Page 42 of Love Beyond Wanting
As my mother left us, I noticed a foul stench remained long after she disappeared around the corner, and Maddock’s jaw grew tight as he scrunched up his nose.
“What is that?”
“Machara.Are ye ready to meet her?”
Before arriving at the castle, I’d been anxious to meet her.I wanted to see firsthand what I would be dealing with.I wanted to get a read on her to see how I could defeat her, but now, I was more nervous than I expected to be.
“I suppose now is as good a time as any.Maddock?”
“Aye, lass?”
“I’m frightened.”
He nodded and took off down the hallway, waving his hand so I would follow him.“Ye should be.If Machara dinna frighten ye, I would be afraid of ye.”
Nicol had just awakened from his morning slumber when Maddock knocked on his bedchamber door.He opened it, smiled warmly, and stepped aside to let us inside.
It was a breathtaking room.With two walls made of solid glass, it had a modern appearance that, while at odds with the rest of the castle’s gothic décor, somehow blended nicely.It looked out over the castle grounds and an old, wilted garden that I assumed was where Freya appeared at night.I made a mental note to go and meet her that evening.
“I’m afraid she’s discovered that sending her vile smell throughout the castle works.We simply canna ignore it forever, and eventually we go down to see whatever ’tis she feels she must say.”
Maddock nodded and came to stand beside me as I looked out one of the glass windows.
“Aye.Mayhap if she meets our new residents, she will realize that they are no threat and will go back to searching for some way to destroy us.”
Maddock’s comment surprised me.For twenty years, The Eight had held Machara as their prisoner beneath the castle, and they were still not free from her.Laurel had only been here a short period of time, and she’d bested the bitch.Clearly, he knew nothing of what Machara’s father had cast into existence so many years ago—the chink in Machara’s, for lack of a better word, faerie armor that made it possible to defeat her.
“Why do you think I’m no threat to her?”
Both Maddock and Nicol turned to look at me in surprise.Maddock spoke first.“Ye are mortal, lass.Ye have no magic.Ye have no fae blood that we know of.Machara canna be beaten by one like ye.Besides, dinna ye come here to be with yer sister?”
I leaned into the glass wall behind me as I stared at both of them incredulously.They knew nothing.While I knew Laurel had been too busy with her own showdown with the faerie to sit them all down for a nice long chat, I still found it difficult to believe that she’d said nothing to them about what I’d told her.Although, in truth, she knew less about everything than I did.
Still, their attitude toward Machara stunned me.Even the way they spoke about her made her sound less like their prisoner and more like some queen that had to be obeyed.It was as if they were resigned to the belief that Machara was, and always would be, part of their lives at the castle, as if they had no intention of ever trying to be free of her.Was this the way all of the members of The Eight were?Had this been their way of life for so long that they were resigned to it?
Had they truly convinced themselves that they were content to spend their whole lives keeping Machara locked away with the reward for their hard work being that they would never be free?
I stared at them for a long moment as I worked through all of this in my mind.I wasn’t Machara’s caretaker.I wasn’t going to be her friend.While they might both be fine with coming to her every time she chose to use her horrid stench as some sort of call bell, I wouldn’t placate her in such a way.
My earlier fear was gone.So was any desire I had to see her.
“You go and see Machara if you want to.I’ll meet her whenI’mready.”
I turned away and left them without another word as I went in search of the one member of The Eight that was the most likely to still have some hope.
Chapter 27
Ifound Marcus visiting with his dad in the castle kitchen.
“Kate!”Marcus stood and moved to pull me into one of his award-worthy hugs that always made me feel like there was a little more love in the world than I’d felt like there was before he wrapped his arms around me.
“How are you feeling?Still no fever?”
I smiled as I pulled away from him.“Everyone is much too worried about me.I feel perfect now.No fever at all.”
David stood and reached out to touch my arm.“Just so you know, I told him.I think your mother is telling Laurel as we speak.As much fun as it was for the two of us to sneak around, I’m pleased that we can now be open about our love for one another.”
I decided not to mention to David that I’d already told Laurel.“Well, good.”
