Chapter Five

Tiernan kept his gaze at the spot Cinderella had just vacated, relaxing the muscles in his body, letting his lungs release several deep breaths, before he turned back to look at the woman behind him.

It was too soon. He took in the long line of her throat, wanting to taste again, to touch it with his tongue, to follow the line down to that little hollow where it met her shoulder and suck the skin there in his mouth, bite it to mark her like he should have done earlier.

Reina swallowed audibly and, unthinking, her hand came up to that spot, as if she could shield herself from him. “Tiernan?”

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I have to go, Reina,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I can’t stay around you right now.”

He couldn’t stay around her, but he couldn’t force himself to go far from her, and Tiernan found himself sitting on the roof of the manor.

The stars twinkled behind a light smattering of clouds, a sight that helped remind him he was no longer in the Faerie Realm. There, everything was always perfect. In that realm, no clouds would block the view, and the stars appeared twice as bright as they ever could here in the mortal world.

“Do you miss living in the mortal realm?”

A groan escaped him before he could stop it. “Reina...” he said, but she interrupted.

“We have a job to do,” she said. “And being at odds will not help that us accomplish that job.”

He drew in a deep breath, smelling animals and dung. “What would you have me say?”

“Nothing.”

His mind circled the word, seeking the trap that surely must be hidden. “Nothing?”

“Here, you are acting as my husband, and have played that role with conviction. You merely got carried away.”

So that was how she wanted to dismiss their chemistry. Her defenses were already armed against him, and now she was trying to neutralize any threat, convince them both the kiss was meaningless. “I miss it.”

“Huh?” came her less than coherent reply.

“Your question, do I miss living in the mortal world? Yes I do. Not always, but often.”

She bit her lip and sat down beside him, drawing her knees to her chest. “Why did you make that wish?”

“I have no idea. I was dying, and something inside me told me to wish that. It never crossed my mind that I would want to leave my life before that day. Why do you believe in HEAs so much when you never tried to love again after you and your fiancé broke up?”

Reina jerked back, losing the space she had just a moment ago claimed. “What do you know of that?”

He shrugged. “What does it matter what I know? How does that change the question?”

The look on her face spoke of flight, so Tiernan caught her wrist in his hand before she could flee. “Tiernan, let go.”

“Answer my question.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“How is it inappropriate, Fairy Godmother? I am about to die for lack of one. You speak of the greatness of them, yet I’ve never seen you take so much as a step in that direction. Surely you’ve heard about which carry more weight, actions or words.”

The air felt stagnant around him. Her chest rose and fell in an impossible rhythm, such that if she were mortal he would fear her fainting. “Why are you doing this to me?” she asked, her voice small, all authority from age and position gone.

“I find that being near death makes me less inclined to deal with hypocrisy.”

Under his fingers he felt fine tremors along her skin. “I’m here to help you, and you have the nerve to call me names?”

He pulled her closer, unwilling to allow her distance. “I’m tired of being punished for what he did. I’ve been living with it for over thirty years, so forgive me if my complaints about it come at an inopportune time for you.”

“I have never—”

“Don’t even finish that lie,” he interrupted, heat scorching the back of his neck. “I don’t care how much in denial you are, even you can’t believe that.”

He saw her throat moving, working to ease the tightness this discussion had caused within her, but it was her eyes, wider than he had ever seen them, begging to be free, that broke the spell around him. He let her go and rose to his feet. “You’re right, it was inappropriate. I fear the stress of this assignment has gotten the better of me. Please forgive me, and excuse me.”

With that, he was gone.

* * *

They had been cordial all morning, Tiernan nothing but polite, keeping as much distance as possible while still maintaining their cover.

A total gentleman, instead of his usual teasing, inappropriate self.

“Reina, I appreciate you volunteering to air out the rugs, but you don’t need to beat them quite that hard.”

Stopping herself in mid-swing, Reina looked over to see Cinderella behind her, the furrow of her brow and slight compression of the young woman’s lips as she smiled negating what was supposed to be a cheery attitude.

With thoughts of Tiernan abruptly banished, Reina was now aware of the ache across her back, the trickle of sweat down her spine. A break was assuredly in order.

Cinderella held out a glass, and with a nod of thanks, Reina grabbed it, the cool water a blessing on a parched throat.

After giving the glass back to Cinderella, wanting both not to delve into her confused thoughts and to see if Tiernan’s words from yesterday were correct, Reina asked, “Do you leave this house much?”

If the question seemed strange to Cinderella, she gave no indication. “I go to town, of course. I can carry more than Cook.”

“Do you have a beau?”

Now that question did bring Cinderella up short, if the glass falling on the ground was any indication. “Why would you ask?”

Reina shrugged. “You are young and pretty. It seems a rather ordinary question to me.”

Cinderella shook her head. “I have too many responsibilities here.”

“Granted, men can be demanding, but being in love helps make the day go faster, no matter the chores in front of you.”

“I was told…” Cinderella bit her lip, her eyebrows coming together. She didn’t finish the sentence.

“You were told what by whom?” Reina prompted.

When she answered, Cinderella’s voice was noticeably lower. “Men can be rough.”

“Rough? Were you ever hurt by someone?”

Cinderella shook her head. “No, please, don’t think that about anyone from the village. Simply I was told that it would be best for me to never engage with a man.”

Reina nodded. “And who told you this?”

“My stepsisters.”

“Forgive me for being blunt, but I think you stepsisters feared the attention you would receive, and were not concerned for your well-being.”

Cinderella brought her hand up to cover her mouth, but she was not quick enough to silence the snort of laughter Reina’s comment brought. “Perhaps,” Cinderella allowed. “But I have heard stories from others. I never had anyone to ask what was truth and what was lie.”

Reina couldn’t imagine being as alone in the world as this woman was. How someone who loved and was as beloved as this woman was could be so isolated that she couldn’t even talk to someone about love was almost unfathomable. Her stepfamily truly was a piece of work.

“Well, I would never tell a young woman to abandon all sense when dealing with any stranger, let alone a man. Still, I believe your family exaggerated the caution you need to take.”

Cinderella brushed a hand over her hair, putting a few stray pieces back into the ponytail she wore. “They always said that if I showed interest, then anything... bad... that happened would be my fault. I always try to be polite but removed, but sometimes after knowing someone for a long time, I forget myself and am more open than they would approve of.”

Reina’s arms tensed against the urge to pull Cinderella into her side, not wanting to insult the young woman’s pride. “Cinderella, while I pray nothing bad ever happens to you, I can tell you with certainty if it did, you in no way would have been the cause of it. You are one of those people who radiate goodness, and it is a crime that your stepfamily tries to stop you from sharing that with the world.”

Cinderella’s eyes met hers, searching for whatever truth she could find. Whatever she found put her at ease, because her body relaxed, her lips curling up in equal parts joy and relief. “Thank you.”

Reina shrugged, turning away so that Cinderella would not make a fuss and just absorb her words, when movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention.

It was only a second, but the chill that wound its way through her chest told her she was not wrong. She needed to get to Tiernan now.

“Cinderella, the rugs are done. Would you take them in for me? I forgot to tell Tiernan something and need to see him.” Not really waiting for the answer, Reina sped to the barn.

Tiernan was chopping wood when she found him. “I saw a servant of the Elf King,” she said without preamble.

His stance changed from wary to on edge. “Where?”

She shook her head. “He’s gone now, but I saw him near the gardens. I’ve seen him only one time before and I never heard his name, but he scared me enough that I never forgot him.”

“Let me guess, the one with the pure black eyes and the hiss when he speaks?”

That a warrior such as Tiernan took notice of the man meant Reina was not exaggerating in her mind over how dangerous he was, and her anxiety increased. “Yeah, that was him.”

Tiernan nodded. “You’re right, he’s gone now. He wanted you to see him or you never would have. He wants to send a message. Oh, well, at least the Elf King hates me enough he’s sending his best after me.”

“Don’t joke,” Reina snapped.

“What would you have me do? This is what we were told to expect. That’s why you are here, isn’t it? Otherwise, you would have nothing to do with me.”

This news may have given Tiernan something else to think on, but the heat in his words told Reina he was still upset over the night before. “That’s not true. Maybe we aren’t the closest of friends, but I would never want to see you hurt.”

Tiernan’s laughter was closer to a bark of warning than any sound of merriment. “You don’t want to see me hurt, but you’ve been active in trying to get rid of me from moment one.”

“I have to protect the Fairy Godmothers.”

“And yet, Godmother Reina, the only FG who doesn’t like me and wants to see me gone is you. So who exactly are you protecting again?” With that, he turned his back and started chopping wood again.

Reina wanted to reach out and stroke that broad expanse, take away this coldness that he had never shown her before, but instead she moved inside the house and started polishing the silver.

The problem with labor is that while it exhausted a body, it left the mind too much free time to think.

He was right. From Godmother Sara down to the recruit who joined only last month, Reina could not think of a single Godmother who did not like Tiernan. All had only good things to say about him. His presence was something of a disruption, but that was caused by those around him. He never participated or encouraged it.

Outside of the lack of HEAs, in every other way he had some of the highest success rates amongst the Godmothers as well. If the Elf King had not made it his mission to destroy Tiernan, this would never have come up.

Reina sighed. Why did she suddenly feel like the bad guy? Why was protecting the institution that she devoted heart and soul to somehow a black mark against her?

Looking out the window, Reina discovered she had a good view of Tiernan, now fixing the side of the barn.

His shirt and pants were plastered against his skin because of sweat, putting the muscles of his body in stark relief. His movements were fluid, a living sculpture any woman would pay to see.

Reina tried to swallow but found her throat too dry. How could beauty keep catching you unaware after living with it for thirty years? Yet somehow through the years, Reina kept being transported back to that first day she saw him.

Lying on the couch, his face relaxed, that fringe of lash resting against his cheeks. She didn’t believe him mortal at first. Only the Fae were said to possess such looks. Yet this mortal man put every other male she had ever seen to shame.

And then when he opened his eyes...

Reina rubbed the back of her neck, the gut punch that had overtaken her as strong in memory as it had been in reality.

Desire was dangerous. It blinded you to everything about the other person. It left you defenseless. She knew all this, and yet when it came to this man, she always found herself raw and ragged.

But maybe she could exercise those demons.

There was now too much moisture in her mouth, and she swallowed several times, hoping to banish the thoughts coming to her, but no, a crack had formed and nothing would stop the rush of illicit thoughts.

She was far from the Compound, far from the other women. No one would know what transpired here between her and Tiernan, no one could judge or find fault with her conduct, no one could gossip about her.

What if she took this opportunity to get him out of her system? Ignoring him hadn’t worked. Pretending the attraction didn’t exist was ludicrous. What if she took the other path? What if she enjoyed the time they had together instead?

She scoffed. Ridiculous, of course. Ridiculous. Once they got back, how would he treat her? As some sort of trophy, probably.

But he never treated any of the other women badly, and the crack opened wider. She never heard of any women hurt because of his actions, never heard any of that mock sympathetic cooing in regards to any woman because of a liaison with him.

She’d feel a fool. Hadn’t she already been made a fool too often at the hands of a man?

Reina nodded, certain she had made a wise decision and put such thoughts out of her head.

The crack remained.