Page 53 of Demure
For the first time since her kidnapping, Sierra wondered about her family, where they were, and what they thought of her being gone. She also thought about Aodhan, kicking herself for overlooking all the red flags during the beginning of their relationship. While she knew he wasn’t to blame for all of this, she grimaced as she remembered how he had treated her. Even though he had made some adjustments to said red flags as they got to know each other, she should have recognized the signs that he came from a different upbringing and known that he was probably bad news.
With a sigh, Sierra realized that even if she had thought better of associating with Aodhan, she didn’t regret anything that had happened. She just hoped that they were both able to get out of this alive. If they did, then Sierra would worry about what choice words she would need to say to Aodhan.
The day dragged on, and although Sierra welcomed the time alone with her thoughts, the noises outside the boulder would filter in from time to time, causing her to panic and press herself as tightly into the corner as possible, just in case someone happened to glance right into the crevice of the boulder. Sometime during the day, when the sun was high in the sky, Sierra slipped her dress back on. While it was completely dry, she still wished she had something else to wear besides the flimsy dress, which was clearly a better fit for a ball or ceremony than wandering through the woods.
Sierra had no idea what time it was, but by the time the sun began to sink from the sky, the water skin was completely empty, and she began to debate whether it would be safe to collect water from the river in the setting sun, before it became pitch black once again. Then there was the question of finding food, which she wasn’t even sure she could do. Even if she did have an idea of what plants were safe for humans in the regular world, she had noidea what type of plants she would encounter here in the Fae realm.
Lucky for her, Sierra was saved from making that decision when a dark form ducked into the crevice a few minutes later. They wore a cloak so Sierra couldn’t see their identity, but the way they sank to sit next to her made her think they were friend rather than foe.
Once they were seated, they slipped the hood from their head and a pack from their back, revealing a face that was similar to Aodhan’s, from what Sierra could see in the fading light. While their facial shape was thinner than Aodhan’s, without the wide chin, Sierra could see the matching emerald eyes, high cheekbones, and curly brown hair, which clearly ran in the family. The individual was dressed as a guard, but his frame was slim, and Sierra was pretty sure he was the one who had helped her.
“Aislan.” He dipped his chin. “I believe you know my brother.”
Sierra nodded, relief flooding her veins at the fact that she had escaped Conlan’s home and whatever weird ritual he had been holding her for. “Sierra.” She lifted her chin. “But you already knew that.”
He smiled. “Yes, I think everyone knows it now,” he responded, keeping his voice low. Sierra figured that while they were relatively safe in this boulder, it was better to be safe than sorry. “I’m sorry about my father, by the way.”
“It’s not your fault,” Sierra responded, keeping her voice at the same volume as Aislan’s.
Aislan looked away. “I know, but I still can’t believe he has taken things this far.”
Sierra couldn’t keep the question that was burning in her chest inside any longer. “Where’s Aodhan?” Sierra asked.
Aislan’s face conveyed a sad look, and Sierra grit her teeth as his eyes searched the interior of the boulder for the answer he clearly didn’t want to give her. “I’m not sure. After Slaine alertedme that you were here in Sidhe, I contacted Braan via the waters to verify that he wasn’t in the human world anymore.”
“And?”
Aislan shook his head. “He disappeared the morning after you were taken likely realizing what your absence meant.”
Sierra grimaced. While she had been hoping that Aodhan would rescue her, and she was currently mad at him for his deception, the thought of him being locked up somewhere made her chest ache.
“He wasn’t in the dungeon where I found you. I checked every cell, but they must be holding him elsewhere,” Aislan continued. “There aren’t many places in Sidhe that can hold our kind…with the shifting and all…so they likely have him locked up in the general prison, but?—”
“But what?” Sierra asked, even though she was afraid of the answer.
“He might also be in the isolation prison, where the seriously dangerous prisoners are placed.”
Something about what he said sunk its claws into Sierra’s mind. “Is he…dangerous?”
Aislan’s eyes grew wide. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Sierra felt a cold chill settling in her veins.
Aislan shook his head. “It’s not my place to tell you, but…yes…you could say Aodhan is dangerous.”
Sierra’s eyes grew wide. “Why?”
Several emotions flitted across Aislan’s face as he clearly debated on what to tell her and what to hold back. Finally, he came to a decision. “Aodhan told you that our people are losing our power, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he's one of the few exceptions. He is more powerful than both of our parents.”
Sierra felt her mouth drop open. “Wait, what? But he said that your grandparents…” Sierra trailed off as she tried to recall Aodhan’s exact words when they had spoken about his magic.
“He wasn’t lying. Our grandparents were more powerful than our parents, and in most families, the magic has declined steadily with each coming generation…except for Aodhan. While he isn’t more powerful than our grandparents, he was born with more magic than our parents. Which is odd because magic is hereditary.”
“What about you?”
