by Donna Grant
“Then let me change your mind. One thing we did often was hike and climb. We often freebase climbed, which means without the assistance of ropes. We were that good. Mum had been doing it all her life, and she taught me and Molly. I had been out late the night before, meeting the Light Fae. I was tired, and I didn’t want to go climbing. Mum said that we were using the ropes that day because I was cranky. Molly laughed, but Mum was angry. I think she had an idea of what I had been doing. I didn’t want her in my business. I thought I was old enough to make my own decisions. I knew that if she began to dig into my affairs, I would move out.” Sorcha paused and swallowed.
Cathal watched as she tugged on some of the skin up near her thumbnail. She didn’t seem to notice. She was too far into her memories.
“Sure enough, Mum began asking who I had been meeting. I refused to tell her. All I wanted to do was finish with the climb and get back home so I could change and go and meet him again. I was in the lead, with Mum and then Molly behind me. I clipped us in. I heard it. I know I did it.”
Cathal couldn’t take his eyes from her. She looked straight ahead, but her gaze was unfocused. Without a doubt, she was living it all over again as she told him the story.
“I wouldn’t have been so careless as to risk their lives,” Sorcha said in a soft voice. She blinked rapidly for a moment before a tear escaped to drop onto her cheek. She didn’t wipe it away as she continued. “I told Mum that it was none of her business and to leave me alone. I was in the process of trying to get a handhold when my fingers slipped. I had a firm grip with my other hand as well as both footholds. I gave my other arm a moment of rest and looked down at my mum and sister. Molly was telling me how selfish I was being as she climbed. Mum was looking up at me, her expression filled with worry. The moment she said my name, I turned away and reached for my next handhold. There was a snap. It was so loud that I hear it in my dreams sometimes.”
Cathal slowly sat forward. He needed to get closer to Sorcha, but he didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts. Not so much because he wanted to hear the story, but because he wasn’t sure what would happen to her if he did.
She swallowed loudly. “Then I felt something pull against the ropes around my waist. Before I could even look down, I heard Molly call for Mum. I didn’t panic. Neither did Molly. This wasn’t the first time we’d slipped. Mum was calm and patient as she helped Molly find her footing.” Sorcha’s gaze shifted to him then. “As I looked down at them both, I happened to look over to where I’d clipped us in. The carabiner wasn’t locked into place. I realized at that moment that Mum was taking the brunt of the pull from Molly. She was holding it off me so we didn’t all fall. I tried to climb down and reclip us, but when I did, it caused Mum to lose her grip. Still, none of us got flustered. To do that is certain death.”
Cathal gave her a nod and scooted toward her.
“When Mum lost her grip more, the weight she’d been holding came to me. Any other day, I would’ve had no problem supporting them both. I’d done it before. But the night before, I’d been out too late, drank too much, and I hadn’t slept. I was in no condition to be the lead. I knew everything came down to me holding on, but that awareness seemed to make every muscle in my body shake from exertion. I focused on keeping my foot and toe holds. Molly had never taken so long to get her grips. I didn’t realize that when she slipped, she’d cut her finger. Mum managed to lock in place and take some of the weight from me. The last thing I should’ve done was relax, but I did. I don’t even know what happened because I didn’t look down. All I know is that Molly screamed. Mum began yelling, telling her to stay calm. I managed to look at them. Mum must have seen that I wouldn’t be able to take any more weight. I knew if I didn’t do something that they were going to die. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I used magic.”
Cathal looked down at her hands to see that she had torn the hangnail off and her finger was bleeding. He rose and went to the other end of the sofa next to her chair and covered her hands with his, using his magic to stop the bleeding.
Sorcha looked at him then. “And it killed them.”
Chapter Eleven
The wave of guilt threatened to drown her, but Sorcha didn’t stop it. It’s what she deserved. Her mother and sister had counted on her, and she’d let them down.
“I know that isn’t true. Because if it was, you’d have red eyes, or you’d be a drough. And you’re no evil Druid.”
The sound of Cathal’s deep voice was soothing. She looked up into his face to find him near her. No matter what she did, she couldn’t look away from his scarlet eyes. One of his hands covered both of hers. It was large and comforting, just like his voice. Sorcha shook her head. “The magic I used was meant to clip the rope into place and secure us. It didn’t. My magic had never missed before. Mum kept telling me that she had the strength to hold Molly. I knew she did. Even with my sister injured. It should’ve worked. But everything that could’ve gone wrong that day did. I could do nothing as Mum’s foot slipped, and they both tumbled down to our last hook in. Do you have any idea how it feels to be safe and see your family fall? There was no time for magic, no time for anything. The next moment, they were both dead.”
Saying it aloud dredged it all up again. Sorcha had cried so many tears throughout the years, but each time she remembered that day, she cried all over again. She had never felt so helpless or defenseless in her life. She was a Druid from one of the strongest groups in the world. And she hadn’t been able to save her family.
“Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” Cathal said.
She snorted and lowered her gaze to look at their hands. “If I hadn’t been out late the night before, if I hadn’t taken the lead, if my magic had worked, if—”
“You could do that for eternity. Whether you want to hear this or not, your mum and sister were there, as well. They hold some of the responsibility. You said yourself that all three of you were experts. I saw you at the cliffs in Ireland. I can tell how good you are. I may not have known your mother, but she doesn’t sound like the type of woman who would’ve let you take the lead if she didn’t think you could handle it.”
Sorcha shrugged. “It was a climb we’d made many times.”
“Accidents happen. That doesn’t mean you’re to blame just because you survived.”
“I wish I could believe you, but I was there. I witnessed all of it.”
He licked his lips and briefly lowered his gaze. “Had your sister ever cut her finger before on a climb?”
“No, but I have. It makes it impossible to climb.”
“You couldn’t have possibly known that she’d do that.”
Sorcha smiled. “I know what you’re doing, but the simple fact is, if I’d made sure we were clipped in, none of that would have happened.”
“You can’t know that for sure.”
“Neither can you. I didn’t take the climb seriously. It was one of the rules my mother had. None of us climbed unless our heads were completely in it. You had to have total concentration, or you could fall.”
His nostrils flared as he held his gaze. “It sounds like none of you had full concentration that day if you were arguing.”
Sorcha parted her lips to respond when she realized that he was right. “That doesn’t take away my culpability, however.”
“It was a tragedy to be sure. You hate the Fae because had you not been talking with one, you wouldn’t have stayed out or kept secrets from your family,” Cathal pointed out. “You don’t do magic because you feel like it let you down when you needed it the most. You don’t leave the house because you don’t feel as if you should be living while your family is gone. And you don’t want to be a part of anything to do with the Druids because you think you don’t deserve it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You got all of that by my story?”
“No,” he said softly. “I got all of that by watching you, hearing the story, and feeling your emotions.”
Sorcha looked a
way, feeling more vulnerable and exposed than she had in a very long time. She hadn’t told a single person that story. Not Corann, not her friends, not the authorities. No one. When the police asked her questions, it was just to confirm that it had been an accident. She’d wanted to tell them the truth, but she hadn’t been able to get the words out.
Cathal blinked, his forehead furrowing. “Bloody hell. You think the authorities should’ve locked you away.”
“How do you do that?” she asked. “I said nothing aloud.”
“It’s all over your face.”
Sorcha shrugged. “It’s true. I do feel like I should be in jail. Everything you said before was right. Except I would add that I should be behind bars, not living my life.”
“You didn’t kill your mother and sister,” Cathal stated firmly. “Corann must have known that as well, or he wouldn’t have stayed by your side.”
Now it was her turn to frown. “You knew Corann?”
“I didn’t know him personally, but I knew of him.”
“Who are you?” Because one thing was for certain, he wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met before.
Cathal couldn’t hold her gaze. “You know who I am.”
“No, I don’t, actually. You’re a Fae with a Dark’s coloring, but you don’t act like any Dark I’ve heard about. You just seem…different.”
“Because I am.”
“I opened up to you and told you my deepest, darkest secret, and you can’t even tell me who you are?” Sorcha pulled her hands from his and got to her feet. She walked away from him a few paces before she stopped and looked back. “I’ve told you things I’ve never shared before. Not because you forced me but because I wanted to. You’re the first stranger that has been inside this house in years. You sought me out. Why? Just to tell me I’m a Halfling? Why does it matter what’s in my blood?”
Cathal slowly got to his feet. “Because you’re in danger.”
“From some Fae wanting to sleep with me to get me pregnant?” She laughed and quirked a brow. “That wouldn’t happen to be you, would it? I mean, if I was ever going to take a Fae to my bed, I have to admit, you definitely fit the bill.”
To her shock, he seemed unable to find words.
“Is that it?” she pressed. “You saving me in Ireland, you rescuing me from the Light Fae at the pools, and then coming here and healing my ankle. Was it all a setup for you to get into my pants?”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head.
She shrugged and let her arms fall to her sides. “I’ll be honest, it’s been a very, very long time since I’ve had sex. I might have forgotten how to do it, actually. But at the end of the day, I’m not interested in anything like that. Not with anyone. Even you, as hot as you are. And the very last thing I want is to get pregnant.”
“Then you better do the ritual.”
Sorcha rolled her eyes and walked to the door. “Thank you for the information. I’ll consider it, but I think it’s time you left.”
At that exact moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by a woman’s Irish voice. “Cathal, you need to get out here!”
“What the hell?” Sorcha asked as she gaped at Cathal. “Did you think I was into threesomes? Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder.”
Cathal strode past her. “This is nothing sexual. The Fae are surrounding your house, vying to get to you. The moment you leave for anything, they’ll pounce on you like that Light Fae did today. And no, whatever you may think of me, I haven’t done any of this just to get into your pants. As appealing as that may sound.”
Sorcha was so shocked at his words that she could only look at him as he removed her hand and opened the door. Then she found herself staring at a gorgeous Dark Fae female with long, black and silver hair that was done up in numerous small braids. Her red eyes landed on Sorcha before she beckoned to Cathal with a long, red nail.
“Things are getting pretty intense out here, big guy,” the woman said.
Cathal looked at Sorcha. “No matter what happens, stay inside the house. You’re protected in here.”
Before she could even nod, he shut the door as he walked out. Sorcha rushed to the window and jerked open the curtains, but there was no sign of either of them. She blinked before running to another window, then another, and another, and another. It didn’t matter where she looked, she couldn’t see Cathal or the woman. She didn’t have any lights outside the house, but the moon was nearly full and shed enough light on the land to make it easy to see. Sorcha was turning away when she saw something along the fence that separated her property from her neighbor. There was a man there. Just standing. Not far from him was another figure.
She jerked back and quickly snapped the curtains closed, utterly unnerved. Sorcha looked around the cottage to find all the drapes open. She hastily shut them and then went back to her chair and wrapped her arms around herself.
Her ears strained to hear anything, but only silence met her. Everything Cathal had told her came back to her in stereo. She couldn’t stop thinking about the men she’d seen along the fence. Were they the Fae Cathal had said were coming to impregnate her? If they were, she had a feeling they wouldn’t care if they forced her or not.
The notion caused a chill to race down her back. It was one thing to think Cathal had come to woo her to have sex, and quite another to imagine some Fae raping her. And all she had to do was think about the Light Fae at the Fairy Pools. He simply hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer. If Cathal hadn’t been there…
“And I just blew him off,” she said with a shake of her head. She couldn’t believe he had actually found her house and tried to talk to her again.
If it had been Sorcha, and she’d been treated the way she had done with Cathal, she would’ve gone the other way. It just proved once more that the Fae didn’t act anything like how she’d thought a Dark should act. Then again, all she had to go on was what she’d been told about the Dark Fae—that they were evil.
And the red eyes, along with the silver in the hair, pretty much made that easy to spot.
Droughs, however, weren’t so easy to distinguish from the mie. Sometimes, a Druid didn’t know until it was too late. With the Fae, they could use glamour to hide their true colors, so to speak. But she didn’t think Cathal used glamour with her. In fact, he’d said that he should have used it so she didn’t see his Dark coloring.
Why had he shown her who he was? Was it because he wanted to see how she reacted? Or was it because he didn’t care?
Minutes crawled by as she stared at the door, wondering and waiting to see what was going on outside with Cathal, the Dark female, and whoever else was out there. The woman had made it seem as if there were others that needed to be dealt with. Even Sorcha had seen the men along the fence. Is that who the woman had been talking about?
Sorcha had started to nod off when something made her open her eyes to find Cathal and the woman standing in her living room. Cathal’s shirt was torn, giving her a glimpse of his chiseled abs. He was breathing hard, and his long hair had come loose from its queue. Sweat soaked his shirt and lined his brow. The woman held her side as she clenched her teeth together. Her face was smudged with mud, and her black clothing was smeared with grass and dirt.
Sorcha jumped to her feet. “What happened?”
“We took care of the fekkers,” the woman said. Then she grimaced. “Sorry. I’m Aisling, by the way.”
Sorcha looked from Cathal to Aisling. “Hi.”
“They’re gone for now, but they’ll be back,” Cathal said.
Aisling pulled her hand away from her side to reveal a wound. After looking at it briefly, she said, “I hope so. Tonight was fun.”
Cathal grunted, but his gaze was on Sorcha.
“Are you hurt?” she asked him.
Aisling answered. “We heal. Don’t worry about us.”
“Oh,” Sorcha said, hating to miss an excuse to touch Cathal’s fine body once more. Then she frowned. “How did you t
wo get in?”
Cathal shrugged one shoulder. “We’re Fae.”
“But if you can get in, can’t the others?” she asked.
Aisling’s red eyes snapped to Cathal. “Did you not tell her?”
“I hadn’t gotten to that part yet,” he said as he turned his head to Aisling.
Sorcha raised her brows. “Perhaps now would be a good time.”
“They want you,” Aisling said. “And they’ll do anything to get to you. As far as we can see, there is only one old ward on the property to keep the Fae out. It’s weathered and worn. We’re not sure how much longer it’ll hold.”
Sorcha didn’t miss the fact that Aisling had said it would keep the Fae out. If both she and Cathal were Fae—and they certainly looked Fae—then how did they get in? Sorcha kept that tidbit to herself for the moment. It wasn’t the first time that something like this had been said. After all, Cathal had mentioned that he’d once been Dark. As if he weren’t anymore.
“So, what do we do now?” Sorcha asked.
Cathal shook his head as he looked at Aisling. “We should be fine tonight. It’s tomorrow I’m worried about.”
“They’ll be back soon, and probably with more numbers,” Aisling added. “We should probably get a few more to help us.”
Cathal’s lips twisted. “I’m not sure that’s an option.”
“I’m pretty sure it is,” Aisling replied.
Sorcha didn’t like feeling as if they kept secrets from her. There was definitely something going on, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Besides, she was still wrapped up in learning that she was a Halfling, finding out that her mother had many secrets, and remembering what had happened to her family. It was almost too much for her to take in.
Add to that was the fact that she’d just learned some Fae wanted to put their seed inside her… Yeah, she teetered on the edge of fuckery the likes of which she’d never experienced before.
“What if I went somewhere more secure?” Sorcha asked.
Two pairs of red eyes swung her way. Cathal was the first to speak. “We just need to keep you guarded until the ritual.”
