by Helen Scott
The whole room remained silent when she finished speaking, as though they were waiting for another bombshell to hit. She glanced up at Hal with questioning eyes. He nodded and rubbed her back.
“That’s a lot to take in,” Thad said eventually, with a quiet voice.
“Tell me about it. You guys got all the data from my server, right?”
“Uh, yeah, that shit is nuts. We haven’t downloaded it all yet, but we’ve taken a look at it,” Alec pipped up.
“I need to download it and get it somewhere secure. You have no idea how far Eclipse’s reach is.” She hugged her arms around herself briefly. “They have a finger in every pot, in every type of business. Everything from donating to political campaigns, to sponsoring startups, to backing breakout artists. I mean, even real estate. They literally have an investment in every aspect of your lives.”
They all watched Robin with wide eyes. She had so much insight she could offer that they might actually be able to do some damage for once, instead of just rescuing individuals. When Ellie gasped, their heads collectively whipped in her direction.
“Eclipse is who had tried to buy the shop. I never put the two together until now.”
“Someone tried to buy the shop?” Hal didn’t remember Ellie mentioning it before.
She nodded. “Before I came over to the US, I received an offer to purchase Speak o’ the Devil, but it had certain conditions that I couldn’t live with.”
“Like what?”
“I couldn’t take any of Granddad’s personal effects from the store. If I agreed, the sale would have taken place immediately, locking me out forever.” She got a little choked up toward the end.
Alec reached out and tugged her into an embrace.
“That’s exactly the kind of stuff Randall does. He works to acquire magical items, places, and, of course, people.” Something chimed over by Thad and Cin, but Hal ignored it and focused on Robin. “Nothing is sacred to him, and I think, from the brief bit of data I saw while at The Farm, they are working on other ways for humans to access that magic.”
Hal watched as Robin’s face fell, her eyes searching everyone in the room. The beautiful red color bled from her hair; the silvery white hair that remained was like moonlight on a lake, pale and fragile. Dark circles bloomed around her eyes, and her face paled as it seemed to sink in on itself, before she curled herself into a ball and released the most godawful sound he’d ever heard. He could practically hear it clawing its way out of her, like she had no control over her body.
All his brothers were staring at Robin and glancing at him as though they expected him to know what was going on. Nothing could be further from the truth. When he looked around the room to see if he could figure out what was causing it, he realized Cin had gone almost completely fury. Her wings were still folded behind her back, but her eyes were completely black and her tattoos shifted on her skin.
“Uh, Thad?” Hal nodded toward Cin.
As soon as Thad turned around and saw his soulmate, he went into full battle stations mode. He stood and pulled Cin along with him, dragging her out the door as her focus remained on Robin, who was still screaming. It wasn’t a normal sound. Hal’s ears felt like they wanted to burst or bleed or do something equally painful. Kneeling in front of the noise was almost like taking a bullet, but he needed to get Robin to focus on him.
Finally, when her eyes met his, he realized they were completely black as well. That wasn’t quite an adequate description, though. When she looked at him, he could feel death, a cold hard hand around his heart as he fell into the bottomless pits of her eyes. Terror washed over him, making his skin cold and clammy. What was it with the men in his family and freaky women?
Just as quickly as the screaming had started, it stopped. The darkness receded, and Robin was crying.
“Hey, you okay?” Hal kept his voice low and soft.
“Yeah, yeah, I think so.”
Hal raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.
“I’m a banshee. I scream when I sense death.” Her whole body deflated. “It was why Randall liked having me around. I was his personal death detector.” Her breathing hiccupped as she got the words out.
The tears streaming down her face made him feel like an idiot. He didn’t know how to help her.
“Do you know who’s going to die?” Dem’s gruff voice sounded over his shoulder.
It took everything Hal had not to stand up and sock his brother in the face, not that it would do any good.
“I don’t think anyone is going to die, but it was like death was here in the room with me.”
“There’s no way Thanatos or the Keres could have been here,” Dem growled.
“I don’t know who they are, but something related to death was in the room.”
“Listen, we don’t have to talk about this right now. Do you want to go and lie down or something?” Hal rubbed her arm, still squatting in front of her.
“No, it wasn’t a bad one. The last time it happened was for the two guards who died at The Farm, and that made me pass out. I’ll just go get a glass of water.”
“I can get it for you.”
“I’d rather get it myself.” She pushed herself off the chair, and though she stumbled a little at first, she righted herself and made it out the door. Hal had a feeling she just didn’t want five sets of eyes on her for a moment.
“Did you know?” Alec’s voice was quiet.
“Not exactly.” Hal shrugged, taking Robin’s chair. “She’d mentioned something about screaming before, but I wasn’t sure that was what she meant.”
“D’ye think she ken-knows she’s Fae?” Ellie seemed to catch herself from using Scottish terminology. It made Hal sad to see her trying to correct something that he thought was beautiful.
“Fae?”
“Aye, banshees, or washer women, are often thought to be part of the Fae lore. I’d be verra interested in havin’ a wee chat with her, if she’s interested.”
“I’ll ask her later. Why don’t you guys head home? I don’t want to make Robin uncomfortable.”
“Sure thing, Brother. Let me know what you find out.” Alec took his fiancée’s hand, and they walked out, perfectly at ease with each other.
“If someone’s going to die, I want to know who.” Dem scowled at him. Waves of anger and frustration washed over Hal before his brother teleported out.
Aster sat on the couch and looked at Hal.
“Well, I have nowhere to go, so you’re stuck with me. Also, I think it was Cin who brought on the scream. She got a text on her Hades-only phone and went fury before your lady friend started shrieking her head off. Not that anyone asked.” She got up and walked out.
Aster was a good head shorter than Robin but was packed with twice as much sass. Hal didn’t know how to help her. She seemed angry all the time, but even more so today. Was it because he’d been away with Robin? Or was it just more noticeable because being around Robin was a balm on his senses?
He put his head back, resting it on the back of the chair. Closing his eyes briefly, he imagined Robin sitting in the kitchen, drinking water, her delicate throat moving as she swallowed, her pale skin going back to its naturally pinkish state. Wrenching his mind away, Hal made himself stop there. If he continued, it would just turn him on, and then he’d be no good to anyone. He’d felt drawn to her as soon as he’d heard her at The Farm, and then she saved his life. Ever since that moment, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. Hal thought it would get better once he knew she was safe and away from her tormentors.
It didn’t.
Now, he was faced with the desire to touch and taste her every time he even thought about her. And when he did? Her skin was as soft as silk, and she tasted of honey on a warm summer day. He couldn’t get enough. The tight feeling in his chest persisted, growing ever tighter the more time he spent with her. He was certain it would snap at any moment. What happened after that was anyone’s guess.
“Can we go back to the cab
in?” Robin’s hoarse voice shocked him out of his reverie.
“Yep. Do you want me to jump us there?” He wanted to go to her immediately, to comfort her, to erase the exhaustion that showed in how she propped herself up at the doorframe and the way her shoulders sagged.
“Sure.” Her eyes drooped as though she could fall asleep right there.
Hal stood and scooped her into his arms, a completely unnecessary gesture, but it helped quiet the urge he had to protect her against whatever was attacking her. He took a deep breath. His lungs filled with her sweet scent, something like honey and lavender, as he wrapped the filaments of the universe around them and moved them to the cabin, directly to the bedroom.
“Take a nap. You look exhausted,” he said as he caressed her beautiful red hair.
“I am. The scream always takes it out of me.” She pulled the hoodie off and unbuttoned her jeans. Hal turned away, trying to protect her modesty. He didn’t know if she wanted him to see this or not.
Everything in him screamed at him to turn around and take her to bed, but that wasn’t who he was. This was her show. For now, he was happy to play a part, and then maybe, once she had recovered from her ordeal with Randall and the Order of Talos, he would take the initiative. Maybe.
“You can turn around, you know.”
“Are you decent?”
“No, but I’m not shy anymore, either.” Hal turned slightly but kept looking out of the windows at the front of the cabin. He’d never been more grateful that he’d built the bedroom as a loft. Movement made his eyes strain to figure out what was going on in his periphery, but he refused to look.
“Hal, less than a few hours ago, I told you I wanted to have sex with you. You’ve practically seen me naked, anyway, with what you gave me to sleep in last night. Why are you being such a prude now?”
“Because you haven’t even had a chance to process what happened to you. Plus, if you’re naked, I don’t know that I’ll be able to keep my hands off you, and that’s not fair to either of us.”
“I’m not naked.” A laugh hid in her voice, and Hal got the feeling she hadn’t had much to find humor in for the last few years.
Turning glacially slowly, he found her sitting in bed, wearing a white T-shirt, her red hair spilling over her shoulder like a waterfall, while her soft gray eyes watched him intently. Unbidden, his eyes traveled over her body, drinking in the way her breasts strained against the T-shirt, her nipples poking against the fabric, hardening under his gaze, the darker skin standing out under the thin cotton.
She had circled the blue comforter around her hips, making her look like she was sitting in water. His hands itched to touch her delicate thighs peeking through some of the folds. The neckline of her shirt had slipped off one shoulder, exposing her pale skin to him. Freckles dotted her shoulder, running up her neck and further under the T-shirt. One day he hoped to catalog each and every one of them, but for now, his eyes moved upward, taking in the soft pink of her lips begging to be kissed, before meeting her dusky gray eyes.
“Glad you’ve got something on. I’ll head downstairs and let you sleep.” His voice was husky with need even to his own ears.
“Stay.” Her voice was soft as she looked at the bedspread, fiddling with the border. When he didn’t respond, she looked up, her gaze piercing him, making it almost impossible to stand his ground. “I’ve been alone for so long that I can’t stand it anymore.” She sighed. “That’s not quite true. I can’t stand to be away from you. When I was in the kitchen, all I could think about was going back into the room with you, but I didn’t want to start screaming again if whatever triggered it was still there. I feel safe around you, Hal, and I would sleep better if you were here with me.”
“I don’t know that it’s a good idea.” He rubbed his face, trying to get his brain to focus on anything but her or the raging erection he had.
“Please.” She whispered it so quietly, he wasn’t sure whether he’d really heard her at first, or if his brain was just hearing what it wanted to.
When he looked at her, he saw the sentiment in her face. Even if she hadn’t spoken aloud, she was still asking him with her eyes.
“Fine. You are under the covers. I’m on top. That’s the rule. Clear?”
She bobbed her head, her red hair shimmering like fire in the late afternoon light.
As they both lay down, Hal could swear he felt his heart beat toward her, like his whole being was drawn to her. She curled on her side and watched him, her slate eyes scanning his features.
“Why did you come for me?” she asked softly.
“Because you came for me. As big and strong as I am, against two smaller, faster opponents, I don’t tend to fare well. You stopped them from killing my brother and me. I owe you for that. Plus, you were so damn brave.” His chest tightened as the scene replayed in his head. “Standing there offering whatever it was you were offering that scared the pants off you just to save two strangers—it was amazing. You are amazing. I couldn’t stop thinking about you the whole time you were back there. Then when Tony got your messages, it was like the path to Mount Olympus was clear, and I knew exactly what I had to do.”
“Tony?”
“The guy who owns the tattoo shop.” Hal chuckled. “He said he was going to start charging us rent if we were planning on using him as a messenger service. Not that he ever would, big softy.”
“He seems like a nice guy, from what I know of him.”
Hal quirked an eyebrow. “What do you know of him?”
“Probably a lot more than he wants me to. The man doesn’t know how to set a secure password if his life depended on it. When I first tried to contact Cin, I hacked into everything that shop had to offer, and then I hacked into her apartment. It’s cake if you know what you’re doing, but it does mean I often find out things about people they don’t want me to know.” Her whole face was animated as she talked about hacking into this and that.
Hal didn’t really know the first thing about computers. That was more Alec and Thad’s department. He knew how to heal, how to mend the broken things in people, both physically and emotionally. If he had to guess, he’d say that was why Robin was so drawn to him. One day soon he was going to have to offer his services to her, but then she would see him for exactly what he was—a siren who could use water to heal, and not much else, since people didn’t really enchant things anymore. It killed him that he couldn’t use his gift on just anyone, but they couldn’t risk exposure. It felt so selfish to him, but there wasn’t a way around it.
“I’m not sure I want to know any more about Tony than I already do,” Hal said, bringing his mind back to the topic at hand.
“I feel that way about most people.” She looked down. The hand that wasn’t tucked under her head played with the edge of the comforter. “Not you, though. I’d like to know more.”
When she said more, it turned into a big yawn.
“Well, maybe after your nap. Right now, you need sleep more than you need to know anything else about me.”
Her eyes closed, and she snuggled slightly closer to him, still not touching, but close enough that he couldn’t resist running his fingers through her hair.
“That’s nice,” she mumbled as he brushed some strands behind her shoulder, exposing the pale skin around the neck of the T-shirt. The burst of freckles he had noticed earlier started at her shoulder and traveled up behind her ear. He’d never seen anything like it. A deep wave of contentment washed over Hal, and he relaxed onto the bed beside Robin.
Chapter 15
Robin went to readjust her sleeping position, but something warm and heavy lay over her stomach. She cracked her eyes open to find Hal’s arm wrapped around her and one of his legs between hers while his other arm scooped over their heads. He protected her even when he slept. Her heart beat a little staccato rhythm at that thought.
She’d been attracted to him when she had first seen him, even though at the time, she was also scared out of her mind. His fighting
skills and stamina against Randall had been jaw-dropping, as well as his devotion to his brother. When Thad went down in the fight, Hal had drawn Randall and Norman away from his prone form, protecting him the only way he could at the time.
He was massive at her back. It was like there was a wall there, not another person, and the heat radiating off him was intense; it explained why they were now skin to skin instead of having the comforter between them like he’d wanted. She wanted to roll over and face him, but that would probably wake him up, and then a bedspread would replace his skin, which was the last thing she wanted.
If he thought she was too traumatized by the recent events in her life, then as far as she was concerned, he was wrong. She’d been living at and working for Eclipse and Randall for most of her adult life. It wasn’t so much trauma at this point as it was just something she wanted to move on from. She knew it would always be part of her, but she finally felt alive again, as if being at Eclipse had all been a dream. Of course, she knew better, but the more she thought about it, the less she felt about it.
His leg hiked up, nudging her thighs further apart and scattering the thoughts in her head. Apparently at some point he’d taken the jeans and T-shirt off that he had been wearing when he lay down next to her. The hairs on his legs tickled, but she relished the contact. She sighed. Being around Hal was like constantly being in a bubble bath, or at least, what she remembered bubble baths to be like. Warmth and relaxation flooded her body, along with desire whenever he touched her.
Winding her fingers with his, she brought his hand up to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. The size of his hand compared to hers made her want to laugh. She wriggled down so her butt was against his groin. The hard line of steel that she felt there made her heart flip-flop in her chest and her body coil tight and hot.