Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon Page A

shouted at Adam. “You’d better not have been doing any of your voodoo shite on me, DeRís.” He stumbled onto the lane and rubbed his hand over his face where the thorns had snagged his skin. The blood smeared down his cheek and neck.
    “Don’t talk crap, Tom. Anyway, I only just got here,” Adam said. “You should cut out the booze; it plays havoc with the mind.”
    Tom’s friend tried to climb out after him, but snagged his foot in the undergrowth and fell flat on his face, right onto one of the broken eggs. He hastily jumped up, wiping the blood and egg across his forehead with his sleeve.
    “Tom, let’s get out of here,” he whispered, and stumbled away.
    “Wait for me,” Tom called, hobbling after him.
    I watched them leave. My limbs ached, though the pins and needles were beginning to wear off.
    “Hey, guys. What’s going on? What’s up with those two wasters?” Áine came into sight.
    “I don’t know. Something really weird just happened. Actually, I think I might puke,” I said, lowering myself to the ground and putting my head between my knees.
    “Is she all right?” Áine called to Adam, and I heard her footsteps speed up.
    “She’ll be fine.” Adam put a reassuring hand on the back of my neck and rubbed his thumb along my hairline. The heat from his hand sent a spine-tingling pleasure through me. It worked its way down my back and limbs until even my fingers and toes relaxed. As the last of the tingling wore off I got such a rush of elation that I gasped.
    Wow . Feeling amazing, I raised my head and looked into his eyes. “Thanks.”
    “No problem,” he said, stretching out his hand to help me up.
    “Are you guys going to the party?” I asked, looking from Áine to Adam.
    “We thought we’d check it out,” Áine replied.
    “Do you think it will still be going on? That wind was crazy,” I said, surveying the damage around us.
    “I’d say it was pretty localized, by the looks of it,” Adam said with a smile. “Do you still feel up to going?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
    “I’m okay,” I said, still buzzing.
    “You might want to, uh, check out your hair.” Adam smirked.
    “Here, allow me.” Áine reached over and started pulling leaves and other debris from my hair.
    So much for my full arsenal , I thought, cringing.
    “There, you’re as gorgeous as ever,” Áine said, smoothing out the last stray hairs.
    “Thanks,” I muttered.
    When we got to the party, most people were hanging out around the huge, blazing bonfire. Caitlin and Killian were snuggling on some straw bales, and Jennifer was standing behind them talking to Darren. As soon as she saw us, she nudged Caitlin and pointed at me. Caitlin’s eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped slightly. I gave her a quick wave and a smile.
    “I’ll be back in a while,” Áine called excitedly over her shoulder, as she walked toward the bonfire. I started to head toward Caitlin and Jennifer, but Adam put one hand under my elbow and directed me over to a log in the shadow of a big tree.
    “We need to talk,” he said.
    I looked up at him. It was a mistake. His eyes smoldered down at me. They were brighter than ever, as the light from the distant bonfire flickered up into his face. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as my breath caught in my throat.
    It seemed like he was fighting some sort of inner conflict. I had seen the look before, but this time he softened. Whatever the battle was, I think he had just won it.
    “I apologize in advance for what I’m about to say. I don’t want to scare you off, but I need to be honest with you.”
    “Okay,” I whispered.
    “This is going to sound crazy, but … from the moment I first set eyes on you I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
    I was stunned. I remained silent and let him continue.
    “Since you arrived here I’ve been going crazy. I can’t get you out of my mind. The more I try to distance myself, the more I find myself drawn to you.