Harlequin Nocturne May 2016 Box Set (44 page)

The deeper he drove, the less restrained he became. Jolts of pleasure shimmered up and down Tanzi's spine, and her cries of pleasure mingled with Lorcan's groans. She heard him grunt above her, thrusting in even harder. He tightened as he pushed into her once more before a growl escaped his throat and he came inside her. Tanzi whimpered, taking him as far inside her as she could and gripping him tight to hold him there. Lorcan held on to her hips, grinding his pelvis against her, making her feel every last jolt that ran through him. His powerful orgasm, together with his fingers teasing her clitoris, rocked her over the edge and she screamed as her own climax tore through her.

With his body still shuddering, he pulled out of her, sitting on the floor and cradling her in his lap. “Ah, shit, Tanzi. You know what just happened? I was so mad with wanting you, I forgot to use any protection.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, her own voice shaky. “
We
forgot. We were both part of that wonderful madness.”

* * *

The feast was over and the villagers sat around the campfire, talking quietly or drinking as they gazed into the flames. Tanzi's eyelids were drooping with tiredness, and Lorcan kissed the top of her head. “Go to bed,
Searc
. I'll be with you soon.”

Nodding sleepily, she waved a hand to the group before making her way across the green to their cottage. Ailie watched her progress, a thoughtful expression on her kindly face. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

Lorcan laughed. “I never could hide anything from you, could I? Can we go to your cottage and talk there?”

“Things must be serious if you need privacy from the rest of the village.” Nevertheless, she rose and walked with him to her cottage, which was set back slightly from the edge of the green. She gestured him to a chair next to the fireplace and pulled up a stool, seating herself close to him. “I don't like secrets, Lorcan. And you are storing up trouble for yourself if you don't tell Tanzi everything. She is not just any girl.”

“I already know that.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But you've no idea how complicated this is. I'm hoping you'll simplify one part of it at least. That way I may not have to keep a secret from her after all.”

“I'll do my best.” She placed a hand on his knee. “I care about you. It would do me good to see you happy at last.”

He couldn't explain it to her. It would take all night and he wouldn't know where to begin. He couldn't very well blurt out the truth, could he?
I never knew what happiness was until now. But this is fleeting because in a few days I have to hand the woman I love over to the Valkyrie and walk away from her forever.
Instead, he did his best to give Ailie a reassuring smile. The troubled light in her eyes told him he'd failed miserably.

“What do you know about the true King of the Faeries?”

She looked startled. “Moncoya?”

“No. He is not the rightful king.” Briefly he outlined the story Cal had told him about the baby boy who had been spirited away during the massacre of King Ivo and his family. “It is said that he grew up with no idea of who he really was. I want to know if he is still alive and where I can find him.”

“Does Tanzi know you are searching for him?” Trust Ailie to get straight to the heart of the matter. Trust her to know who Tanzi really was.

“No.”

“I understand now why you wanted to be private. It's clear that Tanzi has no great love for her father, but the discovery of a challenger for the crown will have an overwhelming effect on the faerie dynasty. It will rip them apart. And, knowing her, I can tell that is something about which she will care greatly.”

Lorcan didn't need any reminders of how much his actions would hurt Tanzi. His own conscience told him often enough. “Will you help me?”

With a nod, Ailie closed her eyes. Lorcan had seen so-called seers at work in the mortal realm. Their tricks and convolutions always amused him. The Spae had no need of crystal balls or cards. Ailie did not need to go into a trance or utter an incantation. She could simply discover what she wanted to learn by turning her thoughts inward. When she opened her eyes again a few minutes later, her expression was distant. “He is still alive.”

“I wish him no harm, but you've no idea how much I wanted to hear that he wasn't.” He tried to say it in a lighthearted tone, but it wasn't funny. Of course he wanted Moncoya defeated. He just didn't want to feel he was the one betraying Tanzi.

“That thought does you no credit. Merlin Caledonius is correct. This is the man who can restore the faerie dynasty to its former greatness. He has both strength and a fierce sense of what is right, although at present he may not always use them wisely. If anyone can defeat Moncoya, he can.”

“So who is he? And, more to the point, where can I find him?”

Ailie shook her head. “I can't answer either of those questions. I gained only a vague impression of your challenger. All I can tell you for sure is that he does not look like a faerie.”

“How the hell does that work, since he was born a pure-blood faerie?”

“I can only tell you what I see.” Ailie reached up a hand to pat his cheek. “Don't hide yourself from her, Lorcan.”

He smiled. “Sure, in a cottage that size, wouldn't it be impossible to play those sorts of games?”

She shook her head, a trace of sadness in her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

CHAPTER 17

T
anzi came slowly awake when the mattress dipped as Lorcan joined her in the bed. He fitted his body to hers, spooning her from behind, and she murmured appreciatively as he lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck. His hand moved over her breasts and down to her hip, so that he could pull her back against him. Tanzi wriggled with pleasure and then gasped when his erection pressed between her naked buttocks.

“Hold on to that thought.”

He moved away and she heard him grab a little foil wrapper from the nightstand. Lightning fast, he had the condom on and returned to wedge his shaft between her cheeks. He lifted her knee and shifted position so that the head of his cock was pressed up against her entrance. Tanzi pushed back against him and she was already so wet that he slid into her. He felt so good. Rock hard, filling her completely. When he could go no farther, he lifted her hips to settle her closer to him while his hands reached around and stroked her breasts and stomach.

They writhed slowly in unison. When Tanzi tried to encourage him to go harder and faster by squirming against him, Lorcan held her still. “Oh, no you don't.” His chin was pressed between her shoulder and her neck. “This time, we're going to take it nice and slow.”

Obediently, Tanzi stilled and he pumped himself gently into her with tiny movements. The slick little sounds of their bodies moving in time made her crave more. She ground her teeth together, determined to do as he said and enjoy the exquisite agony.

Lorcan's fingertips moved lower over her stomach until they reached the point where his cock moved in and out of her. Holding her outer lips apart, he ran a finger lightly between them, coaxing the swollen bud of her clitoris. Sensation sparked through her. It was no good, she could stand only so much.

“Faster, Lorcan. Please.”

His fingers increased their speed in response to her plea.

“More.” Tanzi gasped as his touch became rougher, his cock moving in time with his fingers.

Tanzi clenched her muscles hard around him, her body succumbing to the spasms of electricity that surged through it. She gasped, then cried out, her orgasm hitting as his thrusts and fingers coaxed more from her. At the same time, Lorcan shuddered. Tanzi clasped him tight inside her and they plunged together over the edge of ecstasy.

When they drew apart, Lorcan nuzzled the back of her neck and shoulders gently. Tanzi turned to face him so that he could draw her into his arms.

“Why did you leave the Spae?” The words hung in the darkened air between them.

He held her close so that she could tuck her head into the curve of his neck. “I've never been able to talk about it. Even to Cal, and he already knows most of it. Somehow, telling you about it now feels right. Not easy...just right.” His chest hitched with an indrawn breath. “I grew up in a small fishing port on the west coast of Ireland. Home was a cottage a lot like this one. We were poor, but my childhood was a happy one.”

“Were you an only child?”

“Yes. My mother, as I've already told you, chose a mortal life with my father. The Spae women usually inherit the powers. It is rare for them to pass to a male child, but, when they do, they are more concentrated. I inherited my mother's ability. She used to say I was special, even for a Spae. Very early, she recognized that I could become a great sorcerer, so I was sent to the monks in a nearby priory to learn to read and write. It was through them that I came to Cal's attention. I was twelve when I left Ireland and went to Camelot to study with him. I suppose I was his sorcerer's apprentice. My father was mortal, and he aged at a normal rate. He died when I was fifteen. I remember him, even after all this time, as a good man.”

“Like you.” Tanzi held him close, feeling the rigidity in his frame as the story unfolded.

“Perhaps. Along with my abilities, I inherited immortality from my mother, of course. Once I reached adulthood, the aging process slowed so that it was infinitesimal. My mother was the wise woman of our village, the healer, the one people consulted when there was a problem. That was back when magic was accepted, even welcomed, by mortals. But things changed. Over the centuries, fear of witchcraft became rife. Suspicion set in. My mother had to leave our home village and keep moving. I went back to Ireland to see her regularly, and each time she told me a new story of persecution. There was a refusal to accept that foresight and second sight were not indicators of witchcraft. Ironically, had the church elders only acknowledged her as a force for good, my mother would have been the very person to assist them in preventing the harm done by witches. In the same way that she managed, for a long time, to control the mischief done by that bloody pair of imps she adopted and tried so hard to rehabilitate.” He gave a shaky laugh. “Anyway, I was getting concerned about the danger she was in, so I asked Cal to come with me on one of my visits. It seemed as though they were targeting my mother, and I wanted his opinion. While we were there, the witch finder arrived in the area—”

He broke off, and Tanzi wrapped her arms more tightly around him. “It's okay. You don't have to go on if it's too painful.”

“No, I do. Now I've started, I have to tell it all. My mother was imprisoned. She was subjected to the usual flawed tests. Cut with a blunt knife and the fact that she didn't bleed was said to be proof that she was a witch. Thrown into the river and when she swam to shore, it was said that the devil had come to her aid. She was sentenced to death. Nothing I said could sway the witch finder. Then I hit on the idea of asking some of the other Spae-wives to come and give evidence. If they could just persuade him that my mother only ever used her powers for good, not evil, I reasoned, surely the witch finder must see she wasn't a witch.”

“Did the Spae come?”

Lorcan shook his head. “Although the Spae originated in the mortal realm, they, too, had faced terrible persecution there. By that time, they had settled here on their own island in Otherworld. They refused to get involved. On the day of the trial, I was still hopeful, but no one turned up. My mother was found guilty and sentenced to be burned at the stake the following day.”

Tanzi reached up to touch his cheek. “I'm so sorry.”

He caught her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “I was half-mad with grief and rage. I sought an audience with the witch finder. I pleaded—I actually went down on my knees and begged—for my mother's life. The witch finder offered me a deal.”

Tanzi lifted her head, even though she could not see him in the darkness. “What sort of a deal?” She knew she wasn't going to like the answer.

“One I couldn't take. The witch finder would release my mother if I would provide him with information that Cal was guilty of practicing witchcraft. The deal was a straight swap. Cal would be executed in my mother's place.”

Tanzi was outraged. “My God! Who was this man? Weren't the witch finders government officials? How was it possible for him to offer you a deal like that?”

“I don't know. The thing was, he shouldn't have known Cal was there...or even that Cal was still alive. You know the story of how Niniane, the sorceress known as the Lady of the Lake, imprisoned Cal in a cave at Darnantes and that the mortal realm believed—still believe to this day—that he died there?” Tanzi nodded. Her father had enjoyed recounting the story of his half brother's downfall. “Only, of course, he didn't die. He was freed by the Dominion, the angels of the fourth choir, on condition that he went to work for them and kept his identity secret. Well, my mother's trial took place centuries
after
Cal's release from Darnantes. He was no longer known as Merlin Caledonius. He wasn't with me in Ireland openly, he was in disguise. So the witch finder should not have known who he was. Since then, I've been over and over it in my mind. But at the time, I wasn't exactly thinking straight. I told the witch finder in no uncertain terms what he could do with his deal.”

Tanzi had to ask the question in her mind, even though it might cause Lorcan pain. “Could it all have been a ruse to get to Cal?”

“That's one of the things I've wondered ever since. I'll never know for sure, of course. In my desperation to free my mother, I even went to the Dominion and told them about the witch finder's offer. I explained that my mother was being used as a pawn to get to Cal and pleaded with them to intercede. They refused.” Tension quivered through him. “I couldn't save her. I couldn't do the only thing the witch finder would agree to. Even though she was my mother, how could I deprive the world of Merlin, its finest sorcerer, one of the greatest sources of good the mortal realm would ever know? On the day of the execution, I stormed into the town square and tried to drag my mother from the stake. The witch finder's guards seized me and I was tied up next to her. They were starting to light the fire beneath me when Cal came to my rescue. It was too late for my mother.”

Tanzi held him in her arms for a long time until the trembling in his limbs ceased. “You never told Cal about the deal you were offered.” It was a statement, not a question.

“How could I? It was over and he'd have felt guilt about something over which he had no control. No, I turned my back on my past life, and renounced the Spae. I vowed never to have anything to do with the Dominion—Cal often wonders why I hate the angels—and took to wandering. That's why I'm a renegade. The only constant in my life since then has been Cal.”

“You renounced the Spae, yet Ailie greeted you like one of her family.”

“If I don't come here now and then, my immunity to illness and my ability to heal start to wear off. Being here is still one of the best and yet one of the hardest things I ever do. Ailie knows my story and she's a good friend, but I avoid this place if I can.”

Tanzi frowned. “But you appear to be so happy here.”

“This time I have been.” He didn't elaborate further, simply sighing like a man who had just put down a heavy burden he had carried for many miles. “I'm glad I told you,
Searc
.”

“I'm glad there are no more secrets between us.”

She wondered if he was about to say something more. Were there more confidences to come? Instead, Lorcan pulled her closer into his arms and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we need to get
Igraine
ready for the journey.”

* * *

When the time came to depart, the whole village accompanied Lorcan and Tanzi to the beach. Ailie had packed up enough provisions to feed them for a week, despite Tanzi's laughing protest. The older woman hugged her close before holding her at arm's length, her kindly eyes scanning Tanzi's face. “This thing you feel compelled to do...if you change your mind, or it proves too difficult, come back to me and I will do all I can to help you.”

For a moment, Tanzi couldn't speak, such was the force of emotion that swept over her. Sharp tears stung the back of her eyelids and burned her throat. If only she could take Ailie up on that offer. The thought lasted only seconds before she resolutely pushed it aside. These people had chosen a way of life apart from Otherworld with all its fighting, wars and politics. If Moncoya discovered her here, he would rip the peace of Spae apart, bringing chaos and bloodshed in his wake. And once this beautiful land had been conquered, what would happen to the Spae folk and their culture? No, Tanzi could not be responsible for bringing this idyll to an end.

“I wish it could be different.”

“Wishes are all very well. Sometimes we have to fight to make them come true.” Tanzi followed Ailie's gaze across to where Lorcan was saying his farewells to the men. Even if the dual threats of Moncoya and Satan were removed tomorrow, she had no way of knowing what her future held. Ever since Lorcan had told her the story of how he became a renegade, he had seemed lighter of heart and yet more distant. It was as if one barrier around his heart had been broken down only to find another raised in its place. Perhaps he was simply preparing himself for the moment when they must say goodbye. Maybe she should do the same.

“Ready,
Searc
?”

The compulsion to throw herself into his arms—to beg him to stay here with her, to fight her father at her side—was almost overwhelming. Instead, she nodded brightly and placed her hand in his. With one final wave over her shoulder, she walked with Lorcan down the beach to the dinghy.

As soon as they were on board
Igraine
, Lorcan started the engines and soon the faithful boat was skimming across perfect blue seas toward the mysterious horizon Ailie had deliberated about.

“I told you about my mother. Tell me about yours.”

Lorcan's words surprised her and Tanzi, who had been standing at the deck rail, looking out across the water, came to sit close by him on the bench. “I can't. I don't know anything about her.”

“You know she was a Valkyrie.”

“I learned from Vashti when I last saw her that our mother wasn't born a Valkyrie. She was a faerie who joined the Valkyrie ranks...just as I intend to do.”

“I thought all Valkyrie were descendants of Odin.”

Tanzi shook her head. “It is true that the original Valkyrie were Odin's daughters, but, over time, their ranks have been widened to include warriors from other races who prove themselves worthy.”

“So Odin could still turn you away if he thinks you aren't worthy?” His eyes were fixed on her face, his expression impenetrable.

Tanzi's exclamation was one of outraged pride. “Why would he think that?”

Lorcan shrugged. “Just thinking out loud. Back to your mother. So you never knew her?”

“No, she left my father when Vashti and I were babies. We assume that she returned to the Valkyrie, but we don't know that for sure.”

“Moncoya must have done something pretty outrageous to make her up and leave her own children.”