Dark Waters (Celtic Legacy Book 1) (14 page)

Why did Bres think this Labyrinth was so bad? Sure it was dark, which was totally disconcerting, but other than that original beastie there had been nothing dangerous or even frightening. No traps, no fire-breathing dragons. My hand on the wall suddenly encountered empty space. I stopped, the breeze flowing in towards me smelling like a BBQ. My mouth watered.

ASHLING?

Very distantly she replied.
I can hear you. Hurry, I’m here.

She sounded like she was down the tunnel that brought me the smell of fire-roasted steaks. Suddenly ravenous, I found myself running down the side tunnel heading towards a small glimmer of light. Finally!

The light grew and by the time I could see I was stepping into a massive well lit cavern with stalactites hanging above my head, the tips of them glowing bright like halogens. In the center of the room there was a table that would have easily seated thirty people, and it was completely covered with food. Twenty feet to the left of the table was a deep pit over which roasted an entire pig. To the right was a king-sized, four-poster bed draped in filmy gauze and covered in a pile of pillows and blankets.

I licked my lips and swallowed the rush of saliva that filled my mouth. I looked around the room. It was empty of anyone else. Where was Ashling?

I am here.
The voice seemed to come from behind me.

I spun to see a hulking Fomorii hopping towards me. It only had a single leg with a wide flat foot but it used its overlong arms to leverage itself across the ground, like a person on crutches. Dark blue skin mottled with open sores, greasy long hair looked like seaweed in dreadlocks and it had the familiar open mouth full of teeth. It easily stood over twelve feet tall, far larger than any of the other Fomorii I’d encountered so far.

It started to laugh. “You were so easy to draw in, almost as easy as your man.” It flicked one clawed hand towards the pit and I stopped myself from turning to stare.

“
That is not Bres and he’s not my man,” I said, forcing myself to believe it, nausea replacing the hunger I’d felt only moments before. “He knows this place. He wouldn’t be caught by you.”

The Fomorii snorted. “Bres, he doesn’t know this place as he once did. Nor was he as safe as he believed himself to be.”

I frowned at the beast as it settled itself in the long table, easily taking up the one side. It motioned for me join it.

“
I get so little company; if you don’t mind, before I kill you I’d like to chat. Tell me, what is going on topside? Hmm?” The Fomorii reached for a platter of raw squid and poured the entire trencher into its gullet, teeth slicing and slashing at the squiggly snack.

I didn’t think anymore about it. I just ran. Sprinting towards the door my heart sank. Bars slid downwards to block my escape. If I was going to make it, the move I’d have to employ would make Indiana Jones proud.

The Fomorii roared as I drew close to the doorway. I
was
going to make it. A deep breath and I started to adjust my angle so I could slide under the lowering bars. This was going to be close.

A foot from the doorway the Fomorii grabbed me from behind, its oversized hand circling my body, its claws piercing my side. I screamed with sudden pain as my flesh popped like a grape skin. I called my knife to my hand and used it to slash at the fingers that were driving what felt like daggers into me.

The Fomorii howled and reared its head back to strike. There was no way I could defend myself from this, Bres was right. I had no idea what I was getting into; I was going to die in this Labyrinth, leaving Ashling and Mom to fend for themselves against Balor.

In slow motion I watched as the Fomorian’s mouth descended then I turned my head, not wanting that gaping maw to be the last thing I saw. My eyes caught a glimmer of movement on the other side of the bars. Out of the darkness of the tunnel, through the bars, a long sword came hurtling towards us. I closed my eyes and felt the Fomorii jerk, its claws digging hard into my body. Turning my head back around, I could see the handle of the sword sticking out of the Fomorian’s mouth, the steel tip out the back of its head, ending its bingeing spree along with its life.

Trapped in the Fomorian’s hand with three claws still stuck in me, I fell to the ground with the monster, slumping onto my side. There was a voice calling to me but there was something wrong. He sounded worried, scared even.

I tried to open my eyes, tried to see him, because if I was remembering right he was worth looking at, though he bothered me a lot. But it was no use; I could no longer stay in the moment, the Fomorii had won.

~~

16

There were hands on my bare skin, rubbing something slick and minty smelling into it. I lifted my nose to breathe deep and a sharp pain in my side drew a groan from me; I slowly opened my eyes. A shirtless Bres, his hands covered in a clear, slick poultice, sat in front of me and the pain seemed to fade in the distance. My eyes travelled over his sculpted torso, a tattoo that curled up his ribcage, Celtic designs I didn’t understand and yet . . .I reached out and slid my hand across his skin, tracing the pattern. Similar to the ones I’d imagined on Luke, but these were darker and held more dangerous meanings in them. Of that at least I was sure, though how I knew I couldn’t tell. They were so familiar to me, like a long forgotten memory. I felt like I should be able to understand what they meant. Bres’ muscles tightened under my hand.

“
Stop that.” He said the words, but he didn’t push me away.

“
Where’s your shirt?” I asked, my voice husky.

“
I used it to staunch the blood. Does it bother you?” His eyes were steady on mine.

“
No, I guess not,” I said, my hands still tracing the pattern of the tattoo.

His hand covered mine and the smell of mint grew stronger. “Quinn…” His voice was husky and again my eyes travelled over him. Low slung, snug pants allowed a great view of the muscling that drew my eyes downwards, a perfect symmetry of strength and temptation. Mouth suddenly dry, I looked away and tried to draw my hand from his. My fingers slid through his easily and a tremble rippled through me, centering in my belly and spreading outwards. I should not be here like this, not when I knew that Luke was the one for me. Wasn’t he?

I cleared my throat. “Thank you. For saving me.”

Bres didn’t say anything, just sat there in a perfect crouch as I tried to get my bearings. I was in the king-sized bed, pillows supporting every side of me. The table where the Fomorii had sat to eat was still there, as was the roasting pig—if that’s what it actually was.

“
Why were you mean to me, when we first met?” I asked.

He stared at me, his eyebrows lifted high. “Ta prophecy says that you be meant for Luke. And since you seem to have bought into ta whole pile of destiny crap they be feeding you, I didn’t think you’d like me tempting you away from him. I wondered if I’d be able to without any real ability to Charm.”

I laughed even as I flushed. “You, tempt me? Please. Just now? I was just . . .” I fumbled for the right words.

“
Leading me on?” Bres offered, the corner of his lips turned up. Hiding a smile.

I nodded, then winced. “Yes. Exactly. You are a Fomorii. I can’t be with you. Don’t want to anyway. I thought you were Luke for a minute there. It was the tattoo.”

His eyes hardened reminding me very much of his father. “Luke is half Fomorii you know.”

I nodded. “Yes, but he doesn’t act like it. You do.”

“
Do I? Hmm. Well, if one is going to be accused of a crime, might as well commit it,” he said, his eyes back to their devious twinkling that made me think he was laughing at me.

He lunged towards me and I fell backwards onto the pillows, his body pressing mine into the soft bedding. Noses touching, I stared into his eyes, drowning in those violet depths. My breath came in short sharp bursts; it must have been the wounds. Heat pooled in my belly, spreading through me; it must have been a low grade infection from the claws. I would
not
feel for Bres.

“
What would you do if I claimed you as me own?” he whispered and my eyes widened, lips parting involuntarily.

“
You can’t do that. I’m not some trinket to claim,” I said, trying to be tough, my words coming out breathy at best.

“
No, that you aren’t me beautiful lady.” He dropped his lips to mine and every other thought I had was washed away in the pleasure of his skin, the cold fire that thrilled through my body. My hands found their way to his hair, holding him tight against me, demanding more. Power swirled around us, I could feel it escalating, our energies twinning, tangling, becoming more together than they ever would be apart. More even than I could be with Luke. Ah, shit.

A weak cry escaped my lips as I tried to roll to one side, breaking off the kiss, the deep wounds feeling as if they were pulling me apart.

Bres sat up, stared at me a moment and I was glad to see his face looked as shell shocked as I felt.

“
That wasn’t supposed to happen,” he muttered, got up and walked over to the table laden with food.

With his back to me, he picked at the feast. “You might as well get some sleep. We won’t be leaving here until your wounds be at least partially knitted.”

“
How am I going to rescue anyone when I can’t even keep myself in one piece?” I whispered, barely able to see him through my tears. “I’m no good to anyone, I can’t be the one the prophecy speaks of. I can’t even get over my fear of water! I can’t even be faithful to Luke!”

Bres turned and came back to the bed, sitting down beside me. With great care he pulled me into his arms. Tears poured out of me as all the fear, worry, guilt, shame and anxiety over Ashling and my mom flowed along with the blood that trickled down my skin.

He held me through it all as I slowly pulled myself back together, my heart still aching, the guilt still reminding me of the things I had to make right. The emotions were, in a way, sharper than the claw wounds in my body—I knew they would take far longer to heal.

I lay my head against his chest and let his body warm me. Minutes passed and the proximity of his body and mine became a rather acute thing.

“
Quinn.” His voice startled me and I jumped, the blanket that had been covering me slipping down, baring my shoulders and the tops of my breasts.

He stared at me with a hunger so fierce I found it hard to breathe. Bres reached out, his hands sliding down my shoulders and arms then settling on my waist, the tingle from the poultice setting my skin to singing, the blanket pooling in my lap.

“
You can’t move yet,” he said. “Ta wounds, they be needing time to heal. Traversing ta Labyrinth is dangerous enough without an injury.”

“
How long?” I asked.

I raised my hands, once again tracing the patterns of his tattoo, my fingers dancing across his hard abs, swirling them downwards to settle on his hip, thumbs caressing the soft skin. Heat flushed through my cheeks at my own brazen behaviour but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. No; I had to. Luke was waiting for me.

I watched him swallow hard, and a bright edge of pleasure filled me and I embraced it. Better than the guilt and shame I’d been feeling. It took him a second try to get words out.

“
At least a few hours. Maybe more,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. I understood then. This had to be my choice.

“
I’m not supposed to move?”

He shook his head, dark hair falling over his eyes; he peered out at me through the strands. I pursed my lips in thought. “And the poultice has to be on the wounds to help the healing?”

“
Yes.” His voice was thick and his hands were trembling as he held my waist.

I was going to regret this moment, I knew I was. But I also knew that I wasn’t completely in control of my faculties. Massive injuries, adrenaline and lust didn’t help when making decisions. So I did what I knew my mother would want me to, to keep from throwing myself into the arms of someone I barely knew.

“
I should sleep for a while then.”

Bres nodded. “Here, drink a little of this, it will help you sleep and heal.” He handed me a silver flask, the cap already unscrewed. I sniffed the contents.

“
What is it?” I asked, naturally suspicious.

“
It’s an elixir; it will help. I promise,” he said.