Gossamer (26 page)

I smiled. “That’s a great story.” And it was. These two had a lot of history.

Liam grew quiet and I tried to think of some way to change the subject. I nervously bit my bottom lip. The silence quickly became awkward. He stood and walked around a bit before finally settling against the gazebo railing. He leaned against it and looked at me.

“I know this is probably crazy of me to even bring up. Honestly, I would rather not, but I feel like I have to say it. Especially now that I have met you in person.”

I panicked, imagining him formally proposing right then and there. “If it makes you uncomfortable you don’t have to talk about it,” I quickly offered.

“I know, but I think you should hear it from me yourself.” My heart slammed against my chest. “I just wanted you to know I didn’t have a hand in any of this. I mean, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it, or you, you’re beautiful, anyone would want to marry you, I want to marry you.” He rambled and his face grew crimson. “But our parents planned this. Not me. I just want you to know. I am not a manipulator like my father. He’s made choices for me my entire life. Sometimes they are in my benefit, but usually they are in his, and unlike him, I would never take away someone’s free will. I’ve been nervous about meeting you, but now that I have, I am relieved. I just don’t want you to think I forced you into this.” He stopped and abruptly spun around.

I fiddled with my fingers in my lap, trying to digest what he just said. His situation evoked sympathy. I couldn’t imagine having a life where decisions were never my own to make. This one was bad enough, but all of them? I walked over to Liam and leaned against the railing beside him.

“I’m sorry about this,” I said sincerely.

He laughed. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault. I should say I’m sorry for not standing up to my father. I felt like this wasn’t the right thing to do. We could offer you safety from The Rite or anyone for that matter, without forcing you into marriage, and he knows that. I don’t know what it is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is an ulterior motive.”

“Thanks for being honest. It shows you are a good person, and even if you didn’t have the courage to stand up to your father, it took a lot of courage to tell me.”

Liam faced me. “Not only are you beautiful, you are kind. I think I got lucky. If you hadn’t come along I would be stuck marrying Brighid, and that girl is ruthless. She doesn’t care about me, only about getting her way to the top as quickly as possible.”

“I almost hate to ask but what happened to her?”

“She was banished for one year.”

“From the castle?”

“No, from Tír na nÓg. To the human world.”

“But one year over there is what, like a month or two here?”

“Yes, which I know seems like a short punishment, but for her, she will suffer out there for an entire year.”

“I guess that’s true. I hope a year is long enough for her to stop hating me,” I said without humor.

“Don’t worry about it. You saved me from her. I owe you one,” he joked back.

My mouth twitched, and I shot him a glance. “Can I get that in writing?”

He laughed. “No problem.” Just then we heard someone clear their throat.

We both turned to see Grant standing just outside the gazebo. I noticed he had cleaned up. He now wore dark pants and a fitted shirt with some sort of insignia on the left side of his chest. His crystal blue eyes focused intently on me. I became very aware of my proximity to Liam. Too little too late. I knew what it probably looked like, and judging by the expression on Grant’s face, it did.

“Sorry to disturb you, but they asked me to find you for dinner.” He looked only at Liam and refused to make eye contact with me.

I glanced at Liam who smiled, clearly oblivious to anything else.

“You didn’t disturb anything. Thanks for coming to find us.” Still smiling, Liam looked at me. “Can we talk more after dinner?”

“Sure.” My throat burned, and I wanted to cry.

Just seeing Grant had my heart racing. I wanted so badly to be with him, and even though Liam was sweet and handsome, my feelings rested with Grant, who right now couldn’t even look at me. We stepped back onto the path, the three of us making our way back inside, Grant on one side, Liam on the other, and me–stuck right in the middle.

Chapter 19

Faery dinners were an interesting event. They reminded me of a medieval castle with a mystical quality to it. Their drinks were poured from glass carafes into large goblets, but whatever they were drinking sparkled like liquid gold. It was thick and not translucent like champagne. Cara told me it was ambrosia wine. She also mentioned that I should probably avoid drinking it if I wanted to remember the night.

On the plus side, honey seemed incorporated into almost every dish. Honey glazed meats, honey baked apples, honey-berry punch, honey crisp and even a honey wine, which I was given the okay to drink but passed on anyway. My fascination with honey now made sense. The tables were also spread with what seemed like an endless supply of fresh fruits.

Almost as soon as we arrived at the dining hall, Grant disappeared on some errand. Liam directed me where to sit and excused himself to find his father, leaving me alone. Unsure of the expectations placed on me, finding Cara already sitting at the table relieved me considerably. I slid into the crescent-shaped bench seat circling the table. If not for the plush, fabric covered seat or ornately carved wood, I would have felt as if I sat at a local diner.

I admired the tapestries, noting the variety of colors and designs. I craned my neck for a better view of one in particular. It had an image with trees and people gathered around something. I squinted to make it out. Was that King Alastar? Huh, interesting.

My gaze drifted to the marble statutes along the walls. I wasn’t sure if they were replicas of real people or just artwork. My gaze stopped abruptly on one.
You’ve got to be kidding me
. I was pretty confident I stared at the head of the king immortalized in marble. But then I noticed the mirrors. Why bother with tapestries and statues when you can just stare at the real thing?

Multiple mirrors lined each wall. I glanced up. And apparently the ceiling. Maybe Alastar wasn’t the only faery around here who enjoyed seeing themselves everywhere. As I looked into the reflective glass, it also occurred to me no one could get away with much. So many mirrors offered no privacy. Someone was bound to see. Which led me to notice how many eyes watched me.

“Everyone is staring at me,” I whispered to Cara. The attention made me uneasy.

“Don’t worry about any of them. It’s just curiosity. There’s been a lot of talk about you, but just ignore it. It’s beneath you now.” She smiled pleasantly as if somehow I should brush it off with a haughty air, but that just wasn’t me.

I tried my hardest to avoid the stares. When the king was announced, everyone stood, so I followed suit. King Alastar strode in escorting my mother and followed by Liam. Alastar sat at a long table filled with people, and my mother at his right. As soon as he sat down, a plate of food appeared in front of me as servers bustled about assuring everyone was taken care of.

Liam said a few words to his father, then with a respectful nod he walked away and headed to my table. His boyish charm made me want to giggle. Here I was, the one completely out of place, yet he looked nervous.

“Kylie.” He bowed slightly, and I stood.

I was unsure of how to greet him. After all, we had just been hanging out together, but with so many people watching I figured there was some formality to this. He kissed my hand and gestured for me to return to my seat. He slid into the bench seat, angling himself across from me. A slight pink flush rose to his cheeks. I had a feeling this attention bothered him, too. His obvious nervousness calmed my own.

He glanced at my untouched plate of food. “Is there anything else I can have them bring out for you?”

He looked at me expectantly, and I had the feeling if I were to request a triple cheeseburger with extra pickles it would appear before me with a snap of his fingers.

“No, I’m fine. Actually, everything looks delicious.”

“Good.” He paused, and his eyebrows joined. “You may want to avoid the ambrosia wine, until you have a chance to get used to it, anyway.”

I laughed. “Cara already made that same suggestion.”

“Good, I’m glad she is watching out for you.” Liam smiled at me, turning his gaze to Cara. “Did she also help you pick out your outfit tonight? She has an incredible eye for that sort of thing.” He smiled at her, and she brightened at the compliment.

“Yes, she did actually, and I agree she did an amazing job.”

Cara still stared at Liam even when he pulled his eyes away from hers and back to me.

“Well, if there is anything else you find yourself needing be sure to let us know.”

“I will. Thanks.”

“Grant,” Liam called over my shoulder. “There you are. I started to think you were going to miss dinner.” He motioned for Grant to join us.

My heart pounded and as he neared, electricity invaded my body like a tantalizing visitor. He approached the table. He still seemed stiff, and it made me feel dejected. I missed my Grant. The sweet, caring guy who actually smiled once in a while. I gazed up at him and he avoided looking at me. Liam moved over urging Grant to sit. He reluctantly joined us forcing him to finally acknowledge me.

“Cara.” He greeted her with a quick smile.

He shifted to me. “Kyla.” He looked annoyed and uncomfortable but when our stares locked, fire burned through me. His gaze softened and slowly the wall came down.

“Yes, he will be joining us shortly.” Grant focused on Liam who apparently had been talking the whole time.

“Great.” Liam replied. “I haven’t seen Conor since you guys got back.”

He continued making conversation with Grant and I went back to picking at my grapes. I could feel Cara staring at me. I looked at her confused expression. Her gaze went from Grant to me.

Oh no
. She had picked up on my feelings for Grant, too, just as Brighid had. I panicked. Would she sell me out? She had every reason to tell Liam, having no loyalty to me. I bit my lip nervously as she appeared to connect the dots. I steeled myself for whatever she might say or do. Then, to my surprise, compassion shadowed her gaze. She gave me an understanding smile and patted my knee. Now I was the one confused.

“Hey.” Conor arrived at our table and left me no opportunity to question Cara.

“Conor. I haven’t seen much of you since you got back.” Liam wore a genuine smile, once again confirming my belief he was a nice guy.

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve had stuff to take care of.”

“Well, sit down. Join us for dinner.” Liam urged.

“Actually I can’t stay. I need to get going, but I just wanted to have a word with Kylie. If that’s okay?”

“Sure, of course.” Liam smiled at me.

“Thanks. Kylie, may I talk to you for a minute?”

I rose and followed Conor. I heard Grant say something to Liam but wasn’t close enough to make it out. Conor guided me to a small hallway and turned to face me. I heard footsteps behind me and realized Grant had followed us.

“Little overprotective are we?” Conor teased. Grant didn’t smile. “It’s okay, you might as well hear this too.” I looked at Grant who still avoided my eye contact. Tears threatened. I hated this cold Grant.

“I just wanted to let you know,
Kylie
,” Conor exaggerated my name, “that I will be crossing back over to take Katelyn to your parents and speak with Lexie.”

I hadn’t spoken to her in several days and knew she must be wondering about me. I had wanted to call her before we crossed over, just to check in, but completely forgot. “I never called her after we left. She is either mad or worried. What’s it been, like, four days?”

Grant and Conor looked at each other then back at me. “Kylie,” Conor said, his tone low, “remember we talked about time moving slower here.”

I gasped. “How long has it been? For her I mean?”

“A little over two weeks.”

“Oh no, how could I have forgotten? She is probably worried sick.”

Just thinking about Lexie made me incredibly homesick. I realized more and more how much I wanted to go home and back to my old life. Thinking back to my birthday picnic with Lexie, Conor and Grant made me long for that life again. The one before I knew about the Fae and Tír na nÓg. I tugged at my left ear, rotating my diamond earring between two fingers. My throat burned with impending tears. So many times since I had been here I had been close to a breakdown, and I knew inevitably it would happen.

“What are you going to tell her? How are you going to explain everything? Besides the truth, what would she believe?” My throat tightened making it hard to talk.

“Well, I guess I’ll figure that out when I get there. I know you would probably love to go back to explain it yourself, but you aren’t in a position to leave right now.” He sighed, seeing my frustration. “Kylie, don’t worry. I promise I will handle it. Even if I have to tell her the truth, I will make this right.”