Give Me (Wyrd and Fae #1)(29)

She looked at him—not with reproach. With desire. It was definitely desire in her eyes. It must be the candlelight. Her eyes were deeper blue and sparkled quite like jewels. He leaned forward. She met him halfway. Her lips met his, warm and inviting. Her arms were around his neck, and he pulled her closer.

She put her hand on his thigh under the table, and he rose from his chair and brought her close to him. The ache of desire—the ache in his heart—would kill him if he didn’t have her now.

“Diantha.” He moaned. “It’s been too long.” What the hell?

“Galen.” She covered his throat and neck with kisses.

His body responded violently. It wasn’t just his heart that ached for her. She was everything he needed, and he’d been denied love—proper love, with all its physical delights—for too long. He touched her breast—real, soft. She was as exciting as he remembered.

Remembered? This was wrong. Cade pried Lilith’s hands from the back of his neck and pushed her away. She tried to kiss him again. It took all his strength to keep her off. Then he saw the ring on her finger.

Rage welled up from the pit of his gut. Part of him had never seen that ring in his life, but another part knew exactly what it was.

“Lilith? Look at me.”

Her eyes went in and out of focus.

“Say my name!”

“Galen.”

“No. Look at me. My real name.”

She took a sharp breath and looked at him.

“Say it!”

“Cade?”

Cade. Good. I am James Cade Artros Bausiney, Lord Tintagos, the future Earl of Dumnos. Alive and well in the twenty-first century.

“Cade, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just…”

What could he tell her that wouldn’t sound horrible? What you’re feeling isn’t real. You were just possessed by one of the ghosts of Tintagos.

“I need to get you back to the inn. It’s later than I realized.”

She was shaken too. “I think that’s best.” She didn’t say anything as she followed him down the stairs.

He found out how fast the DB5 could make the winding two miles from the End to the Tragic Fall. Seven minutes of unbearable silence between them. How in hell had that happened? What in hell did happen? Galen’s agony was excruciating, and relief had been so near. Cade had looked into Lilith’s eyes and had seen Diantha looking back—at Galen.

Great gods. So many years of longing, so close yet forever separated. But Galen and Diantha were supposed to have limited range. Their haunts were Glimmer Cottage and the castle ruins. And now apparently the road down from the Halt. Galen’s consciousness had already faded, but Cade knew it all had something to do with that ring.

He stole a glance at Lilith. It’s a cruel and bitter world, Bausiney. It had been too good to be true, this attraction between them. At the inn door, just below the horses’ heads, he grabbed her elbow. “Don’t go to Glimmer Cottage tomorrow.”

“Why ever not, Bausiney?”

Bausiney again. Not Cade. “Just don’t go, all right?”

“But tomorrow’s the big day, the actual Handover. I want to see you crown the new wyrding woman. Or whatever it is that you do.”

“Moo is going to handle it. Let’s get away, just the two of us. I’ll come for you early.” He had to keep her away from Elyse. It wasn’t a matter of just in case. He was starting to believe that anything could happen. “We’ll take a drive and get out of Tintagos altogether. We’ll go north and watch the mist roll out to sea.”

“I’d like that.” She relaxed a little. “Maybe we’ll see my ghost.”

Not if I can bloody well help it.

He left her at the door with no hug, no kiss. No reference to the heat that had passed between them. She didn’t seem angry. Just confused. There was nothing he could do about it now.

Back at the End, he headed up to the roof to clear his head. The full moon was crazy bright, and the outline of Glimmer Cottage was easily visible. It was dark, but he had the same feeling as before, that Elyse was watching him. Could hear him.

“Go to bed, you old witch. And forget Lilith. I won’t let you have her.”

When dawn broke he went down to the kitchen to wait for Moo. Somehow she was involved in all this. She had insisted on going to London to make sure Lilith got on the train. She’d given Lilith the hat and gloves, not for warmth but to ensure that no one saw the ring. Hell, maybe Moo gave Lilith the ring.

She came in at her usual time, fussed about, put the kettle on the gas stove, dumped Dad’s breakfast into a bowl and popped it in the microwave, rinsed out her vacuum jar. As she turned away from the sink, she saw him.

“Great gods, Cade, you scared the life out of me!” The kettle began to whistle. “What are you doing sitting in here? You look terrible.”

“I feel terrible.”

“I’ll make you some tea.”

“Moo, why did you give Lilith Evergreen that ring?”

She missed a beat, as if she had to think of an answer. “Why do you assume I gave it to her?”

“Who else would have done?”

Her jaw clenched and unclenched and clenched again. She rummaged in the cupboard, but it seemed she was just creating a delay as she formed a response. Finally she sighed and closed the door. She found a tin in her bag and set about making tea.