Bhradain growled in response. "In time," he added huskily. He began to kiss a trail down her torso, following the same path he had taken the other day when he had brought Eva to the point of ecstasy.
Eva, running out of patience, growled back at him. "I need you, now!" she demanded as lust laced her voice.
Bhradain's eyes flashed with desire and he allowed his body to respond for him. He brought his mouth hard against Eva's, their bodies exploding in a frenzied passion.
Eva desperately pushed back Bhradain's thick kilt and grasped his erect manhood, while Bhradain brought his hands firmly under Eva's voluptuous bottom, bringing her even closer to him. In response, Eva wrapped her legs around Bhradain's waist and positioned his cock at just the right spot.
"Fuck me Bhradain," Eva demanded.
Bhradain responded by pushing inside of her.
Eva gasped as Bhradain's thick member filled her and she shivered as he began to take the lead on their erotic, rhythmic dance. She brought her hips up to meet his with each thrust, while her lips continued to explore his mouth.
Eva ran her hands up Bhradain's neck to tangle her in his thick hair. She indulged herself in the sensation of running her fingers through the wild tendrils, while their bodies continued to build toward carnal release.
Slowly, Eva felt herself begin to come close to the edge; her body began to tighten around him, while her mind became consumed only by the thought of pleasure.
When the moment came, she panted as her body shivered with the strength of her own release. Her cries of ecstasy became mixed with Bhradain's as he joined her in climax.
As they came down from their passion, Eva couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of his body, as it remained connected to hers. Though Eva was not inexperienced, she had not had many lovers. And with the ones she had taken, she had never been so bold as she was with him.
Eva couldn't explain it, but somehow she knew that there was something special about the highlander in her arms.
Chapter: XIV
Eva awoke cold and alone. The fire had gone out some time ago and, she quickly realized as she looked around her frantically, Bhradain was gone.
"Damn him,” she fumed. He had deliberately left her alone to take back the castle on his own. She couldn't believe that he would make love to her one moment, and then abandon her in the middle of the woods without so much as a warning the next.
Eva could barely contain her pent up anger. Frustrated, she grabbed a baseball sized rock near her foot and tossed it petulantly into the smoldering embers of the fire. The impact of the stone disrupted the small pile of burnt wood and sent bits of ash into the air.
Why should I wait around here? She thought. She had thought they had settled the matter and that she would help him. Obviously he had just been placating her.
Well when he gets back, there is no way I'm going to be sitting on my derriere, waiting for him. Eva knew she deserved to be involved in the take-down of the scheming druids, since it was her life they had threatened on more than one occasion. With that final thought, Eva had made up her mind.
She quickly got dressed, as she still was naked from their passionate encounter. Even though she was angry at Bhradain for leaving her behind, her body still had an intense physical reaction to the thought of him. She blushed as she remembered the way he had touched her, the moment their bodies had been joined together, and the ecstasy of their shared climax.
Oh Eva, she thought, whatever are you going to do about him? She knew she was in too deep; the enigmatic and infuriating highlander had already begun to get under her skin. She knew in her heart that she was meant to be here with him, whatever that meant. And although she was angry at him at the moment, she knew that the intense pull between them would make it difficult for her to stay so for long.
She reached to the spot where Bhradain had left a small sword for her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the silvery weapon in the grass at her feet. At least he left me something to defend myself with, she thought begrudgingly.
She looked up into the sky and noticed the sun begin to peak over the horizon; she had slept most of the night away.
She quickly picked herself up and proceeded to go in the opposite direction of the rising sun. She knew that they had set up camp at a safe distance from the keep, but they also were close enough as to not waste too much time trying to walk there.
Eva thought that it wouldn't take long to find the keep, but as she continued to walk through the woods, she started to feel less sure that she was going in the right direction. She tried to use the sun as a guide, but as time wore on and it continued to rise higher in the sky, Eva’s heart sank and she realized that she was horribly lost.
This is all the high and mighty Laird Drummond's fault, she thought with annoyance. If he hadn't left me in the middle of the woods...
Her thoughts trailed off as she heard a strange noise. She stopped walking and paused, holding her breath while she listened.
She heard nothing but the sound of birds chirping and small animals running along the forest floor.
Eva began to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard someone speak.—
"I told ye she would be here," echoed a chillingly familiar voice behind her.
Eva's heart began to beat fiercely in her chest as she realized the druids had found her.
Eva whipped around holding the sword that Bhradain had given her shakily in front of her.
She saw nothing.
"Shall we take her to see m’lady?" asked the female druid.
Eva spun around desperately; the voice now sounded like it was coming from the opposite direction. Once again, Eva's eyes fell on nothing but empty trees.
"Where are you?" Eva called out. She tried her best to steady her nerves, but she was having a difficulty not betraying her fear. The druids had already tried to kill her once, she was sure they had come back to finish the job.
"We are here to bring ye to the lady," the chanting voices of both druids echoed in unison.
Eva still couldn't see them, but knew they must be close.
"What if I refuse to come with you?" she asked. Eva didn't want to go anywhere with them, knowing they intended to do her harm.
The druids' voices grew incoherent as they consulted with each other in hushed tones. Eva strained to make out what they were saying, but was unable to decipher a word.
"We will nae harm ye," the male druid's voice suddenly broke through.
Eva didn't trust a single word that came out of their mouths, but at the moment her curiosity was getting the best of her. Eva knew that if she continued to resist, there was still a chance that they might capture her anyway. If she went peacefully with them, she might be able to gain the leverage she needed to take them by surprise. Either way, she wasn't doing any good by wandering around the forest with no sense of direction.
"Ok," Eva said warily. "I will come with you," she surrendered.
A moment later, the druids appeared next to Eva, their cloaks still concealing their faces. "This way," they said in unison. They motioned to Eva to follow them deeper into the woods.
Eva was surprised that they allowed her to keep her sword. Perhaps it is a sign of good intention, Eva wondered. Or, she thought darkly, they are trying to lull me into a false sense of security and let my guard down. Whichever one it was, Eva was determined to protect herself at all costs.
"This way," the female druid said as she led Eva toward a large tree.
Eva gaped as she watched the druid disappear into the trunk of the tree. "How?" she sputtered as she looked at the spot where the druid had stood only a few seconds ago.
"There is a veiled door," the male druid explained blankly. His voice continued to hold no hint of emotion as he spoke. "Follow me," he said flatly, right before he, too, disappeared into the tree.
"Okay?" Eva took a step closer. Considering all that had taken place over the past few days, a tree trunk doorway should be the last thing that would throw her f
or a loop. But as Eva moved nearer to the spot where the druids had disappeared, the sun caught the tree trunk on an angle and brilliantly illuminated the optical illusion. Indeed, a concealed entrance opened up to a passageway that led into the base of the tree.
Eva looked wildly around her. Now was her chance if she chose to try and outrun the two druids. But even as Eva considered her option of simply running away, her curiosity would not let her. She needed to know what game the druids were playing, not just for her own sake, but for Bhradain's as well. If she turned around now, she would probably never have another opportunity to find out . And while there definitely were risks by choosing to follow the creepy pair, Eva decided it was worth a shot.
With a shaky breath, Eva chose to follow the druids into the tree and toward a very uncertain future.
Chapter: XV
The tree had opened into a passageway connected directly to the castle. Eva had followed the druids silently down the dimly lit corridor as they made their way into the keep.
I wonder if Bhradain knows about this passageway? Eva wondered. It was a brilliant invention, as it would allow one to move about the surrounding lands with precise efficiency. It was probably how the druids were able to find me so easily, she thought.
It didn't take long before their small party was back inside the stone fortress. The druids guided Eva down deserted hallways as they made their way to the center of the keep.
They stopped abruptly before two large double doors that Eva suspected led into the castle's great hall.
"We leave ye here," the female druid said mysteriously.
Eva had a sudden sense of déjà vu. She remembered the moment when Lady Drummond had left her to the druids and she had narrowly escaped their attempted murder.
Eva nodded her agreement. She still felt certain that she was walking into a trap, but the cool steel in her hand gave her the boost of confidence she needed to move forward.
"Might as well," Eva shrugged. She turned toward the large doors and pushed them open.
Eva was relieved that her nostrils weren't assailed by the sickly smell of incense. Rather, it was a typical great hall, with long tables placed along edges for when the household took their meals. However, the shutters were closed against the noonday sun and the only light came from a large fireplace and a few candles placed about the room.
"Close the door lass," Lady Drummond said in a gentle voice from across the room. She was seated in a large chair situated near the fire. She had been so quiet when Eva first entered the room, that she hadn't even noticed the small woman at first.
Eva moved toward Lady Drummond, waiting for her to start explaining why she was here and why she kept sending her druid henchmen after her.
"Will ye take a seat," Lady Drummond nodded in the direction of a chair perfectly situated across from her.
Eva was a bit hesitant of becoming too comfortable, but neither did she want to aggravate Bhradain's mother. Eva took a cautious seat.
The whole time Lady Drummond kept her gaze trained on Eva, as if examining her every move. It made Eva a bit self-conscious, but she refused to let discomfort play out on her face and inadvertently give Lady Drummond that kind of power. Although Lady Drummond hadn't personally threatened Eva, Eva wasn't sure that she could trust her.
"Why did you bring me here?" Eva asked one of the hundred questions swirling in her brain.
Lady Drummond laughed softly. Her voice sounded like a hauntingly sad ballad, as if she was struggling to hold back intense grief.
The thought made the hairs on the back of Eva’s neck stand on end.
"Is Bhradain ok?" Eva blurted out.
Lady Drummond didn't speak at first, but rather she studied Eva warily. "Bhradain is nae fine," she said softly. "Today is the day of his birth," she added cryptically.
Eva looked confused. "What do you mean?" She looked wildly around the room. "Where is he?" she asked before turning her attention back to the elderly woman.
"I dinna ken," the woman tossed her hands up in the air. "I believe ye would ken the answer to that," she said pointedly.
“Well I don’t ken where he is!” Eva nearly shouted. “If you were so concerned about his whereabouts, why did you all send him away?” she asked in frustration.
"You cannae begin to ken the pain sending him away caused me," she wailed. She stood to face Eva, her eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and sadness. "I am the reason why he is controlled by the beast within, I brought the curse upon him, and now I must watch as it robs him a future," she bellowed. Her voice continued to rise, as her tone grew more urgent. "I went to a witch all those years ago with a sick babe," she lamented, "and in order to save him, I agreed to the curse," she wailed sorrowfully. "And now, I have lost him to the beast within." The woman collapsed in a pile back in her chair, sobbing uncontrollably.
Eva was too shocked to move. All along, it had been his mother who had cursed him in an attempt to save his life. The burden that threatened to destroy him was the reason why he was even alive today. Eva suddenly saw the situation with new eyes, and her heart went out to Lady Drummond.
Eva crouched down before her. She brought her hand up to stroke the mother’s hair as she tried to comfort and sooth the distressed woman. "It was not your fault, he is here today because of you," she added.
"Nae, he is dead today because of me," Lady Drummond sputtered in between sobs.
Eva froze. No, she thought. She had just seen Bhradain last night. "What are you saying?" she asked shakily.
Lady Drummond took a moment to compose herself long enough to form a coherent sentence through her tears. "The curse needed to be lifted before his thirtieth day of birth. Today is that day," the woman said bluntly, her eyes conveying their tragic meaning.
"NO!" Eva cried. She backed away from the weeping woman. Her eyes began to sting with their own tears, but she refused to allow them to fall. If I mourn him, it means it is true.
Lady Drummond nodded shakily. "My druids had summoned you, a witch, to break the spell, but it was too late."
"But how?" Eva felt like she was going to be sick. The whole world around her was spinning and she could barely hear anything that Lady Drummond was saying.
"Only a witch could have broken the spell," repeated Lady Drummond sorrowfully.
Eva strained to hear, but Lady Drummond sounded like she was far away. Eva's vision blurred, and she no longer could see anything clearly. "But I'm not a witch," Eva cried out. Her eyes were burning now with hot tears; she no longer cared about holding them back. "I'm not a witch," she repeated in a quieter voice.
The world around Eva faded away, Lady Drummond disappeared and the great hall melted into darkness.
Eva felt incredibly alone as everything went dark around her and the world became silent. "I'm not a witch," she repeated.
Eva shut her eyes tightly, trying to banish the pain from her heart. When she finally did open them, she was surprised by what she saw.
She was back in her room. The door was propped ajar, her hand still gripping the handle. Grief overwhelmed her and she sunk to her knees, defeated.
Eva shook her head. "I failed you Bhradain," she said, "and I'm so sorry."
Chapter: XVI
In the few weeks following Eva's return, she tried her best to conceal her grief. The last think she needed was her aunt and uncle becoming concerned over her sudden change — especially since they had no idea what Eva had gone through. While time had barely passed for them, Eva had met and lost her soul mate.
At first she felt like a zombie, just barely living. She didn't want to return to his world, didn't want to think about him, and didn’t want to acknowledge that she was the reason why he was gone.
Two weeks had passed before Eva finally allowed her mind to start to process all that had happened. And when she did so, something stood out to her.
Lady Drummond had said he was gone, but that didn't necessarily mean that he was dead. Bhradain's curse was to turn into a mindless beast
, but that didn't mean he wasn't buried within the creature. He was still Bhradain, just in a different form. Perhaps, Eva thought with a sudden rush of energy, there is still a chance.
Eva began to spend all of her free time at the local library, reading as much material as she could gather on curses and witches. Slowly, Eva began to piece together the information she had gleaned from Bhradain's world, while taking in whatever knowledge she could find on the subject in her own.
Lady Drummond had insisted that Eva was a witch, and that was why she was able to cross into a different reality to respond to the druid summons. Eva began to do some digging into her family history and discovered that several relatives had been referred to as witches. Before her journey, Eva would have chalked up those claims as unfounded gossip. But Eva had learned that reality was not always as it seemed, and sometimes the rational answer, wasn't the right one. She took the information she gleaned on the subject and tucked it away for further consideration.
But while Eva had learned a few things about her family history, she did not find anything that might be useful for saving Bhradain.
As time went on, Eva slowly began to accept the harsh truth, that nothing would be able to bring Bhradain back to her.
But Eva's attendance at the library had offered another type of solace. The head librarian had taken notice of her frequent visits, and she had offered Eva a job assisting patrons with their research. Eva had been overjoyed by the offer, as the type of work was exactly the pace and environment she craved.
But there was another reason why Eva had accepted the only job offer she had had in the past few months. One bittersweet morning, Eva discovered that she was pregnant with Bhradain's child. While the thought of raising his child without him grieved her, she was still thankful to carry a part of him with her.
Eva knew that she could no longer rely on her aunt and uncle's generosity. Although she knew that they wouldn't consider her a burden, Eva still felt that it wouldn't be right of her to continue to rely upon them once the child was born. She had a good job that she enjoyed; it was time that she moved out on her own.
Biker Romance: Never Love an Exile (Exile Love Biker MC Series Book 3) Page 60