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He opened the door for me, and I stepped inside, taking a look at the typical tourist information center. One wall held a rack of brochures about local attractions. The other side held trinkets and gifts. There was the cash register and a wide counter in front of us, and beside that was an entryway made of incredible arched stone. No doubt that led into the actual castle.
“You must have some very big pull for us to be allowed entry here alone.”
He chuckled deeply, and the sound speared straight into my body. It was a sexy noise, one that had my body tingling, my blood flowing faster, and erogenous zones coming alive.
I tried to act normal for the sake of not embarrassing myself or making this awkward, but I was pretty sure I was failing.
The entrance from the visitors’ center led to another room that forked off in several different directions. This area was still very modernized, but there were roped-off areas that presumably led to historic places I’d never seen. I spun around in a small circle to take everything in.
“How much do you know about this castle?” I murmured, knowing I looked and sounded in awe.
“Verra much. I’m close friends with the owner of Deldune.”
I felt my eyes widen even more. “Someone actually owns this place? Like privately?” I looked around again. “I assumed it was owned by the country, or officials or something. Incredible,” I whispered, and I could practically feel his pleasure. It was... staggering.
He chuckled softly. “I’m sure some are. Others are owned by nobility, others owned in areas for historical purposes. Deldune was privately acquired, but the owner doesn’t live here and opened it up to the public after restorations.”
I wanted to ask who this owner was, because clearly they were loaded to not only buy a castle but also have the funds to restore it. But I kept my mouth shut on that and just enjoyed the tour.
“I bet you know a lot about Deldune, since you know the owner and have personal access and all.” We continued walking, and I tried to take in everything. “I can’t believe we’re all alone.”
“We aren’t alone.” There was humor in his voice, and I glanced at him. “There are always staff on the grounds.”
I nodded, feeling stupid to think we’d actually have free run of the place. But either way, it felt like we were all alone, and for all purposes, we were.
He started leading the way, and I was mesmerized when he started explaining different parts of the castle and the history behind it. Of course we stuck to the “tourist” sections, but it didn’t matter, because it felt like we were exploring forbidden things.
The extensive collection of medieval architecture and Celtic art within Deldune was amazing. This was my first castle experience, but already I knew it would be one of my favorite memories. I could feel his eyes locked on me as we wound down corridors. I pictured people centuries ago walking these same halls, and it was incredibly surreal. It was no doubt this enormous and complex structure had everything someone could want in a castle experience.
Cillian started giving me stats, starting with the eighty-foot round tower that was dated back to the twelfth century. We made our way through the thirteenth century chapel, the Celtic art so beautiful it was enough to take your breath away.
“It’s said Deldune is the portal tae hell itself,” Cillian said in an ominous tone, and I couldn’t help but smile up at him. “The tales of the castle speak of magic laid within the verra stone itself, the evil kind that sucks life out of unsuspecting victims.”
“Is the devil and his minion demons gonna pop out of the woodwork?” I teased. “I better stay really close to you then.”
This very heated, serious look crossed his face, right before he said, “Don’t worry, lass. I’ll protect ye.”
He was big and burly and reminded me of a warrior Scotsman about to go into battle. I had no doubt this man could crush anything that stood in the way of protecting what he deemed precious. And the way he was looking at me right at this very moment made me feel like I was that treasure.
5
Aoife
We’d been walking around for nearly an hour, and I grew more amazed by every passing second.
“I was most excited tae show ye this,” he said and led the way, taking a few turns before finally stopping in front of twin glass doors.
The lighting was too low for me to clearly see what was held inside, but he didn’t make me wait long. Cillian pulled one clearly heavy door open, and instantly I felt the warmth and humidity of what was no doubt an indoor garden.
He stepped aside and let me enter first, and I felt my jaw slacken at the scene. The room was enclosed by stone walls, the ceiling glass that let in the moonlight, and would the morning sun. This was absolutely a garden, and the most generous one I’d ever seen. It held hundreds of gorgeous flowers with colorful blooms. Every part was filled with flora aside from a cobblestone walkway that made a path through each small garden.
