He swallowed and shook his head as he looked down. “She never told you about me?”
“No.” That’s all she was going to give him.
The Fae blew out a breath and raised his gaze to hers, no longer seeming quite so confident. “My name is Eamon. I met your mother twenty-nine years ago tomorrow. As soon as I saw her, she claimed my heart.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“I thought she would’ve told you about me. Where is she? Bring her out here, and she’ll tell you the truth.”
Sorcha’s throat clogged with emotion as she said, “Mum died ten years ago.”
The shock on Eamon’s face was real. “I didn’t know.”
“If you’re my father, then why are you here now?”
“I’ve been…away. I couldn’t get back here.”
Sorcha rolled her eyes. “Convenient.”
“It also happens to be the truth.”
She quirked a brow, waiting for him to tell her more.
He blew out a frustrated breath. “I wasn’t supposed to touch your mother. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love either, but I did. I went against my queen, and for that, Usaeil locked me in a prison so I couldn’t return.”
“Usaeil is dead. You could be making that up.”
“She put me in a cell she designed, not the Light Prison. When she died, the magic holding me evaporated. That’s when I began looking for your mother. I saw you and realized who you were.”
Sorcha wanted to believe him. If this were true, it would mean that her father wasn’t a bad person. But she couldn’t forget the way the mare had moved away from him. “Tell me why the other Fae are here for me?”
“They’re looking for me.”
She gave a snort of laughter. “You were doing so good, then you had to go and ruin it. You aren’t my father.”
Sorcha spun around and started back to the house. There was a sound of something behind her, then she heard Cathal shout her name. She looked over her shoulder to see an iridescent ball coming straight at her. It was pure instinct that had her diving to the side.
Chapter Seventeen
He was going to kill the Fae. The moment Cathal saw the ball of magic being thrown at Sorcha, he started toward the Light. But Aisling held him back.
“Get yourself together,” she whispered through clenched teeth.
He glanced down at her, surprised by her strength. Then his gaze jerked to Sorcha. She was on the ground, the magic having missed her by a foot. The Fae sneered at her. Cathal fisted his hands.
“Get ahold of yourself,” Aisling ground out.
They were close enough to both Sorcha and the Fae to be heard, which was why Aisling whispered. Fortunately, Sorcha and the Fae were too focused on each other to take notice.
Sorcha jumped to her feet and glared at the Fae. “Take a good look, wanker, because this is as close as you’ll ever get to me.”
He laughed. “You think you’re smarter than me? Think again. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Halfling or a Skye Druid, you’ll never have what it takes to best me.”
“I just did.”
“You think you can keep us off your land forever?” The Fae threw back his head and laughed.
It sent a chill down Cathal’s spine. He glanced at Aisling to see her staring intently at the Fae.
Sorcha suddenly smiled. Then she yelled, “Hey, Fae! Any Fae in the area? Show yourselves.”
To Cathal’s shock, twenty other Fae appeared. Both Dark and Light, male and female. But not one of them was on Sorcha’s property.
She let her gaze scan over them, completely ignoring the one who had attempted to harm her. “I hear there is interest in coming onto my land. I also hear it’s because one of you wants to get me pregnant.”
One of the female Dark barked with laughter. “I don’t want to get you pregnant.”
Sorcha walked closer to the Dark on the opposite side of the property and that fence. Cathal stayed near her while Aisling remained behind.
“Of course, you don’t,” Sorcha told the Dark. “What is it you do want from me?”
The female shrugged, her pixie-cut black and silver hair barely moving in the wind. “You really think you’ll get one of us to tell you something other than a lie?”
“Good point,” Sorcha said with a twist of her lips. “If that’s the case, then there’s no reason for any of you to be here because I’m never letting you onto my property.”
An older Light Fae male spoke up then. “You won’t have a choice soon.”
Sorcha’s gaze swung to him. “And why’s that?”
“Because you’ve been protected. That’s ending.”
Cathal frowned, his mind racing while trying to figure out what was going on.
Sorcha nodded slowly. “That’s a plausible story.”
“It isn’t a story.” Silver eyes held Sorcha’s as the Fae blew out a breath. “There’s a bounty on your head. There has been since the moment you were born.”
Cathal found his gaze locked on Sorcha. He knew that he should be looking at the others, but he was too concerned about her. He couldn’t tell if anything she was being told affected her. She had already been through so much. He didn’t want her to suffer any more pain.
Sorcha licked her lips. “One Fae told me he was my father.”
“Your father is the one who has been protecting you,” the Light told her.
Cathal moved closer to Sorcha so he stood just a few feet behind her. It allowed him to watch her as well as the Light she spoke with. The other Fae gave the Fae dirty looks, which made Cathal think that he might be telling Sorcha the truth.
The Light didn’t seem to notice or care that the others were coming closer to him. His gaze was on Sorcha alone. “Your father’s name is Eamon, and he wanted nothing more than to come here and meet you himself. He’s wanted it for so very long.”
Cathal knew how words regarding a parent could confuse a person. He’d let someone do that to him once. The problem was, he wasn’t sure if this Fae spoke lies, or if it was the truth. He turned his head to Aisling to find her staring at him. She gave him a nod to let him know that she was listening, as well.
“Is this where you tell me I act just like my mother?” Sorcha retorted.
The Fae smiled sadly. “I never met your mother. I wish I had come to see her, but I…well, I listened to others instead and didn’t.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a ball of magic slammed into him from behind. The Light fell to his knees, pain contorting his features. Sorcha started to go to him but decided against it at the last minute.
“Stay here,” Cathal told her. “Aisling is going to help him.”
He’d never told Sorcha that he could be veiled indefinitely. She didn’t seem surprised to hear him so close beside her. Nor did she look for him. Most people would’ve demanded that he tell them what was going on. But not his Sorcha.
He watched as Aisling took out the female Light who had attacked the male. Unfortunately, the original attack on the Light seemed to broadcast to all the others that it was time to kill the Fae.