by Cate Dean
His hands found their way to bare skin, sliding under her t-shirt to gently knead her shoulders. “You’re human first, Reese. Always remember that, and you’ll do fine. Now,” he eased out of her embrace. “As much as I want to see where this can go, we need to set up the barrier. I’ll sleep better knowing you’re protected.”
She grinned up at him. “Who said you were getting any sleep?”
He gave into his need to kiss her, hauling her up against his chest. Everything about her felt right, in a way no woman ever had. Never mind that he didn’t need to hide his demon from her. She had seen that part of him first, when they met in the alley, and she moved past it, saw him.
Finally, he let her go, both of them fighting for breath. Reese stared up at him.
“Wow,” she whispered. “Want to be my boyfriend?”
“Yes.” He kissed her again, feeling her smile against his lips. “That makes it official. Now, let’s get you protected.” He slid his hand down her arm, twined their fingers together, and lifted her hand when he noticed the ring. “Where did you get this?”
“Claire gave it to me.” She eased her hand away, and the brilliant blue stone glistened against her finger. “She told me it’s an Aqua Aura, and had been given to her by an Irish witch.” She smiled. “The witch told her that she’d know when to pass it on. I was the lucky chosen one.”
There was power in the ring—Bran could sense it. But it felt dormant, as if waiting for the moment when that power was needed. It may come in handy.
He made a mental note to thank Claire, took Reese’s hand again, and moved to the familiar carry bag. He had spent more than his fair share of money in The Wiche’s Broom—especially after the Fae started making Santa Luna their personal way station. Having supernatural alarms made him feel better.
Claire had done even better than he expected. He unpacked the supplies, mentally creating the order of set up. Reese watched him, her face calm—but her hands gave away her nerves. Bran reached over and closed his fingers over her hands, before she twisted her fingers off.
“You’ll be okay, sweetheart. Anyone comes after you, they’ll have to go through me first.”
“Well, that makes me feel so much better. Putting someone else in danger because some faerie enforcer wants—”
“First, I’m making the choice, because I care about you. Second, you have nothing to do with Torlogh’s actions. Maeve put you in the middle of this, for whatever self-serving reasons I will drag out of her.” He looked forward to that conversation. “I’m here because I want to be. Are we clear on that?”
“Yeah.” She sighed, her hands finally stilling under his. “I just—I’ve been alone for so long, Bran, except for my mom. These last two years, living here in Santa Luna, making my own decisions—I haven’t been responsible for anyone but myself.”
“Terrifying, isn’t it?”
She finally smiled. “No kidding.” Her smile faded, and she cradled his cheek. Bran wanted to take her in his arms again, and hold on to her. Forever sounded like a good amount of time. Instead, he waited for her. “Thank you, for being in that alley. For seeing me, past the shiny new power.”
“I must have been a breath of clean air, after Maeve.”
Reese laughed, just like he’d hoped. “You have no idea.”
“That’s the problem. I do. Okay, let’s do this.”
Bran started by hanging the iron horseshoes over each doorway. Then he hung the ivy and rowan wreaths, as close to her biggest windows as he could get and not have them look odd. Reese did have to live here, after all, and look at these walls every day.
He pulled out three pairs of iron scissors. “Put one pair next to your bed, one next to where you sit the most, and one in the kitchen.”
“Isn’t this overkill?”
He took her hands, wanting to have contact when he told her. “A Fear Doirche is a powerful Fae, Reese. Torlogh has already been able to open a portal here, and trust me, he’s marked this place, and you. I want there to be as many barriers as possible to keep him from you.”
“Okay, she whispered.
He let go of one hand and laid the three pairs of scissors in her palm. “Protection is always first priority. You’ll get used to it, trust me.”
“Yeah.” She sighed, and looked down at the scissors. “At least Claire picked out the pretty ones.”
He laughed, and pulled her in, kissing her. “You’re going to be fine, Reese Pierpoint. Just fine.”
Once they finished, Bran stepped into the living room, and waited for Reese to make the first move. She did invite him in, after all.
He didn’t have to wait long.
Reese held out her hand, a smile tugging at her lips.
“Come to bed, Bran.”
Seventeen
I woke with Bran curled up behind me, his arm wrapped around my waist. I could get used to this, to him, to not being alone.
The quartz crystal he’d taken out of his pocket last night winked at me from the nightstand. I reached over and brushed the smooth oval, surprised that it was warm. I didn’t know why—when it came to Bran Malcolm, nothing should have surprised me. Not even a crystal with an embedded rainbow, that should have been cold after a night spent away from its owner.
Bran’s arm tightened around me, and I dropped my hand, sliding it along his warm skin.
“Good morning.” He sounded rough, and so completely masculine. But then, I had given him a workout last night. Several times. I smiled, since he couldn’t see me. “You wouldn’t have coffee, by any chance?”
I glanced at the clock. Just past six, but I didn’t feel like I’d been awake half the night. I did say several times. “It starts brewing at seven.”
“Bless you.” He pulled me in tighter, and nuzzled my neck. “I like waking up with you in my arms.”
“Me, too,” I whispered. Hearing him say it out loud had my heart pounding.
“Nervous, sweetheart?”
“No.” I turned around, sliding my hand into his sleep tousled hair. “Happy.” I brushed his lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happy, not like this.”
“Good.”
He cut off my laugh with his lips. We managed to find a way to pass the time until the brewing coffee distracted him.
With a final kiss, he deserted me, pulling on his jeans before he padded across the living room, headed for my large kitchen.
“Coffee.” He poured some into one of my ceramic mugs, and inhaled the steam curling up from it. “I love you, coffee.”
“Hey.” I sat, grabbing my robe off the bench at the end of the bed. I wrapped the comfortable, worn terry around me, tying the attached belt as I slid off the bed. “I thought you loved me.”
I was joking. Mostly. Call it the insecurity I still felt, despite every word this man had said to me proving the opposite.
He met me halfway, handed me a second mug, then used his free hand to grab the belt of my robe and reel me in.
“I love coffee. I’m falling in love with you, Reese Pierpoint.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
He took a sip, then kissed me, soft and tender. My knees wanted to buckle in response. “Coffee and you. The perfect combination.” He kissed me again, and this time I needed to grab his shoulder to keep from sinking to the floor. “Tell me I’m going too fast, Reese, and I’ll back off.”
“I don’t—oh, God, Bran. I don’t want you to, but I’m scared.”
He rested his forehead against mine. “So am I, sweetheart. My M.O. is to not let anyone in. But you blindsided me, and I still haven’t recovered.” After a gentle kiss on my temple that had tears stinging my eyes, he let go of me and took a step back. “I don’t think I ever will.” He held out his hand. “Come sit.”
I took his hand, joining him on the sofa. He took a drink from his mug, let out a satisfied sound, and relieved me of my untouched mug, setting them both on the side table. I didn’t need coaxing to curl up next to him. It felt right, comfortable—and since
my social interaction had been seriously stunted due to my upbringing, a surprise.
Bran’s deep, quiet voice drew me back. “I want you to tell me what you saw after Torlogh dragged you out of your dream.”
“What?” I pushed up, staring at him.
“He’s got something planned, something unpleasant, Reese. I have a feeling I’m going to be facing off with him, and I don’t have a chance in Hell of besting him unless I can exploit a weakness.”
I hated just the thought of him facing that alien Fae, but everything about that night was still hazy.
“I don’t remember much. Why do you think I saw anything?”
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s what you are now, sweetheart. Tell me you didn’t see details about me when we first met. Details you wouldn’t have noticed before Maeve woke your power.”
He was right. I noticed more now, sensed more about the people around me.
“I was so disoriented. I’m not sure I can help.”
“Would you let me try something? It might help you focus.”
“Sure.” I trusted him, so I didn’t ask what.
He scooted across the sofa, and patted his leg. “Lie down, relax. I’m going to enhance your memories.”
I stretched out, resting my cheek on his thigh. “Is this a—demon thing?”
He chuckled. “No. This is a hypnosis thing.” I looked up at him. “I learned how to do it in college, when I thought I wanted to be a psychiatrist. Don’t hold it against me.”
“You would need a medical degree to be a psychiatrist.” He shrugged. “Just how old are you, Bran Malcolm?”
“Older than I look. One of the few perks of being half demon. My time in school wasn’t completely wasted—I can quickly assess potential clients.” He traced my cheek, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what he said next. “You better get used to the idea of aging slowly, Reese. Being half Fae gives you the same gift.”
“I—” My mind stuttered. It was going to take some time to compute that. I also saw a long, long talk with Mom in my near future. “Okay.”
He smiled, leaning down to kiss me. “You never fail to surprise me, Reese Pierpoint. Ready?” I nodded, and he laid his hand on my forehead. “Close your eyes, and focus on my voice. Only my voice. Say yes if you understand.”
“Yes.”
“Good. Very good. Take a deep breath, hold it, then let it out slowly.”
I did, his voice so calm, so soothing. I wanted to drift off, but I focused, waiting for his next instruction.
“Take another deep breath, Reese, and let it out slowly. Now, when you take in the next breath, I want you to think about what happened the night you dreamed about Torlogh.” I tensed, and his free hand rubbed my arm. “I’m right here, and I promise nothing will happen to you. Don’t force it, just let the thoughts float to you. I will be able to see what you see.”
I let that one slip by, making a mental note to ask him later. As much as I didn’t want to remember, I know he needed the information.
I took a deep breath, and opened the part of my mind where I had buried the memories of that night.
~ ~ ~
The Fear Doirche loomed over me, so tall I felt like a child. This time, I could see his face clearly, and it was even more alien than I expected. Beautiful, achingly beautiful—the kind of beauty that terrifies mere mortals.
But there was also an ugliness, shifting around that beauty, which terrified me more.
He grabbed my left wrist—and cursed in a language that I almost knew before he let me go and shoved me across the clearing.
“You wear her cursed metal. How did you acquire such items?”
I didn’t answer—couldn’t answer. Everything about the scene felt surreal. From the unnatural colors of the clearing, to the understanding that the dream was no longer a dream. That was when I panicked, and the memories stalled.
Bran’s voice wrapped around me, as comforting as an embrace. “You are safe, Reese. These are only memories. Let yourself remember them.”
I took another deep breath, and let go of the panic.
The Fear Doirche appeared again, on the other side of the clearing, hunched over his right hand. Torlogh. I knew his name now, and there was power in that knowledge.
“You are new to your immortal half, which allowed me to pull you here, with no retaliation. We are outside her realm, but too close for me to keep you here long.”
“Who is her?”
I didn’t remember asking the question—or his reaction.
He leapt across the clearing, an inch away from touching me again—or, more accurately, slamming his fist into my face. At the last second, he must have remembered, and his fist hovered in front of me.
“Her name will not be spoken in my presence.” His voice smacked me and I stumbled backward, hitting the trunk of a brilliant green and magenta tree. “Having a piece of her is enough to hurt me. Even now, she may be listening…”
He retreated, fear darkening his alien eyes. Before I could think of trying to find a way out of there, he let out a shriek that threatened to burst my eardrums.
“Let her go, Torlogh.”
With a gasp I bolted up—out of the memory and into Bran’s waiting arms.
“You’re okay, Reese.” He pulled me into his lap, cradling me, his voice a low, calm murmur. “I’m right here. You’re safe, he can’t hurt you.”
“I remembered,” I whispered. “It was a portal, wasn’t it?” I lifted my head. “He brought me there through a portal, and not my dream.”
“Yes.” Regret darkened his grey eyes. “I wanted to keep you from remembering that, since it was created in the middle of your living room.” I shivered, and he pulled me in again. “But you gave us a weapon against him. One I didn’t know about until now.” He traced one of the intricate vines that made up my bracelet. “The Queen’s silver. I have a knife in my arsenal—it’s only silver plated, but it will be enough to give me an advantage I badly need.”
I looked up at him, hearing the fear that edged his voice. “You’re afraid of him.”
“Hell, yes.” He took in a deep, shaky breath. “I may have put up a good front when I appeared, but his kind hunted the demons unfortunate enough to wander through the Veil. Torlogh knows how to banish my demon half—and yes, my human half would go with it.”
I framed his face with my hands, studying the man who had become so important to me, in such a short time. “That’s not happening, Bran. We will figure out what he wants, and we’re going to keep him from getting it.”
“I like the way you look at life, Reese Pierpoint.”
“Giving a positive spin to things was necessary, when I spent so much of my time alone.” Since I didn’t want to turn this into a “feel sorry for Reese” moment, I gave into my need to kiss him, and leaned back, his arm supporting me. “Now that my home is protected, it’s time to start putting together what we know. And turning to more pedestrian things.” I sighed, not wanting to do this. But I had to free myself up, and I knew it was going to become necessary, sooner or later. “I need to hire an employee.”
I must have sounded as unhappy as I felt, because Bran grinned. “It’s not the end of the world, sweetheart. And I might have a candidate for you. A friend of a friend, who is looking for something that doesn’t require being on call 24/7.”
“Bran—that’s nice of you to offer, but I can’t just hire anyone. I have thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise.” And that was just in the cases. No one but me would ever know about the special stock I kept in a hidden floor safe. “They have to pass the background check so they can be bonded, and I have to be able to trust them—ˮ
“Shella works for my friend’s investigation agency, as a background researcher. Will that work as a reference?”
“I—yeah.” Now I felt stupid for doubting him. He wouldn’t have recommended someone who wasn’t trustworthy. “If you can call your friend and set it up for today, I’d appreciate it.”
A wi
cked smile crossed his face. “Just how much would you appreciate it?”
Two could play this game. “I’ll show you just how much.”
I climbed off the sofa and stood in front of him. His eyes widened as I leaned over him, my hands braced on his thighs.
“Reese—ˮ
“I’ll give you,” I lifted one hand and reached over to the side table. “Unlimited fresh coffee. For life.”
He burst out laughing when I handed him the mug. “Deal. As long as I can get that coffee here.” He sobered, and my heart started pounding. “Every morning, with you.”
“Bran—ˮ
“Don’t say anything yet.” He set the mug on the table and took my hand. “Think about it. I told you I wanted you to be part of my life, Reese. With what we have in front of us, I’d like that to start sooner rather than later.”
He was right. Hadn’t I spent years wanting my real life to start now? Here was my real life, sitting in front of me, wanting forever. Or at least as long as forever would last.
“Accepted,” I whispered. I launched myself at him, trusting him to catch me.
He did, and kissed me so tenderly that tears lodged in my throat.
“Reese.” His voice whispered over my lips, left me shivering.
“Yes?”
“I’d like some of that coffee now.”
I smacked his chest. “Tease.”
“Guilty.”
He smiled at me, easing the intensity of the moment. We both knew our lives had changed the second I said yes to him.
Eighteen
Bran jogged up the small hill to his office, filled with energy.
He had just committed himself to Reese—and he had never felt so good about a decision. To learn that she had the same feelings, was falling just as fast, left him a little scared.
But they could fall together, and meet every challenge as a team.
He walked inside, glancing at the phone for messages. The light blinked, telling him he had at least one. He decided to call about Shella first, get her set up with Reese, then take care of whatever business might be waiting with the message.
