it and stared into her eyes. “As a descendant of Fae, the Faery power is taking hold of you quickly.” He waited while she accepted that much before adding, “You’re destined to become a Fae warrior, and it’s my job to help you defeat Queen Mab. Once you’ve done that, you will be queen.”
Since looking into a possible future and seeing Maggie on the Otherworld throne, Culhane had been keeping watch over her, biding his time. Centuries of battle had honed his skills for strategic thinking. And, he realized, he would need all of those skills to deal with this one woman. She must accept her destiny. Must fight and defeat Mab. Everything depended on it. A human female, though trouble, was more malleable than her Faery sisters. A fact Culhane was counting on. When the battles were over and Mab deposed, with Maggie on the throne, Culhane planned to rule Otherworld himself as her consort.
With that thought firmly in mind, he trapped her gaze with his. “This is your destiny. Accept it.”
“Easier said,” she pointed out, still working her mouth as if swallowing back nausea. “Okay, being a queen doesn’t sound so bad, but please. Me? A warrior? I can’t even get myself off the ceiling!”
“It takes time.”
“I don’t have time.” Maggie picked up his hand and lifted it from her leg. “Sorry to disappoint, but it’s November and I’ve got tons of work lined up. I’m way too busy to have a destiny.”
A now familiar feeling of irritation swept through him. “I offer you a future and you turn it down to . . . paint pictures on glass?”
“You don’t get to knock what I do for a living, Culhane. I happen to be the best glass painter in the county.”
“It does not compare to what I offer you.”
“You know, my life’s just as important to me as yours is to you, so why don’t you back off a little there, Lord of the Rings?”
“Lord of . . .” Culhane shook his head, muttered a Faery curse under his breath and reminded himself fiercely that this woman was the one hope of Otherworld.
“I mean,” she was saying as she scooted to the side and off the couch, “I’m glad to know why this is happening, so thanks for that, but seriously, it’s like some weird-ass dream, and I’d just as soon wake up and go paint Sam’s Hardware in the morning.”
“You must—”
“The only thing I must do is remember not to float,” she said, then grinned. “I’m doing it. Guess I can concentrate after—Damn it!” Sheba whimpered. Maggie frowned, then slowly sank back to the floor. “Okay. Better. I can do this.”
“There is more to it than floating.”
“You’re probably right, and I’m really sorry to hear you’re having trouble in Faeryland—”
“Otherworld,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
“Right. But the thing is, I’ve got a job already. And a house. And a dog.” Sheba lifted her head. “And a niece I’m watching until my sister’s finished getting her chakras lined up. I just don’t have time to be queen, but thanks for asking.”
Could she really be turning him down? After all these long years of waiting for Maggie Donovan to come into her powers, was he going to be disappointed because a mortal woman wasn’t interested? No. Culhane refused to accept defeat. Since the time of the last Ard-Ri of Ireland, he’d defended his people and never surrendered. He would be damned to perdition before he would start now.
“You’re becoming Fae,” he said, his voice a low rumble of disapproval that had her dark red eyebrows lifting in response. “You have no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.” She fisted her hands at her hips, and his view of her breasts disappeared. “I’ll figure out this floating thing, and if any other powers crop up . . .” She blew out a breath. “I’ll worry about that when it happens. So, thanks for thinking of me, but no, thanks. Really, I’m good—”
“Your powers,” he said, interrupting her again, because what choice
Since looking into a possible future and seeing Maggie on the Otherworld throne, Culhane had been keeping watch over her, biding his time. Centuries of battle had honed his skills for strategic thinking. And, he realized, he would need all of those skills to deal with this one woman. She must accept her destiny. Must fight and defeat Mab. Everything depended on it. A human female, though trouble, was more malleable than her Faery sisters. A fact Culhane was counting on. When the battles were over and Mab deposed, with Maggie on the throne, Culhane planned to rule Otherworld himself as her consort.
With that thought firmly in mind, he trapped her gaze with his. “This is your destiny. Accept it.”
“Easier said,” she pointed out, still working her mouth as if swallowing back nausea. “Okay, being a queen doesn’t sound so bad, but please. Me? A warrior? I can’t even get myself off the ceiling!”
“It takes time.”
“I don’t have time.” Maggie picked up his hand and lifted it from her leg. “Sorry to disappoint, but it’s November and I’ve got tons of work lined up. I’m way too busy to have a destiny.”
A now familiar feeling of irritation swept through him. “I offer you a future and you turn it down to . . . paint pictures on glass?”
“You don’t get to knock what I do for a living, Culhane. I happen to be the best glass painter in the county.”
“It does not compare to what I offer you.”
“You know, my life’s just as important to me as yours is to you, so why don’t you back off a little there, Lord of the Rings?”
“Lord of . . .” Culhane shook his head, muttered a Faery curse under his breath and reminded himself fiercely that this woman was the one hope of Otherworld.
“I mean,” she was saying as she scooted to the side and off the couch, “I’m glad to know why this is happening, so thanks for that, but seriously, it’s like some weird-ass dream, and I’d just as soon wake up and go paint Sam’s Hardware in the morning.”
“You must—”
“The only thing I must do is remember not to float,” she said, then grinned. “I’m doing it. Guess I can concentrate after—Damn it!” Sheba whimpered. Maggie frowned, then slowly sank back to the floor. “Okay. Better. I can do this.”
“There is more to it than floating.”
“You’re probably right, and I’m really sorry to hear you’re having trouble in Faeryland—”
“Otherworld,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
“Right. But the thing is, I’ve got a job already. And a house. And a dog.” Sheba lifted her head. “And a niece I’m watching until my sister’s finished getting her chakras lined up. I just don’t have time to be queen, but thanks for asking.”
Could she really be turning him down? After all these long years of waiting for Maggie Donovan to come into her powers, was he going to be disappointed because a mortal woman wasn’t interested? No. Culhane refused to accept defeat. Since the time of the last Ard-Ri of Ireland, he’d defended his people and never surrendered. He would be damned to perdition before he would start now.
“You’re becoming Fae,” he said, his voice a low rumble of disapproval that had her dark red eyebrows lifting in response. “You have no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.” She fisted her hands at her hips, and his view of her breasts disappeared. “I’ll figure out this floating thing, and if any other powers crop up . . .” She blew out a breath. “I’ll worry about that when it happens. So, thanks for thinking of me, but no, thanks. Really, I’m good—”
“Your powers,” he said, interrupting her again, because what choice
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