My blood pressure rose.
“Bloody fool,” one of the Chaun boys said, slugging Rock in the arm and nearly knocking him over. “Ye’ll never learn.”
Rock spotted Cassidy and I through bleary, half-closed eyes. “Cassie-lassiiieeee!” He shoved through the other guys and draped his arms around her, bumping me away.
“Ronan, stop,” Cass said, wiggling out of his grasp and staring at him with wide eyes. Her next words were hissed in a dangerously low whisper that only the three of us could hear. “Did you just sleep with some woman? Someone’s wife?” Her eyes begged him to deny it. He could feed her a lie right then, and she would eat it up.
“Tell her the truth,” I warned him. He stank; there was no denying that.
Rock looked at me through a mop of long curls. He stood a touch taller at that moment and looked as serious as I’d ever seen him. There was a message for me in his eyes. I didn’t like it, but I understood it. Rock was about to sever ties with my sister. He looked back at Cassidy, who’d wrapped her arms around herself.
Before Rock could say anything, Blackie came up and clapped him on the back, giving us a devilishly handsome wink.
“Old man Teague should know better than to leave ‘is young bride so long while he tends to trade matters, ‘eh? Somebody has to take care of business at home!” He slapped Rock’s back again, running off and leaving us to digest his words.
Cassidy closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips to her pink lips.
“No,” she whispered through her fingers. “Tell me it’s not true.”
“Cassie…,” Rock said, tilting to the side and then righting himself.
The regret in his tone was evident, but it wasn’t enough.
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “I can’t believe you would do that to me. I love you!”
Her words seemed to punch breath from his lungs. Rock’s sorrowful eyes were haunting as he stepped back, distancing himself.
“This is no place for the likes of ye, Cassie.” He still used her nickname, defiant. “And I’ll no’ be tied down to a lass. Ever.”
“Why are you doing this?” She sucked in a shuddering breath and her eyes filled with tears. I watched her face turn hard as her words turned spiteful. “Whatever. I just came over here to tell you I’m not pregnant. Not that you cared. Not that you were worried about me. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”
She tried to leave but he grabbed her upper arm.
“I ne’er meant to hurt ye,” he said.
“Then why did you?” she whispered.
Beyond Rock’s shoulder I saw a shift in the crowd as people moved out of someone’s way. Someone big.
“Go,” I told Rock. “Our dad’s coming. You need to get out of here, now.”
Cassidy and Rock both looked to see I was telling the truth. My parents and Brogan were making a straight line for us.
Rock gave Cass one last heart-shattering look of apology before staggering three steps backward. The other Clour must have been keeping an eye out for Rock, because they all followed his lead back into the grass, pushing and shoving one another as they hurried away. They’d come with a purpose, and it had been achieved.
Cassidy cried silent tears now, one hand over her mouth. I looked for my parents. Dad’s eyes were on the field where Rock had disappeared. Mom’s eyes, of course, were on Cassidy, no doubt reading the heartbreak there. She began moving through the crowd toward us with Dad behind her. Mom wore the same fierce expression she had when she caught us watching Cinderella as kids—she hated anything that depicted Faeries in a positive light, fictional or not.
As they got closer, Dad scrutinized Cassidy’s tear-stained face. He stopped, hesitating only a moment before stalking toward the field, slow at first, then breaking into a sprint. The three of us girls watched him, astonished. I’d never seen him move so fast.
“Leon!” Mom shouted. The three of us ran after him, and others followed.
Dad caught up to the boys just before they got to the trees. He grabbed the back of Rock’s shirt and spun him around, pulling him so they were face-to-face. Dad’s biceps flexed with restrained fury. I had no idea his muscles were so big.
“Daddy, please!” Cassidy cried.
He gave the Clour a hard shake. “What did you do to my daughter?”
Rock’s mouth hung open, no noise escaping.
I chimed in, afraid for Rock. “They just broke up, Dad… they broke things off.”
Dad, keeping a tight hold on the boy, looked to Cassidy who nodded. Mom placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let him go, love.”
He snarled down at Rock, pulling his face a touch closer and whispered through clenched teeth. “You stay away from her. Do you hear me? Don’t come around here again until the summer is over and we’re half a world away.”
“Daddy!” Cassidy cried.
Rock swallowed and nodded, croaking, “Aye, sir. I’ll no’ bother her again.”
“Good.” Dad shoved him away.
Brogan stood next to him now, glowering at the Clourichaun who were rushing into the trees. A large group of villagers stood behind us, watching. McKale came to my side and took my hand.
We all looked at Cassidy. She let out a muffled choking sound and turned, pushing through the crowd, running back to the village.
Dad exhaled and rubbed his face. “I’m sorry about that, Brogan.”
“’Tis fine, sir. I cannot blame ye fer going after the bugger. We’ll see to it they don’t come back.”
“Thank you.”
Brogan looked hard at McKale. “I’m takin’ back the invitation I extended to ‘em for the binding ceremony. Understand?”
“Aye, Father.”
We walked back up to the field in silence, and McKale never let go of my hand. People dispersed into the clearing, whispering amongst themselves.
“I think I’ll call it an early night,” Dad said.
“I’ll be along,” Mom said. “I’m going to check on Cass first.”
He nodded. “Tell her… tell her I love her and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose my temper, but I think there’s more to this story. Stuff I don’t even want to know.”
I dropped my gaze to the ground as Dad walked away. My heart thudded when Mom turned to face McKale and me.
“Robyn, what have your sister and that boy been up to?”
McKale looked away. I swallowed and whispered, “I…” I dropped my eyes.
She pressed fingertips to her temples, appearing even more anguished than she’d been when she broke the news to me about McKale’s heritage. “Never mind. I don’t need to hear it.”
“Oh, Cassidy Renee,” she whispered into the air. Her eyes watered. “Why must you learn everything the hard way?”
I squeezed McKale’s hand and released it. “You can go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He left us.
I walked to my room with Mom at my side. Stress reverberated off her. Cassidy’s sobs were audible long before we got there. I was scared about what Mom planned to do. Would she yell at her and lecture her? Would she tell her what a foolish girl she was and how disappointed she was?
Nope. My parents were full of surprises tonight. Mom climbed straight into my sister’s bed and curled around Cassidy’s balled form. She whispered and smoothed her hair back from her face. Over and over she did this until Cass quieted, hiccupping for air every minute or so. I climbed into my own bed, but couldn’t relax as the minutes ticked by. Mom didn’t return to her own room until Cassidy was hard asleep.
I woke the next morning to the gentle shake of a hand on my shoulder.
“Robyn,” Cass whispered.
I sat straight up, slurring, “What’s wrong?”
“I woke up early and I can’t fall back asleep. I feel like I need to talk to Ronan about last night—”
“Cass!” I felt much more awake now. “Don’t you remember what he did?”
“Well, yeah.” She frowned. “But I think he was just trying
to push me away because he knows I have to leave. I think he’s scared.”
I looked at the ceiling, gathering my thoughts. “Maybe he is, chickadee, but then again maybe he’s just a big, selfish jerk.”
“I don’t think so,” she said quietly. “He was drunk last night. I need to talk to him while he’s sober.”
The bad thing about romantics was they put themselves out there for heartbreak. I wished she’d guard her heart better, but it was hard to fault her trusting, loving nature.
“I’ll have McKale get a message to Rock today, okay? After last night I think it’d be bad for you to go after him.”
She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “Okay. But you have to find out from McKale exactly what Rock says and tell me.”
I let out another deep sigh. “Alright.”
She smiled and hopped up, digging through her bag for the day’s outfit as if yesterday hadn’t been the worst day of her life—as if Dad hadn’t gone ballistic on the guy she loved.
“Mom was really worried about you last night,” I said.
“Oh… yeah.” That stole a little of the hop from her step. “Do you think I’m in trouble?”
“No. I think now Mom’s stressed for both you and me.”
“I’ll go talk to her.” She bit her lip. “Maybe I can help you with the animals first?”
I admired her procrastination technique. “Sure.”
MCKALE HELD MY HAND as we walked down the path toward the waterfall that evening. The clan was still partying it up, but the Masons had been a subdued bunch all day. I accepted with gratitude when McKale asked me on an early evening “date.”
When we reached the gurgling stream the first thing I did was look around for mini-men. I’d come prepared with a bathing suit, but I wasn’t opposed to breaking out a few more wrestling skills if someone dared to mess with us today.
We walked up the mossy, damp bank to where the stream thickened at the base of the falls. As we stopped and looked at each other, a shyness overcame us and we laughed.
“I guess you don’t own any swim trunks, huh?” I asked him. I motioned to my shorts.
“Nay. The lads and I swim without clothing.”
“Oh.” Heat prickled my skin and I cleared my throat.
“I’ll wear me pants today.”
I nodded, looking down at a spongy patch of earth that my toes were squishing around in.
“Okay. I have a swimsuit on under this. It was made for swimming. In case you couldn’t tell from the name.”
Ugh, go away embarrassing babble!
We looked at each other before reaching for our shirts and pulling them over our heads. He dropped his tunic and rubbed his hands over his flat stomach, taking in the sight of my fuchsia tankini. My heart was beating ridiculously fast as I bent to slide my shorts down. My heart never had a chance to relax because his hot hazel eyes never looked away. It was hard to breath and I didn’t know what to do with my hands. He lifted his eyes to my face.
“Are ye all right, then?”
“I’m… nervous.”
“Aye. All is well.”
His voice soothed me. Geez, if I was this nervous about swimming with him, I’d be a complete wreck three nights from now. I needed to calm down. Little nerves were natural, but I was feeling faint here.
“I’ve ne’er seen material such as that. May I?”
I nodded and he reached out, feeling the edge of the tankini top where it met my mid-section. The back of his fingertips brushed against my stomach and the prickly heat flared up again. He used both hands now, pulling at the fabric to see how it stretched. I could see the cobbler in him, fascinated by this creation and wondering how it might be used on the feet of Fae.
When he was done examining my suit, I held out my hand and he took it. Together we waded into the water near the falls. It was cooler than I remembered, probably from all the recent rain. I hissed and walked on my tip-toes. McKale let go of my hand and dove straight into the water’s depths, coming back up in the middle of the pool with a giant smile. He gave his wet head a shake, slinging water to the side.
When he motioned me to him, I let my chest go under. Cold! There was no way I was diving like he had. After a few steps the water was too deep and I had to swim the rest of the way. He took my hands and pulled me to him. Close. When his lips covered mine and his tender tongue sought my own, I almost forgot to kick my feet to stay above water. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to a spot where we could touch bottom.
And then he kissed my breath away.
My hands slid over his body in the crisp water. I loved the hardness of lean muscle under his skin. I ran my hands across his chest and around to his back, feeling him from the line of his pants up to his shoulders. Unlike me, he kept his hands in one place, around my back. But he groaned with pleasure at my touch and kissed me harder. The water no longer felt so cold.
McKale’s mouth left mine and he pulled me to his chest to hug me. His cheek rubbed the side of my head.
“I can’t get enough of ye, Robyn. I didn’t know it could feel this way.”
I leaned back enough to look at him. “I’m full of surprises.”
He chuckled. “Careful now. Ye aren’t the only one who can give a surprise.”
I lifted an eyebrow, wondering what he meant, but he must have taken it as a challenge because he jumped up and dunked me under the water. I came up gasping, wiping water from my eyes.
“Not nice!” I rushed for him and we wrestled, laughing with sudden playfulness. It was an enjoyable release after the past twenty-four hours.
“’Tis not right for a lass to be so rough!” He laughed as I struggled my way out of his hold.
“That’s me. Take it or leave it.” We’d moved close to the shore now. I yanked the back of his knee forward with my heel so he’d lose his balance. As he fell forward he grabbed my waist and twisted us around so that I would fall on top of him. He grasped my wrists and pulled me down to him. Our upper bodies were on the dirt, but our legs were still in water.
“I’ll take ye, I will.”
McKale lifted his head to try and kiss me, but I dodged to the side. Instead I kissed his cheek before moving further to nibble his earlobe. He tensed underneath me and I could feel everything. Instead of making me nervous, his apparent arousal spurred me on. I kissed his neck and he held his breath. My mouth was hot in comparison to his cool skin. He sucked in air when I ran my tongue over his lightly freckled shoulder, down to his collarbone. I’d never done such a thing, and the way he reacted made me experience another delicious surge of power like I had when we kissed by the hen house.
“Aye, yer likely to drive me mad if ye keep that up.”
“Just getting you back for driving me mad my first month here,” I said against his chest.
I was only teasing, but he sat up and pulled me up with him, setting me at his side and taking my face in his palm.
“Robyn.” His eyes pleaded with mine. “Ye did not deserve to be treated so. I was a fool boy and didn’t know how to act. Fer awhile there I thought ye’d given up on me.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I was sad and scared, and maybe a little stubborn too, but I never gave up.”
“Will ye forgive me?”
“I already have. And I’m sorry I was upset with you and wouldn’t talk to you.” So much wasted time we could have been getting to know one another.
“Ye don’t need to apologize to me fer anything.”
He laid me back in the moss, one knee between my legs and a hand on my waist. McKale kissed me with such sweet tenderness I thought I’d come apart at the seams. My body was impatient for more of his touch, but he remained a perfect gentleman. I squirmed closer, arching my back, needing more.
“I think I’m ready to bind with you, like, right now.” The words spilled out with abandon, spurred on by my greedy body. “I’m not even kidding.”
He laughed heartily at my admission and I savored the sound of it.
/> More words surfaced and I let them tumble out bravely. “I’m falling in love with you, Kale.” My heart pounded as I watched his laughter turn serious. “Do you believe me?”
“Aye,” he whispered and touched our lips. “I believe ye, Bláth mo chroí.”
“What?” I asked.
“’Tis the old language. Gaelic.”
“What does it mean?”
He held me with his eyes. “Flower of me heart.”
In that beautiful second, as he leaned to seal those words with a kiss, an itchy burn buzzed across my skin. I recognized the feel of being glamoured, but this was stronger than when I put a glamour around myself. It felt thick and unnatural around me.
McKale’s eyes widened as he pulled back from me. “Khalis-!” Before he could finish saying her name, another burst of magic hit me and McKale was gone.
But not really. There was a tiny bit of weight still on me.
“Oh!” Mini-sized McKale was splayed across my belly. “Are you okay?” I asked, unsure if I should try to pick him up or something. My voice sounded strange in my ears and he seemed frightened of me. When I peered down at myself I almost puked. I looked like her, pale skin swaddled in white gossamer. McKale clambered off me, sliding down my waist and running a few feet away.
A giggle sounded from behind us and I sat up fast, turning my torso to see her.
“McKale shifts small when he’s startled. But you wouldn’t know that, would you, Robyn Mason? You hardly know him at all.” Khalistah smiled pleasantly from the opening of the trees where she glowed. Her white-gold hair rested on her slim hips, glittering in the twilight. The green pixie was perched on her shoulder, its fat face like a pug, minus the cuteness factor.
She stepped out and I stood to face her. The glamour felt so strange—I couldn’t see my own skin. This was a power show, and she had the upper hand. She’d stolen my identity and individuality, turning me into her.