Page 5 of Beauty

“Where is he?” I ask, staring at my brother, the other halfof my soul.

“He was mumbling something about fields and wheat.” Duffycomes to my side, his mouth turned down in a flat line. “I think he feels hermore clearly here.”

Shim chuckles, but I know damn well he isn’t laughing atanything he heard on this plane. I get to my knees and put both hands on mybrother’s shirt, hauling him up.

“Wake the fuck up, Shim.”

Dark hair covers half of Shim’s face as he shakes his head.“No. Don’t want to.”

I groan. It’s so much worse in the last year. Shim startedto sink into a world where he can see her, feel her emotions. I can only dothat in my dreams, when an invisible thread tethers me to my bondmate.Sometimes I envy my brother the deeper connection, but this isn’t one of thosetimes. Shim has begun to seek the connection to her instead of living his damnlife. Our life. My brother is slipping away, and I can’t allow it.

I’m not ready to give up yet. I want a real life with her,not some half life where I only hold her in dreams. She’s mine, damn it. I’llprove it to her when I find her. Ruined face or no.

“Do I have to punch you again?” I ask.

Shim’s eyes focus. “Bloody hell, no. Why would you do such athing?”

Finally, a wee bit of sense. “Because you’re acting like adrunk. I can’t wake you anymore. It’s harder and harder when you give in duringthe day. Hell, it can be hard enough to wake you at night. You can’t go lookingfor her in the day.”

A smile crosses Shim’s face. I’ve seen that smile on theface of many a man who had too much whiskey. “She’s here, Lach.”

“No, she’s not.” That’s the problem. She isn’t here, and wehaven’t been able to find her. “But her brothers are.”

Shim sits up on his own. “What are you talking about?”

Duffy leans in. “Is it true, Lach? Are the Seelies coming?”

I nod. “Julian’s bringing them in. The Vampire plane hasdeclared for Torin. Beckett and Cian Finn are on the run.”

“A sad day when the Seelie kings come looking for a place tohide here,” Duffy says with a frown.

I lightly smack the side of his head. “Don’t be talking likethat. It’s talk like that got us in trouble in the first place.”

Duffy rubs his head. “Well, it’s not normal. They hate us.”

“Not more than we hate them,” I shoot back.

“I don’t hate them.” Shim seems to be coming out of his fog.“I don’t hate anyone.”

Duffy leans in. “Gods, Shim. Don’t let your da hear yousaying crazy shit like that. He’ll beat you for sure.”

I roll my eyes. Despite my father’s rather intimidatingpresence, he never once beat us. Not that we don’t know how to take or give asound thrashing, but it was part of our training, not at our da’s hand. KingFergus of the Unseelie is a ruthless bastard. He wouldn’t be king if he wasn’t,but he cares for his sons.

“Da was the one who sent Gilly in there in the first place,Duff. He wanted a treaty with the Seelie. And given what we’ve seen is going onthere in the Seelie plane, it’s no surprise he’ll support Beck and Cian Finn intaking back the throne.” It goes unsaid that, after all, we’re family. Beck andCi Finn don’t know it, but the future queen of the Unseelie is still on theSeelie plane, trapped and in constant danger. Only her death saved her from,well, death.

“Do you think they know, Lach?” Shim asks, struggling to hisfeet.

“No.” I straighten my tunic. I should change, but thereisn’t time. “Julian would have warned us if they had any suspicions.” I put ahand out to steady my brother. “Even if someone told them and they brought therumor forward, our father would let it be known that we’re crazy. They won’tbelieve us. They won’t believe until the full and true bond is in place, and wecan’t do that until we’re in her presence.”

“It feels full and true to me.” Shim stretches and looksdown at the dog at his feet. “Lach, why is that dog’s guts on his outside?”

The dog sits and pants, his tail thumping.

“Don’t worry about the dog. Worry about the kings. They’vebrought the queen along.”

“Is it time then?” Shim asks, his tone getting serious.

Every muscle in my body clenches. It’s almost time. We willfind our bondmate or die trying. And our plane will fall… “It’s time.”