by Donna Grant
She was stunning. Her body utter perfection, from her small breasts to the sexy indent of her waist. Her hands didn’t stop touching him. Her fingers were soft, her caresses both gentle and erotic at the same time.
He held her, pinning her between his body and the wall. Her lips parted as her chest rose and fell quickly. A blush stained her skin from the exertion. She placed her palms on his chest, one hand over his heart. Then she undulated her hips as if seeking his arousal.
Dubhan ground his teeth together as a surge of hunger tore through him. He shifted so the head of his cock brushed against the swollen folds of her sex. Her breath hitched as their bodies made contact.
“I need to feel you inside me,” she told him.
He rocked his hips forward, pushing the tip of his rod into her. Kyra bit her lip and tried to move, but he held her captive, refusing to allow her to do anything but feel what he was doing to her, absorbing the pleasure that swirled between them.
Dubhan pushed into her another inch. She leaned her head back against the wall, a moan falling from her lips. But when she realized that he wasn’t going any deeper, she frowned, trying once more to shift so she could pull him in more. He grinned at her frustration, at the way her body sought his.
After a few moments, he shifted. Her hands moved to his shoulders, and her nails dug into his skin. She was whimpering now, her need that intense.
Gradually, he pushed more of his cock inside her, deeper and deeper. She was too intent on her own craving to realize how much the slowness of what they were doing affected him, as well. With one final push, he filled her completely. Then there was no stopping him.
He began rocking his hips, thrusting in an even rhythm. But soon, that wasn’t enough. He pushed deeper, harder, flinging them both toward the precipice of pleasure as they kissed wildly. That’s when he stopped moving.
Their breathing was heavy, their bodies slick with sweat. He turned and carried her to the bedroom. Their lips met for another fiery kiss as her hand roamed over his chest, back, and shoulders.
Dubhan sat on the mattress and kissed down her throat. He leaned her back over his arms as his lips trailed across her chest to her breasts. Her moan as he took a turgid peak into his mouth made his balls tighten.
She rocked her hips in time with the motion of his tongue, her soft cries filling the room. His mouth moved to her other nipple, where he teased that one mercilessly as he felt her body tightening for another climax.
He didn’t relent, didn’t slow as he pushed her over the edge. The feel of her body clamping around him as she orgasmed was electrifying.
When she sagged in his arms, he pulled out of her and moved her to her stomach with her legs hanging off the bed. He grasped her hips and entered her from behind with one push. Her gasp filled the silence of the room, followed quickly by his moan.
Her body still twitched from pleasure, pushing him to find his own. He rubbed his hands over her firm ass cheeks before he began moving in and out of her. With her dark hair covering half of her face as she lay on one cheek, she dug her fingers into the coverlet, moaning in ecstasy.
She rose up on her hands and pushed back, meeting him thrust for thrust. Then she looked over her shoulder at him, their gazes meeting. The desire he saw there pushed him past the point of rational thought. All he cared about, all that mattered was the bliss that awaited them.
And she would be coming with him when he climaxed.
He wanted to hear her scream once more, to see the way her body tensed and then shivered when the ecstasy took her. Dubhan reached around and found her clit, circling it with his thumb.
Her answering moan let him know it was what she needed. But he was getting closer to orgasm than she was, and he didn’t know if he could hold his off any longer.
He stroked her back with his hands, running his fingers down her spine all the way to her butt, again and again. Each time, he drew closer to her anus until he let a finger linger there. Then, he pressed against the puckered area until the tip of his digit entered her as he continued thrusting inside her.
In no time at all, he felt her body tense. The moment she cried out his name, he gave in to the pleasure and let his climax take him.
Everything ceased to exist, but Kyra and the bliss they had found together. It was decadence at its finest, and he already craved more.
He pulled out of her and fell onto the bed. She scooted against him as he opened his arms for her. With their legs hanging over the side of the mattress, they wound their limbs together and simply lay in the silence of the room, each lost in the satisfaction they’d experienced.
“Wow,” she murmured.
Dubhan smiled and rubbed his hand up and down her bare back. “I completely agree.”
“We’re going to do that again.”
It wasn’t a question, and he loved how straightforward she was with everything. “We most certainly are.”
She smiled against his chest. “Good.”
He wanted to languish in the aftermath of their lovemaking, but his mind drifted to the danger that now surrounded her. He’d brought it to her door. It was true that she hadn’t had to help him, but he shouldn’t have asked her. That was squarely on his shoulders.
Dubhan also wasn’t sure how Eoghan or Death would react to Kyra. In fact, he was more than a little concerned about them finding out. But if he’d learned anything in his time with Death, it was that she always discovered everything eventually. There was no use hiding anything from her.
He drew in a deep breath, his gaze on the ceiling. Kyra’s breathing had evened into sleep. He wished he could join her, but it was a luxury he could ill afford. Dubhan remained with her as long as he could before gently rolling her onto her other side so he could extricate his arm. He shifted her fully onto the bed and covered her before he walked into the living area, calling his clothes to him as he did.
After teleporting outside, he looked up at the sky and closed his eyes, searching for the same peace he’d discovered the night before. To his surprise, he found it. Dubhan held onto it for a moment longer, letting it seep into his body that was already relaxed after sex.
Then he opened his eyes and said, “Eoghan.”
The Reaper leader arrived less than a minute later. He looked at Dubhan before glancing around, his quicksilver eyes lingering on the cottage before returning to Dubhan. “Did you find something?”
“Yes,” Dubhan answered. “But not Xaneth. I actually stumbled upon something else entirely.”
Eoghan waited silently.
Dubhan had fought many Fae in his life before and after becoming a Reaper, but he could honestly say he was glad that he’d never met Eoghan on the battlefield. There was a reason the Reaper was one of their leaders.
“Something in Drumshanbo kept me in the village,” he told Eoghan. “I didn’t realize what it was until I recognized that my wanderings kept leading me to a certain building. It’s a bookstore owned by mortals.”
Eoghan’s forehead creased in a frown. “Why would humans draw your interest? Were they dealing with Fae?”
“Actually, it was the markings on the doorframe.”
“What markings?”
Dubhan glanced at the moon. “The first was a symbol to keep Fae out.”
“That’s not uncommon here in Ireland. Especially if the family line goes back to when the Fae first arrived.”
“I don’t know about that. Honestly, I wasn’t too concerned with the mortals keeping Fae out. It was the other symbol that caught my attention. One I’d seen only one other time in my life.”
Eoghan raised his brows. “Where?”
“My parents’ house.”
Eoghan took that in, nodding slightly. “Do you know what the marking is?”
“I was never told.”
Eoghan knew Dubhan’s history. Reaper leaders knew the pasts of those they led to help them become a cohesive unit, so Dubhan didn’t feel the need to elaborate.
“I see,” Eoghan said after
a moment.
Dubhan wished that was all he had to say. “There’s more.”
“There usually always is. I’m guessing it pertains to whoever occupies this cottage.”
Dubhan gave a single nod. “I’ll tell you how we came to meet, but first, I want you to know that I asked for her help in discovering what the symbol meant. When she went to find out, I veiled myself to follow her as she went to Belfast to ask a Fae couple there. They sent her to Maximillian.”
Eoghan didn’t utter a word, but his entire body tensed.
“I followed her through the Fae doorway to see him and was immediately dealt pain the likes of which I’ve never experienced.”
“Not even a symbol to keep Fae out will stop us,” Eoghan said.
Dubhan snorted. “He managed to find a marking to ward against Reapers.”
Eoghan’s lips parted at the news. “Is that so? But you managed to stay in his home?”
“It was excruciating, and I passed out afterwards, but yes, I did.”
“I suppose you took the pain for a reason?”
Dubhan swallowed. “He knew what the symbol was I sought. He didn’t want to tell Kyra at first, but she managed to get it out of him.”
“Max doesn’t tell anyone anything he doesn’t want them to know.”
“I believe he really didn’t want to tell her. They were once lovers, and I think he still cares for her. He tried to talk her into forgetting about the symbol, but she wouldn’t.”
Eoghan grunted softly. “What did he tell her?”
“It’s a symbol for the Others. More precisely, it’s for those who are part of the Others, or those who want to join.”
Eoghan’s face went slack. “This is important information. I’m glad you looked into it.”
Dubhan ran a hand down his face. “The couple Kyra went to, asking about the symbol? They were killed not long after she visited them.”
“That isn’t a coincidence.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Eoghan’s nostrils flared as he looked at the house. “Who is she?”
“A Light Fae.”
Surprise filled Eoghan’s face when he turned back to Dubhan.
“I know,” Dubhan said. “The thing is, she was at the Light Castle when we fought the Trackers. Somehow, she was in the area of magic that Aisling put up so that no Fae could see the battle.”
Eoghan simply sat there.
Worry knotted Dubhan’s stomach. “She found me simply by thinking about me. In fact, she’s been following me ever since the castle.”
“She must be using some kind of magic.”
Dubhan shook his head. “She does have an ancient spell book that her aunt found on the Fae Realm, but I looked in it. I think she’s telling me the truth about how she found me.”
“I don’t like it, Dubhan. And Death isn’t going to either.”
Dubhan took a step toward Eoghan. “Without Kyra, we wouldn’t know about the symbol. She’s put her life in danger to help me.”
“She knows what you are.”
It wasn’t a question. Dubhan glanced away and nodded. “She knows.”
“I honestly don’t know what Death’s decision on this will be.”
“I’d like to plead Kyra’s case,” Dubhan said.
Eoghan quirked a brow, surprise etched on his features. “You?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter Nine
Kyra didn’t know what woke her. Her eyes flew open, her heart pounding.
“I heard it, too,” Dubhan whispered from beside her.
She gripped his arm that was lying over her waist as he molded his body to hers from behind. Neither of them moved as they waited to hear the sound again, though she was acutely aware of how eerily silent the night was. Almost as if all the animals had simply . . . vanished.
Her body was tense, her blood pumping quickly. Every nerve screamed danger! She kept thinking about finding Tate and Jesta murdered. And of Max’s warning. Was it the Others? Were they there to exact their revenge?
Kyra might know how to talk her way out of most things, but when it came to fight or flight—she was gone.
“Easy,” Dubhan whispered in her ear.
She had no interest in meeting up with the Others since she had no intention of having her life ended. She didn’t regret helping Dubhan, but she would only be a hindrance in battle.
Kyra parted her lips to tell him that when she heard a branch outside her window snap in two. With her heart beating double-time, she tried to decide what to do. Before she could, Dubhan had them on their feet and clothed. He turned her to look at him and put his finger to her lips. She nodded woodenly, too terrified to do much else.
Several tense minutes passed before the night came alive again. Whatever had been out there was gone. She should feel relieved. Instead, she couldn’t stop thinking about what might have happened had Dubhan not been there.
He released her and took a step back.
“Where are you going?” she asked in a frantic whisper.
He calmly turned back to her. “I’m going to look outside. There might be some clue as to who was out there.”
She winced when he used his normal voice, but she kept hers at a whisper. “We both know who it was.”
“Maybe,” Dubhan said with a shrug. “I won’t know until I look. They’re gone, Kyra.”
“So you think. They could be out there waiting.”
“If they wanted in, they would’ve gotten in,” he told her.
She began to argue when she realized the truth of his words. Her mouth closed as she looked around her room. She no longer felt safe in the cottage. All these years, she’d believed that she had very few things she needed to worry about hurting her. The realization that there was a group like the Others out there, who also had it in for the Dragon Kings was terrifying.
How did a Fae like her—or any Fae, for that matter—combat such a group?
Dubhan’s crimson gaze studied her. “I’m not leaving. I’m merely going for a look outside.”
“I’ll come with you,” she said. That’s when it dawned on her that she was no longer whispering, and she wasn’t sure when she’d stopped.
Dubhan held out his hand. She took it, lacing her fingers with his. The moment their hands connected, some of her anxiety left. He gave her a nod. She smiled in return. Then they walked from the cottage together. Her senses were on high alert. She looked everywhere, but she realized she wasn’t really seeing anything since she was only skimming things.
Kyra took a deep breath and looked to Dubhan to see what he was doing. He stood perfectly still, his head moving slowly from one side to the other as his eyes searched the darkness for any signs of an intruder.
He wasn’t tense. In fact, he appeared relaxed, but that was likely only so he could react quickly if need be. She copied him, forcing herself to ease her muscles and calm down. Yet her fear still had her firmly in its grip.
And her desire to run far away from all of this was strong.
She made herself stand her ground. It was silly, this fear inside her. She’d never encountered anyone or anything where she was forced to defend herself using magic or battle skills before. It didn’t help that all her life, her mother had drilled into her that women should let the men handle battle, while they took care of the home life.
So many years of that, and it had become ingrained in her to run at the first sign of conflict. Kyra had adjusted some over the years, and had gotten Eva’s ability to talk her way out of tight situations, but this was entirely different.
Despite what was going on with her, Dubhan didn’t seem the least bit perturbed. That was probably because he was used to battle. It had nothing to do with him being Dark, and everything to do with him being in past scuffles.
His red eyes glanced her way. He said nothing as he started around the side of the house. She didn’t want to go. In fact, her legs refused to budge at first, but she made her m
uscles obey her command and keep pace with Dubhan. He walked slowly, stopping and staring at the ground for several moments before his gaze moved around the area. He did that again and again until they reached her bedroom window.
She saw the broken twig the same time as Dubhan did. He squatted down beside it, releasing her hand so he could inspect the stick. After a few moments, he straightened and turned to her.
“That’s a look of concern,” she said.
His lips flattened briefly. “A Fae was here, but I don’t know if it was a Light or a Dark. Does anyone know where you’re staying?”
“No one.”
“Hmm,” he said and looked down the mountain to the village below. “There are several Fae down there.”
She followed his gaze. “True, but I didn’t interact with any of them.”
“That doesn’t mean one didn’t follow you since you rode the motorbike instead of using magic.”
Kyra frowned as she thought about her favorite mode of transportation. “I’ve been riding that for years. No Fae has been interested yet. Nor have any followed me.”
“It’s an option.”
She gave him a flat look. “So are those who left those markings on the bookstore. We still don’t know what they want.”
“There’s no need to think like that. It might have been someone else.”
“I deal in facts,” she stated. “Facts are what keep things simple and straightforward. Don’t sugarcoat things because you don’t believe I can handle it.”
He blew out a breath. “You have a point, but I also saw your reaction to knowing someone was here.”
“I’m working on that. The fact I’m still here says a lot.”
“Yes, it does.” He looked away, staring down the mountain for a long, silent minute. Then he faced her and said, “It could’ve been the Others. It also could have been someone else. For all I know, it was a Reaper.”
That stunned her. She hadn’t even considered that possibility. “Do you often sneak up on your fellow Reapers?”
“No. Nor would they have come and not called for me.”
“So, we’re back to the Others or those who wish to join them.”