by Candace Sams
"You doubt my word?” Kathy's low, angry voice came from the other room. She entered the kitchen and glared at him.
"Kathy, love, I don't doubt anything. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of Mabb's behavior."
She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. “Apparently mine, too."
"The Sorceress is asking questions. You know what she does to people who fight."
Kathy walked forward and stared up at him. “Would you excuse us, Cairna? Tearach and I have some things we've got to straighten out.” She waited until the girl left the room. “I don't care what Shayla thinks. I don't give a farthing about what Mabb told you. She came here to take the baby, and I told her what I'll tell you. Nobody takes Tearyn away from me. Nobody."
"Then we'll deal with Mabb later, Kathy. You'll have to tell your side of the story to Shayla. I'm sure she'll be..."
"Never mind about her. I want to know what you believe."
"I believe you. I just want to know how you were able to beat Mabb so badly."
"I've already told you. She may be strong, but she's stupid. I learned how to defend myself after the first time I got the bloody hell beat out of me by a drug addict, in the back of an ambulance."
"Herne's blood, sweetheart. I wasn't that far away. You could have called out."
"There wasn't time. And even if there was, I can take care of myself. Or haven't you figured that out yet?"
He took a long, deep breath. “You shouldn't have to take care of yourself. I'll always be here for you and the baby."
"Are you sure about that?” Kathy walked past him, shouldering him aside as she did so.
"What are you saying?"
"You promised no one would ever take the baby away. You swore the night she was born. Remember?” When he nodded, she continued with, “How do I know there aren't more of your people out there who'll try what Mabb did? She told me the baby should be with her own kind. She said she even took some kind of herbs so her milk would come and she could nurse the baby herself."
"She actually told you that?"
Kathy nodded. Her entire body shook with angry emotion.
Tearach's sympathy for one of his kind was at an end. It wasn't that he hadn't believed Kathy. It was just that he had seriously miscalculated her ability to defend herself. More, she was defending her baby. And she must have been frightened out of her mind to have kept after Mabb the way she did. Apparently, Mabb had greatly misjudged her intended victim as well. He pitied the man or beast who ever tried to come between Kathy and Tearyn. He walked up behind Kathy and pulled her against him. “Don't worry, Kathy. I'll have Mabb sent to the farthest reaches of the Earth. She won't ever touch Tearyn, and I'll make very sure no one else does either.” He paused and slowly turned her to face him. “I'll make it right with Shayla, too. You won't suffer for Mabb's behavior."
Kathy gazed up into his eyes. “But you doubted me."
"No. I guess I just didn't want to believe that Mabb was capable of such a thing. It's hard to understand why someone you've known for so long would betray you in such a way."
"That's exactly why I don't think you can control the others any better. You want to trust them."
"Why shouldn't I trust them? They're my people. The rest of them can't be judged based upon what Mabb did."
"Well, you'll excuse me if I don't buy that. You didn't trust outsiders based upon what only three of them did. And you told me yourself that I should stick by you and not get too close to magical beings I couldn't understand. That was before Tearyn was born. Now, I don't know who I can trust anymore. The first thing you did was chase after Mabb. The baby and I needed you after what she did, and you weren't here. There may be others out there who think just like she does.” She walked away and stood with her back to him. “You can't be here every minute of the day. If I'm going to see to Tearyn's safety by myself, then I might as well be someplace of my own choosing."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm going to ask Shayla if I can move into the castle. There's no sense in sitting in the middle of the woods where anyone can approach whenever they bloody well want to. At least the castle has guards. No one goes in or out without Shayla and her staff knowing about it. The baby may be safer where there are no Goblins."
"You can't be serious. I've told you things will be all right. Mabb's just got some kind of mental problem that needs to be dealt with, and she'll be sent away."
"You'd better pray she does go and that I don't see any threats from any other source. I swear, Tearach, I'll kill the next person who comes near my baby without my permission. That includes Mabb."
"She's my child, too. Or have you forgotten?” he calmly reminded her.
She slowly shook her head. “No, I haven't forgotten. But just like Mabb, you and everyone else looks at her and sees a Goblin baby. Everyone seems to forget that she's half human, too.” She defiantly put a finger to her chest. “I'm her mother, and I shouldn't have to put up with some insane woman coming to my door in the middle of the night, forcing her way in and threatening what I love. Yet you stand there asking questions about my behavior and talk about discussing my actions with Shayla. It's as if any action I took warrants such an examination. You should know me enough by now to trust me. You should believe me when I tell you something is true."
"But you don't trust me, Kathy. At least, that's what it sounds like. I've told you that this will all blow over, that everything will be all right. But you're carrying on like you're paranoid."
She faced him, lifted her head and met his gaze. “Why in hell would I have any reason to feel like that, Tearach? I was kidnapped, sedated, brought here against my will, subjected to Shayla's machinations, and ended up drugged and pregnant with a child whose safety seems to be of little importance.” She paused. “Why in the world would you believe I'm paranoid?"
Tearach just couldn't understand her attitude. While he did remember advising her to be wary of others in the woods, that warning came at a time when he'd been convinced Tearyn would not survive. The whole world had looked forbidding and dark, and he had ranted on about not trusting outsiders because of what a few had done. To her, it must seem as if he was now being impossibly hypocritical. But hadn't Kathy seen the change in his entire outlook? He'd tried so hard to let her know he was a different person than the one she'd first met. And where was the love he was so sure she felt for him? Why was her logic and damnable control flying out the window?
He ran a hand over his face and realized he couldn't forbid her to leave. She'd simply pack up and take the baby with her when he wasn't around, and Shayla would probably go along with her wishes. It was as if a different person had taken Kathy's place. As he saw it, their roles had almost reversed. Perhaps, if he gave her the time she needed to understand that the baby was safe, she'd relent and come back home.
He sighed in resignation and hoped he could make some sense of everything. “All right. I'll take you to the Sorceress as soon as Mabb is moved from the castle. I'm sure Shayla will find some other place for her if she knows you'll be around."
"Fine. Until then ... just give me some space. I'll stay inside the cottage with Cairna and the baby."
Tearach lifted his head, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “If that's what you want."
She nodded and started to leave the room.
"Just one thing, Kathy."
She looked over her shoulder at him.
"I won't be kept from Tearyn. Is that understood?"
Kathy turned away, left the kitchen and went upstairs. She bolted the door to the bedroom behind her.
* * * *
For seven days, Tearach waited for Kathy's anger to abate. Finally, Mabb was moved to a cabin on the outskirts of the woods, and Kathy took up residence in the castle. She seemed more determined to keep Tearyn away from the Goblin population than ever. Tearach didn't have the slightest idea what to do. Shayla told him to keep trying and lectured him on his responsibilities. Even Cairna put in her o
pinion about how he should approach the situation.
It was of little comfort that the remainder of the Goblin faction and the entire Order were horrified by Mabb's actions. They saw Kathy as a sort of savior. But Kathy couldn't know how they felt, because she kept herself cloistered behind the castle walls. It was doubtful she'd listen to any logical explanation in her current mood. Tearach stared at her window during the nights, hoping he'd catch a glimpse of her. He made arrangements to visit the baby, but Kathy was never present. He'd been told she sought Owen's companionship, and she'd even found a way to be of use to him with the medical supplies and minor emergencies that arose.
He began to imagine she might prefer the Druid doctor's presence to his. Druids, after all, were human. They just had special powers. Of all the creatures of the Order, Kathy would be most likely to relate to them best, particularly Owen. They shared a common bond in their medical background.
The more he thought about that situation, the less he was able to control his frustration. Kathy should be with him. They should be making plans to handfast. His agitation drew him to visit the source of the problem. If Mabb's intent was to drive a wedge between him and Kathy, she was succeeding. But he vowed he would remove that impediment, get Kathy back and make a home for his family.
Deciding to try and talk to Kathy once more, Tearach left his work at the Loft and walked toward the castle. Shayla stopped him outside the main entrance. The short story the Sorceress told him finally made sense of Kathy's behavior. Tearach angrily stalked to the far side of the forest, intent on finishing the entire incident. As he approached the cottage where Mabb was recuperating, the guards the Sorceress had placed there acknowledged him and let him enter. Mabb, still bruised and hurt, looked up from where she rested.
"I've been wondering why you haven't been to see me.” She rebelliously shook back her hair as she saw him enter the room. “You need to hear the rest of..."
Tearach raised his hand to interrupt whatever she would have said. He stiffly stood before her. “No more lies, Mabb. I know Kathy didn't attack you. I wanted to believe you weren't capable of such a deed. That you wouldn't actually go into someone's home and try to take an innocent child away from her parents."
Mabb stared at the floor. “You'd rather believe her than one of your own kind?"
He slowly shook his head. “Kathy is my kind. And there's something very wrong with you, or I'd ask the Sorceress to do worse than just send you away.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he turned his back on her. “As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer one of us. You don't exist. You'll be sent to a small section of woods in Germany. At the Sorceress’ request, some Gnomes there will make sure you don't leave."
She gasped and tried to rise from her chair. “Tearach, don't do this. That woman isn't worth it."
"Kathy will be my handfasted mate, and there's nothing you will ever do to stop it. I won't have you near her or the baby."
"She attacked me. Why won't you listen? I'm one of your own people. That woman's kind all but destroyed us. She'd say anything to have you, but you should be with me. I'm the one who ... Tearach! Wait, don't go. Tearach!"
He slowly walked out of the cabin and never looked back. As badly as he felt for Mabb, and as ashamed as he was of her behavior, her shouts fell on deaf ears. If there weren't so few of his kind left, Mabb would have already been subjected to a worse punishment than banishing. But he was now convinced she actually believed Kathy had attacked her. It was probably the only way the woman's mind could reconcile the beating she'd received from an outsider. He finally understood Kathy's attitude. She'd seen some ill intent in Mabb that he and others hadn't. Until now.
Mabb was so far into another reality that she posed a real threat. Word had come to Shayla that the Goblin woman was trying to convince others that Kathy shouldn't keep the baby or remain safely within the Order. According to the Sorceress, Mabb even told her guards how she planned to kill the outsider and tried to enlist their help to do it. That no one was listening didn't seem to stop Mabb's malicious plotting. She didn't even realize that reports of her schemes and odd behavior had finally reached the Sorceress’ ears, as well as his. Mabb should have been aware something was very wrong when no one, including the Sorceress, visited her. But her mind was gone. Hatred had destroyed the better part of it. Just as it had almost destroyed his.
Despite it all, Tearach could still summon a small amount of sympathy. Upholding his former bitter beliefs was partly responsible for the way Mabb had acted. Because of this, he felt serious remorse for his own behavior and contrition for Mabb and her predicament. And he knew it was good she was being sent away instead of being killed. But Herne only knew what would have happened if Kathy hadn't fought like a wild animal. Their baby might never have been found, and the woman he loved might have died. He picked up speed and ran most of the way to the castle. Kathy was going to listen to him if he had to tie her into a chair and sit on her.
He ran through the castle door, up the stairs and down the hall to where he knew Kathy's room was located. He was just in time to see Owen leaving her quarters. Something in his blood began to boil. He had been through enough. All he wanted was to be with his woman and child, to live as normal a life as they could, under the conditions that existed within the Order.
"Is there something wrong with Kathy or the baby?” he angrily asked, his eyes narrowing. Owen had no business in her room unless there was a very good reason. Tearach recognized the feeling tormenting him as jealously. Its pettiness wasn't worthy of him, but the emotion was still there.
"No. In fact, I'd say they're both in excellent health. I just gave them an exam and can't find a single thing wrong with either of them."
Tearach's hands clenched. When he spoke, his voice conveyed frustration, anger and impatience. “Maybe I should have made it clear that Kathy wasn't to be examined without my being present."
Owen looked him over. “Don't use that cocky tone of voice with me, Goblin. If you're looking for a fight, you just might get one. And in case you haven't heard, Kathy is quite capable of making her own decisions."
"That's right,” Kathy replied as she opened door and stared at both of them.
"I have to talk to you,” Tearach said as he turned to face her. “Alone."
Owen put his hands on his hips and glared at him. “Shall I call the guards and have him hauled off, Kathy? We can always take him back down to the dungeon."
She rolled her eyes and let out a long breath. “No, Owen. Please, just leave us alone."
Owen glanced at them both. “All right. But just give a shout if you need anything."
Tearach refused to move and Owen was forced to shoulder his way around him. Kathy pursed her lips and moved back into her room.
Tearach followed, closing the door behind him. “Why didn't you have someone come get me?"
"For what?” Kathy feigned innocence.
"You know what I'm talking about,” Tearach muttered between clenched teeth.
"If you're talking about Owen and my exam, I told you that I'd do it at my convenience. There was no need to pull you away from work. Besides, you don't tell me what to do.” Kathy leaned against a bedpost and stared at him.
Tearach pushed his hair back in exasperation. “Is that the way things are going to be? Each of us defying the other just to make a point? Expounding on our rights instead of talking about how we feel?"
Kathy sighed heavily and walked toward a window. “What do you want, Tearach? You didn't come here to argue about Owen. You know he's just a friend."
"Do I?"
She turned quickly around. “You're not jealous, are you?"
He walked toward her. “What if I am? What if I'm a big, insecure, green idiot who doesn't want another man looking at you? Ever."
She tried, unsuccessfully, not to smile. “Well ... if it's a jealousy thing, you don't have any reason to worry. I'm not interested in him that way. And green would be the right color for that emotion."
/> Tearach ignored the last part of her statement. “I trust you, Kathy. It's him I'm worried about.” He walked toward her until she backed into a wall. When she could go no further, he placed his palms against the wall, on either side of her head.
Kathy didn't resist. Her gaze met Tearach's, and his dark eyes were mesmerizing. “Why did you come?"
"To stop this insanity.” He slowly smiled and brushed his lips across her forehead.
Kathy couldn't be angry with him when he smiled like that. She grinned at his blunt statement. “And, um, what insanity would that be?"
"You know,” he responded. “This business where you keep yourself locked away, and I have to pray to Herne just to get a glimpse of you.” He slowly lowered his head, but Kathy ducked under his arms and walked away.
"I hear what you're saying, but that's not going to do it. You can try using that magnificent charm, but that isn't what I want from you."
He slowly turned away from the wall, determined that she would know how serious he was. “I'm sorry, Kathy. Sorry I didn't completely accept your word about what happened."
"Go on,” she urged. She raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.
She wasn't going to make it easy. “I apologize for letting Mabb get between us. You were right. Her current state of mind makes her a definite danger. I should have listened to you the night the fight occurred and stayed by your side. “But you were wrong about one thing. The rest of the Goblins aren't like Mabb. Since the incident, all they've done is express their remorse and disgust over her actions. I know you didn't come to this place willingly, but no one wants to hurt you or the baby. There'll be no more of Mabb's plotting or manipulations. The Sorceress is sending her away, with my full approval. And part of what happened is my fault. Mabb's anger toward outsiders is a reflection of the way I once felt. If I'd been a better leader, maybe she'd have been more tolerant. But I'll say it again. Mabb was on her own when she came to the cottage. No one wants to take Tearyn away or hurt her.” He paused and pointed out the window. “There are people in the woods out there who don't even know you yet, and they'd give their lives to protect you, the baby and anyone else in the Order."
