Blood In Fire (Celtic Elementals Book 2) (30 page)

“That was a quite short walk."

Her pulse roared in her ears, but she ignored it. He suspected something, but she could fool him. She
would
get the potion back inside to Aidan so they could get the hell out of here.

As long as she could be strong. Or bitchy. Bitchy had always served her well, hadn't it?

“Well, I was looking for some fresh air, but now the smell is really getting to me.” Her lips curled, but he only snickered.

“Petty insults don’t much bother me.” He leaned closer, but Heather stopped drawing back, tired of his attempt to intimidate her.

“I don't think you really should be bothering me. Your master may not approve.”

His eyes shone. “On the contrary, my master encouraged me to seek you out should you leave your room alone. I confess I thought it unlikely. That you would be too…indisposed to do so. That perhaps our prince had even forbid it. But here you are…all alone.” His long fingers trailed in the air in front of her, hovering over her body as if he longed to touch, but didn’t quite dare.

Heather's whole being wanted to cringe, but instead she straightened. “What is your deal, asshole? You seem like Abhartach’s pet cabana boy, but you were all over the opportunity to rape me last night.” Her voice shook slightly, knowingly by the look in those eyes that Declan wanted to do exactly that right now. Obviously though, Abhartach’s orders had not extended to rape at will.

Yet.

“Oh, so you're wondering...," he chuckled again, the sound making her head ache. "No, I don’t have any preference on genders, little chit. How boring would that be? Sex,” he rolled the word on his tongue obscenely as he stared at her, "is all about power. Who has it and who doesn’t.

"I do love power. The feel of submitting to it can be so sublime. Wielding it, though…mmm, that's intoxicating. I was disappointed last night.” He leaned closer until his breath touched her face. “Taking you in front of the prince,” his moan slid into her ear and for a moment Heather was frozen, too horrified to move, “would have been
so
powerful. Can you imagine his face?”

Heather went cold inside, a cold that sank into her bones and dug its sharp, little teeth in. For a moment, she felt the drop-off under her feet, the ground slipping away…but then a spark of anger flared.

“What I remember is the look on
your
face when Aidan threw you across the room and the sound you made hitting the wall. I ‘imagine’ he will kill you eventually. Or I will.”

His eyes narrowed, but he laughed. “You? I saw you bleed, I heard you scream…and I will see it all again. The prince is not so good at being obedient, haven’t you noticed? It is only a matter of time before you will be spread out on that table again and perhaps this time I will wield the knife.“

Heather struck out without thinking, her nails raking Declan’s face in one savage swipe. He howled, recoiling as she pushed off from the ground.

She ran for the doors, the wind in her hair, sliding inside and up the stairs with her heart pounding and sweat slicking her skin. Leaping up the stairs in two’s, even though she heard no sound of pursuit. The doors had fallen shut behind her and all was eerily still.

Heather was shaking when she shoved open the bedroom door and fell into Aidan’s arms.

“What the hell happened to you?” Fear clung to her like dark smoke. Fear—and the smell of juniper. His hands tightened. That bastard. “Never mind, I’m gonna kill tha' fucking shit—“

“I told him that.” She hiccupped, pulled away and gave him a smile, though he could feel the shudders rolling through her, “but you don’t have time right now.” She pressed a small drawstring bag into his hands, looking into his eyes desperately. “Please, Aidan.”

He nodded shortly. He bent his head to open the cloth bag when something stuck in the tangled strings tumbled across his palm. It was a shell. A small, perfect conch shell, all white and pink.

Heather looked up at him questioningly, but Aidan couldn't speak. He could feel a muscle in his jaw ticking in and out. He had left Isleen's shell here, tucked away into the rocks after he and Ronan had laid into Abhartach's forces together. Back then, the demon had only a handful of other creatures like him.

Together, Ronan and he had cut that down to maybe two or three. Aidan had walked out of this castle an hour before the rising of the sun, with a new friend and a small ray of hope that he could conquer the demon inside of him.

It had all come at a price, of course.

He had used the shell by then, and he'd believed his daughter safe, but he knew he'd never, ever see her again. No one could know where she was now, not after the last time.

He had knelt between those stones outside and sank the shell into the ground, never expecting it to return to his hand.

Especially like this.

"What is it?"

"Something I left behind before," he said softly. "It…I didna think it would still be there. After all this time…"

His voice trailed off. Then he tucked the shell into his pocket.

"I'll be a moment." He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her forehead. He knew she was curious, but he couldn't spare time to tell her about the shell. Not now.

Heather closed her eyes. "Hurry, who knows what the sick freak is up to."

"Aye." Aidan walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He could hear her on the other side as he took out the potion and the needle Daire had wedged into the bag. He dribbled water from the basin into the vial and watched it turn a muddy grey as he prepared it. Such an ugly color for such a powerful, beautiful thing.

"Do you think he will get the others?" Her voice carried through the door, soft as moth's wings.

"Nae," he whispered. Hoping it were true as he slid the needle home.

"Can't you ask Bav for help? Snap your fingers or something? Seriously, Aidan, we could use a goddess right now." From the sound of her voice, Heather was dead serious.

She probably
would
have welcomed the sight of that red-headed bitch, despite all he'd told her of his and Bav's history last night. After he had opened up about Isleen, it had been impossible to stop certain things from flowing out. Heather had been shocked and sickened by turns, but right now Heather also wanted a miracle and she thought the goddess could give them one.

Aidan, however, knew better. Gods could be powerful allies, aye. But there was always a price. They needed to make their own miracle with no interference from gods. Especially that one.

"I canna. She's given up on me. Told me so herself, the night ye…well, tha' night." He could almost feel her staring at the door.

"Really? Just like that? That seems a little bit strange."

She was leaning weakly against the wall next to the door when he opened it. "I know."

"You didn't ask why?"

"Nae. I dinna care why, and besides, things got hectic rather quickly. Come on now, let's get shut of this place." He cocked his head, looking at her. "What ails ye?"

She looked odd, chewing her lips as she blinked up at him.

"Okay, I know I shouldn't ask, especially
now
, but…were you two
ever
actually lovers? I just…can't picture it, somehow."

"What, Bav and I?" He smiled and she frowned.

"Oh, Heather." Aidan knew better than to lie, even though the truth would probably sting. "Yes, we were.  A grand total of
once
. And tha' was only because the bitch tricked me, as usual." She narrowed her eyes and folded her arms, but didn't say a word.

Aidan sighed and pushed her toward the window.

"She disguised herself. As a camp wench, a whore, mind. She was laid out in my tent when I came in one night. I was only a man, love. Just like any other."

"It wasn't your first time, was it?" That would be unbearable.

He laughed out loud.

"First time? Gods, Heather!
Nae
. I musta been two and twenty by then, if no' older."

She nodded, somewhat mollified. For a moment. Then—

"A goddess must be good in bed."

"Aye." his lips twitched.

"Oh, stop playing with me."

"But ye make it so very tempting, love. 'Tis damme hard to resist." He pulled her close and kissed her temple as they stopped directly in front of the window, heavily drawn against the sun.

His lips slid to the top of her ear.

"'Twas nothing, nothing to me and little enough to her, except as a trap."

"I doubt that. She loves you."

"She
fancies
herself in love with me, 'tis a very different thing." His breath was warm as his mouth moved lower, his lips tickling her neck. "We must go, stop distracting me. 'Tis nearly time."

"I'm not distracting you."

"Ye canna breathe without distracting me."

"Am I to quit breathing then?" For a moment, something cold and foreboding ran its skeletal hand down Aidan's spine and he shuddered. Heather looked up at him in alarm, but he placed a finger over her mouth.

"Nae. Just shut those pretty little lips until we are well out of here."

"Far too late for that now, I think."

Heather went ghost white at the sound of that voice, Abhartach's voice, creeping in from the stairwell. Fast as thought, Aidan moved to the window ledge, pushing Heather behind him. Abhartach stood outside the door.

"Do come in, Abhartach, we were just leaving. No' that it hasna been a grand time and all. Why donna ye come in and let us thank ye properly?"

Abhartach chuckled, though it sounded as if it cost him. "And you with the sun at yourback, just behind that shade? Aye, I will stay here, thank you. Where is it then?"

Aidan slid back a few steps towards the window, feeling as it the world had just tilted under his feet.

"Ye knew?"
Damnú air
, how fucking close had he come to risking the whole human race with his own selfishness?

"Of course I knew, my son."

Aidan took a deep breath, shaking off his guilt. It didn't matter that Abhartach knew now, it was too late. The last of
ghrian siúlóir
was in his veins. Safe from this foul creature.

"Then ye know what ye've lost…tha's good. Very good. Good-bye, Abhartach." For now, he thought, with a hard pang as he looked at Heather. She stood with one hand at her heart, a step in behind him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him, prepared to rip the thick daytime hangings from the window.

"Hold, my son, another wants to offer their 'goodbyes' first."

Declan moved out from behind the monster, a sleek black gun in his outstretched hand. Heather's scratches showing livid on his pale face. Aidan stared at the gun, his mind racing, as he wedged Heather behind him, trapping her between himself and the wall.

"He is a most accomplished shot, not that he needs to be at this distance."

"Bullets willna do much to me." Aidan said, stalling.

"Aye, perhaps not but…well, ye tell him,
daor
. Ye've earned it."

Declan smiled, licking his already glistening lips. "Armor-piercing rounds, O'Neill. Protect her with your body all you like, these will go straight through you like butter."

Aidan went still. No. Not when they were so close.
NO!

"Ye canna kill her, ye made an oath!"

"I did, yes," Abhartach's voice was amused. "The
daor
, however, did not. And after your sweet toy bloodied him, he needs no orders to want her dead. This is of his own free will, my son. What can I do?"

Aidan's throat was closing, his mind spun. Then he felt something, light as a bird's wing, brushing his hip and slipping into his jacket pocket, Heather's fingers over his. She pressed something into his bare hand. A stone, smooth and flat and warm from her skin. The skipping stone he had given her at Lough Gur..

"Stop." Heather's voice, shaky. She sounded terrified and Aidan knew she was, but he also heard the desperate hope under the fear. Abhartach wouldn't. He saw her as weak and full of fear, broken by the torture she had endured.

She stepped out from behind Aidan, as he twitched instinctively to halt her. Heather put a hand on his shoulder. "No, Aidan. They have us, we—"

Just like that, with Declan's eyes moving to track Heather, Aidan whipped his hand out of his pocket and flung the stone.

The man's head turned back at the flash of movement, but it was too late. The stone struck him between the eyes with a crack louder than any gunshot. The 9mm fell from his nerveless fingers, clattering to the floor.

Heather dashed forward, scooped it up and darted back behind Aidan at Abhartach's roar of fury. Aidan saw the demon's head dart around the corner once, his black eyes going wide as they took in the fallen figure of his slave. Surprise rapidly taken over by cold calculation.

His gaze met Aidan's for one moment, then he moved behind the door once more.