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When Rian woke,his thoughts were already on Terra, obsessively reliving each moment she’d stood before him naked the night before. His body responded, and he fisted himself, stroking softly as he recalled every inch of her glorious curves in his mind.
She wasn’t like the women he usually took to bed. Where his preferred type ran to skinny, with fake enhancements, there was nothing fake about Terra’s rich curves. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her that hers was a body made for touching, and he’d clamped his hands tightly to resist reaching for her the night before. She was anything but skinny, instead she had muscular legs, a softly rounded stomach, and gorgeous breasts that begged for his attention. She was round, soft, and confident in a way that many people would kill for. Rian doubted that Terra ever thought about her weight as a detriment or something to fix, unlike the women he’d dated who constantly complained about bloating or hidden calories. Terra was the embodiment of an Earth Goddess, deeply comfortable in her skin, and it made her all the more attractive to Rian.
Goddess, but he wanted her with every inch of his being. Rian groaned as he brought himself to completion, knowing whatever pleasure he took from the mere thought of Terra would be multiplied a million times over when he finally had his way with her. After the drink had worn off last night and he fully came to understand the agreement that he’d made, Rian had shifted his sights.
He still wanted to find the man who had ruined his life.
But first, he wanted Terra.
Her magicks were strong, as he’d expected, but even he had been surprised when she’d rendered his power ineffective so quickly the night before. Rian rose and strode naked to the shower, flipping on the steam jets to work at the kinks in his neck. Interest piqued, because it had been ages since anything had been a real challenge for him. And Terra? Not only would she be a worthy opponent, but he suspected she’d also be a delight in bed.
Rian groaned, resting his forehead against the shower wall, allowing the hot stream of water to pound his tense shoulders. Terra had been occupying his thoughts for months, and now he wondered if it had been some premonition that he would be tasked with capturing her for Goddess Domnu. Well, he didn’thaveto capture her. Domnu only cared about the knife that Terra carried and considered the woman dispensable. Which meant maybe there was a way that Rian could have both.
Killing Terra wasn’t an option.
Rian had fallen, but he hadn’t fallen that far. At least he hoped not. Maybe he was lying to himself about his reasons for not wanting to kill Terra and deliver the blade to Domnu, but if ever there was a time to lie to oneself it was in the comfort of one’s shower in the soft light of morning. There was something about showers that let time be suspended for a moment, as though nothing and nobody could reach you, like a video game player hitting pause. Once he turned the water off and stepped out, real life would return. So in this quiet moment, Rian let the water soothe, as he worked hard to shore up his wall of anger at the Earth Fae and bury deep any admiration he had for the lushly beautiful Terra.
He had a job to do. One that required him to be focused, unattached, and ruthless.
Wrapping a towel around his waist, Rian strode to his closet, the lights flicking on when they sensed his movement. He pushed aside a row of custom suitcoats and keyed in a number next to a hidden door. When the lock beeped, Rian turned the knob and opened the door, light automatically illuminating the interior. It was a small space, just enough for him to step inside and walk three steps forward, but Rian hadn’t needed much room to conceal the remnants of his former life. While he’d been exiled with only the clothes he'd been wearing at the time, Rian had spent a large chunk of his time since acquiring tools of Fae magicks. There was a black market for everything, Rian had quickly learned and with enough money at his disposal, he’d been able to acquire Fae items that had somehow fallen into human hands. He’d built his collection over the years and, while it didn’t hold a candle to his original workroom back in the Fae realm, Rian had acquired enough tools to still be very dangerous.
Now, he studied the items placed carefully on the shelves, trailing a finger over wickedly sharp blades, silver potion bowls, and magicked arrows. He stopped when he came to the most dangerous item of all, the same iron cuffs that had been used to stifle his magick at the hearing, and he carefully wrapped those in a large magickal jeweler’s cloth — which dulled the punch of pain from the iron. If he held his finger to the metal, his skin would blister and burn but, when wrapped, the iron merely felt hot to the touch. He’d use these to stun Terra, Rian decided, though his stomach twisted at the thought of marring that perfect skin of hers.
He’d have to think of a spell to dull the brute force of the cuffs on her delicate skin. Placing them into a leather satchel, Rian began to take his favorite tools from the closet, taking his time choosing what would be most advantageous to him on his quest. The bow and arrow was out, as it was clunky for travel, but three daggers of varying sizes, a sword, and a silver trapping net made it into the bag. For spells needing earth elements, Rian included his silver mixing bowl, several jars of charmed ingredients like saffron, rosemary, and crushed mollusk shells. A small quartz crystal, useful for channeling power, made it into the bag. Rian hefted the bag, gauging the weight and, satisfied that he was properly stocked while still being able to maneuver easily, he reached for his garments.
Simple fitted pants, similar to denim jeans that humans wore, carried a protection spell woven into their threads. Very few blades would be able to pierce the cloth. Rian pulled an emerald-green long-sleeved shirt over his head, it melded to him like a second skin, and was infused with the same magick as his pants. The clothes weren’t infallible against attack, but they were a helpful added layer of protection. Leather work boots with thick soles, and a grey knit hat completed the look, and Rian studied himself in the mirror in his main walk-in closet. The green of the shirt brought out the color of his eyes, and Rian leaned in, forcing himself to meet his own gaze. In his eyes, he found determination, but when he recognized another uncomfortable emotion, shame, he turned away. As far as he was concerned, he looked like any other lad going on holiday, and nothing about him would stand out to humans. Even his leather satchel, protected with magick, would look like a simple backpack that students and hikers routinely carried.
“Cillian,” Rian spoke into his phone as he grabbed his laptop and a thermos for coffee. “I’ll be working remotely for a bit.”
“Christ, Rian. It’s barely seven in the morning. Where are you going?” A woman’s voice murmured in the background behind Cillian.
“It’s no concern of yours.” Rian had done a good job of keeping sharp boundaries with the people he worked with, and he leaned heavily on those now. “Send any business to my assistants. If anything major arises, I should be available.”
Without waiting for a response, Rian clicked off the call and shoved the phone in his pocket. Business taken care of, as he’d emailed all three of his assistants about his plans, he picked up his bag and grabbed his car keys. It mattered little to him if the company suffered in his absence. He could just as easily rocket his way to the top of another business at any time he felt like it. Rian felt no loyalty to the company he worked for, and he was certain they felt none for him. In a profit-driven workspace, people were just numbers in a spreadsheet after all.
Rian unlocked his Land Cruiser and got in, knowing he could have transported himself to Grace’s Cove if he’d really wanted to. However, he wanted the drive time to think about his tactics for capturing Terra, as well as not wanting to drain any of his energy for what was ahead. No, driving suited him just fine, and he flicked the radio off so he could be left in silence to think.
A part of him wished he hadn’t gone to Terra after the Goddess Domnu had left him. It had been the whiskey driving his choices, as well as a deep-rooted need to see her. Now he feared he’d revealed too much about his intentions, as well as the depths of his magicks. Projecting himself into another place was a deeply difficult maneuver, and one not many Fae were capable of doing. If Terra hadn’t been on alert prior to this, she was now. Rian cursed as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, annoyed with himself for his impulsiveness. He’d honed a reputation in the business world for being cold and calculating, and he’d need to draw on that experience if he was meant to fulfill his mission.
The drive passed quickly, with Rian barely registering the time, as he was so lost in thought. When he finally arrived at Grace’s Cove, he pulled into a small parking lot by the harbor. Getting out, he stretched as he took in the small town. It was pretty, he’d give it that. Brightly colored buildings piled on top of each other along the harbor and rolling green hills hugged the town from behind. Empty slips showed the fishing boats were out for the day, and people strolled past on their way to the shops. It was charming, that was for sure, but still much too busy for what Rian had in mind. What he needed was isolation.
Spotting a bakery, Rian ducked in for a sausage roll to go, and wandered back to his car with the pastry in hand. He scrolled his phone, bringing up a map of the area, and studied the landscape. With the location of the portal in a fairly tricky and obscure spot, he’d need to move his captive quickly once he was back through. Could he deliver Terra to Domnu immediately? Sure. Was he going to? Not likely. Rian couldn’t quite understand it, but he needed more time with her.
Rian narrowed his eyes at the Blasket Islands on the map and considered the possibilities. He took a screenshot and sent the info to his assistant with the instructions to secure lodging — no matter the price. If she was as expedient as she usually was, he’d have a place to stay by the end of the day. In the meantime, Rian decided to go scope out the location of the portal and see if he could sense any wards or other Fae magicks in the area.
The portal was once located on a remote beach, sheltered by high cliff walls. If it was still there, Rian would need to bring Terra through and immediately transport her to one of the Blasket Islands, which wasn’t all that far. Location wise, his decision to bring Terra through alive and question her made sense.
Had she really looked for evidence to help him?
The thought sprung unbidden to his mind as he parked his car near a small stone cottage and crossed a gently sloping field to the edge of the cliff that jutted proudly into the air. Far below him, waves lapped at a pretty sand beach, and the air brought a taste of the sea with it. Closing his eyes, he shoved thoughts of Terra aside and focused on his magick, locating the pulse of the portal easily. Still, it stood, and it was a wonder that no Domnua had destroyed the doorway to the Fae realm yet.
Which meant they found it useful.
“No blood shall be spilled on my land, Fae.”
Turning, Rian took in the woman behind him. Dressed for yard work in dirty jeans and a work shirt, strawberry blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders and whiskey brown eyes regarded him warily. Interesting. There was a hint of otherness to this woman, but Fae she was not. A dog sat at her side, cocking its head at him, and he barely stopped himself from smiling at the animal. He’d always had a weakness for dogs.
“Is it your land then? Do you own the sea as well?” Rian asked, lifting his chin and shooting her a cocky grin which only served to deepen the scowl on her face.
