Chapter 6
Everyone had been called in within range of the protective spell and the wards she set. Once she made sure everyone was safe within, she set down her traps for the Tuatha Order or anyone else in the magical realm who decided to cross through her protective enchantments. The only ones who could safely do that were humans or animals.
Prince Ivar’s army may have been spotted in Thunder Bay, but that didn’t mean he was here. Still, the protection she set would prevent his soldiers from getting through. She seriously doubted he was there. Ivar didn’t like to get his hands dirty, but then again, if he was planning to overthrow his father and usurp his crown, he would most likely get his hands dirty. With blood.
Which was a scary thought indeed.
Aoife”s stomach clenched just thinking about Prince Ivar coming into these woods and slaughtering Adam and the others. It enraged her. She just couldn’t let that happen.
As she stood there checking her work, she glanced over at the lake which began to glow, ripple and bubble. Coraliane rose from the water and then clambered up on the shore. She instantly transformed to walk on land. She was completely nude, but her long lavender-colored hair covered up most of her nudity.
“Enchantments?” Coraliane asked. “You didn’t cover the water?”
“Ivar and the Order don’t swim. They know better. They know who rules that watery kingdom.”
Coraliane smirked. “That they do. We are a realm unto ourselves, but we are not treated that way.”
Aoife walked toward her. “Are you cold? Would you like a blanket?”
Coraliane rolled her eyes. “It’s colder in the water. Trust me, this is warm.”
“I’m sure.”
“Why did you summon me here?” Coraliane asked. “Your debt is paid and that shmuck who owed me money has paid in full too. More than paid, in full.”
A shiver ran down Aoife’s spine as Coraliane enunciated the line more than paid. Aoife had a sneaking suspicion that the man she scared into paying was dead.
That’s not my concern. I can’t think of that.
“You know about the portal at Kakabeka Falls, or rather under it?” Aoife asked.
Coraliane’s eyes widened, but only for a moment. “What’re you talking about?”
“There’s a secret portal, between realms. Not sanctioned.”
Coraliane’s eyes flashed red. “Why?”
“Prince Ivar is going to overthrow his father and take over. Then he’s going to take over the rest of the realms. I don’t know when, but he is building a Sasquatch army of enforcers by controlling their breeding. He wanted to breed with me to have his own personal group of assassins.”
Coraliane cocked her eyebrow. “You mean after he had you kill the king, right?”
Aoife nodded. “That’s my assumption.”
“He might not even use you for breeding. Once you’ve done the dirty work.” Coraliane worried her bottom lip. “All the realms?”
“The Tuatha Order is in on it. My mother runs the Order,” Aoife replied through gritted teeth.
“Your mother? Why is she, a high witch, siding with a coward like Ivar?”
“I think she believes if she had the new king’s ear, she might be able to gain the dark powers of hell. I know my mother. She’s all about power.”
Especially dark power, but she wouldn’t say it out loud.
Coraliane’s beautiful face shifted slightly, to show the deadly siren hidden under the surface. The one who would gladly lure a man to his death in the watery depths of Lake Superior and feast on flesh.
“I take it you’re none too pleased by this,” Aoife said, stating the obvious.
“Of course not. Who would be? It’s bad enough there are so many rules and sanctions on our kind to protect the humans. It’s been centuries since we mingled freely. Blood has suffered.”
“How do you mean?”
“Power is being lost. Mingling of human blood with magic is potent .” Coraliane sighed. “This is egregious. How did you find this out?”
“My half brother, who also is my great-great uncle, is a wraith.”
Coraliane grinned. “Cillian?”
“Yes. You know him?” Aoife asked, dryly.
“Oh yes.” There was a wistful expression on her face and Aoife really didn’t need to know why.
“He’s bound by blood to protect me…in his own way,” Aoife responded.
Coraliane nodded. “I told you. Blood is powerful. So, you’ve set enchantments to keep out the Tuatha Order.”
“Agreed.”
“So you’re calling me for help?”
“No .” Aoife sighed. “I’m telling you because I’m warning you and whoever else resides around here what is happening. Ivar is coming for me, but after me, he’s coming for the rest. I plan on protecting this forest the best I can, and fighting with my last breath. Cillian isn’t bound to tell the others of the realms about this. He knows I can work on my mother to get the truth. I’m sure that’s why he told me. NowI’m telling you, and you can decide to do what you want with that information.”
“You would protect these Sasquatches?” Coraliane asked.
”I would. Adam has kept me safe.”
Coraliane took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. “The forest smells like rot. I never did like the smell of trees.”
Aoife tried not to roll her eyes. “Well, to each their own.”
“Yes,” Coraliane replied, quietly. “I will check out this unsecured portal and I will inform others of this plan of Ivar’s. I agree that Prince Ivar cannot take control of all the realms, and maybe it”s time for the elves’ hold on the realms to end. The rules need to change.”
A shiver ran down Aoife’s spine, because what Coraliane said, it sounded a lot like a revolution, which is something she didn’t really want to incite, but here she was thrown right into the middle of it all. Again, not her choice.
“You do what you will,” Aoife said, clearly because she was not going to make a deal with this mermaid. Not again. “I won’t have any part of what you or others decide, but the point is, you have the power, the knowledge, now to make that decision.”
Coraliane nodded. “I will remember that you offered this up and I do appreciate it.”
Aoife watched as Coraliane walked back into the waters. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and then dove under the surface. As the water touched her, her legs transformed into a tail once more.
“Who was that?” Adam asked.
She spun around. “Where did you come from?”
“The woods.” A brief smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Was that the mermaid?”
“Yes.” Aoife swallowed the lump in her throat.
“You told her?”
She nodded. “I didn’t make any deals with her. I’m not asking her to do anything. I just felt like the rest of the magical beings in the northwest needed to know what was happening. They needed to know about an unsanctioned portal. That’s a dangerous thing.”
“Knowledge is power,” Adam stated.
“I understand, but I’m tired of power being held by one. Especially if it’s going to be used to control.”
Adam smiled briefly and nodded, understanding her. “Well, the falls have always been a magical place for us and for the indigenous peoples who lived on this land before settlers. It’s not surprising that a portal manifested there.”
“Manifested?” Aoife asked, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“There are magical places, all over the world, that manifest magic and connections.”
“Coraliane said that magic is being diluted without the mixing of blood.”
Adam grunted. “I would believe that. There were more females of my kind. A long time ago, but I haven’t seen a female Sasquatch in a long time. Come to think of it, other than my brothers, I haven”t seen any of my kind in these woods for years.”
Her heart sank. “I’m sorry for that.”
Adam reached out and touched her hair, stroking the end of a lock between his index finger and his thumb. “None of that matters. All that matters is your protection. So I’m going to face Prince Ivar myself.”
Her stomach dropped to the soles of her feet and she clenched her fists as she took a step back from him. “You’re what?”
While Aoife had been usingher enchantments to keep the woods safe, Adam had made up his mind that he needed to protect his mate. And in order to do that, he had to go to Thunder Bay tomorrow and face Prince Ivar himself. Ben had agreed to step up as eldest if something should happen to him. Ben would make sure Aoife was protected, and his brothers.
His brothers were in complete agreement that Adam needed to do this. A Sasquatch protected his mate with his life.
However, Aoife didn’t look pleased at all. Her dark eyes had white-hot flames, smoldering, and she crossed her arms, her body shimmering as she hovered off the ground.
“I told you. You’re to stay here and I’m going to face Prince Ivar,” Adam stated firmly.
“Like hell,” she roared.
“Aoife, you’re my mate,” he rumbled, crossing his arms. “We protect our mates. You can keep my brothers safe, but I will keep you safe.”
The flames died down and her feet returned to the forest floor. “I appreciate that.”
“I love you. Of course I’m going to do what’s right.”
She gasped. “You…you what?”
He cupped her face tenderly, gazing down at her. “I love you, Aoife. We’re well past the pheromones and their effects. You’re mine.”
“But how?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“What do you mean how?”
“No one loves a banshee,” she said, brushing away a tear. “Even a half banshee. Not even our own parents really. I’m bad luck. I mean, I brought a war to your doorstep. If that’s not bad luck, I don’t know what is.”
Adam gripped her shoulders. “Well, I love you. You are my mate and I will protect you. There is no one else for me. You die, I die. It’s that simple.”
She trembled and then leaned against his chest, her fingers burrowing into the fur there. He drank in her scent.
“I love you too,” she murmured. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.” He kissed the top of her head.
She floated up so she was looking him in the eye. “Say it again.”
His pulse quickened and he smiled. “I love you.”
“Say it again,” she whispered.
“I love you.”
She touched his face and then kissed him on the lips. It overwhelmed him. She said she never kissed on the lips. It was a stipulation and one he respected, but when she kissed him, it was the ultimate form of trust. She trusted him. As her soft lips pressed against his, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her as her kiss deepened and her tongue entwined with his. Her fingers slipping into his mane. She was surrendering to him completely. She was his. All his. All he wanted to do was devour her right now, fill her with his seed.
He just wanted this moment to last forever.
He had found his mate and there was no turning back. They were bound together.
He ran his hands down her back, cupping her bottom as her arms went around his neck.
“I want you,” she whispered, breathlessly.
He chuckled. “I thought as much. I can smell your sweet arousal.”
“Take me back to the cabin.”
“What, no hunt tonight?” he teased.
“Not tonight. I want a comfortable bed so I can spread my legs and have you fuck me senseless.”
His beast growled and he carried her quickly up the footpath to his cabin. There was already a fire burning in the fireplace and everything would be nice and cozy. He planned to strip her down and then lick her until she came on his tongue.
Then he’d claim her like he wanted.
The primal urge to take her overcame his senses as he grabbed her dress and tore it in half, baring her naked body to him.
A growl escaped his throat as he took in the sight of Aoife.
His female.
All his.
She leaned against the mattress, spreading her legs, but he wanted them wider so he could taste her sweet cunt. He stripped off his clothes and knelt down, grabbing her by her hips. He drank in the heady scent of her, burying his face in her pussy. He teased her thighs with light kisses, grazing the sensitive flesh with his sharp incisors.
Mine.
He dragged his tongue up her center, slowly, her hips bucking as he found her clit in her folds. With the tip, he circled that sensitive bud, flicking it and licking it.
“Oh, Dagda,” Aoife moaned, her voice shaking.
A rumble of pleasure hummed in his chest as he licked her, and then he slowly inserted his tongue into her tight sheath, fucking her with his tongue while his thumb circled her clit. He wanted her to come so he could lap it all up.
She thrust her hips against his mouth and her body rippled, fading in and out.
Adam knew she was close.
“Dagda,” she cried, arching her back, and then she howled as she came. Her sweet cunt tightening and squeezing his tongue.
He stood and leaned over her, her thighs quivering under his hands and her taste still burning on his lips. Her eyes were white and she was translucent, but he could still feel her.
“I’m not done with you yet, my mate.” He guided his cock slowly into her hot, wet cunt. He closed his eyes, trying to hold back the overpowering sensation to just slam into her over and over again.
Aoife moaned, thrusting her hips up at him, letting him sink deeper inside her.
“Take me,” she cried out, her voice steely.
Adam bit back a growl and pumped against her, hard and fast, letting the animal take over. She was so hot and tight. So wet. It was hard to control the fire that was burning through his blood. He held on to her the best he could, but she was turning transparent, yet he could still feel her. He quickened his pace, his thrusts shallow and fast until he couldn’t hold back any longer.
With a roar, he spilled his seed into her, his body shuddering with a frenzied release. Aoife’s legs relaxed and Adam climbed onto the bed beside her. She rolled over, more solid, but her eyes were still burning with a white fire.
“I can’t lose you,” she whispered, shakily.
Adam didn”t say anything, he just held her close, savoring this moment with her.
This moment with his mate, and trying to hold on to happiness for a while longer.