“I really hate to create such a broad spell—what if I want to have Lochlan in my house or something? Is there a more generalized spell?”
She looked at me for a brief moment with raised brows before responding. “I’ve got two different broad protection spells—one uses these ashes I brought, the other will involve wards on the threshold.”
“That sounds good. How exactly do they protect?”
“They should stop anyone who wishes you harm from entering your home. I’m hoping the ashes work all right, they’re a bit old but should do the trick.”
“That sounds perfect, Cat, that’s exactly what I was hoping for—let’s get this party started.”
We spent the next hour laying ashes, drawing protection runes, and saying charms over both to activate the magic. Even if my good senses failed me and I tried to let in someone dangerous, I was hoping that the magic would act as a security net and repel anyone who wished to do me harm.
As Cat was gathering her things an idea occurred to me. “Hey Cat, I was supposed to go on a weekend tour of Northern Ireland this weekend with my parents but they ended up having to cut their trip short—any chance you’re interested in coming with me instead? All the reservations are already made and the hotel had to be paid in advance, plus I could really use the getaway.”
“That sounds amazing, I’d love to go! When do we leave?”
I let out a chuckle at her enthusiasm. “First thing Saturday morning give me your address and I’ll swing by and get you on my way out of town.”
She whipped out her phone and began typing. “Address sent—I’ll be ready bright and early!”
I made sure Cat knew how grateful I was for her help and told her to text me when she got home so that I would know she arrived safely. Once she was gone, I shot a quick text to my best friend Ashley.
She had stayed with me the first two weeks after I moved to Belfast and she had shared in my journey of learning about the Fae. I hadn’t been thrilled about her being involved since the Fae were dangerous. She had been injured when we were attacked by a Shadow Fae and was still in a full arm cast from the incident. I was relieved when she had returned home, somewhat begrudgingly, to New York. Since then I had kept most of my Fae dealings a secret to keep her out of danger. I wouldn’t put it past her to jump on a plane if she thought I needed her help.
I didn’t get an immediate response from Ash, but I did get a text from Cat saying she had made it home. I crawled upstairs after my long day and curled up in bed, hoping I wouldn’t be plagued by one of my frequent nightmares.
3
After work Friday, I had dinner with my parents before Lochlan was scheduled to stop by. When my Mom told me they were going to visit I had tried half-heartedly to keep them from coming. If I had been adamant that they not come, they would have been concerned about why I didn’t want them to visit, but they also would have stayed in Texas where it was safe. At that point, I was still struggling to comprehend the changes in my life, and I had allowed my common sense to be overruled by my childish desire to have my parents near me.
It had been two weeks since that phone conversation and so much had happened in that short amount of time. I now recognized that the dangers in Belfast were all too real, and having my parents present was a risk I was unwilling to take. I adored my parents and would have loved to have spent more time with them, but it was safer for them to go. I tried to sear every one of my mom’s smiles and all of my dad’s anecdotes into my memory to keep with me in the days ahead.
My eyes welled with tears as I watched my parents’ eyes glaze over from Lochlan’s magically laced words. We booked them tickets for the following morning and Lochlan wove a story about them needing to get home for an unexpected work deadline. I was relieved to see them go but that didn’t mean I didn’t cry as I fell asleep that night.
Saturday morning I bumbled around my room throwing together an overnight bag for my weekend with Cat. Between work and sending off my parents, I hadn’t taken the time to pack. I had texted her that I would be there around eight and I had yet to pick up the rental car so I was never going to make it on time.
I made sure to leave out some crackers and a few grapes for the brownie before I locked up and hurried to catch a cab to the rental car place. The reservation had been in my mom’s name, but the teenage clerk let me pick up the car on her behalf and I made it to Cat’s place just after eight-fifteen.
“You Europeans and your clown cars—I’m five-four but I feel like a giraffe squeezing into this thing,” I grumbled as Cat situated herself in the passenger side.
“Well good morning to you too, sunshine.”
“I’m sorry, the last hour was hectic getting over here. You ready to hit the road?”
“More than you could know, get me out of here.”
We chatted about ex-boyfriends, parents, and places we’d like to see during the hour and a half drive through beautiful Irish countryside. Being on the road with her reminded me of all my childhood travels and amid all the craziness of my life—it was exactly what I needed.
In Londonderry we toured the Guildhall, which was an amazing cathedral-like building, and checked out the enormous seventh century stone city walls. We had reservations for a tour of a stone circle in the afternoon, so we had lunch at a local pub before driving out to the megalithic ruins, which was out in the middle of nowhere.
The enormous ring of boulders held court in the middle of a grassy field, clear of any trees or obstructions. I parked on the side of the road, along with another car-load of people who also appeared to be there for the tour. It was about a quarter mile walk to the stones and they were larger and more impressive with each step. On average, the stones speckled with moss and age were about my height—a few stood well taller and several were crumbled and worn down to a much less impressive size.
“Think about it, Cat, these things have been here since the Bronze Age. How cool is that?” I said with reverence as we approached the stones.
“Done your research have you?” she asked teasingly.
“It’s probably not as exciting for you since you’ve lived around them your whole life, but we don’t have this kind of thing in the States.”
“I’ve seen less of them than you might think. As paranoid as my mum is, we never got out of Belfast much.”
“Man that sucks. I’ve traveled so much during my life, I can’t imagine not having the adventure of seeing new places.”
“Hello, everyone! I’m so glad you made it out.”
We startled at the young man’s voice calling out from just a few feet away.
“Sorry didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m Riley, your tour guide. Although it’s not so much a tour as an informational. It looks like we’re all here so I’ll get started. Welcome to our beloved Beltany stone circle. Prevailing theories date the site back to 2,100 to 700 BC and some say it dates back to the Stone Age.” As he spoke we all gathered near the young man, who was tall and lanky with unruly dark hair and laughing eyes.
“There are sixty-four stones now, however the original count was eighty with a circumference of one hundred and fifty yards. The circle was part of the Beltane summer celebration, near May 1st, marking the start of summer and the point halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. The word itself means ‘goodly fire’ and was associated with lighting huge bonfires here on Tops Hill. All household fires would be doused in the surrounding villages and relit with Beltane fires. Smoke and ashes were believed to have protective powers, so the people and cattle would walk through the smoke and piles of ashes would be carried to homes and walked around the property.”
My heart started to race at the similarity of the Beltane ritual to Cat’s use of ashes to protect my apartment. “Those practices sound like what you did at my apartment,” I whispered to Cat as Riley continued his talk. “Did the people learn that from your ancestors?”
“I told you I’m not talking about that,” she shot back. Her whisper had b
een less than quiet and a couple of the other guests peered in our direction.
I turned back to our guide but my mind raced with questions. Had the ancient inhabitants of Ireland been familiar with the Fae? I knew the Fae roamed Earth freely back then, but I wasn’t sure how much they interacted or shared with the human population. Where had the general public learned these techniques and why were they no longer practiced?
Not wanting to miss more valuable information, I drew myself out of my thoughts to focus on his words. “The people would host big feasts and the doors and windows of homes, and even the cattle themselves, would be decorated with yellow May flowers. This ceremonial event marked the time period when the cattle were driven out to summer pastures and a ritual was performed to protect the cattle, as well as to encourage the growth of the crops. If you’ll follow me this way.” He indicated in the direction outside the circle where a single triangular stone sat southeast of the others.
“This outlier stone is believed to be related to sunrise and sunset. It’s marked with what appears to be replicated constellations and at sunrise on Beltane, the stone aligns perfectly with the tallest pillar on the west-southwest portion of the circle. While there may have been an alignment for the Winter Solstice, the deterioration of the stones makes it impossible to say for sure. There’s much we don’t know about the stones, such as the cup marks on this stone along with a few others, and the biggest mystery is who created the circle and how they got them here.”
We all followed his lead back inside the large circle.
“It’s the common belief of the locals that the stones were put here by the Aos sí—the ‘people of the mounds’. They have many names, the ‘fair folk,’ the ‘Tuatha De Dannann’ and as they are more commonly called, Faeries. Legend says that they warred with the Milesians, another mythical race, and eventually agreed to retreat and dwell underground in the mounds.” He lifted his arm to indicate the rolling hills around us.
My eyes raked over the countryside and I wondered just how much truth there was to the legends. The image of Lochlan living like a troll underground was far-fetched, albeit amusing. However, I could see how the legends would have evolved after the disappearance of the magical Fae beings.
Movement in a distant cluster of trees caught my eye and I watched as a large white wolf-like dog sat back on his haunches and watched our group. There didn’t appear to be any homes nearby, so I didn’t imagine he was a family pet, but he also didn’t seem skittish enough to be feral. He watched us as if we were as fascinating an attraction to him as the stones were to us. With a quiet chuckle to myself, I turned back to join Cat.
After Riley finished his explanatory tour, we made our way back to the car and the dog ambled in the same direction. He wasn’t exactly coming toward us so much as he was keeping tabs on us. I loved animals and his curious personality reminded me how much I had wished as a child to have a pet, but we had always traveled too much for anything more than fish.
In the nearby town of Strabane we entertained ourselves sightseeing before checking into our hotel where we ate at the little pub on the lower level. After we had cleaned our plates, we waddled back to our room and watched some television before I proceeded to pass out in a food-induced coma.
My body may have been exhausted from the busy day, but my mind had other ideas as it bounced from one odd dream to the next. Somewhere along the line, I passed through a doorway to find Lochlan standing in a small room. His deep blue eyes assessed me questioningly and his short blond hair was tousled in a way that made me want to run my fingers through it.
I was surprisingly aware that I was in a dream, although I couldn’t remember ever feeling conscious in a dream before. As I glanced around, I realized we were in a bedroom, one that reminded me of a cabin I had stayed in years before with my boyfriend at the time. Wood paneling gave the place a rustic feel, but in contrast the bed was covered in a white, fluffy duvet that looked soft and inviting.
When my eyes turned back to Lochlan, he was no longer wearing a shirt and he looked down at himself, almost in surprise. A nervous giggle slipped past my lips and at the sound his eyes came back to mine. Filled with intensity and heat, his predatory gaze cut my laugh short as air emptied from my lungs and my heart began to pound in my chest.
Knowing it was a dream relaxed my nerves and gave me the courage I needed to overcome my fears. I could indulge in my fantasies without consequences and there was no way I was going to waste the opportunity.
My eyes were drawn to his mouth-watering physique, starting with his perfectly sculpted broad shoulders, taught with tension. Slowly my gaze dropped to the solid planes of his chest and below to his narrow hips and the delicious V hinting at what was hidden beneath his faded jeans.
His feral grunt drew me from my lust-filled haze and I watched as he charged in my direction. Just before his lips slammed down on mine, I took a shallow breath and reveled in the woodsy scent that was all Lochlan. Our hands were frantic to touch and memorize each other as our tongues tasted and savored. He lifted me in his arms and moved us to the bed, lowering us down to lay his large body over mine.
We didn’t speak a single word as we explored each other’s bodies and allowed our sizzling chemistry to run its course. I lifted my pajama shirt between breathless kisses to reveal my bare breasts, swollen and aching for his touch.
His intense eyes raked over me, taking in every curve and valley, before his hand cupped my breast and his deft fingers rolled over one of my pebbled nipples. An electric bolt of pleasure shot straight to my core and I arched off the bed on a breathless gasp.
His chest rumbled as his head dove down and he licked and sucked at my other nipple. Writhing beneath him, I was lost in the sensations he was stirring inside me. His enormously swollen cock rubbed against my hip and it fueled the fire he had ignited inside of me. When his head lifted and his eyes met mine, I put every bit of pleading that I could into my eyes.
Please…
He lifted himself up off the bed and removed the fitted jeans to release his engorged shaft and solid thighs chorded with muscle. The sight of him standing above me naked jogged my memory to flashes of Ronan and the butterflies in my stomach turned putrid.
No.
This was not Ronan. This was my dream and I was in control and I would not let him take that from me. Before the fear could get the better of me, I slipped my pajama pants down over my hips and Lochlan pulled them from my feet, discarding them on the floor. He then brought his hands to my last scrap of clothing, my pink silk panties, and he pulled them achingly slowly down my legs as his eyes devoured me.
My heart still pounding, I reached up and motioned for him to come back to me and he obliged. Dragging his body along mine, he lowered on top of me, little by little, until our mouths joined and I could feel the head of his shaft pressing at my entrance. I pulled my knees up, spreading myself wide for him. He lifted his head just enough for our eyes to lock and slowly, so slowly, he pressed inside me.
I curved my back in response to the delicious fullness and his pace quickened, thrusting harder and faster into my soft flesh. Soon the quiet room was filled with moans and the sound of his hard body pounding into my wet arousal. Faster than ever before, my body began to quiver as intense pleasure built in my core, quickly approaching a breaking point that threatened to shatter me.
One of his hands came to my breast and twisted my nipple almost painfully and it was exactly what I needed to send me hurtling over the cliff of orgasmic delight. At the same time, he growled my name, his cock pulsing inside me. It was the only word either of us spoke throughout our time together and before the waves of pleasure had fully subsided, I woke on a gasp.
“What is it? Becca, you okay?” Cat asked softly as we both sat up in the queen-sized bed we were sharing.
I looked around the dimly lit room, attempting to orient myself to my surroundings. It had been a dream, and I had known that from the beginning, but it had engrossed me so thoroughly that my gra
sp on reality was muddled.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” But I wasn’t fine. My heightened emotions had brought my magic to the surface and I recognized the feeling of my eyes going black. I squeezed my eyes shut and slid off the bed. “Just need to use the restroom, no problem.”
Once I was safely inside the confines of the small water closet I looked in the mirror. My eyes were pitch black. I wanted to tell Cat about my transition, but I knew she’d be terrified so telling her when she was stuck in a hotel room with me was not how I wanted that conversation to go down. I went to the restroom and took several deep cleansing breaths then ensured that my eyes were back to brown before I rejoined Cat in the bedroom. She was already fast asleep again, softly snoring as I tucked myself back under the covers.
I realized that in my fear of having my eyes discovered, I had forgotten about the dream that had triggered the change in my eyes. I had a scorching hot sex dream about Lochlan while sleeping in a bed with my friend.
Jesus.
In the name of everything holy, please tell me I didn’t moan out loud or do something equally embarrassing. I hoped that since she was back asleep again so quickly I hadn’t done anything too terrible, but just the possibility was upsetting. Despite the dark room and the covers pulled up around my head, I buried my face in my hands with mortification.
My response may have been embarrassing, but the dream had been epic. One I would not forget for a very long time, nor did I want to. It was what my night with Ronan should have been—an intimate connection with Lochlan. As far as I was concerned, I would do my best to replace those awful memories of Ronan with the images my sleeping mind had conjured of Lochlan. Just to be sure I didn’t forget them the way dreams often slipped from the mind like mist through the trees, I ran through the scene over and over as I drifted back to sleep.
4
I had enjoyed every minute of my weekend trip with Cat. On Sunday we took our time driving through several small towns on our way back to Belfast and then had dinner in the city before I dropped Cat at home and returned the rental.
Twilight Siege: A Dark Fantasy Novel (The Fae Games Book 2) Page 3