Page 63 of Treachery in the Highlands
I let my lids drift shut and try to follow her instructions.The scented mist envelops us and infiltrates our senses.For a moment, I feel ridiculous---a modern man participating in some ancient ritual.But then something shifts.
It begins as a tingling at the base of my spine, spreading outward like ripples in a pond.The sensation climbs upward, vertebra by vertebra, until it reaches the nape of my neck and explodes into a thousand pinpricks of light behind my eyelids.
"What the hell?"I gasp, my eyes flying open.
Rachel's hands continue their steady rhythm on my shoulders."That's it.Ye feel it now, aye?The old magic."
The steam around us seems to thicken, taking on shapes that dance at the edges of my vision.When I turn my head to follow them, they slip away like ghosts.But I can feel something stirring within me, a power I've never known before.
"I feel...different," I admit, my voice barely audible over the soft hiss of steam.
Rachel moves around to face me, water rippling around her waist as she straddles my lap in the wooden tub.Her blue eyes are luminous in the dim light, holding mine with a sensual intensity.
"The MacTaggart witches have used this chamber for centuries to awaken dormant powers," she explains, tracing the contours of my face with her fingertips."Some call itda-shealladh---the second sight.But it's more than just seeing visions, Joey.It's about connecting with the very essence of the Highlands."
I want to dismiss it as superstition, but the energy humming through my veins tells a different story.The sensation is alien to me, unlike anything I've experienced before.It's as if my body is a tuning fork that's been struck against the bedrock of Scotland itself.
"And this will help us againstAn Bodach?"I ask."It sounds too good to be true."
"But it is true,mo chridhe."Her wet hair clings to her shoulders, but beads of the warm dampness drizzle down my chest.
"The Old Man is powerful, aye, but his power comes from darkness---from taking, not giving.Our magic flows from the land itself, from centuries of MacTaggart witches who've loved and protected these hills."
She rolls her hips slightly, adjusting her position, but the movement wakes up my dick.
"Jesus," I whisper as my hands find her waist beneath the water.
"The old ones believed that pleasure and power were two sides of the same coin," she explains, leaning closer until her lips brush against mine."That in moments of ecstasy, our spirits are most open to the magic that surrounds us."
Her kiss deepens, and I feel myself responding with an intensity that startles me.The steam swirls around us like a living thing, caressing our skin, heightening every sensation.When we break apart, I'm breathing hard, and not just from the heat of the room.
"So, this is part of my training?"I ask."Getting naked in a medieval hot tub with the most beautiful woman in Scotland?"
Rachel laughs, the sound echoing off the stone walls."Aye, though I'd call it a ritual rather than training.The joining of our bodies creates a channel for the power to flow between us."
Her fingers trace the contour of my collarbone, leaving behind remnants of heat that have nothing to do with the steam.My arousal grows by the second, and I feel a kind of lust that I've never known before, something deeper mere lust.
Rachel abruptly becomes serious."An Bodachknows that together, we are a threat to him.That's why he's tried to separate us ever since the day you arrived."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rachel
I awaken in the morning feeling so contented that I dinnae want to get out of bed.Joey lies beside me, his arm draped over my belly, his breaths whispering over my skin.For a moment, I simply lie here enjoying the serenity and the quiet joy of sharing a bed with the man I love.My father hasn't even threatened to murder Joey in at least...two days.I call that progress.But then I remember what we must endure today and that a disaster will most certainly occur.
The gathering of the clans begins today.
I sigh, reluctantly stirring from my cozy nest.Joey's arm tightens around me, and I feel his lips graze my shoulder.
"Mornin', gorgeous," he slurs in his New York accent.He's only half awake---until he yawns and stretches, aiming a sweet smile at me."Why the heavy sigh, Rach?Regretting your life choices already?"
"Not completely."I turn to face him and find myself smiling too, even as anxiety gnaws at my insides."My only regret is that I must get out of bed."
"Then stay right here with me under the covers."He pulls me closer."To hell with the clans."
Briefly, I'm tempted to agree with him.But the weight of responsibility settles over me like a cloak, and I moan pitifully."We can't, Joey.As much as I'd love to, I have duties to attend to."
Joey groans, burying his face in my hair."Can't we just pretend the whole world doesn't exist for one more hour?"
