Liam moved only a slight step in front of Nessa to protect her from the stranger. She would have laughed at his attempt, but the serious look on his face told her that he wasn’t joking or trying to be rude. He felt in danger. Keaton did have that effect on people. It was almost like a warning to keep away from him and his ability.
“Nessa, I don’t know what he’s doing here, but I don’t think you should stay,” Liam commented. Nessa was surprised to find that Liam recognized Keaton.
“Liam, it’s fine. Keaton needs to ask you a few questions to make sure you’re safe,” Nessa told Liam, placing a hand on his arm to distract him from the attack he was planning. Liam hesitated only a second at her touch before launching himself at Keaton. He clearly didn’t feel fine with the situation.
Devin jumped from the shadows instantly. His hand appeared as if from thin air as he stopped the punch Liam had headed for Keaton. His sudden appearance surprised Liam and made him stop his planned attack.
“As the guest here, I would think it would be in your best interest to refrain from attacking people unprovoked,” Devin said curtly. Vines had grown out of the ground to restrain Liam as Devin was ready to restrain him physically. “It might be seen as an act of hostility if you are invited into a place and come in swinging away.”
“Devin,” Nessa complained as the vine continued to grow and completely immobilized Liam, “that’s not necessary.”
“I believe it is until we find out what side he’s on,” Devin stated. He seemed to be holding himself in control, but Nessa wasn’t sure. Would he act rashly if Liam said the wrong thing? Was Devin really restraining Liam for safety, or because he disliked him? “He walked in here and tried to attack us. This is just a precaution, but one I think we need.”
“If you saw him as a threat, then why’d you let me bring him here?” Nessa crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Devin was being unreasonable. Even if Liam wasn’t a threat, it was more a matter of what Liam knew.
“Keaton, ask,” Devin directed Keaton, ignoring Nessa’s anger.
Keaton, for his part, hadn’t even flinched as the larger sidhe moved to attack him. Either he was really stupid or had complete confidence in Devin. Nessa guessed it was the latter.
“Do you know any sidhe that practices witch magic?” Keaton asked, keeping his eyes connected with Liam’s.
“Why would I know someone breaking the law?” Liam replied. Clamping his mouth shut he glared at Keaton. His face was going red with exertion as he stared. Keaton looked harder at Liam. “No, I don’t.” His words came out in a rush, like he was letting go of his breath. Liam knew what Keaton could do, and wasn’t happy being on the receiving end of it.
The vines holding him in place began to retreat.
“Answer any questions from Devin or Nessa truthfully,” Keaton ordered Liam. “Or we can do this again, and I won’t just be asking you one simple question.”
Liam continued to glare at Keaton, but he didn’t give any answer. Nessa hated to see her friend threatened, but she wasn’t sure anymore if he was her friend completely or not.
Keaton nodded and walked back to Devin’s house. Devin, in turn, ushered Liam and Nessa to the benches in the center of his little village. None of the outcasts were outside. Most were working, as they needed additional help in the palace with all the guests and parties that had been planned. Her uncle was already plotting another party since he was sure she would choose one of her suitors to marry. It was tradition, after all, to get married after suitors made themselves known.
Devin looked at Nessa as if to see if she wanted to ask him questions, but she wanted Devin to go first. Questioning Liam didn’t sound as fun now that he was already a little on edge from Keaton. Nessa hated for it to be that way.
“Do you like what I’ve done with the place?” Devin asked casually, though Nessa knew that there was nothing casual about Devin.
“You?” Liam asked in disbelief. “You’re just a day human.”
His last sentence was colored with the disdain of the nobles Nessa had grown used to. She hated to hear it that way from Liam. He was better than the rest of the sidhe. He always had been nice to her, even when Rhys wasn’t. Nessa thought he was a nice guy all around, but she wasn’t sure now.
“So you haven’t heard the rumors about me, then?” Devin was still testing Liam.
Nessa was surprised to find Devin in complete control again. He’d been more emotional than she had ever seen him since Liam arrived, but now he was back to being the stone cold, controlled guy she first met. It was good for the situation, but Nessa worried. Was he closing off permanently?
“A day human can’t do something like this,” Liam replied. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with Devin and his questions, but he wasn’t fighting the compulsion to tell the truth. Liam moved to stand and walk away from the conversation like he was finished talking, or maybe didn’t want to talk with Devin at all.
Keaton stepped away from the house as vines sprouted out of the ground again, keeping Liam in his seat.
“I don’t believe either of those are answers,” Keaton added from his spot, not needing to move more.
Liam glanced up and glared at Keaton again. There was no love between the two sidhe.
“Yes. I like what you’ve done with this place, and no, I don’t listen to rumors,” Liam replied, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t seem to like being threatened, and Nessa found it rude, but she trusted Devin. He knew how to handle the sidhe better than she did, and some sidhe needed a flex in power to be able to understand that Devin was serious.
“Nessa, what is this all about? Who is this day human?” Liam had turned his questioning to her.
“I’m her day human, and the one her grandfather gave all his powers to in order to keep her safe,” Devin replied for Nessa without sugar coating it. His bluntness was appreciated, but still quite blunt.
“Not possible,” Liam answered. His face said he was warring with the idea of believing Devin and Nessa versus believing all he had grown up being taught.
Devin stood, and the dual swords of the old king appeared at his back. That was enough to convince anyone where Devin got his sidhe powers. There was no one in history that had those swords beyond Nessa’s own grandfather. All the sidhe kings before him had grown wings on coronation day. Her grandfather grew swords. It seemed to be a bit handier in the sidhe world where they were constantly fighting and trying to kill each other, so he never complained. But it was a clear sign that Devin now had his powers.
“Oh, it’s possible and true.” Keaton grinned from his place while he watched them. He seemed to find enjoyment at the shock on Liam’s face. “Have you guys really not heard the rumors?” Keaton seemed even more shocked about that.
“My dad said something about things being messed up here, but I thought he was talking about all the assassinations.” Liam continued to stare at the two swords that were on Devin’s back. Devin hadn’t moved.
“Maybe the rest of the sidhe don’t know,” Nessa suggested.
Liam had no reason to lie to them about not knowing. The expression on Devin’s face told her that it hadn’t occurred to him, either. He hadn’t been subtle about having her grandfather’s powers, but the fact that the sidhe kept it within the walls of their own village was a bit strange. There had been no need yet for a display of power since all the new sidhe had arrived; therefore to them it would be only a rumor even if they had heard about it.
Keaton came over to Liam.
“We need to know what you say is true,” Devin explained. He was a bit nicer now to the sidhe after finding out that there seemed to be more deception than they all expected going on.
“Did you ever hear about Devin getting Nessa’s grandfather’s powers?” Keaton was doing his weird eye staring thing again. Nessa silently planned to never again look into Keaton’s eyes like that.
“I never heard of word about that. If I had known, I wouldn’t have stopped him in the glen. King McKinny wasn’t someone you
ever went against,” Liam told them honestly.
“What?” Nessa asked. She was confused. “What did you see in the glen?”
“I saw that he was about to propose to you, and you would have said yes. Anyone that can’t see the bond between you guys would have to be more than blind. They would have to be stupid, too,” Liam replied.
“You knew he was bonded to me and yet you still asked to court me?” Nessa was surprised. His bond didn’t mean what it did to her, but still it was strange. Very few people would even consider coming between people who were bonded.
“That’s why I explained my bond to you with Lele. I wanted you to see the bond doesn’t have to be about attraction. I was trying to prevent you from losing your rule over the people by marrying a non-sidhe. You know the sidhe won’t follow you if you marry a plain old day human. I thought you were in danger of losing the sidhe because you had fallen in love.”
“He may be a day human, but he was chosen by my grandfather. All the sidhe here seem to respect that at least,” Nessa explained. It was still curious why none of the other villages knew what was going on.
“I can see that. No one would mistake those swords,” Liam replied. “I’ve heard rumors about you on the outside as being a warrior. I’m guessing here, but you know how to wield those, right?” Liam asked, and Devin nodded.
Until her brother had told her about the competition for Devin’s night human charge, Nessa hadn’t known about anyone in the outside world. Now to find out others knew of Devin, it was a little strange. Did the other nobles already know about him, too?
“And you know how to use the sidhe magic of the former king?”
Devin nodded again without a word and pointed to the plants at Liam’s feet. He was still sizing up Liam, and probably overanalyzing his questions.
Liam laughed a loud, boisterous laugh. “Here I thought you had more people hiding and doing the work for you. I was calculating how many people I’d have to fight, and it was only you all along.”
“I prefer to do my own work,” Devin replied with a casual shrug, but he didn’t do casual. Everything about him was calculated. Nessa couldn’t make out what Devin thought of Liam, and with his closed-off mind she couldn’t even guess.
“Man, I’m happy you stopped and took the time to tell me all of this. I had like a hundred different scenarios of how to get Nessa to safety.” Relaxing, Liam took a breath and looked around the outcast camp before nodding. “So what can I do to help you guys?” Liam asked, offering Devin his hand.
Devin took it and shook as Liam stood up. Liam was wider than Devin, with large arms and his hair was almost carrot red compared to Devin’s blond, but when they stood side by side, Nessa couldn’t help but see the similarities. They were both handsome men, yet retained some of their boyish charms. Liam’s smile lit up his whole face and screamed mischief most of the time. When Devin gave a real smile, there was a slight dimple just below his left eye. While Liam was quick to throw around a smile, Nessa was certain his was almost kin to Devin’s. It was hard to look at them both as they silently assessed each other. Either man would make a perfect choice for a husband and king. Liam was a good guy, but his immediate change to wanting to help her and Devin just cemented it. If he was serious in his offer to court her, Nessa was going to have to break his heart.
CHAPTER 9
“I think he is correct. That would work perfectly,” Ronan added from his chair inside Devin’s living room.
Everyone was sitting around in Devin’s place as they argued over what to do. Liam fit right in as they began trying to explain everything to him. He was more than happy to help plan, and just explained what he had thought was a good idea.
“No way. We can’t do that,” Nessa complained. She was quick to say no to any plan that involved putting someone at risk. “I don’t want to pretend to be courting anyone anymore.”
Devin smiled. It was nice to have Nessa dislike their newest plan, and he hoped it wasn’t because Liam would be at a risk of getting hurt. Liam suggested that he continue to pretend to court her to see if they could draw out the witch sidhe. He still had no idea who might have touched him that was the witch, but he was sure that he wanted in on protecting Nessa. Nessa, on the other hand, didn’t want to continue pretending to like anyone, including Liam. It was nice that she didn’t want to even pretend to like another person. Devin was a bit more reassured that she wanted to be with him when she argued like that.
It had been easy to accept Liam once Devin found out the truth. Liam was just trying to protect Nessa. He could see now how the redheaded sidhe looked at her. It wasn’t love like Devin felt, but more like how one would feel for his sister. Liam truly was just a white knight in disguise. He had a habit of saving people, and he thought Nessa needed saving. Now that he knew the truth behind Devin and his powers, Liam didn’t once suggest that he truly intended to marry Nessa. Devin trusted him.
“It would work,” Liam reassured Nessa. “If this sidhe is targeting those that like you, I completely agree that you can’t let Devin play that part. If they outright attack him, I’m not sure how your grandfather’s powers stack up against witch magic. If Devin gets hurt or killed, it pretty much will end you.”
“Maybe this person is just trying to kill me through Devin,” Nessa suggested. She was still trying to protect everyone.
“I considered that also until I found out the other villages weren’t told about my powers,” Devin replied, sitting beside Nessa on the couch. “If they don’t know about your grandfather giving me his powers, then it very much is likely the person trying to get to you doesn’t know that our lives are connected.”
“I still don’t like it.” Nessa was pouting now. Devin had to try hard to hide a grin at her response.
“It’s a great plan,” Ronan added. “With everyone distracted with an engagement, Turner and Maria can get into the palace and do a check around there. We might be able to find the trail of the witch sidhe before it ever comes to a party.”
Ronan was correct. Everything about the plan sounded strong. Liam was willing to deflect the anger of Nessa’s wannabe suitor. Turner and Maria could go on searching for the witch, and Ronan would look after Nessa. It even left time for Devin to help finish up his plans for the new clinic and lab, two things that sounded like they’d need sooner than later. He had to be able to get the sidhe to see outside the village, and a clinic for all would more than likely not be able to be hidden away from whatever code the village was using to keep Devin and his powers a secret. Devin couldn’t understand why the sidhe—who readily threw rumors around—were silent on his power. He had to wonder if they feared him more than he thought. Giving the common sidhe a way out of the rule of the elite might just be enough for them to stop fearing him.
“But, but …” Nessa had nothing left to argue. Everyone in the room was happy with the plan and ready to act their part. “Fine. What do I have to do?” Nessa was resigned to her role even if she didn’t like it.
“When we return, Liam has to go to my father and tell him that he intends to propose,” Ronan explained. “My father will then have to start planning an engagement party for it to happen properly. If this person is set on stopping you from getting married, they will be there. It will be the perfect time to catch them.”
“Shouldn’t we tell your dad what’s going on?” Nessa asked. She was only looking for another person to help stop the acting she was going to have to do.
‘Nessa, you will be fine,’ Devin told her in her mind. He could feel her nervousness and anxiety about the situation.
‘No, I won’t. What happens if you guys don’t find the witch sidhe? What happens then? I can’t just say no in front of everyone. No one cares how I feel about this. All Liam has to do is ask and put a ring on my finger. Then it’s over. I’ll be married. Do you really want me to be married if this goes too far? What happens if the witch sidhe doesn’t come out to stop it all?’ Nessa was ranting now.
Devin reached over a
nd took her hand in his. Her ranting stopped at his touch. Everything from Devin was calm and soothing. He hoped that it would soothe her mind, too. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and he sure wasn’t going to let her marry someone else.
“We should keep this plan between the eight of us sitting here.” Devin looked around the room. “I don’t know about any place else, but this is the only spot I know that is safe. No one can overhear us here. If we go back and tell anyone, even your uncle, it might get back to the witch sidhe. We need to call them out on our terms, not be surprised by them.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “So let’s get everything ready and head back to the palace before day breaks.”
Their plan was solid enough. They’d get the witch sidhe to show himself, and then they would decide what to do if the witch didn’t want to come peacefully. Devin wasn’t afraid of a battle—he’d done that a dozen times since he had entered the village—but it was sweet that Nessa worried so much about everything.
‘You’re safe and will stay safe,’ Devin told Nessa. She still didn’t feel safe, and Devin needed to convince her. ‘Even if Liam has to go as far as putting a ring on your finger, you won’t be married to him. Didn’t you catch how well that worked for Mr. I’m-so-smart sidhe? You’re protected from marrying anyone unless it’s your choice.’
Nessa let out a sigh. Devin could feel some of the tension leaving her.
‘Wait a second,’ she added as Devin stood. ‘If you can put a protective bubble around me, why don’t you do that to yourself? Then we’ll both be safe.’
Devin gave her a reluctant smile. He had already thought of that. It would have been nice to be able to make them both safe easily, but he knew why the old king was dead. He was able to protect everyone else, but the power to place a protective shield around himself wasn’t possible. Devin could only protect those he loved and not himself. He’d have to rely on his training to keep himself, and thus Nessa, safe.
‘It doesn’t work on me,’ Devin replied without any more explanation. It wasn’t needed as she nodded half-heartedly. He wished it could be that easy. His life with Nessa would have been complete by now if it were.