The Lily Harper 8 Book Boxed Set

by HP Mallory

  “No one, Ah sooppose,” Tallis answered as he leaned back against the booth seat and regarded me with keen interest.

  “Just how many whiskies have you had to drink so far?” I asked, amazed at his ability to hold alcohol. He was definitely inebriated; I could tell by the slow movement of his eyes, as well as his brogue, which became progressively thicker the more he drank. Since he wasn’t throwing up, it seemed pretty obvious that his stomach had to be made of steel. After two whiskies, I was done and could feel the effects of both of them. I didn’t feel nauseous, necessarily, but just mindless and carefree.

  “Ah dinnae know,” Tallis answered. He continued to study me with his usual poker face. “Ah have a question fer ye, lass.”

  After watching Bill strike out, yet again, I turned to face Tallis, and found it more than interesting that he was attempting to make conversation for once. “What?”

  “Why were ye spyin’ oan meh earlier?” he asked, eyeing me narrowly. I wasn’t sure if his expression simmered with anger or curiosity. “At the waterin’ hole,” he added, as if I could forget!

  I felt my cheeks heating up as soon as I recalled the image of him naked, and couldn’t bring myself to look at him. Instead, I chose to outline the etchings on my Quaich, which sat in front of me, empty. “Um, I already told you why. I was worried about you.”

  Tallis cleared his throat. “Ah dinnae care ta have a conversation with ye starin’ at yer Quaich, Besom,” he told me. I looked up at him and forced myself to hold his gaze, but his eyes appeared very strange. The midnight blue was still visible, but the color seemed as if it were much darker somehow. “The way ye looked at meh, lass,” he continued, scrutinizing me intently, “’twas as if ye desired meh.”

  Even though I knew how difficult this would be to admit, I also knew I couldn’t lie to him. “I did,” I said in a small voice. That wasn’t the half of it! If Tallis had any idea how much the sight of him naked turned me on, he wouldn’t have asked the question in the first place. Feeling suddenly like I was being interrogated, I began to fidget before adding, “Again, Tallis, I’m sorry for invading your privacy.”

  Tallis waved away my apology as if it were insignificant. “Ah knew ye were behind the rock as soon as ye hid there.”

  “Then why did you pretend not to know?” I demanded.

  He shrugged, but his eyes kept mine captive. There was something about them that suggested a trace of anger. “Ah wanted ye ta see meh.”

  “You wanted me to see you naked?” I asked dubiously, becoming very ill at ease now that we were even having this conversation. Usually Tallis was so indifferent. Maybe it was just the whisky speaking. “Why?”

  Cocking his head to the side, he studied me unapologetically. “Ah desire ye, lass, as Ah’ve told ye before.” The way he said it was very matter of fact; and there was nothing in his delivery that even hinted of flirtatious playfulness. It just was.

  “Right,” I replied, unsure of how I felt about the whole conversation since it was completely bizarre. “But you also told me you would never act out those feelings.”

  Tallis nodded and eyed his Quaich. “Aye, boot that was then.” He took the last swig of Lagavulin and licked his upper lip salaciously as his eyes began to burn into mine again. “An’ this is now.”

  I swallowed hard, unable to comprehend what he was trying to tell me. “What’s changed?”

  He held my gaze, and even though I wanted to do nothing but break his hold, I couldn’t. It was almost as if his mind brainwashed my eyes to remain fastened on his. “Everythin’,” he answered.

  “Why?” I quickly fired back. “And what provoked this sudden change?”

  He was quiet for a few seconds as he studied me and his eyes grew narrow while his jaw remained tight. “Alaire.”

  “Are you going to tell me what happened in Alaire’s office?” I asked, staring at him even more intently. “Because if you aren’t comfortable discussing it, then we need to change the subject.”

  Tallis glared at me momentarily as if he didn’t approve of my ultimatum, but then nodded. “Ah will tell ye,” he announced. He momentarily hesitated and his attention was suddenly centered on the table again as he gazed at his Quaich for another few seconds. Looking back at me, his eyes were very angry. “There exists a fine balance atween Afterlife Enterprises an’ the Oonderground City,” he started. “Never can a decision be made that doesnae involve them booth.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Ah am doin’ penance, as ye know,” Tallis continued.

  “Right.”

  He didn’t look up at me for a few seconds, but continued to stare at his Quaich as though the words he sought were etched upon it. Tightening his jaw and closing his eyes, I could tell he was clearly upset about something. When he opened his eyes again, the midnight blue had deepened substantially. “Ah have retrieved ova one thousand souls, lass.”

  “One thousand?!” I repeated, my mouth dropping open in obvious awe. “But, my agreement with Afterlife Enterprises said I only had to retrieve ten souls before I could go on to the kingdom,” I replied. I wondered if I’d gotten the number wrong, or maybe Jason just changed it on me. Of course, he would do it without letting me know.

  “Ye are different ta meh, lass,” Tallis responded. “Ye dinnae carry the baggage Ah do.”

  “Okay,” I said, unwilling to argue that point. “So you retrieved one thousand souls from the Underground City. How long did it take you?”

  “Hoondreds o’ years,” he answered. His posture grew more rigid as he seemed to become more defensive the longer we discussed the topic.

  “But Y2K just happened at the turn of the twenty-first century,” I argued. “Jason told me that most of the souls that were lost or misplaced were due to an error in the computer system since Afterlife Enterprises wasn’t prepared for the century change.”

  Tallis shook his head and said, “The century change oonly made the situation worse,” then he looked down dejectedly. “Nae, there have been problems with Afterlife Enterprises from the getgoo an’, consequently, souls have been misplaced fer centuries.”

  “Okay, so you’ve been retrieving souls for hundreds of years?” I asked, returning to his story since it was miraculously rare for him to open up. I didn’t want him to suddenly change his mind and withdraw into the sullen Tallis again.

  “Aye,” he answered with a nod. “An’ Ah also worked as a Bladesmith, creatin’ swords fer other Retrievers, as ye know.”

  “Right.”

  “’Twas mah oonderstandin’ that once Ah retrieved one thousand souls, Ah would be absolved o’ mah sins an’ the spirit o’ Donnchadh would release meh.”

  “And if you were forgiven, what does that mean?” I asked, although I sort of knew the answer. The spirit of Donnchadh made Tallis immortal, so maybe it meant Tallis would be free to die?

  “That mah time as a Retriever an’ Bladesmith would be over,” he answered almost immediately, like it was a promise he’d made to himself. “Twould mean Ah could move oan ta the valley o’ the Kingdom an’ be forgiven o’ mah sins.”

  “And that’s not what happened? You weren’t forgiven?” I asked, feeling sorry for him, but at the same time, I had to admit, selfishly, I was happy he hadn’t moved on to the Kingdom. The idea of Tallis no longer in my life saddened me, to say the least. Even though there were occasions when we had a hard time getting along, I never considered him as anything but a friend.

  “Nae, ’tis not what happened,” he repeated. “Ah wasnae forgiven even though Ah should’ve been.”

  “That’s the question you asked Alaire when we were in his office, wasn’t it?” I asked as the realization suddenly dawned on me. “Whether you could go on to the Kingdom now, since you’d retrieved your thousand souls?” Tallis nodded as I continued. “And Alaire said something about pleading your cause, but Afterlife Enterprises had the final word?”

  “Aye,” Tallis said as his lips grew tight. “Boot Ah dinnae believe fer a second tha
t Alaire pled me case. An’ as Afterlife Enterprises an’ Alaire didnae keep their word ta meh, Ah amnae gonna continue keepin’ mah word ta them.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, staring at him pointedly. I worried that his response meant he was about to go AWOL or something worse.

  “Ah was in repentance fer mah history, lass, these last few hoondred years,” he started. “Ah havenae allowed mahself the benefit o’ human company. Ah have lived alone in the Dark Wood with naethin’ boot demons fer company. Ah have forgone the necessities o’ a man in denyin’ mahself a woman.” His hands began fisting as his eyes narrowed. “Ah have paid mah penance an’ still Alaire an’ Jason Streethorn havenae kept their side o’ the bargain.”

  “Um, so what does that mean?” I asked, my stomach now churning.

  “It means Ah am done playin’ by their rules,” he announced with more conviction. His eyes bore into mine. “Now Ah play by mah own rules.”

  “Okay,” I said as I nodded, feeling very nervous under his intense scrutiny. “I can see that you’re pissed off and I agree with you: none of this is fair.”

  “Nae, it isnae fair!” he spat back, undeniably still outraged over the situation.

  “Right, but do you think you should just throw away all the hard work you’ve done up until this point?” I asked. I shook my head to make it clear that I thought the answer to my question was a resounding no. “Maybe it’s just a matter of retrieving a few more souls? Maybe you’re almost there?” Actually, I had to admit I was a little bit leery about what Tallis meant when he said he was going to “play by his own rules.” Did that mean he intended to go back to his old ways? Was he planning to take what he wanted, and damn the consequences?

  But Tallis shook his head. “Ah know now that Ah was jist a pawn. Jason knew there was no one that could traverse the Oonderground as well as Ah, so he manipulated meh by offerin’ meh absolution.”

  “How do you know the Underground City so well?” I asked, eyeing him warily. It was a question I always wondered about, but never asked because I didn’t think he’d answer it.

  “That is a soobject Ah dinnae wish ta discoos,” he answered firmly.

  “Okay, that’s fair enough,” I said with a nod and an encouraging smile. “So you think Jason just hired you because he knew that you were the best? And no one could retrieve more souls than you? And he never meant to grant you a pardon?”

  Tallis nodded. “Aye, that is what Ah believe, lass.”

  “And you believe Alaire was in on it as well?”

  “Aye, Alaire had ta sign off oan meh freedom, boot Jason had ta approve it first. An’ neither happened,” he finished, his voice dropping dejectedly as his jaw grew tight again.

  “So where does that leave you now?”

  He chuckled without humor. “Aye, where does that leave meh?” he repeated while his eyes zoned in on the Quaich before him again. When he glanced up at me, his eyes seemed hollow and empty somehow. “It leaves meh ta live mah life the way Ah see fit,” he responded.

  “Is that why we’re here in this tavern?” I asked while closely examining him. “As part of your penance, you abstained from alcohol, didn’t you?”

  “Aye, Ah didnae allow mahself inebriants.”

  “So that’s why you brought us here,” I deduced. Apparently, whatever Tallis forbade himself in the past, he would now make up for in spades.

  “Aye,” he answered.

  I sighed as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. “And that’s why you didn’t stop me from looking at you when you were bathing. You wanted me to watch you because you wanted me to desire you!”

  He didn’t answer right away, but simply stared at me, making me feel like he could see right through me. And, really, he didn’t have to reply to my question verbally because the answer was quite obvious in his eyes. Tallis wanted to have sex with me. A flurry of butterflies started up in my stomach as that stinging ache between my thighs returned. “Ye are quick-witted,” he said as he continued to study me. “Boot Ah always knew that.”

  The image of Katie, fawning all over him, flashed in my mind. Unexpected feelings of jealousy bubbled up inside me, throwing me for a loop. “If you wanted to have sex so badly,” I began, almost amazed that the words were actually coming from my own mouth, “why didn’t you take Katie up on her offer? She was all over you like a case of the hives.”

  He shook his head vigorously and a scowl appeared on his face. “Katie isnae the woman fer meh, Besom.”

  “She would certainly have debated that with you,” I said as I peered at him intently to judge whether or not he was lying to me.

  “Aye,” he responded without breaking eye contact. “Ah have taken Katie many a time.”

  A wave of jealousy crested inside my stomach and I started to feel sick. “Oh,” I managed to reply as I forced the ugly feeling back down again. “So, then, clearly she is the … woman for you.”

  A subtle smirk on his lips gave me the feeling that he was well aware of my jealousy, and worse, he liked it. “Ah man has physical needs.”

  “Well, that’s so nice to know,” I said as I stood up, quite finished with the conversation. “Are we sleeping here tonight? Or do we need to head out?”

  “Ah cannae navigate the Dark Wood when Ah’m blootered,” he responded. I assumed “blootered” meant he was drunk.

  “Okay,” I started, frowning at him. “Then we’re sleeping here?”

  He nodded. “Ye can inquire oopstairs as ta where yer accommodations are.”

  “Then they’re ready for us?” I asked. “You already told them we’re staying?”

  “Aye, they have put aside three rooms,” he answered. I didn’t say anything else but decided I’d already said enough as it was. Instead, I longed to retire into the solitude of my makeshift bedroom so I could replay the conversation in my head. I couldn’t decide what I thought about it, and more importantly, what I thought about Tallis. “Sleep well, lass,” Tallis finished with a quick smile.

  I half-smiled in response before leaving the room and making my way to the staircase. I caught a glimpse of Bill from the corner of my eye. He was laughing and hanging onto a large brunette, so I figured he was fine without me. For now, I needed to focus on just myself. I needed to analyze how I felt about all of this most recent information. It was almost too much for me to digest at once. Tallis was suddenly not the person I believed he was. All of his convictions and everything that made him the repentant person he used to be were now flung out the window. Although I understood the logic behind this new route he was taking, I had a hard time figuring him out.

  But that particular subject didn’t have to be solved tonight. Tonight, sleep was all I cared about. The thought filled me with unsurpassed pleasure since I was long beyond exhausted. After climbing up the narrow flight of stairs, a young boy met me at the top.

  “Are ye lookin’ fer a room, lass?” he asked in a Scottish accent, which naturally reminded me of the large, brooding Scotsman I’d left downstairs.

  “Yes,” I answered immediately. “There should be three rooms under the name Tallis Black.”

  The little boy nodded and dug inside his pocket, producing a metal key, which he handed to me. “Yers is the third one down the row, miss,” he said with a shy smile. “There’s a warm bath waitin’ fer ye too.”

  “Thank you,” I answered, wondering how warm the bath could be since I’d been downstairs for so long. Even a cold bath sounded better than nothing though. After all, I wasn’t sure how clean the watering hole was.

  When I reached the bedroom door, I poked the key into the hole and wiggled it back and forth before the door creaked and opened. Inside, an oil lamp burned in the far corner, giving the room a shadowy, yet cozy ambiance. The bath stood in the middle of the room. It was no more than a large, metal basin. I spotted a few glass bottles of what I hoped were shampoo and conditioner as well as a bar of soap. The curtains were drawn across the window, which suited me just fine. The last thing I wanted
to do was look out into the Dark Wood.

  I closed and locked the door behind me, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room. Placing my sword and sheath against the wall closest to the bed, I sat down and pulled off my tennis shoes and socks. When I padded over to the bathtub and stuck my hand into the water, I was pleased to find the water still warm. There was a white, folded towel sitting on a chair beside the tub. I took off my sweatshirt and sports bra along with my yoga pants. When I turned around to step into the bath, I noticed a full-length mirror propped against the opposite wall. I had to remind myself that the reflection in the mirror was me. Once again, my new body was the part that I never could seem to get used to—the new, physical me. My naked body was beautiful. My breasts were full and perky; and my legs were long and supple while my stomach was incredibly flat.

  Turning back toward the bathtub, I stepped in and sat down, languishing in the warm water as it engulfed me. I submerged myself all the way up to my neck and closed my eyes in sheer ecstasy. Although I tried very hard to relax, something inside of me refused to be put to bed. There was something burning, something that felt a lot like lust.

  Tallis’s naked body suddenly flashed before my closed eyes and my breath caught in my throat. An urge came from deep inside me and I knew it wouldn’t desist until I appeased it. I reached down between my thighs and touched myself. At exactly the same time, I heard a strident knock on my door. With my heart in my throat, I sat bolt upright and leapt out of the bathtub, grabbing my towel. Still dripping wet, I wrapped the towel around myself as I plodded to the door.

  “Who is it?” I asked in a low, timid voice.

  “Meh,” Tallis responded.

  I opened the door only a few inches. “What’s going on?”

  “There was a mistake with the rooms,” he answered. “There are oonly two reserved an’ Ah willnae share with the stookie angel.” With that, he pushed against the door and walked right in as I stood there, still trying to process what his words meant. I closed the door behind me and watched him turn to face me.