Eternal Bond (Edanholme Book 2)

by Catherine Fitzpatrick

  With a deep sigh of relief Cat bent to seal the cut on his wrist with a swift stroke of her

  tongue. Licking at her lips she grinned at the Bard. “You taste nearly as good as Drusal...”

  A frown creased her nose in annoyance. “Sorry, that was insensitive.”

  Easing to her feet, one hand on the swell of her belly, she stroked Teague’s silvery hair.

  “Do you care for Alex enough to stay with her through the night?”

  Using the bed for support, the Bard got shakily to his feet to offer his Queen the full form

  of allegiance, protection and love.

  “I knew I could count on the love in your heart. I’ll make sure you are not disturbed.”

  Turning as she reached the door, Cat smiled wickedly. “If you need me, just scream.”

  He loved his Queen unconditionally. Sometimes her biting humour reminded Teague that

  the royal blood in her veins had a dark edge, the generosity of her heart concealed.

  With a twisted grin he acknowledged the inference of her words. Alex may waken in the

  grip of blood lust only the Queen of the Dark Court had the power to control.

  Shrugging off weapons and armour he approached the bed on silent feet. Easing into the

  overstuffed armchair at its side, violet eyes locked onto the face of the angel of Edanholme.

  Aingeal had proved time and again she was capable of controlling the ingrained arrogance

  of his kin to dominate her. Her power to diffuse useless arguments, to soothe the ruffled

  feelings of a continuous stream of refugees unused to a life in a dimension void of human

  technology, was miraculous.

  She had made it her business to set up a centre for information technology in a barn

  attached to the Queen’s residence. Thus creating a workable solution for the refugees

  whose assets were only accessible through on-line banking. Teague had learnt how to use

  this technology to benefit his own music library.

  The few children at the settlement were catered for with distance learning and home

  schooling, again arranged by Alex. He and his brother warriors had attended some of the

  lessons to gain knowledge of a world they had to assimilate into to meet the needs of a

  diverse population.

  Their appearance was always greeted with mirth by the younglings whose knowledge far

  outstripped a group of males who had lived in seclusion for eons.

  You tube was a revelation of undiluted nonsense he found irksome and strangely addictive.

  Having all the information he could ever want at his fingertips was a gift of patient hours of

  tutelage from Aingeal.

  Teague mused upon the wealth of love offered to a settlement of beings with no right to

  expect his female to be at their beck and call twenty four hours a day.

  A wry grin twisted his lips. He expected her to be there when he needed her, with no thought

  to a life Aingeal led in the human domain. Alex gave all without question.

  Was he prepared to do the same for her? They had shared so many happy moments.

  The love she offered him was tempered by the fear she would lose him when old age left

  her frail and grey haired.

  That fear had been assuaged in a brutal assault that guaranteed a life as long as any Sidhe.

  What shape that life would take, what trauma had been caused to a soul as gentle and

  giving as Aingeal’s was a question waiting to be answered. Settling deeper in the over-

  stuffed chair, Teague stretched out long legs to find a more comfortable position.

  Stop squirming man… A faint thought entered his head.

  Aingeal…? Sitting bolt upright he leant over the bed to study her face. Dark lashes fanned

  the peach tint of cheeks glowing with robust health.

  Is this my midnight Teague? Fear tinged her thoughts.

  No precious one, tis a second dawn for you. Reaching out he laid his hand on the smooth

  curve of one cheek.

  Then why do I feel so bloody awful? A tremor shook her body, memories came flooding back.

  Is Ameia home? Is she safe?

  Aingeal, do not fret so. A frigid cold settled in his heart at her words.

  The vampire hybrid was elusive. Had she used the shared bond of sisterhood to lead an

  unwary female into a trap? If so, her life would be forfeit at the Queen’s discretion.

  You are safe, she is safe. Please my Aingeal sleep. Let your body heal.

  Will you sleep with me? Terror and confusion rocked Alex’s mind. If Teague was with her,

  she was safe. Then why did her body feel like it was being pulled apart? Why did every nerve

  ending tingle at the weight of silk sheets? Her mind was blank. She remembered following

  Ameia to a derelict building, beyond that was a stone wall in her head that hid a terror too

  dark to access.

  Settling onto the bed at her side, Teague knew he was courting disaster. If the blood lust rose

  he would be defenceless. A soft sigh left pink tinged lips. Now I can sleep…

  Rolling into his side Alex relaxed, her mind locked down a screaming fear she couldn’t

  correlate. The cool mist of air element emanating from her skin doused the flaring pain

  assaulting fang damaged limbs.

  Eyes wide in wonder, Teague bolstered the air element, wreathing them both in a cocoon to

  cushion the pain of a body awakening to the Dark side.

  His choice was made, to stay with his mate whatever the consequences…

  Aingeal using the healing powers of the elements subconsciously augured well for her

  physical recovery. The elements had been transferred atom deep, as depleted cells were

  renewed with the vigour of eternal life. The acceptance of an altered state was in the hands

  of the Fates, literally and figuratively.

  The Queen had been fiercely protective of her sister, to the point she would have employed

  her own mate’s essence to save a sacred life. Teague had to believe Iscatya was sure of the

  decision to bolster a faltering spirit, rather than see it fade away.

  He had told his love trouble would find them ultimately.

  He had no premonition of disaster as he watched her walk away this morning.

  It served no purpose to dwell on regrets, but he wished he had dragged her unwilling body

  to the sanctuary of the cove, rather than submit to the demands of a working day.

  His heart was torn in two at the memory of the imperfections of a body he adored, a body

  healing visibly as the minutes ticked by. The female at his side would be perfect in every way.

  A radiant vision of youth and beauty for evermore, but would her heart and soul hold the

  same generosity of spirit he perceived on the fateful day he had first tentatively breeched

  the walls of diffidence to approach her.

  Sighing deeply, Teague braced his shoulders against the headboard, settling in for a long

  night on guard.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  A soft knock on the outer door brought Teague upright instantly. Swinging booted legs

  from the bed, he strode to the door before Aingeal’s rest was disturbed. Turi peered round

  his shoulder to lock eyes on the tiny figure on the bed.

  “I brought food for you both.” The smile on his face held a wealth of information.

  “The house is shielded, thy brothers offer protection. Once Aingeal is ready to receive

  visitors, we are eager and waiting.”

  Teague wished to know what had transpired since he brought his love home. Feeding

  himself and possibly a vampire was of more importance right now.

  “My thanks brother.
..” With a face as serene as the winter white snow coating the land

  bordering Edanholme, Teague accepted his breakfast with a graceful bow to a nosy warrior.

  Shutting the door in Turi’s face, he dropped the tray on the bedside cabinet.

  Waking up a female who was more than capable of removing the parts necessary to support

  the life force in his body was a nightmare of doubts. If he had to feed her desires he would

  without question. The cost to their love may be too much too bear.

  Keeping a meagre semblance of distance, Teague settled in the armchair at the side of the

  bed. Aingeal waken…

  He sent out a thought filled with concern and love for his mate. Normally the Bard would

  have smothered her face in kisses to make her open glorious sapphire eyes. On this fateful

  morning he dare not touch his love in any way.

  It may incite a response other than a languorous arousal.

  Violet eyes watched warily as Alex stretched wide eyes still closed. Rolling to the side of the

  bed he had slept on, she threw out one arm to encounter nothing but the pillows.

  Panic emanated from her mind as she sat bolt upright, terror written on a face drained of all

  colour. Taking in her surroundings, Alex recognised the guest suite she used on occasion.

  Her eyes fell on the figure of a tense warrior. His face was as calm and beautiful as ever, the

  distress in the shifting aura of his air element an indication of the chaos of his mind.

  Assimilating the effects of Sidhe power without realising what she was doing, the reason

  for her presence in the Queen’s home came with painful memories of her abduction.

  With a soft cry Alex threw the quilt from bare legs, examining the texture of smooth skin

  innocent of any sign of a vampire attack. Running her hands over a silky nightdress, Alex

  lifted her eyes to Teague.

  “What did you do?” Tears gathering on her lashes, she remembered screaming for help as

  the last breath left her body. She had died under a pile of blood hungry nightmares.

  One face filled her head, a young boy with distinctively Asian features that were compellingly

  seductive, had served her up for dinner without a flicker of remorse.

  Teague waited for Aingeal to reach her own conclusions, he dare not speak. He was guilty of

  the sin of greed, a desire to keep his female forever at the expense of her humanity. The fear

  that she would not forgive him for damning her soul sealed his lips tightly shut. He had no

  words that would serve to redeem his soul.

  “Am I so hideous that you can’t talk to me?” Tears overflowing Alex buried her head in the

  pillows. “You should have let me die.” A muffled gasp of pain reached the Bard’s ears.

  “The Queen demanded you live. We both gave of our essence to keep you with us.”

  In trying to control his terror that Alex would reject him, the fear of losing the Angel of

  Edanholme came out flat, compounding the rejection she saw in the coldness of indifference

  that was Teague’s default mode.

  A harsh laugh left Alex’s lips as she eased round to face a male who had once made a promise

  to love her until she was too tired to remain on earth.

  “So…” Wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of one hand, she eased back to lean

  against the headboard.

  “Because Cat commanded your compliance you agreed to this?” Alex used both hands to

  indicate a body free of any injuries.

  “Aingeal no…” His fears coming to fruition, for once in his life Teague couldn’t convey the

  desperation he had felt holding her lifeless body in his arms.

  “I’m no angel... Demon, monster, the worst kind of horror inflicted upon an innocent human

  population. I am no better than the sadistic little cretins who prey upon an unsuspecting town.”

  Easing from the bed on the opposite side from Teague, Alex dropped bare feet to the

  carpet. Everything seemed clearer, sharper, the texture of each fibre of carpeting felt

  slightly abrasive to sensitive skin. Senses heightened, the smell of coffee and croissants

  triggered a rumbling in her belly. Reaching for a crescent of deliciously flaky pastry, Alex

  nibbled experimentally. Thank God… She still wanted to eat.

  Being denied her favourite foods, especially chocolate, would have sunk her further into

  a pit of despair.

  Teague hadn’t moved, he sat watching Alex lick the last of the pastry from her fingers with

  obvious relish. That she could eat was a sign that even a meagre amount of the Queen’s

  essence subsumed a blood lust to align with the Dark Court’s redirected cravings.

  A flicker of hope sent his pulse soaring. There was a way to ascertain the extent of the

  changes wrought in his Aingeal.

  Alex could sense the change in Teague, not right out read his mind, more a tangible feeling

  of relief. Her heart was crushed that he wouldn’t tell her what she had become.

  He had waited for her to work it out for herself. The responsibility for the changes in her body

  had been handed over to Cat as Queen and commander of the enforcers of justice.

  The Bard’s obvious relief that any anger she felt would be directed at her friend, not aimed

  at a male who had only followed orders, made her want to weep all over again.

  “Laying the blame at Cat’s door is the coward’s way out Teague. I wasn’t perfect, now I’m

  an abomination. I never expected you to love me, so I won’t be surprised or heart broken

  when you walk away. We both knew what we had was an entertaining interlude. I hold you

  to your promise My Lord. I’m dead to you, so let me go…”

  The volume of her voice built to shake plaster from the walls. A frenzied knocking came

  from the outer door.

  “Go away Turi. I’m busy right now….” She screamed out her frustration.

  Teague represented the most refined and pure of the Sidhe nation, to be aligned to a

  creature without the least shred of purity in her soul would be as appealing as cutting out

  his own heart. Being entertained for a fleeting time by a fragile human was more acceptable than

  the life she now offered. Reading only rejection in an immobile figure, Alex took hesitant steps

  from the bed. Fear uppermost in her mind that she felt immensely strong, she turned in

  the doorway of the bathroom to face a love she had lost, a sad smile on her lips.

  “I am going to have a shower and indulge in total meltdown. I expect you to leave and take

  your blatant distaste at the thought of loving a vampire, with you.” Without waiting for a

  reply Alex shut the door on the face of a male she didn’t want to live a life without.

  Teague wasted no time in putting his plan into action. Using the air element he built a wall

  of pure force around the perimeter of the suite. If it led to his death, so be it. He wanted no

  disturbance as he sought an answer to his female’s new nature. Pulling the leather jerkin

  over his head, Teague threw it to land on the pile of weapons and armour he had discarded

  the night before. Knee high boots followed soon after.

  Sitting crossed legged at the foot of the bed he swept a silvery curtain of hair over one

  shoulder to plait it. Tying off the loose end with a strip of leather he kept wrapped round his

  wrist. Lean muscled torso stripped bare, the curve of his neck exposed, Teague lounged on

  the bed in an attitude of complete repose waiting patiently for Aingeal to return.

  The sho
wer ran hot over tender skin. Alex washed her hair quickly, anxious to get out of a

  house filled with beings who had loved her once. It never occurred to her that she was too

  dangerous to be let loose. Her priority was to go back to her apartment to cry for a week before

  contacting Phillipe, the regent of the Dark Court. The only option open to her was to become a

  resident of the vampire dimension. Even there, she may not be welcomed with open arms.

  Slipping on a fluffy white bathrobe, Alex dried her hair to fall in a wave of glossy blue black

  feathers over her shoulders. Not once did she look in the mirror. She knew the face would

  be as flawless as the rest of her body. The thought was just too disturbing. Bracing to open

  the door to a room empty of her lover, Alex held back the sob that threatened to break what

  little self-control she had left. Opening the door her mouth fell open in dismay.

  A long limbed epitome of grace and beauty stretched out on the bed made her mouth water

  with desire.

  “What the hell are you’re doing? Have you gone completely insane? I told you to leave….”

  Backing into the bathroom, Alex couldn’t believe Teague was foolish enough to bait the

  monster lurking in her soul. Sapphire blue eyes wide with shock, registered the wall of force

  shimmering in her peripheral vision.

  “I’m a prisoner?” Hanging onto the door handle for support, fear of enclosed spaces, fear of

  being held against her will triggered a fight reflex.

  “You need to feed Aingeal. None other than I will ever be yours to take.” Violet eyes blazed

  with determination.

  “I don’t need to feed, nor can you make decisions for me.” Her will was draining away fast

  under the influence of a body so freely offered.

  “Then tell me why your fangs are lowered?” No emotion crossed a serene face. No sign of

  fear or desire, only a cold insistence of her hunger. Slapping a hand to her mouth, a sharp

  edge scratched her palm. Lowering her hand, sapphire eyes fixed on the bleeding cut.

  “Oh God No….” Her wail was heart rending, it seared his ears and blasted through the ether.

  No-one in the house or in the realm of Edanholme would be left in any doubt as to the reason