Page 33 of Honour Bound
‘Yeah, yeah. If you think I’m going to let that blue-haired cretin face the action out here while I cower inside, you’ve got another thing coming, Integrity Adair.’
‘I bet the other Clan Chieftains don’t have this problem,’ I grumbled, my eyes scanning the landscape for any sight of the monster that might be about to rush us.
‘What problem?’ Brochan asked innocently.
I was saved from answering by a flicker of bright green, such an unusual colour for this time of year that it stood out against the dark trees and layer of white frost. Brochan stiffened. I nodded and directed him to the right while I went left. We hugged the walls of the cabin. Whatever it was, it would make a move soon. Lexie had definitely been right about one thing – it was huge.
I might have bowed out of group heists but it wasn’t that long since Brochan and I worked together. We both possessed a sort of sixth sense about what the other was going to do, the kind that only develops after years of working closely together. Like symbiotic twins, we glanced at each other and began moving stealthily towards the trees on the other side of the path. I ducked behind a fir, struggling to peer round its bushy foliage; Brochan sensibly concealed himself behind a pine tree so it was easier for him to get a bead on what was ahead. While I shifted and craned my neck to get the best vantage point, out of my peripheral vision I spotted him do a double take. I turned towards him as he held up his hands and sketched a shapely female figure in the air. That didn’t make any sense. Then I heard the voice.
‘Hello? Candy? Are you there?’
I stiffened. Tipsania. What the hell was she doing here? While her antagonism towards me was no secret, she’d always been open about her hatred and I wouldn’t have put it past her to attack me in public. Skulking around in Scottish trees didn’t seem like her style. And who the hell was Candy? That name was worrying familiar.
I edged round the fir, adjusting my position so that I could see her and remain hidden. Peering through a gap in the needles, I understood why we’d assumed she was some enormous beast. The dress she was wearing looked like a full-blown ball gown; it was a ridiculous, with a Cinderella-type, meringue-shaped skirt that had to be five feet wide. I liked a pretty dress myself but her get-up wouldn’t be any good for covert action. This wasn’t about us at all. Something else was going on.
There was a loud wheeze, followed by the crunch of heavy footsteps. Brochan plastered himself against the tree trunk as the unmistakable form of a Wild Man appeared from beyond a dense copse of trees. I suddenly realised where I’d heard the name Candy before: he’d been working for Byron when we first met in Aberdeen. He’d also knocked me unconscious.
Like most of his kind, he was barefoot and built like a rhinoceros. When he spoke, however, his gentle tone completely belied his size. ‘Tip?’
Tipsania let out a girlish squeal and ran towards him, ignoring the fact that her skirt was catching on twigs and dead leaves. She flung herself at him while Brochan and I both gaped. Candy grabbed her waist and spun her round, lifting her up so he could kiss her. It was a passionate clinch. She’d been all over Byron yesterday; what on earth was going on?
‘I can’t stay long,’ she breathed, when he finally let her go. ‘I’m supposed to be at the competitors’ breakfast in twenty minutes.’
My stomach growled. A hot breakfast sounded really good. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Aifric – or anyone else – had ‘forgotten’ to tell me about it. Neither should I have been pissed off because it wasn’t like I could eat anything for fear of it being poisoned. The invitation would have been nice though.
‘I’ve missed you. Can’t you skip breakfast?’
‘Everyone else will be there and my absence would be noted.’ She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. Compared to the Wild Man, Tipsania looked tiny, even in that massive wedding cake of a dress.
‘It’s not too late to back out of the Games,’ he rumbled. ‘You know the later challenges are going to be dangerous and I don’t want you to get hurt.’
‘I can look after myself. And you know it’s the only way.’
‘The chances of you winning…’
‘Hush.’ She tilted her head up and gazed into his eyes. ‘I’m very motivated.’
He breathed in. ‘Tipsania Scrymgeour, I love you.’
She smiled, her expression reflecting a softness I hadn’t thought she was capable of. ‘I love you too, Candy Man.’
They kissed again while I cringed. He started fumbling with her dress, his large fingers surprisingly nimble, as if he was in the mood to shag her right here. I motioned to Brochan. Wereallydidn’t need to see this. He nodded enthusiastically and we tiptoed back to the cabin. It was just as well it was the merman who ventured out with me; if it had been Taylor or Speck, they’d have wanted to stay and watch.
When we got back inside, Bob was awake and flitting from bed to bed. ‘I wanna kiss you,’ he sang. ‘I wanna fu…’
‘Enough.’
He faltered. ‘You’re no fun, Uh Integrity.’ He arched an eyebrow in my direction. ‘Is it because you’re too cold-hearted to understand the language ofl’amour?’
I threw him a dirty look. He just grinned.
‘The genie’s right?’ Taylor asked.
I sat down heavily on the nearest bed and nodded. I still couldn’t believe it; the Tipsania I knew would never stoop to a dalliance with a non-Sidhe especially when she had Byron, the Steward’s son, in her sights. Was this some kind of ruse? Did she know more about the Games than she was supposed to and was she using the Wild Man so she could earn an advantage?
‘The look in her eyes,’ I mumbled.
Brochan nodded. ‘She’s head over heels in love. It sounds like she’s entering the Games so that if she wins she can ask for the Clans’ approval for her relationship with the Wild Man as her prize.’
