Born of Silence (Immortal Guardians) (31 page)

Her hips lifted in time so their bodies clashed together, clapping in
delicious
rhythm.
She was getting tighter, her body responding to his.
Her lips broke away as a cry escaped her and her body convulsed around him. Her sheath tightened and contracted
,
massaging his length. But still, he wouldn’t give up.

“Garrick. Oh god, Garrick,” she breathed, her voice hoarse. Her legs fell in an open sprawl on the bed once her body stopped pulsing.

He
propped himself high above her again, his arms nearly straight as he looked down at her flushed and sweaty body, even as the golden hue overtook her skin and shimmered in her hair before returning to her fair coloring. He shifted into a kneeling position and brought her legs up over his shoulders.

She sucked in a breath with his first thrust in this new position. The head of his cock delved deeper inside her than he’d ever been so far, and she took the full length of him with alacrity despite the fact that she was exhausted from her orgasm. He pushed forward again, leaning down so that his weight would press him farther inside.

She moaned again as her head thrashed about and the flush over her face and chest deepened. “Again?” she asked, her gaze clashing with his.

“You tell me.”

Her hands came up and she cupped her breasts as Garrick pounded into her. Her eyes never left his even as “Yes” was wracked from her over and over again.

She was taken over the edge once more and her cries echoed around the room. Garrick nearly went over himself with the way she stared at him through it all. But he wouldn’t give in that easily.

No, he had countless other ways he wanted her to come before he’d allow himself to spill. He’d make sure she never forgot tonight.

“You take my breath away,” he whispered, bending low next to her ear. She truly did, the truth of it echoing in the beat of his heart.

****

“I insist you let a carriage take you at least part of the way.”

Garrick looked at his cousin with a s
incere smile on his face. “No
,
really
,
it’s not that far.”

“Will you take horses? I’m afraid Lady Danielle won’t make it too far in her heels.”

Garrick started to argue, but
regarded
Dani instead. Today she wore a dark green gown with a matching hat, and silky white gloves that reached past her elbows.
They were a parting gift from Cedric.
“Maybe you’re right,” he conceded. “We won’t travel far today.”
Not in this realm
, he added mentally. “But some assistance would be appreciated.”

“Of course, of course,” Cedric said. He snapped his fingers and told one of the servants to prepare horses and a carriage. Turning to face Dani, he bowed
low
. “Any lady who has somehow brought Garrick to a heel deserves anything she desires.”

“Oh?”
Dani asked in a slightly flirtatious
manner—which Garrick did
not
like at all.
The woman had a glow ever since their lovemaking the night before, and that glow had drawn the attention of more than just Cedric.
“And what is it that I desire?”

“Why
,
a ride for your travels, of course. Though I do wish neither of you would leave. Even if this isn’t your home, my lady.”

Not this again. Garrick and Cedric had had a long talk this morning at breakfast. He’d had to be vague about their mission, both because he didn’t
know exactly how much Fairies knew about portals—or if that fell into Caillte folklore—
and because he didn’t want them to start attacking the Harpies outright. And while Cedric grasped that the mission was serious, he still really didn’t know any of the details. He also didn’t want Dani to leave the palace. Quite a few times in their discussion he’d tried to convince Garrick to leave her behind, to not put her in any danger.

But there was more danger for her if she stayed here, both with his Casanova cousin chomping at the bit and with Dani being unable to control her transition.
He’d woken early this morning
to find her changed fully into her gilded Harpy state. He needed to get her home and see if maybe the Guardians could figure out a way to undo the changes that Ekhart and his godsforsaken Institute
had
caused.

Garrick tuned back in
to the conversation that Cedric and Dani were having. Within minutes, one of the servants appeared, informing them that a carriage awaited them. “Well,”
he
said, clapping his cousin on the shoulder. “
I hope
I’ll
see you again.”

“As do I,” Cedric replied, looking at both Garrick and Dani.

They walked out of the palace and climbed into the carriage.

“What shall I tell your parents? They had hoped to see you before you left.”

“Tell them…”
What?
Garrick thought. He didn’t know when he’d be back. “Tell them I will return soon, and that there is something very important I must do.”

Cedric nodded and closed the door. After a quick order to the driver, the horses ran forward, pulling the carriage over the cobbled stones and away from the castle. Garrick looked out the back window as the
palace and the town
disappeared from view.

“H
ow long is our ride?” Dani asked when he faced forward again.

“Not more t
han an hour.
We’ll have the driver stop in a little while and drop us off. Then we can continue on foot.”

She nodded. “So where does the portal take us?”

“
Scotland
. Somewhere on the
Isle of Skye
, but I’m not exactly sure where.”

“
Scotland
?” She smiled. “How did you end up in the States if you landed in
Scotland
?”

“I spent some time there. B
ut once I started traveling, I never went back. There’s something about the freedom in the States that makes it hard to live
any
where else.”

As soon as Garrick had landed in the new realm, he immediately recognized he wasn’t home anymore. The sky was blue rather than the peachy pink of his own land. The plants were no longer a myriad of intense colors, but all green. Yes, some had different colored blooms, but none of the plants thrived with swirling colors or came alive when he touched them. The new world both scared and excited him
, and
the thrill of adventure in his teenage mind had driven him forward, away from the portal and into the lives of humans.

Luck had been on his side that day. As he’d
roamed the
lush,
green meadows
on his way to
a nearby town, an older couple stumbled across him and took him in. They’d fed him, bathed him, and gave him a place to stay. He’d lived with them for about two years, learning their language and working as a busboy in a local tavern. Life had been good in
Scotland
, but he hadn’t run into any of the adventure that had lured him to remain in that realm.

H
e’d
decided to go to the States because of American sightseers. They’d seemed so laid
back and fun, the women luscious and curvy.
He hadn’t traced there. Not without knowing what he’d end up in. So he’d traveled the way humans did, and his plane landed in
Newark
,
New Jersey
—which he now knew to be the home of the Guardians. He
passed
through, leaving the busy city and traveling around different towns and cities across the
U.S
.
While it was tempting to staying in the country—which reminded him of home—there was also an allure with all of the amenities living in the city had. Like women. Lots and lots of women. And suits. And cars. Anything he wanted was right there.

“And so I bought a place in
Chicago
.”

Dani listened in rapt fascination as he told her his story. Of course, he’d left out the part about women
.
H
e wasn’t an idiot.

He
glanced out the window and knocked loudly on the ceiling. The driver stopped the carriage as Garrick opened the door and popped his head out.

“My lord?” the driver asked.

“We’re good here. You can drop us here and go back.”

The driver looked confused, but nodded silently. Garrick stepped out of the carriage and held his hand out to help Dani out of the cab. “We went a little farther than I’d wanted,” he said quietly. “We don’t have much walking at all.”

Dani nodded at him before looking at the driver. “Thank you,” she called as he turned the horses around and drove toward the palace.

Garrick stood in place until the carriage was out of sight.
He glanced around casually, taking in the sights of the trees around him, and the lay of land from his vantage point.
“Okay. We’re really close.”

He took her hand and led her down the road, carefully avoiding anything that would cause her to twist her ankles. All around them, there was silence other than the normal hum of nature. They walked together slowly as though they were on a stroll, and yet Garrick couldn’t shake the anxiousness that crawled through him.

He didn’t understand where it was coming from until he heard a scraping sound above them.
Glancing
up into the trees, he caught the gaze of not one, but two Harpies that were perched up high, watching them. He looked away from them only to find more in another tree. And more in another. “Don’t look now,” he said quietly
.
“But we’re being followed.”

Dani
froze, her body tense as she gripped his hand tightly. “By who?”

“Harpies.”

“But why?”

“Because we’re making sure you follow through on our bargain,” one of the Harpies said.

“We are. We’re on our way to it now,” Garrick replied. “How long have you been following us?”

“Since the clan dropped you here on the Isle.”

So, they had been following them this whole time without them—or any of the Fairies—realizing they lined the trees and shadows?

“Well,” Garrick said. “You won’t be able to follow us much longer.” They
couldn’t
. He didn’t want to be responsible for anyone knowing about the portal and they were already far too close for his liking.

The Harpy opened her mouth—probably to tell him to go to hell—but
he
stopped her. “Listen, if you want us to get your queen back…”
The queen that murdered my sister
, he mentally added. “Then you’ll have to fall back. We can’t devise a rescue strategy with you watching us all the time.”

The winged bitches glanced at each other before focusing on them again. “Don’t forget our deal,” one said. As if they were one, they launched themselves out of the trees and up into the sky.

“That could have been bad,” Garrick said.

“Why?” Dani
drew
her gaze
from the black dots that flew farther away in the sky.

“Because the portal is right behind that bush.”

She turned, looking in the direction he pointed. “
Are you sure there aren’t any others?”

Garrick
peered
around, not seeing anyone in the trees and branches, nor in the brush that surrounded them. “I think we’re fine.”

Dani did a sweep with her eyes as well. “
Are you ready to go?”

Garrick
gripped her hand and led her through the foliage until
he spotted the boulder he’d meant to lean against all those years ago.
His heart beat frantically from thoughts of what l
ay
ahead.
“Yeah, let’s go.”

Dani brushed herself off after Garrick helped her to her feet. That portal felt just like the last one, like millions of hot and cold fingers were pulling at
her
to en
ter and then immediately pushed
her
out the other side. “Ugh,” she shuddered. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“You
will.
”
H
e shrugged. “At least, I think. I haven’t gotten used to it yet, but I’ve only been through
once
more than you.” He bent
down
, brushing grass blades off her dress.

Dani finally looked around, noticing the lush green landscapes that made up
Scotland
. “Wow. It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” he agreed, taking notice of their surroundings.