“I don’t know, Jeremy. Let me think about this okay? There has to be a solution. I’ll call you back.”
“The solution is to get your ass back here.”
He hung up before she did. Rowan looked down at her cell phone and felt terrible. What a mess this all was. How did this all happen so fast? Her life was completely turned upside down and Rowan didn’t know how to handle the fallout.
“What is amiss, lass?” Devlin could feel the sorrow pouring off of her and felt like killing this Jeremy for having ruined his wife’s good mood.
“Trouble at work.” She left it at that. She didn’t want to talk about it right now. Her brain felt fried and she was suddenly very, very tired.
“We will send him a large check, my dear. One that will cover the rent, utilities, supplies, and two additional employees until you can return.” Adam handed her a glass of bubbly. “Consider it a wedding gift.”
Rowan was speechless. It took her a minute for the words in her brain to travel to her mouth, “I can’t let you do that, Adam. It’s too much.”
He laughed big and bold, smiling with his whole face while he came around to her side. “My dear, I have more money than I will ever spend. Devlin is like a brother to me, and you, my sweet girl, are the answer to all our prayers. I will not take no for an answer. The money will be wired to your business account this morning with a message that it comes from you and your family.”
Rowan stared in disbelief. She didn’t know what to say.
“Say thank you, my dear, and think on it no longer.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled.
Rowan fought the emotions rolling through her. On one hand she was relieved. It was a great solution to her problem. On the other hand, she didn’t like someone coming to her financial rescue. It was a nick in her pride.
She looked up at Devlin, still battling the thoughts in her head and the guilt in her gut. He winked her way as he filled a plate with Belgian waffles, scotch eggs, sliced pears and apples drizzled with a cinnamon cream sauce, quiche, and a bunch of other goodies that Nora took such pleasure in making. He handed the plate to her and kissed her forehead.
“Dinna worry, lass. Money is never going to be a worry. We are family. We take care of our own here. Besides, ye deserve a little boon, you’ve sacrificed everything ye are to help us.” He was sincere when he said it.
Rowan tried to return the heartfelt look, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Maybe she was paranoid or just plain tired and hungry, but Rowan always felt that sometimes when something really good happens, luck has a way of turning coat and she gets hit with something bad shortly after. She shook the thought away.
“Thank you,” she said again as she dug into her plate of food, and she waited for the other shoe to drop.
Chapter 25
Ava was taking a walk. It was getting close to Samhain and the high energy levels felt like static in the air. Ava always liked Samhain. It was a celebration with bonfires and candles, feasts and celebrations of loved ones who were gone and given the day to revisit their families. More recently, traditions morphed into Samhain being a time for children to run around dressed in costumes of princesses, vampires, and any other character they wished to be and were rewarded with candy and treats for their efforts. It was a time for everyone, living and dead, to be together.
Ava smiled as she thought of the jack-o-lantern faces that she passed in windows down in the village that morning. Some spooky, some silly, some serious, all fun. ‘Twas a fine tradition, and one she enjoyed partaking in whenever she had a chance. Perhaps she’d pick up some pumpkins and bring them to Adam’s. The thought flew away from her head when she felt the pang of guilt for her sneakiness the night before. She didn’t lie to Rowan about the ritual, Rowan just never asked about any of it. Ava had her memorize the Summons of the Gods, prepared for Rowan to interrogate her on it, but she didn’t. Ro trusted her without reservation. ‘Tis a small blessing to trust and be trusted.
Ava shook out of her gloomy mood and felt the energies surge in the air. The veil between worlds was already starting to thin.
And so were the Gods’ patience.
Ava finally got to her destination: the stone circle. Tourists came from all over the world to see the mysterious stone circle in Drombeg. Only a few who walked the earth knew their true purpose, most of which were Fae. Towering in a circle, like a mini Stonehenge, they were a way between worlds, a tool for time travel, and at times can be used as a source of great power - both light and dark.
Ava walked around the structure, touching some of the stones like they were old friends. It had been a long time since she traveled through them herself and she missed the feeling of them.
Earlier that morning she tried to read her deck of cards in hopes that the Fates would give her a hint of this outcome. Rowan was going to be fighting a very harsh battle, and the truth was, Ava was scared for her new friend. The cards didn’t tell her a damn thing. Neither did the runes, the scrying ball or the stubborn tea leaves. Ava was going to have to rely on faith - something that one might think a creature of her making would be good at, but alas, she wasn’t.
Understanding what her purpose was, Ava stared up at the stones one last time and said a prayer. She ran her fingers through her hair, changing the color, and rubbed her face to make a few subtle changes to her features. Taking a deep breath, and a leap of faith, Ava disappeared into the stones.
“Oh my God, this was amazing. I feel like a tick about to pop!” Rowan leaned back in her chair and rubbed her stomach. She had eaten three huge plates of food, drank four glasses of the sweet and bubbly, and then polished off a pot of tea. She should be ashamed of herself, but she was impressed instead. “Boys, I might have just beaten my own record on food intake in one sitting.”
Adam hadn’t touched much of the food himself and Devlin was only on his second plate. Sissies.
Rowan got up slowly, groaned, and then shuffled into the living room and straight towards the sofa. “I’m going to have to take a nap after this. I’m too full to do anything but hibernate now.”
The two men watched her wobble out of the room. “Your wife must’ve worked up quite an appetite,” Adam was amused and it showed in his grin.
“Aye, that she did brother,” but Devlin wasn’t one to kiss and tell. Macho man was he, Devlin just sat and smiled with his proud, big self.
The two men stayed in the dining room for a little while longer and then retired to the living room themselves although it wasn’t to take a nap on the couch. They had some more research to do. Devlin walked quietly over to his sleeping wife and pulled a blanket over her curled up body. She was out like a light, the poor lamb. Fintan jumped onto the sofa with Rowan and promptly curled up next to her. Snapping his fingers, Devlin lit a fire to help keep her even warmer. Smiling at his sweet angel, he bent down and kissed her head. Aye, he was the luckiest man alive.
Adam watched as Devlin kissed his new wife. The woman was one surprise after another recently. The biggest shock so far was that Rowan was able to summon the Death Bringer. That would have taken some seriously powerful magic, or a damn miracle, for anyone to do. She was still a newbie in the ways of magic, so it was double spectacular she’d managed it, and unsettling that Ava would think she could. Hmmm, and the fact that the Death Bringer so willingly handed over such a coveted weapon to her was another whammy of surprise and concern. He wanted more answers.
For now, Adam’s biggest worry was to make sure that the weapon Rowan was given wasn’t going to kill her or curse her when she goes to use it. Many weapons are tricky and must be used with much caution. It was still surreal that she even had the Beagalltach, which was also known among the Fae as the “Little Fury.”
No irony was lost there.
Adam wanted to touch the blade, hold it for but a moment, but knew that would be a fools’ move. The blade was made from the Gods’ own fires, and could sing a spell enchanting the person wielding it.
If that person gave into the song, they were lost forever – obsessed with only the blade and not caring for anything else. There was only one way to break that type of spell: Death by the blade itself. It has executed many of its own masters over the millennium. The Beagalltach was a powerful and dangerous weapon indeed. Anyone who heard the music and gave into its song was deemed too weak to have the right to wield it and would have to die.
Adam hoped like hell Rowan didn’t hear any music.
Walking past the snoozing little tick on the couch, the Sidhe went over to his desk and started rifling through more papers. He’d been up all night trying to discover a way to find and break into Lorcan’s secret realm. It had been done twice, once with Devlin and once with Rowan, but neither of them knew how they accomplished such a feat. Young magic - it’s as unpredictable as the wee ones who use it and is the very reason training and guidance is so necessary.
So far, Adam had little success in finding anything that was helpful. The human world didn’t have a huge selection of magical instruments, and even fewer tools for entering new worlds. He had a mirror of his own that could take him to different Fae Worlds, but he’d hidden it well and it was under lock and key for a reason. He did not want to use it unless there was no other choice. He could ask for help, but Adam dreaded the idea of having to ask for any favors from another Fae. He didn’t want to risk being in their debt.
No, they needed to come up with a way to reach Lorcan on their own. Luring him out would be better because they’d at least be fighting on their own turf. But Lorcan has been hiding for so long, there was no reason for him to come out now. This was not going to be easy.
Lorcan paced back and forth in his bedchambers. He was desperately trying to find some way to get out of here now that he was full Sidhe once more. He longed to feel the wind in his long hair, sun on his skin, and fresh blood on his tongue. The mirror that he used to reach Rowan and other less fortunate only worked in a spiritual realm. He’d have to be in a dream state to walk through it now and his body was too alive for sleep. It had been so long since he had actual feeling in his limbs and body he wasn’t about to give it up so quickly – even if it was for just an hour or two of sleeping.
Pacing and reveling at his marvelous self, he planned his next course of action. He needed to bring Rowan to him, capture, and keep her with him for good. There would be no escaping for her this time. After he punishes Rowan for running off, he’ll make love to her until her body can no longer move, then he’ll claim her himself. Break her if necessary.
Fuck it; he’ll break her if it isn’t necessary.
His precious queen will be the key to collecting a new army for him. Souls will easily flock to her call, and once they do, he’ll twist them all into mindless savage demons that will fight for Lorcan’s crown. Together, Lorcan and his queen will rule in the Faelands.
Lorcan relished the thought. Rowan will make an excellent queen – dark, determined, and powerful was she. The hunger inside his loins for her was almost too much to bear. His shaft ached and throbbed in his leather pants, making them insufferable. He’d keep them on though. The pain and tension it caused him to feel was as excruciating as it was exhilarating. He liked it.
Walking towards the obsidian walls, Lorcan made a slow, deliberate slice in his arm on the jagged rocks and watched a few precious drops of blood fall to the ground. He stayed focused. Calm. Gathering his strength, he walked around the blood staining the floor and spoke old words… dark words… forbidden words… the black hole started as a pinhole, and then grew larger in mid-air.
Lorcan smiled. It had worked. He had to use black magic like this before to get a hole big enough for his shadows to use when he needed humans brought to him in the past. It was not an easy thing to do and his waning energy suffered much for his actions.
Black magic costs triple the payment. This time was no different, as it was a harder effort to make the hole strong enough to let him out. But he didn’t care, he was anxious to get out and the Druid’s blood made him feel invincible.
Lorcan called out for his demons to bring back as many bodies as possible, he’d have to gorge on their blood later to make up for the loss of power he’d just suffered. With a greedy smile, Lorcan stepped one black boot into the hole and then the other and he went into the human world ready to claim the woman who was his.
The air was crisp and cold. Inhaling, he let his lungs fill with the good stuff and let out a scream of triumph. Lorcan’s boots hit solid earth and crunchy leaves and he knew he was unstoppable.
Once he’d stepped out of the large black hole, it shrunk slightly in size. ‘Tis a Fae trick – a survival tactic. Holes like this only grant entry to those who seek it and know that it’s there. It doesn’t show itself to anyone else. It was an age-old trick when the Fae were hiding from the humans who sought to capture them and use their energies for their own selfish gains.
Unfortunately for Lorcan, once he’d crossed the barrier into his realm centuries ago, he’d destroyed the entrance in an attempt to keep enemies at bay. He’d all but locked himself in that day. Recognizing his foolish mistake, Lorcan spent lifetimes chipping away at the darkness, cracking the opening to make it big enough for his demons to slip in and out of. ‘Tis why it’s taken him so fucking long to become whole again. Diminished to a shadow, he didn’t have much to survive on, and was reliant on the energies of others.
If Rowan hadn’t come along that day, offering her blood, her power, he’d still be trapped as a weak and pathetic version of his former self. It had taken him much effort to gain power before she came along. Most of which was done with some type of black magic and each time it was one step forward and three steps back for the Sidhe.
Eventually, Lorcan had used enough of his power to acquire a unique mirror for his limited traveling (even if it was only in the dream state), and for the army that he’s raised- if army is what you’d call them. Most of his demons were screaming, mindless, wrecks. Others were still small, weak, and new. They’re lucky they are already dead… many were so whiney and insufferable he’d like to kill them twice.
Now, after lifetimes of waiting and searching, he was a full Sidhe again, walking amidst the trees on a cold October night. It almost sounded like a fairy tale: Lorcan was now walking the earth, searching for his happily ever after. He laughed at the thought.
His happily ever after will be when he drinks the blood of all the nobles and crushes their skulls to dust. He’ll not settle for one court, he’ll take them all. All the Faeworlds shall be under his command. He will not stop until all the Fae are submissive or dead. He will be a fierce ruler with his dark queen by his side – be it by choice or by chains.
Mmm. The thought of Rowan in chains was a delicious one. She’ll be in them no matter what.
Sliding his glamour into place, Lorcan looked like any Sidhe warrior would look like in this day and age: A gorgeous brawny man, waist length black hair pulled back, nice eyes, leather pants, boots, and sans wings. He looked like sin dripped in sex. Lorcan had to admit, it felt good. He was hungry, a wolf on the hunt for fresh meat.
It took him a few moments to gain his sense of direction. Looking around, Lorcan noticed everything looked different now that he was in a solid form. Colors were brighter and crisper, noises were much louder. He didn’t have far to walk in the woods before he came to a large dirt clearing. There were some odd machines clanking and black smoke puffing from the noisy beasts. They were pushing down trees and killing the land with their large tires and metal-toothed fronts. Lorcan wanted to crush the humans operating those machines. Filth, the lot of them. But he dared not get so close to so much metal. His energies would be best spent elsewhere at the moment.
Pushing past the urge to kill (for now) Lorcan kept walking until he hit a street. Cars zoomed and beeped along beside him as he attempted to walk down the sidewalk. Looking around, the Sidhe was lost but not discouraged. He just needed to find a landmark. Coming to an intersecti
on, he went left and saw a pink house that was used for a small yoga and wellness center. Bingo.
Lorcan’s lips curled into an evil smile – he knew just where he was now. Boots thudding on the pavement, his pace quickened and heart raced. He followed the sidewalk until it dead ended and he made a right. A little further down the road, he crossed two more streets, made a left and there it was: the one-level home he’s watched Rowan go into countless times with its colorful pots adorning the steps, mums past blooming and in need of deadheading. The front windows had large carved pumpkins sitting on the sills; their faces glowing from the candles lit within.
He was at the door, quick as a flash, and his heart raced from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He’d tracked down his prey, and now came the fun part: the capture.
The front door was locked- not that it mattered. A wave of his hand and the bolts gave way and Lorcan stepped quietly inside. The house surprisingly smelled good to him, like flowers and sunshine. Colorful pictures were hanging on walls, blue carpet plush and bragging fresh vacuum lines. Music was pumping loudly through the kitchen. So loud, his entering the house went unnoticed. Walking slowly towards the music, he stopped for a second to enjoy the view before him.
Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe Page 26
