Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy) Read online

  I fell back onto one of the plush cushions and rubbed the heel of my hand over my forehead. Now that I thought about it, I was exhausted.

  “I’m tired too,” Samantha said. “Does it matter which room I take?”

  “I doubt it,” I said, stretching my arms up behind my head.

  “Okay, well wake me up if anything happens, I guess.”

  Ethan stood off to the side with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He hadn’t cut his hair in a while and when he looked down, a dark curl nearly touched his cheek. He smiled at me and my chest swelled.

  “Don’t you want to get some rest?” he asked.

  “I guess so,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward. “How are you feeling?”

  He didn’t answer right away. His gaze lifted to the high arched ceiling before meeting mine. The corners of his eyes crinkled. “This might sound ridiculous. But I feel kind of like a piece of taffy that’s been pulled and stretched and put back together.”

  I laughed. “Nope, not ridiculous. I actually know exactly what you mean.”

  He rubbed his hands together, his brow wrinkling. “I know this is going to sound wrong, but will you stay with me? I’m not coming on to you. I’d just feel better if you were with me.”

  “Yeah, no problem,” I said, my voice coming out choked. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Let’s go.”

  I stood and led him into the room I’d stayed in last time I was here. It was small, but comfortable. I sat on the edge of the bed and scooted over to make room for him.

  I took off my shoes and crawled over to the other side of the bed. After getting under the covers, I positioned myself on my side so he had plenty of room.

  Ethan slid under the blankets and stared up at the ceiling. Neither of us said a word for a minute.

  Butterflies fluttered in my chest when he rolled onto his side to look at me. I wondered how many times he’d lain in bed with other girls and the thought pierced my heart.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern etched in his forehead.

  I was immediately grateful that Ethan couldn’t read minds. A laugh bubbled out. “Nothing. I mean, I’m fine.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Are you nervous?”

  I frowned. “What, you can hear my thoughts now, too?”

  “Hey,” he said, reaching over to smooth back my hair. “It’s just me. I promise I’ll behave.”

  I swallowed. Was he serious — just him?

  He kept his hand on my cheek and whispered my name. Closing my eyes, I felt his touch all the way down to my toes. When I opened them again, he was still staring at me.

  I looked down at his mouth and his lips spread into a crooked smile. My eyes lifted to his and in a moment of boldness I said, “What if I don’t want you to?”

  His eyes widened, but he didn’t hesitate. His hand slid down my arm to my waist. My pulse pounded when he pulled me closer. His lips brushed against mine, softly at first.

  I raised my hand to the soft skin just above his elbow, shivering as his biceps tightened under my touch.

  The kiss deepened and the world fell out from under me. In that moment, I forgot about the Danaans and everything that went along with them.

  Ethan trailed kisses across my cheek, down my neck and a soft moan escaped me. I wasn’t embarrassed, though. I wanted more, so much more. I yanked his shirt loose from his jeans and slid my hand up the contours of his back.

  In one swift movement, I was on my back as he hovered over me. His arms were on either side of my head and his hands gently cupped my face. Bringing his lips down to mine again, he kissed me until we were both breathless.

  Both of my hands slid up the back of his shirt and I pulled him to me, wanting him closer. But he pulled back, his breath ragged.

  “You need to get some rest,” he said, pressing his lips against my forehead. He put all his weight on one arm and trailed the tips of his fingers over my cheek and down my neck, resting his hand on my heart. I was sure he could feel it thundering in my chest.

  I was about to protest when he placed one last kiss on my lips. He lifted himself off me and settled onto his side. My eyes drifted closed as he draped his arm across my stomach. I snuggled in closer, and he snaked his arm under my head. After burying my face into his T-shirt I willed my heart to slow down. Eventually I drifted off to sleep thinking about gentle breezes and warm sunlight.

  I woke up in Ethan’s arms. Without windows, I had no concept of how long I’d been asleep. I watched his chest rise and fall for a moment as he slept. A strange tickling sensation appeared in my head. It was Niamh’s voice in my mind.

  Good, I’m glad you’re awake.

  They were back. I sat up, disentangling myself from Ethan, debating whether to wake him or not. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, he shifted and opened his eyes.

  “Morning,” he said, the sound of sleep thick in his voice.

  “Good morning,” I said and looked away before he could see the blush creep up my neck.

  “You going somewhere?”

  “I was just about to wake you. Niamh and Liam are back.”

  Ethan sat up beside me and stretched. “Oh, that’s good news.”

  “Yeah. We’d better go see what they have to say.” I still hadn’t met his eyes even though I knew I was being ridiculous. But I’d never slept in the same bed as anyone outside my family before, never mind a guy like Ethan.

  “Hold on, Al. We’re not gonna start this again, are we?” he said, putting his finger under my chin to turn my head to face him. I closed my eyes, trying to pull away.

  “Look at me,” he said, his voice only a whisper.

  I exhaled and opened my eyes. He studied my face. “Are we good?”

  I nodded, raising a hand to my neck. “Yeah, of course.”

  “Good, I thought I lost you there for a minute.” He tried to laugh, but it came out strangled.

  Guilt twisted my insides. I dug deep for the strength to be brave. Taking a breath, I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips against his.

  When he pulled back, his grin was lopsided. “Much better.”

  “Come on,” I said with a smile. “Let’s go before they send a search party for us.”

  Samantha was pacing in the common room when we walked in. She was tugging on the short strands of hair that framed her face. When she heard us enter, she pivoted around.

  “They’re back,” I said, stopping a few feet in front of her.

  She nodded and swallowed. “Niamh called up to me,” she said, tapping on her temple. “She wants us to join them in the dining hall, I guess.”

  I turned toward the hallway I thought led to the stairs in time to see Niamh and Liam walk in.

  “What happened?” I asked, filled with nervous energy.

  Niamh and Liam exchanged a look. “My mother wants to be the one to tell you everything,” Niamh said and gestured for us to follow.

  I nodded and Ethan caught my hand as we started walking the way they’d come.

  “You okay?” Ethan asked, threading his fingers through mine. “You look nervous.”

  “I’m okay.” I shrugged. “I am a little nervous, I guess.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Don’t be. You got this.”

  One look at his dimpled grin, and for a second I believed him. But then we walked into the dining hall and my stomach dropped.

  Sitting at one end of the grand dining table was Saoirse. Her pale hands were folded on the tabletop. When she caught my gaze, she tipped her head to the side and smiled demurely.

  Swallowing hard, I took the chair that Liam held out for me. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Saoirse’s opal eyes. Her gaze was as seductive as it was unnerving and a shiver passed through me.

  Someone cleared their throat to my right and I blinked, the spell breaking. I looked over and Deaghlan was lounging in the chair at the opposite end of the table. His irritating smirk was in place as he unabashedly watched me.

  Saoirse stood, her midnight blue
gown flowing all around her. “Welcome, Allison. It’s a pleasure to have you back with us.”

  Keeping my eyes on the embroidered pattern of her dress, I nodded. “Thank you,” I said, focusing on the formalities.

  “Ethan,” Saoirse said in her honey-sweet voice. “I’m glad to see you’ve recovered from your difficulties from our last meeting.”

  While Niamh introduced Samantha to Saoirse, Ethan made the mistake of meeting her eyes. I nudged him under the table, but he just stared. I sucked in my bottom lip and tried not to laugh. I reached down and pinched his thigh, hard. He yelped and spun in his chair to look at me.

  “Sorry,” I whispered, making a face. “You were staring.”

  His eyes widened and he shook his head.

  “It helps if you don’t look in her eyes,” I said under my breath.

  He clasped his hands in his lap and stared down for a second.

  I touched his arm. “Happens to me, too,” I said.

  On my other side, Samantha was still fidgeting with the edges of her hair, no doubt uncomfortable from the two immortal grandparents on either end of the table.

  One of Saoirse’s serving women piled fruit onto a platter in front of us. Another placed a tray of tiny cakes on the table. Both looked delicious and my mouth watered.

  “So, I’d like to tell you about what’s happened while you’ve been away,” Saoirse said. She held out a chalice and one of the women filled it.

  Deaghlan shifted in his seat, and the insolent look he gave Saoirse made it obvious how unhappy he was.

  Saoirse ignored him. “Yesterday, Aodhan came to see me,” she said before taking a sip from her cup.

  As I filled my plate with fruit and some of the little cakes I watched Niamh, but her expression didn’t falter. She and Liam remained silent across the table from us.

  “He didn’t come alone. He had two of Aoife’s guards held captive, and two of Niamh’s guards came voluntarily. To say Aodhan was displeased would be putting it mildly,” Saoirse said.

  My eyes widened and Samantha sucked in a breath beside me.

  “Can we get to the point?” Deaghlan said, drumming his fingers impatiently.

  Saoirse ignored him. “Aodhan has offered to help revive Aoife’s land.”

  “Which is completely unnecessary,” Deaghlan said.

  Without even a glance at Deaghlan, Saoirse continued. “He offered his assistance, but he had conditions. He’d like at least three of the four portals between our worlds sealed.”

  “Ridiculous,” Deaghlan said.

  I watched Saoirse put her lips to her cup and look at him, unaffected. I didn’t understand their relationship. Niamh’s lips quirked.

  She tolerates him far better than anyone else.

  “What about Aoife? Do you know where she is?” I asked.

  “Aoife was not there,” Saoirse said, turning her gaze back to me. I forced myself to look down at my plate.

  “Her guards agreed with what Samantha and Ciarán told us,” Niamh said.

  “Where are they now? Finn and Seamus?” Samantha asked softly.

  “They’re still with Aodhan. The state of decay in Aoife’s land is partially their doing, so they are going to help set things right,” Saoirse said with an alluring smile.

  Deaghlan leaned back and laughed. “Oh, you make it sound like they are such willing volunteers.”

  It was all I could do not to tell Deaghlan to keep his comments to himself. I picked up one of the cakes and stuffed it in my mouth.

  It was light and fluffy, like a combination of the sticky sweetness of Baklava and the airy goodness of fried dough.

  “I will need some time to reflect on what the future has in store,” Saoirse said. When I looked up at her, her lips were glistening from whatever she was drinking. She raised her finger to her mouth and tapped her bottom lip. “Would you join me, Allison?”

  My mouth dropped open, and I let out a surprised laugh. “Okay,” I said slowly. Niamh’s eyebrows quirked just enough that I knew she was startled, too.

  I’ll come with you.

  I gave her a tiny nod.

  “Do you want me to come?” Ethan asked, concerned.

  I shook my head. “I’ll be okay,” I said. “Stay here and finish eating.”

  He didn’t look convinced, but he nodded.

  Niamh stood, and I trailed her and Saoirse to the door leading to the back side of the mountain. The sky was the light aqua of a tropical sea, which I’d learned meant it was still early in the day. The last time I’d been down here, Saoirse had shown me a vision of Ethan as Breanh’s prisoner.

  We followed Saoirse down the stone path through a garden burgeoning with flowers in all shades of reds, yellows and blues. Fruit trees gave the light breeze a pleasant fragrance.

  At the edge of the garden, a stream flowed down the mountain, emptying into a clear pool. This was Danu’s Basin, the magical gift shared by the queens of each generation.

  Saoirse sat on the stone bench set at the water’s edge. Niamh and I sat on either side of her.

  “Before you begin, I have to ask why Father is being so rude,” Niamh said.

  Saoirse, who looked like a paler, more delicate version of Niamh, smoothed her hand along her daughter’s cheek.

  “When he came home, your father was quite upset about how things went with Aodhan. Yes, I know all about what happened,” she said, arching her brow.

  “We were all upset. Father was being unreasonable.”

  “That may well be. But like I said, he was shaken up. He’d just finished relaying all the events from Liam’s house, when Aodhan himself showed up with Seamus and Finn bound and gagged. It took all of my strength plus your own guards to keep him from ending Aodhan’s life right then.”

  Niamh sucked in a sharp breath. “He wouldn’t.”

  Saoirse cocked one dainty eyebrow, but didn’t reply.

  “Is that why Aodhan isn’t here now? Because of what happened between him and Deaghlan?” I asked.

  “Yes and no,” Saoirse said. “I’ve asked Aodhan to keep an eye on things for me. Aoife’s guards have been placed in fey globes for the time being.”

  A memory of something Deaghlan had said several days ago popped into my mind. Before I could ask Saoirse if he was right and she was the one who freed Aoife from her fey globe, Niamh shook her head.

  Let her finish the story first.

  “You aren’t fond of Deaghlan,” Saoirse said, looking at me, her eyes knowing. “He has a difficult personality most of the time.” She laughed softly. “No one knows that more than me. But I have known him longer than you can probably fathom. We grew up together, the best of friends. I always hoped he would be my bond-mate, my partner. He didn’t feel the same toward me. When I found out we were to be bonded, it was like a dream come true. For Deaghlan, it was like being bound forever to his little sister.”

  I sat in stunned silence. Saoirse, the beautiful, enigmatic leader of the Tuatha De Danaan, loved Deaghlan. And he didn’t return her feelings.

  “Ah, Allison. I see that look. Do not pity me. I am not human, therefore I am not a slave to my emotions. I only tell you this so you understand why I indulge Deaghlan.”

  Still unable to find the right thing to say, I simply nodded.

  “Niamh, have I ever told you about my grandparents -- Manannán and Fand?”

  “Not very much, Mother.”

  “Well, Manannán loved Fand. He gave her every luxury, anything she desired was hers if she just asked him for it.

  “They ruled in Tír na n’Óg for thousands of years. In those days, war between the clans of this realm was a part of life. My grandfather spent much of his time away in battle.”

  “There are other clans?” I asked.

  Saoirse’s lips pressed together. “Not anymore. The Danaans are few, but the other clans haven’t been heard from in more than two thousand years.

  “My grandmother would go to the human realm while my grandfather was away. She fell in lov
e with a man who, like Samantha, was from a Danaan and human coupling.

  “When the Danaan armies my grandfather led defeated our greatest enemies, the Fomorians, he was weary. As you know, our kind do not die of old age. But when we have lived long enough to grow jaded with this world, our people move on to Magh Mell, across the Aimsirean Sea.

  “My grandfather asked my grandmother to retire with him to Magh Mell, but she wouldn’t go. He knew it was because of her feelings for another man. In a fit of jealousy, he wiped her memories of this man. Once their daughter, my mother, was settled as queen, they sailed across the sea, never to return.

  “I believe the time has come for Deaghlan and I to make the journey to Magh Mell. He has refused, saying he’s not ready. Unlike my grandmother, I don’t think he hesitates for love. I’ve looked at the ways our future could play out, and there are only two ways I’ll be able to convince him to join me. The first is if I use magic, like my grandfather.” She paused, waiting for a reaction, but neither Niamh nor I said anything.

  “The second is if Niamh is properly bonded and ready to be queen.”

  Niamh stood slowly, not taking her eyes off her mother. Her expression was a blank mask.

  “Properly bonded to whom?” she asked.

  Saoirse smoothed the material of her gown, unperturbed. “It is your duty as the first born princess, Niamh. You know that.”

  “That’s not what I asked, Mother. I asked to whom?”

  “I’ve accepted Aodhan’s offer to restore our land, in part because I want him to prove his worthiness to your father.”

  “You’re playing games with him?” Niamh’s spine stiffened. “Father nearly killed him.”

  “He wouldn’t have,” Saoirse said, brushing her off.

  “Even if Aodhan were to agree to it, he couldn’t be king. He’s not Danaan.”

  Saoirse tilted her head to the side, and when she spoke her voice was calm but firm. “Must I remind you who is queen?”

  Niamh began pacing, her golden hair trailing behind her. A tiny thread of fear showed in her eyes.

  “Aodhan has just spoken the first few words to me in decades, Mother. If you propose this to him now, he’ll think it’s my idea.”