Page 36 of A Celtic Secret
“As am I.”
When he took a tentative step closer, she nodded that it was okay. If she knew nothing else at this point, it was that Declán meant her no harm. He only ever meant to protect her.
“He might have been your husband in the last life,” he said gently, cupping her cheeks, “but he is not in this one.” He shook his head. “You do not belong to him or any man,mo chroí.Only to yourself. Love who you will, but your soul will only ever be your own. Your flesh, your own.”
They both blinked at that, startled.
“You’ve said that to me before,” she murmured.
“I have,” he agreed.
“Where?” She placed her hands over his and closed her eyes, cherishing their warmth. The comfort of having him near. “When?”
“In another life,” he said with such conviction she knew he was right. “In another Ireland.”
“Another Ireland,” she echoed. “An era where you and Raghnall loving me would have meant everyone’s demise.”
There had to have been love between Raghnall and her, too, for him to end up here. Become an unknown king. Someone who had become part of the fire her fellow druidesses had inflicted on her so she could help Ireland now. An unknown king who had to have been cruel to begin with to have done what he did.
“So it seems we are at an impasse for the moment.” Declán brushed his lips across hers and met her eyes again. “One we will conquer together.”
She felt the brief touch of his lips right down to her toes. Right down to parts of her that ached for him. “What if he does this every time?”
The corner of his mouth shot up at her assumption that they would try this again and often. “Every time what?”
She met his crooked smile. “Every time we try...you know.”
“Then we wait for it,him, to pass and try again,” he said without hesitation, clearly not willing to let Raghnall stand in the way of them sleeping together.
“But what if my inner druidess is stopping us because I was married to him?” she wondered. “Sworn to him in some way that will make it impossible to ever feel,” she licked her lips, trying to ignore how aroused she still was, “what we hope to feel?”
“Then we will figure out a way around him.” He brushed his lips across hers again. “And if that does not work, we will try again.” He dropped another kiss. “And again.” Another. “And again until your inner druidess is helpless to say no.”
“I like the sound of that.” She was so turned on it hurt, yet she feared, so she stepped away before things got too far. “But I’m getting more and more of a sense of what this all means. Or should I say my inner druidess is?” She shook her head. “He’s coming for me, Declán, and nothing’s going to stand in his way.” She gestured at the room around them. “Not even this beautiful castle that you built for me over the years.”
“He might be coming for you, but we're prepared.” He took her hand and led her down an arched hallway. “I want to show you something. Need you to understand how much more there is to this castle than you realize.” He led her up a winding set of stairs to another corridor. “Things I suspect you will remember as time goes on.” They continued up an even narrower twisting staircase where his broad shoulders nearly touched the walls on either side. “Things I think will make all the difference...or so I hope.”
She was too curious, then outright stunned when they ended up on a circular walkway that surrounded the highest turret.
“This isincredible,” she exclaimed, taking it all in. From the endless lush forests to the rolling green hills, it felt like everything she had forgotten she wanted. Everything she had searched for in her travels.
It was one thing to see this castle from a distance. Another to appreciate all it looked over. Guarded. Because it did, just like Declán himself. It stood strong, protecting not just its own people but all the lands and tribes beyond.
“I went everywhere and explored everything I could in this world, even Ireland, but,” she shook her head, “I never found this.” For all the beauty around her, her gaze drifted to Declán. “Never found anyone like you.”
“I would hope not.” He finally issued his first genuine smile, and it about blew her away. “Because there are no medieval Irish wizard kings in the twenty-first century.” He winked, clearly referring to Liam. “None like me anyway.”
His smile made her smile. “No, there aren’t.”
Had someone tried to convince her even yesterday that she would end up liking Declán as much as Liam, she never would have believed it.
No, not as much, but more.
Not for obvious reasons, either, but because she got the feeling their friendship would be stronger. Perhaps already had been.
“Now let me show you.” He stood behind her and pointed at what appeared to be a winding snake of stone that vanished into the trees. “You came to me in a dream and told me to build that because it would be a much-needed exit someday.” He moved close enough that she could feel his heat against her body as he murmured in her ear and pointed at another location. “See that area of sunlit grass? You asked me to make sure ‘twas there because you had a friend who would enjoy sleeping in it belly-up.”
She had wondered where Luna had wandered off to this time, but there she was. Sound asleep belly-up in the warm sunlight without a care in the world. Riona smiled and met his eyes over her shoulder. “Thank you.”
