"Where's Aodhan?" she demanded.
The warrior kept his distance, but didn't lose the smile. "Cara? It's me."
"A-Aodhan? How? You were d-dying!" she shrieked and didn't know how to handle this. Her hands crept into her hair and tugged viciously. The warrior didn't disappear. Was this a sex dream? But, no, they weren't having sex. What the hell was going on?
The warrior took in the dried blood on her skin and clothes and her devastated, tear-streaked face. "Didn't I tell you to get out of here?"
Tears filled her eyes again and she whispered, "Luc possessed me. I couldn't stop him."
"It's okay."
He moved quickly, coming towards her and cradling her face between huge hands that felt way too familiar to her. He helped up and her heart beat in her ears as she stared at him. She splayed shaking hands on his chest and felt the warmth of him through his clothes.
"Aodhan?" she whispered.
He rested his forehead against hers and sank his hand into her hair. He cupped the back of her head while his other arm wrapped her close. He smelled of the sea and something metallic. His scales?
"I don't understand. Did I break the curse?" she mumbled into his chest. Her head was spinning dizzily from blood loss and she was sure that any moment now, she would wake up from this dream.
Aodhan pulled back. "Let me heal you."
His eyes were intense and as unreadable as always. He raised his thumb to his mouth and bit. Without giving her time to pull back, he placed his thumb in her mouth.
"Suck," he commanded.
She tried to pull away, but his iron arm wouldn't allow it. She closed her mouth around his finger and swallowed. Her body warmed and she felt euphoric, but her heart was heavy. She couldn't stop staring at him. He hadn't aged a day from the visions the demon showed her. He was larger than life and she could feel his vitality. It made her want to lean against him and let him take care of her, but she didn't dare.
"We need to leave," he said. "Knowing Luc, he'll find the nearest puppet and send his minions here in droves to stop us."
"Leave?"
"The curse is broken. I can fit through the tunnel."
She took in his muscled form with a dubious expression. "Are you sure?"
Aodhan smiled. "I made it before. Grab your wetsuit."
She walked into her cave like a robot and pulled on her swimsuit, which gaped in several places from Aodhan's talons. When she walked out of the cave, Aodhan had a strange look on his face.
"We'll have time to talk after."
"Talk about what?" she asked, alarmed.
Aodhan didn't answer. He wrapped one brawny arm around her and flew through the air like Superman. Cara closed her eyes as they whipped through the cavern and when they landed, she saw the pool, the only exit out of the caves. She dug her hands into his shirt as she remembered drowning, trapped in the tunnel.
"I won't let anything happen to you," Aodhan said, reading her mind. "It's going to be a fast ride to the top. Don't let go."
Aodhan slipped face first into the pool and as she suspected, it was a tight fit, but he managed. She hesitated only a second before she plunged into the cold water after him. She was engulfed in darkness so complete, she couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. She swiped out blindly and panicked when her hand slid through empty water. She was about to back up when she felt a flurry of movement up ahead. She reached out again and shuddered with relief when she found Aodhan's calf.
Hold on tight.
Hearing Aodhan's voice in her head made everything snap into place. She obeyed even as her stomach curdled with dread. This wasn't a dream she would wake from. She didn't feel a surge of victory or relief that she'd somehow broken the curse.
She wrapped her arm around Aodhan's leg and they began to move. She felt like she was holding onto a rocket. Bubbles obscured her vision. She pressed her face against his warm flesh and before she knew it, they were vertical and heading towards the surface of the Atlantic. A trip that took her twenty minutes, Aodhan did in less than two. Aodhan erupted from the water and shot into the air. She gasped as they shot up the side of the Cliffs of Moher and the wind whipped around them. Cara held on for dear life.
You can open your eyes now
.
Aodhan hovered a foot off the ground. Feeling foolish, she released him and promptly fell on her butt when her legs collapsed. Aodhan landed on the edge of the cliff and looked up at the moon. It was a beautiful night with stars sparkling in the sky and the wind welcoming them. Cara dug her hand into the moist soil beneath her and felt the vibration of the earth as it acknowledged her return. It seemed like years ago since she knelt here and released Rage.
Aodhan surveyed his surroundings. She stared at his figure and though he wasn't as large as the dragon, he was no less imposing. When he turned to her, the moonlight didn't soften his brutal face.
"Thank you, Cara," he said.
She lowered her eyes and nodded. She didn't know what happened now. She promised to stay with him as long as he was imprisoned and now... Now, he was free even though she had no clue how she had reversed the curse.
"We'll go to my estate," Aodhan said and her head snapped up.
"I... I can stay in the village," she said and gestured in the general direction of Doolin as she shivered from the cold.
"We'll go to my estate," Aodhan decreed and didn't wait for her consent. He strode towards her and scooped her up in his arms.
"It's probably not there anymore," Cara mumbled and slumped against him, beyond arguing at the moment.
Everything was catching up to her. She should be ecstatic to be aboveground again. She was free to do what she wished, but she knew that was only a facade. Luc would come for her. There would be a bounty on her head that would unearth the vilest demons. This wasn't a happy ending for her. It was the beginning of the race for her life.
"Hold on," Aodhan said.
He did his Superman thing again and she shivered as he flew with incredible speed. She burrowed against him for warmth. His body blazed with such heat that her clothes dried instantly. She wrapped herself around him like a vine and hummed in delight when she was toasty warm. It was the little things that counted. Aodhan cupped the back of her head and kept her face pressed against his chest. She dozed off at some point with the sound of the wind rushing around her and the sound of Aodhan's heart pumping beneath her ear.
Cara woke and memory returned with such clarity that she fell out of bed with a muffled yelp and landed on cold stone. She untangled herself from the sheets and ran her hands over the slashed wetsuit she still wore. She rushed to a window where the faintest hint of light tried to enter the room and whipped back the curtains. Her breath caught in her throat as looked out at a lake, which was as large as a football field and clear as a mirror. It was all too familiar and she was swamped with deja vu. Beside that lake was where the warrior lay her down on the blanket and took her out in the open. Cara pushed the window open and leaned half of her body out. Her room was on the fourth story of a... castle?
Cara whirled to face the room. It was made of stone and aside from the modern touches, it was identical to the room she and the warrior had sex in twice. The room was simple with an antique bed engraved with symbols she didn't understand, an archway that led into a closet and a modern bathroom. She stood frozen in horror in the middle of the room when the door swung open.
Cara's mouth went dry until she saw a young woman around her age. She had bright hazel eyes, caramel colored hair and a mountain of clothes in her arms. Cara automatically scanned her for any hint of possession. She sensed nothing and relaxed the slightest bit as the other woman dumped the clothes on the bed and turned to her.
"Morning."
Cara blinked. "You're American?"
The woman looked just as surprised. "Yeah, I'm from Texas. Where are you from?"
"Montana. I'm Cara."
"I'm Linnea. Spent all my life in the States, but I have a Granddad here. Nothing keeping me in Texas, so I decided to be adventurous and go international. I've been working at the castle for almost a year and never met the owner until now." Linnea glanced towards the open door, leaned forward and whispered, "He's kinda scary, isn't he?"
Cara blew out a breath. So, Aodhan was here. She didn't know whether that should reassure or terrify her. "He sure is."
Linnea cocked her head to the side. "Are you his lover?"
Cara stared at Linnea and ran her hands through hair stiff with salt. "No! No!" She looked at the pile of clothes and seized the distraction desperately. "Are these for me?"
"Yeah, I don't know where he got them, but he was coming up here when I bumped into him. I told him I'd bring it to you and ask what you wanted for lunch."
"Lunch?" Cara repeated stupidly. Why were these people always trying to feed her?
She rifled through the clothes and chose jeans and a sweater. She needed to make a plan that involved leaving here as soon as possible.
"I can cook whatever you want," Linnea said.
"A sandwich is good if you have it," Cara said distractedly. "You have a car?"
Linnea shrugged. "Nothing to brag about, but, yeah."
"I need a ride. Where's the nearest airport?"
"Couple hours," Linnea said and frowned. "You just got here. You're not going to stick around?"
"Hell no," Cara said over her shoulder as she rushed into the bathroom.
Linnea called, "By the time you finish your bath, I'll be back with food."
Cara stared into the mirror at the ragged-looking woman there. Her dark hair was matted and dull and her eyes were bloodshot and filled with conflict. She wasn't sure if she'd been trapped in the cave with Aodhan for a week or months. Measuring time underground was impossible and looking around at the modern surroundings made her feel strange rather than comforted. She rubbed her forehead with a shaking hand. Aodhan would take care of Luc and she needed to get the hell away from here ASAP.
She fumbled with the knobs in the shower and found herself wishing for her pool in her hobbit hole and nearly slapped herself. She scrubbed the salt from her skin and dried herself haphazardly before she dressed and walked into the bedroom, drawing a comb through her hair.
Linnea set a tray on the bed and smiled at her. "When do you want to leave?"
Cara grabbed the sandwich and walked to the bedroom door. "Now."
She took a bite of the sandwich as Linnea rushed ahead of her. They walked into a hallway lined with a plush red runner. Large paintings on the walls broke up the monotone of gray stone. To the left were large windows that let in bright sunlight and brought the figures in the paintings to life.
Linnea led her down a narrow staircase and more hallways. She'd never been in a castle before and if she weren't so focused on her plan, she would have stopped to admire the artwork displayed so casually. Despite its age, the castle had been well preserved and cared for. Everything sparkled and it was as clean as a ritzy hotel. Her skin itched being in such a grand place. She had to stop herself from breaking into a run. Cara caught glimpses of the beautiful landscape through the many windows and resolutely turned her face away. She couldn't afford to be seduced by Ireland. She had to leave.
She had fulfilled her end of the bargain. She wasn't sure how the curse was broken, but it had been. That's all that mattered. She couldn't afford to stick around. It would only be a matter of time before Aodhan figured out what she was. She thought of her mom and sister and her heart ached to see them. She had accepted the fact that she would spend the rest of her days in a cave with a dragon and now she had one more chance to see them. Going to Montana wasn't the smartest thing to do. It was predictable and expected, but she had to see Sky. Just a glimpse and then she would move on.
Cara finished her sandwich as Linnea led her through a spacious kitchen and out the back of the castle. Linnea headed towards a muddy car and Cara turned to survey the castle. It took her breath away. The castle was massive and as she kept walking backwards, she could see it in all of its glory. She'd seen many ancient buildings, but there was something about this castle surrounded by Ireland's beautiful landscape that made it seem enchanted. Her mouth sagged open and for some reason, her eyes welled with tears.
"Cara?"
She snapped out of her daze and wiped her eyes before she turned towards Linnea who was already in the driver's seat.
"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Linnea said, staring at the castle. "Every day I drive up to it and know this is worth leaving home for."
Cara sniffled and reached for the car door when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Her heart stopped when she saw Aodhan walking towards her. He was dressed in jeans, boots and a black trench coat. He looked scary enough to make her take a step back and bump into the car. The air crackled around him and that same fear and wonder she felt looking at him in dragon form, she felt seeing him as a human. That feral quality he wore so well prowled just beneath the surface of his skin. The urge to get out of his way was overpowering.
She remembered sobbing over him in the cave, begging him to live. She refused to let him die alone and here he was, whole and so overwhelming that she couldn't move. A large hand reached out and closed over hers. She tilted her head back to order him to let her go, but the words froze on her tongue when their eyes met.