She didn’t like me.
Me.
I refused to let that stand.
I evanesced to the center of the road, determined to set the world to rights and leave this irritating human thinking of me long into the night.
The horse came to another neck-breaking halt. A quiet curse punctuated Aveen’s low hiss.
“Where are you off to in such a rush?” I asked.
The human had the gall to roll her eyes. “Home. It’s getting late, and I don’t want to miss dinner.”When I caught the horse’s bridle, Aveen’s frown dipped into a full-on scowl. “If you’ll kindly get out of my way, I’m soaked to the bone and would hate to catch a cold.”
“Aren’t you even a little bit curious as to who I am?” A thousand questions hung on the tip of my tongue. What was her favorite dessert? Her favorite color? Her hopes and dreams and fears? What color was her stay? Would she consider showing it to me? What sounds would she make if I snatched her off that horse and pinned her against the soggy bark on that tree over there?
“Not curious enough to miss dinner.” She kicked her horse once more and galloped away, golden curls flying behind her until she disappeared around the bend.
The nerve of that obstinate human. Dismissingme.ME. As if I were nothing more than an inconvenience, not even worth missing dinner over.Shewas the inconvenience. I didn’t have time to waste on someone so weak and pathetic and . . .
Dammit.
I’d been so distracted that I’d dropped my ward, and now my boots and clothes were splattered with mud.
That feckin’ woman . . .
She’d ruined my favorite breeches.
2
The airinside the castle had been too stifling tonight, so we’d shifted our chairs and settee down to the beach to drink by the light of the moon. I hadn’t been thrilled when Tadhg suggested it, but Ruairi always sided with him, so I lost the vote. The beach was grand, but I’d be finding sand everywhere for the next month.
Ruairi tilted his glass toward me, moonlight glinting off the dark liquid within. “I can hit ye so hard it’ll knock ye off yer feet.”
We’d been debating who was the strongest of the three of us. Surprise, surprise, the pooka believed he could best me. “That’s a load of bollocks.” He couldn’t hurt a flea. Sure, he was a big fecker, but size didn’t always equal strength. I’d beaten plenty of men who were bigger than me.
“Will I prove it to ye?”
Was I going to let my brother’s dog hit me in the face?Fuck it. Why not? It wasn’t like there was anything else happening tonight. I sat my drink on the low table sitting unevenly in the sand. “Go on, then. Let’s see it.”
Ruairi’s eyes lit up like those of a child with a new toy. “Seriously?”
I nodded and lurched to my feet, readying my stance. Ruairi bounced up from the chair, his boots sinking as he searched for solid footing, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“What do I get if I stay on my feet?” I asked.
“Bragging rights,” Tadhg said from the settee, sitting upright for the first time since he’d plonked himself down two hours earlier.
I was already the most powerful man in this castle—possibly even in Tearmann. I didn’t need bragging rights. “Not good enough.” I needed to think of something better. Something that would piss him rightly off. “If I win, I get to cut your hair.”
Ruairi’s fanged smile vanished. “Ye can feck right off.”
Pooka had a thing about their hair. I remembered the dog confessing something about it a few months back, when I pretended to be passed out on the settee. It was amazing the sort of shite you could learn when people thought you were unconscious.
“Then no deal.” I reached for my drink ever so slowly. It was only a matter of time before Ruairi gave in. He always took a bet. Always.
His brow furrowed as he dragged his fang over his lower lip.
Five. Four. Three. Two . . .