by Britt Bury
“I did not.” She was still buzzing from his attentions and found it difficult to form a sentence. Jeez, how long did it take for a heartbeat to return to normal? “Whatever,” she concluded, crossing her arms. The material over her breast was still wet from his tongue. She checked the urge to gasp at the feel. “Just know it won’t happen again.”
He drew nearer, eyes raking over her. “Ah, lass, the way you moaned my name has me thinking it will happen sooner than ya think.” He was so close that the vibrations of his brogue rolled off his tongue and pricked her skin.
She took a deep breath, hating that he may be right. With his body nearly touching hers, she was unable to think clearly. She looked him in the eye and stammered over the only words she could form. “You wish, Pookah.”
He backed away, a cocky grin sliding across his face, “That I do, human. That I do.”
Chapter 7
Izel hiked through the forest and watched the black night fade, sun finally breaking darkness, launching her into a new day.
After the Alp’s death and Kelvin’s intense kiss, she’d returned to camp wired. Sleep had been an unrealistic ambition at that point. The rest of the night she had struggled against her unwelcome desires. It took all her will to keep her hands to herself and not give in to the ruggedly handsome Pookah with the wicked mouth.
She was glad she’d put an end to their moment, really she was. The thought of being “one among many” appalled her.
I would have just been another notch.
The idea was not appealing, especially since she was “notch-free.” Last night had been her first kiss, for crying out loud. Yes, she was glad they stopped. Not to mention earlier, when Kelvin had bluntly stated his lack of interest in her.
Then why kiss her?
The answer to that didn’t matter! She had more important things to worry about than the Pookah’s behavior, and she decided to give up caring, or at least try to. Until yesterday, she had lived a life of plainness. But she still had her pride. And though she was used to being passed over, constantly overshadowed by her roommates’ vibrant beauty, the knot in Izel’s stomach caused by his recent attentions had yet to unfurl.
Is this me not caring?
She was going to have to do a better job, except the truth was, she had never ached for another the way she did for Kelvin. Hell, she’d never ached, period.
She needed to distance herself from him and any other matter that clouded her judgment. Her life, and her grandfather’s life, hung in the balance. And if these reasons weren’t enough, how about the fact that Kelvin had held a sword to her throat! It was not normal to make out with the man who tried to kill you… right?
She looked to the sky in frustration. “He did save my life,” she mumbled.
“You say something?” he asked, glancing back at her but continuing to walk ahead. He had been several feet in front of her since they’d set out this morning. It was well into the afternoon hours, and the Pookah was still unyielding as hell.
“Yes, actually, I did,” she answered wryly.
“Care ta share it with me then?” Again looking over his shoulder. God forbid he slow down.
“Oh,” she shrugged. “I was just saying how you’re an unrelenting jerk.” He stopped finally and turned to face her. She refused to acknowledge him.
“How can you say this?” he snapped. “I feed you, protect you, and escort you—”
She held up a finger silencing him, excited to tackle every verb he had just used, or rather misused. “Feed me? You haven’t fed me. You put the carcass of a cute, fuzzy bunny on the fire and call that feeding me?”
Kelvin’s perplexed expression had Izel thinking that yes, that’s exactly what he thought.
“And as far as ‘protect’ and ‘escort,’ I think the words you’re looking for are ‘badger’ and ‘kidnap.’ ”
“Hey, I told you I would help find your kin. I have this sodding thing on my skin ta prove it.” He flashed her a look at the mystically binding brand on his inner wrist.
Izel rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I may be a recently embodied human, but I wasn’t born yesterday. This was against my will. I wanted to go my own way and you—”
“Simply laid out the facts, lass.”
Laid out the facts? Oh no, he didn’t! She barreled toward him, not stopping until she was standing on his toes. Craning her neck up, she met his eyes. “Facts? And what facts would those be?” She could hear the venom in her voice. God knows she sure as hell felt the rage. “Are you referring to my needing your protection?” Aggressiveness and anger surged through her and she capitalized on it.
Her pinkie finger skimmed down his sweat-soaked shirt and she watched his lids grow heavy. When her touch reached the seam of his jeans, his broad chest rose on a deep inhale. “I’ll have you know, Pookah,” she lifted to her toes, “I can take care of myself.”
He bent his head, and if Izel didn’t know better, she’d think he was hypnotized. His lips drew dangerously close. Just when she felt his mouth barely brush hers, she grasped his balls through his pants. He let out a moan, and she didn’t know if it was from pleasure or pain.
“I don’t need any part of you,” she whispered in the deadliest tone she could muster. The Pookah looked down on her, obviously dazed by her actions.
“This woman is gonna be the end o’ me,” she thought she heard him mumble.
He cleared his throat, seemingly trying to ward off the effect she had on him.
She backed away from him.
He smirked. “You, lass, are a wily one.”
Before she could respond, a faint smell of meat and sauerkraut wafted past her nose. A town was near. Good, Izel thought, because she was starved.
“Okay, lass,” he said, resting a foot atop a tree stump. “If you do no’ need me, then why continue to journey with me?”
Her brow furrowed. “Ah, because you said I had to.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he raised an eyebrow at her.
“Fine.” She flicked her hand in the air. “If I said I wanted to go, would you let me walk away from you?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Depends on which direction you walk.”
Her eyelids lifted in shock. “What?”
“You say you can take care of yourself, no?”
“Of course I can.”
“All right, then. There’s a borough about ten miles east.” He pointed in said direction. “You’re so tough, then why no’ take a walk amongst the town’s people and see how ya fare?”
See how ya fare? Aka, see how long you live.
This Pookah irritated her no end. He had obviously caught the scent of the village as well and was now calling her bluff. She didn’t know what kind of creatures would be in this place, or how big it was. But even if she ran into a city full of Fionns, there was no guarantee she’d remain unharmed.
Crap, she did need him, but damned if she was going to admit it. He looked at her, a triumphant grin stretching across his face. He thinks he can make me beg for him! Well, he could take a flying leap before she gave him that kind of satisfaction. On top of that, she was hungry, dirty, and out of patience with the smug Scot.
Suddenly a rush of anxiety hit her hard. When would these waves wear off? Or at least calm down? Her chest burned. She clung to her shirt and felt the vial hidden beneath. Perhaps now was the time to test its contents.
From what she’d picked up on, her human scent was what gave her mortality away. She took a few deep breaths, calmly trying to control herself. The weight of tangled emotions in her chest began to unravel. Maybe she was finally getting better at harnessing them, thank God.
She dusted off her hands. “You know what, Kelvin?” It was her turn to smile. “I think I will take a little walk into town.” With that, she straightened her pack and headed east. The last thing she saw before slipping away was the Pookah’s jaw swinging open in disbelief.
She walked several yards, and Kelvin let her. He was probably waiting fo
r her to turn around and come crawling back. Izel smirked. That was not going to happen.
She fumbled with the vial around her neck. Removing the top, she dabbed her fingertip at the opening. She lifted her finger to her lips and licked the wetness from it. Her grandfather had written “a sip at a time,” but the container was so small, it was lucky to hold maybe a single “sip.” It would be wise to start conservatively and try to make the liquid last as long as possible.
She waited. She didn’t feel any different. Maybe she needed to drink more.
“What in the good goddamn bloody hell!” Kelvin cursed loudly as he sprinted toward her.
Okay. So it didn’t take much at all.
“What in Christ’s name just happened?” he barked, snagging her forearm and whipping her to face him. His gaze raked over her, eyes looking up and down her body.
She smiled and let him have his little fit while trying to “sniff” this out. He pulled her into him, planting his face in her hair. “I can no’ scent you.”
Izel wanted to clap. It worked! She had no idea how long the effects would last, but she didn’t care. Finally, she had some control over herself.
His eyes narrowed on her. “What did you do?”
Giving him the most dumbfounded look she could, she gasped, “Why, whatever are you talking about, Kelvin?”
“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about! I can no’ ”—he examined her again—“I can no’ smell you. You’re human, but… it’s gone.” Did his words hold a hint of loss? Could he really enjoy her mortal scent? Odds were in favor of no. She shimmied away from him.
“What did you do?” he demanded again, obviously seething.
She pulled the small vial out from beneath her shirt, lifted the chain over her head, and twirled it with a victorious smile. “I told you, I’m ready to hit the town.”
It was nearing sunset when Kelvin told Izel it would be another ten minutes until they’d reach the inner limits of a small Scotland burg. The tree line began to thin and give way to overgrown grasses and shrubbery.
Izel lost her footing and nearly fell face-first into mulch, but Kelvin caught her arm, steadying her. “Careful, lass, old railroad tracks.”
With all the overgrown foliage, she hadn’t even noticed she was walking on tracks. She glanced at Kelvin. At least he had finally broken his silent treatment. After showing him the vial, he’d muttered something in a foreign language and followed after her. She got the impression that magic and conjuring made him edgy. Although Fionns were used to magic, she got the distinct feeling that Pookahs were not.
The farther they walked, the more she scented the onset of civilization. She nearly ran out of her boots with excitement. “Still can’t smell me, right?” she asked over her shoulder. She was walking ahead of Kelvin now, beyond anxious for hot food and an even hotter shower.
“Aye,” he grumbled.
Small cottages lined the riverbank and she let out a giddy cry, bolting headlong toward them.
“Hold it there, female.” Kelvin snagged her arm, abruptly halting her. “We need ta enter this cautiously. Since we donna know when your potion wears off, you must stay verra close to me, and as soon as I scent you, we leave.” There was a slight tinge of unease in his voice.
“Or,” she put her hand out as if it physically held the other option, “I could just drink more and stay.” Smiling, she tried to step away, but Kelvin’s hand was like a vise on her bicep.
“I mean it, Izel. You stay near me and outta sight of others.” The way he said her name, with his thick accent, had her knees weakening.
“Oh, calm down. No one knows what I am. And if they care to ask, I’m a Fionn, which is kind of true.”
“No one will ask because you’ll no’ be near them.” The Pookah was getting obviously heated, and Izel felt like a child arguing about curfew.
“No one will know,” she said through clenched teeth, getting thoroughly irritated that he insisted on bickering with her when they could be eating real food.
“That’s no’ all I’m worried about. If ya go into town, you’ll draw attention to yourself.”
His gaze roamed over her body.
“Oh, I get it,” she eyed him back, “you don’t want me around other dudes. You’re jealous.” Triumph washed over her. On some level, this Pookah wanted her. The thought sparked a weird sense of satisfaction.
He scoffed. “I’m no’ jealous. I just donna want ta deal with other beings all night.”
Despite what he’d said, she just smiled brightly and shrugged. “Whatever you need to tell yourself, Pookah.”
Kelvin stalked closer, consuming the available space between them. His scent was spicy and raw with masculinity. Leaning in, his mouth at her ear, he grated, “Jest while you can, lass. One of these nights you’ll be clenching my hips with those soft thighs of yours, beggin’ for my mercy.” He held her stare as he drew away. Was she leaning into him?
“Now then.” His voice changed octaves so suddenly Izel almost fell over. “To ensure you’ll no’ try to flee me, I’ll be takin’ this.” With a quick swipe, he removed the vial from her neck and clenched it in the palm of his hand.
“Hey!” she screamed, half startled, half dazed by his previous words. “But what if I—”
“Then you’ll have ta come ta me and get it.” He twirled the vial in the air like she had earlier. Huffing out an annoyed breath, she turned on her heel. She was not stomping away and throwing a fit like a five-year-old. She just happened to enjoy pounding her feet on the ground while she walked, that’s all.
With the sun fully set now, they approached the main street of the little village and scoured for a place to stay. “Do you even know where we are?” Izel asked as they walked through town, having yet to see another creature.
“Aye, we’re near the Lochness River.”
She laughed. Wait, was he serious? “You’re kidding, right? Lochness, as in Loch Ness monster?” Her excitement simmered as she realized they were in a freakishly small village, next to the body of water that housed this realm’s largest water serpent.
“Ya know, for being a born Scot, you don’t know much about your homeland.”
Rolling her eyes at him, she continued on. “Is there a reason we haven’t seen anyone yet?”
He shrugged. “There’s no’ many beings here. This used ta be a tourist attraction for humans, but now it’s just a hold up for those passing through.” He raised his chin and she followed his eye line. There was a string of small cottages just up the road. “Lodging.”
Izel was eager for food, rest, and maybe even a beer. She was beginning to realize that every time she looked at Kelvin, her body responded with desire, as if it was a natural reaction. Of course, usually that was drowned out by anger, seeing as how the Pookah seemed to have the singular goal of making her crazed.
She walked slightly behind him and surveyed his long hair, wet on the ends from sweat, dancing along his tanned neck. Although his pack concealed most of his back, she could see his shirt cling to his broad shoulders, tapering to his narrow waist and, God, his ass. A thing of beauty. She wanted to dig her nails into—
“Ugh!”
Kelvin turned with a perplexed look. Crap, she hadn’t meant to groan out loud.
“I just…”
His brows rose in response to her stammering. “Never mind,” she concluded. They walked on.
Kelvin was tense, trying so damn hard not to run his hand along the small of Izel’s slim back as he led her to the little house. The darkness was weighing on him, fogging his mind with carnal thoughts. In the past these thoughts had consisted of a random woman’s body, or the act of sex itself. But now, all he could think about was her body and what it’d feel like to be inside it.
He opened the door to a quaint cottage and ushered Izel through the small entryway. “You can’t just let yourself in,” she whispered harshly. Her green eyes darted around. “This could be somebody’s home.”
His mouth twitch
ed. Her unease was adorable. “Nay, the keeper will be here soon. They keep eyes on the rentals.” Stepping farther inside, he looked around, glancing back at Izel, who refused to move from the doorway.
She peered up at him. “And how is it you know this is a rental?”
His eyes kept straight ahead, purposefully ignoring her stare. “I travel a lot.” He knew his words would most likely draw her thoughts to the earlier conversation about his mating habits. No, he was not opening that can of worms again.
“Travel? In other words, running around bedding every chick from here to Glasgow,” she quietly sneered. He thought he heard her mumble, “Whatever. I don’t care.”
Her petite foot finally took a small step while she called out, “Hello?” Her meek voice made Kelvin want to grin again. Polite little female, but no one was here.
Standing in the doorway, you could literally see the entire house. It was small, with a single bathroom and bedroom off to the right and a kitchenette straight ahead. Comfy and quaint.
“Hi, folks.”
From behind him, Kelvin heard Izel gasp as the keeper meandered in past both of them, centering himself in the living room. He faced them and clasped his hands in from of him, as if preparing for a sales pitch. With one inhale, Kelvin scented the keeper as a hybrid of lowly species. No real threat.
“So this cabin is available and sixty-five dollars for tonight. I have others that are—”
“No’ necessary. This is fine,” he interjected, pulling money from his back pocket and handing it to the keeper.
“Alrighty then, you two enjoy your stay and be out by noon tomorrow, okay? Good night.” The hybrid waddled out, and Kelvin shut and locked the door behind him before turning to face Izel.
“Well, that was easy,” she said with a small smile. “You were kind of rude, though.”
“He’s a gargoyle-gnome hybrid. Dinna want him near you.” Christ, he had to at least stop sounding like he cared. Seeming uninterested, she gave him a single nod, then headed to the bedroom.
He watched her drop her pack and begin to riffle through it. On his toes, he peeked in further and caught a glimpse of the black undergarments she withdrew from her bag. His cock went hard thinking of her olive skin lined with the smooth fabric.
