Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe (16 page)

“I don’t want to be alone anymore, Devlin.”

She may not know Druid magic, but she’d cast a spell all the same. And he was under it.

Ava and Adam had left the little stone cottage and the lovebirds and went up to the Chateau that was Adam’s. Situated on top of a hill on the other side of the woods, it stood bold against the graying skies. It was another one of the many large homes Adam owned. This one was built in the early 19
^th
century. It was stark white, with many windows that faced the Harbor not far away. Gardens lush and ever-blooming, Adam loved this house. Ireland had been his home for nearly 800 years now. Being a Sidhe among the human world was not without its challenges, but he’d rather face them than the dangers found in the Faelands. Humans were much simpler than the Fae. Less greedy and cut throat too.

“Ah, Adam! ‘Tis a joy to be back here is it not?”

Aye, that it was
, he thought opening the back door. Fresh baked pie fragranced the air. Nora was cooking already and the smell of warm apple pie wafted into their nostrils. The Brownie was faster at traveling than most Fae.

“Oh! I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a slice of that!” Ava walked over and gave the Brownie a kiss. “How are you, love? I hope there wasn’t too much of a mess for you at the other house. I’m afraid we left in a bit of a scuttle. Grumpy pants over there was so impatient to leave, we barely finished breakfast!”

Murmuring her response, Nora pulled out a plate and served Ava a huge slice of pie. “Mmm. Apple has always been my favorite.” Winking at the broody Sidhe sitting across from her, Ava shoved a huge bite into her mouth. Loud yummy noises signaling her approval had Adam rolling his eyes with disgust and he left the room.

A wave of energy blasted through the woods and into the house sending shivers down his Sidhe spine. He turned and looked at Ava with disbelief. She stared at him, mid-chew and then smiled her confirmation of what it meant. “Aye, our Druid has claimed the lass as his own and broke the barrier. The lad is part Sidhe now.”

By Danu, Adam couldn’t believe it. After all these years, seeing Devlin take a woman to his bed, share sweet moments and then kissing them good-bye, love was never really in the cards for the Druid. Adam had felt sorry for the man. ‘Tis a shame to walk through life so alone – Adam understood the feeling all too well. He wanted so badly for Devlin’s life to be better than that. And now the lonely Druid had found his match.
Not only that, he was part Sidhe. Morrigan had told him Devlin would be
important, but this was most unexpected. Adam never would have guessed that the key to unlocking Devlin’s true powers would be the same key that was to be the Shadow Lord’s undoing.

Rowan was turning out to be a big surprise wrapped in a very small package and the irony was not lost on Adam. The fact that Devlin could be both Druid and Sidhe didn’t seem possible. The Fates were as tricky as the Fae with some matters. There was a lot more to this story than Adam had known.

“Do you think they’ve at least made it out of the bathroom yet?” Ava teased, trying to lighten her friend’s dark mood.

“Who the hell knows. Christ, I’m tired and there’s still so much to be done. Finish your damn pie and meet me in the garden.” He turned away from Ava and walked out the door. Ava looked at Nora and gave her a
somebody’s got the case of the grumpy-grumps
look and asked for another slice of pie.

“She is a good girl,” the Brownie announced. And just like that, Nora was gone to get another slice of dessert.

Ava took her time eating. Giving into the tempting treat gave her a few extra moments of joy, plus it allowed a little more time for her to think about this new development. Things were going well. Today has been a day of blessings.

“Best get this over with,” she mumbled to herself.

Pushing away from the table, Ava made her way outside. Walking out to the patio, Ava breathed in the rich scents from the garden. Adam had really outdone himself with this masterpiece. No doubt missing his homeland, he’d tried to make up for it by creating a little slice of home here. The results were breathtaking. Ava bounced down the steps to the cobblestone walkway and under the arch that was the entrance to the Sidhe’s glorious garden. She found him staring into a reflection pool and pitied the look on his face.

“What’s wrong my old friend?”

Adam said nothing at first but then looked back at her. Sighing, he shed his glamour and took on his true form. The Gods had truly cracked the mold with him. Adam was magnificent. Still struck by his glory, Ava let out a gasp until her eyes could adjust to his colors. No longer in human form, the Sidhe was over seven feet tall, golden skin, full lips, chiseled muscle and raw power. He had intricate tattoos twisting down his arms and across the back of his shoulders and chest. They were all symbols and tributes to mark him as a warrior and protector. His hair was shorn close to his head, but she remembered it when it fell to his waist. It was black as onyx and soft as satin.

“I’ll never understand why you shaved it all off. It was glorious.” Reminiscing of how long and gorgeous it was, she rubbed his head and gave a smile.

Many Sidhe and other lesser Fae adored their hair and wore it as a symbol of their status and beauty. Adam was more practical than that. Hair got in the way when in battle. It’s hard to brandish a sword and smite an enemy when your hair hangs like a swinging, braided rope. Adam didn’t care for distractions. Nor did he care about status or vanity. He did what needed doing. That was all.

The two of them sat in silence for a while and watched the moon rise up into view. Glowing bright and shining serenely across the garden, the smaller Fae came out to dance in its rays. Adam envied the wee sprites. So carefree and full of joy. They spent most of their time playing among the blooms and whizzing about the air like bees. Adam didn’t mind though, life should be enjoyed. Holding his hand out, a fairy that glowed like a firefly landed on his offered perch. She pranced around his palm, kissed the pad of this thumb and then stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry. It made him laugh.

“Aye, it’s good to remember not to be so serious all the time. Laughing is good for you. Feeds the soul.” Ava held her finger out and the tiny fairy jumped onto it and pretended the finger was a tightrope to walk on.

Laughter feeds the soul
. Did Adam even have a soul? Watching the sprite dive off the tip of Ava’s finger and fly back towards friends, he wondered what it would have been like had life been different for him. He couldn’t think of the last time he’d well and truly laughed, or enjoyed a day of fun and threw caution to the winds. It had been a long time. Too long. Adam was stuck, and in more ways than one. Shaking the thought from his head he clasped his hand on Ava’s and said, “Let’s go in and try to figure out our next steps.”

Rowan rummaged through her bags and found a silky white chemise Ava had packed her. She slid it over her head and it poured like liquid onto her frame. Not like the flannel pants and tattered old t-shirt she was used to wearing to bed, this felt like warm water on her skin. Maybe she should buy a whole bunch when she got back home.

Devlin had gone into the kitchen to make them something to eat. He promised to feed her in bed and she couldn’t think of a better way to dine. Climbing into the soft, warm sheets, Rowan looked around his room. It was all man in here. Better yet, it was all
her
man in here. Walls the color of coffee with cream, a wooden chest sat against the far wall, stacks of old books were on a side table, boots tossed on the floor and a shirt thrown across a dark leather chair beside the fireplace. Everything in here smelled like Devlin. A wonderful scent it was too, like leather, earth, and man. It was delicious.

How did she get so lucky? This was a dream come true, her heart fluttered and she couldn’t help but squeal to herself with joy. Still beaming at the thought, she looked up and saw a tray of food coming towards her piled high with cookies, fruits, pasta, bread, and a bottle of red wine.

“Have I died and gone to heaven?” Clapping her hands with delight and crawling closer to the food, she couldn’t wait to dig in.

By Danu the woman looked like a dream. Devlin damn near dropped the blasted tray when he saw her wrapped in white silk. Thin straps clung to her shoulders and the neckline dipped low enough for him to catch the peaking crests of her plush mounds. The light in the room gave off a warm glow and as she crawled towards the edge of the bed, he could see the full of her silhouette through the sheer fabric. He was hungry alright, but not for pasta. A low growl resonated in his throat and he stopped moving. Her gaze back was answer enough: The food can wait.

Four hours later, pasta cold, and wine still corked, Rowan was completely spent. She couldn’t move if her life depended on it. Devlin got her some water and chugged two glasses himself. Och, he couldn’t understand what’s become of them. Like two animals in heat, they’ve done nothing but take and give pleasure for the entire day.

Not that he was complaining.

He helped Rowan up, for truly she was weak, and pressed a glass of water to her lips. She swallowed greedily and downed the whole thing. Feeling better, she propped herself up, gingerly crossed her legs, and began to eat.

Holy marinara, Batman!
Cold pasta primavera was by far the best thing she’s ever eaten. Rowan started shoveling forkfuls into her mouth. Groaning and moaning her pleasure, Devlin understood exactly what she meant. The two of them devoured every last bite of food until not even a crumb was left. It seems they were both insatiable in all manner of pleasures this day.

Devlin poured two glasses of wine and then nestled up next to Rowan in his bed. The smile on her beautiful face was glorious and he’d put it there. Puffing up a bit with pride, he took a sip of merlot and relaxed his body back on the pillows. ‘Twas a day full of surprises, that’s for sure. He was the luckiest man alive. Sending a prayer of thanks to the Gods, he held Rowan tighter and kissed her head, breathing in the scent of her.

“I’m so tired I don’t think I could move if the house was falling down around me.” Ro finished the last of her wine and nuzzled under the crook of his arm. Safe, sated, and smiling, Rowan was asleep within seconds.

She was in her old high school. It’s been a long time since she’d stepped through those doors and still she could smell the metal lockers, the chemicals coming from the science lab, and the scent of textbooks and number 2 pencils.

She was walking down the hall that led from the auditorium to the math wing when something started pulling on her legs. Almost falling, she looked down and saw arms, legs, hair, hands. People were everywhere, scattered across the floors moaning and keening. A woman with a face like old leather and hair long and thinning grabbed her leg and croaked, “Help me.”

Rowan was frantic. She didn’t want to fall on the ground, instincts warning her that if she did, she’d not get back up. Everywhere she looked there were more and more bodies. Ro was in a state of pure panic and the sound of cicadas rang loudly in her head. Looking for a way to get out, air and panic filled her lungs and she screamed.

Rowan bolted out of the bed, drenched in sweat and still in mid-scream. Devlin jumped from his own sleep, dirk in hand, and ready to fend off whatever was attacking her. Seeing she was in no physical harm, he lowered his weapon, breath heaving and heart pounding as he tried to help her.

“What is it lass? What is the matter?”

Rowan just started panting. Her body was vibrating and she couldn’t see anything correctly. Her vision was tunneled but instead of one tunnel, there were many – too many. Closing her eyes didn’t help and fear was fogging her mind. Her eyes went white and colorless as she screamed in terror.

“Rowan!” Devlin shouted and grabbed her by her shoulders trying to shake her out of it. Their contact was enough to break her free from her trance and her eyes were again emeralds.

“
Mo ghrá,
what has happened?” He wiped the hair from her face and kissed her forehead.

“It was a dream, just a dream.” But that wasn’t true. Her head felt like someone hit it with a sledgehammer. Rowan tried to fight back the bile rising up her throat. The sound of hissing cicadas had gone from her ears but the vision was still there – crystal clear and scary as hell.

“I… I don’t know how to explain it, but it was so real. I’ve had this dream before, a lot actually, when I was younger, only it was different then. The bodies couldn’t grab me, they were just scattered all over the floor. Some dragged themselves closer to me, but none of them could touch me like they did this time. When I had this dream before, their mouths were open, but no noise came from them that I could hear. I always woke up screaming and scared. The last time I had this dream I woke up and saw a huge black hole above my bed. It was just there, suspended in the air like black smoke. It closed up almost instantly when I saw it and I panicked. It was so long ago. I was still living with my parents, and going to college. We had a dog back then and I liked it best when she came to sleep in my room. Made me feel safer, you know? So I reached down on the floor and pet her for comfort. She was sound asleep on the floor, lying up against my bed. She never moved. The next morning I told my mom about the dream and the black hole and how I was glad to have the dog in my room with me.”