Read Online Outcast (Book Two of the Forever Faire Series): A Fae Fantasy Romance Novel by Hazel Hunter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Hazel Hunter
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his hand. Even when she went to the grocer to buy food, Kayla was never alone. Tara nattered happily to her sister from the store cart’s baby seat.
“They were inseparable,” Wallace said as he regarded the mirror.
“Aye.” If the father had still been living, Ryan would have found him and throttled him. “I wonder how she speaks so fondly of that man.”
Wallace passed his hand over the crystal. “Answer.”
The next image showed an older Kayla struggling to take Tara from a grim-faced police officer.
“You don’t understand,” the girl had to yell the words to be heard over her screaming sister. “My dad will be home from work soon. I’m babysitting her for him.”
The patrolman handed the writhing, squalling child over to a tired-looking older woman. “Honey, your dad is in trouble. He drank too much and crashed his car. Where’s your Mama?”
Kayla stared at the floor. “She’s dead.”
“I’m real sorry about that,” the officer said. “You got any other family?” When she shook her head, he sighed. “Well, then, until your Dad gets everything worked out, you girls have to stay at the children’s shelter. You’ll be safe there, and the ladies who run the place can look after the little one.”
Kayla hardened her eyes, and her expression grew calm when she looked up at the man.
“Tara doesn’t like strangers. I’m the only one who can take care of her.”
Ryan’s stomach clenched. “Oh, love.”
Wallace brought up another image, this of the two girls arriving home with their father, who had a bandage on his head and looked defeated.
“No, Daddy,” Kayla said as her father went to the refrigerator. “You heard what the judge said. No more drinking, or they’ll take us away from you for good.”
The father knelt before her. “I don’t know if I can do that, sweetheart. I can’t stop thinking about your Mama. I miss her so much.”
Tara, who was in Kayla’s arms, leaned out and clasped her tiny hands around the father’s neck. “We miss you, Daddy.”
Over her head the man’s eyes filled with tears, and he embraced both girls.
Ryan and Wallace watched the rest of the images, which showed the girls’ childhood gradually improving. The father never lost his gaunt, haunted look, but from that point he stopped drinking and devoted himself to his daughters. The images made it plain, however, that it had been Kayla who had held the family together.
“I understand now the bond between these girls,” Wallace said as the last image faded from the crystal. “Kayla had to be both mother and sister to Tara. But why did you wish to see the whole of their childhood?”
It took a moment for Ryan to realize what Wallace had asked. “I think this curse on them protects more than the changeling,” he told the smith, and described how the horses had behaved when Kayla had left the barn.
“The nags are very fond of her,” Wallace reminded him as he collapsed the crystal, and pocketed it. “Still, she has an uncanny way with them. You think her gifted, too?”
“I think I have never seen every horse in a barn try to break out of their stalls when there was no fire.” Ryan rubbed his eyes. “And when I went to Titan to try to calm him, he bit me, hard enough to draw blood.” He showed the blacksmith the fading crescents of his horse’s teeth embedded on both sides of his right hand. “I have had Titan for five hundred years, since he was gifted to me by my father’s stable master. In all that time, he has never so much as nipped me once.”
“You already know the truth of it, my liege,” Wallace said, and sighed. “No mortal can control a Fae horse, much less an entire herd of them.”
“Could a curse account for such a talent?”
Wallace’s brow furrowed, but he shook his head. “Not to my knowing. Mask them, yes. Hide their true nature, yes. A curse would likely ensure they produce no children, cloaking their true life energy. But bestow a gift? No.”
Ryan
“They were inseparable,” Wallace said as he regarded the mirror.
“Aye.” If the father had still been living, Ryan would have found him and throttled him. “I wonder how she speaks so fondly of that man.”
Wallace passed his hand over the crystal. “Answer.”
The next image showed an older Kayla struggling to take Tara from a grim-faced police officer.
“You don’t understand,” the girl had to yell the words to be heard over her screaming sister. “My dad will be home from work soon. I’m babysitting her for him.”
The patrolman handed the writhing, squalling child over to a tired-looking older woman. “Honey, your dad is in trouble. He drank too much and crashed his car. Where’s your Mama?”
Kayla stared at the floor. “She’s dead.”
“I’m real sorry about that,” the officer said. “You got any other family?” When she shook her head, he sighed. “Well, then, until your Dad gets everything worked out, you girls have to stay at the children’s shelter. You’ll be safe there, and the ladies who run the place can look after the little one.”
Kayla hardened her eyes, and her expression grew calm when she looked up at the man.
“Tara doesn’t like strangers. I’m the only one who can take care of her.”
Ryan’s stomach clenched. “Oh, love.”
Wallace brought up another image, this of the two girls arriving home with their father, who had a bandage on his head and looked defeated.
“No, Daddy,” Kayla said as her father went to the refrigerator. “You heard what the judge said. No more drinking, or they’ll take us away from you for good.”
The father knelt before her. “I don’t know if I can do that, sweetheart. I can’t stop thinking about your Mama. I miss her so much.”
Tara, who was in Kayla’s arms, leaned out and clasped her tiny hands around the father’s neck. “We miss you, Daddy.”
Over her head the man’s eyes filled with tears, and he embraced both girls.
Ryan and Wallace watched the rest of the images, which showed the girls’ childhood gradually improving. The father never lost his gaunt, haunted look, but from that point he stopped drinking and devoted himself to his daughters. The images made it plain, however, that it had been Kayla who had held the family together.
“I understand now the bond between these girls,” Wallace said as the last image faded from the crystal. “Kayla had to be both mother and sister to Tara. But why did you wish to see the whole of their childhood?”
It took a moment for Ryan to realize what Wallace had asked. “I think this curse on them protects more than the changeling,” he told the smith, and described how the horses had behaved when Kayla had left the barn.
“The nags are very fond of her,” Wallace reminded him as he collapsed the crystal, and pocketed it. “Still, she has an uncanny way with them. You think her gifted, too?”
“I think I have never seen every horse in a barn try to break out of their stalls when there was no fire.” Ryan rubbed his eyes. “And when I went to Titan to try to calm him, he bit me, hard enough to draw blood.” He showed the blacksmith the fading crescents of his horse’s teeth embedded on both sides of his right hand. “I have had Titan for five hundred years, since he was gifted to me by my father’s stable master. In all that time, he has never so much as nipped me once.”
“You already know the truth of it, my liege,” Wallace said, and sighed. “No mortal can control a Fae horse, much less an entire herd of them.”
“Could a curse account for such a talent?”
Wallace’s brow furrowed, but he shook his head. “Not to my knowing. Mask them, yes. Hide their true nature, yes. A curse would likely ensure they produce no children, cloaking their true life energy. But bestow a gift? No.”
Ryan
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