The gods willing, he’d prevail in the upcoming trials to claim the right to court her. She sniffed, and he risked a sideways glance her way. “Ah, lassie, please don’t cry.”
She glared at him through her tears. “Are you responsible for my being wherever this is? Is that why you just happened to be right where I landed?”
“Nay. I—”
“Of course you’re responsible. Are you fae, one of the Tuatha dé Danann? You have to be. You were waiting to see what came out of that hellish gumball machine after you put in your magic coin. Am I right? Of course I am. How else would I be”—she waved a hand in the air—
“wherever this is?” Her chin lifted. “Don’t you dare laugh at me again either. Fae or not, you’ll find one of my boots crushing your tender bits.”
He couldn’t help himself. Laughter erupted from a deep well of joy she tapped by her very presence. Still, he was no fool. Brian moved far enough away that her boot could not reach any part of him. He had no idea what a hellish gumball machine might be, but her quick wit and fierceness touched a place deep within him, setting his laughter free despite his best efforts to stifle his glee.
Grayce turned on her heel and strode back in the direction they’d just come. Brian chased after her and scooped her up in his arms once again. “Forgive me,” he pleaded. “’Tis just that your ferocity and wit please me greatly.”
“Oh, well as long as you’re pleased,” she said, her tone dripping sarcasm. “Seeing as how we’re total strangers, that’s such a weird thing to say I don’t even know how to respond. I’m so glad I’m able to entertain you maybe?” She placed her injured palms face up on her lap and scowled daggers at him.
Though he wanted to, he refrained from laughing again. She shifted in his arms, her hip pressing against his belly. Her movements set his pulse racing. His trews tightened across his groin, and his imagination went to where it ought not to.
Grayce sucked in an audible breath, and her eyes widened. “Put. Me. Down.”
Had she sensed where lust had led him? “So ye can crush my tender bits with your sturdy boots?” He arched a brow and drew her closer. “I think not.”
“I’ll keep my boots to myself,” she snapped. “Put me down right now.”
“You’re injured. I want only to ease your suffering.” Truth be told, it pained him to see her hurting and distraught. After what she’d been through, he could imagine how she must ache all over. If he could lessen her suffering by carrying her, he’d do so for leagues if need be.
“I don’t give a gnat’s ass what you want.” She jabbed him with her bony elbow.
“Fine.” He dropped her legs to the ground, while continuing to support her with an arm about her waist. “Ye have convinced me with your sharp elbow and your even sharper tongue. Like daggers, I tell ye.”
Grayce used her forearms to shove him away from her. Tears clung to her dark lashes, and she blinked furiously. “Stay away from me,” she muttered, giving him her back.
She strode off toward his parents’ cottage unknowing where she went and mumbling to herself. He followed at a safe distance. What did he know of wooing? Not a thing, and clearly, he’d gone about their first meeting all wrong. No matter. He’d set things right. Eventually. She was meant for him. She had to be. Fate and the gods would not have placed him where they had at the moment she appeared otherwise.
She had suffered a great shock, and it would take some time for her to adjust to her new life. In the meantime, he would see to her protection and to her comfort—out of range of her elbows, fists and boots.
He couldn’t help but notice the way she walked, the curve where her waist met the flare of her womanly hips. She carried herself well, did Grayce MacCarthy, and he admired the line of her shoulders and neck. Chuckling to himself, he followed the beautiful, blue-haired, gold and silver-adorned woman. His resolve to win her for himself grew stronger with each step.
Grayce topped the rise and cried out yet again. Brian hurried to her side and searched the horizon for anything amiss. He saw only his ma and da in front of their cottage, eyes shielded with their hands as they watched for his return. More homes and shops clustered together in their village a short distance away, and farms dotted the surrounding hills.
The nearby river flowed through their valley amid the sheep and cattle grazing in the fields. He gave a sharp whistle and waved until his ma and da caught sight of him. “My parents,” he remarked, taking the now silent woman by the arm and leading her down the hill. “They’re not fae either, and they’re mostly harmless. We are farmers, not faeries.”
His words garnered a glare. Grayce straightened her spine and tugged her arm from him. He plowed his fingers through his hair and growled at the sky above. “I swear on all that is sacred, I had naught to do with your sudden and painful journey to our valleys. I mean only to help ye however I may.”
Ah, gods, there went her chin quivering again, and she blinked furiously. “Come, Grayce. Mayhap my mother might calm your fears. For it appears I’ve done naught but incite them.”
Brian searched his memory for the last time a young woman had come through to their village. She too had wept and railed against her fate—for a time anyway. Now she and her chosen mate were happily settled and raising their son. Grayce would come around. She’d have no choice in the matter. It would be best if he were not the bearer of that bit of news, for she’d lay the blame at his feet no matter what.
His parents set out to meet him and the blue-haired woman walking stiffly by his side. They came together beside the narrow path leading to his own cottage, now hidden from view by a copse of fragrant pine and cedar. “Grayce MacCarthy, this is Brianna, my mother, and Sloan, my father.
His mother studied Grayce for several seconds and made a clucking sound. “You must be terribly frightened. Let’s get you cleaned up and see what we can do to about those abrasions.”
“Thank you,” Grayce squeaked.
His mother received Grayce’s gratitude, while he’d garnered nothing but her wrath and suspicion. Brian shook his head. He and his da remained standing where they were whilst the two women walked on, talking as they made their way to his parents’ cottage. Fair Grayce’s hands moved as she spoke. Perhaps she was describing the hellish gumball machine she’d fallen through. “She practically landed at my feet when she came through, Da. She thinks I’m fae, and that I’m responsible for bringing her here.”
“She’s upset and rightly so. One can see how she might come to that conclusion.”
“Aye.”
“Do ye want her, laddie?”
“How could I not?” Hadn’t he waited for what seemed an eternity for his turn to claim and be claimed? He’d yearned for the comfort and pleasure of a woman’s love, as he’d yearned to give his love in return. A man needed a woman’s wisdom, her softening influence and companionship. It had been a few years since a lass had come through to their realm, and he was more than ready to take on the responsibility of a wife and son.
“Then we’d best be on our way to the ceremonial grounds, so ye can pitch your marker into the ring with the rest.” He gave Brian a push to get him moving. “Ah, laddie, I remember well when your lovely mother came to us. I wanted her so badly I could think of naught else.”
“How did Ma behave after coming through?”
“She grieved, and she was angry for a time. I shudder to think what her family must have gone through, what all the families of the women who are lost to them suffer when they come to us. That added greatly to your mother’s distress and to mine. None of the lassies who come to us have any way to let their kin know that they are all right, ye see. Tread carefully where her feelings are concerned. Try to imagine how ye’d feel if ye fell into her world of a sudden.”
“If I earn the right to court her, ye mean.”
“I’ve no doubt of that, Brian. No doubt at all.”
He had no doubts either. Not really. Still, convincing the lovely Grayce MacCarthy to choose him wo
uld prove a challenge. He’d trained rigorously with sword, lance and bow, but how did a man train to win a woman’s heart? He’d talk to his ma. Perhaps she’d provide him with the insights he’d need. Word would already be spreading to the upper and lower villages, and the young men would soon make their way here.
Brian set out for the ceremonial grounds to add his token to those of the other young men hoping to win the hand of the woman who had entered their realm—at the same instant their chieftain had departed.
“Something has happened to Grayce.” Meredith tensed, and her fork clattered to her plate. She glanced across the kitchen table where she and her family had gathered for lunch.
Her mother gasped, and her eyes narrowed. “She’s not badly hurt, but—”
“She’s my twin, Mom. I can feel her distress. Grayce is hurt, and this is bad.” Meredith shot up from her chair. “Fáelán, we need to get to her.”
He tossed his napkin on the table and rose from his chair. Her brother-in-law knew better than to question a MacCarthy’s extra-sensory perceptions.
“Then we shall. I’ll get the keys and bring the Land Rover ’round to the front.” He kissed Regan on the cheek, and then he leaned down to the baby seat resting on the table. “Look after your ma, little man.” He kissed Conan’s forehead and then said something to his son in rapid Irish. Conan had gone quiet and watchful, and now his eyes were riveted to Fáelán as if he understood every word his dad said to him. Maybe he did.
“Dad, you hold down the fort with Regan and Conan,” Meredith said. “If we need something, you’ll be our contact person.”
“All right. Tell me where you’re going, so I’ll have the information in case we need to call the authorities.”
Call the authorities? Oh God. Meredith’s heart skipped a beat. Regan hurried out of the kitchen as Meredith pulled her phone from her back pocket. “I’m texting you the information, Dad.” Tucking her phone back in the pocket of her jeans, she followed her mother to the front door. Meredith twitched with impatience. If only she had the power to teleport herself to wherever Grayce was. Why couldn’t she fly, dammit? What good was faerie DNA if it didn’t come with the dust that would give her the gift of flight?
Regan hurried toward her, her arms full of jackets, a folded blanket and a first aid kit. “Take these. You might need them.” She shoved the bundle into Meredith’s arms. “I don’t know if you’ll have a signal in the mountains, but if you do, call me as soon as you know something.”
“I will.” The Land Rover came to a stop in front of the house, and her mom shot out the door without a backward glance. Meredith spared her sister a fear-filled look before she too strode out the door and down the walk. She stowed the supplies in the back seat beside her mom before climbing into the front seat. Good thing she already had on a pair of sturdy walking shoes, since they’d planned on visiting some of the local sites after lunch. “Do you know the way to the Mahon Falls trail?”
“Aye. Fasten your seat belt.” Fáelán hit the gas, sending gravel flying from beneath the tires. He turned onto the highway and they were as close to flying as they could get.
A tense silence filled the SUV as the landscape sped by. Meredith leaned slightly to check the speedometer. Fáelán exceeded the speed limit by a large margin, yet the minutes ticked by way too slowly. She turned to stare blindly out her window, concentrating on her twin in the hopes doing so would lead them straight to Grayce.
“Everything is going to be fine,” her mother said, gripping the ninny-handle above the car door. She, too, faced the passing landscape.
“Are you picking up on something, or are you trying to convince yourself?” Meredith twisted around to study her mother whose gifts were identical to hers. They both saw and could commune with the dead. They felt otherworldly energy and detected otherworldly beings. She and her mother knew when something happened to anyone close to them, especially family.
Her mother had gone pale, and the worry lines around her eyes and mouth had deepened. “I’m trying to convince myself.”
Meredith pushed back at the panic threatening to overwhelm her. Grayce had said the hike to Mahon Falls took four hours, round trip. Meredith glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was after one, and who could say how long they’d be in the mountains searching for her? “Do you have a flashlight in the car in case we need one?”
“Aye. Water and protein bars as well. A Fiann is always prepared. Ye need not worry, Meredith. I’ll guide ye and your ma safely there and back.”
“Thank God for your skills as a Fiann,” she said.
“Aye, and while you’re about thankin’ God, ye might thank Fionn MacCumhaill as well, since he’s the reason I am a Fiann. I had the good fortune to train with him.”
“You haven’t been a part of MacCumhaill’s elite army since the third century,” her mother murmured.
“Not so. Have ye forgotten I stepped directly from my third-century life to this era to be with Regan less than a year past, Angela?” Fáelán glanced at her mother in the rearview mirror. “I put my skills to the test battling a fae warrior to get here, and I was the one who drew first blood. I am still a Fiann in every sense of the word. I always will be.”
“You’re right. I forgot about that, and I apologize.” Her mother’s voice quavered. “I’m just worried.”
“As any mother would be.” Fáelán shot up the mountain road, taking the narrow curves at heart-stopping speeds.
Meredith’s breath seized as Fáelán’s parked Mini Cooper finally came into view. She had her seatbelt unbuckled before they even came to a full stop. Meredith jumped from the SUV and went for the jackets, blanket and first aid kit in the back seat.
Fáelán circled around to the back of the Land Rover and grabbed several bottles of water and a full box of protein bars. He took the blanket from her, formed a sling and draped the fleece over one shoulder and across his back, stowing their supplies inside. Meredith handed her mother one of the jackets and tied hers around her waist.
“Will ye be able to handle the hike, Angela?” Fáelán asked. “The way is quite steep in places. Ye may want to stay here with the cars.”
“I’m not that old, thank you very much. Gene and I hike in the Smoky Mountains all the time. If I can handle the five-mile trail to Le Conte, I can certainly handle the two-hour trek to Mahon Falls.”
“Good. Let us be off then.” Fáelán led the way.
“Does it seem odd to either of you that the Mini Cooper is the only car in the lot?”
Meredith glanced back toward their two cars. “This is a popular trail. It’s a beautiful day, and June is one of the busiest months for tourism.”
“What are you saying?” her mother asked. “Do you sense something paranormal at work here?”
“I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know. Something just feels weird to me, like Grayce is here but not. That’s all.”
Fáelán kept them moving at a fast pace, and Meredith struggled to keep up with his long strides. Her mom had picked up a fallen tree branch to use as a walking stick. She was in her fifties and seemed to be handling the hike with no difficulty, while Meredith’s lungs heaved and perspiration trickled down her temples, chest, and back. After what seemed like forever, Fáelán brought them to a halt.
He passed them each a water bottle. “Drink and catch your breath,” he said. He sucked down half his water in a single gulp. “We’ve been walking more than an hour, and we’re over the halfway mark to the falls. How are ye two holding up?” He studied her and then her mother.
Her mother took a long drink and put the cap back on her water. “I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.”
Meredith had scarcely caught her breath and they were off again, trekking uphill. Sweat trickled into one of her eyes, and the saltiness stung. She swiped at her brow with her sleeve and
focused on her twin, trying to glean even the smallest bit of information regarding her whereabouts. The sensation that Grayce was near, but somehow not, sent her in
to a frenzy of worry. Three quarters of an hour later, they finally reached the falls.
Her mother came to a halt so suddenly, Meredith ran into her. “Sorry, Mom.” Meredith steadied her mother and moved closer to stare at the falls.
“Let’s look around,” Meredith suggested. She picked her way toward the edge of the pool beneath the falls. Fáelán explored the perimeter of the area, and her mom headed for the rock face of the cliff to the left of the river.
Mist rising from the falls cooled her face and dampened her clothes as Meredith searched for any hint her sister had been here. She walked around the pool, reaching out with all her abilities, looking for clues.
“Over here,” her mother cried.
Meredith whipped around in time to see her mother scrabbling over sharp, rocky terrain toward a jutting mass of limestone. She hurried after her.
“Grayce’s backpack,” her mom called. “I’ve found her backpack.” Her voice broke. “Grayce,” she shouted, cupping her mouth with her hands. Her call hung in the air, answered only by the roar of the falls. “Grayce MacCarthy, where are you?” Her mom tried again.
“Perhaps she fell and hit her head whilst exploring the area, Angela.” Fáelán came to stand beside Meredith. He scanned the area. “The three of us should fan out, keeping the backpack at the center, and keep calling to her. If she’s unconscious, the sound of our voices might bring her back to awareness.”
Meredith reached for Grayce’s backpack and was assaulted by a change in the very air in front of her. She closed her eyes, trying to analyze what it was she was feeling. What she encountered could only be described as a force field, a wall of energy. Whatever the source, the air pulsed and swirled, as if the particles had recently been stirred. “Something happened here,” she whispered.
“Violence?” Fáelán asked.
She tilted her head and stilled. “No. I don’t think so.” Meredith swallowed. “I can sense a boundary, and I can feel that it has recently been disturbed or … or breached somehow.” Meredith placed her palm on the flat slab of stone Grayce’s backpack leaned against. “The energy feels like a fluid boundary if that makes any sense.” An otherworldly resistance radiated from the stone, pressing against her palm, and a gut-wrenching certainty filled her.
HIDDEN IN TIME Page 3
