AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eleven
How had she found that out? He’d been careful not to betray himself with any hint of that side of him. She’d been accepting of so much already. “It’s an Other with the ability to call on the powers of his or her fetch animal. Even to take on some of the characteristics of that animal. But how—”
It was her turn to cut him off. “You attacked the landlord.” The men. Ysbel’s ring.
His stomach lurched as he remembered. He’d assumed it was just another dream. His hand found his pocket.
“Are you looking for these?” Ellery handed him the pearl and th
e ring.
Thanks to Asher, the wolf-head ring was all he had left of his sister. When the time came, revenge would be sweet and very painful. He shoved both deep into his pocket.
“I thought I could pay for a doctor,” Ellery said.
“He would have been useless.”
“So I was told.” She picked at the bedcovers, obviously uneasy. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
She jerked to her feet, paced restlessly, confusion clouding her face.
“The pearl was yours,” he said, hoping to break through the tense silence. “It was the one I nicked from Mr. Porter. I wonder if he’s noticed yet.”
She shot him a sharp look. “You’re supposed to be indestructible. What happened?”
No more questions about the change? Could he be so lucky? Or had she come so far that nothing ruffled her anymore. Either way, he wouldn’t argue.
“I wish I knew,” he answered. “The Keun Marow’s poison affects fey power. Disrupts it. Can even kill if enough of it gets in your system. When I took on your wounds, I took on the poison. I knew that would happen and was prepared. But not for the severity of the collapse. It was like being infected by a hundred such hounds instead of only one.”
She cocked her head at a questioning angle. “You’ve got the reliquary. You don’t need me anymore. Why do you care what happens to me?”
“Asher is after you because of me.” What a smooth liar he was becoming. With his hand in his pocket, he tumbled the ring between his fingers. Ellery Reskeen would not stand between him and his task. No matter how dear she was or how desirable. He cut her off before she could ask him something else he couldn’t answer. “You were either very brave or very foolish to get involved last night.”
She offered him a crooked smile. “Probably a bit of both. But I wasn’t alone. Evan helped. He brought me the dress, too. You owe him a pound and six shillings for it, by the way. He’s told us to keep out of sight while we’re here. He isn’t sure how long he can guarantee our safety.”
“Now that I’ve revealed myself as Other, you mean.” It must have been the mother of all cock-ups if Evan had interceded. Despite the reputation of his inn among the Other, he didn’t like any attention drawn to the fact. His normal clientele weren’t so forgiving of strange doings and stranger people. Conor hoped he hadn’t bollixed things up for him too badly. He’d accused Ellery of leaving a trail for Asher and here he’d done everything but paint a bull’s-eye on their backs.
“Will it happen again? Your changing like that?”
“No. It’s a power, but one I use sparingly. The discipline and magic it requires make it dangerous. Draw on the power too often or too deeply and there’s no turning back. The man becomes lost. The beast takes over.”
She leaned back against the windowsill, pushed her curls off her face. “It seems everything you do is dangerous.”
He gave a short dry laugh. “Now, you’re catching on.”
She watched him sleep, damning herself for the worst sort of coward. All day they had spent talking. She could have brought up her father a million different ways. But every time, she shied away, and the question remained unasked.
But what a question.
Did you kill my father? How could anyone drop that into the middle of a conversation nonchalantly?
They’d talked of her father. She’d somehow found herself telling Conor long tales of her childhood. Of the days before her mother died when her father’s regiment had been stationed in the Leewards. Of pleading with him to take her along when he was sent home. Of clutching at his legs while his friends laughed or looked away until he’d finally been shamed into relenting. And later as they’d moved back and forth between stations at home and on the continent, she told Conor of how she gave ground as each new mistress entered her father’s life, took up the household duties as they moved on.
Security revolved in making herself indispensable, anticipating his needs before he did. Being a doormat when sometimes all she wanted was to throw his haversack back at him and never see another scarlet jacket again.
She liked to think they did well together after a fashion. And if there hadn’t been love, there had been respect and affection and laughter. It could have been so much worse.
Conor had listened and told his own stories. Stories of growing up in Cornwall, living in a house full of aunts and uncles and cousins, the comings and goings of a family balanced between the mortal world and the fey. He laughed, remembering the pranks he and his cousin, Ruan played on the others. His voice grew proud as he spoke of his gram’s un-tiring work as a healer in the neighborhood, of his father’s quiet strength as he tended his estate. The deep love he felt for them all was evident in every word. Ellery couldn’t help the envy that gnawed at her. She would have given her life to have such a family—or any family.
