Curse And Craving

27

Her eyes grew hard, and her mouth set in determination. “I’m telling you, it’s nothing. Let it go.” I sat back in my chair at her reproach and wondered what had gotten into her. Being at a bar, it was entirely possible that she had seen a boyfriend or an ex out with someone else. It made me realize that I had never asked about a significant other. My eyes subtly scanned the animated crowd for any young men around Cat's age but instead, they landed on a shapely blonde who I knew all too well. As I watched her, just like the last time I had seen her, my vision blurred, and her image morphed into that of the vampire woman. I released an audible gasp as the woman openly flirted with an attractive man at the bar. Her clawed fingers seductively caressed his upper arm, and she leaned her chest into him as she laughed. Before I could see more, Cat’s hand grabbed my arm and wrenched me around. “Don’t look at it! Never let them know that you can see them. We will sit here with smiles on our faces, drinking our pints like everyone else in the pub.” All shock had gone from her face, and she now wore a fierce expression. “You see them too! How … are you Fae?” In my surprise, I spoke a bit louder than I had intended. I was stunned and elated to discover I wasn’t alone. I’d thought it was me up against the Huntsmen, but if others like me existed, that changed everything. “Quiet, you eejit! Of course, I’m not one of them.” “How can you see them?” “I have the same question for you.” Her brow raised expectantly. “I don’t really know. I just started seeing them when I got to Belfast, and I wasn’t sure if I couldn’t see them before or if there weren’t any for me to see where I lived.” I wasn’t ready to tell her about my necklace. After considering my answer, she lowered her chin in acceptance. “This is not the first time you’ve seen them here?” I shook my head solemnly. “And you didn’t seem surprised to see this one. Have you seen her before?” “I’ve seen her once before. What did you say when you saw her? Something about LeeAnn?” She leaned in so that her lips were almost touching my ear. “Leannan Sidhe.” The words sounded like lee-anan shee and were completely foreign to me. She pulled away but still spoke softly. “I’ve never seen one before, but I’m pretty sure that’s what she is. They appear to be gorgeous women who lure men with their beauty and then feed from the men. It's probably where the idea of a vampire comes from. While she has fangs and will drink blood, that’s just the means by which she takes the man's energy. Drains him until he's either dead or wishes he were.” She paused, almost lost in her own words. “More have appeared lately, and I’ve no idea why.” “How is it you know about them?” I asked softly. “My people have known about them for centuries, but I can't tell you any more than that. I’ll have to tell the elders about you, and they can decide what you can be told. It would help if you'd tell me more about yourself and how you can see the Fae.” Of course. Yet another person who knew what was going on but couldn’t give me any information. I fought off a surge of frustration. “There isn’t anything else to tell you. I’m totally in the dark.” Intelligence sparked behind her narrowed eyes. “The other night when you were mugged, was it a human who attacked you?” I slowly shook my head. “No, it was a Draug. I’m pretty sure it would have killed us if Lochlan hadn’t shown up. I assume that's why you told me not to go there. You knew they were Fae.” Her brows came together in confusion. “Did they tell you about the Fae then, or did you know already?” “I’ve gotten a small amount of information from them. They don’t share easily.” “Lochlan knows that you are aware of the Fae, and he didn't have a problem with that?” She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yes, but he doesn't seem thrilled that I showed up here.” She paused, eyes tight as if trying hard to put together the pieces of a puzzle. “It's my understanding they keep to themselves and are not usually open to humans knowing about them. But for some reason … they have accepted you. I'm not sure if I'm more intrigued or terrified by you.” “Please don't be scared of me. Everything about this move so far has been traumatizing. You and the museum are the only normal, comforting parts of my life here. Although I suppose you aren't entirely normal since you see the Fae, too. I could really use your friendship, though. I swear there's nothing dangerous about me.” She glanced down at her hands. “Lucky for you, I take more risks than I should—or so my mam says.” Her eyes peered up at me through her lashes, and a corner of her mouth curved up. “I'm not sure who you are or what's going on here lately, but I suppose we'll figure it out. Don't you worry. I'm not going anywhere.” “Thank you, Cat. You don't know how much that means to me. Can I ask why you seem so surprised that Lochlan and Ronan talk to me?” “I can't tell you much, but they’re predators, Rebecca. Those men are frighteningly powerful and dangerous. I’ve seen what they’re capable of, and you don’t want anything to do with them.” Somewhere in her warning lay a history of events, but she wouldn’t tell me more. She honestly believed in her warning, and I wouldn’t dismiss it, but I had only seen Ronan and Lochlan behave like typical human men. It was hard to condemn them when I hadn’t witnessed them do anything wrong. In fact, each had helped me in their own ways. “I know you can’t tell me more. I’m just glad to know someone else out there knows.” I met her eyes and hoped mine conveyed my sincerity. “I’ll see what I can do, but my family is exceptionally private.” I gave her a thumbs-up and finished the last of my beer as I watched the Leannan Sidhe walk hand in hand out of the bar with the unsuspecting man. She would kill him, and I couldn’t do a thing about it. My internal struggle must have been evident on my face because Cat placed her hand on my arm and shook her head. “You can’t interfere. It’s too dangerous.” Her voice was soft but firm, and while I understood, it still pained me to watch the man walk willingly to his death. “How can creatures like that kill humans willy-nilly? Wouldn't people start to figure out a predator is loose?” “I've no idea how often she feeds or if she always kills. She may know to cover her tracks to keep from alerting the Hunt. They'll find her, though.