The blonde bombshell was dancing around the kitchen and singing into a wooden spoon. Hips swinging, long hair and thin build, she was entertaining… and alluring. Full lips mouthing out the words of the song, her eyes were full of mischief. Aye, she was quite a catch. Her zest reminded him of Rowan.
He stepped into the kitchen and he came up behind her, wrapping his arms like a snake around her waist. She twisted around to face him and tried to scream, but he muffled her shrieks with his lips on hers. His shaft pulsing in its tight confines, he had to remember what he was here for. She kicked and fought in his arms, but he only held on tighter, his arms squeezing like two anacondas. The woman was a fighter, and that only turned him on further. He pulsed out a small wave of Sidhe magic, and it was enough to lull the woman to sleep. On an exhale, she sagged in his grasp, eyes fluttering shut, and she was out like a light.
Getting her back to the woods in the daylight would be tricky, but not impossible. Not wanting to attract attention, Lorcan decided he’ll wait until dark, when he can use the cover of night and shadows, to bring her back with him. Laying her limp body on the couch, he had nothing but time to kill. Unfortunately.
Antsy with so much energy running through him, Lorcan decided to explore the woman’s house. Going from room to room, he rummaged through her things. The kitchen was clean and cupboards mostly empty except for some green tea and some bags of pretzels and organic corn chips. Takeout menus were plastered all over her refrigerator along with a calendar that had scribbling all over it. Inside the icy box he found some water bottles, fruit, and half gallon of milk that was almost empty.
Moving on, he went down the hall and into a bedchamber. The room was painted yellow and had a white bed up against the far wall. The quilt was thick and heavy, and there were several smaller throws folded on the end of it. Her closet was packed with clothes and the hangers were so crowded they were practically on top of each other. A lineup of too many shoes was displayed on the floor. Boots, pumps, flats, flip flops, you name it, and she had it. Lorcan walked over to her dresser and opened the drawers one by one: socks, panties, bras, t-shirts, sweaters in that order. He stood up, frustrated at the monotony of it all.
Eyes scanning the top of her well-organized dresser, his heart skipped a beat and a genuine smile stretched across his face. She had a display of framed photos, some must have been family, but there were pictures of the blonde and his beloved queen.
One photo in a wooden frame was of two young girls camping in the woods, arms around each other making goofy faces. Another was in a silver frame, Rowan and the blonde holding up some red drink with an umbrella in them and wearing big brimmed hats and sunglasses. The last picture was in a frame he knew to be one of Rowan’s own creations. Blues, purples and greens swirled together and surrounded a photo of Rowan and the blonde, cheek-to-cheek, smiling on some beach.
Aye, look at her, he thought. She was a sight to behold even in the picture. His hands aching to touch her, he rubbed a finger over the photo in a caress.
Lorcan put the picture back where he found it and went back out to the main rooms of the house. He turned on the faucets, flushed the toilets, and hit the buttons on some sort of black slab that turned on a box that had people inside. Ah, modern day inventions are a wonder. Lorcan had not been able to toy with anything before now- not enough energy to put into it.
Thanks to his last meal, the Druid’s blood had given him a precious gift indeed. He was going to enjoy every bit of his new freedoms. Sitting back in a big chair that was adorned with a bright floral print, Lorcan propped his feet up on the table and watched TV while the blonde bombshell slept in an enchantment on the couch next to him.
If you didn’t know any better, they looked like they were the perfect couple.
Chapter 26
Rowan felt so much better after her power nap. Her hair was mussed and her legs felt a little stiff, but that was alright. Stretching out, she felt a warm lump up against her thigh and didn’t have to look to know it was Fintan. She dragged his body up to the crook of her arm like he was a big fat cat. He licked her face and she kissed his nose. Under a steady stream of petting, the fox was back to sleep in no time. She looked over and saw the two men huddled over a scattering of open books. Talking quietly to each other, no doubt so that she could sleep, she sat up to let them know she was awake.
“Oh man! How long was I asleep for?”
Adam didn’t look up, but Devlin came over to her and kissed her head. “Ye slept for about two hours. Are ye feeling better for it?”
Yes, she felt a thousand times better. Her battery was fully recharged. Fintan hopped down from the couch, they must have been too noisy chitchatting, and he curled up in front of the fire instead. Rowan stood and, with one last stretch, she walked over to the desk to see what they’d been up to. Most of the books had pictures of people (Fae she corrected herself) and the words were mostly symbols and swirls, none of which she could read.
“We’re trying to find the best way to get to Lorcan, my dear. Our options are looking limited at the moment.” And dismal, but Adam kept that last part to himself.
“Can’t I just go back to sleep and through that mirror in the attic? I’m sure if I tried to focus, I could get back to it.” She was all too familiar with that place in her dreams, she could have found her way blindfolded.
“Aye lass, that ye could, but I’ll not be letting ye go alone. We are going to do this together. Ye may be the one to free the shadows, but I have a score to settle with that bastard.”
Adam took the lead from there with his own ideas, “Plus you need to physically carry the Beagalltach in with you and that will not be possible if it’s only your spirit that goes through.”
Her spirit? Ro hadn’t thought about it before, but she was thinking about it now. Her stomach clenched. “So you mean to tell me that when I go to these places in my dreams, I’m out of my body, like in the actual sense of the word?”
That thought, once confirmed by a nod from Adam, had Rowan more than distressed; she felt ill. That is scary knowledge right there. And yet, she’d been dreaming like this for so long, it just seemed like a simple thing. Fall asleep. That’s all she ever had to do.
“What happens if I can’t get back out?”
She was answered with silence. The men stared at each other for a moment and then Adam, the bearer of all types of bad news this afternoon, said, “Then your body will parish where it lies, and your spirit will be trapped inside that place.” The word forever wasn’t said, but was definitely implied.
Holy shit, Rowan didn’t realize just how thin the ice she’d been standing on was when traveling to those dark places. She tried to swallow, her mouth having gone very dry, but her throat wasn’t working right. Her palms got sweaty and she felt suddenly dizzy. Taking a second to right herself, she took some deep breathes, in through the nose, out through the mouth. There was no tucking tail and running now. She was in this till the end – no matter what that end was going to be.
“So what are my options?”
“We have to find out exactly where loyalties lie in that place, Rowan. You said that some shadows and other creatures helped you out of there last time. I have to believe they are not devoted to Lorcan. They may be willing to help us.” Adam pinched the bridge of his nose – a sign of stress Rowan realized. The Sidhe was worried. That knocked Rowan’s confidence meter down to zero.
“Why are you so scared Adam? I can do this. I know I can.” She felt like the little engine that could. Childish and unrealistic it might be, but Rowan wasn’t going to let that get her down. She had to do this. Period. End of story.
“How about this,” she perked up, “Can I try to get back to that mirror and see if I can get Seamus or one of the others to talk to me?”
It was worth a shot. Albeit a long shot. Devlin automatically growled his refusal. Bad idea maybe, but Rowan wasn’t known for having genius thoughts, she was known for impulsive ones.
Ha! Whoever said Ro didn’t have good ideas? That one sounded pretty good to her. She said so herself to the men staring at her. Devlin’s face was blank, and she knew that meant he was thinking it over.
Adam smiled. “Aye, my dear. It may not be the safest of plans, but it is a good one. And it’s the only one we’ve got right now.”
Rowan rubbed her hands together, pumping herself up and boosting her confidence level up a notch. “Let’s do it. Now.”
See? Impulsive.
Now Devlin was the one who was backing out. “Nay lass, we canna just do it on whim. We need to prepare. I’ll not be having this house, our circle, or ye unprotected.”
He went out into the kitchen and grabbed salt, herbs, candles and some other things she didn’t recognize. It took him about an hour to cast his spells and wards around the house and more potent enchantments in the living room. Meanwhile, Adam had done a few wards of his own to secure Ro’s safety. The room was charged with magic. Like a steady current of electricity pulsing through the air. It was exciting and intimidating.
Finally, Rowan laid her head back on the arm of the couch ready to do what needed to be done. Closing her eyes and trying to focus, Ro held Devlin’s hand, the scent of herbs filling her senses along with the very real sense of déjà vu. Here she goes again on her own…
All went black. A flicker of something flying past Rowan’s face looked like purple comets. She had the sensation of flying, and then her feet were firmly planted on the sidewalk. She was on a street that looked as if it had not been used for a very long time. Turning around to figure out which way to go, she heard the faint buzzing of cicadas and followed the all too familiar sound.
Going at a jog, she felt like Dory in “Finding Nemo.” She needed to just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. She ran up to that dreaded old white house, ash and dust blowing in a dirty cloud around her. The front door was open and she walked in. Picking up the pace, Rowan ran through the house - time was of the essence, both for her safety and her nerves. She bolted down the hall and up to the attic. Her body was in high alert and sending her into fight or flight mode when she reached the top of the steps; but there was no retreating now.
I have ye lass, I’ll not let go. Devlin’s voice calmed her down and he sent her a wave of love that she felt down in her very bones. They were still connected, even though her spirit was no longer in her body. Rowan took that as a good sign. And he had sensed her fear and gave her some encouragement. God she loved that man.
Rowan crept up to the mirror that was standing ominously in the corner. Her heart was beating in her throat, palms were sweaty, and her head was starting to hurt. She crouched down low and got closer to it. Rowan sent up a prayer that someone on the other side would answer and that that someone would not be the enemy.
“Seamus!” she whispered. “Seamus, can you hear me?”
Silence. The mirror showed nothing but her own scared refection. Damnit.
Rowan wasn’t going to give up this easily, she needed to do this. Closing her eyes, she thought of the words Ava said to her the day Ro became Fae, “The souls can see you dear. You have a purpose. You’d understand it better if you open your minds’ eye and take a look.”
Rowan hunkered down and focused. Eyes closed in concentration; she let her walls come down and opened up her mind. She could sense eyes on her, but didn’t feel threatened by them. Ro took it as a good sign and called out again for Seamus. When she opened her eyes once more, she watched as the mirror swirled with black smoke. Seamus, she thought again. A small creature slithered up to the glass. Three rows of teeth snapped at her, but its eyes were not threatening. It disappeared and a few frightening seconds later, Seamus was looking at her.
“You came back! Save us, Rowan. Help us!” He was so small and scared; her heart broke when she heard his pleas.
“Shh sweetheart. I need your help again.” He didn’t say anything but he nodded to her and listened. “Thank you for saving my life Seamus. I know it was a huge risk for you and the others to help me like you did.”
He didn’t respond so she kept whispering. “I need to come back in, but I can’t do it right this minute. Seamus, I need to know if there are others in there like you. Ones who are brave and strong who aren’t going to harm me. I need to understand what I’m fighting in there. An army of thousands or an army of one.”
The small grey figure wavered a little and he nodded his head. “Yes, there are others who are good. But our numbers are few. We received much punishment for aiding you, my lady. Many did not survive his fury… Charlie was among them.”
Rowan’s heart sank, guilt washed over her as tears threatened to burst from her eyes. A wave of love came to her again from Devlin, and she held her hands to her heart in apology. “I am so sorry, Seamus. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” Her apologies wouldn’t bring them back, but she needed to say it anyway. “I will come back for you. All of you. I promise.”
The boy nodded again, “Come quick, Rowan. He has changed. There is no more time left.”
With that bit of news, his shadow vanished and the mirror was just a mirror once more. Wiping the tears from her face, Rowan got up and ran like the Devil himself was chasing her. She all but flew out of the attic, out of the house and towards her own salvation.
Jumping up with a jolt, throat in mid-scream and arms flaying out, Rowan came back to herself. Devlin had never let go of her. He kept his promise and she sobbed in his arms. “Oh no! Oh no! He’s killed them! He killed them for helping me!” She was overcome with grief and guilt and Devlin could do nothing to ease her sadness but make her promises of revenge.
“Shh, a stór, we will get our vengeance. Their deaths will not have been in vain, lass. We will kill this monster, slay him and give him pain, make him suffer for what he has done.”
Rowan was angry; angry at everything and everyone. But unlike her husband, who was comforting her with words of vengeance and retribution, she was not filled with the same need.
“No.”
Devlin grew still at her word.
She wiped her tears away angrily, “This isn’t revenge Devlin. It’s freedom. We aren’t going to go in there ready to fight to the death to ease your anger or my guilt. We go in to free those who are trapped, and kill the monster that did this so he doesn’t have a chance to do it again. If you can’t cast aside your need for vengeance, then you will not be coming with me.”
Well that was a blow to the warrior’s pride. Devlin was speechless. They may still be “new” to each other, but the tone Rowan was using now was as old as history itself. One simply did not defy a woman like Rowan. She reminded him of the Goddess Morrigan in that way.
“Aye, lass. We do this your way.” Devlin will have to wait for his revenge.
Adam blew out the candles and got Rowan a glass of water while she told the two of them what Seamus said in the mirror. Adam chewed over her words again and again.
So, Lorcan, in all his bloodlust and rage, had managed to massacre a large portion of his own army because they’d helped Rowan escape. A foolish move, but not all that surprising – Adam kept that thought to himself though.
Lorcan always had a one-track mind. He never thought more than two steps ahead. As a warrior, Lorcan relied on his strength and focus to fight in battle, where as Adam thought of every angle and planned a sneak attack with stealth. Lorcan’s strategy was faster but predictable for an enemy, whereas Adam’s methods were less risky and more effective when needing to take out a threat. Adam knew they were going to need stealth and surprise to pull th
is off. Lorcan’s moves were going to be obvious, Adam reassured himself. A leopard did not change his spots.
“He’ll want to get back what’s his.” Adam paced back and forth in front of the feuding newlyweds. He was rubbing a hand over his head while thinking and then paused for a minute. Nodding to himself without sharing his thoughts, he pinched the bridge of his nose and kept pacing. “Did the boy say nothing else, my dear? Did he give you any idea about what Lorcan is doing now? Was he there?” Adam shot off question after question like a machine gun, barely giving Rowan a chance to answer.
“No, the only other thing Seamus said was that time was up and that Lorcan has changed.”
She went back to staring at her hands, they were cold and clammy but all Rowan kept thinking about was that she had blood on them. That son-of-a-bitch had killed those souls for helping her escape. Rowan was the cause for so many deaths in that hell pit. Can you kill something that’s already dead? Guess not, but you can certainly destroy that which is left. Somehow, that just seemed worse. She was so lost in thought she hadn’t heard what was said until she felt an intense rumble coming from the other side of the couch. She looked over to see what made the noise and saw Devlin looking beyond angry and damn near frightening with eyes full of hate. What had she just missed?
Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe Page 27
