Was he really? Why? But she appreciated the offer so nodded.
“Remember, you can always speak to me telepathically,” he whispered into her mind.
“I know,” she thought. “But it’s a little too arousing right now.”
“I ken.” Rònan nodded, eyes on the fire as he spoke aloud. “We willnae do anything that makes you feel like you’ve betrayed your friend.”
He meant it, and she appreciated it. So she figured a few more internal words couldn’t hurt. “I know it’s probably hard but can you tell me more about what happened to you in the Otherworld?”
Rònan nodded. “Though I cannae recall much of my last visit, I do remember bits and pieces.” He shook his head. “’Tis a place devoid of color and warmth that drains the life from you. Last time I was beaten, but I’m not so sure I was this time. Then again, I’m not entirely certain I was taken by the dark demi-god this go round.”
He sipped from his mug then continued. “I remember flashes of Jackie. And I recall someone singing.” Though reluctant, his eyes met hers. “And because I would rather be honest with you...I remember a kiss.”
Chapter Ten
RÒNAN DIDN’T MISS ERIN’S heavy swallow as their gazes held. This time when she tried to speak, her voice worked. “You kissed Jackie?”
Rònan made no comment about her voice because he knew she wouldn’t appreciate it. “Mayhap,” he murmured, eyes still on her. “But I didnae get the sense it was Jackie.”
He watched closely as her thoughts flickered like shadows through his mind.
“But wasn’t she the only one there?”
He could tell by her tone that she was hedging.
“Aye, I thought so,” he said. “Yet she wasnae the one singing.”
“Strange,” she said softly. “Maybe you imagined it.”
Oh, he had not imagined it.
Erin kept her features smooth, but her mind still brushed his as it had all night. He tried to ignore the way she felt, but it was nearly impossible. More than that, he was trying not to invade her privacy. He would much rather she open up to him. “Might you share something of yourself? I’m curious about the lass who will be fighting alongside me. Where you came by such battle skills.”
Rònan saw the relief she tried to hide. She was avoiding something. Even so, he listened with avid fascination as she talked about serving in the military and about her horse in Vermont. He liked the way her features softened then hardened based on what she spoke of.
As he suspected, she possessed a level of intelligence he appreciated which was something that he rarely paid attention to with lasses. It wasn’t that he thought women weren’t smart, he had just always preferred their company in bed versus anywhere else. Outside of his sister and female cousins, he spent little time with lasses beyond the lusting.
“’Tis good that you’ve got the connection with horses,” he said. “Have you started communicating with Tosha yet?”
“Actually, I have.” She smiled. “A few days ago.”
Without a doubt, Tosha was like the other three horses they’d found in New Hampshire and was part MacLomain wizard. “I dinnae suppose she’s mentioned which MacLomain bonded with her?”
Erin shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Like me, she’s pretty low key.”
“Low key,” he murmured, still eying her. Somehow she had been there with him in the Otherworld while she cared for him. So he went with his gut to see what he could pull out of her. “So do you sing to her as you did to me?”
When Erin stilled, he felt a surge of satisfaction. It had been her singing. He would have never guessed based on her tough exterior.
“Not sure what you mean,” she murmured.
“Aye, but you do,” he said softly. “You’ve the voice of an angel.”
Erin barely breathed, and pain flickered across her face. “Sorry, but it wasn’t me you heard.”
Then he realized the stark truth. This was the sole reason she feared losing her voice. She would lose the ability to do something she loved.
But she didn’t have to. Not entirely anyway.
Rònan couldn’t stop himself if he wanted to. He turned her chair until she faced him and dragged her closer, locking his hands on the armrests.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed and shook her head. “This is a real bad idea.” Her eyes shot to his forearms on either side of her. “Way too close.”
“Sing for me.” He cupped the side of her head. “Sing within your mind.”
“Are you crazy?” She frowned. “That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because it is.”
“I dinnae think so,” he whispered, overly aware of how silky her hair felt, of how the pale purple in her eyes seemed to be magnifying and pulling him closer. “Mayhap not now but I think you should try at some point. I think you might be surprised.”
“You need to move away,” she whispered, closing her eyes as her cheek leaned into his touch. “For Jackie.”
Her thoughts didn’t just flicker through his mind but started to flood. Desire. Need. She fought an overwhelming draw to him that she was barely able to control. Feeling the pull just as intensely, he was impressed that she managed to fight it. She was already growing as a dragon. One that would be an admirable ally. Yet the lust, the connection they shared at this moment, still filtered down to one thing...one certainty.
“’Twas you who kissed me in the Otherworld,” he whispered.
“No,” she whispered, eyes still closed. “I kissed you here.”
He cupped her cheeks, reveling in the softness of her skin, the flawlessness of it. “Why?”
Her eyes slowly opened.
They were no longer human but dragon.
Rònan had a split second to register that before he seemed to be sucked into a memory of the Otherworld. There was no sign of Jackie. Just endless gray and death. Mournful wails on the wind. A shiver raked him as he tried to move, but his body was unresponsive. His eyes slid shut. He was dying, and the wails were drawing closer. Coming for him. Closer and closer.
Then the singing came.
Singing that drowned out the wails and pushed them away.
Erin?
Soft lips met his, but he couldn’t open his eyes. A tear—her tear—rolled down his cheek. It had never been Jackie who kissed him but Erin.
Despite how far away from his body he felt, passion roared up and gave his limbs strength. Eyes still closed, he cupped her cheeks and returned the kiss. Soft at first as he tilted her head. Then he kissed her more deeply. She tasted so sweet, hot, delicious, so different than all the others. He swore his blood started boiling when her mouth opened and their tongues touched. Tasting, sampling, both groaned before the kiss started to grow wild.
“Hey guys, great news!” Nicole declared before she murmured, “Oh, damn.”
Ripped from oblivion, Rònan’s eyes shot open at the same time as Erin’s. She was straddling him on the chair, and he was moments away from taking her. He’d pulled down his pants enough, and it seemed he downright ripped hers.
“Here, cover yourselves quick.” Nicole whipped a fur at them. “And put away those dragon eyes.”
Rònan had no idea what to make of any of this. Why had Erin embraced her dragon without being angry? Better yet, when had she ended up on his lap? The memory had been so brief. The kiss not nearly long enough. He had a few seconds to mull it over before Niall and Tait strode in.
“Och,” Rònan muttered as he wrapped the fur around them enough to cover what shouldn’t be seen. “Might ye give us a moment?”
Erin blinked several times, and her eyes returned to normal as they flew to Tait and she blushed. With no means to control it, Rònan’s inner dragon shot the Viking a triumphant look.
“Erin?” a lass said as she walked in a few seconds later.
Erin’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God, Jackie!”
Jackie? His eyes shot to the tall blond. Bloody hell.
Nic
ole being Nicole took charge and started shooing everyone out. “Okay, let’s give them a minute to,” she cleared her throat, “to readjust themselves.”
“Sonofabitch,” Erin groaned and swung off of him. “How did I end up on your lap?” Before he could respond, she shook her head. “Forget it. It must’ve been a dragon thing. One we obviously still have no control over.”
Rònan eyed his erection with despair. “I cannae seem to will away the beastie’s need with magic.”
“What?” Her eyes fell to his cock then widened. When she licked her lips, he pulled the blanket over it and scowled. “That doesnae help any lass.”
“Sorry. I just...it...” Her frown was as deep as his when she grabbed another pair of pants out of a trunk. “That shouldn’t have happened.” Then she yanked off her shredded pants. “I can’t believe Jackie’s here.”
He tried, but for the life of him, he couldn’t pull his gaze from her slender legs and tempting wee arse. So much smooth, firm, mouth-watering skin.
“Stop that,” she growled as she pulled on fresh pants. “Did you not catch that Jackie’s here?”
“And do you not recall our talk of dragon puberty?” he growled back, galled that he couldn’t get a simple erection under control.
“Then take care of yourself.” Erin yanked on one boot. “Stroke one out.” She yanked on the other. “But get that under control soon then meet me in the main lodge.”
“We need to talk,” he started, but Erin shook her head, wrapped a fur around her shoulders and strode out. He sighed, more upset than he could ever remember being. For more reasons than one. Instead of pleasuring himself as she so eloquently phrased it—oh, he got the gist of her modern day description—he focused on breathing. Damn lass. It must be nice to walk away from what had happened so easily.
Thankfully, with her gone, he was able to get himself under control.
He needed to talk to her now.
Because Jackie was not the lass he saw in the Celtic Otherworld.
She was not the lass he swore an oath to.
He could only suppose that lass had been the enemy all along and hell if she hadn’t played the part well. Too well. Which made him wonder.
After he pulled on a tunic, he headed for the main lodge. Though it was crowded, it didn’t take him long to locate Erin. She might be with her friends, but Tait and Bjorn were hovering nearby as usual. Blasted Vikings. Tait’s eyes met his, and despite the compromising position he had found them in, it was clear the man had no intention of giving up his pursuit of her. While he and Tait typically had more lighthearted personalities, their mutual desire was creating unneeded friction.
And clearly affecting their moods.
Though Erin didn’t look his way, Nicole did. “There you are.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him over, making introductions. “Jackie, this is Rònan.” Then she gestured between them. “Rònan, Jackie.”
Jackie offered a soft, tempered smile. One he imagined wrapped most men around her little finger. But he wasn’t most men.
“Nice to meet you, Rònan,” she said, studying him curiously.
“You as well, Jackie.”
When his eyes flickered to Erin, she looked away. Hell.
Nicole nudged Rònan and kept smiling at Jackie. “Mind if I steal him for second?”
“By all means.” Jackie’s eyes flickered over the room. “Is Darach here?”
“You just missed him,” Nicole said as she yanked Rònan after her.
They were about halfway through the crowd when Nicole thanked a servant for a horn of ale and handed it to Rònan. Exasperated, she scowled at him. “For Christ sake, you left with one woman then I find you ready to screw Erin. I thought you two were steering clear of each other?”
“We were. At first,” he groused and downed half his horn. “But I didnae want her to be alone.”
Nicole rubbed her forehead and kept eying him. “Did you sleep with the redhead first?”
“Nay,” he scoffed. “I never really left but you’d not know that because you were off with Niall.”
“Right.” She shrugged. “I can’t keep my hands off of him.” Her eyes stayed with his. “Well, Jackie’s here now, so you and Erin better get a grip.”
“Jackie’s not the lass I swore an oath to,” he said softly. “She isnae the one who came to me in the Otherworld.”
Nicole’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?” Her eyes narrowed. “Or are you just saying that because you wanna sleep with Erin?”
Rònan’s frown deepened. “You think that ill of me then?”
“It’s not a matter of thinking bad of you, Sweetie. I just know nothing about dragon-shifter males and females being around each other.” Nicole’s eyes searched his, and she shook her head. “The Otherworld’s been screwing with you in a real bad way, and now you and Erin have this attraction neither of you knows how to control.”
“Och, ‘tis bloody frustrating.” He downed the rest of his ale. “’Twould be best if I go to sleep and start fresh on the morrow.”
“Nay, my lad,” his mother said softly as she came alongside. “Ye’ll be joining me in the Viking King’s lodge so that we might better ken what’s happening.”
While tempted to argue, the look in her eyes broached no room for argument. Even if she were not his ma, he wouldn’t argue with Torra MacLeod. Nobody of MacLomain blood would save possibly Grant, and he had yet to see that happen.
So by the time he plunked down once more at Naðr’s fire with a fresh horn of ale, only the few Torra wanted were there. Grant, the Viking King, Megan, Erin, Jackie and Rònan. Though their personalities struck him as vastly different, it was clear that Erin and Jackie were close as they sat together.
Naturally, Grant led the conversation, his eyes on Rònan. “Leslie and Bradon fled New Hampshire with Jackie when they learned you were taken by Brae Stewart to the Celtic Otherworld. Wishing to take no chances by remaining vulnerable in the future, they fled to Scotland. When and where they ended up shall remain a mystery because you are too entrenched and part of what Brae and her dark Laird are doing.”
Before Rònan could respond, Grant shook his head. “And now you are lust-ridden over Erin because she is a dragon.”
“Mayhap ‘tis not just because she is half dragon.” His eyes wandered to Erin. Back to flicking her lighter, she stared at the fire with a frown. Jackie, however, met his eyes, clearly interested in what he had to say.
Grant’s brows perked, his brogue thickening despite their company. “So ye’ve love for Erin then despite yer oath to Jackie?”
“I never said a bloody thing about love.” He cringed at the intensity of his words. Erin never reacted but kept at the damn lighter. “Either way, Jackie isnae the lass I made an oath to.”
The room fell silent, and though she didn’t look at him, Erin’s fingers stilled on the lighter.
Jackie finally broke the silence. “I’m not?”
Rònan shook his head and met her eyes. “You look nothing like the lass who called to me. Who helped me through.”
“That’s okay.” Her eyes were remarkably kind as the corner of her lip tilted up. “Because by the sounds of it, I’d rather not be trapped there.”
“Nay, you wouldnae,” his mother said, her eyes meeting his. “Are you sure, Son?”
“Aye.” He nodded. “Definitely. She even sounds different.”
“Then we can only assume that the enemy is masking himself as a lass to lure you in, Rònan,” Grant said.
“Mayhap but somehow I dinnae think so.” He shook his head, unconvinced. “She was too kind. As to her calling to me from the Otherworld, the verra reason I went to the future, it seemed too real. Too intense.”
“Evil can seem that way when it tries to lure,” his mother reminded.
“Nay.” He shook his head, still trying to catch Erin’s eye. “Whoever helped me in the Otherworld the first time, even the second time, wasnae evil in the least.”
“Nay,” Grant murmure
d. “It wasnae, was it?”
Caught by the octave of his uncle’s voice, his eyes shot to Grant. “You believe me then? You believe that the lass who called to me wasnae evil?”
“I believe that you believe it, Nephew.” His eyes flickered to Torra then back. “How different were her features from Jackie’s?”
“Yeah, I’d like to know that too.” Erin’s voice was whisper soft as her eyes swung to his. “Because my take on it is that you’re just thinking with your dick.”
Though tempted to retaliate with anger, he saw the flicker of hurt in her eyes. More than that, he felt it in her thoughts. She had no idea what to make of this. How she should feel. If not Jackie, who was this unknown woman he had felt so strongly about? Honestly, if their positions were reversed, he’d feel the same way.
“When it comes to you, aye, mayhap I have thought with my cock too much.” His eyes never left hers, and he dealt only in honesty. “But there’s more betwixt us than that, and now that I know ‘twas not your friend I swore an oath to, I’m coming for you, lass. I need to better ken what this is.”
Erin’s brows dropped. “You’re not coming for anything, buddy.”
“Enough,” the Viking King cut in. His eyes went to Jackie. “I know that Bradon and Leslie kept you safe. Have you had any dreams of this Otherworld? Of Rònan? Any strange episodes that make no sense?”
“None.” She shook her head. “Before today, I’ve never seen Rònan.”
Grant’s eyes met his. “That doesnae mean she wasnae there, Nephew.”
“Grant’s right,” Torra added. “There’s too much unknown to be certain of anything.”
Rònan saw where this was heading and wanted no part of it.
“I tire of this. I’m a laird now and lead my own clan.” Rònan swigged down his ale and stood, his eyes flickering between Torra and Grant. “What did you call us in here for then? To tell me I couldnae have Erin despite me telling you Jackie’s not the lass for me? That I must wait and see how this all works itself out?” He ground his jaw. “I grow tired of doing what everyone else wants. I grow tired of being a pawn in a game I dinnae ken.”
The MacLomain Series: Later Years - a Scottish Time Travel Romance Boxed Set Page 67