Chapter Fifteen

Silvery moonlight cascaded through the window and illuminated the faint glittery sheen of perspiration on Quinn’s creamy-white skin.

It had a slight mint-green hue and reminded Merry of the phosphorescence he sometimes saw in the ocean waves at night when plankton were in bloom. 

Quinn slept, his soft breaths and strong heartbeat reminding Merry ever more that what existed between them was real. He still couldn’t get over the fact that Quinn cared for him. He’d led nothing but a life of hell since his mom left three years ago, and for Quinn to appear out of nowhere, and then for Quinn to like him, well, it was nothing short of a miracle.

What he sensed from Quinn was troubling. Centuries ago, something bad had happened, and it had ripped Quinn’s heart in two and left him bereft of his senses. So much so, Merry knew that Quinn had wanted to die... and wanted to die when he was assigned to watch over teenagers just this past fall. To make matters worse, the queen had forbidden Quinn to care for anyone ever again. Merry couldn’t imagine it. He’d been alone and lonely for three years. To be alone and lonely for centuries was unimaginable. Man, Quinn’s mom is seriously cruel.

Sadb suddenly appeared and hovered over the muscled expanse of Quinn’s chest, utterly silent, her face contorted in genuine concern.

Merry whispered, “Is everything okay?”

“A dream threaten ’im. Be nigh time to wake ’im afore it take hold.”

“You know when he dreams?”

“Aye. I be he empath.”

No matter how hard Merry had tried, he hadn’t been able to find worth in Sadb. As far as he could tell, she was nothing more than a huge PITA in a small body. If she could read Quinn’s mind, it gave credence as to why Quinn kept her around. It made her worthy. Mostly. Then Merry started to worry what she knew about him. “What’s he dreaming about?”

“All the evil.”

“What's that mean?”

“Just what I say.”

Merry rolled his eyes. “What is all the evil?”

“Be a fierce time for we prince.”

“Yeah, I sensed that, but what happened?”

“Ye sense it?” Her whisper held surprise.

“Yeah. Something broke his heart and h-he... he wanted to die.”

Her obsidian eyes became the largest Merry had ever seen them. “Ye be certain of it?”

“Seriously certain of it. He still feels like he wants to die sometimes.”

Her brow knitted. “Me mind not sense this. Wonder why.”

Merry wanted to say “probably because you live in it’s-all-about-me mode,” but held his tongue. “Maybe he doesn’t want you to know.”

Her brow contorted in anger. “Be me job to know.”

“It feels like he’s ashamed about it.”

Sadb’s eyes grew large again. “We be in dire peril if he fade.”

“Why?”

“We Queen wish to slay us and we prince protect us.”

“Why does she want to slay you?”

“We be powerful and plentiful, and she fear us.”

Startling Merry nearly to death, Quinn suddenly roared and struck out sending Sadb to flight on the air.

“Wake ’im!” she shrieked at Merry.

Quinn now writhed, his muscles rippling and twitching beneath the surface of his skin, and Merry sensed he was about to change into his other form. He shook Quinn by the shoulders hard. “Quinn! Quinn, wake up!”

Claws sprouted from Quinn’s fingertips and Merry dodged a vicious blow to the head. In panic, he shouted louder. “Quinn! Wake up!”

Quinn shot off the bed with a deafening roar. Floating on the air, he turned back to them as the rest of him transformed into the angry creature he called his ugly side.

“Run!” Sadb shrieked at Merry.

Run? He wasn’t going to run. Quinn cared for him. Quinn wouldn’t hurt him.

Merry marveled at Quinn’s gigantic size as he crouched beneath the ceiling. He had this bizarre sort of scaly but velvety-looking, mottled, green skin, and weirdly bent limbs and... and... a tail with barbs along it. It whipped the air and Merry couldn’t help it. He backed up on the bed until his back was against the wall. Quinn’s eyes had turned a fiery red, and he had extra-pointy ears, and some seriously huge, canine-like teeth. But his face still looked like his Qui—well, okay, not. He was, um, yeah, okay. He was definitely ugly.

Quinn roared again.

“Run, Meriadoc!” Sadb shrieked again. “Afore he eat ye!”

Eat me? That didn’t sound good and fear crept up Merry’s spine. Quinn wouldn’t eat him, would he? No way. Would he? Merry gathered his flagging courage and shouted again, “Quinn! Wake up!”

Quinn roared again, and it sounded to Merry like a roar in frustration rather than in anger. Sadb flew at Quinn’s face shouting in Irish and he ignored her as he slowly began to advance on Merry.

Now terror filled Merry’s veins and he shrank back against the wall, wishing he could melt into it.

Quinn began to salivate as he leaned over Merry, and Merry slid down onto the bed, reaching for the pillow to use as a shield. “Q-quinn, it’s m-m-me, Merry! WAKE UP! P-please d-don’t eat m-me!” he shouted.

Saliva drooled from Quinn’s fang-ridden mouth, a long, sticky string coming to rest on Merry’s cheek.

“Q-quinn, it’s m-me, Merry,” he whimpered.

Quinn licked his lips with a forked, black tongue, and drooled again before licking Merry’s cheek.

The tongue felt like sandpaper against Merry’s cheek and it left a sharp sting in its wake. “Quinn, p-please d-don’t eat me,” he begged.

Quinn licked the side of Merry’s head, and Merry was so scared he could hardly speak. “Quinn,” he whimpered. “You care for me. P-please d-don’t eat your w-wee dote.”

Something resembling recognition flickered in Quinn’s eyes and he abruptly straightened and issued another deafening roar. To Merry, it sounded like an anguished plea for help.

Sadb floated in the air between them speaking in rapid but soft Irish syllables seemingly in an effort to calm Quinn.

He roared in anguish again.

“Sadb, I think he needs help!” Merry shouted.

“Aye, he do,” Sadb said sadly. “Touch ’im, Merry!”

“T-touch him how?”

“Give ’im ye hand. Let ’im feel ye love.”

Quinn roared again and this time it tore at Merry’s heart. Quinn was fighting some invisible something that wouldn’t release him.

“Something’s wrong. Something is m-making him—”

“Aye, ’tis the horror of all the evil. We Queen hold ’im fast with it.”

Merry tried to make sense of her words as he sifted through what he had sensed from Quinn. “He feels guilty?”

“Aye, fiercely so.”

“And his mom uses it to make him... like this?”

“Aye. She taunt him and fuel he rage, then feed off him like a starvin’ beast. He anger give she power.”

Merry was incredulous and fury infused every fiber of his being. “She’s using him, his guilt, to give her power?”

“Aye.”

Merry’s anger rose. That was seriously mean and just plain bullcrap. “How do we stop it?”

“Touch ’im. He need ye love to regain he mind.”

Merry set the pillow aside and scooted to the edge of the bed. He took a deep, shaky breath and slowly reached out to Quinn with a trembling hand. “Quinn, let me help you. Give me your hand.” Surprised by the calm in his voice, Merry fought to steady his hand in the air. “Let me help you. Give me your hand,” he repeated softly.

Quinn looked at it and licked his lips again before issuing another anguished roar.

Merry jumped up, grabbed Quinn’s clawed hand, and thought with all his might, You care for me! I'm your wee dote! Come back to me, Quinn. I need you!

As if someone had flipped a switch, Quinn transformed back to his natural form and collapsed into Merry’s arms. Soft sobs escaped into Merry’s curls as he struggled to bear Quinn’s weight and guide him to the bed.

They collapsed on the bed and Merry curled around Quinn and pulled him close. Stunned, relieved, and furious all at the same time, he sought to comfort Quinn. “It’s okay. You’re okay now,” he said softly as he stroked Quinn's thick hair.

Quinn wept softly for an indiscernible time and issued one final shuddering sigh before falling into a deep sleep.

“I won't let her do this to you again,” Merry vowed softly. He didn’t know how he would do it, but he would find a way. Quinn’s mom would not feed off his anger anymore.

~*~

Merry woke to bright sunlight filtering through the window and Quinn’s emerald and gold gaze staring down at him. “Hi,” he greeted sleepily.

Quinn smiled. “How be me wee dote?”

Merry smiled in return and rubbed sleep from his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Fine. What time is it?”

“Nigh ten in the morn.”

Panic filled Merry and he sat up quickly. “We’re late for school.”

“Don’t be daft,” Quinn said through a laugh. “Do ye not track ye days of the week? Be a Saturday for ye.”

Oh. He settled back against the pillow. “Guess I forgot. How are you doing?”

Quinn smiled again, his eyes warm and bright. “Need ye ask?”

Ah, well, after a night like last night, yeah. You were a giant monster in my room. But all Merry could sense from Quinn was utter happiness and adoration. “Where’s Sadb?”

Quinn pointed to Merry’s milk-crate desk. Sadb slept, snoring softly, nothing but a sheet of paper for a blanket and a pink eraser for a pillow. He turned back to Quinn. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Ye needn’t ask, Merry. Be the best I sleep in a century.”

Quinn kissed Merry in earnest, and Merry’s concern faded.

Sadb suddenly snorted and her high-pitched voice sliced into their moment like an icy blade. “Be no time to waste,” she said with obvious disapproval.

“Please tell me you can make her go away,” Merry whispered.

“Sadb, ye be done preparin’ for we rade?” Quinn asked, his frustration more than apparent in his voice.

“Aye, sire. We be waitin’ on ye since nigh meán oíche.”

Quinn issued a long sigh. “We cannot hold we rade up, Merry.”

Merry slumped against Quinn. “What’s me-on-ee-heh?”

“Ye call it midnight.”

When Merry heard leaden footsteps trudge down the hall toward his bedroom, he could barely contain his panic. “It’s my dad! You have to hide!”

Chapter Fourteen                                         Table of Contents                                          Chapter Sixteen

©Cody Kennedy. All Rights Reserved.
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