Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe (13 page)

“Holy cow, I’ve never seen anything like this before. Not even in books! This is amazing.”

Every shade of green was on display here, along with pinks, blues, purples, reds, yellows and every other color that was ever imagined. It was all here painted like a wild, beautiful canvas. She bent over to smell a strange looking orange flower with purple swirls when the petals gave way and a small winged insect flew in front of her face. Ro’s mouth made an O-shape as she watched the small bug land on Devlin’s head. That made her laugh. And by Danu, her laughter was music to his ears.

Devlin had no idea her happiness was so important to him. But seeing her here like this, he was ready to pledge his life to making hers full of laughter and joy. He was under her spell, there was no denying it. Rowan walked around exploring each and every plant. Crouching down on her knees, Ro dipped her hand in the reflection pool and watched the fish swimming below. After that, she tilted her head towards the heavens soaking in the sun, and then she stretched out on the ground and rubbed her hands in the grass giggling like a child. The lass displayed so much passion for life. ‘Twas a remarkable thing. His own passion had fizzled out so long ago he’d almost forgotten what it felt like until now.

Lying in the grass next to Rowan, he smiled while they watched two birds play tug-of-war with a worm. The winner took off with the tasty morsel and flew up into a tree to enjoy it. “That wee bird reminds me of you! Ye eat like everything ye put in your mouth is scrumptious.”

Rowan leaned her head back to get a better look at the man next to her. “I can’t argue with that. It’s awful, I know, but I’ve always been that way.” She smiled at him and then looked up at the sky.

Everything was so beautiful and peaceful. Like a perfect dream. It was hard to believe this place even existed. Well, technically it didn’t exist for most; humans would have destroyed this place ages ago with their filth and laziness. She was ashamed to be in the same species as the humans when she thought about it. People just didn’t care about taking care of the earth anymore. It was infuriating really, and depressing. This place was a true oasis, a paradise, a slice of Heaven here to enjoy and marvel. If Ro could, she’d pitch a tent and stay here forever.

On that thought, Rowan felt a pang of guilt and resentment. She’d not be around long enough to enjoy it like she wished. And Devlin will.

Sitting up, Ro’s mood was starting to get somber. Propping up on one elbow, Devlin rested his large hand on her cheek and studied her face. “What is it, lass? What’s wiped that beaming smile from your lovely face?”

She didn’t even want to go there. Shaking it off, she got up to walk towards a thatch of trees that had grown together to make a huge tunnel of roots and branches. Sliding her hands up and down the wood, she marveled at all the twisting and weaving that the branches did together. Like lovers that refused to let go of each other.

It made her mad.

“You’re lucky, you know that?” It sounded more like an insult than a compliment.

“What do ye mean?”

“I mean you’re the luckiest man alive. You should be enjoying every day of it. Happy as can be. Most of us never get this kind of life.”

Now she was spoiling for a fight. She could feel her rage starting to coil in her gut. Rowan didn’t know why she felt the way she did, but there was no stopping the rocket of wrath that launched inside her. She liked being angry almost as much as she liked being happy. They were two emotions Rowan had spent most of her life riding, and she rode them like a fucking boss.

She’d been thinking of the man before her, nonstop, since they met. Talk about a one-track mind, her thoughts swirled around one thing and one thing only – Devlin. She was annoyed by it. She wasn’t some stupid school girl having a crush on the class hunk. But you wouldn’t know it by the way she felt right now. It made her feel stupid and pathetic and it was starting to piss her off. She had no reason to feel like this and damn him for it. Damn him and his fairy hill, his smiles, his kisses. Rowan would never have any of it for herself. Damn the world for that matter.

Taken back by her words, Devlin paused for a moment and considered his rebuttal carefully. She was close to blowing her lid that much he could tell, but he didn’t understand why. He’d brought her here to show her peace and tranquility and she was acting anything but peaceful and tranquil. Getting up, he stepped closer to her and tried to lay a hand on her shoulder. “Rowan, I—”

“Don’t touch me. Don’t you dare lay a hand on me,” she snarled.

Backing away from his reach, her eyes spat fire and hate at him. If he touched her now, she’d crumble, melt, and burn for more. That wasn’t going to happen. There’d be no point. Now she embraced her anger. It made her feel stronger and untouchable.

Woah.
He was in uncharted territory here and didn’t know how to handle it. Och, he was angry himself now. This was not how he wanted this outing to go. “How can ye act this way? I’ve brought ye here to show ye beauty and joy. Ye’ve had a rough couple of days but that’s no cause for acting like this. I see that you’re mad lass, but for the love of the Gods, I’ve no idea why.”

“I am mad damnit!” she clenched her fists, “I’m mad because I’m going to die. Die here, young and alone, or die old, decaying and alone. I don’t have eternal life. I don’t have a fairy hill in my backyard to make my days all sunny and bright. I have no peace, no love, no nothing. I… have…
nothing
, Devlin. Maybe that’s the penance I have to pay for what I’ve done, I don’t know and right now I don’t fucking care. I’m going to die and you’re going to go on living, and laughing, and kissing and holding some other woman. I fucking hate you.”

There, that felt better. God only knows what’s taken over Rowan’s mouth but damned if she was going to stop it. She has zero filtering or cares on how those words may have stung.

Angry. She was so God damn angry.

Devlin stood unmoving and narrowed his eyes down on her. He couldn’t believe all the words that just spat out of her mouth. Each syllable cut through his heart like a steel blade. His own rage was churning like a storm in his body and as he stepped closer to the snarling woman, he let out his own frustrations. Every slow and steady step he took towards her, he lashed out with his own pent up fury and he had no intentions of stopping either.

“Ye think I should be happy? Ye think it’s fun to live forever? Watching everyone around ye die and there’s naught ye can do to save them? It’s so heartbreaking and maddening that eventually ye cast yourself out of the living world. Hole up like some hermit in a fucking cave and wish for death to come and take ye. But it never comes. Never. Only loneliness answers your calls. There’s no one but yourself to keep the bed warm at night. No one to laugh with, or enjoy a precious moment with, because they all DIE. Everyone goes off to a better place and you’re left with naught but a cold and distant memory of the man ye once were. Aye lass, I’ve plenty to be grateful for. Ye can cast stones all ye want but the fact is, ye’ve got the life we all want. Eager for joy and happy to take whatever bit of it comes your way. Laughing and dancing about, loving and growing old with some man who will never understand how lucky he is. Holding his hand, warming his bed, kissing that bastard with those lips that should belong to me. YOU should belong to ME.”

Devlin screamed the last of his painful words, and was at her in two quick strides and crushed his mouth to hers. There was no tenderness in this kiss. It was full of desperation, hunger, and need. Pushing her against the wall of trees and vines, he ravaged her mouth and she kissed back with all the passion she could muster.

There was no sweetness between them. This was War.

Her hands raked madly through his hair. Rowan grabbed a fistful of it and pulled. His head tilted back, breaking his lips away from hers as she hissed with anger at him. “You should be mine, Devlin. No one else’s but
mine
.”

She kissed him hard and dug her nails down his back. She wasn’t letting him go nor giving him a way to escape. Blame it on the magic in the air, the need for something in that moment, or temporary insanity, but Rowan’s mind was a clusterfuck of chaos. She wanted Devlin. No, she
needed
him. A storm raged inside her and she wanted to scream from the fury of it all.

Devlin couldn’t get enough of her. Aye, she was a rare and dangerous creature now. Primal, feral needs pulsed through her body and into his. The urge to take her and claim her for his own was so strong Devlin broke away from her in a small attempt to gain some self-control. His breath caught as he looked her in the eyes. You could almost hear her thoughts, she was screaming so loud in her head. Her lips were red and swollen from their frenzied kissing. Her eyes gave him a challenging glare and then she snapped her teeth at him.

He smiled. Aye, she was a hellcat for sure. Two can play this game. Devlin’s eyes leveled with hers as a growl rose up his throat. Trying to seek control of his body that was reacting to her fires, his voice grumbled deep and steady like a hungry wolf. “Careful lass, I may just bite ye back.”

She smiled. Challenge accepted. “Promises, promises.”

Holy mother of Christ, the woman had him knotted up so tight he thought he’d snap. Growling, he crushed against her body once more as a new madness burst out of him. He couldn’t get enough of her. Her scent, her taste, her touch. He wanted more, and more he’ll have.

Devlin tugged on her sweater and pulled it up over her head. He quickly looked at the words on her t-shirt and agreed whole heartedly with the grinning cat. Aye, they were all mad here. He tore her shirt from the neck down and sent the rags falling to the ground. She let out a cry of her own: one part anger, one part joy, and ten parts
oh hell yes
! Devlin took a small step back to get a full view of the siren standing before him. She was a vision. Her soft white mounds heaved with every breath she took, cupped by a layer of black satin and lace.

“Och lass, ye slay me with your beauty.”

Coming back for more, Devlin devoured her mouth, neck, and shoulder - working his way down her body. He sank to his knees in front of her as she stared down at him, eager for more. Lost in the moors of her eyes again, he saw the pinpricks of light peaking from behind them. Her magic was coming out and it made her look dangerous and delicious all at once. Her very being pulled him in, like she was the moon and he the tides. He began kissing her ribs, sides, and paying homage to her tight stomach and navel as he ventured lower.

Undoing her pants was a task best enjoyed slowly, although he was having trouble slowing down his pace. His body pulsed and cock throbbed with the need of her. He pulled off her boots and socks first. His knees sinking into the soft ground, his eyes level with her breasts, Devlin licked his way down to the waist of her jeans, all the while enjoying listening to the sounds of pleasure escaping her lips.

Pulling loose the button and sliding the zipper down, he heard her sigh again as she leaned back surrendering herself to him. He peeled those jeans off inch by painstaking inch. He would master his self-control for this – it was too good not to make the moment last a wee bit longer. Lifting one foot up to free her ankle and then the other, she stood like a temptress that any man would kill to have. Aphrodite and Venus were hags compared to what was displayed before him now.

She took a step towards him, closing the gap between their bodies, and looked down at the kneeling warrior before her. A devilish smile spread across her face, “My turn.”

Rowan grabbed the sides of Devlin’s shirt and pulled it over his head and away from his body. Taught muscles strained as he struggled for control. Watching as he ran a hand through his hair, she noticed how truly large his arms were. He was all sinew and hot flesh and she wanted to lick every bit of him. Rowan got down on her own knees and unbuckled his pants. Sliding the belt free from the loops it let out a small
swish
sound and then she sent it sailing behind them. She looked him in the eyes as she trailed her fingernails lightly down his carved chest, down his stomach and to his pants. Licking her lips, she watched his eyes struggle for composure but she’d not let him have any.

A growl sounded low in his throat that sent a tremble through his body and into hers. He pounced on her like a wolf on a rabbit. He stopped kissing her long enough to kick off his boots and undo his pants. His dark hair draped in his eyes while he looked down at her. He’d never felt so out of control in all his life, but there was nothing he could do about it now. She slid his pants down over his sculpted ass and past his massive thighs. He kicked them away and stared down at her, his body was almost shaking from his struggle to have control.

The sight of his naked body made her whimper. The man was glorious. All muscle, hardness, and whiskey eyes. God help her, there was no going back after this. Rowan wanted him. She needed him. He was making her feel and want things with an ache that Ro didn’t even know existed in her body. She was burning, melting. The vibrations inside her now had her so frantic she was ready to beg.

“I want you Devlin. Please, I want you inside of me.”

Music to his ears. A smile stretched across his face and reached his whiskey eyes. Looking down at what was being offered to him, he was afraid of what might happen if he tasted more of her. She made him feel things he’d not felt till now. Her pull was undeniable and he didn’t have the strength or desire to fight it any longer.