I jerked in shock when I felt a soft palm brush my cheek. I looked up to see Dullahan giving me a look I couldn’t decipher. He cradled my face and I leaned into it, enjoying the unexpected comfort. His thumb brushed under my eye and I saw the green glow of it on his hand.

“It’s okay to be who you are,” he said. I narrowed my eyes and he chuckled, pulling his hand away. I leaned towards him, wanting to follow that comforting hand. Did he truly mean that? That it’s okay to be me? How could it be when lately it felt like it was a disease eating me up?

“You worry too much,” he said, reaching up and smoothing between my eyebrows.

“I have good reason to. My people can go mad.”

“We’ve all had a little madness. Puca and I most certainly and look at us. We’re fine. Lorcan and you are due for some madness, it seems. It’ll be good for you.”

“You and Puca look like a couple of old men barely keeping it together, kidnapping women, and being hunted by unkillable hitmen.”

“What’s life without its thrills, right Lacey?” He asked.

“Stop that,” I snapped.

“What’s that?”

“Acting like you know me,” I said. He leaned forward with a smirk on his face, his scars stretching in a smile he didn’t fully have.

“Ah but I do know you, Lacey Flanagan.”

“Stop,” I said, my heart skipping a beat when he said my name. He could kill me by doing that and to no surprise, that made me both anxious and horny.

But also, I knew he was flaunting what he said before. That he knows my name and the name of every other sidhe and considering he kills with a name…he could kill any sidhe he wanted. Who would give a man such power?

“What are you really?” I asked. He hummed, leaning back again.

“You really want to know?”

“Yes,” I responded eagerly.

“Truly? Are you sure?” He asked, looking at me intensely. I’d never seen him look so serious. I nodded, leaning even closer. I was about to fall into his lap, face first into that giant cock in his pants. He crooked his finger for me to come closer. I crawled onto his leg and lifted my face up to his. He brushed the hair from my ear and leaned in close.

“That’s fer me to know and you to find out,” he whispered. My mouth dropped open and I pulled back, about to make a playful swing at him. He didn’t allow it, laughing as he caught my arm and held on to it easily.

“Tricky bastard,” I accused.

“A fine compliment from a leprechaun,” he said with a laugh, rubbing my arm as he kept holding it. I leaned back on his leg and looked at him smiling at me.

“I thought you hated me,” I said. He sighed, looking tired again.

“I don’t hate ya. Leprechauns and me don’t mix well. Greed is what took my head and—” he cut himself off, eyes flicking to my bare neck. “And I don’t need another stray cat to take care of,” he finished, clearly saying something different than what he originally intended.