Traitor (19 page)

If we were such magnets for trouble that we were attracting natural disasters, Mrs. McVean was going to need a lot of comforting. Actually, she’d probably be better off in a concrete bunker underground somewhere.

Ashlyn moaned in her sleep and curled into my chest. Her hand clutched the fabric of my grey Henley shirt I wore and curled it into a ball. Not a bad thing, in my opinion, but as bad as I wanted her, I knew I needed to respect the fact that she was with Liam. He might not be here, but I wasn’t going to do anything that would cause her pain later on down the road. I wrapped her up in my arms and pulled the blanket over us as she shivered. God, this was perfect. Well, perfect except for the fact that her house had just been turned into kindling. I closed my eyes and tried to just focus on her vanilla and caramel scent, the feel of her soft, long hair. She was perfect, inside and out. Even in her shortcomings, she genuinely cared for everyone. She looked for the best in everyone, and that was part of the reason I tried so hard to stay on her level. She lifted me to a higher caliber without even trying. It was no wonder that Liam loved her. She lifted him up, too. I couldn’t hate someone that Ashlyn loved so much, even if it meant I couldn’t have her. She deserved to be happy and in that revelation, I knew Liam did that for her.

It killed me to know I had to let her go. I wasn’t sure if I even knew how. From now on though, I’d support her decisions, even if it meant that I wasn’t the one for her. Before I gave up, I’d ask her if there could have ever been something between us had I acted sooner, but not because I would pursue it. I just needed to know if there were ever any feelings there. If I was ever more than a friend, or if I’d been spinning my wheels from the word go.

“Chris…” she moaned in her sleep.

I stroked her hair, taking a deep whiff. Vanilla. She always used vanilla scents. My arm was starting to go to sleep so I went to adjust. Ashlyn flew up like she’d heard a gunshot. She nearly fell out of the bed and I grabbed her arm to keep her from crashing to the floor. Her voice was hysterical. “CHRIS!”

Mom and Mrs. McVean tore into the bedroom as I tried to calm her down. I ran my hand along the side of her face and tried to get her to look at me. “Ashlyn, focus. Ashlyn, look at me. It’s okay. Everything is okay.”

She was hyperventilating, babbling about Chris’s body. I had no clue what she was talking about, but neither of the women seemed shocked when I looked to them for answers.

“Honey, Chris is okay. He’s downstairs sleeping,” Mrs. McVean said as she replaced my hand with own and began to stroke Ashlyn’s cheek.

Tears poured down Ashlyn’s cheeks. “There was blood. So much blood.”

“I know, but Reuben cleaned him up. Some of it was Reese’s as well. They were just cuts and nicks; nothing serious on either of them. Everyone's okay. We’re all fine.”

Ashlyn started to calm down, but then looked at me. She was desperate for any shred of good news, but I had nothing to provide. Her eyes searched mine for consolation as she addressed her mom. “The house? Our house?”

Mrs. McVean seemed unable to speak. It was my mom’s turn to be comforting. “Ash, it’s gone. Everyone’s okay, but whatever caused the tornado, it ruined the house. Reuben, Memaw, and Roslin left to try to figure out who caused it.”

I swallowed hard as I took in the women that surrounded me. All of them were usually so strong, and seeing them this broken made me worry. Mom and Mrs. McVean never showed their concern unless it was absolutely impossible to suppress. “What do they think caused it?” I asked.

Mom replied, but didn’t sound confident. She put her hand on Ashlyn’s and squeezed gently. “They said something about a Pooka? I’m not sure what it is, but Reuben seemed to think that was what was behind the attack. Maybe when everyone gets back we can talk and get more answers. For now, we just need to sit tight and wait.”

Ashlyn choked back a cry, then curled back into my chest. The tears began to flow and soaked through my shirt onto my skin. This was nowhere near perfect.

***

I don’t know how long Ash sat in my arms, but it seemed like a lifetime. She cried herself to sleep, woke up only to realize it all wasn’t a bad dream, then went back to crying. I started to wonder if she’d ever stop. That’s when she sat up, wiped off her eyes, and looked at me with a dangerous expression on her face. “We’re going to find out who did this.”

“Ash, I don’t know if any person did this. Mom seemed to think it was a Pooka.”

Her eyes didn’t waver. “You’re right; no person did this. It was a faerie, and they ordered that Pooka here, if that’s what caused all of this.”

It was hard to argue with her when she was this passionate. The fire in her eyes burned hot and I wondered if it pulsed through her veins in times like this as well. It was one of the things that made me adore her, but it was also frustrating when she was out on a limb like she was right now. “Why would a Glaistig do something like this?”

She shook her hands, all worked up. “No, no, no. Not a Glaistig. A Changeling. Can’t you think of anyone who might want to harm us?”

In an instant, she was off like a shot, running down the stairs. I looked at Mrs. McVean for some sort of advice, who still stood by the bed with Mom. They both looked half-exasperated, half-amused. Mrs. McVean shrugged her shoulders. “Let her go. She’s on a mission, and it’s best not to get in her way.”

I didn’t have to look hard for her, since I knew she would make a beeline for her brother. When I reached the living room, she had him wrapped up in a hug. Emily watched over the breakfast counter as she held a coffee mug to her lips. I leaned against the counter with her, muttering low enough that Ashlyn wouldn’t notice. “Em, what’s going on? Aren’t you supposed to be in Adaire figuring out what to do next?”

She sat her mug down quietly, never looking away from the steaming cup. “I was. Problem is, none of us are sure what to make of this. It doesn’t feel right. It’s too soon for them to know that we’re here.”

“Them?”

“The Changelings. We just moved today. The only people that should have known would be the boys back in Ireland and the committee. There’s no way that the nasty Changeling Ashlyn set loose in Neamar knew, and a Pooka isn’t coming to a specific house unless it’s been commanded to attack that precise location.”

I just stood in silence, since half of that didn’t make any sense to me anyway. Curiosity got the better of me as she put the cup back to her lips. “So, what do you think happened, then?”

She smirked and sat the cup back down. The last dregs were all that remained, but a hint of steam still rose from the bottom of the cup. Memaw must have drunk the coffee quickly. Her eyes never left Ashlyn and Chris. “This is confidential, correct?”

I crossed my heart. “Scout’s honor.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “I think Rebecca is up to something.”

“Wait, the hot one back in Adaire?”

Emily gave me the nastiest look I’d ever seen. If she could have turned me to stone with a glare, that one would have done me in. “I’d recommend you not call her that within a five thousand mile radius of her. But yes, she would be the one.”

I took the suggestion to heart and planned to never call her that again. “Why do you think that?”

“She wants Ashlyn too much for my liking. That’s why I’ve been trying to keep her with Liam, to keep her mortal. Roslin giving you immortality kind of ruined that idea. Now there’s no reason for her not to accept Rebecca’s offer. I don’t trust her motives. She’s been too aggressive as of late.”

I sat on the stood beside Memaw and watched Ash as she talked with Chris on the couch. Rebecca had struck me as a powerful woman. I wouldn’t want to mess with her, that’s for sure. “Do you think Rebecca’s with Ankou?”

“I don’t know. It seems like a stretch, a committee member going dark. We’ve seen too much not to understand that the Changelings are capable of nothing but chaos. Rebecca is power hungry, though.”

“So what do you think wrecked your house? Mom and Ashlyn have been talking about this thing called a Pooka.”

Emily looked at me sideways. “Personally? I think it was something a little more sinister than a Pooka.”

“Rebecca might fit the bill, then,” I chuckled.

Emily let out a low chuckle and wrapped her hands around the empty mug. “Yes, she certainly may.”

We stayed there silently beside one another while Ashlyn and Chris caught up. I was curious about what had gone on and how he’d ended up here, but there was going to be time to figure it out. Right now I had to get the most important things out of the way. I steeled my nerves and forced myself to whisper the question that had eaten at me for a long time. “Not that it matters now, but do you think I ever had a chance with Ashlyn?”

Emily didn’t answer for a while. She pretended to suddenly need to pull her long hair back into a ponytail, so I let her. It wasn’t like she was going anywhere. Finally, she answered the question with a question. “Why don’t you ask her?”

“I have asked her. Kind of. I asked her why she never let me take her out. She just shrugs me off.”

“Why don’t you just take her out and be done with it if you want to so badly?”

That wasn’t the response I’d been expecting. “Do you want me to make her cheat on Liam?”

Emily laughed. “No, not particularly. That doesn’t seem like a very chivalrous thing to do. Why don’t you just be her friend, and let the chips fall where they may? I’m sure immortality is just around the corner, and then you’ll have all the time in the world. Go easy on her. She loves Liam, and Liam loves her. If you’re truly her friend and love her, then as bad as it hurts to let her go, maybe that’s the season you’re in. That’s not to say something might never happen, but you have to let her be with Liam. He’s good to her; he’s good
for
her. When I encouraged them to date, it was out of hopes that him being human would keep Ankou at bay, but now that I’ve seen him with her – seen how he treats her and how he’d do anything for her – I think that he truly is a good young man. Not to say you aren’t, of course,” she added quickly, “But you didn’t make a move before Liam. You need to let this go where it’s due to go, and see what happens. Be the friend she needs. She’ll appreciate that. This is more than any person should have to take in their entire lives.”

I nodded. It seemed legitimate. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? We’d be friends for eternity? That’d be fine by me. As long as she was in my life, that was good. Having her for myself, well, that’d be great. I’d hope for it, but I wouldn’t force her hand. I turned back to watch Ashlyn and caught her looking my way. She blushed and returned her focus to Chris. I’d take that as a positive response.

Ashlyn curled her arm around mine as she came to a stop beside Emily and me at the breakfast bar. She had no time for chitchat; instead, she made it clear she was all business by cutting straight to the chase. Just like Emily. It made me smile to see her so ready to go on the warpath. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Her stern expression was focused on Memaw, and that’s where she focused her conversation. “So, after talking to Chris, I think I know where MaKenna is. I could get her back before bartering with Ankou for Dad. What do you think?”

I pulled away from her, shocked she was so ready to jump back into Neamar. I’d planned on her having a harebrained idea, but this was beyond ludicrous. “I think it’s a crappy idea, that’s what I think! And how are you getting your dad back? He’s gone, Ash.”

Emily shook her head. “Now isn’t the time to try to go back into Neamar. You need to stay here, regroup with us, and spend time with your brother. You’re too emotionally charged to make that decision. Plus, you’d have no guide. Dalbach is gone, just like we assumed he would be once we let him loose in his own land.”

Ashlyn wouldn’t back down. She purposely avoided addressing me and instead kept her eyes locked on Emily. What a punk. “Memaw, I can do this. This is what I was meant to do, what you and Roslin have been training me for all summer long. Let me get MaKenna back for you. With her back, we have everyone home but Dad. Ankou won’t turn down the necklace for Dad.”

I could tell the idea was tearing at Emily. As usual I was playing catch up, so I just kept my mouth shut and watched the debate. Emily bit her lip before responding, the portion going white under the pressure her teeth imposed on the soft skin. I could see she was trying to be democratic about the situation. It was also evident that she would have jumped through the first crack to Neamar if it were her in the situation. “Ashlyn, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Ashlyn could really pull off a puppy face when she wanted to. She was practically on her knees begging. “Memaw, I can do it. I know it. Just let me – “

“No. The answer is no.”

Emily’s tone made it clear it wasn’t up for discussion. Ashlyn huffed and stalked off, slamming the back sliding door so hard it rattled on its hinges. Emily sighed and put a hand on my back. “That temper came from me, unfortunately. You better go get her before she winds up doing something stupid.”

I laughed, knowing there was no stopping hurricane Ashlyn when she was on a tear like this. In this situation, controlling the damage was all Emily could really hope for. “I’ll do my best, but you know she’s only acting like this because she wants to help.”

“I know, but going back to Neamar won’t help us.”

“If you were in her position, would you sit idly by?”

Emily smiled ruefully. “No, of course not. I’d do the same exact thing she’s doing.”

I laughed. “Then how can you blame her when she’s got your genes?”

She shook her head and waved me away. “I’m expecting you to save her from my genes, of course.”

I wasn’t sure there was anything that could save Ashlyn from the McVean traits. They seemed to be hardwired in beyond anything I could do. Still, I wouldn’t stop until I made sure she was safe.

A
SHLYN WAS STANDING
in front of what used to be her house. For some reason the local police had decided to put up yellow crime scene tape around the place, which caused people to stop and stare even more than the devastation itself. You’d think they were expecting a dead person to just materialize out of nowhere. We stood together, surveying the wreckage in the pouring down rain.