The fact that he worried for her was obvious—and something Sorcha felt deeply. From the first moment she’d met Cathal, he had affected her. She’d let him in when she had turned everyone else away. She still wasn’t sure why that was, and it didn’t matter right now. The important thing was that he and Aisling wanted to keep her safe from everyone else.
She drew in a deep breath and released it as she held Cathal’s gaze. “I want to know the real reason the Fae are after me. However, I won’t make things more difficult for you in the process. So, what would you suggest I do?”
Chapter Twelve
Cathal couldn’t believe that Sorcha had asked for his advice. He was so shocked, he could only stand there.
“Well, look at that,” Aisling said in a low voice so that only he could hear.
There was a smile in her quip, but he ignored it. He couldn’t take his eyes off Sorcha. No one had ever put their lives in his hands before. It was both exhilarating and terrifying. If he messed up even the tiniest bit, it could mean her life. The responsibility was debilitating.
Why it had been okay when he was guarding her before, he wasn’t sure. Something about her saying the words altered…everything. He couldn’t tell her that, though. Instead, he began to think of anything that could keep her from being attacked by Fae hell-bent on forcing themselves on her.
“Cathal?”
Fek. Even the sound of his name on her lips with her slight Scottish brogue was enough to make his balls tighten. He was in way over his head. He’d probably been that way from the very beginning, but he’d been too enamored by her to realize it. But now that it was before him as huge as the moon with bright red blinking lights, he couldn’t forget it.
“He’s thinking,” Aisling said for him.
Cathal swallowed, or at least he attempted to. There was no moisture in his mouth. It was as dry as the Sahara. They needed reinforcements. All of the Reapers needed to be here. But would that even be enough? He needed to get Erith and Cael here, as well.
He suddenly grunted as a small, narrow elbow jabbed him in the ribs. He glanced over to see Aisling giving him a look filled with daggers. Cathal blinked, then looked at Sorcha to find the Halfling giving him a worried look. Fek, but he had to get his shite together. And quickly.
“I don’t think leaving is a possibility,” he said. “This place has kept the Fae out. They’ve yet to cross onto your property, and all we can do is hope that holds out until it’s time for the ritual.”
Sorcha tucked a piece of hair behind her right ear. “And if it doesn’t?”
“Then we kick some arse,” Aisling said with a wide grin.
Cathal shot her an annoyed look and directed his attention back to Sorcha. “Then we’ll take you someplace safe.”
“Why not do that now?” Sorcha asked. “I don’t want to do the ritual. I told you already. I don’t want anything to do with magic.”
Aisling released a loud, drawn-out sigh. “Look, Sorcha, I’m going to tell you like it is. Sure, you’ve been lucky, and no Fae have come before now. Let’s say you don’t do the ritual this year. What are you going to do when the Fae return next year? Or the year after that? How long do you think you can go before they find you and get what they want? We won’t always be around to save your arse.”
“I’m not asking you to do it now,” the Halfling retorted.
Instead of getting angry, Aisling smiled. “I like you. A lot. You’ve got steel for a spine, even in a situation where most would be crying in a corner.” The Reaper let the smile die. “We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to keep you alive. Don’t repay us by being stupid.”
Cathal slid his gaze back to Sorcha. She stared at Aisling for a full minute without saying a word. He wasn’t sure what was going on, and he was prepared for anything. After all, Aisling was never shy about telling people the truth.
“You’re right. I am being stupid.” Sorcha shrugged. “I don’t mean to make either of you feel as if I don’t appreciate what you’re doing. I do. But I’m not going to do magic. No one and nothing can make me change my mind. And being a part of the ritual means I’d have to do magic.”
Cathal nodded as he met Sorcha’s gaze. “Then we come up with a plan where you don’t have to.”
“Guess I’m in,” Aisling said with a twist of her lips.
Sorcha smiled, and it hit Cathal right in the gut. Her emerald eyes crinkled at the corners, bright with happiness and trust. He’d never felt so inadequate for a mission before. He’d also never been so drawn to another. That played into it, it had to. What other reason could he have for reacting in such a way?
Aisling rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “First, we need to strengthen the ward around the property. I can’t believe just one old ward has held the Fae off all these years.”
“Good idea,” Cathal said. His eyes dropped to Sorcha’s mouth. He wanted a taste of it. Hell, he wanted to taste all of her.
Aisling cleared her throat loudly. “That might hold them off for now. And perhaps next year. But after that? I don’t know. They may not wait for this time of year. They may come after her every day. The minute she leaves the property, they’ll make a move.”
“I won’t leave,” Sorcha stated.
Cathal blinked, taken aback. “You intend to spend the rest of your life in this house? You ventured out today. You liked it. I saw that.”
Sorcha shrugged. “You know why I’ll stay here. Besides, they won’t want me all my life. Just during my childbearing years.”
“You’re killing me,” Aisling said as she turned and walked to the sofa before she sat down and crossed one leg over the other.
Cathal took a step closer to Sorcha. “I understand why you’re doing this, but you need to think about yourself. You don’t want to do magic, that’s fine. But the Fae don’t care. They just want what you can give them, and they’ll take it any way they can. You’ll drop your guard one day, and then they’ll have you.”
“What would you have me do?” Sorcha asked. “The ritual? Bow down to what everyone wants me to do?”
Aisling lifted a hand. “I’d like to point out that the Fae don’t want you to do the ritual. That’s why they’re here. Because you’ve not done it.”
“I’m still not buying that. They’re here for another reason,” Sorcha said.
Cathal had to admit that he had begun to wonder that himself. He turned and looked at Aisling. Their gazes met, and she blew out an exasperated breath as she got to her feet.
“You want us to dig deeper into that theory?” the Dark asked.
Cathal nodded as he glanced at Sorcha. “You can stay here and finish healing. I’ll see what I can find.”
“Oh, no. I’m good to go,” Aisling said before she disappeared.
Sorcha’s head jerked to him. “What did she just do?”
“Teleported. We also call it jumping.”
“Can you do that?”
“Aye. Most Fae can after they achieve a certain amount of power through their magic,” he explained.