Blood Tied (5 page)

A low hum filled my ears. I placed my hand on the ice surrounding her, and it vibrated. She was trying to get free.

“Don’t do it,” I told her.

Her yellow eyes turned to slits. If she could have screamed, she’d most likely shatter my bones.

The humming grew louder, and the ice surrounding her started to crack.

“Stop it,” I warned.

She didn’t listen. The sound increased in decibel until tiny fissures worked their way through the ice.

“Damn it.” I hated cursing. To me, it was a sign of limited intelligence, but right now, it was the only way I could think to get her attention. “If you don’t fucking stop, I’ll have to kill you.”

The hum turned into a steady drone. Ice chipped and fell off her prison. She was less than a minute from freeing herself. I had no choice.

With a gesture of my hand, the ice prison collapsed in on itself, crushing the banshee within.

Chunks of ice fell away from her broken body, and as I stared down at her corpse, a dense fog sprang up around her. When it dissipated, she was gone.

Great. Now I’d never find out what she’d been doing here.

A low moan behind me drew my attention. I spun around, bracing for another attack. How stupid could I be? I’d forgotten all about the fireball that had struck my car. Banshees couldn’t project fire. Something else had been with her.

I scanned the area, sweeping past the ice patch I’d created, the silent trees that stood like gnarled soldiers all around me, and the carpet of dead leaves that crunched beneath my feet.

A groan came from a tangle of bushes about twenty feet away on my left. I clenched my hands into fists, and a spell was ready on my lips for whatever might leap out at me. No attack came, only another mumble of pain.

Maybe whoever was in there had been battling the banshee and had no wish to fight me. Still, I had to be prepared. I headed toward the sound, ready to defend myself.

I stepped through the bramble. Stretched out on the ground before me was the unconscious, naked body of a man.

I KNEW
I should check to see if he was okay, but I could only stand there, transfixed by the man’s stunning beauty. He looked to be in his midtwenties. Claw marks scratched crimson tracks across his pale, bare flesh, but it didn’t detract from the innate attraction that shot through me like a rocket.

He had obviously been fighting the banshee and hadn’t been winning. Why did I suddenly want to find a spell that would bring that wicked fae back from the dead so I could kill her again?

I rubbed my temples. Where was all this outpouring of emotion coming from?

I took several deep breaths to clear my mind before kneeling next to him. His pulse was normal, and besides the cuts, he didn’t look to have any serious injuries.

That was good. I ran my hands along his broad shoulders, over the Celtic tattoos that encircled his strong biceps, and down his flat, chiseled stomach. A few inches from his cock, I stopped and withdrew. He was hurt and needed medical help, not for me to help myself.

I shook my head, forcing the inappropriate thoughts and lustful urgings from my mind. I had to maintain control.

“Tell me your name, warlock.”

I started. I’d been so busy ogling his naked body and his perfectly sized prick that I hadn’t even realized he’d awoken. I prepared to answer, but then I gazed into his eyes. They were a deep, vivid green that reminded me of the sea glass that washed up on the coast. “M-My name’s, uh,” I stammered. Since when couldn’t I remember my own name?

An impish smile danced upon his pale pink lips. It held all the confidence of Ben’s smile without the cockiness. It made me unbearably thirsty. “Take your time.” He placed his hand on my thigh. If I’d been butter, I would have melted.

“I’m Thaddeus,” I answered, suddenly remembering. “Thad.”

He sat up and cupped my cheek in his palm. “Thank you for your help, Thaddeus.”

“Any time,” I said with a smile. To my surprise, I meant it. Both the words and the smile, and I didn’t even have to fake either of them.

“Just breathe,” he said as he stood. I still knelt before him, my gaze wandering from his entrancing eyes to his cock. It was a good seven inches and sprouted from a small thatch of black hair. Since his dick dangled only a few inches from my face, all I would have had to do was move forward slightly to take the entire length of his shaft down my throat.

He towered over me, a sparkle glinting off his bottle-green eyes. “Here,” he said, offering me his hand. “Let me help you up.”

When his hand closed over mine, I couldn’t stand. My legs had turned to noodles. “I can’t,” I replied. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

His grip grew tighter, and he pulled me to my feet. I lost my balance and fell into him. He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me against him. A low moan escaped my throat. I should be naked right now too.

“You must focus,” he said. No anger flashed in his eyes, only concern and a hint of amusement. He’d no doubt had this effect on others. “Remember why you are here.”

“I was attacked,” I said. My voice sounded far away, as if I was listening to myself from the opposite end of a tunnel.

He nodded. A dark strand of his raven black hair fell onto his forehead, where it contrasted sharply with the paleness of his extremely fair skin. “And do you know what it was?”

I stood taller, no longer leaning my entire weight against him, but he was still at least three inches taller than me. “A banshee.” For some reason, recalling the previous events acted as an anchor that kept me from sinking further into the ocean this man had created.

“There you go,” he said with a slight nod. “You’re coming out of it.”

I was. The dreamlike quality that had suddenly become my world started to fade. The reality beyond this man came back into focus, and my logical side, which had been straining in vain against the riptide of attraction, started to make some progress in keeping me grounded.

“What are you?” I asked.

He grinned before stepping back and letting me stand on my own. “Do you even need to ask?”

I opened my magical senses. A golden aura surrounded him, and a dozen tiny, sun-shaped particles orbited around him. “You’re a light fae.”

“A fire fairy, to be exact.”

And he was definitely not what most humans pictured a fairy to be. He was at least six foot three, not six inches high. He wasn’t thin or effeminate. Strong, masculine lines shaped his face, and lean muscles defined his frame. The combination made him appear more of a rogue than a sprite.

Being a fire fairy did explain the fireballs and my almost instant attraction, though. Not only were his kind charged with keeping the home hearths burning, but they sparked the fires of creativity and passion.

That must be why I’d suddenly turned into a horny teenager and was sporting more wood than the forest. The knowledge relieved me. Now if only I could relieve myself of the persistent erection that bent at an uncomfortable angle. It was getting painful.

He grinned down at my bulging denim. “Impressive,” he said with a nod at my groin. “But we can deal with that some other time.”

With my boner? That sure as hell didn’t alleviate my raging erection. It only made it worse. I was slightly worried my cock might burst out of my pants like a jack-in-the-box.

“Did you dispatch the banshee?” he asked in a tone far more regal than you’d expect from someone standing naked in the woods. He exuded confidence that had clearly come from a lifetime of freedom and privilege.

I nodded, unable to speak. His poise captivated me because his bearing was unlike mine. He was warm and comfortable in his own skin, and it most likely drew others to him like a moth to a flame.

I was the complete opposite. I stood aloof and was often cool and distant, a by-product of my constant war against the brutish nature that swirled within.

Being at ease with my nature wasn’t in the cards for me. The true me was far too dangerous and unpredictable. I’d only let him out once, and I’d regretted it ever since.

“You must be very powerful,” he said, looking quite impressed with me. “Banshees are not easy to defeat. I have firsthand experience with that.”

“I belong to one of the three protector covens,” I said with a smug jut of my chin. I might as well have been a peacock fanning my tail feathers.

His eyes widened. The protector covens were legendary in the magical community. Without the Gate, warlocks, witches, wizards, and even fairies would cease to exist. “Then I consider myself most lucky to have stumbled upon a warlock such as you.” The formality in his speech intrigued me. It was like he was a naked ambassador sent here by his people.

“And why are you here?” I asked.

He surveyed his surroundings, and an emerald fire danced in his eyes. “I’m not certain how I got here, and I find that infuriating.” His right hand burst into flame before he quickly snuffed it out.

Like most of his kind, he was a hothead. “I don’t understand.”

He chuckled, but it communicated frustration instead of amusement. His broad, muscular chest heaved, and his respiration increased. He was getting more worked up by the minute. “Yes, well, neither do I,” he admitted with a grimace. “All I remember is falling asleep in my chambers at the Hearth, and when I awoke, there was only darkness.” He shivered, and I suddenly remembered it was in the midthirties and he was naked. I took off my fur-lined trench coat and offered it to him, but he waved it away. “I’m a fire fairy. I don’t get cold.”

I eyed his trembling body. “But you’re shivering.”

He waved away my concern. “In anger. Nothing more.”

“Tell me about the darkness,” I asked, putting my coat back on. I didn’t have the luxury of not getting cold.

He gritted his teeth before replying. “It was everywhere, like some damned plague I couldn’t escape. I couldn’t breathe, and there was this voice, speaking to me in a strange language.” His anger continued to grow in his retelling. He clenched his hands as if he were ready to strike out and punch a tree. “Its hands were all over me, and then pain I’d never felt before shot through me. Afterward, I woke up here with that bitch of a banshee standing guard. I was too weak at the time to fight her, and I don’t
do
weak.” He locked onto my eyes, and I nodded. He apparently wanted me to know he was capable of defending himself.

But as quickly as his rage ignited, it blew out. Tranquility returned to his gaze. His mood swings made me dizzy. “If you hadn’t come along, she would have killed me.” He held my cheeks in both hands. The warmth of his touch spread across my body. “Thank you,” he said. He bridged the small gap between us. His breath, which reminded me of cedar and honeysuckle, plumed across my face, and then his mouth brushed tenderly against mine.

His velvety lips and the sweetness of his kisses filled me with joy and need. It was a stark contrast to what I’d experienced with Ben.

When he pulled out of the kiss, I tried to bring his lips back to mine. Instead of succumbing to me as I had to him, he placed his hand on my chest and gently pushed. “I am forever in your debt, and while I would enjoy making love, I’m afraid I don’t have the time. I must return at once to Otherworld.”

What? No. How could I let him return to the land of the fairies? “Please, don’t.”

“I must,” he said. He removed my hands from his smooth waist, but even though his almost regal tone had returned, there was a moment of hesitation, as if he seriously considered my request. When his dilated pupils returned to normal, he shook his head. “Trouble is obviously brewing back home. I must return.”

I understood the pull of duty. That was why I’d come home, and I couldn’t stand in his way any more than I could let him stand in mine.

He waved his hand. In response a fiery pinwheel floated in the air. It rotated clockwise, and as it did, it grew larger until it was at least seven feet high. “Good-bye, Thaddeus. I hope our paths will cross again.”

“I don’t even know your name,” I said.

“I’m Aiden,” he said and stepped through the flaming portal. Once he entered, the flaming blades spun counterclockwise, shrinking with each turn until it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Chapter 3

I DROVE
the rest of the way home with a clarity I hadn’t had in a while. Since my nightmares began, I’d been walking around as if the world were muted. It had gotten worse when I ran into Ben. My muffled world had been thrown askew, and I’d reacted to him in a way that was definitely
not
me.

But in the few moments I’d spent with Aiden, that changed. It was like sipping a tonic that flushed the poison I’d inadvertently drunk from my body. The heaviness that had settled upon my chest, and the unease I had been carrying around, vanished.

The comfortable control I’d cultivated all these years had returned, and Aiden had had something to do with that. It wasn’t just his kiss, which had been pretty damn amazing. It was like a refreshing spring breeze had cleared all the cobwebs in my soul.

Aiden’s presence and self-confidence weren’t like the smug warlock self-assurance I found so aggravating, which probably explained why my brother Pierce and Ben rubbed me the wrong way.

Aiden’s assurance was pure, almost untainted. It reminded me of my mother. Though she’d had more power in her pinkie than most had in their entire bodies, she’d never let it distort the image she presented to the world.

Perhaps one day I’d learn how to find the balance that would set me free.

But now that I once again found my center, I could focus on what needed to be done—solving the burning questions my family needed answered.

I turned onto the cobblestone driveway that led to my house. The three-story colonial estate and the spectacular grounds opened up before me. The gray-shingled roof with the white wooden trim welcomed me back in the role I always assumed—the responsible one.

I had a lot of work to accomplish while I was here, and that was where my mind needed to stay. The task ahead of me wasn’t going to be easy, but I would find the answers. Of that I had no doubt.