Page 54 of A Lie so Pretty and Poisonous

I could see Darragh’s jaw tick out of the corner of my eye, but he wouldn’t say more. The tension rolled off him, and he stiffened behind me.

I was left with far more questions than answers. Before I could push further, a home on the edge of the forest appeared.

“We are here.” A wistful look replaced his silent stoicism.

“Where are we?”

He released a sigh. “Home.”

His home?

I spun my torso as far as I could to look at Darragh with an incredulous stare. All that did was shimmy my ass into his pelvis as I turned to look at him. Darragh’s thighs and torso stiffened. He drew in a sharp intake of air, alluding to my mistake, and I quickly turned around. I would have tried to move forward, but there was nowhere for me to go. My cheeks burned, and I covered my face, willing myself to disappear. “Shit. I am so sorry.” Darragh audibly swallowed but said nothing.

Dullahan, take me.

Darragh’s family home was a quaint villa with a thatched roof, a small barn with two horses, and a large sheep pen. A woman with her arms hugging her stomach stood in a garden to the side of the home, watching us approach on Astorath. Her brows were raised and her mouth agape. Braided black hair shimmered with a blue sheen as she tipped her head.

Astorath halted, and Darragh dismounted in one swoop, taking his warmth with him. As I dismounted alongside him, my legs buckled under my weight. The adrenaline letdown of the assault and the warring emotions of the day made me wobbly, but Darragh wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me. “Are you alright?”

I nodded. “Yes. I think I’m exhausted from everything.” As my legs became surer underneath me, he let go.

“Come on. Let’s get you a change of clothes and cleaned up.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Mom,” Darragh gently said as we approached her. Her eyes lit with joy, and she threw her arms around his large frame.

“I’m so glad to see you, my love,” she said as she stepped back, holding onto his arms and staring up at him.

Darragh hugged her back, lifting her frame off the tilled soil. A sliver of what looked to be scars peeked out of the top of her blouse along her back and shoulders.

“Stop staying away for so long! Your father and I miss you!” she scolded.

He lightly squeezed her one more time before setting her down. “I know, I know. Where’s Da, anyway?”

“Oh, fussing with that stubborn ram again,” she chided with a wave. “He will be along in a moment.”

Her eyes slid to me, taking in my bloody gown and disheveled appearance. I looked like I bathed in blood, and I couldn’t believe I was meeting Darragh’s mother looking like I did. I reached up and tried to smooth my frizzy hair. Like that’s going to help.

“Mom, this is Rory. She crossed the threshing wall about a week ago, and she just had a traumatic run-in with some rather brutal men.”

Her hand covered her mouth, and her eyes flicked to my rounded ears. “A human?”

I swallowed and fidgeted with the sash of my dress.

Darragh moved by my side, taking care not to touch me. “Yes. We are working on finding her a way home, and she was attacked by four men in Relystone. Is it alright to let her bathe and give her a clean dress to wear before we head back to the castle?”

“Oh, you poor dear, of course!” She gently hooked my arm into hers and walked me toward the villa. Her mannerisms remind me of Greta, and my heart clenched a little at the thought of her. “I am sure I have a dress or two from my younger years. You’re welcome to whatever I have!”

“You are too kind, ma’am,” I said gently.

She scoffed. “Oh, don’t you dare call me ma’am! Please, call me Justinia.”

Justinia had twinkling blue eyes that creased when she smiled. Her skin was the same golden tan as her son’s, and she stood a few inches taller than me. Silver strands shimmered among her dark hair. She was beautiful. I snickered. “I don’t like being called ‘ma’am’ either. Your home is lovely, Justinia. Thank you for welcoming me into it when I look a mess.”

“You still look a right side better than Darragh’s father after lambing season. He walks through my home covered in manure and afterbirth!”

I giggled and looked back at Darragh, following us close behind. He caught my eye and sheepishly grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.