A woman steps inside, her light brown hair swept back in a neat twist. She’s beautiful, with a wide smile that softens when her gaze lands on me. “Oh, Seamus, look at her,” the woman says warmly, striding forward. She pinches my cheeks as though we’ve known each other for years. “A little sidhe, isn’t she? Strawberry hair and eyes bright as summer sky. A fae come over the sea.”

I’ve heard that before. Back home people always said my hair and eyes made me look like one of the fae. Being small never helped either. Heat floods my face, and I duck my head as she laughs and smooths my hair. “I’m Eileen, dear,” she says softly.

And then a boy follows her inside.

He looks like he might be the same age as my older brother Mick, only taller and broader. His dark brown hair is cut shorter on the sides and longer on top. But it’s his eyes that catch me. Green and bright, like the hills back home, and looking straight at me.

For a second I forget everything else and stare back.