Worlds Apart (40 page)

“I love him,” Taylor blurted.

Niall flashed him a warning glance. Words Niall had waited so long to hear were going to get Taylor killed.

His mother frowned as she stared at Niall. “You were a fool to think this would work when you knew he’d had the capacity to love removed years ago. He doesn’t love you. He can’t.”

Niall straightened. “But he does. And so does Roo. You said I could stay on that side if I was loved. You gave your word.”

His mother stepped up to his face and smiled. “You’re not loved.”

Niall stared into her eyes. “I am, but you’re not.”

She laughed and twirled away, gesturing to those in the room. “Everyone loves me.”

“My queen.”

“My queen.”

One by one the couriers bowed and kissed her outstretched hand.

This was a battle Niall couldn’t win. She’d never let him go.

“What do you want of me?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“Marry tomorrow.” She gave him a triumphant smile and beckoned to Stephanie.

Niall wished he’d told Taylor. Now it was too late.

“Get her with child,” his mother said.

Taylor gasped. “Stephanie?” He rushed toward her and threw his arms around her. “On my God, oh my God.”

Niall saw how desperately Stephanie clutched at Taylor’s shirt and guilt gnawed at his gut.

Taylor pulled back and held her by the shoulders. “I can’t believe it’s you. Mum and Dad paid an artist do an impression of what you might look like now. He was spot on. My God, you look… We thought… Oh Christ.” He tugged her back into his arms and pressed his face into her hair. “Are you happy?” he whispered and pulled back to look into her eyes.

Niall saw the nod she gave Taylor, and didn’t miss the glance she shot Oisin, nor the one his brother gave her. Nothing had changed there then. The queen snapped her fingers and Stephanie scurried to her side.

“No,” his mother growled. “You are to marry her, not Oisin. I want perfect grandchildren, not ones who are deformed.”

Niall couldn’t look at Taylor or his brother, knowing the hurt he’d see on their faces, but he could try to put some things right. He owed them that. “If I do this, will you let Roo and Taylor return to the other side with their memories of me wiped?”

“No,” Taylor blurted. “This isn’t fair.”

The queen turned on him then, her face filled with fury. “You challenge me?”

“No he doesn’t,” Niall said and stepped between Taylor and his mother.

Taylor gently pushed him aside. “If Niall doesn’t do this?”

“Then the tarsis will eventually cover his body and he’ll die.”

“I’ll do as you ask if you give us one last night,” Niall said, fighting not to let his desperation show. “The three of us together. Me, Taylor and Roo.”

His mother pursed her lips. “If they admit they don’t love you, you can have your last night.”

“Majesty,” someone called.

Niall turned. A young courtier he didn’t know stood by the open window.

“What is it?” she asked.

“The woman…she must have broken the spell.”

Niall followed his mother to the window. He gasped when he looked out and the blood drained from his head. Roo stood about twenty feet below them, in the middle of the sky, with her back toward them. The crashing sea lay another hundred feet below.

“What the hell?” Taylor snapped and shot Niall a desperate glance.

“How did she get out of the room?” Niall’s mother demanded. “Who let her out?”

Roo wobbled and Taylor groaned. “Do something, Niall.”

Niall sagged. “My wing.” He’d kill them both if he tried to fly to her.

“Who released you?” the queen called to Roo.

Roo’s arms shot farther out as she reacted to the voice. Niall held his breath until she regained her balance.

“The snakes,” Roo shouted.

Niall shot a pleading glance at Oisin but his brother shook his head with a sad smile. He wouldn’t risk their mother’s ire. She despised Oisin because of his missing arm and yet he still clung to the hope she’d love him. If his brother wouldn’t help, there was no one else to ask. His other brothers had escaped this city to live miles away. Niall slipped to the far end of the window and climbed onto the sill. If Roo fell, he’d try to save her.

His mother rubbed her hands together. “Well, isn’t this splendid?”

“Please,” Taylor pleaded. “Don’t let her fall.”

“I
could
save her.” The queen ignored Taylor and stared at Niall. “If she admits she doesn’t love you.” She leaned out of the window. “Do you hear that, mortal? Admit you don’t love my son and I’ll have someone fly down and pluck you to safety.”

“I love Niall and Taylor,” Roo shouted.

The queen shrugged. “Looks like it’ll just be the two of you tonight.”

“Don’t,” Niall whispered. “Please.”

“Hold him,” the queen ordered, and hands wrapped around Niall’s arms as he prepared to launch himself from the window.

“Roo,” Niall called as he struggled in their grasp. “Just say it. Say you don’t love me.”

Roo’s heart jumped when she heard Niall’s voice somewhere above and behind her. Her legs had started to shake a while ago and she figured it wasn’t long before she fell. A gust of wind would do it. If someone was close enough to breathe on her, well, that would work too. Would Niall put out his wings and save her? Maybe his bitch of a mother was stopping him. If she was going to die, she wouldn’t do it with a lie on her lips.

“I love you,” she shouted. “I love the way you tease me. I love the way you look at Taylor. I love your smile. I love your eyes. I love your chocolate brownies.”
Don’t get distracted.
“I love every bit of you and I’m not going to say I don’t.”

“Stupid mortal,” the queen snapped.

“I’m not stupid. I’m honest. The person I was named after said,
‘
Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die; and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life. Both life and death are parts of the same Great Adventure.
’
I finally found love and you can never take that away from me.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” the queen shouted.

The support under Roo’s feet vanished and she plummeted toward the water. No breath to scream, time only to realize this would be like hitting concrete, and hope she didn’t survive long enough to drown.

As her toes grazed the tip of a wave, she was swept to one side and scooped into strong arms.

OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod.
The force of the rescue locked her lungs.

“Breathe,” said the faery.

Roo was trying but nothing worked.

The faery bent his head and blew air across her lips. There was a noisy gurgle and Roo gulped oxygen.

“Better. Good girl. Keep breathing. I won’t let you fall. You’re much too precious.”

She managed a strangled grunt as they zoomed over the ocean.

“I’m Endor, Niall’s father.”

“Roo,” she rasped.

“Named after Theodore Roosevelt. I recognized the quote.”

“Yep.”

“Bit cruel for a girl.”

“Quite like being different. Could have been worse. Hoover. Eisenhower.” She paused. “Polk.”

He laughed.

“Thought I’d had it. Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re not saved yet. You have to do that yourself.”

Roo sighed when he flew in through a window and landed in front of the bitch-queen.
Bugger.
The only reassuring thing was that as he set her down, Taylor rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her. Niall pulled free of the men holding him and pressed himself against Roo’s back. Roo suspected without their support, she’d have collapsed.
I nearly died.

“Endor. What a surprise.” There was so much venom in the queen’s voice, Roo could almost taste it.

“You don’t like to be defied, do you?” Endor gave a deep sigh. “These three believe in love and you can’t deal with that.”

“I believe in love,” the queen said.

“You have a strange way of showing it. You inflict your youngest with the tarsis because you don’t want him to leave you.” He glanced at Oisin. “You keep your eldest here, yet you foolishly despise him because of something he can’t help. Love is about letting go as well as keeping hold. These three would sacrifice themselves for each other. Niall would do your bidding to save Roo and Taylor. Roo would accept death rather than deny her love. Taylor is willing to give up the mortal side to be with the man he loves. Oisin bites his tongue because he seeks a kind word from you.”

The queen shrugged. “I’ve offered them one last night together. It’s generous of me. Tomorrow they leave, and Niall marries Stephanie.”

Roo gulped and felt the guys’ hold on her tighten.

“You challenged Niall to find love with Taylor and you lost. Remove the tarsis and let them make their own decisions.”

The queen laughed. “What right do you have to come here and make demands of me?”

“I’m still the king, your husband.”

“In name only.”

“Let them go.” Endor walked toward her.

“And what do I get?” she asked.

Roo watched in horrified fascination as the pair circled each other like panthers waiting to pounce.

“A night with me,” Endor said.

The queen sneered and gestured to the others in the room. “For what purpose? I can have all the sex I want. Finlay and Rubin are very inventive. They last such a long time compared to some.”

“I’m not offering sex. I’ll talk to you about love, teach you what it means.”

“I know all I need to about love.”

He shook his head. “You can’t bear the idea of anyone having love in their life because you don’t.”

Endor raised his fingers to her face and Roo held her breath, wondering if the queen would bite them off.

“I
am
loved,” she snapped. “I’m queen.”

“A title doesn’t make you loved. You have to work for love, deserve it.”

She scowled at him. “What do you know?”

“I know that when you have love and lose it, it takes time to survive the pain. Your heart doesn’t want to accept it. You cling to every bit of hope, and while you’re still together, you listen for a kind word, for a smile aimed at you, the slightest look that you’re something worth fighting for. And even when all hope is gone, the flame is never completely extinguished.”

A muscle ticced in the queen’s cheek as Endor moved closer until his lips were inches from hers.

“I could kill you where you stand,” the queen hissed.

“If you love someone, you have to take risks. I’m dying anyway. You send me a few more women and it will be the end.” Endor sighed and stepped back. “Better to have loved and lost? No, I don’t think so. My happiness is gone, crushed by you. My memories of the good times have been corrupted by those that weren’t. I want to be loved. I want to be happy. Isn’t that what everyone wants? Don’t you want that too?”

The queen’s lips were compressed in a tight line.

“If you make yourself happy,” Endor said, “then you attract others with your happiness. You could be a queen who loves and is loved. Not having love doesn’t make you strong and independent. It makes you lonely. It makes you cling on to your children when you should let them fly. It makes you rely on the old, familiar ways. You can’t make people love or not love. It’s beyond your power. You might push love back for a while, but it will always shine through, even on the darkest day, at the darkest hour.”

He glanced at Roo and smiled, and then tipped his head to one side as he regarded the queen. “Do you understand how hard it is to look at someone, knowing you love them and that they don’t love you? Have you any idea of what Niall went through? Any understanding of why he was prepared to risk all?”

Roo glanced up at Niall who smiled at her and Taylor.

Endor reached to stroke the queen’s cheek and she slapped his hand away.

“You take me for a fool?” she snapped. “You think I assume you talk about me? You still want that woman.”

“You never gave me a chance.” Endor glanced at Niall, Roo and Taylor. “Give them a chance.”

“They’ve had it,” the queen said. “Now they have one night.” Taking Stephanie’s arm, she walked out, most of the faeries following.

Roo felt Niall grip Taylor tighter and guessed he was worried he’d try to get his sister. When the queen had gone, Niall relaxed his hold.

“Let’s get Stephanie and run,” Taylor whispered.

“We wouldn’t get out of the castle,” Niall said.

“So do you have a plan this time?” Taylor asked.

“Yes. Excuse me a moment.”

Niall walked over to his father and took him in his arms. “Thank you for trying.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Tomorrow, if you can, will you make sure Taylor and Roo reach the other side safely? I’d ask for Stephanie too, but I fear that’s impossible.”