by Donna Grant
Whether she knew it or not, Danielle had given him a reason to hold Farmire at bay. Being near her soothed him in ways he couldn’t begin to understand, and didn’t care if he ever did.
Ian let his gaze run over her full breasts and pale pink nipples to her trim waist and flared hips to stop at the amazing triangle of silvery blond curls between her legs.
He bent and took her lips in a kiss full of longing and hope, of desire and need so bright, so intense, Ian thought he might drown in it.
A moan tore from him when Danielle’s arms wrapped around him and tugged him atop her. He rocked his arousal against her and smiled when she gasped and dug her nails into his back.
Ian rolled to his back, bringing Danielle with him until she sat astride him. She broke the kiss and smiled wantonly.
“All my life I thought I couldn’t feel anything during sex.”
Ian frowned. The idea of her with another man made his blood boil. She was his. Only his. And he would prove it to her this night. “What do you mean?”
“No one has ever made me feel so alive, so free,” she said, the last word nothing but a whisper. Her eyes caught and held his. “I thought there was something wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Ian wanted to find the men who had dared to touch her, who had dared to make her feel so inadequate and beat them to a pulp. “You’re perfect.”
She framed his face with her hands and kissed him slowly and softly. “No, Ian Kerr. You are perfect.”
Ian could have argued with her, but instead he wanted to show her how much he desired her, how desperately he yearned for more of her.
He slid his fingers into her long, thick hair and held the back of her head as he kissed her. Rough. Demanding. Unrelenting.
And she answered him, their tongues dueling in a dance as old as time.
Ian’s hands smoothed down her satiny skin to rest at her hips. He held her still while he lifted his hips and rubbed against her soft, swollen sex.
Her moan was kindling to the fire raging within him.
When she sat up and gazed at him with eyes darkened by desire, his balls tightened in response. He’d never seen a woman so beautiful, so full of life and passion. He didn’t know why she was in his arms, but he knew that’s where he wanted her to stay.
Forever.
The thought sent a thread of alarm through him, but before he could think more about it, Danielle rose over him, her softness waiting to take his hardness.
Ian watched as the thick, swollen head of his erection brushed against her sex. She was so wet it made his cock jump in anticipation.
He held his breath as she took him inside her inch by agonizing inch. His fingers dug into her flesh as he struggled not to thrust deep while he tugged her down his length.
With a groan he felt his erection stretching her, filling her tightness. When he glanced up at her face he found her head flung back and her eyes closed. And it was all he could do not to spend himself right then.
Ian took in a ragged breath when he was seated inside her fully. He told himself not to move, to let Danielle take charge, but he found it near impossible.
She rose up on her knees, only to lower herself upon him once more. Again and again she impaled herself upon his aching cock, faster, harder each time. Her soft cries filled the chamber as his breath came in great gasps.
He was riveted by the way her hips undulated and her breasts bounced. He was transfixed by the pleasure on her face.
And he was captivated to see his rod slide in and out of her slick heat.
Ian cupped her breasts and squeezed her nipples. Danielle cried out and rocked her hips back and forth. He thumbed her nipples, hardening even more when her lips parted and soft cries echoed in the chamber.
He sat up and held her tight as he kissed her. Her arms locked around him as their bodies continued to move against each other sensuously, delightfully.
Her nails dug into his back as she suddenly stiffened in his arms. Ian loved the feel of her clamping down on him, loved feeling her climax sweep through her body. But the orgasm he’d been holding off surged forward.
Ian pushed Danielle onto her back. He pulled out of her and then flipped her onto her stomach. With his jaw clenched, he lifted her hips and slid back inside her with one solid thrust.
She moaned into the blanket, her hands fisting the covers. Ian began to pump his hips, sliding in and out of her quick and hard. The faster he thrust inside her, the louder her moans became.
Ian held her hips still as he set up a driving rhythm. Harder, faster he plunged inside her. And when he heard her scream his name a heartbeat before she peaked again, he gave himself up to his climax.
With one last thrust, he threw back his head and shouted as he poured himself inside her. Waves upon waves of pleasure rolled through them, taking them, carrying them higher than ever before.
Ian wrapped his arms around Danielle and brought her against him as he fell to his side. She lay with her back to his front, their breathing harsh in the silence of the room.
Slowly their heartbeats and their breathing calmed once more. With their limbs tangled together, they lay in the safety of each other’s arms.
* * *
Deirdre looked dispassionately at the Druid Toby held in his grasp.
“You’ve done very well, Toby,” Deirdre complimented her slave. He was as willing to serve her as her wyrran were. Some men had incredible mental strength, but most, like Toby, were weak and that allowed Deirdre to take over their minds.
“A Druid. Just as you asked for, mistress.”
The Druid paled when Deirdre neared. Deirdre had to give the Druid credit for hiding the fear she sensed in her so well.
“I’m not a Druid,” the woman said.
Deirdre glanced at the Druid’s soft brown hair. “You may be plain, but I sense your magic. There’s no use lying to me.”
Still, the Druid held her head high. Fury radiated from her light brown eyes, fury and … death. Ah, so the Druid wanted her death. Deirdre smiled inwardly.
Deirdre looked over the Druid at her leisure before she said, “You have no idea what I went through to find you.”
The Druid spat at her. “I hope you rot in Hell.”
Deirdre wiped the spittle from her face. “Why would I rot when I do His bidding?” she asked. “You are right to fear me, Druid. I may have been away for several centuries, but I’m back. And I need your magic.”
“I won’t give it to you,” the Druid said through clenched teeth.
Deirdre merely smiled. “Everyone says that. Be original for once. Respond differently.”
“Everyone refuses because they know the evil inside you. And no matter how strong you think you are, you’ll be defeated.”
“You know who I am, don’t you?” Deirdre asked.
The Druid refused to answer, but Deirdre saw a flash of panic in the woman’s eyes.
“I’ve killed so many Druids for their magic. I’ve lived for over a thousand years. There is nothing you can do to stop me, nothing you can do to keep yourself safe.”
And to prove it, Deirdre jerked her chin toward the huge slab of rock behind her. The Druid began to scream as Toby tossed her roughly onto the rock.
Toby might just be one man, and the Druid desperate to get free, but Deirdre had given Toby extra strength when she’d taken over his mind. The Druid wasn’t going anywhere Deirdre didn’t want her to go.
“Finished,” Toby said and took a step back.
Deirdre turned to see the Druid strapped to the table by her wrists and ankles. “Perfect,” Deirdre said as she reached for the knife.
She’d done this ceremony countless times over the millennia as she killed Druids and took their magic. Each time was a thrill, a rush so heady it made her sway.
Deirdre slashed the Druid’s wrists and watched as the blood, thick and dark red, leaked from the cuts onto the hollowed grooves of the table. Those grooves spilled the blood into the four corn
ers of the table where it was collected into goblets.
While the blood flowed, Deirdre began to chant the ancient spell that called up Satan and all his evil. A black cloud rose up from beneath the stone slab and hovered over the Druid.
The Druid tried to scream, but she was weak from loss of blood and could only whimper. Deirdre watched as the cloud, an evil spirit from Hell, descended onto the Druid.
The Druid thrashed on the table, her pitiful half screams filling the high-ceilinged room as the spirit took the Druid’s soul.
“I am yours!” Deirdre screamed and plunged the dagger through the spirit and into the Druid’s stomach.
The ghoul vanished, and the girl’s lifeless eyes stared above her. But the ceremony was far from over.
At one time Deirdre’s servants would have handed her the goblets to drink. Now, it was Toby in his awkward and clumsy way.
Deirdre drained each goblet, and as the last drop of the last goblet hit her lips, she threw her arms wide as the wind began to howl and swirl. As the new magic mixed with hers she threw back her head, her long white hair lifting above and around her.
The power that filled her wasn’t as great as she had once experienced, but it was still magic.
When the wind died, Deirdre faced Toby. “Get rid of the body and clean up.”
“Aye, mistress.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Danielle had never slept so well as she did in Ian’s arms. The only thing that could have been better was if he’d still been in her bed when she woke that morning.
The slow, sensuous smile he gave her when she descended the stairs into the great hall made her stomach flip before falling to her feet.
“I hope you slept well,” Marcail said as she walked past Danielle.
“I did,” Danielle responded.
Marcail winked and said, “I’m glad you asked for the spell yesterday. I had a feeling you would need it soon.”
Danielle licked her lips to try and hide her grin. “Is it so obvious I was with Ian?”
“Aye, but I think it’s fabulous. The spell will keep you from getting with child.”
“And if I conceived before?”
Marcail frowned. “The babe will not last.”
Danielle bit her lip, wondering if she’d done the right thing. Yet, she had just had her menstrual cycle a few days before meeting Ian, so she should be safe. She looked around the hall and saw a few people were missing. “Where is Kirstin?”
The Druid had been silent and withdrawn ever since she had arrived with Ramsey just moments after Danielle and Ian.
“Still in her chamber,” Reaghan answered on her way to the kitchen.
Danielle started to follow her until she spotted Saffron sitting at the table. Danielle recalled the previous night and Saffron’s nightmare. She wondered if Saffron remembered it as well, or if she knew of the Warrior who had gone to soothe her.
“She won’t talk much,” Cara whispered as she came to stand by Danielle. “We know she suffered at Declan’s hands, but she won’t talk about it.”
“Sometimes it’s easier to try to forget than to talk about it.”
Cara shrugged. “We want to help her, but she won’t let us.”
“She’s scared.”
“She has every reason to be based on what I’ve been told about Declan.”
Danielle rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “First Deirdre, now Declan. Will there be more?”
Cara sighed. “Most likely.”
“Has there been any word on Saffron’s family? Ian told me she wanted to go home and that her family was trying to be located.”
Cara’s lips flattened as she looked away. “Gwynn got news this morning about it.”
“I take that to mean it isn’t good news.”
“Nay,” Cara murmured and walked away.
Danielle took a deep breath and walked to Saffron. She was steps away when Saffron’s head turned toward her.
“Hello, Danielle.”
Danielle paused.
Saffron smiled. “My apologies. When the eyesight is taken, other senses become more alert. You have a distinct cadence to your walk.”
“Ah,” Danielle said, unsure of what to say.
Saffron’s head cocked to the side. “I heard it yesterday, and then again today. Your accent, it’s a mix, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I spent the first twelve years of my life in Florida.”
Saffron smiled and motioned to the spot beside her on the bench. “Please, sit. Tell me more.”
“There’s not much to tell. My father was Scottish and my mother American. He came to the U.S. for work, and fell in love.”
“How did you end up back in Scotland?”
“My parents died in a car accident. The only family left was my father’s sisters, so they took me in.”
Saffron’s hand reached for her, and after a moment of searching, she rested her hand atop Danielle’s. “I’m sorry.”
“I am too.”
“Do you miss Florida?”
“A little. Where are you from?”
“Colorado Springs,” Saffron said with a bright smile. “I’ve always loved it there. Gwynn is from Texas.”
Danielle chuckled. “I know. I could peg that accent of hers anywhere.”
They shared a quick laugh. Danielle noticed how everyone in the hall, especially Camdyn, looked at Saffron.
Saffron ducked her head and ran her finger up the leg of her faded blue jeans. “My mother hated it when I wore jeans. She said they were for the lower class.”
“What do you think about them?”
“At first I wore them to piss her off. Now I wear them because I think they’re comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I still love wearing dresses and heels, but there’s just something so…”
“Comforting?” Danielle offered.
“Yes,” Saffron said with another smile. “There is definitely something comforting about jeans. Tell me, what is your magic?”
Danielle glanced around, but found only Ian watching her. She scooted closer to Saffron since she remembered how well the Warriors could hear. “Objects find me and let me know who they belong to.”
“Objects? Like rings and such?”
“Anything really. I’ve found money before and it told me who it belonged to.”
“What if you don’t want to bring the item to its owner?”
Danielle blew out a breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not given a choice. If I refuse or hesitate, an unbearable pain assaults me.”
“What brought you to the castle?”
It wasn’t that Danielle didn’t want to tell her, it’s that the key had asked her not to speak of it yet.
“Never mind,” Saffron said. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Does your magic work the other way?” Isla asked.
Danielle jerked as she turned to find Isla beside her. “You heard?”
“Aye,” Isla said with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped.”
“It’s all right,” Danielle told her.
“But can it work the other way?” Isla asked again. “Can you search for something?”
Danielle soon found the entire hall looking at her. Her gaze met Ian’s, and he gave a small nod of encouragement. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried it,” she finally answered.
“What do you want her to do?” Hayden asked Isla.
Isla licked her lips. “I thought maybe Danielle could discover the spell Declan used to take Saffron’s sight since we’ve had no luck reversing it.”
Danielle felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. She wanted to help Saffron, but what they were asking seemed impossible. She’d never tried anything like it before.
“Please,” Saffron said. “Just one try.”
Danielle swallowed and took Saffron’s hands in hers. “I don’t think this will work, but I’ll try.”
All conversation ceased when Danielle too
k a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had no idea where to begin. She hadn’t pushed her magic away, but neither had she worked at it much.
“Let your magic surround you,” Isla said. “Feel it beating inside you.”
Almost as if it had been waiting for her, Danielle’s magic swelled inside her. She let it fill her, soaking up every fiber of it into her being.
“Listen for the chanting,” Reaghan whispered in her ear.
Danielle was too busy floating along with her magic to care about chanting. She’d never heard chanting before, so why would she now?
It was as if time ceased as her magic continued to grow. It was all around her, through her, in her. And then, distantly, she heard something.
She strained, begging her magic to let her hear it. And then … chanting.
Danielle smiled when she heard it. It was so faint she couldn’t hear the words, but she knew what it was. She wanted to draw closer to it, to learn what they were saying.
“Now search Saffron for the spell,” Isla urged. “Forget the chanting for now. Look for the spell Declan used.”
Danielle didn’t want to leave the chanting, but Isla’s insistent voice wouldn’t let her be until she did. Danielle thought of Saffron, of sweet, quiet, forlorn Saffron.
Suddenly, Danielle’s hands began to warm. Long, slim fingers tightened around her hands.
Saffron. I have had a hold of Saffron.
Danielle had only used very basic spells, and had just learned bigger ones when Aunt Josie had died. How was she supposed to know what spell Declan had used?
Despite not having a clue what to look for, Danielle continued to let her magic peer around Saffron, seeking, searching.
When she came to something that felt wrong, her magic recoiled. Danielle leaned forward, seeking it once more. And when the full cloud of evil assaulted her, she released Saffron and fell off the bench in her effort to get away.
“Danielle?” Ian whispered as his arms came around her.
She clung to him and opened her eyes to look at Saffron.
Saffron slowly stood. When she reached to steady herself on the table, Danielle saw how her hand shook.
“You felt it, didn’t you?” Saffron asked.
Danielle didn’t have to ask what Saffron meant. “I did.”
