Page 128 of Broken Veil
His face fell. “Was that all?”
“No.”
Tell him that I love him still. That I might have died, but my love never did.
“We talked about you too,” she said softly. “She was really angry with me.”
“About us?”
“What do you think?” Carys shrugged. “I told her that if I’d known she existed, I wouldn’t have ever fallen in love with you.”
“So she was even more angry with me.” Lachlan sighed and sat back. “The Cymric underworld is not open to me. If it were, I would have followed her there instead of searching for her mirror in the Brightlands.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry, Carys. Searching for you was unfair to both of us. My feelings were never a lie—I did love you—but it was…”
“Not the same.” She looked at Duncan, who was glancing at them in the rearview mirror. “I understand.” It wasn’t painful. Carys felt more… wistful.
For the woman she’d been. For the love they’d shared.
In another life, they could have been happy.
“You really would have died?” Carys whispered. “Because I don’t think she would be happy to hear that. She wants you to live a long time.”
“So I can finally enter an eternal realm without her?” Lachlan asked. “My ancestors reside on the distant isle of Tír na nÓg. When I die, I will walk the golden path over the western sea to meet them.” His voice grew thick. “But Seren will not be there to meet me.”
Who knew what the battle with the Morrígan would bring? Maybe she would die. Maybe they all would.
Carys finally told him. “Seren said that she loves you. That even though she’s dead, she never stopped loving you.”
Tears filled his green eyes. Lachlan swallowed hard and nodded sharply.
“I shouldn’t have told you.” Her heart hurt just looking at him, and his tear-filled eyes were even more hollow than they’d been before.
Lachlan shook his head. “Seren may be dead, but if her love still survives, a part of her still lives here too.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and pressed a hand over his heart. “As long as she speaks to you, I want to hear any message that she sends.”
“Okay.” She winced. “She also said she was excusing your mistake with me because I’m her Brightkin, but if you ever take another lover, she’ll return from the dead, haunt you both, and make sure your lover flees from you in misery.”
Lachlan must have had the right sense of humor, because he threw his head back and laughed long and hard.
When he finally stopped laughing, Carys said, “Okay, so you got the joke. Good. I was a little worried.”
“Oh, that wasn’t a joke.” Lachlan smiled. “She would definitely do that.” He shook his head and wiped his eyes. “Gods of old, I love that woman.”
Okay, well… Okay. Carys nodded.
Apparently there really were people who were meant for each other.
It wasafter dark when they finally arrived in Swansea and pulled up to a purple-painted shop on High Street. The light in the sky was just starting to dim, but there were plenty of bright lights in the shop, so Duncan found the nearest parking lot and pulled the van into it, parking and then opening the door as their party poured out like menacing and magical occupants of a clown car.
First Godrik, glaring as he escorted Naida toward the sidewalk. The fae woman was red-cheeked and appeared much happier now that the wolf was back in the Brightlands with them.
Then Laura and Cadell, both sniping at each other as they argued about modern interpretations of dragons in pop culture.
“I’m telling you” —Cadell’s nostrils were flared— “it’s ridiculous and insulting.”
“Riding dragons would be so cool though.” Laura was adamant. “It wouldn’t be like a horse at all.”
“How would it even be possible?” Cadell was equally stubborn. “You’ve seen me in my natural form, Laura. You’re an engineer. Think of the practical configuration. Where would a rider sit? There are massive muscle groups along our back to power our wings, and?—”
“I don’t know! Like maybe a…” Her cheeks got red and her voice dropped. “Like a… harness or… support or?—”
