by Laura Howard
Really? I asked.
Yes. More murders have been reported. We need to put an end to it.
Who’s going with you? I asked.
Two of my guards. And Aodhan.
The last part sounded sheepish, even in my mind.
I raised an eyebrow, looking over at her, though her face remained unmoved.
I’ve arranged for Tagdh to stay here and keep an eye on you.
‘Keep an eye on me?’ I asked. It was such a human thing for her to say.
If it’s possible to snort in your mind, that’s what she did. You need to be guarded until Aoife is stopped.
My initial reaction was to tell Niamh I could take care of myself. But images of Aoife killing her advisor, Breanh with only a flick of her wrist, and nearly killing me, flashed before my eyes.
Okay, but Ethan is here, too.
Niamh sped up and spun around so she was running backward, no small feat. She raised one brow before falling back into place beside me.
Surely I don’t have to tell you that your human lover is no match for Aoife.
No. I shook my head. I know that.
Tagdh is very devoted. He won’t intrude. You won’t even know he’s there.
She was trying to reassure me, but all I could think of was an invisible presence watching me no matter what I was doing.
Would you rather I didn’t tell you? Niamh’s voice was sardonic in my mind.
It’s fine, I get it.
I ran on in silence, seeing Niamh wince as we passed through the wrought iron cemetery gates. Together, we slowed to a jog as we made our way back up the road toward the old farmhouse where I grew up.
Follow me to Liam’s house.
I froze. Niamh’s words echoed in my mind, seeming to bounce around inside my skull. Liam’s house…
Without looking at her, I trailed behind as she strode toward the lot next to my grandparent’s house. She silently led me up the long, tree-lined drive, not speaking until we walked through the front door of my father’s house. I bent to stretch my legs by the kitchen counter.
“Do you have any idea where Samantha and Ciarán might have gone?” she asked as she opened the refrigerator.
My eyes widened in surprise, mostly because I hadn’t considered where they were. “I… no, I have no idea.”
“I didn’t think so,” she said, pouring water from a jug into a glass and handing it to me.
I took it gratefully. After gulping it down, I went into the living room and dropped into one of the overstuffed chairs.
Niamh came in right after me and sat on the loveseat across from me. “My mother can’t get a read on them, either.”
“That seems to happen a lot where Aoife is concerned,” I said, crossing my arms. For someone with the ability to see the future, Niamh’s mother Saoirse missed a lot when it came to visions of her other daughter.
Niamh narrowed her eyes at me. “You know it’s the nature of Aoife’s magic that inhibits my mother.”
I uncrossed my arms and shrugged. “That’s what you’ve said, yes.”
She stood with the grace of a dancer and walked to the window looking out on the woods between the houses. “Because it’s the truth.”
Before I could respond, the door from the garage to the kitchen opened and slammed shut. I looked at Niamh, who glanced sidelong at the doorway before meeting my eyes.
Aodhan, she answered my unspoken question.
I walked out to the kitchen, surprised when Niamh didn’t follow me.
Aodhan was a giant of a man. If I’d passed him on the street, I would’ve taken him for a bodybuilder or perhaps a pro wrestler. He stood a full foot higher than my five-foot, six- inches. His auburn hair was shaved tight to his scalp and he dressed in all black. A menacing package.
His face softened from its scowl when he saw me. During our travels together, we’d become friends. He was as close to a big brother as I’d ever get.
“Hey,” I said, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jogging pants. “How are things?”
“Hello, Allison,” he said, his deep voice curling around my name with his thick Irish brogue. So similar, yet so different from my father.
Aodhan and Liam were both born and raised in Ireland. They were bound by their experiences with Danaan princesses.
Liam was born on a farm in the late 19th century. He was lured to Tír na n’Óg by Aoife when he was still deep in her thrall.
Aodhan was the son of a chieftain in the early 17th century. He’d been stolen away by Niamh after he’d suffered a mortal wound during a skirmish with the British.
After a time, they’d both come back to their senses, although not before they’d become more Danaan than human from their time spent in Tír na n’Óg.
“I hear you’re heading back to Thunder Bay,” I said as I leaned my elbows on the counter beside where he had unrolled a nylon bag. It was a mini-arsenal containing knives, guns, bullets and even a small, but deadly-looking axe.
Running one gloved hand over the contents of the bag, he looked up and met my eyes. “That’s right.”
“Do you think I should come?” I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from the lethal weapons.
“No.” His voice was low, but not unkind.
“Okay,” I said, nodding. “Aodhan?”
“Hmm?” he said, pulling out a small throwing knife.
I straightened and clasped my hands together. I knew it was pointless to whisper, but I couldn’t help myself. “What will happen to Aoife if she’s found?”
Aodhan’s jaw muscles went rigid. “I wish I could tell you justice would be served,” he said, looking deep into my eyes.
“But you can’t, can you?” I said.
He stared at me, his jaw working vigorously. “No, I cannot. But, I will tell you this,” he said glancing over my shoulder toward the living room where Niamh still sat. “For Liam’s sake, I will end each and every life that contributed to his death. Before I take my last breath, Aoife’s guards will have taken their last.”
My eyes widened. “Even Ciarán? He didn’t have anything to do with Liam’s death. In fact, he saved my life.”
Aodhan shook his head. “Not Ciarán. It’s his brother Finn I want, along with that witless dastard who follows him around, Seamus.”
“Ugh, Seamus,” a slightly familiar voice said.
Three of Niamh’s guards had come through the front door and were finding seats at the large oak table in the dining room. It was Niall who’d spoken. His chestnut hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, showcasing a handsome face with sharp cheekbones and a wry smile.
“Niall has personal reasons for wanting to end Seamus’s existence,” the female of the group, Bláithín, said. Her short, black hair was combed back from her face, making her appear even more imposing than usual.
At my look, she burst out laughing. For all she looked like a warrior, her laugh was as high and clear as a silver bell.
“Oh, Blá’s right,” Niall said, smirking. “Although she may have more reason than I.”
The third guard, Tagdh, sat back in his chair with his arm slung over the arm rest. Tagdh was Niall’s brother and the first guard I’d ever met. His copper hair was just long enough to curl around the bottom of his ears and his gray eyes were focused on the ceiling.
Bláithín looked at me conspiratorially. “Seamus and I grew up together, you see. Before we took our oaths of service, we were to be bonded.”
Bonding was the Danaan version of marriage. It was rarely an arrangement based on love. Although Niall and Bláithín could never be bonded because of their guard status, I sensed their relationship was more than platonic.
“The fellow didn’t take Blá’s desire to become a guard seriously,” Niall said, snickering.
Bláithín raised one shoulder in a shrug. “My parents tried to negotiate with his parents once I told them what I wanted. Seamus didn’t take it well.”
“That’s an understatement,” Tagdh said dryly, his bland expression never
changing. I glanced over at him in surprise, but he was still intent on something on the ceiling.
I was unexpectedly pleased they were speaking so freely in front of me and I looked between Bláithín and Niall, hoping they’d continue.
“My parents wanted to see me settled before they set off for Magh Mell,” Bláithín said, as though this was perfectly logical. “Becoming a guard was what I wanted. Breeding with the likes of Seamus was not.”
Magh Mell is our version of heaven, Niamh reminded me. She walked into the dining room, taking a seat at the head of the table. I remembered Saoirse speaking of Magh Mell when we’d been in Tír na n’Óg.
Niall looked reverently at Bláithín before meeting my confused look. “He got it in his head that if he could get Blá with child, she’d change her mind. Seems he didn’t take into account she wasn’t willing.”
My expression must have been suitably horrified, because Bláithín and Niall dissolved into laughter again. Even Tagdh looked amused.
“Don’t look so affronted, Allison. The prick didn’t stand a chance,” Bláithín said, still chuckling. I could imagine her putting any man who touched her without permission in his place.
“He may not have taken her body,” Niall said, all traces of humor leaving his eyes. “But the fact that he felt he was entitled to it earned him a special place in oblivion.”
“It’s a pity you didn’t finish them when you had the chance,” Tagdh muttered to Aodhan.
Aodhan looked up from his weapons. “That would have gotten me killed,” he said through clenched teeth. “There is too much at stake for rash decisions.”
I was feeling lost in this conversation. I remembered something about Aoife’s guards being held in fey globes, but I never learned what became of them. I couldn’t understand why they would have been let go. Of course they’d go back to torturing and killing humans and draining their blood.
Tagdh nodded and continued his inspection of the ceiling.
From what I understood, the small levels of magic in human blood enhanced Danaan magic. Aoife had ordered her guards to harvest dozens of humans so she could build up her magic for the ritual she’d performed on Halloween. The plan was to bring Liam back to Tír na n’Óg without a portal. The guards were syphoning some of the magic from the blood for themselves and were as good as addicted.
“While my father has things under control in Aoife’s land, we will head to Thunder Bay and take care of the threat there,” Niamh said, looking at me. Her eyes flitted to Aodhan.
Aoife and Niamh’s father, Deaghlan, had finally seen how serious the situation was in the lands surrounding Aoife’s home in Tír na n’Óg. Both animal and plant life were being extinguished from the taint of iron being released through the portal located in Aoife’s bed chamber.
“Tagdh will remain here while we’re gone, Allison. We won’t leave you unprotected,” Aodhan said as he wrapped the weapons back into their nylon bag.
Niamh and Aodhan had developed an uneasy alliance working together to bring the land back to the lush coastal plain it once was. Niamh’s mother had us believing she planned to close Aoife’s portal to prevent any more traces of iron coming through. News of more killings in Thunder Bay could only mean Finn and Seamus had escaped back to this realm. I’d had my suspicions that Saoirse was responsible for setting Aoife free from the fey globe. Aoife had even told us it was true. But I hadn’t been sure what to believe from Aoife. Was Saoirse really the one responsible? Nothing made sense and I could only imagine there was far more to Saoirse than just a pretty face.
I would expect that sort of thing from Deaghlan. He’d been tormenting me since the moment I’d first met him. Between his talk about how inferior humans were and the way he relentlessly tried to get my ire up, he never felt like much of an ally.
Saoirse was all sweet words and sympathetic glances. I’d always suspected she was more than she seemed. But it was much easier to consider this from Stoneville than from her dining hall with her mesmerizing eyes compelling me to trust her.
Aodhan slung the bag across his back and flicked his chin toward the door. “Are we ready?”
Adjusting the blue bodice, I took a deep breath and opened the dressing room door so Nicole could inspect the fourth dress I’d tried on.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “Oh, Allison,” she said. “This one is even better than the one with the halter.”
I took in my reflection. It was a shimmery, fitted bodice with a flowy silk skirt billowing to the floor. I nodded and smiled at her reflection over my shoulder.
“Absolutely,” I said, forcing enthusiasm into my voice. “This might be the one.”
“I really think so,” she said, circling me. “The cornflower really works. I think I’ll have the other girls wear blue ash. Unless you think the pale lapis would go better?”
She held up the color card and I blinked dumbly. Licking my lips, I took the card from her hand. “Rachel and Stephanie will look perfect in blue ash.”
Nicole’s eyes sparkled and she nodded. I pressed my lips together to hide my anxiety. I was thrilled she was happy, but my mind was a thousand miles northwest. I couldn’t stop thinking about what was happening with Aodhan and Niamh. Were they all right?
The glamoured form of Tagdh standing outside the dressing room reassured me somewhat, but I wanted to be in Thunder Bay with the others. I wanted to be part of… I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be part of exactly, but I wished I was there.
As Nicole chattered about heels and necklines, I tried to nod at all the right times. She deserved better from me. This was one of the most important times of her life and I was anything but present. I needed to at least attempt to be more convincing. If she knew the truth, I had no doubt she’d understand. But she would never know that my indifference to bridesmaid dresses wasn’t because she was unimportant.
“Okay, go ahead and take that one off,” she said, glancing at her watch. “I have an appointment in forty-five minutes with Jeff for a cake tasting.”
I smirked. “Cake tasting? Is that really a thing?”
“Of course it’s a thing,” she said, unamused. “Do you know how many different flavors of cake there are? That’s not even considering the fillings and the frosting.”
I put my hands up and shook my head, laughing at her ruffled expression. “Okay, okay. I won’t make you late for your cake tasting. That should be part of the bridesmaid duties. I would be much better at helping you choose a cake than a dress.”
“One day, it’ll be your turn and then you’ll understand what I’m going through,” she said, tossing the color card at me. I closed the door just in time for it to miss my head and fall to the floor.
“I’m getting married in Vegas,” I said from behind the door, stripping the fabric down.
“You would,” Nicole shouted, but I could hear the smile in her voice. This was how it should be. Nicole was my best friend. She could have asked any of her friends to be her maid of honor, but she chose me. I grinned to myself, glad we had this tiny moment, despite everything.
A muffled voice from the next stall asked her a question.
“Oh, of course,” she said. “Al, I’m just going to run out front for the measuring tape. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” I said, starting to get dressed in my regular clothes.
A moment later, I stepped out of the dressing room, but Nicole hadn’t come back. The girl from the next stall walked out at the same time as me. Ours eyes met as she shut the door behind her with a click. I smiled politely and headed for the door.
But I could feel her still looking at me as I walked toward the exit. One second she was behind me and in an instant, the girl blocked the way out into the main part of the store.
She smiled, her blonde hair framing a pretty, yet unremarkable face.
“Excuse me,” I said, taking a step back.
“Hello, sweet thing,” she said in a sultry voice I recognized immediately.
I tried to
look past her shoulder where Tagdh stood guard, but her laughter rang out and I met her icy blue eyes. Black curls appeared to ripple over her shoulders as the blonde girl transformed into none other than Aoife.
“But, how...” I began, glancing where Tagdh stood moments ago before she cut me off with an eye roll.
“Oh yes, Niamh’s guards are loyal. But even the most loyal servants will fall when they’ve been stabbed with cold iron.”
I looked around the dressing room frantically, trying to come up with a plan of escape. “Where’s Tagdh?”
“My guards have disposed of him,” she said, inclining her head to look into my eyes. “Don’t even bother trying to get away.”
Unable to tear my gaze away from hers, I willed my feet to come unstuck, but I may as well have been standing in quicksand.
“It will be better for everyone if you just come with me. You aren’t going to struggle or make a sound.”
I nodded as a warm, relaxed feeling spread through my limbs. I didn’t want to make a scene in the bridal shop. I would do whatever she asked of me.
We walked out of the dressing room and passed the checkout counter where Nicole still waited to ask for measuring tape. She never even turned around as I walked out the door and into the parking lot.
“As much as I loathe these things, I refuse to carry you,” Aoife said as she stopped beside the passenger door of my small SUV.
“But, my cousin...” I said.
She quirked one dark brow at me. “Not my concern.”
I nodded and opened my door. Aoife climbed in beside me and closed her eyes in disgust.
“How can you stand the smell? Humans are repulsive.”
“What smell?” I asked, confused.
“Pick one,” she said, wrinkling her delicate nose. “The iron, whatever you have in your hair, that blasted air freshener. I can scarcely breathe.”
“Oh.”
I started the engine and looked at Aoife for direction. I wasn’t sure where she wanted me to take her.
She listed off one command after another without telling me our destination. As I drove, I wondered what happened to Nicole. I hoped she remembered to set aside the dress for me. It really had looked nice.
