Page 92 of Throne of Dreams
His closest friend read his demeanor, understood the significance of what he was about to say, but maintained a relaxed posture for the sake of anyone watching their exchange.
“Moh Rí,”he drawled, inclining his head just slightly.
“Maeve hasfaded.”
“Shefaded?” Merrick sent a casual glance around the ballroom, as though they were having the most mundane of conversations. “I didn’t think she knew how to do that yet.”
“Apparently neither did she.” Tiernan shoved his black hair from his face, remembering the way her eyes widened when she realized what was happening. “It came as a shock to both of us.”
“Where is she?” Merrick asked.
The one question he dreaded. “That’s the problem. I don’t know.” He glanced to Lir and Brynn, who were both standing nearby, close enough to hear, and they walked over. “She used her necklace to relay her emotions to me. As of now, she’s calm. And she’s not afraid.”
“Have you tried to reach her through her thoughts?” Brynn’s fingers tapped restlessly against the hilt of the sword at her waist.
“You know that magic only works to a certain extent.”
His ability to hear the thoughts of those around him did not cross borders or realms. It was only useful to him if he was within a limited distance of the one he wished to hear.
“But she’s bonded to you.” Lir’s gaze skimmed the crowd. “Perhaps you should try. Mating bonds are a more powerful sort of magic.”
Tiernan blew out a breath. “She hates it when I do that.”
“Maybe this one time would be an exception?” Brynn suggested.
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “If you’d seen how angry she was—”
“Oh, trust me.” Brynn’s eyes changed from her usual brown to sympathetic gold. “Everyone saw.”
He would never doubt Maeve’s abilities, and he wouldn’t put it past her to learn now, but if she ever found it necessary to block him from her mind…the devastation would be immense.
Tiernan looked at Merrick. “We need to find her.”
Merrick nodded sharply.
“Find who?” Ceridwen’s soft voice floated in from behind him.
Shit.
“Maeve. Shefadedand we don’t know where she went,” Brynn supplied, sending Tiernan a look that told him there was no way out of this one.
Ceridwen’s cheeks flushed pink with frustration. “What did I tell you? Tier, we’ve gone over this a dozen times. Between her stubborn pride and your ruthless arrogance, your tempers are bound to clash. The both of you are far too powerful for such quarrels. If you’re not careful, you’ll bring down the entire realm.” She fisted her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed. “You have to becalm.”
“Iwascalm.” He ground the words out. “Up until she told me she wore that dress on purpose.”
Ceridwen’s eyes rolled to the midnight sky above. “Of course she did. It was her way of getting back at you for the whole Ciara debacle and, quite honestly, you deserved it.” His twin’s eyes burned bright. “Did you even apologize?”
“I—”
Fuck. He hadn’t apologized to her. Not once.
“Tiernan,” Brynn groaned, smothering her face with her hand. “Will males ever learn?”
“Hey, now.” Merrick raised both hands in innocence. “Some of us know when to admit we’re wrong.”
The bastard cut him a cunning grin.
“I will make this right. But first, we have to get her back.” His gut seized at the thought of her being anywhere alone, where he couldn’t reach her. “If anyone asks, she claimed a headache and returned to her room. No one needs to know anything is amiss, no one needs to suspect any sort of weakness from our Court.”
