Chapter 12
Alex watched Collum walk down the aisle. Her grandfather followed him off the plane. Domhall was loudly singing Beat It by Michael Jackson so she figured it was smart to leave him be.
Why the hell did Collum have that effect on her? He'd practically had her begging him to rip her pants off. She shoved herself out of the seat and followed the men off the plane, steam rising from her hair.
As she pushed passed Domhall, she heard him grumble something about luggage and being nobodies errand boy.
“Hey,” she blasted as she reached Collum on the Tarmac below. “You can't just do that you know.”
“I'm on the edge here,” he warned without turning around.
“Look at me. I mean it. You almost jumped me in front of Domhall.”
He spun around, steel in his voice. “Look, sweetheart, you reached for me. Now move away or I’m throwing you to the ground, and I don't give a shit who’s watching. Christ, look at you. Your hair is almost on fire. I can see that fucking flame glowing beneath your clothes. And your eyes are shimmering. You want me to find out what fire tastes like? Keep pushing.”
The ends of her hair burst into flame and she grabbed him with both hands. “I dare you to try,” she half screamed.
Collum stepped forward so that their bodies were touching. “You're going to kill me, Alex. Can't you feel how close to the edge I am? I'm going to go get the car and you are going to stay away from me. You’re going to sit in the back seat and not say another word to me until we get to the house. Soon, I’m going to come to you. You will let me into your room and I’ll take you up on your little dare. Taste every inch of you until you’re screaming my name, begging for more. And then, I am going to make you mine. Do you understand?”
As she stared at the man in front of her, the feminist in her screeched in rebellion. She dropped her hands from his shirt, took a step back, and burst out laughing.
“Oh man, you really are two thousand. Do chicks usually dig that macho crap? Do you ever have me pegged wrong. Take your archaic, do-what-I-tell-you attitude and shove it. You’re hot, I’ll give you that—but fuck off.” She snapped her fingers, said, “You gotta work a little harder for a piece of this,” and walked away, hair on fire, strutting like the warrior she was.
The heat of Collum’s lust-filled gaze at her back nearly burned her up, until she reached the car and slid inside, still aching with desire.
~ ~ ~
Alex sat fuming in the back seat of the vehicle, when Domhall appeared ten minutes later, their bags in tow. He nodded at the Land Rover. “I'll drive.”
“Not a chance,” Collum quipped as he jumped in the driver's seat. “I still don't trust you. I appreciate your help in the airport, but it's my car, and I'm driving.”
“You would risk my anger?”
“When are you going to get it? I'm not afraid of you. I never have been. I was killing your kind before you were born. So how about you don't forget who I am. The mission, and Alex's protection, are my responsibility.”
Alex watched the two men eye each other up. She rubbed the back of her neck in irritation.
Domhall snorted and turned his golden head to the side. “Whatever, but I'm with you every step of the way. And if I feel you aren't up to the task, I'll take the choice away from you.”
“I wouldn't have it any other way,” Collum snarled.
They traveled further inland on a series of nondescript roads. Despite everything, Alex appreciated the beauty of the surroundings. Gentle, sloping hills flew by, heather dotted the craggy landscape. The earth felt raw and relentless, as though the land itself held immense power; power it would never relinquish to a mere human.
They drove through a modest village in a green valley, bordered by the ragged mountains. As the vehicle climbed, the air became thinner, seemed to shimmer. As they turned a corner an ancient estate appeared out of nowhere. At the wrought iron gate, Collum leaned out to punch in a security code. Soundlessly, the gate swung open.
Alex marveled at the ancient magic pulsing around her. The castle was carved out of the face of the mountain. “This is your place?”
Collum shrugged, “My family has owned this land for as many centuries as the Ilse of Whyte has existed.”
Alex wasn't sure what she'd expected, but it wasn't this place of shadows and magic. The sun rose over the mountains. Energy glowed all around the house. Clearly Collum only had one foot in the mortal world. His control and strength told her much about him. But seeing his home showed her who he was in ways his mannerisms never would. This home, this land, was where he belonged. She was certain of it.
“Don't think about it too much, Alex. It’s only a house.”
“Only it isn’t, is it? It's you and it’s beautiful.”
They locked eyes. She forgot the sway of the willow trees. The music of the underground springs faded under the roar of desire churning in her ears. Her breasts ached. Desire bubbled in the back of her throat as his eyes scored her.
His lip curled. He stepped toward her.
Domhall’s voice brought her back to reality. “Hey, do you have any staff here? Any food? A pretty water fountain isn't going to feed me.”
Her face heated as Collum shook his head, said “Shit” under his breath and turned to her grandfather.
“I sent Glenn a text from the airport. There should be a light meal ready for us in the dining room. The wards around the outer property keep it hidden from outside eyes. I'll add more today. That should keep us protected for a few days at least.”
“Good,” Domhall replied. “The elders will send out scouts. When the scouts can't find us, they will come themselves. Even with your wards, we have three days here at most. Contacting the witch needs to be your first, and only, priority.”
~ ~ ~
Inside, the castle looked like what Alex always envisioned a castle would. Every inch of it gleamed with old wealth. Alex followed Collum down the hallway, feeling like she'd stepped back in time to the sixteenth century, but with HBO and high-speed Internet. When she tried to ask him about some interesting art on the wall, he replied, “Ask Glenn. He runs the place. I only live here.”
He showed her to a room without looking at her, threw her bag on the bed and told her to be down for breakfast in twenty minutes before backing out the door with Domhall on his heels.
As soon as the two men left, Alex rushed to the bathroom for a desperately needed shower. She'd been up for almost twenty-four hours at that point and the stress she'd experienced throughout the day was enough to give anyone BO. The huge bathroom was carved directly out of the rock. The sink and counters floated slightly off the wall. The toilet was hidden behind a separate door. The sunken tub-slash-shower took up half the space. When she stepped down on the base of the tub, the floor warmed to her touch. In the shower, a rain stream fell gently on her skin from the ceiling, while a natural spring poured out of the mountain wall. For ten short minutes she luxuriated in the steam that rose as the water hit the heated floor.
Conscious of the time and starving, she forced herself out of the shower, and into the bedroom to dry off. The room was decorated entirely in shades of yellow, from soft butter tones, to the deepest wine-gold. The bed was so high she had to jump on to it. Pillows of all sizes covered the bottom half. A flat screen TV jutted up from the foot of the bed. A massive fireplace filled one entire wall. She allowed herself one moment of pretense—that she was on vacation—before brushing her teeth and dressing in a new pair of sweats, a fresh sports bra, and clean tank top. She desperately needed a run to clear her head but knew the chance of that happening was nil. Maybe after breakfast she could talk Collum into letting her go . . . if she stayed on the estate.
With a final look at the bed, she shoved her hands through her hair, tried to work out the tangles, and headed for the dining room.