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Mooning over Joe when they first split had been stupid and a total waste of time. She was certainly over him; now she was very sure she would never again allow herself to be swayed by a handsome face and a killer smile.
She knew now she had only been infatuated.
Her heart had always whispered that he was not the picture she had painted of him. He was and always would be a player. He had an eye for the ladies and did not even try to control himself.
She didn’t think it a total loss. When she’d met Joe she’d been so ready to spread her wings, and he had been all about that. For almost a year, it had been a thrilling ride.
He had never really loved her, and the truth she made herself face was that she hadn’t really loved him either. He had been fun.
Okay, chapter closed, and now she was off to her mother’s homeland with a group of seniors.
Just what she needed to relax—simple, easy, and no complications. Then in a couple of months, Charleston Aquarium, here I come!
~ One ~
THE NARROW SIDEWALKS of Killarney were teeming with locals going about their daily business and tourists heading for eateries and pubs after a long morning of sightseeing. Jazmine’s group of jolly seniors was certainly in the latter category; having just disembarked from a boat tour of the lower of the three Lakes of Killarney, they were ready for a pint and a bite.
As she guided them to a lovely pub for lunch, they continued to ooh and ahh about the breathtaking views of the mountains they’d enjoyed on the boat and of the Ross Castle ruins that rose majestically near the pier. She saw them seated, made sure they knew how to get back to their hotel, and left them happily chattering away, pleased with their first sightseeing event in Killarney. Most, she knew, were planning to devote their afternoon of free time to exploring the nearby shops in search of gifts and mementos.
Their free time was also hers, and she had a yen to go off hiking and take a look at Middle Lake, which had not been visible from the tour boat. She also wanted to spend more time admiring the mountains that served as a backdrop to the lakes, edging, enclosing, and offering up the mysteries of the ages. She focused on the montage of mountains, ageless and spectacular in their shades of dark purple, browns, and spotted greens, undulating, and they whispered promises to Jazz as they rose and hovered like guardians of the quiet waters in their valley.
Jazz gazed at them and imagined the breeze wafting over her skin, touched by the oaks and pines of their rolling foothills, spoke of ancient secrets. How she would have loved to live a couple of hundred years ago in this valley …
Something about Killarney, about the way the earth felt beneath her feet, thrilled her. It was as though the earth stroked her with affection, welcoming her home.
She imagined it in the past, when horse and carriage was the mode of travel and life was simpler.
After making sure her backpack contained water, a cell phone, and an apple, she set off and within an hour found herself quite alone on a narrow footpath that led away from the main trails of the national park. She wanted to get close to the Middle Lake and the water’s edge.
An odd shape caught her eye, and she frowned. It didn’t quite make any sense to her; she needed to get a closer look to see if her vision was playing tricks with her mind.
However, as she approached she realized the glistening apparition was something almost no other humans would see. She should have known. After all, she thought, pulling a face, she was in Ireland, one of their favorite haunts!
It was invisible to most humans because a Fae spell of concealment had been performed to hide its presence, but she could see clearly that where water met high grass, a huge structure hovered, just inches above the water. Monoliths!
The sarsen stones were arranged like a large, open doorway, much like the ones she had seen in pictures of the stones at Stonehenge, in England.
However, these were a single set, three huge stones, two standing and one lying flat across the top of the two sarsen Standing Stones. And then she noticed a much smaller one, set back just a bit from the land, also hovered over the lake.
This sarsen was shaped like a pyramid and stood as though to block the entrance. One would have to squeeze left or right to get past. Hell, what was she thinking?
This was crazy.
What was even more disturbing was the fact that the pyramid-shaped stone suddenly whispered her name. “Fios Jazmine,” it murmured, “come, you must come.”
Her instincts shouted, Run for your life. Her curiosity made her step forward, transfixed on the pyramid now talking to her.
She stood mesmerized for a long moment before she took another step forward. She extended her hand towards one of the Standing Stones, wanting to feel its texture. The entire experience was almost hypnotic.
“Don’t touch it!”
Jazz whipped around so fast she nearly snapped her neck, to find not only a Seelie Fae but a Royal Fae Prince bearing down on her.
Had he heard the stone call her a Fios? He must have.
Oh no, oh no. She could be in trouble here. She had turned to the sound of his voice. A normal human would not only not have seen him but not have heard him either.
She had given herself away.
