“So, there’s irrefutable evidence that I’m stupid and need you more than ever.”
He blinked again.
“I’m frightened,” I went on. “Something’s coming. Something really bad, and I don’t know what to do.”
I grasped his fur in my hands and pressed my nose against his snout.
“If you don’t change back, I’m afraid you won’t remember how. Boone, you’ve gotta come back. Please.”
He growled and shook his head, breaking free. Taking a few steps back, he lowered his head and bared his teeth.
“I killed him,” I declared, tears pricking in my eyes. “I killed Alex with my magic. He just…melted away, and that was it.”
Some of the tension left Boone’s body.
“I love you, Boone,” I said with as much conviction as I could muster. “I’ve never loved anyone before you, do you hear me? It’s you. It’ll always be you.”
He began to whimper, then let out a low keening sound. Shaking his head, I heard the snap of bones, and gradually, he began to change.
His snout shrank, his fur began to recede, and his legs started to grow into human arms and legs. His spine shuddered and snapped, and his tail merged into the small of his back. Before long, Boone was before me, crouched on all fours, his head bowed.
He trembled, giving away that his change had been more painful than usual. Not able to hold my tears any longer, I sobbed and threw my arms around his neck, forcing him to kneel.
“Skye…” he murmured, grasping my waist.
Pulling back, I traced my hands over his face, then his arms and chest, making sure he wasn’t hurt…and verifying he was indeed real.
“Please, please, please,” I muttered. “You can’t leave me. I need you. It has nothing to do with magic or destiny or whatever. It’s always been about you and me. Boone…”
“Skye.”
He sighed, then tilted my chin up. The moment our eyes met, something passed between us. Some kind of unspoken pledge entwined our destinies, and then he kissed me.
His lips were firm against mine, his touch desperate as I clung to him. I didn’t care that he was completely naked or that we were kneeling in a ditch in the woods in the middle of the night.
When he finally pulled away, I whimpered in complaint, not willing to let him go.
“The wolf…” he began, clutching me tightly. “The first night I remember… I was runnin’ from wolves in me fox form. I’d done somethin’, but every time I try to remember, I can’t. Me head splits open with a terrible pain. The wolf that attacked you… Who I was before… Carman… You used your magic again.”
“Boone, slow down,” I pleaded. “You’re not making any sense.”
“I think I brought it here. Me past brought it here, and whoever I was… It might kill you. Who I was might kill you.”
“Brought what here? The craglorn was my fault… Alex… He was my fault, too. They’re trying to trick us. They know we’re nothing without each other.”
“Nay…” he said. “Nay, the wolf.”
“The…” Remembering the wolf that had attacked me right before I’d found out Boone was a shapeshifter, I tensed. “The wolf whose eye I poked out?”
“I think it was there for me. Me past. I…” He winced as the curse of his amnesia tore through his skull.
He was having trouble explaining his fears, but I understood without him putting all the words together. He was afraid whoever took his memories, and even what they contained, might come back and hurt me. That was why he was acting so weird. Alex showing up had just amplified everything.
My heart twisted, and I thrust my fingers through his hair. “Is that why you were so distant?”
“I… I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“I don’t care who you were before,” I said. “It doesn’t matter. I know you now.”
“Skye—”
“Shh,” I said, placing a finger over his lips. “You don’t have to worry about anything. They tried to break us apart. They tried, and they failed.”
“You killed him…”
I tensed and dropped my gaze. “I had to. He was trying to lure me away.” I swallowed hard. “I had to.”
“He was a fae,” he said as if he were trying to convince himself.
“He was a fae,” I confirmed. “I saw his true face and felt his intent. He was going to take me from you. For Carman’s epic revenge plot.”
“No,” he muttered. “She will never get her hands on you.”
Boone grasped my face, and before I could catch my breath, he kissed me again, this time more feverish than the last. His tongue slid against mine, my temperature rising to unbearable. This was the moment he usually pulled away, but this time, there was nothing to keep us apart.
Laying me back in the soft leaf litter, he covered my body with his and continued his exploration. His lips traced the curve of my neck as his fingers unbuttoned my blouse, and the heat of his body fought off the chill of night.
“I love you, Skye,” he murmured, his gaze meeting mine.
“I love you,” I whispered before raising my head to catch him in a kiss.
Chapter 10
I never knew the throes of passion would lead me to this moment. This moment being sex in a ditch.
Nestling up against a very naked Boone, I clung to him for warmth. I never noticed how hot his body was. Literal temperature-wise, thank you. He emitted wave after wave of heat like he was a furnace.
“You’re really warm,” I said. “You’re a big hot-water bottle.”
“Must be me metabolism,” he muttered. He picked up the talisman from where it lay between my breasts and began to study it. “You better get dressed. I don’t want you catchin’ a chill.”
“With you keeping me warm? Pfft. I’ve finally got you naked.”
“You’ve seen me naked lots of times,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s an occupational hazard.”
“Not naked naked,” I argued.
“Ahh,” he said, his lips quirking. “The infamous cock sandwich.”
I snorted and began giggling, but then a chill did shudder through my body, and I sat up, looking for my shirt.
“Skye?”
“I, uh…” Finding my blouse, I pulled it on and began doing up the buttons.
Boone sat up, pressing his chest against my arm.
“What happened?”
“He found me by St. Brigid’s,” I replied. “I wanted to convince him to go home, but… It was like he was trying to cast a spell on me. When you saw him kiss me, that’s what he did. I tried to tell you how I felt the other night, but he took my words. Boone, I didn’t…”
“Shh,” he murmured, untangling my hair with his fingers. “I know it now at least.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to get this far.”
His brow creased, and he pressed his forehead against my shoulder, hiding his face from me.
“Boone?”
“Aye, don’t worry yourself about it,” he murmured, meeting my gaze. “It hurt knowin’ I might lose you. It was worse thinkin’ you didn’t love me.”
“But I never—”
“Skye.” His hand turned around my knee, sending warmth through my skin. “I believe you.”
“I need you so much,” I whispered, resting my forehead against his.
He cupped my cheek and then kissed me softly on the lips. His touch was slow and tender, his stubble scratching my skin, and I sank into him with a sigh. Man, he was good.
Licking my lips, I found my underwear and shimmied into them before adding my jeans to the mix.
“Do all fae look like that?” I asked.
“Like what?”
“Like bluish-gray monsters with pointed teeth.”
Boone frowned and shook his head. “No. No, they don’t.”
“It was like he had a spell cast over him to make him look human. A glamour.” I glanced at him warily. “Do you think he was always like that? Was he always a fae?”
<
br /> “I don’t know.”
I saw the look on his face. It mirrored what I felt inside my heart. If Alex had always been a fae, then he’d never wanted me. All that time we’d spent together as a couple had been a lie. And if it were true, then I’d just killed the same man I’d shared my life with.
“He delivered a prophecy,” I murmured. “Right before he died, his eyes went all misty, and he spoke in a strange voice. That’s prophesying, right?”
“What did he say?”
“The spell will be broken. The blood of the golden one will crack the chains, and she will return…”
“It does sound strange.”
“They need my blood to break the spell that’s keeping her out of Ireland,” I said. “If he’s right…”
“I don’t believe in prophecy,” Boone said.
“If he’s right, then there’s nothing we can do. They might already have what they need…”
“Skye, prophecies aren’t always straightforward. It may not be so cut-and-dry.”
“Sounds pretty straightforward to me. I’m the golden one because my magic is golden. My blood will break the curse my coven put on Carman to stop her from returning. Can’t get any more cut-and-dried as that.”
Boone tensed, and I glared at him.
“What?”
“Skye…” He stroked his hand through my hair.
“I used my magic,” I said, tugging on my socks. “We need to keep watch.”
“Aye,” Boone murmured. “Don’t worry. If somethin’ comes, we know what we’re doin’ this time.”
I sighed, hoping I’d flown under the radar. It was a fool’s hope because Alex had been an agent of Carman. When he didn’t show up to report, she would know something had happened to him. That something being death by Crescent.
“We’ll figure it out,” he said, handing me a boot. “We’ve done all right so far.”
“So far.” I zipped the side of one boot closed and shoved my foot into the other.
Boone rose to his feet, then held out his hands for me. Taking them in my own, he hauled me upright and immediately embraced me. A naked Irishman and a disheveled witch. What a sight we had to be.
“Meet me back at the cottage?” I asked.
“Aye,” he replied. “One tabby cat comin’ right up.”
I turned my back as he changed, and once he was done, he rubbed against my leg.
Scooping him up into my arms, I carried him back toward Derrydun, my heart a little lighter.
When I woke the next morning, I found a handsome Irishman in bed next to me.
Rolling over, I studied Boone’s face, memorizing his features. I’d never realized how long his eyelashes were before. They brushed against his cheeks, adding to his boyish charm. He needed to shave badly, his stubble was out of control, but he always did. Maybe the fast beard growth was to do with his shapeshifter metabolism…just like his six-pack was because I never saw him go to the gym. Mainly because there wasn’t one anywhere near Derrydun.
Realizing I was watching him sleep, I sat up and fumbled for my phone. I was totally being a creep.
Despite everything that had happened with Boone and me last night, Alex was still on my mind. Opening up my social media app—that I’d hardly even looked at since arriving in Ireland—I scrolled through my paltry friends list and found his profile. Tapping on his name, my eyes widened as I saw he’d marked himself in a relationship and tagged a woman who I’d never heard of before. Being a total stalker, I opened her profile and checked her out. She was blonde, skinny, tanned, and the total opposite of me. Even her teeth were perfect.
He’d gone from being single to in a relationship in the space of five months, but so had I. That little pang I felt? Totally an overreaction considering I killed his potential body double yesterday.
Sighing, I went back to Alex’s timeline and checked out his most recent posts. His last one was time stamped during the night, alleviating some of the guilt I felt at choking fae-Alex to death with Crescent magic. I would have to call him, but it looked to me the real Alex was alive and well back in Australia where I’d left him…all moved on and shacking up with another woman. Glancing at Boone, I smirked.
“What’re you smilin’ at?” he asked sleepily.
“Your eyes are closed,” I declared. “How do you know I’m even looking at you, huh?”
“Then it was an amazin’ guess.”
Flopping back down in bed, I snuggled against him, still holding my phone.
“What’s that?” he asked, kissing my shoulder and wrapping his arm around my waist.
“A phone.”
“Very funny.”
“I just… I wanted to look up Alex and make sure he…” I felt my cheeks reddening, and I turned my face away.
“You wanted to make sure he was still alive?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my phone and stared at the screen. “It wasn’t really him. That thing…it must’ve taken his face and memories.”
Boone’s eyes narrowed, and I rolled mine.
“He’s not coming here anytime soon,” I declared. “He’s moved on, and so have I.”
“Good.”
“We had sex in a ditch, you do realize that?”
Boone laughed and held me tighter.
“I don’t get naked in the middle of nature for just anyone.” I pouted.
“Then I feel blessed.”
“What are we going to tell everyone?”
“About the ditch?” He raised an eyebrow. “Nothin’.”
“No, about us.” I pinched him on the ass. “I went into Molly McCreedy’s last night looking for you, and everyone was discussing territory.”
“Territory?” he asked. “What does that mean?”
“Like Irish Moon is Skye territory. Molly McCreedy’s is neutral. Roy’s farm is Boone territory.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Roy’s also got a bee in his bonnet about a fox that’s been hanging around the sheep. Know anything about that?”
“I’m dedicated to me work,” he said with a pout.
“I figured it was you.” I made a face. “You didn’t get hungry for lamb chops?”
“Nay. It didn’t get that far.”
“I hope not because that’s kinda gross.”
He chuckled and leaned over me to check the time on the alarm clock. “Speakin’ of Roy, I better get up. I’ve got some patchin’ up to do.”
“Sure.”
He kissed me on the lips, his hand tightening on my waist.
“I’ll see you later?”
“Ditch or cottage, your pick,” I quipped.
“Very funny.”
Listening to him potter about in the bathroom, I smiled. This was how I pictured things after our battle with the craglorn. The easy conversation, the ‘I love yous,’ and the sex. Oh, the sex… My toes curled, and I stretched, remembering the punch line.
I didn’t even care that I had a bruise on my ass from rolling down that hill in the dark.
Well, maybe I cared a little when I sat down…
When I finally dragged myself around the corner to Irish Moon, Lucy was waiting for me.
“Hey,” she said. “Did you get everythin’ sorted yesterday?”
“Yeah,” I said, fishing the keys out of my pocket. “The mini crisis was averted.”
Unlocking the door, I let us inside. The air felt different in here today. Usually, Irish Moon was full of a warm energy that had everything to do with the abundance of crystals packed into every nook and cranny, but in the last week, things had been slightly off-kilter. That morning, things seemed to be back to normal, so I gathered it must've had something to do with Fae-Alex and his funny business. Whatever magical trickery seeds he’d been sewing must’ve died the moment he carked it.
Okay, saying he ‘carked it’ was a little insensitive, but since he turned out to be a fae with a penchant for identity theft, then maybe it wasn’t as callous as it sounded.
I watched Lucy
cross the shop floor and disappear out the back. A moment later, the lights flicked on, and she reappeared, taking the initiative to get to work on her own.
Thinking about how I’d seen her arguing with Fae-Alex the other day, I narrowed my eyes. She must’ve said something gnarly because he’d seemed nervous around her. Why?
“What did you say to Alex?” I asked. “The other day when I saw you talking to him outside. What did you say?”
“Nothin’,” she replied with a shrug. “I just told him to get a clue. I could see he was botherin’ you, and I mean… How many times can a woman say no before a man gets it? If I overstepped, I’m sorry…”
Sighing, I waved my hand. “It’s all right.”
“Was that what happened yesterday?” she asked sheepishly.
I couldn’t really tell her the sordid truth, so I just nodded and offered a watered-down version. “We had a long talk, and he accepted my feelings had changed. He left Derrydun yesterday.”
“Oh, that’s good, then. Are things okay with you and your boyfriend?”
“Boone and I had a long talk, too.” I shrugged, smiling at the thought of our romp through nature. “We’re solid.”
Lucy smiled and began straightening the stand of wind chimes. “Good for you.”
Rounding the counter, I searched for my tarot cards. Yeah, it was good for me. Boone and I were back to a good place, he’d voiced his fears, and I had mine, and now we could work through them. All while protecting the village from the threat of craglorn attacks. Then there was the prophecy to worry about.
I rolled my eyes and began shuffling the cards.
“Hey, Lucy?” I asked. “Do you believe in prophecies?” If anyone knew about the truth of these things, maybe it was her. She was the Irish version of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider with her archaeology and mythological studies skills.
“Prophecies?” She raised her eyebrows, then scrunched up her face in thought. “I don’t think I do. They’re kind of like your tarot cards, I suppose.”
“Like a suggestion?” I considered that idea and shook my head. “Have any ever come true? I mean, in history?”
“They feature in myths and legends in lots of cultures,” she went on. “But none have been proven. Not for certain, anyway. The problem is, words can be twisted to the point people see and hear what they want to believe. There was a story in the news a while ago about a blind old woman in Romania who supposedly predicted nine eleven in America and other disasters, though it was after the fact when it came out in the mainstream media. All her predictions since haven’t born any fruit, or so the sayin’ goes. Honestly, it’s hard to say. There has to be an element of belief.”
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