Waiting for the Sun to Shine
Paul wasn't sure just what it was, but he felt more on edge than usual as he followed Roisin and Sean through the woods to where they would meet with Cathal. They weren't that far from the house, but he couldn't help but feel as though it was somehow darker that night. That the once familiar trees now seemed a bit eviler. Or maybe that was just all in his head.
Cara had assured them that the king would be there, and it would be civil. Or at least as civil as Cathal could be, Sean had remarked dryly, before rolling his eyes. Paul hoped they weren't walking into some sort of ambush. He felt as though every cell, every nerve in his body was on alert.
From the way the others talked about him, it seemed like this Cathal guy wasn't all that great. Which was why Paul had told them it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have the packs nearby just in case. Roisin was worried about putting them in danger, but Sean took his side. He glanced around, not seeing them, but knew they were there regardless.
They finally came to a stop in a clearing and automatically Paul began to walk around, checking to make sure everything was okay. Though mostly it was because he was once again too nervous to stay still. Roisin and Sean stood in the middle of the clearing, Roisin huffing softly in annoyance as she checked the time and then looked around the forest. Sean stood still as stone, his expression unreadable but his body language was tense. He was definitely the least happy of everyone to see the Shadow King.
While Roisin had yet to tell Paul just what was going on there, he figured there must be some sort of bad blood between him and Cathal, which was likely the reason he had left 500 years ago.
"So… anything I should know before I meet this guy?" Paul asked, looking at Roisin.
"Don't make any deals with him," she said. "Actually… you should probably let Sean and I do all the talking, just to be safe…"
"It's best not to offend him - intentionally or accidentally. He's incredibly unforgiving," Sean added. "And extremely creative when it comes to punishment."
Paul's eyebrows rose slightly as he started to scan their surroundings again, though he had walked over to Roisin's side. Okay, maybe going directly to the leader of the Shadow Court wasn't necessarily the best idea.
A soft breeze blew through the trees, causing a chill to run down Paul's spine. A sense of foreboding began to gradually build, putting him more on edge as his eyes scanned the clearing and he moved closer to Roisin, ready to jump in front of her if needed. He saw shadows beginning to move and shift in ways that didn't look natural, gliding around tree trunks and through branches until they congregated into a large swirling mass on the other side of the clearing.
A young, well-dressed man in an expensive suit with dark hair stepped out of the shadows, a smirk already on his face as his dark blue eyes took in the group before him. He appeared almost cavalier, but there was something sinister about his smile and calculating about the way he was taking them in. Though he fought to brush it off, Paul felt a spike of fear run through him.
"Always good to see you, Ro," Cathal said smoothly, his eyes gliding up and down her body. Paul managed to not growl but ended up clenching his hands into fists as he glared at the fae.
"Wish I could say the same," Roisin replied, her tone dry. Cathal chuckled as he shook his head and then looked over at Sean.
"And what an unexpected surprise, brother. It's been a very, very long time," he said.
Paul glanced over at Sean on the other side of Roisin, seeing his jaw tightened. Okay, there was a lot those two had left out. The shadows that usually clung to Sean were more pronounced and swirling around him a bit faster.
"And who is this?"
Paul looked back at the Shadow King, noticing that Cathal had now taken a few steps towards him, an amused smile on his face as he studied him.
"Did you bring me a gift? How thoughtful of you," Cathal said, glancing at Roisin.
"I swear to the goddesses, you lay one finger on him," Roisin warned, flames dancing in her eyes as she glared at the king.
"Ah… I see what's going on here," Cathal said, stepping even closer to Paul, studying him closely. "The sex must be good… Shame that it seems you won't share him..."
Paul maintained his scowl as the Shadow King moved closer, though reminded himself to stay calm. The last thing they needed was for him to lose it in front of the king before they got what they came for.
Suddenly, Paul was no longer in the clearing, but standing over Roisin's bloody and broken body. Her eyes dull and looking off into the distance. Piercing pain filled his chest as he shouted for her, but she didn't respond. He fell to his knees, pulling her to him as he shouted her name over and over. She was gone and she wasn't coming back.
Just as suddenly, he was now standing near Jacob's house, charging at him as anger coursed through his veins so consuming, there was no fighting it off. He watched as he pulled his arm back and landed a punch so hard that Jacob's head flew back with a deafening crack.
"Interesting…"
Paul blinked and suddenly he was back in the clearing, his heart pounding as he looked around, slightly disoriented. He then looked up, finding Cathal still standing just in front of him. What the hell was that? Had he gotten into his head? Paul then remembered what Ro and Sean had said before - the Shadow Court could find your biggest fears or darkest desires and use them against you.
Paul narrowed his eyes slightly, staring down Cathal, who seemed intrigued with him. The shadows swirled and danced around him, clinging to his body almost like some sort of misty parasite.
"He's not completely human, is he?" the Shadow King said, glancing at Roisin and then landing back on Paul. "And you gave him the Sight… My dear, have you finally fallen in love… with a mortal? Well, no… just what are you?"
"Not why we're here, Cathal," Roisin said, cutting him off. Paul could feel the temperature in the clearing rise slightly. "We have reason to believe one of yours has taken a mortal - a friend of mine - and we want her returned unharmed. She's a high school student named Tara."
Cathal looked over, studying her a moment, the amused smile never leaving his face. He then chuckled.
"Honestly, Roisin, you know how big my court is. I mean, it's ridiculous to expect that I would know everything that goes on there," he said lightly. "Or keep track of all the mortals that they bring in… It's a lot, if you remember."
Paul's stomach turned slightly at that statement. Just how many humans did this guy steal away and then kill?
"And yet you always seem to always know what's going on in every other court," Roisin replied, tilting her head to the side. Cathal shrugged.
"That's a matter of self-preservation. I must protect my own," he said, as his gaze moved over to Sean. "We all know that I'll do whatever I must to protect my court."
"I'm here for Ro," Sean said, frowning at him. "Nothing more, so no need to get your panties in a twist."
The more he looked back and forth between Sean and Cathal, the more similarities Paul saw. It was now very clear that the two really were brothers and once again he wondered what the story was there.
"Could you at least look into it?" Roisin asked. "We don't want to start anything. We just want Tara back. And for your people to understand that we protect this place. So, once you bring her back – unharmed and alive - kindly fuck off and don't come back."
Paul felt a small rumble in the ground underneath him, still a bit amazed that Roisin could do that just by speaking. Looking at her now, it was pretty wicked. A stern expression adorned her face, her eyes glowing slightly with flames. Her chin was lifted a bit and even though she was shorter than Cathal, she carried herself as though she were 50-feet tall. Her wings had popped out and were spread out behind her.
Cathal didn't seem affected, now looking almost predatory, though Paul wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to kill her or fuck her. Either way, he didn't like it. Cathal took a few steps closer to her, causing Paul to move closer as well. Cathal paused, his eyes falling on Paul a few moments before he looked at Roisin.
"What's in it for me?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "Surely you of all people know that you don't get something for nothing. I'm not saying we have her - because I honestly do not know - but say I discover her, what do I get for returning her unharmed and keeping my people out of this land?"
"You get to keep your head, for starters," Roisin grumbled. Cathal's eyebrows rose and he then laughed loudly. No one on their side of the clearing seemed amused, though.
In fact, Paul was internally groaning. For all their talk about him not offending Cathal, Ro didn't seem to have any qualms about it. He moved even closer, ready to jump for Cathal if he should strike.
"Oh, you certainly slay me, Roisin," Cathal said, wiping a tear from his eye. "But on a serious note, you know nothing comes for free."
"What do you want?" Roisin asked, though she appeared as though it was the absolute last thing she wanted to ask him. Cathal looked her up and down again.
"Well, we both know what I really want, but you made it very clear that was off the table the last we spoke. I suppose the next best thing would be the pleasure of your company for a night," he replied. Paul tensed and didn't realize he had actually growled until everyone looked over at him. "Ah, so he's your guard dog…"
"He's my boyfriend - Paul. And he's got a really bad temper if you push him, so I'd tread carefully if I were you," Roisin replied. "And no. That's not happening either."
"Boyfriend? That's rich. Tell me, how does dear Rian feel about this?" he asked, pointing back and forth between Roisin and Paul. Roisin narrowed her eyes, though even Paul saw the slight shiver of fear run through her.
"I don't give a shit about Rian," she snapped. "Quit fucking around and let's come to an arrangement."
Cathal sighed dramatically.
"And I thought you would be so much fun," he said, sounding disappointed. "I mean, imagine all the things we could accomplish together. You would fulfill the prophecy, have your little marriage problem dealt with - not to mention would be getting one hell of a lover, I must admit - and I, well…" He looked her up and down again. "Definitely eager to give it a go. I'd even let you keep the mortal… so long as you shared him."
Paul felt his body begin to shake. He was seriously close to shifting and taking the Shadow King out, not appreciating the way he was speaking to and looking at Roisin.
"Cathal, I'm warning you," Roisin said, now scowling at him. She then shot Paul a warning glance as well.
He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself in check.
"Fine. As I said, I don't know if anyone of my court has her, though you seem convinced for some reason. As a favor, I will look into it and return with news should I find any. At that point in time, I expect you ready to negotiate for real," he said. "No payment, well no..." He waved his hand through the air, leaving the statement unfinished.
"I only make a deal for her safe return," Roisin replied. Cathal stared at her a moment, but then smiled.
"You really are meant to be a queen," he replied. "Fine."
Roisin seemed to relax slightly, though she was still closely watching Cathal. The Shadow King looked over at Sean, his devious smile reappearing.
"I do miss you, brother. Perhaps someday you will find it in your heart to return," he said.
"And here I thought I wasn't welcomed," Sean replied, his expression not changing.
"Family is always welcome," Cathal replied, his smile now turning almost bloodthirsty. "It's been 500 years."
"I'll think about it," Sean said. Seeming pleased with this, Cathal stepped away from him and back to Roisin.
"Anything else, love?" he asked.
"We're good," she replied curtly.
"Very well," he said with a sigh. Then suddenly, he disappeared in a swirl of shadows.
Paul looked around and then blinked a few times, still not used to how fast they moved. But he knew that the king had actually left the area. If he had only gone unseen, even Paul would have still seen him. Sighing, Roisin turned and motioned for Paul to follow as they made their way back to the house. He glanced around the woods and gave a whistle, signaling to the others that it was over. They would meet them all at the house for an update.
"Okay, so what was… a lot of that?" Paul asked, reaching out and taking Roisin's hand. She rolled her eyes.
"Cathal being an asshole," she replied. "I don't for one goddamn second think he's going to make this easy. He's going to ask for something ridiculous."
"Hate to say it, but you might have been better off spending a night with him," Sean said. Roisin and Paul glared at him. "Don't give me that look. You know he wants you in his court. Been after you since word spread that you left the Summer Court."
"Wait, what?" Paul asked. Shit, he really needed to process all of this…
OOOO
Roisin glared at Sean a moment, but then noticed the expression on his face and quickly lost a bit of her bluster. It was obvious that he was shaken from the interaction with his younger brother.
Right, she would talk to him about that later when others weren't around.
"You do remember the prophecy, right?" she said, looking over at Paul. "Well, everyone knows about it."
"And how powerful she is," Sean added. Roisin shot him a look. He really needed to shut up on that. "Or could be. All the other courts were vying for a marriage deal as soon as they heard Roisin had been born."
"Winter just got there with the better deal," Roisin replied ruefully. "Anyway, Sean and I have been looking for a way out of the betrothal. One way would be fulfilling the prophecy by marrying into another court - Summer and Shadow have been at each other's necks just as much as Winter and Summer."
She glanced at Sean, though he didn't react.
"Wait, you would seriously consider marrying him? Cathal?" Paul asked, getting her attention. Once again, she glanced over at Sean.
"He's asked, as I'm sure you could tell, but no. I won't marry Cathal," Roisin replied with a shudder.
Being married to him would be only mildly better than Rian. While she knew he wouldn't physically hurt her, Cathal was still one twisted fuck.
"Just tell him. He'd find out soon enough anyway," Sean said before disappearing.
"What's that about?" Paul asked, looking off in the direction that Sean had disappeared.
Roisin looked after him as well, frowning. She then took a deep breath. Sean was right, Paul would probably figure it out. And well, she couldn't seem to keep any of her secrets with him. Might as well get this one out.
"Sean was the crown prince of the Shadow Court," Roisin said. Paul came to a stop, gaping at her and then looking back towards the path.
"What?" he asked. "You mean… I thought he was just, well, normal fae. Though that was blown to bits when I figured out Cathal was his brother. But Sean… he was meant to be the Shadow King?"
Roisin sighed, her eyes trailing off after Sean as well, her brow furrowed.
"Sean is the oldest son and was supposed to take over. Their parents then died rather unexpectedly - though I have my thoughts on that, as does Sean. Cathal's always been power hungry and knew if Sean took the throne, he would change everything. So he led a coup," Roisin said. "The court was divided, but Cathal managed to get enough on his side at the time. Sean decided it wasn't worth it and gave up. Volunteered to go into self-exile in the mortal world and give up the court to Cathal in exchange for his life."
"Okay," Paul said, at this point ready to accept everything that came out of Roisin's mouth. Clearly.
"Sean's really powerful as well, but he hides it from other fae. Doesn't want them judging him," Roisin continued. "And… he's offered to retake the Shadow Court and make me his queen to fulfill the prophecy and get me out of the deal."
Paul didn't speak a few moments, instead just staring down at her in slight disbelief. Roisin fidgeted slightly, unsure about what he was thinking right now. She had sensed a bit of his jealousy earlier in regards to Sean - and definitely with Cathal just ow - but she had hoped that she had put that to rest. While she cared for Sean deeply, it wasn't anything like what she felt for Paul.
"I told him no. Every time he brings it up, actually. Because I can't ask him to go against his brother again. Not for me. And I know how much he hates the Shadow Court," she said, taking Paul's hands in hers. "And you know that I don't care for him like I care for you."
"I know," Paul said, smiling softly at her. "That whole no lying thing helps." Roisin smiled in relief and pressed her lips briefly against his.
She then started back towards the house.
"So… just how bad is the Shadow Court?" Paul asked. Roisin glanced at him and sighed.
"I've only been there once and that was enough for me,'" she said, frowning for a moment.
It was stupid. She had just run away from the Summer Court and had no business going back into the Fae world. But Cathal had invited her and foolishly, she thought he could help her. That he might not be as bad as Sean had made him out to be.
And then she went and felt like she had been dropped into the bowels of hell.
At first, she had fun, of course. Cathal could be charming and he was handsome. Knew how to have a good time. He played the good host, impressing her with a massive feast and fancy surroundings. Great party. But as the entertainment grew more violent and the party more depraved, Roisin knew she never wanted to step foot in the Shadow Court ever again once she escaped it.
And that happened only after she nearly set his palace on fire after he got too handsy with her while attempting to convince her to be his queen. Cathal had never asked her back, keeping a safe distance from the volatile Summer princess.
"It started out okay - his palace is really nice. He plied me with a lot of fae wine. But then… things turned," she said, frowning. "Dancing got a bit wild and next thing I know, people are practically fucking on the dance floor. Well, that was a bit much, but I could handle that. But then the screams… they brought in these mortals and… the things they did to them."
Paul squeezed her hand and she looked up at him.
"I can't imagine what Sean went though," she said. "I nearly lost it after one night."
Paul wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head.
"We can add that to the list of places you never have to see again," he said, smiling down at her. Roisin chuckled and nodded. "Do you really think he's going to give us Tara?"
Roisin was silent a few moments, unsure of how to respond. She was still a bit stricken by the knowledge that Tara was there. She worried about what state she would be in when they did get her back. But at the same time, she also worried what Cathal would want in return for her.
"If she's there, he will," she said.
"You honestly think he'll keep his side of the bargain, though?" Paul then asked.
"He will if we make a deal he likes," she said grimly. "Hopefully it doesn't involve me having to do anything too disgusting. Not really into some of his… tastes..."
"Like I'd even let him touch you," Paul said with a snort. "You're not the only one with a temper, remember?" Roisin chuckled and leaned into his overheated body.
"Got that right," she said.
"Come on, the packs should be waiting on us…"
OOOO
And now we know Sean's background story, though we'll get it from his side in the next chapter. Lot's going on with the fae, which is why it's sometimes hard to keep track of everything. And yea, I'm not sure why, but Cathal is kind of fun to write…
And I've made some changes to the last two chapters. I was going back and forth on something with fae – I thought about making them never monogamous, but then that was going to involve going back and rewriting/editing from the beginning. So now it's more so that Summer fae are very impulsive. Yes, fae believe in soulmates, but for the most part Summer fae fall in and out of love all the time. And that Roisin herself never really thought she would fall in love or want to be with one person, in part because of fae nature and part because she grew up royal and knew her marriage would be political. And also because of what happened with Rian. I also made some slight changes to Sean and Roisin's relationship (honestly, it was already pretty much there, I just changed some dialogue here and there). They very deeply care for each other, but it's not like Paul and Roisin. There's a history there and they are connected, but it's not necessarily romantic.
Marianka – Thanks so much! And yea, it remains to be seen just how the imprint could help, but it'll come soon enough. And yea, Roisin's reasons for not telling Mae what really happened are more because she finds it really hard to tell anyone. Sean got it out of her and helped her – we get more into their connection in the upcoming chapters, though I've been re-editing chapters as I post them on Wattpad and made it a bit more obvious there - and then with Paul, it's the imprint. But those are the only two people who will know the truth for now and she still doesn't want to tell anyone else, which is common among rape victims.
Thanks everyone for reading and following!
