“I know that ‘tis not yer bairn but mine. ‘Tis more than enough for me to have the final word right now.” Her eyes narrowed further. “Is it not?”
“Aye, mayhap—”
“Och, nay mayhap!” Torra bit back. “Ye’ve no concept of what I’m going through.”
Erin was done with this. Completely over it. So she squeezed Jackie’s hand and met her eyes while Grant and Torra argued. “I’ve got to go make sure Rònan’s okay. Wanna come?”
“No.” Jackie’s voice was soft and understanding. “I see what’s happening between you two. Go find him.”
“There’s nothing happening between us,” Erin said. But she knew there was. Something that had just become far more readily available when he denied it had been Jackie he swore an oath to.
The corner of Jackie’s lip hitched up. “It’s okay if there is.” Her eyes searched Erin’s and the strange, peaceful bond they’d always shared calmed her frayed nerves. “Rest assured, I never met him before today.”
Erin considered Jackie for a moment. Her friend was telling the truth. So she leaned over and kissed her cheek, whispering, “If you need me, you know where I am.”
Jackie’s eyes met hers. “Go.”
Erin nodded before she strode out, throwing over her shoulder, “I’m going to check on Rònan.”
Grant and Torra were still busy arguing and the Viking King and Megan simply watched her silently as she left. The only ones who seemed opposed to her destination were her Viking posse. Bjorn and Tait fell in beside her as she trudged through the snow.
“I do not think this is wise, woman,” Bjorn said.
“I agree,” Tait answered.
“Why?” She stopped and eyed them. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“Nay.” Bjorn shook his head, disgruntled. “Just that something feels off about all this.”
“Of course, it does. This whole situation is a genuine clusterfuck.” Her eyes flew to Tait’s. “And you’re just jealous.”
“Yes,” he agreed then shook his head. “But there is more to it, Erin. Something…” He seemed to struggle with his words as he looked at Bjorn then her. “There is something very wrong.”
“Yeah.” She looked between them. “There’s a ton wrong with all of this.”
“And Rònan’s at the heart of it,” Bjorn warned.
“Part of it,” Tait said.
“Enough.” Erin flung her hands in the air and shook her head as she kept walking. “Rònan’s been screwed hard through all of this. While I don’t know where I stand with the guy, I’m not gonna leave him alone.”
Before she could enter her lodge, Bjorn grabbed her arm. “No, it is more than that. I sense trouble.”
Tait clustered her from the other side, distressed. “Unnatural trouble.” His hand fell on her shoulder. “You go no further, Erin.”
When she saw Grant and Torra exit Naðr’s building and head in her direction, she shook her head. “No, enough with this.” She shoved away and glared at her Viking posse. “If you’re determined to be my bodyguards then stop them not me.”
Before they could respond, she darted inside.
The fire was down to embers and Rònan was in bed.
“Rònan?” she said softly, not sure if she wanted to wake him or not.
He lay on his back unmoving. She sat beside him and kept her voice just above a whisper. “Rònan?”
Nothing. No response. As far as she could tell he was sleeping soundly. Deep down she knew that made no sense. He had only come in here a few minutes before her and was angry to boot.
Yet he slept soundly.
Just like he had for the past week.
Worry spiked and she touched his cheek as she had done so many times before. He felt cool to the touch. Far too cool.
“Rònan?” Her worry turned to outright fear. “Can you hear me? Wake up.”
Though his eyes remained closed, he murmured, “What are you doing here, lass?” He shook his head. “You shouldnae be here.”
“But I am.” Erin leaned closer. “Can you open your eyes?”
“They are open,” he whispered.
But they weren’t. Erin was about to tell him as much when he cupped her cheeks and brought her lips down to his. Though startled, it took half a second to melt against him. Just like that, they were back where they left off earlier.
Except this time Jackie wasn’t a factor.
But the truth was both had too easily forgotten there was a factor at all when they kissed earlier.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was losing herself to his touch. But as it had been before, it was impossible to pull away as their tongues tangled and the kiss deepened. Unlike before, she was aware of their every move as he pulled her until she straddled him. How his strong hands felt when they dug into her hair as the kiss grew more and more intense. As everything happening grew far more vivid.
An ache didn’t just grow but exploded between her thighs. Painful in its intensity, she would swear that she whimpered into his mouth. But then they were both groaning so it was hard to know. It felt like actual fire flickered over every inch of her skin when he grabbed her ass and ground his erection against her.
She had never been so aroused that her vision blurred.
She had never been so aroused that the flesh between her thighs felt this swollen.
Throbbing.
Drenched.
Clutching at his tunic, she ground against him, desperate to fill the hollow ache between her legs. This time, when he ripped her pants, she knew it was happening. This time, when he pulled his pants down just enough, she felt every long, hard inch of the aroused man pressed against her. Not stopping, desperate to take what she needed, she rolled her hips up until she had him where she wanted him then slowly sank.
Rònan inhaled sharply and his eyes flew open.
Dragon eyes.
When red shadowed her vision she knew her dragon was responding.
For a moment, he seemed confused by his surroundings but soon became as ensnared as she was by what was happening between them. Head dropped back, she groaned and bit her lower lip as she worked her way onto him. Due to their size differences, she was vaguely surprised she managed to take all of him.
But she did.
Every last inch.
Raw lust emanated from him as his lips fell open and he squeezed her backside, lifted her just enough then thrust upward. She cried out when her womb contracted in a mix of pain and pleasure. Their eyes held as they breathed harshly.
There would be nothing remotely romantic about this. Nothing that spoke of love.
No, this was all harsh need.
Overdue lust.
Pure unadulterated sex.
They might be fully clothed and wearing boots, but it didn’t slow them down any. Her skin was so overheated it felt like she was literally going up in flames as he bent his knees slightly and placed his feet on the bed. His large hands nearly wrapped around her entire waist as he lifted her again and started thrusting.
Not slow, easy thrusts but sharp, hard, determined ones.
Hands braced back on his steely thighs, she watched him from beneath half-mast lids as the feeling of fire and sweet pleasure wound its way through her. An indescribable feeling that crawled up her torso and down her legs. Around her neck, over her shoulders, and down her spine.
A spicy, heated scent rose between them.
A scent that called to her on a whole new level.
It was their combined scent made of both human and dragon arousal.
And it turned them into animals.
Rònan inhaled sharply again, growled then flipped her beneath him so quickly what little breath she had whooshed out of her. Then it was just a mad frenzy as he squeezed her wrists beside her head and thrust like a deranged madman. She wasn’t much better as she braced her feet and met him with equal vigor.
There was violence to the way they moved.
The way their eyes
locked and he held her down.
Their dragons warred against one another as they struggled to get closer, as the beast inside him tried to dominate. But she knew when she wrapped her legs around him and exerted more control, that he only had so much power over her…over himself. Whatever mutual understanding they found as their thrusts increased grew more desperate, culminated as their eyes held.
Now they both growled.
Challenged.
Competed.
And she liked it.
Loved it.
So much so that her body started to shake and tremble not only from the excitement of the moment but from the searing pleasure that wrapped around her. While it started as fiery tremors, it soon became a mini-bomb of climaxes that had her crying out before the mega explosion came and she outright roared.
Rònan’s growls grew more guttural moments before he locked her wrists over her head with one hand. Then a deep, ragged groan broke from his chest as he braced himself up with the other hand, thrust sharply and locked up against her.
Chest arched, her eyes rolled back in her head as his throbs heightened her ongoing orgasm and her body kept fluttering and jerking. Even her jaw trembled and teeth chattered as her muscles seemed to ricochet off her bones. She’d never felt anything like it…anything so all consuming.
It seemed like a long time before she drifted down. When she did, he was braced on his elbows with his head bent beside hers and his breathing still just as ragged. Then it took a while before the red cleared from her vision. When it did, it was replaced by leaden gray.
Confused, she blinked several times.
“What the hell?” she whispered as her eyes flickered over his shoulder to the barren landscape around them. “Where are we?”
Just as confused, at least for a moment, Rònan’s eyes met hers before he pulled away and frowned. “Bloody hell.” He shook his head, more and more upset as he helped her sit up. “You’re really here, aren’t you, lass?”
“That depends on where ‘here’ is.” She took in their surroundings, overly aware she had no weapons on her. “Doesn’t look too promising.”
Jagged mountains rose all around them, cut through by a dry riverbed. Trees were barren and spindly. Long grass was dead as it blew in an eerie sounding wind.
“Nay, ‘tis not promising in the least.” Rònan adjusted his pants, yanked off his tunic and ripped it in half. Then he tied either side of it around her waist, creating a skirt over her pants to hide the damage he’d done. He was so much larger than her the material nearly wrapped twice.
Chills went through her as she began to understand what she was looking at. “This is the Celtic Otherworld, isn’t it?”
“Aye. A place I cannae seem to break free of.” His upset eyes met hers. “I didnae,” he started then broke off as his frown deepened. “Och, lass.” He squeezed her shoulders, brogue thickening. “I shouldnae have taken ye like that. I knew something was wrong, that I’d somehow been brought here but then when ye came to me I was back in the lodge.” He shook his head. “Then I lost control.”
“Hey, sleeping together was a mutual decision so don’t beat yourself up over it.” She frowned at their surroundings. “I think we better worry less about us and more about how to get out of here.”
“You dinnae seem all that frightened,” he said softly.
“I am but I learned a long time ago how to control my fear.” Her eyes met his and she wondered how much she was ready to share about the week he’d been passed out. She supposed it might as well be everything. “The truth is while I haven’t actually been here before, I’ve seen this place.”
Rònan’s eyes searched hers and he seemed to understand. “Come.” He pulled her after him. “Though there isnae anywhere safe here, I’d feel better over there.”
Erin understood what he meant when he led her to a wide rock next to the base of a nearby mountain. Though it didn’t offer them much protection, it was better than being out in the open. Before she sat down, she gestured to him. “Help me pick some of this long grass.”
“Why?”
She started yanking up grass. “Let’s just call it a backup plan.”
Though he shot her a quizzical look, he nodded. “Aye, then.”
After they gathered up a few armloads, she tore a piece of material off the tunic tied around her waist and wrapped a few bundles. Then she headed for a nearby tree and picked up as many arrow sized limbs as she could find. Her eyes met his. “I’d suggest you gather up rocks.”
“Rocks?”
“Yeah, small to fist-sized if possible,” she said. “The sharper the better.”
His eyes narrowed then he nodded when he figured out what she was up to. Fortunately, he was smart enough not voice it in case something or someone sinister was listening. By the time they sat on the ground with their backs to the rock and eyes on their surroundings, she had several piles of rocks, sticks, and bundled grass.
“Now tell me,” he said. “What do you know of this place, lass?”
Erin picked out two especially sharp rocks and gave him one. Then she took a stick and handed it over. “Whittle while we chat. It’s a good way to keep our minds off how creepy this place really is.”
The corner of his lip hooked up as he eyed her skimming the rock along the end of the stick. Naturally, the goal was to make it into a sharp point.
Though she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about speaking telepathically, she figured it was the best move possible considering where they were.
“I know about this place because I was somehow in and out of it with you,” she said into his mind. “And in answer to your earlier question, yes, I like to sing. I thought it might lend you some comfort.”
“And ‘twas you who kissed me, aye?” he responded.
Erin knew his eyes were on her face even as he kept at his stick. She was impressed by how smoothly he worked the stone and how quickly he set aside a well-pointed stick to start on another.
“Yes, I kissed you,” she said. “Let’s just call it a heat of the moment move.”
“’Tis hard to imagine you craving such a moment when I was unable to kiss you back.”
Erin arched a brow at him and couldn’t stop a small grin. “Have you looked at yourself lately?”
Their eyes held for a moment before she dragged her gaze away, set aside one stick and started on another.
“Thank you then,” he whispered into her mind. “Between your bonnie voice and that kiss, it helped. In truth, I think what you did tore me free from this place.”
“In theory, maybe.” She sighed. “But it looks like I can bring you back just as easily.”
“’Tis not nearly as bad with you here,” he said.
“That’s only because I’ve put you to work.” She snorted and eyed the endless gray rock. “A damn good idea in these parts I’d say.”
“Aye,” he agreed. “But usually, I run a lot weaker when here. ‘Tis strange I dinnae feel that way this time.” She knew he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. “Mayhap you bolstered my energy in a way even Brae Stewart and her demi-god chieftain couldnae have anticipated.”
“I would’ve thought I drained your energy.” Erin chuckled. “You definitely got in some exercise.”
“Aye,” he agreed, a smile in his voice as he finished with his stick, set it aside and picked up another. “’Twas unstoppable.” He bent his knees and braced his booted feet on the ground. “’Twas verra good.”
She set aside a stick and started on another, keeping a grin well-hidden as she discreetly eyed the bulge forming between his legs. “You’re getting turned on again, eh?”
“Turned on?”
“Aroused.”
“Och, aye. You seem to have a way with my beastie.” He scowled. “And ‘tis a bloody uncomfortable thing when wearing trousers.”
“Your beastie.” She chuckled again, surprised he kept pulling humor out of her when she could rarely muster it in the real world never mind this
Celtic hell. “You like to call it that, don't you?” Erin couldn’t help but wink at him. “Not to say it doesn’t have some ferocious qualities to it.”
While she sensed he wanted to joke, his expression grew serious as he started working on another stick. “All aside, ‘tis important that you know how thankful I am that you took the time to nurse me back to health. ‘Twas admirable, lass.”
“No problem. I say you deserved it.” She set aside her stick and started on another. “You were determined to save Jackie and look out for me and Robert the Bruce at the same time. That’s pretty admirable.”
Erin conveniently left out how poor it was that she lusted after him despite Jackie.
More than ready to change the subject, she said, “I noticed you didn’t fix my ripped pants with a flick of your wrist. Does that mean you can’t use magic here?”
She heard the surprise in his voice. “Aye, perceptive of you.”
They started on more sticks at the same time.
“I try to pay attention.” Her eyes met his. “My bigger concern, however…since she’s not technically part of this Otherworld, can Brae Stewart use magic here?”
“I dinnae know.” He shook his head. “I havenae seen her use it here thus far so mayhap not.”
She was about to say more when his hand fell on her thigh and he shook his head. Alarmed, her eyes went to where he was looking. Someone was coming and based on the blackness surrounding them, it was nothing good. Erin pocketed some rocks, grabbed her lighter and focused on keeping fear repressed. It would do her no good right now.
Rònan pulled her up and squeezed her hand as they waited.
They didn’t have to wait long.
The dark smear on the horizon shifted closer in a heartbeat and a beautiful yet sinister woman with black hair stopped in front of them. Erin didn’t need to guess who she was.
Brae Stewart.
Brae looked at Rònan. “Ye just cannae get enough of this place, aye, dragon?”
Then her eyes met Erin’s and narrowed.
A sense of recognition flared between them.
Had she somehow met Brae before? Because though she’d been here in brief flashes when trying to bring Rònan back, she didn’t recall meeting anyone else. But she looked so familiar.
Oath of a Scottish Warrior Page 15
