by LAURA HARNER
Faolan did as Elena directed and then turned to look at her. While she watched, Faolan seemed to fade in and out, becoming nearly invisible before appearing again suddenly.
Elena grinned. “Finally, something I can do better than you! You nearly have it. It’s like you told me, don’t let any other thoughts in. I couldn’t control it at first, either. Heck, I didn’t even know I was doing it. I’m getting better at it. Now I can project, and still think about the other things happening, still see the room. You shouldn’t try that yet. Block everything out.”
He faded from view and stayed that way this time. Elena crossed the room to where she’d last seen him and reached out to grab a free feel. He popped back into view.
“That’s fighting dirty,” he said before pulling her into a kiss that possessed her and drained her of her will to continue working. Her toes curled, and then Faolan pulled away, laughing.
So he wants to fight dirty?
Elena turned around to pick up her bottle of water on the floor, bending over from the waist, keeping her legs straight, feet apart. She felt the hem of her dress rise, as she knew it would, exposing her thong and the cheeks of her behind. Faolan groaned and stepped forward, pushing his erection against her, pulling her hips back against him.
Elena laughed and danced away, giving him a bit of his own back. When she looked over her shoulder at him, she sucked in her breath. His eyes had darkened, and he was looking at her full of hunger and desire. Faolan reached her in two long steps, pressed her against the wall, and rubbed his hard cock against her backside.
Elena’s pulse raced, her heart pounded, and she shivered with the change she sensed in Faolan. This was the hard, dangerous Faolan she knew he'd kept hidden from her. He pulled her hair aside and bit her neck, all gentleness gone.
“Och, lass, I’m going to fuck you now.”
Elena’s knees buckled, and all thoughts of preparation were forgotten.
****
It was a couple of hours past sunrise when Faolan raised his hand to indicate he’d heard someone approaching. He faded, chameleon-like to match the wall next to the door. He had to be perfect in his shield or else he would appear directly in Worthington’s line-of-sight.
Elena sat on the sat on the floor, staring at the image of Faolan’s lifeless and bloody body. Worthington’s sharp intake of breath let Elena know her projection was a success.
“Well, well, Miss MacFarland. It seems I have underestimated you, once again. Or did the wolf do it himself to spare you?” Worthington sneered.
Elena continued to stare at Faolan’s lifeless body, making no sign that she heard anything. Tears dripped down her face. Oh, I am getting so good at this. Worthington continued to badger, harangue, and verbally abuse her. Without warning, there was more than just his words. She could feel darkness, a black power emanating from him. It poked sharply against her mind, reaching out to test what she was seeing, to judge if it was real. Good God, could he reach into her head?
She dared not try to thrust back, but she felt violated, dirty from the contact. She kept her mind tightly closed, and kept the focus on the projection on the floor, making sure the image stayed where she wanted it. Worthington finally left the window, and she didn’t hear him for a very long time. Finally, she heard him behind her, but it was imperative that he come all the way through the door. With a bit of luck, he wouldn’t shoot her before Faolan could get him. They hoped it was enough. The door opened slowly, and before Worthington entered, Elena again felt the insidious black tendrils of Worthington’s mind pushed at hers. His mind was devoid of light. It was oily, filled with the foul odor of his soul. Focusing very hard at projecting the image of a dead Faolan on the floor kept Elena’s thoughts protected from his mental assault.
Worthington moved cautiously as he entered the cell. She heard a commotion and then Faolan said, “Doona’ even think about moving.”
Elena turned then to see Faolan’s forearm around Worthington’s throat. He stripped the gun away and kicked it toward her.
Faolan said, “Take the gun, Elena, and doona’ hesitate to shoot him. He tried to kill you last night.” Faolan’s rage was palpable.
Elena pointed the gun at Worthington and stepped back against the wall. She had never held a gun before; she was proud her hand didn’t shake.
Faolan searched for other weapons', and found a dirk strapped to Worthington’s leg. Faolan removed the dirk, cell phone, watch, and wallet. “Take off your clothes, down to your underwear,” Faolan ordered. When Worthington hesitated, Faolan added, “If you doona’, I will cut them from you, and I willna be too careful.”
Worthington removed his jacket and shirt but was reluctant to part with his pants. When Faolan approached with the dirk, Worthington changed his mind and quickly removed his slacks. “Fold all your clothes and put them in a pile with your shoes. Then sit over there with your back to the wall.” Faolan indicated the wall opposite Worthington’s clothes.
“Elena, wrap a blanket around your shoulders. We’ll leave the rest of the blankets for Worthington. There are enough supplies to last ‘til the morrow for one man.”
Elena did as requested and came to stand near Faolan, wondering what it would be like to shoot a man. Then she wondered what it would be like to let Worthington see her think about shooting him. The thought amused her more than it should, but she kept it to herself for now.
“All right, Worthington. Tell us why we shouldna kill you? Convince us with the details of the mirror. What do you know of it, why did you want it?”
Worthington looked calculatingly at Faolan. “If I tell you, will you let me go?”
Elena felt his mind reach out again, testing Faolan, and she used her power to push back, to keep them safe from Worthington’s invasion.
Worthington’s head whipped around, and he glared at Elena. He had recognized the shield had come from her. She wished she could have kept that bit of information to herself, but it was out now.
“No deals,” Elena said flatly. “If we let you go, it will be because we choose to. There is no dealing with a liar.”
“Surely you’re not going to let this stupid little bitch enter into our negotiations,” Worthington said with a sneer.
They had already planned that once the negotiations started, Elena would talk, and Faolan would remain quiet. They expected to fail this first round, and they didn’t want to give Worthington any clues about Faolan.
“He doesn’t know anything, Faolan. He’s just a minion,” Elena said. “We need the boss if we want to learn anything.” Wow! That got a mental rise! She could feel the hate emanating from him. Somehow, that shot in the dark was correct. He wasn’t the top dog in whatever organization he belonged to, and that bothered him. A lot.
“You stupid bitch. I thought you were smarter. There is none more powerful than me,” Worthington yelled. He was breathing hard, and his eyes seemed to glow slightly. “You really should be more discriminating, wolf. You’ll give Druids a bad name.”
Elena was frightened by the hate that rolled off him. She pressed her hand to Faolan, sending the light she knew would give him strength to resist Worthington’s provocation.
“Let’s go, Faolan, maybe he’ll be ready to talk tomorrow, or the next day, or next week. We’re in no hurry.”
Faolan moved stiffly. White-hot anger rolled off him in waves. They took Worthington’s shoes and pants, and they left, locking the door behind them. Once they were outside the cell, they looked around.
Faolan started to say something, but Elena stopped him with her hand on his arm and a shake of her head. Worthington had powers, and she didn’t know what they were. She wasn’t willing to risk that he could reach into their minds out here.
They were in a small chamber that had two ways out. One was a locked oak door and the other was a stairway leading up. Choosing the stairway, they used caution as they exited, just in case Worthington hadn’t come alone. Outside there was a small hill, on the edge of a clearing in a grove
of birch trees. The cell was under the hill, the small window hidden from view by an evergreen shrub and rocks. From inside the cell you could see into the clearing, but from the outside, it was invisible.
Faolan realized he knew this place well; he needed to get them out of there. Quickly glancing around the clearing at signs from the previous night’s storm they saw that the bare top of one of the trees still smoldered from the lightning strike. The keys were in the ignition of Worthington’s Land Rover, and they got in and drove out the single lane track.
Once they hit the main road, Elena realized the track ran along the back of the farm. They were right around the corner from home.
Chapter Twenty-five
They jumped from the Rover as soon as it rolled to a stop, Faolan bellowed, “Red, Lilly! Lilly are you here? Red!”
Red and Lilly raced from the house. “Faolan! Och, Faolan. Where were you? Are you all right?” Lilly sobbed her questions as she raced to embrace Faolan.
Red was just as relieved, if a bit more taciturn than Lilly. “Lad, ‘tis good to see you.”
Lilly started to ask, “What’s happened? We didna cha—”
Faolan cut her off, “Let’s go inside, first.”
Elena stayed near the Rover, trailing behind to give them privacy. Tears filled her eyes at Faolan’s joy.
The door flew back open, and Faolan raced back out, “Elena?”
Smiling, she said, “It’s okay, I was letting you have some time to yourselves.”
Sweeping Elena off her feet, Faolan said, “Never leave my side, love.” He kissed her tenderly, pouring his heart into hers, scratching her with his beard of three days. “Shall I carry you over the threshold?” he asked teasingly.
Elena’s quick intake of breath and widened eyes warned Faolan not to tease with this one. He knew her history, the promise of belonging to a man, the man belonging to her, building a family. These were not ideas she took lightly; these were her dreams.
Faolan looked at her seriously, his face now solemn. “Elena, lass, I have no words to explain what happened last night. The elements of this world joined our union when we made love. Doona’ you know? You canna leave me, even if you wanted. We have been joined for life already.”
His sealed his words with a kiss that was possessive, claiming Elena as his. It left her breathless. Then he proceeded to carry her into the house and she caught sight of Lilly and Red watching as they entered. The couple grinned at each other, and then rushed forward to shower Faolan and Elena with hugs and kisses. Elena’s throat tightened, and she back the fought tears. She was wanted. I belong to this family, and they belong to me.
****
“We have much to share, but it can wait until we’ve showered and changed,” Faolan said, “and Lilly, could you fix us something to eat? It has been a long time since our last meal.”
Still holding Elena tight to his chest, he carried her to her room. Their room. He set her gently on the bed, pausing often for kisses and touches. He knew he should let her body recover for a few days before making love to her again. He was acutely aware he had taken her too many times last night and that he had been particularly rough that last time. Christ, that last time…
Elena had bent over in front of him, baring her ass, legs spread wide, only to dance out of his reach, laughing. His cock had instantly become rock hard. When she had looked over her shoulder at him, her long raven hair tangled down her back, it had been his undoing. He wanted to fuck her. He was going to fuck her. Now.
He had slammed against her back, had practically ripped that damned green dress off her, and pushed her against the wall of the cell. Her small grunt as she’d hit the wall was not a protest, but a guttural declaration of desire. He bit her neck and told her what he was going to do.
Holding her against the wall, he opened his jeans and pushed them down far enough to release his aching shaft. He licked his fingers, and slid them across his cock, hoping it would be enough. He pushed aside the thong with his cock and entered her, relieved to find her wet with desire. He didn’t want to hurt her overmuch, but this was a desire such as he’d never felt before.
She was so short, he’d had to bend his knees and come at her from below, and he pushed into her so hard that he’d raised her up on her toes. With one arm around her waist, he lifted her fully onto him, pushing deeper. She was his. He bit her neck again, while he held her, rotating his hips, pushing his cock deep into her canal.
Then he tried to get a modicum of control back, to keep from hurting her. He knew he should lay her down, take his time. Shuddering from the effort of his restraint, he set her feet on the floor, fully intending to pull out and reposition her.
Then his sweet Elena did something that shattered his resolve. She pushed her hips hard against him and bent over. With one hand on the wall and the other braced on her knee, she looked over her shoulder and said one word. “Yes.”
He’d grabbed her hips with both hands and slammed into her until they were both grunting with every thrust. His balls slapped against her, until they pulled up tight and hard. “Och, lass, I’m gonna explode!” He bent over further and reached his hand between Elena’s legs, to bring her along with him when he came. When he found her hand already there, he let out a low erotic moan, “God Elena, tell me when.”
Elena moved her fingers faster, “Now Faolan, I’m ready now!”
Smiling at the memory, he knew he would pull that one out often and relive every moment. Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the thought that had started that memory. He needed to let Elena recover. She would be sore for several days and nights and probably wouldna appreciate certain types of his attention. Then he got an idea and went into the bedroom to get the small bottle he’d put in the nightstand many weeks ago.
While he was busy with his memories, Faolan had filled the tub for Elena, and she’d brushed her teeth and hair. His eyes grew hungry again as he watched her stand naked before the mirror, brushing her wild tangle of hair. He hugged her to his chest before scooping her up and depositing her, laughing, into the tub. All thoughts of letting her recover were immediately forgotten.
The little hand shower in the tub provided its own enjoyment as Faolan sprayed the water onto Elena, then stopped to soap and shampoo her before spraying her with the water again. When he reached the tender spot between her legs, he let the warm spray of water linger longer than strictly necessary, his nimble fingers gently massaging with the oil to ease her lingering soreness.
Faolan opened the drain while he continued to minister to her. He’d put some of the massage oil from the small bottle into the palm of his hand and carefully worked it into the tender flesh and folds. He watched her face, looking for any signs of discomfort, prepared to stop immediately.
Elena laid her head back and draped a leg over the side of the tub, allowing him greater access. The oil had provided relief to her raw labia. She hadn’t realized just how sore she would become from all their activities the previous night.
She smiled secretly to herself when she thought of the groan of pleasure wrenched from Faolan when he’d come that last time. That had been wild sex, certainly nothing she had imagined for herself for her first night of lovemaking. She shivered when she thought of him finding her touching herself. She should have been mortified, but he had been so turned on by it, it had sent her over the edge and they climaxed, crashing together, like a force of nature.
Just thinking about how she had changed last night, the things she had done. Had that really been her? She was so turned on right now, Faolan hand slid back and forth from her mound to her ass, and she was slick from the oil he spread over her. He was being very careful not to hurt her, but she wasn’t sure anything hurt much right now. Except maybe the parts that were aching because they needed release. She moaned and put her other leg over the edge of the tub, opening herself to him, begging his touch.
He poured more oil in his hands and rubbed them together, then began a gentle massage of her thighs, one
leg at a time. Every nerve below her waist was screaming for more. His hands caressed the sensitive juncture where her hips joined her body before returning to the soft curls on her mons. She moaned with pleasure.
He pushed one of her legs up toward her chest, rocking her farther back onto her hips and exposing more of her ass, and began to slowly trace his fingers from between the fleshy cheeks to her sensitive nub and back again. Oh no, not that. Every muscle tensed, preparing to stop that invasion. Faolan was watching her face, sensitive to her emotions, and smiled down at her.
“Doona worry, lass. I’ll not do anything you do not want me to. There is plenty of pleasure just in what I am doing now. Relax. If you are too sensitive for more, I’ll stop now.”
Elena forced a deep breath, sending oxygen back to her muscles, and commanded herself to relax. She shook her head, meaning don’t stop.
Faolan resumed his lazy caress of her inner thighs, then back toward the center, between her ass cheeks and back up. He slipped a gentle finger inside then spread her wetness to her nub, and he began to circle her clit, rubbing harder now. The other hand traced a trail between her two openings, rubbing the oil just over the surface of her anus, seducing, never invading. The sensation was unlike anything she’d felt thus far.
What had started as an unwelcome idea began to excite her in a wildly forbidden way. She pushed back against his hands with her hips and held tightly to the backs of his arms, increasing the pressure he was applying. She couldn’t find where one sensation began and the other left off. Her orgasm built inside of her, a giant wave moving inexorably toward the shore.
The fingers rubbing her nub moved more quickly, and Elena hung on by a thread.
“Come for me, love. Let me feel you now,” Faolan whispered in his sexy brogue.