CHAPTER 17

Dana coughed, waving at the air in the room. With no proper ventilation, she knew the scent would linger. Grumbling to herself, she lit some scented candles to help overpower the stench. By herself once more, she sat back down on the loveseat and turned her game on again. The minutes went by, the night dragging on, her sleepless mind holding onto every detail of every minute.

Her avatar charged into a cave, only to get massacred by a pair of hidden enemies. The screen turned dark, displaying the words You Died once again.

"I wish," she muttered, then hit continue.

--

So many thoughts were running through Beth's mind that she couldn't stop to count them.

First, the excitement of someone new coming to the house. When he had first pulled his head off, it had taken everything inside of her not to scream with joy. She should have been unsettled, scared, or maybe even sick to her stomach, but all she could think about was how interesting he was. A man who could remove his own head, how awesome was that?

Second, the dullahan wore tight leather armor across his body. Straps and buckles were located everywhere, and she got the impression that he was ready to ride into battle with those sinister dark eyes of his if he had to. This wasn't just someone who sat around, this was a creature ready to pick a fight. She wasn't super familiar with dullahans, so wondered if he would have interesting stories to tell.

It didn't hurt either that he looked like a far sexier version of Edward Scissorhands, minus the scissors. Only his hands and his face were uncovered, and she couldn't help but wonder if his skin was just as pale as his face beneath all that fabric. A dark mysterious stranger had appeared in their front yard, and she wanted to know more about him.

Mostly though, she needed to get to know him for unselfish reasons. Right now, he was their only link to the faerie realm, and he could be an invaluable source of information. The fairies they already lived with were a separate species of magical creature with no information on the fae realm, so Beth planned on pumping Sulyvahn for any information— without being too obvious, of course.

And that would mean being friendly. She didn't mind friendly.

When she stepped outside, she pulled the door behind her shut so hard that it rattled in the door frame. Sulyvahn was giving the home a hard stare when Beth stepped outside, but his features softened at the sight of her. He gave her a playful bow as she drew closer.

"Good evening to ya, Lady Beth." His thick, Irish accent sent playful chills down Beth's spine, and she couldn't help but notice the leather armor he wore was rather tight across his shoulders. He shook his shoulders and popped his head free, catching it with the hand nearest his chest. Dark mist poured from his open neck, flowing around Sulyvahn's head like a waterfall. "I am your humble servant."

"You're not my servant. That's not how things are done here." She smiled, and bent down with her hands on her knees to be eye level with him. "Besides, we would rather be friends than your employers."

"Yer a softer touch than the man of the house, that's for sure, and for certain." He put his head back on and smiled. "And definitely not squeamish either."

"Oh. Were you trying to make me squirm?" Beth arched an eyebrow at him, touching her lower lip with the tip of her finger.

"Aye, a bit. Trying to have a wee bit of fun, the lord of the house seems wound a bit tight. Thought it would be good for a chuckle."

"Nah, Mike's a good guy, he's just worried about Cecilia." Sulyvahn's smile faded slightly, so Beth changed subjects. "But enough about her. I would love to learn a little about you."

"Me?" Sulyvahn pointed at himself, genuine surprise written across his face. "Well, now, I don't know that I've ever been asked to talk about myself."

"Here." Beth stepped forward and slid her arms around his bicep, leading him toward the start of the hedge maze. The muscle in his arm wasn't as thick as Asterion's, but it felt plenty thick enough when she squeezed it. "Let's walk and talk. I would love to hear more about being a dullahan."

Sulyvahn approached the maze with a lopsided grin on his face. "Well, let's see. The banshee are a fine lot, but they're joined to family bonds, Cecilia being one of the exceptions. However, foreigners and exiles don't warrant the family treatment a banshee can provide, so it's my job to go and collect. I would ride my horse across the hills and through the bogs, collecting the souls of the departed before they could wander off. Met plenty that weren't ready, but I can be persuasive."

"Interesting." Beth squeezed his arm and led him into one of the longer paths that would take them to the sundial. "How does one go about persuading a spirit to move on?"

The dullahan broke into a huge grin. "Allow me to show ye!" He slid his arm out of hers and yanked his head off, black smoke spilling out of his neck. With his free hand, he reached into the gap and pulled out his own spine.