by Donna Grant
Thea poured her emotions into the music. The melody turned frantic as her worry grew. And with only a thought of Eoghan, the song shifted once more. It became evocative. Haunting.
Somehow, the music was able to say what she could never put into words. And she didn’t stop it.
* * *
Eoghan’s head jerked to the left. He closed his eyes, reaching for the soft melody that drifted on the wind.
His Reapers were behind him. They stood atop the cathedral so he could listen for Thea. He’d known she would play. It was just a matter of waiting and listening for her.
The music teased him, giving him only a few notes at a time. But he would recognize the playing anywhere. Thea’s music had a distinct sound to it. One that he would hear even if he were deaf.
His eyes opened as he stared off to the west. “I hear her.”
“Go,” Torin said. “We’ll follow.”
Eoghan didn’t need to be told twice. He teleported a ways and stopped to listen. The music was louder but still some distance off.
He teleported three more times before he knew he was close. Each time, the Reapers were right on his heels. As he turned to them, he saw the way they looked around, searching for Thea.
“I can hear her now,” Bradach stated.
Eoghan slowly turned in a circle to try and locate Thea. “It’s because she’s close.”
Dubhan asked, “Can she veil herself?”
“No,” Eoghan replied. “Someone is doing it for her.”
“But we should be able to see her,” Cathal pointed out.
Eoghan’s lips flattened. “Yes, we should.”
“Is it Bran?” Rordan asked.
Eoghan shook his head. “If it were, Bran would show himself. He likes to take all the credit. There’s no way he could remain hidden instead of showing off.”
“Just like a guy,” Aisling said with a roll of her eyes.
Eoghan held up his hands and pushed outward, searching for Fae magic. It didn’t take him long to encounter a force that made him take a step back.
“Shite,” he mumbled.
“What the fek was that?” Torin asked in disbelief.
Rordan shrugged and said sarcastically, “I’m thinking magic.”
Torin glared at Rordan in displeasure. Eoghan was ready to stop them when Torin took a step toward Rordan. At the last second, the Light regained his composure and halted. Torin then looked at Eoghan and gave a nod of his head.
Eoghan swung his gaze to Rordan and raised a brow.
The Fae lifted his hands before him and shrugged. “I’m sorry. My mouth opens, and things just spill out.”
“Doesn’t bother me,” Cathal said.
Dubhan turned his head to Torin, who stood beside him. “You need to lighten up, man. Otherwise, you’re going to want to beat the shite out of Rordan every other minute.”
Aisling looked heavenward as she let out a loud sigh. “Why couldn’t there be more females? I have this need to turn around and smack all of you upside the head.”
Rordan grinned. “I like being whipped.”
Eoghan found their interaction interesting, especially when he noted that all of them were doing their best to get along.
It was Bradach who said, “How do we remove the veil hiding Thea?”
“Fan out,” Eoghan told them. “Remain veiled and see what you can find.” He looked pointedly at Torin and Cathal when he said, “Do not engage. This is strictly scouting. For now.”
One by one, the Reapers teleported away. Eoghan remained and turned in the direction of the music. Thea was close. Very close.
He dropped his veil in the hopes that whoever was keeping Thea from him would reveal themselves.
* * *
Xaneth still mulled over his new alliance with Balladyn when he returned to the cottage to check on Thea. He smiled when he saw Eoghan.
He wasn’t surprised that the Reaper had found Thea. In fact, he’d expected it. But Xaneth had also expected that Thea would be in Usaeil’s hands by now, and the queen would have to deal with the Reaper.
But all of that had quickly gone south. Usaeil’s betrayal had made him reevaluate his strategy—and intentions. With Balladyn’s cooperation, Xaneth would soon meet Bran. Once he shared the news about Eoghan, Bran would be after the Reaper. But not before taking out Usaeil.
It was the perfect plan. With Usaeil gone, Xaneth could return to the Light—where he belonged. The wrongs done to his family would finally be righted.
He studied Eoghan, who walked toward the veiled cottage. Xaneth frowned. His wards should have ensured that Thea’s playing couldn’t be heard outside the house. Xaneth could hear her because he’d put the spells in place.
But Eoghan had his head tilted to the side as if he were listening to something. It was only a matter of time before the Reaper found the cottage.
“Show yourself,” Eoghan demanded.
Xaneth might be a bit reckless at times, but he wasn’t stupid. He had no intention of going up against a Reaper. The only reason he’d taken a shot at Eoghan at the pub was because Xaneth had thought he could get to Thea. But the Reaper had been too quick.
While the majority of the Fae believed the Reapers were nothing but myths, Xaneth knew the truth. He also knew the extent of a Reaper’s power.
“I will free her,” Eoghan announced.
Xaneth looked at the cottage. No doubt the Reaper could do exactly as he claimed. Usaeil had threatened Xaneth with death, but if his plan worked, the queen would be dead. Why not ruffle her feathers while he could?
The idea was too good to pass up. Xaneth lowered the veil. Eoghan would have to get through the wards himself. He wouldn’t make it too easy for the Reaper.
Xaneth really wished he’d be there to see Usaeil’s face when she arrived, and Thea was gone. But just knowing the queen would most likely lose her shit in an epic meltdown was enough.
It was his first step in retaliation for her betrayal.
He looked at Eoghan before teleporting away.
* * *
“Thea!”
She halted her playing at the sound of Eoghan’s voice. With her heart hammering in her chest, she waited for him to speak again so she could confirm that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her.
“Thea!”
She put her violin down and rushed to the door. “Eoghan! I’m here.”
“Stand back,” he told her. “There are wards around the house that I need to get through.”
She took several steps back before turning to rush to the sofa and put away her violin. Her hands shook with excitement. Maybe Eoghan had heard her, but it had taken him a while to reach her. Not that it was relevant now. He was there. That’s all that mattered.
There was a loud thwack against the door that made the cottage shudder. A moment later, there was a harder hit. She lost count of how many times something banged as she impatiently waited to be released.
A moment later, there was a loud boom as the door burst open. Thea lifted her arm to shield her face as she turned away. She glimpsed shards of wood coming right at her. Everything moved in slow motion—including her.
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her as her ears rang with the crash. She remained bent over, even as silence descended around her.
“I’ve got you,” Eoghan whispered.
She was so happy to see him that her throat locked with emotion. Thea turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers brushed wood. She jerked back when she realized that he had pieces of the door sticking out of his back.
“Better me than you,” he said.
She looked into his mercurial eyes and put a hand on his face. “Thank you for coming. Let me get the splinters out.”
“You’d better let us do that,” a man said as he strode into the cottage.
Thea stared in shock as five men—one a damn giant—and a woman filled the cottage. She knew without asking that they were part of Eoghan’s group that he’d told her abou
t.
“It’s all right,” Eoghan said.
Her eyes slid back to him as two men moved on either side of him and a third began pulling out the splinters, some of them as thick as her fist and nearly a foot in length. She knew it had to hurt, but Eoghan never let it show.
“I didn’t think you heard my call,” she said.
He gave a shake of his head. “I didn’t.”
“Then how did you find me?”
“Your music,” he replied with a small grin.
It had reached him in another realm. This time, her music saved her.
“Do you know who took me?” she asked.
Eoghan’s face tightened. “Not yet, but I will.”
“Did you not see anyone?” the woman asked.
Thea glanced at the Fae’s thick, black and silver hair in multiple braids. Then her gaze locked with the woman’s red eyes. “It was a Dark Fae.”
“A Dark?” Eoghan repeated, a deep frown marring his brow.
“The same one who attacked us outside the pub.”
“I thought he was after me.”
She wrinkled her nose as she shrugged. “It was me. Apparently, someone sent him to track me down.”
“Track you down?” one of the men asked, a Light Fae with short black hair and several knives on his person.
Eoghan glanced at the man before returning his attention to Thea. “Did he say what he wanted with you?”
She swallowed and twisted her lips. “I think he was only sent to find me. There was another presence with me for a moment. I felt them but never saw them. That’s who I think wants me.”
Eoghan straightened as the last of the splinters were pulled from his back. He wrapped an arm around her as he looked at the others. “Search the area. There are clues out there. Find them and bring them to me.”
In the next breath, Thea was teleported away.
Chapter Eleven
Even the most stalwart of men had a breaking point. And holding Thea once more in his arms was Eoghan’s. Like the proverbial straw.
He brought her to the base beneath the church. Yet, once there, he couldn’t release her. She looked up at him with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers, and he was lost, adrift—and sinking fast—in all that was Thea.
“Where are we?” she whispered.
He swallowed and valiantly tried to make his arms drop away, but his body had other ideas. It had been eons since he’d held a woman in his arms, much less felt desire.
“Eoghan?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head.
“You’re safe,” he managed to say.
His blood pounded in his ears, and his heart thudded in his chest. All he wanted was a taste of her. Just one small sip of her lips.
Her lids slowly lowered as she blinked. “I know.”
The need to kiss her was so overwhelming, so irresistible, that it was all he could think about. His gaze dropped to her lips. They were a temptation all their own. Dark pink with a perfect Cupid’s bow, her mouth could bring a man to his knees without a word.
Her top lip was slightly thinner than the bottom, but the minor imperfection was endearing. And sexy as hell. Her mouth promised passion of unequaled delight.
Who was he to turn away from such temptation?
He sought memories long buried as he tried to remember how to proceed to the next step. All the thousands of centuries he’d wrapped himself in the betrayal that changed his world, forgetting the simple pleasures in life.
Eoghan allowed himself to be shut off from everything—except his duty. His fellow Reapers had never pushed him for more, but he hadn’t allowed them to get close either. Only Cael.
He didn’t remember how to kiss, or even what to do. Surely, it would come back to him. He lowered his head, but as her lips drew near, he hesitated.
Thea then reached up and put her hands on either side of his head as she rose up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his.
All the hunger and longing that had been burning through him since encountering Thea exploded into a frenzy of desire that consumed him.
From the moment their mouths met, Eoghan knew there was no turning back. He tilted his head to the side and moved his lips against hers. They were soft and sweet, her taste like a drug that quickly and effortlessly took him.
A moan rumbled through him when their tongues tangled together in a sensual, carnal dance that had his cock hardening with anticipation.
Her fingers sank into his hair as their kiss deepened. He backed her to a wall and pressed his body against hers. She groaned and scraped her nails lightly on his scalp.
He wanted inside her, to meld their bodies together in a ritual as old as time. His hands trembled as he grasped her hips and ground into her softness.
“Yes,” she murmured between kisses.
Eoghan moved his hand upward to the hem of her sweater and slipped beneath. His palm met skin as he caressed the indent of her waist. He reeled from the unadulterated, vibrant desire that swirled around and through him.
Dimly, he recalled that the others would return soon. He knew he should stop the insanity, but he couldn’t. Yet he didn’t want the others to see them either.
Gathering all of his strength, Eoghan ended the kiss and took several steps back. Thea tipped forward before righting herself. Eyes glazed with desire looked at him, while her kiss-swollen lips parted.
“I . . . can’t,” he ground out.
Thea flattened her hands on the stones at her back and closed her eyes for a heartbeat. When she looked at him again, her eyes were clear once more.
He inwardly cringed when he spotted the hurt and distress there as she gazed at him. He’d known that kissing her would be a mistake. He’d realized it and yet condemned them both to the unending yearning for more.
Fisting his hands by his sides, he fought against the tide of longing, an ache so strong that he would surely feel it for eternity. Within him was a storm of emotions that he battled alone. They cut deeper, stung harder. The scars that would be left would be far more profound than the ones given by his wife.
How had he not sensed that Thea would have such an effect on him? Or had he known and sought the pleasure he knew he’d find in her arms anyway?
“I’ve never felt passion like that before.” She gently pressed her lips together. “Have you?”
He slowly shook his head once. In fact, he didn’t believe that such raging desire existed. Was this what his fellow Reapers had felt that caused them to court complete annihilation from Death? It had to be. Why else would they risk their existence?
They stared at each other. Eoghan struggled to remain where we was, while Thea simply waited. Long, long ago, Eoghan would’ve followed his heart. He would’ve thrown everything away just to be with her.
But that Eoghan no longer existed. He’d been destroyed, ripped apart piece by piece by his wife until she’d delivered the final, cruel blow.
He knew the instant one of his Reapers returned. The shift in the air alerted him, but it was also Thea’s widening eyes. In some ways, Eoghan was glad that someone else was there. He had nothing left to say to Thea, but there was so much more he wanted to do to her. And his will was crumbling fast.
A second, then third Reaper appeared. Eoghan didn’t turn to look behind him and see who had arrived. He couldn’t take his eyes off Thea—or stop the longing within him.
He saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Aisling paused beside him. She cast him a quick glance before walking to Thea.
“Hey,” Aisling said to her. “I’m sure you want to get home, but you should stay with us until we figure this out. I can get you anything you want. A hot bath?”
Thea pushed away from the wall and turned her head to Aisling. “I’d like that.”
“Come with me.” Aisling waited until Thea walked ahead of her before she glanced at Eoghan.
He gave her a nod of appreciation. Once the two had disappeared into one of the chambers, he turned to face the others. By this tim
e, all the Reapers had returned.
“I suppose we should’ve knocked,” Rordan said with a half-smile.
Cathal elbowed Rordan and shot him a stern frown.
Eoghan drew in a deep breath and released it. “Erith said you followed the Reapers around.”
“Follow isn’t the correct word,” Dubhan said.
Bradach lifted one shoulder. “We weren’t always there, but we did see some battles.”
“We missed out on the one where Rhi was involved,” Torin said. “I wished we would’ve seen that one.”
Eoghan ran a hand down his face. “I asked that because I need to know how much all of you know about the others and their women.”
“We know enough,” Aisling said as she strode back into the center chamber. “Thea is soaking in a hot bath with some wine. I’ve also made it so she can’t hear our conversation. Just in case you wanted to keep anything from her.”
Eoghan bowed his head in thanks before addressing all of them. “Did Erith tell you the story of Bran?”
“She did,” Dubhan replied.
Eoghan glanced at the arched ceiling above him. The paint was faded and chipping, but it must have been glorious at one time. “Each of the women with our fellow Reapers contributed to fighting Bran and this war we’re in.”
“You don’t need to say more,” Cathal declared. “We all intend to keep the vows we gave Death when she offered us our positions.”
With that settled, Eoghan could turn his mind to other things. “Did any of you find anything at the cottage?”
“Two sets of tracks,” Torin said. “One female, one male.”
Bradach nodded. “Someone was there awhile. Male by the shoe size and depth of the tracks.”
“So he didn’t bother to hide his footprints?”
Torin issued a nonchalant shrug. “He did, and with some pretty powerful magic at that. But I was able to reveal them.”
“Good job,” Eoghan said.
Aisling sat on the overstuffed arm of one of the chairs. “Whoever wanted Thea hidden away went to great lengths to keep their identity secret.”
“We need to find the one who hunted Thea,” Rordan said. “That’s how we’ll find the answers.”