“Did you talk about a date yet, small fry?” Pop asked before taking the last bite of his cereal.
Nicole straightened and put her hand on her chin. “Well, I’ve always wanted a traditional June wedding. That will give us nine months, plenty of time to plan, right Al?”
I groaned in mock horror. “Not nearly enough,” I muttered, but I grinned at her.
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.