Celtic Evil: A Fitzgerald Brother Novel: Roarke (26 page)

Roarke knew what that meant
as he tried to feel for his friend but got only static. “It’s me he
wants. I won’t let him touch her.”

“You die or surrender to
him, and what they gave is wasted,” Ryan went to grab his arm but
stopped suddenly when his brother looked at him with pained eyes.
“Brat, don’t do this.”

“I let Mum and Da die
because of me, Ry. I won’t let him take anything else,” Roarke
looked at the stone he was holding as he made a choice. “Trust me
for once to do what’s right.”

As he walked away into the
night back toward the manor and his destiny, Ryan swore under his
breath. “He’ll let the bastard kill him to save her.”

“To save you all will be
his risk,” Fiona corrected, taking his arm. “What your brother
faces will require all of you to be there to support him for the
choice he makes may cost him both life and soul before it’s
over.”

“No, because we failed to
protect him before, we aren’t failing this time,” Ryan vowed,
knowing he’d give anything to protect his family if it meant not
making the same mistakes he had as a youth. He didn’t plan to lose
his brother like he had Annie.

With a smile, Fiona waved a hand to take
them back to the manor and to the danger that waits.

Jessica Hadley stirred
restlessly, uneasy as she woke up alone.

Looking around she saw she
was still in Roarke’s room but he didn’t seem to be there.
“Roarke?” she called, thinking maybe he’d stepped into the bathroom
or something.

Standing slowly to avoid the dizziness that
came often when she was hurt, she looked when the door opened and
her friend entered.

“You keep disappearing on
me and I’m going to have Cam or your brothers put a tracker on
you,” she told him with a grin, putting off the sudden chill to
being tired and still hurt.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Roarke
replied, shrugging as he neared the bed. “Decided to walk the house
for awhile to see if that helped.”

Knowing her friend could
often be ill at ease that didn’t sound strange, yet for some reason
Jessica was ill at ease the closer he got.

“I was hoping you’d be
awake when I got back,” letting his finger trace her jaw, Roarke
slowly closed the distance between them until he was next to the
girl.

Yawning again, she looked
closer but frowned a little when their link seemed dull. “You
alright, luv?” she asked, wanting a little space when his arm slid
around her waist. “Roarke?”

The strength in his arm felt wrong to her
but her thoughts were going fuzzy and they didn’t clear again until
she felt the pressure of the mattress as she was eased back
down.

“No, I…I need up,” she
shook her head to clear it but something now seemed very wrong.
“Roarke, let go.”

“Do you know how easy it is
to manipulate those boys when it’s really needed?” the words spoke
from her friend’s body, yet the voice wasn’t Roarke’s soft lilting
Irish tone any longer. “Much less how easy it is to get past your
own shields when hurt?”

Jessica’s eyes shot up and
saw the image shimmering and blinking between the one she saw and
reality. “Shit,” she hissed, realizing the truth and trying to use
what strength or power she had to fight back.

“Ta-ta, young lady, be
still now.” Sebastian had been expecting that, easily restraining
her as he waved a hand over her.

Normally able to resist such spells, her
wounds had weakened her to the point where his anti-resistance
spell made her body go limp under him.

“That’s much better,” He
nodded, sitting back to look over his latest prize and seeing her
inner struggle. “No use fighting, child. You’ve been too weak and
concerned over the boy to allow your powers to build back up so
until I release the spell, you will do whatever I wish you to and
since all of Toryn’s sons are busy elsewhere, I don’t think we’ll
be disturbed right away.”

Laying a smooth hand on her
face, the ageless sorcerer smiled as he slowly stroked it down her
body. “Young Roarke chooses his mate well,” he surmised, nodding to
himself, and with a wave of his hand, the nightshirt she wore
opened. “Been several centuries since I allowed myself the pleasure
of a slave, but I may make an exception in this case even though I
promised Kathleen I would make the boy that.”

The fear that was building
tripled over that comment yet she still couldn’t summon the
strength to fight the spell, but as his finger slowly touched her
skin did manage to scream.

“Enough!” Sebastian
snapped, capturing her jaw in his hand to hold it closed while
running his finger across her lips and they seemed to seal. “This
will keep you silent like a good slave until I wish you
speak.”

Bitterly struggling, she knew what was
happening even as the bedroom door slammed open.

“Leave her alone, devil!”
Maggie Cavanaugh snapped, hoping to buy time for Mac to return but
wasn’t expecting the power that launched her back out of the room
and halfway down the hall.

“Away little witch and you
may survive this,” Sebastian laughed at the attempt as he sealed
the room until he was ready.

Maggie struggled to her
feet, ignoring the blood she felt from her head as panic nearly set
in. Knowing without Mac or his brothers to deal with the warlock,
she wasn’t sure what to do to help when… “The books, there has to
be something in them,” she ran back to Mac’s room for both Books of
Shadow and hoped there was an answer in them.

“Now, where were we?” he
looked down curiously. “Did you know that even while I was banished
I was able to see what my enemies were doing as they grew to
manhood? I saw what Kathleen had done to the boy,” he stroked her
face, leaning closer and slowly running his tongue down her neck.
“Shall I show you?” he asked, rubbing a hand across her bare
stomach before cupping her breast. “You will moan for me,
girl.”

Struggling against his
power, Jessica tried to mentally get help but found that blocked as
well as his will grew, and she heard the small moan escape her
sealed lips.

“Good,” he nodded,
squeezing harder as he sat back. “Sit up and kiss me, slave,” he
ordered, keeping a mental eye to how Kathleen was faring so he knew
how much time he had. “Obey me or when I capture him, I will rape
your friend like those peasants in Mayo couldn’t have dreamed
of.”

Between fear for Roarke and
the spell, she didn’t have much chance of fighting the order as she
was forced to move, sitting up and slowly kissing the evil warlock
as slightly as possible but wincing as his fingers dug into her
neck.

“No. Kiss me as you would
Fitzgerald,” Sebastian ordered, fingers squeezing her neck until he
felt her mouth on his and his spell eased enough to let it open to
kiss him. “Again, slave.”

His mouth was harsh as it
pressed against hers but his will won and she closed her eyes
against the tears while being forced to kiss him as she had wanted
to do Roarke.

Growling, Sebastian pulled the limp girl
against him as his mouth plundered and his hands and mind
groped.

“It’s been too long since I
had a slave,” he groaned, rubbing his mouth over her neck as he
bit. “Scream for him, girl,” he ordered. “Scream for Fitzgerald as
you see him in your mind.”

Trying to fight, Jessica
was powerless as he forced the image into her thoughts and when she
screamed this time, it was Roarke’s name.

“Good, now moan for him.”
He ordered, tearing one bra strap to free the cup so he could
ravage the breast and hear her moan. “Moan, slave and hold onto
me.”

As he did this, Sebastian
shoved her back on the bed and easily hovered over her. “Now, move
slave,” he ordered, slapping her face. “Keep your eyes open at all
times and squirm, girl.”

Staring up into the burning
eyes of the warlock, she felt her body move on the bed as he used
his powers to feel, stroke, and poke.

Hovering an inch above the
helpless girl, Sebastian lifted a finger then placed it in her
mouth. “Suck and squirm my little slave,” he murmured, licking his
lips as he forced her to draw his finger into her mouth and suck on
it. “Good, slave. Now, let’s see what else you do so
well.”

Sebastian took the finger
from her mouth, which instantly resealed, and held it up so she
could see, then positioned it and shoved it forward, and her body
seemed to buck as she felt the finger between her legs and her
scream was nothing but a dull moan.

“Nice,” he crooned, moving
his finger around so it would feel in her. “Now, grab the finger
you feel,” he ordered her, seeing her hands move as if to grasp a
hand between her legs but there was nothing. “Grab at it, on your
knees and get it.”

Trying to fight, she was unable as her body
was forced on her knees on the bed while her hands struggled
between her legs to get the finger she could feel but wasn’t
there.

“That’s very good,”
Sebastian smiled, pleased at this. “Now, let’s see how much Toryn’s
favorite son is willing to give for his whore,.” he sneered,
sitting back at the bedside, but his hand waved and her eyes went
dark. “You will not fight, you will not speak,” he whispered
against her ear, wrapping his hand in her hair. “Let us go greet
the boys.”

Slamming through the front door with more
panic than even he had thought possible, Mac felt the evil but he
also felt fear and anger.

Hearing all this commotion
had caused Deirdre to come from her room. “What is all this noise,
boyos?” she demanded, tightening her robe.

“Mac, wait for us!” Ian
shouted but knew it was useless as he quickly turned to the
housekeeper. “Go someplace safe that isn’t in this house,” he
urged, hurrying up the steps after his brother when he found
himself hurled back down. “Damn!”

Before Deirdre could go to
the youth, Kerry had her arm. “Go to the guest house and stay there
until it’s over and keep the Mavericks back too,” he ordered her,
turning to see his brother was back on his feet and mad.

Looking up the steps, Kerry
felt the power radiating back at him like a slap but he closed his
eyes. “Not in my house,” he vowed, lashing out a hand that had
windows rattling. “Find Mac. I’ll go for Jessica.”

Ian just nodded and was
off, dodging the black tendrils that felt like ice when one touched
his leg. “Light of good versus dark of evil, your power holds no
sway here or on me so back off.”

Maggie had gotten back to
Mac’s room just in time to hear the snarls. Slamming the door
against whatever was out there, she lunged for the books but didn’t
have a clue what to look for.

Hearing the door come down,
she screamed even before she saw the dog. It was normal-looking
except for the blood red eyes and foaming mouth.

“I’m not lunch, Fido,” she
snapped, using powers she hadn’t in years, and soon came to see
they were too weak to deal with magic on this level. “Oh, bloody
hell,” she whispered, looking for a weapon even as the dog jumped
for her.

Flame shot from the door, striking the
animal in mid-jump and turning it to ash on the floor a mere few
inches from her.

Looking through the fingers
she had covered her eyes with, Maggie blinked, then threw herself
across the room into Mac’s arms. “God, I thought that was it and my
powers didn’t hurt it and I didn’t know if you’d get back in time
and…”

“I know, luv.” Mac let the
woman ramble as his arms tightened around her. “I shouldn’t have
left you and…”

“Jessica!” Maggie’s eyes
shot to his, panic clear. “Mac, he’s here and he threw me out of
her room and I think he’s going to…” she broke off with a sob as
for the first time her fear showed. “Mac, I think he’s going to
rape her.”

Swallowing the emotion that
brought, Mac eased her back and for the first time saw the blood.
“You’re bleeding, Mary Margaret.”

“Damn devil tossed me down
the hall when he shut me out,” she huffed, waving away her head
wound to pull him to the bed to show him the books. “Your Da left
this one. The answers to this are in here, Mac, but I don’t know
where.”

“They were given to you so
it’ll be you who finds it, luv,” He knew that even as he moved a
hand through her red hair to find the wound and stop the blood.
“God, Maggie. You could have cracked your skull.”

Looking up at him, she
smiled to reassure him. “Too thickheaded for that, Doc, and we need
to stop him before…” she stopped as Mac took her face in both hands
as he knelt down.

“I don’t want you hurt,” he
told her, not yet willing to admit why that was important to him
yet.

“I’m fine, Mac,” she
promised but sensed his worry, and sat the book down long enough to
ease into his arms, needing it as much as he did. “So long as
you’re here I’m safe.”

Nodding, he gently brushed
a kiss over her mouth. “Always, though I’m not often good at it,”
he promised as Ian skidded to a halt in the door. “This boy has
timing down pat doesn’t he?”

“Well, you did say he’s an
actor,” Maggie laughed shakily as she reached for the books again.
“Go, Doc. I’ll find you an answer.”