Sacred Circle (12 page)

Sighing, she pulled out the tunic. There really was only one choice. She tossed the mini-dress to the lounge chair alongside the closet. She was not going to consummate the marriage while totally naked, and if she could keep the lighting low in the room, she was sure she could maneuver Devlin so that he only saw her figure through vague shadows.
His fingers will be searching for pleasure points, though,
her inner voice chided.
The tunic will be absolutely perfect for that.

Brianna blushed at the inference. You needn't worry about that, she scolded herself. Our one and only sexual encounter was a disaster, remember? And there's no reason to expect this one will be any different. Frigid—isn't that what Martin called her when they had said their abrupt goodbyes? She had never seen him again; yet the label had shaken her confidence so much, she gave up dating altogether. This time, she'd make sure the sex would be brief—to save both her and Devlin embarrassment.

Her gaze shifted back to the chair. Should she forego wearing panties with the tunic? She blushed again, deciding that the fewer items Devlin had to take off, the better. In seconds, she had shed her blouse, jeans, and underwear and donned the tunic. Letting the fabric slide over her hips, she took a quick peek at her reflection in the door mirror. A quick gasp greeted her. She looked like a lamb being led to slaughter. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles, and her cheeks boasted a pale-white hue.

Pinching her cheeks, she attempted to bring some color back into the skin. How long would she have to wait before Devlin arrived? That would depend on Tommy. He had no idea of the coven's Sanctity law and all it entailed. It was cowardly of her to leave Devlin to settle Tommy down for the night, but she couldn't face her friend—or his pointed questions. And she certainly couldn't face his disappointment if he learned about the Joining ritual.

She glanced at the bed, biting her lower lip. Consummating a loveless marriage to satisfy a Sanctity law was just plain idiotic. Once the deed was done, what would it have accomplished? Nothing. So what was the point? The answer came at once. Without the Joining, her mother's essence would remain trapped between worlds, and the commune would suffer the results of it. It was up to her to get on with the Joining, no matter how humiliating. After all, hadn't she vowed to love Devlin “till death do us part”?

Brianna shivered at the remembrance. How soon would “death do us part” be? She twisted around and studied the open doorway. It might be sooner rather than later—if she couldn't keep a lid on her temper. And of course, once they arrived in the clearing, if they found it was the Guardians trapped in the circle, they would be on the receiving end of a very powerful dose of the Guardians' wrath. She put a brake on that thought, too. She didn't want to think about the power a pissed off elemental could conjure up when provoked.

Brianna heard the floorboards creak above her head, and scurried to the bed. She dove under the covers, tossing the sheet over her bare legs and hoping to God that her body wouldn't betray her during the upcoming Joining. Though the wedding had caused her blood to course through her veins like an awakened river, she didn't know how long that would last.

Was her Invocation the culprit? Her mother had once alluded that a marriage between witches often resulted in a spirit transference during the wedding ceremony—a mating for life that could never be broken. Had that occurred? No, her memories of the ceremony were clear. Devlin's voice was hollow as he recited his vows, a sure sign that no bond was being forged between them.

Scooting back on the bed, she plumped the pillow and then heard the patter of bare feet hitting the wood floor. Angling around, she studied the doorway. A moment later, Devlin appeared in the room barefoot, closed the door, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

Rattled, Brianna bit her lip.

"Tommy's not . . ." She couldn't finish the sentence. An amused chuckle came her way.

"Relax, Snow White. The dwarves are all fast asleep in their beds, some snoring much louder than others."

His shirt was tossed to the top of the dresser and Brianna grimaced.

"That isn't funny, you know. Tommy can't help snoring. He broke his nose a few years ago, and it's affected his breathing."

He whirled at her words, gawking at her.

"And you know this, how?"

"What do you mean, how?" Her confusion quickly turned to understanding, and then to outrage. "I have never slept with Tommy! How can you even think that? He's a trusted friend."

"Relax, Goldilocks. I'm only trying to put you at ease."

"Well, you're pissing me off," Brianna huffed, thumping her pillow.

His chuckle came again, but he offered no other comment. Instead, he approached the bed, and then promptly presented his back to her. Sinking down, he shed his jeans and briefs and slid under the sheets. Unhinged by the sight of his naked torso, Brianna lost no time making the first move. She could get through this if she took control of the Joining. She placed her hand on Devlin's forearm before he had even settled himself, and bending over, she sought his lips. A second later, she was flat on her back, staring into his glittering eyes.

"Slow down, Rapunzel," he cautioned. "I know you're used to always being in the driver's seat; however, this is one time you need to let me drive the car." Brianna colored furiously at his words. His grin surfaced and he chucked her chin. "Blushing becomes you, Mrs. Janus." She colored up again, looking anywhere but at his curved lips.

A moment later, the ceiling was blocked out, and Devlin's lips feathered hers—whisper light. The contact had Brianna trembling at the dreamy intimacy. Instinctively, she buried her hands in his hair, shocked to find her senses fluttering in response to his deepening kiss. He certainly knew how to kiss a girl, she realized. The gentle massage was sending currents of desire shooting through her lower limbs. And his hand? It was sweeping the satiny planes of her stomach with light swirls, sledding towards her breasts. How had his hand found its way beneath her tunic so fast? The answer was lost in the splay of his fingers across her left breast. An involuntary tremor began under the caress of his thumb, and Brianna jerked. His mouth lifted from hers.

"Relax. We can get through this, if you just relax."

Relax? How could she relax when he was making her blood pound through her heart, chest, and lungs, like a raging river?

His mouth reclaimed hers, this time more demanding, and all coherent thought fled from Brianna's brain. Before she knew it, his knee had parted her thighs, and she was welcoming him into her body. An intoxicating, manly scent washed over her immediately, but the smell was soon forgotten under the rhythmic flexing of his stomach muscles against hers.

When his thrusts deepened, Brianna moaned aloud, stunned by how pure and explosive raw pleasure could be. A ragged groan sliced her ears, and hearing it, her body melted against Devlin's. In seconds, the world was filled with only him and her quivering limbs. A mutual shudder soon ran along their length, and their bodies settled into a matching tempo of possession.

Swept away, their ardor mounted fast, and Brianna abandoned herself to the whirl of sensations. There was nothing frigid about what she was feeling. There was only a roaring din in her ears and the earth falling away, leaving her belly flexing against Devlin's in persuasion. He brought them to the brink of climax quickly, suspended the moment, and then plunged them over the edge. Time suddenly shattered, exploding in a downpour of fiery sensations, and Brianna couldn't disguise her body's reaction. A moan of ecstasy slipped through her lips, followed by Devlin's hoarse whisper in her ear.

“Te amo, Cernunnos!"

His labored breathing fanned her cheek, and then he took her mouth again, this time with a savage intensity. The white-hot kiss had the real world careening on its axis and Brianna reveling in the tightening coil building again between her thighs. A moment later, she cried out for release, and he gave it, sending her to that place of rapture, utterly consumed.

Somewhere between disbelief and enchantment, time re-started, and Brianna dropped back to earth, feeling like a bird drifting on shafts of air. She lay momentarily paralyzed beneath Devlin, marveling at how exhilarating the Joining had been, and how steamy the sex had become. Spellbound, she listened to Devlin's rapid heartbeat and uneven breathing. Martin had certainly been mistaken in calling her frigid. Devlin had just proved that she was more than capable of sustaining a sexual high.

A salty kiss moistened her lips, and then rolling over, Devlin sat up on the bed. He snatched up his jeans and underwear from the floor and donned them quickly. Zipping his fly, he retrieved his shirt and tossed it on.

"Sleep if you can. Morning will be here before you know it."

He left her without a backward glance, and Brianna lay in silence, holding back tears of disappointment. They had just shared mind-blowing sex and he was leaving? Heat stole into her face. Of course, he was leaving. He had done his duty and consummated the marriage as coven protocol dictated. It didn't matter that he had left her wrecked, and aching to feel him inside her again. What mattered was they view the Joining as token sex—a one-night stand that would guarantee her mother's retrieval from the circle.

She heard the sound of a running shower through the walls and shivered. Devlin wasn't wasting any time washing away the traces of their Joining.
Well, why should he?
her inner voice chided.
The sex meant nothing to him. You mean nothing to him. You're merely a means to a very important end.

A draft of cool air tickled her legs and she sat up, hauling her tunic back down around her soaked thighs. Tommy was right. A loveless marriage was a sham, and like all shams, it would end unpleasantly—for both parties. She shifted on the bed, inhaling sharply under a back spasm. Great. She had wreaked her back during the Joining. Damn Devlin! He should've powered down the sex a notch.

The shower turned off and Brianna listened for the sound of returning footsteps. When they didn't come, and she heard the faint sound of a door closing, a terrible regret suddenly assailed her. She had just had sex with a sworn enemy, and for what? Nothing. Who would know if the Joining occurred or not? No one.

She covered her face with her hands and fell back on the pillow. It was despicable to have sex in such a callous manner, especially when she had forced Devlin into it. He had offered her a last chance out as they stood at the altar, but she had refused to listen, goading him into the marriage. And now, she was blaming him for that bad choice. A suffocating sensation tightened her throat. When had she become this awful, manipulative person that used people as if she had a right to?

Smothering a sob, Brianna vaulted from the bed. It was despicable what she had done. Not even spirit could look kindly on such arrogant behavior. And, as always, spirit would make sure she paid the price somehow, some way, at some time.

Flinging off the tunic, she entered the bathroom and slammed the door hard. At least there would be no burdensome chains of involvement when she and Devlin met in the morning. Their pride would see to that. She would treat him civilly while urging him to get on with their investigation. Turning on the shower, she buried her self-loathing under the spray of scalding water. By the time she was dressed and falling onto the bed covers, she felt like her old self again.

• • •

A rude shove brought Brianna out of her deep sleep in alarm. She bolted up on the bed, her heart pounding like a runaway horse. Her gaze jumped to the chubby figure standing beside her.

“You scared the hell out of me, Tommy.”

“Sorry. I just thought you'd like to know Devlin's on the way to the clearing without you.”

Brianna slid to the edge of the bed in a panic.

“Why didn't you stop him?” she hissed. She searched the floor for her shoes.

“I can't go around giving the man orders,” Tommy declared. “I barely know him.”

“It's never stopped you before,” Brianna railed, spotting the shoes and stuffing her toes into them. “Where's my bag? What have I done with my bag?” Spotting it by the dresser, she snatched it up. “We've got to stop Devlin before he reaches the clearing.”

“Why?”

Brianna whirled back at the question.

“Because he'll mishandle everything if I'm not there.”

“That's not a very charitable thing to say about your husband, blue eyes.”

“Sorry. And by the way, he's not my anything.”

She swung back around, racing down the hallway and out the back door. Heading for the mulched pathway, she mumbled a heated curse. Damn Devlin! Why had he left the cottage without her? Her brain supplied an answer.
He's intending to boss you around now that you've had sex with him.
She darted around a cul-de-sac of bushes and through a slew of red roses. To hell with that crap, she told her alter-ego.

Behind her, she heard Tommy's sneakers pounding the path. He was keeping up, though he was breathing heavily, and emitting small grunts. She glanced through the shadows and saw the rungs of the footbridge come into view. They were only yards away from finding Devlin. Already, she could feel the power of his aura through the trees. So much for doubting their energies had merged during the wedding. Even out of sight, she knew where he was.

With lightning fast speed, Brianna crashed through the trees.

Moonbeams filtered through the shadows, lighting the trees as Devlin reached the oak-carved footbridge. He took a moment to listen to the sounds of the water rushing beneath his feet. It was funny how as much as things changed, they never really did. He could still feel the pull of the past as if it was yesterday. The smell of the trees; the sound of rushing water. All of it shored up memories of what it felt like to be ten again and filled with the adventure of life.

The scent of jasmine teased his nose, and it triggered an image of Brianna's trembling limbs beneath his. He had taken the coldest shower of his life after leaving her bedroom. If he hadn't, he would've made a fool of himself by making love to her again. Even now, he was dying to be inside her, slowly arousing her to a fever-pitch.