by Elissa Daye
“Where am I?” She put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. The more her thoughts raced, the harder it was to keep track of where she was. Brina knew it all went right back to Killian and his sexy eyes that had called out to her like a beacon in the night. She felt like she could see the universe reflected inside them. Was that even possible?
Come.
Brina turned to the sound of a male voice. She couldn’t make out from where it resonated. It wasn’t one she had heard before, either. Part of her knew better than to chase after it, but the rest of her was too curious to fight the feeling.
This way.
The voice came from the left, a few feet up. Brina squinted her eyes and thought she saw a large shape of a man. She knew he wasn’t with the living, but that didn’t worry her any. Spirits were something she dealt with all the time. At the moment, her inner radar wasn’t alerting her to any danger, so she walked closer to the spirit.
The closer she got to it, the more it seemed to pull her further across a clearing. It stood by the gate to a fence. As she moved closer to the gate, her mind started to get a fuzzy feeling. Warning bells started to go off in her head, but an overwhelming need to follow the spirit took over.
The man was like a pied piper. He played his flute so well that innocent people were corrupted by its song. Brina put her hand on the gate and started to open it. A sharp pain erupted in her side, as if she were being punished for not moving faster.
Hurry, the spirit commanded her. Her mind seemed to not be her own. Like a puppet being moved by invisible strings, she continued to move forward.
Brina stepped through the gate and the world seemed to slip away from her. Her hands and feet moved on their own volition. Across the field she seemed to float, to where the sounds of roaring water barely broke into her conscience. She could only see in front of her, like a hollowed tunnel vision that blocked out all the sights and sounds around her. Only one objective mattered—reaching the water. For what? That didn’t seem to matter. All she had to do was get there. One foot in front of the other, her mission engraved into every inch of her consciousness.
Her feet moved across the muddy banks, sloshing in the mud as she put the first foot into the water. She felt a small smile slide across her face as she waded deeper into the water.
Nearly there. The voice sounded almost gleeful. It celebrated something she did not understand. At that moment, all she could do was continue her task. She moved slowly in the water, almost stumbling in the slow rapids that were flowing down around her calves.
From the water she saw a shape on the other side of the banks. A grey wolf stood on its haunches. It howled and a few other howls answered it from somewhere in the distance. Brina blinked, but the spell that was woven over her was far too powerful for her to break. She didn’t even hear the splash of water behind her.
When two strong arms wrapped around her, Brina struggled against them. The drive to keep moving into the water was so deeply ingrained in her that her body was fighting to move forward. Water splashed around them as her body fought for every inch of control.
“Damn it, Brina.” Killian hoisted her out of the water and threw her over his back as he carried her from the water.
Fight. The spirit was angry. Its mission had been disrupted.
Brina struggled against Killian, not recognizing anything but the voice that was egging her on. Her hands pummeled his back, while her legs kicked behind her. She nearly unbalanced Killian in her efforts, but his arms held her tight.
When Killian finally managed to get to the bank, he lowered her to the ground. Three wolves raced closer, but Killian waved them off. “I’ve got it from here.”
The wolves grunted and growled slightly, as if they disagreed. Killian’s voice was close to anger this time.
“I don’t need your help. No, I’m not going to screw it up. And shut up, Karter.”
The lightest wolf bared its fangs at him slightly, and its tongue dipped out of its mouth.
“You know I could still skin you.”
A slight snort erupted from the wolf before he raced after the other two. Killian shook his head at them before looking down at the woman in his lap. He stroked her face and tried to get her to come back from the dark reverie she was trapped inside.
Brina was still lost inside herself. She barely recognized the voice calling out to her. When Killian put his hands on her face, she fought against it. The zombie state had taken her in far too fast. She felt like she was trapped inside herself.
“Brina, you have to fight it. Come back to me,” he tried to coax her. None of his words seem to have any effect on her, so Killian did the only thing left.
When Killian’s lips touched hers, Brina felt a part of herself warm. A small heat grew inside her, and she was finally able to blink her eyes. The longer he kissed her, more of her came alive. Her lips started to move on their own volition, no longer controlled by the haunting magic of the glen, but the power of the desire that was building slowly inside her. The hands that were trapped against his chest started to pull his wet shirt into her hands. When his tongue slipped inside her mouth, Brina closed her eyes and relaxed against his lap.
Killian removed his mouth and whispered. “Brina?”
Her eyes flew open; her faculties had finally returned. What the hell had happened? And what was she doing here in his arms, wet for the second time in two days? Memories from the night before came crashing to the forefront and she started to push against his chest. “Let me go.”
As if startled by the turnaround of events, Killian cursed softly. He released her reluctantly. “Brina....”
Brina pushed up from his lap and brushed some of the mud from her jeans. “Damn it.”
Brina kicked at the water near the bank, looking for some kind of object to toss at his head. Instead, she settled for walking up the bank. She didn’t even turn to look back at him. This was his fault. If she hadn’t been so distracted by him, her senses would have worked better. Brina was smarter than this. She knew she shouldn’t have followed the voice—it defied every inch of her training. But all of that seemed to fly out the door, just because her emotions were all over the place. She wished she had never followed the lead to Witch’s Hollow. It had been nothing but trouble.
As she trudged through the grass, she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was. She put her hand in her pocket and retrieved her phone to at least try to get a coordinate. The phone was dripping wet and refused to power on. “What the hell!”
“Brina.”
She jumped when his voice came from right behind her. Stealthy, she’d give him that. Perhaps that was the werewolf in him. “Go away, Killian. You’ve already made your point clear.”
Killian growled and yanked her back to him. “I don’t think I have.”
Brina put a hand on his shoulder and tried to push him away, but Killian threw her over his shoulder again. This time he held her so tightly Brina gave up the fight and wondered what in the world he was doing. “Put me down.”
He never answered, just kept carrying her across the clearing, to where she did not know. She finally gave up and just relaxed against him, wondering where he had gotten all his strength from. She wasn’t a large woman, but at five foot seven, she wasn’t light as a feather. Letting out an exasperated breath, she almost sighed in relief when he swung her down so that he was carrying her in his arms. Sliding her arms around his neck, she decided to hang on to the ride until he finally let her down again. Then there would be hell to pay.
Chapter 8
When Killian stopped before a cabin, Brina was surprised, but she refused to speak. He didn’t even let her down when he climbed up the steps. How far had he carried her? She looked over his shoulder and could have sworn she saw a pair of eyes watching from the bushes. Were they being followed by someone? Or something?
Killian balanced her with his knee as he turned the doorknob to push the door open. He carried her over to the fireplace that, strangely e
nough, was already burning. Had he been expecting company?
Killian let her feet slide to the floor. His hands touched her face and lifted it up slightly to look within her eyes, as if he were trying to see if she was inside. His thumb stroked her cheek and a softness covered his face. Brina thought he would kiss her, but he stepped away from her, turning his back on her completely.
Brina felt anger rise inside her. Why was he playing with her? She wasn’t a toy. She was a living, breathing woman, with feelings and apparently desire for men who constantly made jackasses out of themselves.
“Damn you, Killian,” she muttered.
He turned at her words. Killian’s eyes flashed hot as he stepped closer to her. “What was that, Brina?”
“I said damn you!”
At this point, his arms reached out for her, pulling her hard against him. His mouth was on hers before she uttered another word. She felt the low growl in his throat and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Pulling him in closer, Brina felt the anger growing. He was holding back; she could feel it. Just like last night, when he had basically pushed her aside. Pulling away from his kiss, she tried to catch her breath.
Her eyes met his again and they held her captive there. Brina barely noticed the fingers that pushed her jacket over her shoulders. The same fingers undid the snap of her jeans. Her stomach flinched when his hands slid against it. “What are you doing?”
Killian did not answer her. Instead, he pushed her jeans down her legs. His movements were slow and gentle, and he only broke eye contact with her for a few seconds. When his hands slid up her stomach, she realized her shirt was soon to follow. This was the second trance she had been in today. Brina tried to fight the foggy feeling that seeped into her bones, but this one was so much harder to fight. Every inch of her was screaming for him to follow through.
When he walked away from her, she blinked. Where was he going? How could he just leave her here like this? “Killian?”
Her eyes followed him across the room, where he retrieved a throw blanket from one of the couches. He moved closer to her and wrapped it around her. Then he left the room completely.
Brina stood there, realizing that he had stripped every inch of her down merely to cover her in a blanket. Not because he was about to have his wicked way with her at all, but because her entire body was cold and shivering. She slid to the floor before the fire and cursed him all up and down the eastern peninsulas. What had she done in her previous life to send her into her current reality? She pulled her knees against her and lay her head down on top of them as bitter tears fell down her face.
He had a vision of what he wanted for his life, Brina was sure of it. She simply didn’t measure up to it. This knowledge shouldn’t hurt her the way that it did. People came and people went. That was life. Brina had experienced that more times than she cared count. Yet here she was, feeling desperate for a stranger who really didn’t want her.
When he came back into the room with a mug filled with something steamy, Brina refused to take it. “Leave me alone, Killian.”
“Brina, take the damn drink.” His words were curt, as if he refused to take no for an answer.
Brina reached for it and held it in her hands. She stared at the fire and tried to pretend he was nowhere near her, but even from a few feet away she could feel his heat against her.
“Drink.”
Brina’s lip curled up in anger as she took a small sip. She swallowed it, wishing she could swallow the knot in her throat with it. From here, she could feel his anger rising.
“Look at me, Brina.”
“No.”
It was a hollow whisper filled with defeat. She heard him growl and felt the anger rising in him, but she wasn’t afraid of him. Killian would never hurt her. Her soul knew his, whether he admitted it or not. Even so, she was not about to make the same mistake in this lifetime. If they were meant to be together, it would have to wait until the next life, or maybe the one after that, depending on how much angrier he made her.
Killian slid down the floor next to her. His hand moved under her chin and slowly rotated her face to his. “Brina....”
“I hate you,” she whispered as a tear slipped down her face.
“I know.” He smoothed the tear away and sighed.
Brina jerked her head away from him. “Just go away.”
“I can’t.” His voice was soft, yet somewhere in there was a hard edge.
Brina wasn’t sure what that meant. He didn’t want her, but he didn’t want to leave her alone either? Anger started to spiral inside her. She let the blanket fall from her body and stood up above him, her hands on her hips and her breasts jutting out proudly before her. “I’ve never had a man make me feel so worthless. Am I that hideous to you?”
Gold flames flashed inside his eyes, and he was on his feet before Brina could protest. His mouth covered hers with a feverish pitch that robbed her senses from her head. Brina’s emotions bubbled up to the surface and she pushed him away. His breathing was ragged, as if he were trying to control himself. Brina felt much the same, but a raw bitterness was there between them.
“You can’t keep doing this, Killian.” Brina curled her hands into fists, her breasts heaving as she took deep angry breaths into her lungs.
“I want you, Brina.” His teeth were clenched, as if he were trying to control something inside him.
“Oh? You could have fooled me.” She crossed her arms over her chest and her chin jutted out proudly.
“I was a fool.”
“Go on....” Brina waited to see if he would say something that would make her change her mind about him right in this moment.
A knock sounded at the door and Killian rolled his eyes angrily. “Son of a....”
Brina shook her head as she retrieved her wet clothes. “Maybe one of them can help me get back to the inn.”
He pushed a hand through his hair. “Like hell. We’re not done here.”
“Speak for yourself,” she bit out at him as he walked away. Wrapping the blanket around her, she took her clothes with her as she went in search of a bathroom. The more she felt her clothing, the more she knew walking around in them wouldn’t be very wise. Especially since she didn’t know where she was, or how long it would take to get back to her things. She settled for hanging them over a shower door before she went to see what else she might be able to find.
The cabin was actually quite functional. From the outside she would never have guessed how much space was inside it. It was actually two stories. Walking down the hall, she found stairs that led up and she took them. When she made it to the top, she found three doors.
“Hmm...if I were clothes, where would I be?” Brina went to the only room on the left side. If she had to guess, this was the master bedroom.
Pushing open the door, she saw that her assumption was correct. She walked over to the closet and looked inside it. She found a few T-shirts hanging inside and pulled one out. Brina was sure that whoever they belonged to would forgive her later. There was a pair of sweatpants folded on a shelf that looked like they would be a few sizes too large for her, but she pulled them out too. Sliding them over her legs, Brina tightened the strings so they wouldn’t fall down her waist. The T-shirt hung low over her knees when she slid it over her head.
When she was done, Brina took a look around her. She felt like she knew every inch of this room, even though she had never been inside it before. From the small pictures on the tables, to the afghans that were folded over the side of the bed, the room had an essence about it—thoughtful, reserved. A wooden rocking chair stood just by the only window that let light inside it. It was well worn and aged from the countless hours its owner had sat glancing out the window, watching the world outside.
She reached out to stroke the wood. “Killian.”
Had he made this? It reminded her of some of the furniture she had seen at Knight’s Orchard. Whoever had made it had put every inch of themselves into the artistry. Brina couldn’t resist th
e urge to sit down in it. She closed her eyes as the rocker moved effortlessly. Well made, like every inch of him. Brina opened her eyes and looked out the window. She saw Killian arguing with two of his brothers. Karter looked up at her, and gave a small nod and a smile. “Crap.” Brina slid further back in the chair, but not far enough to miss seeing Killian look up at her. Even from here she could see the brooding on his face. He turned to his brothers and started gesturing at them like a mad man. She shook her head. “Bri, just what have you gotten yourself into?”
She saw Killian walk away with them and wondered when he might be back. She eyed his bed and yawned. Not having slept so well the night before, exhaustion was slowly working its way into her bones. Brina pushed up from the chair and walked over to the king-size bed.
“Wonder how many people you’ve squeezed in here.” She smirked as naughty images filled her head. He could pull it off—he was certainly handsome enough. Pulling the covers up, she slid inside them and pulled them around her. When she put her head against the pillow, she sighed as his scent tickled her senses. Brina hugged the pillow closer to her and closed her eyes.
Whatever they had to talk about could wait, especially considering he had left her standing there vulnerable once more. Brina wondered if he would ever get it right, or if she would stick around to even let him try. For now, she would rest. Thinking could come later.
Chapter 9
When Brina woke, the room was dark. She was surprised to find she had slept the afternoon away. Had she really been that exhausted? Stretching quietly, her hands bumped into a solid object.
“Killian?” she whispered.
His drowsy voice answered. “Yes?”
“What are you doing?” Her heart was racing in her chest.
“Sleeping. Or I was,” he answered ruefully.
“Here?” Her voice was almost accusing.
