Beyond the Pale: A Thin Veil Novella (The Thin Veil Book 3) Read Free Page A

furnished room with high ceilings and tall, narrow windows that opened onto an enchanted sky. He was standing at the far end of the room, his back to her. He was tall and well-built, his blond hair brushing the tops of his shoulders. He turned at the sound of her footsteps, a smile dancing on his lips.
    “Did you tell them about us? Let me guess—they don’t approve. But it doesn’t matter, they’ll be gone in three days, and we can do what we want.”
    She started to walk toward him. “Lorcan, something has happened.”
    His teasing expression changed the moment he saw the tears on her face. “Did they hurt you?” he demanded, all teasing gone.
    “No, of course not,” she said. “But…things have changed. They have apparently been making arrangements for me to marry the High King, Brogan. The wedding is to take place in three days, just before the Departing ceremony.”
    He stared at her, frozen in place. “Refuse to do it,” he said.
    “I’m so sorry… I don’t have a choice.” Her voice was but a whisper.
    He turned from her abruptly. She grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. “Lorcan, please. I am as devastated as you are.”
    He looked at her then, with those deep blue eyes she knew so well. “I doubt that,” he said. Then he pulled her into a tight embrace. She crumbled inside his arms, letting the sobs wrack her body as he held her together. After a long moment, he pulled back and cupped her face, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. “Do not cry, my darling Kier. We can fix this. You don’t have to go through with it.”
    Trying to stifle her sobs, Kier lifted her bloodshot eyes to his. “But I do. I cannot break off the engagement. I…I swore to my parents that I would not.”
    Lorcan’s gaze deepened into a scowl. “Then break your vow. You are not some token to be passed around to whomever they choose.”
    She wanted to believe him, wanted to think that this was just a horrible dream from which she would soon wake. But the weight of a heavy stone in her stomach told her otherwise. Sometimes there is no happy ending. “I am the only daughter of our great family. I must do my duty. I cannot dishonor my lineage.”
    “Then you dishonor yourself,” he said, jerking away from her.
    She winced as if he had slapped her. Lorcan ran his hands roughly through his hair and started pacing, his movements jerky. “You deserve so much more, Kier! Brogan mac Airgetlam is not worthy of you. He is cocksure and vain, and only has passable skills as a warrior. He spends more time on Ériu than he does here, soiling himself with human contact. The Elders chose him as king simply because he is the only one left with the sidhe-gift.”
    “Let’s not spend our last moments together quarreling,” Kier urged. “Now that I am betrothed, it will be difficult for me to see you alone. I just came to say…that I love you, but this must be goodbye.” She felt the tears pressing hard against her eyes again, and fought to keep her composure.
    He stared at her long and hard, as though trying to memorize her face. Then he gripped her tightly by the shoulders. “No,” he said. “I will not lose you to that swaggering idiot.”
    “Lorcan, please, you must accept this. If you act against the king he will lock you away—or worse.”
    Lorcan laughed, but it was not his normal laugh, not the one that still sent thrills up her spine. “Brogan is so sure of himself that he would not recognize treason if it were staring him in the face,” he said. “But do not worry, my dear. I will be cautious. I will never put you in danger.”
    She shook her head. “Please, I couldn’t bear to see you hurt.” She turned to go, knowing if she stayed longer she might give in to his persuasion and break the vow she had made. As she neared the door, she stopped and turned to look at him once more. He stood tall and regal in the center of the room, his eyes fixed on her, his face expressionless.
    “I