Highland Fires (9 page)

He could not fail her.

Chapter Eight

Lugus ran his hands down her bare back and
smiled as she arched away from him. He leaned forward and ran his
tongue down her spine, lingering at the base as he teased a
sensitive spot. He heard her sharp intake of breath and turned her
around to face him.

He gazed into her Druid green eyes.
“Moira.”

She smiled at him and leaned down to run her
lips over his. He traced the outline of her mouth with his tongue
and pulled her down atop him. The feel of her full breasts against
his chest made his sacs heavy with need. It had been so long since
he had held her, and he knew once wouldn’t be enough that
night.

His hands cupped her breasts and tweaked her
nipples. She cried out and rotated her hips against his swollen
rod. He moaned and brought his mouth to a hard nipple. He ran his
tongue over her nipple and swirled it around his mouth until she
writhed with need.

Only then did he allow her to sit up and
take him slowly into her. Her hot, wet sheath nearly made him loose
his seed right then. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of
her tightness surrounding him. When she began to rock back and
forth, he gripped her hips and felt his climax coming faster than
he wanted.

He opened his eyes to tell her to stop and
found himself staring into mystic blue eyes.

Lugus stood by the ship and watched the sun
break the horizon. He let out a pent up breath and inhaled the sea
air. Except it wasn’t salt he smelled, but the distinctive
fragrance of innocence, sexuality, and magic.

Ahryn.

He could feel her approach and wondered how
she had slept. After another dream where Moira once again turned
into Ahryn, he hadn’t been able to sleep again. He was tired and in
the worst of moods. Ever since he had left the inn he had
experienced an urgency to board the ship and leave as soon as
possible.

“Good morn,” Ahryn said as she stopped beside
him.

He glanced at her and noticed the dark
circles under her eyes. Instead of commenting, he glanced at the
gown and her clean hair plaited away from her face with many tiny
braids that met in one thick braid down her back.

“Good morn. The color suits you,” he said and
turned back to the sea. He saw her turn to him out of the corner of
his eye.

“Thank you. Is everything set?”

“Just about,” he said as he spotted the
captain.

She began to fidget beside him until he could
ignore it no longer. “What is the matter?”

“Don’t you feel it?” she asked under her
breath.

He looked around.
“What?”


“I don’t
know. There’s an urgency in the air I cannot explain.”

He nodded and looked at her. “That I have
felt.”

“Is it Marcus?” Her wide blue eyes searched
his.

Lugus shrugged. “I don’t know. Once we board
the ship, the captain will show you to a chamber. Stay there. Don’t
venture on deck until I come to get you.”

“Where will you be?”

“Around,” he said as he put his hand on her
back and guided her toward the dock as he saw the captain wave to
him.

“How long will it take us to reach the
gateway?”

“About three days until we reach Skye, but
I’m not sure how long it will take to reach the gateway,” he
answered as he glanced over his shoulder. He could have sworn
someone was watching him, and even though he searched, the
sensation did not go away.

He turned back around to find Ahryn facing
him. “Someone is out there,” she said.

“Aye. Now follow the captain. Quickly,” he
said when she didn’t move. He watched as the captain led her away
before he turned back to the village.

People milled about, but no one looked
suspicious. Until he saw a man with long black hair disappear
behind a building. It could be nothing, but it could be everything,
especially since the sensation of being watched no longer affected
him.

“Ready?” the captain asked as he joined
him.

Lugus sighed and handed him his sword.
“Ready.”

~ ~ ~

Lugus’ arms burned as he pulled the rigging
tight. The wind had given them speed but changed often. He had been
at the sails since the ship had left the dock, and he could well
imagine Ahryn getting antsy in the cabin.

He jumped down and ducked below deck to find
her cabin. He barely tapped his fingers on the door before she
jerked it open.

“Where have you...,” she began then stopped
as she looked him over. “What have you been doing?”

“Helping the captain.”

Her blue eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t he have crew
for that?”

“Aye.”

She sighed and leaned against the door. “So
why are you helping him?”

Lugus knew he had to tell her. “It was part
of the package.”

“For our passage?”

He nodded once. “You can come on deck if you
like. We are far enough away from shore,” he said and retraced his
steps.

Ahryn hurried after him. She couldn’t believe
he had bartered himself as payment for their passage. She had seen
him give up two of his daggers already but had no idea just how
many weapons he had.

The sun hit her as she came on deck, and for
a moment she stopped and tilted her face to it. The few hours she
had been in the small, cramped cabin being tossed about was almost
worse than being trapped on Earth.

She moved toward the rail, a smile on her
face when Lugus stepped in her path. The frown on his face let her
know he wasn’t happy.

“What is it?”

“Hide the bracelet,” he hissed. Then in a
softer tone, he warned, “You aren’t using magic, so the men will
flock to you. I’ll be watching, but just in case I’m not near, use
this,” he said and handed her his dagger.

She took it instinctively. “I won’t stay on
deck long,” she promised and hurriedly hid the dagger and her right
hand.

His face softened as he looked out over the
water. “It’s just for three days. We can survive three days.”

“Aye, we can,” she promised him and gave him
a bright smile when he turned his blue eyes on her.

He started to walk off when he stopped and
reluctantly turned towards her. “One more thing.”

She leaned against the rail and waited.

“In order for you to come aboard, I had to
lie.”

Ahryn was finding Lugus more and more
interesting. “And what did you have to lie about?”

He sighed dramatically. “I said you were my
wife,” he said quickly and hurried away.

Ahryn blinked in stunned disbelief. She was
surprised he hadn’t said she was his sister or niece. But wife?
That she hadn’t expected, and the thrill of hearing it on his lips
worried her more than Marcus finding her.

By mid-afternoon the sun and bright skies had
given way to dark, ominous clouds and distant thunder. Ahryn had
spent the majority of the day in her small cabin alternately
calling for her parents and even the Fae king, Theron, yet none
answered her call.

The ship began to toss wildly, and Ahryn gave
up trying to pace the cabin and sat instead. The first rain drops
could be heard over the shouts of the sailors, and all Ahryn could
think about was Lugus high up in the rigging. If he didn’t have a
good hold, the pitch of the ship or a blast of wind could knock him
right off. Her worry increased with every heart beat until she was
nearly mindless with it.

Then suddenly the door to her cabin flew open
and Lugus staggered in. He looked as if were ready to pass out. She
jumped up and caught him as he tripped and the ship pitched. He
raised his head and looked at her with half closed eyes. She gave
him a smile and wrapped her arms around him and his wet
clothes.

“You need to rest,” she said as they stumbled
their way to the bed.

He fell on it in a heap before she could get
him out of his clothes. She set about removing his boots and socks,
then managed to turn him over on his back so she could work on his
tunic.

She could only imagine how she looked sitting
nearly astride him as she worked to get his arms out of the wet
material, and then once that was done she had to sit him up and get
it over his head, which proved to be harder than she imagined. Just
as she removed the tunic and tossed it aside, she turned back and
found him staring at her.

“What are you
doing?”



She swallowed, her mouth now dry at seeing
the desire darkening his blue eyes. “Your clothes were soaked. I
didn’t want you sleeping in them.”

His gaze raked over her face as if he were
searching for something. “You should have woken me.”

Unable to resist, she raised
her hand and traced his mouth with her finger. “Nay. Not after the
work you have done today to aid me.” She dropped her hand and met
his gaze. “I will never be able to repay you.”



“Nay,” he mumbled as his face drew
closer.

Ahryn held her breath, waiting and wondering
if he would kiss her again. The memory of their first kiss still
lingered in her mind.

The ship jerked to the side, and Ahryn
grabbed hold of Lugus with one hand and the wall with the other.
And that’s when she felt his rod nestled against her. Heat pooled
between her legs, and a deep throb of hunger resounded within
her.

She was surprised when his arm gently wrapped
around her and brought her to his chest to keep her steady. Her
eyes lowered to his wide, full mouth. It was a sensuous mouth, one
that could bring about the most intense pleasure, just with a
simple kiss. She licked her lips and heard his intake of
breath.

Her lips parted as his mouth drew near. Their
cheeks met and brushed ever so slightly. The stubble of his
whiskers scraped her face as his mouth moved toward hers slowly, as
if undecided.

She felt his arm tense around her just before
his lips touched hers.

Lugus knew he would burn in a special realm
for this, but he could no longer deny the pull of Ahryn. He was too
tired of fighting it and the growing need his body had for release.
When her smooth cheek met his, he closed his eyes and savored the
feel of her silken skin against his. He opened his eyes to see her
chest rising and falling rapidly, and her lips parted, waiting
expectantly.

And his control vanished.

He moved his head, and his lips met hers, and
pleasure burst within him. His arms crushed her to him as he
deepened the kiss and explored her delicious mouth. He promised
himself he would do no more than kiss her, but with each taste and
moan and sigh that escaped her sweet mouth he found it difficult to
think of anything but sinking into her heat.

Needing to know more of her, Lugus broke the
kiss and moved to her neck. She rolled her head to the side and
gave him access to her long, slender neck. His hands moved to her
sides as she leaned back, her breast thrust outward as if begging
him to taste their nectar.

Lugus could no more turn away than he could
stop breathing. His hands moved to cup her breasts, and even
through the heavy material of her gown he could feel her nipples
harden. She moaned and gripped his arms as he leaned forward and
kissed the skin above each breast while his hands continued to
squeeze and roll her nipples.

His rod begged for more. It demanded more
until he was mindless of anything but Ahryn’s pleasure and the
desire that ran swift and true in him.

He was about to begin work on removing her
clothes when someone banged on the door and hollered for him to
come back on deck. Reality descended upon him like a bucket of cold
water. And he knew the instant Ahryn realized that.

She said not a word as she moved off him. He
reached for his wet tunic and pulled it on before tugging on his
boots. He didn’t know what to say to her, so instead of saying
something he either didn’t mean or didn’t want, he decided the best
course of action was to leave it be.

He quickly walked from the cabin and softly
shut the door behind him. Just before he walked out into the storm,
he stopped and touched his lips. He knew her taste, which meant he
had kissed her before. Why had she lied about their first kiss?

~ ~ ~

Ahryn stood in the corner and watched Lugus
walk from the cabin. When the door closed she slid down the wall
and drew her knees up to her chest. She had thought he knew who he
was kissing, but maybe she had been wrong again.

Her breasts tingled as if his hands were
still on them. She sighed and buried her head in her arms as the
ship continued to toss about.

She must have dozed for when she woke she was
on the bed. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over as she yawned and
tried to remember if she had climbed into the bed. With the ship
pitching about, she was sure she wouldn’t have chanced being tossed
out while she slept. But how had she got into the bed?

Then she spotted Lugus asleep on the floor.
He was on his back with a hand thrown over his eyes. His clothes
were still wet, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

She looked out her small window and saw the
sun just breaking the horizon. Briefly she thought about waking him
since he had seemed to like to watch the sunrise, but the haggard
lines on his face stopped her.

Unable to help herself, she watched him. Fae
men did not have facial hair like the men of the Earth realm did,
yet Lugus did have some growth. She accounted it to the fact that
when he lost his immortality, he took on mortal attributes.

His long hair had been pulled away from his
face, but it was still tangled and in need of a comb. She noticed a
bruise on his neck near his shoulder and could only imagine it had
occurred while he was aiding the men during the storm. She hoped he
wasn’t seriously injured because she knew he would never tell her
if he was.