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Chapter 13
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Fairy-Struck Chapter 14
An unnatural darkness descended around the car. I could hear the engine revving—a plaintive rumble—but we were no longer moving forward; we were moving upward. I pulled my little iron dagger from the sheath strapped to my thigh, and Tiernan automatically shifted away from it even as his attention settled on the impenetrable black outside our windows."Unseelie," I whispered as I stared out from my side."Yes," he agreed as light started to emanate from his palms. "But I am not.""Do you have a plan or should we just jump out and hope for the best?" I asked him with a jaunty smile."Are you enjoying this?" He asked with wide, horrified eyes."Maybe." I grinned. "It's been awhile since I've seen this much action.""If you had agreed to a different sort of action between us, we may not be in this situation right now." Tiernan narrowed his eyes at me."Are you seriously blaming me for this attack because I wouldn't have sex with you?" I laughed."Yes," he said simply. Then he rolle
Fairy-Struck Chapter 15
The San Francisco Council House was in an uproar when our cab pulled up in front of it. First, Brendan had returned without me and then a huge magical discharge had been felt emanating from somewhere over San Francisco Bay. The Extinguishers and councilpersons alike were in a tizzy. Then I walked in holding the hand of a fairy and looking as if I'd been rolling around in a battlefield; frolicking with him in the blood and muck. I thought my father was going to burst a blood vessel."There he is!" Brendan pointed an imperious finger at Tiernan. "He must be the one responsible for that magic.""He's not," I growled, "and I'm fine, Brendan; thanks so much for asking. Don't worry, this blood isn't mine.""Extinguisher Seren." One of the councilwomen approached us. "Would you please tell us what happened tonight? It appears that you may have first-hand knowledge.""That I do." I grimaced and let go of Tiernan's hand reluctantly. Oh, that reluctance was not a good sign."Allow me." Tier
Fairy-Struck Chapter 16
I cast a look around the crowded van; my gaze lingering on the two fairies amid the mass of extinguishers. We humans were wearing combat gear; kevlar body armor, thick boots, and helmets reinforced with iron to guard against fairy mind tricks. There were pockets in our pants which were filled with anti-fey charms such as four-leaf clovers and St. John's Wort even though all of us were gifted enough to see and battle the Fey all on our own. Charms added just a little bit of extra protection that sometimes made all the difference in a magic-based fight.I could tell that Tiernan and Aideen were feeling very uncomfortable around all those charms and iron weapons but the Council had done its best to make them as safe as possible, and they were both wearing full combat suits as well; without the charms or helmets. The suits would protect them against any accidental cuts from our iron weapons. Even a careless brush against one of our blades could burn them.I glanced into Tiernan's silver
Fairy-Struck Chapter 17
The first step is the hardest. Yeah, you could say that. As soon as we crossed over into the Fairy Realm, I was saturated by a wave of magic so strong that the breath fled my body. Magic seemed to burst through all of my cells; permeating my very DNA. Like saltpeter set to flame, it sparked and popped beneath my skin; an explosion of pain. A scream clawed its way up my throat, and I convulsed in Tiernan's arms until he laid me down on a soft patch of grass. I heard the slam of a door and then Aideen's face was added to his above me."Seren?" Tiernan wrenched off my helmet and cast it aside so he could run a gentle hand over my face. "Why is she having this reaction?" His distraught gaze shot to Aideen who immediately looked away."I don't know." Aideen's eyes were fastened on a golden door to her left. "But we can't stay here. The Sluagh will be right behind us. I have a place where we can hide her.""Lead on." Tiernan picked me up, and I groaned, but the pain seemed to be over and
Fairy-Struck Chapter 18
"I do not appreciate being manipulated," Tiernan's terse voice woke me.I felt strange; my skin vibrated with energy, my fingertips tingled, and my heart beat wildly. There was something in the air; a gentle swaying heat. A pulsing like laughter on my lips. I breathed it in and it rushed through me; seeming to light up all the dark places within. It was amazing; leaving me more refreshed than I'd ever felt. Power zipped through my veins as if it were alive, as if it knew where it needed to go. I felt alive; a feeling which had me wondering if I'd ever truly lived."You were not supposed to hunt me," I heard the end of Aideen's answer. "We believe that to be the work of King Uisdean, as was the Sluagh.""He wants her dead," Tiernan's grim reply came from somewhere above me."Yes, I'm afraid so," Aideen said. "Which is why we needed her to come home at last.""Well, it explains my strange attraction to her." Tiernan sighed, and I felt movement against my cheek. I was lying on his lap; my
Fairy-Struck Chapter 19
"Okay." Tiernan held up his hands as he and Aideen backed away from me. "Then why did that just happen? Why did your body react to the magic when you crossed into Fairy? Why did magic overtake you right at twilight and then transform you into this?""I don't know," I whispered."Those unseelie fairies who came after you," he began again. "My soldiers. We believe the Unseelie King ordered them to kill you. They, as well as the Sluagh, took you high into the air so you couldn't levitate. I'm guessing that your gifts are stronger when you do so. Am I right?""I..." I thought about it. "Yes, I guess my psychic abilities seem stronger when I levitate.""Because you're touching Fairy when you tread the in-between; connecting to the source of your magic," Tiernan explained. "The path from the Human Realm to Fairy is a very powerful in-between place. Your dormant fey blood was awakened when you passed through it. Then, with the arrival of twilight, you transformed fully.""I'm not a fairy," I
Fairy-Struck Chapter 20
"Come with me." Tiernan held a hand out to me."Where are we going?" I glanced over at Aideen where she stood in the kitchen; packing us some food for our trip to the Twilight Court.She just smiled and nodded."I have something I want you to see." He motioned me upstairs. "Come on, I promise you'll enjoy it."I took his hand, and he led me to the stairs. I had spent the night on the third floor; in one of Aideen's guest bedrooms. She had slept in another guest bedroom on the second floor while Tiernan had taken her usual bed on the first floor; just in case someone made it through the enchanted trunk. It was an odd feeling to have someone protecting me, and I bristled a bit to be put in the position of damsel in distress, but Tiernan wouldn't budge. My safety had become their priority and my ability to defend myself was only to be used as a last resort. Well, we'd see about that.I let go of my irritation and focused on the tree house. Aideen's home was amazing although I'd been
Fairy-Struck Chapter 21
"It's not what you think," he said softly. "This isn't about me hating humans. I don't hate them. Although, as I've told you before, I have little tolerance for them and even less interest on a personal level.""Then what is it about?" I felt my face ease into blank confusion."It's the magic," he said and shrugged. "It guides us; like a very strong instinct. Fairy magic can be wild and erratic but there's calculation even in its capriciousness. It wants to flourish, as all things do, and the best way for it to thrive is to magnify itself by bringing two powerful fairies together.""So, how did I come to exist?" I lifted a brow and looked over at him. "If its goal is to bring two powerful fairies together, why did it allow my birth?"We were both sitting with our legs drawn up, our bodies pressed together at shoulder and thigh, and our entwined hands in my lap. It felt comfortable but also strange. As if we shouldn't be at this point yet, but there we were, and I didn't want to mov
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