“Wow,” she said, her eyebrows arched in surprise. “So, because you were selected to be a warrior, you’ve never … been with a man before?”
“If you’re asking me if I’m a virgin,” I started with a laugh, my eyebrows reaching for the sky, “the answer is yes, I am.”
My sister shook her head in obvious surprise and returned my laugh. “I never would have thought you were a virgin in a million years.”
“Why not?” I asked, merely curious as I wondered whether or not I should take offense to the comment.
She looked me up and down. “With a body like that, I would have thought you’d have men pawing at you constantly.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t work like that where I come from.”
“Bryn, men are men no matter where you come from. They all have needs,” Jolie argued. “And anyone with two eyes can see that you’re a beautiful woman.”
I shook my head again. “Well, thanks for the compliment but, still, things don’t work like that in my tribe.”
“Then how do they work?” she asked.
“By controlling every emotion, lust included,” I responded. Then I shrugged. “At least the men in my tribe are able to control their libidos well enough that I’ve never been in a compromising situation and, consequently, I’ve never had sex.” I laughed as I thought of the men of the Underworld. “So you can well imagine how ill prepared I was once I got here!”
Jolie returned the laugh. “Yes, the men of the Underworld are more than forward.” Then the laugh died on her lips and she studied me intensely. “But, explain what you meant.”
I shook my head and sighed. “I regretted saying that as soon as it came out of my mouth,” I finished with a little laugh. “Because I knew you were going to push me for details.”
“You’re getting to know me so well,” my sister responded with a sweet and unapologetic smile. “Now start ’splainin’, Lucy.”
“Well, there’s really nothing to explain,” I started. “I just, well … hmm, I just had a couple of … situations with Sinjin and Odran.”
Jolie nodded like she wasn’t surprised. “Yep, I figured. So which one are you crushing on?”
“Crushing on?” I repeated and probably looked as bewildered as I felt. “Neither.”
Jolie eyed me pointedly. “We’ll work our way back to that subject, but for now, tell me what happened with each one.”
“Well, someone is pretty nosy, isn’t she?” I asked with a smile.
“When my sister is involved, yes,” Jolie answered immediately. “And now that I know you’re a virgin, I’m going to be even nosier.”
“Why does that change things?” I demanded.
“Because I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Jolie responded immediately. “And even though I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, when it comes to matters of the heart, the playing field is completely different.”
“That’s why I avoid matters of the heart at all costs,” I responded.
“You can’t avoid feelings forever, Bryn,” Jolie argued, shaking her head. “We are emotional beings, we feel things. The longer you force those feelings into submission, the harder it’s going to be when you finally let someone in.”
“I don’t know that I have it within me to let someone in,” I responded in a monotone, thinking I’d probably never said anything that was closer to the truth.
“You do,” Jolie rebutted with a smile. “You let me in.”
I swallowed hard. “You’re my sister. That’s different.”
“We will see,” Jolie responded. “I have a feeling someone is going to take you by surprise and the surprise is going to hit you right over that determined head of yours and it’s going to knock you right off your feet.” Then she laughed. “And when the time comes, I hope you’ll come to me if you need to talk or if you need advice.”
“We will see,” I repeated, shaking my head.
“Okay, back to the topic we were discussing,” Jolie interrupted. “What happened with Sinjin and Odran?”
I took a deep breath as something occurred to me. “If I tell you what happened, you have to promise me that you won’t get angry with either one of them,” I started. “Because everything that did happen is in the past, as in it happened when I first got here. Since then, I’ve become … friendly with both of them.”
“I won’t get angry with either of them, you have my word,” my sister responded. “To be honest with you, I figured something had to be going on with one of them. If I’d known how inexperienced you were, though, I wouldn’t have left you on your own.”
“Jolie, I’m fine,” I responded, spearing her with a serious expression. “I’m a virgin, but I’m not a moron. My virginity doesn’t mean I’m incapable of making good decisions.”
“I’m just protective of you, Bryn, that’s all,” Jolie said with a wide smile. “Now, spill the beans.”
I inhaled for a count of three and then exhaled for a count of three as I wondered if what I was about to tell my sister was going to come back to bite me in the ass. But, I must not have been too concerned about my backside because before I knew it, I’d told her everything. And everything included exactly what had happened between Sinjin and me as well as everything that had ensued when Odran took me to fairy land.
“Interesting,” Jolie said as she drummed her fingers against her lips. “I never would have thought that Sinjin would have a problem with your being a virgin.”
“Maybe there’s a line for everyone that they just won’t cross,” I answered with a shrug.
Jolie nodded. “I guess so.” Then her eyes brightened. “One thing I can say for Sinjin is that if you want to lose your virginity, he’d probably be the best candidate.”
“Jolie!” I chided, my mouth dropping open. “I’m not even thinking along those lines! I’m actually indebted to him because he didn’t take advantage of me.”
Jolie frowned. “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on this subject too.” Then she smiled knowingly.
TWELVE
The days blended into weeks, which melded into months. The leaves on the trees of Kinloch Kirk gave way from a mossy green to the dark auburn of fall before they were swept away by the cold winds of winter. In no time, sunshine seemed a pleasure of the distant past. The skies instead were a dark charcoal grey and dominated by noxious thunderclouds that slammed into one another, bleeding rain in torrents. The rumbling of the clouds was interrupted by intermittent bolts of lightning that brightened the sky and warned any would-be travelers to stay inside.
I found my days were now split between Odran and Jolie keeping me company. I had to admit that I preferred my sister’s company to the fae king’s. I found it much more interesting to assist her with her wedding plans than I did listening to Odran’s incessant tales, boasting about his heroism on the battlefield, his keen ability to wield a sword, his unrivaled skill with magic, the longevity of pureness in his fae blood lines, and the number of women he’d bedded, as well as how they compared to each other. The guy was incorrigible.
As for Sinjin, he continued to keep me company during the evenings, but there was definitely a pronounced distance now between us. While he still maintained some traces of his flirtatious and lascivious self, in general, he was much more subdued and politely aloof where I was concerned. Ever since he discovered my virginity, he was careful to never touch me again. Instead, he seemed to want nothing more than to physically avoid me. He was still his same charismatic, funny and interesting self, but there was definitely an unspoken aspect to our awkward association that wasn’t there in the early days.
Although I didn’t like admitting it to myself, I missed the sexual side of Sinjin because he wasn’t the same without it. He didn’t seem complete. The more time we spent together, the more I missed the erotic undertones to his conversation, and the double entendres. I missed the way he used to look me up and down as if he were undressing me with his eyes. I missed the spicy, clean scent of him whenever we
were up close and personal. And I sorely missed the feel of his skin against mine.
“I can’t believe the wedding is in only a couple of days,” Jolie said as she shook her head and eyed me wistfully. We were sitting on her bed in the bedroom she shared with Rand in the main house of Kinloch Kirk. And we were in the process of tying white ribbons around bottles of bubbles, which were shaped like wedding cakes. “Where did all the time go?”
“It flew by,” I agreed, pausing to pet Jolie’s cat, Plum, who sat on my lap. Then, remembering the conversation, I pointed at my sister’s belly which was now so huge, she had difficulty being ambulatory. “’Course, your stomach is proof enough that Father Time didn’t pull a fast one over on us,” I added with a laugh, reaching for the last bottle of bubbles and tying the last white ribbon around it. I held the little bottle out in front of us like it was a highly esteemed award. “Looks like our final task for the wedding is now complete,” I said with a proud smile. I reached for a cardboard box that was sitting beside Jolie and we started placing the bottles back into the box.
“Thanks for all your help, Bryn,” she said with a genuine smile. “I really appreciate it and there’s no way I could have gotten everything done without you.”
I brushed off her gratitude with a wave of my hand and a scrunched up facial expression, to which my sister giggled. “I was happy to help,” I replied, shaking my head as a little laugh escaped my mouth. “I mean, seriously, if I had to hear one more story about Odran and his sexual escapades, which, I might add, were described in frighteningly vivid detail, I probably would have done myself in.”
Jolie winced. “Yeah, I can imagine those conversations would have been … anything but enjoyable.”
“Painful is more fitting a term,” I finished for her with a knowing smirk.
Jolie laughed again as she placed the last bottle of bubbles into the cardboard box. I picked the box up, standing as Plum grumbled angrily at having her sleep disrupted, and plopped off the bed, disappearing into the hallway. I laughed at the ornery cat as I carried the box to the far side of the room where another twenty or so boxes rested against the wall.
“I just felt the baby kicking,” Jolie announced in an excited voice as she rubbed her belly lovingly. “I can’t wait until this little person decides to come out and meet the world.”
“Well, it’s not much longer now, is it?” I asked. I propped my hands on my hips and studied my sister. She and the baby were thriving, and as the days went by, I could see the joy in her growing, no doubt, as she thought about Rand’s and her future once the baby was born.
“Twenty-six days,” she responded with a laugh. “The countdown is on.” Then she patted her belly encouragingly. “You are about to get kicked out, little one,” she warned her stomach. “Your tenancy is coming to an abrupt eviction!”
Before I could respond, there was a hesitant knock on the door.
“Come in,” Jolie called out. Her surprised expression told me she wasn’t expecting any visitors, but she also wasn’t particularly concerned, all the same. The door opened and Odran stuck his head in, his blond mane shimmering around his shoulders.
“Greetin’s, mah queen,” he said, bowing his head slightly before turning to face me. “An’ the queen’s sista,” he added, lingering in the doorway and looking decidedly uncomfortable.
“Hi, Odran,” Jolie replied at the same time I said my greeting. An expression of curiosity appeared on Jolie’s face, which suggested it was strange for Odran to be visiting her, and in her bedroom, no less. “Come in,” she continued as we both watched the enormous man comically ducking to enter through the doorway. He was dressed in his customary attire of a purple kilt (purple being the color of royalty) and sandals, with nothing above the waist. I was convinced Odran’s choice of apparel wasn’t so much because he was Scottish, but rather because he was very proud of his manly physique and enjoyed showing it off.
“Thank ye, mah queen,” Odran said as he closed the door behind him.
“What can I help you with?” my sister asked.
“Ah beg a moment or two with ye, mah queen,” Odran said as he clasped his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his right foot. He looked like he was about to kick a ball, or, failing that, very uncomfortable.
I faced Jolie with a smile. “I can come back later,” I said, turning on my toes. I took a few steps toward the door. But Odran reached out and gripped my wrist, stopping me from moving forward.
“Ye can also hear whit Ah have ta say,” he explained, his mouth firm.
“Okay,” I answered as I wondered what in the hell he could possibly want to talk to both of us about. Hopefully, it wasn’t concerning any more sexual escapades because I didn’t think I could handle the conversation if it were.
I separated myself from his clammy grip and returned to the bed, taking a seat next to Jolie. Glancing at her, I shook my head in blatant wonder, noticing the expression on her face also revealed surprise.
“Ah apologize fer interruptin’ yer weddin’ festivities,” Odran started, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyebrows met in the middle of his forehead and he looked like he was suddenly at a loss for words.
“It’s okay, Odran,” Jolie encouraged him with a bright grin. “What’s on your mind?” she continued after a lengthy pause ensued.
Odran cleared his throat. “Ah have been givin’ the soobject mooch consideration, mah queen,” he started, clearing his throat again, “an’ Ah believe ’tis time fer meh ta take a wife.” He nodded three times before he continued. “’Though Ah am fond o’ mah oonattached ways, the king o’ the fae cannae always chase after skirts, ken he?”
“No, I guess he can’t,” Jolie admitted as she glanced at me and I simply shrugged in consensus.
“Och aye, it pleases meh ta see ye are in agreement with me, mah queen.”
“Well, if you’ve decided to settle down, that’s very good news, Odran,” Jolie added with a beaming smile. “And which of your fae women is the lucky bride to be?”
“None o’ them,” Odran replied immediately, standing up as straight as he could. “Ah have decided ’tis time ta intraduce new blood inta mah line,” he started as his eyes fell on me and my stomach wanted to drop itself right off the nearest cliff.
“Um,” I began as my face contorted into an expression of confusion and disbelief. I glanced at my sister and noticed she was wearing the identical expression.
He can’t mean, I started the thought and sent it to her.
Um, I think he can and does mean you, she answered.
“When Ah offered ye mah hand, mah queen, ye denied it fer yer love o’ the warlock,” Odran continued, completely oblivious to the redness filling my cheeks or how I was staring him down like I was an angry bull and he was a red flag.
“Right,” Jolie said in a bewildered tone as she bobbed her head up and down.
“As Ah couldnae have ye, mah queen, Ah would like ta show mah dedication to ye by askin’ ye fer yer sister’s hand,” Odran finished with a brief glance at me. A second later, he winked. Completely floored, I caught the laughter in my throat and swallowed it down, dropping my attention to my feet as I tried to resume control over myself.
“Hmm,” Jolie said, looking over at me, her expression vacant as if she didn’t know what to say.
“Ah am askin’ ye fer yer blessin’,” Odran continued, eyeing my sister pointedly.
“Ahem,” I said as I held my hand up to show that I had something to contribute. “Maybe I should remind both of you that I am sitting right here in this room?” I berated them, taking turns spearing them with my irritation. “It’s super annoying when you’re both acting like I’m not even here!”
“Aye, lass,” Odran said as his gaze finally landed on me. “Ah didnae mean ta offend ye, boot Ah moost first ask the permission o’ mah queen before Ah can get ta askin’ ye,” he explained before holding his hands out in a play of submission. “Jist be patient,” he added as if I were urging him to
get to the marriage proposal part. I just rolled my eyes.
“Well, you have my permission,” Jolie announced turning to me with a huge grin that said she was enjoying every second of this … fiasco. She continued to smile at me prettily while I frowned at her and grumbled something even I couldn’t make out.
I’m really happy that you’re enjoying this so much, I thought to her.
I have to admit that I am, she responded with another big smile.
Well, at least one of us is.
Come on! she thought back as she smiled. You could do way worse! I mean, look at those abs of steel, and those pecs! She made it a point to eye my bust. Hmm, Odran’s boobs might even be as big as yours!
Seriously?
Odran’s a handsome man! She responded with a grin. No way you can deny that!
A handsome man? I thought back. He’s a total man whore!
“Ah, thank ye, mah queen,” Odran said with a big smile. Turning to face me, he dropped down on one knee while I glared at my sister. “Ah offer ye mah hand in marriage, lass. An’ with it, mah protection.”
“I don’t need your protection,” I replied flatly, irritated by the very thought that I needed anyone’s protection. I was a warrior, first and foremost. And that meant I could take care of myself.
“Ye will want fer nothin’,” Odran continued as if I hadn’t answered. “An’ Ah will fill yer belly with mah seed ta grow plenty o’ healthy an’ strappin’ sons.”
I wasn’t given the chance to tell him just what he could do with his seed because the sound of the door opening interrupted me. I turned my head to see who was visiting and recognized Sinjin. He entered the room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it before he started clapping. His amused smirk was enhanced by the pitch blackness of his short-sleeved shirt and slacks.
“I can honestly admit that I have never, in all of my six hundred some odd years, witnessed such a marriage proposal,” Sinjin stated as he left the door and strolled into the room. His gaze immediately settled on me. “And, what will you answer, little tempest, after such an expertly delivered promise to fill your belly with fairy seed?”
Sinjin Page 16
