Private Tales Ash and Iron

[Lorcán]

That joy crashed into him, causing the breath to catch in his throat and his heart to stutter. He was used to having to pick at people's minds, not having a window open to him nor one with such a sweet breeze. His lips tugged up at the corners and he let out a long sigh, as though she'd just smoothed a soothing salve over a burn that'd been killing him for months.

His eyes snapped open at her question however, and there was no hiding the anxiety that flared in response. If she rejected it... Well he'd known males who'd been rejected and they'd each gone insane. He cleared his throat and gave a slight nod, unable to lie to her.

"Please don't be afraid.. Please don't run from me.." he said quietly. Maeve was a free spirit, she resented the fact that he'd made that deal with her parents and removed her choices. She was independent, and the type he assumed to reject the notion that she might need anyone. He'd feared telling her what their bond meant in terror that she'd tell him to leave, but she had done so without that knowledge anyway. Now that she was here, he couldn't force the words out of his mouth for fear of her doing so again.

 

[Maeve]

No more hiding. No more ignoring the little niggle that said this wasn't normal. No more running. The fear in his eyes made her heart ache but at least he had confirmed what the other male had said. She'd been too confused, too drugged and pain-filled to make sense of it until she had seen him again. If she was being truthful she had known since the moment she saw him back in that market square.

She watched him calmly and then slowly, tentatively, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in a sweet, tender kiss. It was the softest of touches, like a graze more than a fierce passionate thing but it conveyed her acceptance and how much it meant to her too.

"I'll stay."

 

[Lorcán]

He let out another of those deep sighs as their lips met, like a breath he'd been unaware that he'd been holding. It was like his entire life had been leading to this point, where it would all tumble together and he'd finally be whole. His hand slipped to cup her cheek, his thumb caressing her as though she were the finest of porcelain.

His mind seemed to pause as he tried to pick out everything he felt all at once, his lips tingling with the memory of hers, her words like a branding iron on his soul. The autumn prince let out a tremble of a breath and his cheeks dimpled as he smiled, his nose grazing hers before he pressed a firmer kiss against her forehead. "Thank you..."

"Welcome home." he rumbled.

 

[Maeve]

Click.

Something deep inside slowly slid home like a boat coming in moor. It had been leaning on her with its subtle weight begging for her to agree to let it in and now she had relented, now she had agreed, it was like a subtle fissure had closed. She let out her own breath and shivered at the sensation of it. Her nose creased up as he rubbed his against hers, her lips breaking into a brilliant grin as though they had both just shared a dark but wonderful secret. She felt giddy.

But she shook her head at his words.

"Home is you," she said solemly, holding his gaze so he would know. Know that no matter where they decided to go today, tomorrow, a hundred years ago. If she had learnt anything in the past three months it was that. Mae pressed a kiss to the inside of his wrist then slowly slid her eyes innocently to the plate of food.

"Does this mean I can make you feed me grapes now?"

 

[Lorcán]

Home is you..

He let out a breathy laugh, his eyes like dark, molten gold when he smiled at her now. In a matter of moments his life had changed. He may not have deserved her but she hadn't rejected him and she wanted to stay.

"Well.. I am still Prince of the Autumn Court. And I do have a terribly bad reputation to uphold.." he quirked a brow, pushing her hair back from her face. "But I suppose, so long as you don't tell anyone. I'll feed you as many grapes as you wish." he cast her a roguish grin.

"Do you know how long I've waited for you?..." he sighed. "I should send my father a basket of fruit for trying to kill me..." he smirked, but the thought sent a chill across his spine. His father couldn't find out about her. If he knew he had a mate, and that she'd been mortal? He didn't break his smile, but his gaze grew distant for a brief moment before he cleared his throat and dipped his hand into the water to warm it..

 

[Maeve]

Maeve wound her fingers through his when they dipped into the water with a small frown. She didn't like that distant look nor the subtle retreat as he no doubt tried to shield some thought or other from her. She wanted the smile back and the way laughter seemed to dance like a million fireflies in his eyes.

"Hey..." her other hand brushed against his cheek dripping droplets of warm water down his jaw and onto his shirt. "We'll figure it out together," You're not alone anymore, she added silently and gave him another tired smile. Not that she believed he had been alone before but if he was like how he had been with her with his other loved ones... if he didn't let them in and tried to protect them by putting on an act then it was as good as being alone at times.

"Besides, I learnt a very interesting thing about your father whilst I was in the Summer Court," she let go of his cheek and reached for the platter of food. She had learnt the hard way what it was like going back to mortal meals after tasting what he had laid out for her on their last morning. Even the scraps she had had when prisoner had tasted so much better she had wanted to weep.

 

[Lorcán]

"Hm.." he smiled, his free hand capturing hers to lean into it. "I'm sure we will." he answered and pressed a kiss to her palm. Loneliness was a funny thing. He had his brothers and he had Ama, he had countless nameless women in his bed and people surrounding him wherever he went, and yet he had always felt alone in one way or another. He realised now what his soul had been yearning for and he let out a sigh of contentment as he reminded himself once again that she had chosen to stay.

His brow furrowed quizzically as she mentioned something interesting about his father and he couldn't help but shudder to think of what Mercutio had told her, and he hoped that he hadn't spoken of him. "Oh?..Enlighten me." he asked curiously and tugged a grape from it's vine, offering it to her lips with a smirk.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve gave him a smug smile as she delicately took the offered grape and bit into it. Sharp, sweet juices rolled over her tongue and she sighed, settling back against the small rolled up towel the pucá had left there to act as a pillow. There was a hint of excitement ebbing through her as she let the silence stretch before she told him. In a way, learning something that might be useful to him and his people took the edge off of her pain.

"They think this... this light," she held up her palms and a tiny ball of pure sunlight flickered to life there. When she had been travelling alone she had practised using what he had taught her but the light had been difficult, something different and new and hers. "That it can hurt your father, badly," her gaze softened as she looked at him. Even if you hated someone wishing them dead and seeing them so were different things. "I think someone in that court is planning to kill him."

 

[Lorcán]

Lorcán plucked a grape for himself and settled his chin atop his forearm as he listened to her speak of what he had named 'endora' in his own mind. His gaze narrowed in consideration and his brow furrowed only briefly as she mentioned someone wanting to kill the Erlking. It was nothing new, not really, people had been wanting to kill him for years and had never succeeded, fuck he'd wanted him dead himself. But that the Summer Court seemed to be actively plotting his father's death was problematic.

He cleared his throat and nodded slowly. "I think it does too. I.. Might've used it on him when I returned." he frowned. His father always made him feel so weak, his power despite being feared by thousands was simply batted away as though it were a pestering insect. The light, though he hadn't had a chance to hone it, had been different. He'd seen it on his father's face, the surprise when he'd used it, the effect it'd seemed to have... "Perhaps that's why he agreed to give me this Island, to keep me far away from him now that he knows I might actually be able to hurt him." he huffed a laugh and sighed.

"I'll deal with it. Fae have been trying to kill the old man for millennia. They won't get past our armies and even if they did, they don't have you." he swallowed. "But thats... All the more reason to keep you as far away from my father as possible. If he knows about your gift, you're a threat, if he knows you're my--" he cut himself off and let out a breath.

"He enjoys hurting me.." he said calmly. "Lets just..not give him any opportunity. If it even crosses his mind to harm you I'll bring his own armies and the Summer Court to his door." he growled.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve listened in interest as he described how he had used her gifts through that sliver of her soul that now nestled within his. A kernel of light amidst the darkness. She wondered if she could use his shadows too or if it was limited to the fire and air that he also commanded. Her brows began to furrow as he continued on and fully knitted together at the growl and wave of anger. She took a breath and with concentration split the ball of light into a hundred tiny little butterflies which fluttered around the room. Some of them landed in her hair and others fluttered out of the window towards the sun. She smirked when one landed on his nose.

In a blink they vanished, her body too exhausted to sustain the magic for long.

"You can't hide me forever," she said softly, making as if to heave herself out of the tub. "And I won't let you. I'm choosing to stay and live with you not stay and be kept by you," she raised both brows at him meaningfully then grabbed the towel from the side. As she stood she wrapped it around herself in one fluid movement. Once out of the bath she sat on the edge of the tub where he was leaning and wound her fingers slowly through his hair. The subtle ache in her chest that seemed to form whenever she wasn't touching him eased.

"They're tomorrow's problems Lorcán, let's enjoy today."

 

[Lorcán]

He'd been watching the little ball of sunlight almost hypnotically when it split into butterflies, his nose wrinkling as one perched there and he blew a puff of air at it and watched it flutter away. He thought of the silvery scar in the shape of a perfect handprint on his chest, and considered that he too had been vulnerable to her gifts before she'd shared them with him.

"You've been practising.." he observed with a smugness to his expression. "Good." he smirked, but the smile died slowly as she spoke of his hiding her.

That...was going to take some work on his part. Especially now, after seeing her hurt, knowing that she was at risk because of him. The Island was vast enough that he hoped she'd simply be at peace here for as long as possible, but he bit down on his tongue and huffed quietly, his eyes closing as her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Mhm.." he mumbled, suppressing a pleasant shudder that rolled across his back at her touch. She was right, he'd wasted too many thoughts on his vengeance against Mercutio, on his guilt and rage, on his fear of almost anyone taking her from him that he'd not given himself enough time to just be happy that she was here with him, and that she'd accepted him.

For now.. he heard his father's cruel voice whispering in the back of his imagination. Until she finds out who you really are.

Lorcán's jaw tightened as he dismissed the thought in favour of her words. He had always been one to dwell on the past and fret on the future, it was what had driven him deep down into the copious bottles of fae wine and whisky. He knew what people thought of him, pampered Prince, not a care in the world, does as he pleases. But they'd never considered why he'd lived such a reckless life.

He looked up at her from his knees, reaching to take her free hand gently.. "I'm not perfect, Mae." he rumbled, pressing his lips softly against the scarring on her wrist, the touch sending another shock of unbridled anger through him, but he turned her hand and kissed again. "But for you, I'll try.." he assured her quietly.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve was sure many women would have found their knees weak at those words coupled with the tender kisses and the way he looked at her with those eyes of dark honey... but she merely shook her head and gave a husky laugh.

"I don't need perfect, nor do I want it, Lorcán," she had grown up a Princess and met enough Princes to know what "perfect" was. She cupped his cheeks with both hands now and leaned down to graze her nose against his. "I want the Prince who wrestled an iron dagger out of my hand, the fae who made me a nest of cushions on the floor by the fire, the man who took me flying to face my fears," a perfect man wouldn't have gotten into any of the situations where those moments had become some of her most cherished memories. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and gave a sigh.

"Now... I'm going to go take a nap and then you're going to show me some of this island of yours, okay? Do you need to go do Princely things or are you going to stay?" There was no expectation from her either way, simply the acknowledgement of one royal to another that some duties couldn't be pushed back.

 

[Lorcán]

He let out a deep breath as she spoke, her hands soft and warm on his face and her words just as soothing. He listened as though her voice was golden, like some elixir he'd been waiting all his days to find and settle the storms in his mind. His fingers combed through her hair once more, his eyes creasing in a smile. "Then you have me.." he answered.

He couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh as she took so well to telling him what he was to do. Not that he minded, Gods knew he needed it at times. "Okay." he answered, his brow quirking with the amusement he felt at her tone. "My Princely duties can be handled by others right now, I'm not leaving your side." he rumbled. He didn't bother to mention that his 'princely' duties had gone unhandled for the last few days of his drunken stupor, but nothing had burned down and there had been no disasters that he knew of.

"Now can you walk or do you need my services once more?" he asked with a slight grin, knowing fine well that she could walk. He'd have to remind himself often that she wasn't as fragile as she once had been and stop treating her like glass, but for now, whilst she was healing, he hoped she'd indulge him in trying to take care of her.

 

[Maeve]

A delighted laugh echoed around the marbled bathroom suite.

"I can walk, but you can bring that tray of food with you," she pressed a kiss to his nose and stood up straight, rubbing the small of her back in soothing circles. Maeve was still ravenous and had every intention of finishing every last morsel on that platter the puca had left for her. Especially the delicate, colourful biscuit things in an odd assortment of colours. She had never seen such a thing before let alone tasted it.

As she wandered back towards the bedroom she briefly wondered whether or not it was a good thing to let him stay close to her whilst she was recovering. The possessive need to look after her was like its own living, breathing thing and she was wary that if she indulged it too much it might grow to linger even after she was well again. But then she thought of how she would feel if the tables were reversed and she let go of the notion. Besides, she would be lying if she said she was glad he had chosen to stay. The trauma of that prison more than lingered and he made her feel safe, secure.

She'd battle for her freedom back if she needed to.

The two women hadn't been idle whilst she had been in the bath. The blood-stained sheets were gone and in their place fresh silk. More food was on a platter by the bed as well as freshly squeezed juice. Laid out on the bed was fresh clothes and a nightdress - clearly not knowing whether she intended to rest further or go exploring. Her lips twitched a little but after a small hesitation she dragged the dark green lace edged sleepwear over her head then sat on the bed to dry her hair with the towel.

"Who else lives here?" she asked curiously.

 

[Lorcán]

"Yes, My Lady." he mused, his cheeks dimpling in a wide grin as she kissed his nose as though he were some puppy in need of praise. He smirked to think of what his enemies would give to see him like this, on his knees taking instruction and pets. She had no idea who he was and the things that he'd done, but he preferred it that way. He so badly wanted peace, and this was it.

He followed behind her with the tray, his lips tugging at the sight of her wrapped in her towel, her dark crimson hair tumbling down her back and the little wet footprints that she left on the marble floors. He'd never really appreciated such things, but now his eyes were, like his heart and mind, fully open.

He set the tray down next to the other and lifted his bloody shirt over his head, throwing it over a chair as he pulled himself up onto the bed. He settled against the many soft pillows and opened an arm for her, a jerk of his chin beckoning her over.

"My brothers, when they feel like it. Sid and Raph. They are puca too, but they look like high fae, except the wings." he bobbed his head. "Raph is to my father what Mercutio is to the Summer Court, and Sid is the General of our army. I haven't... Told them about you, yet. I didn't know think you'd ever want to come here, and I didn't have it in me to explain that I found you and lost you all at once." he shrugged a shoulder.

"Other than those two, my staff. You met my healers, I have guards and housekeepers, some who tend the garden, some who cook. Anyone who needed sanctuary, some from my father's own household." he explained..

"I named it after you, you know... Endora. It means shining light.. I was going to name it Hellhole but Raph convinced me to be optimistic." he grinned.

 

[Maeve]

She froze with one knee resting on the bed having been about to crawl into his waiting arms when he revealed what it was Raphael did. Panic and fear flashed across her face. Is he going to grill me for answers? Is he going to slash my skin with iron? Has he done it to other fae? How can he stand there and listentothemscream-- She tried to push the bubbling questions from crawling up her throat. He wouldn't bring someone here that he didn't trust let alone call him brother. She forced herself to relax and crawled the rest of the way across the bed to lay against him even as she still faintly trembled.

I'm safe. I'm safe.

She settled her head against his chest and begun to make her way through the platter with small bites to begin with. Her stomach still felt unsettled and she hadn't eaten a full meal for days. Baby steps.

"Endora," she repeated slowly and then smiled faintly. Yes, it suited the magic inside of her. She finally worked up the courage to try one of the pale blue biscuits and gave a small groan of pleasure as the taste hit her tongue. "Yes, something this good couldn't have come from a place like hellhole," she quickly devoured the cookie and a pink one and a green one after that until her cheeks resembled that of a hamsters and not a Princess at all.

 

[Lorcán]

Lorcán could understand why any would be unnerved by Raphael, but he was certain that when she met him, she'd see what he did, and not what she feared. He let her work her way through that brief panic. She had to know he wouldn't allow anyone to harm her here, that he trusted his brothers with his life and that they too would protect her at all costs. He'd have to tell them soon, but that was another thing he could do tomorrow.

Yes, you are safe..

"Hm." he laughed, watching her enjoy the food. She was, quite adorable, he realised. "No I suppose you're right." he sighed and breathed her in, glad to no longer smell Mercutio or blood on her skin. He pressed a kiss to her damp hair and closed his eyes.

I could get used to this.. He smiled to himself and felt his own body relax entirely for the first time in forever.

 

[Maeve]

Out loud or through the bond, Maeve could barely distinguish between the two any longer she heard his voice so clearly either way. She voiced her agreement by shovelling another macaroon into her mouth. Whether that agreement was to do with getting used to him or the food was an entirely different enigma to solve. Either way she snuggled in closer to the warmth he radiated and finished off the rest of the platter with surprising speed considering her slow start. It was like her stomach had realised it had been deprived until that moment and it didn't know if or when another meal would come.

With a content sigh she pushed the platter onto the side table and stretched out like a cat in the sun before sprawling across him. Her bare leg slid across his waist in a possessive manner whilst she nestled her cheek against the hard plains of his chest and her arm lay stretched out across his stomach. Content. Safe. Her eyes drifted shut with another yawn and before she knew it the darkness of sleep took her.

 

[Lorcán]

Even watching her eat was fascinating, and somewhat impressive, but the grin he wore gave pause to the way she draped herself over him and nestled into his chest. That bond they shared blazed furiously between them and he found himself considering how dramatically his life had changed in the space of a single day. Never before had a female been able to make him feel this in his bed. His emotions flowed freely, no longer drowned in drink or depression. She had healed him in more ways than one, and his very soul seemed to settle in a single click.

Home is you..

He let out a soft groan as he wrapped his arms around her, his thumb caressing her shoulder as he let his eyes close to rest in their contentment.

 

[Maeve]

Mae woke with her face buried in the soft feather pillows. While the fog of sleep still clung to her mind she tried to remember where exactly she was. For the most part her dreams had been pleasant or she had been so deep in sleep she couldn't remember them, but a few shadows had crept in now and then in fleeting, probing attacks. Soft feathers didn't belong in those shadows and neither did the man with his arms around her waist.

Lazily she stretched and wound her arms around them with a content sigh, hugging them to her chest. When she eventually opened her eyes the sky outside was tinged red with the hour. Purple clouds bruised the sunset but the breeze was still warm and pleasant. She was about to close her eyes again when what had woken her up the first time rumbled angrily.

How could she still be hungry? Gently, she eased her way out of Lorcáns arms and rolled groggily to her feet. On her way to the bathroom she passed a mirror and paused with a start at her own reflection. Where the gashes were still open sunlight oozed through and slowly, bit by bit, began to stitch the wounds closed. Even the worst ones on her wrists had faded to a gangrene green instead of the violent black. Well, that explained the hunger. Dragging a hand through her rumpled hair once she shook her head and then carried on to the bathroom.

Maybe she could find the kitchen...

 

[Lorcán]

Lorcán was too far gone to wake, his expression loose and peaceful as he slept soundly. His sleep was deep and dreamless, lulled there by the sound of her breathing and the soothing scent of her skin. He failed to register the warmth of her body leaving him as she slipped out of his embrace, and he pulled a pillow to himself instead, a deep sigh tumbling from his lips as he nestled into it.

The smell of baking wafted through the hallway outside, as though in answer to Maeve's hunger.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve splashed cool water on her face and marvelled once more at the odd tap fixtures that produced cool water at a single turn. It reminded her of something similar to what Arun had except his had been a lever of sorts. This felt more polished with a flair for the extravagancies in life. In other words is was absolutely perfect for a fae. She glanced at herself in the oval mirror that hung above the washstand and studied her own face, a face she didn't truly recognise anymore. The blue swirls of wode that had been all sharp lines now seemed softer and deeper in colour with tiny little stars dotted here and there. Someone on the road had said it looked like a 'galaxy' and then had proceeded to get out his odd little star-seeing equipment and books to show her.

The pointed ears still made her grimace.

But everything else was sharper, heightened, as though a painter had been told to make her the most beautiful version of herself she could ever be. Sharper cheekbones, lips as rosy and inviting as the inner petals of a rose, her hair the shade of spilt blood. It was unnerving to see herself like that, like one of them, but there was no denying she was now. With a sigh she turned away. Was it a big price to pay to have found a 'mate'? She still wasn't fully sure what that meant - the guards had looked dumbstruck with a tinge of envy and Mercutio had looked delighted, though most likely for the wrong reasons. She'd find out what it meant in time.

The growling in her stomach brought her out of the twining thoughts of past and future and promptly back to the here and now. She hadn't realised she was following the smell of freshly baked bread until she was half way down the corridor. For a moment she paused. He'd said only servants lived here and his brothers every now and then... With a shrug she carried on. If she found a prude fae it would make her laugh.

Down a curving staircase that looked as though it had been spun straight out of a fairytale she trailed along to the rooms at the back where the smell was stronger and joined by other smells too. Stews so rich they made her groan, cakes and spiced things she didn't know.

Cindi and Raven glanced up from their work with surprise and Maeve loitered awkwardly in the doorway.

"We didn't think you'd wake so soon," one - Cindi - smiled apologetically and wiped floury hands over her apron.

"You should really go back to bed..." Ravan glanced up at the ceiling as though she could see the vacant spot in the bed through wood and tiles. Maybe she could. The thought didn't make her feel good.

"I was hungry and I smelt..."

"Of course. Healing takes a lot of energy, especially Iron-Made," Cindi shot her sister a chastising look before smiling to Maeve. "Please, sit. I'm afraid there's only some stew... but there's fresh bread..." Mae wandered hesitatingly forward like a nervous animal but eventually took a seat on one of the stools opposite them as Ravana went back to rolling out a dough and Cindi poured stew into a warm bread bowl. She about managed to remember manners as she tucked in heartily. She was three bowls down, and getting rather appraising looks from both women who commented more than once how thin she was, when she finally seemed to not be on the brink of starvation. She took her time with number four.

"What were those... things, those blue cakes on the platter?" she asked shyly and Ravan beamed.

"Macaroons," there was a heavy serving of pride in that tone. "I can teach you to make them if you like?"

Mae paused and tilted her head as if assessing her own body. Sleep seemed a long way off again and making macaroons meant being able to eat them. With a hesitant smile she nodded.

 

[Lorcán]

The two puca females had spread the news of Maeve's arrival in the Orchard and had rumours had spread. Fae peeked out of doors as she walked the corridors, and the excitable whispers would follow her, whilst male guards kept well out of her way as a sign of respect, and yet also fear that their prince would have their throats torn out if he caught their scents too near her. He'd never had to deal with this before, though he'd seen what it did to males, and he could only try not to take someone's head off. The same couldn't be said for Mercutio, but that was a matter for another day.

Lorcán woke slowly at first, and then more suddenly when he realised what he'd been holding onto was soft and full of feathers. He threw himself from bed and was storming the corridors in moments, his mind clouded with fear and rage, half convinced that the Summer Court had been here and taken her back.

"Mae?!" he called out, in voice and mind as he descended the stairs three at a time, following that thread until he came crashing into the kitchens and tripped into the bags of flour, sending a cloud of it into the air and a thick dusting of it over himself. He glared at Cindi as though it were entirely her fault, but the female's lips were twisting in startled amusement.

"Don't.." he warned, and sneezed.

 

[Maeve]

The three women looked at one another and then promptly fell about laughing.

The guards, fae who were able to blend themselves like chameleons into their surroundings, left as quietly as they had arrived. Only a trained eye such as his and the two fae watching Maeve would have been able to see it, whilst the Princess was blissfully unaware of her strange new protectors. Instead she wiped away the beginnings of tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, mindful not to get flour in her lashes.

"You'll wake half the place up stomping around like that," she shook her head in amusement. Before baking she'd tied her hair up and off her face but a few stubborn strands had escaped the bun and coiled about her neck or against her cheeks and temples.

"She was hungry Your Highness," Ravana bobbed in a curtsey, dusting her hands off on her apron.

"She ate four bowls of stew," Cindi noted with a touch of pride and Mae raised both eyebrows at the women. At least they had the decency to blush a little though she had the feeling they would keep reporting every detail of their evening if she didn't step in.

"Then they offered to teach me how to make... macaroons," she said the word slowly as though she wanted to savour it and then excitement got the better of her and she held up the plate of carefully constructed blue biscuits. "Look!"

 

[Lorcán]

Her joy at his current predicament was the only thing that stopped his temper from raising it's shadowy head in that moment, her laughter reverberating through his bones and straight into his chest. He wasn't used to the unbridled, possessive rage, not like this. He'd been forced to slaughter countless for his father, but he knew he'd do so willingly for Maeve.

His head shook, flour flying free of his blue-black hair and throwing up another plume of dust as he pulled himself to his feet and brushed the stuff from the rest of him as much as he could. His jaw clenched and he let out a deep, calming huff as the puca explained themselves, and he shot them a tight smirk before letting his eyes settle properly on Maeve. In this light, laughing the way she was, looking impossibly more beautiful to him then than she ever had, his chest ached to see her seem.. happy.

Lorcán let out a huff of a laugh, his floury cheeks dimpling in a grin of amusement as he cast a scrutinising look over her macaroons before giving a thoughtful nod.. "Perhaps I should hire you and sack these two." he gestured with a backward jerk of his thumb and the two females blushed furiously and looked down, smirking to themselves.

He reached out and plucked one of the blue biscuits to taste with a quirk of his brow...