Page 5 of Destined

Wallace convulsed and choked out lake water. Ryan rolled him onto his side as he puked, and held him steady until he emptied his belly.

“That will teach you to go swimming before a battle,” Ryan said, with a grin.

“My apologies, my liege,” Wallace said, sitting up. He coughed a few times, and then scowled as Fallon landed a short distance away. The blacksmith pointed as his eyes widened. “The changeling rides that beast like a horse.”

“She can also have him burn you to a cinder,” Colm said as he helped him to his feet. “So I would stay on her good side now.”

Chapter 3

CHRISTINE WATCHED KAYLA send the last of the dragons to the edge of the dark lake to watch for the Blackstones. Jannon and Tara patrolled from Fallon’s back as the dragon flew back and forth over the camp. Ryan had assigned his warriors to take night shifts patrolling the perimeter of the property. She was glad the men of Forever Faire weren’t taking any chances, but unlike Kayla she didn’t entirely trust Tara or the dragons. She’d follow her older sister’s lead with the changeling, but she’d never turn her back on the teenager again.

Christine paused. My older sister, Kayla.

Christine had thought it would be tough to wrap her head around that new reality, but she already felt it in her heart.

“I’d offer you a pence for your thoughts,” a low voice murmured next to Christine’s ear, “but I suspect you’d use it to put out my eye.”

Colm’s strong arms came around her, tugging her back against him.

She turned in his hold to stand on tip-toe and kiss the hard line of his mouth.

“I like you with both eyes, mister. It’s the dragons. After being burned to death, I’m not really a fan. Just stick close to me.” She saw his expression and scowled. “Oh, you are so not leaving me here with the waffling changeling chick and her fifteen gigantic fire-breathing puppies.”

“Ryan believes Dirk will summon more Dark Fae for the next attack, so he is sending me to seek assistance from the local Fae clan.” Colm grimaced. “We are shunned by our kind, but the Cloudstar’s clan leader owes Ryan his life, so he may agree.”

She tucked her arm through his. “Then I’m going with you. I’m a halfling, and I’ve never been cast out or anything. They’ll have to talk to me, right? We can say we were wondering if my mom was one of Cloudsparkles or whatever. That should get us in the door.”

“You, my lady, are very sneaky.” Her lover’s mouth lost its stern lines. “Come, and we’ll tell Ryan your scheme.”

The master of Forever Faire approved Christine’s plan, but he didn’t look happy. “If Kayla is a Cloudstar, then as her sister by birth you might also be. But their clan leader has little love for halflings.”

“Tough. He owes you.” If Christine had learned anything while growing up in foster care, it was how to collect on a promised favor. “Plus I think Kayla and I have the right to know what happened with our mother.”

Ryan gave Colm an odd look before he said, “So you both shall, I promise.”

To avoid unwanted attention from a nighttime horse ride, Colm used one of the rental trucks to drive to Cloudstar territory. Christine used the dome light to fix her hair and put on some makeup, although there wasn’t much she could do about her girl-next-door look now. She didn’t mind the hair—she’d forgotten how bright her natural gold highlights were—but with all her tattoos and piercings gone she’d lost the illusion of toughness. That in-your-face edginess had also made her feel strong and safe when she’d started stripping. She twisted the crystal ring around the base of her index finger before she looked over at Colm.

“If I want to get inked or pierced again, will you give me shit about it?”

“If you say I cannot watch, I may.” He reached over to take her hand in his. “Or perhaps I will have it done to me as well. I rather liked those little stars you had sprinkled on your arms.”

That made her laugh out loud. “Can I pick where you get them?”

“I think not.” He came to a stop at a red traffic light, leaned over and kissed her until she gasped. “I love you, woman. Ink, piercings or none.” The sound of a beeping horn made him scowl. He peered at the headlights in the mirror. “Mortals. They have the patience of fleas.”

For the rest of the trip Colm told her what to expect when they approached the clan, and some of the bizarre things Fae people did when meeting outsiders. Christine had no problem with being patted down, or giving a drop of blood to confirm her lineage. When her lover mentioned how she might have to be dunked in a cistern before entering the clan’s hidden enclave, however, she protested.

“I’m already clean.” She turned her head and sniffed her T-shirt. “Mostly. What, are they afraid of my half-human cooties?””

“The Cloudstar have a curious kinship with rain water,” Colm said, and braked to make a turn onto a narrow dirt road. “They use it in many ways. It also powers the magick known only to their clan.”

Christine huffed out some air. “Maybe they should have called themselves the Raindance people.”

Colm drove several miles down the dark, bumpy road until he reached a broad swath of towering, full-branched trees. He parked on the side of the road, but left the headlights on. Then he came around to help Christine out of the truck.

“Have mercy,” she said, tipping her head back to see the tops of the trees. Even against the starlight, they looked to be nearly a hundred feet tall. “I’m guessing these aren’t native.”

“They may have been, centuries ago.”