Page 37 of Broken Veil
Wade’s eyes glittered. “Well, ’cause she’s the hero of this story, isn’t she?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Why did you call me a hero?”
Wade opened one eye.
They’d shuffled around in the van for the three-hour drive to Yorkshire and the deep waters of the River Ouse. Carys had switched with Cadell so the dragon could stretch his long legs in the front passenger seat. Godrik and Lachlan’s broad shoulders blocked the row behind the driver, and Naida and Laura were sleeping in the middle, leaving Carys in the far back with the strange old man.
“Who are you?” Wade asked.
Naida said he wasn’t fae, so she offered her name. “I’m Carys Morgan.”
Wade just stared at her.And?his eyes seemed to ask.
“I’m… a mythology professor,” Carys continued. “I was born in Wales, but I grew up in Northern California.”
Wade narrowed his eyes. “You’re telling me where you were born, not who you are.”
“Okay.” Carys shook her head. “Um… I’m an only child. My parents never had any other kids, so Laura is kind of like my sister.”
Wade was still silent and staring.
“My mother was an artist, and my father was a teacher like me. And a carpenter. And then a few years ago, my parents died in a really horrible car accident.” Carys looked out the window. “And I miss them every day.”
“So that’s all you are?” Wade lifted one eyebrow. “Just an ordinary teacher from California with a sad story about her parents?”
“Okay, fine.” She felt the corner of her mouth lift in half a smile. “I’m a professoranda dragon lord.” She plucked at her jeans. “A nêrys ddraig of Cymru.” She laughed quietly. “Still working on that part though.”
Wade kept staring. “What else?”
“I’m…” Carys’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m the daughter of a Brightkin and a Shadowkin. My mother served Epona. But I don’t really know what that means. And I don’t really know anything about how they met or what it means when people mention Epona’s?—”
“You’re a sage.” Wade’s voice dropped and his folksy accent disappeared. “A teacher and a storyteller. That’s the obvious part, Lady Carys. But what else are you? Why do you think I called you a hero?”
Carys shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
Her heart raced, and she saw Cadell turn around in his seat.
Nêrys.
I’m fine.
She couldn’t take her eyes from Wade’s. She would have sworn earlier that they were a greenish color, but now they were deep blue.
I’m fine, Cadell.
“Stop talking to your dragon,” Wade said, “and answer the question: Why did I call you a hero?”
Carys whispered, “You called me a hero because I shouldn’t exist.” She let out a soft breath. “Because I’m the daughter of a Shadowkin. Because I’m a human born from magic.”
They leftthe M1 east of Sheffield and headed northeast on the highway. Carys tried to sleep, but she couldn’t. She moved to the front seat to keep Duncan company, but the blacksmith seemed to be running on pure annoyance with their unexpected passenger.
Wade would bark out, “Turn here, jock!” Or “Not that way, eejit,” causing her boyfriend to bare his teeth until Carys reached over, took his hand, and breathed deeply until Duncan no longer looked like he was seconds away from murdering Wade.
It was over three hours of driving before they turned off the highway and reached a wide spot in the road just ahead of a bridge and Wade yelled, “Stop here!”
