“What are we going to do with her Bres?” Luke asked. “We can’t take her with us, she isn’t ready yet to face the Council.”

Bres snorted. “I don’t see why we have to be guarding her at all. If ta prophecy is true, then she should be able to take care of everything herself. No help needed.”

I stared from one unbelievably beautiful man to the other. What the hell were they talking about? “Excuse me, but would you mind not speaking over my head?”

They continued as if I wasn’t there.

Luke pointed at the nurse’s desk. “We’ll leave her here. She’ll be safe with the humans for now. The Fomorii have taken Ashling; that should appease them, at least for the moment. Agreed?”

Bres scowled and nodded. “Fine, but know that I’m only doing this because there be no other way. I don’t have to like ta job or her.” He pointed at me, his hands calloused.

I’d had enough of this. “Stop ignoring me!” I yelled. They both turned to stare at me. “Tell me what’s going on! Who took Ashling?”

My voice rose with each word, fear, panic and anger vying for my attention, my knife still gripped in my hand.

The noise drew the nurses in; they saw the knife and screamed. This, of course, brought the police in at a run. In a few brief moments they had me pinned to the bed despite my struggles. Luke and Bres were pushed out, though they didn’t seem to resist all that much, and the chubby brunette nurse jabbed me with a needle.

I let out a yelp as the world went fuzzy around me, my eyes closing as the sedative kicked in, dropping me into unconsciousness.

~~

6

I floated in a world of fog. There were waves and rocks; I was on the beach again. But this time I couldn’t get to the water. An invisible Barrier was between me and the ocean. My instincts were telling me that if I could just get to the water I could find Ashling.

My hands slid over the slick, transparent surface; but no matter how I pounded and screamed, the Barrier held firm. I could see Ashling in the distant surf, could hear her screams as she called for me. Panic clawed at me. She needed me, and I couldn’t get to her.

Voices whispered across my ears, pulling me out of the fog, but I still couldn’t open my eyes.

“We gave her three times the usual dose. She burned it off in a matter of minutes; if we didn’t have the steady drip of sedative on her she’d be awake even now.” A shuffle of feet, the blanket pulled tight around my body as if someone was tucking the corners in.

“What about their parents?” A second voice asked.

The first person, it sounded like the brunette nurse, made a hushing sound. “Not so loud. Father isn’t around; their mother . . .” More feet shuffling, and my ears strained to hear what was said.