Burden Of Blood (15 page)

“Dad, I don’t think you understand what’s going on here.  Did you hear the line of bull Luke told me?  Fairies, warriors and ancient grudges,” she snorted, “sounds a little too fictional for any sane person to believe.” She began to pace the hardwood floor again as frustration started to cause her to shake.

“Baby, it should be perfectly clear to you now.  You just don’t want to believe.” he cocked his head to the side and pointed to the singed spots on the sofa.  “How much more evidence do you need?”

Nicole looked at him as a sly smile crept across his tired face.  She knew he had won.  She looked down at her hands as she thought over his words.  She could hear Luke walking around on the front porch and she wondered if he was listening to the conversation between her and James.  After a few quiet moments, she nodded her head and went out the front door.

Luke stood at the far end of the porch looking out across the green pasture.  The porch spanned the front of the house.  Large potted ferns in wicker baskets hung in several openings.  The plants were some of her mother’s touches that had remained in place over the years.  Behind Luke a white swing, big enough for two people, swayed gently in the summer breeze.  Nicole walked to the swing and sat down.  Her stomach was churning as she dug for the right words.  She hated to be wrong and she hated apologizing even more.

“Luke, umm, I didn’t mean to be such an ass to you.  I know you’re trying to help me.  I’m having trouble wrapping my head around everything,” she peeked behind her, curious to see if he was paying attention.  His back was to her and he remained silent.  “I don’t know what you’re expecting from me Luke,” she paused, again listening for the slightest movement.  Her heart sped up as she waited for some kind of response.

“What the hell?” said Luke through gritted teeth.

“What did I say?  Dang it, Luke, I’m trying to say I’m sorry.” Turning her head around she was instantly upset that Luke was still not facing her.  She stared as he jumped the porch railing and walked toward the pasture.  Nicole stood up and walked to the railing.  “Hey, where do you think-” She stopped mid-sentence as a tall figure walking across the pasture caught her attention.  She observed Luke approaching the person, his shoulders stiff and his hands flexing open and closed at his sides.  She didn’t need her police training to know a fight was on the horizon.  Nicole jumped the railing and ran toward the commotion.

“What the hell are you doing here?” asked Luke with his chest heaving and his jaw set high.

Nicole moved around Luke so she could see the intruder.  Her eyes widened when she saw his slim, chiseled body was only covered by a kilt.  His darkly tanned skin struck her next, her eyes tracing the toned creases of his firm arms then across to his defined pecs and rippling abs.  Her gaze drifted up to his broad chin and strong jaw line to his light green eyes.  She held her gaze for what felt like an eternity, unable to look away.  His eyes returned her stare, tracing her face like a soft caress.

“Answer me, Rhys!  Why are you here and why must you walk around half naked?  I mean damn, man, times have changed.  You can’t stride around like that.”

“Liam, me ould segita.  Still got a burr under ye arse I see.”

Nicole was mesmerized by the stranger’s thick Irish accent even though she barely understood what he said.  She had an image dance across her eyes of the warrior from her vision.  The scarred chest was the only thing missing from the man in front of her.  The sense of power was thick in the air and his broad stance added to his ancient aura.

“I’m not your friend and I go by Luke now,” he shifted his stance so he was standing between Nicole and Rhys.

“Luke, what is going on?  Who is this man?” She moved to Luke’s side, frustrated that he was trying to keep her in the shadows.

“Ahhh, aren’t ye a qweer bit of a skirt.” Rhys’ eyes drifted down her body and slowly back up, pausing at her chest.  “Liam, you’ve got yourself a nice ride.  Firm thruppenny bits and that face
-
”

Before Nicole had time to blink, Luke was toe to toe with Rhys.  Their foreheads butted together reminding her of two rams sizing each other up.  Luke reached forward and gave a powerful shove, causing Rhys to take a step back.  “You better tell me why you’re here before I rip your bloody yonkers off and put them in that manky mouth of yours.”

Nicole was shocked to hear the Irish accent flowing so easily out of Luke’s mouth.  She stared between the two men, her mouth agape, so many questions banging around in her head but she couldn’t push one out.

Rhys raised his hands up “Come on Liam, sorry… Luke is what ye wish ta be called now.  I’m only slagging with ye.  All in good fun, brother.” He gave a sly grin as he glanced past Luke to Nicole.  “I have been sent ta help ye protect the gersha.  Word has gotten ot about her power and it seems ye let a wojus warrior slip away from ye.”

“There was nothing I could do to stop him.  I don’t need your god damned help, Rhys so you can turn your arse around and head straight back to Ireland.”

“Bloody good thing I don’t get my orders from ye brother.  I’d hate fer this trip to be fer naught.” Rhys let his steamy eyes roam Nicole’s body.  “This country has sich beautiful scenery too.”

A heat started to build from deep inside her belly.  Rhys may be a cocky ass but he was damn sexy.  His eyes were captivating and his full lips were begging to be kissed.  She bit down on her own lip trying to snap herself out of the trance. 
Calm down before you jump him right here in front of Luke! 
She managed to pull her eyes away as the heat rushed to her cheeks.

“Just wonderful!” Luke turned around to face Nicole.  “Come on, let’s get back to the house,” he held out his arm in a “ladies first” gesture and waited for Nicole to start moving.

“How much power do ye wield, lass?”

A large callused hand grabbed Nicole’s arm and spun her around.  She gasped at the sudden contact as Rhys pulled her to his chest.  The warmth of his breath danced across her earlobe and down her neck.  “Let go of me, you jerk!” she pressed her free hand up against him trying to put some space between their bodies.

“Come now, princess, ye can do better than that.” He let loose of her arm, sliding his massive hands around her waist, pulling her tighter against his rock hard body.

Anger started to burn in her veins causing her vision to turn red.  The familiar fire shot throughout her body causing her palms to glow.  “Stop calling me princess!” She pressed her hands against his bare chest and focused on pushing as hard as she could.  Suddenly she was falling.  She fought to catch her balance before she hit the ground.  She stumbled awkwardly regaining her control.  Nicole glared as a big smile stretched across Rhys’ full lips.  “What?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“You almost killed him, that’s what,” laughed Luke from behind her.  “If he hadn’t let go when he did, the amount of power you used would have annihilated him.” Luke walked up to her side.

“Would’ve served you right!  There’s a rule around here about touching me.  You don’t lay a single finger on me unless I ask!  Do you understand?” Her body was shaking and her mind was still a jumble of confusion.

“Aye princess, I won’t be testing ye anymore,” he paused to give her a quick wink.  “I will be teaching ye how to use that power of yours so I might have to touch ye a bit.”

“Great, I’m looking forward to it.” she said wide-eyed before turning to Luke and mouthing “Save me!”

Luke rolled his eyes at her and whispered “You shouldn’t have been such a stubborn mule when I offered to train you,” his lips curled up into a smirk as she turned white.

*****

After awkward introductions were made to her dad, Nicole cooked supper for herself and the three men.  She cleaned up the dishes, then settled in the living room with the group.  They were chatting about fishing and football, typical guy stuff.  Nicole couldn’t help but giggle at the scene.  Her dad and Luke sitting in the same room as a sex god in a kilt.  The image could inspire any number of “Three men walk into a bar” jokes.

Soon, the stress of the day started to tug at her eyes.  It had been so long since she had a good night’s sleep.  She did not think anyone would notice if she left.  The guys were wrapped up in explaining American football to Rhys.  She was sure they wouldn’t even realize if she were running around completely on fire.  Thoughts of a hot shower and a warm soft bed made her want to sprint upstairs.

“Okay guys, I’m turning in for the night,” a yawn escaped her mouth mid-sentence.  “The spare room is made up and there’s a blanket over there for one of you to sleep on the couch.  I’ll let you two fight that battle out.” she smirked as Luke and Rhys stared at each other.  She walked over to James and kissed his cheek.  “Are you going to be okay getting yourself in bed?”

“Yeah, I think I can manage fine.  You get some rest, baby.”

Nicole liked that her dad was in much better spirits tonight.  His cheeks had some pink in them again and he was smiling.  It made her heart lighter seeing him this way. 
Guess having two warriors hanging around was useful after all. 
She thought as she left the room.

After a nice long shower, Nicole settled under her bright pink blanket without any complaints over the childhood décor.  It felt so damn good to lie down on a soft bed.  This was a little piece of heaven and nowhere felt better right now.

The silence of sleep started to fill with sounds of birds chirping and the smell of salty sea water.  The darkness turned into veritable shades of green grass and the image of a giant weeping willow took shape above her.  Nicole sat up from her bed of soft moss.  She looked past the swaying limbs of the willow into the ancient grave yard surrounding her.  Soon she spotted the familiar figure moving about.

“Hello dear, I wondered when you would visit me again,” the old woman said in a gentle voice.

Nicole stepped from under the tree and moved out among the bright yellow flowers carpeting the ground.  “Things were crazy for a while,” she said.

“I know, dear, I’m glad you saved your father.  You are stronger than anyone expected and their arrogance will be their undoing,” she laughed.

“I don’t know what to do anymore, Grandmother.  I’m afraid this power is too much for me to handle.”

Her grandmother turned to face her.  Eyes full of wisdom and beauty as she moved closer to Nicole.  “My dear granddaughter, you must first learn to trust your warriors.  They will teach you how to control your power but only you can discover how deep that power runs.”

Nicole furrowed her brows, “What do you mean?”

“Your blood is from two ancient lines, one warrior and one fairy, each very powerful alone.  Both run through your veins and this makes you unique.  You will need to explore the magic inside of you to understand your limits.  There has never been anyone like you before.” She smiled proudly at Nicole.  Her beautiful silver hair flowed in the soft breeze.

 “Why me and why now?  If my blood is full of power shouldn’t my family tree be full of powerful people?”

“Yes and no,” Queen Titania chuckled as she moved to sit on the white marble bench that shimmered in the sunlight.  She patted the space next to her so Nicole would sit too.  “The power has been hidden away, stored up for the time when our family would need to fight for survival.  For centuries, the spell I placed on my child kept his descendants safe but over time, our enemies have become stronger, making it harder for my blood to continue undetected.”

Nicole found herself mesmerized by the old woman’s voice as flashes of faces tumbled in front of her eyes.  Most she did not know, but as the images continued she started to recognize familiar faces.  Some she remembered from yellowing photos in the family album but last of all, she saw her father’s smiling face with herself sitting at his side.