See Me Read Online Free Page A

continuing.
    “We tried. The Fair Folk are not accustomed to being denied anything and they’re easily offended. They see humans as dispensable, even magical ones like us. Let’s just say the Fae woman made a comment about you disappearing in the night.’”
    “They threatened you!” My anger immediately switched targets from my parents to the Fae.
    “Yes. I knew at that moment they would have you one way or another. Either we agreed to let you bind with the Leprechaun boy for a time, or they would steal you for their plaything. If that happened you would have been lost to us.”
    “They can’t do that!” Cassidy’s eyes burned with indignation.
    But they could, and we all knew it.
    I’d only heard bad things about their race of creatures. Everything they did was for their own good. The humans who helped them, like my parents, did so only as a favor to humanity. They kept humans safe from the beings who thought so little of them. Mom laid a hand on my forearm.
    “As a little girl you took the news of your binding so well. I was worried you’d be scared about Leprechauns back then. And then when you got older, I knew you’d be upset about the possible, um, physical issues. I wanted you to be happy for as long as possible, but I let too much time pass.”
    I desperately wished she would have told me at the same time she told me everything else. Maybe I could have adjusted to the idea. Or, maybe not. Mom’s brown eyes were round and imploring as she looked at me.
    “Well,” I said. “You did save me from being taken. That’s… something.”
    She took my hand and we both squeezed.
    “What if it doesn’t work out?” I whispered.
    Mom wouldn’t meet my eyes. I looked over at my father and he stared back at me, offering no sign of false encouragement.
    “We’re at the mercy of the Fae,” he said, keeping his voice down.
    “In other words,” I stated, needing all the facts laid out, “they could kill us if I don’t want to bind with him.”
    “Or take us into Faerie,” Dad said.
    Mom closed her eyes and shuddered with disgust. I shared a sickened look with my sister.
    “It will work out,” Dad said.
    I wondered how he could sound so assured. A long, silent pause stretched while we soaked in the information and listened to the drone of jet engines.
    “So, what’s it gonna be like there?” Cassidy asked.
    “Your father and I have never been to their land, but we know a few people who have. The village is guarded with magical wards so humans who stumble across the land will become disoriented and retreat. The Leprechaun have another job besides making shoes. They also keep one of the portals to the Faerie realm. Their lands are vast, and they’re surrounded only by farmlands for miles. The dome of magic even keeps the village undetectable to anyone who flies over.”
    “Are they expecting us?” I asked.
    “I assume so. We swore to the Fae woman we’d bring you to the Leprechaun land when you were seventeen and completed your education.”
    “How far is the nearest town?” Cassidy’s voice carried a hint of dread.
    “At least an hour by car, maybe two.”
    “Wow,” Cass said. “A giant farm with no tall guys. Sounds… fun.”
    “Oh, I’ve heard the Leprechaun know how to have a good time,” Mom assured us. “Big parties with music and dancing.”
    I shot Cass a glance, and nearly snorted at the funny look on her face. A Leprechaun’s idea of a good time was not going to be the same kind of song and dance we enjoyed.
    “And they do have a cousin clan called the Clourichaun who live on nearby land. I understand there are quite a few average-sized men among them.” Cass waggled her eyebrows as Mom went on, slurring her words. “The Clourichaun lost flavor with the Fae, ahem, excuse me, they lost favor with the Fae a few centuries ago. I’m not sure what happened there, but they were cursed with infertility. What’s left of them will be the last of them.”
    “That sucks,” I