Kenzie was silent, though I could feel her watching me. Around us, the faery dancers twirled in the moonlight, graceful and hypnotic, but I couldn’t see their beauty anymore. All I could see was Sam, the way she laughed, the way she bounced from place to place, never still. She would never run again, or go hiking through the woods, or ride her beloved horses. Because of me.
“That’s why I can’t get let anyone get close,” I rasped. “If Sam taught me anything, it’s that I can’t afford to have friends. I can’t take that chance. I don’t care if the fey come after me—I’ve dodged them all my life. But they’re not satisfied with just hurting me. They’ll go after anyone I care about. That’s what they do. And I can’t stop them. I can’t protect anyone but myself and my family, so it’s better if people leave me alone. No one gets hurt that way.”
“Except you.”
“Yeah.” I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Just me. I can handle that.” A heaviness was spreading through me, gathering in my chest, that same feeling of helpless despair, the knowledge that I couldn’t do anything, not really. That I could only watch as the people around me became targets, victims. “But, now…you’re here. And…”
Her arms slipped around my waist from behind, making my heart jump. I drew in a sharp breath as she pressed her cheek to my back. “And you’re scared I’m going to end up like Sam,” she whispered.
“Kenzie, if something happened to you because of me—”
“Stop it.” She gave me a little shake. “Ethan, you can’t control what they do,” she said firmly. “Stop blaming yourself. Faeries will play their nasty tricks and games whether you can see them or not. The fey have always tormented humans, isn’t that what you told me?”
“Yeah, but—”
“No buts.” She shook me again, her voice firm. “You didn’t make that girl get on that phouka. You tried to warn her. Ethan, you were a little kid facing down a faery. You did nothing wrong.”
“What about you?” My voice came out husky, ragged. “I pulled you into this mess. You wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t—”
“I’m here because I want to be,” Kenzie said in that soft, calm voice. “You said it yourself—I could’ve gone home anytime I wanted. But I stayed. And you’re not going to cut me out of your life. Not now. Because no matter what you think, no matter how much you say you want to be alone, that it’s better for everyone if you keep your distance, you can’t go through this all by yourself.” Her arms tightened around me, her voice dropping to a murmur. “I’m staying. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
I couldn’t say anything for a few seconds, because I was pretty sure if I opened my mouth I would break down. Kenzie didn’t say anything, either, and we just stood there for a little while, her arms wrapped around my waist, her slim body against mine. The fey danced and twirled their eerie patterns around us, but they were distant mirages, now. The only thing that was real was the girl behind me.
Slowly, I turned in her arms. She gazed up at me, her fingers still locked against the small of my back, holding me captive. I was suddenly positive that I didn’t want to move, that I was content to stay like this, trapped in the middle of a faery ring, until the sun rose and the Fair Folk disappeared, taking their music and glamour with them. As long as she was here.
I slipped my hand into her hair, brushing a thumb over her cheek, and she closed her eyes. My heart was pounding, and a tiny voice inside was warning me not to do it, not to get close. If I did, They would only hurt her, make her a target, use her to get to me. But I couldn’t fight this anymore, and I was tired of trying. Kenzie had been brave enough to stand with me against the fey and hadn’t left my side once. Maybe it was time to stop living in fear…and just live.
Cupping her face with my other hand, I lowered my head…
And my nerves jangled a warning, that cold chill spreading over the back of my neck and down my spine. I tried not to listen, but years of vigilant paranoia, developing an almost unnatural sixth sense that told me I was being watched, could not be ignored so easily.
Growling a curse, I raised my head and scanned the clearing, trying to see past the unearthly dancers into the shadows of the trees. From the edge of the woods, high in the branches above the swirling fey, a pair of familiar golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, watching us.
I blinked, and the eyes vanished.
I swore again, cursing the rotten timing. Kenzie opened her eyes and raised her head, turning to glance at the now empty spot.
“Did you see something?”
I sighed. “Yeah.” Reluctantly, I pulled back, determined to finish what we’d started—later. Kenzie looked disappointed but let me go. “Come on, then. Before he finds the others.” Taking her hand, I strode out of the ring, parting ranks of fey as I did. Just inside the tree line, Keirran and Annwyl waited at the edge of the shadows, their backs to us.
“Keirran!” I called, breaking into a jog, Kenzie sprinting to keep up. Keirran didn’t turn, and I tapped his shoulder as I stopped beside him. “Hey, we’ve got company—oh.”
“So nice to see you, human,” a voice purred from an overhead branch. Grimalkin sniffed, looking from me to Keirran, and smiled. “How amusing that you are both here. The queen is not at all happy with either of you.”
Chapter Eighteen
The Fey of Central Park
Keirran visibly winced.
“What are you doing here, cat?” I demanded, and Grimalkin turned a slow, bored gaze on me. “If you’re here to take us back to Meghan, you can forget it. We’re not going anywhere.”
He yawned, sitting up to scratch an ear. “As if I have nothing better to do than play nursemaid to a pair of wayward mortals,” he sniffed. “No, the Iron Queen simply asked me to find you, to see if you were still alive. And to make sure that you did not wander into a dragon’s lair or fall down a dark hole, as you humans are so prone to doing.”
“So she sent you to babysit us.” I crossed my arms. “We don’t need your help. We’re doing fine on our own.”
I’d never been to New York City or Central Park, though I had seen images of them both online. As seen from above, the park was pretty amazing: an enormous, perfectly rectangular strip of nature surrounded by buildings, roads, skyscrapers and millions of people. It had woodlands, meadows, even a couple of huge lakes, smack-dab in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world. Pretty damn impressive.
It was no wonder that it was a haven for the fey.
It was early twilight when we went through yet another archway in Leanansidhe’s dungeon and came out beneath a rough stone bridge surrounded by trees. At first, it was hard to believe we stood at the heart of a city of millions. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful, with the sun setting in the west and the birds still chirping in the branches. A few seconds later, however, it became clear that this wasn’t the wilderness. The Irish moors had been completely silent; stand in one place long enough, and it felt as if you were the only person in the entire world. Here, though, the air held the quiet stillness of approaching night, you could still catch the faint sounds of horns and street traffic, filtering through the trees.
“Okay,” I muttered, looking at Grimalkin, who strutted to a nearby log and hopped up on it. “We’re here. Where to now?”
The cat sat down and licked dew off his paw. “That is up to you, human,” he stated calmly. “I cannot look over your shoulder every step of the way. I brought you to your destination—what you do next is no concern of mine.” He drew the paw over his ears and licked his whiskers before continuing. “According to Leanansidhe, there have been several disappearances in Central Park. So you are in the right place to start looking for…whatever it is that you are looking for.”