“And, she sticks the landing,” Kyna mumbled under her breath.
Denying even what her eyes witnessed gave her the false security of sanity. This couldn’t be happening. The new family, the lies unveiled, the trip, the obvious wealth, it all circled around her, so much so she swore the tornado of it lifted her hair. Magic or powers or whatever, though, couldn’t be. Her mind just wouldn’t accept another change, especially one so out there she’d have to have fallen into another dimension altogether.
“I’m truly done.” Kyna continued louder. “Where’s my room for the night, and my things?”
She tried to quell the bitchy attitude that sounded in her voice. That wasn’t her, and would never be no matter what life threw her way.
“I’m sorry,” Kyna apologized with haste, rubbing her hand across her forehead, and then used her thumb and fingers to rub her temples. “I’m just tired, and do not wish to deal with this tonight. You must understand the whirlwind my last days have been. A person can only deal with so much at once. And now magic and some sort of danger? Your letter claimed the danger was gone.”
“I’m sorry. I had to, by any means necessary, get you here where you could be protected the best we knew how. Would you have come if I’d mentioned danger? I had to protect you. And, we’d come to an agreement we could best do that here. You had no reason to trust us, though. So, yes, sorry, the lie seemed necessary. I understand it’s a lot to take in. Of course, I’ll have you shown to your room,” her aunt got out in a hushed, sorrow-laced voice. The first tears had fallen over her eyelids with her last few words.
Kyna had to ball her hands into fists and take a deep breath, in an attempt to remain calm as her aunt reached for a pulley that sounded a bell. She’d fallen into a paranormal episode of some murder mystery where rich and crazy relatives surfaced.
A woman appeared seconds later, dressed in a black uniform, with a long skirt as if she'd stood waiting to be summoned. At her aunt’s quiet, request, the uniformed woman led Kyna, followed by Aedan, out of the room and down another labyrinth of hallways.
Chapter Two
She now planned to get the information she wanted and go home. What else could she do? Whatever expectations she’d had for this trip, none had gone quite like tonight had. Never had she dreamed of such an eccentric aunt, and this talk of magic, danger, and all that other crap. Even the sexy SEAL apparently couldn’t be trusted.
To top it all off, for some damned reason her room left her shell-shocked. Huge and elegant didn’t even begin to describe it. It catered to a faint whim of hiding out in luxury. Deep brown wood floors running into stone and stucco walls were topped with brick and wood beam ceilings. The canopy bed in the center could fit four without them ever having to touch each other. A beautiful carpet in deep reds, greens, and beiges hung from the opposite wall to match the two on the floor. A glimpse through a large doorway showed a monstrous bathroom she’d be happy to live in.
“My things?” Kyna asked as the servant turned to leave.
“Unpacked and stored,” the woman cooed as she motioned to the grandiose dressing cabinet and dresser.
The details in the wood, same rich stain as the glossy floors, left her breathless, but in a good way. Never had she thought much about the trappings of a room, but maybe she’d just stumbled onto her personal style. Funny, she never knew she had one. Her apartment back home screamed minimalist, though that had more to do with money and time than style and choice.
“If that is all, I shall leave you to settle in. I’m only a ring away.” The woman fingered a rope with a tassel which hung by the door.
So gothic, yet her heart skipped a beat. She had the briefest moment of an excited pleasure as if she’d been crowned royalty.
“Ah, thank you,” Kyna stammered, then cleared her throat.
She stiffened her posture, which had become lax in looking around. Then, realizing her mouth hung open a bit in her sheer astonishment, she snapped it shut.. She’d been a witness to luxury and wealth before, at least she’d thought with working in a luxury resort and all, but this, this mammoth place was something else.
With a nod of her head and a kind smile, the woman left Kyna with Aedan. He didn’t close the door, or enter more than a few steps into the room. Instead, he stood, hands behind his back, chest out. His intense gaze gave a hint of amusement.
“Something funny?” she questioned, unable to prevent a smile from forming on her mouth all of a sudden.
“No. I’m glad you at least like the room. You’ve had a rough first few hours in this country, from the weather to the overwhelming and unbelievable. Nice to see you enjoy something. The house is like nothing I’ve seen before outside of touring castles. While you’re here, you’ll want for nothing. Your aunt has to be the kindest employer ever. Even her employees want for nothing. You should see the rooms she puts them in with so many empty. And, she treats us all like family. I can’t tell you how often she just treats them to things, little gifts, extravagances, even small celebrations. I think she’s lonely. I mean, she goes out, but still—” He stopped, granted her a flash of his even, white teeth.
Her heart melted. Her shoulders relaxed for the first time in days. Such an affect this stranger had on her. Although, still she swore she felt him, his each and every emotion. As outlandish as that was, she was good at reading people. She liked the aura around this man.
“Sorry, to talk on and on like that. I didn’t think after leaving the SEALs I’d ever be happy in another job. But, being home and working here is a close second. I also never thought I’d meet a woman who made me so talkative,” he practically whispered the last sentence.
“My aunt?” Kyna teased as an attempt at flirting.
“No. You. Although, I do truly like working for her here.”
“Yeah. Who alive wouldn’t? Look, honestly here, cause I don’t feel like I’m getting much of it, prove you’re a SEAL. I really need someone I can trust in this place, and so far, buddy, you aren’t looking good either.”
She’d tried to make her voice sound tough, no nonsense, determined. Despite that, all her mind could think about was how good he actually did look, and how much she wanted him to be trustworthy.
His entire body tensed even more, and she felt a second of rage bounce off her body. She wished her imagination would stop trying to decipher everyone. She’d had her moments growing up where she’d thought she could feel others emotions before, but with him it was different. They meshed with hers, as if she could no longer decipher a separation of his from hers.
“I trust you have a phone or computer,” he offered. “Look up SPECWAR Insider. Pick any one of them. Don’t take my word on one. The Verifier should be from the Navel Special Warfare Center in the Coronado, California Public Affairs Office, preferably. Ask them to look me up. There are many who pretend to be Navy SEALs to get drinks in bars or a quick screw. I could stand here and tell you detail after detail of my trainings and missions, but what difference would that make? How do you know if I’m just making it all up from information I found. Fakes say they can’t be looked up because the information is classified. That, too, is a lie. While you can’t just get on the Internet and look me up, there are those who can. Verifiers can access the SEAL Database created in 1943 with the inception of the SEALs during WWII.”
“I will. Thank you.” She’d smiled at him more than she’d wanted to, but he’d returned the gesture making her heart skip a beat, in a favorable way this time.
“Do it now. We’re five hours ahead here. So, it’s three o’clock where you’re from, and another three hours earlier in California. The office is open. But, you look up the number. I don’t want you to accuse me of any foul play here,” he challenged. He moved his hands behind his back, pushing his chest out as he rocked slightly to the balls of his feet.
Confidence glided along the point of arrogance, stopping short at humble and compassionate. She liked this unique combination, especially in a man who didn’t appear to have
a narcissistic bone in his body. His appearance were a true gift from the Irish gods, and his personality made him go from ruggedly handsome to drop-your-panties astonishing.
“Fine. I will,” she countered with a nod of her head and turned on her heel.
She grabbed her purse from the bed. Her stomach fell with the realization she’d not had it since she’d entered the house. They’d taken it with her coat. She had to get it together. She was far tougher than this. But no sense berating herself for one misstep or bad decision, as her mother had always said. 'Just move on and do better.' She echoed a favorite phrase of her mother's in her head. She wondered if her biological mother had been the same way as her mom in the States. She still had to get her aunt to answer those questions before she left.
Getting back to business, she took out her phone. It wasn’t the best, but intelligent enough as smart phones went. She needed an ally she could trust, and she wanted one now. She wanted that person to be Aedan, bodyguard extraordinaire.
She followed his instructions, and after a lengthy conversation with some man back in the States while Aedan stood at attention in her doorway, she got the confirmation she needed. The Verifier even texted her a picture of Aedan from training so she could confirm this man wasn’t just impersonating an ex-SEAL. The man at the center clearly took his job very seriously. Of that, she had no doubt. Aedan Dunne was a former Navy SEAL. He didn’t just look the part to perfection.
“So, I’m legit then?” He cleared his throat after she put down her phone.
“I just don’t get it then.”
She let her arms drop to her sides, not caring that she let some of her exhaustion show as she fell to a seated position on the bed.
“I know. Trust me, I know,” he exclaimed as he moved to her, took a seat beside her. “I felt the same way, and I used every resource available to me, even paranormal research type equipment, to try to disprove what my eyes could see but my mind couldn’t comprehend as possible. I think that’s part of why your aunt hired me, to convince me first and then give you a solid foundation upon which to believe in the unbelievable as fast as possible. She’s a smart woman. Kind. Gifted, I guess I would call it, beyond anything even I’ve seen or even knew existed. And seriously, I’m one of those annoying guys who thinks he knows it all. Plus, the woman cares for you deeply, has loved you even through your twenty-four year absence.”
He remained close. The heat of his breath warmed her face. His gaze never looked away from hers. She wanted to kiss him in the worst way, to get lost in the physical, and to orgasm away the stress the alcohol hadn’t released. Yes, the strong drink she’d consumed had to be the explanation for all she couldn’t explain. These strange feelings continued to rage through her in his presence. All the same, she couldn’t be so stupid. He’d proven himself her only genuine ally right now. He was the only one sane in this insanity, even if he’d believed said insanity by having fallen under their so called spell. Get it together!
“Get some sleep.” He interrupted her derailed train of thoughts. “Things will look better in the morning. Your aunt has me in the bedroom next to yours. Our beds are against the same wall. So all you have to do is yell my name and I’ll be here if you need me.”
That was supposed to make me feel better? Shit! Easy access. One solution gave way to another problem.
“Thank you.” She sighed as she resisted the urge to touch him in any way.
He nodded, stood, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
She listened for his door to open and close, confirming his close proximity. At least she could sleep like the dead if her mind would allow it.
Thoughts of her birth mother in this same house gave way to an exhausted sleep.
In what seemed like seconds later, an anguished cry woke her. The horror of the sound had her tense and chilled under the endless layers of warm blankets. Her fingers clenched around the top quilt. It fell even with her nose and left only her eyes to peer out into the dark room.
With only the scratch of greenery on the window, she attempted to tell herself she’d dreamed the hideous wail. Then, it came again, cut through the wind like a sharp blade. If witches existed, then maybe werewolves did, too, here in crazy country. She shook away the bizarre thought from her sleep-rattled brain. Even without any verifiable sound as proof, she knew someone lingered just outside her room. Sensed it. Assuming the person to be Aedan, she flew from her bed and flung open the heavy door with a strength she never knew she had.
No brown-haired, scruffy-faced, ex-SEAL stood there, though. Instead, piercing blue eyes formed from the shadows. With the man’s Sherpa-lined denim jacket hanging loosely over a slim, sculpted bare chest with a trail of dark hair down the middle, he looked as if he’d just awakened, too.
Clad in only a nightgown, a sudden rush of warmth within her contrasted with the chill of the air against her skin. While the garment covered most of her, she resisted the urge to look down and see if the dark circles of her areolas showed through the light colored fabric.
As he drifted closer to her, a slither of cold snaked down her spine even as her nipples hardened.
“Kyna,” this wild beast of a man half-purred and half-growled. A glint in his eye made him look as if he recognized her to be a long lost lover or something. She fought the urge to stare at his hair. It hung long past his shoulders. The fringed edges just teased his dusky nipples. Dark auburn, with copper highlights and blackish lowlights, it matched his dark, full moustache and beard. The color combination looked unnatural, as if created in a beauty shop. Although, oddly, it fit him to perfection. Various layers fell disheveled around his face and over his shoulder, gave him an unkempt look, like one the fashion magazines worked so hard to achieve. She doubted he spent any time on his appearance. The windy weather probably accounted for the current state of his looks.
“Yes. And you are?” she demanded.
The sinister squint of his eyes and an intense, chilling gaze pierced through the dim lighting of the hallway to meet her. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling chilled, exposed.
“I’m Darcaryn. I’m sure your aunt mentioned me. I’ll be in charge of the majority of your training. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to greet you earlier.”
Funny, nothing about his brash tone encouraged her to believe his words of apology to be forced.
“Thank you. Wait, training? You mentioned something about training?” She spoke out loud as she searched her brain, trying to remember if her aunt had mentioned training earlier in regard to this man.
“Yes. I’m a sorcerer. I’ve been a friend of the family forever."
“Ah, I see,” she managed. “Right, friend. I think my aunt said that.”
Although, she had to admit some unexplainable energy sparked off this man and ignited something inside her. Different from the intensity of of attraction she had toward Aedan, he created a more animalistic attraction within her. From this man, she swore tiny strings of electricity connected them. Her sleep-blurred eyes actually saw the faint threads of light wiggling in the shadows between them. He touched her without his fingers, probed every fiber of her being with just a glance. She felt exposed, naked, even with clothing on.
“And, you came to my room at this hour of the night to introduce yourself?” she continued.
“No,” he boomed, his face tight, giving a greater definition to the cut of his set jaw.
Is every man in Ireland to possess such rugged good looks? If so, maybe I’ll stay longer after all.
An agonized cry cut the night again displacing the thought. A sizzle of lightning slashed through the darkness of the room, its energy feeling like it shot through her body. A clap of thunder followed. leaving her trembling. She grabbed the doorframe to keep herself upright against the heady sensations of power and fear. How she embodied strength amidst such rising anxiety unsettled her even more, if possible.
“What is that?” she asked.
“A banshee keening out a death call. No one
here is safe. She foretells the death of someone in this house.”
“Right? Cause it couldn’t be a wolf, or fox, or whatever wildlife you have here,” she spat.
An ominous feeling, a dark premonition of sorts, left her heart beating wildly in her chest. When the sound reverberated through the night again, just seconds later, her hair bristled and a tingling in the back of her neck gave way to a gut feeling. She needed to see her aunt.
“What the hell is going on here?” echoed a voice from the dark. Aedan suddenly stood beside Darcaryn. “I heard voices. What the hell are you doing in this part of the house, Darcaryn?”
“Checking. I heard the banshee cry and needed to check on those in the house.”
“Banshee?” Aedan questioned.
“Still have a lot to learn, huh, SEAL?” Darcaryn grumbled, followed with a deep sigh.
The two men stood in fight stances with their fists all but raised toward each other. Despite the current situation, and the now audible beat of her heart, the two of them squaring off made for quite a sight. Lightning lit up the hall again, highlighting tousled hair and sharp eyes along with the hills and valleys of abs and slick, firm muscles. Kyna remained the only one with a shirt on, much to her own amusement and dismay at the moment. One bulky and one slim, they both were cut. What woman wouldn’t want to press her soft breasts against the hardness of one of them as something wild cried out in the night? Aedan, while much bulkier in build, didn’t rival the cut of Darcaryn’s six-pack. She entertained herself to a wonderful distraction from the concern that rattled her insides.
“Nice to meet you, Kyna. See you tomorrow. Sleep safely,” Darcaryn growled.
He then turned on his heel and disappeared into the black of the hallway.
Looking back at Aedan, she expected him to disappear into thin air as well. Instead, he peered down his nose at her. He reached out his hand and stopped to hover inches above her shoulder before pulling it back and letting it land on the doorframe. Vibrations shot through her already shaking body.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 22