로그인I could feel my juices flowing freely down my inner thighs.My father started to speak, but his words caught in his throat and he merely looked me over for what felt like an eternity, his nostrils flaring as inhaled deeply. Hopefully it was the perfume I'd just applied..."Hi, Kier. Come inside," I said nervously, and moved aside to let him in while pressing my legs together self-consciously.It took him a moment before he crossed the threshold, closing the door behind himself and bolting the lock. The side of his cheek out bulged out a moment as he ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth, ending with a hasty lick of his lips."I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said softly, leaving a generous space between us like I was contagious."No, I was just taking a nap." I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger- one of my tells when I was lying, and he knew it."But you're... by yourself?""Not anymore. You said you had something you wanted to give me?" My cheeks burned as tri
"You mean the Faerie folk? I remember that they were beings powerful and fair, born of the gods who brought magic to the Realm of Men in Erin," I recited, using the old word for Ireland. "I always imagined them being like wood elves in The Hobbit- idle immortals, getting drunk and fucking with travelers in the woods.""They did their fair share of reveling and trickery- but in the days they reigned on Earth, they also battled the Fomoiri, an evil race that they eventually exiled to the dark Seas of Annwn where they'd been spawned, along with their king, Balor.""So they did get their hands dirty...""Quite. After the Fomoiri were defeated, the sorceress Carman and her three sons Dub, Dian and Dother challenged the Tuatha De, who drove their foes out of Erin once more. They lived up to their names, which mean Darkness, Destruction and Death. And their mother was no pushover either.""If they were so powerful, why did they fade away?" I asked, remembering tales of how faeries became dim
I went down the metal staircase to the first floor- an equally vast space with an industrial kitchen, posh dining and entertaining areas and a few partitioned off rooms where the rectory used to be.After a few minutes of futile searching I yelled "Where's my shit!""Right here."I yelped, finding my father was right behind me holding my purse and shoes. "Oh, thanks," mumbled, taking them from his outstretched hand."Listen, I know you're pissed at me and I deserve it. And I'm not telling you to forget about it- but I'm hungry as fuck. What about you?"I nodded, my belly rumbling at the thought of food."Well, how about we go out for pancakes and milkshakes?" he suggested- another meal he'd feed me when my mother wasn't around.I pulled a face. "You know that's like ordering diabetes for breakfast, right?""Not if you get it with a side of bacon.""I can't go anywhere looking like this." I gestured both to what I was wearing and the many bruises and abrasions I had from my fall."We'l
But then everything fell apart.My mother and father wouldn't stop fighting. I would overhear them yelling about betrayals, money, affairs, broken promises and worst of all- me. Then I was assaulted in our very own home and nowhere was safe anymore. The bond that had held my parents together dissolved and when I was thirteen, found myself being uprooted from everything familiar, cut off from the paternal half of my family- pater familius included- and any sense of belonging.After we moved out to Washington, I stopped being able to reach Kiernan by phone. Undeterred, I started emailing him, telling him about my new fancy school, Bruce's mansion, Seattle's music scene, with selfies or pictures of my latest sketches attached. Then, when he stopped responding to those, I sent a fat envelope directly to Sectio Divina with FOR MR. KIERNAN DEVRIL DELANEY written in bold letters, as if daring him to ignore it.The day this was returned, unopened, Return to Sender scrawled in my father's fami
I stayed remarkably collected after Kiernan left, fielding questions about him and even myself without worrying about the right thing to say because the words came naturally. If only I'd been able to speak to them like this when we were taking classes together. Jen managed to convince me to try framboise, which turned out to be fruity beer-soda, so I floated on an evanescent cloud of bliss for a couple of hours.But, after I switched to water on the rocks, I started seeing things again- a confluence of auras to rival the Northern Lights; alchemical symbols and Druidic sigils floating above people's heads; a man with a spectral crow on his shoulder and a miasma on his forehead that was so caustic it stung my eyes just to see. I pinched the bridge of my nose, willing the visions to go away."Alice- are you feeling okay?"I looked up to see one of my former classmates, Brad or Chad I think, a cute Audio Tech Major who gave off a major stoner vibe- I think he'd even offered to smoke me up
"None currently and none that I don't know about," he answered, rapping his knuckle against the wooden bar top out of superstitious habit.I was relieved, both about the girlfriend and the children- female at least. Of course, I knew Kiernan didn't equate fucking with dating, but the thought of him being in love with another woman made me raw inside- just like the thought of him having another daughter- another a chuisle.Our drinks soon arrived and he raised his glass. "May the devil say a prayer for you," he toasted with a wink before throwing back his shot.When I took a sip, I discovered that a Tom Collins was pretty much a fizzy hard lemonade infused with juniper berries, and the exact refreshment I needed."Mmm, tasty." I licked my lips appreciatively.He pushed aside his empty shot glass and started in on his beer. "And what about you?"My stomach leapt; for a moment, I thought he was asking if I was tasty too. "Oh, you mean if I have a girlfriend or kids?"Kiernan scowled. "Yo







