I picked a book from the bedside table and went back to the den, stopping at a table of framed pictures. I hadn’t noticed before, but the only pictures were of Dayne. A few frames stood empty on the table, their cardboard backing faded where pictures of the family who had abandoned him once belonged.
I don’t know why, but that one small detail chased away any lingering doubts I had about the cottage. This was Dayne’s house. No one in his family wanted this life. They yearned for something grander, something more spectacular.
Looking around me I noticed the windows had become mirrors of black since the sun had set. I couldn’t even see the porch, only the room’s reflection shining back at me like unwelcome, spying eyes. It was a little too creepy. After pulling the curtains closed over all the windows I looked around the room and let out a great sigh. Only a few more hours. I kept telling myself.
Sleep would be hard to come by tonight. I turned a few lamps off and threw more wood on the fire. The blaze flickered brightly around the room. I settled on the couch with my book, wishing I had a furry little dog snuggled warmly beside me. The fire crackled in the hearth, and crickets chirped at the moon outside. I focused on the normalness of the night and tried to forget about the danger of the Sidhe hunting party Dayne would be entertaining at Ennishlough tonight.
Somewhere in the first chapter of Treasure Island I drifted off to sleep.
It didn’t register at first.
Click-thump, click-thump.
What was that? My heart raced in immediate panic, the blood rushing so loudly in my ears I had to strain to hear anything at all.
Click-thump, click-thump.
A chill shot through me. My eyes searched the room wildly. I didn’t dare move and risk being discovered. The fire had burned low, offering little light.
Don’t invite anyone in. Dayne’s words came back to me. I would be safe. No one knew about this place, and no Sidhe could come in without an invitation.
Click-thump, click-thump.
Terrified horror washed over me when I realized the sounds coming from the porch were footsteps. They grew louder as they moved to the end of the porch nearest me. I stood up, not knowing what to do, gulping at the knot that had tangled my throat into a bulging wad.
Click-thump. Click-thump.
The steps stopped in front of the window, just a few feet from me. A strong wind rushed down the chimney, nearly blowing the fire out. I lurched out of my skin, and spun in time to see the little flames struggling along the wood, burning low, gasping for air.
To my horror, I looked up and saw the wind had also blown the curtains open.
A face stared at me through the window. A hungry smile played on the beautiful lips.
Chapter 24
All For Myself
I blinked my eyes, hoping it was all just a dream. I pinched myself so hard I screamed in pain, or fear. Or both.
Her full red lips curled into a deeper, more satisfied grin and let out the tiniest peel of laughter, a sound more beautiful than the tinkling of soft bells. She paused, pity in her eyes as she stared at me. Her head tilted and she smiled warmly once again. The fire stoked back up and she didn’t look so scary. She looked absolutely stunning.
Her clothes were the latest in high fashion. I had seen them on the pages of April’s magazines. The click-thump I heard was the sound of her high heels walking along the wooden porch. I was sure they were beautiful too, probably the ridiculously expensive kind that had a red sole painted beneath them. Her hair was loose and wavy. It was the style every starlet in Hollywood paid top dollar to have woven into her own wimpy strands. Surely, her hair was naturally that gorgeous.
Everything about me wanted to be near her. She was the perfection little girls dream of growing up to become. She looked like the kind of girl who had never heard the word “No” in her life. The kind of girl whose hand never touched doorknobs, those were held open for her by men dumbstruck by her beauty. Her designer clothes were probably free. Fashion houses would fight to have her wear their designs. She was a better endorsement than any multi-million dollar advertising campaign.
Anybody who saw this woman would assume she had hit the genetic lottery, but I knew better. I knew the danger that lurked beneath her beauty.
She put her small palm up to the window and tapped a red manicured nail playfully against the glass to get my attention.
“No.” My voice cracked with fear. Confusion crumpled her brow, confirming my suspicions—she wasn't familiar with the word. Her brow relaxed infinitesimally and she smiled sweetly, giving the slightest of questioning shakes with her head. The loose waves of hair swayed like golden fields of ripe wheat around her. I wanted to hate her for looking lovelier with her face lightly scrunched in confusion.
“You can’t come in. You’re not welcome in this home.” I knew she had never heard those words before. As breathtaking as she was, as much as I longed to know the secrets of mastering her womanly ways, I wasn’t going to invite her in. I knew she was one of them, and I knew she wanted me.
The demi-goddess’ head tossed back with another enchanting peel of laughter.
“But, my darling, I am home.” The voice was soft like cotton candy. Barely above a whisper. She didn’t need to speak loudly. She was used to people hanging on her every word.
I was so struck by the melodic sound that played on my ears I didn’t realize what she had said.
“Home?” I snapped back to attention, shaking my head in confusion. “This isn’t your house. It’s Dayne’s!” I walked around behind the couch, not taking my eyes off her and reached for a sturdy looking candlestick on the table by Dayne’s picture.
Click-thump, click-thump.
The footsteps trod leisurely to the massive wooden door. Helpless against whatever power commanded it, the locks unhooked themselves and the door swung open.
She stood before me in the doorway, an evil smile dripping from her lips as she watched the mind-numbing fear of her presence engulf what was left of my nerve. She let out a tiny puff of laughter and smirked when she stepped over the threshold into our cottage. I tried to swallow the huge knot that had popped up in my throat and gripped both hands around the candlestick, holding it high by my ear, ready to swing if she came near. Looking from her to the object in my hands, I suddenly felt like I was facing a grizzly bear attack with a fly swatter.
She was tiny, maybe an inch shorter than me. Her limbs were so delicate I imagined a strong hug could break her. Yet the presence she commanded was undeniable. Beneath her frail looking frame bubbled the force of a nuclear power plant waiting to explode at will.
I backed away from her, knowing I was trapped when the wall met my back. My hand that sat poised, ready to strike, fell down to my side in defeat, and the candlestick clattered on the wooden floor.
She smiled and shook her head. “Relax, Faye. I have no intentions of hurting you. I’m just curious about what has my brother so enraptured.” The sound of her voice and tilt of her head were the most alluring combination I had ever witnessed in a woman.
It would make sense that Dayne’s sister would be just as immaculate as he was, even though they looked nothing alike, and I watched wide-eyed as she walked around the tiny den, obviously well acquainted with her surroundings. She picked up the same picture of Dayne I had hours before. Her delicate fingers stroked the frame, and she smiled lovingly before setting it back down. All of a sudden, she didn’t seem so bad. There was something familiar about her. Something I had seen before, but I just couldn’t place it.
“So, I guess Dayne told you we were horrible, soulless creatures? That we abandoned him at Ennishlough? Left him all alone in the world?” Her words were dramatic and mocking.
“Something like that.” I was amazed my throat was capable of producing sound, as my body was quite incapable of moving from the frozen posture it was stuck in against the wall.
“What exactly did he say about us?” She frowned when she picked up one of the empty frames.
<
br /> “That you didn’t agree with each other’s views.” The words came from me unwillingly. Was she making me do this? Was she forcing me to share our secrets? The last thing I wanted to do was betray Dayne’s trust, but my words were not my own. Enough strength—or sense— returned to me to lower my hands, and they searched along the wall behind me, desperately grabbing for any way out.
She walked closer to me. A delicate perfume hung lightly around her, tempting my lungs to inhale deeply, but I feared it was one of her fairy tricks and forced my nostrils shut. In a nanosecond she inspected every inch of my face in microscopic detail without saying a word. Her expression was impossible to read as she quickly turned and traced a finger down the mantle, her beautiful high heels ringing out with every step as her finger continued to trail silently down the white wood, away from where I cowered. With her retreat, I gulped in a deep breath, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the creature. She smirked at me over her shoulder, but said nothing.
“Faye. That’s a pretty name.” She turned back to the room, but didn’t even bother to look at me, studying her nails instead. “So tell me, Faye, why is it that my brother would risk his own eternity to share his secrets with a human? What’s so special about you?” She turned to me and brought her hands up to her chest in a little red-nailed steeple, rubbing her fingertips gently together as she appraised the plainness of my body with mild disinterest. Her gaze lingered on my hair and she glanced quickly down at her shoulder and back to me, satisfied my hair was not as pretty as hers.
“We understand each other. I know what it’s like to be an outsider, too.” Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut? Why wasn’t I running out the door and away from her?
“Hmmm…” Her interest was piqued. She walked over to me again, pulling me off the wall by my shoulders and settling me on my feet near the sofa. She circled me like a shark does its prey, picking up a few of my golden curls, studying them, and then dropping them back to my shoulder. “Pretty,” she said in a distracted, dismissive tone.
She continued to saunter around the room, taking it all in as she thought. “So, you don’t belong either?” Was that pity I heard in her voice? “And my brother was so taken with you that he revealed all his secrets.” She clucked her teeth mockingly and shook her head, the golden curls dancing down the length of her back with every toss of her head.
A little tornado of wind sent my hair flying, and, when I opened my eyes, she was beside me. “That must mean you have something very special in you.” Her words were menacing, hanging in the air between us as I watched her eyes flicker wildly over me trying to see what it was Dayne saw in me.
I cried out in my mind. Screamed for Dayne to come to me. Her arm closed around my back, and I squeezed my eyes shut, uncertain of what was coming next.
Her touch sizzled on my flesh, searing hot just as Dayne’s had when his power waned. He had explained to me then that it was a poison used to stun prey into submission. Just as I feared it might, her touched caused me to lose control of my body, and my muscles froze against their will. The strength drained out of me from my head to the tips of my toes, and I went limp in her arms. Her hand swept up to my chest, hovering over my heart. The feel of her skin on mine was repulsive and I wanted to hurl my body away from it, but that would’ve been impossible.
Once under her control, my body was incapable of escape. I writhed to get away from her, and to my amazement she let me go.
I fell onto the couch, unable to hold my weight on my feet, my muscles nothing but useless lumps of goo. She stood still, staring at her hand. The bewildered look on her face changed to fury and she spun with great force to face me, seeming to grow larger as she raced at me with pure hatred in her eyes.
“What are you?” She demanded. The flames of the fire jumped wildly from the hearth behind her, casting a dark shadow on her face.
“I don’t know.” It was the first lie I had been able to tell all night. I knew my life depended on it.
“I’m not so sure.” She calmed herself, smoothing her clothes back in place as she turned her head arrogantly to the side, staring at the door as if someone had knocked. “But it doesn’t really matter what you are. Our laws are simple—our secrets cannot be known outside our world. Anyone who reveals what we are will be put to death.”
She leaned over me on the couch. “He’s a fool if he thinks we don’t watch him. Mother knew he was coming back to us. It was only a matter of time.” I was sobbing like a baby. The tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn’t even have the strength to wipe them away. I lay like a helpless fool on the couch below her.
“You didn’t actually think he loved you?” Her face was right beside mine as she bent over me. I closed my eyes, unable to look at her. “Oh, you did! You poor thing.” She was taunting me now, laughing at me like so many others had before her. The familiar alienation and derision that had been my constant companions for so long came out from hiding, spilling a crimson stain down my cheeks.
“Did he say he was bound to you? That he would do anything to protect you?" I nodded. She threw her head back and laughed so hard her body shook. I wanted to claw her eyes out. “Silly girl. Sidhe cannot bonds with humans. Humans are nothing but play things to us. Haven’t you read your fairytales?”
I drew a sharp breath in and my tears stopped. She didn’t know. She had felt my soul, but she had not seen what I really was.
She picked me up off the couch. “You poor thing,” she cooed softly like I was an injured dog. “I can’t wait to see the look on Dayne’s face when he sees he’s lost again.” She stroked my hair as I hung limply in her arms.
I noticed the bright red streaks that traced through her blond waves and tried to summon the strength to reach up and rip those curls out of her head. But my arms hung helplessly at my side.
“Don’t worry…I’ll make it quick.” She said with a sickening smile, enjoying every second of my suffering, a masochist to the core. Again her hand rested over my heart, which began to beat harder in my chest. Against my will, it raced at her touch. My breath came short and fast. I panted in pain.
Her vileness charged into me. The hollowness that lay beneath her beauty, a vast chasm of emptiness that could never be satiated, poured into my chest. The pain of wanting and longing for more swam deeply within her core. Her desire for what she didn’t have kept true happiness forever out of her reach. Yet, her eternal wanting for more had created a need so strong it burned in her soul like the pits of hell. This was what Dayne had meant when he spoke about the soul-addicts some Sidhe had become. I knew this was it. She wasn’t going to let me go until she had taken everything.
Nothing but the tiniest pin–prick of happiness sparked in her when she felt the powerful strength of my innocent soul flood into hers. Like the instant a match flares into flame, it was over before it really began. Her head began to approach mine like Dayne’s had before, but I knew she wasn’t giving me her strength…she was hell bent on taking mine.
My switch flipped. I wasn’t going to let this happen. I didn’t know what power I had in me, but I certainly wasn’t going to let this shallow pleasure seeker have any part of me without a fight.
I gathered my wits and took a quick inventory of the faculties I still possessed. Her eyes were closed, focused solely on her own pleasure. I called on everything I had, mounting my army within to wage a full assault on the creature that held me.
An electrical surge of energy pulsed through me. Dayne heard my cry. With the adrenaline of hope now racing through me, I pushed back against her, forcing her away, denying her access to the strength within me. The flare of determination spread over her face. I matched that and pushed with everything I had.
My arms came up between us. My fists and forearms pushed her away just as forcefully as my mind. Physical exertion caused my arms to shake and tremble, but my mind stayed steeled against the attack, forming a fortress within. She would not win.
I pushed even harder, crying ou
t with the force that raged in me. She matched my strength with ease. I couldn’t hold her off much longer.
The door flew open, and she slammed against the wall. I lay crumpled on the floor where she had dropped me. Dayne’s arms were around me an instant later. Holding me to him, pushing the pain away and laying me on the couch.
His hand went to my chest and his lips found mine. I felt the familiar energy of him. It woke me, and revived my numb muscles enough to open my eyes and look at him. The empty horror in his face changed to blessed relief when he saw my eyes open.
He said nothing, quickly looking over every inch of my body to be sure there was no irreparable damage.
A chuckle rang out from the other side of the room. The tenderness drained from his face, instantly replaced by the ferocity of a raging bull.
He flew at his sister. “Ara, what have you done?”
“Take it easy. I wasn’t going to keep it all for myself. I would have left a little for you.” She put a hand up defensively in front of her and cowered before him with a smirk wrinkling the side of her pouty little mouth.
“What are you even doing here? You left this life a long time ago, remember?” Dayne’s hands clenched to fists at his side to keep from hitting his sister.
“That was before you betrayed our entire race by spilling our secrets to a mortal.” Ara’s arrogant head nodded in my direction and her hand went to her hips, leaving herself open, almost inviting her brother to take a swing.
“I have broken no law.” Dayne’s back remained rigid as he stared at his sister.
“Oh, yes, you have. I know how bound to this weak little human you are. I know exactly what you’ve been up to lately. I’ve had my eye on you, just waiting for you to mess up so that mother would finally see just how unfit you are.” Ara moved away from the wall, walking over to the fireplace, and Dayne moved with her, keeping his body between us, ready to pounce if she made a move.
“I have done nothing.” he repeated his words, but I knew how limited his defense was since he couldn’t lie to her. He stood statue still, standing up to his full height and towering over her tiny body.
Heir of Earth (Forgotten Gods) Page 36