Shoulder the Skye (Skye Druids #2)(44)
Author: Donna Grant

 

“Why should I have spoken to you?” George asked as she raked her gaze over Rhona. “Just so you can shove it under the rug and pretend it never happened?”

 

“Why should I believe you? For all I know, you have a grievance against Elias. Maybe this is your way of getting revenge.”

 

George pushed away from the door and glared. “I have proof.”

 

“So I’ve heard.”

 

“You don’t scare me. Neither does your pet Reaper hiding here somewhere. If I’m killed, others will come and continue shouting Elias’s guilt.”

 

Rhona crossed her arms over her chest. “In other words, you won’t rest until he’s charged.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Surely, you’re aware that several Druids were killed here recently. Elias wasn’t anywhere near Skye. That wasn’t him.”

 

George shrugged indifferently. “I’m sorry for the deaths, but I’m more concerned with those in my city.”

 

“Your city? Interesting you should say that. What about all the Druid deaths elsewhere around the world.” Rhona tried not to gloat when surprise flickered across George’s face. “There’s more going on than you know.”

 

“You won’t change my mind about Elias. He was seen.”

 

“Edinburgh is a major city. I’ve been there plenty of times myself. Just because someone is in the city at the same time as a death doesn’t mean they killed the person.”

 

George opened the door. “We’re done.”

 

Rhona walked to the threshold before pausing and meeting George’s gaze. “We’re not even close to being finished. I will get to the bottom of things. I hope for everyone’s sake that you aren’t here under false pretenses. I won’t take kindly to that.”

 

The instant Rhona entered the hallway, the door slammed shut behind her. She met Balladyn’s gaze as he dropped his veil. “Well?”

 

“I think we need to do some investigating.”

 

“We need to find Elias.”

 

Balladyn’s lips twisted. “Aye. That, too.”

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t Elias’s words that Bronwyn thought about as she put away the leftovers and cleaned. No, it was the way her body had moved to his, how she yearned to have his lips pressed against hers. How she hungered to know what he felt like moving inside her, his length filling her over and over.

 

She had come so close to kissing him. So very close to giving in and letting desire win. Even now as she dried her hands and replaced the towel, she wondered what a kiss from him would be like. Would he tease and tempt? Maybe he would ravage and plunder. However he kissed, she knew he would do it with complete fervor.

 

Bronwyn wiped the counters and table before putting the containers of food into the fridge. She walked from the kitchen, wondering where her boldness had gone. She hadn’t found it until she reached Inverness. Once she discovered it, it was as if the world had opened to her, presenting endless possibilities within reach. All she had to do was go for them.

 

It felt as if the universe were doing the same to her now by putting Elias not just in her path but also her home. Tempting her with opportunities, with rewards that would be worth everything.

 

If only she had made different choices. Then she wouldn’t hesitate to show Elias how much she wanted him. She had glimpsed the heat flaring in his bright blue eyes, the unmistakable passion that promised untold pleasure. But she had stopped him with her words. Because she was a coward. She feared what would come of giving herself to a man like Elias.

 

Maybe that was for the best. Why get a taste for something that wouldn’t be hers for long? If Sydney didn’t kill her, then she would die soon enough from using blood magic. Her days were numbered either way she looked at it. And that was what soured her. Because being near Elias brought up all the things she had dreamed about and longed for as a young lass.

 

There wasn’t a girl around who hadn’t coveted Elias. She had watched him from afar at school as he moved from girl to girl. His relationships never lasted longer than a week or two. Then, one day, he was gone. Not that she blamed him. After her mother died, she had wanted to leave, too.

 

Bronwyn meandered through the manor with no particular destination in mind. So many rooms lay dormant, almost as if they were waiting for the next generation to bring the entire house back to life. She had wanted it to be her, but sadly, it wouldn’t be.

 

She moved from dark room to dark room through the sprawling manor, but she wasn’t thinking about her family or the house. Her thoughts remained on Elias. She wondered where he had gone when he left Skye. She wished she would’ve paid more attention to the outside world instead of the shite storm of her life during that time. Everyone knew about the death of Elias’s father by his mother’s hand because it was in the paper and on everyone’s lips, but she hadn’t listened to the gossip. Though whether she liked it or not, the blathers usually had more knowledge than the paper. Elias didn’t speak of his parents. She had lost both of hers, but not at the same time as he had. Though Elias’s mother wasn’t deceased.

 

The Skye Druids might be powerful and well-known in the Druid world, but they didn’t live normal lives. It wasn’t just the magic they possessed that changed things. Sometimes, it was their abilities. Other times, it was that they couldn’t find their place in a world that couldn’t understand them. But usually it was because the very land they were bound to turned against them.

 

Bronwyn spotted the light beneath the library door. She walked to it and leaned an ear against it, listening. When she didn’t hear anything, she knocked.

 

“Come in,” Elias called.

 

She opened the door but didn’t cross the threshold. Her gaze landed on Elias unfolding his tall frame from the sofa as he stood to face her. She took in the fire and the removal of the sheets from the furniture.

 

“I figured you’d enjoy your space without me in it,” he said.

 

Her eyes jerked to him. She had said something about that, hadn’t she? This would be better. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep in the same room as him anyway. “There are numerous rooms.”

 

“I’m fine here.”

 

She glanced at the sofa. “I’m not sure how comfortable that will be.”

 

He shrugged, a crooked smile on his face. “I’ve slept on much worse.”