by Tasha Black
“Sara,” Dorian said darkly from the doorway.
“Gotta go,” the man in the leather breeches said at the sight of him.
Before she could react, the man effortlessly scaled the back wall to the window above and slipped out, reminding her of the lizards at the zoo.
“What in God’s name…?” Tabitha trailed off, still looking up at the window.
It was at second story height, there was no way she could think that was normal.
“That was the Gan Ceanach,” Dorian said. “We arrived just in time.”
‘Tabitha,” Sara said. “I want to introduce you to Dorian.”
“Hello,” Tabitha said, extending her hand.
Dorian took it and kissed it.
Sara fought a wave of wild jealousy.
Tabitha’s eyebrows went up.
“We don’t have a lot of time to explain,” Sara said. “But that man who was just here is very dangerous.”
“Is he some sort of criminal circus performer?” Tabitha asked.
“Something like that,” Sara said.
“Should we call the police?” Tabitha asked.
“NO,” Sara and Dorian said at once.
“O-okay,” Tabitha said, looking back and forth between them. “Look, what he just did was weird enough, but the way you two are acting is even weirder. Just tell me what’s going on so I can help.”
Sara glanced at Dorian, who nodded.
“Look, this is going to sound totally crazy, but please believe me,” Sara said. “That guy— “
“—The Gan Ceanach,” Dorian said.
“Yes, the Gan Ceanach,” Sara allowed. “He isn’t human.”
“What is he?” Tabitha asked doubtfully.
“He’s a fae creature,” Dorian said, in a voice that invited no dissent. “His appetites placed him in my custody hundreds of years ago. He has escaped, and he will use his powers of seduction to lure women into falling in love with him.”
“That doesn’t seem so bad,” Tabitha pointed out, making no comment on the fact that Dorian had just admitted to being hundreds of years old.
“Once a woman is infatuated,” he continued, “the Gan Ceanach abandons her to collect another conquest, leaving his victim pining for him, unable to eat, drink or sleep. She typically dies very soon after.”
“That tracks,” Tabitha said, nodding. “Glad you two arrived when you did. So how do we stop him from finding someone else?”
“Wait. You believe us?” Sara asked, unable to hope that her friend had accepted this information so quickly. “Just like that?”
“You’ve never lied to me before,” Tabitha said simply. “And you know I’m a specialist in the unique history of Rosethorn Valley. Fae legends like the Gan Ceanach were brought here by our Welsh and Celtic ancestors. The symbology is everywhere, if you’re looking for it.”
Dorian nodded approvingly, as if she had just sworn fealty to his throne.
“Besides, I saw a guy climb up a wall like a gecko a minute ago,” she added. “That was pretty convincing. But I do have some questions.”
“We’ll explain everything later,” Sara said. “For now we have to find him before he starts breaking hearts. Where would he go?”
“The Gan Ceanach will look for the greatest concentration of desirable women,” Dorian said.
“Where are there a bunch of women at this time of day?” Sara wondered out loud.
“Is the farmer’s market still going?” Tabitha asked, looking at her watch. “No, it’s too late. Oh.”
“What?” Sara asked.
“Bridgett Kellum’s book club,” Tabitha said slowly.
“I thought that was just a bunch of moms,” Sara said.
“A bunch of hot moms,” Tabitha said.
“The Gan Ceanach will very interested in women with proven fertility,” Dorian said. “And he is no respecter of the marriage bond.”
“Let’s go,” Sara said.
The three of them dashed out the door and headed for Sara’s car. Dorian got in the back, and Tabitha hopped in next to Sara.
“Where does Bridgett live again?” Sara asked.
“Halfway up the ridge on Rosethorn Valley Road,” Tabitha said.
“Green house with the screened porch?” Sara asked.
“That’s the one.”
Sara tore out of the gravel parking lot. The car hit the pavement and made the turn onto Rosethorn Valley Road smoothly in spite of their speed.
“Keep an eye out for him along the way,” she advised her passengers.
Tabitha was scanning the woods on the right side of the car, she could only assume Dorian was checking the left side from behind her.
Just ahead she spotted the green house on the hillside jutting out over the street.
Bridgett Kellum was one of the nicest people in Rosethorn Valley. She volunteered on every committee and was an active and positive force on the neighborhood online message board. She could handle a lot, but there was no way she was ready for this.
Sara slammed on the brakes and turned hard up Bridgett’s steep driveway. The momentum carried them all the way up.
She parked the car and flung herself out the door without even taking the keys out of the ignition.
Sara would never forgive herself if the woman who was the heart of the town was lost to her own broken heart.
17
Sara
Sara ran for the front door with Tabitha right behind her.
“I’ll check the perimeter,” Dorian said. “Hopefully, we beat him here.”
Sara nodded and began banging on the front door as Dorian disappeared into the woods.
A moment later, the door opened and Bridgett Kellum appeared in the doorway. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was holding a mason jar that appeared to have about a half an inch of red wine left in it.
“Sara, what are you doing here?” she asked. “I didn’t know you were interested in joining the book club.”
“We’ve always wanted to learn more,” Tabitha purred.
“Oh, wow, Tabitha Barnes,” Bridgett said, looking impressed. “Come on in, ladies. We’re glad to have you. We already finished Harry’s Trees for today’s meeting, but you’re more than welcome to stay for the discussion and to weigh in on next month’s pick.”
Tabitha winked at Sara on their way in and Sara rolled her eyes.
Tabitha’s family money made her a bit of a social icon in the small town. There were very few doors in Rosethorn Valley that wouldn’t open for the Barnes family.
They headed up the stairs to the living room which overlooked the woods through floor to ceiling sliders. The Kellums’ house was built into the hillside to take advantage of the view.
Currently, those sliders were wide open.
The breeze coming through them lifted the hair of the Gan Ceanach, who stood at the center of a circle of chairs, each occupied by a blushing book club member.
Sara recognized most of them.
Donna Lee, the manager of the Barrel Grocery, was leaning shamelessly forward in her chair to get a closer look at the Gan Ceanach’s butt.
Nadia Williams and Tara McDowell, an inseparable pair of young moms who had each bought a house with Sara, were clinging to each other’s hands and giggling as the Gan Ceanach winked at them.
Patricia Hawk-Faucett, a retired school teacher, fanned herself with a copy of the book club pick, and licked her lips.
“What the heck?” Bridgett said. “Who brought a stripper to book club? This was not on the agenda. I think…”
The Gan Ceanach looked over at her appraisingly and she paused as if she had forgotten what she was saying.
Dorian blasted in through the open doors and saw the other man, who wasn’t really a man at all. He pointed to the fireplace.
“Sara, Tabitha,” he called out. “Grab the fireplace tools, they’re iron.”
“Of course.” Tabitha grabbed the fire irons, then frowned. “They’re aluminum.”
“We need iron,” Dorian said. “Iron weakens the fae.”
“I’ll check the kitchen,” Sara said. “Don’t let any of them fall in love with him.”
Dorian got a surprised look on his face.
Tabitha ran over to the group. “Go help Sara in the kitchen,” she told Bridgett, giving her a little shake to distract her from the Gan Ceanach. “You go check the garage, Dorian.”
Sara jogged for the kitchen. There was no need to wait for the hostess when lives were at stake.
She opened cupboard after cupboard, hoping to find something made of cast iron. The upper cabinets housed endless sets of porcelain table settings, stainless steel silverware, and mugs, so many mugs.
She moved to the lower cabinet next to the stove and began pulling out items out. Tupperware containers tumbled to the floor as she dug around, praying for a pan.
“What are you doing to my kitchen?” Bridgett asked in dismay.
“I need iron,” Sara yelled.
“Uh, I think I might have a spinach salad in the fridge?” Bridgett offered dubiously. “Or maybe a can of beets?”
“No, not that kind of iron,” Sara said, moving the cabinet on the other side of the stove and launching out stainless steel saucepans.
“Oh,” Bridgett said politely. “We don’t use a clothes iron these days. I have a really nice steamer if that helps?”
But Sara had found a cast iron pan at last.
She yanked it out from underneath a stack of other pots and pans, which scattered loudly across Bridgett’s kitchen floor.
“Oh dear,” Bridgett said.
Sara dashed past her, back to the living room. She hoped that Tabitha had not fallen under the creature’s spell again.
A burst of giggles reached her from the living room.
She arrived to find a shocking scene.
The Gan Ceanach still stood at the center of the room. But now Nadia and Tara were standing before him, kissing each other as he tangled his hands in their hair, urging them on.
Behind him, Patricia Hawk-Faucett had her plum colored cashmere scarf around his naked torso and shook her hips like a super model in an eighties hair band video.
Donna from the Barrel Grocery and Tabitha tussled over whose hands grabbed more of his ass cheeks.
“Stop,” Sara called out helplessly.
No one so much as looked at her.
She took a deep breath and then swung the cast iron frying pan at the Gan Ceanach’s head.
There was a disturbingly loud clang, and then he swayed a little, dropped to his knees, and then collapsed on his side. Sara reminded herself that he wasn’t human, and he could easily take a shot like that without too much damage. Probably.
The women fell on him like a pack of wolves feeding. They didn’t seem to care whether he was awake to woo them.
Dorian exploded out of the garage. He looked around the room at the utter chaos and his eyebrows lowered.
“Stop,” he said.
“I already tried that,” Sara said quietly.
But to her amazement, the women sat back on their heels, revealing the lipstick covered form of the Gan Ceanach.
“Get him out of here,” Dorian said to Sara.
She moved to comply and so did Tabitha, who shot her an embarrassed look.
They managed to get one of his arms over each of their shoulders and hoist him to his feet.
As they dragged him toward the doorway, Dorian strode over to the gathered women of the Rosethorn Valley book club.
“You had a little too much to drink,” he said in a deep, raspy voice that was somehow both comforting and commanding. “The food you ate was a little off. But you all had a wonderful time.”
Sara was on the porch when she heard his footsteps on the stairs behind them.
“I’ve got him from here,” he said.
Sara and Tabitha allowed him to take the limp form of the Gan Ceanach and they all headed to the car.
Rain began to fall, tapping on the leaves and branches of the trees and splashing to the ground below.
“What are we supposed to do with him?” Tabitha asked worriedly.
“We’re going back to the mansion,” Sara told her. “I’ll explain on the way.”
“The mansion?” Tabitha echoed.
But Dorian had the Gan Ceanach in the backseat now, so Sara took off like a shot instead of trying to explain. Tabitha followed her lead without pushing for any more answers.
The little Saab barreled down the steep driveway to Rosethorn Valley Road. Sara prayed it would carry them up the ridge to the mansion before the creature awoke.
18
Dorian
Dorian felt a twinge of movement from the Gan Ceanach.
“Sara,” he called out. “Pull over.”
The Gan Ceanach was coming back to its senses. By the hounds of hell, he should have given it another smash on the head himself to ensure it stayed out long enough to get back up the mountain.
Dorian didn’t want to frighten his queen or dishonor her friend, but the creature had gotten under Tabitha’s skin twice already. Each time it would be easier.
If it asserted its influence on Tabitha while Sara was operating the horseless carriage, it could endanger her.
Though Sara’s gift made her more than mortal it by no means make her indestructible.
Protecting his queen was his most important duty.
The car jolted half into a ditch on the side of the road.
“What’s wrong?” Sara called back to him.
“He’s waking up, we have to do it now,” Dorian told her.
He opened the door and dragged the still mostly limp form of the Gan Ceanach out of the car with him.
It was definitely waking up now, wiggling seductively in his arms as it awoke.
“Don’t waste your time,” he murmured to it.
It froze in his arms for an instant.
Then it exploded into action, trying to claw its way free.
He shouldn’t have spoken. It must have recognized his voice.
“Easy,” he murmured to it between clenched teeth, letting it feel a touch of his dark magic.
It shivered in his arms and went limp again.
“Where are the shards?” Sara asked.
Her voice was shaking a little. She sounded worried, less like the wild queen he was growing to love.
He wondered if his powers were finally breaking through her brightness.
But that couldn’t be. She was his queen.
“In my bag,” he told her. “In the backseat.”
He waited while she dug around in the car with her friend’s help. He could hear them spreading out the shards on the seat, trying to find the one that showed what the Gan Ceanach was seeing. He tried to help them by angling its head so that it had a view of his face.
The rain was beating steadily as the storm grew more powerful.
“Here,” Sara called out at last. Her voice was resigned rather than triumphant.
She rejoined him in the trees.
Tabitha trailed behind, looking exhausted.
“Sara,” Dorian said gently. “Can you do this?”
She nodded grimly.
He closed his eyes and called to midnight.
He felt it fall like a blanket over Rosethorn Valley, so easily this time - too easily.
He opened his eyes and he could see the weight of it on the women.
What had he done?
Sara closed her eyes and lifted her hands heavenward, preparing to sing.
Gan Ceanach, you traveled to find lust
But back to your own world you must
Travel now, without delay
Midnight is coming you cannot stay
A ripple went through the creature, but he held fast, shaking his head so that his golden curls tickled Dorian’s collarbone.
Sara frowned and sang on.
Gan Ceanach you came and saw
The women smiled at you in awe
You took thei
r lust and adoration
All of it was compensation
For an eternity locked in glass
But now the time has come to pass
When to the glass you must return
This world is doomed and soon to burn
But in the glass, you will live on
Ready for the next man’s dawn
The Gan Ceanach sighed and seemed to let go.
Suddenly, the dark magic of midnight swirled around him and he slid back into the mirror shard Tabitha held out in her open palms, like so much black smoke retreating back into a chimney.
“Well sung, my queen,” Dorian said.
Sara turned to him. There were dark circles under her eyes and a thin film of sweat glistened on her lovely brow.
His heart ached at her misery.
You did this, Dorian. You brought your darkness to her world.
He had been wrong. There was no balance here. The humans didn’t have a chance against his dark presence. It was foolish of him to think otherwise.
“Let’s go home,” Sara suggested.
Tabitha nodded, not even interested in asking questions about what they had just done.
Dorian was eager to get this shard back to the mirror frame. But given the state of his queen and her friend, he decided it could wait until morning.
He nodded and they all climbed into the car once more.
The engine rumbled and roared, but the car wouldn’t move from the ditch.
“No,” Sara moaned.
“I will remove it,” he told her, getting back out.
He could have used his magic, but his own strength was enough. He lifted the tail of the car and placed it up on the road, level with the front, relishing the stretch of his muscles, so long unused.
“My God,” Tabitha murmured as he got back into the car.
He braced himself for questions, but she merely sighed and leaned her cheek against the window.
Yes, the darkness was lying heavily on them. Calling to midnight had made it worse, but there had been no other choice.
A terrible idea was brewing in the back of his head, but he couldn’t allow himself to acknowledge it.
