Worlds of Obsession (Celtic Otherworlds) (15 page)

“Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”, she mumbled, reaching for a light sweater and slipping on her shoes.  It was a beautiful night, and maybe a little walk in the fresh air would tire her out
, as long as she stayed close to the castle so as not to run into anymore… Elves.  She didn’t think Bastien would mind as long as she didn’t leave the immediate grounds, and if he did, well too bad, because right now it felt like the walls were closing in on her.

Who was she kidding, it wasn’t the moon keeping her awake
, or even the knowledge that she might soon be completely redefining the word ‘myth’.  No, it was the knowledge that somewhere nearby was the most gorgeous, virile, primal, male she had ever set eyes on, and the mere thought of him made her wish she had him all naked and lusty in her bed.  She just couldn’t seem to help it.  

She gritted her teeth as she eased open the door and it creaked on its hinges.  Sticking her head out into the dimly lit hallway, she waited to see if any of the other doors opened,
half expecting Bastien to appear and catch her leaving, but they all stayed firmly closed.  With a little sigh of relief, she made her way to the back door, which she knew from her earlier experience was a convenient escape route. 

Ou
tside, the night was like magic.  The moon was higher in the sky now, and the moonlight spilled over the ground.  There was the soft sound of the sea nearby, and the spicy-sweet scent of night-blooming flowers.  She didn’t want to go too far from the castle this time.  She realized that if there were such things as Demons and Elves on this island, god only knew what else was roaming around.  She really wished she still had that old book with her, so she could read it more carefully and know more of what to expect.

Liv
wandered back and forth along the path near the sea, and a light breeze coming off the water filled her nose with the sharp tang of salt.  She couldn’t help but wonder if there was any more beautiful place on earth.  Looking back at the way the moonlight limned the massive stones of the castle, she could almost believe this
was
King Arthur’s Avalon. 
What if it is?  But, how could it be? 
People had been searching for Avalon for thousands of years.  If it was a real place, someone would have found at least the evidence of it by now.  For god’s sake, there were satellite images of the entire planet.  No way anyone could hide an entire island.  But if what people called
magic
turned out to be as real as Elves and Demons, well then she supposed all bets were off.  Suddenly Liv froze when she heard her name being shouted.  It was Bastien, and he didn’t sound happy.  She realized now that she might just have come out here again hoping that he would come after her, and damned if she hadn’t gotten her wish.

Chapter 15

              Bastien woke to the sound of a knock at his door.  He had been dreaming of Liv again, more specifically, if anyone really wanted to know, of a very naked and very sexy Liv, lying beneath him and writhing in pleasure as he slowly filled her with his cock, then thrust into her again and again, completely loosing himself in her body. 

As the dream faded
he quickly sat up in bed, and his heart slammed against his chest, thinking for just a moment that she had come to him.  “Come in”, he called.  The latch lifted and the door opened, but it wasn’t Liv.  Disappointment settled hard in his gut, along with the painful ache of his unsatisfied desire, but Bastien quickly shook it off.  He was getting really used to unsatisfied desire, more so than he ever wanted to be.  “What is it, Conan?”

The butler opened the door a little wider, but didn’t step into the
dark room.  “You wanted to know, Sir, if the lass left the house.  She has.”

Bastien sat up with a curse.  “When?”

              “Just now.”

             
“Shit!  Which way?”

             
“The east path along the sea cliffs, Sir.  I don’t think she plans to go far, though.  She’s not dressed for it.”

             
Bastien was out of bed and pulling on his jeans, not bothering with boxers or a shirt.  “Thank you, Conan.  That will be all.”  The butler disappeared from the doorway and Bastien followed a moment later.  What was she thinking, going out alone at night?  And walking the sea cliffs in the dark?  Not that they were terribly steep, but what if she fell?  The rocks below were jagged, and the water was freezing, even at this time of year. The thought roused every protective instinct that he had. 

As soon as he stepped outside,
Bastien caught her scent, pure ambrosia mixed with flowers and the sea.  He followed for only a short time before he saw her in the distance.  The vast relief that settled over him at seeing her whole and safe was more than a little bit troubling.  It was just not reasonable that he should care so much about what happened to a female he had only known about for a couple of days.

But he did
.  And, he admitted, he was glad she had disobeyed him, because now he could see her again. 

She
was looking out over the water, and the breeze blew her hair around her face.  She reached up to push it away, and he wondered again at the slight changes in her.  Fae didn’t normally change hair or eye color when they matured and came into their full powers, but perhaps it had something to do with the cloaking spell.  Yes, that made sense… if someone was trying to hide her, they might have changed her appearance too.  What did she look like, really?  She was already so exquisitely beautiful and achingly delicate, but with such lush curves too, that a male could lose himself in for hours on end.

The breeze suddenly changed direction and brought her scent to him
again, stronger this time.  As he drew it into his body in a deep breath, his chest grew tight and his heart began to beat faster, making him almost desperate to find relief from whatever this was.  His body was no longer used to feeling anything other than physical pain, and this sudden onslaught threatened to drive him mad.  The voices of his most primitive instincts whispered in his mind. 
Claim.  Take the female.
 

Unfortunately, his instincts didn’t know the whole story.

No.  I… can’t.
 

But the voices only grew stronger, commanding him
, cajoling him until he had moved silently to stand just a few feet behind her, still not touching her, the darkness and the sound of crashing waves making him all but invisible.  He could hear nothing but the pounding of his own heart, echoing in his ears.  Bastien knew he was about to make a choice, and he already knew in his heart what that choice would be.  Then again, maybe it had already been made for him, in an alley in Glasgow.  Either way, he suspected that his body was no longer his to command.  It was hers now.

She wore nothing but a short cotton night dress and a soft white sweater, leaving the long and shapely expan
se of her legs bare to him.  He was already desperately hard for her.  Hard and aching, and overwhelmed by two hundred years of longing, and this time the sheer intensity of his lust was beginning to override the guilt of it.  It in fact threatened to override every rational thought, and he wasn’t sure if he even cared.  He stood there, his control hanging by a thread, willing her to turn to him.  Willing her to walk away.  But almost as if he had called her name, Liv suddenly spun around. 

***

She gasped a little in surprise.  “Bastien… I was… I was just out for a walk… I couldn’t sleep…”  She stopped herself with a little frown.  Why on earth did she feel the need to explain anything to him?  She could damn well go out for a walk… it was bad enough she was stuck on an island for some vague reason that apparently had to do with her safety, but…  Her thoughts came to a sudden halt when she saw his face.  His lips had parted, and he was looking at her as if he would devour her.  The raw sexual energy that was once again rolling off of him in waves crashed into her like a physical force, made her heart speed up… and a throbbing heat spread over her body, ending with a hot rush of dampness between her legs.

“Oh
, god”, she whispered, feeling as if her knees might give out at any second.  There was no way she could walk away from him right now, it just wasn’t physically possible.   

As if in response, he moved a little closer, holding her wide-eyed gaze as his hand came up to
touch her cheek.  When he drew his thumb across her lower lip, her breath hitched as another wave of heat tore through her and she trembled.  When he growled low in his throat and pulled her roughly against him, she noticed for the first time that he wasn’t wearing a shirt.  Her hands came up automatically to feel the hard, smooth skin of his chest, and the warm scent of his skin invaded her senses, drugging her as she took it hungrily into her lungs.  She wanted to open her mouth and press it to his hot skin and taste every sculpted inch of him… it was what she had been waiting for… dreaming of, for what seemed like so much longer than just a couple of days. 

He rocked his hips against her,
as if there was no way to stop himself from doing so, hissing through his teeth as his erection pressed into her stomach.  His breath came in harsh gasps now and his voice was little more than a hoarse whisper as he cupped her chin in one big hand and lifted her face to meet his gaze.  She noticed that his fingers shook slightly.

             
“I… I want to kiss you, Liv”, he grated out.

             
Even though something deep inside was telling her that this was the point of no return… that her life would somehow be forever changed by this moment, Liv looked up at him, her lips parting softly because she could not stop them from doing so, even if she had wanted to.  She only hoped the change to come would be a good one.  She hated regrets.

His eyes were dark and a little bit
feral.  A little bit dangerous and predatory.  And as she looked into their nearly black depths, she truly believed for the first time that he was what he claimed to be: a creature from a place she had never dreamed existed.  He was exotic and tempting and she had absolutely no defenses against him.  She was already lost. 

***

With a low moan, Bastien shook off his last shred of restraint and bent his head to capture her mouth with his. He brushed his lips over hers, feeling the pull in his groin at even this slight contact.  He pressed more firmly against her mouth. Her lips were soft and real and warm against his, and she tasted like goddamned paradise. But he was not yet satisfied, because he needed so, so much more.  He held her head in both of his hands to keep her still while his mouth crashed into hers as if his very life depended on it.  He swept his tongue against hers desperately, his fingers clenching at the back of her head, trying to bring her even closer, making sure she had no other choice but to take what he was giving her. 

It still wasn’t enough,
not nearly enough
. 

H
e plundered her mouth with his for several feverish minutes before pulling back slightly, his breathing harsh and his whole body trembling with a need the likes of which he could never have imagined.

             
“Esa’ shes mir orean, Masma”, he whispered against her lips in an ancient language.  Oh yes, Bastien was drowning, and right now, he had no desire to be saved. 

This felt too good. 

It was still not enough. 

He pulled
Liv tighter against him as he kissed her with a hunger he hadn’t felt in… centuries.  He was on fire, burning up, and the little sounds of passion she was making as he assaulted her body with his were driving him wilder.  His blood raged and his body burned.  His cock was rock hard and throbbing painfully against his jeans.  He wanted to strip her bare and sink himself into her and never leave.  Now!  Right now…  His hands fumbled with the hem of her night dress while his hips ground against her in fierce need.  He could hardly breathe, and yet he kissed her harder, swirling his tongue against hers harder and faster…   Holy fuck, to feel all this was more than he could have dreamed…

B
ut why?

Why now? 

Why
her
? 

The
seed of doubt and fear in those thoughts shocked him enough that he pulled away and leaned his forehead against Liv’s, his breath coming in harsh pants.  Who was this woman, that she could bring his body back to life after so long?  He wanted her desperately, but Fomoiri males were strictly monogamous… once they were mated to their fated female, they could not mate another.  If a mated male tried, it invariably led to rather embarrassing failure.  He had assumed before that his physiology, after so long had simply reverted back to that of an unmated male… but what if it hadn’t?  What if he
couldn’t
?  He took a step back.  He didn’t want that. Never that. Not when Liv was looking up at him with such intense heat and desire in her eyes.  True, he hadn’t physically claimed his mate, but the bond was already strong between them.  Strong enough that he had never desired another in all the years since… until now. 

For the first time in years, Bastien found himself caring about what someone else thought of him.  In
Liv’s eyes, he wanted to be a strong, virile male.  Damn it, he still had his pride, and if there was even a chance that he couldn’t satisfy her as a male does for a female, he didn’t want her to know about it.  He took a deep, steadying breath, his entire body screaming with unspent lust.  “Come back to the house now.  It’s not safe for you out here alone.”

             
For a moment Liv looked shocked by his words, then she looked as if she might argue, but for some reason decided against it, turning on her heel without a word and walking away from him.  Bastien followed a short distance behind, torturing himself with the view of her finely sculpted bottom in the thin cotton of the night dress. 
Damn
.  He could have been between her thighs right now, if the circumstances were different.  Even now, he would be lowering her to his bed, following her down with his mouth and his tongue and his body.  Kissing her, tasting her, pushing himself into that tight, soft heat…  A low moan escaped his throat and he scrubbed his hands roughly over his face.  What he wouldn’t give to feel that pleasure once more, to be the insatiable Fomoiri male he had once been… but he couldn’t.  Not with this woman.  Not with any. 

Guilt assailed him once again because when he was kissing
Liv, he had all but forgotten about her.  Karis, his mate.  Most males faded away and followed their female if she died before him, and Bastien had long wondered why that hadn’t been his fate.  Perhaps it was because they were so newly mated… perhaps the bond had not had time to fully form, or was not yet strong enough for him to follow.  Whatever the reason, many were the times over the years when he thought his own fate worse than death.  And it truly had been. 

Until now.

              Bastien followed Liv to the door of her room and watched as she opened it.  Guilt and lust were taking turns occupying and overwhelming his mind.  She turned and looked at him expectantly, and his stomach did a little flip of regret.  He might not be able to fulfill her physical needs, even if he wanted to.  And
holy fuck
did he want to, which brought the guilt pounding down on him again.  All he could do was protect her and help her find out where she belonged.  He had no right to anything more.  “Will you stay put now for the rest of the night, or do I need to call Conan to come stand guard at your door?”  The words came out sounding harsher than he intended, but his patience was at an all-time low right now.

             
Confusion and, dare he think it… disappointment, passed over her lovely face, but she raised her chin and looked at him with a rare kind of dignity.  “I’ll manage.  Thank you.”  Still watching him, she slowly closed the door in his face.