“What?” Rowan said defensively. Her attitude may have been toned down, but it could get cranked up in a hot second when provoked.
Slamming his fists on the table he snarled at her. Fangs gleaming, he hissed from across the table and Adam let out with a hiss of his own in defense. It was like watching two hungry tigers fighting over the same lump of meat.
Rowan got up herself, slamming her own fists (albeit much smaller) down onto the table and yelled “ENOUGH!” Rowan’s own anger rolled off of her like a heat wave. So much for moving forward, Rowan was now back to square one with her emotions.
Devlin raked angry hands through his hair and stormed out the back door. Adam calmed his nerves and eased back into his chair, head in his hands. Ava and Brinley sat quietly looking from one person to the other.
Brinley broke the silence. “What the hell was that about?”
“Asshole,” was Ro’s response.
Brinley took a sip of her wine. Uh huh. Right. That summed it up. The man was obviously overcome with grief and clearly madly in love with the girl and she’d just called him an asshole. Brinley shook her head at her friend. “Hun, you better open your eyes. I love you and all, but you’ve been rocking the tough-girl routine for far too long.”
Now it was Rowan’s turn to be the snarling tiger. “What the hell is that suppose to mean?”
“I still don’t know what the fuck went on these past couple of days, but I’ll tell you what I do know. You’ve changed. I can see it, Rowan. You’re different, and in more ways than one. It looks good on you, and I’ll bet you 1,000 sensational dinners that that man out there is the one who made you this way.”
She took another sip of her wine before she continued; liquid bravery was needed for this one. “You better open your eyes and take a good hard look, Rowan. I don’t know what it was like when you were stuck in that trance. Devlin and Adam searched to find me, brought me here to help, and were obviously scared beyond belief for you. You’re eyes wouldn’t open, body fevered, screaming like you were being burned alive and all the while you were a naked hot mess.”
Rowan’s face was red with embarrassment and she fought back the tears that were stinging her eyes. Truths can cut like knives and leave your heart a bloody fucking wreck.
“I’m not saying this to humiliate you, Ro. I’m saying this because seeing you so out of control, screaming in pain and watching you suffer was awful and heartbreaking. There is no feeling on earth that is worse than watching someone you love suffer deeply, and all you can do is sit and watch because you’re helpless against it.” Brinley knew that pain all too well, she’d held Rowan through many a rough night when they were younger and the nightmares were all too real.
Rowan looked at her friend with disbelief. Whose side was Brinley on here? Her proclaimed best friend was turning against her and starting to seriously piss Ro off. “I was the one who suffered. Not you. Not Devlin. Not Adam or Ava. Me. I was alone in the dark. Fire burning and pain everywhere.” Rowan slammed her fist on the table, “I didn’t ask for this, Brinley. And now the man I love won’t even look at me. He hasn’t said a fucking word. He no doubt is disgusted with what I did; he’ll never come near me again. I’ve lost him, Brin. I’ve lost everything.”
Ava and Adam were so quiet they were all but invisible. They felt terrible for her.
Rowan was wallowing in self pity. An act that she didn’t do often and one neither women had the tolerance for really. But hearing the pathetic tone in Rowan’s voice didn’t make Brinley feel sorry for her one little bit. She knew better than that. They both did. Brinley smiled at Ro and she set her glass down quietly onto the table.
That smile was dangerous. She didn’t pull it out often because she liked saving sweet moments like this for special occasions – she looked at Rowan, her best friend of twenty-five years and said, “Do you want me to call you a Wambulance… ‘cause all I’m hearin’ is wah-wah-wah.”
Adam let out with a burst of laughter that all but raised the roof. Laughing like that caused his glamour to falter and his voice rang out like bells gonging. He quickly regained his composure, but didn’t stop the chuckling. Aye, Brinley was a miraculous creature.
Chapter 17
Devlin stalked out of the house so angry that he was seeing red. He couldn’t help his outburst inside, he was a ferocious wreck. Watching Rowan smile and talk of blasted soup after what she’d been through, she had the strength of a dozen warriors. It made him feel all the weaker for it.
She’d obviously been tortured, and the thought of her in pain was as insufferable as watching it happen. Whoever did this to her will pay dearly for it. He should have never pushed her into this mess. He should have protected her better. Ballocks! He did not deserve her.
Devlin sat down in a patch of heather inside his favorite fairy hill, the one he’d taken Rowan to the day before. He wanted to turn back the clocks to yesterday morning when for one moment it was just the two of them in the entire world and it was perfect. But time manipulation was not one of his gifts.
An otter scampered over to him and playfully rolled onto its back. Another followed behind and the two playmates dived into the water and swam around. It was growing dark and firefly fairies flickered in the air while crickets and frogs chirped their melodies to the moon. Everything here was all cheery-cheery. Everything here was peaceful.
Everything except Devlin.
He wanted to know what had happened in her trance. Wanted to beat down whatever held her so tightly that he couldn’t reach her. Tear it to shreds and then burn the remnants. Rowan may not want him anymore, but he still wanted to defend her. While the otters stirred up the water in the reflection pool, hate and vengeance stirred in his heart.
Back at the house, Rowan walked into the kitchen to get some space. She was pissed off and needed some distance. She didn’t know where Devlin went; only that he’d gone outside and she wasn’t risking bumping into him out there. She didn’t want to sit at the table with everyone else either. She wanted to be alone, but was afraid to be. She was one big clusterfuck with no place to run.
Busily cutting up a fruit tart, Nora glanced at Rowan but would pretend not to. She was humming a song to herself, one that Rowan felt she’d heard before but couldn’t place it.
“What do I do Nora?”
The Brownie looked at her, not missing a beat with her kiwi placement on the fruit spiral. “You’re a good girl.” That was all she said.
“I don’t feel good now. I feel wicked and spiteful. I feel like everyone is against me. I’m all alone.”
“I know child. But you need to stay as sweet as you are. You have brightness and light in you. That will be what saves you from the dark. You have a purpose, Rowan.” Nora gave her one more squeeze on the arm and continued humming as she set the last slice of strawberry in the center of the tart. She brushed the whole thing with apricot preserves to make it shine and with a wink, left Rowan in the kitchen while she brought out dessert.
After a few minutes of thinking and stewing in her self-pity, Rowan went back out to join everyone else. “Is there a slice for poor, poor pitiful me?” She tried to smile.
Brinley came over and gave her a hug. “I love you.”
“I know.”
And that was all it took for two lifelong besties to make amends. Adam was warmed by its simplicity. ‘Tis a rare gift to find a true friend in the world. Some go their whole lives without ever knowing the experience. What Brinley and Rowan shared together was a rare gift indeed.
After dessert, Rowan was feeling better and less angry with life. She wanted to go back to Devlin’s and see if he was there. She had some words for him, though she planned on trying to tone down the rudeness meter.
Adam escorted Brinley and Rowan back to the stone cottage. The deal was if Devlin was there, Brinley and Adam would leave to give them space for a while. If he wasn’t there, Brinley would stay with Ro until Adam found Devlin and they returned. Either w
ay, Rowan was not being left alone.
They walked up the driveway and out pops Fintan. “Oh my God, a fox!” Brinley squealed and backed up. Rowan immediately got down on her knees and rubbed his head. She was never so happy to see such a sweet furry critter in all her life. She told the fox as much too and kissed his nose.
“Uh, is he a pet or do you have super creature powers now?”
“No, he’s Devlin’s. His name is Fintan. I like to spoil him and he likes to be spoiled, so we’ve got a good thing going here.” Rowan opened the back door and everyone went inside, Fintan leading the way.
The house was empty and quiet. No Devlin here. Ro was one part relieved and two parts anxious because now she was worried for him. Her instincts said to find him, but her mind said to leave him alone. The smell of Devlin was everywhere in here and made her stomach sink to her toes. She missed him.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Adam said quietly, “I have a feeling I know where he is.”
Rowan nodded her head and bit her lip. She didn’t know what she wanted to say so she didn’t say a damn thing.
Adam went out to look for Devlin after reinforcing the protection wards around the house. He wasn’t happy about leaving the two women alone, but Ava had business of her own to attend to and there was no one else he trusted. Reassuring himself that he wouldn’t be long, Adam sprinted out of the house in search of his friend. Heading straight towards the one place he was sure he’d find the Druid, Adam didn’t notice the black dog watching behind the shadows of the trees.
The girls went back to the spare bedroom. Rowan was exhausted and jittery. Brinley was too busy thinking to be tired. The blonde plopped down on the big bed with a sigh, “What a day, huh?”
“Yup. Pretty shitty. And it was going so well too.”
The girls crawled into bed, too tired to sleep, they chatted about what happened between the Faire that weekend and some of the events that led up to now. It’s been a busy few days to say the least. Rowan told her all about Devlin and Adam coming into the studio. How they brought her back here (and how she yacked in the traveling). Brinley teased her for it like she expected her too. Rowan didn’t want to overwhelm Brinley too much, so she didn’t explain the whole Sidhe thing other than to say that her ability to see the dead is stemmed from powers that were old and strong.
Brinley wasn’t surprised that there was more to Rowan’s gift. Brinley was an accepting person; she was a believer in things that can’t be explained. It was a blessing and one of the main reasons their friendship was so strong. Brinley wasn’t one to run away when things got weird or scary. Actually, the woman almost searched for it. She kept her eyes open at all times, ready for a thrill – even if they were made of darker things. One more reason why the two women were so damn close.
“Aren’t we too old for this shit?” Brinley teased.
“You’re only as old as you feel,” Rowan rebutted. “But yeah, this is one helluva rabbit hole.”
Ro also explained Devlin’s job as a Druid and what that duty meant for him and Adam. She held back from telling her friend Adam’s true identity. It wasn’t her secret to tell, so she decided to distract Brinley (and herself) with a dirty recap of the wild and crazy that happened between her and Devlin in the fairy hill – contrary to popular belief, besties did the kiss and tell thing.
Brinley’s mouth gaped opened. “Whoa, girl. That’s crazy. That’s sexy, awesome, I-wish-I-had-some-myself crazy.”
She knew Brinley would accept her story, no matter how farfetched it was. All trusting and accepting, that was Brinley. It made Ro feel better. She practically beamed with the images Ro had vividly painted in her head, dirty and delicious as they were, and then let it fall away to a face that held concern.
With that, Brinley cleared her throat, “Look, I know you don’t want to talk about what happened today. So let’s don’t for now. You can tell us when you’re ready. I know better than to push you Ro– you’ll just fight back.”
Agreed.
Brinley knew her best friend well, but said it as both a comfort and a warning. Brinley wanted answers but was willing to be patient about it. Rowan got the message loud and clear.
They waited for the men to come back for what seemed like hours, until their eyes could no longer stay open. Rowan worried about Adam and Devlin, but they were grown men (as Brinley liked to point out) and could take care of themselves. A cell phone rang and Brinley grabbed the cell out of her back pocket. “Mother Hen” she confirmed.
“You talk to her Brinley, you’re better at hiding stuff than me. I swear the woman’s got a built-in lie detector in her ears.” Must come with giving birth, Ro thought.
Brinley answered all cheery and told Christine that Rowan was fine and that she’d call her when she could – busy and all that, it might be a few days or so before the callback. Christine must have been satisfied with the answer because there were no further questions. Phew.
Rowan was suddenly exhausted. She curled into bed and stared down at her arms. Her wounds were much better, thanks to her Sidhe-side giving her a boost of healing. “Thanks, Brin,” Ro whispered before falling asleep.
“For what?”
“Never leaving,” Ro mumbled.
“The people who love you will never run, Ro,” she whispered. Brinley stayed awake a little while longer, holding onto her friend, thinking about everything she’d told her. It was a lot to take in. Geesh, leave Ro alone for a minute and she all but turns the world upside down. But that was why Brinley loved her so much.
Adam went directly to the fairy mound after leaving the women. He knew Devlin would be there. Walking in, he dropped his glamour and felt better for it. It’s good to be one’s true self. He found Devlin brooding by the reflection pool. He sat down next to him and sighed.
“How are you brother?”
Devlin didn’t answer. His face blank, eyes were boring holes into the side of a fallen log. Smaller Fae floated in the air like wisps, some coming to greet Adam and then flying off again. The two men didn’t speak for a very long time. Finally, Adam took a deep breath and smacked Devlin’s back with a gesture of brotherly love.
“She’ll be fine, Devlin. Her burns are fading already. She’s strong and resilient. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve never met a woman like her before. The Fates have chosen well.”
Still not speaking, Devlin just stared away, lost in thoughts of creative ways he was going to torture whatever did this to her. “Aye, she is strong. And resilient.” Blowing out a burst of air he looked down at the ground. “And I’ve no hope of getting her back. She is lost to me.” He sunk his head into his hands and shivered with the agony of it all.
“Nay brother, she’s not lost to you but she’s very mad. You acted like a boar at dinner. For the life of me, I’ve no idea what got into you. For truth, I thought you were going to tear her apart at the table and I don’t know why.”
Devlin looked at his friend and shook his head. “Och, I’d never harm her, ye ken that. I’m tearing myself up. I’m the devil, Adam. The heathen that told her to go in there and sent her alone. I laid her down, enchanted her with a sleep spell, and fed her to the bloody wolves.”
Well that’s not quite the way of it, and Adam said as much. “She knew what the risks were. She knows better than any of us. She did it because she has a purpose here. And so do you.”
Getting up and brushing the grass off of his black Armani pants, Adam left Devlin alone. Walking out of the fairy hill, he prayed to the Gods for guidance and strength. They were going to need every ounce of it after this night.
Adam walked back to the stone cottage and searched the rooms looking for the two women. Anxious at first when he didn’t hear a peep, Fintan came out of the back bedroom and showed him where they were. Like two dolls sleeping, they were a tender vision. Rowan was curled up in a ball, blankets tucked all around her letting out deep even breaths. Smiling with relief, Adam looked from Rowan to the golden angel ly
ing next to her.
There was his enigma. Blonde hair pulled up in a pony, arms around her friend- on guard even in her sleep. He walked over to the lass and bent over, breathing her scent in. She smelled like jasmine. It was intoxicating.
With his guard down, Adam’s glamour slipped and the Sidhe bared his teeth in a quiet hiss of wanting. Sinking lower, lower, lower, his lips were almost touching hers. Her soft breath tickled his lips and a sigh came from her pink mouth. Just before he was about press his lips to hers, Rowan rolled over dragging the blankets with her and the movement startled Adam back to his senses.
By Danu, he’d nearly kissed her! Now was not the time for distraction. Slapping his glamour back into place, he left the temptress to her dreams and took up watch in the living room.
The sun came up and shined brightly in the windows. Rowan woke with a good long stretch. Fintan must have thought it was a good idea because he did the same. Brinley was still out cold. The woman would sleep half the day away if she could.
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