“Lia,” he growls, “why do you still have pants on?”
“Because you haven’t taken them off yet?”
His laughter tickles my neck. “A situation I need to rectify immediately.”
He tugs my snow pants over my hips and rolls them off my legs. “And now for your thermal undies. I swear these could be marketed as chastity belts.”
“Do you need assistance?”
“Yes, please.”
Laughing, I help him peel my long underwear off my legs. When we’re both naked, Seth runs his hands over my hips. I arch my back to allow him to massage my buttocks. He rains kisses down on me in an erotic trail starting with my neck, meandering over my breasts and abdomen, and coming to a rest on my inner thighs. I suck in a breath and arch my hips.
When his mouth touches my clit, I gasp in pleasure. He was always good at this, even as a teenager. He teases me with his tongue, tugs gently with his teeth. By the time, he draws back, I’m slick and aching with need.
I run my finger over his hardness and squeeze his balls. “I want you inside me.”
“That’s just as well,” he growls against my neck, “because I really want to be inside you.”
He flips me onto my belly and pulls me up onto all fours. When he places the tip of his shaft at my entrance, I help to ease him in. Neither of us moves at first, both panting and adjusting to one another’s size. Then he starts to thrust, each movement deeper than the one before. The years melt away and it feels like we never stopped doing this. We’re teenagers again—horny, curious, and crazy in love.
And then his hands find my breasts. He massages them and twists my nipples until they hurt.
“Harder,” I demand. “Make it painful.”
Suddenly, we’re no longer the teenagers we once were. We’re adults with experience and the scars to prove it. I crouch lower to allow to him deeper penetration. He massages my buttocks and lets his magic power heat my skin just enough to send a warm, tingling sensation shoot through my veins, but not hot enough to burn me. He thrusts faster and faster and I sense his climax is near.
The moment his climax hits, I lose control. I cry out as wave after wave of pleasure rolls over me.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SETH
When we’re both spent, I kiss Lia’s neck and ease myself off her. Naked in the firelight, she’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.
“You okay?”
She gives me a wobbly smile. “I’m better than okay. Thank you, Seth. You helped me forget, even if it was just for a few minutes.”
I run my fingers through her tousled hair. “Much as I’d love to keep you naked, you’ll freeze if you don’t get dressed.”
“If I get dressed, so do you.”
“Deal,” I say through already chattering teeth. The neglected fire needs attendance and temperature in the cavern is dropping fast.
We don our clothes and I return my attention to the fire. While I heat packaged soup in a pan, Lia rolls out our sleeping bags and cuts thick slices of the bread we’d bought at Smyde’s.
When the soup is ready, I pour it into two bowls.
“You don’t have to finish it,” I say when I press a bowl into her hands, “but try to get some warmth into you. Today will be our last day eating fresh bread, and we might as well make the best of it. We’ll be down to the vacuum-packed meal supplements after this.”
She takes a cautious sip. “I didn’t think I could eat, but this tastes divine.
I laugh. “It’s not that good.”
“Right now,” she says between spoons, “I’d eat cardboard and declare it delicious.”
In the corner of the cavern, Mamo shifts position and farts.
“Great,” she says with an eye roll. “That thing stinks and it snores. It’s going to attract every evil creature that dwells in these passages.”
I hold a hand over my nose. “Or scare them away.”
“We can hope.”
After we’ve cleared the remnants of our meal, we lie on top of our sleeping bags and watch the reflection of the flames dance off the ceiling.
I swallow past the lump of regret and ask the question that’s been on the tip of my tongue for hours. “Will you tell me about her? About Ash?”
Lia stares at me for a long moment, then takes a deep breath and nods. “Ash is whip smart and she has your green eyes. She enjoys music—the harder, the better.”
I smile. “My kind of girl.”
“And she loves reading.”
“Definitely my kind of girl. What sort of books does she like?”
“Mostly non-fiction. History, geography, the natural sciences. She’s always running up fines at the library because she keeps the books too long.”
“She sounds wonderful, Lia.”
“She’s a good kid. Sweet and…innocent. Not like I was at her age.”
Fresh tears wet her cheeks. I retrieve a handkerchief from my pocket and hand it to her.
“That’s my biggest regret. I haven’t given her much freedom. I haven’t trusted her to make the right decisions for herself. The result is that she’s utterly without street smarts. She won’t know how to deal with a man like Adrian.”
“Perhaps you underestimate her.” I stroke her hair and trail my fingers down her back. “Perhaps she’s already escaped and is somewhere warm and safe.”
She squeezes my hand. I’m offering her a shard of hope to get her through the night, even if we both know this adventure is unlikely to have a happy ending.
“Does she know I’m her father?”
She hesitates before answering. “She knows her father is a member of the Fianna, but not your name. I was planning to tell her when she turned eighteen.”
So Ashling might die never knowing who I was…I exhale sharply and pull myself together. I can’t afford to fall apart. At least one of us needs to stay sane.
“Lia, before we face tomorrow, there’s something I need to tell you.”
A crease mars the smooth surface of her forehead. “Yes?”
“My uncle sent a band of men to shadow us.”
Her head jerks up. “But Adrian told us to come alone.”
“I know. The council—and I—was certain it was a trap.”
“Oh, Fuck.” She pushes herself to a sitting position. “Where are these soldiers now?”
“I don’t know. I assume they’ve taken shelter from the storm.” I shift position and look her in the eye. “But the point is this: they’re going to make an appearance when we find Langley. Our orders are to take him—dead or alive. The council isn’t concerned about your safety or Ash’s.”
She quirks an eyebrow. “This information is hardly a surprise.”
“There’s more. Langley is rumored to have acquired dragons’ eggs.”
Her eyes widen. “Not possible. They don’t exist. They…” she trails off and I can see the wheels turning in her head, considering all the weird things that have occurred over the past two days and slotting the puzzle pieces together. “So that’s why Torin was so keen to send you north. He doesn’t think it’s just a rumor. He believes Adrian has dragons’ eggs.”
“He certainly believes it’s a strong possibility.” The mere idea of the power contained in a single dragon egg turns my limbs to granite.
“Please tell me he wants you to destroy them.”
It’s my turn to raise an eyebrow. “The council wants the eggs located and destroyed, along with their owner. Torin has other ideas.”
Her hand flutters to her throat. “And you? What do you intend to do?”
“I intend to do the right thing. And I’m not going to know what that is until I know what I’m truly up against.”
She considers this for a second. “I can accept that answer. You’re a good man, Seth. I know you’ll do what’s best.”
A flutter warms my stomach. Her support means a lot to me, especially as she is the one with the most to lose. Or is she? How will I feel if Ashling is dead and I’v
e lost the chance to get to know my daughter?
“Will we take turns to keep the fire going?” she asks, cutting through my dark thoughts.
“Yes. I’ll take the first shift. Wake you in four hours?”
“Four hours each?” She glances at her watch. “Do you think the storm will last that long? We need to get going as soon as possible.”
I don’t tell her that I have no intention of sleeping. The instant the storm breaks, we’ll be out of here. “Get some rest. I’ll wake you when we need to move.”
She snuggles into her sleeping bag and pulls it up over her ears. “What do you do? Apart from running a night club and fighting wars?”
“I study alchemy. I didn’t have a chance to go to university before the war and I’m making up for lost time.”
She pushes herself up onto her elbows. “You’re studying alchemy? Seriously? What happened to your plan to become an artist?”
I flush. “The war happened. A degree in the metasciences was the prudent choice.”
“In other words, it was your uncle’s choice.”
I don’t contradict her. “We’re short on trained alchemists.”
“I’m studying metallurgy at night school,” she says, not quite managing to keep the note of pride out of her voice.
“Hey, good for you. How many semesters do you have left?”
She opens her mouth to answer but Mamo chooses that moment to emit a bloodcurdling yowl. He’s pressing a paw against one of the wall symbols.
“Oh, fuck,” I say the instant before the wall splits in two and slides open like a door.
The mamolan shoots through the crack and out of the cavern.
“What the—”
Lia grabs her flashlight and scrambles to her feet, following the path the mamolan had taken.
“Wait for me,” I shout. “It could be dangerous.”
But she’s already disappeared into the darkness.
I leap to my feet and race after her. The light from my flashlight bobs and weaves while I struggle to follow the mamolan’s footprints. My heart beats a little faster. What possessed Lia to go haring after a wild animal in a creepy cave filled with monsters, ghosts, and goodness knows what else?
The further I progress down the passage, the thinner the air grows. It’s almost like being in a vacuum.
Suddenly, the walls of the cave shift and creak with an ominous groaning sound. I lose my footing and am hurled against the wall. My flashlight flies out of my hand and smashes against a rock. Cursing, I right myself and grope my way down the passage.
“Lia? Mamo?” The pulse at the base of my neck throbs, insistent as a warning. “Is anyone there?”
I struggle to regain my balance but the moment I do so, the earth begins to shake again. All around me, rocks are falling. I shield my head with my hands. “Lia?” I call again. “Where are you?”
I shine my flashlight on the path. It looks solid and clear from fallen rock. I release a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and inch forward.
Instead of the firm ground I’m expecting, my foot meets air. I gasp, too shocked to form a scream, and tumble into nothingness.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
LIA
When the dragon swoops down to break my fall, I’m too shocked to scream. The creature cradles me in its enormous jaws. Then with a majestic flick of its long neck, I’m tossed onto its back. I wrap my arms around the dragon’s neck and cling to my unexpected rescuer.
The surface of the creature glows in the dark, outlining the intricate patterns on its scales. I recognize the symbols from the cave carvings, including the one that had set off the rockfall. I’m fascinated and horrified at the same time. I’ve seen illustrations of dragons in old books but none did the animal justice.
A second dragon hails us with a roar. Seth is perched on its back, looking as stunned as I feel. “Are you okay?” he shouts.
“I think so,” I yell back. “What happened to the path?”
“I’m guessing whatever symbol Mamo touched created a fake walkway and we fell into the trap—literally.”
“I can hear Mamo squealing. I guess he made it down in one piece.”
He winks at me. “I told you mamolans were excellent climbers.”
The dragons swerve to the left and plunge downward. The rapid descent drowns out all attempts at further conversation. A faint light glows in the distance, growing larger with each flap of the dragons’ wings. When they come in to land, I see a maze of caves branching off a central room.
I realize we are not alone.
A fair-haired man stands before us, arms crossed, an amused half-smile on his rugged face. He’s clad in fur and leathers—the unofficial rebel uniform. Despite the beard and the long hair tied back in a bun, I recognize him instantly.
“Greetings, old friends.” Adrian Langley inclines his head in a short bow. “I trust you had a safe flight.”
I leap off my dragon and reach for the gun Seth insists I carry with me at all times. “You fucking bastard. Where is my daughter?”
Seth is at my side, weapons cocked and loaded.
Adrian merely stretches his half-smile into a wide grin and strokes the nose of one of the dragons. “What a way to greet your host. Is your mother always this ungracious a guest, Ashling?”
And then she steps into the light. Ash, my beautiful daughter, is alive and well.
My heart leaps into my throat. Ignoring Seth’s horrified squawk when I toss my gun on the ground, I hurl myself into her arms, crushing her in my embrace.
“Chill, Mum. I wasn’t gone long enough for you to miss me. And what’s with the gun?”
I take a step back and blink. “Of course I bloody missed you. I’ve been worried sick.”
A frown line appears between her brows. “But why? You sent me here. Kenny gave me your letter. Flying on the dragon was totally awesome, by the way.”
“Kenny?” I yell and my outrage echoes through the mountain, reverberating over and over. “Kenny Lenihan had you kidnapped?”
A man clears his throat. “Merely assisted.”
I whip around and find myself to face to face with my neighbor. My hands ball into fists. “Why you lying, treacherous scumbag. What did you do to my daughter? Where have you left her cat?”
Kenny grimaces. “Thanks to you, we had to bring the wretched creature with us.”
“Oh, Mister Cuddles is fine,” Ash says easily, stroking Mamo’s rough fur. “He’s snoozing in his carrier cage.”
I grab her arm and check her over. “Have they hurt you? Where did you sleep? Did they give you food?”
Ash rolls her eyes. “Yes, Mum. Do you want a detailed menu?”
Seth sidles over to me and touches my hand. “Will you introduce us?”
Ash shifts her attention to him. They gaze at one another for a beat, both motionless and completely silent.
“Ash,” I say slowly, “this is your father.”
At first, she doesn’t react. Then her emerald eyes focus on me. I see hurt reflected in their depths and more than glint of anger. “I know who he is. I’ve seen his picture in the newspapers.”
“I had no idea I had a daughter,” Seth says in a voice laden with emotion. “If I’d known, I’d have been involved in your life.”
Ash looks him up and down with the same expression of cold disdain that he’d treated me to in the lane outside Voltage. “Whatever.”
Then she turns her back on us and walks back into one of the caves.
“I’ll, ah, just see she’s okay.” Kenny throws me a twitchy glance and makes a hasty exit.
Seth’s devastated expression slices through my already raw emotions.
I squeeze his hand. “She’ll come round. Just give her time.”
“Touching as this little melodrama is,” Adrian drawls, “I didn’t go to all this trouble in order to facilitate a family reunion. We need to talk.”
“We need to do far more than talk, Langley,” Seth snarls. “My uncle wants you de
ad.”
“For the bombs?” Adrian’s smirk vanishes. “Of course he wants to pin the blame on me. That’s all part of his diabolical plan.”
“You weren’t responsible?” I ask, searching his face for clues.
He looks at me through ice blue eyes that reveal precisely nothing. “Of course not. Even if murdering innocent civilians were my thing, I don’t have the cash to buy quixone bombs.”
“What about your dragons?” Seth moves closer to his former friend until they’re nose to nose. “Can’t you use them to cast a destructive spell?”
“My dragons are still babies. They don’t have the power to cause a minor explosion, never mind conjure quixone bombs out of thin air. Despite what you’ve heard, dragon magic isn’t all black—so long as it’s in the right hands.”
“And those hands would be yours?”
Adrian’s smirk is back in place. “Of course.”
“If you didn’t set off the bombs, who did?” I ask, looking from one man to the other.
“Who do you think? Torin MacNeil, the so-called Purifier of the Provinces.”
“No. No way.” Seth shakes his head emphatically but I can hear the note of doubt in his voice. “Why would Tor bomb his own people?”
“To ignite a civil war,” I whisper. “Of course.”
Adrian’s lip curls. “Lia’s correct. Your uncle wants to crush all opposition before we have a chance to arm ourselves. He knows the council will never sign off on an unprovoked massacre so he’s provided them with a reason to hunt us down and kill us.”
“The timing doesn’t make sense,” I say. “You kidnapped Ash before the bombs went off.”
He nods. “I apologize for resorting to such extreme measures to get you here. I needed to speak to Seth in person, and could think of no other way to persuade him to travel north at short notice. I’m guessing Tor got wind of my plan and organized the bombings.”
“But Seth’s club blew up. Tor wouldn’t try to kill his own nephew.”
Adrian raises an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t he? He knows Seth is the loose thread in the fabric that holds the council together.”
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