Page 87 of Her Irish Treasures
I nodded slowly as a plan began to shimmer in my mind. Not just any plan. Chills rippled down my arms. I hugged myself, briskly rubbing my arms. I could feel the magic humming around me. In the mirror, my eyes glittered like jewels. Their magic? Or mine? Did it matter?
“I have an idea. Can you bring a few things for me?”
“Absolutely—as long as it’ll fit into my purse. Hammer says we’ve got to move quickly and we’ll be on his bike.”
“In my room, there should be a watercolor palette and a small pad of thick paper. Also a set of charcoal pencils.”
“Done. Anything else?”
“That should be enough. I’m guessing the guys will have a bunch of weapons we can choose from.”
“You got it. See you in about thirty minutes.”
I bent down and rummaged through my jeans until I found the gold coin. Stroking my finger over the faint outline of a woman’s face, I whispered aloud, “For luck.”
26
Istared doubtfully at the huge black SUV. I might be mistaken but it looked like some kind of military vehicle. “Why can’t I ride with one of you again? I like your motorcycles.”
“You’ll be safer inside a closed vehicle.” Aidan jerked open the back passenger door. “This beast has bulletproofed glass and armored panels.”
I scowled at him. “Which won’t keep out a fae.”
“Right,” Ivarr said in a light, cheerful voice that didn’t match his eyes. Normally shining with warm golden tones, his eyes were almost completely brown with only a hint of amber lightening them. “Which is why we’ve loaded the car down with salt and bare iron. They despise that shit.”
“I’ve also put a glamor over the vehicle,” Warwick added. “Most eyes will slide right over it without even seeing it.”
They were sending me away. It was as obvious as the huge, crooked break in Doran’s nose. All of them were walled off in my head. Concrete and granite, cold and hard and impenetrable.
Lonely.
They’d been taking lessons from Aidan in that regard.
A muscle ticked across his cheek but he didn’t deny it.
“I see,” I said softly.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
I looked from him to the other men. Keane couldn’t meet my gaze. Warwick looked sus as hell, nervously twirling his hair into long, thin braids. Ivarr turned away so hard his black coat fluttered about him like wings. Doran offered his hand to me, but only to help me step up into the big vehicle. “We’ll see you on the other side.”
I blinked back tears as I settled into the seat. Vivi and Hammer were already in the front. “Don’t lie to me.”
“Tis not a lie, love. I’ll find you, whether on this side of the veil or beyond.”
I stared straight ahead so I wouldn’t have to see the lie in his eyes. “Like you’ve found all the other treasurekeepers, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I didn’t want to spend eternity with any of them. Only you, Riann Newkirk, and find you, I will, so swears Doran Stoneheart.” He shut the door hard enough the vehicle rocked beneath me.
“Drive,” Aidan growled in a thunderous voice. “As hard and fast as you can. Don’t stop for nothing until you’re on fumes.”
Hammer floored it hard enough the tires squealed. Vivi twisted around in her seat, offering me her hand.
I grabbed her hand in mine, squeezing gratefully. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Are you okay?”
Now that they couldn’t see my tears, I indulged in a few moments of messy sobs. “I will be. Bleeding idjits.” Which only made me cry harder because that was something Doran would have said. They didn’t even kiss me goodbye. Even though they expected to die. “Tell me something good.”
