Eternal Bond (Edanholme Book 2)

by Catherine Fitzpatrick

  “Bloody hell… What did I say…?” Ice water ran through her veins. Had she made a pass at

  Teague…? Had she made plain the craving in her heart to have him, if only for one night?

  “According to you, I’m a nice man. A very nice man…” The Bard was at a loss, as usual.

  Aingeal’s shields were tight, even as her body succumbed to the miasma of tainted alcohol.

  Beyond the fact she favoured him as a companion in forays to music festivals, he had no clue

  to the baser feelings of a scatter-brained female.

  “You are a very nice male… It’s what you are…” Shit, she had come so close to taking what

  she wanted with no thought to Teague’s insecurities. It had to stop…

  “And I’m a selfish bitch. I had no right to make you feel as though you had no choice but

  to accompany me. It was wrong. I’m sorry Teague… I promise it will never happen again.

  If you were wise instead of nice, you would run as far from me as possible. There’s this

  little cloud of doom hovering over my head. Whenever I begin to believe my life is looking

  up, wham… Some crap comes up and kicks my legs out from under me.” A wistful smile

  teased at her lips. Edanholme had been a true paradise until fate thumbed its nose at her,

  in the shape of long limbed, ethereally beautiful female Sidhe wasps.

  No more could she call upon a male, who in all innocence would answer, because his Queen

  deemed it be so. It left Teague with no get out clause. A male so used to female dominance

  would follow any path laid out for him. Cat needed a lesson in psychology or psychiatry…

  Alex didn’t need pity love, nor did Teague. What they needed was a healthy friendship.

  One based on mutual enjoyment. One that was light years away…

  “Teague…” Playing with the glass in her hand, Alex wanted to lay her heart on the line.

  Wanted to tell him how much his smile meant to her. That was unfair to a male who had

  lived a life of segregation and loss. Any female willing to take the Bard as a mate, had to be

  as pure, as perfect as he. A human couldn’t fulfil the requirements of eternal bonding.

  So that voted her out of the running… It hurt. It hurt so much she wanted to scream out the

  loss of a dream. She had to live a more realistic life. She could be his friend, a shoulder to

  bear the burden of a desolate life. He had been there for her when the chips were down.

  Shit… She knew it would be a situation fraught with dangers a female couldn’t face

  alone. To expect Teague to save her from the dirt of a stupid wish to party was a sin.

  One she had to live with, and cringe at the gullibility of accepting a drink from a total

  stranger. “What Happened yesterday was not any fault of yours. It was a result of a my

  bloody-minded need to have a good time. I didn’t have a good time… My bad…”

  Watching golden liquid swirl in a tall glass, she pushed him away, as always…

  “If I ever ask you to jump again, say no. I’m so not worth the effort.” Sinking her head into

  both hands, Alex freed a magnificent male of a tie to her.

  “Iscatya is thy Queen. She is inordinately concerned for my wellbeing. I have learnt a hard

  lesson, it won’t happen again. I treasure your friendship.” Raising her glass, she saluted

  a male of worth.

  “But to be bound to me is not a task for an enforcer of the Queen’s justice. Go home Bard.

  Go home to thy kin. They need thy strengths more than I do.” Resting a cold glass on a hot

  brow, she released a Sidhe noble of any claim on the protection of her body.

  “Is this thy final renunciation? Am I no longer thy bodyguard?” Teague wanted this female

  to recant a cold form of attachment. He wanted more. To have more, subservience was

  not the way forward.

  “Yep… I’m going back to bed….” To cry into my pillow for the rest of the weekend, the end

  of a tormented wail lay left unsaid.

  “As you wish… I will leave thee to thy rest.” Shimmering blue, his figured blurred.

  “Fudge buckets… I’ve done it again.” Crawling back into bed, Alex pulled a cushion over

  her head to stifle the sobs that wracked her body.

  Teague transported to the shores of a crystal lake to finish a self-assigned task he had been

  pulled away from by an urgent summons. To witness Aingeal brought low by a foolish

  decision to taste anything offered to her pained him. The vibrancy of a confident female

  had taken a blow, one he had failed to save her from. The Bard had no idea how a human

  recovered from such a wounding. He would bide his time, watch. If he could save her

  from further harm, he would.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Another working day came to an end, a demented staff played tag around the shop floor

  as Alex closed down for the night. The patients would seriously doubt the ability of the

  practice to supply their needs, if they caught sight of the relief of tension displayed openly

  in a game played by children in kindergarten.

  Sobriety and politeness went out the window when the doors closed. This was their time

  to unwind, an opportunity to scream and shout if it helped to dispel the rigors of courtesy

  demanded when offering the public a duty of care.

  Sometimes you wanted to scream in frustration at the pettiness displayed when having an

  eye exam carried out by an optometrist who appears youthful, although they hold an

  honours degree. She and Cat employed the best, whether male or female, young or old.

  The quality of their staff was respected, treated as family and friends.

  Handing the unlimited credit card to the practice manager, Alex grinned at the eager

  anticipation on faces of different ethnic origins.

  “Go party guys… I don’t care what you spend, just don’t embarrass the boss.”

  Emma clutched the card tightly, a wily grin on her face.

  “The boyfriend’s waiting outside… That why you want to get rid of us?”

  Shrugging her shoulders Alex brushed off the accusation.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend. He’s a friend of Cat’s.” Teague had a tendency to turn up when

  she least expected it.

  “Have you told him that? Because from where I’m standing girl, he looks eager to make it

  official.” Emma was the practice Rottweiler. Once she got hold of a bone, it took endless

  patience to make her let go.

  “Do you want me to take back the credit card…?” Setting the computer on end of day,

  Alex raised her eyes to Emma in a silent warning to shut up. The rest of the staff would

  take their lead from the practice manager, innuendos would be rife, further rattling

  a torn heart.

  “Sorry boss, my mistake…” Pushing a mass of bodies out the doors Emma threw a wave

  at Teague, looking over her shoulder to blow a kiss to Alex.

  Turning off the lights, Alex drew the doors closed on her last day of work for a week.

  “Why are you here…?” Forehead leaning against the glass door, her heart skipped several

  beats. He was attentive and evasive, luscious and out of reach. She wanted him but couldn’t

  have him. To avoid submitting to a craving that meant she had to dwindle away while he was still

  vigorous was a fight she would win. If it meant her heart would wither before her body, no-

  one else could touch her soul as he did. There was no way on this planet he would ever know

  how much he meant to her.

  “Cat wished that you witness the culmin
ation of thy hard work.”

  Husky tones sent a shiver down her spine, a spasm of longing she fought to subdue.

  “The communication centre is finished? Good… You can trash some other computer instead

  of mine.” Alex locked her arms around her body, fighting off the autumn chill. She wouldn’t

  admit to the effect he had on her senses.

  “Aye… Tis done Aingeal… We have need of thy expertise to light up the mechanics of thy

  conjuring.” Lowering a face more human than Sidhe to the angel of Edanholme Teague

  breathed a wisp of glamour over her face.

  “Come with me, let go of thy fears, be the warrior who strived in adversity to offer my kin a

  secure home.” The husky whisper laved her skin with comfort and belonging.

  “Stop it Teague… I know what you’re doing. I want to go with you, don’t make me wish I

  didn’t.” Lifting her face to his, Alex defied him to deny the glamour.

  “I beg forgiveness Aingeal, eagerness outweighed discretion. I give my oath not to use

  coercion on thee again…” Holding out a hand he wrapped long fingers round a cold one.

  “Come home to warmth Aingeal. Let us make thee welcome…” The Bard coaxed rather

  than forced. The Lady Alex had been vilified by the matrons flocking to a realm where their

  life force was renewed. He and his brothers had deflected the worst of the venom.

  Aingeal’s own generosity of spirit, had negated the remaining antipathy at a human female

  regulating the housing of a species who deemed her less than an insect under their feet.

  “Will Cat be there?” The queen of Edanholme wore the skin of humanity rather than the

  blazing glory of a Sister of the Fates, in an attempt to blend into a realm without bigotry.

  Alex thought that was a stupid idea. The Sidhe held any human in contempt.

  “Iscatya dances with excitement. Drusal is ready to maim any who would threaten the life

  of his unborn young.”

  A hint of a smile tugged at his lips at the scene he had witnessed. The Queen and her consort

  argued like children, neither willing to back down. Iscatya had finally bowed to her mate’s

  request that she rest awhile. He knew that once the females opened the box of tricks called

  technology, they would be unwilling to relinquish control.

  “The answer is an indisputable no… The Queen is resting under guard.” The Bard laughed,

  a deliciously husky vibration in his throat that found a way to Alex’s heart with a flicker of

  warmth.

  “Did Drusal have to tie her down?” Alex chuckled at the Bard’s interpretation of Drusal’s

  paranoia. The males were possessive and protective of their mates, especially one who

  bore the young denied to them for so long.

  “Not literally… Though his words did indeed tie Iscatya’s reasoning into knots.” Tugging

  gently on her hand Teague led Aingeal from her place of work. She had avoided him for

  too long, citing the need to finish a project of supreme importance as a reason to end the

  forays to music events. Aingeal had pandered to a love of music to treat him to the

  excitement of open air concerts both classical in nature and the head pounding noise of

  a rock concert. He had wanted more… More time alone with the female, even as she

  chose to make each adventure less than intimate. Aingeal had distanced herself from

  any contact that could be misconstrued as pleasurable. She was even-handed with her

  time and favours where the warriors were concerned. With the communications centre

  in completion, he planned to spend as much time with the Angel of Edanholme as needed

  to break down her barriers.

  “The Beamer’s parked at my apartment.” Alex tried to resist the tug of his hand.

  “Too slow…” He grinned pulling Aingeal into deep shadow, locking his arms round her to

  still any resistance. In less than a heartbeat he transported them directly to the old barn

  that now bristled with electronics.

  The disorientation bothered her less than it used to, but her legs were wobbly. Teague’s

  arms held her upright long enough for Alex to take in the consoles set in islands filling up

  a huge space. The walls were painted a pale buttercup yellow. Desk-tops of pristine white,

  covered edge to edge with laptops and printers placed neatly ready for use, held her gaze.

  A mammoth plasma screen virtually covered one wall. Information could be fed directly to

  the screen as a teaching aid or for group entertainment.

  “Wow…” Alex pulled free of Teague’s arms oblivious to the flash of disappointment on his

  face. Running her fingers along the desk tops, she wandered aimlessly soaking up the low

  thrum of leashed power. This was her brain child, seeing it finished brought a lump to her

  throat. Maybe she wouldn’t live forever, but at least she had worked some magic of her

  own that would outlast a fleeting lifetime.

  Teague’s eyes were locked onto her face, he watched as tears brimmed on sooty black

  lashes waiting to fall. They did not fall… Aingeal brushed them aside as she dropped onto

  a chair ready to bring life to her creation.

  The Bard’s pride in her achievement went unsaid. He had not the right to praise the female.

  She was not his, yet.

  Taking the seat next to Aingeal he was mesmerised by her busy fingers working over the

  keyboard. He was familiar with the majority of the lettering and numerals. Lady Alex taught

  him the basics the day she gifted him with an I-phone. The device could communicate any

  where except Edanholme. Her mind was closed to him, leaving the bard with no other option

  but learn to use the hand held instrument to reach out to Aingeal when they were separated.

  The messages sent and received were more often than not brief. Conversations centred on

  the fulfilment of endless lists of requirements Aingeal delighted in handing out to his

  brethren. Her attitude was expedient, ‘Why have a dog and bark yourself.’

  She made demands with a smile of such innocence, none could deny her orders.

  The screen came to life with a familiar signal, windows flashing with the colours of the

  elements. Logging on with her passwords, Alex went straight to Google Earth, an aerial

  view of the Queen’s residence came to life on the wall mounted screen.

  Set as wallpaper the view would serve as a reminder to all who used the centre, exactly

  what Cat had given to the ungrateful twits.

  “Tis a pleasing sight Aingeal…” Teague examined the rambling structure from a different

  perspective, appreciating the overview of a rural landscape.

  A satisfied smile wreathed her lips. It was a subtle dig at the superior Sidhe matrons.

  Listening to an endless stream of complaints wore her patience thin. Cat had laughed off

  the needling, confident in her power to squash any pretentions. The problem was the

  needling was aimed at Alex not the Queen.

  “Yep, a suitable home for Royalty…” Settling in for an extended stay, Alex began to form

  another lengthy list. Space had been set aside for the laundry room and a rest room

  equipped with real bathroom facilities, including hot showers.

  The work was scheduled to begin this week. She had taken time off work to fine tune the

  finishing touches to suit the needs of a growing populace.

  Teague laid his hand over her fingers, stilling the rapid movement.

  “What…?”

  She was eager to lose herself in the q
uiet atmosphere, have a moment alone with Teague

  before reality rushed in with soul destroying derision.

  “There is more to see before the light fades.” Teague knew how to shut down the computer,

  a lesson he had learnt from Aingeal. Lifting her hand from the console he swiftly logged off.

  Frowning at a high handed gesture of dismissal, Alex leaned back in the chair eyes flaring wide

  in anger. She had enough to contend with. Teague taking the initiative to close down the

  computer smacked of Sidhe dominance.

  “Then ask me, don’t ever presume to make demands Mister Frosty.”

  She was rigid with anger. The rage in her heart was aimed at the matrons, but Teague was

  about to take the toll of bottled up frustration.

  “What gives you the right to tell me what to do?” Alex brushed his hand aside as she jumped

  to her feet knocking the chair over.

  Leaning down Teague righted the chair before he turned deep amethyst eyes on a vision of

  volatile female. He had spent an eon under the painful rule of a vicious Queen. To witness

  Aingeal displaying the same signs of unnerving wrath filled his soul with dread. This was no

  little spat, as had made him want to laugh out loud at the Lady Alex’s sporadic tantrums

  when her lists of demands were not fulfilled.

  No… This was an outpouring of Aingeal’s insecurity and frustration in the face of weeks of

  contemptuous claims on her time.

  “My apologies Aingeal… I did not mean to offend thee.” Bowing his head, Teague waited for

  a tongue lashing he did not deserve.

  “I’m sorry Teague.” Alex’s rage deflated at the sight of a proud warrior, head bowed.

  “I’m not angry at you. I’m just stressed out…” She wasn’t going to whine. Whatever problems

  came her way, she would face with a smile. Sticks and stones may break my bones…

  The sniggering females would be dealt with.

  “Will you allow me to leaven thy stress?” He whispered huskily. His excitement at the treat

  in store for Aingeal outweighed the whisper of fear he felt at her anger.

  Alex was on a guilt trip. She had lost control with the one person who made each day worth

  living in the hell that was once paradise.

  “Yes Teague. I’m sorry I called you Mister Frosty. That should be my name right now.”