lover knowingly, and it wasn’t her personality that drew him. But they’d grown closer. He understood her now, in ways he guessed no one before him had been close enough to experience.
With his thoughts going nowhere fast, Nathan shoved them to the back of his mind. He had to decide what to do next.
Ever since meeting a talking tree, he’d been trying to avoid thinking through all that wise being had said. And one thing had been clear, the tree-folk were in agreement that the half-humans were needed for some reason, and the sacred Well of Slaine was the best place for them.
Thrum had given him a perfectly plausible next step. Trouble was, Tessa also knew o f that step – the Well of Slaine, where the other half-humans were gathering to wait for the Sidhe to end the threat to their lives. She’d expect him to go there, because she knew another key piece of information as well: he didn’t know of any portals that would take him beyond the veil. The chances of stumbling onto one seemed too slim to count on, and Nathan wouldn’t know where to start. Given all that, what other choice did he have?
Blip. Season stared at him, hovering a few feet away. “Are you alright now?”
“Sure. I’m fine,” he lied.
The pixie tilted her head to one side, still regarding him with a woeful expression.
“What are you so sad about?” Nathan asked. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
“Well, yes,” Season agreed. “But I didn’t realize you were actually in love with her.”
Nathan coughed to cover the ache in his throat, and turned to start down the trail to the only destination that had come to mind in this strange world. At least there would be others like him there. If anyone could understand how odd the last few weeks had been, it would be the half-humans awaiting their fate at the Well of Slaine.
He wouldn’t answer Season’s assertion. He couldn’t even bring himself to ponder the question right now. Love? If this was it, he was better off without.
“I don’t know how I let myself be used again and again. Bertran. Abarta. Even Nathan has wanted something from me almost from the beginning.” Tessa stifled a sniff, and straightened her posture. She had her dignity. It might be all she had left, before long.
“To be fair, it seemed to me you wanted the same from him. And it wasn’t just sex with the two of you.” Thrum’s branches waggled a bit, so Tessa knew the tenor of the conversation agitated the treewoman. The tree -folk were a calm sort by nature, who were accustomed to a rather narrow range of emotional states. The extremes could really throw them off.
“You’re right, Thrum. I almost started to think of Nathan as…”
“Yes?”
“Oh, never mind. He did prove a decent distraction, which I needed sorely. And that is enough about that.” Tessa scowled into the trees. She wondered how close Nathan was to the Well of Slaine at this point. She’d thought about going after him, but held back. They didn’t have anything to say to each other at the moment. Maybe after he calmed down a little…but she wouldn’t waste her time thinking about that. Nathan was going to the sacred well, she was almost certain of it, and he would be safe there.
Tessa was free to pursue Abarta using whatever crazy plan she could come up with, and Nathan would be far away from the crossfire.
“Thrum, will you listen for word of my brother, Mikhail? He’s beyond the veil, and when he returns, I need you to tell him we spoke today. I am not returning home.”
“You are worried about your brother?” Thrum spoke with all t he concern such a staid being could muster. She’d known them since they were children running amuck in the forest, and Tessa knew she cared for them.
“I’m worried for his heart. I may as well tell you, since it will all be out before long,” Tessa drew a deep breath. “Mikhail has a small daughter, and her mother is not Sidhe.”
“Yes.” Was Thrum waiting for her to
With his thoughts going nowhere fast, Nathan shoved them to the back of his mind. He had to decide what to do next.
Ever since meeting a talking tree, he’d been trying to avoid thinking through all that wise being had said. And one thing had been clear, the tree-folk were in agreement that the half-humans were needed for some reason, and the sacred Well of Slaine was the best place for them.
Thrum had given him a perfectly plausible next step. Trouble was, Tessa also knew o f that step – the Well of Slaine, where the other half-humans were gathering to wait for the Sidhe to end the threat to their lives. She’d expect him to go there, because she knew another key piece of information as well: he didn’t know of any portals that would take him beyond the veil. The chances of stumbling onto one seemed too slim to count on, and Nathan wouldn’t know where to start. Given all that, what other choice did he have?
Blip. Season stared at him, hovering a few feet away. “Are you alright now?”
“Sure. I’m fine,” he lied.
The pixie tilted her head to one side, still regarding him with a woeful expression.
“What are you so sad about?” Nathan asked. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
“Well, yes,” Season agreed. “But I didn’t realize you were actually in love with her.”
Nathan coughed to cover the ache in his throat, and turned to start down the trail to the only destination that had come to mind in this strange world. At least there would be others like him there. If anyone could understand how odd the last few weeks had been, it would be the half-humans awaiting their fate at the Well of Slaine.
He wouldn’t answer Season’s assertion. He couldn’t even bring himself to ponder the question right now. Love? If this was it, he was better off without.
“I don’t know how I let myself be used again and again. Bertran. Abarta. Even Nathan has wanted something from me almost from the beginning.” Tessa stifled a sniff, and straightened her posture. She had her dignity. It might be all she had left, before long.
“To be fair, it seemed to me you wanted the same from him. And it wasn’t just sex with the two of you.” Thrum’s branches waggled a bit, so Tessa knew the tenor of the conversation agitated the treewoman. The tree -folk were a calm sort by nature, who were accustomed to a rather narrow range of emotional states. The extremes could really throw them off.
“You’re right, Thrum. I almost started to think of Nathan as…”
“Yes?”
“Oh, never mind. He did prove a decent distraction, which I needed sorely. And that is enough about that.” Tessa scowled into the trees. She wondered how close Nathan was to the Well of Slaine at this point. She’d thought about going after him, but held back. They didn’t have anything to say to each other at the moment. Maybe after he calmed down a little…but she wouldn’t waste her time thinking about that. Nathan was going to the sacred well, she was almost certain of it, and he would be safe there.
Tessa was free to pursue Abarta using whatever crazy plan she could come up with, and Nathan would be far away from the crossfire.
“Thrum, will you listen for word of my brother, Mikhail? He’s beyond the veil, and when he returns, I need you to tell him we spoke today. I am not returning home.”
“You are worried about your brother?” Thrum spoke with all t he concern such a staid being could muster. She’d known them since they were children running amuck in the forest, and Tessa knew she cared for them.
“I’m worried for his heart. I may as well tell you, since it will all be out before long,” Tessa drew a deep breath. “Mikhail has a small daughter, and her mother is not Sidhe.”
“Yes.” Was Thrum waiting for her to
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