I got up and followed him into the cottage, feeling like it had been eons since we’d last been here when in reality it had been less than forty-eight hours. How the mighty has fallen—flat on her back. I sighed mentally. I paused in the doorway, unsure what to do. There were a number of creatures gathered around the table, all of whom looked human but collectively they gave out waves of power that made my skin want to crawl off the muscle. Of course, had any of them meant me harm they would have had all the time in the world to act on it because I just stood there, the fight-or-flight instinct equally entrenched in my conscious mind as the two warred internally for superiority. I’d have to lose the logic and internal monologues in critical situations or I was going to end up dead, and probably sooner rather than later.
“Maddy,” Bahlin said, drawing me forward with a reach of his hand, “come meet some of my friends and family.”
His family? Oh shit. Brylanna had been bad enough. I didn’t need to meet any more people she could influence, or had already influenced, to dislike me. I shook my head in the smallest motion I could, staring at him.
“No, Bay,” I breathed quietly. “I’ll just, um, I’ll wait outside while you catch up with everyone, okay?” I asked, assuming we’d be going to London via car again. I began backing up slowly, a reverse death march, the tension radiating off me as our arms pulled tight against one another.
Bahlin tightened his hand and gave a gentle yank forward to make me quit pulling. “Stop,” he said, soft enough to be personal but loud enough that it wasn’t private. “I want you to meet my ma and da, as well as my younger brother Aiden. There are several members of our wyvern here too. Let me introduce you?”
He scored major points for asking instead of demanding that I concede. I nodded as slightly as I had moments before declined, and he grinned again. He shifted his hand so our fingers laced together without a conscious thought on my part and he pulled me gently to his side, walking me back into the room. Introductions were made all around before I finally came face to face with his immediate family. Brylanna stood there, proud and tall, smirking at me as if she was in on some dirty little secret that I wasn’t going to like. Next to her was a younger man who, with the exception of the dark blue eyes and his brother’s extra height, was clearly the spitting image of the woman seated in front of him. This had to be Aiden. Which meant the woman in front of him was his mother, Bahlin’s mother. She stood and I was shocked to see she was a petite little thing with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was nothing in size like the gargantuan children she’d given birth to. She smiled at Bahlin and wrapped him in a hug as only a mother could, clearly adoring him and embarrassing him in one economical movement. The man seated next to her at the head of the table was a behemoth of a man. Bahlin looked exactly like him in every way—dark blue eyes, burnished hair, high cheekbones, full mouth, broad shoulders, roughly the size of a small country.
“Maddy, allow me to introduce my da, Leith, and my ma, Adelle. The young lizard behind them is my little brother, Aiden. My da is the ruling Glaaca, or head of the wyvern.”
Bahlin’s parents took turns shaking my hand, and his mother encouraged me to fix myself a quick meal while she busied herself loading a up a small trough for Bahlin. Leith looked me over very thoroughly, giving nothing away.
“Da?” Bahlin asked, his tone cool and careful.
“So she’s our new Niteclif?” Leith asked in an insolent tone.
“She is,” Bahlin answered, his voice hardening just a bit. If I hadn’t seen his mother’s hand jerk as she lifted a spoon of mashed potatoes from the sideboard I wouldn’t have realized anything was wrong. Thankfully I had that small bit of warning, otherwise I would have likely fallen over at Leith’s next comment.
“So you’ve taken to sporting with her already, son? Awfully quick, even for you.” His tone was cold. Adelle looked from one man to another, clearly shocked at her husband’s rudeness but unsure what to do with herself. She finally pulled out a chair at the table and dropped her head in her hands, not in a defeated manner but more a frustrated one. Behind Leith, Brylanna paled a bit.
“Maddy, I’m going to ask you to step outside for a moment,” Bahlin said, his tone so cold I drew my hand from his instinctively. He turned to look at Brylanna and said, “Why, piuthar?”
Brylanna lifted her chin and said, “You know why and she should too. You have been sporting with her, but have you been honest with her, Bahlin?”
I’m not sure what the final straw was, whether it was Leith’s rudeness or Brylanna’s, but between the fae, the dragons and the murder-minded magicians, I’d had enough with the cloak and dagger shit. I rounded on Brylanna and said, “All right already. You’ve hinted again and again that there’s something I need to know. Here’s your opportunity. Give it your best shot, you fire-breathing, scale-sporting, knobby-spined bitch.”
She stared at me for a split second and then laughed with wicked glee as if I hadn’t spoken. “So you’ve truly not told her then?” The look of pale fear on Bahlin’s face was her answer. “Fine. I will. Madeleine Dylis Niteclif, I had a vision about you before you arrived. You would be a woman fair of face, sharp of mind, with fresh grief your heaviest burden. You would be vulnerable to empathy, despise sympathy and be so hungry for a sense of belonging that you would be willing to accept your lot as Niteclif with only limited explanation and minor manipulation. Better yet, you were predestined to fall in love with a male member of the High Council and forsake yourself for the opportunity to be loved. That member of the High Council would gain in power and influence for being in your bed and would end up being the first individual ever to lead the Council. This meant there would be a competition to get you on your back. And the man that first won the right to rut with you would break your heart.” Brylanna’s grin faltered as she watched my face, stepping back from me as I processed her prediction.
“Who knew this?” I asked. No one answered me and I yelled, “Who knew?”
“The High Council and our wyvern,” Brylanna answered with new trepidation, obviously afraid of the crazed woman I had morphed into as I stood there and digested her little newscast.
“Looks like you win the prize for biggest bitch I’ve ever met, Brylanna.”
It was so quiet that the tick of the water heater seemed to boom and echo in the room. I turned on my heel and walked slowly to the front door, but not before I looked at Bahlin with bitter eyes.
“Maddy, wait,” Bahlin said, grabbing my arm.
I looked down at his hand and said in a deliberately soft voice, “Get your damned hand off of me you pestilant ball sack. You’ve lost the right to touch me, Bahlin. Don’t you dare speak to me. Not when you’ve lied to me and manipulated me from the beginning. Don’t. You. Dare.” He dropped his hand, and I walked out the front door without another word.
Chapter Fourteen
The sound of raised voices exploded as the door shut and latched behind me with a distinct click. I could hear snippets of the developing argument as I walked down the lane leading from the house. Male voices were raised in anger, interjected now and then with a softer voice—likely Bahlin’s mother. Brylanna’s voice was suspiciously absent.
I had no idea where I was going to go, but I knew I had to get away from here. I picked up the pace, breaking into a slow jog. What had been a lovely night had, appropriately, turned misty and cold. I shivered in my jacket, though whether it was from the chilly night air or my frozen soul was beyond me. I felt like such a fool. I’d done everything Bahlin had told me to do from the moment he’d shown up in my dream. He’d dictated my acceptance of my heritage by manipulating my emotions. He’d set the pace of the investigation by using what he learned of me to influence my decision-making. And he’d coerced me into his bed and wormed his way into my heart by playing on my need to be loved. Worst of all was that I’d fallen for every single bit.
I tripped over an unseen rock and went to my knees. I stayed there for a moment, unable to move, the tea
rs dripping off the end of my nose. When had I started crying? I heard a car start and I scrambled to my feet, brushing my hands off on my jeans. I took a few running steps and realized I’d never make it far enough down the single lane road to pick up another ride before the driver of the car caught up to me. Looking over my shoulder I saw headlights swing away from the garage, twin shafts of light slicing through the night as the car started down the long, desolate drive. I hopped over the low stone fence into the bordering pasture and lay on my stomach, face-down on the ground so that the majority of my pale skin was covered by either clothing or my dark hair. The sound of the car’s engine got closer and closer, finally roaring passed me. I’d made it farther from the house than I’d originally thought. I was relatively certain that Bahlin was driving. If it was him, he was unquestionably looking for me. Fine. Let him look. I lay there on the cold, wet ground and rubbed furiously at my eyes. I didn’t feel I had any room available for new grief in my heart when I hadn’t yet fully processed the grief of losing my parents. Bahlin didn’t deserve to share space with them. Instead, he’d have to settle for being a nasty little black piece of my mind, or a kernel of hate in my gut, or something cold and calculating in my soul. Because my heart was not his. Period.
The car came roaring back down the lane, and I stayed hidden behind the stone fence. I heard gravel scatter as the car ground to a halt in the dooryard of the house, and the driver’s door slammed seconds later. Shouting renewed inside the house, but I was up and moving as soon as I knew the lights of the car were extinguished. I figured if I could get to the road I could either hitch a ride back to the city or find my way into a town where I could rent a car. I jogged slowly away from the house, startling a hare from the feverfew that dotted the field. Cows lowed nearby and in the distance a dog barked, universal country sounds made ominous by the night. This was particularly true considering the cú sith that had been killed, the shapeshifters and vampires I now knew existed, the wizard I knew was hunting me, and the dragon wyvern that was arguing somewhere behind me. I jogged a little faster.
The general quiet made it impossible to ignore the hurt careening through my mind. I’d never felt so betrayed in all my life. The entire High Council had known I’d fall for one of the men, and both Bahlin and Tarrek had tried to influence me into choosing them. Hellion had left me alone, though Gretta had probably had something to do with that. Who would I have chosen had Tarrek been around? I wondered. Because his absence had made Bahlin’s job a great deal easier. I stumbled to a stop. Tarrek’s absence… What if Bahlin had done away with Tarrek? What if Bahlin had set everything up to make it appear he was innocent when in reality he wasn’t? What if he’d had something to do with the murders? It had been all too easy to not look too closely at him when I was in his bed. But now that that was resolved, I probably needed to think about what he stood to gain. Truthfully I couldn’t get my mind in the game at the moment, so I vowed to consider him carefully after a solid night’s sleep and some emotional distance. Of course, that might mean I didn’t get around to him for months. Speaking of the High Council, though, I was never going to make the meeting. Too bad. They’d just have to understand. I choked a bit, picking up the pace. They’d all been in on the joke. I’m sure they’ll understand just fine when they get a new seer to announce that I’ve been used as predicted, I thought, continuing to berate myself for my stupidity as I jogged on.
I rounded a small hill and saw an overhang of rock as the sky transitioned from spitting a heavy mist to dropping a light rain. Grateful that something had gone right tonight, I sprinted for cover. I bent at the waist, flicking water from my hair and shaking out my jacket before I curled up in a small ball, thankful I wasn’t any more wet that I was. Depression rolled around me like a riptide and pulled me under, forcing me into sleep. And without Bahlin’s heartbeat to soothe me, I dreamed.
“Maddy,” said a soft voice behind me. “Maddy, can you hear me?”
I turned, taking in my surroundings as I sought the familiar voice. I was in the small living area of a crofter’s cottage, and it was dark outside. I could hear the rain pattering on the thatched roof, and it was a comforting, homey sound. The room was warm. I was grateful for the heat emanating from the fireplace. Small wooden furniture dotted the room, and a large quilt-covered bed stood in the corner. I was so tired. I took an involuntary step toward the bed before I remembered the voice. I looked at the table and there he was.
“Tarrek!” I took three large steps toward him.
“Stop,” he commanded, and I froze, my momentum so impeded that I took a stumbling step forward before I could right myself, throwing out my arms to regain my balance.
“What is it?” I asked in an alarmed voice, looking around the room again.
“I must ask you—is Bahlin with you?” Something was off. He seemed different, almost gaunt, and his eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal’s.
“No, he’s not here. Why?” I asked.
“The High Council is no longer safe, Maddy. I must insist you keep our conversation private. I am in Scotland somewhere near Castle Duncan. You must come for me before the new moon rises or all is lost. I do not know…” He looked around me and asked, “If Bahlin is not here, where is he?”
I shrugged, uncomfortable. “We’ve had a bit of a parting of ways.” I looked out the pitch-dark windows. It felt like the night was outside looking in. I shivered despite the heat from the fire.
“What happened?” he asked in a deadly voice. “Tell me.” He slapped his hands on the wooden table hard enough to make the jug on the tabletop skip off the doily.
I jumped. Even in the short time I’d known Tarrek I knew this wasn’t like him. “What’s happened to you?”
The wind picked up suddenly, howling about the cottage, rattling the door and windows. I gasped, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Tarrek? What’s going on?” Chills that had nothing to do with the temperature danced up and down my spine as cold sweat collected in my armpits. I stared at the faerie and wondered if he was really who he seemed to be. Was it possible someone was making me think I was seeing Tarrek when I wasn’t? Who was that powerful? Only one name came to mind—Hellion.
“Answer me, woman,” said the figment of my dream. “What has happened between you and Bahlin?”
The wind howled louder.
“We became involved, but he lied to me. Nothing more.” I shrugged, uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. “Tell me who has taken you and—”
The glass shattered, imploding and skittering in shards across the floor. Tarrek yelled as I screamed. I shot out of sleep as if I’d been catapulted.
I sat up and gasped for air, feeling the residual fear crawling around my gut. My muscles twitched involuntarily, the urge to run primal. Flight was winning over fight, and it felt like it would be a landslide victory. I looked around my shelter, assuring myself that I was indeed still alone. Suddenly there was a great backwash of wind into the tunnel, and I screamed again as Bahlin’s dragon head peered under the rock ledge.
“Motherfucker!” I reared back and punched him on the soft part of the nose. He hissed and drew back, undoubtedly startled but not even mildly injured. I clutched my throbbing hand, the irony not lost on me that this was the second time I’d punched Bahlin within four conscious days of knowing him.
Bahlin’s dragon form folded away and he was suddenly standing there, gloriously naked in the rain.
“Maddy. Are you alright, love? I heard you shout,” he said, glaring about as if daring even the shadows to threaten me.
“Go to hell, Bahlin,” I growled as I pushed passed him and walked into the encompassing night.
“Maddy—” Bahlin started again, reaching out to lay a hand on my arm.
“Don’t touch me, Bahlin. I meant it earlier. I don’t want anything to do with you, not now, not ever. You’ve lost that right.” I jerked my arm out from under his hand and kept walking.
�
�Maddy, stop,” Bahlin commanded in a resonating voice. My feet actually faltered, and I swung around to face him.
“If you ever, ever, attempt to command me to do anything again, I will cut your prized possession off and shove it down the gullet of the nearest carnivore, Bahlin, and I’ll make sure he chews. Does that make my feelings clear enough for you? Because obviously you didn’t get it when I said it before.”
He actually paused, squinting at me as the rain ran into his eyes. “Are you going to give me a chance to apologize?” he asked uncomfortably, shifting back and forth in the obvious cold.
I snickered, for once keeping my eyes off his prize without trouble or embarrassment. “Right. You give new meaning to speaking with a forked tongue. Get lost, asshat.” I kept walking across the field, and he followed about ten paces behind. I didn’t acknowledge him until I reached the blacktop. I looked over my shoulder and said, “You might want to phase back and fly your happy ass back to the house, or London, or the third circle of hell for all I care. Just get some clothes on before anyone gets the wrong idea about the two of us.”
I crawled over the fence and a blast of air in the back let me know that Bahlin had taken my advice. He was gone.
I walked for nearly an hour before the lights of an approaching car slowed, the driver’s side window rolling down. A brown-haired man stuck his head out.
“Need a ride?” Aiden asked.
“Yep, but not from you.” I kept walking, ignoring him as he eased along beside me.
“Come on, Maddy. Bahlin feels horrible,” he pushed.
“And you know this after how long in his glorious presence this evening?” As juvenile as it was, I walked faster. I knew I wasn’t actually going to outpace the damn car, but it made me feel better. At this point I’d settle for whatever salve I could find for my wounded pride.
Aiden sped up incrementally until he pulled ahead of me and cut me off. He jumped out and placed himself in front of me before I could get around the bumper of his beat-up little coupe.
Legacy: The Niteclif Evolutions, Book 1 Page 21
