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ng and Crystal that we would report any such occurrence if we became aware of it. I have asked them to hold off trying to contact Crystal, until I spoke with you. I don’t want you caught in the middle of all of this.”
She put up her hand and touched his arm, “Darmon, you are too good to me. But, the Shapeshifters should stay out of this.”
He sighed heavily, “Essie…can’t you see, is it not obvious to you?”
“What?”
“He is not for you. He will use you for as long as he can, for as long as you are useful and then he will discard you.”
“You are wrong. You don’t know what you are talking about,” she snapped.
“But I do. Looking from the outside in, I see an Unseelie Prince who wants you because of what you can do for him, and Essie, I only want to do anything and everything for you.”
There, he had finally said it. This was the moment she had been dreading. The odd thing was when he said these sweet, endearing words, her heart caved in on itself and she heard a word in her mind that insisted on repeating itself—truth. Something inside her wanted to move to him, touch him and erase his pain. She told herself she was probably only feeling sympathy for him. “I am committed to Pestale.” It was all she could say as her voice cracked with emotion.
“I know,” he answered softly. “Essie, Essie…he is no hero, he isn’t what you think you see…he will make you promises and break them the very next minute, but I, I would die for you.”
She couldn’t be angry with him. How could she be? She was sure he was wrong about Pestale, about the compulsion spell, and, he was so very dear. “I am sorry, Darmon. You are good to me, but…”
He hung his head and said softly, “I will look out for you always. No matter what happens, I will be there.” So saying, he shifted into his big silver tinged black wolf and loped away. He stopped to look back at her, put his head to the heavens and howled a mournful cry.
The sound was heard by his pack and each member picked up the howl, long and deeply beautiful because it held their concern for his sorrow.
She turned and shifted into wolf as it would be quicker. She had to get back to her house. She had things to do and needed to leave a note for her parents so they wouldn’t worry. For now Essie had made up her mind.
Chapter Seven
AH TRINITY, FRANKIE thought with a sigh as she looked around. Am I really here?
She wore her human Glamour like a soft kid glove. It hid her Faeness, and her wings which were tucked in comfortably at her back. She had a sudden urge to spread them and fly over the university.
She stood staring at the historic college with awe, looking much like any of the other students, in blue jeans, a blue tank top and leather sandals.
Comfortable that no one could see either the Fae in her, or her tucked in wings, she was as happy as could be, just to stand and stare as the sun glowed over the campus.
A guy passing by gave her an appreciative look, winked and said “Enjoy it while ye can, who knows when it will be raining again!”
She laughed and nodded but hurried off because he had the ‘look’, as though he was about to approach her. She didn’t have time for that sort of thing—and she wasn’t interested in dating at the moment.
She was in Dublin, at the main entrance of Trinity, and could barely contain her excitement. She had dreamed of coming here and now, here she was, getting ready to set everything in place for her freshman year at college. Frankie wanted to be an archaeologist.
She couldn’t believe how compact the university felt. As she walked toward the library, past the lovely green lawn of the square, she realized that the entrance to these buildings all looked inward, closeting it off from the hubbub of the city.
Well, she knew what she was going to do before anything else. She was going to head on over to view the Book of Kells.
She smiled as she looked up at the imposing historic building before her. Was she really here? She sighed pleasurably, yes she was.
She looked around and wondered, as she often did, what Graely might be doing. Just what did he do when he wasn’t with her?
Was he always alone? Or did he have a ‘love interest’? A hunk like that couldn’t be a monk! This notion troubled her to the core, so she shoved it off. She wasn’t going to think about that right now. Right now, she was going to have a look at history.
She wasn’t supposed to meet up with Fiona O’Doul until later in the day. This would give her time to head on over to the apartment she was interested in leasing for her freshman year. She wanted to have a look at it before dragging Fiona from place to place. She had a feeling, it would be the one.
She had inquired after a roommate at the registrar’s office and left her email. Within hours, Fiona emailed her and they had hit it off online.
She would have to wear human Glamour all the time, but she was already used to doing just that. A voice at her back said with some excitement, “Frankie? Bless me, Frankie; ye look jest like yer picture. It is ye—isn’t that right?”
Frankie had turned and also immediately recognized the girl at once from the pictures she had sent. Fiona was a flaming redhead with blue eyes and freckles across her pert nose, “Fiona! Wow…what are the odds of our being here at the same moment?”
