Authors: Jess Parry
Gathering Storm (12 page)
“Sometimes, you will not see what is in front of you because it doesn’t want you to.” Marcus whispered into her ear.
He reached out his hand
taking
Siobhan’s. Marcus pulled her off the stool as she reached over and grabbed Jason’s arm pulling him along. They made their way over to the table where Sarah and Simon were sitting.
The sounds around them quieted as three people took the stage. Two men and a woman sat on the stools in the center of the stage. A soft light overhead enhanced them, Siobhan puffed sharply at their beauty. The woman was tall with flowing firelight hair streaming down her back. The woman’s bright green eyes gazed briefly onto Siobhan. She wore a deep black dress that clung to her frame, accenting every curve on her lithe body; blinking Siobhan could have sworn the dress had just moved on its own.
The two men were equally as beautiful, one with shoulder length white hair that framed his thin face a
s
the same bright green eyes twinkled at Siobhan. He smiled smartly at her
, immediately
she felt her heart flutter. The other man strummed a guitar and bent his head as the richness of the sound enveloped him. His hair black as a crow fell forward shadowing his features, he opened his eyes
looking
directly at Siobhan. They were the same bright green
but
held a hint of sorrow in their depths.
“They are brothers
,
she is their younger sister, if you haven’t noticed the eyes are the same” Leaning in to Siobhan Marcus whispered
“I had noticed” She replied back as she watched them in awe.
“Be careful of the melodies the one of the left will enthrall you into a trance that will surely lose your heart” Simon’s voice fell between Sarah and Siobhan softly
“He is pretty hot, Simon, he does give you a run for that department” Sarah sighed
“They all could be heartbreaker’s” Siobhan whispered
“Wow, the singer is hot!” Jason said reverently “Sorry, Siobhan, it’s not that you aren’t hot, but…” Jason stammered looking back at Siobhan
A warm laugh escaped Siobhan and she leaned over
kissing
Jason smartly on the lips
“Let’s get on with it!” A voice yelled loudly over the murmu
ring
of voices in the bar.
The singer scowled slightly then turned to her brothers
,
nodding quickly
, she kept her back to the group as the two began to strum the guitar and flute. The haunting lilt of the flute mix
ing
with
the longing chords of the guitar
,
t
he beauty of the two sounds danced around each other, touching and parting.
Siobhan felt goose bumps rise on her arms as she felt the music surrounding her. The woman turned slowly towards the crowd a sound of ach
ing deprivation
fell from her lips. The lyrics were haunted,
her
voice clung to everything. The deep yearning
ache
mixed with the beauty of the music her brother’s played.
Siobhan closed her eyes to the splendor before her; there was pain there, to take in that much beauty hurt. She felt the tears falling down her face, but was helpless to stop them. She could feel the song wrap around her, she felt strength of love holding her. The wonder of watching her lover embrace her, she could see the beauty of his eyes smiling warmly. She could smell the woodiness aroma that clung to him. She felt his power send chills of desire through her, his name on the tip of her tongue.
She opened her mouth to whisper her love’s name
as
the loud clapping and cheers from the crowd broke the spell. Blinking her eyes open, she took in the sounds and people around her. The song had ended
as softly as it had begun,
everyone was cheering and clapping. The three on the stage stood quietly
,
nodd
ing
their heads, the lead singer looking hard at Siobhan.
“Why are they playing here
,
not in an arena
somewhere
? They are beyond awesome!” Sarah exclaimed
“There are some who do not seek the spotlight lovely. They are content to play their music to those who would truly appreciate it” Simon responded quietly
“That’s just bullshit, they should be famous. They should be sharing that with the world, not some little dive in Dublin!” Jason replied sourly
The woman turned to Jason and nodded slightly; a sad smile ghosted her lips
then
was gone. Siobhan leaned over to Marcus “I want to meet them”
“That may not be a good idea” Marcus scowled quickly at the woman on the stage
“I don’t give a damn what you think Marcus, I want to meet her!” Siobhan’s voice shook with an underlying anger that slammed into Marcus. He shifted slightly in his chair as the power washed over him.
“As you wish, lovely, it can be arranged, the woman is named Moira, her brother on the flute is Finn, the other on the guitar is Ian” Simon responded quickly as he took in the simmering tempers between Marcus and Siobhan. He leaned over and blew a small breath in Siobhan’s direction; the singer
silently
watched the scene before her.
Moira
instantly felt the heat of anger fill her cheeks, and turned back to her brothers. She leaned in
,
whispered something only meant for them to hear. Her brother
’s
glanced at Marcus and Simon
;
smirk
ing broadly
they
nodded their heads in approval of whatever she had said.
Spinning
back to
face
the crowd, toss
ing
her
flaming
hair to the side, a
s a
cool smile spread across her face
.
Moira’s
brother Ian began
swiftly
strumming his guitar
, tapping his foot to the rhythm
. Siobhan watched
hypnotized by
Moira standing
majestically on the stage
swaying
in time to the rush of music filling the space.
Taking
in the crowd,
eyes caught every
tap
of a foot
, or bob
bing
head in time with the music.
Knowing she
had caught everyone’s attention she
let the song flow from her lips
. Her voice floating in time with the fast beat, her hands clapping loudly. With each snap of
Moira
’s
hands meeting, the crowd cheering louder.
Quickly
rising from their seats
,
a
few people hastily
knocked
their chairs
over.
Transfixed by the beauty of the song, Siobhan was as lost as the group around her, ignoring the forgotten chairs scattered around the room,
floor forgotten.
The group hurriedly
forming a circle around the compact room as they
wild
ly
dance
d.
Siobhan had never seen
any dance like this
before,
eyes getting dizzy as she saw couple
turning in circles
, rapidly
crossing others as they wove around the tables.
A couple of boorish mean
started pushing the tables and chairs off to the side
opening
the space, as more clamored to join in. Twining their arms between them, laughing wildly they continued in a frenzied circle
around Siobhan as she giggled uninhibited
.
Siobhan regarded Jason staring in rapture at
Moira
, a slow smile forming on his face.
Her mouth slowly opening as watched Jason losing himself in the light surrounding Moria.
Turning her gaze to she watched
Moira
’s hair blowing wildly around her face, her cheeks were flushed,
as
she
stared in rapture at Jason.
Moira
face was returning the same smile
to
Jason, her beauty almost too painful to look at.
A man danced in front of Sarah
reaching
out his
hand
to her,
an open invitation to join in.
Jumping
up
Sarah clasped the man’s hand tightly as he spun her around him
.
Watching
as her friend was pulled into the middle of the crowd
, Siobhan let the image of Jason and Moira slip from her mind
. Sarah
’s
laughter wandered over twirling all over the place the group
danced
surrounding
Siobhan in a warm cocoon
. Her blonde hair fanning out as she continued to dizzily turn as the crowd spun in the opposite direction.
“Siobhan” Sarah called “Get your ass out here!”
Glancing quickly
at the
Moira
, she nodded her head slightly, inviting Siobhan to join.
Jumping
up
Siobhan
ran towards Sarah. The group surrounding Sarah
quickly
part
ing
letting
Siobhan could clamber through. Reaching Sarah, they clasped their hands tightly together spinning each other wildly. The crowd’s cheers r
ising
loudly
around them, Siobhan
could only
star
e
at Sarah, the room blurring around her as they spun at a staggering intensity.
The music was playing faster than Siobhan had ever heard; she felt the earth beneath her tilt
ing
. Closing her eyes, breathing in the air around her, she caught the faint scent of woods, heard the clear twinkle of bells. The sounds of the pub were silent as the wildness of the heat burning inside was bubbling to the surface. Throwing her head back, she continued to squeeze Sarah’s hands tighter, as they became a twisting blur.
“Bloody hell!” Simon bellowed
jumping
from his chair
running swiftly
into the crowd surrounding Siobhan and Sarah. Protectively the bodies surrounding
both Sarah and Siobhan were closing in tighter
blocking his entry at every angle
.
Turning quickly
Simon sent Moira a scathing look.
Winking suggestively, she
raised her voice another octave, inciting hoots with in the circle.
Marcus sat there for a moment
letting
the chaos spinning around him run
in rampant
currents through him
, filling him
. He felt the madness within begin to rise, permitting it to slip out bit by bit. When his eyes opened the kaleidoscope of colors shot beams of light at the three musician’s on the stage.
67
Gathering Storm
7 CHAPTER
Seven
“Enough” Marcus voice vibrat
ing
with
exquisite
power
as it
washed over everyone in the pub.
The sound
of Marcus voice rushing about
filling every corner of space, the musician’s stopped playing
immediately
. The wildness o
n
the dance
floor
abruptly stopp
ing
, as Siobhan and Sarah fell
in a
daze
d heap together
. The shimmering warmth of the pub goers froze as fear rose
slowly
around them. The air suddenly
growing
stifling cold, Siobhan couldn’t get a breath into her burning lungs.
Glancing
over at Sarah
, feeling
her heartbeat r
ising rapidly
as she saw Sarah staring open mouthed trying to breathe.
Panic filling Siobhan to the point of pain, she felt
strong a
rms gripp
ing
her like a vise
pulling her roughly
out of the crowd
.
T
he scream
bubbling to the surface as it made its way from
deep inside her.
Twisting
and turn
ing
like a caged animal,
fighting the remarkably strong hold on her,
but the grip around her only tightened.
“Dammit be still” Marcus hissed into her ear
, commanding her to silence
as he pulled her out of the crowd. Simon followed behind him holding onto Sarah as she fought to get loose.
Heading towards the
front door
s, neither of them stopped, barreling into anyone in their path
. They burst through the front doors
, clambering
into the street
as
the sharp night air slammed into Siobhan sending shivers through her body.
Inhaling
greedy breath
s
of the clean crisp air feeling the rush of oxygen rac
ing
to her head as the darkness began to descend.
“No, you have gone under enough tonight love, stay with us” Simon’s hands
tightly
gripp
ing
Siobhan’s face
he
leaned down
blowing
heavily into her face. She inhaled the intoxicating scent of cloves and cinnamon, eyes widening as the heat of Simon’s breath surrounded her.
“Where’s Jason?” Sarah asked in between
the
coughs racketing through her. She had stumbled away from them
, leaning
against the building
as wave after wave of ratcheting deep coughing spasms tore through her.
Her hands gripp
ing
the bricks of the building turning white from the strain as
another
surge of heaving coughs erupted from her.
“He must still be inside; blasted fool was enthralled with her” Simon
ominously hissed
before
turn
ing
to go back inside.
“No. I’ll go, you stay with them and make sure they are alright” Marcus briskly
ordered already
walk
ing through the doors of the pub
.
Striding
over to Sarah
, Simon
pulled her off the building wall; his hand lift
ing
her chin so their faces were inches apart
kissing
her lightly. Sarah’s eyes fluttered for a moment then flew open as another crushing wave of coughs racked
through
her. Mumbling curses, Simon leaned in deepen
ing
the kiss. Sarah
pushing
her hands against his chest, trying to
shove
him away from her. Her eyes wide
ning
in panic, as Simon continued to pull the air out of her lungs.
“Get away from her” Siobhan screamed as she sprinted to where Simon was holding Sarah. Shooting his arm out at the last moment he stopped her from hitting them. Siobhan clawed at his arms, fighting to get between them.
The door to the pub
bursting
open slamming into the building
,
Jason fl
ying
out onto the sidewalk as Marcus strolled out behind. Landing hard onto the
cracked
sidewalk Jason grunted loudly
with the air
whoosh
ing
out of his lungs.
Moira
emerging
behind Marcus, pushing him aside as she rushed to Jason
, kneeling down she ran her hands over Jason, concern replacing the irritation on her striking features
.
Simon moaned loudly as he pulled away from Sarah,
stumbling
a few steps
back
, eyes closed
tightly
,
his
face
was
eerily
pale
covered in a fine sheen of sweat
. Marcus reached over
catching
Simon
as his legs buckled; his eyes flying open casting a luminous violet hue against Siobhan
. Pulling a flask out of his jacket,
Marcus cursing softly,
twist
ing
off the cap
he quickly t
ilted it towards Simon mouth.
“Drink you damn fool” Marcus hissed at Simon.
Eyes fluttering, Simon clasped the flask drinking greedily
.
A low growling sound filling the air as Simon tilted the flask higher.
Siobhan
could feel the air around her shimmering, power whispering around the edges, calling to her, wanting her to let go. Feeling her control slipping as her body instinctively started to open; she felt a cool wave of air sliding into her. It’s touch awakening a chaos slumbering inside her, groaning at her body’s betrayal. Closing her eyes, she shut out the sounds around her, listening only to the beat of her heart. Mentally closing the door inside that had been starting to open. Feeling her control sliding easily into place, she opened her eyes to meet Marcus’ steely gaze. Taking a step back, Siobhan wanted as much space as possible between her and Marcus. Catching a movement from the corner of her eye, Siobhan
grabbed Sarah
before
she collapsed
to the ground. Sliding
into
Siobhan’s
arms; she looked up at Siobhan, grinning wildly, her eyes shining brightly, face flushed. Siobhan held tightly onto Sarah, running her hands through her friend’s hair.
“What did you do to her?” Siobhan
bellowed
at Simon
, her anger rushing into Simon causing him to stumble back as the power washed through him.
“He saved her bloody life, love, and damned near killed himself doing it!” Marcus grumbled back as
he
pulled the flask out of Simon’s hands.
His eyes skimming
over Siobhan, his face contorted in a scowl, but Siobhan still caught a shimmering of longing reflected in his eyes.
“Wait. What do you mean he saved her life?” Siobhan quietly asked, as she let go of Sarah turning to face Marcus fully
“Ask her” Marcus replied pointing at
Moira
who was
continued
kneeling next to Jason. Jason was looking at her with a desire Siobhan had never seen before. She felt her stomach turn as she felt the surge of lust weaving between Jason and
Moira
.
Stepping completely away from Sarah, Siobhan walked over to Moira and Jason, emotions surg
ing
through Siobhan consuming her
.
H
ow Jason could be sitting there just staring at this woman
was baffling irritating.
She was his girlfriend, not Moira, how dare he do this to her.
Reaching
out to push Moira out of the way; her hand landed on Moira’s shoulder and froze.
Images flash
ing
into her mind of a couple tangled together, creamy snowy skin mixing with sun kissed skin. She felt the sighs
escaping her lips, as
moans of pleasure
engulfed her
as the lover’s embraced. Lost in the images
flooding her
, searching
for a glimpse
of
the lover’s faces
consuming her.
L
eaning closer to
Moira
,
breathing
in the pungent aroma of
sweet
roses
wafting from her, as an icy fear gripped Siobhan
. Her grip tightened on Moira’s shoulder, causing
Moira
to wince in pain.
The air around Siobhan shimmered
in the
wind around them picking up
, weaving through Siobhan’s hair, lifting it around her, sending sparks of chaos into the night air.
Sounds vanish
ing
as the wind created a bubble around Siobhan. Lighting rolled across the sky as thunder rumbled low in the distance. Chaos churned inside Siobhan as
she continued
watch
ing
the lover’s
beginning to
part
.
T
he woman
slowly
turn
ed
her face towards Siobhan
, a shuddering whimper escaping Siobhan’s lips
as she saw the look of bliss on
Moira
’s face. Whipping her head around to
see who
the man
was still lying
beneath Moria, his face easy into the candle light, a dimple forming as an easy smile formed on Jason’s face.
T
ears fell silently
from Siobhan’s eyes
as
she watched
Jason s
i
t up smiling at Moira
,
reaching to pull her back to him.
Marcus stepped into the bubble, grabbing Siobhan
, pulling her trembling body to him,
shaking her lightly. Siobhan blinked as the images faded from her mind.