Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

curtsied, clasping her hands behindher back and giving me a sheepish look. Her fiery hair drifted overher shoulders, and the damp, darkened tips slid across her palegreen collarbones. She was slender, and moved with an innate poisegifted to our kind.

“Grace fell over herselftelling me you were here, and that she had tended to you. I thoughtI would check to make sure you were alright.” Maeve’s scarletirises darted between Lochlann and me. The tension between us wasevident by the way her eyebrow climbed. “You arealright?”

My eyes went from narrowed toslitted.

“I will be,” I repliedflatly, and rested my head back on my knees to watch a dragonflyflit across the water’s surface.

Maeve came to sit cross-legged on myother side, and sighed. “You know I had no choice. And I did do allI could to help. I made sure the chains didn’t–” She cut offguiltily.

Lochlann chuckled. “I know you helpedher, sister. I am not mad.”

She gathered herself up andnodded. “Good. Breandan is always so grumpy and serious, but hesmiles when Rae is around. Can you believe it? Breandansmiling. We need to keepher happy so she doesn’t up and leave him.” Maeve giggled andplayed with the tufts of weeds and flowers by her wriggling toes.“I’m glad to help you if it means I get to see one of my grouchybrothers’ content once and a while.”

“Says one in a constant fitof giggles.” There was a deep affection in Lochlann’s voice when hespoke to her and I peeked at his face.

It had softened as he watched his babysister. The affectionate expression was one I’d not seen on hisface before, and it warmed my heart. All I had ever seen was himscowling at Breandan. I’d assumed he was cold to everybody, evenhis own kin. Possibly this fairy lord was worth following? Itwasn’t like I had many options.

Lochlann needed me, my blessing, tobecome High Lord of the fairy race, and I needed to decide soonerrather than later if I was going to give it to him. The least Icould do is make sure if I did follow him that he was truly asdedicated to his people as Breandan and Conall professed him tobe.

Maybe if it didn’t feel like themorning was a massive inhalation of breath waiting to exhale, Iwould stay, and learn about him. Possibly, if I didn’t feel apressing need to be gone from this place, I would come tounderstand him much better.

But as it was I felt a sudden andurgent need to be gone.

“I’m going after Devlin,” Isaid quietly. Lochlann and Maeve’s attention shifted to me.Straightening my legs, I flexed my wings, and rolled my head aroundmy shoulders. “I’ll get the grimoire back and we’ll take it fromthere.”

“It would be better if youstayed,” Lochlann said in a measured voice. From the tone I couldtell he was being mindful to not sound like he was ordering meabout. “I have already tasked Conall with the retrieval of thespell book. He is my best warrior and tracker by far.”

“Then I’ll go with him,” Isaid simply.

As far as I was concerned theconversation was over, and I reached through my bond to Breandan todiscover where he was. It didn’t take me long to find him, and ittook even less time for him to find me, making me think he’d beencloser than I had known. Breandan knew how to mask the bond, and atsome point I had to get him to teach me how.

He stepped from the shadows of a treeand paused for half a beat when Lochlann abruptly stood.

As he approached a hot flush spreadover my limbs, and my wings fluttered.

His body was tall, face unspeakablybeautiful, and his countenance fierce. Breandan glowed with asilver light that pulsed beneath his skin, and made the blacktattoos covering his lean body from head to toe shift and move. Themarks on his torso were stunning, swirling lines, and intricatepatterns that weaved around runes of power, and incantations ofmagic. As always his eyes ensnared my attention first and kept myattention the longest. His silver-blue gaze was a prison I wouldreadily endure for an eternity. They were mesmerizing, and moreoften than not trained on me. Drooling in the company of his familywas probably not good manners, so I let my gaze drift to the leftand enjoyed tracing the shape of his ear, curved to a slenderelliptical with a sharp point.

He wore dark segmented trousers, rigidacross his thighs and shins, but flexible about his waist, groin,and knee joints. Fairy males did not wear tops so their chests werealways temptingly bare. Breandan’s smooth and hard chest was moretempting than most.

Heart thumping - worked up from mybold and intimate stare - immediately I stood, and waited patientlyfor him to hold me when what I wanted was to run headlong into hisarms, and rub myself over him.

He stopped a few paces away andwrapped his hands round my upper arms and pulled me into him. Iwent willingly, my nature crowing in joy at the pleasure ripplingfrom where his skin touched mine. I was unable to drum upresistance despite my inner turmoil at how easy enduring his touchbecame. Sighing, he brushed his lips across mine. My heart skippeda thump. Warmth. Sunlight. My mouth parted when he paused ahairsbreadth away from kissing me again, and I breathed him in,melting in his arms.

The power of our bond flared andsettled around us like a comforting cloak.

Oh gods, it was true that I belongedto him.

“Brother.” Lochlann’s voicecracked like whip and shattered the sweetness of ourreunion.

Breandan tensed and his face smoothedinto a blank canvass. I blinked up at him, seeing much in hissilver eyes, and wondering how it was possible to read so much fromthe way they watched me. He tried to disentangle himself, but Iplaced my hands on his broad shoulders and rested my cheek on hischest. I couldn’t help it, and the steady boom of his heartbeat wasgrounding.

He breathed out, the sound almost achuckle, and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on thecrown of my head and swaying me gently in comfort. I made a smallnoise of contentment. Had he truly expected me to push