Behind the Veil: 3 (Temptation Unveiled) (10 page)

Sheridan was suspicious. She moved closer to Finn, studying
his mysterious expression. “
People
might change, but you, in case you
haven’t noticed, are not people. And not to knock your goddess, but that man
said—”

“Lugh.”

She made an impatient noise. “
Lugh
said she didn’t
know anything. She can’t see what’s going to happen or which of her people are
responsible.”

When he finally met her gaze, Sheridan forgot how to
breathe. The same fire that had been burning inside her all day was simmering
behind his intent expression. “She has put her faith in you and our fate in
your hands. She knows you can do it. The
Fianna
know you can do it, as
do I.”

Lies. This is a trap. This isn’t like him.

She tried to mentally shut out the voice in her head, but it
was a difficult task when she had the same doubts. “Who are you and what have
you done with Finn the Fairy? The one whose middle name is Arrogance?” She
narrowed her eyes and took another step closer, telling herself it was more an
intimidation tactic than a response to his magnetism. “You haven’t answered
Meru. Where were you today?”
Why weren’t you here?

Finn smiled. Was it her imagination or did she detect a
tinge of wickedness in the curve? He studied her lips as if he’d never seen
anything more fascinating. “Why? Did you miss me, or is this some kind of
interrogation?”

Before she could respond, his fellow
Fianna,
followed
closely by a guarded Kyle
,
entered the kitchen and interrupted them.

“I can’t stand it. I’ve been smelling steak for an hour,”
Damon growled playfully.

Meru squealed as he reached her in two long strides,
slipping his hands beneath her arms and lifting her up to his eye level for a
kiss. “Steak and wife. A combination too powerful to resist.”

Kyle shook his head and covered his eyes. “Ugh. Don’t mind
me. I’m just the guy who knew her when she was eight and going through her
mud-eating phase. I won’t need therapy after watching this or anything.”

“As I was telling you before, there are situations you
cannot control and things you’ll be forced to witness repeatedly. Get used to
it, Kyle.
We
all have.” Raj wore a solemn expression, but his dark eyes
were twinkling. “I’m only surprised Damon lasted this long.”

Finn was still looking at her instead of the others.
Intently. And he’d mentioned interrogations as if he knew… But how could he?
She took her plate and followed the others to the dining table on the other
side of the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed an awe-inspiring view of
the mountains. The same view she’d had for months. It was only fascinating now
because she refused to fall for whatever the Fae was trying to pull.

It kind of ruined your appetite when the man you were
pretending to loathe because everyone expected you to—and because you secretly
wanted to rip his clothes off—was
nice
to you.

Nice wasn’t part of the agreement. Snarky banter, unspoken
tension and little to no eye contact was how the game was played. How it had
always been between them.

You’d think he’d know that by now.

He does know something. He’s behaving this way because he
doesn’t trust you. Don’t be fooled. He’s trying to trip you up. Throw you off
so you’ll give us away. Then the trap will close.

She glanced up through her eyelashes in time to see him push
his steak out of the way and reach for the turmeric rice and mixed salad. She
didn’t trust him either. How could she trust someone who was basically a
vegetarian? She cut a large piece out of her steak and, waiting until he looked
up, placed it defiantly into her mouth.

Meru wasn’t focused on eating anymore as she grilled Finn. “Aunt
Lily was celebrating Lugh’s wedding,
Lughnasada
, on my birthday. And now
you say it was Lugh who spoke to Sheridan in her dream. He’s Tuatha, right?
Wasn’t he the king before Queen Morrigan’s line took the throne?”

“He was king, for a time. But he was not a full-blooded
member of the Fae. His mother was one of us, but his father was Archon. After
she was murdered by his father’s people, he came to us for sanctuary.” Finn was
still looking directly at her when he answered her cousin. She squirmed in her
chair, feeling naked beneath his penetrating gaze. It was beyond disconcerting,
but his words still got through to her.

“He’s from the ‘we’re better than you’ dimension?
That’s
who I saw? Great.” Sheridan shoved another piece of meat in her mouth, ignoring
the fact that it tasted like sawdust on her tongue. That must have been why his
eyes had a silvery tint, reminding her of Nyctimus and Myrddin.

Finn made a soft sound of disapproval. But no glaring. No
defensive barb. What was wrong with him? Was he sick? “Lugh is a hero to my
people, Sheridan. Heart and soul, he was a true child of Danu. He proved
himself in some of our most important battles, always risking his life for us
against his father’s warriors, despite our initial prejudice against him. He
also aided Danu in the invention of our greatest defensive weapon. It was named
for him, to honor his efforts.”

Raj joined the conversation, sounding once again like the
quiet scholar instead of the warrior Sheridan knew him to be. “The texts I’ve
read say Lugh was a great comfort to his people as Danu became more and more
incorporeal, but when she finally stopped appearing altogether, he was the one
who could not be consoled. He married and had children, ruled as king for a
time, but he grew bitter that he could not evolve as Danu had, that he would
never be able to because of his bloodline. They say one day he just disappeared
into the wilderness with his family and a few of his most loyal followers, his
spear going missing at the same time.”

Sheridan noticed Finn’s temple twitch. Finally, a normal
reaction. “That is what
our
texts
say. His Archon blood kept him
trapped inside his skin and, despite all of his accomplishments, it was said he
would find no peace until the spear was restored to Danu’s people. But most
believe he will return, that he merely keeps it safe to protect us from
ourselves. There is a replica used in all our ceremonies and it holds a place
of honor in the queen’s palace…waiting to be replaced by the real artifact.”

“He was right, wasn’t he?” Meru interjected, using her fork
to punctuate her sentence. “Lugh, I mean. If your people knew where the spear
was, the sect of
Dark
followers would know too. They would have taken it
by now.”

Sheridan’s spirits suddenly lifted. “So my dream means I’m
supposed to find Lugh, the guy who
left
the Fae realm? I’m okay with
that. Kyle and I will just follow his bread crumbs while the rest of you enjoy
orgy central without us.”

Meru snorted. “Nice try, Harridan. The dream specifically
said you needed to leave the Eastern Portal and head North. That is where the
clues have led, for all of us. Whatever you need to do, it has to be there.”

Kyle set down his fork with a clatter. “Wait, the Eastern
Portal? Is
that
where we are? I know Myrddin told us there were four of
them, but I keep forgetting. The Fae are at the Northern Portal to protect us
from the bad guys…so Raj, do your people do the same here? Is that why we can’t
go there?”

Sheridan’s gaze flew to Raj, who refused to look at her.
Sharp as bees, betrayal stung her skin, swarming around her when his expression
darkened with guilty knowledge.

He glared at Kyle. “What my people do will never be a topic
of discussion, Detective. The East is not a risk and is no one’s concern but
mine. That path and this line of questioning is closed.”

He’d never said. She knew Shambhala existed, that no human
had ever found evidence of it and that Raj was born there—but she’d never put
the pieces together. Man, how stupid could she be? But why hadn’t Raj told her
it was a portal? Didn’t he think that was something she needed to know?

Her brain suddenly clicked into high gear. She stared down
the dragon. “The tapestry in my room?”

Raj shook his head once, so forcefully his long, dark braid
slid over his shoulder. “That is not the entrance. It is connected to
Shambhala—woven ages ago along with many others as windows to watch the world
and guard against danger. It was only there to ensure your safety.”

Sheridan had asked to be taken far from danger, far from all
things
Fianna
and Other. And this was where he’d brought her? Here, to
one of the four places on the planet where she could be in the most danger from
the
Dark
? Accessible to them? And she’d been
spied
on as well?

Evil. I told you. They are all evil. Even Raj, whom you
defended, is a liar. Put you in harm’s way. Laughed at you.

Sheridan stood abruptly. “I’ve lost my appetite. I think I’ll
call it a night. Tomorrow will be a busy day, what with the start of the fairy
sex parade and all. You’ll understand, my gracious host, why I’m throwing that
carpet art out of my bedroom.”

Raj and Finn both made sounds of protest.

“Sheridan, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you—”

“Sheridan, wait. I need to tell you—”

Don’t listen to any of them. Not a word. They lie.

She
wasn’t
listening. She was leaving this room as
fast as her shocked body could move her and hiding in the relative safety of
her bedroom suite. She’d spend the night reminding herself why she was doing
this. Family. Meru. The baby. And when it was over? She never wanted to see any
of them again. As much as she loved them, for her own sanity she had to
disappear for good. She’d just be the long-distance Auntie Sheridan who sent
the best Christmas presents.

She’d get a pet hamster and move to Nebraska. Hamsters made
better pets than dragons, and there couldn’t possibly be a dimensional portal
in Nebraska. Tornadoes, sure, but no dimensional portals.

At the entrance to the kitchen, two ethereal-looking beings
stood in the way of her escape, a female with wild, waist-length ruby curls and
a beautiful bald man with skin the color of pearls. Both obviously Fae.

Sheridan reacted instinctively. Even in this room, the walls
were decorated with elegantly carved wooden staffs, made by artisans for the
royal family, Raj had told her. She grabbed the nearest one, tearing it from
its display hooks and wielding it in front of her in a defensive posture. “Who
the hell are you?”

The pale man’s strange eyes widened, but the redhead
grinned. “Jumpy, aren’t you? And just as physical as he claimed. You must be
Sheridan Kelly, descendent of Áine. You look just like her, did you know? The
resemblance is quite striking.”

“Ceri, I can’t hear her.” The pale man spoke in a low,
calming voice behind her. “Not a word, feeling or a single image. And if I can’t,
they won’t be able to either. None of them. It will drive them all insane,
especially the sect these
Fianna
are so concerned about.” He paused and
smiled in delight. “How marvelous.”

She really didn’t have the patience for one more
supernatural riddle. She only wanted to know one thing. “Who.
The hell
.
Are you?”

The woman he’d called Ceri looked over Sheridan’s shoulder
and raised her eyebrow, her expression chiding. “You haven’t told her yet, Finn?
Typical.” She shook her head before turning her violet gaze back to Sheridan. “You’ll
have to forgive us for this intrusion. We thought you’d be expecting us, but
our timing is obviously a bit off. I’m Ceri the exile and my handsome companion
here is called Dian.”

She waited until the others had come close enough to hear
her words, seeming to relish the attention.

“We’ve come for your human.”

“I can’t believe this is happening. How could that bastard
not tell me?”

Sheridan was pacing in her room, every normal human instinct
inside her demanding she run down the hall and rescue Kyle from the clutches of
those two immortal kinksters.
Both of them
? Both of them had to “claim”
him in order for him to survive a trip to Fae land?

And Kyle. She was still in shock from
his
reaction.
He’d hesitated for less than sixty seconds before he’d agreed to join the
strange Fae couple. Had his food been drugged? Was he hypnotized? He hadn’t
listened to Sheridan’s protests. Hadn’t made eye contact with the other men. He’d
just followed them upstairs as if he were already their mindless sex slave.

It wasn’t like him at all.

The others, her cousin included, had obviously decided that
absence was the best policy. They must have good survival instincts because she
felt like kicking some
Fianna
ass right now. One in particular.

A soft male voice sent her whirling around to face the open
door. Dian. He’d been introduced as Dian. “The ‘bastard’in question
wanted to tell you, but we didn’t give him a chance. The celebration begins
tomorrow and Ceri and I were, I admit, impatient to get started.”

“I bet,” Sheridan snarled, too upset to hold her tongue. “No
time like the present to tag team a guy against his will, right? Sure. I
understand. It makes perfect sense that a species of oversexed Tinker Twits
would make
this
rule. You don’t need a password to get in. Just get
naked.”

Dian tilted his head, his pale eyes smiling. “It is good
that you are so outspokenly honest, sinceyour thoughts elude me. The
rest of the household, however, is an open book. And they are filled with
anxiety. Not about Kyle or even about the
Dark
.” He took a step forward
when she opened her mouth, silencing her with a gesture. “What to do about
Sheridan Kelly, they wonder. How to make her accept her destiny? How to ease
her mind and heal her after all she suffered at the hands of the Horde?”

His lips curved in a way Sheridan found oddly fascinating. “The
most interesting thoughts, as you may have guessed, come from the fair prince
of Aisling.”

Finn? “You can hear his thoughts? I didn’t think you did
that to each other without an invitation.”

Why was she listening to him? His companion could be
enchanting Kyle at this very moment. He was the one she should be thinking
about. Her partner. Not the
Fianna
warrior who, if she were careful,
would never have any idea how she felt.

Dian’s laugh was a tinkling of soft bells. Beautiful. “I
knew you’d find that irresistible. As do I. Shall I tell you more? Finn’s
thoughts are open to me, though there are many things about
you
thatare
a mystery to everyone. Why you can’t be read, for example. Not even by me.”

He smiled modestly. “I’ve been raised to make my way past
any barrier. Trained to listen. And as a Dweller, our entire existence was
study, so you can imagine how good I am. I can read your body and the tone of
your voice, but I can’t hear you. Because I can’t, I don’t know why you fight
your true cravings and instincts. Why you bottle up all your passion and
emotion. Your body vibrates with it, yet you ignore its demands. It is a trait
I normally find suspicious, but you are a special case. Danu favors you and
your family, and as her servant in all things, I am bound to follow her will.”

His hand swept behind him toward the door. “Finn is
fortifying himself to face you as we speak. To explain in a way you will
understand why our arrival and his request for our help was the highest honor
he could bestow upon you. The only way to keep this human you care for safe
from others of our kind so he may accompany you.”

“Shit.” She should have known he’d think he could explain
this crazy plan. Finn was coming here to her room.
Alone
. With no one
there to act as a buffer, she might humiliate herself by melting into a puddle
at his feet and begging him to reenact last night’s fantasy.

It struck her suddenly that she was already alone in her
room with a Fae. This one a complete stranger. Why hadn’t she kicked him out or
called for help? She wasn’t afraid of him. He was Fae, he wasn’t Finn and she
wasn’t afraid.

It could be his looks. He was one of the most unusual Tuatha
she’d seen yet. Still enchanting but so…alien. Not coated with the dark mist of
the Horde, but with the opalescent gleam of an abalone shell. There was
something about him that made her feel at ease. Her instincts were admittedly
rusty, but she trusted him.

More fool you
.
He might be the most dangerous of
them all. You heard him. He listens. He will hear me.

“Did you say something?” His eyes narrowed on her and he
hummed when she shook her head, her heart missing a beat. “Interesting. ‘Shit’,
indeed. I love the colorful language your group uses. The way they think. I’ve
heard stories about this world, but I’ve never seen it for myself.” He raised
an eyebrow. “Sadly, we don’t have time to explore it further, but for this
brief glimpse I find myself inclined to give you and your prince a gift. For
you, it will be a reprieve from the private meeting you seem unready to have.
For Finn, I will begin his explanation for him, in an undeniably pleasurable
way.”

He held out his hand and, for reasons she couldn’t begin to
explain, she took it. Her actions startled her enough that she snapped at him,
some small belligerent part of her determined to retake her righteous, angry
ground. “Before she ran for the hills, Meru explained it well enough. That all
Fae, not just the Horde, are into human cocktails. No wonder I haven’t heard
about vampires since my journey into the world of weird began.
You’re
the
vampires.”

Dian’s hand tightened almost imperceptibly, his smile still
firmly in place. “As a Dweller I was raised to understand that all species, all
dimensions, are connected, still I must disagree. Fae are nothing like the
Horde, Druid. You, of all people, should know that. Neither are we technically
related to the other species you’re referring to, though I’ll admit some of the
legends came from those of my kind who had yet to learn control.”

His voice softened and his grip relaxed. “When the people of
Danu first encountered humanity, we did not know it was even possible—that
something as personal as a being’s life force, something not
willingly
given, could be taken. We weren’t aware our abilities here would include
affecting that life force during intimate encounters. By the time we realized
the truth, the taste for it had already been developed. From what I’ve learned
from Ceri and those who come to her for aid with the addiction, it is
indescribable.”

“You mean stealing. Fae don’t affect life. They steal life.
And the Horde steal it all with intent, which is murder.” Her frown deepened. “Did
Finn do that when he kissed me? Take something without asking? Or was that not
intimate enough? Does it have to be sex?”

She swallowed hard when she recalled the light beneath Finn’s
skin as she rode him. Had she subconsciously sensed what he was, even then? Was
it a message to be careful?

The pale Fae shook his head. “Your bloodline ensures your
safety. You’re not human, so it is impossible for a Fae, should they dare
attempt it, to take what belongs to you. But even if you were, you should know
that he would never do that. Not to you. Not to anyone. Finn’s restraint is
irritatingly admirable from what I’ve heard. He carries the weight of all our
rules, those of the
Fianna
and most of the human laws as well, on his broad
shoulders. Even more so after… Well, his story is his own to tell. Personally,
I find that sad. Too many rules. Too few shoulders. Guilt is a pointless
emotion, born from the womb of should-haves and have-tos, feeding on freedom
and joy until it starves the soul.”

“Pretty words, but I’m a cop. I happen to like rules.” Still,
Dian’s assessment of Finn was interesting. She’d always respected the law, but
she obviously had nothing on Sheriff Faery Finn. If she were in a better mood,
she’d be imagining all the ways she could rub that in his face the next time
she saw him.

Without another word or warning, a blinding white light
surrounded her. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling the unsettling sensation
of the world spinning out of control.

She knew they were moving—this wasn’t the first time she’d
traveled this way, and it wasn’t exactly her favorite mode of transportation.
It was too alien and…it tickled.

Where was he taking her?

“You can open your eyes now, Druid warrior,” Dian whispered,
sounding closer than he had been only moments before. “Though I’ll caution you
not to make too much noise. You won’t want to interrupt this.”

Interrupt
what
? But she knew. She could already hear
the low murmuring of the Fae woman, Ceri. And the soft replies of the man she’d
known for so long.

Kyle’s voice was husky and held a trace of uncertainty. “What
are you going to do now?”

“Now I see what you look like underneath all that camouflage
while we wait for Dian. Are you ready?”

“I am.”

Sheridan’s eyes flew open at Ceri’s startling comment. She
blinked in confusion. “His beard?” she whispered. “She’s going to shave his
beard?”

Dian chuckled softly behind her. “Of course she is.
Personally, I’m not averse to facial hair. In fact I’m rather entranced by it. We
always covet what we lack, don’t we? But in this case, I believe a change is
just what he needs to feel like a new man. And my Ceri has a fondness for
smooth skin. I’ve spoiled her so.”

She barely heard Dian’s words, drawn to the scene before her
eyes. She was in one of Raj’s many guest bedrooms. Kyle’s room. She and Dian
were standing behind the overstuffed lounge chair in the corner as they watched
Kyle and Ceri kneeling on the floor at the foot of the king-sized bed.

The two faced each other solemnly, separated by a porcelain
bowl of steaming water, a small towel and a gleaming, old-fashioned razor. Kyle’s
chest was bare and his jaw was covered in white foam.

Hardly the kinky tableau Sheridan had been expecting.
Shaving wasn’t something she thought anyone considered sexy. It was more of a
shock. Since he’d hit puberty and had the ability to grow facial hair, she’d
never seen Kyle without a beard. He loved that thing. So much that he’d chosen to
keep
it
over his last three girlfriends.

She turned her chin toward Dian, keeping her eyes trained on
the surreal scene. “If this magical trip is supposed to convince me that you
aren’t messing with my partner’s mind, you’ve failed. There is no circumstance
I can think of that would induce Kyle to—”

Sheridan’s lips parted in a surprised gasp as Ceri raised
her hands to her shoulders and, with a shrug, dropped her shimmering robe to
her waist. She was naked beneath. Breathtaking and completely naked. Her skin
was radiant, her high breasts captivating. She was so flawless she seemed more
a work of art or magic than anything real.

Okay. Maybe there was one circumstance.

Kyle’s guttural groan told her he agreed. Ceri’s full lips
tilted at the sound. “I’m glad you approve. Now that I’ve fulfilled my part of
this bargain, I should warn you not to move. I haven’t had to do this in a
while.”

He didn’t and neither did Sheridan. Long moments passed
where she forgot to breathe. She heard the scrape of the razor and the splash
of water as it was rinsed. She watched Kyle’s chest rise and fall with deep,
labored breaths, clearly aroused by the naked body leaning toward him. Ceri’s
breasts were close enough for him to touch, her movements at sensuous odds with
her mundane task. Sheridan couldn’t find it in her to blame him.

It was one of the sexiest things she’d ever seen.

Dian’s voice behind her made her body jolt. “She’ll expect
me to join them soon, Druid, and I’ll admit I am impatient to do so. First,
however, let me put your mind at ease. We invite you to watch. To be the silent
witness to our claiming. In fact, invite isn’t the correct word. We request
your presence.” She could hear the anticipation in his voice. “Ceri and I will
stop at any time if you feel we are forcing your friend to do something against
his will. Just call our names. But I suggest you consider carefully before you
protest. Kyle does appear to be enjoying himself.”

He did, didn’t he? The traitor. “You won’t take anything
from him? Scramble his brain? Lay this out for me. How exactly does this
claiming occur? How will it protect him?”

Her new friend sighed. “Alas, we are discovered. Luckily he
had the good sense not to come barging through the door. Apologies, young
Sheridan. I must leave you in the capable hands of another. I promise you, one
way or another, you will be satisfied before you leave this room. Finn, I have
requested she observe the claiming. Honor this.”

Before she could ask what the hell he meant by that, Dian
brushed past her, joining Ceri and Kyle’s intimate communion. She saw Kyle
swallow hard at the Fae’s sudden appearance, but he didn’t move away when Dian
knelt beside them. If anything, he seemed more excited than he had been before.

She’d had no idea her old partner was so…adventurous.

She knew Finn was there, but she refused to admit it,
ignoring him until he swore softly behind her. “Are you going to acknowledge my
presence or should I just leave you here without a means of escape? You know
Kyle better than I do. How would he react if he discovered that you, of all
people, were watching him
experiment
with such abandon?”

Sheridan wanted to respond, but for some reason, she couldn’t
tear her gaze from the threesome. Dian was cleaning away all evidence of Kyle’s
beard, and Kyle? She’d forgotten he had a jaw line. Or such a strong dimple in
his chin.