Page 6 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

“Well, I’m here now.”

“Aye, so ye are. And with a new pet on yer arm. Why don’t ye mind yer pet and I’ll mind yer mother.”

Bridie narrowed her eyes. “Ye’ll be on yer best behavior, Muddy, or I’ll thank ye to leave.” Her eyes flew wide. “Oh, no! I meant to say Mully.” She gave Griffon’s arm a harmless slap. “See what ye made me do?” When she turned toward the door, she gave me a quick wink that convinced me she’d called him Muddy on purpose.

I loved her instantly.

* * *

Griffon letthe screen slam shut after us, but Colm opened it and let himself in like an obnoxious neighbor kid who refused to take a hint, taking advantage of Bridie’s reluctance to be rude. He tagged along, at a safe distance, as the woman gave me a quick tour of the house that took us to the second floor. And as the minutes passed, Griffon’s scowl grew darker in direct opposition to Colm’s widening grin.

Finally, at the bottom of a stairway that led to a third floor, Griffon turned and growled, but Colm had disappeared.

Bridie chuckled. “Muddy was always foolish,” she told me, “but never stupid.”

We followed her slippered feet to the top of the stairs. At the far side of a small landing, she opened the door to a large room with angled ceilings and a wide bed pushed against the outer wall between two gabled windows. Piled in the corners were the kind of things you’d expect to find in an attic. Suitcases, a stack of paintings on the floor tipped against the wall. Boxes labeled with markers, but not a speck of dust.

“Griffon’s room,” Bridie said. “It’s become a bit of a catch-all, I’m afraid. I can assign Lucy to Daphne’s room, I suppose—”

“She’ll sleep here, Mother. I’ll be comfortable in the barn.”

The woman looked relieved and nodded before she padded to the door. “Ye’ll find a shirt now, Griffon, and stop embarrassing the lass. I’ll just see where Muddy’s gotten to. Not the kind of Fae ye want wanderin’ ‘round yer house unsooopervised.”

As she went, she very intentionally left the door half open.

Griffon marched after her and just as intentionally pushed it wider, then gestured to the hallway with a nod. “Kissing behind closed doors will insult her sensibilities.”

“Oh. So you’renotgoing to kiss me?”

“What do you think?”

He went to the chest of drawers, produced a decadently soft-looking sweater and pulled it on. It had blob-shaped patches of gray, white, and black that overlapped. He slowly stalked back to me as if daring me to run. I had to admit I was tempted, just so he could catch me as he’d done before. The entire female sex would be disgusted and disappointed in me, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted him, and just as badly, I wanted him to show me how badly he wanted me.

I took a step back, just to worry him. He laughed and closed the space between us in one long stride. When his mouth came down on mine, there was nothing gentle about it, and with his arms, he clutched me to him like he might never let me go.

It was perfect. No matter what happened afterward, I would at least have this.

We had inched halfway to the bed before we came to our senses. Griffon cleared his throat and led me to the window instead, to point at a small barn out back. “I’ll be there tonight. You see? Not far at all.” He glanced at me, watching my response. I didn’t know if he was inviting me to sneak out of the house or trying to reassure me. “Anything happens, anything at all, you open this window and holler, do you understand?”

A shudder ran through me. “Colm won’t be staying in the house, will he?”

“Over my dead body.”

“Then I should be fine.” Something worried him and I asked what it was.

“Wickham does not know about this place. My father’s enchantments are much more powerful than any witch’s. They cannot come after you here.” He nodded toward the open door, where sounds of distant conversation were little more than a murmur. “Colm only got through because my mother invited him. Without an explicit invitation, he couldn’t find the place though he’s been here a dozen times.”

“I don’t understand. Who is he?”

“He and Daphne were together for a while. A few years ago. Until she realized he was just a gilhooly.”

“Gilhooly?”

“A person with questionable instincts. Full of bologna.”

“Ah. I didn’t realize Fae would have those too.”

He leaned down to kiss me, but I kept it short, knowing how little control I had left. I stepped away from the window, pulled a chair from under a desk, and sat down. The only seat left was the bed, which he took.

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