When Chloe looked at him curiously, Tiernan elaborated.
“As MacLomains and Brouns have come together over the generations, we’ve learned more about what started everything so long ago,” he explained. “What happened to the Celtic King, Erc, his Druidess, Chiomara, and their offspring. At the root of it, or so we always thought, were two Celtic gods. Fionn Mac Cumhail, a mythical, legendary Irish warrior-hunter who led the Fianna and the lass he fell in love with, Brigit, Goddess of Divination.”
“In fact, ‘twas Fionn Mac Cumhail, who possessed the first three Claddagh rings.” Tiernan took a sip of whisky before continuing. “He ensured they found the first three couples, one of them being my great-great grandparents, Iain and Arianna. As the generations wore on, some couples even traveled back to ancient Ireland, to Chiomara and Erc’s time.” He shrugged a shoulder. “We thought that part of our clan’s history was said and done, though. We assumed we knew everything there was to know.”
“Yet it seems not,” Aidan said, surprised it went back further. Shocked things had happened even Grant and Adlin didn’t know about. For that matter, if Julie was correct, possibly even Fionn and Brigit. “One has to wonder how Julie's Guardian Witch ancestors and Goddess Étaín were able to do anything magical to that Stonehenge without the other gods knowing.” He tilted his head in question. “Yet, this dark brotherhood knew?”
“Like I said, I’m not sure Fionn and Brigit knew,” Julie reminded. “There's always a possibility they did, but my gut says they didn’t.” Her magic sparked. “I sense it was...private. My ancestors and Étaín had enough power to keep it from other gods.” She paused, letting her magic speak to her. “I think they might’ve had some sort of foresight or premonition about the MacLomains. All the good they would do.” She nodded once, convinced she was right. “They wanted to make sure nothing disrupted that.”
“Interesting,” Chloe murmured. “So how long before the king and Druidess came together, did your ancestors and Étaín do their mysterious thing at the stones?” She glanced at Aidan, recalling what he’d said about the Stonehenge. “And why are there fewer stones in everyone’s ‘Irish Stonehenge’ dreams than there were when Adlin was conceived?”
“I haven’t figured that part out yet,” Julie replied. “All I know is whatever ritual my ancestors performed, whatever they did to that area, was done to the number of stones we saw in our dreams. After that, the magic that had been infused in them soaked up certain ‘energies’ for lack of a better explanation.” She looked between Aidan and Chloe. “So when you first met there, what sparked between you was special enough that the stone, your stone, took notice. It soaked up what it needed to contribute to the eventual magic used to create Adlin.”
“Whoa,” Chloe whispered. “That’s pretty intense.”
“It certainly is,” Julie agreed. “And I don’t think it happened to just you and Aidan but other couples too...one way or another.”
“You think it happened to my cousins and your friends in a previous life.” Aidan eyed Julie curiously. “And what do you mean by, ‘one way or another?’”
“I mean, it might not have been as simple as them sitting down beside a particular stone like you guys did,” she said. “I do think you two were the first, though.”
“What makes you say that?” Chloe asked.
“I don’t know.” Julie shook her head. “Just a feeling.” She sipped her whisky. “I think Tiernan and I got things rolling because we were connected to the Stonehenge. Me because of my Guardian Witch ancestors and Tiernan because he’s a MacLomain. Throw Fionn, Brigit, and Étaín into the mix plus whatever the couples involved in this contributed, and we’ve got a fighting chance.” Her eyes met Tiernan’s. “It’s all going to help us defeat the Disinherited and figure out what’s going on with magic in Scotland.”
“It’s a lot to swallow, but something about it feels...right,” Chloe said softly. “Every little bit counts.” Her gaze flickered to Aidan as she thought aloud. Something he realized she often did when writing. “From the moment I sat beside you when I was a faery, not only could I truly ‘see’ how handsome you were on the inside but was drawn to your capacity for love. Your fierce devotion.” She nodded, convinced. “Attributes I’d bet made their way into every last MacLomain male.”
“No doubt they did,” Julie agreed, her eyes different. Her Guardian Witch magic ignited. “Hence the fierce devotion of MacLomains and their unquestionably strong capacity for love.”
“So you’re saying what happened at the Irish Stonehenge during the years betwixt your ancestors’ ritual and Adlin’s creation contributed to who we MacLomains are as individuals?” Aidan said, astounded.
“Yes.” Julie nodded. “And it wasn’t just random. I think whatever my ancestors and Étaín did to the stones drew those who possessed what was necessary. Those whose attributes would ensure that history or should I say the future, went as it should.” Her eyes widened. “I mean, just look at those with MacLomain blood. Your magic and courage. Your selflessness and sacrifices. From what I can tell, just about every MacLomain male who came together with a Broun over the years has been pretty damn amazing.”
“As has been their counterpart, whether Broun or not,” Tiernan murmured, squeezing Julie’s hand. It was clear by the way his cousin eyed her, this conversation would be coming to a close soon. He was happy for them, having hoped for years the two might find some way to come together despite Julie’s lack of Broun lineage.
“Then there’s the whole immortality thing Adlin said Aidan and I were responsible for.” Chloe thought about that. “How could we have been, though, when I’m positive I didn’t give up being a faery the first time we met?”
“It wouldn’t have mattered.” Though she spoke to her friend, Julie’s gaze lingered on Tiernan with the same building desire. “Once that stone connected with you and Aidan, Chloe, it would have taken whatever it sought from every lifetime.”
“How is that possible when we hadn’t even lived them yet?”
“Because of the magic my ancestors used,” Julie reminded. “Their ability to make time fold in on itself. Something Tiernan and I discovered when I almost died. A single moment can happen across time. In two places at once. With that in mind, your stone could have taken an attribute that hadn’t happened yet.”
“So when I gave up my immortality as a faery for love, the stone reached across time and soaked it up?” Chloe's surprised eyes met his. “Hence true love being the trigger for Adlin and Iosbail eventually losing their immortality?”
He nodded, just as shocked as her. “So it seems.”
As expected, the conversation ended soon after that, with Tiernan and Julie claiming they were tired when they were obviously anything but.
“So, are we leaving in the morning?” Chloe asked, intermittently glancing at the single bed after they returned to their room. They sat at the table, finishing their whisky. Her cheeks were rosy, and her demeanor more loosened up than usual, so he knew the alcohol was having an effect.
“Aye, we’ll leave in the morn,” he replied. “’Tis likely we’ll travel toward the front of the retinue this time, allowing us to keep a closer eye on wee David.”
“Not to mention, allowing the earl to keep a closer eye on you and your cousins,” she added, perceptive. “After all, he doesn’t want to lose his newfound prized warriors.”
“Nay.” He downed the rest of his whisky, seeing the pros and cons of such. “Whilst ‘tis good we’ll be in a position to better protect David, that only stands until the battling begins, and we’re ordered to the front.”
That is if history did not go as foretold. Because as it were, the ‘front’ of the upcoming battle wasn’t so well defined.
Chloe shivered, her serene expression suddenly troubled, and he knew why. He felt the same ever-growing anxiety about her well-being too.
“’Twill be all right, lass,” he assured, pulling off a boot, ready to lie down. He might be aroused to no end and no
t tired, but they would be up early and needed rest. “Dinnae doubt that.” He met her eyes and pulled off the other boot. “My battle skills have returned, and I have no intention of dying.”
Not now that I have found you.
“You better not,” she said softly, removing her boots as well.
Her hair had dried into big, soft shimmering curls, and her eyes brimmed with lustful curiosity as she wondered what to expect next. Would they put the single bed to good use? Would they pick up where they'd left off last night? He didn't blame her for wondering either. They might have found untouchable fulfillment in each other's arms, but it had only been the start of what he knew they would ultimately discover.
“We should get some rest,” he said, determined not to give into his desire again so soon. He would give her the courting period she deserved. “’Twill be a long day of traveling on the morrow.”
Though he’d thought of little else since, neither had mentioned the revealing thoughts she’d had earlier when he was battling. How she wanted to return to his castle and meet his kin. Learn about his clan.
Become his wife.
While it was safe to say he loved battling, he had never been so happy mid-fight then when he’d caught that thought. His heart had soared in a way it never had with Maeve.
That’s when he knew for certain what he shared with Chloe was very much one of a kind. These feelings were exciting and new yet familiar. Lasting. They wouldn't fade but grow and expand, becoming a connection he’d wonder how he ever lived without.
Truth be told, he already felt that way.
“I do too,” she said softly, still not commenting on marriage but most certainly clarifying something else when she stood and held out her hand. “As to this ‘courting period,’ you’re determined to give me?” Her gaze was quite serious. “I think you should know something about that.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I THINK WE both know that sleeping together is part of the dating process when it comes to MacLomains and Brouns,” she stated bluntly. Despite how unendingly flustered and shy Aidan could make her, she kept her hand held out to him. “And honestly, I’m all for that.”
“Are you sure ‘tis not the drink talking, lass?” he murmured.
While some might be put off by that, she knew he only had her best interests at heart.
“I'm sure.” She’d admit to having a little glow but was by no means drunk. “I’ve wanted this...pretty much since it last ended.”
She had never said anything truer. From the moment she opened her eyes that morning, she'd wanted him back in her arms. Between her thighs.
His gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he took her hand and stood, reminding her just how tall he was. How broad his shoulders were. How powerful all the way around. Yet despite all that, and blossoming magic aside, he had a way of making her feel just as strong. Just as powerful.
“Unless,” she continued, flirting. “You would prefer this ‘courting period’ you’re determined to give me.” She ran her finger down the front of his tunic, tempted to go lower, and run it over his obvious erection. “If that’s the case then—”
That’s all she got out before he yanked her against him, and his lips were on hers.
Just like before, his kiss made the world vanish, simply cease to exist. He spent time exploring the recesses of her mouth, his tongue dancing with hers in a way that had her moaning. By the time he pulled away, she swore she’d melt through the floorboards.
So slowly it was pure torture, he undressed her not just with his eyes but with fingers that grazed her flesh here and there. Light, teasing touches that sent shivers of awareness coursing through her.
“I’ve longed to do this since the moment I laid eyes on you,” he murmured, guilt no longer in his gaze where it might have been days before. He lowered her dress until it pooled at her feet. “I wanted to see your eyes when I did. Would they grow larger? More curious? Sparkle?”
“And what are they doing?” she managed on a hoarse whisper.
“Waiting,” he murmured, moving around her slowly, touching her gently, the warmth of his hand burning through her shift.
He pulled her hair aside from behind and whispered in her ear, “Wondering what I will do next.” He lowered her shift until it too hit the floor, exposing her body to the cool air. Exposing her breasts and pebbled nipples to his hungry gaze. “Hoping I would do that.” She heard the sound of clothing being removed. “Then, this.”
She groaned with pleasure, her every nerve ending alive when he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his bare chest. His sheer strength and hot, unrelenting flesh against her vulnerable curves combined with the feel of his forged-in-steel arousal nearly made her come undone. She went to turn and touch him, but he tightened his hold and held her in place, of the mind to touch her first.
He grazed the side of her sensitive breast so gently her eyes slid shut in bliss. He touched one breast then the other, fondling and squeezing just enough before tweaking her nipple. Her legs quivered, and standing became more difficult.
“Aidan,” she moaned, lost in how he made her feel. The raw lust he invoked. Her heart pounded. She couldn’t catch her breath.
“Aye, lass?” he breathed against the side of her neck.
“I need...we need...you need...” What was she trying to say? She would have laughed at herself, but that would mean catching her breath first.
“I do need,” he murmured against her vulnerable flesh, trailing kisses down the side of her neck. “If we are to make this part of our courting process, then I intend to get to know ye this way as thoroughly as any other.” He finally turned her, his eyes full of desire and promise. Cupping the side of her neck, he massaged her already liquefied muscles. “I want to know what ye like and where ye like it.”
While there were a few hot zones, she had a feeling he was about to show her so many more.
He swept her up and carried her to the bed. “This time ‘twill not be quick, but as it should have been before.”
It seemed getting rest for a long day on ‘the morrow’ was no longer a priority, and she was just fine with that. She would sleep on the horse. Or never sleep again if it meant spending more time with him. Like this. Or talking. Laughing. Anything at all.
Then again, once he removed the remainder of his clothing and she feasted her eyes on the whole package, she decided like this mostly would be best. When he began exploring her body, without a doubt a man on a mission, she decided positively this as much as humanly possible.
Forget him finding just ‘so many more’ hot zones; she swore he found hundreds as he navigated his way centimeter by centimeter from her neck down to her feet. He touched and fondled, stroked and licked, sending one delicious thrill after another through her. Some even invoked so much sensation it led to climax.
By the time his mouth found her center, her flesh was so swollen and sensitive, that just him breathing on it made her orgasm again. Taking full advantage, he set to enjoying himself and kept her pleasure going. It became so intense at one point that she leaned forward, fighting it, but he pressed her back down, merciless with his tongue and lips. So she gripped the blanket underneath and held on for dear life until he brought her so high, she lost sense of everything.
When she finally floated down, and awareness seeped in, she found him dropping small kisses along her hipbones and belly. All the while, he watched her with such heartfelt affection and desire, her breath caught.
He didn’t need to say he loved her.
It was more than clear in his tender, awe-struck gaze.
“Aidan,” she whispered, pleaded, urging him to come to her. Cover her. Be in her.
A blink later, he was there, giving her what she needed as he pressed her thighs apart. When he kissed her this time, it was so full of passion and love that a myriad of emotions bubbled up, and her eyes grew damp.
She had never felt so desired by a man.
Craved by
someone who only wanted the very best for her.
When he pressed deep this time, she didn’t have the sensation of being a virgin but overwhelming relief that this was happening. That she’d decided to do this if only to have one lifetime together. Understanding these emotions were connected to a previous life, she paid little attention.
When they began moving, she forgot them entirely.
Blown away by how he made her feel, she wrapped her legs around him and met his every thrust. Sweat slicked their skin as sensations ebbed and flowed in time with his sometimes hard, sometimes slow thrusts. He teased her sensitive flesh, drawing it out, keeping her on the edge. Occasionally, he even slowed down to a crawl and kissed her deeply, pulling her further into a world beyond this plane. One made of sensuality and eroticism mixed with loving emotions and heart-wrenching romance.
Eventually, however, having brought himself to the edge as well, his thrusts intensified, and their lovemaking grew desperate. They raced toward release. When it came, it hit them so hard that her sobs of pleasure met his roar of release, and they both trembled.
After that, she drifted on a high more intense than the last, only vaguely aware of Aidan wrapping her in his arms.
Sleep overtook her, and she only dreamt of him.
One after the other, moments from her previous life came and went.
Sometimes she flitted around, aimless and lonely, waiting for him to be reborn so she could start all over with him. Sometimes, she sat beside him, chatting away, having known him for years. It was in one of those flashes that she realized she changed size. Tiny when amongst her own kind, then human size when she so chose.
His lifetimes came and went, their connection only growing with time. He was never much to look at physically, but so very handsome on the inside. She remembered him as a boy, a teenager, a man in his prime, then elderly. And every time, though he loved a lass or two fiercely, his love was never returned.
“’Tis all right, lass,” he said softly. “’Tis not meant to be. She doesnae love me as I love her.”
A Scot's Devotion (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era, #2) Page 16
