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The fox man and the swan gal.
Together, we gave a spirit her peace. The rising sun on my skin and the heat from Sion’s hand are as soothing as a warm bath. We’re about to crest the last rise before the downslope to the standing stones when Charlie nearly plows into us at a dead run.
His face is as red as the streaks bobbing over the horizon. He clutches my arm, forcing himself between Sion and me.
“Shit, Eala, I said he wasn’t a bad guy.” Charlie jerks his chin at Sion. “Which doesn’t translate to mysteriously disappear with him.”
Charlie’s grip sends the feeling of being trapped through me. I pat the hand attached to my arm. “I’m fine. You can let go.”
The crown of Colleen’s auburn head rises above the curve of the hill. “La!” she calls out, covering the distance between us in less than one of my hundred-thousand heartbeats.
Colleen collides with me in a full throttle hug. “When I found your backpack in an ice-cold sleeping bag, I imagined at least five abduction scenarios.”
“I’m cutting off your obsession with true crime documentaries,” I say, holding her at arm’s length.
“You’ll be letting too many Faerie stories roll about in your head,” adds Sion.
His words drip with sarcasm. With the snap of a finger, unappealing Sion is back. I have the urge to thump his chest with the back of my hand and tell him to shush. Thoughts tangle in my head. Do I suggest Sion and I cozied up to one another last night? We may not be a couple in the Colleen sense of the word, but we’re partners in purpose. What will play with our audience without seeming sketchy or unbelievable? My muscles stiffen as the stink of a double standard rises from dewy ground. It’s cool for Colleen and Charlie to fall for each other in a minute and a half but not us?
Colleen lays the back of her hand against my cheek. “You’re freezing.”
When Sion moves back to my side, Charlie takes a menacing step toward him, eyes blazing. A jagged fork of lightning collides with the tallest tree in the wood. A wave of ozone hits a moment later.
Colleen cries out in surprise as a slate gray swirl of clouds spins in the sky above the forest only to be burst apart by a gust of wind.
Sion nods in the direction of the whirlwind and lightning strike. “Impressive. Have the ear of Taranis do you, Charlie?” he says with his signature smirk.
Is Sion kidding about the Celtic sky god, or is he baiting Charlie? Heaven knows what I might find if I peel back Sion’s insider knowledge of the universe any further.
Sion chuckles. “You Yanks aren’t used to our fickle Irish weather.”
Charlie doesn’t laugh. His face wears an acid look.
Since we’ve been caught leaving the woods holding hands, the cozying up scenario makes the most sense. Easing away from Colleen, I tuck against Sion’s side. As if this is completely natural for us, he wraps an arm around me.
“You guys can relax. Sion and I—we’re good.”
Colleen’s mouth forms a series of small, medium, and large Os then studies us skeptically. I can practically hear this guy instead of Jeremy Olk screaming through her thoughts.
Charlie shares a look with Colleen. “Really?”
“Reeeeeely,” says Sion, imitating Charlie before kissing my cheek. He shoots Charlie a smug look of triumph. “You needn’t concern yourself with Eala’s well-being on my behalf, mate.”
I pinch Sion’s side to stop his—what did he call it at Blarney Castle—acting the maggot. He jumps, and then retaliates, burying his nose in my hair to nip my earlobe in a very foxlike way. Damn, I like it.
I take two oversized steps toward the campsite, pulling him along with me. “So, on to breakfast before we get stuck in the rain?” For a second, I wonder where my bag of peanut bars ended up.
Sion kisses my hand. The feel of his damp lips against my skin does crazy things to my core that has nothing to do with the Veil Sprites who seem to have switched off for now. I’ll question Sion about their supernatural schedule when we’re alone. I lean to murmur in his ear. “Keep pushing her buttons, fox man, and Colleen will hit you with a rock.”
He snorts, and then calls over his shoulder to Colleen and Charlie. “Truth be told, I’ve fallen hard for an Amerrrrican woman. I can’t keep my hands off her.” His voice shifts, sliding through the air, honey running down a spoon. “And to think my fool mouth almost ruined my chances.” He gazes at me the way fairy tale princes drink in princesses after saving them from dragons.
My knees go wobbly. If this is a performance, Sion is a damn good actor. A brazen ray of morning sun smacks aside the clouds and sets the coppery undertones of Sion’s hair ablaze. The color is a gorgeous contrast to his peacock jacket.
Colleen interrupts my appreciation of Sion’s curls. “I’ve never seen you smitten this fast, La.”
“I could say the same for you,” I nod toward Charlie.
Colleen stares at me. “Since when are your eyes super green?” Her lip crinkles into a scowl.
