Saying it aloud dredged it all up again. Sorcha had cried so many tears throughout the years, but each time she remembered that day, she cried all over again. She had never felt so helpless or defenseless in her life. She was a Druid from one of the strongest groups in the world. And she hadn’t been able to save her family.
“Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” Cathal said.
She snorted and lowered her gaze to look at their hands. “If I hadn’t been out late the night before, if I hadn’t taken the lead, if my magic had worked, if—”
“You could do that for eternity. Whether you want to hear this or not, your mum and sister were there, as well. They hold some of the responsibility. You said yourself that all three of you were experts. I saw you at the cliffs in Ireland. I can tell how good you are. I may not have known your mother, but she doesn’t sound like the type of woman who would’ve let you take the lead if she didn’t think you could handle it.”
Sorcha shrugged. “It was a climb we’d made many times.”
“Accidents happen. That doesn’t mean you’re to blame just because you survived.”
“I wish I could believe you, but I was there. I witnessed all of it.”
He licked his lips and briefly lowered his gaze. “Had your sister ever cut her finger before on a climb?”
“No, but I have. It makes it impossible to climb.”
“You couldn’t have possibly known that she’d do that.”
Sorcha smiled. “I know what you’re doing, but the simple fact is, if I’d made sure we were clipped in, none of that would have happened.”
“You can’t know that for sure.”
“Neither can you. I didn’t take the climb seriously. It was one of the rules my mother had. None of us climbed unless our heads were completely in it. You had to have total concentration, or you could fall.”
His nostrils flared as he held his gaze. “It sounds like none of you had full concentration that day if you were arguing.”
Sorcha parted her lips to respond when she realized that he was right. “That doesn’t take away my culpability, however.”
“It was a tragedy to be sure. You hate the Fae because had you not been talking with one, you wouldn’t have stayed out or kept secrets from your family,” Cathal pointed out. “You don’t do magic because you feel like it let you down when you needed it the most. You don’t leave the house because you don’t feel as if you should be living while your family is gone. And you don’t want to be a part of anything to do with the Druids because you think you don’t deserve it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You got all of that by my story?”
“No,” he said softly. “I got all of that by watching you, hearing the story, and feeling your emotions.”
Sorcha looked away, feeling more vulnerable and exposed than she had in a very long time. She hadn’t told a single person that story. Not Corann, not her friends, not the authorities. No one. When the police asked her questions, it was just to confirm that it had been an accident. She’d wanted to tell them the truth, but she hadn’t been able to get the words out.
Cathal blinked, his forehead furrowing. “Bloody hell. You think the authorities should’ve locked you away.”
“How do you do that?” she asked. “I said nothing aloud.”
“It’s all over your face.”
Sorcha shrugged. “It’s true. I do feel like I should be in jail. Everything you said before was right. Except I would add that I should be behind bars, not living my life.”
“You didn’t kill your mother and sister,” Cathal stated firmly. “Corann must have known that as well, or he wouldn’t have stayed by your side.”
Now it was her turn to frown. “You knew Corann?”
“I didn’t know him personally, but I knew of him.”
“Who are you?” Because one thing was for certain, he wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met before.
Cathal couldn’t hold her gaze. “You know who I am.”
“No, I don’t, actually. You’re a Fae with a Dark’s coloring, but you don’t act like any Dark I’ve heard about. You just seem…different.”
“Because I am.”
“I opened up to you and told you my deepest, darkest secret, and you can’t even tell me who you are?” Sorcha pulled her hands from his and got to her feet. She walked away from him a few paces before she stopped and looked back. “I’ve told you things I’ve never shared before. Not because you forced me but because I wanted to. You’re the first stranger that has been inside this house in years. You sought me out. Why? Just to tell me I’m a Halfling? Why does it matter what’s in my blood?”
Cathal slowly got to his feet. “Because you’re in danger.”
“From some Fae wanting to sleep with me to get me pregnant?” She laughed and quirked a brow. “That wouldn’t happen to be you, would it? I mean, if I was ever going to take a Fae to my bed, I have to admit, you definitely fit the bill.”
To her shock, he seemed unable to find words.
“Is that it?” she pressed. “You saving me in Ireland, you rescuing me from the Light Fae at the pools, and then coming here and healing my ankle. Was it all a setup for you to get into my pants?”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head.
She shrugged and let her arms fall to her sides. “I’ll be honest, it’s been a very, very long time since I’ve had sex. I might have forgotten how to do it, actually. But at the end of the day, I’m not interested in anything like that. Not with anyone. Even you, as hot as you are. And the very last thing I want is to get pregnant.”
“Then you better do the ritual.”
Sorcha rolled her eyes and walked to the door. “Thank you for the information. I’ll consider it, but I think it’s time you left.”
At that exact moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by a woman’s Irish voice. “Cathal, you need to get out here!”
“What the hell?” Sorcha asked as she gaped at Cathal. “Did you think I was into threesomes? Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder.”
Cathal strode past her. “This is nothing sexual. The Fae are surrounding your house, vying to get to you. The moment you leave for anything, they’ll pounce on you like that Light Fae did today. And no, whatever you may think of me, I haven’t done any of this just to get into your pants. As appealing as that may sound.”
Sorcha was so shocked at his words that she could only look at him as he removed her hand and opened the door. Then she found herself staring at a gorgeous Dark Fae female with long, black and silver hair that was done up in numerous small braids. Her red eyes landed on Sorcha before she beckoned to Cathal with a long, red nail.
“Things are getting pretty intense out here, big guy,” the woman said.
Cathal looked at Sorcha. “No matter what happens, stay inside the house. You’re protected in here.”
Before she could even nod, he shut the door as he walked out. Sorcha rushed to the window and jerked open the curtains, but there was no sign of either of them. She blinked before running to another window, then another, and another, and another. It didn’t matter where she looked, she couldn’t see Cathal or the woman. She didn’t have any lights outside the house, but the moon was nearly full and shed enough light on the land to make it easy to see. Sorcha was turning away when she saw something along the fence that separated her property from her neighbor. There was a man there. Just standing. Not far from him was another figure.