Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1)(38)

‘Let me guess,’ I said, ‘you need access to this magical Foinse to solve the problem. The four Clans with these special keys are Moncrieffe, Kincaid, Darroch and,’ I paused, ‘drum roll, please, ladies and gentlemen…’

Byron nodded. ‘Adair. And you are the sole remaining member of the Adair Clan.’

No wonder they’d been keeping tabs on me. I wondered what they’d have done if I had inadvertently walked out in front of a bus. It would have been adios muchachos and not just for me. Then my humour fled. No doubt this was the reason why I was shoved into the Bull’s care, such as it was, instead of simply being smothered as a baby.

‘So you’re going to blackmail me into helping you open the Foinse. Like I give a shit whether the magic fails or not. In fact, seeing the Clans brought down might be worth my friends spending a bit of time in the slammer.’ I tipped my head. ‘Long term goals versus short term gains.’

Byron regarded me with a flat, emotionless expression. ‘I was warned you’d be like this,’ he said finally. ‘Bitchy and uncaring. Last night I thought they’d got it wrong and you were actually a nice person. Clearly, I was wrong.’

I raised my eyebrows. ‘They?’

‘The Clan Chieftains. They don’t normally agree on much but they agreed on you.’

‘I haven’t spoken to a single Sidhe in fifteen years. Whether your lot have been keeping tabs on me or not, none of you know anything about me. Don’t presume that you know what I’m like or who I am,’ I hissed. ‘You have no idea.’

‘And don’t presume that keeping the magic stable in the Clan lands is purely to benefit the Sidhe,’ he shot back. ‘That magic does many things which the Clan-less also benefit from.’

‘Oh yeah?’ I sneered. ‘Like what?’

‘That magic controls the Veil,’ he said. ‘The barrier that prevents the Fomori from entering the Highlands.’

I scowled at him. Okay, the Fomori were pretty scary demons who were better kept well away from us.

‘That same magic keeps nature in check,’ Byron continued in the patient, patronising tone you’d use when explaining something to a particularly stupid child. ‘You want to build a factory? The magic adjusts itself so the environment isn’t irreparably harmed.’

I didn’t want to build a factory but I got his point.

Byron wasn’t finished. ‘You want more disasters like the Dee surge? Only on a far greater scale?’ He folded his arms. ‘Then be my guest. Let your friends rot in jail. Let your mentor pay his debts by losing part of his soul. You’ll also be letting all of Scotland suffer.’

Alright. Jeez, he’d made his point. ‘You could have told me all this in the first place. The Lia Saifire ruse was unnecessary.’

‘Would you have listened?’

Maybe. Okay, probably not. In fact no, I wouldn’t have. The first ten years of my life ensured that the last person I’d listen to was a Sidhe.

‘Fine,’ I snapped. ‘I’ll do what you want. Release Taylor from his debt though and let Speck and Brochan go.’

‘That will happen when you’ve done what we require.’

My eyes flashed. ‘You don’t trust me.’

‘You’re a thief, Integrity. Why would I trust you?’

‘It’s not just my name. I’ve got more integrity in my little finger than the Sidhe will ever have. No matter who my father was.’

He shrugged. ‘We’ll have to agree to distrust each other then. We’ll go to the Clan lands, you’ll help us with the Foinse, then you can go back to your oh-so-wonderful criminal existence.’

I hated him. I really, really hated him. I stood up and, as he moved his head to watch me, his hair fell across his eyes. Damn it. I also still lusted after him. Awkward.

‘First,’ I said, as calmly as I could, ‘I need a shower and a change of clothes. Second, I need to tell Taylor what is going on. Once I have achieved both those things, I will come and meet you.’

‘I’m not letting you out of my sight.’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘you are. I will present myself at the Sidhe court this evening. Until then, you’ll have to wait.’

And, with that, I stalked out.





Chapter Nine




Taylor couldn’t stop shaking his head. ‘All this time? They’ve been watching you all this time? How could we not have known?’

‘I doubt they’ve been staking me out twenty-four hours a day. They probably just check on me from time to time.’

‘But this is ridiculous! I’m a professional, Tegs. I should know when someone is watching me.’