Free The Day Human Way by B. Kristin McMichael Page A

Devin grabbed her hand. He squeezed it and nodded to her like he knew her fears.
    “It takes more than just a witch to kill me off,” he told her. “I’d never leave you unprotected,” he added even quieter, just for her ears to hear.
    Nessa smiled as much as she could for his sake, but she was still worried. She hated that they had been fighting not even hours before, and that it was her fault. If only she had told Liam to wait when they were in the glen the day before, she could have let Devin finish talking—he could have asked her to marry him. She had no doubts she would have said yes, because she wasn’t about to live her life without him. Just the thought that someone was going to hurt him made her worry. Life without him would have been impossible if they could barely manage to even survive without each other.
    Nessa began to walk away but stopped short. Devin was waiting right behind her. “What about the gates?” she asked. Anyone would know when they came and left the palace. If she entered and then it went off again when Devin entered, the mystery witch sidhe would know.
    Grinning, Devin stepped closer. “Won’t be a problem. I already had a nice talk with the trees about that one. I can come and go without anyone knowing.”
    “And did you explain it would be nice if they didn’t do that for me?”
    “Not a chance,” Devin replied before leaning in closer and kissing her. “Stop worrying so much. Between my powers and Maria, we should be fine.”
    “Should?” Nessa added.
    Devin shrugged. He never made promises he couldn’t keep, and Nessa knew that much. It was hard to see him not completely confident about the situation. Devin knew much about the night human world. There had to be more he wasn’t telling her, but there was no time to question him. Without a solid reassurance, she was going to continue to worry.
    Nessa looked back one last time before turning to go into the village. She walked with Devin close behind … at least she thought he was. The magic the witches used seemed to dampen the bond Nessa had with him. Was it possible the magic of the day human witches was stronger than the night human sidhe? She wished she had paid more attention.
    As she walked into the palace grounds, she heard the wailing of the alarm. She was never going to get used to that. It only lasted a moment before it stopped. By the time she made it across the courtyard, Devin entered with the witches. Nothing happened. Devin was correct, the trees had obeyed his wishes. She was going to have to have a talk with the trees herself when she found the time to figure out exactly how one talked to trees.
    She hurried through the palace to the sick wing where they had escorted the witch-cursed sidhe. Not surprisingly, the three men were surrounded by their families. No one touched any of the men in fear of making it worse, but she was sure that was all that was stopping them. Liam’s cousin looked to her as she entered.
    “Did you find the day human?” he asked.
    “No, why?” Nessa replied. She had never said she was looking for Devin to anyone in the room.
    “Your uncle said you went in search of him to bring him back here to fix what he did,” the man answered.
    Nessa searched her brain for his name. She was sure she had met him before.
    “He didn’t do this,” Nessa snapped, exasperated that no matter how many times she told them that, they all felt it was Devin’s fault. At her words, the others in the room turned back to her. Some were sad, but more so they were collectively mad at her. No one would openly show that, of course, as they knew she would be queen in a matter of hours, but they couldn’t hide their reactions completely.
    “You’re blinded by your feelings for him,” one of the men complained. “You don’t see him for what he is.”
    “And that is what, exactly?” Nessa was sick of how the sidhe treated Devin. He had given up everything to stay with her in her world, and now she was