Dani Harper - Storm Bound

He shook his head. “Now that I know you better, I don’t see Annwyl in you as I did at first. I know you to be very different.” Aidan tipped her chin up with his finger then, his gray eyes looking into hers. “What I do see, I find myself wanting a great deal, Brooke Halloran.”

Dear goddess, he was attracted to her—as her . Then why did he still look so solemn, even unhappy? “Does it make you feel guilty?” she asked gently.

“Some. But once I avenge her death, I will have done all that I can. And that’s why I have to leave. I’ve made my vows to face Celynnen, and that’s what I’m bound to do.”

“But Celynnen might kill you! In fact, she’ll probably kill you now that you’re human. Annwyl wouldn’t have wanted that for you. I don’t want that for you—what kind of fate is that after a thousand years of captivity? In fact, what kind of goal is that, to walk right back into your prison and spit in the warden’s eye?”

The imagery won a half smile from him, but his expression was feral rather than cheerful. “I promise I’ll do far more than spit at her. And I’m not going there blind—I know the faery realm, I know Celynnen, and I have my plans.” He looked away again. “I have to try. Nothing will stop me from doing that. Not even what I might wish for here with you.”

Dammit, he couldn’t leave her! Here was somebody she felt amazingly connected to, and—equally amazing—he had feelings for her too. Why had the Universe brought him crashing into her life when he was determined to run off and get himself—

Before she could finish the thought, the answer was crystal clear in her mind: So you can help him.

Brooke nearly smacked herself in the forehead. It seemed utterly simple. The Code clearly said: To hold the Gift is to strengthen the just…

“You and I are going on a road trip,” she announced, folding her arms.

He frowned and shook his head. “ Cariad , I have to leave.”

“No, you don’t. Not yet. You want to be as prepared as possible, right?”

“Yes, of course. I have many preparations to make.”

“Then it won’t hurt to add another one to your list. You need to come and meet Morgan’s husband, Rhys. Consider it a fact-finding mission to further your goals. I met the guy last year at the wedding, and a few times since. He was born in Wales. Not only does he speak your language; he seems to know a very great deal about Welsh history and legends, including a lot about the faeries.” And to think I’d once called it mythology. “You might find out some things you could use to help you succeed in your plans. On top of that, Rhys competes in weaponry competitions in Renaissance fairs across the country, and he teaches swordsmanship and things like that. George just told me that Rhys has built an authentic blacksmith’s shop on the farm. I’m pretty sure that I could get you permission to use his forge.”

“It appears that you have solved several puzzles for me at once,” said Aidan. “Very well. I would like to travel with you to meet with your friends.”

“I’m glad that’s settled. I have to go open my shop now.” She was about to leave her chair, but he put a cautioning hand up.

“I have not told you everything. There is a greater reason why we must part ways for now, and as quickly as possible.”

“Why?”

“Celynnen has found me. She used her magic to reach out in the night to mock me.”

Brooke was stunned. “Here? Her rotten magic reached into my shop, my home? How is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

“You told me she was five thousand miles away, under the Black Mountains of Wales in the faery realm, isn’t that right? The Hound Lord—”

“Lord of the Wild Hunt,” Aidan interjected.

“I don’t care what the hell his title is. You said the guy didn’t chase you this far. You were in the middle of the goddamn ocean when my spell locked onto you, so he couldn’t know your location, you said. Nobody should!” Her voice rose with indignation. “How the hell did she find you, and how did her spell manage to violate my house ?”

“I told you, I don’t know the answer to that. She is very powerful, as are all the Tylwyth Teg, particularly those of the royal family. But as long as I’m here, you are in danger. I must go at once before—”

“Oh, for crap’s sake, skip the damn movie cliché!” Brooke looked at her watch. She could close the shop for the morning if she could reschedule a couple of appointments to the afternoon. And then…She grabbed the lapel on Aidan’s jacket and looked him in the eye. “You told me you’ve vowed to stand up to Celynnen, right?”

“Aye, that I have. But I will not risk your life as well.”

“I think it’s way too late for that, mister. Now that she knows where I live, Celynnen isn’t likely to leave me alone just because you’re not here anymore. In fact, I’m willing to bet she’d try to use me to hurt you or recapture you.”

She could see the instant the truth hit him, and he sighed.

“No wonder you’re a gwddon. You’re very wise.”

For all the good it does me. “Maybe, maybe not. What I do have is magic. I have some emergency fortifying to do that I hope will keep Celynnen out of this building, and I need you to stay right here and help me .”

He nodded. “My hands are yours to command.”

Brooke emptied every big storage jar she had of protective herbs—fennel seed, St. John’s wort, marsh marigold, and dried primroses—and mixed them into buckets of coarse sea salt. Aidan took them to the roof and poured a line of the crystalline blend along the entire half wall that formed the perimeter of the roof. She had him sprinkle it around the chimney, and each and every vent up there, plus pour a thin line on the pavement at street level, close to the building. Every possible entry, even where plumbing came into the structure, had to be charmed in some way.

Thank the goddess it’s Saturday —defensive magic was particularly effective when performed on this day. And double thanks that Brooke had purchased such a ridiculously large quantity of salt. It had been an expensive mistake at first, an accidental tripling of an online order. But if there were no coincidences, then the Universe had watched over her and made sure she had the tools she needed to protect her home. And it gave her some hope that she’d someday find something to do with the overabundance of domestic turkey tail feathers she’d ended up with. She’d ordered three of the large bronze feathers for use in smudging ceremonies. Instead, she now had three dozen bags of them in the storeroom.

Brooke placed little piles of black stones—obsidian and hematite—in the corners of the building, grateful that they coincided with the cardinal directions. It would be a lot harder to do if the building was oriented according to a nearby river or a winding street instead of by the compass. She added little fragments of amber to the stones, too.

Next she handed Aidan a bucket of iron nails and a hammer. “Pound a few on the inside of every door frame and every window,” she said, adding that the roof’s door must be included as well. “Leave just a little bit of each nail sticking out. We’ll have to be really, really careful that we don’t snag ourselves on them, but iron is a protection against otherworldly creatures.”

“Aye. It’s deathly poison to the fae,” he had said.

Good. Brooke wasn’t out to kill Celynnen, of course. But she was righteously pissed off that her home and sanctuary had been deliberately violated by such evil intent. She wanted the coldhearted faery to think twice before trying to insinuate any more of her tainted magic into this building and influence those who were within its walls.