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He reached out to touch her hair. He couldn t help himself. I know you better than you might think. Our other selves? Fiana asked. The ones in the after. We ve seen them, Hannah said. They look like us, Corliss said. Only bigger. My sisters, he said. 226 Amber Carlton We know, Fiana said. You have sacrificed much to come here. You must miss them. I do, but being with you helps. We re glad, Hannah said. I m glad you seem okay, Ryder said. Is Flynn being nice to you? He hasn t hurt you in any way, has he? Are you getting enough to eat? Do you have a nice place to sleep? Do you have enough clothing? Are you cold, tired, lonely, sick, anything? Fiana laughed. You talk a great deal. Too many questions at once. Yeah, I ve been told that before, he said, glancing at Arleigh. We are being well cared for, Fiana said. Everything has been fine. Master Flynn doesn t frighten us too much. Because things are okay doesn t mean we re going to leave you here. I m taking you all home. When? Fiana asked. Now, he said. Trinity Magic 227 Chapter 22 Ryder stood and picked Corliss up in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms circled around his neck. Her hair smelled like a field of clover. The other two girls stood and held hands. Come on, guys, we re getting out of here. He strode across the room, and Arleigh took the ban-tee s elbow, moving her out of the way, but the woman resisted and barred the door. The children cannot leave, Mistress Cullen said. Look, Cullen, Ryder said. Don t make me move you. I m really a nice guy. I m sure you are a wonderful person, the ban-tee said, but I still cannot allow you to take these children from this house. They belong to Master Flynn. They belong to me, Ryder said. Now move your skinny ass before I run you down. The ban-tee s brow wrinkled. Children? Fiana put her hand on the woman s arm. We want to go with him. You can let us go. I am to keep you well and try to make you happy, the woman said. It would make us happy if you let us go, Hannah said. Come with us! Corliss said. Then you can take care of us at our cottage! The older woman turned to Arleigh. Is that possible? Ryder pulled Arleigh aside and turned away from Corliss. Does she know about you? Ryder whispered. I thought you had a secret identity or something. Corliss tugged on Ryder s hair. What s a secret identity? It s like Clark Kent and Superman, honey, Ryder said. Corliss laughed and glanced at Arleigh. He talks funny. 228 Amber Carlton You ll get used to it. I hardly notice it anymore, Arleigh said. She turned back to Ryder. Aye, tis a secret, but I told her because I thought it might affect her decision. Did you have that much influence in the faery world? I had influence. What am I falling in love with? Were you like a queen or something? A queen? No, I wasn t a queen, but& You re falling in love with me? Of course. Didn t you know? Arleigh took a step closer, brushing against him, and the look on her face was curious, hopeful. You didn t say that, Ryder. You said you cared for He started to reach for her, but the ban-tee grabbed her elbow and yanked at her. Is it possible? the older woman asked again. Caught in two conversations, Arleigh s head twisted between them. She heaved a sigh and turned to Mistress Cullen. I don t know all the laws that govern you. Don t you know? No, I ve not had reason to question the laws before. The children are always where they want to be. They do not wish to go elsewhere. The woman s glance darted between Arleigh and Ryder and touched on each of the girls. She seemed truly conflicted. Let s give it a shot, Ryder said. Come on, Mistress Cullen. You re welcome to come with us. I will try. I don t know what will happen. I am not to choose. I am to be neutral. You re not choosing, Ryder said. The girls are choosing to come with me. You will be following them. Come on, it s going to be an adventure. The ban-tee nodded her head and took Hannah s hand. Arleigh grabbed Fiana s. They almost made it to the front door. Where s everyone going? They stopped dead in their tracks. Ryder turned and met Flynn s eyes. Cold, hard, glittering with something that would make an ordinary man nervous. But in this place, Ryder did not feel like an ordinary man. Flynn walked toward them like he had all the time in the world. I m taking them home. Trinity Magic 229 They re not going anywhere, Flynn said. Cullen, what are your responsibilities? Leave her out of this, Ryder said. She s taking care of the girls where they want to be. I know it s a loophole, but I think it will work. Loophole, Flynn said. Interesting concept. You must be a fairly bright man. I had my doubts about you. I thought you might be completely mad. Oh, I m mad all right, Ryder said, and getting madder by the minute. What you re doing here is very dangerous, Kendall. I warned you. Arleigh. You should keep your man on a leash. Cameron, let us go, Arleigh said. You can be so sweet when you want something, Flynn said. Such a bitch when you don t get your own way. That s enough, Ryder said. He put Corliss down on the floor, and the ban-tee took her hand, backing away. I ve had enough of you, Ryder said. I know your secret, and I know your game. Why don t you work some of your faery magic on me and get it over with? The suspense is killing me. I can arrange the killing part, Flynn said. But I wasn t thinking of working my faery magic on you. I m going to work it on her. He looked at Arleigh. She moved backwards, pulling Fiana with her, but Ryder saw her blink, and her eyes took on a glassy haze. She dropped Fiana s hand and took a step toward Flynn. Arleigh! Ryder shouted. Don t move, honey. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |