Ro felt a whoosh of wind and then all the air was knocked out of her lungs. The trees, grass, sky, dirt, faces all swirled and melded together into a ball of blur and chaos. Ro tried to let out a scream but no sound came out of her mouth, probably because there was no air to let out of her lungs. She felt like she was being spun around on the fastest rollercoaster on earth. Ro didn’t do roller coasters. Ro didn’t even try the carousel, the girl had major motion sickness with anything that spun, dipped, or twirled.
With a thud and an “Oomf!” she landed on her ass and rolled back to crack her head on the ground. Dazed and confused, she moaned and rolled over just before the contents of her stomach heaved up and splattered the mossy terrain. Well, so much for a hearty breakfast to get your day started, she thought.
Spitting the putrid from her mouth and wiping the water from her eyes, Ro sat up and looked around. Definitely not in Kansas anymore, but this was so much greener than the Emerald City would ever be. Everyone else was standing and looking at her with a pathetic look on their faces. Ava and Devlin quickly crouched down to lend her a hand. The world still seemed topsy-turvy when she tried to stand, but Ro did her best to not act as awful as she felt. “What the hell was that?”
“Traveling Sidhe-style, love!” Ava laughed. Ro took one look at the woman who was helping her stand and was very much confused. Ava had flaming red hair that she had pinned up on her head a few minutes ago, but the woman now helping her up had black curly hair that reached down the middle of her back. Same eyes though. As if knowing what Rowan was thinking Ava answered her inquisitive look with a slight shrug. “Hey, a girl can change it up can’t she? I hate looking the same way for too long.” With a smile, she escorted Rowan towards a small path carved into the woods.
“What are you?” Rowan asked, willing to believe just about anything at this point.
“Och, I’m half Sidhe sweetheart.”
Ro thought that out for a second, “What’s the other half of you?”
Ava smiled, glanced at Adam and gave a quick wink, “Let’s just say, Divine Intervention.”
Chapter 10
Rowan was escorted on shaky legs to the edge of the wood. Trying to muster up some dignity and strength, she told her helpers she was alright to walk on her own. Damnit, she hated looking weak. Devlin led the way as they lined up and followed him down the winding path to a small patch of grass that came to a wooden gate. Beyond the gate was a garden that Rowan thought looked like Eden itself. So many flowers, apple trees and herbs grew everywhere. It was hard to believe it was October and as cold as it was in Ireland these plants were thriving. It was breathtaking.
Devlin shuffled in his fleece and pulled out a small orange ball of fur from within. Fintan was as limp as a noodle and Devlin placed him on a small flat stone nestled in lavender and lemon balm. Rowan was startled to see the poor thing and thought for sure he was dead, panic setting in her eyes.
“He’ll be fine lass, the traveling just takes a lot out of the wee creature. Let him rest a bit and you’ll see he’ll be himself soon enough.” Devlin gave her an encouraging smile and then headed up the path and into the old stone home.
The house was so much bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Or maybe she just wasn’t paying good attention. Her senses were so out of whack here. Everything seemed to have that hazy/clarity thing going on just like in the manor house they’d left behind, but it was much stronger here. Ro could feel the magic thrumming in her body, like small waves of adrenaline. It was making her jittery, as if she’d had too much caffeine.
Walking in and throwing her coat over a chair, Ava made herself at home, as was her way wherever she went apparently. Devlin marched straight into the kitchen. Adam looked relieved and actually had a smile on his face.
“What are you so happy about?” Ro asked. She wasn’t happy at all, as a matter of fact, she was getting hangry.
“Just glad to be closer to home, my dear.” Adam looked out the back window into the plush gardens. The fox was no longer laying on the rock, but wasn’t seen anywhere else either.
“It’s beautiful,” Ro came up next to him, leaned against the large dining table and crossed her arms over her chest. “How does it all grow like this with the weather the way it is now? It looks like a summer dream out there.” That was no exaggeration either, bluebirds were flying in zippy playful swirls, butterflies were dancing gracefully around purple bushes, and flowers stood tall and elegantly stretched towards the sky.
“Fae magic, love,” Ava answered, coming up to look at the picturesque landscape herself. Stroking Adam’s arm affectionately, “He always had the gift of the gardens.” Adam looked down at Ava like he’d like nothing more than to glue her mouth shut.
“Did you plant all that? It’s just so dreamy and beautiful. It’s what I’d think the Garden of Eden would look like.” The minute Rowan said those words, it hit her: Adam, magic, and books of Fae lore, it all clicked. “Holy shit, you’re Adam aren’t you? Like THE Adam. Adam and Eve, Adam!”
Adam scowled. Damn the woman. Ava just couldn’t help herself could she? Never could control her actions or her big mouth. And now Ava’s spilled the truth about who he is to a woman that has so little knowledge of magic. For the love of Danu, she couldn’t even deal with something as simple as Fae-travel without blowing chunks in the yard! Damn the wench. He needed a drink. Stalking away without answering the now extremely excited Rowan, he pushed past Devlin who was carrying a tray of food, and headed towards the living room. On the way, he grabbed a glass and a bottle of Ireland’s finest.
“Holy Cow, this is amazing!” Rowan grabbed an apple slice and popped it into her mouth. Still chewing, she curled her legs up under her bottom and perched on the chair. She was all coiled up in the seat, jittery and excited, half from the chill and half from the magic. She was positively buzzing inside. Looking down at the wooden table she made a pouty face while she was thinking, and then looked at Devlin.
“Did you know all along?”
“Aye, lass. He’s been my mentor and my friend for a verra long time.”
“How long is long? You don’t look too old yourself, but then again Adam doesn’t either, must be the Sidhe stuff huh? How old are you? I’m just so amazed. This is crazy. I’m so wound up I don’t know how to act! I should just stop talking now.”
In an attempt to stop rambling, and before anything else stupendously stupid flew out of her mouth, Rowan stuffed more food in her face. Taking another slice of fruit, an orange slice this time, she sucked the juice out of it and ripped the flesh with her teeth.
Och, Rowan was fascinating to watch while she ate. She truly took pleasure in everything. Devlin smiled as the woman ate bite after bite of the fruit laid out on the tray he’d prepared. He thought she’d like the tasty treat, and in this house, fruit was easy to find. The second they entered his home, Devlin had gone straight to the kitchen specifically to make her a meal that would surely please her and fill her recently emptied stomach. He was a little surprised at how much joy he felt in doing such a small act for her. Her smile was one hell of a payment.
Picking up a fat purple grape and popping it into her mouth, the skin burst and juice exploded on her tongue. This was the best fruit she’d ever tasted. She couldn’t seem to get enough. She was absolutely starving.
“Answer my question, how old are you Devlin?”
A nod from Ava had Devlin looking at his hands resting on the table. “I am 758 years old.”
The second grape Rowan had put into her mouth fell out with a small thud, rolled off the table and into her lap. Maybe he was being funny, Ro thought. No, the face he gave her was stone cold serious. If this is the truth, then Rowan wasn’t sure how to take it.
“And, Adam is really the Adam. How old is he?”
Ava was the one to answer. Devlin was still staring at his hands with serious guilt and worry written all over him. “No one knows, love. He’s been around for a very, very l
ong time. One looses track of the years after a certain point,” she sent Ro a half smile and left it at that.
Rowan wondered if that meant he was the creator of all humans and asked it out loud. Ava laughed a little and told her that no, he was not. Sidhes and angels were created first, humans came much later. Ava gave a friendly smile and then plucking a slice of kiwi into her mouth, excused herself to make amends with her old friend in the other room. She’d overstepped the line between them, but did it for the best. Rowan should know all the truths, ‘tis only fair.
“This is a lot to take in. You don’t look a day over thirty.” Looking over at Mr. Frowny Face sitting across from her, Rowan didn’t feel so hungry anymore. Actually, she felt sick again. She pushed herself away from the table to get a little more distance from the truth that was laid out before her.
“Aye, well, I stopped aging once I came into my full power at the age of thirty-three. Once I mastered the arts of Druidry, the Goddess Morrigan blessed me with eternal life, much like Adam.”
Eternal Life, as in forever living… immortal. The lesson back at the manor of Sidhes and Druids hadn’t really sunk in for Rowan, until now.
“So you’re going to live forever and ever?” Rowan felt sad, and her voice gave it away.
She felt so lonely all of a sudden. Abandoned. Why, she really didn’t know. Maybe some part of her thought that they were all on slightly even ground going into this thing. Maybe it was because she realized that her life was indeed very, very short. But there was a small part of her, the romantic dreamy part, that thought after all this worked out and they beat the bad guy, maybe Devlin would kiss her again. Now those hopes and dreams seemed so stupid. Her heart hurt. Sooner or later Rowan was going to die, and the man she’s been thinking of and wishing for was going to live on with his handsome fine self. Live to kiss another woman. Love another woman. It was never going to happen for her. Damn it to hell, she was not going to cry. Before she lost control of her pathetic emotions, Rowan excused herself and went outside.
Devlin felt horrible. No doubt his having told her the truth of his age had spooked her, or worried her at the very least. Her mood had gone from sunshine and joy to sadness and despair in a matter of seconds. When he told her of his immortality, her eyebrows knit together, face paling, she wouldn’t even look at him. He didn’t want to lie, Ava was right; they shouldn’t hold back any secrets from each other. They were all too important to the cause for there to be room for doubt and distrust. Mayhap he can make her smile again as an apology for the painful truths he’d just shared. He pushed himself up and walked out the door after her.
Out in the garden, Rowan was fighting back the lump in her throat while scolding herself. “Stop it. Stop it right now. Buck up buttercup because it’s not about you here. For fuck’s sake look at yourself! Here you are, a total basket case acting like a pouty, pathetic, spoiled brat because you’re not going to get your way.” Ro paced back and forth berating herself for her performance inside.
Damnit! This totally sucked. Rowan’s sadness usually morphed into anger, rage was the emotion she rode the best, but it wasn’t the prettiest and she didn’t want to be angry right now. Punching her fists into her thighs, she squatted down to the ground and screamed out her frustration into her knees. Shaking her head to gain some control, she was going to force those weak tears right back into wherever the fuck they go because they were NOT going to escape and mess up her mascara. Nope. She was going to go all Tasmanian devil out here if she didn’t reign herself in quickly.
No one said life was perfect. No one is guaranteed a happily ever after. Life is not a bowl of cherries. Rowan needed to get a grip and put on her game face. The truth might be hard to swallow, but that didn’t mean she was going to choke on it. At least Devlin had the decency to be honest with her. Ro knew all too well how the truth can chase someone away. She’d been through her fair share of that herself. Rowan wasn’t like that though, she could look at things for what they are and not freak out and run the other way.
Ro turned around to go back inside the house and apologize to Devlin for storming out when she bumped right into the man. Oof! Crashing into him was a lot like crashing into Adam the night before. The man’s body was made of stone. At least this time she didn’t tumble onto her ass. As a matter of fact she was still standing, so HA! Improvement!
“I want to show ye something,” Devlin said while grabbing her hand.
He led her around the side of the house where there was a large stable. Several horses whinnied their hellos upon seeing the man. He walked up to a large gray horse that was by far the prettiest and biggest horse Rowan had ever seen; he was at least twenty hands tall. She liked horses. Liked the look of them, the feel of them, and even the smell of them, and this one, like the man beside it, took her breath away.
“This is Cain. Cain, Rowan.” Devlin went over to where the tack and saddles were kept and quickly prepared the beast for a ride. The horse studied Rowan for several heartbeats and then nickered his approval. Rowan reached up to let the horse smell her palm, and then slowly stretched out her arm to stroke his neck.
“He’s gorgeous.”
“Aye, but don’t go spoiling him like ye do Fintan. We canna have two of them begging at your feet.”
He smiled to let her know he was joking and then hopped up onto the horse. Pulling Rowan up and settling her in front of him, Devlin had to control certain parts of his body from complete embarrassment. Och, the lass had a rump that fit perfect between his thighs. As if nodding in agreement, his cock was already hard and eager to feel more. Trying to will the impatient member back into submission, Devlin cleared his throat, squeezed his thighs around the horse’s sides, and together they took off through the stables and out towards to the moors.
Holy blazing saddles, Batman! This was amazing. The feeling of freedom as Rowan galloped onto a field of thick green carpet was almost too much to handle. The sky was wide open, the air smelled clean and fresh, and here she was, with the stone hard body of a Druid clinging to her waist, while they set off towards God knows where. Now this is what Rowan would call a fantasy.
His right hand held the reins while his left arm was snaked around her front, the span of his hand covering more than half her body. She felt like a small doll in his arms and couldn’t think of any better feeling than this. Well, that and the fact that she could feel something else stone hard pressed against her back and knew exactly what it was and why it was there: He was attracted to her. Well good. The spiteful part of Rowan thought that was an excellent payback for their situation. She knew she’d never be able to have him for herself, and now he’d feel a bit of that needy pang.
They charged across the moor and kept riding. The horse never lost his stride, but only seemed to move faster and freer. The steed was born to run. Devlin urged the beast on, all the while thinking about the creature in his lap. She didn’t make a sound, no doubt taking in all the scenery before her, just like he took in the scenery before his own eyes.
Rowan’s hair was pulled back in a low braid, her back slender and hard, and her arms long and wicked. He tried to hold onto her tightly without squeezing too much. She was so small in his arms. In his quest to put a smile on her face, he’d not thought to ask if she’d ridden a horse before now and didn’t want her jostling overmuch and falling off. Her mounds bobbed up and down on his forearm the harder they rode. She was strong. Balanced. Aye, the woman was a good rider. That thought had a growl stirring in his chest - a grumble that would surely break free from his lips and into her ears.
Devlin eased Cain to a slower pace when they came upon a crest at the far end of the moor. ‘Twas a hidden fairy mound, and was one of Devlin’s favorite places to go when he needed a bit of cheering up himself. Adam built it for Devlin after they first arrived in Ireland when he’d lost the remainder of his family. It was Devlin’s secret sanctuary, although now there were several smaller Fae that took up residence in it. This place was his
little hide-a-way, his happy place.
With a slight pull on the reins and a sound from Devlin’s pursed lips, Cain stopped in his tracks and the two riders climbed off. Grabbing her hand and trying to not look too excited himself, Devlin brought Ro closer to the mound covered in rocks and heather.
“Close your eyes, my lady.” He guided her towards the mossy mound... and then through it.
Rowan smelled the sweetest scents of flowers and sunshine. Warmth surrounded her and she was instantly filled with so much joy and happiness she all but burst. Opening her eyes, Ro looked around with wonder.
“Oh my God. Where are we?” Her voice was a whisper. Surely this was a dream and if she spoke too loud she’d wake herself up.
“’Tis a Faeland. Humans canna go into them, they just look like wee hills to their eyes, but others can see them for what they truly are.” Aye, he’d made a good move bringing her here. Rowan’s smile was so big, her eyes were curved into small rainbows. She twirled around taking the landscape in.
“Holy cow, I’ve never seen anything like this before. Not even in books! This is amazing.”
Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe Page 9
