'You ran from Clerics.'
He had me there. 'Uh, we're not talking about me,' I said hotly. 'I'm not the smartest girl, but I'm not stupid either. I'll be just as impressed if you tell me you're a shifter or witch.'
'What about me don't you believe?' he asked after a small pause.
I was on a sarcasm-high now. 'Yeah, sure. I believe you. Lucky Rae see's two fairies, the one kind of demon that is nearly extinct. And she sees them within minutes of each other. Even though the odds of that are-'
'What did the other look like?'
'Uh, green skin and all this long fiery hair.'
He made a clucking noise meant to sound cross, but he smiled radiantly, silver eyes faraway. 'I told her to hide her true form.'
The direction of my thoughts became hideously plain, and icy horror froze the blood in my veins.
'I'm guessing you know her?' I tried to keep the question casual but my voice sounded shrill.
'The fairy you saw is called Maeve. She's my little sister.'
I stared at him, my lips becoming numb. 'Sister,' I whispered. 'How can you know that? Aren't all of your females green with red hair?'
'Do all human females have light hair, eyes and skin? No, all fairies are unique, though, there are typical things like our pointed ears and sharp teeth.' He must have figured I was having a simple moment. I didn't back chat like I usually would. 'Don't worry,' his voice was gentle. 'Maeve is a force of good. She's been looking for you too, and she wouldn't hurt you. She's young and stealth is not her gift. She has skills with a blade not even Conall can match.' There was a deep affection in his voice as he spoke of her.
I felt dirty for not saying something sooner and opened my mouth to speak. Those curls of fear sprung up in my belly, and lashed at my insides to silence me. I locked my jaw. No words seemed adequate enough to explain what had happened. Before I had been sad about what had happened to the fairy, even guilty. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't spooked the Clerics. They might have let her go. If I told him what happened, how I'd disturbed them and gotten his sister killed, what would he do to me?
Oh gods, I felt queasy. The stress was eating away at me, and I was wound up tight right down to my baby toes.
Then the outline of something big prowled past, ghosting through the trees. I forgot about Breandan, I forgot I'd seen his sister take a bullet to the chest, and forgot I was lost in demon territory as my entire body locked down. Blood rushed in my ears as the shadow trod a path parallel to where we stood. Breandan was calm and unmoved so I toughed it out, and stayed put.
It emerged from behind a tree a few paces away to cross our path. Black and freckled with flaxen rosettes, the big cat's emerald eyes with slitted black pupils, swept over us. The powerful build and handsome face were too brawny to be anything but male. Slinking to a stop, his ears pricked up and he looked me right in the eye. A wave of consciousness flashed across my skin, and for a beat I couldn't breathe.
He padded over, thick claws glinting and pressed into my legs. A soft growl rumbled in his throat and his whole body vibrated. I tensed then flexed my hand and let it drift down. As he pushed his wet nose into my palm the growl became a satisfied purr. The cat was warm and smelt musky. My fingers rubbed up the coarse hair behind his ears then smoothed it down. He nipped at my finger and I yelped. He twitched at the sound, and the long whiskers on his upper lip whistled as they cut through the air. Nudging the back of my knee he made a contented noise, tinged with almost an apology for startling me. His eyes lingered on mine, blinked at me then he sniffed the air and gathered his front and back paws together. Ears flat against his head, he paced forward and slinked lower.
I gasped, spotting a sable colored deer grazing within my line of sight, half hidden by a few dogwood trees. The cat's muscles bunched tightly before he sprung forward and bounded away. I didn't watch what happened to the deer after that.
Breandan watched me, head cocked thoughtfully.
I marveled at the short ebony hairs stuck on my fingertips. Evidence my encounter had been real. I trembled.
'Did that mean something to you?' I asked quietly.
'Oh yes,' he replied and took hold of my hand, and started to walk again. 'Nothing out here will harm you unless you pick a fight first.' He paused. 'Usually shifters are not that sociable. Rarely do they interact with those outside their pack, even when they leave Pride territory. Do not make a habit of petting them. Despite your difficult personality, I will protect you until death, but would prefer not to have to deal with such dire circumstances unless necessary.' Jerking to a stop he yanked gently on the ends of my hair to pull my head back. 'Alright?' His teeth nipped my neck then his lips pressed a kiss to my pulse point. There he stood amongst the trees, smiling down on me and waiting for my answer.
All the while, for all that I'd just experienced and all he'd told me, all I could think was, he kissed my neck.
'Believe it or not I don't skip around looking for trouble. I only come out here for some space to think and run. And I can take care of myself.'
After a beat of silence he chuckled and walked on, continuing to tow me along side.
A shifter. I had stroked a were-cat, one of the most feral demons in existence. Only Breandan's firm grip and steady steps forward kept me moving.
'I never realized the different demon kinds lived so close together,' I said.
'Our territories are vast. Right now we are in his back garden. The Pride encompasses the entire human prison. That is why we showed respect and stayed still. If he had taken issue with us here, he would have let me know. But then he has probably scented the vampire too, and is happy to have the extra help in hunting it down.'
'Prison,' I echoed, startled. 'Vampire?'
Saying the name made my toes scrunch together in my boots and my stomach pitch dangerously. The dead ones were not demons people dressed up to make scarier than they actually were. Vampires were the creatures you made nicer in stories so that you didn't pass out when reports one had breached the Wall, and eaten a few homeless people came your way.
'Is that not what it is? A prison the humans have locked themselves inside?'
There was too much behind that simple statement I could not begin to get into.
'So, you can go wherever you like? To hunt vampires, I mean. It doesn't matter you're not his kind?' I was fascinated. I had learned more about demonkind in one hour than years of training.
'Why would I not be able to go where I liked? There has not been a war between demonkind and we respect each other enough not impose foolish rules of ownership. Though most of us do avoid venturing into vampire cities. Shifters are bestial under a full moon, but sensible for the most part. The alpha-male keeps them in good order. As for the vampire, he'll be dealt with soon enough. He's only on our radar because he's been round for so long, nearly a month now. It's unusual for one to stay so long from the safety of a nest. Unusual and worrying considering the timing.'
The Wall stretched out for miles and miles. If the shifters Pride surrounded the entire human region
'How big is fairy territory?'
'Not as big as you may think. We are solitary by nature and usually travel in mated pairs. Small families.'
'There's nowhere you all get together?'
'I know what you mean. We have two wylds, the Orchard and the Grove.' He paused, slanted a look my way. 'You're asking a lot of questions. You believe me now? That I am fairy, that you are fairy.'
'No,' I blurted. 'I'm not I'm not.'
'You never thought it odd you are able to push your body beyond the normal boundaries of a girl your age?'
I ignored the fact he'd called me a girl, and batted his words away with my hand.
'I'm stronger, yes. And I'm fast, but I always have been.' I was stretching the truth. I hadn't always been fast, but crazy fast.
'And that's all?'
My pace slowed to a dazed meander, an aimless weave through the mossy trunks. Swallowing hard, I bit
