Heart of the Druid Laird (11 page)

Silently cursing the creaky wooden floor, Sidney tiptoed to the kitchen. She snatched David’s Jeep keys from the hooks on the wall above the kitchen counter and replaced them with hers. Then she placed the letter she’d written her brother where she knew he’d find it.

She crept past Zoe’s bedroom to the hall closet and pulled out her down parka, sturdy hiking boots, gloves and a woolen hat. With her arms full, she opened the door and nudged the duffel bag out with her foot. Once she was out of the apartment, she leaned against the wall and let everything in her arms slide to the floor. She put the parka on and stuffed the gloves and hat into the pockets. Breathing deeply, she tried to slow her heartbeat to normal and slipped her feet into her boots. The five-hour drive gave her five hours to think.

Once she had her gear stowed in the backseat of the Jeep, Sidney settled herself into the driver’s seat, started the car and headed for I35. Something kept nagging at her: What
did
the faerie have to do with all of this? What possible reason could she have to hide her from Dermot? Man, what kind of mess had she stepped into?

The air in the Jeep crackled with electric tension. Her skin crawled with the prickly sensation that she was not alone. Sidney put a CD in and turned the volume up. She hadn’t slept, and the entire night had been surreal. Her nerves were shot, that’s all. No wonder she imagined things that weren’t there.

Dermot started up the stairs to Sidney’s apartment.
Grim
didn’t even begin to describe his outlook this morning. He hadn’t slept, his head ached and, to top it all off, Thomas had come pounding on his door to tell him what he already knew. Sidney had fled.

Thomas stopped him with a hand on his arm. “There’s something you need to know before we go inside, Druid.”

“Aye? What might that be? Some foolishness on your part no doubt.”

“Sod off.”

“I’ll do more than that. In two weeks I’ll leave this world altogether, as will you.”

“Zoe and I are engaged. I mean to marry her.”

“Do it quickly. That way, at least she can be your widow.”

“Can you say for certain what ending the curse entails? Have we no’ argued the point for our entire existence?”

“Nay, lad. You’ve argued. I’ve told you what will happen, and you persist in speculating and fantasizing, trying to find some way out from under the truth.” Dermot turned to glare at him. “Once again you’ve made decisions affecting others without thinking things through.”

“Áine has never said. You do no’ know what will happen.”

Dermot shook his head. “Perhaps she’s said nothing to you, it does no’ mean she’s said nothing to me. The end of the curse means an end to our mortal existence.”

“I’ll remain cursed, then.”

“What makes you think you’ll have a choice?” Dermot’s temper snapped. “Did you have any say when all this began? The
Tuatha Dé Danann
do no’ live by our rules. How has this escaped your notice? They are no’ human.”

“You never should have married Mairéad.”

“I did what
you
urged me to do, and for sixteen centuries I’ve listened to
you
tell me I should no’ have done so. I did what I believed was best for our clan.” He shook his head. “You never should have promised Zoe a future. You’ve no future to give her. Have you considered what that will do to her?”

“I’ll find a way,” Thomas gritted out. “I should’ve been with Iselda when she needed me the most. I canna forgive myself for what happened to her.”

“Nor can I.” Dermot rubbed his throbbing temples and closed his eyes. “I canna forgive myself for any of it.” He started up the steps again, and every century he’d lived pressed down upon him. “Come. Time runs short, and we must set our minds to bringing Sidney back to Scotland. Otherwise, we’ll be having this damned argument sixteen hundred years hence.” Dermot raised his hand to knock on the door. It opened before he made contact.

Zoe’s anxious eyes surveyed him. “You look ragged.”

“Aye, well, last night was no’ my best first date ever.”

“I smell coffee.” Thomas nudged Dermot through the door. “Let’s have a cup and sort everything out.”

Thomas took Zoe’s hand and walked with her down the hall. She glanced over her shoulder at him with her eyebrows raised. He followed along to the kitchen and glanced around for signs of Sidney. Did she cook? He imagined her standing in front of the stove, preparing a meal for him, her hair mussed and her lips swollen from their lovemaking. Gods, he had to get himself under control.

“Dermot.” David rose from his place at the table. “Is any of what Sidney and Zoe tell me true?” His body tense, he gripped a piece of crumpled notebook paper in one hand. “I won’t let you hurt my sister.”

“No harm will come to Sidney. I give you my word, and, yes, it’s true. My men and I are immortal. We will remain so unless I can return Sidney to Scotland in time.”

“Zoe says you can prove it.” David remained standing.

“Show him, Thomas,” Zoe said, poking him with her elbow. “Cut your hand again.”

“Oy.” Thomas’s brow rose. “It does hurt, lass. Hey, Dermot.”

“What?” Dermot turned toward his cousin just as Thomas’s fist connected with his face.

“Bugger!” He brought his hand up to touch his split lip and glared at Thomas. “Ye wee
glaikit eejit.
”

“Hey, what’d you just call my fiancé?” Zoe glared at him.

Thomas took a few steps out of his reach and grinned. “He called me an idiot. Watch, David.”

“Once we get home, you
will
feel my wrath.” Dermot reached for a paper towel from the counter and wiped the blood from his mouth. “Sit, all of you, and tell me what you know.”

David gaped and took a step back. “It’s…it’s gone. The split in your lip…it’s completely gone. How is that possible?” He shook his head.

“It’s a long story, lad,” Dermot told him. “Can we get on with it?” He accepted the coffee Zoe handed him.

Zoe took a seat. “I arrived home at around 1:00 a.m. Sidney was already packed.”

“Did she say where she intended to go?” Dermot asked.

She shook her head. “No. We argued.” She glanced at Thomas. “She’s not happy about my engagement. She thinks you’re all here to run some kind of con game on us.”

“I wish only to fulfill the oath I made to my men to end the curse. Sidney is the means to that end, nothing more.”

“Whoa. Nothing more than a means to an end? That’s cold.” David frowned. “Sidney hasn’t slept well since you showed up. She’s upset enough to run away. Seems to me she’s dealing with some pretty strong emotions, and it all started before you told her you’re immortal. I don’t like it.” He stared hard at Dermot. “Why should she help you? What’s in it for her?”

“She has no reason to help us.” Dermot swiped his hand over eyes that burned with weariness. “All I can offer is a generous sum of money to compensate her for her time.”

“You’d give her money in exchange for her help?” David’s expression changed to surprise. “Did you tell her that?”

“I’ve no’ had the chance.” He leveled his gaze at David. “Do you know where she might have gone?” He watched David for any sign that he’d conceal the truth if he knew it.

“It’s hard to say.” David shrugged.

“I can tell you which direction she was headed,” Dermot told him. “Would that help?”

Zoe gasped. “You can? How? Did you follow her?”

“In a manner of speaking.” He took a drink of his coffee. “I feared she might leave, so I traveled with her in spirit form. I was in the car until Thomas knocked on my door this morning. Sidney is on Interstate 35, heading north.”

Thomas grinned at Zoe and her brother. “Druidy hocus-pocus. I’m used to his ways, ye ken.”

“Well, I’m not.” Zoe’s eyes widened. “How’d you do that? Can anyone learn?”

“I meditate, go into a trance, and my spirit leaves my body to travel where I will it.” Dermot raised one eyebrow. “Can we return to the issue at hand?” He turned to David, who’d gone quiet. He knew something. “I can compel you to tell me where Sidney is heading. I’d rather not. I’m asking for your trust. Do you have any idea where she might be going?”

David returned his gaze. “I might.”

Dermot slowed the SUV to a crawl and scanned the edge of the forest for the landmark David had given him, a wooden arrow with St. George’s Slice of Paradise burned into it. Spotting the sign at last, he turned onto the gravel road leading to the cabins on the east side of the lake.

The road curved, spilling into a clearing overlooking the horizon. Broad brush strokes of gray, pink and blaze-orange streaked the sky. Nestled on the shore in dark silhouette stood a large, two-story log home. Light flickered from the windows on the first floor, and smoke curled into the twilight from the stone chimney.

Dermot rolled the window down and inhaled the scent of woodsmoke. He’d found her, and an unfamiliar feeling leaped inside him. Relief and something else, something deeper he chose not to examine.

A pale ribbon in the growing darkness, the road wound through the forest toward the Y where David had instructed he veer left. Dermot shut off the headlights and rolled along at a snail’s pace. He parked the SUV some distance from the house and approached on foot.

A screened porch ran the length of the front and faced out toward the lake. Dermot took the steps and entered. Peering inside a window to the right of the front door, he saw Sidney sound asleep in an armchair. Her legs were propped on an ottoman, and a large sketch pad rested on her lap.

She wore a large pair of men’s flannel pajama pants rolled up at the cuffs. They were burgundy and covered in images of tackle boxes, lures and fishing poles. A wave of possessiveness and jealousy swept through him. Who had those pants belonged to?

While her pants were overlarge, the long-sleeved T-shirt she wore strained over her breasts, revealing every delectable contour. Gods, he was in trouble. Dermot stepped back from the window and rubbed his stubbled jaw. He’d resolved on the way up to present Sidney with the offer he and David had negotiated, bring her back to Scotland, and nothing more. She was not for him.

Dermot tried the doorknob, prepared to use magic if needed. It opened easily. He walked into the warmth and golden glow cast by the fire burning in the hearth across the room. The inside of the cabin smelled of pine and cedar. Worn, overstuffed leather furniture draped with thick wool throws filled the large space. Family pictures spanning several generations graced the mantel and filled every available space on the rustic pine end tables.

Moving quietly, he came to stand before Sidney, transfixed by her beauty. Even in slumber she evoked a response in him, and his body tightened. He glanced at the drawing. His image, done in bold charcoal strokes, stared back at him. Gods, did it mean he filled her thoughts as she filled his? His heart raced, and his blood heated. He took a deep breath and struggled to bring his body back to normal.

As if sensing his presence, Sidney awoke. Her eyes met his, and grew wide.

She leaped up from the chair, and his portrait landed facedown on the floor. “How did you find me?” She raised her hands to rake her fingers through her hair. Her shirt rose with the gesture to reveal an expanse of smooth bare skin at her midriff.

Dermot forgot his reason for being there.

“Let me guess…Zoe?” She backed away from him.

“Your brother gave me directions.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“
He
believes me.”

“You’re telling me David bought into your bullshit about being immortal?” She glared at him.

He shrugged. “I am immortal.”

Sidney lifted a book from the end table beside her chair. “I suppose you would have me believe this is your story.”

He glanced at the title and nodded. He’d found many books of myth and legend containing their story over the years.

“Words in a book don’t make what you say true. You probably made it all up based on this legend.” She crossed the room, picked up a poker and leaned over to stir the burning logs.

Dermot was presented with a view of her shapely bottom. So much for bringing his body under control. He hadn’t even touched her, and he was hard. “Whose pants are those, Sidney?” Gods, he’d lost all reason.

“What?” She frowned as she stood up. “You drove five and a half hours to ask whose pants I’m wearing?”

“Nay, I’ve come to prove I’ve no’ lied about who I am and why I’m here. Bring me a candle.”

Sidney gave him an exasperated look and walked to the kitchen. Her face the picture of skepticism, she returned with a candle in a glass jar.

“Place it on the table and watch.” With a wave of his hand he lit the wick.

“How…?” Sidney’s eyes grew wide for a moment and then narrowed. “So you know some magic tricks.” She flapped her hand in the air over the candle. “It doesn’t prove you’re cursed with immortality.”

“I only meant to show you something of my training as a Druid. Did your father hunt? Are there guns here?”

“Several. My dad hunted. My brother and I still do. Why?”

“You could shoot me. That would prove my immortality.”

She blinked a few times. “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’ll pass.”

“Do you require something more dramatic?” Dermot walked toward the fireplace, dreading the pain he was about to inflict upon himself if he’d misjudged her.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to stick my hand into the flames until my skin blisters. You can watch it heal.”

“Whoa! Don’t.” Sidney lunged toward him and grabbed his arm. “I can do without the drama.”

Dermot placed his hand over hers where it rested on his arm. He looked into her lovely brown eyes filled with concern for him. “You’re the only one who can end the curse. I could compel your help.”

“Like you did the other night?” She snatched her hand away. “You hypnotized me into going up to your room, didn’t you?”

Dermot shook his head. “My compulsion suppressed your inhibitions and helped you to relax, nothing more. I did no’ direct your actions. You came to my room of your own free will.” He searched her face. Sidney didn’t move away, and he ran his hands down her arms. “You wanted me as much as I want you.” He drew her lush body into his arms and took her mouth in a possessive kiss. She melted against him for a moment, and then pushed him away.

“Horniness doesn’t prove immortality either.” She lifted her chin. Her chest rose and fell as if his kiss had taken her breath. Dermot’s eyes were drawn to her breasts and snagged on the hardened nipples straining against the thin cotton of her T-shirt. His mouth went dry. His hands itched to test their weight against his palms.

She snapped her fingers in the air above her head. “Hey, we’re
talking
up here. The twins don’t get a vote.”

Too bad. It appears they’re on my side.
He met her scowl with one of his own. “What will prove my immortality to your satisfaction? You will no’ shoot me, or let me burn myself.”

“Thomas cut his hand for Zoe. Will you cut yourself for me?” She crossed her arms in front of her.

“Will it convince you I’m telling the truth if I do?”

She nodded.

“Fetch a knife.”

She walked into the kitchen and returned, thrusting the knife toward him handle first. “Here you go. I dare you.” She raised an eyebrow and held a washcloth bunched in her hand.

He took the offered blade and sucked in his breath. He’d suffered much worse. Still, it would sting. Holding his hand over the cloth, he sliced his palm. Sidney winced and watched the wound drip blood. After a few seconds the gash closed. He took the washcloth and wiped his palm clean. No sign of the wound remained. Sidney blinked, and her jaw dropped.

“No, no, no.” She began to pace. “You’ve hypnotized me again.”

“You’d know if I had.”

“When were you born?”

“In the fifth century.”

She ran her hands over her face and raised her eyes to his. “You told the truth?”

He nodded.

“What, um…” Sidney stopped her pacing to stare into the fire. “What makes you so certain I’m your reincarnated wife?”

“I’ve no doubt about who you are. Our spirits are like fingerprints. Each of us is unique. It’s true what they say about the eyes being the windows to the soul. The moment ours met, I recognized you.”

“I don’t recognize you.” She raised anguished eyes to his. “I don’t remember you at all.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.” He took a step toward her. She stepped away.

“This is an awful lot to absorb.”

“I know.” He should be persuading her with soothing words. Instead, all he could think about was who those damned pants belonged to. Were they a reminder of a lost love? Perhaps a man she’d regretted losing? “I don’t much like seeing you in another man’s pants, lass.” His voice came out a hoarse rasp.

“These belonged to my father. Wearing them reminds me of him.” She gripped a handful of the old flannel. “They give me comfort, and I need comfort right now. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around all of this. You were…were…”

“Your husband.” The one who should be comforting her instead of upsetting her more.

“I was your wife,” she whispered. “The curse…How old are you?”

“I’m sixteen hundred fifty-six years old.” She looked so vulnerable and lost, all he wanted to do was to take her into his arms and hold her. Dermot took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You make me desperate.”

“Good, because you make me crazy.”

Their eyes met and held. Caught like a fly in honey, Dermot shifted, uncomfortable in his own skin. “My good intentions are no match for the sight of you, Sidney. Even the remote possibility of losing myself in your arms has me in such a state I can’t even remember my own name. I’m…” His eyes roamed over her body, settling on her mouth.

“Desperate,” she whispered, her eyes dilated and fixed upon him. Her chest rose and fell in a hypnotic rhythm. She took a step toward him, and his resolve went up in smoke.

“Gods.” He drew her into his arms so fast she’d have no time to change her mind. He kissed her, and she opened for him. His tongue searched every inch of her sweet mouth. Sidney’s arms came up around his neck. Sweeping her up into his arms, he gritted out, “Where?”

“Up the stairs and to your left, the last door.”

“It’s been a long time. I’m no’ certain I can control myself.” Her honey scent surrounded him, setting his blood on fire as he carried her up the stairs.

“I see.” She nuzzled his neck with tiny kisses.

“Nay, lass. I do no’ think you do.” He groaned as her tongue touched the lobe of his ear, and she took it between her teeth. He stopped in the hall as a tremor ran through him. “I’ll no’ make it to the room if you keep this up.”

She sighed into his ear and bit him lightly. He let her slide from his arms and pressed her against the wall with his body. Running his hands under her shirt, he thrilled at the warm, silky feel of her skin. Burying his face in the crook of her neck he inhaled deeply. “You smell so damn good.”

He kissed the tender spot beneath her ear. She trembled in his arms and he nearly came apart. “Forgive me. I canna wait.” He slid her shirt up. She raised her arms for him, and he slipped it off. The sight of her breasts mesmerized him. They were perfection. Cupping them in his hands, he ran his thumbs over the tightened buds of her nipples. She moaned. His gaze went from her breasts to her face. Her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes were half-closed with passion for him. “I promise the next time will be better.”

One of her eyebrows shot up, and a sweet smile lit her face. “Better?” Reaching for him, she unbuttoned his shirt, brushing his bare skin with the backs of her fingers as she made her way down his chest.

His member throbbed and jerked, and his heart beat hard in his chest. “I need you, Sidney.” He slid her pajamas and panties down to pool at her feet, groaning at the sight of her naked beauty. Fumbling with his belt buckle, he memorized every inch of her luscious body. Her long legs were every bit as sexy as he’d fantasized. He worked himself out of his clothes and stood, his erection straining toward her. “You are so beautiful, Sidney. I—”

“Wait. What about protection?”

“Gods, lass. You have my protection. I swear it.” His mouth covered hers, and he ran his hands over her body savoring every soft, warm curve. His breathing came fast and heavy as he neared the junction of her thighs. Cupping her mons, he slid one finger into her cleft. She was slick with need, and he stroked her until she whimpered. The last ounce of his control snapped. Lifting her up, Dermot pressed her back against the wall. “Put your legs around my waist. Open for me.”

“Dermot—”

He took one of her nipples into his mouth. She moaned and wrapped her long legs around him. Entering her slowly, he nearly came at the feel of her slick, tight heat. “Sweet, sweet honey,” he murmured against her velvet skin and rocked his hips into her. Control deserted him, and his thrusting became frantic. Listening to the sounds she made as her passion mounted undid him. Her body tightened in his arms. She held her breath. Small gasps escaped her, and then she came, spasming around him until he exploded inside her. His spirit shot from his body to mingle with hers in ecstasy.

Sidney wrapped her arms around his neck and went limp in his arms. Their sweat merged where skin touched skin. He wanted nothing more than to stay joined as they were forever.

“When I brought up protection, I was referring to birth control,” Sidney murmured against his neck, sending a thrill down his spine.

“I’ve no’ fathered a child since becoming immortal.”

“With immortality comes infertility?” Sidney raised her head to meet his gaze.

“Aye, it’s likely so.” Was it? He’d never given it much thought.

“The bed, Dermot. Take me there.” She leaned back and smiled into his eyes. “If you can walk, that is.”

“Give me a minute.” He held her close and tried to catch his breath. Sidney smoothed the hair from his face and ran her hand over his jaw. Her touch had him hardening inside her again. “Gods, woman.”

“I recall you said something about the next time being…”

“Aye, this time is for you.” He kicked their clothes out of the way and grinned. Dermot lifted her from the wall and started toward her room. “Take me to your bed, woman, so that I might worship your body as it ought to be worshipped.”