Up in Donal's study, Sean straightened. He heard Colleen's scream. It went through to his soul. The fairy he was supposed to protect was in trouble.The flapping of wings sent his gaze out the window looking into the darkness. "He's got her."Donal frowned. "Why was she outside and how did that goblin get past my defenses?"Sean was already out the window and onto the ledge. He lifted his head and scented Colleen. She wasn't screaming so she must have passed out. He could only imagine what it would be like to be snatched from the ground and flown away. His wings unfurled and he took flight in the direction of her scent. He couldn't hide himself so he'd just have to live with whatever consequences there were for him to be flying over the suburbs. At least it was dark out. The goblin headed for the river. Where was he taking her?"If you need help, let me know," Donal said in Sean's head.Colleen was his responsibility. He was supposed to protect her and he'd failed. He'd tried to do th
Sean chuckled. "I'm in gargoyle form. Let me get out of it."She hadn't even noticed the scales on him until that moment. She released his arm, but couldn't see what was happening. "Sean?" Donal said as he walked toward them from out of the darkness. "I brought a bag for the goblin."Sean moved away from her. "Donal will take care of the goblin corpse.""What will I tell my firm?" Colleen said."You know nothing about O'Shannon's death. Besides, he has a lot of enemies. His body will be found washed up on the shore somewhere."Sean's firm, human, hand took hers and pulled her to her feet and into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, her heart only just returning to normal. She'd need some time to process all of this. "I'll take you home.""Flying?""No. Donal drove here. Meg's waiting in the truck.""Take me home then."***Colleen woke the next morning in her bed. Alone. She remembered that day that she'd picked up Meg from her office. Now she understood it all. "You're awake
The three women had known each other since college so Fiona wasn't surprised that Colleen said that about her. She was creating something. Shading the eyes, elongating the fangs while making the wings longer. "It would work as a fountain. A series of gargoyles climbing up the side of a building or a tower."She could see it clearly in her mind. The water would fall over them as they reached for the sky. There would be three of them, all attempting to beat the other two to the top. Her hand stroked the head of the creature as the blurry vision materialized in her mind. When she finally shook herself from her musings, the four of them were staring at her. "What?""Welcome back," Meg said. "Can I get you a glass of wine?""No. I might have to go into work tonight," Fi said, shifting onto a stool next to Sean."Tonight?" Sean said. "Don't you get time off?""Damien has a large showing coming up and he's not completely satisfied with one of the paintings I did.""Would anyone who purchased
Fiona put brush to canvas. If anyone was watching, they'd probably think she was in a trance. It did feel like that to her some days. This wasn't even her creation. This was Damien's vision, but she could share it. She could reap the pleasure she derived from painting it. He wouldn't. Which brought her a certain amount of satisfaction.What he would reap would be the money he'd receive from selling it. None of which would be passed down to her. She'd heard that other artists gave the actual painter a commission. Not Damien. She'd love to go out on her own. What if she wasn't good enough? What if she didn't have her style and someone accused her of copying Damien's style? He was a bright star in the Philadelphia art world. She'd be ruined before she started. Stepping back, she admired what she'd done then looked over his notes again. "That should do it."She glanced at the gargoyle. "Well, Declan, what do you think?"He remained stony-faced. His fangs hung out of his lips as they wer
"No. She won't. I don't know if that's part of the Fairy Queen's curse, but it is the reality. We live in a world now that doesn't believe in magic. It doesn't believe in fairies or gargoyles.""Tis said," Declan said.Life had been very different in the old days. He'd seen flashes of the new world from his perch on the church. Donal and Sean had filled in a lot also. He'd figure out the advantages of this different place and time and use them. He would make contact with Fiona. Even if his brothers warned against it. He wasn't them and he handled things differently. He'd never been afforded the chance to prove his methods in the old time. "Tis what it is, Declan. We adapt," Donal said."The rule against being with a fairy is gone," Declan said."Aye, but I wouldn't count on it. It might be a fluke that Donal and I fell in love with our fairies. Fiona is a different woman than Colleen and Meg."Declan nodded, but he'd stopped listening. He was itching to figure out how to make contact
Fiona greeted Meg and Colleen both with a kiss on the cheek. She'd been surprised when Meg had suggested they get together. Her two friends rarely tore themselves away from their male companions. Not that Fiona could complain. She needed her friends tonight. They met in a bar near Colleen's work. She was still in her suit, but she'd paired the staid gray jacket with a colorful blouse. Fiona had bought her that blouse knowing she would leave the original firm, eventually. Fiona sat on the stool they'd saved for her. "How is your new firm?" "It is so nice working for myself. Now I just have to find a place out in the suburbs like Meg and Donal," Colleen said. "Sean is itching to get out of the city.""I cannot believe you'll both be out there. I'll be in the city by myself," Fiona said."We are only an El trip away. It isn't that far," Meg said."But not as close as when you lived in the city.""I know," Colleen said, putting a hand on Fiona's arm. "If you lived out of the city, you
"Yeah. We could come up with some ideas between us."Fiona appreciated her friends' desire to help her, but she didn't see how they could. She was that far down the rabbit hole that she couldn't see daylight anymore. A man certainly wouldn't help her. She had to do this herself. Even without the help of her friends. Nope, she'd gotten herself in this mess, she had to find a way out of it. "I thank you ladies, but let's talk about something else."Meg and Colleen exchanged a look, but the subject was dropped. ***Declan's heart raced a little when Sean and Donal asked him to come with them when they were picking up their significant others. He knew Fiona would be there and he wanted to see her now that he was human. The three had been in the city looking at locations for their security agency. Declan had arrived in time to open it with them even if he didn't know enough about the world as it was now. He'd learn. Donal and Sean would bring him up to speed.Right now he wanted to meet h
Fiona couldn't get Declan out of her head. She'd hung on his every word, loving the lilt of his accent and how it felt like music in her ears. She'd never been so enamored of a man so quickly. They usually had to spend some time impressing her before she considered them dating material. The only time she hadn't done that was with Damien and look how that had turned out. At work the next day, she stopped a few times to just stare into space. "Are we keeping you from something, Fiona?" Damien asked offhandedly.He had her and two other assistants in a line. They each had a canvas and Damien would spout directions to them. It was Fiona's least favorite activity. Damien liked to pit the assistants against each other, but they all knew who could do no wrong: whoever was sleeping with him. Fiona had had that favored spot, but she hadn't known how tenuous that position was for anyone. If she'd known, she might not have gotten involved with Damien. He would have lost interest and possibly