Dark Waters (Celtic Legacy Book 1) (15 page)

I did as he told me to, the flavour one of honey and springtime air, lavender and mint.

“
That’s really good,” I said; then I hiccupped. And giggled.

It was when I tried to stand and he attempted to stop me that I wondered at what just was in the drink. Bres took my hands.

“
No, you need to lie down Quinn.”

I swayed on my feet and wondered why he was looking at me so strangely.

“
I didn’t think this would happen. You have too much human blood to handle this,” he said, his face carefully blank, giving nothing away.

I grinned at him and put my finger to my lips, distantly realizing I was more than a little tipsy. I didn’t have it in me to wonder how potent the stuff was that a single sip could have me this sauced in less than ten seconds.

Bres shook his head and lowered me back to the bed. “You should get some sleep,” he said, crouching beside the bed as he brushed his fingers across my cheek.

I blew a raspberry. “I couldn’t sleep now. I want to talk.”

He closed his eyes. “That’s what I was afraid of, damn Fairy Honey.”

“
I’m your fairy honey?” I asked, confused at what he’d said and, to be honest, somewhat delighted by the nickname.

“
No, fairy honey is what I gave you. For ta human blood in you it’s intoxicating beyond any alcohol and makes you talkative, blurs painful memories for a time, as well as . . .” He looked as if he was going to continue so I waved him to silence with a floppy hand.

“
That’s boring. I want to talk about other things,” I said, then giggled and imitated his Irish accent. “Tings, I want to talk about ta tings.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. “Like?”

I frowned, knowing that there were things I needed to know, important things, but they slipped through my mind like water through a sieve. So I went with the obvious.

“
Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Bres’ eyes popped open wide and he choked on a cough before answering. “Maybe.”

I pursed my lips and set my chin in my hands. He really was so fine to look at. All those hard angles and beautiful violet eyes; made me want to lick him all over.

Bres flushed a slow creep of red that spread up from his neck right to his hairline. I blinked at him and tipped my head, sending the world to swirling around me. I lay back on the thick blankets, laughing. “What did I say?” Were all my thoughts just popping out of my mouth?

“
Yes, they are,” Bres answered. He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Now go to sleep Quinn, you’ll feel better in a few hours and then we can get going.”

Then I remembered what I’d been thinking. “You don’t want me to lick you all over?” I rolled onto all fours and crawled towards the end of the bed. Tears started to prickle in my eyes. “I’m not pretty enough am I? Probably the girls you know are just like you. Stunning, long-legged dark beauties.” I let out a sniffle.

Bres leaned forward and lifted my chin with his finger. “No, that isn’t true; you are beautiful Quinn.” His voice grew soft and I leaned into his fingers. “But this can’t be, lovey, much as I might want it to.”

There was a little voice, deep inside my mind, screaming at me to control myself, that I was acting like a complete and total hussy. But the fairy honey cut me off from all my inhibitions.

I stepped off the bed and wrapped myself around him, slipping my arms around his neck. “I changed my mind; I don’t want to sleep anymore. Kiss me Bres,” I whispered, the slur in my voice thick.

He smiled up at me, his eyes dilated with a hunger I knew my own echoed. The hunger faded, replaced by a sadness so deep my heart ached for it as he unwrapped my arms from around his neck and lifted me off his lap. “You need to sleep right now, let your body heal.”

My bottom lip pouted and I let go of him and tumbled back into the bed, deliberately ignoring his wry smile. “Sleep easy Quinn, I will be close by.”

~~

17

Only a few hours passed before Bres roused me. I sat up with a groan and he dropped a jar into my hands. “Rub ta poultice in good. Your wounds aren’t healed up yet, they were too deep to heal this fast, but we are running out of time.” He was all business.

I dropped my chin to my chest and slowly rubbed the poultice in. My head throbbed, but my body did feel remarkably good—only a dull ache, for the most part. I watched Bres from the corner of my eye as he gathered his things. I wanted him, more than anything, but my priority was Ashling and Mom. That hadn’t changed. There was no time for a romp in the sack, no matter how luscious he was. I would deal with my treacherous emotions later, when lives weren’t on the line.

Wearing only pants; I stood with one arm across my breasts. My shirt was shredded and saturated with blood in a pile off to the side along with my bra. “Bres, I need something to wear on top.”

He had his back to me as he stood by the pit. Not bothering to turn around he said, “There are clothes to ta left of the bed. Take your pick.” More than bitter, his voice had a hollow sound to it. Like I’d hurt him. Should I apologize?

I found the pile of discarded clothes and pulled out the smallest shirt in the pile. It was bloodied and had a few gashes in it, but it would do. I glanced back at Bres, who hadn’t moved. Taking the largest, cleanest shirt, I used my knife to cut it into swaths. I could use it to wrap my upper body, covering the wounds. A shirt over top and voila, ready to go.

“
Let me help you,” Bres said, coming up beside me.

I handed him the swath of material, took a shallow breath and lifted my arms up over my head, baring myself completely. Bres wrapped my wounds, starting at my waist and working his way upwards, his eyes never lingering on any one spot. I wasn’t sure if I was happy about that or not.

“
I should have known you’d be faithful to him,” Bres said, his hands working deftly, but not touching my skin at all.

I frowned and put my hand on his, stopping him. “What are you talking about?”

Bres looked down at me, his eyebrows drawn tight, and his fingers quiet under mine. “Luke of course. I should have known you’d be faithful to him.”

I said nothing, just stared at the far wall. I wasn’t feeling particularly faithful at the moment. Right then all I wanted to do was burrow back into the bed with Bres, and pretend that I hadn’t met Luke.

Bres shook his head and started to wrap again. “No, ta two of you are meant for each other. Prophecies are never wrong Quinn. Though I’ve often wished they were, have fought them my whole life, they always turn out exactly as they say they will. Forgive me for tempting you.”

Again I stopped him. “You just said that destiny is crap, now you’re telling me it can’t be changed? And nowhere did it say Luke and Quinn, XOXO.” Though even as I said that I could feel something settle around me, like a chain around my heart.

He nodded. “I can see it in your face. You know he’s meant for you too. Damn.” He shook his head.

I licked my lips. “Ashling told me the prophecy.” I repeated it back to him, he nodded.

“
That be the one.”

“
But, it’s not plain English,” I said. “The prophecy doesn’t say ‘point A here, then to point B by characters C and D.’”

Bres finished wrapping me up like a mummy and tied off the tail end of it, his fingers lingering on my collarbone. With a sigh he removed his hand from my skin and took a step back.

“
Ta basics of it is that you will cut down evil, bring all ta realms into a single one and that you and Luke are meant to be. Ta end.” He bent and picked up a shirt, slipping it over his head.

I frowned. “Are you sure? Because as far as I can tell, I’m not much for being this chosen person. No one listens to me—I can’t even rescue my own sister without being pushed out of a helicopter.”

“
Dragged.”

“
Whatever.” I let out a sigh, immediately regretting it when pain followed.

“
Prophecies can’t be bargained with Quinn,” he said, then let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh what the hell.” Then he grabbed my face in his hands and kissed me.

I froze at first, then slowly wrapped my arms around him with a groan, his tongue and lips lighting a fire in my blood that made my heart pound and my body ache. I pressed my body against him, very slowly pulling my lips from his, just far enough so that I could speak.

“
What was that about a prophecy?” I asked.

The corners of his lips lifted as he seemed to hold back a grin. “Prophecy be damned.”

I nodded and kissed him lightly. “That’s what I thought too. Besides, if I meant anything at all to Luke, wouldn’t he be here trying to save me?”

Bres snorted. “He is the
Shining One
. He can’t come to the kingdom of the Fomorii; it would be a death sentence. So even for you he wouldn’t come here. Besides that, ta Council forbid him.”

That was not far off what Cora had said, that the Council didn’t know that Luke had come for me. I brushed a lock of his dark hair off his face, thinking of all the paths ahead of me. “What a mess this is.”

He unwrapped himself from around me. “We’ll figure this out once we get out of here. If we get out of here.” He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, heat trailing along with his lips.

No more was said as we left the chamber, holding hands. I didn’t want to be separated from him but I didn’t think I could have him and Luke too. Luke—he was waiting for me and here I was hanging onto Bres like a love-struck school girl. I barely knew either of them really, I was just letting my hormones get the better of me. Stupid, I was being stupid.

I let go of his hand and stared straight ahead, my fingers cooling without the heat of his skin against mine. Whether I believed the prophecy or not wasn’t in question. The ties between me and Luke were there and I would be a fool to let Bres, Balor’s son, come between us.

“
What’s wrong?” Bres asked. He tried to take my hand again, but I pulled away.

“
I can’t. Please don’t ask me to. I wasn’t with it enough before to push you away,” I said.

“
So that’s how it’s to be is it?” His voice seemed hollow; I refused to look at him, instead keeping my eyes forward.

“
Yes, that’s how it’s going to be.” I knew I was doing the right thing; being faithful to Luke was the right thing…

Though I wished with all my heart it wasn’t.

~~

18

We’d been walking for hours. my body ached from head to toe. Fatigue—even after the rest I’d had—settling on my shoulders, a weight I couldn’t get rid of.

Any noise we made as we walked rebounded back to us, making it seem at times as if the Labyrinth was crawling with other creatures. But in truth it remained silent. When I asked Bres about it he shrugged, shook his head and wouldn’t answer.

Bres had a glow ball—at least that’s what he called it—the baseball of fire I’d seen him conjure several times, that floated in front of us, lighting our way.

“
Will you show me how to do that now?” I asked, putting my hand out to touch the orb. It was warm, smooth like glass and very pretty, not to mention a godsend in this darkness.

“
You just have to focus on what you want to make.”

I stretched my hand out again and thought of a glow ball; I wanted mine to be filled with blue fire. I stared at the open space above my fingers, imagined the ball, the blue fire within it. Nothing happened.