Cool for the Summer
Paul couldn't stop staring at her. She was always beautiful, and he had caught glimpses of her before, but seeing her now… it was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again. Her skin was luminescent, as though she carried the sun inside her. Her eyes were far bluer than he previously thought, and he noted that her ears did actually have slight points.
Behind her, large, iridescent gold wings fanned out and there were streaks of gold mixed in her fiery red locks, the colors blending together and looking as though it was alive. Like liquid fire.
Slowly, he reached out and touched her cheek, his thumb brushing it lightly.
"Is this how you always look?" he asked. Roisin chuckled.
"For the most part. Though I temper it around other fae. Helps to keep us hidden. We didn't want everyone to know I'm royal fae from the Summer Court," she said.
"Does everyone look like you?" he asked.
"No. We all look a bit different. It varies. Depending on if you're born in a court or not. If you're royal or not," she replied. "Some abilities we share, and others vary from fae to fae. Mae is good at manipulating people - getting them to do things without realizing."
"Sean?" he then asked, now wondering what he and Mae looked like.
"Trust me, you don't want to see Sean when he's at full power," Roisin replied wryly. "They don't call Shadow Court the court of nightmares for nothing. He taught me how to hide my essence from other fae."
Paul nodded, still mystified by the sight of her. Holy shit. This was his imprint?
"Right, so you probably want to know about the prophecy, then," she said, now appearing all business.
Prophecy? Oh, right. The thing that she claimed had started everything. The reason why her parents promised her in marriage to a complete and utter asshole. Paul wanted nothing more than to rip his head off, but now he needed to focus and not get distracted staring at her.
"Okay, so what is it?" he asked.
"So… basically about a thousand years ago, one of the goddesses, Clodagh, came to the Fae world and foretold of a child of summer that would be born on the most sacred of days. And that through her power, worlds that were broken would be made whole again and that there would be peace and prosperity under her reign," she said with a sigh. "No one really thought about it until I was born."
"June 21," Paul said, instantly recalling the date, but not sure what that meant. Roisin nodded.
"I was born on the summer solstice," she explained. "It's our most sacred of days."
Paul nodded, following so far. Though he still didn't completely understand just why they all assumed that this meant the prophecy was about her. And now he was intrigued by the fae's version of religion. Shit, it was hard to focus. This was a lot.
"Aren't there a lot of people born on solstices?" he asked.
"Just me for the last thousand years or so," Roisin said with a shrug. "And well, like I said, there's been wars between fae for centuries and centuries. No one could ever seem to get along. Winter doesn't trust Summer. Summer doesn't trust Winter. No one trusts Shadow. Autumn and Spring try and stay out of it for the most part, though even they've gotten involved here and there."
"So, then you were born, and everyone thought you were some sort of chosen one who was going to bring peace to the Fae world," Paul said. Roisin didn't meet his eyes, fidgeting slightly.
"Pretty much. Not sure what everyone expected me to do," she said. "I'm not that different from other royal fae… Not nearly the most powerful. But my parents were convinced this meant I was going to be some sort of fae queen, even though our throne had already been promised to Darraugh as the firstborn. And then, it made sense to them. I would bring the courts together by marrying Rian - Winter's been our biggest enemy since before I was born. So I would become the Winter queen and - poof - peace for all."
From the look on her face, it was clear she didn't think this was how it would go down.
"And now you have a month to find a way out of it," Paul said, the enormity of what was going on starting to sink in. They had one month to figure out a way to keep her from the Winter Court. And find Tara. Roisin sighed.
"We've been trying to figure a way out of it for 100 years, Sean and I. Mae doesn't know about this. Well, she knew about the betrothal - and the prophecy - but she doesn't know the truth about Rian. I just couldn't tell her… and now this…," she said. "I mean, I honestly think the only choice I have is to run. Try and stay ahead of Darraugh and hopefully give myself some more time to figure it out."
Paul felt his heart stop. She was still going to leave.
"If you run, I'm going with you," he said automatically. Roisin stared at him a moment in shock, but then looked away.
"I couldn't ask you to do that," she said softly. "It's not fair to you. And your life is here."
Paul reached out and pulled her back into his arms.
"Did you just forget about the part where I imprinted on you? You're my world now, Ro. If that means going on the road with you or fighting with you, then that's what I'll do," he said before kissing the side of her head. "Not to mention, I was serious when I told you it's painful for us to be away from our imprints. So… my purpose now is keeping you safe. Looks like you're stuck with me."
Roisin stared at him a few moments before she smiled. He felt a bit of the pressure leave him at that.
"Certainly, getting a lot more than you bargained for," she replied ruefully.
"Hey, I'll gladly take it," he replied. Roisin chuckled softly. "We'll figure this out. Together. I promise."
"But first… we need to find Tara," she said, her smile falling slightly. "The longer it takes, the less likely we'll get to her in time."
Paul took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
"Got any ideas?" he asked. Roisin frowned slightly, thinking for a bit.
"Maybe if I go back to the beach I might… I don't know… find something," she said. "Maybe I missed something…"
"We were able to track Tara through the woods a bit," he said. Roisin looked up at him, her eyes wide. She had obviously forgotten about that.
"Right… you found a trail," she said. "How did you do that? I thought you said it had no scent…" Paul chuckled.
"We're wolves, Ro. Fast. Powerful. Great eyesight. Excellent hearing. And an amazing sense of smell. We can track just about anything," he replied. "Well, except for this fae, apparently. But thankfully we had Tara's scent."
Roisin was immediately on her feet and walking towards her closet. Paul got up from the floor and started walking towards his bag to get his clothes. He looked over at Roisin, seeing a determined look on her face.
"Come on, let's go find Tara."
Roisin stood still in the clearing, her eyes roaming around the trees, taking in little things here and there. A broken branch. Disturbances in the bushes. She couldn't smell anything, but Paul swore this was where the trail ended.
It was fairly deep in the forest, far from prying eyes. Granted fae moved fast enough - even if they were carrying someone no one would see them anyway. She took a deep breath, feeling more settled. She needed something to focus on right now other than the mess that was this morning, and this was as good as anything.
"Where exactly did you say it ended?" she asked. Paul walked past her, taking a deep breath through his nose.
He came to a stop and looked down at the ground and then up at the trees.
"Here," he said, turning to look back at her.
Roisin walked over and looked down at the ground, looking for something - anything - that might be able to tell her who was behind this and where they could have gone.
"It's like… they just disappeared. The trail doesn't go anywhere," he continued. "Unless they flew somewhere…"
"Maybe… but there are easier ways for fae to get around," she replied.
Roisin crouched down, looking at the forest floor a bit more closely. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the air around her. She knew there were fae portals all over, and they knew of a few around the area. It helped getting across the country or the world much faster. Or to get to the Fae world. If there was one here, she would feel it.
She reached out her hand, slowly moving it around. She then stopped when her fingers brushed against something. Opening her eyes, Roisin stood, now feeling the hum of energy in the air.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Fae portal," she said, staring in front of her.
To the normal eye, nothing was there. And mortals couldn't get through unless escorted by a fae. But she could see a faint shimmer moving in the air.
"Serious? You guys have portals?" he asked. Roisin looked over at him, smirking slightly.
"Helps get around. Some connect to the Fae world. Others connect to the other parts of the world," she said, turning to look back at it. "Whoever took her, they went through here. I didn't even know this was here and I thought we had mapped out all of them around here."
"Can you make them?" he then asked. Roisin shook her head.
"Well, I can't. Not on my own. It takes a few fae working together to connect them, depending on how powerful they are," she explained. "Sean and I have had to make a few, but it takes a lot of energy, so we try not to do it often."
She reached out and brushed her fingers against the veil. There was only one way to find out where it went. She took Paul's hand and took a deep breath.
"Whoa, what are you doing?" he asked. Roisin looked over at him.
"You trust me?" she asked. He didn't answer at first but then he nodded, gripping her hand. Roisin turned back to the portal and stepped through, pulling Paul with her.
When they came out on the other side, Roisin was immediately tense.
"Where are we?" he asked, looking around.
They were standing on the side of a highway, seemingly in the middle of the desert, the only thing there was a dive bar, motorcycles parked outside and rowdy shouting and music pouring out from the open door.
"Not sure, but I have a good feeling I know who likes to hang out here," she said dryly, already walking towards the bar.
It had Shadow fae written all over it. Which was not good.
"Whoa, whoa. You sure this is a good idea?" Paul asked, yanking her back. Roisin turned to look at him. "Looks like there's a rough crowd in there."
Roisin smiled and rolled her eyes and then turned and started back to the door.
"Come on, Paul. You're a wolf. I'm fae. Pretty sure there's nothing in there that could come close to taking us on," she replied.
A smile spread slowly across his face as he nodded and they both started back towards the bar. They walked in and stopped, Roisin looking around. Despite the fact that it was in the middle of the day, the bar was full of all sorts of rough-looking types. But they didn't scare her. And they weren't what she was looking for.
Finally, her eyes stopped on a pair sitting in a dark corner, unseen by everyone else save her - and now Paul.
"Holy shit," he murmured, obviously seeing them. "Are those horns?"
"Yea."
Roisin glanced at him and then started weaving her way through the crowd, ignoring the looks and leers she was getting, though she could tell that Paul was struggling with it. Though she was grateful to have a bit of muscle with her, should something happen.
He spent more time glaring at the others around them rather than watching where they were going. But once they reached the corner, his eyes were fixed on the couple. They were identical - large, wicked looking horns coming out of their heads from wild, curly dark hair, their skin an ashy gray. And yet, they were both inexplicably beautiful. Terrifying to most mortals, Roisin would bet, but still beautiful. Upon noticing her, the first fixed its red eyes on her, causing Paul to jump slightly.
"Looks like a fuckin' leech," he muttered. The fae grinned, revealing a line of spiky teeth.
"Ah, look, sister. Summer fae," it said in a scratchy voice. The identical fae at its side, slowly stood, peering up at the two.
"And a scrumptious snack," it said.
Roisin narrowed her eyes at them, allowing a simmering heat to pour out from her, forcing the fae back away.
"I have some questions," she said firmly. "About a week ago, a fae might have come through here with a mortal girl. Who was it and where did they go?"
The two cackled loudly.
"Why should we help you?" the first asked.
Paul growled and stepped closer. Even though they thought he was only mortal, it was enough to get the fae's attention, the smiles fading from their faces as they looked at him cautiously.
"What are you?" the second asked.
"Doesn't matter," he said. "What do you know?"
They looked at each other and then back at the couple, seeming to hesitate.
"We don't have all day," Roisin said, sure there were flames in her eyes, sending a small push of power at them to move things along. The two jumped.
"Don't know who," the first said.
"We don't know everyone. But seen him before," the second added.
"Came through with a girl. Strange skin. Wet," the first said. "Dark hair."
"Where did they go?" Roisin asked, feeling her heart start to pound slightly. "Was she hurt?"
"Bleeding, yes," the second said. "But not close to death. No."
"Where did they go?" Paul asked. They looked at him.
"You don't want to go there," the first said.
"Oh, no, no. They would eat you alive. Such a tender morsel," the second added, starting to reach out to touch him with long, claw-tipped fingers. Paul glared at it and it quickly pulled its hand back. Roisin felt her blood run cold.
There was only one place the fae would have taken Tara.
"You know where we're talking about," the first said, looking at Roisin. She nodded. "Will you go? To the King of Nightmares and Shadows? He's waiting for you."
She could feel Paul looking at her. She squared her shoulders, staring it straight in the eyes. Of course, Cathal was fucking waiting on her. Been waiting a good 100 years, if she remembered correctly.
"Pass on the word that I'm looking for him. He knows how to contact me," she said.
She then spun on her heels and strode back through the bar and outside. She could hear Paul keeping up with her.
"What are they talking about, Ro?" he asked.
"Mae was fucking right," she said, making her way back to the portal. She stopped and turned to him, taking his hand. "Shadow Court."
OOOO
"Absolutely not," Sean quietly, his eyes fixed on Roisin.
Paul frowned at him from where he was standing behind Roisin in the kitchen. Sean was leaning on the island and for a moment, Paul's frown faltered a bit as he backed up. Now that he had Sight, he understood why he always got a bit of a chill around Sean.
Shadows slithered across his body, sliding in and around his arms and torso. His eyes were darker and there was a sinister look to him, as though he could snap at any second and kill them all despite the fact he was currently standing completely still. Paul could almost see the tension coiling just under his skin.
"You can't see him," Sean continued.
"I can handle it," Roisin said. "And they pretty much confirmed she was taken by Shadow Court."
"You know how dangerous he is," Sean said.
"And you know he won't hurt me," she replied.
"He could tell Darraugh or Rian where you are," Sean countered.
"We both know that he wouldn't. He hates them more than me and well, he wants me all to himself. Plus, it's too late anyway. Darraugh already found me," Roisin said. Sean's eyes widened as he sucked in a quick breath.
"Kind of important to mention, don't you think?" he asked, his eyes flicking to Paul.
"She told me everything," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere and as far as I'm concerned, Rian will never get his hands on her."
Sean studied him a few moments and then looked back at Roisin.
"Do you really think it's a good idea? You know Cathal. You can't trust him," he replied.
"I can handle him. I've handled him before," she replied.
"Yea, after I warned you and look what happened with that," Sean replied. "You were so horrified that you wouldn't talk to me for a week."
"Okay, I was a bit freaked out, yea. But I can handle it now," Roisin said lightly, waving her hand in the air. "I was only 50 at the time. I'm stronger now."
"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told you then. You go into the Shadow Court, there's no guarantee he'll let you out," he said.
Paul tightened his grip on her shoulders. Okay, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He was starting to get the idea that this Cathal guy was seriously bad news. If Sean was worried, then maybe she shouldn't meet with him.
"Can you go?" Paul asked.
Sean's eyes flicked back to him as Roisin stiffened. Sean's face darkened and Paul nearly took a step back, wanting to put more space in between them. Okay, maybe he shouldn't have asked that. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him but then suddenly it was gone.
"No one is going to him. I told them to have him contact me. He'll come to us," Roisin said, glancing back at Paul and then over at Sean.
The other fae looked back at her, raising an eyebrow at her.
"You think that's any better? Having him come here? What if he decides he likes Forks?" Sean asked. Roisin sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Someone in his court has Tara! This very well could be our only chance at getting her back!" Roisin shouted, jumping to her feet. "I can do this. Let me do this."
She stared down Sean, neither speaking for several moments.
"I'll go with her," Paul said. Both fae turned to look at him. Roisin looked as though she was about to argue with him, but he just gave her a stern look. "This guy sounds bad. If Sean is worried about you seeing him alone, then I'm going with you." Roisin frowned. "I'm a wolf, Ro. And I've killed vampires. I'm sure I can handle a fae king."
"I would feel better if he was with you," Sean added slightly reluctanly. Roisin and Paul turned to look over at him, seeing that he had calmed down somewhat. "And well… I should go too."
"Oh my god-"
"I'm serious, Ro. We're not taking any chances. Not with Cathal," Sean said, his voice harsh. He then pushed off from the island and stalked out of the room.
"Okay, so just what is with this Cathal guy?" Paul asked once he was gone. Roisin sighed and leaned back against the island.
"There's… a lot of history there," she said. "I won't get into it, but yea… there was a reason Sean left. And he hasn't seen or spoken to Cathal since then."
Paul thought back, trying to remember what they had said that first night when they told them about fae.
"Right… 500 years?" he said. Roisin nodded.
"Sean is 700. He left the Shadow Court when he was only 200," she said. She looked towards the archway, leading out of the kitchen and then back at Paul. She then got off her stool and wrapped her arms around Paul's neck and pecked him on the lips. "I should go check on Sean. I'll be back."
Paul nodded and watched as she walked out of the kitchen. Sighing, he sat down at the island, going over everything that had figured out and seen that day. His girlfriend wasn't just fae - she was royal. And there was a fucking prophecy about her bringing peace to the Fae world and some seriously crazy fae after her. Who had hurt her. Then he had traveled hundreds of miles in a split second to another place - they still didn't know where. And now he was going to a meeting with the Shadow Court king.
And here he had been hoping things would quiet down. Holy shit, how did his life turn into this?
OOOO
Roisin stood just inside the door of Sean's room, hesitating a moment before she walked in. It was dark and Sean was seated on the side of his bed, his back to her.
"What?" he asked, sensing her there.
Roisin walked over and sat down next to him, reaching over and talking his hand. Physical contact was always the best way to calm him down or get him out of a state.
"I know you don't want to do this," she said softly.
She knew how hard this was for him. And that he would do it regardless, because he wanted to keep her safe. But it still killed her just a bit. Sean looked down at their hands and then up at her, a slight smile on his face.
"What kind of Shadow fae would I be if I ran away from something dangerous?" he asked. "I do recall offering to help you break out of your betrothal, and well, we both knew I was going to have to face him at some point. Probably good to get it over with. At least it's on somewhat neutral ground."
"You honestly thought that I would go to the Shadow Court again after last time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I'd go with you, you know. If you were going to him," he said, his expression turning serious.
"Lucky for you, I like having you around," she said, butting into his shoulder. "Hence having him meet me here."
Sean nodded and looked away, a few different emotions flying over his face. Goddess, she couldn't imagine what was going through his head right now.
"You think it's a good idea having Paul go with us?" he then asked. Which almost had Roisin laughing, considering he had been on board with the plan just moments ago.
"There's no talking him out of it," she said. "And trust me - they turn into massive wolves. Even I got a bit scared the first time I saw them. He'll be fine. Plus I won't let Cathal do anything to him." She glanced over at him. "You won't either."
Sean turned back to her, his shadows now swirling around the both of them.
"But are you sure? He's still mostly mortal. There's no telling how Cathal will affect him," he said. Roisin looked away, a soft smile coming over her face.
"Yea," she said. "And well… it turns out we've imprinted."
"What?" Sean asked. Roisin chuckled and looked up.
"So, wolves have this thing. Imprinting. When they meet their soulmate, they create this instant, lasting bond. It physically hurts to be away from them," she said. "I still don't really understand it, but… I know one thing." She looked over at him. "I want to be with him, Sean. This isn't some sort of… fleeting thing. It's real. And… I feel… better with him. Like I'm… complete. I've felt it since the day I met him. Which I think explains all the strange things happening to me… The attachment… And… I don't know how we're going to make this work, but I want to try."
Sean studied her a moment, a curious look coming over his face. He then smiled and nodded slowly.
"Okay. Then I guess Cara, Mae and I are just going to have to get used to it," he said with a sigh. Roisin's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't been completely expecting him to give in so easily.
He had after all warned her about getting too close to Paul from the beginning. Had been concerned about her. Perhaps he had seen all along just how strong her bond was to Paul and that's why he had been cautious.
"Really? Just like that? A few days ago, you wanted me to break up with him," she said.
"We're fae, Ro. Destiny is kind of our thing. And - despite everything - it looks like Paul might be yours," he said. Roisin rolled her eyes. "But what's this about Darraugh?"
Roisin frowned, her thoughts going back to that morning. It seemed like a lifetime ago. After she found the lead for Tara, she had pushed it out of her mind. But she was going to have to process it sometime. Looked like that time was now.
"After we find Tara, we have to leave," she said. "Darraugh found me. Gave me a month to go back or he would come for me and drag me back."
They were both silent a few moments, the information sinking in.
"How much did you tell Paul?" Sean then asked.
"Everything about why I left. Had to. He was there and heard it all."
She couldn't look at him and already felt a bit of a prick of tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. All of sudden, everything hit her. Darraugh finding her. Having to meet with Cathal.
Telling Paul what happened.
Only Sean knew and it had taken a rather large amount of fae wine to get her to open up about it to him. She couldn't even tell Mae. And then she had just spilled it all to Paul, who she had barely known for a few months. Who was her imprint. Her soulmate.
It grew a bit harder for her to breathe.
"Hey, breathe, Ro," Sean said, rubbing her back. "It's going to be okay."
"I thought it would be, but I don't know. You know how Rian is," she said, already seeing flashes of the Winter fae. She shook her head, almost as though she thought she could shake the images away.
"We won't let him take you," Sean said.
"But he's so strong-"
"Hey, stop it," Sean said, reaching out and forcing her to look at him. "You're strong too, Ro. You have a fucking prophecy about you. And you have me, Paul. Mae."
"And the wolf packs," she muttered. Sean frowned. "Perk of imprinting. I'm part of the pack now." His eyebrows rose in surprise.
"That could come in handy," he replied.
"Focus, Sean," she snapped. He smirked, but it slid away.
"Right. We'll deal with that in time. But first… Cathal," he said. His shadows began to swirl a bit more frantically.
"Guys!"
They both turned to the open door, seeing Mae standing there with Cara and Paul. They all looked slightly grim, save Cara, who was just worried.
"Cathal sent a message," Cara said. "You mind telling me why the fucking hell you're going to meet with him tomorrow?"
Roisin looked at Sean and then back at them.
"Because he's got Tara," she said, standing. "And I guess now it's time to prepare…"
OOOO
And next chapter… we finally meet Cathal… I don't know why I'm so excited about this…
