Truth by Moonlight
Roisin couldn't help but pace as she waited for everyone to get settled in the great room. Sean and Cara had the party cleared out by the time they got back with the help of some of the solitary fae that had decided to stick around. She wasn't sure if it was curiousity or what, but probably wouldn't hurt to have them there. Pretty much all of the solitaries remained unseen, though, not completely trusting the large amount of wolves filling the room.
Sean now stood just behind Roisin with Cara, watching her closely. He wasn't completely happy that she had come out with their secret so willingly. But honestly, Roisin hadn't seen any way around it. They had seen her fight and knew she wasn't human. What's more, they also knew that Tara's disappearance wasn't an accident and the most important thing at the moment was finding her and getting her back.
Currently, they were waiting on someone. Jacob had made a call while they were walking back and told her to wait on explanations until they - whoever they were - got there.
And Paul, he stood off to the side with Jared, also watching her closely. He seemed to take the news rather well, she thought. But at the same time, she couldn't read his mind. For all she knew, he could be in shock or coming up with ways to break up with her right now.
Hopefully she would get some answers of her own before the night was over.
The doorbell rang, stopping her mid-pace as she looked over. Jacob trotted over and opened it, letting in two incredibly pale men. They looked vastly different save for their skin tone, which was deathly pale even compared to the Winter Court, and strange golden eyes. One had blonde hair and looked a bit older while the other had copper hair and looked as though he could have been in high school. However, Roisin felt like she didn't need an introduction. It was clear who this was.
So these were the famous Cullens. She had always wondered what vampires looked like in person.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," the blonde one said, his voice and face warm and kind. He walked over and held his hand out to Roisin. "Carlisle Cullen. This is my adopted son, Edward."
Roisin looked down at his hand and then back up at his face, hesitantly reaching out and taking his hand. It was ice cold. Roisin gasped and immediately let go, backing away frantically as ice-blue eyes suddenly filled her vision. She then felt Sean gripping her arms from behind.
"It's okay," he murmured softly in her ear. "It's a vampire thing, remember."
Roisin blinked a few times and looked back at Carlisle, his face full of worry that he had done something. She brushed it off, slightly embarrassed. Keep your shit together, Ro, she warned herself.
"Sorry. I'm Roisin. And this is Sean, Cara and Mae," she said, pointing at the others as she stepped away from Sean. She looked over at Edward, finding him watching her with a mildly suspicious look. Jacob stood at his side, his expression equally as suspicious.
Okay, so they must be buddies or something. And well, she supposed she didn't blame them. They had been hiding something pretty big from them.
"Jacob says that you're fae. And you know who is behind the accident at First Beach," Carlisle said.
Roisin looked around the room, seeing everyone watching her expectantly - even the unseen fae. Looked like she was in charge of this rodeo. But she would have to speak carefully. The other fae didn't know who she truly was. And well, she wasn't sure she wanted the vampires and wolves to know.
They didn't need to know her past. Though she couldn't help but glance over at Paul. She wasn't ready to tell him everything. But after tonight, she might not have a choice.
"Like I told the others, it's fae," she said, meeting Carlisle's eyes.
"How?" Carlisle asked.
"Some fae enjoy taking humans," Roisin said, frowning. "The whole point of the party tonight was to lure them here. I did manage to catch up to it as it was trying to drag off another girl, but then the wolves showed up and it got away."
She kept her voice even, trying not to sound like she was blaming them. But she kind of was. If they hadn't shown up when they did, she could have overpowered the fae. Forced it to tell her everything. Could have found Tara. Roisin couldn't help but feel frustrated. Even if she had originally thought the party was a bad idea, it had worked and she was this close. They had yet to find another break this big.
Carlisle didn't respond at first, only studied her a moment before his eyes shifted involuntarily to Sean, who was now standing next to her, his arms crossed in front of him. He was keeping things relatively tame, but part of being Shadow fae meant that most others felt some unease around him.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare. Just… I've never seen your kind before," he said, smiling slightly. "I'm curious to learn more."
"What? Did you think we'd be tiny and flint around like birds?" Mae asked. Carlisle and Edward turned to look at her as Roisin sighed.
Mae rose from the couch where she had been sitting in between Quil and Embry, allowing her glamour to slide away as orange wings opened up behind her. Her ears became pointed as she seemed to glow with an inhuman light. Embry and Quil pushed back into the couch away from her wings as everyone else not fae visibly reacted. Mae just fluttered her wings, a smug look on her face.
"This more like it?" she asked.
"Mae, stop messing around," Roisin said tiredly. Mae just shrugged, sliding her glamour back on as she sat back down. "Others not like us, they only see what we want them to see. We can also go unseen - though not to our own kind."
To make her point, Roisin slipped out of sight, noting the looks of shock around the room. Only then did she fully turn to look at Paul, who was frowning in her direction. No, not frowning. It was as though he was straining to see her. Curious, she took a few steps forward. At first he didn't follow her movement, though his eyes seemed to catch something and shifted towards her.
Well… that was interesting. But not the time. Turning back to Carlisle, Riosin came back into sight.
"There have been fae coming to the mortal world pretty much for forever," she then said. "Though a vast majority live in the Fae world."
"Why come over here? Why take humans?" Jacob asked. "And why would they take this person?"
Roisin winced as she looked away, chewing on her bottom lip. She had been asking herself the same question ever since she heard about the accident though she knew it was hopeless to try and apply logic to anything the fae did.
"To be honest, there probably isn't a reason," Sean said, keeping his expression neutral. "Unfortunately, us being here has attracted more fae to this area… this could have brought one that doesn't share our views or respect for mortals."
Mae snorted from the couch and Roisin found herself rolling her eyes yet again. Really could do without the color commentary.
"If you ask me, this is Shadow Court," Mae said, leveling a scowl at Sean.
"Mae," Roisin warned, really not wanting to launch into another of her rants right now.
"Oh, come on, Ro! It's what they fucking do! You know what they think about mortals. They pop over here, steal a few, and then take them back to torture or do goddess knows what else to them," Mae said. "Just ask Sean. He used to be one of them."
Everyone in the room turned to look at him, suspicion starting to enter some of their eyes. Roisin really wished Mae hadn't brought that up - Sean wasn't like that. But at the same time, it would have come out eventually. Sean took a deep breath, glancing at Roisin.
"Right. So there are five courts in the Fae world - Summer, Winter, Autumn, Spring, Shadow… And Mae's right. I was part of the Shadow Court," he said. "But I left 500 years ago. Wasn't fond of their ways. And I haven't been back since."
"Sean has nothing to do with what's been going on," Roisin added. "I can vouch for him."
"What about you?" Jacob asked. "You part of this Shadow court, too?"
"Jake, stop," Sam said, sounding annoyed. Jacob shot him a dark look.
"I told you there was something weird going on here and you didn't believe me," he retorted. "And I'm right!"
"Yea, but you still got some of it wrong. They aren't a danger," Sam pointed out.
"Yea, right…"
Roisin heard a growl and jumped slightly as she turned, noticing that Paul was now glaring daggers across the room at Jacob, his body shaking. Jared was trying to get him to calm down, looking ready to restrain Paul if necessary.
Okay, she wasn't sure if that was a wolf thing or a Paul thing...
"We still barely know anything about you," Jacob pushed.
Roisin took a deep breath and turned back to him. Seemed she was going to have to get more personal if she wanted Jacob to trust her.
"Mae and I were Summer Court," she said, feeling that was at least safe enough. "Like I said, we left for about the same reason Sean left Shadow. Didn't like their ways." She then shot a glare at Mae to keep her mouth shut. Thankfully, this time she obliged. "But none of that matters. Whoever is behind this, it's not us. To be honest, I really think you should let us handle this."
"Yea, like we're going to let you do that," Jacob said with a snort. "This is our territory, for the record, in case you forgot."
Roisin couldn't help but feel a wave of anger wash over her. It must have manifested into something because suddenly Jacob was backing up slightly and she could see sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Ro," Sean said in warning.
"Amazing," Carlisle said. "Did you do that?"
"Yea, happens sometimes when I get angry," Roisin said, brushing it off. She turned back to Jacob. "I don't think you understand. Fae are fast. Blink and they're gone. And they're strong. And they possess abilities that I'm not sure you can handle."
"Oh, we can handle it alright, Red. We keep up with vampires just fine when it comes to speed," he shot back, now walking towards her. "And we're strong, too. Heal fast. We've fought and killed vampires."
"Oh really?" Roisin asked, though she had to admit she was slightly impressed with the vampires bit. But she was tired, frustrated and Jacob was seriously starting to annoy her.
Suddenly she was behind him, giving him a hard shove. Jacob stumbled forward, nearly falling to the ground, though stopped himself and spun around. Roisin was already behind him, shoving him again. Jacob turned, but she had once again moved. She finally came to a stop right in front of him, her eyes blazing and her wings spread out behind her, allowing him a small view of what she truly looked like. His eyes went wide as he backed up.
"You won't even see us coming until we want you to," she said, her voice low with warning as she narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he could feel the power in her voice and saw the flames dancing in her eyes.
Just to further her point, she sent a wave of heat at him that had him stumbling.
"Ro! Enough!" Sean shouted.
She glanced over at him, and then suddenly everything returned to normal.
"Sorry," she said, directing it to Sean rather than Jacob as she walked over to stand next to the Shadow fae again.
"Okay… I understand why you might hesitate, but I honestly think working together is the best solution here," Carlisle said. Roisin didn't reply but glanced at Sean. "We know this area - where they could be hiding out. But you know fae. If we want to find the girl, and quickly, working together is our best option."
Roisin glanced at Sean again, whose dark eyes were scanning around the group. He then looked to her and gave her a short nod. To be honest, she wasn't sure if this was such a good idea, but it seemed they were going with it.
"I suppose we can try," she said, not wanting to agree outright. Carlisle looked pleased as he glanced at Sam.
"Right, so what else do we need to know?" Sam asked with a sigh. "Is there a chance this could be more than one fae?"
"Possibly," Roisin said. "But again, we're not sure…"
"If it comes to a fight, what should we do?" Jacob asked.
"Run," Mae said with a snort, getting dark looks from not only Roisin this time. "Sheesh, you guys have fragile egos."
"There's not much that can kill us unless you're strong enough... I've never fought a wolf before or heard of it, so... could be possible. Vampires, you could do some damage," Sean said. "But iron is deadly to weaker fae and can still severely wound the strongest. We stay away from it for the most part. Salt can help protect against some forms of fae magic."
"That's it?" Jacob asked.
"Never make a deal with a fae," Roisin found herself saying. "Fae can't lie, but they are very good at talking around the truth or twisting it. And deals are binding. You'll find it hard to get out of one."
A slight shiver went down her spine, but she shook it off. Now was not the time to think about that.
"I'd avoid fae wine as well. Unless that's your thing. If a mortal has too much, they can turn fae," Cara added. "Outside of that, it makes mortals more pliable…"
"How much is too much?" Carlisle asked, the intrigued look back on his face.
"Depends," Roisin said. She then remembered Embry's reaction. Looking at him, her eyes widened slightly. "And… I think we've already determined that it doesn't affect wolves the same."
"Wait… that's what I had at the party that made me sick?" he asked, looking at Mae, who wore a sheepish smile. She just shrugged.
"I told you that you might not like it," she said, looking away from him and taking a drink from her glass that seemed to have appeared from no where. Shit, was that fae wine? Roisin was going to ream her out for that later.
"Okay, so is there anything you can tell about the different kinds of fae? Like… if it is this Shadow… whatever," Jacob asked, somehow getting them back on track again.
"Shadow fae are brutal. Vicious. Death isn't always the endgame, just something that happens when they tire of you and you no longer hold any enjoyment for them," Sean said, his tone serious. "It never comes easily or swiftly. They can find your darkest fears and use it against you. Or… your darkest desires."
"Other courts?" Carlisle asked.
"Summer tends to be prideful and temperamental. Their power is connected to their emotions, which they feel strongly. They don't intend to be cruel, but they often can be," Sean said, glancing at Roisin. "I highly doubt that Autumn or Spring have anything to do with this. Too mellow. And I've never seen anyone from those courts in this world in the time I've been here. Nor have I seen any defect."
"What about Winter?" Sam asked. Roisin shuddered again, but tried to cover it.
"Those devoted to the court rarely leave the Fae world," Sean said. "They can be just as cruel, if not more so than the Shadow Court. Though they tend to kill first and ask questions later." He glanced at Roisin and then continued. "Whoever it is, it's more likely they are solitary… or… Shadow, though I tend to think it's a bored solitary."
Roisin really hoped they weren't dealing with any Shadow Court. But before she could think further on it, she felt a soft nudge on the edge of her mind. She had felt it a bit earlier, but in the midst of everything brushed it off. Now she couldn't ignore it. Looking to the floor, she shook her head. Then she was looking around the group, wondering who was causing it. Her eyes settled on Edward, who seemed to be straining on something.
"Stop it," she said, frowning at him. A surprised look came over his face. "What are you doing?"
"He can't help it," Carlisle said, glancing at Edward before looking back at Roisin. "But it seems that he can't read your mind."
"I can't read any of them," Edward said. "None of the fae."
Roisin closed her eyes, bringing her hands up to her temples. She suddenly felt incredibly tired and wanted this meeting to be over with. But she could tell that the wolves and vampires had more questions.
"Sean can take over for now. I need… I'll be back," she said, opening her eyes and walking out of the room into the kitchen.
She could hear conversations start up, with people calling out questions. But then she heard footsteps walking to the kitchen and she turned around, expecting Paul. But instead of him, Sean walked in behind her. Sighing, she leaned against the island as she saw some of his shadows leave their constant swirling around him and create a barrier in the doorway.
"You should tell them," he said, crossing his arms.
"Tell them what?" Roisin replied, knowing full well what he was talking about. Sean just stared at her. "We're not sure if my issues are involved," she said harshly. "If Summer found me, they would just take me. They wouldn't waste time messing around."
"We both know that Rian would do something like this," he said.
Roisin didn't say anything, looking away and trying to not to think about what the Winter Court would do if they got their hands on Tara - especially if they knew she was her friend. While not as creative as Shadow, they did like to inflict pain just as much.
"Rian hates the mortal world. We both know that. He wouldn't come here unless he was desperate and we both know how insanely patient he is," she said dryly. "This was too... messy for him. He'd put more thought into it. And he'd for damn sure let us know it was him."
"Okay, fair enough. But at the very least, you should talk to Paul about this," Sean replied. Roisin frowned. "I know that you care about him - more than you should, if you want my opinion. But he knows this much. If you are going to attempt to keep this… relationship... even just for the time being… you owe it to him to at least let him know what he's getting into."
"What if I don't want him to know?" she asked, looking over at him. Sean's stern look softened a bit.
"I know that you're afraid. And even though I know you'll try to deny it, you feel ashamed. But you shouldn't," Sean said. "And honestly, we've tried for years to find a loophole. Maybe… maybe we were meant to find the wolves. You were meant to meet him."
Roisin stared at him, too surprised to speak a moment. She hadn't thought about that and was surprised that Sean would go there. She looked towards the archway that led to the great room, hope starting to fill her. But then she shook her head.
"I don't know how that could help. You know what the prophecy says," she replied. "So they turn into wolves, how does that really help?"
"I don't know, but it's something to consider," Sean said softly. "And you know that I'll do it if you ask me to."
Roisin smiled softly. Sean would do just about anything to help her. Had, pretty much. But she couldn't ask this of him. Not when it could kill him.
"I'm grateful, but I won't put you at risk like that," she replied, once again refusing him. "We both know how Cathal is."
Sean nodded, knowing the king of the Shadow Court better than Roisin. He then walked over and gently placed his hands on her cheeks, leaning his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. Roisin took a deep breath, closing her eyes as well. She wasn't sure how she would have handled all of this without him.
"At the very least, you should be more open with Paul," he said softly.
Roisin opened her eyes, looking into Sean's. She then nodded.
"Yea. Okay," she said. He then stepped back and the barrier disappeared, the sounds from the living room now returning. "Guess there's no time like now…"
OOOO
Paul had zoned out all the conversation around him. People were asking various questions that Cara was answering, along with some of the other fae that had apparently stuck around, randomly popping into sight that had everyone else jumping every now and again. He was left pacing in the corner of the room that he had retreated to.
He wanted to talk to Roisin - had even started after her - but then Sean had beat him. And for a moment, he figured it was probably better. But the imprint was still pulling him towards her. So, he figured he would follow them into the kitchen, but a dark wall of shadows blocked the way. Looking around told him that either no one else saw it or cared. Still, he couldn't ignore the pull. So he had slipped out one of the doors onto the verandah, planning to go into the kitchen from that door.
But then he had seen Sean and Roisin, their foreheads pressed together as the older fae gently held her face. For a moment, his heart dropped into his stomach. It then sank further when Roisin opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
Paul turned away, quickly making his way back into the great room, not sure what he had witnessed. He knew that they were close - Roisin had told him that much. Were they even related? Paul realized he had never actually heard her call him her uncle. Was there something going on between them? While he gathered his imprint was different because Roisin was fae, she could still very well reject it.
Taking a deep breath, Paul stopped pacing, seeing Roisin step out of the kitchen and stop, her eyes locking with his. She smiled slightly and then started directly for him, ignoring everything going on around them as his heart quickened. Already Paul felt better now that she was near.
She then took his hand and started towards her bedroom.
"I think we need to talk," she said, glancing up at him. He nodded.
Once they were inside, Roisin walked over and sat on the end of her bed, suddenly looking rather tired.
"I guess… do you have any questions for me?" she asked.
Paul blinked, for a moment surprised. He figured she would have a ton of questions for him. But in the midst of everyone learning about the fae, it might have slipped her mind. Or maybe she was giving him the first chance to talk.
"I have to admit… this is all…" he didn't finish the sentence, unsure of what he wanted to say anyway, as he ran his hand through his hair.
Roisin cracked a small smile and nodded, laughing softly.
"Yea, today has definitely been…" she said.
Seeing her smile had Paul relaxing as he walked over and sat next to her. He then looked down at her.
"So, you have wings," he said. Roisin snorted.
"Everything you've heard today and that's where you go," she replied, her smile growing. Paul shrugged.
"Can't see them now, but it was pretty hot," he said, causing her to laugh again.
"And you… you turn into a giant-ass wolf. Have to admit, that's pretty hot," she replied, raising an eyebrow at him as she looked him up and down, taking in his shirtless state. "So what makes you different from werewolves?"
"Uh, well, I've never met any, but I hear they can only shift on full moons and it's not voluntary. We can shift whenever we want. And like I said, it's genetic. Only certain lines in our tribe have it," he said. "We're not bitten or turned or anything. Born this way."
"Same with us, though… well, we can turn mortals into fae. But only through the fae wine - and a lot of it - or the goddesses can do it instaneously. But that rarely happens anymore, I don't think anyone has seen any of them in about a thousand years," she said with a sigh and grimace.
"Are these goddesses like… your deities or something?" he asked.
"They're the most powerful fae, yes. According to our legends, they were the first fae and created us. But they keep to themselves… mostly," she replied.
He knew there was more there she wasn't telling him - it was clear by the look on her face - but she wasn't keen to talk about it. And least for now.
"So… how long do you guys live?" he asked. Roisin glanced up at him.
"We're immortal," she said. "Though you can kill us. Like Sean said, iron does the trick. And a fae can kill another fae. We've had wars where a ton of fae were killed…"
She drifted off for a moment, and Paul began to wonder just what sort of things she had seen. It was as though a dark cloud had settled over her as she furrowed her brow, seeming to get lost in her memory. He put his arm around her, pulling Roisin closer. She looked up at him at the contact, her eyes wide. She then shook her head and smiled.
"What about you?" she asked. Paul took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
"As long as we're phasing, we don't age. And as long as there are vampires around, we keep phasing - I mean, that is basically our whole purpose for shifting. To protect the tribe and all from vampires - bad vampires anyway. The Cullens, they don't kill people. They get their blood from animals. I guess we could technically live forever as long as there are leeches around," he said, noting that Roisin's eyebrows rose at this news. "But the Cullens are planning to leave in about 6 years. Once they're gone, as long as no others move into the area, then I guess we stop phasing and return to normal."
"Oh," Roisin said, looking away.
"But… they really like it here, so they might not leave," Paul added, not sure why he said that. The Cullens had every intention of leaving as soon as Nessie was grown. And then he would return to being a normal human. Would grow old. Die someday. Shit, this was not what he needed to be thinking about right now.
She glanced at him and nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"So, your body temp and appetite - that a wolf thing?" she asked.
"Yea. And apparently your little heat blasts are because you're Summer fae?" he asked.
"Yes, well… I'm solitary now," she said.
Paul looked down at her, seeing her seem to struggle with something. He pulled her closer, letting her know he was here and would accept whatever she said. Maybe she would finally tell him who was looking for her.
"Mae and I, we actually ran away." She glanced at him. "Things were… not good. And I couldn't stand to be there any longer. Mae's always been my best friend - we grew up together - so she came with me. But that's who might be looking for me. Summer Court."
"Why?" Paul couldn't help but asked. Roisin shrugged.
"I've got something they want," she said. "But it doesn't matter because I never intend to go back."
Paul was silent a bit, letting the information sink in. He felt like there was more, for some reason.
"Okay. So… I take you and Mae, and you and Sean… you're not really related," Paul continued, though even he heard the strain in his voice. God, did he really have to sound like a jealous idiot right now?
Roisin looked over at him, her eyebrows raised. She nodded.
"He's not my uncle. He found us wandering around London with just the clothes on our backs. No money. No idea on how to survive in the mortal world, even though we had both been over several times before that. He had already been here for about 400 years, so he took us in. Taught us what we needed to know," she said. "He's become like a brother to me."
Paul felt the tension start to leave his body. Okay, that was one mystery solved. He didn't have to worry about Sean.
"How bad was it? That you would want to run away?" he asked, his protective instincts kicking into gear.
Roisin swallowed and looked away from him.
"I can't lie to you - it was… bad things happened," she said. "But… I'm not ready to get into the details, if that's okay. Just… I'm okay here. I'm safe here." She looked back at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm happy and safe… with you."
Paul couldn't breath for a moment. It was the words that he wanted to hear. Finding out the truth about each other, it pretty much had turned his world upside down, but Paul still held on to one constant.
Roisin was his imprint and he wouldn't leave her side. He didn't care that she was fae - though to be honest, he thought it was pretty fucking amazing - and his feelings for her hadn't changed at all. If anything, they perhaps got stronger. But he wasn't upset that she had kept secrets from him. He had done the same - was still keeping one pretty big one.
"I'm happy to hear that," he said. "And I'm not going anywhere."
"Even if I accidentally hit you with a heat blast or knock you out when I lose my temper?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I burned down a building once. Still debatable if that was an accident."
Paul found himself laughing. It seemed he had finally met his match.
"To be honest, we're… not that different. I've got a bad temper as well, if you remember. Sometimes I end up getting so angry that I shift without meaning to, but I'm working on it. And I thought you were pretty awesome when you went after Jacob - both in the woods and here," Paul replied with a chuckle. "And we heal pretty fast, so any damage you may manage to make isn't going to stay for long."
"Really?" Roisin asked, seeming intrigued by this.
She reached for his arm that wasn't around her and grabbed it. Paul hissed slightly when he felt white-hot pain. But just as he did, she let go and he looked down, seeing a clear handprint in his skin, though the skin was raised and slightly red. They both watched as it slowly started fading away.
"Still hurts a little, but see?" he said, turning back to her. Roisin smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips.
"Guess this means I don't have to go easy on you anymore," she said, grinning a bit deviously.
"What do you-"
Suddenly, Paul was on his back, the wind rushing out of his lungs as he stared up at Roisin leaning over him, the grin still firmly in place. Damn, she was fast. He tried to push her away, but she didn't budge. Okay, she was a hell of a lot stronger, than he thought.
Suddenly, his body caught up to what was going on, though his brain tried to remind himself that the others were just on the other side of the door.
"Ro," he started, but she cut him off with her lips, heat coursing into his body from her.
For a moment, he forgot himself as his hands reached up for her, gripping her waist and yanking her closer so that they were fully touching. One hand became tangled in her hair as a soft moan formed in his throat.
All too soon, she was lifting away from him, still smiling. Paul shook his head slightly, a bit dazed.
"Ah… so it would seem our allure still works on you," she joked.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Mortals are really attracted to us. Guess it works a bit more strongly on you… Come on, we don't get back out there and they really will think we're up to no good in here," she said, crawling off him and standing at the end of the bed.
Sighing, Paul sat up and then stood as well, looking down at her a moment. She winked and turned to the door, Paul at her side. Just as she opened the door, he reached down and took her hand. Roisin paused a moment, looking down at their hands and then back up at him, a brilliant smile on her face.
This was going to be okay, Paul could feel it. Everything was going to be okay.
OOOO
Okay, so I realized I left you guys on a bit of a cliffhanger. I had initially meant to post the last chapter and this chapter together but didn't want to get ahead of myself. But I think a lot of questions (but not everything – and well, I create a few more) are answered in this chapter, so even though I haven't finished Chapter 23 yet, I thought I would go ahead and post it.
And I'm kind of glad that I didn't post it the other night with everything else. This one needed A LOT of work, even though I had gone through and edited it several times. I spent hours cleaning it up today, realizing that it was really all over the place. And well, I've rewritten parts so many times that for some reason, I keep forgetting what I've kept so every time I sit down to write, I have to go back a few chapters to read, and then I get editing, and yea… that's why Chapter 23 is taking me so long to finish…
Anywho…
Felinegreat – Yea, sorry about the unintentional cliffhanger moment there…
Marianka – Thank you so much for your comments! I'm happy to see you enjoying the story so much!
twilightlover427 – Honestly, it was the best way I thought they could find out about each other. Because Roisin was super serious about not telling anyone that she's fae and really does think he's just normal. And well, eventually Paul would have gotten around to it, but this was more fun. ^_^ Good chance for me to show a bit of what Roisin can do.
Guest – Thanks!
Bebert – Haha, your wish is my command! Again, I honestly didn't realize it was a big cliffhanger… Sorry! And yea, I really need to give Jacob some better character development. He's still a bit of an ass in this chapter, but he's going to start coming around. And well, I couldn't pass up the chance for Roisin to show off a bit to intimidate him…
Thanks for reading everyone! I'm done posting/writing my other story so focusing solely and completely on this one right now. I'm so close to finishing up all the writing – far closer than I realized, actually… I mean, it's only 31 chapters with the prologue (plus two short bonus chapters that will go up only on AO3 since they get a bit *cough* too mature for …) but I'm almost done with Chapter 23 and have one bonus chapter and part of a later chapter half written. So… 8 and a half chapters left to write? I thought I had more to go…
