Devin tried to hide his smile. “I know who’s going to be the talk of the pub tonight, anyway.” He stopped suddenly, swearing under his breath. “I forgot to get something for my face, after all that.” He shook his head and kept walking. There was no way he was retracing his steps. He’d rather go another round with the hawk than go back to Fiona’s.
Keeping pace alongside Devin, Fintan looked at him, his expression cautious. “I have something at my place that will soothe the inflammation.”
Devin froze again. He stood for a minute, considering Fintan’s offer. One soft look from the man beside him was already making him conveniently forget the lecture he’d given himself—Avoiding Trouble 101.
“Let’s start with coffee,” he said gruffly.
Making their way down the main street, Devin noticed Fintan was around his height, about five-ten. They walked comfortably side by side, stealing glances at each other. A group of teenagers on their lunch break passed by, muttering greetings at Devin and openly staring at both of them.
Fintan broke the silence. “The people in this village seem to spend a great deal of time observing you.”
“Right now, it’s probably because I look like an extra from a slasher film. And usually, it’s because I’m the boy with the tragic past,” he said with a rueful grin. “There’s one in every town. I’m not that special.”
“Perhaps you arouse their curiosity,” Fintan said. “I know that Airech and I find you quite… unfathomable.”
“I find you quite puzzling, myself. If you and Airech are platonic friends, who’s the lube for?”
Fintan gave him another smile, a sweet and sexy one this time, so sexy Devin felt a shiver ripple along his spine and shoot straight for his cock.
“Airech is much more familiar with this town than I am. I think he knew exactly what he was doing, asking me to make that particular purchase.” Fintan gave a wry laugh, and Devin wasn’t surprised to find it was as gentle as his smile.
Devin grinned. “Going by my first impression of Airech, that sounds about right.”
“He told me this village was very progressive, compared to the past.”
“He’s right. It’s like a different country now.” Devin shrugged. “We’re lucky we weren’t here thirty years ago. Basically my whole life would have been a criminal offence.”
Fintan’s laid a hand on Devin’s arm, halting their progress. He regarded him seriously, his eyes wary.
“What if I told you I was here before? Only far longer than forty years ago.”
Devin gave a half-hearted laugh, his insides tightening. “Sure you were, grandad.”
“I’m serious, Devin. I’m older than I appear.”
With another shaky chuckle, Devin looked hard at Fintan, waiting anxiously for him to join in. That would make the whole thing a joke, part of Fintan’s quirky manner. But his earnest expression didn’t alter.
“How much older?”
“Look around,” Fintan said quietly. “I’m older than everything you see before you. Everything except the stones of the hills and the ground under your feet. I’m from a very long time ago.”
As impossible as it sounded, Devin could sense how alien it was for Fintan to be insincere. And sarcasm didn’t seem to be something he was familiar with, let alone have as his default setting like Devin.
They stood in silence for a few moments while Fintan studied an artistic display of Tayto crisps in a shop window and Devin wrestled with his frantic thoughts, his mind cartwheeling.
Finally, Fintan spoke again. “I know this must be difficult for you. Allow me to make it easier. I believe you’re trying to ask yourself the wrong questions. You want to know what’s the matter with me, that I would say such a thing. And what’s the matter with you, for not running from me. There’s but one question you need to concern yourself with. The only one that matters. And that’s why. Why, of all people, did I seek you out to tell you such an unlikely tale? Why am I here at all?”
Facing him, Devin took a shivery breath.
“Okay, I’ll play along. Why?”
“Because someone asked me to come. Not only me. Airech and another also. Someone called us here.”
Devin’s chest tightened, dark patches dappling his vision like splattered ink. “Who?”
“You already know the answer, Devin. You were there when it happened.”
Crouching on the ground, Devin put his head in his hands, a swollen river of blood roaring in his ears. He felt a soothing touch as Fintan put a gentle hand on his head. Warm comfort melted through him, steadying him. Stubbornly, he fought it, ripping himself out from under Fintan’s caress.
“Don’t touch me!”
“Please accept my apologies,” Fintan said, stepping away from him. “I didn’t realise you found my touch so upsetting. I won’t do it again, I promise.”
“I don’t hate it.” Devin looked up, his eyes unfocused, and gave a grudging smile. “I like it too much. That’s the problem. I can’t think straight when you’re so close to me. How do you do that?”
“What if I help you up, and then retreat? Would that be acceptable?”
Devin took Fintan’s proffered hand and shakily got to his feet. He felt insubstantial, not quite tethered to the ground. But at least the pavement wasn’t pitching like the deck of a fishing trawler anymore. He tried getting his breathing under control, focusing on the damp concrete. Realising he was still clutching Fintan, he hurriedly let go.
The town would have plenty of gossip fuel to burn through now, especially on top of Fintan’s visit to the pharmacy. It had only been a few years since he was one of the hot topics of conversation, and he really didn’t want a return of those days. He might be openly gay, but everything else he liked to keep to himself. He’d had enough of being other people’s business.
“I came here to find you. Will you come with me?” Fintan’s voice broke through his thoughts. “I know it may seem unwise. But we aren’t certain how you were able to call us, or why, and it would be helpful if we could attempt to find out together. I promise to explain everything. If I fail to convince you, I won’t trouble you again. And I do have healing ointment for your injuries, so you won’t scar.”
Devin searched Fintan’s face, disarmed by its naked sincerity. Whoever he was, whatever he was, he radiated decency and kindness. His grasp on reality was definitely precarious, and walking away from him was obviously the most sensible course of action. But Devin’s life had been shaped by one bizarre mystery after another. If this was one he might be able to solve, didn’t he owe it to himself to try?
“What is it to be, Devin? Are you brave enough to embrace the unknown and come with me?”
“Are you daring me to?” Devin surprised himself with an impulsive smile.
“I’m asking you. Of course,” Fintan said with a sudden answering grin, “you may need to be a certain type of daring individual to accept the invitation.”
“My friend thinks I’m a certain type of stupid individual.”
Fintan chuckled. “I believe they are not dissimilar.”
“Anyway, someone has to teach you the difference between otters and bears,” Devin said. “You’ve got a whole vocabulary to catch up on.”
Chapter 11
Fintan
“Before we can go any further, you have to remove your clothing.” Fintan stopped by a wide pool of emerald water nestled in a rocky outcrop. Large slabs of chalky limestone surrounded them, stretching all the way to the horizon.
Devin gave him a curious look. “I’m hearing things. I thought you just told me to get my gear off.”
“That’s correct.” Fintan reached behind a nearby rock and took out a plastic drum with a screw lid, a rope tied to its top. “And place them in this barrel. It’s waterproof.”
“Waterproof?”
“Impervious,” Fintan explained helpfully, “Impermeable—”
“I know what it means. What I don’t understand is why going to your place involves getti
ng naked and wet.”
Fintan thanked the stars Airech wasn’t with them to make some inappropriate and suggestive remark.
“There’s an underwater entrance in this pool. It’s not very far down and we have it well lit. I’ll guide you.” He lowered his bags into the container and pushed it towards Devin.
“That could be a problem. I don’t swim. Ever.”
“It’s not exactly swimming,” Fintan reassured him. “You’ll only be completely submerged for ten seconds or so before you surface in the tunnel. Then there’s one more passage to negotiate. It’s quite a tight squeeze, but it’s relatively dry.”
“Sounds unpleasant.” Devin tilted his head, giving Fintan a knowing look.
A few millennia ago, Fintan might have blushed. But he hadn’t felt the blood rush to his face in over two thousand years. When you were as old as Noah, nothing could embarrass you anymore.
Devin quickly undressed, bundling his clothes and shoes into the barrel, along with his phone and wallet. Fintan fixed his gaze on a standing stone some distance away so he wouldn’t be tempted to stare. Devin’s mere presence sent his body and his mind into heady raptures of excitement, not to mention all sorts of erotic fantasies. And that was when he was fully clothed. Fintan couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen to him if he saw what was underneath the bulky jumper and baggy jeans.
“What about your clothes? Don’t they need to go in here?”
Fintan looked back, keeping his eyes purposefully on Devin’s left ear. As ears went, it was an extremely attractive one. A vision of him tracing his tongue down it and pulling Devin’s ear lobe slowly into his mouth rendered him temporarily speechless. He gave a hesitant cough.
“I’m already naked,” he said finally. “I have been from the moment we met. This clothing you see me wearing is a trick of the mind.”
“O…kay.” Devin bent to twist the lid of the container closed before straightening to face him.
“Your mind, or my mind?” Devin wondered.
“My mind is creating it, your mind is agreeing to participate in the delusion. The human mind has certain expectations. I merely fulfil them.”
Devin moved closer and placed his hand on the front of Fintan’s t-shirt.
“I don’t believe you. It feels real. As real as you.”
Fintan muttered a few strange-sounding words. His clothes evaporated, and Devin was standing there with his fingers spread on Fintan’s naked stomach. He felt the chill of Devin’s hand as it soaked in the warmth of his smooth amber skin.
“Now I believe you. So, are you real?”
“You mean, am I going to disappear? No. Not until I discover why you called me in the first place.”
“That’s good to know. Because people in my life tend to make a habit of it. Disappearing, I mean.”
Devin began moving his hand, tracing a spiral with his index finger in ever-widening circles. It roamed down one side of Fintan’s hips, grazing the hair under his navel, up the other hip and back to his stomach. Circling the muscles of his chest, it edged closer to his nipples with each sweep.
His breath catching, Fintan melted under the man’s gentle touch. He reached out a trembling hand towards Devin, only to have him push it away.
“You promised me you wouldn’t.”
“It seems unfair, that you can touch me when I can’t touch you.”
“It’s different. I don’t have some weird ju-ju magic spell to enchant you.”
Fintan’s laugh was shaky. “Oh, believe me. You do.”
He shuddered as Devin rubbed the tip of his finger over each nipple delicately, taking his time. Sliding his hand, fingers spread, along Fintan’s stomach, Devin lightly brushed the god’s swelling cock. He took it gently in his hand as Fintan sighed.
“Your hand. Your touch. It feels like no other on my skin.”
With a shy grin, Devin ran his fingers up the underside as Fintan’s knees turned to water.
“You’ve discovered one of my professional secrets. When you play the fiddle as much as I do, it does something to the skin of your fingers. If it gets to feel like that, you know you’re doing it right.”
“You’re certainly doing it right,” Fintan breathed. “But we must stop. I fear you’ll perish from the cold before we discover why we’re so drawn to each other.”
“That’s true. I am freezing my arse off here.” Devin shivered. “Don’t look. This cold doesn’t do me any justice.”
Fintan ignored him, his earlier resolve scattering as he soaked Devin in. His body, like his face, was sprinkled with a light dappling of freckles. His nipples were dusky pink, circled by dark blond hair, the same shade dusting his chest and surrounding his cock. Graceful sloping shoulders led to muscular arms and strong fingers. But what Fintan found most endearing was the slight softness of his stomach. He imagined resting his head there, his worries gone, finally surrendering to a long, peaceful sleep. Devin caught him looking.
“Bren says I’m a dad bod waiting to happen.”
“I don’t know what that means, but your body looks exquisitely perfect to me.” Fintan gave a shy smile. “I must apologise in advance for any awkwardness on my part. I haven’t interacted with anyone in well over a millennium, and I’m terribly out of practice. Airech tried to instruct me, but I afraid I don’t have his abilities.”
“Be yourself,” Devin said. “It works for me.”
They broke apart, breathless. Fintan’s clothes materialised almost as quickly as they had disappeared.
“But, how? How are you—”
Fintan knew the explanations would have to wait. More than ever, he needed to find out who Devin was, and why he had summoned them. Before Fintan did anything foolhardy, like become completely besotted with him.
And you claim to be wise. Even a fool can see it’s already too late.
“If I was to give you the reasoning behind it, it would entail a complex discussion on the laws of physics and matter, and I am concerned that we don’t have the luxury of time—”
“You could leave it at, ‘It’s complicated’,” Devin suggested.
“Is that the appropriate phrase for this situation?”
“It’s appropriate for nearly every situation.”
“I’m still learning the linguistics of this era. It will take a few more weeks before my language doesn’t betray me as the anachronism I am. Very well. ‘It’s complicated’.”
Devin cocked an eyebrow and gave a small smile. “I think I need to see that again. Maybe a few more times.”
Fintan smiled awkwardly. “Later, I promise. We have to get you out of the cold. Unlike me, you aren’t accustomed to being permanently naked.”
“One more question. Do you all do it? Are you all wearing nothing?”
“Airech doesn’t use this particular enchantment. That’s one of the reasons this barrel is here, for him. He’s spent a great deal of time here in your world, and he enjoys the novelty of wearing your clothing.”
“But not shirts,” Devin pointed out.
“True. With the exception of shirts.” Fintan’s quiet laugh echoed over the surrounding stone. “Speaking of Airech, he’s waiting for us. It’s time to go.”
He watched something unreadable come over Devin’s face, clouding it.
“I have to be back by tomorrow. You’re not going to make me disappear, are you?”
Fintan reached out his hand and felt a charge corkscrew through him as Devin clasped it.
“Don’t feel you have to trust me, Devin. Instead, trust your own instincts. Trust yourself. In any case, you can’t change your mind now. I’ve seen you naked.”
He tried calming Devin with his sweet smile, and Devin responded with his uncertain one. Swinging the rope of the barrel over his shoulder, he led Devin to the edge of the pool. “Are you ready? Take a deep breath. And jump.”
Keeping a tight hold on Devin’s hand, Fintan felt him make the leap by his side, into the water.
Chapter 12
&
nbsp; Devin
Devin craned his head back to gape at the impossibly high ceiling of the underground cavern. Above him, thousands of winking lights illuminated the chamber, bathing him in a silvery glow and making sparkles dance on his upturned face.
“That’s an enchantment from the time of the Tuatha Dé,” Fintan said. “After being conquered, they were banished underground. But living so deep in the earth, they yearned for the night sky.”
“It’s even more beautiful than the real thing.”
“Perhaps. But it’s still not the sky.”
Stalagmites and stalactites clustered around the edges of the cavern. Devin could never remember which was which. If Bren was there, he would no doubt tell him. And probably launch into a long-winded explanation about their formation.
The rest of the cavern floor was worn smooth and the large open space was simply decorated, with a central fire pit created from huge slabs of pale stone. Wooden benches strewn with silvery-white furs were pulled up around it.
His eyes were drawn to an alcove, where sumptuous thick furs off all sizes and colours were layered on top of a low wooden platform. He knelt and ran his hand over their luxuriant softness.
“Those belong to the Fianna,” Fintan said. “They were the last ones to use this cave for shelter.”
“I’ve heard of them. They were warriors, weren’t they?”
“It wasn’t quite as glamorous of that.” Walking to the fire pit, Fintan held his hand over it. With a murmur, he coaxed a blue flame to shoot up under his splayed fingers as Devin watched on, fascinated. “They were boys exiled from their tuatha, their homelands, until they reached maturity,” Fintan continued. “They formed bands and survived by hunting and foraging. As you can see, they did a great deal of hunting.”
His expression was apologetic as he turned back to Devin. “I’m afraid this is very spartan. They were a wild crowd. Definitely lacking in refinement.”
Devin smiled warmly at him. “I like it. It reminds me of our place. I think the Fianna life would have suited me. Mine hasn’t been all that different.”
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