She hadn’t healed. Not in the way she’d needed to. He’d given in to the temptation to see her a dozen times or more, usually when slept. A restless sleep filled with her soft cries of distress and nightmares that refused to subside.
If things had been different she might have embraced this life as her family had. If he hadn’t been so distracted during their last mission, if he’d done his job, Eonis would never have touched her.
If only he’d gotten to her in time.
A familiar voice beside him softly interrupted his vigil. “Thank you for bringing Kyle.”
Finn grimaced before turning to face Meru Tanner. Meru Arkadios, he corrected himself silently. His gaze was instantly drawn downward. Such a tiny thing to be carrying such a heavy burden. In more ways than one, he thought, unable to remain somber in the face of her burgeoning belly.
A child born of a cursed Lycan and this special woman would be joining them in a few short months, with Áine’s powerful blood running through its veins. There had been many bets laid on whether the babe would have its father’s abilities or its mother’s. On whether the Lycan curse could be passed through the blood as an ordinary shifter’s was.
It worried Damon, but not his mate. As long as it was healthy, she’d say with a knowing, maternal smile. Arkadios was lucky to have her. Despite her more reckless ideas.
Thinking about one of them, the lump of irritating Texan, he frowned again and crossed his arms in attempted apathy. “I brought him, but I’ve yet to understand why. What will her ex-partner be able to do that you can’t? He holds no special abilities other than his willingness to point a gun, flash a badge and complain. What secret weapon does he possess that makes you think he’ll be able to bring her back with us?”
“Don’t get all pompous on me, Finn. You’d be surprised what he can do. Kyle is exactly what she needs. He’s the only one she’s ever listened to. The only one who could ever snap her out of her funks.” Meru tugged on her curls and bit her lip, a sign of her agitation. “She needs to hear him now. Hear us. I wish we could give her more time, I know she deserves it. But the prophecy says—”
Finn cut her off, stepping forward almost angrily. “I know Áine’s prophecy, banflaith. We all know it by heart. To save us all, your cousin has to trust a child of Danu. A Fae. Me,” he snarled. “It’s impossible now, don’t you see that? After Eonis got his hands on her? The world could collapse around us before she would let me touch her again. Before she would speak to me, let alone trust me.”
“Back away from my woman, Finn.” The deep, authoritative growl alerted Finn to Damon’s presence beside them. His leader’s dark, swirling eyes were all the evidence he needed to know the Lycan inside the man did not approve of the disrespect he’d shown his mate.
Finn stepped back, frustrated by his own behavior. Meru didn’t deserve his anger. She was a miracle. A respected seer, a banflaith, honored by his people as the high priestess Áine’s descendent and holder of the book that the Druid had long ago given her life to create. The book that held the key to protecting them all and stopping the Dark.
Damon came up behind Meru, the six-foot-five, broad-shouldered giant wrapping his thick arms around her. He curved his hands gently and protectively over her rounded stomach before he spoke again. “We have all been afraid to push her, old friend. Trust me, I understand your hesitation. I feel everything Meru feels. The pain of her absence has affected everyone. Even Myrddin, for Lily’s sake, has allowed her this space. And as Raj says, she’s used it well. But this is not just about her. Not just about you. Meru is right. We’re fast running out of options.”
He knew it. After Hawk and Val’s experience, it became clear that there was a pattern, a specific timeline embedded in the prophecy after the stanzas appeared in the Book of Veils. Meru’s part had been played near Lughnasadh, the Vikings’ on Samhain. Particular days when the shielding between the world of Fae, Archon and Human were weakened. When the veil thinned and their parallel paths touched. Now the season of Imbolg was fast approaching, and the prophecy that was there to protect them, to ensure they stopped what would come to pass if the Lord of Air returned to this world, had been shared. Time was of the essence.
Was he a bastard because a part of him wanted that damn prophecy to disappear? He wished he could protect her from it, but too many lives were at stake—humans who were blissfully ignorant of the fate that could await them.
He’d left his home more than an age ago to guard humanity. To be Fianna. He’d taken an oath to do whatever was necessary for the fragile beings Danu so loved. What had started out as his penance had become his calling. His passion.
From the moment he met her, his feelings for Sheridan had begun to overshadow that. And why? Because of a one-sided infatuation that had never been reciprocated? Because he longed for a return of the days when she mocked and teased him relentlessly with her lack of respect for his abilities, constant skepticism of his manhood and her infatuation with his fellow Fianna? Particularly the Vikings?
Yes.
A female voice, smooth as honey yet spiked with venom, spoke as if in response to his desire. “Raj, you told me this lodge was fully stocked at all times. Have you run low on your supply of Fairy-Be-Gone? Those things are a damn nuisance once you let them in.”
* * * * *
Her throat closed as soon as she walked through the door. The den, if you could call the cavernous room a den, was packed with people she’d been avoiding for the last few months, making it seem unbearably small.
She wanted to run or fight or—Kyle staggered and slumped against her, and she grabbed him with both arms. “Somebody help me out here. He’s freezing.”
She knew it was Damon who took Kyle’s weight, and knew he would be fine now that he was in the Lycan’s care. She wasn’t so sure about herself. She couldn’t say hello. Couldn’t face Meru. Not after everything Kyle just said. Not yet. “I need a hot shower.”
Taking the coward’s way out, she ran up the stairs before anyone could say a word. But not before she saw Finn in the doorway. One glimpse had been enough to push everything else out of her mind. Enough to make her shudder, not with cold, but with need. Her body was heating swiftly, and in this company, with all their “special” abilities and heightened senses, she knew distance was her only friend.
He looked different. His rich mahogany hair wasn’t as short as it had been the last time she’d seen him. And had she seen a hint of stubble? She hadn’t realized his kind grew facial hair. Along with the rest of his rumpled appearance, it made him look as though he’d just rolled out of bed, which wasn’t doing her overactive imagination any favors. He’d always been so put together. Flawless. It was one of the reasons harassing him had been her favorite pastime.
Now he looked rough. Approachable. Dangerous.
At least his eyes were the same, the violet hue all Fae, good and bad, possessed. There had always been something unique about his, a light inside them from the first time they met that had driven her crazy and made her ache with desire. Made her nervous, as if he could see through all her barriers—as if he could see inside her.
After Eonis, she hadn’t been sure if she’d ever be able to look into Finn’s eyes again. Eonis had been Fae until he turned to the Dark. Became one of the Horde. His orange hair had been wild, his purple eyes tinged with black…the oily mist that always surrounded him making his visible skin drip and melt like wax in the fire. But still Fae.
She shuddered. No. They had started off as the same species, but there was never any danger of her mistaking the two men. That was just an excuse to keep her distance. She was still attracted to Finn, still fantasized about him and some of the ways she knew Fae could bring pleasure. Even after Eonis used similar abilities to bring her so much pain, the idea of what Finn could do still tempted her.
What sick, twisted truth did that reveal about her?
You are afraid. Afraid I’ll be in your head when he is close. Afraid the tracker will sniff me out. Y
et even now your desires are dark. Do you wish it were he who’d bound you instead of me?
Yes. Her thoughts hadn’t been innocent, before Eonis got in her head, but even he couldn’t stop what she felt for Finn.
She just used to be better at hiding it.
At least he couldn’t read her. She knew it was one of the first things that attracted his attention—that mystery. It had made it easy for her to deny her desires since they’d met. Now she wasn’t sure it would be enough.
She locked the door to her room, slipping swiftly out of her layers of clothing as she headed toward the shower. She didn’t notice the luxurious bed or the tapestry that usually drew her eye—the one with the strange, ancient images that appeared to reveal something new each day, as if it were reacting to her emotions. As if it were alive.
All she could think about now was Finn. All she could feel was the scrape of cloth on her skin. The sensation made her bite her lip. The cold could explain her hardened nipples, but not the heat blazing inside her. The fire that burned and made her thighs tremble. A fire that could only be quenched by him.
A part of her hated him for coming here. For being close enough to touch, but impossible to give in to. He was the one man alive who’d seen her at her most vulnerable. Who knew exactly how she’d been victimized. The man she lusted after, in spite of everything.
Why did he affect her this way? They’d only kissed once, but he’d aggravated her beyond the point of reason a hundred times. All the aggravation did was make her long to take her frustrations out on him in a way that would have them both screaming in release. But he was one of them. He was here because of the prophecy. He hadn’t come for her.
Hell, for all she knew, he’d supernaturally dazzled his way into a dozen beds since she’d last seen him. She’d heard stories about Finn’s legendary prowess from Viking Val, and someone with his reputation wouldn’t deal well with the celibacy experiment she’d been forced to endure in this high-altitude hideaway.
It had been months. She may be suffering but she was sure he hadn’t. There was no reason for him to. Finn had moved on, she was sure, more bored than challenged by her continued resistance.
No.She’d seen his expression, sensed the connection that still sizzled between them. Nothing had changed.
She turned the shower on, waiting for it to warm before she stepped beneath the spray. God, that was good. The hard water pounded against her back and shoulders…her breasts. Her skin tingled as the cold melted away, leaving only heat and need behind.
She needed release.
Her eyes closed, her mind instantly inundated with images of the fantasy she’d created after one of Val’s more graphic stories. It was a private party full of women and men ready and willing to do whatever Finn wanted. But he was used to that, the bastard, and more amused than interested…until one particularly aggressive woman caught his attention. She’d dragged his head down for a kiss and he’d come away with a bloody lip.
Finn’s people had something in common with the Viking berserkers. They both liked to play rough. But the Vikings apparently had nothing on the Fae when it came to exhibitionism.
In her mind, Sheridan was the one who’d pushed Finn over the edge. It was so clear she could almost hear the loud crowd around them as his eyes lit with the violet fire of challenge. Recognizing an equal, someone who could take whatever he wanted give.
She didn’t care who was watching. Didn’t care when he used his abilities to press her against the wall without laying a hand on her. She wanted this. To be out of control. To have him strip away all her pretenses the way he was stripping away her clothes as the crowd looked on.
He touched her, and their audience gasped. His hands slid up her thighs, fingers curling around them and sinking into her skin. He spread them wide and forced her to wrap her legs around his waist, pressing her sex against his erection. But he wanted her, and through the confining fit of his tailored pants, she could feel how much.
The crowd sighed in jealousy when those pants disappeared and there was nothing between them. Yes. She loved it. Loved that she was the one on the receiving end of his attention. No one else could have this kind of pleasure. He was hers. All they could do was watch.
He moved close enough for her to bite his chin, demanding more, and his eyes darkened. His jaw was clenched and she could tell she was getting to him. Chipping away at his control. Good. She didn’t want him to take his time. Didn’t want him to tease her.
She wanted to be fucked. Taken. Right here. Right now.
Sheridan leaned against the tiled wall of the shower, slipping her soapy fingers between her legs and pressing them against her swollen clit. She was lost in her fantasy. Imagining it was his body. His hard cock demanding entrance. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“What Finn did to her over those few, memorable hours…” Val had shaken his head. “Let’s just say I consider myself gifted in that particular arena, but even I was impressed. I imagine she’s never been the same.”
Fantasy Finn wasn’t thinking about that woman now. He wasn’t thinking about anyone but Sheridan. She wouldn’t have to imagine what the Viking had left out. Finn would show her. She moaned softly as she thrust two fingers deep inside her sex. It was a tight fit, what she wanted, but it wasn’t enough this time. She needed more. She reached behind the shampoo bottle for her waterproof personal massager. It was the only thing that had kept her sane all these months alone. The only time the voice in her head went quiet and she could just feel.
Lowering herself to her knees, she rested her head against the porcelain of the tub, her body shaking. Water pounded against her back and her heartbeat drummed in her ears as she positioned the thick wand exactly where she needed it and thrust deep. There was no need for foreplay. Not after seeing him in all his hard, irresistible glory. She couldn’t wait.
Her hips rocked back against him, letting him know she could take whatever he had to give. Harder. Deeper. Yes. Like that. No holding back. She wanted it to sting. Needed it to be real. She could take his rough brand of fucking. She could take everything.
She flicked a small switch at the base of the wand and whimpered as it started to vibrate inside her. Her thighs trembled and she increased the speed of her thrusts, losing herself completely to desire. Finn. She could almost hear his moans behind her. She knew how difficult it was for him to restrain himself, but she craved his wildness, the moment when all that perfection would fall away and reveal the violent passion that lay beneath.
He would be the one who was never the same.
Her open-mouthed sobs were silent as she allowed her own need to take her over the edge and into sweet oblivion. Her limbs quaked with her climax, but even as she caught her breath, she realized it wasn’t enough. Her body was already demanding more, her mind conjuring her most lurid daydreams, all of them starring her own personal Fae tormentor. She longed for him. The real him. Now that he was here, nothing less would do.
But that was all she had. She couldn’t give in to her desire, had to resist it the way she always had. It seemed impossible now.
“Hell.” It was time to stop this and face the music downstairs. She could control herself, she’d been doing it for months. She could pretend her body wasn’t behaving as if she were a teenager—all hormones and no sense. She could because she had to.
Her limbs were still heavy and shaking with the power of her climax as she rinsed herself off in the cooling water. Her mind couldn’t find the same satisfaction. Not when she was basking in the afterglow by herself.
She made sure her special friend was back in its secret spot and stepped out of the tub to dry off. She glanced for a moment at the steam-filled mirror, seeing only a vague outline of her reflection—all the vanity she allowed herself lately—before hurriedly turning away in search of her clothes.
Dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and an oversized sweater, she pushed her wet hair thoughtlessly behind her ears and walked through the bedroom toward th
e door, stopping just before she opened it. Something had changed. She glanced over her shoulder toward the bed and shivered. The figures in the tapestry…were they staring at her?
She was losing her mind, she thought as she forced herself to open the door. She had to put her game face on and pray that her cousin’s new husband was too distracted to use his super sniffer. To realize what she’d been up to. That was the last thing she wanted to face right now.
Lost in thought, she hovered at the top of the stairs. The new rush of sensual need and impatience may have been about Finn’s arrival, but once again, as it always had, her passion had swept the voice away. If she could stop it whenever she lost herself in a fantasy, whenever she climaxed, did that mean it wasn’t real?
If she had any sense she would have told Raj what was going on weeks ago. The dreams. The voice. She should have told someone. Maybe there was some sort of spell or exorcism or Other trick they had to fix her. There had to be some way to tell them without everyone thinking she was insane.
By all means, tell them. It should be fun. For me.
A bedroom door creaked down the hall and she looked up, her throat tightening as Meru walked toward her.
“Kyle is sleeping,” she said softly. “I think the elevation really got to him. We should just let him rest and bring him up to speed in the morning.”
Sheridan nodded, but she couldn’t take her eyes from her cousin’s physical transformation. This was the first time she’d gotten a look at Meru in three months. The first time she’d seen how far her pregnancy had advanced.
Meru came to stand beside her, blue eyes wide and quickly filling with tears as she cupped her belly almost defensively. “I know, Sheridan, I know. I’m shocked every time I look in the mirror. I’m big as a house now.”
Sheridan shook her head. As usual, Kyle was right. She’d believed she shut out her family to protect them, and maybe she had. But in the process, she’d missed so much. “You’re beautiful. Oh Curly Locks, you’re having a baby.”
Behind the Veil: 3 (Temptation Unveiled) Page 3