Slipping across the portal, summer heat hit her with the force of a battering ram. Dragging off
winter clothing, bare-foot, wearing only shorts and t-shirt Alex set off at a run towards the
simple solace of a crystal clear lake. Sitting with her feet dangling in cool water the dreaded
announcement came.
Aingeal…? Teague whispered hesitantly. I have to leave now….Will you not answer me my love?
“I can’t answer you my tiger, I’m human and limited. If I could, I would ask you to be careful
and to come back soon.” Another mind impinged on hers.
It’s Ok Angel I passed on the message. The Queen, her best friend in the whole world had
made sure Teague got the full import of the message.
The trail imprinted on the VDU led in a meandering line to Harrogate, York and further north
to the highlands of Scotland. A further less significant trail led south. The consensus of
opinion was to head north.
Cat fed her scant news. They were left behind, Alex because she was human, Cat because
she carried the new generation of Sidhe in her belly. Both women were envious of the males,
but had to accept the limitations placed on them. It wasn’t fun knowing the males you loved
were out in the human world alone. Ok, so she was being pathetic… Teague was lethal, as
were his brethren. It didn’t stop the worry eating at her nerves. Didn’t stop her from lying
awake all night wondering if he was safe.
Deep in conversation concerning the antics of one of the few young still in diapers, Alex
played with little fingers, entranced by the infant in his mother’s arms.
A warm furry head insinuated its way under her hand, a deep purr announced the Bard was
home.
“Hi Babe…” Holding back tears, Alex locked her fingers into his fur. A long tongue ran up her
arm almost to the shoulder.
“Yuk… Teague that is so disgusting.” Dropping a kiss on the infants head Alex swung round to
find the white tiger prowling off in the direction of the lake. Heart beating erratically, she
followed him slowly, too slowly for the tiger’s liking. Curving back he swiped at her legs,
dropping a small female to fall along his flank. Paws pinning Alex down, he washed her face
and neck with long deliberate strokes of a rough tongue.
“Oh come on, I’ve had a bath already.” Squirming to her feet, Alex glared into violet eyes.
With an earth shattering roar, the tiger stalked off, tail swinging in lazy arcs.
“Here Lady Alex….” The young female, baby tucked into her shoulder offered a clean diaper
to rub her skin dry.
“Thank you. He usually has better manners…” Eye to eye the two young women giggled in
unison. This was Teague they were discussing, the epitome of perfect male.
“Aye Lady Alex, he does. But perhaps in this instance he has missed the company of his mate?”
Gentle words from a gentle female, who would run a mile if any of the warriors took an
interest in her.
“She’s right Angel.” Cat sauntered up to them, a warm smile on her face. The Queen was
dressed in work uniform of navy blue pants and long sleeved stretchy top.
“Do you know, I fully expected you to tame Turi’s wild Bear, but no, my angel has to be
contrary and unleash the Bard’s ferocious beast.” Alex was pulled into a rib cracking hug.
“Hey girl, how are my nephew and niece?” She gasped, pulling away to run a hand over the
rounded swell of Cat’s belly. “Mobile…”
The Queen grimaced, slipping an arm around Alex’s waist they strolled in Teague’s wake.
Word would spread among the new arrivals. Aingeal was favoured by the Queen, and her
enforcers.
“Have you decided on any names yet?” Alex knew she was entering a war zone fraught
with sarcasm and a sullen Lord Vardon, but she really wanted to know.
“I pinned a long list on the freezer. Drusal has taken to snarling at my choices, striking
them out in red pen…” With an indolent shrug, an amused Queen brushed off her mate’s
misplaced displeasure.
“Can you in all honesty blame him? The list is ludicrous…” Alex proceeded to count off
fallacious names on the fingers of both hands. “Tom and Jerry, Jack and Jill, Bonnie and
Clyde, Butch and Sundance, Tristan and Isolde… I quite like those two. Romeo and Juliet
have some appeal. But Romeo’s taken, so that counts them out. Seriously Cat, can’t you
come up with something more suitable for the progeny of Sidhe royalty?” An angel in
paradise loved her best friend to bits, but sometimes she could be a royal pain in the ass.
“To be honest, I’m out of my league when it comes to Sidhe naming. It’s a cultural thing,
the names all have meanings. So, I’ve handed the decision over to Drusal, lock, stock and
barrel. You should have seen his face. I think he had the Fae equivalent of a panic attack.
Now, he’s taken himself off to consult with Shayla…” Rubbing her hands together Cat
grinned, unholy mirth shining in emerald eyes.
“They will be so busy arguing, I’ll get a break from incessant queries about my health, and
endless demands that I stop working and rest. What a load of bollocks… It’s bad enough
that I’m not allowed to translocate anymore…” A sister of the Fates grumbled unhappily
into a sympathetic ear.
“You really are a nasty piece of work. You hatched that plan on purpose, to make sure
Drusal would take over the naming of his young.” Giggling at the underhanded method
of getting mate and grandmother off her back, Alex hoped she would never have recourse
to become so devious. “It worked, nasty or not…”
As they neared the shores of the lake, Teague was waiting. Silhouetted by a red tinged sun,
long limbs clad in soft leathers and armour of an enforcer, hair braided to fall in a wave
across wide shoulders, he leant nonchalantly on the tip of a long bow. Serene and perfect
in soft shadows, violet eyes glowed intensely in a face sculptured from ivory marble.
“Is it contrary to want to be loved by him? Come on Cat, Teague’s a dream come true. Don’t
tell me you didn’t think about it?” Alex wasn’t going anywhere near her mate until they were
alone. It would be too embarrassing...
She wanted to rip his armour off and run her lips all over his skin.
“Do you really want to know what I thought when I first saw the Bard?” Cat ran her gaze over
an exquisite example of Sidhe male. Alex nearly screamed yes, instead she just nodded politely.
“I felt inadequate, underdressed. But most of all, I wanted to see you faint in the presence
of perfection.” Placing a kiss on Alex’s forehead, Cat shimmered. “I’m glad you didn’t faint.”
Then the Queen was gone in one beat of her heart.
Strolling leisurely towards a figure as still and calm as the waters of the lake, Alex licked her
lips in anticipation of a Christmas kiss come early.
Violet eyes ran lazily over every luscious curve revealed by cropped t-shirt and low slung
denim shorts. He was jealous of every male who looked upon his Aingeal.
Her love was gifted to him, but the Bard was uneasy, filled with doubts at his hold on her
whenever he had to leave his mate’s side. He had chosen deliberately to greet her in a form
less inhibited than the Bard.
His tiger could lick at delicious skin, knock her to the ground in a playful embrace without
the dominance of a large predator in the midst of the settlement. True he had shocked even
Aingeal with the intensity of a bestial roar, but it felt good to the let the world know she was his.
Watching the tip of a pink tongue run over scarlet tinted lips, the beast in him craved to
devour her on the spot. Teague didn’t move as Alex stepped up close, sapphire eyes raised
to his face with mischief lurking in crystal depths.
“You are such a fraud…” The tip of one finger prodded at his chest.
“Daring to feign an attitude of cool indifference after that performance, I’m surprised you can
look me in the eye, shame on you Lord Teague.” Dimples quivering, she reached up to whisper
against his lips. “If you don’t kiss me soon, I’m going to find someone who will.”
A low growl rumbled in a wide chest as strong arms lifted her off the ground. The beast was
set free in a kiss that punished and promised at the same time.
Mine…
The snarl of ownership filled her head with pounding intensity. The taste of cinnamon and
spices on her tongue a delicious aperitif, before the banquet of love promised by a kiss
that set her body aflame with desire.
Lost in the simple pleasure of lips and tongue exploring neck and jaw-line, Alex realised on
the periphery of awareness this was her bed, her apartment.
A shimmering wall of elemental forces barricaded the room, to keep her prisoner or to
dissuade unwanted guests from disturbing a passionate reunion, she didn’t know or care.
Teague made sure of that.
Spooned together, Alex watched snow building high on the windowsill.
Her breathing slowly resumed a normal rate after an encounter with a rampaging tiger.
The barrier around the room had dissipated with the growling release of the Bard’s inner
beast. Spine nestled into the acreage of a broad chest, she chuckled happily, absorbing the
frantic beating of the heart at her back.
From the second a mind numbing, mine, had rattled her brain, there had been no
verbalisation other than growls and moans, very Neanderthal and erotically satisfying.
To be able to drive a mate to extremes was a whole new experience. Especially when
considering the male in question.
“Happy now…?” Her whisper was husky with the aftermath of desperate loving.
“When I can breathe again, I will show you how happy I am.” A soft cheek rubbed up
against her neck. Luxuriating in the embrace of comforting arms, curiosity a sin she had
picked up from Cat, Alex had to ask a question.
“You’ve been away for two days, don’t you have to shave?” His skin on hers was silky, as
smooth as the rounded arms of the baby she envied only hours ago.
“Facial hair…?” Nibbling at her neck his whisper coated her skin in a warm breeze, evocative
of their private cove. Running a hand over his jaw Alex smiled.
“Yep… I have to shave or wax my legs to look this good.” Keeping up with perfection was a
nightly ritual.
Teague laughed into her neck. He had been entranced at the sight of his females seemingly
endless preening to be as beautiful as she was.
“No we tend not to have facial hair, it is too unsightly. It would also cause distress at the
most intimate of moments.” Chin rash was not what he was referring to.
“Ok that’s good.” Her giggle shivered along his skin.
“I love thee.” Sharp teeth grazed her neck in a long, lazy arc.
“Nah… You just want me for my body.”
Stretching to sink further into an encompassing embrace, Alex sighed happily.
“I prefer my females to be tall and willowy in physique.” Running a hand over the taut
muscles of ribs and waist Teague extended his hand beyond the dimensions of the petite
figure curled into his chest.
“I like my women skinny and lanky too….” Alex threw that one into the mix, waiting for a
reaction to a facetious desire.
“Thy thoughts are impure my mate.” His chuckle denied her lusting after female company.
Long fingers stroked across her belly.
“With you in my life purity is long gone.” Twisting to face a male who embodied the ideal
of women everywhere, whether Fae or human, the Angel of Edanholme gave up on innocence
to embrace desire once more.
Dressed in uniform, ready for a day that would be filled with mortal complaints and anxieties,
Alex sat on the edge of the bed. Teague had succumbed to sleep with the same intensity as
his loving. Plastered diagonally across a king size bed, he managed to fill the space she had left.
In sleep his features were gracefully carved, a still life of a Grecian God.
Running her hand over a long braid, she leant down to kiss the softness of a sculptured cheek,
thanking any God or Fate who was listening that Teague was hers to love.
Violet eyes opened slowly, a wide seductive smile imprinted on lips that cried out to be kissed,
the Bard greeted a new day with his mate. Aingeal…
“I have to go to work.” Leaning down she dropped a kiss on his forehead.
“Sleep, dream, relax. You deserve to rest after the energy you have expended on me and on
tracking down the lost souls of the Sidhe.”
Teague rolled onto his back, violet eyes gleaming with lazy desire. Pulling on a bright pink
parka and Ugg boots for the short walk to the optical practice, Alex blew him a kiss.
“I prefer to sleep by the sea. Winter can be fun, but it’s too damn cold.” Pulling up a fur lined
hood to frame a face peach tinted from exposure to Edanholme’s gentle sun, Alex wished it
was the weekend.
Watching disappointment flash across his female’s face at the thought of leaving the warmth of
her bed, teague wanted to whisk her away to the idyllic setting of their private space.
He knew she would resist temptation.
Aingeal was devoted to the people she served here and at the settlement. No argument he
could bring to bear would serve to deter her from a resolute path.
Leaping from the bed naked, the Bard wrapped her in a cage of love, lifting Alex to meet his lips
in a hard kiss that suggested she should stay awhile.
A laugh gurgled in her throat as she struggled to break free.
“Nice try, My Lord… Now put me down.” Running her fingers from hair line to jaw, Alex
breathed in his scent, grateful that the Bard had put aside his fears to grant her the gift of his
love. She lived with the nagging fear that something or someone would come between them,
all this happiness was just too good to be true. With her luck payback would be a bitch…
“Look, if it makes your day go faster, I’ve a treat in store for you tonight.” Squirming from
his arms she dropped the few inches to land on her own two feet.
“What is this treat?” Standing stark naked, rippling muscles chiselled in ivory marble, faint
waves of pale blue pulsed beneath translucent skin in a blatant display of Sidhe desire.
“I’m not telling… Other than, it involves music, and is a very, very different form of exciting
entertainment. You’ll either love it, or hate it. That’s it… No more sneak previews. Eight short
hours I’ll be at work Teague, you were gone two days and I survived intact. Try not to tear
anyone apart while I’m gone. Go back to bed or go for a swim,
anything, just relax and enjoy
being home.” With a gentle smile, she reached up on tip toes to lay a tender kiss on his lips.
“Fine…” He growled like a petulant child. Alex was still laughing as she walked into the
practice ready for another round of questioning regarding her love life led by Emma the
Rottweiler. She was as jealous as hell that she and Cat had acquired hunky men. Emma was
determined to seek out the source of unparalleled gorgeousness.
A frustrated warrior bit down on disappointment as a vital little female left him all alone
to deal with an extreme case of excitement. An empty bed offered no solace, a very cold
shower the only alternative for a male on the screaming edge of desire. He had but to look
at his mate for his body to want all she had to give. A sad state of affairs he had to learn
to control, or live in the skin of an animal alter ego whenever they were with friends and
kindred. It was unseemly to display sexual craving so openly, whether Sidhe or human.
With a growl of disgust at an isolated state, he hit the bathroom in a gloomy mood.
He didn’t care to share Aingeal with any other beings, a possessiveness inbuilt into the
male psyche of a sensual race of lusting creatures. The Bard adored soft smiles, and a
spirit of open generosity. The Tiger in him grew jealous of the time Aingeal spent from
his side, hungered to lock her away in a solid cage of love. It would be cruel and unjust
to deprive a gregarious soul of the company of friends and colleagues, but he could
still wish.
A thorough dousing under icy water helped to dispel some of Teague’s angst, a strenuous
workout may distract his mind and soothe the dull ache of rampant desires.
Attired once more in soft Sidhe leathers, carrying weapons and armour, a veneer of
serene dignity masked the heat of passion burning beneath a cool exterior. He had
witnessed aggressive paranoia and over protectiveness in the defensive posturing of
the Lord Drusal around the precious gift of a mate, never dreaming that fate was to be
his too. Iscatya tolerated male stupidity with a sarcastic tongue, and a firm declaration
of independence. Aingeal deserved to be loved, but never overpowered or overwhelmed
Eternal Bond (Edanholme Book 2) Page 20
