Page 81 of Beauty

Gillian laughs. “None of that, brother.” She stands, the bowin her hand. “I will watch our backs. Duffy, please shout up if anyone iscoming for the front of the store.” She winks down at the gnome and flees upthe stairs.

“I am not your brother.” Duffy says it so quietly I almostmiss it.

Poor Duffy. So in love with a woman he can’t have. “Duffy,are you all right?”

“Sure thing. I’ll patrol.” Duffy clears his throat and walksoutside.

I feel helpless. Gods, I’m utterly useless. For the lastthirteen years I was so weak, and now that I have some modicum of strengthback, the sunlight holds me in a trap.

“Shim!”

I run to the door. Duffy is pointing off in the distance.“That cloud is covering up the sun.”

He’s right. Sure enough, there are far more shadows andshade than there were but minutes before. I step out and my eyes burn, but Ican stand it. “I need to find Bron.”

Lach would want me to. Lach would want to fight the battleswhile I take care of our wife. I feel my twin’s deep satisfaction with theidea. Since we landed on the same plane as our bondmate, we’re so much more insynch, even without the deepest of bonds.

Lach is fighting. I can feel it. I close my eyes and I cansee it in flashes. Lach bringing his sword down and skewering an opponent,strength flowing through his veins like never before. They’re outnumbered, butnot for long. Every foe they bring down becomes Lachlan’s. The enemy doesn’tmerely lose a fighter. With every death they gain another opponent.

I grimace. Even this low light hurts my eyes. I close themand search for some fire. It sparks to my fingertips, but I hesitate to use it.The villagers are running. The scene is far too chaotic. If I start a firehere, how many innocents will be burned?

Bronwyn. I need to concentrate on Bron.

I open my mind and seek our connection. Even with hershields up, I know she’s alive. I simply can’t see through her eyes or feelwhat she’s feeling.

I can, however, tell she’s close.

And she isn’t the only one. Four guards round the corner andbegin walking down the narrow street. I pull Duffy in. He’s carrying an axe. Nomatter how small he is, the guards won’t like the fact that he’s armed. Firepricks at my fingertips. I can roast them, but the street is so narrow and theroofs around us are all thatched with straw. One errant flame and the villagewill go up. It was easier in the town square. There was room to maneuver.

“You!” The largest of the guards shout at me. “Bring outyour women. The king requires all women to report to the town square forinspection.”

I don’t like the sound of that. Gillian is in the store. Ihave to hope she’s doing what she said she would do, manning the rear window.“We don’t have any women. It’s just me and my brother.”

The guards take in Duffy.

“Well, lookee here.” The largest of the guard’s voice dripswith sarcasm. “The mayor of this town is lax. A fucking gnome. Don’t you knowyour kind aren’t welcome here, you piece of shit? No non-sidhe. We’regoing to have some fun tonight. You’ll look good on the end of a pike, weeone.”

The guard laughs, bringing the others in.

Duffy, not one to shrink back, walks up, his axe in hishand. “Now I’d like to know what you plan to do with those women. I can’t thinkof any good reason to bring forth all the women of a town. What kind of men doyou call yourselves?”

The biggest of the guards stiffens, his limbs taking apredatory stance. “I call meself loyal is what I call me. And the king hasdecreed your kind to be undesirable and all who would aid you to be traitors.Now I think it’s about time to take care of this. Glannis didn’t tell us tobring non-sidhe to her, so we can do whatever we like to these two theway I sees it.”

Why the hell don’t I have a sword in my hand? Perhapsbecause my father had thought me too weak to hold one. Perhaps because until Ihad first blood, I was too weak to properly wield one.

Duffy isn’t smart enough to run. He hefts his axe andswaggers out into the street. “I think we’ll have to see about that. And Iwon’t let you hurt a bunch of women.”

“The wee one thinks he’s a warrior.” The guards begin tocircle in a predatory fashion, like jackals looking for an easy meal.

I step behind my adopted brother. “Duffy, I think we shouldgo back inside.”

“That option is gone now,” another guard announces. “Wedon’t let fucking gnomes talk to us that way. And they’re certainly not goingto threaten us with axes.”

There’s another sonic boom. It startles the guards and givesme a chance to focus. I let the fire build in my fingers. I can’t torch thefuckers the way I want to, but I can try to take them out one by one. The firesizzles along my skin. It’s so much easier now. The power is right there at myfingertips. I can tap it without losing control. It’s mine.

One of the guards puts a hand on me. I let the power fillme.

There’s a scream and the guard falls back, holding his handup. It’s already blistering. I can feel the power. It isn’t just in my hands orflowing from my gut. I am this power.