Behind the Veil: 3 (Temptation Unveiled) (8 page)

She licked her lips.
He
, on the other hand, was
perfection. A work of carnal art she couldn’t resist touching. His sculpted
shoulders were strong and alive under her hands, all lean, coiled muscle and
warm, smooth skin. Everything about him was sensual and intoxicating, arousing
all of her senses.

And he was hung. In her wildest dreams, he’d never been
quite this well endowed. The sight of just how well made her mouth go dry and
her thighs heat.

She swallowed, wishing she had the strength of will to tear
her gaze from his jutting flesh. “So, is this another Fae thing?” Her thighs
trembled against his and her stomach was actually fluttering with anticipation.
“I mean, um, is this size normal?”

Her answer came through gritted teeth. “It’s a me thing. I
haven’t really thought about whether it’s normal, though I’ll admit it’s been
awhile since it’s reacted quite this way. Must be the company. You did say you
were looking for a spear, Detective.”

Her palms moved without her conscious direction, sliding
down his ridged chest and abs to wrap around the long, thick shaft of his cock.
He was silk and steel and fire beneath her hands.

He hissed and she shivered, realizing her long fingers
barely met around his thickness. Her stomach clenched again with a decidedly
female flutter and liquid fire pooled low in her belly.
Did
it scare
her?

The only thing that gave her pause was how
much
she
wanted to taste it. How much she wanted to know what it felt like inside her. She
was desperate for it. Too desperate.

“You could take me,” he growled, seeming to read her mind,
though she knew the real Finn couldn’t. “I promise you, love. You could take
all of me.”

Gone was the cool, enigmatic Fae. This was the storm beneath
the calm. The wild, otherworldly being that was the embodiment of every erotic,
forbidden fantasy she’d ever had. Almost. But he hadn’t grabbed her, hadn’t
taken over since she’d pulled away from his embrace. She’d released him and he
still restrained himself, his hands in fists at his side.

“What are you waiting for?” she whispered, confusion
mingling with arousal inside her clouded mind.

“You, love. I’m always waiting for you.” His rough voice
sounded pained. “I told you this was your dream and I won’t take it from you.
Now you tell me what you want.”

Sheridan licked her lower lip and lifted herself off him
until she was on her knees beside him. She could tell him that she wanted him
to take over. To own her. That she wanted to be spanked and taken. All of that
was true. But even stronger than that desire was the need to make him crazy
too. To own him. “Why don’t I just show you?”

She lowered her head until her lips brushed against the
flushed head of the erection she was still gripping in her fist. She licked her
lips, swiping her tongue against his skin as she did. And just like that she
knew she was lost.

Oh unfair
, she thought, closing her eyes and opening
her mouth wider. She wrapped her lips around the tip and sucked. Delicious and
unfair. She’d thought kissing his lips was addictive. It had to be yet another
superpower. Finn could flash, he could track, he could shoot light out of his
fingers, for crying out loud…and now this?

She lifted her mouth, already wanting more the moment her
lips left his skin. “You taste like— I can’t even describe it. How?” And then
she couldn’t say another word, because she had to sample him again. She was too
hungry
. Crawling-out-of-her-skin hungry. Starving for his cock.

It
was
beyond description. An obvious Fae trick to
ensure the males of the species were pleasured fully and often by the women who
knew their secret. She could taste his desire on her tongue. Taste his arousal
as it increased to a point of pain. She could even taste his restraint, his
feelings, that he needed to hold back for her sake. How was that possible? It
was more than salt and earthy male. It was chocolate and the thrill of the
chase and fucking sunrise on the beach after a hurricane.

A dream. This was just a dream.

He laughed shakily, and then she heard him moan when she
slid her mouth down his shaft, taking as much as she could. His words sounded
farther away, barely discernible over the heartbeat drumming in her ears. “Too
complicated to explain. Oh yes, Sher. Chalk it up to pheromones and… That’s
right. It feels so damn good.
Don’t stop
.”

His hips jerked upward and his hand cupped her jaw, fingers
sliding into her hair. Sheridan whimpered, her mouth stretched full of him and
this taste she couldn’t get enough of. He was taking over, guiding her mouth.
Oh God, she loved it. Her body ached, wanting him inside. Needing him.

Her hand slipped down between her legs. No fantasy had ever
been so intense. Just hazy need and release. This was raw and gritty and real.
No sex, real or imagined, had ever been as good as this and they’d barely even
begun.

His growl was her only warning. He released her hair and
used both hands to grip her hips, turning her body around toward him and
leaning back in a move that had her knees pressed against his shoulders. His
mouth… Oh God.

She could feel his breath against her thighs and she moaned
as he spoke. “I tried. But I have to, Sheridan. You’re so hot. So sweet. You
need this…and I have to know…”

He moaned against her sex, his talented tongue creating
fireworks behind her eyes and vibrations through her body. His grip tightened
on her hips, dragging her closer to his mouth. Sheridan cried out around his
cock as his tongue slid between the swollen, sensitive lips of her sex, filling
her, the constant rumble in his throat letting her know he loved her taste as
much as she loved his.

Impossible.

He used his hands to rock her against his mouth, setting the
rhythm. She followed his lead, loving the feel of his thick flesh bumping the
back of her throat in time with his tongue piercing her sex. She never wanted
to stop, never wanted to forget how good this felt. How he tasted and smelled,
how hot his blazing skin made hers. But she wanted it all. This dream was so
real it made her desperate to discover if she could take all of him. If he was
right.

He resisted when she lifted her head and tried to move off
his body. His fingers tightened instantly, almost bruising, until she called
his name.

“Finn, wait.”

When she rolled over onto her side, he rose up on his
elbows, his eyes fierce as he studied her. “Don’t ask me to stop, Sher. Not
now. Not yet. Not ever.”

Damn, he was irresistible. She struggled to look away from
him and rose up on her knees to straddle his waist again. The heat of his cock,
still damp from her mouth, brushed against her sex and she shuddered.

“Just a dream,” she whispered out loud. But she knew,
somewhere inside her she knew there would be no going back from this.

His eyes told her he understood. “Yes, love. Yes.” Finn’s
jaw was tense, his eyes slits of violet need. “This is
your
dream. I’d
be lying if I said it wasn’t mine as well, but it’s up to you. Take what you
want, Sheridan. Take it before I lose what little control I have left.”

She wanted him. No matter what happened, or how much he
drove her crazy, that never changed. She lowered her hips and gasped at the fullness,
the pressure. The electric shock of desire that blinded her the moment the
thick head of his cock pushed inside. “Oh God.
Oh my fucking God
.”

Finn was muttering in another language. His stomach was
tight and rock-hard when she rested her palms on it for balance. He was still holding
back. Letting her take the lead. It was frustrating as hell.

Sheridan knew how to fight with him, knew how to tease and
ignore him, but this was different. It made her feel powerful in a way she hadn’t
expected. Made her feel for the first time in months that she was as strong as
everyone expected her to be. A warrior.

She sank down a little farther, air hissing out between her
teeth as the action stretched her to the point of pain. But it was a pain that
was so close to pleasure it was hard to tell the difference.

And more electricity.

Her vision focused long enough to see that it was him. Beneath
his skin she could see that shimmer that she’d always teased him about. Only it
was no longer a dusting of light. It pulsed with his heartbeat, the same one
she could feel inside her. Light beneath the surface. The palms of her hands
crackled with it as it entered her skin. Connecting them. “What’s happening?”

Finn was shaking his head, an expression on his face that
was both longing and denial. “I didn’t know, Sheridan. I didn’t know
this
was possible. Not here. Not with… Sheridan, I can’t stop—I can’t help it.”

“Then don’t,” she growled. “Don’t make me beg, Finn. I’ll
hate you if you make me beg.”

He dragged her hips down with a force she hadn’t been prepared
for. She shouted his name and threw her head back, gasping for the breath that
had been knocked out of her as she took all of him. Her arousal had eased his
way, but it was still a tight fit. So tight. So hard.

Perfect.

Spots of light danced in front of her eyes as she heard him
growl again. “I’m sorry, love. So sorry…”

Why was he sorry? Sheridan couldn’t think—she was too busy
feeling. Her sex clenched around his shaft and they both cried out at the
sensation. Just this. Not moving, not breathing, just feeling this connection.
This fullness. She’d never known anything like it.

“More,” she whispered.

“What?” Finn’s voice was guttural. Shocked.

She curled her fingers into his hard stomach and scraped
lightly. Her hips shifted and they groaned in unison again. She felt alive. On
fire. “You heard me. Whatever I want, you said. Do I need to spell it out? Fuck
me the way I know you can, Fae. Stop holding back.”

Something changed in Finn’s expression. There would be no
more hesitating, she knew. After all this time, all their verbal sparring, all
her now seemingly uninspired fantasies later, it was finally happening. A tidal
wave was rising inside her. Every inch of her already begging for release.
Primed for it. Needing it the way only he could give it to her. Soon she would
be utterly lost. His. Whole.

An unholy screech rocked the interrogation room, rattling
the walls and making the bed quake.

“What the hell—” Finn’s hold on her loosened at the
startling sound.

“No.”

Sheridan scrambled off Finn’s body, her own instantly
screaming in denial at the loss of contact. He’d found her. She’d thought here
with Finn she’d be safe. For a moment she’d believed the darkness had been
beaten. That he was gone.

But he’d found her.

“It always worked before,” she muttered to herself,
remembering how the voice had disappeared with her passion. But nothing was the
same in this insane dream. And apparently, neither was her power over the
darkness.

“What’s happening, Sheridan?”

Finn
. Something ugly and terrifying occurred to her.
What would Eonis do to this dream? How would he defile it? Would he hurt Finn
here to pay her back for daring to escape the nightmare? Would she be forced to
watch him suffer now?

It took her a moment to hear the urgency in Finn’s voice.
When she realized he was standing beside her, she forced herself to breathe. He
wasn’t locked up. He could get away.

He gripped her shoulders and repeated his question. “Sheridan?
Sheridan, I can help you. What is that? It’s more than a nightmare. Why didn’t
you tell anyone? Tell me so I can help you.”

She laughed raggedly. “You can’t help me. Not even the real
Finn can. Go away. Go away before he finds you.”

She looked up and watched the oily black mist seep through
the seams of the wall. Beneath the door. “He’s here.”

“Eonis?” Finn swore as the room darkened. “He’s dead,
Sheridan. Eonis is dead.”

Sheridan prayed she’d wake up. Prayed harder than she ever
had before. To Danu. To God. To whoever would listen. “Are you sure, Finn? Are
you absolutely sure?”

Blackness rushed toward her, pulling her out of his arms and
into its embrace.

“Wake up!” she screamed, hoping some part of her
consciousness would hear her before the nightmare started again. “Wake up
now
!”

“He’s dead, Finn. I cut his head off with my half of the
Claíomh
Solais.
You don’t come back from something like that, even if you
are
a member of the Horde. Besides, wouldn’t you have sensed him if he was nearby?”

Hawk was standing on the balcony of the home he shared with
his brother, Linnea and her child Crystal—the next in line to rule his people.
Finn hadn’t meant to intrude on the Vikings and their preparations for the
commitment ceremony, but he’d needed to talk to someone. And with Damon mated
to Sheridan’s cousin Meru, and Myrddin besotted with Sheridan’s mother, his
choices were limited.

“My tracking abilities have been…off of late.” Finn looked
out on the city of his birth and sighed. He would be bringing her here soon.
But before he did, he needed answers.

When he’d sought her out in her dreams, he’d had no idea
what he was in for. No idea that he’d find himself arrested and handcuffed by
the sexy detective. That she’d lower her guard enough to tell him—to
show
him—what she wanted from him. That her lips around his shaft would be so…

His teeth clenched as his cock hardened. He couldn’t think
about that now. Not again. His physical reaction to her had always been
intense, but now his body responded as if it were undergoing adolescence. And a
Fae during that time was a wildling, incapable of coherent thought. Unable to
resist relieving the pressure of thwarted desire.

Just as Finn had been unable to resist seeking relief when
he’d returned to his body after her dream ended—then again when he’d slipped
into one of the queen’s guest suites to refresh himself, and hell, even on the
way over to the Vikings’ home—he’d become so aroused at the memory of her words,
of her tight, athletic body taking him inside, he’d been forced to take matters
into his own hands.

He was getting damn sick of his own hands.

He had to think about something else. Eonis. He’d sensed a
power in the mist that invaded her dream. That same gut-level awareness that he
had when facing the
Dark.
Not as strong, but it was there. And whatever
it was, it appeared to be following Sheridan Kelly. Attached to her somehow.
Was
Eonis still alive? Were her nightmares real? It would explain her
self-inflicted separation from her family. But there was no way it could be
true.

Hawk’s sigh drew him out of his speculation. “Still that
bad, eh? I was hoping she’d be doing better by now. Dragon Boy must be losing
his Zen-like healing mojo.”

Finn studied the bronzed, well-muscled Viking. Beneath his
obvious concern, he seemed genuinely happy. A berserker at peace was a rare
sight and Finn knew love and fatherhood had everything to do with it.

“She’s better,” he offered, knowing it wasn’t the whole
truth. “Stronger at any rate. You’ll be impressed, I’m sure.”

“So she’s agreed to come?”

Finn nodded. “With several caveats, as I told you. You know
her.”

Hawk’s brother Val walked through the open balcony doors to
join them and laughed. “She is a feisty one, isn’t she? It’s one of her most
attractive qualities. You’ve got to love a woman who knows what she wants. What
are her demands then?”

Finn felt his smile tighten. “You worry about the Guardian
Mother’s
qualities
and leave Sheridan’s demands to me.”

Hawk raised his eyebrow and caught his brother’s gaze. “If
he wasn’t Fae, I would say he sounded jealous, wouldn’t you?”

Val smirked and crossed his arms, studying the uncomfortable
Finn with something akin to enjoyment. “If he wasn’t Finn the Fae, I’d be more
likely to believe he could be. We’ve known that horndog for years. Monogamy is
not
his style. We’ve counted his conquests, heard his stories about holding the
record for most women fucked into blissful unconsciousness in one night. When
was that? About sixty years ago, as I remember. And wasn’t it just last year
that you offered to beat your personal best in that department, Finn? I
definitely remember the words ‘free-for-all’ and ‘orgy’ being liberally used at
the time.”

“Enough,” Finn grumbled. He didn’t need to be reminded of
his previous conquests. Of how much he used to enjoy himself and revel in the
pleasures of the flesh. He’d been proud of it—his species had never been known
for sexual repression. Fucking was natural and necessary. It was a skill that
needed to be continuously honed.

But things were different now. What Sheridan did to him made
his past conquests fade into oblivion. What he wanted to do to her made the
levels of sexual deviance he’d reached in the past pale in comparison. He
shifted and attempted to quiet the ever-present hum in his body that was his
desire for her. This was neither the time nor place. “There is no point to this
conversation. You two have preparations for your ceremony to make and I have
work to do.”

Val paled. “That’s right. The ceremony.”

Now it was Finn who was enjoying someone else’s discomfort.
Misery loved company, after all. “What’s wrong, Viking? Is the thought of
commitment that frightening?”

“I love Linnea.” Val glared back at him. “And I love Crystal
as if she were my own child. I have already made my vows to them. But this isn’t
exactly a traditional wedding, is it?”

Hawk chimed in wryly. “Since when were we worried about
tradition? I know you’re worried about her, but Linnea will be fine. Let them
all watch us, what do I care?
They
certainly haven’t been shy when it
comes to public displays of affection. We may as well show these people how it’s
done.”

Finn bit his lip to keep from smiling. Neither man was
concerned with being accepted by Dagda or the blood vow required to become
acknowledged protectors of the Queen’s heir. It was the consummation that would
conclude the official ceremony that made Val hesitant.

He still didn’t understand the Fae’s appetites for
exhibitionism. He would learn.

He supposed he couldn’t blame them—they were currently
mortal, after all. Their curse had been broken. Though that, along with their
pre-wedding jitters, wouldn’t last long either. Once the ceremony was
completed, they would have a lifespan and healing abilities comparable to the
Fae. It was necessary to ensure the happiness of their family, as well as the
powerful protection of the throne offered by the twin holders of the
Claíomh
Solais.

He stepped away from the balcony. “I’m sure you will do your
best to try. And with that, I must leave you now. Let the Guardian Mother know
that she’ll soon have company.” He bowed to Hawk respectfully. “Ask her to
inform Badger of Sheridan’s request.”

Hawk nodded in return. “Of course, my friend, though the
Druids come as a pair, I have a feeling those two will be more than happy to
oblige. Particularly Badger. She is easily bored and aptly named. She’s been itching
for something to occupy her time until Meru’s baby comes.”

Finn allowed his thoughts to transport him without
responding, the light fading as he reached his next destination—the beginning
of the sacred caverns at the edge of the city. He was sure he would find who he
was looking for somewhere nearby.

An irritated female voice had him turning around. “You
should try walking. We have beautiful legs meant to be stretched as well as
spread. It makes the journey more meaningful and the arrival far more satisfying.”

Just the Fae he’d been looking for. “Ceri, it’s been too
long.”

She still looked the same. Brilliant red curls spiraling
down to her waist, eyes wide and innocent…until you looked closer and saw the
hard-won wisdom within. Ceri was a warrior. One of the best he’d ever known.
Before her fall from favor, she had been courted by nobles from every house and
coveted as a pleasure companion for every celebration. A brilliant Fae who knew
the history of his people better than the archivists, with a bawdy sense of
humor that never failed to shock and amuse. An amazing example of what it meant
to be Fae.

She had also been an addict.

In the time before they’d decided to go into seclusion and
disappear from man’s memory, Ceri allowed herself to experience the pleasure of
“tasting” the human spirit once too often. She’d scared them with her passions,
enchanted them with her beauty and enticed trustworthy warriors to stray. Many
a man would disappear from his family’s home, never to be the same again once
she called to him.

She had never killed a soul, never lusted so much that she
crossed the line and became Horde. He knew others had been unable to resist,
but she had. He admired that about her. But the law decreed that she’d come
close enough, that she’d put humans and Fae alike in danger.

Her penance had been to spend the last thousand years in
exile at the edge of the city, being close to her people but not among them. Apart
from the festivals and gatherings that were foundational to the Fae’s
spirituality and sense of community.
Those
she could attend if she
chose, though she rarely had.

Instead, she made them come to her. She’d become one of the
foremost experts on controlling the urges that she’d once given in to. Too late
for too many he had known and cared for, but not for those still able to be
saved. And he’d heard from his sources that business had been good. Due, he was
now certain, to the sect in the city aiding the
Dark
. She could have
valuable information, but he wasn’t here for that. His mind was currently on
other things.

Despite her status, Finn trusted her completely. That was
why he had come. “I have spoken to the queen.”

The beautiful waif snorted. “Lucky you. Would you like a
medal? How about another honorary title? That’ll be exciting and different. A
nice change of pace for our golden boy, huh?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t start. You know I never cared
about that.”

“Oh that’s right. The queen’s pet joined the
Fianna
.
Now you’re Myrddin’s whipping boy. Having fun saving the humans, are we?” She raised
her slender brows. “I hear you lost a few good fighters to us recently. Need
any help?”

“Actually I do. Which is why I’ve spoken to the queen. She’s
agreed with my plan to request your aid.”

Ceri had been walking toward her small stone cottage, but
that stopped her. She turned to face him, her expression wary. “I won’t help
you find them. Don’t ask me to do that, Finn. I enjoy living too much.”

He reared back in surprise. The spies? “So you
do
know
about that.”

She opened her door and gestured for him to come inside, glancing
around behind him as though worried someone might be nearby. Listening. “You’d
be surprised what I know. People tend to forget the exiled have ears. It’s
served us well over the years.”

“Us?”

An amused male voice answered him from the living area. “Yes,
us. Ceri, you should warn me when company’s coming. You know how I
love
company. Especially the attractive kind.”

Finn’s eyes widened at the sight of the male, and then he lowered
them out of habit. A Dweller? Dwellers were Fae who spent their lives beyond
the small community of exiled, deep in the sacred caverns. There was no
mistaking his distinctive appearance. Skin nearly translucent, eyes a clear
crystal with only the slightest hint of violet. No trace of hair on his head…or
anywhere else.

What was he doing here?

It was said they were devoted disciples of Danu, so grieved
when she left corporeal form that they spent their lives attempting to join
her. They lived in total communion with nature, deep within the caverns. Their
music and their skills as healers were renowned. Stories were told of wanderers
lost in the dark, near death, who had been revived by their touch. They were
also, if rumors and childhood stories were to be believed, protectors of Danu’s
most closely guarded secrets. All Fae were instructed from an early age to
leave them to their studies.

Few dared to go against that instruction, but it was known
to happen. On occasion, a Dweller had wandered away from the deep. Most had
simply been lost. Others curious. None of them ever stayed, preferring to live
among their own kind. Finn had only seen a few in his lifetime, but never one like
this, one who looked so…comfortable away from his home.

Ceri laughed delightedly. “Finn, speechless. This is a first,
and I’ve known him since we were both young and foolish.” She patted his back. “Relax,
my friend. Dian is not that kind of Dweller. And Dian? Finn is not
that
kind
of guest. Now sit down and tell us what you want.”

When he hesitated, the hand on his back gave a not-so-gentle
shove. “I will tell him everything anyway. He is my lover and we have no
secrets. Couldn’t if we tried.”

Her lover?

Finn gave up. He sat down on the lounging chair across from
the Dweller and Ceri and looked around her home. They had made do quite nicely
without the luxuries of the city. The stone walls were lined with veins of
light that warmed the room. Brilliant flowers and piles of well-worn books
filled every corner. It was a home. More of one than
his
family’s
sterile showplace had been. He could imagine Lily Kelly living here happily. But
could Sheridan?

Thoughts of her helped him focus on the task at hand. “I won’t
waste your time. I have a riddle for you to solve and a favor I would be
indebted to you for.”

Ceri leaned back into Dian’s waiting embrace. “How indebted?”

“Deeply.”

Finn watched Dian nuzzle Ceri’s curls, amazed at the strange
behavior. He hadn’t believed the Dwellers to be sexual creatures. He must have
found life in the caverns truly unsatisfying.

The man smiled, responding to Finn’s thoughts easily. “Hardly.
But I will admit, compared to Ceri, most things are.” He chortled at Finn’s shocked
expression, his own glowing with enjoyment. “My apologies. I keep forgetting
the dictates of civilized society. It’s one of my more attractive qualities,
she tells me. The other is my love of a good challenge. I’m sure I can convince
Ceri to claim the pure human while your woman is here. She has long since
mastered self-control and together we would ensure it was a pleasurable
experience for him. Although I hope he isn’t too attached to his facial hair.
My darling one has sensitive skin.”