Highland Darkness

by Lilian Jade

  And that’s when she screamed for all of the world to hear. She scream was so loud that it hurt her own ears. “Angus! Angus … Angus please help me!”

  Lilith started kicking and punching anything and everything that she could reach. She managed to bite her assailant on the shoulder before delivering a solid kick to his groin. Her attacker dropped to the ground, and Lilith followed him down, straddling him. She wrapped her hands around her attacker’s neck with the notion to strangle him as he made a grab for her hands. His palms were rough and calloused on her skin.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” she spit out.

  That’s when Lilith heard his familiar voice. “Tis me Ang … gah! Get … off … me!” His response came out in a wheezing slur. Lilith suddenly realized that she wasn’t being attacked at all. She let her hands drop to her sides.

  “Angus, what … why didn’t you call out or something? I … you scared me. I thought I was dead for a second there.”

  Lilith waited for him to speak, but all she got was his harsh, fast, shallow breathing. Concerned that she may have hurt Angus in the process of defending herself, Lilith bent down more closely to assess his face. She whispered to him. “Angus, are you okay? I … I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  His response was a low, rumbling growl that came from deep within his belly. Lilith gasped as she felt the vibration from his chest go right between her legs where her delicate core, muscles ached. Realizing how she was positioned on the beefcake of a man-not to mention how underdressed she was-Lilith tried to make a hasty jump in retreat, when Angus moved a quick as lightning, gripping her with both hands on either side of her hips, and slamming her back down over his flat belly.

  Lilith half screamed, half moaned as she was bombarded with overwhelming sensations she had never felt before. Shuddering as a little sigh escaped her lips. Angus held her hips tight in his grip. His eyes met hers as he moved her up and down over his torso, so very slowly yet subtly, causing Lilith to shudder and moan repeatedly as he continued to grind her back and forth over his body. Lilith could feel herself getting wet. She began to lather Angus’s lower belly right up to his ribs with her very own essence.

  Lilith shook her head. What was she doing? She hardly knew this man. They had to stop this.

  “Angus.”

  Silence was her answer. Lilith pushed off him, getting on her knees. Angus followed her right up, capturing her left breast in his mouth. Lilith moaned her agreement. His mouth was like a whole new torture, so hot and wet, yet so rough as his teeth grazed at her left nipple, his tongue flicking and sucking while his right hand cupped and kneaded at her other breast.

  Lilith was shocked to her core as he placed a hand over her rump and yanked her back down to straddle him. Lilith moaned loud and hard at their intense closeness. Lilith thought she heard him moaning deep in his chest as he suckled on her aching, hard nipple, causing her to shift over him uncontrollably. Everything about their mingling felt so right. He felt so right.

  Moaning deep in her throat again, and again it was all she could do to stop herself from cradling his head to her breast for more. She yearned to kiss him with so much heat—some animal instinct inside of her wanted it.

  No … no … no. How could he? Lilith thought to herself. How could he degrade her and hurt her, and then go and do something like this to her?

  But this felt good. He felt good. This moment felt good. Lilith moved over Angus, her breathing coming in erratic pants, her pulse racing into overdrive. His fingers were splayed over her ass as he spread her wider for ultimate skin to skin contact.

  And just as Lilith was about to allow him to explore a little more, there was a knock at the door. The moment was extinguished as Angus ripped himself away from her. Lilith didn’t know how, but she felt herself suddenly thrown airborne flying halfway across the room by some unforeseen force. Crashing to the floor with a thud, It happened so fast, Lilith still hadn’t quite gotten her bearings right when she heard someone call out, “Um, is everything okay, Angus?” a man, one of the brothers, called out. “We heard a scream.”

  Lilith waited for Angus to answer, but realized he wasn’t going to say a damn thing. Yeah, sure. Big bad Angus could do what he wanted, when he wanted, with whoever he wanted, without bothering to care who he hurt. Lilith got to her feet.

  “Yes, everything is fine. I, um … I had a bad dream and kinda rolled off the bed. Sorry to wake you.”

  “Well, if you’re sure. Have a good night then.”

  As she spoke, Lilith hurried to put on her borrowed jeans and button her top back up as she made her way to the door.

  Throwing open the door. Not a moment to waste Lilly wouldn’t lose the chance to find out where the toilet was before she ended up making a spectacle of herself. She was certainly not going to be speaking to the asshole still crouching low on the floor in the spot where they had been … too close to each other. Not bothering to look back at him, Lilith shut the door behind herself.

  “Hi. Um, Occam, is it? I don’t want to be a pain, but if you don’t mind, could you show my where the bathroom is? Just so I know for future reference …”

  A small smile crossed his face as he said, “Of course. Follow me.”

  Lilith didn’t have to go far. On the opposite end of the hall there was a gloriously large bathroom. The marble was so white she could barely stand to look at it after being in her dark room. There was enough space for a toilet, a sink, a shower with glass walls, and a huge, luxurious spa bath.

  After relieving herself, Lilith washed her face. Making quick work with checking on her injuries to make sure they weren’t bleeding. She took a hard look at the wounds on her body. Lilith was certain they had already healed up a great deal since the last time she had observed them. Shrugging off the thought, Lilith finger combed her hair and sat on the wide edge of the marble bath. She replayed in her mind how Angus had thrown her away like she was a cheap whore, nothing better than filth. Obviously she was the scum of the earth to him—how could he make her feel so wanted, so womanly, and yet so unwanted and very unwomanly all at the same time.

  Was it because she was this fae creature, as they kept calling her? Lilith looked up at her face in the large mirror, watching as a few tears slid down her cheeks. Lilith swiped them away with the back of her hand.

  “I will not be weak and let some man walk all over me,” she murmured, glaring at her reflection. Right. That was it, Lilith thought. She would sleep in one of the other rooms so she could keep her distance from the big brute. She couldn’t take any more of his hot and cold moods.

  After leaving the bathroom, Lilith discovered that there was only one other bedroom on the third level. She certainly didn’t feel like it was a good idea to start exploring other levels of the castle at this time of night, so she slowly crept into the only other spare room she knew of.

  There were no blankets at all on the bed. The room was ice cold, but it would have to do. Angus made Lilith feel as if she should have never been born. She wouldn’t stay with him another minute. But she had to go and get a blanket so she could be comfortable enough to sleep.

  Lilith pushed open the door to Angus’s room. She found that the entire room lit up in an array of colors. Every single light bulb was on as Angus sat by the roaring fire with his head in his hands.

  Lilith kept her gaze to the bed at the other end of the room. When she was halfway to his bed, Angus suddenly found his voice. “I’m sorry,” he croaked out. “I didn’t mean to … I lost control for a moment.” Lilith squeezed her eyes shut tight. The sincere remorse she could hear in his voice was enough to cause her eyes to blur over with unshed tears.

  Lilith didn’t want to fall for his sweet talk or his apologies. He wasn’t worth her tears after all the shit he had done to her. What man treated a woman like that? Whether she was fae or not, what gave him the right?

  Lilith reached the bed and bundled up the blanket she had been using. She swiftly turned on her heels and made her way ba
ck toward the door. “Where are you going?” Angus whispered in that still husky tone. “Please … you can sleep in here and I will find other arrangements.”

  How were such mood swings possible? One minute he was angry, and sorry the next, then back to angry. Then … well, then he was on her, as though he couldn’t get close enough to her. And in the same moment he was throwing her from him sweet ungodly warm body. To hell with his “I’m sorry” shit. Lilith wouldn’t take it.

  She managed to ignore him completely and not respond. She closed the door quietly behind her and went to the room next door to his. It was like entering a freezer. Shutting the door behind her, Lilith made her way to bed. She curled up on the mattress and closed her eyes.

  Angus stood staring at the door. He was dripping with anger, hating himself for doing it once again. He had hurt her when he vowed to protect her and treat her with respect. Angus wanted to follow her and bring her back where it was warm and comfy, but he knew that if he went after her, it would only end badly. He heard the door next to his close with a definite click.

  Angus hated himself, just the thought of when he woke up to the sound of the woman moving around in bed. Had him panicked the sound of her leaving the safety of his bed and going for the door, had him thinking that she was trying to escape into the night.

  He was thoughtless for not having called out to her to make his presence known. But why hadn’t she called out to him? Maybe she was afraid that her attackers were the ones in the room with her.

  It wasn’t until he grabbed her that he knew for a fact she wasn’t trying to escape—she had called out to him for help. Angus groaned at himself for his lack wit thinking. And what made it even more unbelievable was that she had straddled him as she choked him, not even realizing that she was completely bare-bottomed sitting on his belly. Groaning again, Angus placed a hand over his chest where she had been on top of him. He remembered holding her down over him, her warm slick core sliding over his muscles. Her shocked moans and gasps, and the way her nipple peaked as he drew it into his mouth—it drove him crazy. She tasted exactly the way he knew she would—forbidden exotically sweet like honey. The musky scent of her as she slid herself over his chest was intoxicating. The way her body shuddered over his was enough to make him drunk off of her.

  Damn it all to hell. He needed to get her to trust him. And he seriously needed to figure out how he felt before he ended up getting everyone killed. Dropping to the bed, Angus closed his eyes, hoping for a dreamless sleep.

  Angus looked up as she straddled him once again. Her skin was glistening with sweat; her breasts were plump and slightly upturned, with nipples that were a light shade of pink. They were peaked, hard and ready to be taken into his mouth. Angus itched to take them into the warm haven between his lips. Just as he reached a hand up to cup one perfect breast, he heard her moan, and the moan was familiar to him, as if he had heard it before.

  Testing the weight of her breast as she leaned into his hand. He rubbed her. Plucked at her nipple and squeezed her breast. Angus felt her shuddering atop him. Leaning forward, Angus drew her left breast into his mouth. He suckled slowly yet gently, Angus began picking up the pace, sliding his right hand down to her sex. He gasped as he felt how slick she was. Slowly he continued nipping at her breasts as while rubbing her clit in circular motions. Plunging his fingers deep inside her, Angus could hear her screams of pleasure. He could feel the way her sex gripped around his fingers. Her hips moved in time to his fingers, Angus lay back down as he watched her ride his hand, admiring the way her body tensed and relaxed. Watching in awe as his woman moaned, her entire body seeming to fall apart at the seams. She flung her head back, chest heaving, breasts swaying as she rode his fingers hard and fast. Her climax was just about there …

  There was a knock at the door, jarring Angus from sleep just as the gorgeous woman riding him was about to hit her orgasm. His eyes flew open as Hunter stormed into the room. Angus felt the urge to tell his brother to get out and leave him to sleep, but the sight of Hunter gripping a shotgun as though his life depended on the thing kept Angus from giving him any smart remark.

  “Why are you still sleeping, Angus? It’s almost six in the morning. We agreed five, did we not? While we were sleeping, the fae bastards thought it good to make their move on us—there’s maybe fifteen or twenty of them out there. I don’t think that the shields can hold them out much longer.”

  Angus winced as Hunter’s shouts grew louder and louder. Sitting up in his bed, Angus threw off his blanket and got to his feet. “Och, Hunter, I didn’t realize …” Angus shook his head. It felt as if he’d just fallen asleep only moments ago. The dream—it seemed so real. Apparently dreaming of the woman straddling his very hard body didn’t allow for much rest. But there was no point in making any excuses for his negligence. “And the others?”

  Hunter nodded. “Kate and Occam are downstairs. He’s helping her while I’m getting you ready to go. Those faes, they … they’re quite powerful,” Hunter said as Angus dressed. He threw open the chest next to his bed and pulled out two shotguns. Angus watched as Hunter turned and made his way toward the door. “Duncan and Kevan won’t be able to hold them off much longer—let alone kill them all,” Hunter said as he moved. He stopped in the doorway and turned. “The armor they wear is indeed impenetrable, however our brothers are becoming very tired. We must hurry, Angus.”

  With that Angus followed his brother out of the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. As they ran down the stairs, Angus tried hard not to think about the woman fae in the spare room. He knew she would be safe in the house, but the real question of whether or not they were safe from her was yet to be foretold. Angus knew that he had to give the fae the benefit of a doubt; he had to at least try to trust her. But if she betrayed him and his family, then he would find a way to kill her himself.

  Angus heard Kate’s chanting as she called on her powers just as he passed by the main hall. He paused to watch as Occam and Kate stood side by side in front of the large, arched windows to focus their time and energy on their targets. Occam’s eyes glowed a pale blue as magic swirled around his entire body. They both chanted in unison as their magic shot out from them and flew out towards the faes standing on the road just outside their home.

  Watching through the window, Angus witnessed three faes being hoisted into the air. As they screamed and writhed, their bodies were set alight in roaring blue and white flames. He watched until their screams stopped and their bodies were thrown back down onto the road. Angus was bewildered by the sight of so many faes—some fighting with their own magic against his brothers. Others simply stood there, watching and waiting. Waiting for what, Angus didn’t know. And he decided it didn’t matter. What did matter was his family. The McClain family may not be able to die that easily, but there was no doubt in Angus’s mind that he and his brothers could die.

  Cocking back his shotgun, Angus opened the door to join his brothers. He shot at anything and everything that wasn’t his brothers. In between shots he was kicking and punching at the fae. All the while he used his magic to throw many into the concrete road at a skull-smashing force. But even with Angus’s strength and power, it seemed that the fae regenerated within minutes of being hit with magic or force

  It seemed every time he knocked one down, the one before him would be back on his feet again, fighting with a vengeance. Before he knew it, Angus’s muscles were aching and starting to lock on him. He noticed his two brothers out of the corner of his eye, fighting with everything they had. Their magic soared through the air as the fae tried again and again to smash at their armor to get at them.

  His brothers battled with fists, legs and dirks. The fae relics were a sight for sore eyes; they held such beauty and power—the blades gleamed liquid gold as fae after fae dropped to the ground. But still more came, and Angus knew they couldn’t keep fighting forever. Angus and his brothers grew tired with every passing second. But he fought harder, knowing that if he was going to lose a
battle, then he would do so with every ounce of strength he had in him. Angus lunged into the air, throwing up a shield around his entire body as he shot a fae in the chest twice. He followed with the butt of his double-barreled shotgun to the thing’s head. It looked dead to Angus, but as he looked closer, he noticed that the fae was already knitting itself back together. “Die, you bastard!” Angus roared, running to where his brothers were now being flung into the air and then back down onto their gravel driveway. Up and down they went, then up and down again with bone-shattering force.

  It was then Angus realized that he and his family had no chance against these fae. Looking around, Angus could see how calm they appeared. Each fae wore a similar expression, how a lion might look when playing with his captured mouse. They had vengeance and malice in their eyes.

  Suddenly Angus spotted a tall, angelic, stone-like fae standing on the outskirts of all the fighting, doing nothing but staring up at the castle with not a worry in the world. The fae seemed to be waiting for something to happen. What it was, Angus didn’t know.

  When Angus heard the front door slam open, he swiveled his head to see the one fae he didn’t want harmed running toward his brothers. He realized what the angelic fae was waiting for. Along with all the other faes who were there to kill her.

  Was she mad? How could one small woman—fae or not—take on any one of them? She was going to get herself killed. Angus tried to run towards her, but found that he was frozen to the spot.

  “You must awaken now. Your family—they are in grave danger. Awaken, NOW!” Lilith awoke, startled by the voice telling her to get up and protect her family. What family? Lilith thought as she practically flew out of bed. She stumbled forward, kicking the blanket loose from around her left ankle.

  Shrieking as her feet met the ice-cold stone floor, Lilith made her way toward the hall. She pulled open the bedroom door and ran down the stairs, aware of gunshots being fired outside. These men were full of surprises, Lilith thought as she made her way to the main hall. She covered a startled scream as she noticed Kate chanting words she couldn’t understand. And yet, she knew deep down that she had heard such words spoken somewhere before. Maybe she had overheard Papa speaking like that when she was a child.