“Let’s get you inside before the lucies, lusich, or whatever they’re called come back,” I ordered.
Her story could wait until we got her to safety.
“She’s not alone,” Connor warned, his gaze on the depression created by the tree’s roots tearing free when it toppled.
Frowning, I peered into the shadows, spotting Inara’s companion a second later. Eyes the color of tree sap caught mine. The look in them savage. His hair was what I noticed next. A mix of brilliant oranges, reds and auburns. The pallet of fall when the leaves began to change colors.
Immediately after, the scent of blood hit my nose. I swayed, nearly losing myself in its potency. My fangs dented my lower lip.
He smelled so good. Distinct and sharp with an undertone of musk and earth. There was a briskness to it that reminded me of the change of seasons. The hours of daylight shortening. Night becoming dominant until the return of spring.
Connor grabbed my arm when I would have drifted forward, lured by his scent. The urge to feast was overpowering. Only his strong grip anchored me to the here and now.
“Thanks,” I told him quietly.
That had been a close one. Feeding from a Fae as powerful as one of the twins would be such a bad idea. Baran and Breandan were the barrow lord’s closest confidants. The three shared a bond that was every bit as deep as the one I had with Caroline. If someone ever attempted to feed on her without her permission, you could bet I would move heaven and Earth to destroy them.
Let’s not forget the saying—be careful what you eat. That never held truer than for a vampire in her infancy.
As members of the Scattered, the twins were powerful. Frightfully so. Consuming a large quantity of their blood probably wouldn’t end well for me.
Connor was slow to release me, eyeing me distrustfully.
Not that I could blame him.
I patted him on the hand reassuringly before focusing on the two below. I wasn’t sure which of the twins had wandered onto my property, but it didn’t really matter. They were here now which made them my problem.
“We’ll go,” Inara said abruptly, looking at the twin and nodding to herself as if coming to a decision. “I should never have come here.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” I told her. “Where else would you have gone to escape those pointy eared bastards?”
I might have preferred she ditched Baran or Breandan, whichever twin he was, first, but we were here now.
“Come up to the house. We can figure this out there.”
“Aileen—”
“This isn’t a negotiation. Get moving, Inara.”
I was tired of standing out here. Whatever she had to say, she could say it inside.
Connor squeezed my arm in support. “The Fae is too injured to make it on his own. He’ll require my help.”
He stepped over the edge of the ravine, sliding down its steep side in a controlled manner.
I watched, feeling a little guilty as he strode toward the Fae. Connor had a history with their kind. They’d hunted him for centuries. Something like that was bound to create a few long-lasting wounds.
“I am going to put your arm over my shoulder and support you up the hill. Try anything that I perceive as a threat and I’ll rip your throat out,” Connor informed the twin softly.
The Fae’s response was inaudible.
Connor slid under the man’s arm and helped him stand. Once that was done, he held his hand out to Inara, palm up.
The pixie glared at the offering in affront.
“Would you prefer to fly?” Connor asked in a neutral voice that still managed to sound mocking.
Everyone there knew she wouldn’t make it two feet before crashing to the ground. Let alone all the way to the house.
