Beyond the Pale: A Thin Veil Novella (The Thin Veil Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

she was the one who had gone mad. “Let them choose? Of course they won’t choose to follow me. Do humans ever choose what is best for them? No, they will have no choice but to submit.”
    “Lorcan, you can’t do this. I beg you. Besides, what you are planning is impossible. There is no way for you to get to Ériu. The sidhe have been closed, remember?”
    “Not all of them,” he said with a sly glance in her direction.
    Kier felt something deep inside her break, like a crystal glass shattering on a stone floor. She felt the pressure of tears in her throat and willed them back. “Brogan would never open a sidh for you. Is that why you came here? To get information from me about the sidhe?” She gestured at the tangled sheets around her. “Is that what this was all about?”
    Lorcan gave her a fierce look. “No,” he said. “I came here because I love you, and I want you by my side when I rule Ériu.” He stared at her long and hard, but she said nothing. “Kier. Don’t tell me you have fallen in love with the buffoon who abandons you for his human whore! Tell me you still love me!”
    “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I cannot join you in this, Lorcan. I have no desire to be at war with Ériu…or to rule it. I am happy here in Tír na nÓg. And you should be, too. There is much here for you.” She reached out to touch his arm, but he jerked away.
    “There is nothing for me here,” he spat. “My family name is inconsequential. I have no true abilities of my own. The woman I love is married to the High King. What future do you see for me here? I am the only one of our kind with true ambition, with the desire to see our people prosper. The rest of you are content with mediocrity.”
    “What you are speaking of is madness!” Kier said. “How do you possibly think you’ll succeed?”
    “My power is growing, Kier.”
    With dawning horror, Kier realized what he was insinuating. “How did you get in here?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
    “I didn’t use a sidh, if that’s what you’re asking. No, your husband is still alive and well, firmly ensconced between some other woman’s legs, no doubt. I came through the walls.”
    “But you don’t have that ability.”
    “I didn’t. But there was…an accident. A tragic death, and I just happened to be nearby.”
    She stared at him as though she were seeing him for the first time. “‘Just happened’? You told me you would never want to take someone else’s talent, even if they were already dead. You said your ability horrified you.”
    “Times change. Besides, he can’t use it now, can he? I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
    Kier didn’t know what to think. Accidents—especially those causing death—were incredibly uncommon in Tír na nÓg, but it had not escaped her notice that there had been more than one report of an untimely death over the past few weeks.
    “So is this your plan? Absorb others’ powers and then force Brogan to open the sidhe to Ériu?”
    “I’m starting to think you’re not the best confidant for my plans, darling,” he said, his voice cold. “But I can promise you this: I’m not the only one who feels this way. A war is coming, and I cannot guarantee your protection if you choose the wrong side.” He picked his shirt up off the floor and pulled it on. When he looked at her again, his eyes were tender, and he was once again the man she had loved. “Come with me, Kier. Can’t you see that I’m doing this for us—for you?”
    She sat down on the bed, still wrapped in the sheet. “I think you should leave,” she said.
    “Think about it,” he said. “What other option do you have? Brogan does not treat you the way I would treat you. You would be a true queen with me, cherished above all others.” When she remained silent, he said, “Things are going to start changing, and soon you will see that I am right. When that time comes, send word to me.” Then he turned