by Donna Grant
“Lugus?” Jonathon asked as he walked from the cottage. “What are you doing here?”
Lugus held up his hand. “Don’t say any more. I wouldn’t have come here, but I had no where else to go.”
Jonathon’s brow furrowed. “What happened?” “The less you know, the better. I’m putting you and your family in grave danger as it is.”
“What do you need?”
Lugus was amazed at Jonathon. He was a rare man who would give whatever he could and not ask questions. He was the only man Lugus considered a friend.
“Dry clothes and a blanket.”
Jonathon nodded. “My clothes might be a bit tight on you-”
“Not for me,” he interrupted Jonathon. “I need a gown from your wife.”
For a long moment Jonathon stared at him before he nodded and went into the house. When he returned he had a gown, two blankets and something wrapped in a cloth.
“There’s food, too,” he said as he handed it to Lugus.
Lugus reached into his boot and pulled out a dagger. “It is all I have for payment.”
Jonathon shook his head. “I won’t accept it. Get to safety, my friend.”
“I won’t forget this,” Lugus vowed.
Jonathon smiled.
Lugus quickly tucked the food and gown between the two blankets and hurried to the back of the house. Ahryn was huddled in a ball against the rain, her thin shift her only defense.
He refused to think more about her sitting there nearly naked in front of him. Instead, he opened one of the blankets and wrapped it around her, but not before he saw the outline of her full breast and the dusky pink of her nipple against the transparent material of her shift.
“We need to find shelter,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her. “Can you stand?”
He smiled inwardly as she nodded and shakily rose to her feet. He kept his arm around her to help her stay upright and to also steer her and give her warmth.
With the sun making its ascent, they had precious little time to find a place to hide. Lugus knew of an abandoned cottage outside of town, but if he were Marcus, it would be one of the first places he looked. Instead, he steered Ahryn toward Marcus’ castle.
“Have you lost your mind?” she asked incredulous.
“He’ll never suspect us to be here. Once we get you warm and changed, we’ll head out, but until then there isn’t a place in this village he won’t find us.”
“And how do you propose we leave the castle without him discovering us?”
“Let’s deal with one thing at a time.”
Though the rain had slackened, people were still loath to get out in the weather, which provided Lugus and Ahryn the opportunity they needed to get into the castle gate. Lugus had never ventured to the castle and now he wished he had so he would know the layout.
“To the left,” Ahryn said.
Lugus let her lead them to a store room of sorts that hadn’t been used in years. It smelled as though it hadn’t gotten fresh air in decades, but it was a place to hide. Once they were inside and the door barred, Lugus jerked off his wet tunic and wrung it out.
“That blanket is wet. You need to get out of that and your shift,” he said not looking at her.
He heard movement behind him and guessed she had done as he suggested. When the blanket at his feet vanished, he knew she had taken it to wrap around herself.
“I wish I could give you a fire.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said and seated herself on an empty chest. “I just need to warm up.”
Ahryn tried not to stare at Lugus. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen him bare-chested just the night before, but he drew her gaze nonetheless. With the blanket wrapped securely around her, she reached up and wrung the water from her hair. She felt his gaze on her and raised her eyes to him.
“Thank you,” she said.
He shrugged as if it had meant nothing to him. She still had no idea what had changed his mind about helping her, but she was glad that he had. Maybe with his help she might succeed in returning to the Realm of the Fae, and once there she would make sure she sought out King Theron and told him what Lugus had done for her.
She became uncomfortable in the silence. “How long will we stay here?”
He raised his gaze to her and lifted a brow. “When you stop shivering and it’s safe for us to leave.”
She looked away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lugus slide down the wall and stretch his legs in front of him. With his head leaned back and his hands clasped at his waist, he closed his eyes.
Ahryn let her gaze linger on his well defined chest and abdomen. His neck and arms were just as large, and she suspected it was the years he had spent forging the weapons that had given him such a delicious body. Most Fae men, though muscular, weren’t as defined as Lugus.
Everything about him still spoke of the Fae, but there was something else, something dark about him as well that drew her. Maybe it was the sadness in his eyes, but regardless of what it was, she knew she wanted to spend more time with him.
Fate had put her in his hands. However things turned out now, she would accept it. At least she was attempting to make it back to her realm. She had been smart enough to realize that though she might be able to sneak out of the castle and reach Lugus’ isle, she wouldn’t get farther than that before Marcus caught her. And she had been right. She had barely stepped foot on the isle before Marcus’ soldiers arrived.
But with Lugus by her side, she just might make it to a gateway. She was eager to find out if he knew of a gateway, but when she raised her gaze his eyes were still closed. She might be insatiably curious, but she wasn’t mean spirited.
Alone with her thoughts, her mind wandered to her family and the Realm of the Fae. She missed the beauty and grandeur of her realm. She missed the magic that Earth lacked.
Slowly, the chill that had encased her began to ebb away. She still recalled the chilling waters that had nearly pulled her down to their dark depths. It had been Lugus that had saved her from certain death and then had to watch his home being burned. It had been beyond cruel of Marcus.
Her gaze sought Lugus again. He was exactly who she needed to take her to the gateway. She just hoped he didn’t discover who she really was before then.
Chapter Five
Lugus struggled to bring Moira’s face into focus. He had memorized her beauty so that he would never forget, yet even now, only a few years later, he couldn’t remember the exact shade of her hair or the shape of her mouth.
The one thing he did remember was her Druid green eyes. He knew he would never forget her eyes.
He opened his own eyes and found Ahryn dozing on the chest. Her flaxen hair had dried to a tangle of strands that fell over her shoulder to cover her breasts. Just the thought of her breasts sent his blood straight to his rod. He cursed and shifted positions.
For too long he had been without a woman, something he would have to rectify soon. Very soon.
To turn his mind off his need for sexual release, he began to plan their route to the nearest gateway. Their destination would be the Isle of Skye. It was one of the most powerful gateways to the Fae realm, and the closest. It would only be a two to three day journey, by his calculations, once they left Marcus’ castle.
Suddenly, he caught the sound of approaching feet. He jumped up and reached for Ahryn as he fell behind a pile of old chests. He looked down to tell her not to speak when he found her gazing at his mouth.
With his body still in a vicious state of need, just the idea that she might want him sent a bolt of fierce hunger running through him. The blanket she had secured around her had come loose, allowing him a sight of her flesh from her shoulder to the swell of her breast. He swallowed and made himself raise his gaze to hers.
“Someone comes,” he said just before someone tried the door.
He could hear mumbling outside the door, but he couldn’t make out the words. If they busted down the door there was no where for him and Ahryn to hi
de. He realized then that they must leave the castle immediately. Under cover of darkness would be the best, but Lugus didn’t know if they could stay that long before being discovered.
“I think they’ve gone,” Ahryn said softly.
Lugus rolled from atop her and held out his hand to help her to her feet. “How do you feel?”
“The chill has left me,” she said.
He nodded, pleased with her answer. “We’ll leave tonight.”
“Do you think we can last that long before Marcus finds us?”
“He’s a man, Ahryn, and he’s arrogant. Which means he will never suspect us of being here. Whoever was at the door just now was not Marcus or his guards.”
She nodded and adjusted the blanket. Lugus remembered the gown he had gotten from Jonathon and retrieved it for Ahryn. “I’m not sure of the fit, but it will be better than the blanket.”
She smiled and accepted the gown. “Thank you. Again.”
He turned his back as she reached for her now dry shift. He heard material rustle and could imagine the blanket falling to the ground as she slid the shift over her head and it slid slowly down her lithe body.
With an inward curse, he closed his eyes and tried to think of anything but Ahryn’s naked body.
“How do I look?” she asked.
Lugus said a silent prayer of thanks that she had finished and turned toward her. The plain gown was a soft blue that brought out her eyes even more. It fit remarkably well except for the length.
“It’s a little short,” she said and looked down at her feet.
“No one will notice.”
She laughed. “Then you obviously don’t know women very well at all.”
He smiled inwardly as he reached for the food Jonathon had packed for them.
~ ~ ~
“I’m only going to ask this once more, Jonathon,” Marcus said as he looked at the ruby ring on his right hand. “Tell me where Lugus is.”
The men holding Jonathon jerked back on his arm. Jonathon growled in pain. “I’ve already told you, milord, I have no idea where he is.”
“Is it not true that you supply him with leather?”
“You know it is. You commissioned a sword from him.”
Lugus withdrew the small dirk from his waist and brought it to Jonathon’s throat. “I can kill you right this instant. You and your family,” he added. “Lugus has something of mine and I want it back. Now, tell me. When was the last time you saw him?”
“Yesterday. He came and bought some leather for me to begin work on your sword and sheath,” Jonathon said, his lips thinned in pain as the men tightened their hold on him.
Marcus glanced at Jonathon’s wife huddled at the door to their cottage with their children. “The difficulty is, Jonathon, that I have no idea if you are lying or not.”
For several moments Marcus debated on whether to kill Jonathon and his family. Finally he waved away his men, and Jonathon dropped to the ground. Marcus stepped on Jonathon’s hand and grabbed his hair and pulled until Jonathon looked at him.
“I will have you watched. I am sure Lugus will return here, and when he does, I will be waiting for him.”
Marcus released him and walked to his horse. Fury pumped with every beat of his heart. He had worked long and hard to secure the enchanted slave bracelet, and then worked just as hard to make sure it was a Fae that tried it on. He refused to believe he had lost Ahryn, because if he had lost her then he had lost everything.
~ ~ ~
Lugus cracked open the door to make sure no one was about. The castle occupants had long since found their beds, but he had wanted to be cautious so he had waited another hour. He held out his hand as he pushed the door wider.
Ahryn placed her hand in his, and he led her from the storeroom. He paused and pulled her into the shadows before he closed the door and scanned the bailey again. She stayed behind him, always keeping to the shadows, as they slowly worked their way to the massive gate.
Lugus saw four guards at the gate, two on the gatehouse tower and two in the bailey. He had hoped to get out of the castle walls without having to kill anyone. He had done enough of that for four Fae lifetimes. But, it looked as if there was no way around it.
“I have an idea,” Ahryn whispered near his ear, her warm breath sending chills racing along his skin.
Lugus halted, his hand reached for his throwing dagger, and looked at her. “And what would that be?”
She smiled seductively. “I’m Fae, Lugus. What do think I will do?”
He stared after her as she walked toward the two men at the gate. They each fell under her spell immediately as she smiled at them. There wasn’t a need for her to even speak for a Fae’s sensual essence drove humans mad with desire. And that was all that was needed to keep the guards’ attention.
Lugus crept toward the door in the gate, his eyes never leaving Ahryn and the two guards. He reached over and unlatched the door then quickly stepped through it. Instead of dashing into the shadows, he waited for Ahryn. If a situation became too much, a Fae could just vanish back to their realm, but Ahryn didn’t have that luxury, and now Lugus worried that the men would overtake her.
Just as he was about to step back through the door he heard Ahryn’s magical laughter.
“I cannot express how grateful I am,” she said as she stepped through the doorway. “I will never forget either of you.” She gave them a little wave then shut the door.
When she turned to Lugus, her smile vanished. “Ready?” she asked.
“What did you say to them?” he asked as they crept to the shadows.
She chuckled. “I lied. I told them I needed to go for a walk and clear my head for my impending marriage.”
Lugus shook his head, but he admired her imagination. Where as he always went in with brute strength, Ahryn used her head and thought things through.
“You know what will happen to them when Marcus discovers what they did,” Lugus reminded her.
She shook her head. “He won’t do a thing since neither man will remember ever seeing me.”
“So you can use some of your Fae magic?”
“Some and only in small doses.”
It was something Lugus tucked away for future reference. He had assumed the bracelet rendered her without any Fae magic or abilities.
With the cover of night and the clouds concealing the moon, they were able to put a lot of distance between them and Marcus. Yet Lugus didn’t stop. He had the distinct feeling that he needed to keep moving and get Ahryn to safety. And that’s when he realized there had to be more to Ahryn than she had told him.
As they followed the coast, Lugus thought back over the Fae court. Their kingdom was much like the Scottish and English kingdoms. There was a king and queen, princes and princesses, dukes, earls and so on. The Fae had begun Britain’s monarchy.
Despite Lugus’ attempt to discern if he had somehow known Ahryn before now, he couldn’t place her. If her family was a member of the nobility, he didn’t remember it. This didn’t surprise him considering he had spent several millennia locked in the Realm of Shadows to pay for a crime he hadn’t committed.
Just thinking of that realm sent a shiver of dread through him. He had been the only person to leave that realm alive. It was meant to kill, and it had nearly done just that. Only his vengeance had kept him alive.
To this day he didn’t like dark places, not when there had been a time he thought never to see light again. It was why he loved watching the sun rise every morning. It was his way of celebrating evading the darkness.
“Can we rest?”
Ahryn’s voice jerked him to the present. He looked over his shoulder at her and found her leaning against a tree several paces behind him. Lugus thought over her request for a moment, and then turned and walked to her.
“Just for a moment. We need to cover as much ground as we can tonight.”
“Why are you in such a hurry? Marcus will never find us now,” she said as she sank to the ground.
Lugus scanned the area. “I’m not so sure of that.”
“How could you possibly know?”
Lugus jerked at her words. He didn’t need another reminder that he wasn’t a Fae any longer.
“I apologize,” Ahryn said softly. “That was uncalled for. I only meant–”
“I know what you meant,” Lugus interrupted her. “Call it a feeling, but just as easily as Marcus captured you with that slave bracelet, he will know where we are headed and why.”
“I see,” she murmured.
Lugus squatted beside her and tried to see her face in the darkness. “How did Marcus know you were a Fae? Didn’t you cloak yourself?”
“Aye,” she said with a nod. “I took the precautions so that no one would realize I wasn’t mortal. I have no idea how Marcus knew. He wouldn’t divulge that information to me, but I gathered that he was rather proud of the fact.”
“Is he intelligent enough to have done it on his own?”
“He’s smart, but discerning a Fae from a human when a Fae is using magic takes magic, not simple guessing. I think he had help.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Lugus said. “The question is who?”
“I wish I knew. Fae magic is some of the strongest around.”
“Aye. Do you remember whose is as strong as ours?”
For a long moment there was silence. Then Ahryn said, “The Draconia.”
Just hearing the name sent wariness through Lugus. “We fought over this realm once. It was a battle in which both sides lost vast numbers, yet we came out ahead. The Draconia left that day and never returned.”
“Were you there?” she asked.
Lugus swallowed and looked to the ground. “I was. My brother and I had just come of age to fight, and despite our father’s wishes, we fought.”
“I recall from the teachings that the Draconia were the only ones able to control dragons.”
Lugus lowered himself to the ground and leaned against a tree facing Ahryn. “I suppose they also told you that the Draconia taught us everything there was to know about dragons?”
