Highland Darkness

by Lilian Jade

  “Get dressed so we can go back downstairs,” Angus said gruffly. “We need to figure out a plan.”

  Lilith decided not to remark on the subject about her leaving without him. Instead she dressed, taking her sweet time slipping on the thin, silky, emerald green spaghetti-strap dress. She could feel Angus watching her every move, and she loved the way the dress slid over her curves. Slipping on the same heels as before, Lilith found herself wondering how and why she was always ending up naked. It was getting a little too repetitive for her liking.

  “Angus,” she breathed as she smoothed out her borrowed dress.

  “Yes?” Looking up into his heated gaze, Lilith almost lost her tongue.

  “Um, how is it that I’m, um, well, you know … always naked? I have never blacked out before. I know I’m not human like the rest of you. I …” Lilith felt odd trying to explain. How could one explain such a thing?

  “You keep having some kind of out-of-body experience. I can’t explain it really, but it has happened three times now. It is like your fae self is communicating with us through you.” She could tell Angus was examining her reaction before he carried on. “The first time wasn’t so bad. But the second, well, that was just … .” He shook his head, and Lilith knew that he was recalling what she had done with Ezekiel.

  Even though the kiss was brief and involved no tongue, it had truly affected Angus. She wouldn’t have been able to stop it if she tried. Also, she had to admit that there was something about Ezekiel; it was as though her body yearned for what it knew it needed. Some connection that was not only physical, but spiritual as well. Shuddering at her own thoughts, Lilith shook her head.

  “I don’t know,” Angus said, cutting into her very disturbing thoughts. “You are strong, but you don’t really know it yet, so let’s just stay on board here, okay?” Lilith picked up the black leather coat she had borrowed and shrugged into it, sighing at the feel of it against her soft skin. It was a nice, snug fit. The women of the house really liked their designer clothing, all of it tailored to their comfort.

  Things were hard for Lilith on so many levels. She went from thinking she was just here to mourn her papa, to being literally shot with arrows, then she was hit with “You’re not human bitch, you’re a fae!” It was a lot to take in, especially with Angus tugging at her emotions in ways she didn’t quite have the energy to even try to understand. It was beyond her thinking capacity. Lilith didn’t even really know how she felt about this man, but one thing she did know for sure was that she wanted him safe from all this bullshit. And she would do everything she could to keep him and his family from being hurt.

  “Lass, are you coming?” Angus stood at the door waiting for her. He held the door open in one hand, and in the other he held a similar black leather coat. Shaking her head, Lilith made her way to him and out the door.

  How in the hell did he get into this mess? Angus thought acidly to himself. He had spent forty minutes arguing with his family as well as this fae about accompanying her to keep her safe and upholding the oath he made long ago. They stopped to go shopping for women’s clothing, right down to her lingerie. That part he enjoyed the most. Angus even suggested a few things, not telling her that they were garments he’d very much like to see on her sun-kissed skin. She didn’t even protest when he did so, but then again, the wench acted as if he weren’t even there.

  The fae was mad at Angus for accompanying her, but that was something she would have to get over. Their flight from Inverness to Shetland Islands was hell. Not once did she utter a single word to him or anyone else for that matter. Angus tried to make small talk with her, but she just kept her gaze on the window. Angus hated it. He wanted to know what she was thinking. No, he needed to know what she was thinking. The cold silence continued in the airport lobby where they waited just under an hour for the rental car that was supposed to be ready upon their arrival.

  When the car was finally ready, they drove without making a single pit stop until they arrived at Lerwick. Angus was already an hour late for a meeting he had planned with some old friends of his. Friends he really needed to speak with about keeping his fae safe.

  Angus couldn’t help sneaking glances her way the entire drive. She wore a nice, snug, off-white turtleneck that caused her nipples to strain against the soft material. Each time he noticed her nipples harden under that sweater of hers, he couldn’t help but want to touch her. Her blue jeans hugged her flesh so tightly that Angus wondered how she could breathe, and her feet were clad in a pair of gray Timberland steel-capped boots fit for knocking out teeth.

  Why? Why in God’s name had he not ravaged her when he had the chance? He thought he was being respectful and responsible. But now he was just regretting it. Angus remembered the way they had kissed so greedily in his bedroom, just after she had awoken from her fae-like trance or whatever one was supposed to call it. He had finally gathered the willpower to stop things before they went too far, and the fae had made him pay dearly. When Elle had come knocking, Lilith hadn’t freaked out or made a move to grab for anything to cover her sweet nakedness. Instead, she looked at him, her eyes ablaze with heated hunger, then padded her way across the room, hips swaying in all her womanly beauty. And when she bent to pick up the items which were placed outside his door, Angus’s heart had almost stopped in his chest as he watched.

  He groaned now, his knuckles turning white as he tightly gripped the steering wheel. How difficult it had been in that moment not to go to her and take her just as she was, bent at the waist and gloriously open and inviting in all her nakedness. As he stole a glance at the little minx, long legs gracefully crossed in front of her, he found himself deeply regretting that he had been able to manage such self-control when he had her so willing in his bed.

  Damn the man, Lilith thought as she sat in the passenger seat of their rental car. She could feel his gaze on her, as if he were assessing her body and soul. Lilith loved and hated the way his eyes bore right through her like that, the way her body would melt under his accusation, how her nipples would peak till they ached with a need so deep she could scream. Her lower belly fluttered with little flip-flops that caused her clit to throb unbearably. She felt herself become utterly wet.

  Lilith started to squirm in her seat, and just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, Angus turned off the car and hopped out. Lilith breathed a sigh and finally started to relax, but then that was squashed as Angus yanked open her door and pulled her out so fast that she was sure her head would snap off. A small, startled scream escaped her lips just as Angus’s sweet, hot lips captured her own. He kissed her rough and hard, nipping and sucking like he couldn’t get enough. But Lilith didn’t mind, nor did she pull away. She so desperately wanted what he was freely giving to her, so she took it with all the greed she could muster. Lilith poured all the heat of that very moment into the kiss, giving and taking just as much as Angus. His left hand cradled her head while his right slid up and under her sweater to cup her breast and flick her already aching nipple. Moaning, Lilith leaned into his touch, silently asking for more. Suddenly he pulled away from her. Lilith’s eyes snapped open. She looked up at Angus’s face to find a small smile playing on his lips.

  “Come, they are waiting.” For the first time Lilith noticed her surroundings. The castle they arrived at was slightly bigger than the one Angus and his brothers lived in, but a lot more fanciful, delicately designed with colors of gold and silver. An eight-foot-high concrete wall surrounded the entire perimeter, and a beautiful garden with bright-colored flowers sprawled over the front lawns. In the middle of the garden stood a very angry, vengeful-looking angel, its wings spread wide, its sword plummeting into the heart of another angel who lay sprawled on the ground, hands splayed out in an attempt to save himself.

  But what really struck Lilith was the colors. Eerie purples, blacks, greens, and blood reds seemed to hang in the air; colors all pulsing like a living being. What in the world was it? she wondered. Slowly Lilith took it all in, reali
zing that it was a psychic shield for protection. “Lass,” Lilith felt Angus tugging her arm in the direction of the front entrance to the castle. This couldn’t be the home of his friends he and his brothers had mentioned earlier, could it? Did everyone he knew live in castles? Would these people try to hurt her?

  Lilith had to keep her wits about her, and if her studies were correct, then she would have to keep her mind closed at all times. Her papa called it tai chi, but her own name for it was simply inner peace. But would she be able to feel it if these people wanted to hurt her? Or would her fae censes kick in and cause her to black out again before she knew she was in danger?

  “Uh, Angus, is it safe for me to be here?” The brute just smiled, tugging her up the stairs. “Where are we?” she asked, more insistent.

  Again with that teasing smile of his he answered, “Fort Charlotte.”

  While they waited for an answer at the door, Lilith looked around. She breathed in all the fresh, crisp air that brought with it a slight tang from the sea salt being carried in the wind. The breeze was so frigid that Lilith shivered. Her nose stung and her eyes watered. She giggled to herself.

  “What’s so funny, lass?” he asked. Lilith quickly averted her gaze, just in case Angus thought she was crying and not just enjoying the sweet cold.

  “Nothing. Just an old memory.” As she was swiping at her eyes, the door suddenly swung open. The smell of food wafting out to where Lilith stood made her gut growl, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. There was a beautiful woman with creamy, alabaster skin standing in the doorway to greet them. She stood at the same height as Lilith, her body shaped like an hourglass so smooth and full that her tight, black dress slid over her skin without a single crease. Lilith couldn’t stop looking at all her beauty. She had such long legs, such shapely calves. Her long, strawberry-blond hair was intricately plaited down her back, her lips pink and full. The woman reeked of sex.

  “Angus, I presume? Come in, come in.” Even the woman’s voice was pure temptation.

  “Thank you,” Angus said, clearing his throat. So he too was affected by the extremely sexy woman. The big brute and his stupid, husky voice. Lilith frowned, trying hard not to get all pissy and insecure.

  “This way,” the woman said. “Alexander is waiting. Dinner will be served in an hour.” Lilith was sure her heart skipped a beat when the beautiful girl slipped her hand into the crook of Angus’s arm, causing his elbow and upper arm to rub against her plump, full breast. Lilith knew a challenge when she saw one. But she wasn’t a child. And Angus didn’t belong to her. So this nasty-sexy woman would just have to play all by herself.

  Lilith trailed behind as they were led into a study. Each wall was filled with shelves of books reaching up to the ceiling like a great library. Lilith gasped at the sight. If there was one thing she loved, it was without a doubt books. She was a sucker for romance in particular. Just looking around at the books made Lilith giddy.

  “It’s been a while, old friend,” Lilith heard a man’s voice call out.

  Angus laughed his throaty laugh in response. “Ah, yes it has been quite some time, Alex. How have you been?”

  “Very well, as you can see. Hmm. Who is this you have brought us, Angus? So pretty.”

  Lilith spun around at the feel of this big and deathly man’s eyes boring through, as though his gaze kissed her very skin.

  “This here is—”

  “My name is Lilith McGregor,” she cut Angus off. “But some prefer to just call me fae.” Her voice was full of acid when she uttered the term.

  “Fae, huh? You don’t smell like no fae to me, Mrs. McGregor,” Alexander said.

  Lilith didn’t want to come off like a hot head, so she kept all heat from her voice. “It’s Miss. And how is a fae meant to smell, if you don’t mind my asking?” Lilith felt a smile twitching at her lips. This Alexander was a man like no other with his bronze skin, spiky, black hair, and those luscious, honey-liquid gold eyes that glittered with mischief.

  “They smell like the sweetest, most exotic fruit ever imaginable. A scent so tempting and forbidden that it would bring any mere human to his knees and cause him to beg to be taken. A male fae could make a naïve, human girl like you come in her sweet little panties just by his presence.”

  Lilith held herself together by a thin thread. She was loath to admit the way this man’s words slid over her skin in an intimate caress. If anything was going to make her swoon and come right where she stood, it was the way he spoke to her. Is that how Angus saw her? Like she was something he was powerlessly becoming addicted to? Like a man to drugs or drink?

  Still attempting to keep all emotion from her face, Lilith said, “So because I do not give off the fae scent, that makes me not a fae?”

  She watched as this Alexander shared a brief glance with Angus before nodding. “Okay, say you are a fae. Which house are you from? What family? And why are you here in my home, and how did you get past my shields?”

  Lilith smiled inwardly at herself; she could play it like a bitch and get nowhere, or tell the truth. She opted for nothing but the truth. Lilith told the man who she was, where she came from, and everything she had encountered since arriving in Scotland. Every little detail, apart from all of her intimate encounters with Angus.

  Dinner was beyond sumptuous. There was a succulent turkey, roast potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, gravy, minted peas, and delicious oven-baked bread rolls. There was also a lemon honey and dill smoked salmon and two different kinds of salad. Everyone ate in peace and quiet while Lilith’s brain was spinning at a hundred miles an hour. The people in the room were so beautiful that it hurt to look at them, much like the others of her kind, but different somehow.

  The woman who had first greeted them, Alice, was still at it with Angus, flirting like a schoolgirl. Angus didn’t say much, but Lilith could guess that he was sitting there with a hard on, because his eyes were that liquid-stormy gray. Finding herself to be a little more than angry, Lilith wanted to put some distance between her and the room with all of its heat and hormones.

  “Thank you for dinner, but would you all please excuse me?” Lilith smiled at Alexander before standing.

  “Where are you going, if I may ask?” Alexander stood, smiling in return.

  “To get my bags. It has been a long day. Do you mind showing me to a room?” Lilith spoke in as calm a voice as she could. She was tired and dirty and horny as hell. Lilith noticed that Angus hesitated, as though he couldn’t decide whether or not to stand. He remained seated, proving to Lilith her theory about the hard on.

  “Come along then,” Alexander said. I will show you to your room”

  Alexander took Lilith’s hand, entwining his fingers with hers; she didn’t try to pull away from his grasp. For some reason she felt calm and at ease. She didn’t sense any lust or hate on his part. Lilith didn’t dare look back at Angus as she was led away. She didn’t want him thinking that she cared about how he felt.

  Lilith followed Alexander out the double French doors, up a flight of stairs, and down an extremely long corridor. The doors were carved with intricately designed patterns, the walls covered in shimmering jewels—silvers, golds, emerald greens and ruby reds. It was like nothing she had ever seen. The color gave the walls an eerie look, as if the pictures themselves were moving. The artwork was mostly of angels and demons, all depicted on battlefields as they killed one another. The emotions of their pain and anguish, their screams of victory and battle cries, of being defeated, were all written in their facial expressions.

  “You do not like my work.”

  Lilith was startled when Alexander’s voice brought her out of her little daydream. She didn’t realize that she had pulled him to a stop as she stood there observing the war on the walls. “It is not that I don’t like it. I am just … amazed. It is beautiful as well as sad. Did you just say you did this?”

  He let out a low chuckle. “Yes I did. I do all the artwork in my home. Let’s just say being me g
ives me a lot of spare time and this is what I do with it.” Again, he gave a sweet smile, no heat intended. “Come, here is your room. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me or any of the people in my home.” Pushing open the door, Alexander lifted her hand and pressed a quick, soft kiss to her knuckles. “Good night, Miss McGregor.”

  With that he turned and left. And Lilith was quite happy that he did, for she needed some time alone. The room was divine, but all Lilith could think about was getting some sleep. Her entire world had been turned upside down and then some.

  Lilith awoke covered from head to toe in perspiration. Her heart hammered against her chest as if it were trying to break free of her body. Something had woken her up. What it was, Lilith wasn’t quite sure, but she thought it sounded like a dog howling. She hadn’t seen any dogs around the yard or house. Looking at her watch, Lilith pulled back the sheets and got out of bed. It was a little after three in the morning. Maybe the dog was locked outside and wanted to get in, or perhaps it needed to get out so it could pee. Yes, that was it. It sounded as if it was downstairs right below her.

  She threw on an oversized t-shirt. Lilith heard the noise again, but this time it was louder. Could no one else hear that the dog needed to go out desperately? It almost sounded as if it were in pain. Lilith threw open the door and walked down the brightly-lit corridor, down the stairs, and straight toward the dog’s howling. It came from behind a closed door on the first floor. It was so loud, it hurt to listen. Lilith stood at the door with a deep feeling of needing to help, to heal the dog. The need was so great that she hesitated before finally deciding to knock at the door.