“Damnit Devlin! I want someone to fight with me.”
Eyes full of shame and despair, he let out a shuddering breath, her bravery was immense and his heart swelled from it till he thought he’d choke. Rowan took a step closer and glowered at him.
“If you don’t want to fight beside me, I understand. I don’t blame you actually. But you’re not the Devil. I’ve seen the Devil, and trust me…” but before she could finish her sentence, he was on her. His hands cupped her face while he came in for a crushing kiss. There was no room for breathing or thinking. She met his lips with the same passion and all those unspoken words blew six ways to the wind.
Overcome with emotions, Rowan cried as he broke from her lips to kiss her head, cheeks, face, chin and all the spaces in between. He scooped her up and kicked open the entrance to his house and carried her inside.
Devlin held his brave little warrior, crying and clinging to him, into his bedroom. He laid her on the bed like a porcelain doll, for truth she looked so fragile in that moment. He wiped away her tears, cooing to her in old Gaelic. “Shhh, mo chroí.” He kissed her head again and wiped the straggling hairs away from her face. “I’ll not be letting ye go. I canna bear the thought of living without ye. If… ye will still have me.” He waited for the crushing blow of her denial.
Rowan looked at him with red-rimmed eyes and then she turned her head away. “How can you want me now?”
Did he hear that right? “Lass, how can ye ask such a thing?”
But she, too, remembered yesterday and Brinley’s words during their fight at the dinner table. Rowan was ashamed. She felt dirty. Words started pouring out of her mouth a mile a minute and her body curled into defense mode.
“I’m so sorry Devlin. I can’t explain what happened. I couldn’t control myself. The whole time my mind was screaming for it to stop, but my body wouldn’t. It was horrifying. I feel awful and disgusting.” She pulled away then and stared away from the man she loved. Yes, loved. She was hiding behind her protective barrier again; the walls were going back up.
Her words were heartrending but he’d not let her hide in shame, there was nothing for her to be ashamed of. “Aye lass. ‘Twas maddening for us both. But I ken ye had no control. It was obvious. When ye screamed out, your skin was on fire and ye wouldna open your eyes. I tried everything I could think of but couldna reach ye. It was as if ye were lost to me.” Pulling her face back to look at his, “I’ll not be losing ye again.”
A vow he’d make and will keep at any cost.
He kissed her gently. Lips touching and caressing. After a few gentle kisses, a flash of her tongue on his lips sent him the signal for more. A sense of urgency started to grow between them and before long they were lost in each other.
Rowan slipped his shirt off and tossed it on the floor. Running his hand through his long hair, he looked nervous. She, too, was a mix of nerves and needs. Rowan’s eyes raked over his body hungrily and she then took her own shirt off.
He pilfered her mouth, neck, and worked his way lower. Unzipping her pants, she hoisted her hips up so that they were easier to take off. Her body shook, but whether it was rage, sadness, fear or desire, Devlin couldn’t tell. She was fraught with emotions and he could taste them all like bittersweet ale. He wanted to make her feel better, give her tenderness, give her love.
He started at her ankles and kissed his way up her calf. Licking the back of her knee next, he blew cold breath on her and watched as her flesh puckered from the chills rippling over her body. She let out a little giggle and he smiled whiskey eyes at her.
He worked at a torturous pace. Slowly lapping up her sweet taste, he went further towards the slight mound at the meeting of her thighs. Peeling away lavender lace, he nuzzled her pink folds and kissed them teasingly. With a whimper of surrender, she’d come undone.
He stopped his sensuous torture, for the moment, and climbed further up her body. Laying sweet kisses on her stomach and sides, he worked his way up to her bra. It fastened in the front, and with a swift tug, her mounds were set free. Rowan squirmed enough for the lacey thing to fall off her shoulders and she threw it over her head. Ever so slowly, he licked and pulled at her puckered nipples that were offered. Her breasts were magnificent. Truly it was as if they were made to fit perfectly in his hands. Firm and full, they heaved with every breath she took. He licked the space between them and up to her neck. He was growing into a hungry wild beast with want of her. His urge to claim her again had him feeling crazed and he was trying to control it.
The thought came into her mind like a comet burning through the sky. She wanted closeness, the binding and unbreakable kind. She wanted to be claimed, claimed again by Devlin and no other. Sensing his need, instincts had her grabbing the back of his head and forcing his mouth closer to the vein in her neck. He didn’t question or hesitate as he bit down and moaned when her blood flowed like liquid light into his mouth. Her legs wrapped around his body and she held on for dear life as she gave and he took. She surrendered to him fully. Her walls crashed back down.
Releasing his bite, he looked at her and was lost in the moors of her eyes. Magic swirled in the air and inside them. It was a pull and push, like waves in the ocean. He wanted her so badly it was hard to go so slow. But he didn’t want to spook her. He wanted to give her kindness and tenderness where yesterday she’d had none. His shaft was pounding with impatience, but he kept it in check. There’d be no releasing it unless she asked. Today, he wanted to worship her like she deserved.
“I want you, Devlin.”
“Shhh, a ghrá”
This slow and tender stuff was getting harder. Another moan escaped her lips as he nibbled her ear. He so badly wanted to have self-control, but it was dwindling fast with every moan she made, her blood in him pulsing like wild magic, calling to him, making him want more of her.
Rowan was a quivering ball of nerves. Every lick, every caress just brought her closer and closer to her breaking point. She wanted him inside her. Wanted to feel his long hard heat enter her and take her far away from everything. Her mind was whirling, body aching, eyes blazing, she did the first thing that came to mind: Rowan turned to his neck and bit him. She had no fangs, but her urge for something hot and fleshy in her mouth was all too strong in that moment. She was turning into a wild animal in that bed. Mindless, primal, and feral.
Devlin let out a loud hiss and then ground his hips into her when she bit down hard and sharp. Her bite was unexpected and more than welcomed, causing his desire for her to burst out of him and fill the room with a rich heady fragrance.
Rowan breathed in deep, letting his scent fill her lungs. It grounded her. Devlin was the rich and steady earth and she wanted to sink into him. She needed more. More of him… all of him. Rowan wanted him to fill her up, break her down, and remake her. She was his and no one else’s.
“Devlin, fill me up. Fill me up, please. I want to feel nothing but you in me.”
Self-control was a thing of the past on those pleading words. Lifting himself onto his knees, he got out of his pants in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Propping up on top of her, he rested the head of his shaft against her hot sex and slowly pushed his way in. He went slow, deep, and deliberate. He filled her up.
Crying out, Rowan clawed into his shoulders and the two of them rocked their hips in slow unison. With every thrust he gave, she yearned for more. Devlin’s pace was slow and deep. He rocked harder and harder and she met each thrust with a writhe and a whimper. Hips rising to meet every move he made inside her, Rowan’s climax peaked and then released on a cry. He broke her down.
Hearing Rowan lose her control, Devlin lost his own. His pace began to quicken, thrusts going deeper, the buildup of pleasure growing stronger, until he thought they’d both explode. Their orgasms were earth shattering. Wave after wave of pleasure, there seemed to be no end in sight. Hours passed and still they did not stop. Their bodies melded as one, neither letting go, and all they could do was hold on
while they gave and took and yearned for more. Every touch branded, every kiss sealed, every sigh confirmed, they let go of everything except each other. He remade her.
Collapsing, it took Devlin a few seconds for the stars in front of his eyes to dissipate. He felt dizzy and his heart thumped loudly in his ears. He’d never felt something like that before in all his days. ‘Twas remarkable, really. They’d bound so tightly together this day, there’d be no prying them apart.
“Talk about kissing and making up,” Ro said and she gently scratched his back and arms. He slid out of her reluctantly and kissed her while he stared at her emerald eyes. She was herself once more and he was relieved to see it.
“Aye, that was almost worth getting into another fight for.”
They stayed in bed for a while, each lost in kisses and thoughts. Devlin flicked his hands and lit a fire in the small hearth on the far side of his bedroom. It was lunchtime by the sounds of Rowan’s stomach, but she wasn’t hungry for food. She was so content in his strong arms, she wasn’t going anywhere. Not even for Nora’s cooking.
Stretched out next to him, one leg draped over his, Rowan lazily dragged her fingertips up and down his forearm. She thought about how fast all of this was moving, even though it didn’t feel that way. It was strange really, she felt like she’s known him forever, all his memories now in her head. Yet, she didn’t know the simple basics. What was his favorite color? What was his favorite song? Favorite dessert? Hell, talk about simple basics, she wasn’t even sure he knew her full name. Playfully gliding her fingers down his arm, she noticed all the fine little dark hairs and smoothness of his muscle and heaved a sigh while she contemplated.
“Blue, Wild Rover, and ye are my favorite dessert, Rowan Elizabeth Hayes.”
Well that was unexpected.
He kissed her head and laughed. “I’m sorry lass, ‘tis just that ye were rambling so loud in your head I couldna help but listen.”
Rowan looked up startled, “You can hear my thoughts?”
“Aye lass. And ye can do the same with me. ‘Tis one more boon from our joining. Dinna worry, I’ll teach ye.” He kissed her hand.
Well that sounded fun and interesting, but a little worrisome. Once again, they were on uneven ground and Rowan was edgy about it. “Tell me something,” she demanded.
“What do ye want me to tell ye?” His breath blew on her hair when he spoke and he kissed her head.
“No, I mean tell me something. Anything. Tell me a story about when you were a kid.”
Och, well there’s narrowing it down aye? He thought for a minute and then smiled with the memory of his younger sister. She would have liked Rowan. They were both bullheaded and brave.
“Once, my sister Abaigael wanted a pet. My mother didn’t want any more mouths to feed, so she’d said no. I took Abaigael out to the moor and called a hawk over. I had the gift of animal speak already and could talk with any animal that crossed my path.” He entwined his fingers with hers and continued while he gazed into the fire.
“She was so excited to see the creature and I was happy to show off my talents. I told the hawk to fly up in the air and do a dive. He did. Abaigael jumped and clapped, so I had the beast do another trick. After a grand display of its agility and speed, I promised the hawk a treat for his efforts. Noticing my mother out in the yard cooking over a fire on the side of the house, the bird swooped down and snatched the chicken she was about to boil right out of her wee hands! Och! The woman was fit to be tied. She screamed and chased after the hawk yelling for the beast to drop it, but he was strong - and hungry. He took off into the woods with our dinner and we were left with naught but potatoes and turnips for our supper. Got a thrashing for that, I did. But it was worth it to see the joy on Abaigael’s face.”
Reminiscing of his baby sister, he felt a pang of regret for her living such a short life. It was one more time that he was given the duty to protect, and failed. He may not have brought the plague to their home, but he didn’t have the power to prevent it either. For some reason, it just felt like he should have been able to stop it. And then what happened after... Well, they were suffering those consequences now.
“What happened to them? Your mom and Abaigael.”
Sighing, he looked out into the woods towards the direction their graves were dug so many centuries ago when they first arrived in Ireland. His smile vanished and eyes became distant with grief. “They died of the plague shortly after.”
Rowan remembered the vision she’d had of a young boy putting rocks on a grave and assumed it was theirs. “Will you take me to them?” It was a bold question, one that he had every right to refuse, but she wanted to see the stones of the people who meant so much to him.
“I’ve not gone there since the day I buried them, lass. ‘Tis too painful.”
It wasn’t a refusal, it was an excuse. She didn’t want to push the subject further, sensing his hesitation, but her body language said enough – she was disappointed. Thinking of everything that had happened the day before and his thoughts of having lost her for good, Devlin wanted to give her something, anything, to prove himself. This was not the way, but it may be a start. Denying her was not going to happen. Not with anything.
“Come. I’ll take ye to them.” He got up and started getting dressed.
“Really? Right now?”
Rowan couldn’t help the excitement in her voice. She knew that this was a hard step for him to take, and he was taking it nonetheless, because she’d asked him to. She threw on her clothes almost as fast and they’d come off and the two of them walked out to the stables. “We’re riding there?” Rowan was thinking they’d walk or take the car. Silly her.
“Aye lass, ye canna get to them in a car and it’s too long to walk. They’ve been gone a long time. Their stones are overrun with trees and Mother Nature now.”
Huh, Rowan wondered why their stones hadn’t been taken care of. Devlin didn’t seem like the kind of man who would let them go to pot. Maybe his grief was too great and he didn’t even let anyone else tend to their stones. He’d placed those rocks over their graves and never looked back. It made her feel sad for all of them.
While she was thinking about his past, Devlin was preparing Cain to ride. He saddled up, reached for her hand, and hoisted her up onto the huge horse. Rowan sat behind Devlin this time and held on tight to his wide torso. The pace Cain ran with before was nothing compared to the speed he flew with now. Devlin pushed his horse faster and faster. Devlin’s fear of backing out of this little journey made him urge the horse to move at lightning speed.
Over the moors, through the woods, and across a small stream, Rowan held on tight, legs braced on the sides of Cain, her arms clinging to hard muscles of the tense man in front of her. Crossing another stream, water splashed up, soaking part of Ro’s pants. The water was icy cold and the wind created from the steed’s speed made it colder still. After a while, Cain slowed down to a more reasonable pace.
Finally, they came up to a thick patch of woods. The place was a jungle of thorns, weeds and fallen trees. It looked like a great place for the Big Bad Wolf to hide and wait for Little Red Riding Hood. They hopped down and Devlin let his horse wander the grasses outside the wood’s entrance. Taking Ro’s hand, he took in a breath for bravery and tried to smile at Rowan, but it didn’t reach his whiskey eyes.
Rowan felt guilty for putting him through this. “Stop.” They halted. “Devlin, you don’t have to do this. I can see this is painful for you and I don’t want you to do something you’re not comfortable with.”
Bending down, he kissed her forehead. “Och, this coming from the woman who was in a similar situation only yesterday.”
Crows were cawing their invitations, or warnings, in the trees at the entrance of the woods. Devlin looked into the forest and then back at her. “Rowan, we’ve a purpose. Your bravery yesterday is testament that the Fates have chosen wisely. I dinna ken what they mean to do with ye, but I’ll not be leaving
your side. Yesterday, I asked ye to go somewhere for me. And ye did. Today, I’ll go here for you. I ken it’s not quite the same, not by a long shot, but ‘tis all I have to offer ye for the now.”
Now that was chivalrous. She rewarded him with a kiss and poured all the love and admiration she could into it. “I love you.” Just like that. Those three words came out so matter-of-factly you’d think she’d been saying it forever. Like she’d known him through the ages and they were always and forever together. It didn’t make sense, but love often doesn’t.
Devlin’s breath caught when he heard her say those words, his face that was stone crumbled away to warmer emotions. He took her hands into his. “Rowan lass, I’ve loved ye. Loved ye my whole life. It’s taken me so long to find and hold ye in my arms. But know that I have loved ye for many lifetimes and will continue loving ye past the end of days.”
He held her face in his large hands and they kissed with all the affection they could muster. They were meant to be, she knew it, and he knew it. Rowan’s heart burst with joy and tears slid down her cheeks. He wiped them away with a smile that did reach his eyes this time. “Come, let me take ye to my family.”
Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe Page 19
