Page 12 of A Kiss from the Fae (Mistress of Magic #2)

Excerpt from Grainne Morgan’s diary

Gwyn Beatha came to me on the beach and we talked.

He is a very beautiful being, and many is the time that I have submitted to him in the old tradition and enjoyed it.

Tonight, he spoke to me honestly for the first time.

We discussed Marian and the baby. He said that he must take it now that it has been conceived, and she is too far past the time where the tea can be ministered.

I had to agree, but I managed to get him not to take Marian.

She is a silly child, but she does not deserve the fate of the faerie reel for her stupidity; also, I am training her, and I do not wish the training to be for naught.

When we had parleyed, Gwyn offered to take me to Murias to visit his castle. I have never been there before, so I cautiously assented after he assured me that no ill would come to me there and I would be merely a visitor, returning when I wished.

It was more beautiful than I could have imagined.

I refused the food and wine, and instead had the king take me to his library, which my mother had told me about.

A vast space filled with ancient volumes, some made of seawater, some made of glass, some just songs in the air.

I was so moved by the experience that I cried.

I was not allowed to read any of them, but he held me to his chest and crooned soothing words to me. I will never, ever forget this day.

‘Faye, this is everybody. Everybody, meet Faye Morgan.’

The restaurant was crowded and noisy, and Faye could feel herself contract against its busyness; the jostling, shouting and laughing stabbed at her – a cloud of pins. She’d never loved crowds, being used to quiet, coastal Abercolme, where the soft song of the sea lulled her dreams.

Still, Rav held her hand and she squeezed his wide palm affectionately. These were his friends; London was his city. She could see from the way his face glowed that he was happy to be home.

And who could blame him? Faye waved a shy hello at the men and women clustered around the long table, drinking, talking and laughing.

Yet, Rav still wasn’t back to his usual self.

He had refused to go to hospital after she’d rescued him from Murias.

The whole episode had made a confident man anxious, and she could detect some of the frayed seams under the smooth image he liked to present.

Faye still had nightmares about the emaciated bodies that the faerie dancers had trampled on in the castle of Murias. It was a slow, horrible death. She had managed to rescue Rav, but he had deep wounds that would take months to heal.

Normal , she reminded herself as she smiled around her. Remember, this is normal life. These people don’t know anything about deadly faerie dances and wild kelpies. As far as she knew, Rav hadn’t told them the real story.

Faye had said nothing when she had returned from the Mabon ritual the day before.

Rav had asked her how it had gone: did you have a nice time with your new friends?

As if she’d gone for a play date with some preschoolers and not an occult ritual in the woods.

And she had lied and said yes, it was nice, thank you , but she was tired and needed an early night.

He hadn’t asked her anything more. Half of Faye wanted to tell him all about it, but she knew that Rav was trying to move past his experiences of being in the faerie realms. She knew that he didn’t want to hear about it.

So, she said nothing. And the act of saying nothing made her feel resentful.

Rav introduced her to the people sitting around them: his tall, bearded business partner Roni and his wife, Sumi; a man with round John Lennon glasses and untidy blonde hair, wearing a faded music T-shirt and a torn cardigan called Jeremy; and next to him, a finely featured woman with blonde hair to her waist dressed entirely in black, who Rav introduced as Mallory.

‘It’s so great to meet you finally! I’ve heard such a lot about you!

’ Sumi grabbed Faye’s hand across the table.

She was deliciously full-figured, and her dress, a wrap-over in a green and blue palm leaf print against a pink background, caressed her curves.

‘I’m so glad Rav’s found someone. He’s a workaholic.

He needs a woman in his life.’ Her smile was infectious and warm, and Faye liked her immediately.

‘I’m glad I found him,’ Faye said, smiling.

‘So, tell us about this amazing shop of yours! Rav told us – and, by us, I mean he told Roni, and Roni told me.’ She smiled affectionately at her husband, a tall, portly black man with a beard who was laughing with Rav.

‘He told us you’re a witch! And your place, it’s been in the family for generations, I think? ’

The table quieted and turned to stare at her; Faye would have preferred the noise to everyone looking at her.

‘That’s right. My shop’s called Mistress of Magic. I sell candles, herb incense, crystals, tarot, books. That kind of thing.’

‘Cool.’ Jeremy, opposite her, raised his eyebrow. ‘I do a bit of tarot myself sometimes.’

‘Jer! You do not. You did it for me once and you just looked everything up in that book,’ Sumi scoffed affectionately.

‘Whatever. It takes practice.’ He shrugged. ‘I was going to do a course.’

‘You should. There’s bound to be some good teachers in London.’ Faye nodded. ‘I’ve taught people. It’s not hard, really – it’s a combination of practice, imagination – and some reading the book, too,’ she concluded with a smile.

‘Ooooh, teach me!’ Sumi’s eyes were wide. ‘I’d LOVE that.’

‘Sure, any time.’ Faye laughed. She was increasingly aware that the woman dressed all in black to her right, who had smiled narrowly when they were introduced, was sitting silently, listening. ‘What about you, Mallory? Ever had your cards read?’ she asked the girl.

‘A few times.’ Mallory studied her nails critically and gave Faye a disinterested smile. ‘I know someone who’s really gifted. He’s been reading for me for years, on and off.’ The implication in Mallory’s voice was that Faye was no comparison to Mallory’s expert friend.

‘Oh. That’s… great,’ Faye replied, not sure how to talk to this woman who so obviously didn’t want to talk to her. Mallory gave a tiny, brief upturn of her lips and turned away to talk to Jeremy. Sumi caught Faye’s confused expression and leaned over the table.

‘Don’t worry about Mallory. She takes a while to open up, but she’s a sweet girl really,’ Sumi said in a low voice, just loud enough for Faye to catch over the talking and clinking of glasses.

‘It took me three years to actually engage her in conversation. And that’s me.

I’d make a wall talk to me, right?! You’ll get there.

’ Sumi gave a slight eyeroll, and Faye grinned, relieved it wasn’t something she’d inadvertently said or done.

‘Anyway. She’s probably feeling a bit strange, given the situation… ’

Faye leaned closer over the table.

‘What situation?’

‘Oh.’ Sumi sat back in her chair and looked guilty for a minute. ‘I thought he’d have told you.’

‘Who would have told me what?’ Faye felt a spectre of unease settle on her; among the revelry, she felt suddenly isolated once again. Rav reached for her hand as if picking up on her body language, but he didn’t stop talking to Roni.

Sumi got up and came round to Faye’s side of the table and crouched down beside her chair.

‘Mallory’s Rav’s ex,’ Sumi whispered in Faye’s ear. ‘They split up about a year ago. Amicable. They started going out in university, same time we met.’ She nodded to Roni.

‘Who ended it?’ Faye whispered, turning away from Mallory’s back. Faye didn’t think she could hear, but she wanted to be sure.

‘Rav,’ Sumi replied, looking at Faye speculatively. She held out her hand and said louder, ‘Come on, I’ll show you where the ladies’ is.’

Faye took Sumi’s hand – she got the impression that people didn’t often refuse Sumi – and followed her through the closely packed black-lacquered tables in the restaurant.

It was a purposefully debauched-looking place with cerise and black leather easy chairs and huge vases of exotic flower arrangements against luxurious gold wallpaper splashed with large roses, lilies and orchids in full bloom.

Contrasted to the lavish, decadent décor, the menu was mostly vegan and contained dishes with ingredients – oils, seeds, pastes – she’d never heard of.

The bathroom was plastered with fifties style magazine covers featuring women with rolled fringes and red lipstick. Ornate gilt mirrors reflected the sparkles from the black quartz sinks which contained slivers of gold.

‘So…Look, I didn’t want to talk about it in there when she’s right there. To save both of your feelings.’ Sumi turned on a golden tap and ran her hands under the water.

‘Okay.’ Faye stared at her own face in the mirror. She looked pale and withdrawn.

‘I think Rav’s over her. He ended it, anyway.

He told Roni they’d grown apart. I mean, that’s only natural.

When you get together at that age – you know, nineteen, twenty – you’re not that likely to stay together.

Roni and I have, but that’s because, y’know, we’re both terrified of change. ’ Sumi laughed merrily at her own joke.

Faye smiled. ‘I’m sure it’s more than that,’ she said generously, but her heart was pounding. That Rav was still friends with his beautiful ex-girlfriend wasn’t exactly news that she was sure their new, vulnerable relationship could take.

Sumi wiped her hands with a thick white towel from a pile in the centre of a black quartz-topped table and threw it into a wicker basket.