by Elle Lincoln
He grips the steering wheel, interesting. “Let’s just say that I sent an idiot to do something I should have done myself, and by the time I realized it, you were wandering around the state.”
“I wasn’t wandering the state. I was wandering a small little section of forest. Which, by the way, I have no idea how I got there.” I mumble the last part to myself. Aliens. It’s really the only answer.
“Ah, yeah. You never know where they are going to drop you off. At least it was the same state.” He relaxes his hands and I ponder his words. Who are they? I’m hoping I didn’t get probed. “How do you feel?”
“I feel like I’m missing something.” The words spill from my lips before I think better of it. Something about Mac just makes me want to tell him all of my secrets. Which is a bad sign, since I don’t tell secrets. Ever.
“What exactly do you think you are missing?” He looks at me as though he’s trying to tell me something I should understand. I don’t.
“You mean besides fifteen months of my life?” I snort. Really, that’s the only logical answer but my words cause Mac to frown. I think I actually am missing something. “I don’t know and I don’t remember anything, but I feel like I need to. That it’s important to me. Like someone is important to me.”
“You’ll remember, but we are going to have to speed up the process.”
“Why? What’s so important that I remember where I’ve been?” I’d honestly just like to forget and move on with my life. Maybe change things around and make some genuine friendships. Have a—gasp—real relationship.
He groans, and although the sound exudes frustration, I can’t help but think of him groaning for another reason. I miss panties. At least then my pants would showcase his effect on me instead of my thighs. Really, why am I not acting on this? Oh yeah, he’s not telling me anything I want to know.
“This is a delicate situation. With Casseus we had time. Now we don’t have that time.” He sounds worried. I’m not worried though.
“Wait,” my pulse thrums, “say that name again.”
“Casseus. Bette, what is it?” He looks excited, his eye wide and wild.
“I’m not sure.” I rub my face. Pain sears behind my eyelids and the image of a raven flies across my mind’s eye. “A raven.”
“What else.” He’s looking at me more than the road, and I’m not that much of a daredevil.
“Can you pay attention to the road?” I slump back into the seat. “My mama always told me never to get in cars with strangers.”
“Well, Bette, it’s a good thing I don’t intend to be a stranger to you.”
Oh hell. He glances at me, just a brief look, but it’s a promise of more. I really have to be careful with this man. Can we say insta-lust?
I clear my throat. Concentrating on the image of a raven. “A cabin.” The beaten down cabin that I think of sends another pain through my mind and I drop it. I rub my temples to ease the pain.
Mac reaches over, his hand hovering just over my shoulder, as though he isn’t quite sure I’ll accept his comfort. I give him a tentative smile, urging him on, and his palm rests on the blade of shoulder. My body shivers from the contact and lightening zing to every limb. My breathing turns to a pant and it takes everything in me to slow it down. Whoa, girl.
I’m staring at him open-mouthed, his knowing grin isn’t helping, and I need to shake myself out of it before we pull over and I teach him how a bad girl rides.
“We need to switch out vehicles.” He releases me from my trance and I let out the breath I’d been holding.
I nod because this actually makes sense. What if the SUV is bugged and they are following us right now?
Mac pulls off the side of the road and onto a dirt trail. It’s full of potholes and the bouncing tosses me around the car. My teeth clack together and I’m officially ready to be finished with this. Finally, after several excruciating moments of the SUV pretending to be a wooden rollercoaster, an ATV comes into view. Mac stops and climbs out. With nothing else to do, I follow him out to the ATV.
“Now what?” My hands are on my hips and I’m staring at him as he walks over to a clearing. When he doesn’t answer I follow, realizing we are at a cliff. I look from his amused expression to the car, and then back to him. “You can’t be fucking serious.”
“Oh, but of course I am.” His excitement leaks an accent I can’t pinpoint. It’s sexy and I’m instantly picturing him saying very naughty things to me in that accent. He eyes me and I hide my goosebump covered arms behind my back. Nothing to see here, nothing at all. “Oh. Ye like that?”
And I’m done. I turn on my heel and sit on the ATV. I’ll just watch the crazy fisherman push an SUV over a cliff. His body shakes with laughter as he skips back to the driver’s side. He’s like a little kid who just got a new toy to play with. I mean, in all honesty, most men would love to toss something over a cliff, this man just gets to.
I hear the clutch shift to neutral and Mac climbs out. He eyes the driver’s side door and with a shake of his head, marches to the back where he begins to push the SUV. I just watch, because they will not hold me accountable for this shit. I have enough skeletons in my fucking closet, no need to add whatever this is to that. Felony? Misdemeanor?
Doesn’t matter, because as he pushes the SUV I can’t help but watch, and I swear it has nothing to do with the bunching muscles of his back or how easy he makes it look. Or the fact that my eyes are glued to his ass as he bends over to push the car. I’m fucked. So, so fucked.
As the first tire rolls over the edge, the rest of the SUV follows, and Mac just stands there with a shit-eating grin on his face as he watches it tumble over the cliff and into the forest below. His smile is infectious, and I glance down, trying to hide my own from his knowing eyes.
He claps and rubs his hands together before coming over to the ATV. “That was fun, no?”
I cock my head to the side. “Are you always like this?”
“Is there any other way to be?” He leans in far too close to me, I smell the sea and damn it’s so enticing.
“Are you going to take me home now?” The question is stupid, I know it’s stupid because I have no home, but I’m eying his lips as I speak. Catching myself, I look back up into his green eyes to see the pupils dilate and his lids become heavy.
“You and I both know you have no home, so why not come on an adventure with me?” He’s but a breath away from my lips, yet neither one of us makes the move to close the distance. Something inside me demands patience, while my lust grows and expands to demand I take his lips. He leans away, his nose brushing the side of my neck, and I release a small whimper. “Besides, you want answers and I have them.”
It’s the first time he admits to knowing what’s going on and I finally lean away from him, sliding back on the ATV for him to jump on.
“How far do we have to go?”
“Not far at all, a few miles.”
“Is that far enough away from the SUV?”
He nods while starting the ATV. “Any tracker probably died in the tumble and if it didn’t, we are safe where we are going. Hold on.”
I slip down and my knees wrap around his hips, my muscles pressing against him to keep me from flying off when he pulls away. As we navigate down a different path, he expertly avoids these potholes and I relax. I’ve never been on one of these, and I can help but forget the events of the day and actually enjoy the ride.
The wind whips my hair around my face and the rich scent of the earth teases my nostrils. Birds chirp and everywhere I look, I see the vast expanse of green. The beauty of these mountains isn’t lost on me. I’ve grown up around here my whole life, and yet their magic alludes to hidden turns where I can do nothing but fall into their depths. There are still roads I don’t know and paths I’ve never taken, but I’ve never once feared the mountains, the sense of being lost in them, or the overwhelming feeling people get when they realize just how immense they are.
The mountains demand a cert
ain amount of respect that must be given, or they will take it without forgiveness. That thought tickles my memory of a dark night, a winding road, and dense fog. A car crashes. The sound of metal groaning flickers in my ears. Although it’s from a memory, I hear it as though it’s happening right here, right now. I clench Mac who slows the ATV, his face drifts into view so I can focus on his emerald gaze.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. The fog.” My brows lower and the memory fades away. My heart is pounding and my skin is clammy.
His hand reaches up to grasp my face. He peers into my eyes and I’m lost. “We’ll get you through this.”
Whatever this is. Weird trippy trip.
“Okay.” My voice sounds hollow and far away from my mind, like I’m not quite recaptured by the present.
“We’re almost there. I have to warn you though,” his crooked smile gets me and I’m drawn to it like a moth to a flame, “my friend is a little odd.”
“Your friend?” My brows raise and my mouth tilts into its own scandalous smile.
“He’s a bit wild.”
“And you aren’t?” I tease him.
His smile is full of teeth and hidden mirth. “Oh aye. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
I smile back and as he turns around, I settle into him. We move once more and I lean farther into his warmth. Appreciating just how incredible he feels against me. I let myself imagine what it would be like if it were just the two of us, heading to somewhere remote. All true. But we are heading there to devour each other, to learn each other’s bodies and every intimate little detail. I sigh and let myself fall into the daydream. A sexy daydream.
I almost miss when we stop. I pull away from Mac and hop off. A cabin is just in front of us. Small and cozy. A beaten old truck sits off to the side, rusted around the wheel wells, and the front hood is a pale blue compared to the rest of the green body. Mac comes up beside me and takes my hand, leading me around the side where overgrown weeds sprout.
A thud and a crack rips through the air. And as we near the back, I see the source. A man is there splitting wood, his chest is bare and his pants ride low on his hips. Suspenders lay on his thighs and he’s oddly barefoot. As he swings an ax, the wood cracks and he nods to himself.
“Pat!” Mac shouts to the red-haired man.
Pat rights himself and I realize he’s shorter than Mac, taller than me but everyone is. Maybe only five foot ten to Mac’s six foot.
“Oy, is this her?” He also carries a slight accent and I wonder where it’s from.
“What’s your accent?” I can’t help myself.
“Irish, are ye daft?” I’m taken aback by Pat’s curt words and Mac smacks him on the back of the head, causing him to scowl. He really looks wild with his red hair and furry red face. Freckles dot every inch of skin, leaving almost no surface clear. Even his chest and shit—is that a six pack? Yep, freckles there too, leading down, down, down. His hazel eyes look at me like I’m the crazy one and his lips turn down into a scowl. “Fookin America! I’m losing me accent!”
“You probably should, you’ve been here long enough as it is,” Mac suggests. “Pat, this is Bette, Bette this is Patrick O’Flannery.”
“My mum was a right cunt with me name.” Is he fucking serious? Did he just insult his mother? I shake my head, trying to dislodge the fog of lust and confusion.
“That’s interesting.” Really, how am I supposed to reply to that?
“Well, now you’re here. Let’s get on with it then.” He pulls a flask out of his pocket and proceeds to chug the entire contents, before looking back at my incredulous expression. “Well, get on wit it!”
“Get on with what?” Is he daft?
“Pat, she doesn’t remember yet.” Mac turns to me with a placating smile and I instantly ignore him.
“Pat, get on with what?” My voice is smooth like honey, and I walk up to the drunken Irish man knowing I’m about to get more out of him than I’ve ever gotten out of Mac in the short amount of time I’ve known him.
Mac tries to shush me and yanks me to him, turning me away from Pat. But I don’t need to be looking at him to hear him.
“Call the Sluagh and yer king. Go on now!”
My shoulders sag, disappointment sits heavy in my gut. I had hoped I’d get something coherent out of him. Nope. I roll my eyes and shrug away from Mac.
I face Pat again, his ax slung over his shoulder. “The Sluagh and my king?” My hands settle on my hips and my bare foot taps the green earth beneath my feet.
“Yes, Balor, the guy you were with and the raven,” he drawls slowly, looking at me with expectation. If he wasn’t so crazy, I’d find him handsome.
“And what fairytale do you think I’m living in?” I turn to walk away.
“I’m no fairy Little Raven, I’m a leprechaun and that there is a god.” He snorts. “Fairytale. Does she not know you can’t get to the Realm from here?”
He doesn’t sound like he thinks he’s crazy. I turn to Mac who’s pinching his nose. Pat has taken out a second flask and is drowning in more liquor. I cock my head at them. They’re serious.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I whisper to myself but I’m heard.
Mac gives me an apologetic look and shrugs his shoulders.
“Go on now. Call them!” Pat repeats. “They won’t know where we are otherwise.”
Call who?
“I told ye! Casseus and Balor!”
Pain splinters through my skull as everything rushes through me full force. I can do nothing but succumb to the darkness as my memories rush through me like a tsunami.
Chapter 15
Patrick
Fucked
“Down like a sack o’potatoes.” I watch as the lovely dark-haired woman faints. I turn to Mac. “What’d I say?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose, and I can’t fathom why he looks irritated. “You are an idiot.”
No argument there. I take another swig of my whiskey. Shame it does nothing to ease the tension that spreads across my shoulders.
“Should we...” I gesture to the woman, Bette.
“Oh shit.” Mac scoops her up, a flush rising to his cheeks. “I’m out of practice.”
“Looked fine from here.” I mean, I haven’t spoken to anyone except the wee ones in far too long. Speaking of… “I should check on my pets.”
“Are you kidding me?” Mac’s jaw drops. “We have a lot to discuss. Not only that, but we need to find Balor and Casseus.”
I scoff at him, the fool. His dick is so far up his arse he missed something rather important. “They will find her, us. She called to them.”
“The Fae found her already.” His voice is a concerned whisper, but I hear it all the same.
I’m not concerned yet. “We won’t have much time here. We wait for the others.”
“How can you tell she called to them?” He looks almost unsure, it’s truly comical. Odd coming from the god of the sea, usually he’s so damn confident it’s exhausting. I hate it. Fucking confidence. Blah. Not all of us can walk around with a confident stick up our arse.
“She sent out a pulse before she fell. I thought she’d bounce off of air or something. But nope. Down like potatoes.” I shake my head. She’s such a dainty little thing with that elven face of hers. I wonder if she descended from the rat bastards.
Don’t care. I won’t judge. Too much. After all, I’m no better.
“Oh.” His brows pull together and I eye him.
“Ye like her?” It isn’t a question and he doesn’t bother responding. “Lay her on my bed.”
“Thank you.” He turns and I grunt at him. I need to feed my pets.
The best part of living out here in the middle of the Smokys, is that there isn’t anyone around. That’s also why the old gods chose this area to settle upon. The sneaky bastards.
At the end of the clearing, a small shed sits, and I make my way over there now. I open the door, brushing away the cobwebs. I watch in m
ild amusement as a few spiders plop out of the air and land on the dirt floor. The little buggers look up at me in contempt. A chuckle rises out of me. Moody spiders.
They definitely looked at me with disdain. I know these little creatures have just as much claim to the land as we do. Probably even more. Didn’t mean their presence didn’t annoy me from time to time. I suppose that’s the stereotype of the leprechaun.
Fecking joke. Tricksters my ass. Okay, so maybe we played the odd joke here and there. It’s the persona we strived to achieve over thousands of years. At least to hide our true purpose. I lied, we are tricksters.
I lift the barrel’s lid, scoop out some seed, and place it in a bowl. Then another. I grab my knife from my pocket and slice my palm open. I watch as the blood wells and pools in the cup of my palm. The deep scarlet swirls with the dirt on my hand. They won’t mind it.
I tip my hand, watching as the blood splatters all over the seed. Leprechauns are complex creatures. We are magic, our blood is magic. Hell, our very presence upon this plane of existence is magic. I grab the wooden spoon and start to mix my blood into the seed, careful to make sure each one becomes coated.
Blood is an interesting sort of magic. The very gift of life. And the hell of some others. I didn’t have a choice but to follow the Tuatha to this land, and my little pets. Especially considering they are more like lemmings than anything else. But I know better. They go where the magic goes. Which will make these little battles that much harder. They will follow me, but they won’t be happy about it or about having to leave this little area they call their own.
I’ve no choice in the matter.
I grab the bowl and leave the shed, then walk to the tree line. Early evening is upon us and the light fades to the night, as the shadows grow longer. My little pets come out at night, but since we are expecting guests I’m hoping they awake early.
I let out a long whistle, stop, and then give two short calls. Then I wait.
There are all sorts of forgotten Fae, others call them by many names. I call them forgotten because many wish they were just a myth. Foolish really, they are still very much alive and just so happen to be my wards of a sort. I feed them and hope they don’t kill anyone.
