Page 106 of A Legacy of the Light

“Wait.” I part my dress and start to unbuckle one of my shoes.

“I don’t think so.” Tavish’s reply comes as he scoops me up into his arms.

“Hey! I can walk!”

“This will be quicker. Besides, your feet will get cold.”

I shrug and throw my arms around Tavish’s neck. He carries me like I weigh nothing. He did that in the meadow, too.

“I’m not heavy?” I ask.

Tavish glances down at me, shut up written all over his face. “You’re not even remotely close to being heavy, Elsie.”

“Okay. Where are we going?”

Tavish is walking toward the small gate built into the stone wall near the glass gazebo.

He sets me down on my feet as we near it, making sure I’m steady before releasing my arm. “There’s no gravel from here, you should be okay.”

He takes my hand to help me and there’s a small part of me that misses being in his arms. Eòghann does the same with Reyne and they take the first few steps down the path leading directly to the lake. The flames of a large bonfire lick toward the sky and the sounds of folk music reach me.

“Ohhh, now the fun starts!” Reyne cheers and hurries Eòghann along down the stone steps. We take our time so I don’t fall.

When we reach the bottom, Reyne grabs my hand and pulls me to the bonfire. “Let’s dance!”

She grabs two shots of some clear liquid as we pass them on a table. “Here,” she says, handing me one.

“What is it?”

“Gin!” she exclaims before clinking her glass with mine and throwing back the shot. I knock mine back too and wince as the liquid burns down my throat.

She takes my hand again and leads me to where Seelie are dancing wild and free in between the band and the fire on a raised wooden plinth. Reyne and I join them, laughing as we dance in the middle. A few people greet her warmly and she introduces me. They welcome me like I’ve always been here and it warms something in my heart—although that could be the alcohol.

The night is clear and cold but I don’t feel it for two reasons. One, the fire keeps most of the chill away. Two, Reyne’s friend Pat has given me another two shots of gin and one of whiskey.

Pat owns one of the bars in the city and “makes it his mission to get everyone as pissed as possible.” His words, not mine. I have to ask Reyne what he means, and she laughs loudly and tells me it means he likes to get people drunk. Pat treats me like he’s known me his entire life and I immediately warm to the dark-haired Seelie with tawny skin and eyes the color of honey.

It’s safe to say I’m a bit drunk, and happier than I have been since before Mom died.

My gaze finds Tavish. He’s sat on a bench by the fire with Eòghann and is laughing with a few others who have joined them. I’m captivated by him.

“Go for it.”

I look at Reyne in question.

“Lass, he hasn’t taken his eyes off you.”

As she says it, Tavish glances in our direction. He winks at me before downing the last of the amber liquid in his glass.

“I can’t.” I reply.

“Why not?” she asks with a frown.

I lean closer to her, alcohol loosening my tongue. “The king warned me to stay away.”

Reyne rolls her eyes. “The king can mind his own business. If Tavish wants you, he is going to pursue you. And trust me, he wants you.”

“I guess. But he’s a prince. And I’m a nobody. He should be with green-dress girl.”