He looked down at me. His eyes burned against his stark white skin. "It'll only hurt for a little while," he said.
I stared at him. He was not going to help me.
"Take your hands off me. Let me go right now." I wiggled with renewed vigor fed by fear, and all I could do is kick the air. "Please don't hurt me anymore."
Tomas's heavy hands held my shoulders down.
The fairy-man gripped the iron pole. My stomach dropped and my heart leaped into my throat. I felt the blood drain from my head.
I screamed, "Don't!"
He cried out something harshly as he yanked the iron from Breandan's chest. My torso jerked violently. My eyes bulged and tried to escape their sockets. Stomach squeezing into nothing every muscle in my body clenched. My insides wrenched, and my heart just - stopped. Tomas held my thrashing body by the shoulders, pushing me down onto the damp, mossy floor. Conall spun round, took Breandan's head in both hands and roared. The sound was deep, vex and violent. Breandan's back contorted, arced off the floor. Writhing in agony a silent screech of pain deformed his expression. He convulsed then became languid.
Conall slumped, pressing his head on the ground.
The pain released me, and the absence of hurt was stark. I curled into a ball. Peering into Tomas's face, remarkably, my thoughts were clear and focused. I had survived the ordeal and it had felt like the end. What would have happened to Breandan?
"The next words coming out of your mouth need to be telling me he's okay," I said.
He glanced over her shoulder. There was a beat where he stilled and everything around me disintegrated but then, he breathed out and nodded. "He lives," he said and slid back.
I craned my neck to see around him, and for a moment all I could see was the broad back of the fairy-man, huddled over and blocking Breandan from my sight. Hissing in anger, I surged onto all fours. And then he shifted to the side, holding Breandan by the arm. He said something close to Breandan's ear, and my fairy-boy started, looked around wildly before our gazes locked.
I crawled forward, the effort sweetly painful. The closer I got the brighter his skin glowed. I sprung up, stumbled, and slid on a branch. Legs wobbling my tail twitched madly. The glow of Breandan's skin increased. He sat on his knees swaying; opening out his arms his face brimmed with emotion as I fell into them. The moment he clutched me I pressed my eyes closed at the brilliant light that blasted from our joined bodies, and the power that flowed through me was hot and eager. It flared, rubbing at my nature until I found myself digging my fingers into Breandan's back for fear it would sweep me away.
A startled yell echoed into the trees, and a flock of nesting birds took off into the sky. The energy drained, the light cut off and it was dark. I opened my eyes, and as my vision corrected itself I blinked to help it along.
My gaze travelled down to see someone sprawled on the floor. Tomas, whorls of sweet smelling smoke emanated rising from his body, was face up and motionless. I jerked from Breandan's grip and crawled toward him. Opening his eyes he groaned. I stopped, wary. Lightening patches on his ivory skin healed as he jumped up and wobbled unsteadily. He scowled, plainly troubled at his own lack of dexterity. He saw me, half reaching out to him and half holding back.
"I'll need to feed again," he said quietly.
My heart back flipped in my chest. I had a flash of memory, his fangs sinking into my flesh and shivered.
"Then do not let us keep you," said the fairy-man before I could answer.
Tomas's gaze twitched from mine, and he bowed his head in a show of respect. "The girl and I have personal business to attend to," he said with more than a hint of ownership in his voice. "I cannot leave."
The fairy-man returned the gesture though his mouth pressed into a thin line and a vein in his neck bulged. "Whatever debt she owes you for your help will be paid. You have my word, but you cannot come where we are to go."
I studied his face and wondered who he was. Clearly he was an oath-sworn rebel, to have come with Conall. He couldn't be older than his mid twenties in human years, making him ancient as a fairy. He felt dangerous, vicious. In comparison Conall's presence was timid.
"You know boy-vampire," he continued. "When a fairy speaks it can only speak the truth."
I blinked at that. I'd lied out of my ass a thousand times before.
