Declan wouldn't own Fiona. No man ever would. Which made her mind turn to Declan and it still made her mad that he thought some fancy story would get her into bed. Couldn't a guy just like her for who she was first? Men were poopyheads.Fiona pushed open the door. She found Colleen on the other side, a wine bottle half uncorked in her hand. "Hey."They hugged. Fiona felt relief wash over her. Meg yelled from the balcony. "Hey, Fi."Snacks were arranged on a low table between three lounge chairs. "Go out. I'll be there as soon as I wrestle this wine bottle."Fiona hugged Meg tightly, then plopped onto one of the chairs. "How's the job hunt going?" Meg asked. Fiona shrugged. "Not great, but I have a few weeks before I have to worry." She paused, not sure why she was reticent to tell them about Brent. "I had dinner with this guy.""A date?" Colleen said, walking out with the bottle and three glasses in her hands. "Nah. He wants to sponsor me and my art."A smile broke out onto Meg's f
Declan banged on Colleen's door, knowing full well that Fiona wasn't there. He figured if she was with her friends, he could check out Brent a little more. Then he felt some distress from her, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. It was there, some kind of link, even if she said she hated him. Yes, something was wrong. His phone was dead so he couldn't locate her that way. Damned new technology. No, this was different."The feckin' goblin is blocking me."He didn't know how, but he knew it was Brent. Something more than a gut feeling overtook him. Why hadn't listened to the lessons he'd been supposed to learn? Declan banged on the door again then tried the knob. It opened in his hand. He looked up to see Colleen on the other side. "Where is she?"He stormed into the apartment, feeling like a caged animal. He could feel that Fiona was in some kind of distress, but he couldn't tell what. "She left us. She ran out and I assume she went home, but she didn't pick up when we called,"
Chapter 1 PrologueIn the time when fairies ruled the Earth.Donal Foley grumbled and cursed his father as he trekked through the dunes on the shores of Connaught in what is now part of County Galway Ireland. He was there to see the Queen of the Fairies, a fair-headed lass with a temper. He didn't have good news and he dreaded telling her. As a gargoyle, he was sworn to protect fairies, but his father, Seamus Foley, a man prone to drink, had deflowered a fairy and she was now carrying his child. As the oldest of Seamus' three sons, it fell to Donal to tell the Queen that he had relieved Seamus of his duties as the head guard of the land of Connaught. He stopped to gaze out at the ocean, its blue waves crashing in anger against the white sand. The sea reflected the reaction he expected from the queen.The Foleys had been guarding the fairies for generations and never had there been a problem. Donal pushed his black hair away from this steel blue eyes. Putting off the task would not mak
Meg Boyle drove out of Leenane in County Galway for one last glimpse at the site she'd chosen for her company's new wool processing plant. Wild Woolens based in Pennsylvania had tasked her with finding a place to build closer to the source of their world-famous wool products. Meg glanced at the sheep on either side of the road. "Can't get much closer than this to the sheep." The site sat across the street from the beach, right next to a church that was in disrepair. She figured Wild could knock down the church and build a plant as big as they might need. It was rocky terrain, but things could be leveled. She stopped her car by the church. Getting out she sniffed the salty North Atlantic. The only problem might be the fact that tourists were fond of this road. If the plant could be back from the road it might work out. She didn't want to spoil the countryside.With her car parked along the Wild Atlantic Way, Meg trekked up the small hill to the church. Where her gargoyle friends sat l
Her phone rang as Meg walked up to her room at the Leenane Hotel. The place faced the Killary Fjords in County Galway. The hotel rooms weren't huge, but the place was clean and picturesque. Meg had already taken a ton of pictures just from her window."Hello."Her feet padded on the carpeting in the hallway. It wasn't too late so she didn't have to be quiet, but something about the hotel made her want to whisper. It had an air of elegance about it. "Meg Boyle?"Who else would it be? You called me. "Yes.""This is Harriet Witherspoon.""Okay. Nice to meet you. Who are you?""I'm your new boss."The words needed a minute to sink in. Meg had been sure that she was getting that job. She'd never entertained any other scenario. "What happened to Leslie?"Her boss had promised to let her know before she retired. Why hadn't she said something? Meg hadn't missed a call from her. "She retiring at the end of the week.""The end of the week?"Why so soon? What had happened? Leslie had insisted
"Shite" was Donal's first thought. He'd run out of time. The brothers hadn't come up with a plan and Donal had assumed he'd have more time. "Did you hear that?" he said to his siblings."Yep.""Guess you're out of luck.""Thanks."They were no help. Meg stood below them, looking out over the ocean. Even if she wasn't facing him, Donal knew she was the most beautiful fairy he'd ever seen. Freckles dotted her nose and her red hair whipped in the wind. "I can't believe my boss retired without telling me. I thought I was the ideal candidate for her job. She'd been such a mentor to me. I'm sorry to see her go."Meg sighed. Donal could feel her distress. That's how he'd known she was his fairy. He'd sworn an oath several thousand years ago to protect her. When he knew he was destined to protect her, he'd promised to keep her safe for all time. Which he couldn't do if he were in stone.He remembered that he could be with her for a whole day and he could come to life, but if she was across
Meg carried her bags into her apartment, exhausted from the day of travel. "There has got to be an easier way to do this."She dropped the bags on her floor. All she wanted to do was shower and sleep, but it was the middle of the afternoon. Her body thought it was later in the day."That's what being in another time zone does to you," she said to her empty apartment.Rationally it looked the same as when she left, but now it felt lonely. She blew out a breath, looking around. Never in her adult life had she wanted anyone to come home to. Her career had always been her lover. Not that there hadn't been men along the way, but they had been as committed to their careers as she was. She rolled the biggest of the suitcases into her bedroom. "Might as well unpack."She pulled all of her dirty clothing out of the bag and put them into a basket. A trip to the laundry room had to be on her agenda. "I might have nothing to wear if I don't. At least no underwear."Meg's phone rang. "Hey, Col."
Oh. Feck. He'd been discovered. He looked down at the man the first rays from the sun illuminating his face. He was dirty with unkempt hair. "Uh," Donal said.The man squinted at him then shook his head. "I must have had some bad hooch last night. Sorry." He thrust out his dirty hand. "Name's Tex."Donal looked down at the hand coming his way. He had to make a quick decision. Tex could be his friend or his enemy. Donal grasped the hand. "Donal."Tex let go. He spread his arms out wide. "My home is your home."Donal looked around. "What?"Of course, he would prefer to be on the roof. He was a gargoyle. Frankly, he didn't have much choice either. With no identity and no money, he couldn't exactly rent a flat. "You live up here?" Donal said. "Yes. It's the only place that I can find shelter, food, and no cops bothering me.""Food?""Yeah, the building has a garden. I try not to pick vegetables from the same plot every day. That way no one notices."Tex was right. Donal hadn't seen it i