by Dean Murray
Wait a minute. Finn’s eyes softened when he looked at Cassie. He caught her arm when she walked past him. “Were circumstances different, lass, I would take you in my arms and never let you go.”
Cassie yanked free from his light grip, making her stumble backward. She nearly toppled one of the clothes racks over. With all the intensity of a category five tornado, she glared at him. “Who said I’d let you?”
He smiled ferociously. “Och, I’ve not seen the likes of you in ages. A truly spirited woman is hard to come by nowadays. I’d gladly spend eternity bound to you.”
Besides the fact that what he said could have come out of an old geezer, who could guess what he meant? I knew plenty of spirited women — myself included. He needed to get out more. When we headed for the door, Cassie shot Finn the dirtiest look I had ever seen, giving him a grunt in reply.
“You might be worth losing it all,” Finn said softly.
She turned back to him, her eyes suddenly glistening. Her voice was a faint whisper. “What did you just say?”
The gleam in his smile turned into a sad, dying ember. “’Tis better left unspoken, sweet one.”
She gave him one last glance before she huffed out of the store with me on her heels. Aunt Grace had been right. I should have never come to Notre Dame.
Chapter Six
“That was special,” Cassie said hotly. The closer we got to our own campus, the tighter she walked.
We were halfway to our dorm. A light rain misted into us, lending a shine to the gray of the sidewalk. Steam might as well have been rising from her dampened hair, as well as the concrete. I had been too caught up in my growing fear to start the conversation we needed to have. “Have we been transported to Oz, or what?”
I looked behind us, sighing in relief. At least we weren’t being followed. “They were very strange.”
“Understatement. No offense, Rayla, but what makes you so irresistible?”
How did she expect me to not be insulted by such a question? “Maybe Aunt Grace was telling the truth,” I said. Based on what had just happened, I had to consider the idea that the fae might actually be real. Cassie had seen those men, just like me. She wasn’t denying it. She couldn’t have missed how different they were. My heart still hammered against my ribs, and it wasn’t from exertion.
She laughed contemptuously, brushing water from her cheek. “And maybe there are gigantic snails that bark like dogs and a land so full of color you think your brain will explode from sensual overload.”
I stopped midstride. Maybe we could finally get somewhere with this. “Sounds like you know of such a place.”
“What?” she shouted, twirling toward me. “Do you think I’m crazy or something?”
“Cassie, you are the last person I would ever consider mad.” Her gaze fell to the sidewalk, making me hurt for her. I lightened my tone. “Given what I’ve seen in the past few weeks, I might be.”
Her head snapped up, and she brought her nose within inches of mine. “That isn’t something to joke about, Rayla. You try spending years in therapy for having hallucinations, and see if you think it’s so funny to have lost your senses.”
I backed up, realization that I had offended her slamming into my head. “I am such an idiot, Cassie, I didn’t mean to imply —”
She shut her eyes tight. “Don’t worry about it.” Smiling meekly at me, she splayed her hands. The intense breeze blew her wet hair around like Medusa’s tendrils.
What was up with this weather? The trees swayed violently under the suddenly sunny sky. I had the distinct impression a major storm was coming. I hoped not. I wasn’t looking forward to spending four hours out in a downpour. I should have canceled my date, but I didn’t want to. I liked Zach a lot. And no fae lord was going to scare me into missing out on a fun time with him. Besides, we would be with other people.
She gave me a tight shrug. “I’m just a little sensitive about the subject.”
I wasn’t about to push her into a corner right now, so I didn’t say anything else. How could I purposely inflict distress on my best friend? I would save my questions for a time when she was unguarded. She had to have a good reason for acting this way. Maybe I would finally get some answers, if I could ever get her to trust me.
I tried Aunt Grace when we got back to the dorm. To my utter shock, the call went through.
Exhaustion was clear in her tone. Had she been working double shifts again? “Oh, Rayla, I’m so relieved to hear from you. Are you all right?”
That was subjective. “As good as I can be with a bunch of — what did you call them — oh yeah, fae lords trying to convince me to go on a date with them.” I grunted. “I wouldn’t have been half as worried if I had known that was all they wanted.” I was angry at Aunt Grace. I should have known about this stuff.
She sounded absolutely flabbergasted. “Why haven’t they taken you?”
A snort escaped my nose. “The moment they laid eyes on me, they decided they could do better.” I was resorting to humor because I had no idea how to answer such a question.
She cleared her throat. “When did you see them?”
“Just now.” I wasn’t about to tell her I had gone to Notre Dame.
“I wish I could come get you. I wish I could do more for you.”
“So you’re just going to let them have me?”
“Once you crossed the sanctuary boundaries, I had no other option. I’m sorry. I know I must sound heartless, but you have to understand I would have already been there if I could.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about them when I was home?”
“You wouldn’t have believed me, for one thing. I also promised your mother I wouldn’t let you leave the sanctuary. I’ve contacted an old friend. She’ll help you as much as possible. The only thing I can say now is stay around large groups of people.”
“This whole thing is absurd, you know.”
“I know. You don’t want to believe this is real. I wish it wasn’t. I wish I could tell you what you want to hear. Look to your feelings. Logic is no longer part of your world. If you can avoid being alone with them, you may have a chance of escape to the underground. Look for my friend to contact you. She will know more about what your options really are.”
“I still don’t understand why they would take me, Aunt Grace. I have nothing to offer them. I’m just an ordinary girl.” My anxiety level skyrocketed at the thought of how close they had come to doing just that. Luke had certainly been trying to get me to go with him, but what could someone like him really want with me? “If they did manage to get me, where would they take me?”
“I’ve already explained this to you. Your power is dormant. It will awaken during the bonding ritual. The only thing you have going for you is that they are forbidden to perform the bonding with you until you are in Lomb —”
Her words were a jumbled mess after that. I caught “research” and “mom” before the call dropped this time. I pulled out a notebook and wrote the words down with what I remembered from our last conversation. Someone was messing with my calls to Aunt Grace. Why? How could they even do that? Was a jamming signal being used to disrupt my reception? I had four bars when I looked.
What did my mom have to do with this mess? Aunt Grace had mentioned her twice. At least I knew why she didn’t want me to come home. It was a sanctuary of some kind. Did that mean the fae couldn’t go there, or just that they didn’t know it existed?
Also, Aunt Grace said the fae couldn’t perform the bonding with me until I was somewhere specific. Finn mentioned being bound to Cassie. They had to be the same thing, but what was it exactly? What power could I possess that would make fae lords hunt me down? More importantly, if I had one, why couldn’t I feel it? Even if it was dormant, shouldn’t I feel something?
I put my notebook away when Cassie came out of the bathroom. She had already showered. I had to get ready for the game, but what I really wanted to do was sit down at the computer to see what else I could find out a
bout the fae, especially how I could fight them. Unfortunately, my search would have to wait until later.
. . . . .
“Do you like football?” Zach yelled over the din of the crowd.
He had arrived on time with a single red rose and a winning smile. Cassie had been enamored the moment she laid eyes on all six-foot-five, two-hundred-thirty-pounds of pure muscle of him. In all fairness, I couldn’t hold her ogling against her.
“Cassie is the real fan,” I shouted back.
He looked over at her. His lips twitched into an amused smile. “I can see that.”
Not to be outdone by anyone around us, she stood on the bench whooping and hollering so loudly I was sure my eardrums were splitting. There was no point in trying to sit down. Every person in the stadium was standing. Some of them were doing the wave. Others were shouting ribald comments at the opposing team. Half of the group around us were drunk or well on their way.
Turned out the weather was fine, in fact, it was almost balmy. Standing next to Zach, I was happy about that.
The size of the stadium still had me gaping. I had no idea they could be this big. It housed more people than I had ever seen in my life. Last fall, I’d watched a few of the games with Cassie, trying to decide if I really wanted to come here. TV didn’t do the games justice. They really were fun in person. I laughed up at Zach and shrugged.
An icy trickle hit my scalp, running down my hairline. I wiped it away. The sickening sweet smell of alcohol jolted my senses.
Zach’s humorous expression morphed instantly into a scowl. He turned around and glared at the guy standing directly behind me. He was the most likely candidate as he was the only one waving his beer around while he laughed and shouted obscenities.
Zach leaned toward the man. “Tone it down, you blooming sot.”
The shirtless zealot banged his cup against his gold chest. “Who you calling a sot, douche bag?” His expression turned from anger to confused concentration when he looked down at me. He might have been working on solving the mysteries of the universe, but somehow I doubted him capable. With that bewildered look still on his face, he clutched a fistful of hair hanging over my shoulder and pulled it, along with my head, toward the dark amber liquid in his other hand. “Whoa, your hair is the exact color of my brew.”
Zach raised himself to his full height, grabbed the guy by his goatee and yanked hard. “You will apologize to the lady. Then, you will find a different place to be.”
The fight drained from the man’s features, having been replaced by a fear. “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just haven’t seen hair that color before.”
He must not have gotten out much. Cassie had always told me my hair had amazing honey highlights, but it didn’t look any different to me than anyone else with light brown hair. “It’s okay,” I said. “Beer’s good for the scalp, right?” I laughed nervously, wanting the intensity sizzling between the two men gone.
Zach glanced at me then, to the guy. “You’re a lucky suck,” he said, shoving him backward. “Get out of here.”
The man stumbled away through the crowd, dazed. Zach turned back to me, his face as serene as a monk.
“I wish you wouldn’t have done that,” I said near his ear. “He didn’t hurt me.” I balanced on my tiptoes to get closer. He needed to understand that I didn’t like him fighting for my honor, or whatever ridiculous man thing he was doing.
He frowned. “That idiot would have ruined our date, love.” He reached out, tilting my chin toward him and up a little more. “I’m not willing to let someone like him keep us from having fun together.” He caressed my cheek gently, sending shivers over every inch of my skin. “He’s probably off clinging to a tree losing his lunch. I did him and the rest of us a favor.”
I squinted at him, not sure what to think. Embarrassed, I glanced around. A few people were looking. “Well, I don’t like fighting.”
He shrugged innocently. “Who does? I merely pointed out he should be somewhere else.”
I scanned the crowd for the man, feeling absurdly guilty. He was already gone.
I felt their call before I saw them. My pulse raced. My gut clenched. My scar itched. My breath stuck in my throat. I stared, turned away, stared again.
Didn’t change anything. The fab-four were still in the isle a few rows below us. Women all around me craned their necks, gawking in utter disbelief.
A pretty girl, who had been laughing and goofing around with her friends turned to watch Luke and ran right into Taylor. He looked down at her. Irritation radiating from him, he brushed her aside. From the look on her face, she would have gladly traded places with me. Oh, how I wished she would.
They began scanning the crowd again, as though they were searching for someone specific. Uh, maybe me? I slumped lower, trying to disappear behind the guy in front of me.
“What’s wrong?” Zach asked, bending toward me.
I ducked even further, whispering, “See those four men?”
He indicated some guys three rows down. I shook my head.
“There.” I pointed at them, immediately regretting the gesture. I didn’t want to bring any attention to myself.
“You mean the wannabes looking like they are the shi —”
I reached up, swiftly covering his curse with my palm. “That is exactly who I meant.”
His stubble tickled my skin as he smiled. He took my hand gently into his. Exposing my wrist, he placed a lingering kiss where my pulse thumped wildly. I wasn’t sure if it was because those men were so close or if it was from his sudden touch. His words were strong and sure. “They cannot harm you, lass. Not so long as I am near you.”
I searched his unusual, mesmerizing eyes. “Why not?” There was no doubt hidden in shadow. A soothing sensation pulsated through me, wiping away my fear as if it had never existed.
He grinned, and then, his expression heated. He pulled me nearer.
My heart beat violently. My breath came in shallow bursts. Blood rushed through my veins like the Colorado River in spring. All thought of danger fled my mind. He leaned in closer, his breath warm upon my skin.
What was I doing? I didn’t even know this man, and I was going to let him kiss me?
I wasn’t stupid. My eyelids fluttered down moments before his lips collided with mine, warm and soft. The scent of him sent my equilibrium on vacation while dizziness overwhelmed me. Well, maybe it was from lack of oxygen. I didn’t care. My body floated almost weightlessly, as though the lightest breeze could have carried me away to heaven.
A group of students erupted in cheers behind us. When he finally released me, I felt as if I was staring at him from opposing rims of the Grand Canyon, instead of mere inches away. He placed a steadying hand at the small of my back.
Good thing, too. I could have easily fallen over.
When I finally recovered, I blanched. The four lords were staring straight at me, yet it was as if they couldn’t see me. I waved at Luke. He turned away. Either he was upset by the scene he just witnessed, or he hadn’t spotted me at all. Jett glanced back a couple times before he disappeared into the crowd. Man, that was close. I drew in a long breath.
Maybe I had been wrong. Maybe they were after someone else. Heavens, I hoped so.
Cassie gave me an odd look. I didn’t think she was jealous, but I couldn’t decide what she was trying to convey with her expression.
I was distracted through most of the game, worried the lords would return. Thankfully, I didn’t see them again. Zach kept me tucked securely by his side, whispering jokes in my ear. He even sang a few songs. It helped a little. He had a beautiful voice.
Excitement erupted in the stadium near the end of the game, when the opposing team intercepted the ball and made a touchdown. Even with that paltry attempt at a comeback, we won by twenty-four points. Cassie could hardly contain herself, by the time we left.
We met up with Natalie and Sam near the library. They were all smiles. I had a feeling they hadn’t actually caught
much of the game.
“Natalie, this is Cassie,” I said.
Natalie’s gaze slid over my best friend. “Hey, good to meet you.” With that out of the way, she turned her attention to me. “A bunch of us are getting together at Roger’s place. You guys want to come?”
“Sounds good,” said Zach. His eyes darted to mine as though it just hit him that he had spoken for me. He gave me a charming smile. “That is, if Rayla wants to go.”
I had no idea if I had met Roger the other day or not. I shrugged. “How about it, Cass?” She was the one without a date.
She gave me a peevish look that told me it was about time I thought about her predicament, and then turned toward Natalie. “Will there be any single men there?”
I didn’t know why she was so mad at me. I couldn’t help it that Zach hadn’t brought a date for her. I didn’t run the universe, and I didn’t know anyone to set her up with, either.
“Sure, lots,” Natalie said. “In fact, you might like Roger. He’s a bit strange, but absolutely a hottie.”
“Hey,” Sam complained.
Natalie ran a seductive hand up his chest. “He doesn’t come close to comparing to you, babe.”
His shoulders relaxed, but he didn’t lose the hurt in his eyes. “Well, as long as we’re clear.”
She smiled sweetly for him. “As glacial water.”
Zach was searching my face when I looked up. Was he worried I’d think Roger was cuter than him? Like that could ever happen.
“You mind if we ride with you, Sam?” Zach asked. “I don’t have enough room for both Rayla and Cassie on my bike.”
Sam smiled. “No problem. Meet us in fifteen in the lot. I have to get a couple of things for Roger.”
Natalie went with Sam. We started for the car.
