Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy) (18 page)

I laughed. “Not exactly. Streams run through the mountain. The bathing pools are pretty secluded.”

He grinned. “Good thing, I wouldn’t want to indulge your fantasies.”

I threw one of the towels at him, but I smiled at his teasing tone. “Whatever. My fantasies are much more creative than you in the tub.”

His eyebrow quirked up. “Is that so?” he asked, a devilish gleam in his eye.

Trying to keep from laughing, I nodded.

He came over to where I stood in front of the door. “Liar,” he said, effectively boxing me in.

I shrugged, because honestly, I could hardly breathe with him standing so close, especially with that look on his face.

“I’d like to hear more about these fantasies,” he said, stepping forward so my back was pressed against the door.

“Oh, please —” I started to say, but Ethan pressed one finger to my lips. Outside the door, Samantha called out my name.

“We’ll talk about your fantasies later,” he said. “I think you better go take a bath first, though.”

I shook my head. “Sure we will.” I ducked under his arm, grabbed my clothes and towel and hurried out the door.

Samantha and I walked into the stone chamber lined with hand-carved basins. Down the stone stairs on the far wall, a small river ran with private alcoves built in for bathing. Liam and Ethan had given us the bathing pools first, for some human privacy. The Danaan in residence weren’t anywhere around, likely for the same reason.

As we washed, I heard Samantha’s heavy sigh in the space next to me. “I thought Ciarán would have come by now,” she said.

I didn’t say anything right away. “Maybe he doesn’t want to start a fight.”

Samantha snorted. “That would be a first.”

“I’m definitely not an expert when it comes to guys. Not even close.”

“Yeah, right,” she said. “Ethan follows you around like he’s a puppy and you’re a T-bone.”

I took a breath, unable to smother the laugh that bubbled up. “You are so wrong,” I said.

“Anyone with eyes can see the way he watches you. I wish Ciarán looked at me like that. Most of the time, I don’t think he even
likes
me.”

Ignoring the flutter in my chest, I asked, “Why would he be with you if he didn’t like you?”

She didn’t say anything for so long, I didn’t think she would answer. “I don’t know,”she said finally.

We didn’t speak after that. When we went back to the guest quarters, Samantha mumbled a goodbye. I went into my room feeling a little bit down, wishing I’d known what to say to make her feel better.

I sat on the bed and smoothed my hands down the gown I’d been given. I rarely wore dresses, but I didn’t mind this one. The smooth, amethyst material was as comfortable as a nightgown, but fit me perfectly.

“Look at you,” Ethan said from the doorway.

A flush crept over my cheeks. I looked up and he was leaning against the doorframe wearing the linen shirt and khaki drawstring pants. He looked like a model on a romance novel.

“Right back at you,” I said as I stood.

“I like the purple,” he said, circling around me.

“Thanks.”

“So,” he said. “They’re going to stuff us with some more food, we sleep, then we’re going to check in with Niamh and Aodhan. Are you nervous?”

“A little.” I shrugged. “Okay, more than a little. I just want to do something. It’s the waiting that kills me.”

He smoothed my hair back from my face. “Our plan is awesome, you know. Aoife will never expect me to be there. She’ll never know what hit her.”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. I couldn’t imagine how it would be waiting six weeks to finally make a move.

There was a light knock and Liam stuck his head in the doorway. “Ready to head down?” he asked. I could see Samantha just over his shoulder.

Ethan glanced at me and gestured for me to go first with his chin. “Yep, this is the longest I’ve gone without eating since we got here,” he said.

“Just a warning, when we go home, food is going to taste like sawdust compared to the food here,” I said.

Liam led all of us to the large gathering hall. The walls were covered in blue fabric, embroidered with flowering trees and twisting vines. Fey lights were suspended high above, giving the room a comfortable glow.

Men and women stood around in groups, talking and laughing. In their hands were chalices filled with sparkling gold wine.

An unusually long table filled one side of the room. Ten high back chairs were lined up on either side, and Saoirse sat at the head of the table.

When she saw us, her smile was breathtaking. I realized how long I’d spent in Saoirse’s presence today without becoming baffled just from looking at her. Had I grown immune to her charm? Or maybe she had toned it down for a while. Either way, I was glad. The memory of being enraptured was not one I liked to think about.

We ate roasted meat and vegetables followed by fruit and scones with cream. Every bite was so delicious I was tempted to lick my fingers clean. Conversation took place all around us, but mostly Samantha, Liam, Ethan and I just listened as men told stories and women laughed. As we ate our dessert, a trio in the corner began playing music. One played a flute like Aodhan carried with him, one a drum and one played fiddle.

Couples left the table to dance. They moved with a fluid grace that no human could ever accomplish.

“Would you care to dance?” Saoirse asked us.

My eyes widened and I shook my head. I could dance a little, but no way was I going out there. Even a highly trained ballerina would look clumsy among the Danaan.

Saoirse rose and bid us goodnight before gracefully joining the dancers.

We went back up to the guest quarters in silence. Anxious energy had been building inside me all day and I wished I could go for a run to work some of it off.

I fell back onto one of the couches and covered my face with my arms. I felt Ethan sit beside me and nudge me with his elbow. I opened one eye and he gave me a curious look.

“Are you getting tired?” he asked.

I groaned. “No, not at all. That’s the problem,” I said. “I’m a nervous wreck.”

Liam and Samantha took seats on the other couches. Liam leaned back and ran his hands through his hair.

Samantha jumped up suddenly. “He’s here,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. She turned her head and looked at me, eyes wide. “Ciarán’s here.”

I started to say something, but she took off down the hallway. Liam chuckled and sat up.

“I was just thinking about how Aodhan and Deaghlan are faring,” he said.

“Oh man,” I said. “It must be a fiasco.”

“I don’t get Deaghlan. I know he’s supposed to be wicked powerful and everything, but he’s such a tool,” Ethan said.

Liam snickered. “I guess living for a millennium turned him that way. According to Aodhan, he was still admirable when he first met him, about four hundred years ago.”

“Hard to believe,” I said. “Can we head over to see what’s going on first thing tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” Liam said. “Sitting here isn’t doing us any good.”

He stood and stretched. “I’ll be off to bed, then.”

Ethan sighed, rubbing a hand along his jaw. Once Liam was gone, he slid a look at me. “I wouldn’t mind hearing about those fantasies of yours now,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Laughing, I gave him a light shove. “I told you that’s not going to happen.”

He pushed off the couch, grabbing my hand. Before I could protest, he pulled me to my feet.

“We’ll see,” he said, ushering me toward our room.
Our room?

Kicking the door shut, he clasped my cheeks. His hands were warm and smooth but they still sent a shiver through me. He stared down at me intently, and my breath caught.

He lowered his head, kissing me softly. I gasped at the sensations that rippled through me and his hands slid down to my hips, pulling me toward him. Without realizing it, we ended up at the foot of the bed. I pulled back a little and dragged in a breath.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, resting his forehead against mine.

I cleared my throat. “Nothing,” I said and tried to smile.

He moved his hands to my lower back and turned us so that when he sat down I was on his lap. “I think I know what this is about.”

“I’m serious, nothing’s wrong,” I said.

He gave me a skeptical look. “I can’t keep my hands off you, and I won’t apologize for that. But I have zero expectations, okay?”

I nodded, internally kicking myself for being so inexperienced.

Ethan brought his lips back to mine, and this time I didn’t hesitate. I brought my hands up to his shoulders and positioned myself so my knees were on either side of his hips. Our bodies melded together perfectly. I sucked in a breath when he slid his fingers under the hem of the gown and skimmed the backs of my knees.

“Can we take this off?” he asked, between kisses.

I froze and Ethan pulled back this time. “You can keep your underwear on. I just want to feel you.”

The way he said it caused my heart to jolt. I leaned back and let him pull the silky material up and over my head. He tossed it to the side, eyes never leaving mine. His hands slid up the backs of my thighs and I pulled his mouth back to mine. His hands came up to unbutton his shirt and I pushed them away so I could do them myself.

I felt his lips curve into a smile against mine, and in one motion, he flipped us so I was on my back and he hovered over me. I placed my hands on his chest to pull the shirt down over his shoulders. His skin felt as smooth and perfect as I’d always imagined it would. I whimpered, making me want to turn away, but I could tell Ethan liked it by the way his hands tightened on my hips.

His lips slid down my cheek to my neck and he trailed feather-light kisses down to my shoulder. “You are so incredibly beautiful,” he whispered into my neck.

I shivered and tried to regain normal, steady breaths.

“Do you know how many times I’ve imagined the way your body would feel against mine?” he said, easing off of me and lying on his side.

I tried to speak, but couldn’t.

He shook his head and draped his arm over my bare stomach. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know.”

I licked my lips. “It’s…been the same for me,” I said softly.

He smiled down at me and kissed my temple. “You’re worth the wait.”

We talked some more, not about anything important or life-threatening. Just little things. Then he tucked me under the covers in just my bra and undies, kissing me again until I was dizzy.

When he pulled back, he smiled down at me and kissed my nose. “Get some rest,” he said.

I sighed and rolled onto my side. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me back against him. Before long I was lulled to sleep by the sound of his steady breathing.

While we were eating breakfast the next morning, we heard raised voices in the hallway. Saoirse stood and gestured to the guards standing by the door. They opened the double doors and two of Niamh’s guards, Niall and Bláithín, whom I’d met in Thunder Bay, pointed their weapons at Samantha and Ciarán.

Saoirse gave her most serene smile to the company, an enormously powerful gesture. Without a word, both of Niamh’s guards lowered their weapons and bowed their heads. Ciarán did the same.