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."Did you ever ask him?"Regret filled her."No.I never did."He nodded."So many mortals don't know until it's too late how important it is to simply ask a question now and again."While he talked, he pressed the clover into a paste.He touched the paste, smeared a small dab between his fingers."Ah, perfect." He met her gaze and gave her a wink."Now, the oil." He unscrewed the cap and let the thick liquid glub into the bowl.She watched him closely."How do you know when you have enough?"Gaelen shrugged, but kept adding oil."Waxing-moon clover is powerful enough to stand some dilution.For where we're goin', we'll need plenty."She frowned.That sounded slightly ominous."Is it really dangerous? I mean, fairies don't hurt people, do they?"He didn't answer right away.He even stopped stirring.Her unease grew."Gaelen? Do fairies hurt people?"He sighed and resumed stirring the paste."Sometimes."She jumped to her feet, heart stomping in fear."What do you mean, sometimes? You said Erin would be all right.I thought we just had to go and get her back."Gaelen leaned heavily on the counter.He grimaced before he finally spoke."Sometimes, not often, a fairy will go rogue, hurt people.Most of the time, though, any damage is done out of carelessness.We fairies are a careless bunch.""What kind of damage?" She wasn't sure she really wanted to know."Nothing physical.Usually not permanent."She waited for him to explain that but he didn't say anything else as he spooned the ointment into the crystal bottle he'd had in the hospital."Here, look at this," he said, applying a tiny drop to her eyes.When she'd blinked, he spread a thin layer on her hand.* * * *Gaelen watched her eyes widen.The ointment was especially good.Her hand disappeared in a twinkle.Annabelle's scream pierced the air."Shhh!" His hissed injunction was ridiculous.She couldn't hear anything except herself.Gaelen placed his hand behind her head and pulled her to him, covering her shrieking mouth with his.Her scream died, replaced by a sigh.Her arms went his waist, holding on.His arms slid down, molding her to him.Her lips were soft and tender, dewy and sweet.He knew he'd never tasted anything more delicious.A million years of such kissing wouldn't be too much.Maybe two million years.The shock of the thought made him break away.He stepped back, letting his arms drop and forcing hers to release him.He'd never had to do anything harder.Brown eyes flickered with uncertainty."What did you do that for?" she asked.He really didn't know.His initial reaction was he wanted to and that was that.Fairies had no great use for delayed gratification.But Gaelen had thought himself beyond that.Clearly you could take the boy out of Faerie.Annabelle's question required an answer."To shut you up.I don't want my neighbors thinking I'm running a white slavery ring in here."Hurt flickered across her eyes.Had she wanted to know why he'd stopped? If he'd answered the wrong question, her recovery was quick.She covered up her unease with a laugh."What a story.College professor by day, sadistic abuser of innocent young women by night." She glanced at him with a sly smile."What do you think? It's a good filler for page ten.""At least it's not about fairies."Annabelle held up her invisible hand."So what happened to my hand?" She touched her unseen fingers."It's the ointment," Gaelen replied, glad to have something else to talk about."The ointment works a couple of ways.It allows mortals to see things of Faerie.It makes mortal things invisible to those with the Sight, like fairies and mortals who've gotten hold of the ointment.So, now," he touched her treated eye, "from this side, you see like a fairy does.""You can't see it either?"He shook his head."How long does it last?"Gaelen shrugged."Depends on the ointment, the clover used to make it, the amount of dilution, the phase of the moon." In spite of himself, he raised his gaze to hers."The person it's used on."Leaning against the counter, Annabelle asked, "How does it work?"Gaelen was grateful for her attempt at safe conversation."A physicist friend of mine tried to explain it to me.Something to do with the way the molecules bend light and the wavelengths."Gentle, invisible fingers pressed against his lips.Her eyes twinkled."Gaelen, maybe it's just.magic?"Magic, indeed.His nature urged him to take what he wanted from her.Now.Even as he struggled with his desire, she made the choice for him.She leaned toward him, her tender lips just a kiss away from his.He waited for her to come nearer, sweet anticipation making delay bearable.Her lips parted a bit, luring him closer.Her breath brushed against his mouth, souls touching before lips.She stopped, her eyes opened, flashing sudden uncertainty.She started to back away, but he leaned toward her, sweeping his lips across hers, a taste promising much more to come.Her uncertainty disappeared and her brown eyes smiled, shining pure sunshine into an unused, dusty part of his heart.For his soul, Gaelen couldn't remember why kissing her had been a bad idea.He leaned forward, eager for another taste.Annabelle met him halfway.Almost.A flicker of light flashed between them, tingling their lips in its wake.Annabelle jumped, her invisible fingers flying to her mouth.Both their heads followed the twinkle of light as it flew into the small bathroom at the end of the hallway."What was that?" she asked.Gaelen huffed with indignation."Impeccable timing," he muttered.He ignored her question and stalked down the hallway to the bathroom."What is it?" Annabelle asked again, following closely behind."E-mail." Gaelen stood before the sink and leaned forward, breathing onto the mirror, making a fog.The words, fuzzy and indistinct at first, grew clearer in the misty surface."Wow," Annabelle whispered."That's so cool."With a chuckle, Gaelen studied the message.His humor turned to outrage."The damned treacherous pixie! The deceitful, nasty, ill-tempered.""What?" Annabelle asked, her voice filled with concern."What is it?"The message was written in Irish, so he gave her the gist."It's from Eochy, the chairman of the North American Council.He's heard from the Elders that Erin and Lucas are being delivered to Ireland.I've been ordered to stay out of it now.""Tell me what that means.""It means I have no authority in the matter.Linette went over my head." He turned and leaned on the sink, struggling against the sense of utter doom."In New Jersey, I would have had a chance to do something.Now, facing the Elders.damn.""We'll just go to Ireland, then.""Just like that?" he asked, admiring her ferocity."Yes.You know where they've gone?""Sure.They'll have gone to Knockma.Finnvarra loves spectacles." In answer to her questioning gaze, he explained."Finnvarra is the king of the fairies of Connacht, the most powerful of the fairy kings.He has a.fondness for mortal women, especially pretty, young ones like Erin," he added, more to himself, than to her."But you said it was against the law.""Finnvarra is king," Gaelen said, cutting her off."He does what pleases him."Annabelle frowned, her precious twinkling eyes flashing."That's ridiculous.Is he above the law?""Yes, but the lasses he seduces aren't similarly favored.They end up paying the price for his weakness."Her indignation turned to apprehension.Clearly she understood the price might well apply to her own sister."What price?" she asked after a long pause.Gaelen hesitated telling her.To him, it was a hellish thing, yet a mortal might not think eternal life with no responsibility such a horrible punishment [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]