by Sin
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but it wouldn’t budge. I gave in and pushed enough magik out to assure that the doors and windows were locked. They were, and I felt the tiniest bit of relief wash over me. I could do nothing but hope the presence didn’t sense me as I had them. I picked my book back up and did my best to read it. My nerves were getting the best of me and after six times of reading the same page, I gave up. I couldn’t really beat off an attacker with a paperback anyways.
I headed towards the kitchen and pulled a wine glass from the cupboard. It took me a minute to get a bottle of Merlot open, but I managed. Normally, Cedric handled that for me. I’d been trying my hardest to learn to be more independent and if opening a wine bottle was considered a step, then I was headed in the right direction. No one ever said how big of steps I needed to take.
The deep burgundy liquid filled the glass. It wasn’t as good as wine from the Blessed Court, but it would do. I brought it to my mouth and felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I froze, not wanting to believe that my worst fear had come true. My body tightened and instantly my inner thighs were damp from the pooling liquid. I knew without question who was near me. It was the only other man, aside from Cedric, who could bring me to orgasm with his very presence.
"How did you find me?" I asked, unsure if I wanted to hear the answer.
"I was not aware you were hiding,” a deep voice said from behind me.
My hand shook and I had to set the glass of wine down. I got as far as that and my body decided to freeze up again. I was unable to turn and face Rowan. Part of it fear, part of it concern that if I looked into his dark brown eyes I’d forgive him for all the horrible things he did to my Cedric. Absolution was not an option. What he’d done was unforgivable.
"Are you going to look at me?" he asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.
I closed my eyes and shook my head no. I couldn’t face him. Four months apart hadn’t made me an ounce stronger when it came to resisting him.
Strong hands grabbed my shoulders and I yelped. Rowan tried to turn me, but I kept my feet planted firmly. I waited for him to spin me around and demand I explain myself, he didn’t. He rubbed my neck gently, caressing it with a tenderness that others didn’t know he possessed. His body pressed against mine and the fluttering feeling he’d caused in my abdomen once before, returned. It felt as though a thousand tiny butterflies had been let loose within me. It was a sign that we were mated and my body hadn’t forgotten.
My legs threatened to give out and I had to put my hands on the counter to keep from falling. Rowan’s hands moved around my neck and for a split second, I worried that he would snap it. I had no reason to doubt Cedric and after hearing about his ordeal, I was scared of Rowan--terrified to be precise. I tensed and his hands dropped away from me.
"What has changed you, Mackenzie? You disappear for months and when I find you, my touch makes you cringe. You act as though I am a cruel man, intent on doing you harm. All I am guilty of is loving you, and last I checked that was not a crime."
I let out a small, nervous laugh and brought my hand to my mouth to stop it. Rowan moved closer to me and turned my body to him. I kept my eyes closed tight. It was juvenile, but it was my only defense. He touched my chin lightly and lifted my face. His lips touched mine and my legs did give out. Strong arms wrapped around me and the kiss intensified. I brought my hands up and pushed on his hard chest. I had more of a shot at moving a mountain than Rowan, so I stopped my feeble assault. I did manage to tear my mouth away from his, and that was an achievement considering how much I wanted to leave it there.
I opened my eyes slowly and stared into Rowan’s chocolate eyes. His bronzed skin seemed as perfect as I’d remembered it being, and his long silky dark hair was now pulled back, leaving his face to look a bit harder than it normally did. He tipped his head slightly and gave me a questioning look.
"I have missed you, Mackenzie. Have you not missed me?"
My breathing was shallow and my pulse quickened. Of course I missed him. How could I not. But as much as I wanted to see him, I wanted to run from him. The monster within him had threatened Cedric and I could never forgive that.
Tiny beads of sweat formed between my breasts, making my shirt cling to me, and I knew that if he touched me again I wouldn’t be able to break his hold on me. I took a step back, but found that I was wedged between Rowan and the counter. I was trapped and Rowan knew it. He smiled slightly and closed the distance between us.
His hand went to my stomach and his face came close to mine. His eyes seemed to look through me as he spoke. I felt naked, exposed, and terrified. "My power is weak in you. How can this be?"
"It has been four months since we had sex," I said. I didn’t tell him about Cedric helping me lift some of his magik out of my body.
"We did more than have sex, my dear. We cemented a bond ... we made love and allowed our bodies to share magik. That is not taken lightly among our people, young one." His voice was so condescending it took me by surprise.
I rolled my eyes and tried to walk past him. He grabbed my arm and held me still. His grip tightened to just this side of painful. "I believe you have some explaining to do."
I let out a laugh. I almost let it slip that I knew he was the Prince, but didn’t. He’d demand to know how I found out and that would lead him straight to finding out who Cedric really was. I’d used glamour to cover Cedric’s scars at their last meeting, and Cedric had given his name as James. As far as Rowan was concerned, James was one of my guards, and was here to protect me, not make love to me daily and steal my heart. If he found out the truth, he’d kill Cedric, and most likely me as well.
I put my hand on Rowan’s shoulder and forced a smile onto my face. "I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I can’t see you again. I don’t want to see you again." I added quickly, for good measure.
A crease appeared on his forehead and I knew he was pondering what I’d just told him. He shook his head ever so slightly and moved to pull me to him. I stepped to the side and managed to avert his grasp, at least for the time being. Our eyes locked and for one brief moment, I forgot about the monster Rowan truly was. I thought only of our time together, near the river, making passionate love until our bodies were sweat soaked and numb.
His hand ran up my arm and I had to fight to swim back to the surface. I couldn’t let myself be seduced so easily. I had to be strong, if not for me, then for Cedric. I bit my inner cheek hard, and the pain helped to bring me back to my senses. I was on the brink of tears before I finally had control of myself enough to pull away from Rowan.
"Mackenzie?"
"Please leave." It was all I could manage to get out.
"I will not leave without you." His chest puffed out slightly, and I knew that he was serious. "Have you any idea what has been going on since you left?"
"No," my voice sounded weak, even to me. I had a pretty good idea, but I needed to hear it from him to be sure.
"The war between the Unblessed and the Blessed is on the brink of starting again. There have been attacks, headed by both sides, on several occasions now. It is as it was before the last Great War started. You can trust no one. The fragile peace that had been achieved prior to you leaving is all but gone. I do not think either side wishes to make the war official again, but we will not be left with much of a choice soon."
"Are you telling me that if I don’t come back and honor my marriage agreement all hell will break loose?"
His brown eyes darted away from me a moment, as he searched for just the right words. "It is not as simple as that now. You see, your mother believes you were kidnapped, and that perhaps, the King had something to do with it. I tried to tell her that you took some time off to think things over and that you had your guard James with you, but she had never heard of him." Rowan’s eyebrows rose, and I knew he was expecting me to solve this puzzle for him.
I took a deep breath in. "Well, that doesn’t surprise me at all. My mother rarely knows
what’s going on in my life. Why should now be any different?"
His lips curved into a smile. It wasn’t sexy so much as it was sinister. "That is what I thought too, in the beginning, but the more I tried to convince your mother that you were safe with one of her guards, the more insistent she became that you had been kidnapped. Shortly after you left, I found out we had a prisoner break out of his cell. He was quite the dangerous fellow, serving a life sentence for trying to assassinate the King." Rowan looked at me and I could tell he was searching me for signs of betrayal. "It has been difficult, to say the least, for me to get away to the Blessed Court to speak with your mother on matters. My fa... the King wishes for us to sever ties with the Blessed Ones. My concern for your safety has kept me going back."
"I’m sorry that I put you in a difficult position, but...."
His grip on my arm tightened to the point that I knew I’d have bruises come morning. "Put me a difficult position... hmm... that is such a nice way of saying that you ran off and left me high and dry. We are a mated pair now and my body has craved your touch for four long months, Mackenzie. I have felt as though a piece of me was missing. At times, it’s been hard to breathe without you near, and you say that you are sorry for putting me in a difficult position. That is rich, I must say! Now, get your things, we are leaving."
I nodded my head, but had no intention of going anywhere with him. I let my power build slowly, afraid that Rowan would sense it and use his own to render me powerless or kill me. I pushed my hand back and sent the wine bottle crashing to the ground. Rowan jumped to avoid being splattered and I used that moment to call upon my full power. I felt the icy cold feeling that I got using magik move throughout me. I thrust my hands up and out, sending shockwaves of power at Rowan. His feet lifted off the floor and he had little time to retaliate before my power sent him hurtling into the log cabin’s wall.
I ran towards the front door and didn’t stop to look back at Rowan. Once before I’d knocked him unconscious and it had only lasted an afternoon. I didn’t have time to waste checking him now. I needed to get away and find Cedric.
Chapter Six
I ran as fast as I could through the front yard. The ground was cold beneath my feet, and the socks I wore provided little in the way of warmth or protection. Something heavy slammed into my back and I fell to the ground. I tried to roll over but someone was using their magik to hold me still. Blond hair fell down and covered my face. It wasn’t my own, and Rowan’s hair was dark brown, bordering on black--so I was concerned.
"Sorry, but I cannae let you run away, Rowan would not be pleased with me,” a male voice said near my ear.
I strained to see who it was, but couldn’t. "Stop her!" I heard Rowan’s voice. "Oh ... is she hurt?"
"No, I do nae think so. I only used a stunnin’ spell, and nothin’ more."
"Thank you, Glyn, give us some privacy," Rowan said, sounding less than grateful.
Glyn was one of Rowan’s personal guards. I never thought to check and see if he’d brought back up with him. Of course he did, it made sense now. Rowan wouldn’t travel into the mortal realm without assistance.
Rowan knelt down next to me and I laughed a little when I saw his boots. I hadn’t seen a faerie dressed in full uniform since I’d left the faerie realm. I’d gotten used to Cedric in jeans and a t-shirt. The overdone, centuries old fashion of the faeries now seemed silly to me, I laughed again lightly, and Rowan pulled my hair back.
"You think it is funny to use power like that against the man you claim to love?" His hand moved into my hair. He pulled up and lifted my head off the ground. My jaw dropped and I let out a small moan, indicating I was in pain. "You’re bleeding."
I licked my lip and tasted blood. Glyn’s power had sent me to the ground so hard and fast that I was lucky I still had all my teeth. A bloody lip was nothing. Rowan pulled harder on my hair. "You’re hurting me."
"I know," he said, his voice sounded different, deeper than normal. He blinked down at me and released my hair quickly, leaving my head to hit the ground again. This time it was my nose that scored a direct hit. My eyes watered and I felt blood come dripping out of at least one of my nostrils. Rowan’s hands slid under my arms and turned me towards him. He saw the blood coming from my nose and his eyes widened. "Mackenzie, I am sorry. I did not mean to... are you...?" He reached out to touch my face and I jerked away--scared he would do to me what he’d done to Cedric--mind rape me. It was a horrible invasion on your private thoughts that left you in excruciating pain, and near death.
"Mackenzie, let me get you back inside. I will see to your needs and then we can be on our way."
I lifted the back of my hand and used it to wipe my face. I glared at Rowan. "Don’t ever touch me again. You’re a liar, and a monster, just like I thought you to be, Prince Elwyn."
His head tipped back and he smiled slightly. "Ah, now I understand. You are upset about me not being honest with you. You have to understand that I was going to tell you, but we got so wrapped up in other things that I let my best opportunity slip by. I hardly think hiding from me was called for. So what if I am the Prince of the Unblessed Court? You should be happy I am not the monster you thought I was. There was no reason to run from me."
I turned and spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground. "Leave here now, Rowan... Elwyn, whatever it is that you go by."
"Mackenzie, you are being unreasonable. It was a game. I needed to see if you could be trusted, and when you went to confess your love for me to whom you believed to be the Prince I knew you could be trusted." He glanced up at the cabin and then back at me. "Now I am not so sure, though."
"Oh, that’s good, coming from you. I didn’t lie to you," I said, letting my voice sound cold.
"Didn’t you now? So, tell me, where is James, or should I say Captain Cedric James McKinney?"
My eyes widened at the mention of Cedric’s name. Rowan knew the truth now, there was nothing I could do about that, but I could still try to protect Cedric. "He’s not here. He’s gone. He up and left me all alone."
Rowan’s hand came to my cheek and he touched it lightly. "Do not forget that I have had a taste of you. I know what you are capable of when it comes to pleasing a man, and I know no man would willingly walk away from that, so let us try this again. Where is Captain McKinney?"
"I don’t know."
"Do not bother trying to protect him. I will find him, and when I do he is a dead man."
I knew Rowan would find Cedric and that he would indeed kill him. He’d already come close to it once. It wouldn’t cost him a wink of sleep to carry it out. I’d run out of options. I gave in and decided to make a deal with the devil. "I’ll come back with you if you promise not to harm Cedric in any way. That goes for your men too... they can make no attempt at finding him, or hurting him."
"What makes you think that I will agree to this?" Rowan asked, his hand cupping my cheek firmly now.
"Because you let me see a side of you others don’t know exists. I know you’re not totally the Unblessed Prince who is cruel and tortures for fun. You have another side, the side you let me see. It can be caring and loving."
His hand slid behind my head and he jerked my face forward. "You attack me with your magik, and expect me to give in when you mention love... ah, my dear Mackenzie, you know little about me."
"Then you not only lied about who you are, you lied about loving me?" I didn’t try to fake a hurtful voice--I didn’t have to. This genuinely shook me. The thought Rowan could have been playing me since the moment we met had never entered my mind. I had honestly fallen in love with him and had to struggle with that fact everyday for the last four months.
I fought hard to keep from crying, but it didn’t work. Hot tears fell down my cheeks and I tried to turn my face away from him. Shame for giving into emotions that I shouldn’t have had consumed me and I wanted to shrink away into nothing--disappearing forever.
Rowan dropped his forehead down and put it against mine gently. "Do not
cry, Mackenzie. I wish I could look you in the eyes and tell you that I did lie and that I do not love you, it would make my life easier. It would make what I have to do easier."
I let out a small sob and licked my bloody lips. "Promise me that you won’t hurt Cedric, please, and I’ll come with you without a fight."
He gritted his teeth and exhaled. "Mackenzie, I have dreamed of the moment I would get to put an end to the man’s life who took you from me. I do not think I can make you that promise."
"Please, Rowan."
"Have you given yourself over to him? Have you let him touch you? Have you let him fuck you?"
I nodded slightly and felt my tears rush out. Rowan’s hand tightened in the back of my hair. "Did you enjoy it?" he asked.
I nodded again, and all the muscles in his face strained. His breathing changed and I knew he was doing everything in his power to keep his temper under control. I sat still, afraid the slightest movement on my part would set him off. The irony of my work at the abused women shelter was not lost on me. I raised money for women to not have to submit to abusive men and here I was cutting a deal with one.
"Do you love him?" he asked, looking me dead in the eye.
"Yes," I said softly.
Rowan screamed out and pushed my body to the ground. He grabbed my wrists and pinned my arms above my head. His wild eyes found mine and I could see the rage in them. "I will kill him!"
I struggled to get free of his grasp but it was useless. He was so much bigger than me that he could have held both my wrists in one of his hands. I thought about Cedric and my stomach tightened. I’d thought once that I’d lost him and it had broken my heart. I couldn’t go through that again. I’d do anything to prevent that from happening.
"Promise not to hurt him and I’ll not only come back to the Courts with you, I’ll marry you and have your child--your heir. My womb is within weeks of accepting seed and allowing me to create life." The words left my mouth and I felt like something inside me had died. I had just agreed to be with Rowan forever to save Cedric. Worse than that, I’d lied to Rowan. Sure, my womb was ready to create life, but I wouldn’t live long enough to see that happen.
