King of Forever by H L Macfarlane

Author:H L Macfarlane [Macfarlane, H L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Macfarlane Lantern Publishing
Published: 2020-03-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Lachlan

“Your home truly is beautiful, Lachlan of the Seelies.”

“It would have been more beautiful with Clara in it, had you shown up when I started looking for you,” Lachlan countered as he led the way back to the palace, nerves still too raw from his meeting with Sorcha and Murdoch’s devastating news to temper his words.

The wizard’s amber-eyed companion snorted. “I think I like you, Seelie king.”

“Who is this man, Julian?”

“I second that,” Murdoch chimed in, “though it seems as if both of these men know about me already.”

Julian Thorne cast his gaze over Murdoch, a small smile on his face. There were a few new lines creasing the skin around his eyes, and there was a hint of grey at the sides of his temples, but all in all Lachlan figured the past seven years had been good to the wizard.

“Of course I have heard of you,” Julian told Murdoch. “You are the reason the Seelie king was in dire need of my help all those years ago.”

“And is, of course, still in your debt, I would imagine,” the raven-haired man added on. He brought a shard of tourmaline out of his pocket, held it up to the dying afternoon light and inspected it with a frown upon his face. “Wizard, this really did take us right into the centre of the Seelie Court. You were not lying when you told me it came from here.”

Julian rolled his eyes. “Why would I lie to you?”

“To impress Red, of course.”

“How many times do I have to –”

“Who are you?” both Murdoch and Lachlan insisted, exchanging an exasperated look that Lachlan had often seen Ailith and Sorcha share when witnessing he and the kelpie arguing with one another. His heart twisted at the thought of Sorcha; going by the momentary wince that crossed Murdoch’s face Lachlan could only imagine a similar thought had crossed his mind, too.

Julian’s companion bowed gracefully in response. “My apologies. The wizard always brings out the worst in me, you see. We aren’t exactly what one would call friends, though our better halves decidedly are.” When he came out of his bow Lachlan got a closer look at the man, and though he seemed to be at a similar stage of his life as Julian himself there was something ageless about him, too.

It is his eyes, Lachlan thought. They are not human, somehow.

The man caught Lachlan staring, and he smiled an animalistic grin that was somehow familiar to him. “My name is Adrian Wolfe,” he said, “and I am arrogant enough to believe that you would most sincerely regret using my full name against me, faerie.”

Something about Adrian’s manner irked Lachlan, though he assumed that was the point. To his left Murdoch was appraising the man with a critical eye and a familiar, intimidating silence. Lachlan found himself appreciating the kelpie’s presence, for the creature was able to look through deceptions just as well as he was – if not more.

Lachlan took a step towards Julian.

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