Sinjin (12 page)

Yeah, yeah,
I responded as I waved away my own concerns.

“If ye want me
ta kiss ye, then ye moost answer mah questions, lass,” the king of the fae responded as I opened my eyes. The dizziness in my head was getting stronger. I was right—I had to keep myself grounded, and try to resist the power of the love charm.

“I don’t know why I was the last one left on the battlefield,” I answered
honestly and even shrugged. “And the reason I’m here, in Scotland, is simply because I was taken prisoner by my sister.”

“Have ye had any contact with the elder?”
Odran continued, his eyes now feasting on my body.

“No,” I answered immediately. I figured it was safe to offer
up some information because it was more important for me to keep Odran’s attention away from my pilfering of his magic. “I’m afraid my elder must be angry with me; because I can’t understand why he won’t reach out to me.”

“Are ye here ta
dae yer sister harm?”

“No,” I answered immediately. “I would never hurt my sister. I love her.” The words came out of my mouth before I could think about them.

“Verra good, lass,” Odran said with a genuine smile. “There may be ah good lass in there after all,” he said and pointed to my chest, allowing his fingers to loiter.

As soon as he smiled, I felt the butterflies returning to my stomach, and I was overcome by the desire to kiss him. I leaned into him until our noses were half an inch away from each other. Then I closed my eyes and inhaled his spicy scent. I suddenly envisioned the last two vials before me. The third one was
filled with Odran’s magic, and it, too, was capped. The fourth one was nearly full also.

I felt
Odran tugging on my dress and opened my eyes in surprise. He pulled on it until both of my breasts bounced free. A bolt of shock passed through me, but merely moments later, it was replaced by the bubbling of excitement. He took turns rolling my nipples between his fingers and I knew I should have been outraged; or at the very least, embarrassed, but I felt nothing except excitement and yearning. I’d never been touched by a man before and the sensation of his fingers on my nipples was, in a word … delicious.

Bryn, stop!
that irritating voice sounded up within me again.
You’re going to regret this!

I won’t regret it,
I thought back.
How could I regret something that feels so…good?

Closing my eyes
again, I arched against him, and moaned when I felt his lips on mine. I could mentally see the fourth vial was now filled and capped. My job here was done. I’d managed to capture the magic that would aid me in my ultimate plan. But I still didn’t open my eyes. I allowed the fae king to kiss my lips and when his tongue entered my mouth, I eagerly welcomed it.

EIGHT

I managed to sleep off the effects of the charmed mead during the rest of the day. After our kiss,
Odran (somewhat reluctantly) disentangled himself from me, muttering something that barely resembled an apology. He then seemed uncomfortable with everything that had transpired between us as he led me out of the land of the fae and back to Kinloch Kirk.

Upon reaching my former accommodations, I retreated to the confines of my bedroom prison while
Odran busied himself in the living room by watching the television. (I could have sworn he was watching
The Price Is Right
—which struck me as odd). Even though I was slightly surprised Odran was the one to end our romantic tryst in Fairyland, looking back on it, I was beyond grateful because I certainly was in no state of mind to call it quits. And calling it quits was exactly what I should have done. Of course, there was no use crying over failed sexual affairs now. The past was exactly that, the past.

As soon as the charmed mead started to wear off, a raging sense of anger took its place. At first, my anger lay with
Odran because it was becoming more than obvious that his only reason for taking me to the land of the fae was to get me drunk on mead before drilling me for any information while he took advantage of my (ahem) traitorous, and very willing, body. However, the longer I thought about it, the more I could understand Odran’s actions, which really weren’t so outrageous—he didn’t trust me and he wanted to find out what I was up to. So, of course, it made perfect sense that he would resort to any tricks up his sleeve that might prod me to spill my guts. Any way I looked at it, I couldn’t blame him for trying. Were I in his shoes, I would have done exactly the same thing. It wasn’t as though Odran owed me anything. No. Because I was his enemy.

Well, ultimately,
the joke was on me because I’d fallen right into his plan as pretty as you please! ’Course, on the flipside, I
had
managed to steal his magic, so the visit wasn’t a total failure.

My anger was still doing a masterful job at souring my stomach, but the truth of the matter was: my upset wasn’t so much with
Odran as it was with myself. After my intoxication wore off, I endured the bitter realization that not only had I basically made out with Odran, but I’d also allowed him to feel me up! And, what was worse, I’d acted like a complete and utter strumpet since I’d encouraged him! As much as it pained me now to admit the truth, I couldn’t deny that I’d enjoyed every second of my brief tryst with the fae king.

But, you were also out of your mind from the charmed mead,
I argued mentally, searching for any excuse that would allow me to save some face.

You know it wasn’t just the mead!
I retorted. I couldn’t let myself off the hook so easily. I knew my magic was strong enough to disarm the charmed mead. No, there was definitely a disloyal and traitorous part of me that not only enjoyed the physical aspect of everything that happened between Odran and me but, worst of all, that same part of me hadn’t wanted Odran’s attentions to stop! And that thought bothered me… alot.

I didn’t like the fact that I wasn’t accustomed to dealing with my blossoming sexual feelings because I viewed them as a weakness, and a dangerous one at that. It seemed like lately I was on the verge of completely losing control of my lustful urges. Between
Sinjin’s advances, and my less-than-convincing rebuttals, to this most recent situation with Odran, I was starting to wonder if my libido had gone amok and was now hopelessly out of control. And out of control was not a term I was accustomed to being.

Of course, it wasn’t as though I’d
never
felt sexual stirrings before. I’d felt them regularly over the years, but in training camp, we’d learned to force those feelings into dormancy rather than trying to deal with them head on. Furthermore, I wasn’t exactly used to being surrounded by such primitive men either. The men of my tribe were civilized and managed to control their baser tendencies rather than flaunting them. They were so unlike the men of the Underworld, who seemed to pride themselves on their insatiable lustful appetites. I’d been raised to recognize that any feelings of sexuality had to be quashed for the greater good of the tribe. Our primary goal, contrastingly, was always centered on combat, rather than useless pursuits like love and sexual gratification. Actually, the concept of “love” didn’t even exist in my world. Being an emotion, of which all were prohibited, it wasn’t based on logic, but rather on frivolity.

As far as relationships between Elemental men and women were concerned, the only time sexuality was accepted was between pair bonds. Pair bonds were two Elementals, hand selected by Luce, who were chosen to procreate and, thereby, provide the tribe with future tribespeople. Having never been selected for a pair bond, I’d never experienced anything even remotely sexual. My lack of experience in that realm never
bothered me though, because I was always, first and foremost, a warrior. And the achievement of becoming an accomplished warrior was the highest office anyone could hold in my tribe.

Yeah, great warrior you turned out to be!
I chided myself.
If it had been left up to you, you would have allowed the fae king to deflower you while you were back in Fairyland!
I continued my taunt as I sat up in my bed and looked out my window, observing that the sun was now starting to set. The setting sun meant one thing—time for me to start rolling out my plan for escape. And that escape plan definitely didn’t include arguing with myself, so I forcibly shoved the subjects of Odran, sex and the charmed mead to the back of my mind, with a sound resolution to never revisit them.

Glancing out my
window again, I studied the sky. I had maybe ten minutes remaining before Odran would abandon his post as babysitter to Sinjin. Ten minutes was scarcely enough time for everything that still needed to be done. Yep, I had to get a move on.

Magic vials reveal
yourselves
, I said in my mind as I closed my eyes. The images of the four vials of magic that I’d filled during my rendezvous with Odran instantly appeared. I pictured the cork of the first vial popping open, allowing the opaline powder that filled the vial to escape into the air surrounding me. Opening my eyes, in the low light of the room, I could barely see the glint of the translucent particles as they rained down around me.

Inhaling deeply, I imagined taking all the escaped magic into myself. I could feel the hum of energy as it invaded me, strengt
hening the magic I already possessed. I could only hope that my magic in combination with the “borrowed” fae magic would be strong enough to persuade Odran to perform my wishes. It was also crucially important for my magic to overcome and neutralize any wards that might have been placed within the house, the sole purpose of which would be to prevent me from using my own powers.

Once I gathered all the escaped magic into my body, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and concentrated on destroying any wards in the immediate vicinity. It surprised me to find that either there weren’t any there, or if there were, they had to be pretty chin
tzy because the magic inside me didn’t have any issue depleting whatever wards may have existed in the house. Or maybe the blend of my magic and the fae magic was just that strong? I didn’t know, so I moved on to the next hurdle: Odran. Envisioning the fae king in my mind’s eye, I held my hands out in the direction of the living room, allowing the magic to roll out of me and surround Odran, without his knowledge, of course.

Odran
, I command you to see the darkness of night now
, I ordered him in my mind.
As far as you are aware, night has fallen; and it is time for you to cede your control to Sinjin. It is time for you to return to the main house, Odran. Your job here is finished for the day.

From my bedroom, I could hear the sound of
Odran turning off the television after he stood up from where he’d been sitting on the couch. Then he made his way across the hardwood floors, and the sounds of his footsteps grew more distant as he approached the front door. I glanced outside my window again and watched as the color of the sky began fading from the orange of late day into the light blue of dusk. I had barely another five minutes before Sinjin would fully awaken from his day-long sleep. In order for my plan to work, Sinjin had to be in that middle land that only exists between waking and dreaming.

Odran
, you believe that darkness has already fallen, so your job here is done,
I continued, sending my commands to Odran subliminally. When I heard the sound of the door opening and closing, I realized the first part of my plan was successful.

Now for part two …

Clenching my eyes shut tightly again, I summoned the image of the second vial of magic I’d borrowed from Odran’s Fairyland. I watched as the cork popped off the top of the vial and the magic escaped into the air, falling around me in specks of glittery power. I inhaled deeply, again, taking the magic into myself while focusing my mind on my sister. I concentrated on delineating her face as if I were drawing it from memory. Once I felt as if I had the contours of her face and hair down pat, I turned to her clothing. I imagined the pink sweatshirt and matching sweatpants she offered to let me borrow when I first arrived here.

Become her, become your sister,
I whispered the words to myself before bringing my hands down the front of my body and opening my eyes. I watched my black sports bra and training pants disappear into pink terry cloth that, moments later, formed into a hoodie and matching sweatpants. I turned to face the mirror and noticed that my formerly long, honey brown hair was now platinum blonde and fell to my shoulders instead of my elbows. My face was still my own, but softer and rounder. I smiled and admired my handiwork. I was now my sister. I was now Jolie—well, at least, on the outside anyway.

Approaching the bedside table, I opened the top drawer where I’d left
my dagger. It was the same one with which Sinjin had entrusted me. The vampire had made the fatal mistake of allowing me to keep the dagger in my possession, which only hinted to his complacency and arrogance in the first place. He was so convinced of his own defensive skills that he didn’t bother with protective wards, or going to the trouble of ensuring his prisoner wasn’t armed. Well, this was one lesson he would have to learn the hard way.

Palming the dagger, I pushed it into the back of the waistline of my pants, where I could easily grab it when the time came. With another look outside, I realized night was approaching fast. I immediately closed my eyes and imagined the third vial of pilfered magic. Once I saw the vial in my mind’s eye, I popped the cork open and th
rew the contents into the air, opening my eyes and inhaling the magic all over again. I loved the sensation when the magical energy coursed through me. I couldn’t remember feeling more alive before, or so strong and powerful. It almost seemed as if my magic was nourished by the fae magic, and vice versa, like they were designed to be joined.

Opening my eyes, I unlocked my bedroom door with just a thought and tiptoed to the threshold of the hallway.
Sinjin’s bedroom was across the hallway from mine and his door was closed. But that was of little interest to me because I could already see Sinjin in my mind’s eye. Zeroing in on him, I could see him where he lay, asleep on his bed. He slept on top of the duvet cover, flat on his back, with his hands clasped together neatly over his chest. He was clad only in a pair of black silk boxer shorts.

I held my hands out in his direction, allowing my magic to move through my fingers and enter the hallway, moving right through the closed door and into
Sinjin’s room. I imagined my power encircling him, building its dynamic momentum before finally colliding with him and forcing him to do my bidding.

You believe it is still daylight,
Sinjin,
I told the vampire.
You do not realize darkness has now fallen. You are still in that land where sleep hasn’t quite become reality and you don’t know if you’re still dreaming or if you’re awake.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled before I began working on the second phase of my plan,
keeping my eye on the time. I started forward, padding my steps with magic so as not to make a sound as I traversed the short expanse of hardwood floor that separated my room from Sinjin’s. When I reached Sinjin’s door, I held my palms up, willing my magic to rotate the doorknob and open the door. I immediately saw Sinjin where he lay, supine on the bed, looking exactly the same as he had in my mind’s rendition of him. And, yes, he was clad only in his black silk boxer shorts. His body looked as deliciously sinful as I remembered it, and I had to repeatedly remind myself to stay focused on my mission.