Interesting, indeed, Gwen thought and brushed her hand over her skin where she still felt the imprint of his touch.
He might be protecting her safety, but he was also protecting some very deep secrets.
Chapter Thirteen
An hour passed and still Loch had not returned. Gwen shrugged it off, refusing to let herself be too drawn in by the enigmatic Protector. Instead, she passed the time playing a lazy game of cards with Seamus and Bianca, while getting up to speed on what the last Seekers had accomplished.
“From everything you’re telling me, it’s not going to be an easy road,” she said, sighing as she folded her cards, losing another hand to the grinning Seamus.
“Ah, well, if it was easy, the payoff wouldn’t be so great now, would it?” Bianca asked. “There’s something wildly satisfying about knowing you’ve busted your arse to achieve something and actually getting it. Feels good, you know?”
“I’ll be agreeing with you on that one.” Gwen grinned at her. “Plus, if it was easy, the spear would have been found by now anyway. I don’t think we’re meant to be able to just stumble upon it on a wander-about.”
“That’s the truth of it. It’ll be found when it is meant to be found, unless the Domnua have their way,” Seamus said, leaning back to stretch his arms over his head, a yawn escaping his mouth.
“Why don’t you both rest? Seems you’ve had some long shifts keeping an eye on me. I’m sure Loch has protected this place, so you can rest a little easier. As for me, I’m hoping for a quick nip into the shower so I can feel human again and then I’ll rest as well. Tomorrow’s another day to fight for the good of the world,” Gwen said.
Bianca smiled, her cheeks dimpling in delight. “I have to say, I’m delighted to be working with a Seeker that’s as positive as I am. No sense in being down in the doldrums about such matters. We’ll be figuring this out together and we’ll take each day as it comes.” Bianca nodded, the matter settled, and she and Seamus stood to pull the mattress out from the folded couch. Belatedly, Gwen realized – if she got the bedroom and they had the couch, where would Loch sleep?
Not like the man seemed interested in spending time around her, let alone sleeping with her, Gwen reminded herself as she waved goodnight to Bianca and Seamus and assessed her luggage situation.
Or lack thereof, Gwen thought, her eyes trailing around the room to land on the torn cardigan she’d been wearing earlier. With her serviceable boots, pants, t-shirt, support tank, and underwear, that completed her wardrobe options. Spying her purse, she gave a silent prayer of thanks to Bianca for remembering to grab it on the way to wherever Loch had them squirreled away. Picking it up, she rummaged around until she found her comb and a small tube of lip balm. Never one for wearing much makeup, she really only cared about being able to detangle the mass of hair currently in a knot on her head.
“That’s about it for you, Gwennie. You’ll just need to turn your underwear inside out and perhaps pick up a pair or two as we go along,” Gwen muttered to herself, stripping and hanging her clothes on a hook by the tiny shower. Praying for warm water, she unwound her hair and waited, sending up a silent thanks when a puff of steam floated over the glass shower door.
Grateful for a moment alone, Gwen stepped under the stream of water, letting it pour over her head, and just closed her eyes as the warmth enveloped her. She braced her hands on the wall, happy as she could be in the moment, and thought about all the events that had transpired that day. Even though most women would probably be terrified if a pack of evil fae were hunting them, Gwen couldn’t help but feel a trickle of excitement lance through her.
For once, her life was interesting. Not that she wasn’t content – oh no; she loved her life. But it was predictable and settled, and this… well, this was something fascinating and new with twists and turns and all the beautiful magick to learn about. Aye, it was hard not to be excited, Gwen thought, and began to hum as she ran the comb through her hair, happy enough to begin to sing – quietly, though – as she struggled with a particularly difficult knot in her hair.
Gwen’s voice, a secret but to her and her gran, filled the small shower stall, the rich tones reverberating back at her and, as always, filling her with joy and yet making her ache for something she didn’t quite understand, but oh so desperately craved.
And when the bracelets at her wrists began to sing – matching her song, all but deafening her in the beauty of the sounds that rang from them – lust, full and robust, slammed into her so that she clutched the side of the shower door, nearly crumbling to the floor as wave after wave of pure pleasure swept through her.
Gwen could only gasp, holding on for dear life, while pleasure threatened to drag her down into its beauty and anguish as an age-old craving for intimacy and love rose up and wound through her.
The door to the bathroom crashed open. Blue eyes met tawny ones, and Gwen raised her chin in challenge.
Then she sagged against the shower wall as Loch cursed, slamming the door behind him as he left, little pops of pleasure still working their way through her body. Gwen had no idea what had just happened with her bracelets, but she wasn’t certain she’d survive another rush of whatever it was.
Shaking, she looked down at her wrists.
“No more singing, Gwen.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Is she okay? What was that?” Bianca demanded the minute Loch swept from the bathroom.
“She’s fine. More than fine, I promise you that,” Loch said, moving from the bedroom to pace the main room.
“That song… wowza,” Seamus said from behind Bianca, running his hands through hair that was already standing on end. His face was flushed and his eyes kept straying to Bianca, and Loch knew exactly what was on his mind. It was what was on his own mind as well.
“I’ll be outside. Do not let her sing. Understood?” Loch hoped the look he leveled at them was dangerous enough to scare the two into following his orders, and judging from how they both nodded meekly at him, it had worked. Cursing once again, Loch slammed from the cottage to pace outside, where a soft mist cooled his burning skin.
He needed to touch her with every ounce of his being.
Forcing his libido to calm down, Loch stalked the land, working his way through a spell that he used immediately on himself – the magickal world’s version of a cold shower.
He’d been outside, stoically walking the perimeter of his magick and checking his wards meticulously, when the song had gone up, spearing straight to his heart, his loins, every last particle in his body. Loch didn’t even know how he’d gotten to her so fast. It was as though the song had carried him blindly through the house until he’d found her.
Loch clenched his jaw as the image of her filled his mind, his fingers curling in his need to reach out and touch her.
Oh, she’d been beauty beyond even what he had imagined. Loch was grateful now for the frumpy way she dressed, for if Gwen had even an ounce of an idea of how to really dress her body – well, no man would stand a chance, in Loch’s opinion. Water from the shower had dripped down to slip over her lush body – curves in all the right places, her ivory skin pink from the steam. And flushed from something more – pleasure that came not just from her song, but from somewhere deep inside her. When she’d raised her chin to challenge him, her blue eyes huge in her face, her breath coming in soft pants – like a woman experiencing true pleasure for the first time – it had taken all of Loch’s training and infamous control to leave her.
He’d wanted nothing more than to step into the shower and wrap his hands around the mass of hair that curled wetly almost to her waist, pull her to him until his lips could taste that mouth that begged to be kissed. His hands had ached to touch, his lips to taste, his body to claim – claim what he now knew was his to have.
Loch gripped his fists tightly and continued his perimeter check, forcing his mind away from the demanding beauty of a naked and deliciously wet Gwen. It would test his very last dredges of control t
o protect her on this quest and to keep her safe from harm.
He just wasn’t sure anymore whether he was protecting her from the Domnua – or from himself.
Chapter Fifteen
Gwen stayed in the shower until hot water ran out, and even then she stayed a moment longer, allowing her skin to pucker in the cold and hoping against hope that the shock of the icy water would tamp down the feelings of lust that still threatened to overtake her.
What the heck had happened? It wasn’t the first time she had sung in the shower, and nothing like that had ever happened before. It had to be her new bracelets, Gwen surmised, as she finally left the shower stall and gingerly picked up the towel she’d placed on the toilet. Twitching when the soft cotton met her skin, Gwen forced herself not to moan as she dried herself off, the touch of the fabric once again sending trickles of pleasure through her.
If these were some sort of lust bracelets, Gwen wasn’t sure she wanted them. Talk about distracting, she thought as she quickly dressed and wrapped the towel around her mass of hair. Quietly easing the door open, Gwen stepped out into the bedroom. The door was now closed, a small lamp by the bed providing the only light. A low chuckle and the unmistakable sounds of pleasure sounded from the main room and Gwen blushed, quickly realizing what Seamus and Bianca were up to. Had her song done that to them?
It had certainly done something to her.
Gwen sat on the corner of the bed and looked down at the bracelets, gleaming dully in the light from the lamp. She felt awakened somehow, in a way she hadn’t been before – almost more womanly or more powerful. When Loch had burst into the bathroom she should have shrieked in outrage. Instead, she’d lifted her chin and all but invited the man into the shower with her. For one agonizing instant, she’d thought Loch would meet her challenge head-on, but then he’d done the smart thing and stormed out. Gwen didn’t blame him in the least. There was no reason for them to be mixing business and pleasure. Especially considering the fact that she was untouched goods. It was best she didn’t try out that particular life experience when the fate of the world hung in her hands.
Or was it the perfect time? A little voice niggled in her brain, and she rolled her eyes and leaned back on the bed, crossing her arms behind her head. You may die on this quest – do you want to die not knowing the pleasures of intimacy? Gwen sighed once more, forcing the voice down, and instead turned her mind to the song.
Music had always been a part of her life, and she’d been drawn to it at a young age. It was not uncommon for the Irish to play an instrument or join in song. Sessions in the pub were a common thing. Gwen was fairly certain most people in her village either played an instrument or sang a tune on occasion – neither of which Gwen did. The villagers had finally put it down to shyness and stopped pushing Gwen to join their sessions. Instead, she’d steal away to a corner, mouthing the words of the songs, her foot tapping to the beat.
She couldn’t completely recall the incident that had stopped her from singing in public – aye, she’d most likely blocked it out, Gwen thought – but she did remember that it had been the only time Gran had ever yelled at her. Later, Gwen had been punished and made to swear to never sing again except under Gran’s supervision. And so Gwen had quietly kept her voice to herself, knowing something was different or wrong with it, and would only sing around Gran. When she did sing, Gran would smile and tell her how beautiful it was – but always after she’d wrung the promise from Gwen to never sing around others.
As it was the only promise Gran had ever asked of her, she’d stuck to it.
Now she wondered just what had happened and what Gran knew – and what other people heard when she sang. To her, it sounded pretty enough, but for all she knew it could sound like snakes hissing.
Contemplating her bracelets once more, Gwen finally allowed herself to think about what she’d been purposely trying to distract herself from – the look of pure longing on Loch’s face when he’d seen her.
Rolling over, Gwen squeezed the pillow to her. Oh, but a secret part of her had always wanted a man to look at her that way – as though he could devour her in one bite. Gwen imagined he probably could, since he was so large. Her mind slipped into dangerous territory when she considered his size, and her entire body flushed with heat once more. Lochlain was danger, through and through, and she’d do best to remember that.
This new Gwen wasn’t afraid of danger anymore.
Chapter Sixteen
“So is anyone going to talk about what happened last night?” Bianca asked the next morning after a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, where her every attempt at conversation had been met with a wall of silence.
Gwen choked on the piece of apple she was eating while studiously ignoring Loch’s hulking presence across the table from her. Damn, but the man’s energy seemed to radiate as though he was crackling with barely contained power. It was almost exhausting for her to ignore him.
“All good there, tiger?” Seamus asked as he cheerfully pounded her back. Of course he had something to be cheerful about – he’d had his fun with Bianca last night.
“Ahem. Yes, all good,” Gwen said, clearing her throat and refusing to look at Loch.
“Well, I mean, come on!” Bianca exclaimed, grabbing her empty bowl and moving toward the sink to wash it. “It was like a force of nature – one of the most intensely beautiful songs I have ever heard. It was all I could do not to go running in to listen to you. Though someone else did.”
Gwen flushed as she felt heat trickle through her again, thinking of the challenge she’d presented to Loch last night – and how it had been denied.
“Aye, I did. And I’ll be apologizing for that,” Loch said, clearing his throat and nodding curtly in her direction. “’Twas quite rude of me.”
“Ah… that’s fine. It’s fine. No matter,” Gwen stuttered and shoved a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth to stop whatever else was going to rush out of it.
“Did something happen?” Bianca demanded, hands on her hips. “No way did something happen. You were out of there in a shot. No time. Unless he kissed you. Did he kiss you?” Bianca looked between them both, her head swiveling like a referee at a tennis match.
“No!” Gwen exclaimed. Could this get any more embarrassing?
“Why not? I almost kissed her meself. That’s a mighty powerful voice you’ve got there,” Seamus said.
Gwen quickly looked at Bianca to see if she was jealous, but the blonde only nodded along in agreement. “’Tis true, Gwen. I’ve never heard the likes of it before. You could be famous! Have you thought of singing professionally?”
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” Loch said.
Bianca turned to look at him as she cleared Seamus’s bowl from the table. “And why not? You heard it for yourself. It’s amazing.”
“I wouldn’t. I promised my gran I wouldn’t sing,” Gwen said, shaking her head and interrupting so she wouldn’t have to hear Loch’s answer.
“And why’s that?” Bianca asked. “The woman’s a fool if she told you not to sing.”
“I’m not quite sure. I don’t remember all of the details, but from what Gran tells me it was an incident when I was a child. I was singing and there was a bit of a car accident along where I was walking. It wasn’t like anyone died, but it was enough of a pile-up that Gran made me promise not to sing. She said it could be distracting to some. Ever since then, I’ve been scared of hurting someone again, so I typically just sing quietly to myself. I’m not sure why it even got so loud, to be honest. I think it’s these.” Gwen held up the bracelets.
“You think they amplified your voice?” Bianca asked, head tilted as she studied the bracelets.
“They unlocked the power within her,” Loch finally grunted, and they all stopped to stare at him.
“But I already unlocked the whole shards of ice thing, remember?” Gwen asked, beginning to feel annoyed that the man clearly knew more about her than she did. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling, someone knowing secrets ab
out her that she’d yet to discover. In fact, it made her downright irritable.
“What else aren’t you telling us, O great and admirable sorcerer?” Bianca asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Loch sighed, leaning back to cross his arms behind his head as he stared at the wooden rafters crisscrossing the ceiling. Momentarily distracted by the way his shirt pulled tight across the muscles of his chest, Gwen almost missed what he said next.
Almost.
“Gwen’s a siren.”
Chapter Seventeen
“A… a siren,” Gwen croaked, the breath leaving her body in one big whoosh of surprise.
Bianca squealed in delight, running around the table to squeeze Gwen’s shoulders.
“A siren! That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to know more about the sirens. See? I told you how beautiful you are and you didn’t believe me. You’re a freaking siren! The most beautiful, that is! Your song can enchant anyone. Oh, this is so neat. Can you sing again? I’d love to hear it and feel if it pulls me the same way it does the men. Do you think you’d be able to resist her, Seamus? What would happen? Wait, do you kill the men after you’ve had them?” Bianca chattered on, beyond delighted with this development.
Gwen’s mouth worked, attempting to form a word, while her brain refused to process what she’d just heard.
A siren. The mythological beauties of the deep that lured sailors to their deaths, Gwen thought dumbly, as far away as possible from what she believed herself to be. A giggle escaped her mouth, surprising her, and she swallowed down another that wanted to follow it. It was all just too… impossible. For years she’d been someone men barely paid attention to, and now Loch was trying to tell her that she could lure them to their deathbeds with her looks and a song?
Spear Song Page 6
