Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy) (4 page)

The semester didn’t begin for another four days, so I went into work at the store for noon. I said hello to my grandfather’s other employee, Lenny, and let him know I was there to take over.

As I reached under the counter to grab my O’Malley Hardware apron, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I glanced up to see if anyone was around, then froze when I saw Ethan standing at the back of the store by the ladders. His eyes were locked on mine, an unruly dark curl fell over his forehead as he tilted his head. I waved and swallowed hard. While tying the apron around my waist, I still felt his eyes on me.

I told Lenny goodbye and got to work unpacking a box of key-rings for the counter display. I chanced a look and Ethan was two aisles back, trailing his fingers over a stack of clotheslines, watching me. A rush of heat ignited my skin. He smirked and walked slowly to the register.

“Allison,” Ethan said, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. It had been so long since I’d seen him smile, my heart skipped a beat.

I raised my eyebrows, remembering the cruel way he laughed at me just yesterday when I had a flat tire. “Hey Ethan, how are things?” I tried to keep my tone light, wincing when my voice came out shaky.

“Not too bad,” he said. The way he was looking at me was doing funny things to my pulse and I wiped my clammy hands on my pants before hanging the keyrings on the little metal rack. The more he stared, the harder it was to keep my breathing under control. Why was he doing this to me?

He started laughing, but it sounded all wrong. My eyes flew up to meet his and in a flash, his body rippled and transformed into the body of Deaghlan. My breath caught and I grabbed the countertop with one hand as the other flew up to my mouth.

“Deaghlan, what the hell?” I said. My brain was still trying to catch up with the fact that Deaghlan stood in front of me, staring at me with an unsettling grin.

His expression remained amused as he ran one long finger over the counter. “Sorry to disappoint, Allison. Tell me, what do you find so irresistible about Ethan?”

I blinked at him and shook my head. Deaghlan, a king, a man more powerful than I could probably fathom, was playing tricks on me like we were in second grade.

“You’re crazy,” I said, peeling my eyes away from his impossibly high cheekbones and blazing blue eyes. I would be lost forever if I allowed myself to fall under Deaghlan’s thrall. The only explanation I could imagine for his relentless attention was that I provided him with a diversion from the boredom that came with immortality.

“Undoubtedly,” he agreed.

“I was planning on seducing you in that guise.” He shrugged, his eyes roaming around the store. “But the amount of iron in this building is so distracting. How can you stand it?”

Iron didn’t exist in Tír na n’Óg. Close proximity in the human realm weakened them unless they used a bit of elemental magic, even though it was supposedly forbidden. They wore arm bands and necklaces made from a mineral from their world called fháillan, carved with runes, to ward off the effects of iron.

I turned to straighten the workspace that held the credit card machines. With my back to him I said, “I’m
just a human
Deaghlan, remember? Iron doesn’t bother me.”

“No, you’ve a fair amount of magic in your blood Allison. Your ancestors, not just Liam, have had dalliances with the Danaan, I think. You’re much too attractive to be fully human. Not only that but you’re incredibly intriguing.”

I turned my head and spoke over my shoulder. “I’m
not
your shiny new toy.”

Before I could regret speaking so harshly, his body was pressed against my side, his cool breath tickling my ear. “Aren’t you, though?”

And then he was gone, the only sound the jingling of the door bells.

I finished the rest of my shift without incident. I was able to complete several mundane tasks to keep my mind off the helpless feeling Deaghlan had left me with.

Once I’d closed the store for the night, I headed to Liam’s house. When
I pulled into his long, unpaved driveway and parked, the garage door was open. Aodhan sat in front of a bench with his back to me. He was working rigorously on something, his shoulders hunched in concentration.

When I pulled up the stool beside him he placed a small tin flute on the workbench. He treated it with the same care and reverence as he did a knife or sword.

“Good evening, Allison.”

I smiled, the image of him playing the little instrument at odds with his hulking figure. Aodhan was the son of an Irish chieftain. During our time together he’d told me a few stories of the battles he’d fought and also his love for music.

“Is Liam inside?” I asked, nodding toward the door that led into the house.

He sighed and ran a hand over his buzzed head. “Yes. Diarmuid and Eithne are here.”

“Diarmuid’s here? What’s going on?” Diarmuid was Niamh’s adviser, like a second in command. He was keeping watch over the portal to Tír na n’Óg in Wheelwright while she was away. He was bonded to Eithne, a healer and former handmaiden of Aoife. I’d met them a couple times when my mother was missing. They were the only Danaan’s I knew who were bonded for love.

“Nothing much,” Aodhan said, eyeing the door again. “Diarmuid is giving Niamh an update from the guards in Thunder Bay.”

“All right,” I said, trying to think how I should ask my next question. “Something happened tonight. I need to tell you about it, but I don’t want anyone else to hear.”

He frowned, but gestured for me to follow as he led me out of the garage and down toward the street.

“So, while I was working, Deaghlan came into the store.”

He stopped walking and raised his brows.

“You know how he is around me.” I laughed nervously. “Well, this was worse than usual. He was glamoured to look like Ethan.”

Aodhan pressed his lips together and put both of his hands on his head before he began walking again.

“But he let his glamour down, let you know it was really him while he was there?”

“Yeah. I guess I should’ve known it wasn’t Ethan, since he was smiling at me.”

He glanced at me, a deep furrow in his brow. “I don’t know how to make him understand there are things going on here more important than his amusement.”

“The thing that’s really bothering me is that I
thought
I could see through glamour. Couldn’t Aoife be hiding in plain sight, glamoured to look like my grandmother or something?”

He stared straight ahead as he marched up the sidewalk. It was hard to see his face in the dark, although anger poured off of him in waves.

“I know this isn’t what you want to hear,” he said, his voice low. “But, you can’t trust anyone. You’re right, Aoife could be anywhere. You’ll see glamour if you’re looking for it. But you always have to pay attention. Look twice at your friends. Don’t take anything for granted.”

“Allison?”

I spun around to find Liam walking behind us, concern etched on his forehead.

“I saw your vehicle in the drive. Is everything all right?”

“Um, yeah. I just needed someone to talk to in private. But I want you to know, too.” I told him about Deaghlan.

“Aodhan’s right,” he said, looking down at the street as he passed a hand through his hair. “When I was catching up to you I heard him say you mustn't trust anyone. Not for now, at least.”

An uneasy routine formed in my life over the next week. School began again, I ran just about every morning, and worked a few times at the store. I saw Liam nearly every day, but we didn’t make any plans to find Aoife. He told me only one of Niamh’s guards was back in place in Thunder Bay watching for Aoife. We were pretty much stuck doing nothing until we knew what we were dealing with.

Friday afternoon I came home from classes and grabbed the mail. Inside was an invitation to the engagement party for Nicole and Jeff the following weekend. Operation Bride was on. Being the quintessential Italian family, the Magliaros were having the party at Angela’s Ristorante, which belonged to Jeff and Ethan’s Uncle Al.

When I brought the mail into the house, the rich scent of barbecue sauce hit me. My grandmother made the most delicious pulled pork in the entire world.

“I smell heaven,” I said as I dropped the stack of mail onto the sideboard. Gram smiled over her shoulder from where she washed her hands at the sink.

“There’s my Allie-girl. How was school?”

“Not too bad,” I said as I followed the sweet smell into the kitchen. Gram had her big crockpot out, filled to the brim with pork, which meant we were having company.

“Are we having a party?” I asked, breathing deep.

“Aunt Jessie and Uncle David and Nicole and Jeff will be eating with us. Kind of a mini-engagement party.”

It smells great,” I said, kissing Gram on the cheek before retreating to my room to start my homework.

It seemed like I had just sat down when I heard the door close and muffled voices came from the front hall. I finished up my Statistics homework and put my books away in my backpack.

I started down the stairs just in time to hear Jeff and Ethan’s mother, Joanne, talking to Gram.

“Thank you for inviting us, dinner smells wonderful. I wish you would have let me bring something.”

Gram made a sound of exasperation and I could see her waving her hand at Joanne. “I’m just glad you could come last minute. Elizabeth will be so glad to see you.”

Not only was Ethan’s brother engaged to my cousin, but his mother was also my mother’s lifelong best friend. In Stoneville everyone knew everyone.

Joanne saw me over my grandmother’s shoulder and her face lit up. After she hugged me, she held me by the tops of my arms and met my eyes. “How are you, sweetie?”

“I’m doing great, keeping busy,” I said, eyes roaming into the living room to see who else was here.

“He’s not here,” Joanne whispered in my ear. “He wouldn’t tell me why, just that he couldn’t come tonight.”

I pulled back my shoulders and plastered on a smile. Trying not to sound too disappointed, I made small talk as we entered the living room. My grandparents and aunt and uncle all listened as Nicole told the story of Jeff proposing. Again. Jeff sat on the couch next to my mother, rolling his eyes and pointing his thumb at Nicole affectionately when he saw me.

After everyone was done eating, I jumped up and hurried into the kitchen to start on the dishes.

As I filled the sink with soapy water, Nicole came in and leaned against the counter next to me. I smiled half-heartedly without meeting her eyes.

“Have you been avoiding me?” She asked, reaching in front of me to shut off the water.

“Of course not. I don’t know why you would even say that.” But I still couldn’t look at her.

“Whatever is going on between you and Ethan, don’t let it come between us.” She sighed. “He won’t talk to me or even Jeff about it. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but don’t shut me out, okay?”

I gripped the edge of the counter and finally met her gaze. Her eyes were so sad my heart sank.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, touching her arm. She nodded, and her lower lip trembled a little.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just hard to be around Ethan right now. But it’s even harder seeing that he’s not here and thinking it’s because of me.”

Nicole sniffed and leaned her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry this is hard for you. I really miss you.”

“I miss you too,” I said. It was true. Nicole had been the only friend I’d ever really had. She’d always tried to include me in her plans, even when we were little girls, but I’d always been happier when it was just me and her.

“Are you coming to the engagement party?” she asked.

I cringed inside, but kept my voice light as I ruffled her blonde hair. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”