As the sun set, she took a deep breath, readying herself for what was to come. She'd already made it clear to everyone that she would be meeting with Glimmerbright alone – and to show his support, though she could tell he hated it, Galen had made sure that her wishes were respected. So it was that as she headed across the courtyard, the whole area was eerily deserted. The setting sun bathed the courtyard in orange light and she shut her eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of the light on her skin. This was dangerous, what she was about to do. It could all go terribly wrong… and if it did, this might well be the last real sunset she ever saw. Well, maybe the sunsets in Faerie were just as beautiful… she shivered a little at the thought, then gritted her teeth, a hand moving to her belly again as she searched for her resolve in the midst of her anxiety. She could do this. She could do this for herself, for her child, for her relationship with Galen. For the people who'd taken her in and cared for her… for the safety of the whole area, she could do this.
The gate had been left slightly open for her, and she took a deep breath before she stepped through it. Out here, she felt oddly exposed, vulnerable… something about the iron that encapsulated the keep, perhaps. Or maybe it was psychosomatic – maybe it was just knowing that she was walking further and further away from her friends and loved ones. But she held her head high and strode out across the land bridge, headed for the other side. She'd meet Glimmerbright some distance from the castle – she didn't want that horrifying army coming anywhere near her home again if she could help it.
It was peaceful out here, at sunset, standing close to the cliffs that fell down into the dark waters beneath. She folded her arms across her chest and waited, taking deep, steady breaths, trying to focus on the here and now to keep herself grounded and ready for the confrontation. And sure enough, it wasn't long before she realized he was approaching… not by sight, but by sound. The music that had haunted her dreams for so long was drifting through the air, just on the edge of hearing. It was just as beautiful as it had ever been… but this time, something deep inside her found it oddly repellent. She'd just as soon have switched it off… gone was her obsessive need to hear more, to follow each strain of song to its conclusion…
And then Glimmerbright was there, as though he'd just stepped out of the woods. His army wasn't behind him, to her relief, though she could see a few globes of glowing light dancing in the trees that suggested his forces weren't too far behind him. Not for the first time, she wondered if those wolves that had chased her had anything to do with him and his powers. Had any part of their brief dalliance actually been real… or was it all as illusory as his charisma, as his charm? Those green eyes glowed with satisfaction as he stepped forward, clearly glad to see her, and sketched her a courtly little bow.
"Glimmerbright," she said coolly, nodding in greeting.
"Julia Andersen, as lovely as the day we met. Lovelier, even," he corrected himself, beaming. "You've worn my favorite color again… my favorite color, of course, being whatever you're wearing." He threw his head back and laughed, and despite herself, she couldn't help but smile a little. Flattery was pleasant, after all… but she knew, now, how much more there was to a real relationship.
"I understand you've offered the people of these lands an ultimatum," she said softly, keeping her eyes focused on him and not the dancing lights in the forest behind him, which seemed determined to draw her focus and distract her. "You must really like me."
"Like you?" He looked offended, one hand flying to his chest as though she'd wounded him with her words. "Why, Julia, have I let you down so thoroughly? Have I expressed myself so poorly? I love you. I adore you. You've captured my heart."
"Right," she agreed, tilting her head. "You love me so much you'd threaten the lives of my friends to win my heart."
He chuckled, lowering his head for all the world as though she'd scolded him for taking the last biscuit. "Guilty as charged," he said with a wink. "But it's all going to work out, isn't it, my dearest love? You're free to come with me to our wonderous life back home – and you'll live on in your friends' memories forever, loved and cherished for what you did for them. They'll be well, you and I will be happy… everybody wins! Aren't I clever?"
"Very clever," she agreed, raising an eyebrow with amusement. Could he tell she could see straight through him? It was hard to predict his behavior, of course, but she suspected that he wasn't paying close enough attention… he seemed convinced that he'd already won. Well, that was good. Best to play into that. She let worry cross her face, turned her gaze to the ground and fidgeted with her cloak… and sure enough, Glimmerbright was beside her, tilting her face up to meet his glowing green eyes.
"My dearest love. What's the matter? You seem worried."
"I'm scared," she whispered, playing up the fear a little. "I'm scared that… that I'll go with you, and things will still be bad here."
"Don't you trust me, dearest Julia?" He looked heartbroken… but she didn't respond, knowing better than to fall for that. He heaved a great sigh. "Well… you know that the Fae are creatures of our word, don't you?"
"I guess so," she said, letting her voice sound doubtful. "But I mean… people break promises all the time."
"Humans, maybe. Not Sidhe," he told her firmly, taking her hands in his. "If I broke a promise, Julia, I'd quite literally die. And I promise you, here and now –" a strange quality came into his voice and she looked up, holding her breath – "that if you agree to come with me, nobody in these lands will come to any harm or suffering on my account."
"Nobody?" she whispered, looking up at him hopefully. "Do you mean it?"
"On my word and on my honor," he said firmly. "No resident of these lands will be harmed."
She took a deep breath. This was it – the moment of truth. This was the moment that would either save her… or doom her. "Then, Glimmerbright," she said firmly, watching as an ebullient smile broke out across his face, "I agree to come with you."
He lifted her in his arms and swung her around, laughing with delight before setting her carefully back down. "You've made me the happiest man in this world and the next," he told her softly, those green eyes glittering with delight… and something a great deal like greed. "We'll leave at once. Oh, I can't wait to show you around your new home, my dearest one."
"Your army?" she prompted him, tilting her head to the side. He waved a hand, and her eyes widened as behind them, the air seemed to shimmer and distort. The glowing creatures in the forest moved forward obediently, heading for the shimmering area – and as they reached it, they disappeared, for all the world as though they'd passed through a door. "Is that a portal?"
"Oh, yes. One of my many skills," he assured her, his eyes dancing. "The one-way journey that awaits us both."
"I'm afraid not," Julia said with a smile.
Glimmerbright blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I can't come with you, Glimmerbright. It would mean your death."
He stared at her – and she saw his glamor slip a little, revealing the cold creature beneath for a moment. He was confused – confused, and angry, she realized, a chill running down her spine. "What do you mean?"
"The words of your vow to me," she explained, folding her arms across her chest. "They were very clear. If I agreed to go with you, no harm would come to anybody from these lands as a result of your actions."
"And it won't," Glimmerbright said impatiently.
"You think taking a child from his father wouldn't do harm?" She tilted her head curiously. "Tearing a family apart?" Glimmerbright stared at her for a long moment, his face frozen in a rictus of confusion and blossoming rage. With a grin, she placed a hand gently on her belly, and his eyes widened in horrified understanding. "My child's father is Galen Grant," she said firmly. "You can't take me without taking my child… and you can't take my child without breaking your vow. I agreed to come with you, Glimmerbright. Now you must uphold your end of the bargain."
He screamed – a high, cold, unearthly
sound that rocketed right through her, and reflexively, she closed her eyes, but then quickly reopened them. She held strong, stiffened her spine, stared straight at the creature who had revealed himself to her. She knew her reason was ironclad, but fear still prickled at her as he raged and screamed… but when his fury faded, she knew for sure she was right. He hadn't touched her, hadn't laid a finger on her. Maggie had told her that she'd know her plan had worked if he was driven into a rage and still incapable of touching her.
"Why?" he said simply, and all of the charm was gone from his voice, all of the swagger vanished without a trace. He looked almost pathetic, standing there with his army of strange creatures shambling through the portal and disappearing, and she took a deep breath, steeling her heart against the pity she felt for him in case it was just another ploy. But something told her this was different. This was the attitude of a defeated man in search of answers.
"Glimmerbright, I have some sympathy for your plight, really I do," she said gently, shaking her head. "It's awful to lose a friend. It shouldn't have happened that way. But an eye for an eye is no way to respond. You were willing to let a whole village starve in vengeance for your friend's death. How could I love a man so cruel?"
His jaw tightened, his eyes blazing with anger… but he nodded. "What now?"
"You leave," she said flatly, her eyes cold. "There's nothing left here for you. You've already promised to do no harm – and your very presence here is harmful. Return home. Hope that your friends will forgive you for all the damage you've done to human-Fae relations."
And with that said, she turned away, closing her eyes. When she opened them, he was gone without a trace… and so was the portal. Julia stood for a long moment on the cliffs as the last of the light drained from the sky, her heart pounding, terrified that it was some kind of trick, that he had something else up his sleeve… but when true darkness came rushing in, she exhaled in a rush. He was gone. It was over.
Chapter 60
It was hard to believe that it had only been a month since Glimmerbright had finally been banished. Julia felt like she'd been waking up every night in a cold sweat, terrified that he'd found some loophole in their agreement, that he'd return and drag her kicking and screaming off to the Fae… but every morning that dawned without catastrophe reassured her more and more that she'd done it. She'd banished him, once and for all… and she'd done it without anyone at all getting hurt.
Galen had been horrified when she'd returned to the castle and explained what she'd done… which, she said smugly, was exactly the reason she hadn't seen fit to let him in on the plan. He held her in his arms for what felt like a solid hour, murmuring his worries again and again, and eventually she extricated herself with a laugh.
"I spoke to Maggie," she pointed out. "She thought it was a fine idea."
"I thought you were asking her advice about the baby!" Galen growled, a mixture of anger and shock on his face. "Not about agreeing to go to the Fae with some monster –"
"It worked, didn't it?" she pointed out. "He's gone. We're safe."
And as the weeks wore on, it became clear that that was true. The crops were restored to their former glory, with the farmers of the area reporting that the blight had left their fields almost overnight – it would be a normal harvest again. The celebrations that resulted from that announcement raged on all night… though Galen and Julia slipped away early. After all, she wasn't drinking. Maggie came to visit the castle the next day to report that the herds were all well and healthy again, with even the most sickly calves eating well and beginning to put on some of the weight they'd lost under the mysterious wasting illness they'd suffered while Glimmerbright was in the area. And children were free to play in the forest again… though they still kept close to home, wary of what else might be lurking out there.
"You did well there," Maggie told Julia unexpectedly, a few weeks later. She'd come to visit under the pretense of bringing her some herbal tea, a surefire remedy for the morning sickness she'd started experiencing, but she stayed to chat, explaining that she'd been to visit the Sidhe again since Glimmerbright had returned. "It seems our friend is doing his best to make amends for the damage he's done."
"You mean he's gone back to the Seelie side?"
"It's not quite that simple, I'm afraid," Maggie said, shaking her head firmly. "But he's trying, and that's certainly something. What did you say to him?"
"That's he's the worst thing that's happened to human Fae relations in a century," Julia said with a shrug… and Maggie all but fell off her chair, cackling uproarious laughter. After a moment's hesitation, Julia joined in. It felt good to laugh again. She'd been lost in worry for so long… it was hard to believe that Glimmerbright was truly gone, that she could finally focus on the future she was building with Galen.
He'd proposed marriage to her the very night she'd returned from her last meeting with Glimmerbright – a simple, straightforward question over dinner. No need for glamor, no need for extravagant gestures… just an honest question that made her heart feel like it was exploding with warmth. The smile on his face was simple, and honest, and more beautiful than any Faerie glamor she could imagine. She knew, as she held his hand across the table, that she'd made the right choice. Probably the smartest choice of her young life.
They exchanged vows in the courtyard a month later, a simple ceremony, surrounded by their friends and loved ones, presided over by the Laird and attended not only by most of the castle's inhabitants, but by Old Maggie, too – she grumbled about the iron in the walls, of course, but she sat and watched the ceremony, and though Julia couldn't be sure, she almost thought she saw the old woman wipe away a tear. The festivities lasted long into the night again – a feast just like the one that had welcomed Julia to the castle, what felt like centuries ago.
Somehow, word had gotten out that they were expecting. Julia had been furious when she'd found out that word had spread, not wanting people to pass judgment on them for their pre-marital activities… but to her surprise, the only comments she got were congratulations, and breathless enquiries about whether they thought they were having a boy or a girl. Just about every older woman seemed to think she knew a surefire way to tell, but Julia and Galen both refused all advice. Even in the future, when it was possible to tell the sex of a child at the five month mark, Julia didn't think she'd want to find out. All she cared about was that the child was born hale and healthy… they could worry about whether they were raising a son or a daughter later. For now, all she wanted was to celebrate their marriage, their union, the excitement of the life they were going to build together…
They slipped away from the festivities early… but not before Galen had danced with her, surprising her with his grace and agility on the dancefloor. She was delighted and smug – she'd known he had it in him. But it wasn't long before the two of them were tired… Elena covered their discreet exit from the hall, and Julia lingered just long enough to pull her friend into a tight hug.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For everything."
"Congratulations, darling," Elena said softly, a warm smile touching those cool gray eyes. "You deserve every happiness in the world."
She was grateful to have Elena – someone who knew what she'd gone through with Glimmerbright, someone she could talk to about everything that had happened… someone who understood, on a deeper level than most, what she'd experienced. But right now, the only person she wanted to be with was Galen… and he clearly felt the same. They ran together through the deserted passageways of the castle, laughing breathlessly, hand in hand, feeling like teenagers again… and when they were finally alone in Galen's quarters, they consummated their marriage with an unprecedented ardor and enthusiasm.
It was hours later that they were finally sated, lying in a tangle of blankets and sweat in their bed – she'd officially moved in not long after they'd become betrothed, not seeing the point of having separate quarters when she was determined to spend every night in his arms. Galen smiled do
wn at her softly, reaching out to push a lock of hair out of her eyes.
"Sometimes I wonder how I got lucky enough to meet a woman like you," he said softly. She grinned back up at him.
"We've got the Sidhe to thank for that, too," she said, eyes sparkling.
Galen pulled her into his arms again, his eyes glowing, and she lost herself in his embrace. She was just so grateful – grateful to be here, grateful for the second chance the Sidhe had given her at a life with a man who adored her and an army of friends who she loved with all her heart.
And she couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.
* * *
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Chapter 1
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At midnight, Audrina James finally laid her head down, gratefully onto her pillow. It had been another grueling day in Trauma One, it was always the worst when the nursing staff and doctors of the trauma ward lost a child. Audrina looked at the ceiling where she had taped pictures of stars, lush green fields, exotic ancient castles and the forests of her ancestral homeland, vowing to herself that she would visit Claran Castle in Scotland someday. Audrina had put the pictures up so that she could clear her mind of the gruesome scenes that she faced in the E.R. day after day, night after night. They’d worked hard to save the boy from the ravages of a car crash, but Donald Nightingale, of sunny northern California, flatlined at eleven-thirty, after half a day’s worth of surgeries, blood transfusions and plasma bags. Audrina didn’t cry much anymore after working in the trauma center. But there were a few patients who tugged at her heartstrings. Donald would be one of them.
Woken By The Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance-Highlander Forever Book 7 Page 27