The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (32 page)

I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes. Dec had taught me to heal myself, and I needed to practice. This headache was killing me so I was going to give it a shot. With careful deliberation, I visualized the warm
saol
inside of me as it flowed gently through my veins into my muscles and organs. I saw it flow under the fragile skin that covered me. It was pale gold as it moved along. Slowing my breathing as much as possible, I gently urged it towards the back of my head where the pain was the worst. A faint light glowed behind my eyelids as I did this. My body was relaxed and yet taut with the current. The feeling was both soothing and invigorating. I felt like I could float away or run forever. It was powerful.
I
was powerful. The pain gradually receded and then disappeared completely.

Domino growled a warning deep in her throat and I slowly opened my eyes. She stared at the door to the kitchen with ears cocked and tail wagging slowly. I sat up and moved to pick up my gun from the table.

“What?”

In response, she jumped forward and ran towards the doorway. At the same moment, the air was sucked out of the room. Killian and Sean appeared and Domino skidded to a stop in front of them. Laughing with real pleasure, Killian reached down and rubbed her ears. Sean’s eyes found mine instantly and widened in surprise. He stiffened and Killian looked up.

“Well, damn,” Killian said in wonder.

“What’s wrong with you two? Did I grow another head?”

Sean cautiously moved towards me and turned my arm so I could see into the mirror. What now?

“Look,” he ordered softly.

The eyes that stared back at me weren’t mine. They were backlit with a soft white light. It wasn’t the vivid blue fire that defined the Primani. No, the light was barely there, but faintly shining just behind the midnight blue of my iris.  What did this mean? Even as I watched, the light dimmed and faded away again.

“Cool.” No witty comments popped into my head just then.

Sean shook his head and silently communed with Killian. Both looked over at me and smiled.

“You’re becoming high maintenance, Princess,” Killian commented and then laughed. “I don’t know what to do with you anymore.”

Sean asked, “What were you doing? I could feel your heat before we traveled. We knew you home.”

“That’s cool! You felt me?”

Killian snorted with impatience.

“Sorry! It’s interesting! Okay, I had a bad headache and decided to practice healing myself. It worked. I felt like I could fly away and run for miles. It was amazing!”

“Hmm. It sounds like you healed yourself and recharged yourself at the same time.
That’s
different.”

“Really? It doesn’t feel that way to you?”

“Not quite, darlin’. I think we might feel it differently because it’s always been a part of us though. I
always
feel like I can fly,” Sean explained with a cocky grin.

“Of course, you
can
fly so you’d know! Why can’t I travel too?”

Killian came back into the room and paused by the hallway.

You’ve been in my room?
He sent his thoughts to me.

I jumped guiltily and flushed. How did he know?

Your scent lingers.

I flushed a deeper red as the memories from that embarrassing night flashed into my head. There was no escaping it. He was never going to let me live it down.

I pouted and shot back,
It was an accident!
A real friend would let this go and stop embarrassing me!

Not a chance!

You’re such a jerk!
Turning my back on him,
I said aloud, “Come on. Let’s go up to the room.” I grabbed Sean’s arm and dragged him up the stairs. Domino took off with Killian.

When we got into the room, Sean said, “Do you want to tell me what’s going on with you two? Or do you want me to guess?” His shoulders were stiff and he leaned against the wall with his arms folded in front of him.

I sighed. I guess I could lie but that would surely backfire on me. So I stalled for a minute and tried to come up with the right words. Images of my falling to the floor dragging that damn sheet with me overwhelmed me again. Ugh! Killian had been surprised, and then amused when I rolled onto my stomach and covered my eyes with both hands. He simply laughed and walked away naked.

“I saw Killian naked!” I blurted out. “But I closed my eyes!”

Sean’s mouth dropped open and then snapped shut again. “What?”

My face flamed and I started babbling. “It was an accident! I didn’t mean to. I thought he was you…When I touched him; he shocked me and knocked me out. When I came to, he was really sorry! You have to believe me. It was an accident!”

His mouth twitched. He finally yelled, “Killian!”

A few minutes later, Killian lounged in the doorway. “What’s up?”

The smirk was adorable but completely uncalled for.

As if he didn’t know what was up…he could read my mind for crying out loud! He was probably listening to the whole embarrassing conversation. The rat!

“Do you want to tell me why you were naked with my girlfriend?” Sean’s lips were twitching as he held back a grin.

“It’s all her fault. She came into my room and assaulted me while I was asleep. You know what can happen when we’re startled? Well, she ended up on the floor, drooling. Completely her fault, but I did feel bad about it.”

Killian’s explanation left a lot to be desired.

“What? Are you kidding me?” My voice went up several octaves. “I was sleepwalking! I was having a nightmare! You practically electrocuted me! It’s no wonder I fell down.” I jabbed my finger into Killian’s chest and added, “And I didn’t drool. You’re mean.”

Intrigued, Sean said, “So when were you naked, exactly?”

“Oh, after she yanked the sheet off of me,” he said with a perfectly straight face.

“Out! Get out!” I snapped and pointed to the door.

Laughing, Killian sauntered out the door and I slammed it behind him. I jumped up and kicked it for good measure. “Jerk!” I yelled at the door.

Sean’s laughter finally penetrated the haze of fury surrounding me, and I stopped muttering under my breath and looked at him. He cocked his head and said, “Temper, temper.”

With a gleam in my eye, I advanced on him. He backed up still laughing. I advanced. He backed into the wall and held up his hands. 

“Now, come on, sweetheart! You don’t want to hurt me! You love me, remember?”

“Not at the moment!” I gritted out between my teeth.

He grabbed my wrists in one hand and hauled me against him. It was hard to wiggle out of the way with my arms extended above my head and my breasts thrust forward against his chest. I stopped wiggling and he stopped laughing. Instead, he dipped his head and kissed me until I forgot why I was mad.

“So would you like to see
me
naked?” he whispered against my lips.

“MMM, THAT FEELS AMAZING. I’ll die if you stop now.”

He stifled a laugh and kept rubbing my shoulder. His brisk movements stretched my tight muscles and relieved the pain that had been bothering me for days. I shifted my position slightly to give him better access to my arm. Lying face down on the living room floor, the only thing I could see was the dust bunnies nesting underneath the couch. Wow, guess one of us should drag out a vacuum and evict the little guys. Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember the last time anyone cleaned the house.

“Sean?”

“Yeah, babe?” He straightened my arm and firmly pulled his strong fingers down my forearm to my wrist. After pulling each of my fingers out straight, he was done. He sat back and stretched his own fingers.

Groaning with contentment, I sat up. “When will you take me to Ireland?”

He grinned at me. “Ireland? Where did that come from?”

“I don’t know. I just want to see where you grew up. Er, sort of grew up. I guess.”

I had to laugh at myself. I wasn’t even sure he was technically ‘born’…We hadn’t gotten around to talking about how one became a Primani. Were they born as people first? Or did they just adopt a hot human form and wing it? So far, every Primani I’d met had been pretty hot. Maybe it was a job requirement.

He didn’t answer me right away. Instead, he bent over and stretched.

Dec interrupted us. “Hey, what are you guys doing sitting around the house? It’s beautiful outside. We should go climbing.”

The clock said it was only 9:00 and it
was
beautiful outside. Even though it was summer, we were enjoying a cold snap. It was going to be in the 60s today. It was perfect for a trip to the mountains.

“I’ll call Dani! She’ll want to come too. She’s been bummed since Aric left.”

An hour later, the four of us were heading down the highway towards Keene. As we got further into the mountains, my spirits soared. I squeezed Sean’s hand over the console and leaned back in the seat.

“Wild thing.” He winked at me.

“Yep.” I winked back.

As soon as he steered the car onto the shoulder, Domino climbed over the seats and stood in my lap. I got a mouthful of tail before I could open the door and shove her out. Dani and Dec climbed out of the backseat and grabbed their backpacks. Dani had amused herself by braiding her pale blond hair into randomly spaced braids. She was very cute in a hippy girl kind of way. More importantly, she was actually smiling for the first time in a while. Aric had gone to visit his sister in Florida and was not coming back for another month. Poor thing drooped like a flower without him. I hoped today’s trip would cheer her up. If nothing else, close proximity to Dec all day would raise her spirits. He had that effect on humans.

The forest around us was lush and green. It smelled like heaven. I raised my arms above my head and inhaled deeply. Ah! I was home! Sean was right. I
was
a wild thing--a creature of the forests, of the mountains. I felt most at home here. Maybe I was a wood nymph in another life. I’d have to ask Dani about that…I danced a little happy dance and started up the trail. Sean kept pace with me, but Domino ran in front. She insisted on herding her humans lest any of the flock wander off. I turned to grab Sean’s hand and paused to stare at him. Damn. I was such a lucky girl! The sunlight peeked through the leaves and dappled his face with golden color. His hair was longer now and curled just over his ears. The military cut was long gone, but it was still black as night. With black hair, vivid blue eyes, golden skin, and an incredible body, he attracted me like iron to a magnet. Unwilling and unable to resist, I arced towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Geez, don’t you two ever take a break?” Dani busted us when she rounded the trail.

Dec felt compelled to add, “You should try living with them. It’s nauseating.”

“Oh, ha ha. Someone’s just jealous!” I responded and took off up the trail like a billy goat.

After happily tramping along for more than an hour, the sound of running water drew me towards a ravine off the main trail. Domino slowed her gallop to a more careful walk and we picked our way through some low sycamore branches to the source of the sound.

Pushing one last leafy branch aside, I stopped, mesmerized and delighted. “Ooh! Look!”

It was breathtaking! Sunlight streamed into the waterfall like a sign from God. It was one of those rare sights that make you believe in magic. Well, other kinds of magic…

To Sean’s amusement, I threw down my backpack and shrugged out of my hoodie and shoes.  Calling the dog, I hopped over the rocks until I found a good spot. Leaning in from the side, I stuck my head under the current. The water was shocking as it streamed over my head. I shook my head to clear the water out of my ears and leaned back into the water again. No way could I resist the call of the waterfall. Domino splashed into the stream and drank about a gallon of water. With tongue lolling, she bounded over to Sean and shook out her fur. Laughing, he jumped easily to a higher rock out of her range. Numb with cold, I dried myself off with my hoodie and wandered over to Sean’s rock.

Unconcerned with the time, Sean and I settled into a comfortable position and stared up at the clouds that just peeked through the leaves above us. I shivered with cold and curled up against his side. He was always hot. It was like having my own personal furnace. We shared the silence and peace with our hands clasped over his chest. His heartbeat was strong against my palm and I was thankful.

“This is Heaven.”

He sighed quietly and kissed my knuckles. “No. This is better than Heaven.”

Surprised, I peeked at him from under my lashes. His eyes were closed and his lips were curled up in a natural smile. I leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth just to see him open his eyes. Nose to nose, his eyes were soft as they met mine. Maybe he was right. This was better than Heaven.

“Tell me about Ireland.”

He sighed a bit wistfully. “It’s green and wild. It’s a magical place. You’d be at home there. Like a fairy, you are.”

I smiled at the image of me with fairy wings. “When did you live there?”

He was quiet for a few minutes. Finally, he said, “A very long time ago.”

I traced a heart shape over his heart and whispered, “Tell me.”

He pulled me closer against him. “I was born there. My father came from Germany, but my mother was Irish. Her family had been in Ireland for generations. I can still remember her smile…” His voice trailed off. His eyes were far away.

“She must have been beautiful.”

He smiled up at the clouds. “Yes, she was. She had a mane of wild black hair and wicked blue eyes. When I was older, my father told me she was the most beautiful woman in the land. She died when I was still a child. My father raised me alone until he died. I was 16 then.”

My heart skipped a beat and I asked, “What happened to her?”

He hesitated and finally warned, “It’s not a pretty story, Mica. She was killed by soldiers. They were my father’s men. You see, they were afraid of her…of what she could do…of what she
might
do. There were things happening in the village. The livestock were dying from no apparent reason. Crops failed because the rain refused to fall. People started to go hungry. Children got sick and died. My baby sister died. Things were very bad. Then one day, one of my father’s men came into my house and saw my mother performing a ritual.”

I stiffened in surprise and he hurriedly went on. “Not an evil ritual! She was simply praying for rain to heal the land. But the soldier misunderstood. His hysterical ranting sealed her fate among the ignorant and frightened.” He stood up and stretched, knuckles cracking with the effort.

“What happened then?  You can’t leave me hanging!”

“Okay, but then we have to head back. It’s getting late.” He took my hand and pulled me up to stand with him.

“My mother was killed by one of the soldiers. There was a struggle and she ended up dead. The man tried to say it was an accident, but his sword had gone straight through my mother’s body. It was no accident.” His eyes glittered with anger as the memories swamped him.

“I saw everything that day. My mother…knew things…she sent me to hide as soon as the soldiers came towards the house.  I climbed a tree and hid. My mother tried to lead them away from the tree, and he ran her through from behind. I
hid
in that tree and memorized the face of the man who killed my mother.” His voice was harsh and cold, remembering a child’s pain that still hurt the man he’d become.

Tears glittered in my eyes as I pictured the scared black-haired boy desperately clinging to a tree branch. I couldn’t even imagine his fear and rage. My own mother had died in her sleep three years ago and the loss still stung. Sean was lost in his memories now and didn’t see my tears.

“His name was Maedoc and he was the first man I killed. It was no
accident
when I ran him through. I felt…better…somehow after that.” His eyes cleared and he added in a matter-of-fact tone, “My father buried her near an old Druid site. After that, we moved to another town and we stayed there until…until…well, until I became a Primani.”

“What did your dad do when they came for her? Didn’t he try to protect her?” I was angry for him.

“Of course he did! But it’s complicated.” He tapped his fingers against his leg, searching for the right words. “My mother wasn’t praying to God. Christianity didn’t exist there. She was a Druid priestess. Her family grew up in Northern Ireland and embraced the old ways. My father and most of the soldiers came from Europe and didn’t believe in the same things. My mother and the others kept the practices of their religion hidden as much as possible to keep from losing it altogether.”

“How on earth did they get together in the first place?”

He laughed out loud at my question. “Destiny? He was a Celtic warrior and she a Druid priestess. He took one look at her and couldn’t walk away. Put them together and you get me. Raphael tells me I have a special purpose--up until now, I didn’t believe him. Since I’ve met you…I’m beginning to think he’s on to something!” He kissed me quickly and started to pull me towards the trail.

I dug in my feet and he stopped. “You left something out.”

He raised an eyebrow at me.

“What
year
were you born?”

“112 A.D. Give or take a year.”