Ro got up, took a shower and got dressed. It was a new day, full of possibilities. It was going to be good. Ro put that vibe out there once again, determined that she’d make it so. Being stuck in gloom and doom will only add wrinkles and grey hair, she was too young for that shit.
Rowan went down the hall to Devlin’s bedroom. Empty. Untouched. He never came home last night, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Ro wasn’t his keeper. If she was truthful with herself, she knew this whole thing was moving way too fast. Her senses have been clouded since the first day of being around him. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be and this was some foolish (albeit dramatic) tryst. No… that wasn’t it. Her gut and heart told her it was something else.
She went out to the kitchen to see if there was any coffee and saw Adam standing in the living room looking out the window towards the gardens. She was happy to see him.
“Hey.”
“Good morning, my dear, did you sleep alright?”
“Yeah, I did actually. The birds woke me up this morning. It’s a nice way to wake up, even if it’s a little earlier than I’d like.” She was cheery and it showed. Rowan hummed a song while brewing a pot of tea (no coffee was found) and then she went back in the bedroom to wake up Brinley.
Once Brinley was dressed and ready, they all left the cottage and headed back to Adam’s house. Ro half hoped Devlin was there, and half hoped he wasn’t. She’d be happy to see him safe but would be pissed that he didn’t come to her last night when she had waited for him. She wanted to ask Adam about Devlin, but stopped herself. There was no point, the end result was, he’d not come back to her when she felt he should have. Devlin was good as gone, like she feared.
Walking through the mudroom and into the kitchen, they were greeted with Blurred Lines blasting through the surround sound. Ava was back from wherever she’d gone the night before and was in the kitchen singing into her spatula microphone. Nora was whipping up banana pancakes, parfaits and coffee. Ava did a little dance towards them, grabbed Rowan by her hands, pulling her into the rhythm. It didn’t take long until the three loony women were spinning, dancing, and bobbing around the kitchen doing their best Robin Thicke.
Adam watched Brinley shake her sugar shaker around a chair. Lucky fucking chair. There’d be none of the sweet stuff for him and it was starting to irritate the Sidhe.
Growling his discontent, he left the three sirens to their breakfast and locked himself in his room. He needed a shower and to do something to release his frustration and tension… most of which were coming from inside his pants.
Christ, it’s been a long time since he’s had a woman… even one for just a night. The sex vibes radiating out of Rowan and Devlin these past few days couldn’t be ignored and Adam just had to brave the storm and try his best to not let the heat spread to his own loins. It was a true test of willpower that’s for fucking sure. Adam growled again. Mayhap he should just go out later and find some willing female to bend over in the back of his car. Maybe, two … make it three.
Och, fuck it. He’ll just go into the shower and have his own love affair. He was wound up tighter than a battle drum with no release in sight. This will not do. There was work to be done, and an urgency in the air saying there’s no time to waste (look at what’s happened so far this week) and he was getting distracted by thoughts of women.
Playing scenes in his head, he imagined kissing them till their lips were red and swollen, and then kissing other parts of them with equal fervor. No, not them… just one. He thought of Brinley, the beam of sunshine dancing and wiggling her sweet ass around his kitchen right now. Och, he’s turning into a hot steamy mess.
Bloody siren.
Best drown out their damn music with some of his own tunes.
Adam hit power on his MP3 player and turned up the Bose system. More Human Than Human screamed loud enough in his room he could hear it even in the hot shower. He did a quick lather and rinse and then eyed the bottle of shampoo. Och, he’s not desperate - not desperate enough for that at least. He’ll go find a willing participant later to help him shed off some of the heat he’s got rolling off of him. Adam didn’t have to look hard, willing women were everywhere.
Determined, he got out of the shower and tried his best to block out the thoughts of the blonde bombshell in his kitchen. He wanted her. But, like Jagger says, you can’t always get what you want. He turned on a growl of self-disgust and started to get dressed. Pulling on a pair of charcoal grey Calvin Kleins (no underwear because it’s too constricting) and a crisp white CK shirt, he was just starting to button it when he heard a loud knock at the door. He rolled his eyes. It was probably Ava coming to tell him to turn the music down, he thought as he opened it.
Sunshine was on the other side instead. Flushed from dancing and beaming with her good mood, she said something that he couldn’t hear because his music was too loud. He went over to the sound system, turned it down to a more reasonable volume, and came back to her for a repeat.
“Apologies my dear, the music was too loud for me to hear what you said.”
The blonde just stood there. Silent. Brinley’s eyes were raking down his body with a hungry look. She was starving alright and not for the damn banana pancakes she’d come to tell him were ready.
Nine Inch Nails was up next with Closer, and hearing the words “I want to fuck you like an animal” Brinley couldn’t agree more. She didn’t say a word; she just stared at the sculpted bare chest glistening with a golden sheer. Her mouth grew dry and she licked her lips. What the hell was wrong with her? Maybe she didn’t get enough sleep and her eyes were playing tricks on her. Blinking once, twice, she looked again and his skin was a nice tan color like he’d just come back from a vacation in the Caribbean. Tattoos crawled across his chest, but were cut off by his crisp white shirt left unbuttoned. He looked dangerous and delectable.
She wanted to see more.
Brinley was a take life by the balls kind of girl. If she wanted something, she went for it. That rule applied to all manner of things including shoes, food, and men. Life was too short for the coulda, shoulda, woulda’s. Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer to him. He smelled like lemongrass and some deeper, richer scent that only a man can have. The aroma made her bold and senseless.
“What are you doing?” His words came in a low whisper.
The stare she was giving him had already made his glamour waver once. This was getting dangerous.
Nervous, angry and very much at a breaking point, Adam let out a low growl in warning. “I do not like distractions, woman. They get in the way of what must be done.”
Brinley’s breath hitched at the sound but she didn’t back away. She came closer instead. An eyebrow shot up in response and she took another step closer to him. “I don’t like distractions either.” Brinley stalked further into his room and he was suddenly backing away from her. “I always keep my eyes on the prize.”
Boldness took her and she snatched him by the collar and dragged him to her lips. Ohh she was being a dirty girl. Call it an effect from the music, the lack of sleep, the tales of Rowan’s romance with Devlin, or just plain old fashioned recklessness, but Brinley wanted Adam.
And she always gets what she wants.
Pulling him closer to her lips, she could smell his aftershave and minty breath. Eyes locked onto his, she was caught up in swirls of teals, purples, greens and ambers… peacock feathers. Their lips locked and the world crashed down. Adam didn’t respond for a heartbeat or two and then out rose a rumble from his chest that vibrated under her hands pressed on him.
Grabbing her tightly by her waist, he backed her up in a rush of heat surging through his hard body. This Sidhe had two sides to his coin: lust and bloodlust. He may be a practical creature, calm and collected when facing a challenge, but he was not that way right now. He was a beast of raging and dangerously aching needs.
Brinley felt like she’d just stepped into a cage with a hungry tiger, claws and s
harp teeth at the ready.
She liked it.
Ramming her up against his dresser, Adam broke free from her lips and spun her around to face away from him. He was an animal. Sweeping her hair away from her neck, he breathed in deep while he licked the muscle that stretched from her shoulder to her neck with one long drag of his hot velvet tongue. His touch caused her desire to burst in the air like a thousand jasmine blooms, her skin smelled sweet and her taste was sweeter still.
Ready to shred her pink shirt to ribbons, he was called back to his senses by a loud noise. Looking up and getting slapped with reality, Ava was staring at him with a big obnoxious smile. “Ahem. Your breakfast is getting cold you two.” Winking, she left the two mindless beings to get their wits about them.
Brinley was mortified. Holy shit, how did this just happen? She was so embarrassed and there were no rocks to crawl under in this place. Her body was trembling with feral urges that would not be met now, and she hung her head down in defeat.
Adam backed away with a grunt and turned his back on her. She tried to look at him, but he was obviously embarrassed himself and wouldn’t return the gaze. She fixed her shirt and hair and marched out of the room. She was an idiot.
He watched her go. Balling his fists he bit his bottom lip and squeezed his eyes shut.
Maiden, Mother and Crone! Brinley was going to be the death of him. Adam’s never lost control like that in all his days in the human world. She brought out a part of him that he chose to keep under lock and key. And for good reason. He thought of all the times his guard and glamour had been let down these past few days. He was a disgrace to his kind. No Sidhe worthy of his power would falter this way – especially over a human. Berating himself for his despicable behavior, he vowed not to let it happen again. There was going to be some space between Brinley and his dangerous self, even if that meant fucking every other woman this side of County Cork to release the tension in his loins.
Buttoning up his shirt and fixing his glamour, the Sidhe went out to join the table of trouble and temptation and eat those fucking pancakes.
Chapter 18
Lorcan was livid. Pacing back and forth, he eyed the lineup of beasts trembling before him. He had a traitor in his midst.
“Which one of you helped her?”
No response.
Some were curled in the fetal position wailing for mercy, others just shook in fear and keened wildly. Lorcan cared not for their pleas, he wanted answers. The Sidhe was mad enough to see red and bloodlust took hold of him.
He lashed, whipped and tore at them. Ripping one creature in half, he drank the ink that flooded out of its body. The taste was bitter and sickening, but Lorcan was too furious to notice. Grabbing another, this one once a woman, she screamed like a banshee in his clutches and he snapped her head clean off and crushed her skull in his hands. Dust fell to the floor. Plucking them off, one by one, he left naught but black ick and ashes on the ground. Before long, he had massacred half his army. Cursing, he stalked into his room and left the survivors to clean up the mess.
That bitch was more cunning than he gave her credit for. It made him want her more. She was a stronger fighter than he realized – and that meant she’d last longer in his plans of torture he had in store for her. He just needed to bring her back to him. Climbing into his bed, he inhaled her scent that still clung to his sheets. An ache in his loins pulsed with the need of her. Lorcan stared up at the mirror on the ceiling and began to plan.
Adam sat at the head of the table. Outnumbered three to one, he was stuck listening to female nonsense. Pouring maple syrup onto his pancakes, he looked up as Devlin came quietly into view. Everyone stopped their chattering and forks ceased clinking as a big uncomfortable silence took over the room.
“Pancakes, love?” Ava quickly got up and grabbed a spare plate for the Druid.
“Nay. I don’t have much of an appetite this morning, but thank ye,” Devlin said, dipping his head in gratitude. “I just wanted to make sure all was well. I’m going to go back and pack your things to bring here.”
The last was directed at Rowan. He turned away and shut the door before anyone had a chance to speak. He was going to walk home. It was at least a twenty minute walk through the woods with his long strides and he was thankful to have those precious minutes. Devlin hoped it would be enough time to clear his head and give him the courage to collect Rowan’s things and release her.
Rowan hadn’t made a peep as she watched Devlin turn and walk out the door. When his words sunk in, she went from relieved to see him to full out pissed off.
Oh. Hell. No. Rowan got up immediately and was out the door and after him. “Devlin!” Ro shouted. “Devlin, stop where you are!”
He kept walking. There was nothing she could say that he didn’t already know. He was a boar. The Devil. A bastard and a poor excuse for a Druid Warrior. He fell forward and lost his balance when something small and hard pushed into him. He didn’t fall to the ground but tripped up and found his footing seconds later. He whirled around and got slapped in the face. Hard.
“How dare you. How dare you walk out like this. I’ve met my share of assholes in my lifetime, but you’ve topped them all you fucking bastard.” So much for her turning her rudeness meter down, Rowan was so jacked up on anger now it was a wonder she could talk without screaming at him.
He said nothing and his silence only fueled her fury. Mother. Fucker. If he was going to go mute on her, then she’s got plenty of words to make up for it. “I waited for you last night and you didn’t come. You left me.”
He couldn’t look at her. His face stung from her slap but her words stung more. “I didna think you’d wish to see me, my lady.”
“So we’re back to formalities now? Okay, Druid, is this how it’s going to be? You saw the other side of me and the price was too fucking steep so you run? I thought you were better than that. But you’re not.”
Her words were so confusing to him. All he could do was stare at her. She was blazing mad, her face scrunched up in a snarl, fists by her side. She was pure hellfire.
Rowan squared her shoulders, “If you don’t want me anymore, then fine, I’ll go pack my own things. I wouldn’t want you to be troubled by the likes of me.” She stormed past him and started down the hill. She wanted to get as much distance as she could between them because her bravado was crumbling and she was going to cry. No sense in looking even more pathetic to him. A girl has to have some dignity.
Devlin stood for a second, replaying her words in his head. If you don’t want me anymore. By Danu, how could she think he wouldn’t want her? How could she think that he was the one who had any say in the affairs of his heart? It belonged to her the minute he’d seen her in her studio. He knew that very second that his roaming this earth was always for the purpose of finding her.
Devlin ran Sidhe-style after her and beat her to his house. He was at the garden gate when he saw her break though the trees, tears trailing down her face and mumbling to herself. She stopped when she saw him and backed away and sprinted for the front of the cottage. Knowing she was going to the front, he beat her again. She tried to turn and run around the other side of the house again but he was faster.
“Damnit, Devlin! Let me go!” She stomped her feet and ran hands angrily through her hair. She was quickly wiping tears away so he wouldn’t see them.
“Nay lass, I canna.” He came up to her slowly, for fear she’d bolt again, “I have failed ye, Rowan. I couldna protect ye.”
Well, wasn’t that chivalrous. Rowan was not impressed. “I don’t need protecting, Devlin.”
“Aye, ye do.” Pausing, Devlin relived the moments again in his head, rage and terror pulsing in his veins. “To see ye screaming and crying and me with no way to get to ye, I have failed. When we joined, I thought that the Gods had bestowed their greatest gift to me.”
Rowan let out a snort of disgust and tried to turn away.
He stepped closer to her. “�
�Tis not my Sidhe magic of which I speak, Rowan. ‘Tis you. ”
Rowan didn’t say a word. She wanted to scream, run, hide and kiss him. The mixture of urges was enough to drive her off a ledge. Glaring at him in front of her, she saw he was every bit as broken as her heart was. She didn’t know what to do about that, so she did nothing.
“I am sworn to protect, my lady. My life as a Druid has been long, hard, and filled with strife. I’ve fought many battles in my lifetime, but none like the one ye fought on your own yesterday. I threw ye to the wolves, and without armor or weapon. Ye were vulnerable, unprotected, and alone. All of that was my doing. I am the Devil himself.”
Oh poor, poor pitiful him. Rowan was still not impressed. “Listen Sir Lancelot, I’m not in need of protection. I don’t want someone to fight for me.”
His head hung low, defeated and surrendered. It made her more annoyed.
Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe Page 18