Read Beyond the Pale: A Thin Veil Novella (The Thin Veil Book 3) for Free Online

and walked through the solid wall of her chamber, leaving her alone.
     
    * * *
     
    Kier sat on the bed for a long time, replaying the events of the last couple of hours in her head. She wished he had not come; she would rather never have seen him again than to see him as he was now. She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, letting the tears run into her hair as wave after wave of hopelessness washed over her. After a long while, she sat up and took a deep breath.
    “Enough,” she said out loud. She knew what it was like to be trapped, to have others dictate the direction of her life. She would not wish that on anyone, let alone an entire race. Lorcan was serious, which mean Ériu—and her husband—were in danger. No matter what he had once meant to her, she had to stop him.

 
     
     
CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    It was two more days before Brogan returned. Kier tried not to notice the glow in his cheeks and the extra vigor in his step. He spent the first day after his return with his Council, and then his steward, Ruadhan, and Ruadhan’s wife, Riona, joined them for dinner. Kier was fond of Riona, and they often chatted easily while their husbands discussed Council business. During this meal, however, Kier could not feign interest in the goings-on of their friends and neighbors and Riona’s young sons Diarmuid and Fionnbharr. She kept glancing at Brogan, wondering how he would receive the news she had to give him, trying to not picture what his lover looked like.
    “Are you all right, Your Majesty?” Riona asked in a low voice, leaning in close to her. “You seem distracted tonight.”
    “I’m fine,” Kier said automatically. She had asked Riona to call her by her name, but Riona insisted on using the proper titles.
    “I know it must be difficult when the king goes away,” Riona said, a sympathetic look in her eyes. “But remember, he always comes back…to you .”
    Kier felt her stomach tighten, but she smiled and nodded graciously. There were more important things to worry about now than her husband’s dalliances and who knew about them.
    At last their guests had left, and Kier pulled her husband aside.
    “I need to speak with you.”
    His eyes were twinkling as he followed her into their room. “Did you miss me?” he asked, grabbing her around the waist. She pushed him away, and he looked down at her in surprise.
    “Yes,” she said, more forcefully than she had intended. “I did. But that’s not what we need to talk about.”
    “Go ahead,” he said, sobering at her tone.
    “It’s about Lorcan. He…contacted me while you were gone. He is planning an attack on Ériu.”
    To her consternation, Brogan burst out laughing. “Oh, yes, I know all about Lorcan and his sour grapes.”
    “You…you do?”
    “He’s been petitioning the Council for ages to seek retribution for the war against the Milesians. But it’s all talk and bluster. He’s quite harmless.”
    “I don’t think he’s as harmless as you think he is. He said he has a plan to take over Ériu. He was very serious.”
    Brogan cupped her face in his hands. “Don’t let him worry you, Kier. He can rage all he wants, but with the sidhe closed, there’s nothing more he can do.” He bent down to kiss her, but she pushed him away again.
    “The sidhe aren’t all closed. What if he finds the one you use to visit your lover?”
    Brogan looked taken aback at this. His mouth opened, and he seemed to be searching for the right words. So her suspicions had merit. But right now, it didn’t matter.
    “Oh, Brogan, I don’t care about that—not really, though I wish you’d be honest with me. Lorcan said he’s not alone in wanting to get revenge on the humans; what if one of them finds this sidh and uses it? This is why the Elders closed the sidhe in the first place—to keep Ériu safe from people like Lorcan.”
    Brogan looked at the floor. “I am sorry if I have caused you…discomfort. I know you and Lorcan were close. Does