Cruel Summer
Paul hadn't intended to stay out patrolling around the house all night. Really, he hadn't. But Jared had been there and the two got to discussing the odd moment with Mae. Once Paul had calmed down (and Jared threatened to kick his ass more than once) he went back to the house, but it was beyond late and Roisin was already asleep.
So, he had crawled into bed next to her and passed out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
The next morning, he woke up to find Roisin once again in his arms, her blue eyes staring into his as she smiled softly.
"You're kinda cute when you sleep, you know?" she asked. Paul chuckled.
"Some people find watching other people sleep weird, you know?" he replied.
"Do you find it weird?" she asked.
"Not when it's you," he answered. He then leaned down and kissed her.
Really, he only intended for it to be a quick, good morning kiss. But he couldn't help it if his imprint kissed him in such a way that he temporarily forgot everything. Wait… wasn't there something he was supposed to do this morning?
The imprint. Right.
"Ro-"
He tried to push her off him, but she only smirked before pouncing again, a fire lighting up inside Paul as soon as her lips touched his. For a few moments, all he could think about was pulling her closer. Feeling all of her. His fingers tangled in her hair. And they were wearing too many clothes.
But somehow, a small part of his rational side broke through, reminding him yet again that he needed to tell her. Not waste the morning making out or whatever came next. Okay, well, he had hoped there would be this too. But he needed to tell her before he chickened out or gave into the flames that were currently attempting to consume him.
"Ro, I need to tell you something," he said as he pushed her back slightly, panting. She frowned and started towards him again, but he managed to hold her off. "It's important."
She didn't respond, only tilted her head to the side, a look of confusion still on her face.
"I've been meaning to tell you since you found out that I'm a wolf. You see, we have this thing-"
"Figured this would be how I found you."
Both Roisin and Paul turned their heads, seeing a young man who looked not that much older than them standing in front of the door that led from her bedroom to the verandah, dressed in odd clothing. In fact, he looked a lot like Roisin. But that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't a threat. Especially with the way his blue eyes were boring into the two of them. And how quickly he had appeared. That and the fact Paul could hear his heartbeat told him the intruder had to be fae.
Roisin quickly scrambled off Paul as they both sat up. Paul then yanked the comforter aside as he stood, glaring at him as he placed himself in front of Roisin, not giving any shits that he was currently standing in his boxers. If the fae was a threat, then he would take him down completely naked if he had to.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
The fae managed to look mildly amused, a small smirk appearing as he looked Paul up and down, then directed his gaze to Roisin, almost as though he was completely dismissing him.
"Your new plaything?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He's not a plaything," Roisin said, her voice harsh as she was suddenly at Paul's side, causing him to jump slightly. God, he still wasn't used to how quickly the fae moved. "What do you want, Darraugh?"
She stepped forward, putting herself slight in front of Paul. Almost as though she was trying to protect him. He shook his head and then turned his attention to whoever this Darraugh was.
He had the same shade of slightly wavy red hair. The same smattering of freckles and sun-kissed skin. Though he was shorter and smaller than Paul, he carried himself in a way that oozed confidence, his hands calmly folded behind his back and his chin slightly up.
"You ask a question you already know the answer to," he replied dryly. "It's time to come home."
"Like hell. I'm not going back," Roisin nearly growled, her eyes narrowing. Darraugh only rolled his eyes.
"Look, you've had your fun. Mother and Father have allowed… this… to go on as long as it can, but it is time to return and fulfill your duties. Rian has shown far more patience than you deserve," he drawled.
To say Paul was confused about what was happening would be an understatement. What did Rian have to do with anything? And holy shit, her parents were still alive? Well, now that he thought about it, he had only assumed they were dead because Roisin never talked about them.
"I'm not going back with you," she spat, beginning to visibly shake. "You may be crown prince, but you're not king yet. And I left the Summer Court, renounced it, so you can't order me around anymore."
"Believe it or not, but I did come here as your brother, not your future regent. If I had intended to treat you as a subject, I would have sent my guards. We both know how much you adore them," Darraugh said dryly.
Paul's eyes widened as what Darraugh said hit him. This was Roisin's brother - which now made perfect sense considering how much they looked alike - but he was the crown prince. Meaning Roisin was…
"I see you have not mentioned any of this to your mortal, have you?" Darraugh said, a hint of malice in his voice.
Paul met his gaze, once again glaring as he struggled to keep his anger in check. Darraugh was threatening Roisin and he wanted nothing more than to take him on. Show him that Roisin wasn't going anywhere. But he knew that she would kill him if he shifted here and broke the house. He needed to find a way to get him outside.
"He's not mortal. Not completely, anyway," Roisin said, gaining Darraugh's attention again. "Send your damn guards. We both know I'm stronger. But I will not go back."
Paul looked over at her and for a moment, he could almost see her for what she really was. Her eyes blazing with all the fire of the sun as her hair whipped around her head like an inferno. But then he blinked and it was gone. She was back to appearing normal, standing next to him in her blue pajamas.
"So, you can leave now, and I'll let you go without kicking your ass. Tell Mother and Father, thanks, but no thanks. They can fix their own damn problems without dragging me into it," she snarled.
"It is your destiny-"
"FUCK DESTINY!" Roisin shouted, a strong blast of heat exploding from her. Paul and even Darraugh stumbled as it hit them. "That is not the destiny I choose!"
Brother and sister stared each other down for a few tense moments, and Paul wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to defend Roisin, but he had a feeling this was a fight she wanted to take care of herself.
"We both know you can't choose your own destiny. That you cannot change prophecy," Darraugh said softly, for a moment his harsh exterior slipping. "One of these days you will see this and accept it."
Roisin laughed harshly, shaking her head.
"I'll never accept that destiny. It's not what I want. I had nothing to do with it!" she shouted back at him.
"Please, Ro," Darraugh pleaded, his rough exterior completely slipping away as worry entered his eyes and he took a step towards her. "I wish there was another way, but there is not. We've barely been able to keep the peace these last 100 years and I have searched for something - anything - else that we could do-"
"You can drop the concerned brother act," Roisin said, her voice and eyes now cold as she cut him off. "You stopped being my brother the day you sided with them."
"As always, you think of nothing but yourself," Darraugh said, his frustration clear as he frowned at her. "When will you start to realize that your court and your duty to your court always come first! It is how it's always been!"
"Just because I was born into it doesn't mean I have to choose that life. And I don't," Roisin said. "When will you stop thinking about duty for a goddamn second?!"
"I do not have that luxury when I'm trying to stop a fucking war!" Darraugh roared in return, his eyes now blazing with flames.
Okay, this seemed pretty damn serious. But that's why she was on the run? Honestly all this talk about war, destiny and prophecy was really starting to confuse Paul. Just what else was Roisin keeping from him?
"There is always a war!" Roisin shouted back, roughly running her fingers through her hair. "Even if you somehow got me back to the Fae world, to go through with it, there's no guarantee that it would stop another war from happening."
"You know the prophecy-"
"Like, I said. Fuck the prophecy!"
"We finally have a chance to end it for good and we both know that you're the key to that whether you like it or not," Darraugh shouted back. He glared at her a moment before smoothing down his shirt, now seemingly completely calm. "I can see that you're unable to be reasonable at the moment." He shot a glare to Paul as though he thought it was his fault. Paul glared back. "You have one month to come to your senses and return to the Summer Court of your own free will. Otherwise, I will be forced to take measures you will not enjoy."
"I'd like to see you try," Roisin retorted. Darraugh just narrowed his eyes at her.
"Don't even think of running again. I will find you," he said. He then glared at Paul once more and suddenly, he was gone.
Paul felt a heavy weight dissipate from his chest and pulled in a deep breath, unsure of just when the air had started feeling thick. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face as Roisin began frantically pacing in front of the windows. He then looked up at her.
"Ro… what was that?"
OOOO
Roisin stopped pacing, her eyes drifting over to Paul. He looked tired, but there was a determination in his eyes.
Oh, shit. Shit. Shit. She was so caught up in the fact that her brother had found her that she hadn't even stopped to think about the fact that Paul was there and heard everything. Fuck.
"So… you have a brother… and parents," he stated. There wasn't any accusation there, but she could sense some hurt. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"
Roisin swallowed and looked away, closing her eyes as she attempted to gather her thoughts. She needed to come up with a plan to evade Darraugh and they still had to find Tara, but that could wait. Right now, she needed to come clean to her boyfriend and she wasn't exactly sure just how he was going to take any of this.
Or how she was going to get through this.
"Okay, so… yea. That was my brother. The Crown Prince of the Summer Court," she said, still not looking at him. "My parents are the King and Queen."
"So… you're a princess, I take it. Royal fae," Paul said. She nodded, still not looking at him. "Why did you really run away? Is it because of this war? And why do they really want you back so badly? And what the hell is up with this prophecy?"
She closed her eyes again, taking yet another deep breath.
"Right, so I told you that the courts don't always get along," she started. "Winter, Summer and Shadow… we're the most powerful. And the most power-hungry. There's always been some sort of disturbance between them. The balance of power always shifting." She swallowed. "Since before I was born, Summer and Winter have been at each other's throats. There was a really long war - so many fae were killed… But finally, my father was able to reach an armistice with the Winter king - Fionn. He has a son, the Crown Prince Rian. In exchange for peace between the courts… my father promised me to the Winter Court. In marriage."
She waited a moment before looking over. Paul was still on her bed, his dark eyes boring into her, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"I never agreed to it. They made the deal without even telling me. It was all because of this really stupid prophecy. And… I know that it's for peace, but I can't marry him. I would never survive in the Winter Court," she said quickly. "I won't do it… I can't… I can't..."
She started towards him, but then stopped, for a moment getting lost in her memories. Her eyes widened as she was taken back to one encounter in the gardens at the Summer Palace. It was the first time they met - before the betrothal had been set. Goddess, she had only been maybe 20 or so?
A chill came over her as she began shaking, his ice blue eyes filled with malice flooding her mind. His cold sneer. The white-hot pain she felt when he grabbed her, ice flowing up her arm, entering her veins.
I'm going to have so much fun playing with you, princess…
Then she was at the Winter Palace. She was cowering in a corner, the ice from the palace wall biting into her skin through her night dress, bruises already starting to form on her skin. She whimpered as he slowly walked up to her, then roughly grabbed her chin, yanking her up from the floor until their noses were nearly touching. Ice began spreading across her skin. Her breath coming out in puffs of frozen mist.
You're mine, Roisin. No one else will ever have you...
Roisin hadn't realized that she had collapsed into a sobbing mess on her bedroom floor until suddenly she was enveloped by warmth. Immediately, she clung to Paul, burying her face in his chest as she cried. He said nothing as he held her close.
After she had finally calmed down some, Paul pulled back from her, his dark eyes full of worry as he gently took her face in his large hands, his warmth filling her and chasing away the chill.
"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, Ro," he said softly. "But I can tell that he hurt you. And I'm not going to let him ever hurt you again."
Staring into his eyes, Riosin knew that he was telling the truth. That he would do anything in his power to keep Rian away from her. All at once, Roisin felt safe as he pulled her back towards him. Part of her relieved even though the fear was still coursing just under the surface.
She knew he meant it - she didn't have to say anything. But the words were bubbling up all on their own, begging to come out. So long she had held her secrets. The only person who knew everything was Sean. But she was tired of holding it inside. The pain. The fear. The weakness.
"He was always hurting me," she whispered, not wanting to see Paul's face as she told him. Paul only tightened his arms around her. "At first, it was just… mean tricks. Then he started using his power on me more and more. Showing me that I would always be weaker than him… But then… we went to the Winter Court for his birthday. I didn't know it at the time, but they had just struck the deal - deciding our marriage… He… he came to my room that night…"
Roisin closed her eyes, feeling more hot tears pour down her cheeks. She felt Paul's arms tighten around her, but he still didn't say anything.
"I… I tried to fight him off, but I was so afraid. And so… weak. And… I worried that he would hurt my family if I didn't… if I didn't… just… give him what he wanted," she said, her voice small as she squeezed her eyes shut again. Her chest felt tight and it was difficult to breath.
"You're not weak, Ro," Paul said. "Never think of yourself as weak."
She pulled back, looking up into his eyes.
"But… I couldn't fight him… I should have… I should have…"
She was cut off as Paul held her face again, his expression serious, but there was also something deeper in his eyes. Perhaps… was it love? Wait… Love? Where did that thought come from?
"It wasn't your fault," he said. "None of this was your fault."
She nodded and noticed that even though he was calm, just underneath the surface, there was a simmering rage. A rage that she understood. A rage she was slowly starting to match. Against Rian. Her parents. Her brother. For the damn goddess Clodagh for making the prophecy in the first place.
"I will never let him hurt you again," he said slowly. "That's a promise. We'll find a way to keep you away from the Winter Court. Your brother. Summer Court. All of it. You never have to go back to them."
Roisin just nodded. She wasn't sure why, but she believed him. That he could help protect her from them. She didn't know how, but she felt better knowing she had Paul at her side.
"Does your family know?" he asked softly, the current of anger still barely under the surface.
"No. I never told them. Well, I told Darraugh some things… and he still took their side," she said. "But… one way or another, Rian's going to try and find me. He doesn't like being told no. Oh, fuck. And Darraugh knows where I am now."
She frantically looked around the room as the hard truth settled in. After 100 years on the run, her brother had found her. And he would tell her parents, who would then tell the Winter Court. Rian wouldn't wait a month. He could come at any time. They couldn't stay here. She was a sitting duck.
"Hey, Ro. Look at me," Paul said. She continued frantically looking around, her breathing coming in short spurts. "What if I told you something that might help?"
She stopped and stared at him, latching onto the words. What?
"You know something that might help?" she asked, confused. Paul barely knew anything about the fae. He smiled slightly and took a deep breath.
"I don't know, but… I need to tell you anyway. And it could help. Maybe?" he said. "What I was going to tell you earlier… So you know most of the wolf stuff, right?" She nodded. "There's something else that we do… we, ah… we imprint."
Her eyes widened slightly in confusion. What was an imprint?
"The first time we meet eyes with the person that we're meant to be with - our… soulmate, I guess? I don't think that's the right word, but I'll go with it for now - we imprint. It creates an unbreakable bond instantaneously. They become our world. And well, it's not always romantic. But in that moment, we become whatever our imprint needs or wants. A friend. A brother. And sometimes, yea, a lover. But a partner," he said, still holding her gaze. He then took another deep breath. "Ro… I imprinted on you."
Roisin didn't say anything at first as she took in the information. He… imprinted. On her. How?
"But I'm not a wolf," she replied, saying the first thing that came into her mind. Paul chuckled.
"Yea, well, that's not a requirement. As far as I know, no one's ever imprinted on another wolf. It's been humans. And then there's Jacob. He imprinted on a hybrid - half human, half vampire," he said. Roisin's eyes widened again. Wait…
"Nessie?" she asked, remembering overhearing Edward and Carlisle talk about her the other night. In fact, the wolves had mentioned her as well. "But… I thought she was a little girl?"
"She grows incredibly fast and will be fully mature around age 7. But yea, like I said, it's not always romantic. He's like a big brother to her… even if it is super weird and I don't get it," he said. "The point is, we don't really know just why we imprint on who we do, but we think it has something to do with finding the person we're most compatible with and all."
Roisin nodded, her thoughts turning back to the night they met. How she had been completely overcome. And then the next morning. How he had affected her at dinner last night. And… well, everything.
"Holy shit… everything makes sense now," she whispered, meeting his eyes again. He smiled and nodded.
"Yea, when I found out what you were… a lot of things started making sense as well. For starters, no one else has had as… intense a reaction as me," he said. He blushed slightly as he looked away.
"Okay… so we're… meant to be," she said. He looked back at her and nodded. "We're… soulmates…"
It was a weird concept to her. Sure soulmates existed among the fae - oh, how they loved their fate and destiny bullshit. But Roisin had never thought she might have one. Born royal, she had resigned herself long ago to the fact that some day she would marry, but it would be for political reasons, though that didn't necessarily have to be bad (well, before she met Rian, that is). Not to mention, as impulsive as Summer fae were, they tended to fall out of love just as quickly as they fell into it, flinting from partner to partner. However, this imprint now explained why she was so attached to Paul. Why she couldn't even think of the possibility of leaving him someday. How she didn't want to be with anyone else even though it went against her nature - Summer fae were the flightiest of them all.
"Yea, but you do have a choice. If you don't want to be with me like that, it's fine. I just… all I ask is that you let me stay near you. It gets painful if we have to separate for long periods of time," he said, frowning slightly.
"I… okay. Hold on a moment," Roisin said, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "This… is… On the one hand, I'm relieved. It answers a lot of questions. On the other, it's… weird? By nature, Summer fae aren't… well, we don't… Hmm… We tend to be more open with our relationships," she said.
Paul's eyebrows rose slightly. He then furrowed his brow.
"Not that that means I'm saying no. I'm not. I really do want… this… whatever it is. I'm just letting you know that, it's a bit weird for me. Being… this into someone. And not even thinking about anyone else," she said.
He smiled in relief.
"I'm not really sure how any of this is going to help me, though," she continued, frowning.
Really, how did it help? Okay, so she had a cosmic bond with Paul. More than that, she wanted to be with him. To never leave his side. And understood why now. But it's not like the fae respected the rules and laws of others. They barely respected the rules and laws of their own courts. And they sure as hell didn't respect anything in the mortal world. The only thing sacred were the deals they made. And at the moment, she wasn't sure if there was any deal she could make that would protect both her and Paul. She was still trying to figure out how to get out of the one her father made with Fionn and Rian.
"We'll figure it out. I promise. You've got not only me, but the whole pack," Paul said. Roisin looked at him, confused. "Another perk of being an imprint. You're automatically part of the pack and under its protection."
She still wasn't sure that it made much of a difference, but it made her feel better. And gave her hope.
"Okay, so we have a month to figure out what to do about my brother. And in the meantime, we still need to figure out who took Tara and get her back," she said.
She then sat up slightly, a small smile on her face. She knew she probably should have done this before. When she first came clean to him about what she was. But she had been so afraid that he would see what she really was. But now he knew about the Fae world. And Paul would need it to protect himself and others.
"What?" Paul asked, a bit cautious. "You get an idea?"
"No. Well, yes. But not about all of that. You need something to protect yourself," she said. "Right now, you only see glimpses of me, because I'm your imprint, I think, and when I want you to. But you need to be able to see fae all of the time."
"Wait, there's a way for that?" he asked. Roisin smiled and nodded.
"Close your eyes," she ordered. Paul gave her a look, but finally obliged.
Roisin took a deep breath, focusing her thoughts and then finally exhaled, blowing on Paul's eyes. It was the first time she had tried doing this, but she was determined that it would work. After a moment, she sat back.
"Okay… I'm not sure if it worked, but I can try again if it didn't. Open your eyes," she said, nearly holding her breath.
Paul slowly opened his eyes and then blinked a few times. His eyes then widened in awe.
"What do you see?" she asked.
"Holy shit, Ro… I see… you..."
OOOO
Never fear, the next part to this is coming with more answers to things…
Felinegreat – And… now you know…
Marianka – Thank you so much! And as you can see, Roisin knows about the imprint now…
Thanks for reading and following!
