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Niall poured himself a shot of whiskey and swallowed it. It warmed him from the inside out. He welcomed it after the damp evening hiking through the construction site. Revealing himself to Felicity had gone far better than he’d expected. All he could do now was wait for her to come around.
If she comes around, his stallion huffed. It’d be better to mate her according to our customs.
He silenced the beast.
He’d suggested working together because he wanted to win her trust and show her he had nothing to do with what was happening on the island. The veil between their worlds was thinning, but the complication had brought him his true mate.
Maité soul.
He’d never believed in the legend, and now he couldn’t imagine not having her by his side. Telling her everything was a risk he’d had to take.
Niall walked into the foyer. He and Maelíosa had always been close, probably because they were twins. Even though he trusted his father not to give Maelíosa to her promised mate, Niall wanted to make sure she was all right. Stubborn though she might be, his sister was a highly complex female whom he’d never quite understood. Tough as nails on the outside and soft-hearted at her core.
He stood in front of the intercommunication portal’s watery reflection. “Beannachtaí mo chara... Maelíosa.”
His sister appeared on the other side. She scowled. “Would you put a bloody shirt on already?”
“Sorry. It was raining after I walked Felicity back to Pier House. It’s drying by the fire.”
She crossed her arms. “You’re always walking around half-naked. Shifter or not, you’re my brother, and it’s disgusting.”
“I’ll just grab another.” He went to the wardrobe in his bedroom and pulled a sweatshirt over his head before returning to his sister.
She grinned. “Much better.”
“You’re a real pain in me arse,” he said affectionately. It had always been like this with Maelíosa—irritating and playful—but he loved her with every fibre of his being.
“You’d be really bored without me riding your arse,” Maelíosa said, putting her hands on her hips.
Niall grinned. “I don’t doubt it.”
“Felicity is the one you’ve chosen.” It wasn’t a question.
“If she’s willing and can accept it,” he said.
Maelíosa nodded. “She’s very bonny.”
“Aye, she is. She’s also my true mate,” Niall said, quietly.
Her eyes widened. “I thought you didn’t believe in the legend. And I never imagined I’d see my brother mated, let alone that you’d find your maité soul.” A huge smile spread across her lips.
“I’ve never met anyone quite like her,” he admitted.
“I want to meet her in the flesh.”
“I’m hoping you will. If she agrees to be with me after all this is over, I’ll cross the veil and bring her before our sire.”
Maelíosa shook her head. “Then I’ll come to you. I want to meet the woman who finally turned my brother’s eye.”
Her approval was important, and not just to him. If his sister accepted her, then Felicity’s acceptance into the clan would be easier. The rest of the female púca would follow suit. But with the uncertainty surrounding the construction site and everything going on, Niall wasn’t willing to put his sister in harm’s way.
“You mustn’t cross the veil. It’s not safe. Not until I know more.”
“I know how to handle myself.” She toyed with the sheathed dagger at her waist before placing her hand back on her hip.
“Aye, I know ye do. But I don’t need to worry about you on top of everything else.”
Maelíosa tapped a finger on her tunic-covered hip, looking as if she was going to argue with him about it. “You do realize she’s going to have to meet the clan.”
“If she’ll have me as a mate, she will. Eventually.”
She dropped her hands, and Niall let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. His sister was incredibly stubborn. She got it from their mother. He and Maelíosa had both had a chance to know their mother, though Darcy hadn’t. She’d been the only one who could put Fallon in his place. He imagined Maelíosa had a bit of that effect on their father, too. Otherwise she’d be mated to that piss-poor excuse for a stallion.
“All right. But meeting me will ensure the other female púca-shifters will accept her mating with you. You’re one of the more prominent members of our clan. They may try to challenge her, as is their right. You know this is true.”
His position as the chieftain’s son meant that any female in the clan could challenge the mate he selected. His father faced the same predicament if he ever decided to bond with another. If another female púca-shifter won, then what he wanted wouldn’t matter.
Niall ran a hand through his hair. “Aye, you’re right. I’ll see to it when the time comes, but I still need to make sure the veil is shrouded. Protecting our people comes first.”
“Have you had much luck finding out what’s going on?” Maelíosa asked.
“The islanders have voiced rumours about a púca haunting. Everything revolves around a resort that’s being built on the ocean side of the island. The families who’ve been here since the very beginning know our history, which has become folklore to them...but now they believe. And it has something to do with the construction site. It’s the only answer.”
Maelíosa nodded. “And you’re trying to find out what started these rumours?”
“Aye, knowing the source can help us quell them and restore the veil.”
“I wish I could help you. I’d love to nose around that site.”
Niall frowned. “You said you’d stay put...”
“Fine,” she said, and then paused. “I never thanked you.”
Maelíosa’s image flickered in the portal.
“For what?”
“You didn’t have to take a mate. You did this for me. I wanted to meet her and make sure she makes you happy,” she said quietly.
Maelíosa was never good at expressing her true feelings. She was in your face or riding your arse most of the time, but deep down his sister had a softer side. Her admission nearly shook his resolve. He’d love for her to meet his true mate, but it simply wasn’t safe. She was the chieftain’s eldest daughter and their father would have his head if something happened.
“She does make me happy. But I’ll be back soon. I promise you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. That’s enough sappy shite. Goodbye, Niall.”
Now that was the Maelíosa he knew and loved.
“Dea-fhortún agus tairiscint mé tú slán.”
And the portal was a mirror once more.
