Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe (11 page)

Meanwhile, down the hall, Rowan’s promise not to kiss him again did not make Devlin feel any better. In fact, it made him feel worse. Perhaps the spark he felt was only his to feel. She must’ve not felt a thing or she’d have made no such vow. He’d masked his hurt feelings with a blank face, bowed goodnight to her, turned on his heels, and headed down the hall to his own lonely room.

Devlin paced his room like an animal in a cage. Och, this won’t do. He felt restless and foolish. He was acting like a rutting beast with no sense left in him at all.
The woman was a complete wonder to him. To think that she’s been seeing these dark creatures for so long, with no one to protect her, it was a miracle she hadn’t snapped already. And to learn that Lorcan has been so close to her, all these years, and she didn’t feel any fear towards the bastard was boldness beyond reason. Aye, the woman was made of stern stuff. The image of her ready to fight in the woods, the trees and bushes as the backdrop, a wee blade in her hand and challenge in her eyes. She was a hellcat to be sure.

And didn’t that just turn him on more.

Fintan had decided to crash with Rowan for the night, which made Devlin happy. Best have a set of eyes on the wee lass at all times from now on. Spells were cast around the house for protection, but at this rate there was no telling what Lorcan could or could not do with his connection to Rowan. In truth, Devlin felt scared for her. And worrying about someone other than himself wasn’t an act he was used to. Part of him liked the thought of protecting someone as precious as she, but the other part of him saw it as pure distraction. A weakness that could get them all killed.

Lying back in his bed, naked as a bairn, he concentrated on her face and then he saw her. There she was, lying in the large bed, all curled like a vixen herself. She’d already fallen asleep, that was good. She was completely drained after such a long and taxing day. But she’d not complained once about it. Taking a closer look, Devlin saw she was on her side, sheets tucked around her small frame, shoulder and back bare to the moonlight beaming in through the windows, one arm tucked up under her pillow, the other resting on her waist. Soft twin mounds rose up and down with every breath the lass took.
Ballocks, the woman was naked!
Fintan shook his head fiercely, blurring Devlin’s vision, and then the sight was gone.

The sly fox was right; Devlin had no right to be staring at her now. Bloody fox. Gruffing and cursing under his breath, the Druid pounded his pillow into flattened submission and tried his best to think of anything other than what was at the end of the hall. He had no such luck.

The next morning was cold. Surprisingly cold. October was finally here and the wind kicked out frigid temperatures already. That’s weather on the East Coast for ya. Tank tops yesterday, fleeces today, gloves and scarves tomorrow. Damn, Rowan seriously wished she’d packed more clothes. Nothing to do about it now, she wasn’t about to ask if she could go back to her house for an extra sweater or something. No way.

Turning away from the window, she let Fintan out of the room, shut the door again and headed towards her private bathroom. A hot shower would do the trick. Today was a new day just waiting for goodness to happen. Rowan tried to say that to herself every morning. Hey, might as well put the good vibes out there, right?

The shower boasted two heads that rained steamy wonderful bliss on her front and her back. Shampoos and soaps were lined up in a neat row on a tiled ledge. Rowan pumped some of the shampoo into her hands and started singing “I’m gonna wash that man right outta my hair.” The acoustics were pretty awesome in the bathroom and Ro loved to sing and dance. It didn’t matter if she sang all by herself in the kitchen, the car, or a bar with a crowd. This morning she sang herself into a good soapy lather and carried on her one-woman-show until she was clean and refreshed. Grabbing a towel to wrap around herself, Ro walked into her bedroom and stopped in her tracks. Ava was making her bed and giggling at her.

“Aye lass, ‘tis good to be singing and merry, you’ve a beautiful voice. Although, I’m not accustomed to those songs you were belting out.”

“Er, thanks,”
For the love of Pete, embarrassed much?
“I don’t mean to sound rude, but what are you doing in here?”

Ava fluffed the last of the decorative pillows and placed it on the bed as the final touch. “I’ve brought you some extra clothes.” She picked up a pink polka dot duffle bag and plopped it on top of the just-smoothed-out comforter. Ava unzipped it and smiled.

“Adam doesn’t understand that a girl’s gotta look her best at all times. I figured he’d told you to pack light, so I’ve made up for the weight myself. I believe these should fit you just fine, love. I hope you don’t mind my saying, but you’ve quite a body. Best show it off while you can.” She winked and went out the door.

Rowan put on her own pair of jeans, a grey t-shirt with the Cheshire cat on it that said “We’re All Mad Here” and then bit the bullet and rummaged through the duffle. She pulled out a deep purple cashmere sweater and pulled it over her head. Taking a look in the mirror to fix her hair and slap on some mascara, she stood back to take in the view, “Man, this does look good!” Rowan walked out of her bedroom with a little more pep in her step. Good clothes will always do that to a girl.

Everyone was gathering in the kitchen. Ava handed Rowan a mug of hot, strong coffee with a little cream and sugar - it was perfect. Rowan liked strong coffee to kick her ass awake in the morning, but the grumpier side of her needed to be sweetened up too. This one did the trick. Ro took another sip and smiled cheerily at Adam who looked like he was going to need more than sugar to sweeten his mood. Then she sidled up next to Devlin at the breakfast bar eager for food. They both reached for the same slice of toast and when their hands touched, a jolt went through the both of them, causing Ro to make a squeak. Devlin looked irritated and grabbed the toast from the tray and laid it on a plate in front of her.

Nothing got passed Ava, including the toast scene, and she smiled one of those grins that had Adam knowing she was up to something.

After everyone’s appetites were sated, Adam announced that it was time to go. Ava grabbed her bags with the help from a not-so-pleased Adam, Rowan had her one bag, and Devlin was carrying Fintan and the duffle Ava packed for Rowan. Ro expected them to pile into the Audi, but instead they went marching through the back of the house.

Before she took another step she shouted, “Wait a minute!” Dropping her bag, Ro ran back through house to the kitchen. She poured some sugar onto a plate and traced her finger in it, drawing a picture of a flower. There, not a “thank you” note in the traditional sense, but it was something sweet and happy. She hoped Nora would take it as a sign of appreciation for all the cooking the little Brownie had done.

Rowan ran back out of the house and towards the group. They trudged through the woods until Rowan was sure that she had missed a memo on this travel situation. When they finally stopped in front of a large scarlet oak tree, Rowan marveled at its beauty. The trunk was at least 80 feet tall and its branches filled out the span of 45 feet or so. It was a magnificent testament to Mother Nature’s beauty. The bark had nubs that twisted and climbed. The leaves were the color of dark rubies. Rowan wished she had thought to pack her camera. She loved taking photos of trees and had quite a collection of them saved on her laptop at home with the hopes of one day creating brilliant frames for each of them and turning a section of her studio into a photography art gallery. She sighed in disappointment. All those dreams were getting left behind now.

Adam turned to face the group, his serious face slapped on tight. “Hold hands,” he commanded. Ava, looking bored, grabbed Adam’s hand and then reached for Rowan’s. Rowan held on with the woman on her right and then clasped hands with Devlin. Devlin closed the circle with Adam and something bulky wiggled under Devlin’s fleece. Before Rowan could ask what it was, Adam announced, “Hold on tight. Whatever you do, do NOT let go and break the circle, Rowan.”

Ro felt a
whoosh
of wind and then all the air was knocked out of her lungs. The trees, grass, sky, dirt, faces all swirled and melded together into a ball of blur and chaos. Ro tried to let out a scream but no sound came out of her mouth, probably because there was no air to let out of her lungs. She felt like she was being spun around on the fastest rollercoaster on earth. Ro didn’t do roller coasters. Ro didn’t even try the carousel, the girl had major motion sickness with anything that spun, dipped, or twirled.

With a thud and an “Oomf!” she landed on her ass and rolled back to crack her head on the ground. Dazed and confused, she moaned and rolled over just before the contents of her stomach heaved up and splattered the mossy terrain.
Well, so much for a hearty breakfast to get your day started,
she thought.

Spitting the putrid from her mouth and wiping the water from her eyes, Ro sat up and looked around. Definitely not in Kansas anymore, but this was so much greener than the Emerald City would ever be. Everyone else was standing and looking at her with a pathetic look on their faces. Ava and Devlin quickly crouched down to lend her a hand. The world still seemed topsy-turvy when she tried to stand, but Ro did her best to not act as awful as she felt. “What the hell was that?”

“Traveling Sidhe-style, love!” Ava laughed. Ro took one look at the woman who was helping her stand and was very much confused. Ava had flaming red hair that she had pinned up on her head a few minutes ago, but the woman now helping her up had black curly hair that reached down the middle of her back. Same eyes though. As if knowing what Rowan was thinking Ava answered her inquisitive look with a slight shrug. “Hey, a girl can change it up can’t she? I hate looking the same way for too long.” With a smile, she escorted Rowan towards a small path carved into the woods.

“What are you?” Rowan asked, willing to believe just about anything at this point.

“Och, I’m half Sidhe sweetheart.”

Ro thought that out for a second, “What’s the other half of you?”

Ava smiled, glanced at Adam and gave a quick wink, “Let’s just say, Divine Intervention.”

Rowan was escorted on shaky legs to the edge of the wood. Trying to muster up some dignity and strength, she told her helpers she was alright to walk on her own. Damnit, she hated looking weak. Devlin led the way as they lined up and followed him down the winding path to a small patch of grass that came to a wooden gate. Beyond the gate was a garden that Rowan thought looked like Eden itself. So many flowers, apple trees and herbs grew everywhere. It was hard to believe it was October and as cold as it was in Ireland these plants were thriving. It was breathtaking.

Devlin shuffled in his fleece and pulled out a small orange ball of fur from within. Fintan was as limp as a noodle and Devlin placed him on a small flat stone nestled in lavender and lemon balm. Rowan was startled to see the poor thing and thought for sure he was dead, panic setting in her eyes.

“He’ll be fine lass, the traveling just takes a lot out of the wee creature. Let him rest a bit and you’ll see he’ll be himself soon enough.” Devlin gave her an encouraging smile and then headed up the path and into the old stone home.

The house was so much bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Or maybe she just wasn’t paying good attention. Her senses were so out of whack here. Everything seemed to have that hazy/clarity thing going on just like in the manor house they’d left behind, but it was much stronger here. Ro could feel the magic thrumming in her body, like small waves of adrenaline. It was making her jittery, as if she’d had too much caffeine.

Walking in and throwing her coat over a chair, Ava made herself at home, as was her way wherever she went apparently. Devlin marched straight into the kitchen. Adam looked relieved and actually had a smile on his face.

“What are you so happy about?” Ro asked. She wasn’t happy at all, as a matter of fact, she was getting
hangry
.

“Just glad to be closer to home, my dear.” Adam looked out the back window into the plush gardens. The fox was no longer laying on the rock, but wasn’t seen anywhere else either.

“It’s beautiful,” Ro came up next to him, leaned against the large dining table and crossed her arms over her chest. “How does it all grow like this with the weather the way it is now? It looks like a summer dream out there.” That was no exaggeration either, bluebirds were flying in zippy playful swirls, butterflies were dancing gracefully around purple bushes, and flowers stood tall and elegantly stretched towards the sky.