by Helen Scott
“Bloody hell!” She sucked on her fingers where the energy had struck.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not really, just surprised me. Although it shouldn’t; it’s been doing that ever since Granddad died. I don’t know how I’m generating so much static electricity.”
She has powers, and she doesn’t know it. The knowledge hit him like a wave against a cliff. What was MacLeod thinking, not warning her? If MacLeod had told her about the magic in the world, then he could leave her alone. He couldn’t leave someone questioning everything since her powers were just beginning to show. It could drive her insane.
“This is going to sound strange, but if your grandfather was going to leave you a message, do you know where he would leave it?”
“You’re right, that does sound strange.” She fixed him with those eyes of hers and seemed to look into him like she could tell he was very different from her. It was extremely unnerving. He tried to sit and let her patiently examine him, but it was hard not to squirm under the scrutiny. Then he realized that it was almost the same look MacLeod had given him when they first met.
The memory of stumbling into Speak O’ the Devil swam in Alec’s mind. He had been desperate for some powdered mistletoe. He was so happy when he realized that not only was MacLeod the real deal, but he had a hell of a magic shop. Whenever he encountered a good magic shop, he always stocked up.
The old man was a little hunched in the shoulders but surprisingly robust and agile as he had moved around the shop, getting everything Alec had needed. MacLeod’s salt-and-pepper hair had flopped over his glasses repeatedly, but he shook it back into place. When Alec had asked for the powdered mistletoe, MacLeod had stroked his mustache in thought, as though evaluating the request. Alec could almost see the moment his blue eyes pegged him as a supernatural being. Once MacLeod knew what kind of being Alec was, he didn’t concern himself with it any further.
Ellie felt lighter. She hadn’t expected to share the burden of her grief. When she had tried to tell him downstairs, the words had churned in her gut, making it feel like they were clawing their way up her throat. She hadn’t spoken about Granddad in weeks. Ever since she arrived, she had taken comfort in the fact that she could perform this last task for Granddad alone and in peace.
She studied Alec, having not paid much attention to him until he talked about how many brownies one house should have, as though they were real. He was a handsome devil all right, devastatingly so. His blue-gray eyes looked like a stormy ocean, and his dark brown, almost-black hair was artfully tousled. He probably spent more time getting ready today than she had. To be fair, she hadn’t expected to see anyone. He hadn’t shaved, or maybe he was the kind that kept a layer of scruff all the time. Either way, it looked damn good on him and highlighted his mouth, which was a soft pink, with a perfect Cupid’s bow on his top lip. Ellie let her eyes wander and for the first time realized what a sexy man he was.
The jacket and light sweater hid the powerful muscles underneath, but his jeans clung tightly to strong legs, hinting at what lay inside. She licked her lips. It was a good thing she was going back to Scotland in a couple of weeks, or she would be in serious trouble.
He was hiding something, and it wasn’t just his fantastic body—because you could put a potato sack over that, and it would still look good. The trouble was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. But she’d be willing to bet it was a pretty juicy secret, which made her more curious than the proverbial cat.
“Granddad would have left whatever he wanted me to find in his bedroom, on his nightstand or dresser. I haven’t been able to bring myself to go in there yet.”
“I see. You might want to check that out sooner rather than later.” Something flashed in Alec’s eyes, something that made her want to uncover his secrets, not to mention the rest of him.
“Why do you say that?”
“Well…” Alec looked at her empty glass. “Would you like another drink?”
She held her glass up to him. “Don’t avoid the question,” she said as he dutifully refilled it. She sipped and then cleared her throat, looking pointedly at him.
Alec sighed. “Your grandfather knew a lot more about the world than I think he let on to you. If he was going to tell you about his discoveries, which I am sure he would, then I think you should investigate. That’s all.” Alec shrugged. He hated getting involved in stuff like this, but try as he might, he couldn’t leave the woman alone without a clue about her situation.
“Alec, is that you I hear up there? I’ve been trying to call you. Where’s the old man?” A deep, melodious baritone voice rang out from below the apartment. Ellie watched as Alec’s face clouded with concern. As he took a breath to respond, a behemoth of a man appeared in the living room. He didn’t walk upstairs. He just appeared. In the living room. Poof, just like that. Ellie thought she was going to faint.
“Shit, who the hell—”
“Eilidh, this is Hal.” Alec sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while resting his elbows on his knees.
He had wings—like an angel or something. He literally had two huge, white, fluffy wings sticking out of his back.
“He… He… He has…” Ellie took a deep breath and tried again. “He has wings.”
“Dammit, Hal, you couldn’t glamour them?”
“I didn’t know she was up here!” He shook his shoulders, and the wings disappeared.
“What just happened? Where did they go?” Ellie’s heart raced in her chest as her mind struggled to accept what it had seen.
“I hid them.” Hal’s deep voice boomed through her like a bass beat.
“But they are still there?”
“Yep, they never actually go away.”
“Are you an angel?”
Hal and Alec both started laughing. Irritation flared within her. How dare they? She was barely holding on to her sanity as it was, and now these blokes were playing tricks on her with brownies and wings? Alec’s voice interrupted her internal rant, grounding her before her anger got out of control. Ever since Granddad died, her anger had been razor-blade sharp.
“No, he’s no angel. He’s my brother. Our mother was a siren.”
“A mermaid?” Ellie’s eyebrows drew together in confusion as her anger dissipated slightly. “You really expect me to believe that? Why would a mermaid’s son have wings? Not that mermaids even exist.”
“Alec?” Hal questioned quietly.
“No, our cousins are mermaids; we are traditional sirens with the wings and the beauty, well at least some people think so.” He winked at her. “And the voices.”
“I’m not an idiot. This can’t be real. You must have used some projector or something.” Ellie felt like someone was turning the world around her. Everything was still there, just not where it should be.
“No projector, I promise.” Alec held his hands up defensively. “Would you like to see my wings? You can touch them if you want.”
Ellie nodded mutely. She rubbed her arms as her skin broke out in goose bumps at the thought of all this being real.
Alec stood and moved his shoulders back and forth like a dog shaking after a bath. A huge pair of glossy black wings appeared behind him. They looked like satin. Ellie rose from the couch—her eyes transfixed by their beauty—and tentatively walked over. Her hand outstretched as though his wings might hurt; she couldn’t stop herself anyway. She touched a finger to a feather and was overwhelmed with how smooth and soft it was. Stroked in the right way it felt like the softest velvet. She ran her hands down one of the long sides of the feathers, and Alec sighed.
“You can feel that?”
“Yes.” His voice was husky.
“It feels good?” Ellie watched him in her peripheral vision.
“Very.”
Ellie took his hand, and her body was immediately aware of his. Heat flooded her skin as she led him away from the couches to the hallway. She was supposed to still be grieving, not finding random men attractive. She circled
him and examined his shoulders. Her hand ran down the middle of Alec’s back, between his wings, stopping before she reached his butt. He shivered. Her hand itched to roam over his muscles. She yanked her hand back to avoid the temptation to explore further. She knew that would cross a line.
Across the room, Hal cleared his throat. “All our wings are different; think of them as extensions of our personalities.”
Ellie moved around to face Alec again and raised her eyebrows as she took in the magnificent jet-black wings, her hand reaching for the edge of them again. She couldn’t get over how soft they were or that they were even real.
“Black isn’t a bad color. I’m not evil.” He grinned at her.
“He just prefers the night, don’t ya bud?”
“I do. It’s when I do my best work.” Alec caught Ellie’s gaze. His eyes full of a heat that made her flush. Ellie jerked away as though something hurt her and quickly moved to the back of the apartment. She swore the walls were closing in on her. She breathed slowly, as the beginnings of anxiety curled around her chest and stomach, threatening to turn into a full-blown panic attack.
He couldn’t get a read on her. He watched as she walked over to the other armchair and took a seat, her step and breathing both measured and controlled. As she looked at him, her eyes held a heat and inquisitiveness he wasn’t used to, but her arms were crossed and her shoulders were hunched inward. She was practically blaring not interested with her body language.
Most women were the opposite. They strived to keep his attention. If he was interested, then he would let the woman’s desire take them as far as she wanted, which was usually to bed. But their eyes were always distant, devoid of emotion. This suited him since he wasn’t allowed attachments anyway.
Eilidh was as cool as a cucumber though. She might be attracted to him, and her emotions were clearly on lockdown, but he could have sworn he had seen some passion in those captivating eyes of hers. Her grandfather recently died. But still, he had never seen someone back off so quickly. She sat as far away from him as possible, with her arms wrapped around herself. If he knew what she was thinking, then maybe he could pursue her. He wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to find out why her eyes spoke of long, hot nights, but her body language reeked of fear and pain.
“So Eilidh—” Hal started from across the room.
Ellie cringed. “It’s pronounced Aye-leigh. Like Hayley without the H, but please call me Ellie.”
Alec’s heart clenched with embarrassment. Why hadn’t she told him he was pronouncing it wrong? And why does Hal get to call her by her nickname? A spindle of envy moved through him before he brushed it off as paranoia.
“Ellie, where’s MacLeod?” Hal asked, taking a seat on the couch between them.
“He, uh, he passed away a few weeks ago.” Pain flared in her eyes. She clutched her arms tighter around herself as though she needed a hug but had no one to give it.
“No shit? I’m sorry. Man, that’s awful.”
“It’s taking some getting used to. Although apparently, I didn’t know him as well as I thought since he was friends with you two.”
“Well, he liked to help out is all.” Hal rubbed his hands down his thighs, and Alec smiled a little knowing his brother’s nervous tick. Ellie unsettled Hal as much as she did Alec.
“Demetrius found him,” Alec said, distracting Hal from his nervousness.
“And he didn’t tell us? He can be such an asshat sometimes.” Hal and Demetrius bickered like an old married couple.
“So all three of you are friends?”
“There are four of us brothers,” Hal piped up, happy to fill her in on all their family details. “Alec, me, Demetrius, and Thaddeus.”
“Let’s not overwhelm Ellie.” Alec was starting to think her body language was not timid, but that she had just been engulfed by the supernatural world and was reaching her limit.
“Ah, she’s fine, aren’t you?” Hal smiled at her.
“Oh yeah, totally. I just found out that you two are part siren, and who knows what else. Oh, and brownies exist—not to mention that Granddad was into magic as more than a passing hobby, and he was running around with beefcake supernatural creatures.”
“Beefcake, huh?” Hal scooted closer to the armchair. “Do go on…”
“Ah, ye big hunk o’ man-flesh, can ye no’ see that I’m completely befuddled by all this?”
“Oh, sorry.” Hal had such a good heart, but was clueless when it came to reading people.
“Listen, Ellie, why don’t we get out of your hair? Maybe I can come by tomorrow and pick up those ingredients I asked about?” Alec could tell she was reaching the limit of information she could handle, at least for tonight. He didn’t want to upset her any more.
“Would ye mind staying a little longer?” Ellie glanced down as she tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s been a while since I talked to anyone who knew Granddad in the past few years, and I’d love to hear about him and his shop.”
“It would be my pleasure to stay. I can’t speak for Hal though.” Alec sure as hell wasn’t going to turn down an invitation from the most fascinating woman he’d met in a while.
“Well, if you two don’t mind the company, I loved sharing a scotch with the old man and having a chat.”
Alec saw Ellie glance at him out of the corner of his eye, a soft blush creeping up her cheeks.
“Please stay. The more the merrier.” She smiled warmly at Hal, which made Alec want to punch his brother and throw him out a window.
Chapter 3
The blush rose on her cheeks; she hoped they weren’t flaming red right now.
“So tell me about Granddad. What did ye talk about together? I can’t imagine two young blokes having much in common with an old man.” Ellie looked down at her glass. She felt like she was betraying Granddad by having fun with Alec and Hal, especially because her body squirmed when she thought about being alone with Alec.
If they were sirens, then this was to be expected. Right? Part of the whole siren package was luring members of the opposite sex to their doom, although since she wasn’t a sailor, she should be safe, right? Her brain was on a roller coaster that had just gone over the big hill and was speeding down the drop.
“Well, we are older than we look.” Hal didn’t seem to have a dishonest bone in his body. Then again if his white wings were anything to go by, then he was a good boy through and through.
“What Hal is trying to say is that being part siren has given us some gifts, one of which is a youthful appearance.” Alec grinned at her.
“What are the other gifts?”
“Well, we’re stronger than humans, we can fly, and we can hypnotize people with our singing if we so choose.” Hal jumped in again, happy to help her.
“We talked about a lot of stuff with MacLeod. He was a remarkable man, and he stocked a hell of a magic shop.” Alec said, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from talking about themselves. She’d allow it… for now.
“So the stuff he stocked was real?” Ellie’s eyes went wide.
“Some of it. He had the best shop on the Eastern Seaboard. I would have loved to know who his sources were. He kept a close watch on what people bought, didn’t let anything dangerous get into the wrong hands.”
Ellie sat for a moment contemplating her drink. “How old are you?”
“We’ve been around for a long time. Let’s leave it at that.” Alec seemed to want to close that particular subject. Ellie turned and looked at Hal, who glanced quickly between her and his brother.
“Maybe we could say we’ve been around a few thousand years or so.”
“A few thousand years?” Ellie sighed. This called for another drink. She sloshed more into the glass than she should have.
“It’s not as bad as you think. We mostly do our jobs. There’s not much else to our lives; there isn’t really allowed to be.” Alec shrugged.
“You’re not allowed to have a life?” She gazed at
Alec. His face begged to be looked at—what she had initially thought were mostly gray eyes were actually blue, and they studied her intensely. He finished his drink, watching her over the rim of the glass. Her body heated under his scrutiny.
“We can have short-term lives, but for the most part we’re immortal. Not to say we can’t be killed but that we don’t expect to die of natural causes anytime soon. It makes it difficult to stay anywhere or to be with a mortal for a long time.”
“One thing, before my brain calls it quits and tries to drown itself in whisky. Why are you telling me all this? Aren’t you worried I’ll go spreading it around on the Internet or something?”
“Nah, you’re MacLeod’s granddaughter. You’ve probably got some powers of your own, especially if you have brownies. Right?” Hal looked like an optimistic puppy.
“Nope. No powers, completely normal. Can’t explain the brownies though.”
“Ah, you might want to hold off on that line of thought until you find what MacLeod left for you,” Alec murmured.
“What d’ye mean?” Her eyes rounded, and she nervously picked at her nails.
“Well, I think those arcs of electricity are more than a constant static charge.”
“Yer off yer ’ead! It’s a little, well a lot, of static.”
“Just take a look at what MacLeod left.”
“I’ll prove it to you! I’ll go and look now.” Ellie stood, wobbling a little. She was definitely not used to drinking good whisky.
“No, just sit with us.” Alec held his hand up to her for support as she walked past him in the direction of the bedrooms.
“No, give me a moment.” She pinned him with a heated look that all but shut his mouth for him.
Ellie tottered off to the master bedroom that she hadn’t been able to bring herself to enter until now. It was like knowing the brothers were out there gave her the strength, which was very odd. She resolved to examine that later as she took a deep breath and opened the door. Her stomach clenched as she entered the room—grief hitting her again with the smell of Granddad’s cologne, but she swallowed the tears back. If she started to cry, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop, and she was not going to cry in front of Alec and Hal.