A Faery Tale - Finished

Soul - Sample

Unfinished chapter one of the novel inspired by One Night With the Fae...

Chapter One

My best friend slapped a stranger's arse so hard that she shook her hand with the pain, despite the alcohol numbness that usually comes with drinking yourself into oblivion after an argument with your boyfriend of three years ends in a "break".

Said stranger laughed and kept walking, but his girlfriend whirled around in anger. "Are you for real?"

Beautiful, belligerent Zoe held out one arm while clutching me for support with the other hand. "Pinch me and find out."

The young woman scowled and pushed her boyfriend ahead of her on the path. "Waster."

Zoe's grip on me tightened. "What was that?"

The woman stopped, shook her head, and turned back to face Zoe with an ugly look. "I called you a waster. Got a problem with that?"

"Jesus." Shivering, mostly because of my stupid choice of style over sense, I stepped between them and glared at the complete stranger who looked like she wanted to slap my best friend silly. I did, too, but I wasn't about to let anyone else go there. "She's drunk. Don't be stupid."

"She just—"

"I know. Now jog on."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds and obviously saw the same thing most other people did in my eyes because she turned away without another word. She linked arms with her grinning boyfriend and walked away.

I turned to Zoe with a sigh. "Go home, Zoe. You're drunk."

Her mouth widened into a dopey smile. "I like peachy bums. What can I say?"

"No, you like bugging Darren."

As if on cue, her on/off boyfriend roared something incomprehensible at us from the group of our friends who had managed to make their way roughly a mile ahead of us.

She stuck out her lower lip and glanced around. "Should I have slapped her for calling me a waster?"

"You are a waster." Hiding my grin, I urged her toward our friends. "Taxis are this way. Move, please."

"How do you do that? Get people to back off so quickly? The look. Teach me it."

"I'm just charming. It's a natural born gift that can't be taught. Now keep walking."

She tottered for a few steps until a passing car beeped at her. She whooped and made a move to lift up her top and flash them.

I grabbed her hands just in time before readjusting her clothes. I knew I should have hidden those extra shots she had ordered back at the club when last drinks had been called. "You're a disaster. I hope you know that."

Her pale blue eyes filled with tears. "A break, Cara. What the fuck is a break?"

"It's drunk talk for I want a night out with the lads."

She grinned. "I fucking love you."

"If you loved me, you'd hurry up before I freeze to death."

She made a face at my goose bumped legs. "What are you waiting for? I'm starving!"

She ran on, surprisingly fast. I followed as quickly as possible, waiting for her to fall. She didn't, and the others slowed enough for us to finally catch up with them on Conyngham road and away from the brittle winds blowing over the River Liffey.

Just in time for Zoe to burst into tears because Darren refused to acknowledge her.

I ignored the inevitable argument and folded my arms in a vain attempt to keep some heat in. On a December night in Dublin I should have been wearing something ugly and heavy and warm.