the market like that?
“Positive,” he said, bringing my hand up to his lips and kissing it.
“Okay,” I said, thrilled that he wanted to make things so official, but horrified at all the scrutiny our appearance would bring.
He pulled to a stop in front of the tavern. A few of the girls instantly began to fix their hair when they saw the familiar car. He was opening my door before I had a chance to unbuckle my seat belt. I slid out of the truck, a wave of nerves gripping my stomach.
“Relax, Faye,” he whispered, leaning against me. “You’re here with me. Don’t worry about them. Just focus on me.” He tucked me under his arm and we made our way into the tavern.
A hush fell over the noisy crowd gathered for a Friday night as soon as we stepped in the door. The clink of a fork falling to a plate was immediately followed by the murmur of whispers told behind raised hands. I couldn’t force my eyes to leave the safety of the floor. I knew they couldn’t believe what their eyes were seeing. I wanted to turn around and run, back to the safety of his car, back to the privacy of our life lived away from these judging eyes.
“Two please,” Dayne said to the waitress, completely untouched by the behavior of the crowd around us.
“Um…yeah…sure,” the waitress said. Menus shuffled, then dropped to the floor at my feet. She stooped down to retrieve them. “Right, um, right this way,” she stuttered, unable to believe we were together.
“Don’t look so sad, Faye. People will think I’m forcing you to be with me. Think what that would do to my playboy reputation,” Dayne joked in my ear, hoping to cheer me up. I pulled my eyes away from the floor and glanced up at him for a brief second.
He held the chair for me. I noticed he made a point of looking all around the room before he sat down across from me, meeting the rude stares that had followed us to our table. Slowly the life trickled back into the room around us. Conversations started again and the room seemed to return to normal. I began to relax.
I looked up at Dayne. He smiled at me. His hand lay on the table. He turned his palm over, inviting my hand to his. I reached out to him and managed to glance around the room for the first time. Every face I turned to stared right at me, glaring at me, obviously talking about me. I smoothed my dress, worried it was showing something it shouldn’t. I fumbled with my hair, hoping it wasn’t sticking up. I shoved my cowboy boots further under the table, regretting my fashion forward choice for the evening.
I knew what they were saying. Why is he with her? Is he bli
nd? He could do so much better. It wasn’t too hard to guess what was on their minds. I knew I wasn’t good enough for Dayne.
“Well, well. What are you two doing here?” A man who looked vaguely familiar stumbled up to our table, encouraged by the beer in his hand or maybe because he was dared to.
“Hey, Boyd. Just having dinner,” Dayne answered, being polite but also not encouraging the conversation to continue.
I recognized Boyd. He was the only man that had been happy to see Dayne win the arm wrestling contest the first night I was in Clonlea. Boyd stared at me with a stupid smile on his face. He looked back to Dayne and put his hand up to hide his mouth from me.
“Don’t blame you a bit Dayne. I hear American girls are easy!” Boyd attempted to whisper to Dayne, unaware that he was actually loud enough for half the room to hear.
Dayne’s hand tensed under mine, trying to control the fury surging through him. I squeezed it, reminding him where we were.
He took in a huge breath and exhaled through clenched teeth, his jaw muscles tensing and releasing as he stood up from the table to face Boyd.
Boyd stumbled back a few feet, surprised by Dayne’s reaction. “Boyd, I understand you’ve been drinking tonight, so I’m going to let that insult slide. But you need to understand that’s the only warning you get. If you ever speak about Faye like that again, we’ll be settling this outside.” He stared at Boyd, being sure his words sunk into the drunken brain. “Do you understand?” He was cool and collected despite the anger that was burning through him.
“Dayne, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just joking.” The man began to back away from Dayne, retreating to his stool at the bar.
Dayne nodded once, the intensity of his glare was frightening. He sat back down at the table and took my hand.
Life had drained from the room again, everyone staring at us in wide-eyed wonder. It felt like we were on a stage, under the bright theatre lights, everyone studying our every move. I looked at Dayne with pleading eyes, so uncomfortable, wishing I could crawl under the table and hide. He was still trying to calm himself. I began to tear at my nails, not knowing what to do.
Heir of Earth (Forgotten Gods) Page 29