by Donna Grant
So, while Erith wouldn’t send a Reaper to claim Usaeil’s soul, she could go herself. If only she weren’t so weak, she’d do just that. She should’ve done it years ago, but there was someone who caused her to hesitate, one who showed great promise. One who could alter things. That was why she hadn’t already claimed Usaeil’s soul.
Erith knew by her rules that Xaneth should be killed for knowing who the Reapers were, but she withheld her decision. He could be an asset—if he didn’t help Bran annihilate the Light.
She even contemplated telling Xaneth everything to see if she could turn him to her side. But she’d decided against it at the last moment.
Xaneth was the one player in the game who couldn’t be manipulated. He was too strong—mentally and physically. Ultimately, Xaneth could be the one to change everything. If only she had seen it sooner, she would have reached out to him.
It was a mistake that could cost her everything. And it was just the beginning of what Bran would do to the inhabitants of Earth.
* * *
Eoghan sent his team out to scour Ireland and both the Light and Dark courts for any information on the Seeker. He paced his chamber, desperately trying not to think of the fact that he was alone with Thea.
Once they’d returned from the Dark Palace, he removed the glamour on both himself and her. Her disappointment in learning nothing was palpable. He felt it himself, but his anger pushed it aside.
How in the bloody hell had the Seeker managed to teleport away when he and the others were using their magic to ensure that he couldn’t? Only someone with immense power could do that.
Those who had more magic than Reapers were rare. It would help to narrow down who this Fae was, but that couldn’t happen fast enough.
Eoghan tried to keep his mind occupied, but all he could think about was Thea. The more he fought the desire, the more it grew.
Finally, he strode from his chamber and crossed the rotunda to Thea’s door. He gripped the sides of the frame and attempted once more to get control of himself.
But it was a half-hearted endeavor. Thea was in his soul, on his skin, and buried in his psyche. No amount of denial would change that.
He closed his eyes, wondering what it was about her that made him so weak? He had withstood eons of temptation without a second thought.
Why her?
Why now?
Eoghan nearly called for Cael. If anyone could help him clear his head, it was Cael. But he hesitated when he thought about his friend being in the midst of fighting Bran. And knowing Cael, he would come in case Eoghan was in trouble.
He opened his eyes and looked at the thick, wooden door that separated him from Thea. No sounds had come from her room since she disappeared into it after they returned.
She had played the violin for about an hour but went silent thirty minutes ago. Leaving him to think of all the things he wanted to do to her.
“Thea,” he whispered.
Only a handful of seconds passed before the door opened. He gazed into her beautiful brown eyes and tumbled head over heels for her. Eoghan couldn’t fight it any longer.
He wrapped an arm around her, claiming her lips as he stepped into the room. With his other hand, he slammed the door shut as he continued to back her inside.
Her arms went around his neck, holding on tightly as she returned his kiss with fervor. She was once more wearing the sheep pajamas.
Suddenly, she pulled back and looked at him, her chest heaving. He smoothed her hair back from her face and took in her wondrous beauty.
“If you’re going to kiss me and leave again, I’d rather you just leave now,” she said.
Eoghan winced at the damage he’d inadvertently done. But he would make it up to her.
“I’m not walking away this time,” he assured her.
“Then stop staring and kiss me.”
He smiled as he leaned down to take her lips again. He splayed his hands across her back, pressing her against him as his blood rushed straight to his cock.
Elation swept through him at the sensation of holding her once more. He deepened the kiss as he tangled a hand in her blue tresses. Having her in his arms, kissing her, and letting the desire have its way was electrifying.
With the sweet, exotic taste of her filling his senses, he couldn’t remember why he’d ever tried to keep her at arm’s length.
He kissed down her neck and listened to her harsh breaths. She bent backward over his arm, her nails digging into his back when his mouth neared her breasts.
Everything she did, every sound she made was stirring, rousing. Evocative.
She yanked at his shirt, trying to take it off. With a thought, Eoghan removed it. She groaned as she ran her hands over his bare chest and lifted her head to look at him.
He paused in kissing across her chest to watch her expressions. When she pushed against him, he straightened, but he didn’t release her.
“I have no words,” she whispered. “You’re perfection.”
“I’m far from that.”
She shook her head as her hand ran down his chest to his abdomen. “Not in my eyes. All I see is flawless magnificence.” A frown formed when she reached the waist of his pants.
Her eyes snapped to his, and she raised a brow. So, she wanted him naked. Good, because that’s exactly how he wanted her.
His eyes slid closed when she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the center of his chest. Then she moved to the left and placed soft, wet kisses over his heart before moving to the other side. She left a trail of heat in her wake while her hands caressed from his arms and shoulders to his stomach and back.
He clung to her as desire raged. He was unsure of the coming storm, but he knew he wanted to be in it with her. Only her.
She drove him wild while easing a part of him he hadn’t known sought such relief. She pushed him, urging him to take chances, to let go and just . . . feel.
In all the years of his life, in all the places he’d seen and the people he’d encountered, not a single one of them could ever compare to the beauty and grace that was Thea.
Her lips reached his neck before kissing his chin and then his mouth. Right before he was about to claim her lips again, she put a finger over his mouth.
“I want to see you. Every glorious inch.”
He immediately removed the rest of his clothes.
Chapter Seventeen
Thea had never beheld such brilliance before. Eoghan was spectacular in every way. His muscles were defined, the strength of his body evident not just in the thick sinew that covered his entire body but also in the way he held himself.
She couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t hear anything but the sound of her blood pounding in her ears. After a couple of rough starts and abrupt halts, it looked as if Eoghan were ready to plunge into the fast-moving desire that had taken her instantly.
And it was about damn time that he jumped in with her.
With her hands flat on his chest, she couldn’t decide what to kiss, touch, and lick first. Because she was going to taste every inch of him.
All her life, she’d been so ho-hum about guys and sex. But with Eoghan, it was like a switch had been flipped. She felt everything, ramped up on the highest setting. It was exhilarating and mind-blowing. And a little frightening, as well.
Just as her gaze dropped past his trim hips to his impressive cock, she heard a low moan pass his lips. No sooner did she recognize the sound than she found herself biting her lip as pleasure sucked her under in waves of ecstasy.
”Tá tú go hálainn.”
She didn’t know what he said, and it didn’t matter. His husky voice, the way his gaze raked over her with possessiveness and yearning conveyed his meaning while his hands cupped her breasts.
He teased her nipples mercilessly. With each moan that fell from her lips, he doubled his efforts. Her breasts swelled—and her body ached.
Her knees threatened to buckle when he bent her back over his arm, and his hot mouth wrapped ar
ound a turgid peak. She cried out when he suckled, the pull going straight to her sex that hungered to feel him inside her.
Eoghan was ruthless in learning her body. She was deliriously helpless—and it felt amazing. While his lips did tantalizing things to her nipples, his free hand roamed her body in slow, methodical caresses as if he were putting her to memory.
She clung to him, shaking from the pleasure that filled her—yearning for more.
One minute, she was standing up, and the next, she was on the bed with Eoghan’s glorious weight atop her. His mouth moved between her breasts as he placed hot kisses down her stomach. She lifted her head and watched him as he grew closer and closer to the juncture of her thighs.
His thick curtain of midnight hair fell to one side, sliding over her leg sensuously. His molten silver eyes briefly looked at her as his mouth hovered over her sex. His lips curved into a wicked smile before he lowered his head.
Her eyes rolled back in her head when she felt his warm breath an instant before his tongue touched her. She clutched the bed covers, her back arching at the exquisite pleasure that swirled through her and around her.
He relentlessly licked and laved her sex until she shook with the desire that longed to consume her. But he kept her on the edge, never letting her tip over the side.
She rocked her hips, seeking more. And he answered by slipping a finger inside her. Thea gasped and bucked her hips when he added a second digit and began to slowly move his hand in and out of her.
The orgasm was right there within reach, so close she could almost touch it. But it was almost as if Eoghan could read her thoughts, and each time she was about to climax, he pulled back.
It was a deliciously erotic torture. Each time, her desire built quicker, more intense. And each time she was denied, she sought the release even more.
And he wasn’t even inside her yet.
* * *
Astounding. Incredible. Breathtaking.
Thea was all those things and more. Now that Eoghan knew the feel of her silky skin and her soft curves, there was no going back. Ever.
He was going to make her his, and he would accept whatever consequences came.
The taste of her desire filled his mouth and made his cock jump in expectation of thrusting deep inside her. He pushed his fingers within her tight sheath and groaned at the way her body clamped around him.
She stiffened, a signal that she was about to peak. He stopped moving his tongue and hand to let the desire ease its hold. He glanced up at her. The sight of her flushed skin, her parted lips, and her head rolling from side to side as she gripped the bedding made him hunger for her even more.
She was beautiful, but in the throes of passion, she was glorious. Stunning.
Absolutely resplendent.
With her writhing in rapture, he couldn’t believe he had ever had the strength to pull away from her. He could spend eternity bringing her pleasure, and it would still never be enough for him.
Her hips rock against his hand, seeking friction. Her sex and clit were swollen and wet with need. He gazed down at her entrance where his fingers were, and his balls tightened when he imagined guiding his cock there.
He lifted his gaze to Thea’s face and saw her staring at him. He slid his fingers inside her slowly as he thumbed her clit.
Her eyes widened as her chest heaved. He held her gaze and continued to pleasure her with slow thrusts of his fingers while increasing the speed of his thumb.
“Tá tú go hálainn, you are gorgeous,” he murmured.
After the many times he’d brought her to the edge before backing off, it didn’t take her any time before her body tightened. But this time, he didn’t draw back.
This time, he pushed her over the pinnacle and right into her orgasm.
He rose up on his knees and palmed his cock when she cried out, her back arching off the bed while her body convulsed as she peaked.
Eoghan ran his hand up and down his length, fighting the need to remove his fingers and bury himself inside her. It was a torturous wait for her to come down from her climax.
With her body still spasming around his fingers, he removed them and positioned himself between her legs. With his cock at her entrance, he paused and met her gaze. She looked at him through slitted eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly.
Eoghan placed his hands on either side of her head and slowly pushed into her tight, wet heat. She felt so good. He looked down at her as she gripped his waist.
He groaned when she bit her lip once he was fully seated. Her bright eyes stared up at him. Then, she wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her ankles together.
It was the way she caressed his face that made his heart trip over itself. Thea wasn’t just any Halfling. He’d recognized it from the beginning, but he hadn’t wanted to admit it. Now, he didn’t have a choice.
* * *
Thea sighed when Eoghan began to thrust deeply and slowly. The feeling of him sliding in and out of her was exquisite, just as she had known it would be.
It wasn’t long until his rhythm increased. She could do nothing but lay there as he played her with expert precision. He knew just how to move his body to give her the most pleasure.
She drifted into a place that was nothing but ecstasy and bliss. Somewhere where no one existed by the two of them.
To her surprise, she felt the now familiar desire tighten low in her belly once more. She met his thrusts, eager to feel the wash of pleasure again.
She hurtled over the precipice into a void of rapture that slid sensuously along her body. It wrapped tightly around her, cocooning her in pleasure until her limbs were weighed down and she could barely open her eyes.
Eoghan then pulled out of her and flipped her onto her stomach before grabbing her ankles and pulling her toward the edge of the bed until her legs hung off.
Then he filled her with one hard thrust. She moaned as he entered her. God, he felt so damn good. How had she ever been disinterested in sex? Then again, none of her lovers had been Eoghan.
His fingers dug into her hips as he plunged into her again and again. She once more slipped into that space between worlds and simply let herself experience every wonderful second.
He fell over her, his thrusts growing short and fast until he buried himself deep and stilled. She felt his seed fill her, and while she realized they hadn’t used protection, she wasn’t worried. Because the idea of making a child with Eoghan excited her.
After several long moments, he moved aside her hair and kissed her cheek before pulling out of her. He then lifted her in his arms and climbed into bed.
She snuggled against him as he pulled the covers over them. It was impossible to keep her eyes open after being pleasured so thoroughly.
There was a smile on her face as well. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so happy. It was a moment to be treasured and looked back on years from now.
“I’ll never push you away again,” Eoghan whispered before kissing her brow.
“Tell me we’ll do this again?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Definitely. I couldn’t stay away from you if my life depended upon it.”
She smiled and kissed his chest as sleep pulled at her.
* * *
Aisling put her ear to Thea’s door and listened. She grinned when she picked up both Eoghan’s and Thea’s voices. It was about bloody time.
She turned around and found Cathal sitting on one of the chairs in the rotunda while sharpening his sword. He hadn’t been there when she arrived, and she hated how he kept sneaking up on her.
“Eavesdropping?” he drawled, keeping his gaze on his weapon.
She shrugged and walked to him. “I wondered if Eoghan finally pulled his head out of his arse and realized what was before him.”
“For someone who rags about men all the time, you sure are a romantic.”
She was going to have to be more careful to hide not just the pain of her past, but her secret
s, as well. “What’s it to you?”
“I just want to know if you’re going to try and kick my ass for being a man or not.”
She raised a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re safe. Unless you treat a woman wrong. Then I’ll be coming for you.”
He turned dark red eyes to her. “I’d expect nothing less.”
She gave him a nod and dropped her arms as she turned on her heel. She only got two steps before Cathal’s deep voice reached her.
“Whoever hurt you was a fool. I hope you castrated him. And, for what it’s worth, there’s nothing wrong with being romantic.”
She paused and let his words sink in. Without turning around, she said, “Thank you.”
Aisling continued toward her chamber, wondering how many more times Cathal would surprise her.
Chapter Eighteen
Everything had changed. Eoghan couldn’t deny that fact. After the other realm, he’d told himself that he would get out and find his way back to his brothers and that everything would go back to the way it was—after killing Bran, of course.
But that had been a lie he’d told himself. Something that had gotten him through the ordeal. Even if Erith hadn’t given him leadership of the new Reapers, he was too changed by his ordeal for things to go back to normal.
Then there was Thea. Being with her forced him to see how things really were. And he discovered that he quite liked it. A surprising occurrence, to be sure.
He held Thea tighter. In all his long eons, he’d never once believed that he would ever again hold another in his arms. He’d been just fine with that, too.
In fact, he reconciled himself to accept a great many things. All while he’d been weighed down by the past. He could clearly recall how holding onto the horrible events shaped him—how he had allowed the past to influence him.
The idea of leading anyone, much less another group of Reapers, was the farthest thing from his mind. Now, however, he relished the role. He saw the potential in the Fae under his command, and he was ready to see what they could do.
Eoghan remained with Thea for another hour, listening to her breathing, feeling her body alongside his. Then he kissed her forehead and gently extracted himself from her limbs to check in with the others.