Page 25 of Evil Eyed
Aidan huffed out a laugh. “You even shine while I’m spanking your ass, and not just because your butt is fire-engine red, either.”
Torn between doubt, blushing, and laughing, she looked at each of us, dazed and a little confused. “You’ve always seen the rainbows? And it’sme? Not you?”
“Always,” Doran said firmly. “From the moment you walked intoShamrocked, I couldn’t look away.”
“Aye,” Warwick added. “Spellbound I was from the very first moment. Your painting that I found was the same way.”
“So, love, are you believing us yet?” Doran cupped her cheek and she turned her face into his palm, gently rubbing against him. “Nothing that shines with such magic could ever be evil. You’re magic through and through.”
15
“He’s already here. He’s close. Someone you know. Beware.”
As the days went by, we slowly settled into a routine. Our new normal. Though I couldn’t forget Vanta’s final warning before she left.
No one set an alarm clock. No one had anyplace we had to be. I slept as long as I wanted. Between Aidan’s chocolate croissants and Keane’s masterful skills in the kitchen, I’d probably gained ten pounds already, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Sometimes I didn’t even get out of bed during the day.
Having a hot bodyguard with me twenty-four-seven made for some long, lazy, sex-filled days and nights.
When I did get up, I usually painted for an hour or two. Short creative spurts were a surprise after those long brutal shifts that had driven me to paint for hours at a time to find the clues to Doran’s prison. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to paint now. My muse felt… quiet. Not blocked in any way, just… waiting.
We were all waiting for that other shoe to drop. For another dark fae attack. Something.
Though after years of grueling, soul-sucking office work or waiting tables at a diner, this new schedule was pure heaven.
Aidan interrogated every single one of his men and swore they were all trustworthy. I’d been especially worried about Hammer despite how much Vivi loved him. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her.
But Aidan pointed out one very crucial fact. All his men had tattoos. Hammer had done most of them, and Aidan had seen Hammer get his from another artist. They couldn’t be fae—let alone Evil Eye in disguise. Not that it prevented my guys from always making sure at least one of them was with me at all times, even hanging out right outside the bathroom door. All of them carried weapons too, ready at any moment to defend me to the death.
The thought made me sick to my stomach. Something dark rumbled in the distance like a black cloud on the horizon. Balor of the Evil Eye was closing in. War and death and destruction were imminent. I needed a plan. I needed to do something. Anything.
Yet I couldn’t help but enjoy every single moment I had with them. Just in case…
No. I couldn’t bring myself to think it.
With her usual innate sense of being needed at the perfect time, Viviana stopped by with a rusty box under her arm. “I finally found it! I stuck it behind my heaviest winter coat, and I didn’t think to look back there until I took the coat to the dry cleaners.”
Staring at the small box that she set on the island, I felt a wave of emotion and nostalgia flood over me. I recognized the little tin box immediately, even through chipped paint and rust. “My treasure box!”
I hopped up on the barstool and traced a finger lightly over the lid. I’d added several layers of paint over the years, especially as my talent developed. When I’d gone to kindergarten, I’d carried my lunch to school every day in myDark Crystallunch box that Mom had picked up at a yard sale. When the original design started to chip and scratch off from daily use, I painted the whole box red with some leftover paint I’d found in the garden shed. It faded quickly, so I painted the box green and started doodling on it. Flowers and leaves and badly drawn animals. Hearts. My name. Other girly stuff I was into for a while.
I got more serious in high school. I had better tools at my disposal and my art had grown into landscapes. I couldn’t bring myself to sand off all the old layers, so I just painted over the top, incorporating the uneven textures and brush marks into my design. Then I’d sealed the whole thing in a couple of layers of polyurethane to preserve it.
I pried up the rusty latch. The hinges were tight and rusty too, so I had to grip the top and bottom with each hand and wriggle it back and forth until it popped open with a screech. Luckily I didn’t spill everything out onto the counter.
Chin in hand, Keane braced an elbow opposite me. “Let’s see all this treasure.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You’re going to be pretty disappointed by my favorite rock, a scrap of my old green coat, one tarnished golden button, and some string.” I set the items out one by one. “Plus some dried up broken leaves. Or maybe these crumbs used to be wildflowers.”
Keane picked up the rock. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know what you were doing even as a child.”
“Why’s that?”
“See the hole? You found a hag stone. They could be used as wards for protection, and there were often tales about catching glimpses of Faerie by looking through the hole.”
“Through a looking glass.” Vivi leaned closer and touched the scrap of green cloth. “Oh, honey. You can see the burn marks. I’m so sorry.”
“Do you remember what the design was on the buttons? It melted too much for me to tell.”
