My mind traveled back in time to meeting Orin the first time, how he’d said he had paid the “ultimate price” for teaching Niamh how to travel. In spite of all the anger and rage I felt toward the dearg-dubh, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of remorse for him. He gave Niamh the gift that would ultimately undo her.
“With Orin’s help,” Aodhan continued, “I led the campaign to find her, to break her free from Lorcan’s house of horrors. After that night, she never traveled to the mortal world again, until her parents betrothed her to Bres.”
The Fae General looked up at me, his eyes wide and plaintive. “Her disappearance devastated your grandfather. He has not been the same ruler since she left. Wherever she is now, I hope you can find her, bring her back. If only to make Bodb Dearg whole again, to renew our land, and unite the magical races of Tír na nÓg once more.”
A deep silence settled within the tent, and I looked down at the rough wooden table, lightly tracing a knot in the grain with my fingers.
“General, about Phelan and the púcas—”
“I know what you are going to ask, Princess, and I cannot bid you your wish.” Aodhan rose from the table. “I have a sacred duty to my King, and regardless of how I feel, I must fulfill it.”
My shoulders tensed. “But what about uniting the magical races? What about—?”
Finn placed a hand on my knee beneath the table and squeezed. I ignored him.
“These púcas will be sentenced to death!” I cried. “And for what? For existing?”
Aodhan raised his hands and blinked slowly. “I am sorry, Princess, but I have no other options.”
He turned, his eyes staring into the thin flicker of flame from a lonely wax candle on the table. “I must say how surprised I am that Amergin would allow the two of you to journey together on such a quest, given the outcome of the last council meeting in Teamhair.”
I swallowed hard and shot Finn a worried glance. I understood Aodhan’s words loud and clear. Mind your business, and I’ll mind mine.
Noting the glint of panic in my eyes, Aodhan bowed. “Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me. Both of you have seen enough suffering.”
The General gathered a long green cloak from a chair and wrapped it around his broad shoulders. “The King has demanded my presence in the West, and I may as well leave tonight.” He gestured to his large cot. “I can only offer you my meager lodgings, but I hope they will suffice. I humbly request you leave by morning and keep our meeting out of any official discourse.”
I nodded, smiling up at Aodhan. “Thanks. But I don’t want to put you out.”
“It is an honor to serve you, Princess, and your…consort.” Aodhan turned to Finn. “Please, watch over her.”
The General bowed and left the tent, the flap billowing behind him.
I shook my head and laughed under my breath. “It’s so surreal to hear people call me Princess.”
Finn stood and placed his hands on my shoulders, massaging my sore muscles. I turned my head to the side, allowing him access to my neck. He rubbed his thumb down my spine, and I let out a soft moan as the tension in my body released.
“The way you addressed that soldier tonight, and your oath to Phelan,” he said. “I have to admit, I was quite enamored by your display of power.”
“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet, Mr. O’Connell.” My fingertips hummed with aisling energy as he brushed my hair aside and kissed me between my shoulder blades. In spite of my exhaustion and everything I learned tonight, my body ached for him.
“I think royalty looks good on you.” He smoothed his hands down my arms and breathed into my ear. “But then again, I think everything looks good on you, Princess.”
I placed my hand over Finn’s. “You just want to see me in a dress again.”
“I suppose I’m still stuck in the eighteenth century.” He stroked my hair, pulling my wayward curls behind my ears. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to seeing women in trousers.”
I stood and stretched, turning to the cot in the corner. “Well, get used to it, buddy.” Finn grabbed my ass, and I squealed as he pulled me into his lap, the rickety wooden chair groaning beneath our weight.
“I could get used to these tight blue jeans, however.” Finn moved his hand down my hip. “They are quite flattering, in a twenty-first century sort of way.”
“I’m glad you approve,” I breathed into his ear, reaching back and placing his cheek close to mine.
“It’s just that a lady’s skirts made it much easier to do this.” Finn wrapped his arm around my waist and slipped his fingers inside the waistband of my jeans.
I gasped, grabbing at his hand—to release me or plunge deeper, I wasn’t sure.
“Finn,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“It’s very late.”
“Yes.”
“I’m tired.”
“You don’t have to do a thing.”
His hand stroked my clit, unfolding me with his fingertips, seeking out my core. I moaned, and he thrust a finger deep, gently tracing my delicate hidden flesh.
“Let me do all the work,” he breathed into my ear, nipping my neck.
I shuddered against him, and he raised his hips against me, nudging me with his hardening cock. My spine dissolved to water, and I collapsed against him as he slipped another finger into me.
“Finn…we really should…” My body betrayed my words as I shifted and positioned myself over his erection, my hips moving in rhythm to his probing fingertips. The heat of his desire burned beneath his linen shirt, but his hand was patient, teasing me, drawing out my need.
His other hand wandered under the lapel of my coat and he reached into the collar of my sweater. Moving aside the synthetic fabric of my cheap bra, he found my nipple, pinching it lightly, rubbing it until I thought I would come any moment.
“We really should what, Elizabeth…?”
“We should…ah…not do this here…” I whispered, gasping as a shudder of heat blasted from my core and through my limbs.
With a growl, Finn pulled his hand out from inside of me, and I cried out in protest.
“Come.” He stood, his arm still planted around my waist, and led me outside of the tent. It stood on the edge of the encampment, and we slipped through the trees. Finn peeled aside branches until we came to the bank of a rushing stream. Beneath the veil of a weeping willow, Finn threw down his coat, and fell to his knees before me.
“Someday, I swear I’ll make love to you in a proper bed.”
I laughed and kneeled in front of him.
“I like it this way,” I said. “With you. Beneath the sky.”
The stars winked at us through the swaying branches, the Milky Way somehow closer in Tír na nÓg, the swirling colors on fire with hues of purple, orange, and electric blue.
Finn tore my sweater over my head and kissed my abdomen. A hot wave of warmth rushed to my brain, my body floating as his hands spread across my back. With every caress of his lips, I sucked in my breath, whispering his name. Cupping his face in my hands, I stared into his eyes for a moment. He smiled at me and my heart contracted as if he squeezed it in his palm. I kissed him, his lips soft but hungry, seeking. His hands traveled across my spine, and he unhooked my bra with one quick movement, flinging it to the ground. Slowly, he peeled away my coat and gathered my shirt over my head.
My nipples hardened in the cold night air, and he pressed me against him, smoothing his hands over my shoulders, down my arms, and intertwining his fingers with mine. He kissed me again, parting his lips, his tongue darting and eager.
He broke off the kiss, his breathing hard and labored. “You are so beautiful, do you know that?”
I smiled, looking away.
Finn lifted my chin with his fingers. “Don’t look away from me. I want you to know, to understand…” He kissed me again, his lips traveling down across my cheek and to my neck. “I have not breathed since you left. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see your face.
”
I ran my hands through his hair, shushing him. “It’s okay. We’re together now. That’s all that matters.”
He tore off his shirt, the moonlight beaming off the glossy black ink of his tattoo, three ravens in a perfect circle. The Mórrígan. Sensing my gaze, he crushed me against his chest, and my lungs compressed in the cage of his arms. I kissed his shoulder, the delicate curve of his collarbone.
“Will you swear yourself to me, Elizabeth?”
Finn’s words arrested my body, my mouth lingering on his skin. I swallowed hard, the question echoing between us.
“Of course I will,” I breathed against his flesh, taut and smooth against my lips like the inside of an almond.
Finn pushed me down onto his leather coat splayed out in the grass, and the silk lining felt cool against my skin. He unlaced my boots and unbuttoned my jeans, pulling them off my hips, planting kisses on the inside of my thighs, my knees, the ends of my toes. Taking off his trousers, he stretched out beside me, propped up on his elbow. His hand grazed lazily across my chest, my stomach.
I inched toward him, my hand sweeping across the strong plane of his stomach, landing on his cock. I teased the tip, circling him with my fingertips, and he groaned. I could feel his urgency, but I held him at bay with my other hand. I stroked him, taking my time, torturing him as he did me before. Sweeping my leg over his hip, I pushed him down to the ground and straddled him. His muscles tensed between my thighs and I ran my hands down his waist, flashing him a mischievous smile as I placed strategic kisses across his abdomen, down the length of dark hair leading to his firm erection. Circling him with my fingers, I pulled lightly, my hand finding a steady rhythm.
Finn made a low sound in his throat, his hips rising. “I told you I would do all the work.”
I leaned over him, my hair billowing out around us. “And I told you, you would feel my power.”
Carefully, I took him in my mouth, the tip of my tongue tasting him, salty and musky. I sucked hard, running my hands back and forth against his shaft. His release mounted, building inside.
Finn tangled his hands in my hair and pulled tight, guiding my movements, my rhythm, pushing and pulling me up and down.
“Oh God, Elizabeth,” he whispered, his body rigid with need. “God, you’re going to kill me…”
My lips suctioned hard around him, and he bucked beneath me. I relaxed my throat so I could take him in deeper and deeper.
He yanked on my hair. “I need to be inside of you. Now.”
I slid across the length of his long body and, grabbing his shoulders, slammed my hips against his. He slipped right into me, and I gasped from the sudden pressure. Tightening my thighs against his legs, he drove deeper inside, his thrusts wild and quick. He swallowed my moans with his mouth, his arms crushing me against him as I moved over him in the darkness.
“Oh, Finn…Finn!”
Closing my eyes, every particle in my body shattered, my hips riding out that delicious ecstasy as he pumped harder inside. Our bodies fell back to earth, sweaty and panting, hearts drumming in our chests. He cradled me against him, as if trying to put me back together, his hands enveloping me like some delicate thing. Through the curtain of my hair, he kissed my neck, his voice spider-soft, whispering I love you.
…
“Elizabeth.”
“Hmm…?”
“We cannot stay here, darling.”
I opened my eyes and Finn’s face swam into view. Beyond him a landscape of stars shimmered across the sky, and I smiled.
“I must have fallen asleep.” I sat up, gathering my clothes. “How late do you think it is?”
“Early morning, just before dawn,” Finn replied, buttoning his shirt. “We should be going. Should we go see your Dad next?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, the idea of confronting Dad sending a shot of tension between my shoulder blades. “I guess.”
Finn crouched beside me and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. “I will be with you.”
I smiled up at him, watching him as he turned away to shrug into his jacket.
Humming a little as I laced my boots, I peered across the rolling stream. Small orbs of light flew through the towering trees in a strange and intricate pattern.
“Finn,” I whispered, grabbing his sleeve. “What is that?”
His muscles tensed, and he looked to where I pointed. Then his shoulders relaxed, and his face broke into a smile. “Those are will-o’-the wisps.”
“Like marsh lights?”
He shook his head. “No. In Tír na nÓg, they’re actual spirits of the forest.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “It’s good luck to see them.”
The lights zipped through the forest, a thin wind chime sound sailing through the night their, subtle harmonies weaving through the leaves.
“What will happen to them if the King encloses the forest? Do you think he’ll destroy them, too?”
Finn turned away. “I don’t know.”
As if sensing the tiny spirit lights, a lone wolf howled from inside the encampment and then more joined in, the darkness teaming with their mournful, hollow sounds. My hands balled up with determination.
Finn’s hand rested on my shoulder. “It’s time for us to go.
I turned around and shook my head. “No.”
He looked at me for a moment, his mind registering my meaning. “Elizabeth…we can’t. Aodhan said—”
“But you saw the look on his face, Finn! He doesn’t want this, either!”
He sighed. “He has a duty to his King.”
I planted my feet. “And I have a duty to my people.”
Finn’s eyes narrowed on me. “Don’t be romantic. This is not your fight and these are not your people.”
“You’re wrong! I—” My voice shook and my throat tightened, choking off the words. Taking a deep breath, I began again. “I am Fae, and I have power.”
I turned away from him and stalked down to the riverbank.
Finn joined me, peering at me sideways, trying to make eye contact. I threw my head back, crossing my arms over my chest. I couldn’t walk away from Phelan and his tribe, not when I could do something to help.
“There have been so many times in my life when I would turn on the news and see something horrible happening in the world and feel powerless to do something about it. But…” I stared down at my hands. “I have power now. Maybe it’s a small thing, but I can free the púcas. They don’t have to die today.”
Finn placed a hand on my shoulder. “You need to let this go.”
I wrenched away. “You don’t have to help me.”
“I’m not exactly going to let you do this alone!” He paced backward, running his hand through his hair.
“What do you mean?”
“Stubborn woman,” he muttered under his breath and turned back to me. “Well, what’s your plan, then?”
I shrugged, marching toward the encampment. “I’m an aisling, Finn. I think I can handle a simple lock.”
He took hold of my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “And what about the soldiers guarding the wagons? Do you plan to trick them with your feminine wiles?”
“Um…” I looked down, frowning. I had forgotten about the guards.
Finn let out an exasperated sound. “Let’s go take a look.” He glanced down at my boots. “Just tread softly, all right? We don’t want to draw attention.”
Finn stalked through the underbrush like a cheetah, whereas I trudged through the bracken as stealthy as an elephant in an antique store. Peering through the bushes, I had nothing to fear as the soldiers staggered around the cages, passing around a jug while they jeered at the púcas, taunting them with their swords. One of the púcas let out a yelp when a soldier tried to set its tail on fire. I recognized the assailant with the fire as Captain Eoghan and frowned.
Phelan’s unmistakable blond wolf form growled at the Captain, throwing himself against the bars of the wagon.
“Aodhan should know about this,” Finn h
issed.
“Maybe he does.” I looked at Finn’s profile. “Maybe he’s just turning a blind eye.”
“No, this would never happen on his watch.” He flinched as another púca let out a cry of pain. With a long sigh, he took my hand and squeezed. “You are crazy, Elizabeth.”
I smiled up at him. “Crazy in love with you.”
He shook his head and turned back to the wagons. “I’ll tell the soldiers we ran into a pack of púcas on the outskirts of camp and offer to look after Phelan’s crew while they investigate. That will give you enough time to get them out of there. What do you plan to do about the locks?”
“Locks?” I said. “I’m going to transport the púcas out of the wagons. No problem.”
“We might only have a few minutes.”
I shrugged off Finn’s concern. “I can do it, okay?”
He placed a hand on the back of my head. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering on my skin. Then he turned, approaching the soldiers, his hands raised in the air. The soldiers gathered around him, wary looks on their faces, listening to Finn. He frantically gestured to the woods, and they bolted into the trees.
Closing my eyes, I traveled into the cage, landing right next to Phelan’s wolf form. He sniffed my neck, his damp breath making clouds in the crisp early morning air. “We’re getting you out of here,” I whispered into his furry ear.
He made a low noise in his throat and yipped at the rest of the wolves who circled around me. Closing my eyes, I threw my energy around the wolves and transferred us all back into the woods about five feet away. The púcas darted off into the shadows, but Phelan hesitated, shifting for a moment into human form.
“Why did you do this?” he said.
I grabbed his hand and clasped my fingers over his swan tattoo. “Because”—I smiled up at Phelan—“you are my people.”
The púca’s golden eyes clouded with confusion, but he transitioned back into wolf form and disappeared into the forest.
A shout and a clash of steel alerted me back to Finn. Heart pounding, I raced into the encampment. Five soldiers surrounded him, more pouring out from the sea of tents. He parried two deadly blows to his abdomen, but one of the soldiers managed to strike him on his arm. He hacked at his attacker, the soldier doubling over and tumbling to his knees.
Children of the Veil (Aisling Chronicles) Page 13
