He was astonished to see real tears pooled in those impossibly purple eyes. No one had ever apologized to him before. No one had ever shed a tear on his behalf.
Except Skye. She was the one who mattered. The one who needed him to escape from this Samhain night without being sucked in by any fairies – good or bad. “If you ever cared about me, if you are truly sorry, then take me to Skye.”
“I cannot.”
“I’m not going to stop her from activating your precious crystal.”
“Of course ye won’t. Ye plan on asking a boon of the Queen. It’s yer only chance for freedom.”
Kheelan’s hands fisted at his sides. “You knew that all along, all of you. I led you right to your legend. You’ve been sitting back waiting until the time was right to separate us and then snag her for your own selfish purpose.”
“Maybe yer more like us than ye thought.”
The accusation stung like a horde of wasps on his soul. “Okay, maybe in the beginning . . .” his words trailed off. Kheelan kicked at some broken twigs on the frozen ground, dismayed to discover his dream had not quite died. “Why shouldn’t I escort her to the ceremony? It won’t hurt Skye if I call in the boon.” His spine stiffened. “She wants my freedom as much as I do.”
Again, those unfathomable fae eyes stared at him unblinking. “I am forbidden to take ye to her –”
His hope plummeted.
“– but the Queen didn’t explicitly say ye couldn’t follow along tonight.”
“You mean . . . there’s still a chance I could be set free?”
Annwynn patted her hair and fluttered her raspberry wings. “Ye must choose wisely, my sweet. Yer freedom may cost Skye hers.”
His mind wrestled with Annwynn’s warning. “The Seelie Court Fae have no intention of letting Skye go after she does them this huge favor,” he said slowly. “They will trap her forever.”
“Ye have to see it from our side. Yer Skye knows all about us, will be shown our most sacred relic, one that protects us from the Dark Fae.”
“Skye would never betray you.”
“Perhaps. But I don’t think our Queen will take that chance.” Annwynn snaked a frosty hand on his arm. “Ye would still be rewarded, Kheelan. A nice Fae girl to warm yer bed as long as ye like.”
Kheelan shook off her arm. “I don’t want another fairy girl. I want Skye.”
“Foolish youth.” Annwynn shook her head. “Yer Skye would be well-treated. She is our legend, The One, and the Seelie Fae would love her for her kindness and power.”
“It’s still enslavement. No matter how you say the fairies would worship her.”
Annwynn’s face took on its sly gleam. “It is what the lass has always wanted, isn’t it? To be loved, admired, and accepted?”
He gazed bleakly at his former Guardian, the only fairy who had ever showed him any semblance of love. “You don’t know what it’s like to be separated from your human family, from having friends of your own kind.” Kheelan tamped down his pride. “Please. Don’t do this to Skye. I don’t want her to suffer.” Like me, he added silently.
The wind through the trees stirred up, creating a mournful cry.
“Remember what I told ye about choosing wisely,” Annwynn said at last. She reached in and brushed Kheelan’s cheek with the faintest draft of cool air from her red lips. “My sweet,” she whispered so softly he might have imagined the words. She pulled away. “Hefeydd and Ealdun will escort ye to shelter until the ceremony tonight.”
Annwynn left as suddenly as she had arrived, her scent evaporating in the void.
Kheelan knew what he had to do.
***
Cold and shivering, Skye paced the sidewalk. No one else stirred in the street lined with houses and apartments. Here and there a light went on behind a curtained window and she heard the sound of an occasional car from the highway a few miles south. As cold as she was, Kheelan had to be much colder since she wore his coat. Unless . . . no, she refused to think he was no longer capable of feeling the bitter chill.
She kicked around some pebbles lying in her path. In the gray and brown colored landscape, a spot of color rolled an inch from her left shoe. She automatically bent to pick it up, examining the muddy orange. A chip of carnelian. Skye palmed it between her hands, willing its fire energy to give her a flash of courage and wisdom. A word leapt into her mind:
Finvorra.
He might be her last chance since he was her only earthly link to Kheelan. If Finvorra was a Guardian, then by goddess he could act like one. For humans, ‘guardian’ meant a protector but in the fairy world maybe it meant to guard one from escape. Kheelan told her he tried to run away once when he was eighteen and the fairies tracked him down. If the Fae had a magical human GPS locator, they could use it again.