by A. C. James
She turned away from the beastly creature. Where was Dillon, anyway? He should’ve been back already.
Babysitting that animal was simply a means to an end. It’d send a message to the clan they wouldn’t soon forget. The chieftain’s daughter deserved what was coming to her. Caitlin wasn’t about to put her entire life on hold to become a servant. She had hopes and dreams of her own. Her aunt might have groomed her for this, but it wasn’t like she’d ever been given a choice.
It’s your fate to follow in my footsteps.
She rolled her eyes as she remembered her aunt’s words. Caitlin would forge her own destiny. She couldn’t believe her good luck; sharing her family’s secret had given her a way out. Everyone would get what they wanted. The púca would have to face the world. And if everything went according to plan, they’d become nothing more than a tourist attraction.
Chapter 14
Felicity took the main road through the town and headed toward Kilmurvey. After two kilometres she continued past an old lighthouse, and crossed the fields divided by stone walls. It was dark when she finally reached Dún Eochla.
The stone ring fort was located in the middle of the island near the village of Eochaill. She imagined the view would be spectacular during the day, but it was kind of eerie at night. The flashlight shot a beam across the distance, but it didn’t light up the area. Even though she’d dressed appropriately for the terrain, she immediately regretted not waiting for Niall. She should turn back…except she heard a soft moan in the distance. It sounded like someone was hurt.
“Hello,” she called out into the darkness. “Dillon?”
Silence.
Then she heard sobbing. When she tried to focus on what direction it was coming from, she realized it came from inside the fort. Felicity started walking toward the noise. With the howling wind, she couldn’t tell whether she’d imagined it. She focused instead on putting one foot in front of the other. The steps up to the ramparts, and the long hike to the top, left her out of breath.
Felicity came into the inner circle, and at first she couldn’t see anything except a large, dark mass. There was a pile of rocks toward the centre of the fort; she flashed the beam of light in its direction and settled on a smaller lump on the ground.
It was moving, and then it moaned.
She slowly made her way to the body crumpled on the ground, and gasped. Maelíosa was tied with rope, and she’d been beaten up pretty badly. Even with only the light from the flashlight, Felicity noted that Maelíosa had a busted lip and a broken nose. There was a cut across her stomach, surrounded by a dark stain where her shirt had absorbed some of the blood.
Felicity shuffled through her purse, looking for anything she could use to cut the rope. She cursed herself for not being more prepared. “Hold on. I’m going to get you out of here.”
“In my boot. They took my dagger, but they didn’t find the one I keep in my boot.”
She found the knife and began to saw through the rope at Maelíosa’s wrists. “I’m sorry I’m not better at this. Try to hold still so I don’t nick you.”
“Aye, you’re doing it all wrong.”
Felicity laughed nervously. Her adrenaline was pumping. She had to get these ropes off and get them to safety. “Do you think you can walk?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m a fast healer, but being away from the Realm and getting me arse kicked makes it a wee bit slower.”
She winced. Felicity found she really liked Niall’s sister, and she could see the resemblance despite the blood and bruises. They shared the same sense of humour, but she was shorter, slightly rounder, and more smart-mouthed than her brother. The rope was double-tied and hard to cut through. She’d made it through the first binding when Maelíosa sucked in a sharp breath.
“Look up,” she whispered.
Felicity leapt from her crouched position.
“I was wondering when you’d finally get here. You wanted a story. Well…there’s your story. She’s the púca that’s plagued our island,” Caitlin said as she gestured toward Maelíosa.
* * *
There would be hell to pay if anything happened to his sister. The clan was in a frenzy when he’d left. He’d crossed over the veil and headed back to the cottage to meet up with Tomas as planned. When he returned, it hadn’t taken long for him to find Felicity’s note.
Niall,
I’ve gone to Dún Eochla to meet Dillon. He’s the construction worker who came into the pub with a head wound. He says he’s got proof that púca exist. I couldn’t wait for you. I don’t trust him, but if he has your sister, then I need to go help her. Even if he doesn’t, I need to find out what he knows. If I’m not back then you know where to find me.
Felicity
He balled up the paper and threw it. Damn her. He could wring her neck. Of all the stupid things to do… If he lost his sister and his true mate… Niall couldn’t wait for Tomas—he reached out to him with his mind instead.
-Meet me at Dún Eochla. Felicity might be in trouble.-
-Aye.-
He shifted back into his stallion form. The dirt road pounded beneath his hooves. Niall only hoped he wasn’t too late.
* * *
Felicity stared at Caitlin through the darkness. She was still holding the knife, but she’d never used one on anything other than a steak. Despite her fear and seeing what Caitlin had done to Niall’s sister, Felicity had the upper hand. She was also a foot taller and outweighed Caitlin. At least she had that going for her. Her best bet was to keep Caitlin talking and move closer—get the knife within striking distance. Obviously she was behind the whole thing, and Dillon must’ve been working with her. Where was he? She slowly moved toward Caitlin.
“How do you know she’s a púca?” Felicity asked, taking a few more steps toward her.
“You bloody liar! Plague the island… We’re not the ones responsible for any of this. You wait until I get loose,” Maelíosa yelled.
Felicity edged even closer to Caitlin, who’d turned to glare at Maelíosa. Crap. She really wished Maelíosa had kept her mouth shut. Although, if she was arguing with Caitlin, it might give Felicity an opening to use the knife. She moved further away from Maelíosa, using the outburst to inch closer with the blade. She wasn’t entirely confident she’d be good at using it, but she’d worry about that later.
“Shut your bloody mouth before I gag you,” Caitlin said coldly.
Felicity was almost directly in the centre of the fort.
Caitlin circled around Felicity, staying to the edge of the ring fort. She was too far away, out of Felicity’s reach. Felicity imagined Caitlin was deliberately keeping her distance because of the knife in her hand.
“Look at me, not at her,” Felicity said, trying to keep her voice calm. It wasn’t working. The hand holding the knife shook.
For a moment, Caitlin stopped moving. “What do you think yer going to do with that? If you were going to use that on me, then you’d have rushed me already.”
Felicity’s heart was pounding in her chest. She was thinking of running straight at her and shoving the knife wherever she could, but Caitlin continued around the fort, staying close to the wall. By the time she got to Maelíosa, there was a good distance separating them. It was too risky for Felicity to make a move.
Caitlin pulled a rag and some duct tape out of her satchel. She never turned her back on Felicity, even though she seemed unimpressed with the knife she was holding. She stooped slightly and shoved the rag in Maelíosa’s mouth, then covered it with tape.
Fury burned in Maelíosa’s eyes.
Felicity cursed herself for not taking the advantage while she’d had it. She was scared the knife might end up somewhere it shouldn’t. Her women’s self-defence class had given her a healthy fear of weapons being used against the person possessing them.
“Much better,” Caitlin said with a smile.
Oh, my god. She’s mad. “Maybe we could talk?”
“That’s not very polite when
you’re holding a knife. Throw it over there.” Caitlin gestured to the stone wall to the right.
Felicity weighed her options carefully.
“Fine.” Felicity tossed the knife. She was still taller and had a weight advantage on Caitlin. She could take her, and rushing her without a sharp object might work out better anyway. Besides, she still had hairspray in her purse. She was far more comfortable using that than a knife that might end up jabbing the wrong person.
“You wanted a story. I can prove she’s a púca.” Caitlin kicked Maelíosa. “Shift!”
“Stop. I believe you,” Felicity said. It was better to agree with her so she wouldn’t hurt Maelíosa again. She had to wait for the right moment if she was going to win this fight. Let her take a few steps away from Maelíosa, so she wouldn’t get hurt in the process.
Caitlin eyed her sceptically. “You’re just saying that.”
“No, I’m not. I know you’re telling the truth. Niall is a púca too. I believe you.” Felicity knew Caitlin had been groomed to take her aunt’s place, so it wasn’t like she was revealing anything Caitlin didn’t already know.
“Good. I want you to write about this on your blog. I want the world to know.”
“Why?”
“It’s been my family’s legacy to keep their secret and to serve them. I want no part of it.”
“No one’s forcing you.”
“I wasn’t given a choice,” Caitlin snapped. “Besides, this is going to make Dillon and me a ton of money.”
A chill ran down Felicity’s spine. “How?”
“Dillon told Mr. Archer about my family, and when he heard the legend of the púca was real, he jumped at the opportunity.”
“I don’t understand,” Felicity said.
“If the whole world knows about the púca, everyone will come to the island. They’ll need to see for themselves, and of course they’ll need a place to stay. Business for the resort will be booming. Besides, we could use a good tourist attraction aside from these piles of rubble.” She flung her arm toward the rocks in the middle of the fort. “And Mr. Archer is paying us a lot of money.”
Felicity couldn’t believe her ears. “No, I won’t do it. I won’t write your story. It’s not right.”
Caitlin laughed. “Then you’ll die like her, and I’m sure the blog will cover your obituary. We’ll make your death look like a supernatural accident—that will keep the readers riveted, and have them flocking to the island to visit your grave.”
Caitlin stepped away from Maelíosa and turned toward Felicity.
Felicity finally had an opening. Instead of waiting for Caitlin to reach her, Felicity grabbed the hairspray out of her purse. She ran at Caitlin and sprayed her in the face. Felicity tackled her to the ground, punching and pummelling the bloody hell out of her.
Caitlin tried to push her off, but it was no use. She was tiny, and not nearly as strong as Felicity. Plus she was screaming, probably from the burning sensation of hair product stinging her eyes. Served her right.
It would have worked if not for Felicity getting clunked on the head. Her world spun as she rolled off Caitlin. She wasn’t sure what Dillon had hit her with, but he loomed over her as grey spots danced in front of her eyes. She prayed it wasn’t one of those rocks piled in the middle of the fort. Everything went black as she sunk into unconsciousness… knocked out cold.
Episode Four
Chapter 1
Felicity moaned softly. She felt as though she’d been hit by a bus, and her head was killing her. Light danced behind her closed eyelids. She forced herself to open them. They were no longer at Dún Eochla. Their captors had moved her and Maelíosa to an unfamiliar cottage.
Maelíosa was lying on her side across from Felicity, her wrists and ankles bound with duct tape. If not for the gentle rise and fall of her chest, Felicity would have thought she was dead. Aside from her breathing, she was motionless.
“Maelíosa…” Felicity whispered.
Maelíosa didn’t respond. Crap. Felicity was also bound with duct tape at her wrists and ankles, but at least they’d bound her hands together in front of her. Maelíosa’s were trussed together at an impossible angle behind her back. Felicity had to figure out how to get them out of there.
“Maelíosa!” she hissed.
Still no response. Suddenly, Felicity heard arguing from another room. The door was slightly ajar, and she recognized Caitlyn’s high-pitched whine and the lilt of Dillon’s voice. She leaned forward, trying to make out their conversation.
“You shouldn’t have hit her in the head,” Caitlyn hissed, as if afraid they might hear her.
“What would ye rather I’d done? Let her keep blinding you with hairspray and punching you in the gut? It wasn’t like ye were on the winning end of that particular fight.” Dillon’s speech oozed with sarcasm.
Felicity smiled to herself. If Dillon hadn’t knocked her out, she would have won.
“Oh, shut yer hole. If you weren’t so bloody slow getting back to the fort, we wouldn’t be in this position now. And I could’ve taken care of Felicity without yer help.”
Dillon laughed. “Aye, it certainly looked like it.”
Caitlyn muttered something that sounded like a curse. There was a shuffling sound, as if she’d paced to the other side of the room.
“We wouldn’t have had to move them if it weren’t for you. The moment you hit her in the head, that púca bitch blabbed that Felicity is Niall’s true mate. So we’d better pray Felicity wakes up, or we’ll be bloody sorry. She reached out to her brother telepathically because of you!”
Dillon sighed. “Nothing to be done about it now.”
Not that Maelíosa needed to reach out to Niall because Felicity had left him a note letting him know exactly where she’d gone. But now that they weren’t at the ring fort, she couldn’t count on him saving her. She’d have to take matters into her own hands.
“Do you know what that means? She’s his true mate. He will come for her.” Caitlyn’s voice rose an octave. She sounded a little scared. Felicity heard the shuffling footsteps of her pacing again.
Good.
She should be worried. The only thing Felicity regretted was not telling Niall how much she cared about him. If he couldn’t track her scent, or if he was too late, she might not get the chance. Felicity wasn’t about to wait around to find out what her captors were going to do to them. Despite the nausea churning in her stomach and her splitting headache, she had to do something.
“Aye, but Archer is a smart lad. He had us move them. We’ll wait for him like he told us to. He’ll know what to do.”
She certainly didn’t want to find out what Archer had planned for them, either.
“They both have to die. I was hoping the blogger would help us. I had no idea she was involved with Niall,” Caitlyn murmured. “There’s no other choice. We have to get rid of her too.”
Felicity swallowed.
“It’s too late now. We’ll have to wait and see how Archer wants us to stage their deaths,” Caitlyn continued.
Dillon was in the kitchen and moved past the door to the room where they were being held. Felicity could see the agitation lining his forehead. When he turned toward the doorway, she closed her eyes and slumped her head, pretending she was still knocked out. The door creaked.
“This isn’t what I signed up for, Caitlyn. You told me this would be easy,” Dillon said.
Felicity sensed him standing over her. It was time to give the best acting performance of her life. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she forced herself to keep her breathing even. The footsteps came closer.
“And it will be. Think of all the money,” Caitlyn said.
She hoped her playing possum was a convincing act. Maybe if they thought she was still unconscious they wouldn’t keep vigilant watch. It could give her an opportunity to escape. The wheels were already turning in her head, figuring out how to get out of the duct tape. It wouldn’t be easy, but she could manage it with the
room key she had tucked into the front pocket of her jeans.
“Aye, Archer better pay me double for dealing with this,” Dillon said as he nudged Felicity’s foot.
She managed to keep still, even though she hadn’t expected him to touch her.
“Don’t worry, love. We’ll have more than enough money to do anything we want. We can go anywhere. Get off this bloody island,” Caitlyn said. “And you’ll be with me.”
“Aye, and you’d better be worth it.”
Felicity could make out the shadows of movement above her, followed by the soft sounds of kissing. She imagined Caitlyn was showing Dillon exactly how she’d make it worth his while. Disgusting. She and Maelíosa were tied up at their feet, and the two of them were making out. They were both crazy!
Thankfully the kissing stopped.
“I’ll be back later,” Caitlyn said. “I have to fill in for my aunt at the pub again or she’ll be suspicious.”
“If she isn’t already,” Dillon mused.
Caitlyn laughed. “I highly doubt she knows anything.”
“You don’t give her enough credit.”
The sound of their footsteps faded as they moved away from her. The door creaked again as they went back into the kitchen.
“Relax. I’ve known her my whole life. She always sees the best in everyone. She’d never suspect her own kin.”
Felicity heard the door to the cottage swing open and then shut as Caitlyn left. There was a clinking sound from the other room, and she chanced opening her eyes. She could see Dillon through the door, which was open about a foot. He was sitting at a kitchen table in the next room, pouring a shot of whiskey. Felicity half-hoped he’d get piss-drunk and pass out, but she sincerely doubted she’d get so lucky. After all, he was Irish.
Chapter 2
Niall ran a hand through his hair. He was distraught because of the panic in his sister’s telepathic shout. He called to her once more…
