Page 4 of Light and Shadow
“It’s only sensible.” I drink the rest of my wine and cradle my empty glass.
Even his laugh is perfect. It’s like music. “I don’t know why the worlds were separated, but long ago, when humans and elves mingled, children were born. The elven magic has been passed down through the centuries, and three women living in this time have that magic. My world is in trouble, and my two brothers and I were sent here to find those three women and ask them to help save us.”
What am I supposed to say to that? I stare at his handsome not-quite-human face and wonder if perhaps I’m sane and it’s he who’s mad.
“You asked why you? That’s the answer, Harper. You are one of three women who can save us.” His hands are fisted on his knees, then he relaxes them and rubs them over his thighs. It’s the first sign that he’s nervous.
“What are we saving you from?” May as well get the full story so I know what to tell my therapist.
He gets up and paces from one end of my living room to the other. In my modern condo, he looks out of place. I can picture him in a cottage with handmade cabinets. My white shaker-style cabinets and black counters don’t suit him at all. His home would have a butcher block and a rocking chair.
“I live in a house that has stone counters. It’s my mother and father’s house. There are a few rocking chairs.”
“That’s very inconvenient and intrusive.” I use my best scolding voice.
Oddly, he bows. “I’m just making sure you’re not going to scratch my eyes out. I don’t mean to invade your privacy. Also, I’ve never been able to read anyone’s thoughts before. It’s new.”
“If I promise not to beat you with a bat or claw you, will you stay out of my head?”
Another bow. “Of course.”
“You have a deal then.” I get up and offer him my hand.
As he wraps his fingers around mine, I feel the weight of his responsibilities and his fear of failure. I jerk my hand away. It’s not the first time I’ve touched someone and known more about them than I wanted to, but it hasn’t happened in a long time. I sit. “Tell your story, but if it gets too long and too crazy, we’re going down to the bar.”
“You have a pub in the building?”
“Not in the building, but around the corner.” My condo is part of a planned neighborhood, complete with restaurants, shops, and an Irish pub. It’s trendy and convenient.
Sitting next to me, he says, “We may need that pub, but let me get the brunt of it out.”
Having felt his sincere worry and doubt, I no longer wonder if he’s a figment or a lunatic. Whatever he is, he’s sincere.
“Before I start, can I ask you something?”
I nod.
“When you touched me, I felt a flash of knowing. You felt it too, I think. Have you felt it before?” The late-day sun shines through the sliding patio door and frames him in a glow of gold and orange. Maybe it’s a sign.
“Not for a long time, but when I was young, I could sense things about people. My grandma said it was the sight. She had it too. My mom said to keep it to myself or people would lock me away in an asylum. Her description of such places silenced me well enough, and most of the time, I avoid skin-to-skin contact. I guess over time, whatever it was, stopped.”
He shakes his head and covers my hand with his. His fingers are rough with calluses. “You have a lot of gifts you’ve yet to discover, Harper.”
I’m flooded with kindness and sympathy and pull my hand away. “I’m just an ordinary woman with good instincts about people. Don’t dramatize it.”
While blocking the setting sun, Aaran looks me in the eyes. “The witch queen rules my world and brings darkness to everything she touches.”
Chapter Two
Aaran
On one hand, I have to bring this woman to Domhan. On the other, I long to leave her in peace.
She should live a life where no one wants to destroy what she is. Unfortunately, that time has passed. The witch queen knows about the prophecy of three, and she’ll be hunting human women as soon as she learns the magic necessary to come here. Human magic is different from elven, and that knowledge is lost in time.
“Several generations ago, the witch queen cast a spell to make herself ruler and keep men from having power.” There’s a lot to tell about the witch queen, but Harper said to keep it short, so I move on. “The spell worked, but it had an unexpected cost.”
As Harper sits up and watches me with her green eyes full of curiosity, her hair shimmers in the sunlight. I’ve never seen hair like hers. Some would call it brown, but it shines with streaks of red and blond and draws a man in for a touch. “What happened?”
