It was truly amazing how much she had learned since she’d come to Ireland, both of this new land and of her homeland. Maybe she should write an Idiot’s Guide of her own? One specifically for immortals and gods? An Idiot God’s Guide to The Immortals of Ireland. She could write it, and have copies printed up to be sent back to Egypt. She could also keep a few on hand to give to any of the Irish deities she ran across. Though she had only met The Morrigan, her general impression was they were arrogant, hypocritical and selfish—at least, that’s what she’d gathered from snippets of overheard conversation and the fae’s general reaction to any mention of their gods…
“Goddess?”
“Hmmm?”
“Goddess!”
Bat blinked and focused on Finn.
“We’re done,” he said.
“We are?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” She frowned. She really should have been more active in this meeting, just as she had been in the others. Ailis had said to leave the military strategies to those who had experience with them, but that was no excuse for her not to participate in the meeting, or suggestions and opinions on the plan.
Finn frowned. “Are you all right?”
Bat shrugged. Finn exchanged a look with Mell and the middle brother nodded.
“We’ll regroup when we get closer to the island,” Dub said. “If anyone thinks of something that must be added, or comes across additional information, please let Finn or Bat know.”
Her eyes widened that he’d included her in that instruction, what with how passive she’d been though the whole meeting.
“In the meantime, get rest. Shar, you’ll take the con since you’ve already gotten some rest. Saoirse will relieve you, then Mell will be next. I’ll take back over in the early afternoon.” Dub grabbed the back of her neck, pulled her to him, and kissed her forehead. “Get some rest, storeen.”
His phone rang. Glancing at the ID of the caller, his expression hardened. “Fuck.” He swiped to take the call. “What?”
As he listened to the person on the other end of the line his face flushed a deep red and his lips drew into a tight line. Without a word to the person who called him, he hung up.
Other than Dub, only Bat, Mell, Shar, and Finn remained in the salon. The rest had left to find places to bunk down.
“Dub?” she asked.
“That was Da. Scath is gone, along with a good twenty members of the clan.”
“That’s… not good,” Finn said.
“Twenty,” Mell breathed out. “That’s nearly half the clan.”
“And he has no way of knowing if the ones remaining with him are there out of loyalty, or as spies,” Shar added.
The brothers exchanged a look. It was one she’d seen before—they were keeping secrets among themselves. “What?” she asked.
“We could… give it to him,” Mell said.
Dub’s expression went from hard to terrifying. Bat had never seen her not-man like this.
“Give what…? Oh.” As soon as she started to ask, she realized what Mell referred to. The brooch. The talisman every clan leader bore to prove his leadership. The one Dub had in his possession, and had intended to use to bargain for their freedom.
“We don’t need it,” Mell said. “Not anymore.”
Dub’s shudders hunched and he placed his hands on the small table. His movements were deliberate and oh-so careful.
The table creaked then collapsed.
Bat squeaked and jerked her knees to the side, hitting Mell. Shar reached over and plucked her from between the two brothers.
“I’m after thinking she needs to go to him,” Finn said, gesturing to Dub.
“No,” the eldest brother growled out. “Not right now. I might…”
“You wouldn’t hurt her, Dub. And we need you to not punch a hole in the hull and sink the boat,” Finn said.
Bat reached for Dub, then paused. Why was he reacting so strongly? She backed away a few steps and really studied the scene before her.
Dub was angry. Not just angry—he was enraged. Finn stood near the door, his feet spread and weight balanced, arms easy at his sides. But Bat knew he would be ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Mell stared at Dub. The middle brother’s face was blank and his emotions were locked down, but some still leaked through. There was fear, regret, sorrow, pain, anger, and… longing. Mell was a seething mass of negative emotion, but his attention wasn’t on that. It was on this brother.
Shar… Shar was not looking at Dub. No, Shar’s gaze was locked on Mell, and in his expression was sorrow and… resignation?
Flash. Dub sat at a wood plank table, Shar beside him. Alatrom was a few meters away in a large wooden chair carved with swirling designs that sat atop a dais.
“You did what?” Dub asked his father, his fingers digging into the wood table.
“I sent him off.” Alatrom rubbed his eyes. “He’ll never be a proper Fomoiri, and I can’t have such weakness in my clan.”
Wood splintered under Dub’s fingers. “Where did he go?”
Alatrom shrugged.
“You are a fool, old man.” Loathing seethed in Dub’s voice. “You will lose more than one son today.” Dub carefully released the table and rose to his feet. Without another glance at the man on the dais, he spun on his heel and left the stone room that acted as a receiving and dining hall.
Shar was a beat behind him. He said not a word, but he bowed to his father and followed his brother, leaving the older man alone.
Neither brother noticed the sheen of moisture in the old man’s eyes.
Dub wasn’t simply angry at his father, he was angry for his brother.
Both brothers were on their feet now. Dub faced Mell, his lapis-blue gaze clashing with his brother’s chocolate brown. “I will not allow him to gain what he wants so easily. He has to pay.”
Mell’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “He has.”
“Why do you always do this? I know how much he hurt you. I know the pain he’s put you through. Yet you always end up defending him. I feel your loathing, no matter how hard you try to hide it. I found this brooch for you. So we could have our vengeance, so we could be free. And you want to throw that away!” Dub’s hands gripped his hair and pulled.
Dub was ready to give up that very brooch to their father this morning in exchange for a boat, but Bat did not think now was a good time to point this out.
“We are free! He set us free today! He let us go!” Mell’s shouted words cut through Bat with all the pain and longing he’d buried since the day his father cast him out. Except Alatrom had not officially severed the brothers’ ties to the clan. No, he had simply left them in a limbo they could not escape without his permission.
Mell knows exactly what his father did today. She had thought none of the brothers realized, or they would have been happier. Their father had handed them exactly what they’d been longing for. Except, freedom from their clan isn’t what Mell really longed for, it’s simply a way for him to move forward. And his brothers know it.
Moisture gathered in her eyes and Bat opened them wide, trying to keep the tears from falling.
Bat stepped forward, but she didn’t head for Dub. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Mell’s waist and laid her head against his back. Her breasts were pressed to the firmness of those muscles, and she knew of one thing she could do.
She’d been wanting to claim Mell anyway. His pain was not her motivation, not really. It was merely an… impetus? Not even that. It was barely an excuse. She was just glad she was here for him, that their night together could help him heal in some way.
She also may have gotten ahead of herself, considering Mell did not yet know they were going to have their night together…
Mell’s tensed muscles relaxed a fraction. “Realta? What are you thinking exactly?” His voice held a cautious note.
“That you all need to calm down before this boat sinks. That you are the reason your brother is abou
t to punch holes in metal. That you are in pain.” Her hands stroked over his front, never going farther then the hem of his jeans. “That I know a way to help with that pain.”
“Are you thinking of using sex as therapy?”
She couldn’t read that tone. “Yes?”
His chest shook. He spun in her arms and pulled her to him. “Damn, you make me laugh.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Nope. You promised sex as therapy. No backing out now.” His arms fell from her and he grabbed her hand. “Come on, let’s go rumple the sheets in that all too small bunk of yours, and leave these three in their misery.”
Bat peeked around Mell and blushed at the heated looks all three men were giving her. Passion was warring with anger in Dub, and the others… well, they looked vaguely envious.
Her hand crept up to her necklace as her gaze locked with Shar’s. Would he be angry? He had agreed to this after all, though he warned her it would not be easy for him. Now that they had been together, would he change his mind…?
Shar waved his hand. “Go. We’ll clean up here.” Then he offered her a small smile, and she returned it.
Without another word, Mell dragged her from the salon and to the hatch that led belowdecks.
Chapter 16
Bastie,
Damn, these O’Loinsigh brothers…
You will be sooooo envious when you meet them.
- Bat, the satisfied goddess that you should be jealous of right now
BAT
Mell pulled her along the narrow passageway just as he had once before. Only this time, she was not headed in there for a nap.
Her blood rushed through her. She’d been attracted to this flirting fae since her first night in Ireland. If she was honest with herself—and she always tried to be—she had been attracted to all of them that night.
Mell pushed open the door to her cabin and tugged her inside. Without a word he shut and locked the door, then pulled her to him. He captured her mouth with his in a hungry kiss.
His control over his emotions was wearing away. He was a maelstrom of raw emotions. Passion had come to the forefront, pushing aside the others that had been raging in the salon.
Mell’s hands were on her, never stilling. They gripped her waist, then worked over her ass and slid to her hips. A moment later those hands were on the move again, skimming up and over her rounded belly. They gripped her breasts and squeezed their fullness before one dove into her hair and the other slid up her back.
The whole time he never broke the kiss.
He walked them to the edge of the bunk. Bat’s knees hit it and buckled, finally separating her from Mell.
His emotions continued to assault her. His passion caressed her skin, and need bit at her flesh. It was like a thousand lips covered every inch of her skin, and a thousand tongues teased her nerve endings.
They hadn’t even gotten their clothes off.
She gripped her sweater and worked it up her body and off her arms. She pulled away from him long enough to rip it over her head, then went back to his lips for more. He found the hook on her bra, and a second later that was gone as well.
She found the buttons of his shirt and worked them out one by one. He shrugged the cloth off as soon as the last button was undone. Her hands found his chest and she dug her nails into him, before sliding her arms around his shoulders and holding on.
Neither spoke. They didn’t need to. Mell was completely open to her. He hid nothing from her. Not the pain and sorrow that hid in the corners of his soul. Not his passion for her body or how much he reveled in her curves. Not the need he felt to be with her, possess her in some way, to see her smile, to hear her laugh. He showed her every layer of himself, and every contradiction.
He bared himself to her like he never had before.
In answer, she fed him every bit of her love.
“Fuck.” He sucked in a breath, then moved down to her chest. Gathering one breast in his hand, he kissed his way around it until he found her nipple and gave it one hard pull with his mouth. Then another.
Just as his hands had been, his mouth was restless. He could not stay in one spot. It was as though he wanted to devour every inch of her, but didn’t have the patience to savor it.
Bat didn’t mind. His urgency had become hers. Her hips moved on a rhythm of their own, seeking relief.
“More,” she breathed out. “Need more, now.”
His hands found the top of her jeans just as his mouth found her belly button. He undid the button and pulled the zipper down as his tongue laved the small indentation.
He reared back, gripped the top of her jeans, and pulled them down her legs, only to be stopped by her boots.
“Stupid boots,” he grumbled to himself. They were off her in seconds and the jeans followed.
Then he was back on her. Vaguely she heard a dull thud, and wood crashing into wood, but she paid it no mind. She had more important things to concentrate on.
She gripped his hips and pulled him into her, pressing his bulge right… where… she… needed it.
There.
She ground against him, no longer caring if they were moving too fast, or that he still had his pants on, or even if they were making so much noise the entire boat could hear them.
All she could think of was the growing sensation between her legs, the pressure that was building, the pleasure that was ready to burst over her if she could just get the right angle…
Mell jumped off of her, taking the pressure and heat with him. She whimpered. He fumbled with the snap on his own pants as the toed off his shoes.
Lucky those are not lace-up boots. Gods, I might have to tackle him and mount him if he takes much longer. The thought was barely there, more her mind’s attempt to calm her than anything else.
Then Mell was back in her arms and between her legs, nothing separating them this time. His hips pulled back and he grasped his cock, placing it at her entrance. He was thick, thicker than Shar, and he had to work himself in with short thrusts. Finally he was fully seated within her.
They paused for a bare second. Bat to savor the sensation of being so full. Mell to revel in the tight warmth wrapped around him. He pulled back and thrust forward, generating a delicious friction.
Fucking heaven.
Bat didn’t know if it was his thought or hers. Somewhere she’d lost all sense of herself, and of Mell. There was only them, together.
She wrapped her legs around him to add her own power to each surge inside her. Her hips rose to meet each of his thrusts. He shifted and angled his hips up a bit more until he managed to hit a spot inside her that had her channel rippling around him.
Mell bent over her and his mouth found her shoulder. He licked up it until he hovered over the tender muscle connecting to her neck, then he bit down.
Bat screamed as her core tightened once more. She was almost there, so close.
So close, so close, so close. The words echoed around her.
Mell slammed into her over and over, hitting that spot each time.
Then the pleasure, the sensation and the pressure, all came together and exploded, sending waves of power though her. Mell stiffened over her and groaned as he came, filling her with more warmth.
As he sagged over her, darkness crowded her vision.
As she drifted off, she had one thought. I’m glad I could help him work off his pain and anger… Wonder if that is what make-up sex is like…
Bat woke to the sound of running water and an empty space next to her on the bunk. Well, not an empty space, really, because just one person filled up the space of the bunk. But there was definitely a missing body.
“Hey,” Mell said, coming out of the small washroom. He no longer radiated the wild passion of earlier. Instead all she sensed coming from him was… embarrassment.
“Why are you embarrassed?”
He sat beside her, his butt half off the mattress. Running a hand up her leg, he tugged it until she was once more ex
posed to him. In his free hand he held a small cloth he’d dampened. Mell laid the cloth against her center and cleaned her.
No one had ever cleaned her before. She’d either bathed when the sex was done, or when her partner had left.
She did not think she’d have wanted this treatment from any of her past lovers. There was something so intimate about it, and she was left vulnerable before the man caring for her.
Something as simple as this took a great deal of trust.
Bat waited for him to answer her question. He took his time, his attention on wiping their fluids from each fold and dip of her flesh. When he was done he closed her legs and returned to the washroom. The faucet ran for a few seconds before being shut off. Returning to her he left the door open a crack so there was just enough light to see by.
Mell slipped into the bunk, effectively crowding her against the wall. Bat half lay over him, her head on his chest and one leg thrown over his. Her fingers traced random patterns over his chest as she continued to wait for his answer.
“I don’t usually do that,” he finally said.
“Do what?”
“Lose control.”
She planted a quick kiss just under his collarbone. “I enjoyed it. As I am sure you know.” She paused. “Are you fishing for compliments?”
Mell let out a bark of laughter. “No, realta. But you may compliment me if you like,” he teased.
“Should I call you Mell the Mighty, who slays all with his prodigious sword?”
His chest shook. “Please do. Tomorrow at breakfast, I dare you to say those exact words in front of my brothers and Finn. Oh, I can see their faces now.” He reached over and traced a finger down her arm.
This was one of her favorite parts of lovemaking. The cuddling and touching that came after.
“Maybe we save that kind of teasing until we can be sure Dub won’t tear a hole in the hull of the boat.”
The Forgotten Trilogy Page 55
