Veiled Threat by Helen Harper Page B

tentatively. ‘Yeah. I’m not sure he’s going to fit in. He’s very stressed. About everything. What if he decides to go back to Chieftain MacBain and tells her about how pathetic our security is?’
    ‘Well,’ I said slowly, ‘we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.’
    Taylor looked at me. I looked back innocently.
    ‘You know,’ he said, ‘that joke doesn’t actually work. He’s not a bridge troll.’
    I smiled. ‘You still got it though. Come on. I’d better go see what he wants.’
    When we reached the courtyard, I dared myself to look at the dark patch for a moment. Pain lanced through me. I could feel Lexie, Speck and Brochan watching me anxiously. None of them said a word. Get a grip, Tegs.
    ‘I’m alright, guys,’ I said, when the silence became too uncomfortable.
    Lexie bobbed her head. ‘Course you are.’
    ‘We’d expect nothing else,’ Speck agreed. They kept on sending me sneaky looks though, when they thought I wasn’t looking.
    Brochan cleared his throat. ‘I thought...’ He coughed again when Speck nudged him. ‘ We thought that this would be a good time to swear fealty to you.’ He got down heavily on one knee and the others did the same.
    Alarmed, I stalked over. ‘Get up!’
    ‘We need to do this, Tegs.’
    Nope. Not happening. I shook my head vehemently. ‘No, you don’t. Anyway, I’m not accepting your oaths so don’t even bother.’
    Lexie lifted narrowed eyes. ‘You’ll take the crazy MacQuarries but not us?’
    I sighed and put my hands on my hips. ‘You’re my family.’
    ‘We agree,’ Taylor interjected. ‘That’s why we want to make it official.’
    ‘I appreciate it, I really do. But I’m still not accepting.’
    ‘Tegs...’
    I held up my hand. Fealty would change everything between us. I was not going to set myself apart from the only people who mattered simply because of my blood. I paused. Hang on a minute. ‘There’s another way.’ I cast around, looking for something I could use. Eventually my gaze fell on the Swiss army knife which hung loosely from Taylor’s belt. I pointed at it. Confused, he unhooked it and silently handed it over.
    Concentrating, I slid out a small blade and nicked my forefinger. A bead of blood appeared on my skin. I raised my eyebrows at Taylor and he understood instantly and grinned. He took the knife from me and did the same to his own thumb then we pressed them together.
    ‘Now your blood runs in my veins,’ I said softly. ‘And vice-versa. We’re officially family.’
    Lexie arched an eyebrow. ‘Does that mean he has to change his name? That we can’t call him Taylor any more because he’s Adair?’
    Speck waved an irritated hand at her. ‘Hush.’ He stepped forward and we completed the ritual. He had to look away and bite his lip to avoid the sight of his own blood but he still did it. I squeezed his shoulder hard.
    Brochan moved up. ‘This is an honour,’ the merman rumbled, bowing his head.
    ‘It is for me too,’ I told him honestly. Even if it made me feel like I was six years old and playing around with a few mates.
    When we were done, I glanced at Lexie. ‘You don’t have to do this. No one will hold it against you.’
    ‘I will!’ Speck said.
    I glared at him.
    Lexie tossed back her hair. ‘You think I’m going to let you lot keep me out of the inner circle?’ she scoffed. ‘As if!’ She sliced open the tip of her thumb, making more blood gush out than she’d probably intended. Speck gave a tiny whimper then, just as with the others, we made a blood bond.
    We stood there for a moment, absorbing the solemnity of the occasion.
    ‘We should come up with a secret handshake,’ Speck said finally.
    Lexie rolled her eyes. ‘In case we can’t recognise each other, you mean?’
    ‘No. But it would be cool. All the best societies have secret handshakes.’
    ‘If you want a secret handshake, then you can have one,’ I told him.
    He beamed and stuck his tongue out at Lexie.