Page 18 of Crown of the Fae King

7

Clouds Between My Knees

Iexplained where Rena lived, in Eden, and a second later, we were standing behind a fat juniper tree across the darkened street. While we watched, country music leaked out the door when half a dozen people came and went, scurrying to or from a nearby house in the bitter cold.

“Looks like she’s dragged some of her neighbors over to celebrate leaving Twila’s.”

Inside the house was standing room only. When we declined Rena’s invitation to join the party, she put on her coat and came outside. I briefly explained that I had intended to leave my car with her, but Andy had totaled it. She was a little too drunk to understand, but at least plenty of people had seen us standing there, alive and well, though freezing our butts off.

Wickham explained we had an uber waiting around the corner and we had to go. After one last hug, Rena released me, and he and I headed down the sidewalk and around the corner. He stopped below a streetlight, looked up and down the road, then waved his hand and the light went out.

The darkness made it feel ten degrees colder.

“I’m pleased to find ye’ve an open mind, Lennon Todd.” He grabbed my left hand and held tight. “Take hold of my arm, for balance.”

“Balance?”

“I’m about to show ye Ireland. Would ye like that?”

“What? Why am I going to lose my balance?” I thought of Superman. “You can’t freaking fly, can you? It’s a little too cold to—”

If I finished that sentence, I left the last few words in Idaho. And when I say left, I mean I was somewhere else when my mouth stopped moving. It was still cold, still dark, but the little neighborhood of Eden--full of cars and lit windows and the streaking shadows of cats on the prowl--was gone.

Rolling hills of snow spread out in every direction. The only light came from a long cottage with a low roofline. Gridded windows filled with yellow light teased the possibility of warmth, if I could just get inside. The moon turned the snow blue, and the moisture in the air convinced me I’d be blue soon as well. I never thought anywhere could be colder than Idaho in the middle of a winter rebound.

When he’d asked if I wanted to see Ireland, I should have suggested we try Italy first.

“Lennon.”

“What?” I found Wickham’s face. He looked worried, but hopeful.

“Ye’re all right, then?”

I shrugged, too cold to worry about my mental state. “This is Ireland?”

“It is.”

“How about Italy? Know the coordinates of somewhere warm? A beach, maybe?”

“Come on, lass. There’s a fire in the hearth. Ye’ll be warm in no time.”

“How do you know that?”

He paused enough to point above the cottage where a steady stream of smoke puffed from a chimney. There was no telling how old the place was, or if we were visiting some other century. And just in case he was my only ticket back to the twenty-first, I clutched Wickham’s arm like my life and sanity depended on it.

An old man opened the front door before we had a chance to knock. He greeted Wickham and called him what sounded like Shannaher.

Wickham gave him a sharp look as if he’d been insulted. “Brian, this is Lennon Todd.”

While we hung our coats on hooks behind the door, I quietly asked him what the word meant.

“Grandfather.”

I snickered. “He called you Grandfather?”

“The intended meaning is Chieftain, but I have no intention of filling that role.” He pointed to a wood chair beside the huge fireplace and the warm fire he’d promised. The gesture saidsit there. The look on his face saidsit down and zip it.

I laughed again. “I don’t know. You may want to reconsider. You’ve got a talent for bossing people around.”

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