Beyond the Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1)

Lorcan’s breath fanned over her neck. It really creeped her out and when he pulled away she shuddered.

“You’re not running away,” he stated firmly.

His shoulder bumped into her wings.

“I wasn’t running from you! I was running from Aifric!”

Lorcan quietly watched her while running a bloody hand over the tips of her wings playfully. His heavy breathing was unnerving, but his touch was a little exciting to her when she knew it shouldn’t have been.

She pushed the thought away as she watched the dark blood from his fingertips seep onto her wings. He walked out in front of her and crossed his arms staring down at her as she sat on the rock.

“How did you see me?”

He grinned, “I didn’t see you. I heard you.”

It was hard for her to concentrate on questioning him seeing all the blood on him. The smell of the blood alone made her want to gag.

“Aifric said you couldn’t hear me. Well...thanks for saving me. I really owe you. You didn’t have to kill him though.”

Lorcan shrugged and then sat down on the grass nearby her.

His face hardened as he narrowed his eyes. “He took you away from me. You wanted him to live after what he was going to do to you?”

“I don’t think he was going to kill me.”

Pulling her out of her thoughts, he lurched his head forward literally giving her a bloody kiss on her forehead. Her face heated up and an odd warm feeling bloomed inside her. When he pulled away he just stared at her like nothing happened.

Before she could say anything, he closed his eyes and slumped over on the ground falling asleep. Elaine grew frantic and got up going over to him. She got on her knees beside his sleeping form and shook his shoulders.

“Wake up, Lorcan!”

They were completely out in the open. Elaine knew someone or something could easily spot them. She thought the last thing they needed was for a werewolf or something worse to smell the blood Lorcan was covered in.

There was simply no way she could carry Lorcan up into one of the tree. The idea was laughable, but if she flew it could have been possible she thought. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to fly. She rolled up the sleeves of her cloak.

Then she walked off a short distance and dipped her hands in a small creek letting the dirt and grime wash away. She cupped her hands full of water quickly walking back to Lorcan and dropped the water right onto his face. He didn’t wake up. In fact, if it was even possible, his snores seemed to have grown louder. Elaine wrinkled her nose.

She went to go get another scoop of water and put it on his face. Then, she wiped the blood off his face and went back to the creek to wash her hands. After she returned to the sleeping faery man she was finally able to take a rest. She laid flat on her back watching the shimmering of her wings under the moon’s glow while keeping watch of their surroundings.

***

“Shhh, it’s okay. Just a dream,” Lorcan murmured in Elaine’s ear.

She sat up from the ground with a start unable to recall the nightmare of her dreams. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep and wondered what time in the morning it was. Lorcan was holding onto her like a teddy bear, and with a huff, she pulled back and he let go of her.

“I’m fine.”

“You were the one crying,” Lorcan pointed out.

“Yeah, cause you were snoring so freaking loud!” Elaine argued, but it wasn’t the truth. She was crying from the dream she had that she already couldn’t bring herself to remember.

“Whatever.”

It was still dark out. She kept quiet relieved Lorcan woke up from his strange sleep paralysis. She looked up from the ground to find Lorcan watching her his arm was still around her shoulders and her body was still resting against his side

“Can you go back to sleep now?”

Elaine scooted away from him, “Aren’t you going back to sleep?”

He laughed like it was the most obvious thing. “No.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

He smirked, “Nope.”

Elaine didn’t understand what was so funny, “Then what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to do what I always do while you’re asleep.”

“What do you do when I’m asleep?”

Maybe he will go hunting or off on a walk. Then again it’s night time. Is he always awake when I’m asleep? I’m pretty sure he’s fallen asleep when I have. Would he really just wait until I fall asleep to go off and do something? she thought to herself.

“I watch.”

“Oh, you keep watch...like a lookout.”

Lorcan chuckled and Elaine was growing tired of his strange behavior. Ever since she grew wings he seemed to be much more light-hearted at times. “No, I just watch.”

“Watch what?”

“I watch you," Lorcan answered.