[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

headed down to the secret basement. Everything was quiet inside, almost too quiet.
Zack walked down the stairs and glanced over to where Gunny sat watching the
security monitors. The man didn t even look up of acknowledge his presence in any
way.
 Where s Eljin?
 What do you care? Gunny asked without lifting his head or looking away from
the monitors.
 Hell, Gunny, I care what happens to the guy. I just don t buy this story he hatched
up about being pregnant. Men don t get pregnant. You took human anatomy just like I
did. It s not possible.
 That would be true if Eljin were human, Gunny said as he finally turned away,
pinning angry eyes on Zack.  But he s not. He s Aes Sídhe.
 He s what?
 Aes Sídhe, a powerful, supernatural race comparable to elves.
 Well& damn.
Chapter Four
Zack plopped down in the plush chair across from Gunny and dropped his head
into his hands. Maybe he was hearing things? Maybe he really did have a massive head
injury and the delusions were coming on one after another. He hadn t taken any of his
pills since the previous day.
 Here, you look like you could use this.
Zack lifted his head to find Gunny holding a glass of whiskey out in front of him.
He gratefully took it and swallowed some down, coughing when the fiery liquid
burned down his throat. He frowned at the glass then glared over at Gunny.
 You still drink the cheapest shit you can find.
Gunny chuckled and shrugged as he sat down again, his own glass of whiskey in
his hand.  Don t see any reason to spend tons of money on something I m just going to
piss out in a few minutes.
Silence reigned in the room. Finally, Zack spoke.  Tell me about the Aes Sídhe.
 Do you really want to know?
 Truthfully, I don t know. Zack grimaced and stared down at the glass he held
between his hands.  Gunny, you need to understand, I don t know if any of this real.
Hell, for all I know, I m back in the hospital in some rubber room.
 You re just as sane as I am, Zack.
 How do you know? I take pills to keep delusions away. I haven t had any
medication since yesterday. What if this is all some elaborate fantasy created in my
head because I forgot to take a pill?
 You re not crazy, Zack, Gunny insisted.  This is all real and it s all happening.
Zack drew in a deep breath.  Okay, then tell me what this is.
 Eljin is Aes Sídhe. He s not of our world.
 An alien? Zack asked skeptically.
 No, Aes Sídhe are a powerful, supernatural race like fairies or elves. They don t live
on another planet but rather in a parallel universe of sorts. That was what I meant when
I mentioned the veil. There is a thin veil between our world and his, like a gate. Gunny
paused to take a drink of his whiskey, but he continued watching Zack intently.  Eljin
isn t a normal Aes Sídhe, however. He s fayerye, of royal blood. That s what makes his
eyes so blue. Only those born with royal blood have eyes that color.
 Royal blood? Zack chuckled.  Of course he is. That would just fit so perfectly
into my little fantasy. If I m going to get involved with someone they might as well be
royalty.
 Zack, this is no laughing matter, Gunny said sternly.  Eljin s life is in serious
danger, as is the life of your unborn child.
Zack groaned, dropping his head back onto the seat cushion behind him.  I don t
want to hear about that right now. He wasn t ready to confront the idea of Eljin being
something other than human, let alone that he might be telling the truth about being
pregnant. That was a can of worms that just might Zack lose it.
 You need to hear about it, damn it, Gunny snapped.  If anyone from the Unseelie
Court gets their hands on Eljin they will kill him, especially now that he s carrying.
Same goes for whoever is after you two here on this side of the veil.
Zack looked up.  Unseelie Court?
 Eljin s world is divided into two worlds, like two separate countries. One is called
the Seelie Court. This, uh, country, is beautiful. It s like spring all the time. There are
animals everywhere, things growing, beautiful cities made of the purist white stone you
ever saw. It s really breathtaking.
 And the Unseelie Court?
 The Unseelie Court is just the opposite. It storms all the time, nothing grows, the
people are miserable, starving, everything dies. Think of what a war-torn area is like
after the soldiers leave. There s nothing. No happiness, no hope& only a brutal, dismal
existence. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]