Page 21 of Destined

“Then it was Kayla who brought back Colm and Christine,” Ryan said.

Tara kissed Kayla on both cheeks, and slipped out of her arms. She stepped in front of Jannon, who still stared at her in disbelief.

“Were you brave?” the teenager asked with a shy smile.

He nodded, and touched a piece of her hair. “I cannot believe you are come back to me.”

Ryan exchanged a look with Kayla, and by silent agreement, they herded her uncle out of the room. Colm and Christine waited outside. Although questions filled their faces, Ryan caught Colm’s eye and nodded at Devalan.

“Come, Clan Leader,” Colm said. “I have a fine bottle of rainwine from the old country. I can think of no one I’d rather drink it with than you.”

Although Christine trailed after them, she kept glancing over her shoulder at Kayla, who could only manage a smile.

That left her with Ryan, who held out his hand. Kayla took it, and went with him to his cottage, where he sat down with her in the big armchair by the fire. They sat like that for a long time, neither of them speaking.

“This was the reason Jarek Blackstone wanted my mother, and then me,” she said quietly, and looked up at his handsome face. “Because we could bring the dead back to life. There is no greater power than that among the Fae, is there?”

Ryan shook his head. “He would have attained true immortality. With you as his slave, he would never again fear death of any kind. He might have also planned to force you to have children, in hopes of building an army of spellsingers.”

“I’m so glad that man is dead,” she said, and slumped. She felt completely drained and wondered if resurrecting Tara had cost a great deal of her power. “Come to bed with me?”

Without another word he carried her into his bedroom, and undressed them with a thought before curling up with her under the covers.

“Sleep now, love,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I will be here when you awake.”

Chapter 12

AS RYAN SAW off Devalan Cloudstar in the morning, the clan leader insisted Ryan and the rest of his men accompany Kayla to his stronghold the following night. He promised a proper victory celebration with a feast and revelry and performances by the Cloudstar’s finest dancers and musicians.

“The Blackstones were a blight upon our kind for too long,” Devalan said. “And your protection of my niece has earned you a place at our table.”

Ryan thought of Kayla, who still slept in his bed, and how much she had disliked her first encounter with the clan.

“My lady may not wish to attend, Clan Leader.”

Devalan’s eyes narrowed. “If you wish her to be your lady wife, I suggest you overcome her reticence.”

Ryan took the time to personally thank and clasp hands with each of the Cloudstar warriors who had come to their aid. He knew full well the victory might not have happened without their numbers. None of the Fae responded with anything but the proper form, but still he saw the reservation in their expressions. Devalan’s men might boast of defeating the Dark Fae clan, but they would not mention they had done it fighting alongside a band of outcasts.

Tara and Jannon emerged from his cottage to take breakfast with the rest of the Forever Faire warriors. They treated the resurrected changeling with a mixture of awe and delight. As Ryan walked back to his cottage, he was happy to see Tara smiling, and Jannon laughing. They had both done so much to earn the happiness that glowed in their faces.

Inside the cottage he removed his boots so he would not wake Kayla, and walked softly back to the bedroom to look in on her. She lay sprawled on his side of the bed, her pale body gilded by sunlight. He could still see the faint bruises under her eyes that had been so dark last night after bringing Tara back. But her breathing sounded easy, and a light flush of pink tinted her cheeks.

Ryan wanted to stop time so that he never had to let her go. Yet if she chose to join her clan, he would lose her forever. They had made promises to each other, but that was before he knew she was a spellsinger. The Cloudstar also knew it, and they would want her in their keeping.

Kayla opened one eye. “You lied to me.”

Ryan came over to sit on the side of the bed. “I cannot do that now that the curse has been lifted.” He frowned. “Why do you think I have?”

“You said you’d be here when I woke up,” she said and yawned. “That was an hour ago. I think you owe me now.”

He loved how she looked when she was drowsy. It made him wish he could bolt the door for a week.

“How may I repay my debt, love?”

Kayla glanced down at his tunic. “Do you have to be anywhere for the next couple hours?”

When he shook his head she pressed her hand to the center of his chest, and closed her eyes. His clothing unfastened, and he stood to allow the garments to remove themselves from his body. The empty clothing then walked over to the dresser, folded themselves neatly and formed a tidy stack.