“Now, I’m going to take my beautiful wife out of here and let her scold me for a while.”
“It’ll be more than a scolding, Richard Carmichael. What were you thinking? Pay the poor girl off?” Leslie was already berating Richard as he held the door for her, and he hung his head as he followed her out.
“You’re right, darling.”
“How … how are you?” Luch came to stand by me, raising and then lowering his hands awkwardly as though he didn’t know what to do or say.
“I’m hurt,” I said, and Luch snapped to attention.
“What do you need? Should I call Lynn? Where does it hurt?”
“Here.” I tapped my heart.
“Oh.” Luch’s face fell. “My father’s the heart surgeon.”
“I think I know what will help.”
“What’s that?” Luch’s eyes were wary, his face heavy with sadness.
“A hug.” I patted the bed next to me.
“Can I? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” I scooted so that Luch could crawl in, and he lifted me easily, maneuvering me until I was cradled against his chest, and when I heard his steady heartbeat beneath my ear, the tears came.
“Och, don’t. I’ll never forgive myself if you cry, Faelan.”
“Happy tears,” I gulped out. “I promise.”
“I haven’t slept. Two days you’ve been out, and nothing was bringing you back. I tried the tea. Everyone was here. Sophie, Lia, Shona … the whole lot of them. Did you know they’re all magick too? We had every type of healer and healing things we could find in here. And nothing helped.”
“It all helped. I just needed one last healer. My mum.”
“You saw her?” Luch sucked in a breath, and I tilted my head to look up at him.
“Aye. I was on the edge, between the worlds, and she brought me back.”
“That’s … terrifying. Just to think how close you were. I almost lost you.” Luch’s voice rumbled in his chest and his arms tightened around me. “Before I could even tell you what I was. It was all a mess in my head. I should have trusted you with my secret, Faelan. You gave me yours, I should have told you mine. I’m sorry, I am, for not showing you my world sooner.”
“I understand. I don’t like it. But I understand.”
“Do you?” Luch shifted so he could pull me more tightly against him, and the heartbeat monitor registered an increase in my beats. We both laughed softly.
“I do. Because if I’m being truthful with myself? I’m not sure when I would have told you about healing. Not with what you’d told me about your mum, and especially due to your clear dislike for healers. If I hadn’t been tossed into telling you, I might never have said anything. Or waited a good long time before I did.”
“You’re giving me a lot of grace, Faelan. But I’ll take it. I don’t ever want to lose you again or give you reason to think you can’t trust me.”
“Is that it? The last of the secrets?”
“Well, I have two more.”
“Two more?” I twisted and pushed myself up on his chest, glaring down at him.
“Aye. The first is … well, I can hear Oban talk tome. In my head.”
“Och, that’s nothing. I can hear him, and most of the other animals too.”
“What? You never told me that!” Luch’s mouth dropped open, and I laughed, surprising myself.
