Suddenly Last Summer
Paul stood next to Roisin in the living room as the packs milled around, talking to each other. Carlisle and Edward stood with Jacob, who finally appeared a tad bit less antagonistic. Though there were two missing faces. Sean had been locked up in his room since they got back and Mae was off… somewhere. Probably for the best since she didn't always have a lot to add and was more a distraction than anything. Cara had come into the room not long ago, sharing a tense look with Roisin before sitting on the couch and nodding.
"So… it's fairly certain someone in Shadow Court has Tara," Roisin said, her voice carrying over the noise. Everyone quieted down instantly.
For a moment, he got caught up in watching her. A sense of pride coursed through him. She was still tempering herself, he could tell. But power, it seemed to come to her naturally. Even if he didn't know about the prophecy, he would have noticed it. It was in the way that people always listened to what she said. The way she commanded the room wherever she was. Even if she was trying to blend in. How easily she took charge.
"Did you get anything out of the meeting?" Jacob asked, still a bit reluctant to defer to her.
"Our excursion yesterday pretty much confirmed that she's there. Their king - Cathal - said he didn't know about it, but is going to check with his court. And then he'll give her back… in exchange for something," she said, grimacing. Paul felt a surge of anger at that comment.
He was not going to let Cathal do a damn thing to her, if he could help it.
"What?" Carlisle asked, seeming more intrigued with the inner workings of the fae than finding Tara.
"It's not going to be little," she admitted. She then looked at Sam and then Jacob. "Whatever it is, I'll take care of it. It's my responsibility."
"We can't let you go into something dangerous," Sam said, frowning. "Paul's explained the imprint. It's the packs' responsibility to keep you safe."
"Cathal's not going to accept anything that doesn't involve me," she said, seeming to have accepted her fate. Paul took her hand and she looked up at him, smiling slightly and then looking back at the crowd.
"Why you?" Jacob asked.
Paul frowned at him, even if it was a fair question. He knew that Roisin didn't want to tell them everything, though he had by now told her they were going to find out regardless because of the pack telepathy. Or at least his pack would know, but he had a feeling that Sam would tell Jacob.
Even now, she seemed to be fighting with herself. He knew it took a lot for her to share everything with him. But he had promised that he would do his best to keep her secrets when he shifted, though it was going to be hard. But she had the right to tell what she wanted and when.
"Let's just say a lot of people in the Fae world are interested in me," she finally said. Jacob frowned at that.
"So all of this really is your fault," he stated, a look of vindication coming over his face. Paul glared at him though Roisin looked broken. This was not the place nor the time.
"Yea, it is," she said softly. She then met his gaze. "Tara wouldn't have been taken if we never came here. This… it's because of me… because of us."
She then took a deep breath and launched into an explanation of the prophecy. The marriage arrangement with the Winter Court. Why she ran away - well, not all of that, she left out some details, namely what Rian had done to her and that her brother had found her, but Paul still felt his blood boil at the thought of it.
"Cathal said that he didn't know if she was there, but we don't need the ability to lie to get around the truth," Roisin said, coming to the conclusion of her story. "Cathal is particularly good at it. And he has a lot of people to do his dirty work for him. Even if he didn't plan it, you can bet he'll use it to his advantage."
"So this could all be a ploy to get you to join his court," Jacob said, studying her closely. "Why don't you just do it, then?"
"Because it's a fucking shitshow there," Paul said firmly. Even though he hadn't seen it himself, from what Sean and Roisin had said, he knew that it wasn't pretty. And it was the last place he wanted her to go. Well, that and Winter Court. "And did you conveniently forget that she's my imprint?"
Jacob stared at him and then looked at Roisin. For a moment, his scowl softened. Paul looked at her as well, but whatever Jacob had seen was gone, instead replaced with determination.
"I'll do whatever I can to bring Tara back," she said. "I somehow created this mess and I'll fix it."
She then turned and walked to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Paul was torn between following her and punching Jacob for upsetting her.
"Nice going, Jacob," Embry said, shooting him a look. "Do you really have to keep this up? We know that they're not the bad guys here. And she's already upset as it is."
Paul shot a look of appreciation towards him, though he returned to glaring at Jacob.
"There's more she's not telling you. And before you ask, it's up to her if she wants you to know. But it's bad. Ro's been through hell," he said. He glanced over at Cara, who was looking towards Sean's bedroom with a worried look. "She's really putting herself on the line right now. Cathal… he could try to force her to marry him or join Shadow Court. And I know… if it came to it, she just might do it to save Tara and the rest of us."
He then rubbed his face, his head starting to ache slightly. He needed to get some air.
"Right, I guess that's it for now," he said, turning and walking through the doors to the verandah. Sighing, he walked over and sat in a chair, looking up at the night sky.
"I won't let her go with him, you know."
Paul jumped slightly and looked over, seeing Sean standing not far from him, a severe look on his face.
"She'll try to avoid it, but if it comes down to it, I'll go fight my brother and take back the throne before she agrees to anything like that with him," he said. "We can't let him have her."
"I believe you," Paul said with a sigh. Sean walked over and sat next to him, staring out into the dark. "Just… what happened? I mean, Ro told me that you got into a fight with him…"
Sean didn't look at him, but his shoulders tensed slightly.
"You could say that. Though it was more like a war," he finally said. "Shadow Court has always been… the way it is to an extent. Though Cathal's certainly made it worse. But there were things that I didn't agree with before that… when my father was in power… I'm not even sure why he named me his heir, to be honest." He looked down at his hands. "Well… I suppose I know. He didn't think Cathal would make a good leader. He's too… even by Shadow Court standards, he pushes it… But all Cathal has wanted was power. We were constantly in competition and it only got worse the older we got. Didn't help that our father always pitted us against each other. And always, for some reason, I won… which he hated…"
Paul sat up in his chair and glanced back inside, seeing that everyone was still there talking. He then looked back at Sean.
"But he knew our father would never give the throne to him. So he killed our parents and took it for himself," Sean said. "Then tried to kill me. I realized the only choice I had was to leave and really, I think part of me had wanted to leave long before that. I was just looking for an excuse."
Paul took a deep breath, thinking over everything he learned today.
"How bad was it?" he asked, not wanting to think about Roisin going to the Shadow Court. Sean glanced at him, smiling slightly.
"Not all of it was bad. In the beginning, it wasn't," he admitted. "There was a time when I wasn't so adverse to the things they did… There was a time when I liked it." He looked away from Paul, shame creeping into his eyes. "I wasn't the way that I am… I enjoyed hurting people. Other fae. It's killed or be killed in Shadow Court and I got really good at killing."
A hint of fear slithered through Paul at that statement. It wasn't so much anything Sean had done, but his shadows grew more pronounced, dancing around him in a tantalizing way. For a moment, Paul felt his blood run cold as everything in his body told him to run. To get far away from Sean. But then he remembered what Roisin had said. How he would do anything to protect her.
"But then, I started really looking at what was happening. And it made me sick. I just…" he continued.
"You aren't like that anymore," Paul found himself saying. "Roisin trusts you."
Sean glanced at him, a wry smile on his face as his shadows seemed to settle around him.
"Not many other fae do," he replied. "Mae still doesn't, though she won't admit it. Others… especially other courts… they would rather kill me on sight. Honestly… I know that I haven't known her all that long, but Ro's helped me a lot..."
"I trust you," Paul said, finding the statement was true. Sean's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. "You're important to her, so I won't get in between that. And it's going to take both of us to keep her safe."
Sean nodded and looked away.
"She's more powerful than she thinks she is," he said. "She hasn't even tapped into her full potential. Not by a long shot."
"How do you know this?" Paul asked, intrigued. Sean chuckled.
"I've seen it," he said. "When she's particularly emotional - whatever that emotion is - it slips through. But I think it scares her sometimes. So she tries to keep it in control. Which isn't a bad idea and I've told her that. If she's not controlling it, well, things can happen…"
"Like the club fire," Paul said. Sean nodded.
"Some guy was taking advantage of a mortal friend of hers. She caught him in the act," Sean said. "That was one of the few times she really lost it. We almost didn't get everyone out in time… It was… incredible. But someone could have gotten seriously hurt…"
Paul glanced towards the house, for a moment caught up in wondering just what else Roisin was capable of. The prophecy had said that someday she would be a queen. It was pretty amazing, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder where that left him. He wasn't fae. And once he was no longer around vampires, he would be completely human again. He would start aging and someday he would die. While she would live forever. Well, hopefully.
"I don't know what's going to happen in the future," Sean said, getting his attention again. "But I do think that you're supposed to be part of hers."
"But… I'm just… I'm not like you," Paul said, frowning. "I mean, I know I want to be with her, but I'm not sure how I'm going to fit into her world."
It was the truth. He had gathered already there was a lot that he didn't know or understand. Paul was still wondering how this was all going to work out. He had the imprint and knew that he had fallen for her, but there was no telling how it would react in the future with her being fae. She had already hinted it was against her nature to stay settled with one person for long. Sean studied him a moment and then smiled.
"That's the thing about fate and destiny - which if you haven't learned by now, are big things in our world. We don't have all the answers, but it's sometimes a hell of a ride regardless," he said. "I don't understand it either but something tells me that you just might help with all this. The prophecy."
Paul's eyes widened as he glanced towards the house again. He honestly still hadn't had a chance to think about it. Wrap his head around it. Though he knew they needed to try and come up with something. They had a month before her brother would come after her again.
"We'll figure something out," Sean said, now pushing up from the chair. "Come on, I can hear your stomach growling."
Paul stood as well, following Sean towards the house. He hoped with everything in him that what Sean was right - that they would figure something out. And fast.
OOOO
Roisin could hear laughter. She wasn't sure how long she had been in her room, but she thought everyone would leave when the meeting was over. And where had Mae been? She knew they were meeting with Cathal tonight. And here she thought Mae was fully on board with them.
But the longer she paced around her room, the more she felt suffocated. The more she thought about all the possibilities. The things Cathal might ask for. Things that she might not be able to say no, depending on how hard a bargain he would go far.
And then she thought about Tara in Shadow Court. That was the worst.
Roisin groaned and dropped down on her bed, her head in her hands. This really was her fault. Because they had come here, because they had drawn attention to themselves. Now people she cared about were getting hurt.
There was a knock at the door and Roisin looked up, wondering if it was Paul. She could use him about now.
"Come in," she called out.
The door opened, but rather than Paul, it was Jared. She must have looked surprised because he smiled and chuckled.
"I'm guessing you're in here torturing yourself. Why don't you join us? Sean and Cara got some food," he said.
Roisin was definitely not hungry, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to be around others. She nodded and stood, following him out of her room and across the living room to the kitchen, where she heard more loud laughter.
When they walked in, she looked over, seeing the table full. Jacob, Sam and most of the packs had left, but Embry, Quil and Seth were there with three solitary fae she had seen at a couple of the gatherings. She hadn't remembered inviting them over.
And then there was Paul. He looked over at her and she felt her heart speed up with their eyes met.
"Grab a plate. Before they eat everything."
She looked over, seeing Cara and Sean working on putting together more food. He gave her a reassuring smile before holding out a glass of fae wine.
"Looks like you need it," he said. She accepted it, happy to see him back to normal after their meeting with Cathal.
"When did they get here?" she asked, motioning to the fae.
"Just now," Cara said. "They're good folk. I've known them awhile." Roisin nodded slowly and then walked over to the table.
There were no more chairs open, but before she could go get another, Paul had grabbed her waist and pulled her down into his lap, her wine sloshing around slightly.
"Paul!" she shouted, surprised she could even smile right now.
But even with everything going on, she could feel it. The unseen force that pulled them together. Just being with him right now was calming her. Helping take the edge off her guilt for a bit. Her frustration and worry. She wasn't sure what was going to happen or how things were going to go down with Cathal and Tara - or her brother for that matter - but for a moment, she felt more at peace.
Was this what it was like? What it would always be like with Paul? She looked over at him a moment, watching as he joked around with Jared. He was smiling, his eyes twinkling. She could feel the warmth of his body and how it seemed to soothe her. Was it enough to keep her with him despite the fact she had never been with anyone like this before?
It was then that Roisin thought perhaps whoever or whatever had created the wolves, they got something right. They had managed to bring her to someone who was well suited for her. Someone that she loved.
Roisin looked away for a moment, her heart skipping a beat. Love? She barely knew him and yet she knew without a doubt that she was falling for him. Had fallen for him. And while he was vehement on protecting her, she would do anything to protect him as well. From her family. From Rian. From Cathal. Anything that could hurt him. He was hers and she was his. She knew without a doubt there was no one else. Could never be anyone else. She was now beyond wondering why. She didn't care.
"You okay there, space cadet?"
Roisin looked over, seeing Embry grin at her. In fact, the whole table was grinning at her - even the solitary fae. She looked over, finding Sean watching her, a soft smile on his face as Cara slid her arm around his waist. It was then that the weirdest thought came through her mind.
That this was her family.
Which also made no sense because she didn't even really know a lot of people here. It shocked her to her core for a moment.
"Sorry, just caught up in my thoughts," she said before taking a drink, trying not to meet anyone's eyes as her mind attempted to process what was going on.
"Yea, the whole reason to get you out here was to get you out of your thoughts," Jared said. She felt Paul begin to rub her back.
"Right," she said, nodding.
She then looked to the three solitary fae sitting there, trying to remember their names. While she knew the others likely saw them as normal humans - well, really good-looking humans - she could see them for what they were.
One had skin tinged in green, and soft, mossy-like hair along with muddy brown eyes. He caught her look and nodded towards her.
"Forgive me, I'm Brendan, and this is Caoimhe and Niamh," he said, motioning to his companions. Roisin smiled at them, nodding in their direction.
Caoimhe had long, light brown hair with reeds woven into it, her eyes bright and a seagreen. She was obviously some sort of water fae. Next to her sat Niamh, who had dark brown, rough skin like bark, though her face was very expressive.
"You weren't lying when you said they look different," Paul said softly in her ear. Roisin glanced at him and smiled, finding that he kept looking over at them.
"Some of us appear more human than others. But really, there are all sorts of fae," she replied, looking over at the additions.
"We heard Cara was here," Caoimhe said, gathering that Roisin was curious about why they were here. "Then we heard about the girl - your friend, yes?" Roisin nodded. "Did you seriously go against the Shadow King?"
Roisin's eyes widened slightly as she glanced around at the wolves, wondering which one had told them. Or would Cara have mentioned it? She looked over at the Shadow fae, finding her giving Sean a confused look. Okay, it appeared it wasn't her or Sean.
"Yea, well… I met with him. We're trying to negotiate her release," she said, looking back to the fae.
Caoimhe glanced at Niamh and Brendan, then grinned at Roisin.
"It seems the rumors are true then," she said. "You're no ordinary Summer fae, are you?"
The wolves glanced at her, all of them a bit unsure about what to say - she had literally just told them that she was in hiding from pretty much all fae and that in the mortal world only Sean, Cara and Mae knew who she truly was. Roisin fidgeted slightly, unsure if she could trust these newcomers. They had fae coming in and out before, though most had left the area after that first night with the wolves, wanting to stay out of whatever conflict could be coming.
"What rumors?" Roisin asked cautiously.
"That a powerful fae has settled here that will change everything," Brendan said. "Maybe finally bring peace to the Fae world. I just wish Cara had mentioned that she knew you."
"I… uh…"
"Damn right. Ro's fucking awesome," Embry proclaimed loudly with a grin. Roisin grimaced as Paul shot a look at him. "Oh… shit… sorry…"
"Looks like word was getting around even with our best efforts," Sean said, now moving closer, his dark eyes fixed on the three fae. They looked at him warily as his shadows spread out in a protective stance around him, Roisin and Paul.
"We're not here to fight you. We're here to join you," Caoimhe said quickly.
"Why?" Roisin asked.
"Because we want to follow someone who actually cares. Who can end all the fighting. Who can do better," Brendan said. "You are willing to go this far for a mortal friend. We think that means you will do much more for your own kind."
Immediately, Roisin shot up out of Paul's lap.
"I don't know what you heard, but I'm not leading anything. I'm just trying to get my friend back and then we're leaving," she said. The three stared at her calmly, almost as though they knew something she didn't.
"Ah… I saw it. For a moment. You let your guard slip," Niamh said, smiling. "No wonder she had no fear in front of the Shadow king."
"What makes you think I'm not afraid?" Roisin asked.
The wolves had now fallen completely silent, and were shifting around in their chairs, glancing nervously at each other.
"Oh, you are… but your strength is greater than your fear. And your desire to do what is right," Niamh said. She then gave Roisin a short nod. "Whatever happens, you have us to stand with you. Or fight with you."
Roisin just blinked. What the hell was going on here? She was just trying to get Tara back, not launch a war. Where were they even getting any of this? Oh shit. The prophecy. Someone had told them or they had figured out who she was.
"Personally, I have a bit of a bone to pick with some of Cathal's kin," Brendan said casually.
"I wouldn't mind kicking Winter's ass a bit," Caoimhe added.
"Whoa… you all need to… slow the fuck down. I'm not planning a battle or war," Roisin said, though she could already see the shift in the wolves' eyes. Even Paul's. Damnit. Now they were aching for a fight too.
She couldn't protect all of them.
"You're not, but someone else is. It will affect us all at some point. And we choose to follow you," Niamh said. She then stood and bowed towards Roisin. Her mouth dropped open as the other two did the same.
"Do we need to bow too?" Quil whispered loudly to Embry, who just gave him an exasperated look.
"No one needs to bow. I'm not… this isn't me," Roisin said. She then spun on her toes and left the kitchen. She knew Paul was following, and that was fine. Honestly, she could use a bit of him calming her down right now.
Once she reached her room she started pacing as Paul shut the door and leaned against it.
"This is not… I'm not doing this," she said, nearly shouting as she paced. "This is why I ran away from the Fae world. To get away from… this!"
"I thought it was to get away from Rian," Paul said calmly. Roisin stopped and looked over at him.
"Well, yea, but I don't want to start a war here! I wouldn't know the first thing about any of that," she replied. Paul studied her a few moments and then pushed off the door, walking towards her.
"Sounds like you're afraid," he said.
"Well, of course-"
"Of the prophecy, Ro. Not Rian or Cathal. You're afraid that the prophecy is going to come true and you'll have to lead," he said softly, but firmly. "To be honest, from where I stand, I think you'll be just fine."
"What do you know about fae politics?" she scoffed. He had no idea what it was really like. The manipulation. Using everyone - even your own family - as pawns. She couldn't do that. Wouldn't.
And then trying to keep an entire court alive and happy. Not to mention making nice with the other courts so they wouldn't attack. She wasn't ready for this. Even if Rian had turned out to be decent, she might have still run away to avoid becoming queen. Despite the fact that her entire life up until she ran away had been preparing her for that very thing.
Paul reached out and took her hands, then yanked her towards him as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him. For a moment, she considered pushing him away, but then gave up and leaned her head against his chest.
"No one's making you queen tonight," Paul said.
"Need a court for that," she said with a soft snort.
"But I do think you will be a great one… someday," he replied. Roisin rolled her eyes and looked up at him.
"You realize that would mean I'd have to go back to the Fae world. That's where all the courts are," she said softly. Paul stared down at her a moment, concern entering his eyes. He then smiled and shrugged.
"Looks like I'm going to be the first wolf to settle in the Fae world then," he said lightly.
Roisin stared at him a few moments, before smiling and then kissing him gently on the lips. She knew he was serious about staying at her side, though she didn't think that he had stopped to seriously think about it - about the consequences. Well, some he didn't know, but she would tell him. There really was a lot to tell him.
For now, it could wait. Like he said, no one was making her queen tonight. And well, all they could do now was wait. Wait for Cathal to strike… or make an offer.
OOOO
I promise – from here out, Jacob stops being such an ass. Just had to get that last bit out of his system (he makes a pretty decent turn around starting in the next chapter and he and Roisin finally have a heart-to-heart in the one after that). And I realized that I need to do a lot of editing on chapter 26 and 27 before I can finish up chapter 28 – I lost sight a bit of Roisin and Paul's emotional states and went off in a direction a bit that I didn't intend to go. The story points are there, just need to work on dialogue and such a bit more. Had a headache all day which made focusing on work and then working on writing a bit harder. But we're still close to the finish!
Felinegreat – Thanks so much! Honestly, it's getting harder for me to keep up with everything. I seriously have to go back several chapters and re-read what I wrote to remember stuff since I've done so much editing/re-writing at this point. And then completely forgot to update my chapter outline…
sarah0406 – I like the way you think. Hold onto that thought. As you can see, Sean's already starting in that direction, but Roisin's still caught up in running from her past to stop and really think about the future.
Marianka – Thanks! And as I said above – we're getting there. Just have to deal with Cathal first…
Thanks everyone for reading and following!
