Eternal Bond (Edanholme Book 2)

by Catherine Fitzpatrick

  lips. The scent and taste was amazing. If Alex could bottle it, she would make a fortune.

  “You’re not serious?” She murmured close to his lips, desperate to run her hands up and

  over the broad expanse of his chest. Don’t go there, she chided her baser instincts.

  Don’t spoil a perfect moment.

  Lifting his head The Bard stared at the forehead his skin had brushed. Aingeal touched a

  place in his breast where a heart once resided.

  “One day I will tell you of my life Aingeal.” He promised trailing long fingers through hair

  as soft and silky as a gossamer web. Releasing her shoulder, he eased back against the harsh

  bark of the tree, face hidden in deep shadow.

  “But not this day…” His whisper was hoarse with the strain of dark secrets.

  “Fine…” Alex released a pent up sigh. Teague had distanced himself from a split second of

  near communion.

  “I hold you to that promise My Lord Teague.” A radiant smile flashed across her face.

  “You know how persistent I can be.”

  Turning back towards the meeting hall, she felt lighter, less intimidated by the task ahead.

  If Teague could unbend enough to offer her comfort, there had to be some hope for the rest

  of the species. Her gaze fell on the tail end of the refugee train, a small figure scurried to

  keep up with the long legged stride of the taller Fae.

  Alex took off at a run towards the female, she was pretty sure it was a female underneath

  torn jeans, and a dirty hoody shrouding the face.

  Security had been compromised, a human had breached Edanholme. Alex felt rather than

  saw Teague keeping pace at her right shoulder as Turi and Kynthelig swooped in to capture

  the bedraggled interloper. A high pitched yelp of surprise announced the sex of the waif.

  Sliding to a halt Alex braced hands on hips, eyeing the brute squad holding onto the

  struggling girl . “Back off big guys…”

  Anxiety for the young female made her voice harsh, stinging with authority.

  With raised eyebrows the Queen’s enforcers stepped back a couple of feet, hands raised in

  mock surrender. Alex stifled a giggle as Teague laughed huskily at her back. Swirling round

  she planted a finger on his chest.

  “You too…” She whispered the word please low enough for only the Bard to catch.

  Hiding a grin behind his hand the Bard stepped back eyes locked onto the shivering female

  with unabashed curiosity.

  Alex held out her hands palm up searching for the right words to calm the situation. The waif

  threw back her hood revealing hair the same blue-black as Alex’s. Eyes of midnight blue

  peered out from beneath an uneven fringe.

  “Are you the Queen?” The voice was deep, low and desperate.

  “No love…” Alex smiled her radiant beaming grin. “I’m the hired help.”

  There were mutterings from the three huge males. Sapphire blue eyes flashed a warning

  to be quiet.

  “My name is Alex, will you tell me yours?” Her hands were still outstretched in greeting.

  The young girl placed her hands palm down on Alex’s gripping tightly.

  “Ameia, I’m Ameia…”

  Returning the grip Alex noticed the flash of glistening fangs as the waif relayed her name.

  Ooops… Not human, but vampire. She needed to get the girl out of here fast, before

  the bloody Sidhe recognised her as an enemy.

  “Lord Teague, will you escort Ameia to the Queen?” Thinking fast, Alex knew the girl had

  to feel safe or they would scare her off. Turi and Kynthelig wouldn’t make a member of

  the S.A.S. feel safe. “Be gentle with her please.”

  Looking deep into lilac pools as the Bard nodded assent, she knew he had seen the fangs

  too. “Thank you.” Her gratitude was heartfelt, a dazzling smile offered only to him.

  “It will be my pleasure Lady Alex.” Fingers of right hand first to forehead then to heart,

  Teague bowed low before escorting Ameia to the Queen.

  A low whistle from Turi brought Alex back to the here and now.

  “You two go and find a shark to wrestle…” The day had been too full of surprises for her to

  rise to the bait. The brethren had been as shocked as she was by the sudden change in the

  Bard’s demeanour.

  “Yes Angel….” They spoke in unison before running off laughing like schoolboys.

  Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of their antics, Alex marched into the meeting hall

  ready to assign temporary housing for the more dignified members of the community.

  She was still trying to wrap her head around the change in Teague, his whole attitude had

  softened. He had reached out to her with friendship and compassion for the first time.

  Edanholme must be working its magic on the dark places in his soul as it had on the life force

  that energised his powers. Whatever the reason for the transformation in the remoteness of

  his gaze, the deliverance from icy calm, it was refreshing, a little unnerving but definitely a

  change for the better. Recalling the unyielding stance of the Bard, the indifferent bow of

  thanks whenever they had ventured out to concerts, Alex was amazed at the difference.

  He had touched her today without adding the rider that he had been sent to transport her,

  as though that was the only reason he would ever want take her hand. Teague had touched

  her voluntarily, touched her heart, inciting a consuming desire for him to love her, to make

  love to her. All the things she wanted to avoid. Who was she kidding…? She wanted him

  desperately, so much that it would be safer if she moved back to her apartment permanently.

  Her job was done, the groundwork in place. Time to move on, to leave the males to find

  suitable partners from their own kind.

  Her mood had yo-yoed from grumpy frustration, to happy consternation back to grumpy

  frustration. Face it Alex, this is a no win situation, she muttered to herself.

  Teague has a long way to go before a human would be an acceptable mate, by then you

  will probably be in a retirement home, a withered old maid. The Angel of Edanholme

  stalked into the meeting hall in a mood that brooked no defiance of her administration.

  Alex sat alone in the IT centre, designed and kitted out by the same company who had

  remodelled the optical practice she and Cat jointly owned. Happy in the knowledge they

  were there to fit out a training academy for young professionals the work went smoothly.

  The Sidhe were banned from the building until work was completed. A constant stream

  of beautiful creatures still held Alex in awe of the perfection of the Fae who had made a

  home here. She didn’t want the contractors leaving with an inferiority complex.

  Between them, she and Cat spent four days in practice, Emma the store manager ruled

  the roost on the other two days. Neither Alex nor her partner gave in to pressure to open

  on a Sunday. Everyone from the top down needed at least one day to unload the stress of

  working with the general public.

  Edanholme offered a paradise of rolling hills, dotted with groves of indeterminate trees

  bearing delicious fruits. Game was plentiful, allowing the diverse and growing population

  to live off the land.

  Wide lakes supplied endless fish, enough to satisfy the laziest of fishermen. What it

  couldn’t supply was modern technology. The barn attached to the Queen’s rambling

  house was commandeered as a communications centre
. It also served as a schoolroom

  for the few children young enough to need further education.

  Alex smiled at the memory of a group of immense Sidhe warriors hunkering down next to

  infants and pre-teens ready and willing to absorb the history and knowledge of a world

  they now considered their home.

  The house and land were firmly entrenched on Mother Earth. Edanholme belonged to

  another dimension, accessed only through a well-hidden portal.

  Alex loved the freedom of a land where summer was a constant season. She could take a

  swim in the lake or ride with Turi to explore the furthest reaches of the meandering shore

  line of crystal blue waters.

  In fact every weekend was a blissful holiday, supplementing a golden tan that never faded,

  she enjoyed the best of both worlds. The only fly in the ointment of her content was the

  continued attentions of the Nobles of the original Sovereign Court. They were friendly,

  generous with their time, always ready to offer help in the day to day running of a realm

  that demanded her constant presence. Each in their own way had qualities Alex admired,

  even loved.

  From the first moment she met the shy smile of Teague she had been mesmerised by his

  beauty. Calling a warrior beautiful was a contradiction of the innate strength in a long lean

  muscled body. As an enforcer of the Queen’s rule he was as lethal as his compatriots.

  In Teague she saw the ultimate in Sidhe Nobility. Exquisitely proportioned with a face so

  serene and calm in the most heated of arguments her heart missed a beat every time he

  glanced in her direction. A voice husky edged and lyrically toned made her shiver at the

  promise of whispered words of love in her ear.

  Wrapping her arms across her chest, Alex rubbed at the goose bumps running over her

  skin at a wistful hope. Of all the warriors, he was the one she wanted. He, of all the males,

  showed the least sign of desiring to claim her for a mate. Call it as you will, Teague was

  too much Sidhe to attach himself to a human.

  She had spent an afternoon assigning Yurts and Tipis to the new arrivals. Her mind had

  been on the Bard, hashing and re-hashing her feelings for him. The truth was she couldn’t

  stay in paradise. It would be a wrench to leave behind the few friends she had made, but

  rather that, than have to see the Bard every day knowing he was out of reach.

  Logging onto Google, Alex went in search of something to lift her spirits.

  It was Saturday tomorrow, a night on the town clubbing with the gang from work could

  work wonders on a depressed spirit. Typing in the Boo Avenue website, she scrolled

  through an assortment of lingerie guaranteed to make any man’s mind scramble.

  “I have a liking for the black lacy garments.” A throaty laugh at her back shocked Alex into

  slamming the lap top closed. The Bard leaned over to prise the lid from white knuckled

  fingers. A cloud of silvery hair fell forward to brush her cheek with a breath of cool morning

  air. Lifting the lid he pointed to Bra and pants that revealed more than they covered.

  “Do you not agree Aingeal?”

  Taking the mouse from limp fingers Teague scrolled through an array of filmy underwear.

  Stopping at a playsuit of vibrant scarlet he breathed out a sigh in her ear.

  “Though I would take that as second best...”

  Swinging round in the chair her lips brushed his jaw. A wave of desire rocked Alex to the

  core. A stomach tightening wash of arousal held her still for a second. Pushing away from

  the console, away from an attraction that would belittle a proud male, Alex scowled at him.

  “This is my private time Teague. I don’t intrude upon your life, please give me the same

  respect.” She was angry, not at him. More that Teague had come upon a shopping spree

  meant to console the loss in her heart for a male beyond her reach.

  “My apologies Aingeal… I did not mean to invade your privacy.” With fingers of right hand

  drifting to head and heart he bowed low.

  Alex had learnt from Cat the nuances of all the forms of deference. The one Teague offered

  now was one used between loved ones.

  Eyes wide she wasn’t sure if he was proclaiming love, or acknowledging a friendship.

  Heart thudding at the proximity of a male she would give anything to be with, Alex shied

  away from an ambiguous greeting. The glorious creature who smiled shyly at her was too

  pure in a bloodline dating back centuries to want more than friendship from an insignificant

  female.

  “Am I needed to sort out a domestic fracas? Are the females still angry at the need to wash

  their clothes in the lake? Tell them it is in hand, I am working on a solution to their needs.”

  Wheeling further away from the console, Alex widened the distance between her and a male

  who made her pulse soar.

  “Nothing so mundane Aingeal… I simply wish to ask if we can spend some of the free time

  you have, in venturing once more into the human world.” The smile on his face was alluring.

  Offering a decadent treat Alex could not refuse.

  “To do what exactly..?” She wasn’t giving an inch. The Bard was elusive. He only showed an

  interest in modern technology and music, not in Alex herself.

  “Can we partake of food and spend some time in talking?” Sitting on the chair adjacent to her,

  the Bard smiled, a delicious tilt at the corners of his mouth.

  “You mean as in go to a restaurant, surrounded by noisy and nosy humans.” Alex was wary

  of an invitation to dinner. The Bard was the least likely of the warriors to sit patiently eating

  with knife and fork, surrounded by ogling women and men.

  They had tried it once. It was embarrassing…

  Even with the use of glamour to tame a mane of lustrous hair, he still managed to attract the

  eye of everyone in the room. She offered an alternative solution, one that may not be to his

  liking.

  “We could talk more easily at my apartment, get a take-away.” The thought of having Teague

  all to herself for a few hours was worth all the aggravation of listening to the moaning voices

  of the females of his species. This may be her last chance to spend any time with him.

  “What is this take away?” Shuffling the chair closer to her knees, Teague’s face was a mask

  of calm enquiry.

  “Food delivered to the door. No effort expended in hunting.” Backing off an inch Alex

  watched the information being stored in a mind unused to food being so easily acquired.

  “Or we could go into Edanholme and catch dinner…” Shifting to her feet, Alex waited for a

  response that best suited the desire building in her heart.

  Teague’s grin widened into a stunning smile designed to melt the heart of a dragon.

  “I find the idea of food delivered to the door intriguing. Will we have to kill and cook it?”

  Now she knew he was teasing. The Bard was no fool. His wit was dry and satirical, leading

  her on more than one occasion to want to wipe the smug serenity off his face.

  With a short laugh, Alex ran her gaze over the lean figure lounging in an uncomfortable chair,

  long legs crossed at the ankles. Dressed in the soft leather garments of the Sidhe he looked

  as alien as he was to the eyes of a female brought up in a human world. He was the last of

  the warriors willing to conform to the Queen’s dictate of assimilation where possible.

  For th
e Bard to offer to spend time surrounded by lesser beings spoke volumes. He had an

  ulterior motive for an astounding invitation. All this flashed through her mind in seconds.

  If he wanted to play, she was more than willing to match him at mind games.

  “If it’s too much like hard work to dress and cook the food, I could ask Turi to come along

  and save you the trouble?” With a smile as serene as his, Alex played her ace.

  Teague scanned her face with eyes narrowed to reveal a hint of violet.

  “Aye, Aingeal you know how to fight back.” Easing to his feet he towered over Alex.

  “I bow to defeat.” He did so, with supreme ease.

  Crossing his arms across a wide chest a smile twitched at a seductive mouth, laughter

  danced in eyes the colour of blossoming lilacs.

  “I will present myself at seven of the clock. Is that acceptable?” With a brief nod, Alex held

  her breath as he strode from the building. She hadn’t a clue where this show of interest was

  going, but she planned to enjoy the Bard as a dinner partner just for the hell of it.

  CHAPTER NINE

  By six forty five, Alex was nearly crawling out of her skin with anticipation. She had

  ordered Chinese. Easy but messy finger food. She had been surprised when first meeting

  Sidhe nobility to find that they ate primarily using only fingers. A hunting knife was

  acceptable, cutlery eyed with contempt. They ate with delicacy and neatness, encouraging

  her to emulate their table manners. Easily done when eating a chicken leg or breaking

  flakes from broiled fish, not so easy when eating spaghetti Bolognese, as she found out at

  the cost of a silk blouse.

  Turi had proved to be an excellent cook. His idea of a joke was to feed Alex sans cutlery with

  the sloppiest concoction he could imagine. If she hadn’t fallen so deeply for a shy smile and

  vibrant violet eyes, the bear would have been hard to resist.

  Dressed in a plain black dress that covered her from neck to knees, her ensemble downplayed

  the curvy figure Alex was endowed with. Toe post sandals with diamante bling glittered on

  her feet. Twisting glossy black hair into a chignon, a barrette held it firmly in place.

  Ellie Goulding’s ethereal music played softly in the background, no heavy metal tonight.