Love's Fury (Immortal Ireland Book 2)

by Kristen Cobb

  “I have no doubt the two of you will work it out. You chose well. He is an honorable man.” The smile disappeared from Conor’s face as he stared at the wall again, pulling his hand from her grasp.

  She knew exactly what changed Conor’s mood so thoroughly, thoughts of his father. One of the most dishonorable men they both knew. Again she had no idea what to say. His own father was allowing him to be executed rather than give up his ambition to be high-king and apologize to Rory for breaking the treaty. How do you reconcile that with the man who is supposed to love you more than anyone else?

  “None of this is your fault. I can see the guilt on your face. My father is the one letting me die, not you. If you had gone through with the plot to assassinate Rory my father would have ruined your life too. Falling in love with Conri was the best thing that could have happened. It tore you away from my father.”

  She had so many fond memories of Dermot. Her first instinct was to defend him but his actions this time were indefensible, allowing your son to be executed for no reason other than a desire for more power. They received no word from Dermot even though she warned him of the execution before Conri’s abduction. Aoife would have relayed the message even though Dermot refused to speak with her directly. If Conor’s father still believed Rory would never kill a hostage then he was in for a life altering shock.

  Nessa leaned her head on Conor’s shoulder and simply sat with him. Neither of them had any desire to talk now. There was nothing left to say but goodbye. She closed her eyes as Conor wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

  THEY WERE STILL in the same position when the door opened in the morning. The candle long ago burned out, leaving the room shrouded in darkness. Light flooded in from the hallway around Conri’s massive presence in the doorway.

  When their eyes met she knew he took no joy in this. The sadness in her husband’s brown eyes silently apologized for what he needed to do. The troubles between them set aside for a brief moment.

  “It is time to go.” Conri’s voice conveyed his regret at the task ahead as he looked at Conor.

  Conor nodded at Conri then turned to her. She watched as tears filled his eyes. Wrapping her arms around his neck she clung tightly, finally allowing the tears to flow down her cheeks. There would be no stopping them now, like a torrential downpour suddenly released from a dark storm cloud.

  The next time she saw Conor a stranger would be severing his head from his body. She could not seem to let him go. Conor eventually pushed her away, possessing enough strength for both of them. Standing up and walking toward the door he never looked back.

  Conor stood straight and tall in front of Conri in the doorway. “I am ready.”

  Conri stepped out into the stairwell allowing two men into the room. They clamped iron shackles around Conor’s hands and feet. Moving behind Conor they followed him out of the room.

  After everyone left, including the guards at Conor’s door, Conri moved to stand in the doorway. “I will stay with him until the end. You have my word. Conor will not be alone.”

  When Conri turned to leave his name flew from her lips before she could stop it. “Ri.”

  He stopped in the doorway without turning around.

  Getting up from the bed she moved to stand directly behind him. Reaching out to touch him Nessa managed to stop her hand right before it made contact with his back. Her hand shook as she struggled to keep from touching him.

  She wanted to tell him everything. The words were right there, ready to escape in an enormous outpouring of regret. How could she lose them both?

  Nothing came out. Eventually he walked away without ever turning around, disappearing down the winding stone stairwell.

  Falling to her knees great heaving sobs wracked her body as she screamed, overcome by frustration and pain.

  “READY?” Rory stood beside her in the stairwell outside Declan’s door.

  Nothing would give her greater pleasure than to kill Declan. The man destroyed her life. She could blame Ciaran or Declan’s mother, even the men who followed him, but none were as guilty as Declan.

  With a wave of her hand the door flew open, slamming against the stonewall. Glenna sat on the edge of Declan’s bed. “Who let her in here. Conri banned her from this room.” Nessa glared at both of the guards assigned to Declan’s door, her eyes already glowing as anger flooded her body with energy.

  Rory laid a hand on her arm as the guards attempted to back away in the narrow stairwell. “I agreed to let her come and say goodbye.”

  Nessa made a serious attempt to get her rage under control. There were still moments she needed to tread with caution when dealing with Rory. “She should not have been allowed in this room. Conri had no one. Why should Declan have someone to care for him?”

  “It was my decision to make. She came here of her own free will to help Conri. I decided to allow her time to say goodbye.” Rory had that cold I am the king expression on his face. His tone suggested she not challenge him in front of his men.

  “You made the wrong one.” Not in the mood to comply with anyone’s demands or wishes at the moment Nessa stepped into the room. “She did not come to help Conri. She came to protect Declan. Is that not right Glenna?”

  Rory moved into the room leaving the door open. They would not be staying long.

  Declan was chained at the wrists and ankles although now his wrists were bound in front of him. Glenna held one of his hands in both of hers. Dried blood covered the bedding as well as Declan’s clothing. Small slash marks in Declan’s tunic revealed the number of times Conri stabbed him. Considering the horrific number of stab wounds her husband endured Conri had been compassionate.

  Declan’s eyes were open. His piercing blue gaze staring straight at her, a slight grin on his face. She had never met anyone so deeply malevolent. What a terrifying group he and his men must have made. Being in the same room with Declan helped her understand why Moira did not want her child.

  Glenna released Declan’s hand and stood up. She turned to face the doorway without moving away from the bed. “I tried to convince him to reveal Conri’s location.”

  “She most certainly did. In the most enjoyable ways.” Declan glanced at Glenna and sighed, as if he were remembering a particularly erotic encounter.

  Nessa could only stare at the two of them. Declan could be called a lot of things but thus far not a liar. This would be an odd tale to make up. Glenna suddenly broke eye contact, staring at the wall.

  Although it seemed inconceivable she knew Declan spoke the truth. While Declan’s men were torturing her husband Glenna had been in here sexually pleasuring Conri’s captor. She understood the shifters were relatively isolated at Knocknashee but Glenna needed to face reality. Declan was beyond redemption. Allowed to live he would leave a trail of misery wherever he went.

  Nessa decided to try and reason with Glenna. “He is broken and no amount of love will fix him. The time for that has long past.”

  Glenna did look at her now, eyes wide and pleading. “You are wrong. There is good in him. I know there is. Please, you have found Conri, just let him go. I love him.”

  The way things stood killing Declan would make an enemy of Glenna. She knew from experience that love and reason were not necessarily the best of friends. “Do you see what Conri did to Declan?”

  Anger flashed in Glenna’s eyes. “Conri came in every night and stabbed him.” Glenna would definitely hold a grudge over this. Only love could incite that much anger.

  “Only once a night by the looks of Declan and his clothing. Conri was compassionate compared to the torture he endured at the hands of Declan’s men.” She would rather not reveal any more detail about her husband’s captivity with two of Conri’s men standing outside the open door. He would not want them to know.

  “You are lying. Conri did not have any injuries when you brought him home. They obviously treated him well.” Glenna did not appear to be wavering in her devotion to Declan. Her voice sounded confident and angry, postur
e ready to defend and challenge.

  “Conri’s father is one of the ancients. We used our powers to heal his wounds before bringing him home. Death would not have been long in coming for my husband. Your precious Declan did that. Do you care about Conri at all? I thought he was your friend as well.” She made the mistake of glancing at Declan. The smirk on his face seriously tried her patience. If Glenna could not be made to see what a threat Declan posed to the entire human race she had a choice to make. Allow Glenna to live and risk the woman attempting revenge someday for Declan’s death or kill her too.

  “Declan had no control over his men. He was here, being held captive by you and your lover.” Glenna nearly spat in Rory’s direction as she said the words your lover.

  Nessa considered pointing out that Declan and his men held Moira captive and forced themselves on her repeatedly, likely many other women as well. There were two problems with that argument. One, she would have to reveal that Moira helped them. The girl took a great risk, facing her fears in leading them to Declan’s camp. Without her help Conri almost certainly would have died. She could not betray Moira’s trust. The second reason being that Glenna would never believe her.

  Glenna was in love. Watching her determined stance by Declan’s bed Nessa realized nothing she said would change that. Declan could prove her right if he were allowed to live but that posed an unacceptable risk. He would come after them again. Declan knew she loved Conri. His mother’s obsessive focus on being able to change form ensured Declan’s continued pursuit of her powers, making him an ever-present threat to Conri.

  Nessa walked over to the doorway. “Get him up and bring him outside.”

  The two guards currently assigned to Declan’s door entered the room, striding quickly over to the bed. Glenna stepped in front of them. Pushing the petite shifter out of the way each guard grabbed one of Declan’s arms, hauling him up and off the bed.

  “No! You cannot do this.” Glenna attempted to grab one of the guards again as they led Declan across the room. Progress was slow because of the shackles, giving Glenna plenty of opportunity to continue trying to save the man she loved.

  Nessa stepped in this time. Throwing out her arm she shot a bolt of silver power at Glenna, knocking her back into the table. Striding across the small room Nessa noticed Declan appeared quite pleased by the chaos. He made no attempt to defend his lover in any way. Glenna provided amusement for Declan, nothing more.

  Glenna lay sprawled out on the floor in front of the overturned table, trying to collect herself and get up.

  Throwing out another sparkling wave of power from the palm of her hand Nessa stood over Glenna, stepping on her long brown hair to further immobilize her. “I do not think you fully comprehend the ramifications of your actions. I am seriously considering killing you along with Declan.”

  “He would never forgive you.” Glenna’s shrewd gaze came as a shock, not quite the innocent everyone believed her to be. “Someday, when your mortal lover dies, you will want Conri back. Think about that as you decide my fate.”

  Glenna’s statement left Nessa at a loss for words. Although not planning on being with Conri as a human again no one could know for certain what the future held. Would he understand if she killed Glenna? What would he say if he were here? She knew exactly what Conri would say. Glenna was an innocent. Peering down at the decidedly cunning gaze Nessa knew it to be an illusion but Conri would never believe her. She had a very bad feeling about allowing Glenna to live but could see no way to justify killing her.

  Lifting her foot off Glenna’s long hair Nessa took a step back, allowing the shifter to stand. “You owe Conri your life.” With that she turned her back on Glenna, heading toward the door.

  Rory remained quietly in the doorway, waiting for her. He stepped aside allowing her to exit the room first. Making her way down the winding candlelit stone passage Nessa knew Glenna followed behind them. So many previously unimagined thoughts formed in her mind. Could it be possible that Glenna and Declan maintained a relationship after he left Knocknashee as a child? Had Glenna been in on the entire plan with Declan, possibly even the instigator? She was likely just being paranoid, seeing danger around every corner, but it made more sense than any other explanation.

  Glenna spent time with them, long enough to see how much she loved Conri. Ciaran could not possibly have ascertained that very important bit of information in the short time they spent in his presence. Nor did she truly believe Ciaran would have maintained contact with Declan after he was cast out as a boy, another necessary piece of information. Even Declan’s mother did not make sense as a lone instigator of the plan to kidnap Conri. How could the woman have known the lengths she would go to for Conri? The only person close to Declan with that knowledge was Glenna. Proving it sufficiently to convince Conri would be another matter entirely.

  It took an annoyingly long time for Declan to shuffle out to the training field. They collected quite a few people along the way, all wanting to witness whatever spectacle was about to ensue.

  Ronan moved forward with four men as they arrived. Each carried an empty hemp sack slung across his upper body. He nodded when their eyes met, letting her know the men had been given their orders and all would be as she asked. Removing the battle-ax from his belt Ronan held it out to her.

  Nessa took the weapon from Ronan, motioning for the two guards holding Declan to step away. The men immediately followed her silent command. Nessa thought back to the day she found Conri, allowing the power to fill her body. She knew her eyes would be glowing a bright green now. There were no surprised gasps from the crowd this time. They did however all take a few steps back.

  Holding the battle-ax in her left hand Nessa threw her right hand forward. A ball of fire shot from her palm toward Declan’s chest instead of the glittering strands of power she expected, memories of her husband’s condition fueling her rage, transforming the power into pure fire. His tunic immediately burst into flames. Falling to the ground Declan tried rolling around in the dirt to put out the flames. A collective gasp from the assembled crowd did nothing to quell her fury. The man deserved to suffer for harming Conri. She wanted his last moments on this earth to be spent in enormous physical pain, watching him slowly burn seemed a fitting end for such a vile creature.

  The shackles around Declan’s wrists kept most of the cloth on his chest from touching the ground. Nessa watched him scream in agony as his tunic continued to burn, face contorted by pain and terror.

  Following along beside her prey Nessa threw another fireball at him. This one set fire to the back of his tunic. Rolling over a couple of times he managed to put out the fire on his back. Nessa followed close behind, stalking him.

  The crowd backed away from Declan as he rolled near them. No one wanted to be caught in the path of her wrath. Throwing out her arm one more time she hurled a fireball at his legs. Declan howled in pain as his pants caught fire. What remained of his tunic fell away, slowly burning to ashes in the dirt. The rustle of leaves on a nearby tree heralded a light breeze, bringing with it the smell of seared flesh. The skin on his chest bubbled and cooked as he continued screaming in pain. Declan’s pants fell off in charred pieces revealing scorched flesh already covered in rapidly swelling bubbles.

  Nessa stood silently watching, waiting, as Declan finally stopped moving. He lay there on the ground looking up at her with vacant eyes, likely just in shock from the extreme amount of pain. He appeared dead but she knew better. Declan could hear everything. Her next words would be his final punishment, his last moments filled with helpless torment. Her only regret was that his pain would be over so quickly. Conri had been forced to endure weeks of unimaginable trauma.

  “His limbs will be sent to the four corners of Ireland, head delivered to his mother at Knocknashee, torso thrown into the ocean for the fish to eat. Let this be a lesson to the next person who thinks to use someone I care about to control me. I would not suggest it as a wise course of action.” She glanced slowly across the gat
hered crowd, eyes still glowing.

  Taking a moment to rein in the worst of her anger Nessa threw a shimmering wave of silver power at each of Declan’s hands, releasing the shackles. She did the same with the restraints at his ankles. Reaching down she tossed aside both sets of chains then spread his arms and legs wide.

  In one quick motion she swung the battle-ax down with both hands, separating Declan’s head from his body. Her powers gave the weapon such force it sliced through flesh and bone as if it were warm butter. One more downward swing hacked off his left arm. Moving to the other side she made quick work of the right. A few people looked away as she chopped off both his legs with the blood soaked weapon, feeling the force clear up through her arms as it hit the ground beneath his body.

  Ronan and the four men moved in to collect the body parts. Ronan grabbed the head holding it up in the air, allowing most of the blood to drain before placing it in the sac slung across his upper body. The other four men followed Ronan’s lead, each grabbing a limb and letting the blood drain before placing it in their sac. The severed limbs stuck out the top of each sac a bit, not such a bad thing. She hoped the men would tell the tale if anyone asked why they were carrying a limb.

  Declan’s upper body needed to be transported to the sea with a wagon. Ronan would take the head to Knocknashee immediately. They decided it was probably best if he delivered Declan’s head. Ronan planned on informing the shifters he exacted revenge rather than her, telling them she no longer wanted to be with an outcast.

  As the crowd began to disperse Nessa spotted Glenna, staring in horror at Declan’s torso.

  Walking toward the heartbroken shifter Nessa knew she could not kill her but neither would she allow Glenna to remain within striking distance of Conri. “You are no longer welcome here. Leave now.”

  “That is not your decision to make.” Glenna’s defiant glare came as no surprise at this point.

  “No, it is mine and I trust her judgment. You may leave with your life and the clothes on your back.” Rory always seemed to be there when she needed him.