“You’re bleeding.”
Callan shrugged. “’Tis a mere scratch.”
“My brother saved my life.” William told Lucy as he hauled her into his arms, careful of the blade.
“Are you hurt?”
He had to pry her hands from the hilt of the dagger. With a grim look, William handed the blade to Callan.
Heedless of the rain, Jason promptly toddled off to retrieve the other dagger that had skittered across the stone during the stramash.
Lucy opened her mouth to reply, when she too felt the change in the air. William turned as white as snow, fear lacing his voice as he called out, “Jason, come to me.”
“We must go inside. There is danger here.” Callan called out, his guts roiling as he took a step towards them.
A massive bolt of lightning flashed, blinding in its intensity as Lucy screamed for her son, holding tight to her husband.
“Callan, take my hand, brother.” William roared over the storm.
Callan reached out for William as his brother held onto Lucy, desperate to shield her from the wrath of the gods. William stretched his hand towards Callan, panic and fear etched into his face.
Opening his mouth to shout, Callan felt the hair around his face floating in the air, somehow untouched by the rain. The smell of stone and burning cloth filled his nostrils, a scent he knew all too well. Pain, searing and intense, started at the crown of his head, traveling down his body, setting every nerve alight. It lifted him off his feet, tearing at his very being.
Then there was nothing. Silence engulfed him, so complete and all-encompassing that he couldn’t even hear his own heartbeat. Time lost all meaning as he drifted in the void, minutes stretching into hours, or perhaps days.
Suddenly, colors burst to life around him, vibrant and otherworldly. For a moment, Callan believed the storm was spiriting him away to the lands of faerie, a cursed fate he had no choice but to accept. But as quickly as they appeared, the lights winked out, plunging him into a darkness so profound that even his keen eyes, accustomed to seeing in the dimmest of light, could not penetrate the veil.
He was lost, adrift in a sea of nothingness, torn from his family and the world he knew. The gods, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor to grant him a taste of belonging, only to rip it away in a flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. All Callan could do was pray that wherever this strange journey led him, he would find his way back to his newfound brother, no matter the cost.
Boston
Present Day
“This isn’t working out.”Shawn’s words cut through the clink of silver on china and the murmured conversations all around them.
Her fingers stilled as she stared at the spot of red on the starched white linen tablecloth where she’d knocked her wine over earlier. Across the elegant candlelit table, Shawn’s expression was a polished mask of calm behind his stylish glasses.
She smoothed damp palms down the dress, trying to ignore the way her chunky beaded bracelets clashed with the upscale restaurant’s posh decor.
Her voice wavered. “What do you mean? I thought everything was going great between us.”
Shawn made a face, setting his wineglass down. “That’s just it, Daisy. You always think everything’s great, but I can’t breathe around you, the way you hover. How you have to be right next to me all the time. The guys tease me that you’d follow me into the men’s room if you thought you could get away with it.”
“But I bought tickets to the fall festival in October.” Her eyes stung.
“October?” He held up a hand.
“We talked about this. You said you’d stop being so clingy and needy all the time. I need my space.”
Heat flooded her cheeks, her throat closing up, as the harsh words sparked old familiar fears. Her eyes stung with unshed tears.
“I’m not trying to be clingy. I just... I really like you, and I don’t want to lose what we have.”
He shifted uncomfortably in the chair, looking around to see if they’d been overheard. Part of Daisy wanted to make a scene, realizing now he’d brought her here to break up with her so she wouldn’t make a fuss and embarrass him in public. Instead she sat on her hands, biting her lip, willing herself not to cry in front of him.
“I’m sorry. I’ve made up my mind.”
The waiter returned, eyeing Daisy with a frown as Shawn signed the check. After their server left, Shawn shrugged into his suit jacket, already looking past her.
