Page 96 of Made

“That is true, but no’ in the case of your mum. I like Evangeline.”

“Yeah,” she said softly, “Me, too.”

“And Rhiannon.”

“Well, of course. Why would we give our daughter anything but thebestname?”

“We wouldn’t!”

“Right.”

“So, now we’re sleeping with our princess, a unicorn, and a dragon.”

“It seems so. Don’t look at me like I brought the partyandthe asylum. You’re the one who lives in crazy town.”

“Crazy town?”

“Yeah. This whole magical world thing.” She threw both hands out wide to illustrate what was meant by “whole magical world”.

“Do no’ look now, love. But it so happens you’requeenof crazy town.”

She stared. “How did that happen again?”

He grinned. “You fell head over heels for the king.”

“Gods help me. Look at this, though. I designed a hinge for that window,” she pointed, ”so that it works like a bird door. Squeaky can come and go as nature calls.”

“Uh-huh. And what about the, em…”

“Look here. I’m especially proud of this.” Diarmuid followed her down a newly created wide hallway that ended in a large double-hinged door that swung either way depending on the direction of pressure. “Push the door open.”

He did.

What he found on the other side was a ten-acre paddock with a small, pristine lake, the greenest grass and the most stunning collections of wildflowers. The most miraculous thing, since they were on the top floor of the castle, was that this ideal space was independent of terra firma. Just blue sky underneath, nothing visible holding it up.

Diarmuid raised his eyebrows in appreciation.

”You’re getting’ scary good. Who would no’ be impressed? “ Evie preened a little. “If I’m no’ needed at the moment, I’d very like a wee nap. How long do you think our lass will sleep?”

“An hour and a half? Maybe?”

“I’ll take it.” He flopped down on the bed and was breathing deeply within a minute.

Thorn sashayed over, sniffed Diarmuid’s leg, snorted softly, then retreated to his post next to Rhiannon’s bassinette.

“I should’ve asked her about the best things to feed him,” Evie said to no one. “I mean, he looks like a horse. Most of the time. But he’s not a horse, is he?”

Thorn shook out his beautiful mane causing Evie to wonder if unicorns are able to grasp the nuance of a rhetorical question.

Keir and Killian held the flames low enough to be sure they weren’t stepping on or in anything they shouldn’t. Neither saw nor heard anything for the first twenty yards as they descended deeper into the cave. Killian’s guesses proved right. The cave’s downward path was cold with a heavy, clinging dampness that smelled of rot and an utter lack of light. Those were, however, not the worst things. The worst thing was the very palpable sense of foreboding that raised both hackles and goosebumps.

There was nothing of particular interest. The ground was wet sand. The rock walls were sweating in places. In others rivulets of water, originating from somewhere above, and ended in a tiny creek where the sand met rock. The creek water made a running sound, but not a happy sound.

“Good call on the torches,” Keir whispered, as much to keep himself oriented to purpose as to share information.

He jumped when Killian suddenly yelled, “KAGAN!”

Keir started toward Killian like he was going to throttle him. “What are you doing?”