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Chapter Five

R oderick:

C inaed tasted like fire—his fiery nature ignited a level of need I’d always managed to contain. With him it was impossible. My soul sang out to him, and his answered. We couldn’t complete our bond, but I could still feel his essence.

I remained pressed against his warmth, our kiss lingering until he broke it to speak. “I want you inside me, Rod. Please?”

There was nothing I’d deny him, but I wanted this as much as Cinaed. I sat up and thought about how I could summon lube, when a small vial was pressed into my hand. “Planned ahead did you?”

“Shut up and fuck me,” he said as he pinched my nipple. “I know all your spots. Don’t think I won’t exploit them.”

His angelic smile hide a wicked streak he showed me whenever we had the chance.

I loved it, and most of all him. I squirted some liquid into my palm, but before I could prepare him, he took the bottle and squeezed some onto his fingers.

Reaching between his legs, he spread the slick liquid around his hole before sliding a digit into himself. He moaned loudly and added a second.

My length twitched as I coated it with lube. I watched, mesmerized by his fingers moving in and out.

“Don’t watch, Rod,” he said with an urgent need that matched my own. “Fuck me.”

I pushed his knees toward his chest and rubbed my cock against his entrance. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes!” His head flopped back and his eyes locked on mine. “I need to feel your flesh wrapped around mine.”

Being inside Cinaed was unlike anything else I’d experienced. We were so in sync that I experienced his pleasure like it was my own. Pressing forward slowly, I inched into the warm, tight space. His inner fire was hot, but not painful. My self-control fled and I pushed all the way into him.

“Oh, fuck,” he hissed. “Forgot how big you are.”

The first time we fucked, I tried to withdraw, but he stopped me.

Now, I didn’t move and waited for him to adjust. He pulled my head down and pried my lips open with his tongue.

Energy surged through me as if from a thousand points of fire.

I focused on the kiss and let it consume me.

Cinaed was life, and I could live off his energy.

We broke the kiss, and my heart galloped wildly as Cinaed hooked his legs on either side of my hips. His fingertips grazed my cheeks, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. “Fuck me, Rod. Now!”

I understood my mate’s needs. Thrusting deep, I buried my entire length inside him. He twisted my nipple, and I jerked uncontrollably within him. He met my gaze with a filthy leer.

“I know all your spots too,” I said.

Pulling back, I thrust again, forcing a grunt from Cinaed. He dragged my head down and assaulted my mouth. Gasping for air, I put my hands on the backs of his thighs and fucked him harder. “That how you want it?”

“Yes!”

He slid his hands up my chest, and I growled at the light pain when he pinched both nubs. I ground my hips and crushed our lips together. Cinaed poured himself into the kiss, begging for my tongue with his. I wanted more, but for now this was enough.

I thrust urgently and each time our eyes met, I saw the lust I felt staring back.

“Oh God, Rod,” he whispered. “That’s it. I need you!”

“You feel so good,” I whispered in his ear. Scraping his prostate with every stroke, I watched with satisfaction as he writhed under me, hands clutching the sheets.

“Come for me,” he panted. “Shoot it in me.”

The muscles in his ass tightened each time I hit bottom. My balls tingled and I fucked him harder, leaning back to angle my cock for maximum friction. I tossed my head back. “I’m gonna come.”

“Give it to me,” he urged. “Don’t stop.”

Slamming my groin against him, I buried myself as deep as I could just as my cock erupted.

Cinaed clenched tightly around my shaft and I found his lips with a furious need.

We moaned into each other’s mouth, our tongues tangling together.

With short, hard thrusts, I pounded until I stopped shooting.

I collapsed against him, his legs still circling my waist. He threw his arms around my neck and kissed me softly.

“Just like I remembered,” he whispered. “I love you beyond words.”

I understood the sentiment. How could you express something so consuming it touched every part of you? “You are my everything, Cinaed. I will love you in this life and the one that follows.”

We lay quietly for a while, wrapped in the warmth of each other’s love. Neither of us wanted to move and lose the moment, so we didn’t. Locked together, we enjoyed just being one.

Finally, I moved. “Let’s clean up.”

He dragged a finger lightly over my chest. "Stay tonight?"

I hadn’t planned to leave, but the invitation still made me grin like a fool in love. "Of course." I pressed a kiss to his temple. "I'm not leaving until I have to."

“ W hy?” Cinaed asked, his skin growing almost hot.

I didn’t agree with his father’s decision, but it was based in fact.

Malachy’s hour turned into three, and instead of making arrangements to get us to Orkney he’d spent two hours on the phone with my father. “Calm down. Hear him out.”

“You agree with him?”

His disappointment that I hadn’t supported him rolled off him and hit me like a slap. “No, but it isn’t arbitrary or personal. He’s doing what he thinks is best for the flock, and by extension the world.”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence,” Malachy said. “He’s right, son. Wilhelm needs Roderick in Philadelphia, and I need you here. The Earth spoke to you. Bart thinks you might be attuned to the solution more than anyone else.”

There was a logic to his words, but it failed to address the source of Cinaed’s – our – displeasure. “Don’t blame your father, he’s right,” I said. “The problem isn’t with you staying, it’s my need to go home.”

“Your father said the Ocular Society was very specific in who went where,” Malachy said. This might not be what he wanted, but he wasn’t going to risk failure just to make his son happy.

“And they happened to keep all the other guardian pairings together except me and Rod.”

I found it odd, but the Society didn’t act without cause. “At least we have another night together,” I said. It wasn’t enough, but it helped.

“After how long we’ve been apart, another night doesn’t begin to make up for lost time.”

It didn’t, but what he really feared was our fate. If the old Great Ward failed before the new one was created, we might not get many more nights. “No, but nothing will restore what was taken from us.”

“Cael, Leo, Gund, and Thal will be here this afternoon,” Otto said. “We should give them a full day to rest.”

Otto was a good being, but his suggestion was transparent. “They’ll rest on the plane,” I said. “Thanks for trying, Otto, but Elspeth and I are leaving at first light.”

My brother shrugged, but he knew I appreciated his efforts.

“We might need the day to discuss things with the newcomers,” Bart said.

Normally, he wasn’t so clueless, but that was my kid brother when he geeked out. “Otto was trying to keep me here an extra day so Cinaed and I could have the time.”

“Oh,” Bart said, then his eyes went wide. “Oh! Right. Sorry.”

“You don’t need to stick around.” Otto pointed to me and Cinaed. “We can fill you in tomorrow.”

I grabbed Cinaed’s hand before anyone could object. Cinaed didn’t resist, and we practically ran from the stuffy conference room.

“Where are we going?” Cinaed asked with an amused lilt.

I slowed, and he came up alongside me. “Away. Before they can change their minds.”

“Slow down, we’re safe now.” He tugged my hand. “We only have a few hours, let’s figure out what we want to do.”

He was right, we didn’t want to waste any of our time. “Show me things that are special to you.”

Cinaed held my hand as he led me through winding stone corridors. I felt a bit guilty that this was the freest and happiest I’d felt since learning of Ailpein’s prohibition. Cinaed’s spirit was also brighter. The cost of our improved moods was Ailpein’s abduction.

Like everyone else, I wanted to rescue him and bring him home safely. Unlike most others, I wasn’t sad he’d been abducted. Such thoughts made me a bad person, but it was hard to shed tears for a being that had caused me so much heartache because his ego had been wounded.

Some would say Blackstone brainwashed the king, but Ailpein couldn’t get off that easily. Any manipulation was made possible because of the king’s pre-existing prejudices and pride.

I pushed those negative thoughts from my mind, otherwise they would ruin my time with Cinaed. We were going to his favorite place in the castle, and I didn’t want anything to spoil the mood.

He paused at a pair of double doors and smiled. “I’ve wanted to bring you here since we met.”

Negative thoughts at being denied this little pleasure tried to steal my happiness, but seeing the joy on Cinaed’s face made it easy to keep them at bay. “I’ve envisioned you sitting here so many times. I’m glad to finally see your happy place.”

A wave of warmth greeted us as we entered his mother’s garden.

Neat gravel paths wound between carefully tended beds.

Blooming plants, in vibrant colors, stood in defiance of the harsh Scottish winter.

It was easy to understand why this place meant so much to Cinaed.

The love and energy it took to create such a marvel was everywhere.

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

“Come,” he tugged my hand gently. “I want to show you something.”

He led me to a stone bench in front of a group of beds filled with different colored roses, each heavy with blooms. “Father built this garden for Mother after they were married. The crimson roses were the first things she planted.”

His fingers brushed one of the flowers with a gentleness to match his soul.

We moved to his right and stopped in front of a bed of royal purple roses.

“Mom planted a different color for each of us when we were born. She said she chose the colors that matched the personalities she felt when she was pregnant. Lauch’s purple was for the stoic and steadfast heir, the gold for Elspeth’s nurturing spirit, bright yellow for Colum’s energetic soul, the pink for the fierce yet feminine Gwyneth. ”

We reached a bush with flowers of deep copper. “And mine to match my hair.”

To me, the color matched his fiery spirit. “Your mother knew her children.”

“She still does.” He cupped his fingers under a bud and turned it toward the sky. “Mine was the hardest to plant, she said, because I was the last. After a thousand years, even a phoenix’s ability to create life fades.” He let the flower flop back down. “Mother says I was worth the wait.”

I understood why it was so hard. My parents said they knew Owen would be their last, and I saw how deeply it affected Mom’s mood for a few years. “I agree.”

“Of course you do.” Cinaed bent down in front of Gwyneth’s row of pink roses. “Whenever Father visits, he collects some of the fallen petals and gives them to my mother.”

The sweet gesture spoke to Malachy’s deep love for his family. This wasn’t just a garden, it was an extension of Cinaed’s parents’ love for each other and their children. It also explained why Cinaed had trouble defying his grandfather.

Cinaed slowly walked down the line toward his parents’ bush. While his back was turned, I collected some of his petals and put them in my pocket. When he sat on the bench, I joined him. “Is this where you called me from all those times?”

“What gave it away?” He smiled, but it dimmed quickly. “I wish you didn’t have to leave.” His voice caught slightly. “I know why – I understand the logic – but we’ve spent too many years apart already.”

He left unsaid the possibility we didn’t have many days left and each one was precious. “This time it’s different.” I kept my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “We’re not hiding anymore.”

“Promise me something?”

He faced me, and he was so serious, I wondered if I could give him what he wanted. “Anything.”

“Come back to me,” he said, his eyes sparkled like the light on his roses. Cupping my cheek with his hand, he moved our heads together. “No matter what happens next, this isn’t the last time we’re together.”

I leaned into his touch—he knew I couldn’t guarantee what he asked, but that wasn’t the point. He wanted me to know he didn’t care what his grandfather said, he was going to fight for us. And I was going to fight just as hard.

“I promise we will be together again soon.”