But he felt it, like a rope set ablaze.
Their bond was awake.
Days had passed, and he had waited for Maeve to return, but Shay quickly realized that his life was not like the stories his mother told him.
Nymphs liked their tales more than anything.
Wherever Maeve was, he had no way to reach her. He only knew she was in the Aos Sí. She could have been back in Balor’s grasp, trussed up in Cruinn for all he knew.
The thought did not help him sleep more easily.
The water glimmered with the dull orange glow, a sliver of sunlight, and nothing more. The stars seemed to dissolve in its presence, though the moon never left the sky.
Shay turned away from the beach, rubbing his tired eyes.
He would walk through the sick tent once more, he decided, before breakfast. He didn’t have to look far to find Rainn, sitting at the end of a row of Mer. A frown set on his boyish face, a feature that was quickly becoming permanent.
“Any changes?” Shay asked, pulling up a stool.
Rainn barely glanced at him. “None have woken, if that’s what you mean.”
“Your bond?” Shay pressed.
“It's growing stronger.” Rainn rubbed his head. “My Selkie skin is attached to Maeve; its magic follows her, and I can usually get a sense of her, but perhaps I am too far from her.”
“Your skin traveled with Maeve to the Dark Sea.” Shay pointed out.
Rainn’s jaw hardened. “Perhaps she is further than the Dark Sea. Perhaps further than the Night Court.”
Shay didn’t like that idea very much.
“Fifth bed from the end.” Rainn jerked his chin further down the two.
“Hmm?” Shay turned to follow his gaze.
“Liam Cruinn,” Rainn stated plainly, as if the matter was of little importance.
Shay felt a surge of anger, and his braids began to rattle. “How long has he been here?”
“He’s not awake.” Rainn shrugged.
“That’s beside the point.” Shay bit out. “That little shite is Elaine Cruinn’sson. He was in Cruinn when Maeve was tortured by Balor. He helped her push Maeve onto the throne.”
“You want to smother him in his sleep?” Rainn’s eyes flicked up to meet his. His voice was devoid of emotion.
Shay squinted. “If Balor attacked Cruinn, why did her son end up in the fray?”
“I thought the same thing.” Rainn gave him a listless smile.
Shay regarded him more closely. “You have the energy of a sea sponge today.”
Rainn clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, but said nothing.
Shay placed his hand on his bicep. “I am here, you know. To listen, to vent. Fecking hell, if you want to get the blades out and spar, I’ll do it.”
Rainn’s lip twitched with a smile that didn’t truly form. “My mother always says that I’m hideously impatient.”
“I’d be inclined to agree,” Shay murmured.
