Page 8 of Fae Devoted (Fae Touched #3)
“White or red?” Johnnie asked, sounding close to normal. Normal was good because her friend looked like she was about to lose it.
Abby flipped the bottle around until the label faced up. “A Riesling. Is that okay? I think Samuel has a cabernet somewhere.”
“White’s fine, honey.” Penny’s fair skin was downright pasty, her usual exuberance subdued.
Abby handed the half-full goblets to Johnnie and Penny then sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of them.
Samuel’s truemate had a kind and gentle soul.
She was polite to a fault and feminine to the core.
The whole pack loved her and were thrilled their Alpha found a worthy Ca’anam to lift the heavy burdens inherent with leadership.
When Samuel chose to share that happiness with his clanmates, the pack bond vibrated with his joy and contentment.
Abby was Clan now, and Johnnie would die to protect her. Ferwyn females may not sense their primal natures as keenly as the males of their race, but millennia of animal instincts remained intact. If she were capable of converting into full wolf form, she’d be prowling the room in agitation.
“I want to apologize.” Abby’s gaze met Johnnie’s, then swung to Penny’s. “I…lied.”
“You didn’t have a choice. I’ve been lying my skinny ass off too.
The island’s high and mighty made us swear not to say anything until they caught the bastard who took you and discovered who hired him.
After you came home, I can understand why you didn’t want to relive what those bitch cowards put you through.
” Although rage made her speech colorful, Penny was gentle as she tucked a strand of stark white hair behind Abby’s ear.
“But I’m here if you ever change your mind and want to talk about it. ”
“My name isn’t Abigail Barnes. It’s MacCarthy,” she blurted, wringing her hands in her lap. “Abigail MacCarthy, and…I’m not an Untouched. I’m a Na’fhuil.”
What the hell was a Na’fhuil ?
Johnnie filled her lungs, trying to detect any difference in Abby’s scent. She smelled of jasmine perfume, pack, and Samuel—the same as always.
Penny barked a laugh, which she silenced when Abby winced. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I’m afraid so. I’m not human.”
“You’re Fae Touched.” Penny collapsed into the soft seating. “Wow, that’s so…wow.”
“Yeah, go me.” Abby’s smile was small and sad.
“What’s a Na’fhuil, and why haven’t I heard of one before now?
” Johnnie asked, her relationship worries eclipsed by Abby’s startling confession.
Perhaps the puzzle would be solved as to how a fragile human played an integral role in saving Lady Rose’s life last May.
Well, it might be if Johnnie knew what a Na’fhuil’s magic could do.
“How does an entire race of Fae Touched exist without my knowledge? It seems my college education wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be, and my parents should ask for a refund.
” A thought slammed into her consciousness, and she blurted the question before thinking it through, “Did they hurt you?”
Abby paled, her hands clenching into fists.
“Wait, don’t answer that, because…yeah.” Johnnie felt sick.
No wonder the Alpha’s emotions were all over the place during Abby’s absence; he would have felt his mate’s pain as though it were his own.
“I’m calling my brothers. Albert and Oscar are great ass-kickers.
Point them in the right direction, and asses will get kicked.
And by the way, what happened to your hair?
Not that it isn’t beautiful without the honey-gold you were previously rocking, but what the hell? ”
Johnnie tended to babble when nervous or upset. Well, that wasn’t the whole truth—she veered toward chatterbox status on a routine basis but admitted stress ramped it up to another level. And discovering your friend was kidnapped and possibly tortured qualified as stressful in her book.
Abby blinked when Johnnie paused for a breath, then launched across the small distance to hug her neck. “I love you.” She turned to her human friend. “I love you too.”
“Right back at ya,” Penny said, pointy chin lifting into a mulish tilt. “Now spill.”
Abby closed her eyes, inhaled through her nose, then exhaled through her mouth.
“When the Sídhe resided in our realm, they took human lovers. Although rare, a few of those unions produced children. My race is often referred to as halfbloods because we’re the descendants of their Fae-human offspring.
But only those born with magic can be classified as true Na’fhuil. ”
“And you’re the magic-wielding kind?” Penny asked.
“Yes, and although ninety-nine percent of halfbloods are born without the mutated Fae gene, both my parents were carriers. But unlike the vast majority of Na’fhuil who are Jumpers,” she paused and swallowed. “I’m what’s known as a Rip Walker, and I may be the last one on Earth.”
“That sonofabitch took you from the restaurant and knocked me out because of your magic?” Penny’s face flushed almost as red as her hair.
“I couldn’t tell you or anyone else the truth as my kind are still hunted for our unique…
talents. We’ve been hiding a long time, which is why most humans haven’t heard of my race.
The magical community thinks the Na’fhuil went extinct a century ago,” eyes open and on Johnnie, “if they remember us at all.”
The odor of light camphor met Johnnie’s nose, revealing the partial untruth. What else was Abby holding back? “Is Conlan a Jumper?”
Abby’s brother came to physical blows with Samuel after finding Abby living on the island and in the midst of the Mating Dance with an Alpha. During the resulting chaos, Johnnie could have sworn Conlan popped in and out of existence faster than she could follow.
If Abby was the only Rip Walker, was her sibling’s magic the more common kind? Or was Conlan born without magic and considered human? And where was her brother now?
“I’ve already revealed too much as it is.” Abby worried her lip and turned her head toward the door where the warriors charged with her protection waited in the hallway.
How much danger was her sweet friend facing if she didn’t trust the Guard?
Johnnie wasn’t the only one who noted Abby’s apprehension.
“Are you safe here?” Penny asked.
“Príoh Walker would never allow anyone to hurt his mate.” Although Johnnie didn’t have all the details, she had the utmost faith in her clanmates and her Alpha.
“I guess I imagined she was kidnapped under wolf boy’s hand-picked guards’ noses?
” Penny lifted her groomed eyebrows, placed her wine glass on the coffee table, and stood.
Gathering her curly hair into a sloppy bun, she plucked a hairband from her jean pocket and secured the wild mass.
“I suppose Abby was vacationing on Rosemary Beach working on her tan for three weeks?
“Hop and Evelyn weren’t to blame,” Abby insisted. “I never should have left the island in the first place.”
“I’m calling my brothers.” Penny picked the fallen catalogs from the floor and stuffed them into the discarded carryall bag before reaching inside to retrieve her cellphone. “They’re professional ass-kickers and have contacts from their days in the Army.”
“You can’t tell anyone about the Na’fhuil.” Abby’s scent flooded with anxiety.
“I would never betray you, but you’re not exactly lying low as a príoh’s Ca’anam and Queen Rose’s stylist and PA.”
“Samuel will protect me.”
“Logan’s buddies were in Military Intelligence,” Penny said, referencing her oldest sibling. “He can call in a few favors and find you a less conspicuous place to stay until this blows over.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t going to blow over.” Abby grimaced. “At least not anytime soon.”
“Another reason to be as far away from the magical community as fuckin’ possible,” Penny insisted.
“It’s my fault your family is involved in this mess at all. I won’t drag them in deeper.”
“My brothers might drive me insane sometimes…okay, most of the time. But they’re all good men, Abby. You can trust them. I swear it.”
“But I can’t trust the military.” Abby eyes glistened.
“I was fifteen when my parents died, and my magic manifested. Someone from the US government came to the hospital and forced me to leave the state. They took me to a place where I was trained to use my newfound skills for their benefit. I…I missed my parents’ funeral. ”
“Oh, honey.” Penny rushed to Abby and bent to wrap her arms around her neck. “I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t know what a halfblood Walker’s magic can do or what the future holds,” Johnnie leaned forward and clasped Abby’s cold hands.
“And I have no idea the level of danger you’re currently in or have dealt with in the past. But you’re truemated to Alpha Samuel Walker, Abby.
The príoh of Clan Walker . That can’t be a coincidence. ”
All Ferwyn believed in fate. How could they not with the miracle of a Ca’anam? How could Johnnie not since meeting Jacob? Penny’s concerns were understandable, but no one would keep his mate safer than Samuel. No one.
“Fine,” Penny conceded on a drawn-out sigh that turned into a yelp as Abby twisted to throw her arms around Penny’s narrow waist and squeezed. “But I swear, if wolfy doesn’t step it up, he’ll be dealing with me.”
“And nobody wants that.” Abby’s tone was solemn, but her lips tipped into a grin.
“Damn straight, girlfriend.”