Shadowfever

Dageus said coolly, “You had the chance to kill Darroc. You made him mortal instead.”

Adam’s dark eyes glittered. “I knew one of you bastards would try to blame me for what happened. I let him live. Humans let Hitler live. I’m not responsible for the destruction of a third of the world’s population.”

“Be damned glad none of the casualties were Keltar, or we’d be hunting you ourselves.”

“Don’t threaten me, Highlander. I wasn’t called the sin siriche du for nothing, and I didn’t go native without taking precautions. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I’ve got my own clan to protect.”

I stared at him as we passed. Suddenly his head whipped around and he stared straight back at me, eyes narrowed. His gaze followed me until I’d passed.

“Who’s she?” I heard him ask.

“One of the queen’s chosen, it seems. She can track the Book.”

“I bet she can,” Adam murmured.

I looked sharply over my shoulder and began to turn around. I wanted to know why he’d said that.

Lor’s hand clamped around my arm. “Keep walking. Visiting hours at Chester’s … well, for you, there aren’t any.”

He stopped at the far end of the hall in front of a smooth wall of glass that was heavily painted with smoky runes and pressed his palm to the panel. As the door slid aside, I looked down and saw that the floor was covered with more runes.

“If you tire of Barrons.” His cold eyes fixed on my face. “Assuming you survive.”

I shot him a look of mock astonishment. “Will wonders never cease? Lor’s idea of a proposition. Somebody catch me while I swoon.”

“Charm takes energy better spent fucking. I prefer a club over the head.” He turned and began to walk away.

I rolled my eyes and, squaring my shoulders, stepped over the runes.

Or rather I tried to step over the runes.

They repelled me violently, and every alarm in the building went off.

“I’m not carrying the Book! You saw me naked. Get off me!”

Lor’s arm was around my throat, crushing my windpipe. A bit more pressure and I’d pass out from lack of oxygen.

“What happened?” Ryodan demanded, storming up.

“She tripped the wards.”

“Why is that, I wonder, Mac?”

“Get this prick off me,” I said.

“Let her go.” Barrons had joined Ryodan in the hall. “Now.”

Ryodan looked at Barrons and something passed between them, and I realized they’d been expecting this. They’d known at some point I would demand to see my parents. The only reason Ryodan had let me up was to subject me to this test. But what had it proved?

“Doesn’t change anything,” Barrons said finally.

“No,” Ryodan agreed.

“What?” I demanded.

“The wards recognize you as Fae,” Barrons said.

“Impossible. We all know I’m not. It must be picking up that I’ve eaten Fae.”

“You’ve eaten Fae?” Adam sounded disgusted.

“Do you recognize her? You looked at her oddly when she passed,” Lor said.

“Only that she’s Fae-touched,” Adam replied. “Somewhere in her bloodline. Royal. Don’t know the house. Not mine.”

They were all staring at me. “You guys should talk. None of you is human. Well, maybe Cian and Drustan, but there’s that whole chosen-by-the-queen, trained-as-her-Druids thing. So don’t be staring at me like I’m the freak du jour. Maybe any sidhe-seer would set it off. Supposedly the UK had a hand in making us. I never set off the alarms at the abbey that were designed to keep Fae out.”

Or had I? Each time I’d gone there, I’d been found remarkably quickly. Then there was the blond woman who’d barred the corridor with her implacable You are not permitted here. You are not one of us. What wasn’t I? A sidhe-seer? A Haven member? A human?

“I want to see my parents,” I said coolly.

Barrons and Ryodan exchanged a look again, then Ryodan shrugged. “Let her. Set them up in the room next door.”

“Mac!” Jack exclaimed, rushing me the moment I stepped in the door. “Oh, God, we’ve missed you, baby!”

I disappeared into a bear hug that smelled of peppermint and aftershave. They say scent is the strongest memory association we possess. The smell of my daddy’s hug peeled away the months like calendar pages tossed into a trash can.

I wasn’t Fae, I wasn’t possibly the Unseelie King, I wasn’t going to doom the world. I was safe, protected, right, loved. I was his little girl. Always would be.

“Daddy!” I pressed my nose to his shirt. “And, Mom,” I choked out, burying my face in her shoulder. The three of us clung to one another, hugging like there was no tomorrow.

I pulled back and looked at them. Jack Lane was tall, handsome, and composed as ever. Rainey was smiling radiantly.

“You guys look fantastic. And, Mom, look at you!” There was no trace of grief or fear in her gently lined face. Her eyes were clear, her fine features glowing.

“Doesn’t she look great?” Jack said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Your mom’s a changed woman.”

“What happened?”

Rainey laughed. “Living in a glass room with the queen of fairies might have something to do with it. Then there’s the music coming up through the floors at all hours. And let’s not forget all the naked people dropping by.”

Dad growled.

I smiled. I’d wondered how my parents were handling that. Mom was getting a crash course in bizarreness. “Welcome to Dublin,” I told her.

“Not that we’ve gotten to see much of it.” She shot a pointed look at the glass, as if she knew exactly where Ryodan was standing. “Anytime now would be nice.” She glanced back at me. “Don’t get me wrong. I had a difficult time when we first got here. Your father had his hands full. But one morning I woke up and it was as if all my fears had melted away while I slept. They never came back.”

“Because so much was weird that fear didn’t have any place anymore?” I asked.

“Exactly! None of the rules that I’d lived by for so long applied. Things were so far outside my box, I had to either go crazy or throw the box away. I’m excited to be alive in a way I haven’t felt since you girls were little, since before I began to worry about you and your sister all the time. Now the only thing I’ve been worried about was when I might get to see you again, and here you are and you look amazing, and, Mac, I love your hair! The shorter look is perfect on you. But you’ve lost weight, honey. Too much. Are you eating? I don’t think you’re eating. You can’t be eating enough and be so thin. What did you have for breakfast?” she demanded.