he offered.
“I meant what I said. I will not live a lie.” Bunching the sheet across her torso, Alex was
ready to make the call to end what had been a blissful awakening to love.
Realising he had made an almighty mistake in thinking Aingeal would follow where Mother
Earth led, Teague offered his love a gift no-one had seen since the dark days of the Vampire
uprising.
“I have led a life that is dictated by the whims of the Mother. Will you allow me to reveal
my alternate form to you? It is a gift from that Mother.” Easing from the bed, the Bard
stood before his love, unadorned, as naked as the day he was born into a world of distrust
and mayhem.
“We, the Sidhe were created to be the protectors of the oppressed. That mandate has been
twisted to suit the needs of many Queens, not least Istirina.” Kneeling at her feet, Teague
bowed low.
“In you Aingeal, I see the purity of spirit that has been riven from our realms. Mother Earth
may be obscure in her plans for the peoples of this land, but I do know you wield the promise
of goodness that has been lost to us for too long.”
Locking both arms across her chest, Alex fixed on only the fact he had offered to show her
the form he took when feeding off the land.
“Why now? Why show me what form feeds your soul after we made love?”
Sinking head to knees, silvery hair covered his figure in an all-encompassing cloak.
“I did not want to frighten you further…” Husky tones of despair crushed her heart.
A noble should not be reduced to abasing himself on his knees. The Bard was regressing.
The mask of serenity acquired to disguise the torment in his soul came easily after eons of
malicious torment. He could not disguise the pain in his voice.
“No….” She almost screamed at him. “Don’t ever demean yourself at my feet. I am not Istirina.
That’s a bigger insult than any served up by the females of Edanholme.”
He was shocked from a pall of servitude, induced by Aingeal’s denial of a tie to him.
“I meant no insult, it was but instinctive in the face of female dominance.”
Alex fell back on the bed consumed by hysterical laughter. Tears flowed unheeded.
“What ails thee my love?” Teague prowled up her body licking the tears from her face.
“You, you are what ails me. You nearly tear me apart with the desperation of your love,
then fall at my feet as though I owned the life beating in an almighty chest.” Curling in a ball
Alex wanted to fall asleep, and find that this had all been a dream. Not a chance.
Teague wanted to console his love.
“I made a mess of an attempt to seduce you to be mine-own forever.” Laying his head over
her heart, the Bard was lost for words.
Hiccupping on a sob Alex squirmed free of his weight, rolling across the bed.
“I am seduced, well and truly.” Dropping her head into her hands in despair at being
lulled into a relationship that would inevitably destroy her, she sobbed quietly.
Deep rasping breaths brought her head up with a snap.
Wide eyed with awe and a shiver of primal fear, Alex scooted to the centre of the bed to
put as much distance as she could from the prowling menace looming large in a room too
small to accommodate a fearsome predator.
“Dear God….” Her breathe was locked in a bubble, threatening to become a piercing scream.
Violet eyes glowed in the immense head of a white tiger, tail lashing from side to side in lazy
arcs, the animal settled on the floor with a purr that rattled the windows.
“Teague….?” Alex whispered hesitantly.
Black tipped ears twitched at the sound of her voice, stretching jaws wide in a huge yawn
long fangs glistened in the lamp light.
He was gorgeous in Sidhe form. As a tiger the Bard was magnificent.
A sound between a giggle and a sob tore from her throat. Teague was no threat to her.
Even so the hairs on the nape of her neck lifted, adrenaline shot through her system. Alex
began to hyperventilate.
Sensing her fear, the huge Tiger dropped onto the floor much as a kitten would, head
balanced on folded paws, violet eyes fixed on her face.
Inching forward, Alex lay on her stomach chin resting in her hands she locked eyes onto
familiar violet orbs.
“Tiger, tiger, burning bright in the forest of the night…” William Blake’s poem came to mind
at the wonder of a full grown tiger spread out across the floor like a throw rug.
“No wonder no-one has seen you shift, you don’t exactly merge into the landscape.”
Panic attack under complete control, she chuckled mischievously.
“I bet a year’s salary your brothers are truly pissed that you put their mundane alter egos
in the shade.” Reaching out one hand she tentatively touched a cold black nose.
The immense tiger snuffled once then ran a rough tongue across her palm.
“Ughh… You are going to take my skin off.” A wicked gleam, shot through Sapphire eyes.
“Exfoliation takes on a whole new meaning….”
Cocking one ear, the huge cat tilted it’s head.
“I’ll explain, one day.” Alex promised with a silky laugh. Gathering the sheet around her body,
she swung both feet to the floor, leaning over to run her fingers through luxuriant fur.
“You’re amazing….” Hiding a yawn behind one hand, she slithered to lay her head against his
flank. Snuggling close to a beast who in the wild would have riven her limb from limb, Alex
succumbed to the exhaustion of emotional stress, and a love that bound her heart to a male
who had astounded her with avowals of eternal love. The thunderous purr beneath her ear
lulled the Angel of Edanholme to sleep.
Waiting for Aingeal to succumb to fatigue, Teague shifted to take her in his arms. Laying Alex
gently on the bed, he spooned in behind to wrap himself tight to a body that meant more to
him than his own life. She had gifted him with a love that transcended a racial barrier descried
by the Sovereign Court. The Sidhe were inherently sensual beings who craved love in any form.
He wanted her not because she was an available female. He had witnessed in a face as sweet
as the finest music, a soul mate who shared an innate joy of all the arts.
The restrictions she had placed upon their mating were reasonable in respect of the limited
lifespan of a human. Wherever life blew them, he would not relinquish his hold on Aingeal
easily. If he had to beg the fates to make him mortal, he would do so.
At peace with a decision to meet his love on equal ground, the Bard followed her into the
first restful sleep he had known in eons.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The banging of doors dragged Teague from a sleep that had restored his inner calm.
Waking to the sounds of humans beginning a working day made him smile. Today was a
rest day for Aingeal. She was not bound to the rhythm of money making labour for two
cycles of the earth. In the dark hours of a peaceful night she had curled into his chest, face
pressed to a heart that beat only for her.
A wicked smile brought glittering swirls of desire to life in violet eyes. The promise of
Aingeal in his arms for the entirety of a rest period invigorated his soul. Lavishing kisses on
the face of his love he willed her to wake.
Alex emerged from slumber at the insistence of a voice in her head.
embrace sighing languorously.
Brushing glossy strands of hair from the nape of her neck, Teague nibbled along a smooth
curve from neck to shoulder.
“Awaken Aingeal” He insisted in a husky growl.
“I am awake.” She growled back with a hint of laughter at his persistence.
“Then why can I not see the glory of your eyes?” His kisses were centred on a dimpled cheek.
“I’m savouring the moment.” She purred back, shivers of pure delight racing down her spine
with each graze of teeth on skin.
His answering laugh washed her with a balmy breeze, bringing a rash of Goosebumps to
tingling life over sensitive skin. Stroking the smooth column of her neck Teague lay his teeth
on the nape in a tender bite. Eyes wide open Alex squirmed in his arms as mounting waves of
sensuous caresses assaulted tender flesh. A hoarse laugh whispered in her ear as the Bard played
her with long satisfying laves of his tongue. “I like what this does to your body Aingeal.”
So did Alex.
Hugging her pillow she moaned as her lower body pulsed with mounting desire.
“Of course you do.” Alex gasped as sharp teeth slithered along of the line of her jaw.
“You’re a tiger. When you come in for the kill, that’s exactly where your fangs would latch
onto prey.” Her heart accelerated as Teague crawled in closer.
“Mmmm… Wise little human.” His breath was a rasping purr.
“They also grip their mate by the nape when mating.” Running an arm between her breasts
he lifted Alex to meet his need.
“Yay or nay my love…?” Husky with desire, a wisp of balmy air brushed her throat, sharp
teeth nibbled at the lobe of her ear.
Lost in the pulsing pressure of wanton craving to be loved in any way by a vibrant and very
dedicated male, Alex nearly screamed her need.
“My vote’s for Yay.” Her moan stretched out as Teague filled her with a throbbing promise
of ecstasy. Gripping at the arm between her breasts, Alex laid her head back on his shoulder,
sensing the power of his air element building in the wind that whipped at the curtains,
laying them horizontally in the air. Every nerve in her body responded to the call of the wild.
Lost in a tumultuous drive towards the peak of fulfilment, she took on everything his body
asked for, meeting him with a surge of passion that more than matched the tiger in his soul.
A tornado built around them ripping the curtains from their poles to flutter in ever decreasing
circles to land on the floor.
A desperate cry torn from her throat, Alex reached the tormented peak of madness that tied
her to a tiger for the rest of her life. The growling in her ear hit a high note as they collapsed
together face down on the bed. Each and every wave of pleasure rushing through her soul
blossomed and died in an endless spiral. Teague lay with his face buried in the curve of her back.
A cloud of molten silver swirled around them in the faltering eddies of a love inspired force of
nature. A voice, heartbreakingly beautiful rose above the last breath of a storm that mimicked
every nuance of the love they had shared. A soft ballad, sung in a language Alex didn’t
understand. It didn’t matter.
The import was in the cadence, in the husky avowal of love in song from the heart of a
male who offered his life to a true mate. Alex sighed into the pillows.
“I will treasure every moment I have with you. All the loving, every beautiful song will
keep me sane in the twilight of my years when I no longer get to have you in my arms.”
Her body shimmered with a pale reflection of Teague’s air element.
“I will hold you in my heart for the rest of my short life.”
His own heart beating wildly in the aftermath of a mating he had only ever dreamed of,
Teague shook with the intensity of the loss he would feel when his Aingeal breathed her
last on this earth.
“Nay my love, we will be together as one. I will ask of the Fates to grant me the same
mortality as thee, to be with you in life and death.” Running his hands over the smooth
contours of a supple waist he rolled Alex over to look deep into her eyes.
“I wish this more than an extended life.” Teague affirmed his love for her, with calm grace
and desperation.
“No… Dammit no…” Running her hands into burnished webs, Alex pulled him to her face,
eyes wide with fear at his proposal.
“My best friend is one of the Fates. She is just stupid enough to grant you that wish.
You made me a promise. You said you would let me go when I aged. Don’t make the wrong
decision in the heat of the moment.” Alex knew she would always love her tiger. But he
had to see sense. Once she was gone he could love again, be the true Sidhe father and lover
he was meant to be.
“What we have is beautiful. I need you to accept that it is fleeting. My love is yours for as
long as we can make it work, but I need you to go on, to be a strong arm for your Queen.
I can give only so much as it is possible for a human. You have a long life ahead, a life that
can be fulfilled by another mate. Don’t demean my offer by making a mistake you will regret
as you age with me.”
Burying his head in her shoulder, the Bard ground his teeth.
“I will love no other as I love thee.” Pulling Alex tight to his chest he groaned aloud, a man
on the verge of losing all he had hoped for.
“You don’t know that Teague.” She whispered back. “Humans love again after the loss of a
partner, you are no different.” Running her hands over his back, her heart bled.
This is why she shied away from the call of a mating bond with any of the Sidhe warriors.
Alex knew devastation would come in its wake.
“Tigers mate but once Aingeal. You are my one and only chance at love.” His voice was a
tight whisper of pain.
“I am yours, you are mine. I can accept no other.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks, Teague had bonded to her for life.
“Why did you do this if you knew you would outlive me?” Her throat was tight with the
grief of a life thrown away.
“I have watched you for so long. I prayed every day that my brothers would not prevail
where I had failed. In you I found an answering chord to the music in my heart, in the body
of a true soul mate.” Resting his cheek on her hair, Teague held the precious gift of love in
his arms.
“I make thee a vow Aingeal. I promise at the midnight of your life, I will let you go. I will not
follow you to the next plane if it eases thy soul.” Stroking long fingers over the curves of her
back, he sighed at the loss he would endure.
“No other will ever take thy place my precious Aingeal.”
Lifting her head, Alex was overwhelmed by his steadfast resolve, but in her heart she knew
he would recover from the loss. Gazing into eyes filled with swirling storm clouds she placed
her fingers on his lips.
“You only live once… Can we just live it without worry or regret? The future can take care of
itself.”
Lost in the crystal depths of sapphire eyes, Teague shook off despondency to listen to the
urgings of his female.
“Aye, you are wise my love. Why borrow trouble, it will find us ultimately.”
Rolling onto his back, the Bard tucked Alex into his side, fingers trailing over the curve
of a smoothly muscled waist.
“Will you stay in Edanholme now Aingeal?” He murmured into her hair.
Head resting on a smooth, hairless chest Alex luxuriated in the intimacy of a body so close
to hers, fingers caressing the satiny texture of his skin.
“You’re giving me a choice?” She whispered incredulously.
“No, I was but being polite…” A laugh rumbled in a throat so temptingly close to her mouth.
Reaching up she bit him gently, tasting cinnamon on her tongue.
“Very funny Lord Teague…” Alex didn’t care where she lived anymore, just so long as the
Bard was with her.
“My full title is Lord Teague of the High Fell, which means thou art now named, My Lady
Alex of the High fell.” Smoothing a wisp of hair from her forehead he dropped a cool kiss on
her brow.
“Not really, I’m Alex Franklyn, lover of the Bard.” She didn’t want another title, it was too
much to live up to.
“As you wish, I am too content to fight with you further.” He had claimed his lady love,
marked her with his scent, there was no argument to be had.
Running her fingers over his throat, Alex hoped he was content enough to answer the
questions she had concerning his former life.
“Teague…?” She was hesitant to remind him of the suffering he had endured, but to
understand why he had lived behind a wall of silent indifference for so many years the
subject could not be ignored.
“Aye my love, what makes thee anxious?” Running a hand over her back he could feel
the tension in underlying muscle.
“Why did the former Queen cut out your tongue?” Alex wasn’t one to beat around the
bush. If she had a question she just asked.
The Bard stiffened, eyes darkening to deep amethyst pools of remembered pain.
“I’m sorry… I should learn to keep my mouth shut.” Brushing a thumb over his lips she
apologised.
“Do not be sorry. You are concerned for me. No-one has shown any thought for my wellbeing
in an age. The request took me by surprise…” Wrapping his arms round her back,
the Bard held Alex pinned to his chest.
Eternal Bond (Edanholme Book 2) Page 15