FinnsRedemption (11 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Queen Allora sat in her garden. It was her favorite place to
be but pain lanced through her as she looked at the flowers surrounding her.
Their sweet perfume reminded her of the daughter she lost so many years ago. It
had been unheard of for a Fae to perish in any way besides outright murder. Her
dear daughter, so headstrong, so sure that she could find true love among the
mortals.

Was she forever to endure this pain of loss? The curse that
had been her act of revenge did nothing to dull the aching need in her chest.
The queen still missed her daughter terribly. Each time she sent her son out to
stop the Donovans from breaking her curse had been successful but the queen
never felt any comfort in his success.

What a cruel twist of fate that she would find no peace,
know no more wonderment. She had heard the whispers in her court; some thought
she was wasting away just as her daughter had. Others thought she had gone
crazy with grief. Even now, her own son was turning against her. Jam’el had
tried to talk his mother out of making him do this once again. How many times
had he thwarted the Donovans’ attempts at retrieving the jewels? From seduction
to outright thievery, it had been his life’s work over these hundreds of years
to make sure the Donovans paid for taking the life of his sister.

True, they may not have touched her physically but what had
been done to her was worse. They had broken her spirit, taken her soul, all for
the love of money and power, something they held in the highest regard. They
were not much better than animals. They were coarse and crude and selfish. They
destroyed their lands and fought over their gods.

As Jam’el stood before her, his sadness seeped into her
skin, adding to the pain she already felt.

“Mother, I have met the Donovan woman. She is my
Matree
.
I never understood until I looked into Heather Donovan’s eyes what Ariel felt
for her human.”

Allora closed her eyes. She didn’t want to hear this from
her only surviving child.

“I can see the soul that lies beneath her pallid skin and
the dark circles beneath her blue eyes. She is strong and kind and the most
beautiful female I’ve ever known.”

He fell to his knees and grasped Allora’s hand. She knew he
spoke from his heart, his truth bled into her skin, flowed through her blood.

Allora looked sharply at Jam’el. “Tell me this is not so, my
son. You know this can never be.” Not again, she would not lose her only living
child to a mortal.

“Mother, I have never understood the pull that Ariel felt
for the human male. Now I do and she was right about her feelings for him. I’ve
never been more certain of anything else in my life. I want her, Mother. I need
her.”

Allora’s heart broke at the desperation on her son’s face.

“Son, she was seduced by that man. Human beings are so
different from us. Duncan Donovan killed your sister, lest you forget.” Even
saying his name aloud left a bitter taste.

Jam’el lowered his head. “I understand this but I can’t
interfere this time. If the Donovan men succeed then so be it. As long as
Heather lives, I will be at her side until the curse is broken or until she no
longer is with me. Then I will follow her in death.”

Allora studied her son, seeing in him the truth. Again, she
found herself feeling terror at the thought of her son choosing to die to be
with his true mate. He had found his
Matree
in this woman. What had he
been thinking? Could she allow fate to take its course and not interfere? Is
this what the Goddess had been trying to tell her all these years?

Forgiveness.
The thought popped into her mind. Could
she really ever forgive the family who had taken her joy away from her? Jam’el
seemed willing to do just that in order to be with Heather Donovan. Could she
do the same?

She placed a soft, lily-white hand upon her son’s head.
Would she condemn his choice the way the Donovans had condemned Duncan’s? She
would be no better if she did. Even though it grieved her, she knew what she
had to do. She prayed to the Goddess to give her the strength to support
Jam’el’s decision.

“I relieve you of your obligation to me, Jam’el, but I have
some conditions.”

“Thank you, my Queen. Thank you, my mother.” He gently
placed a kiss on the top of her hand.

“Good. First of all, you may not interfere in any way, good
or bad. You cannot help these men in getting the jewels from the women who
possess them. Second, you may not reveal who you are to Heather Donovan. If you
choose to be with this woman, you shall do it as a human male would. No magic,
Jam’el, no telling that you are a prince of Fae. As with your sister before
you, this young woman must love you as she would any other human. Last, if she
rejects you, you must come back to me with haste. I will not lose another child
to the whims of human feelings. While we mate for life, the majority of humans
do not. Do you understand me, Jam’el?”

Her son leaned up and embraced his mother. “Thank you, my
Queen. I will abide by your conditions. Please do not worry. Heather is unlike
any female I have ever known. She carries the sun in her eyes and the breeze in
her hair.”

As high a compliment as any Allora had ever heard from her
son. “I hope for your sake that what you say is true, my son.”

The queen meant her words. She truly hoped this Heather was
worthy of Jam’el’s love. To be loved by a Fae was a beautiful and soul-searing
experience. Rarely had they gone outside their race to the human world. Humans
were fragile creatures and most could not withstand the feelings evoked when
they had a Fae as a mate.

Heather Donovan had lasted this long, which proved she had
strength. The magic flowing through her veins was an added plus. Allora prayed
to the Goddess that Jam’el was thinking wisely and not with other parts of his
body. She would have to keep an eye on this family herself. She wouldn’t
interfere; let Fate decide. Feeling suddenly better, Allora bent down and kissed
her son’s gloriously blond hair.

“Good night, Jam’el. I wish you much luck in capturing the
heart of your
Matree
. Now you must get going, you have a school to run
tomorrow.”

Chapter Fourteen

Alli made it to her store just in time to open it up. She didn’t
care that her clothes were wrinkled or that she wore no makeup. Spending all
night in Finn’s arms was worth any cost to her appearance. The only one up this
morning as Finn walked her to her car had been Patrick. The old man said
nothing, he just smiled and laughed as he walked away.

She was going to meet Finn again this evening. This time she
was meeting him in the grove where she had first made love to him all those
years ago. Alli was apprehensive about going but Finn convinced her it was
important to make a new memory there. The grove was a sacred place to the
Donovans, where they celebrated the holidays special to the witch families.

Warmth spread throughout her body as she imagined what she
and Finn could do tonight underneath the stars.

“Excuse me.” The smooth voice of a woman ripped Alli from
her daydream.

“I’m sorry, I was off somewhere else. Can I help you?” Alli
asked the tall woman standing in front of her.

“Yes, I’m Libby Wright, a new teacher over at the school,
and James told me I should come to your store for any books that I may like to
add to the curriculum.”

Alli took in her appearance. Libby wore a long dress made of
purple, blue and green. Her dark-blonde hair was piled on top of her head with
bits hanging out. She had big blue eyes and a very nice smile. Several
bracelets adorned each arm and large hoop earrings dangled in her ears. She
also had a gold hoop piercing her nose. She looked like a gypsy, not a teacher.

“I can get you any book that you like. It usually takes me a
week or so but anything you want, I can order for you.”

“Good, I would hate to have to drive an hour to get what I
need.”

“If you just tell me what you need, I can put in the order
today.” Alli liked this woman. She seemed to sparkle, her face so friendly and
smile so sincere.

“I have a list and to be honest, this my personal stuff. I
have enough at the school for my classes.” Libby handed over her list. “When
they come in, I’d appreciate it if you could be discreet about them. You know
how gossipy small towns can be.”

“Can I make a suggestion?” Alli waited for her to nod.
“There is one book before
New Lover
, it’s called
Lover Mine
and
you should really read the first one. It makes the second one much more
enjoyable.”

Libby wiped a hand over her brow and let out the breath she
was holding. “Oh, thank you. I was so nervous that if you knew what kind of
books I was ordering you might refuse.”

Alli giggled. So Libby was into erotica, many of her
customers were. “What you’re ordering is very popular. This town is about as
liberal as you can get for a place so small.”

She went over to her computer and put in the order. “Okay,
all set. Your books should be here in about a week, just give me your number
and I’ll call you.”

She handed Libby a blank piece of paper so the woman could
write down her information.

Libby scribbled her number down then brought out a thick
pile of papers and put them in front of Alli. “I was wondering if I could
interest you in signing this petition.”

“What is it for?”

“The old Diamond Theater. The city is considering selling it
to an out-of-town developer. They in turn want to tear it down and put up a
strip mall. I’m hoping if I get enough signatures that I can convince the city
council to not sell and to declare the theater a historic landmark.”

Alli knew that theater well. It had been years since any
plays were put on. They no longer showed any movies since Omni Vision Movies
opened a twenty-screen theater near the outskirts of town. “I would love to
sign it. It would be a shame to see that old place torn down.”

Libby smiled. ´Thanks. I don’t know very many people in town
yet and it’s nice to meet someone who has the same taste in books.”

Finn stepped out from the shower. He had never felt so happy
in his life. Even though Alli hadn’t told him she loved him, Finn was certain
she did. The way she fucked him was proof enough for him.

He dried off, threw the towel in the hamper and walked into
his bedroom. Alli. Tonight he would ask her to complete the ceremony with him.
They could do it on Saturday when the moon was full and high in the sky. To be
bound to her in the way of his people… Finn hoped she wouldn’t freak out. Hell,
he knew she would, he only hoped he could convince her that she was meant to
spend the rest of her life with him.

The idea of Alli marrying him and having his children made
him hard. He wanted to make love with her when her belly was swollen with his
child. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t scared at the idea of having a
girl. He hadn’t believed in the damn curse until Heather took ill but the fear
that it was real occupied a part of his soul.

But soon the curse would be broken, Finn knew, felt it deep
down. His brothers and he would succeed. Was it only a few short days ago that
he sat in a cold sweat, staring into Alli’s store?

Finn wished they had the time for a longer courtship but
they didn’t. Even if Alli hadn’t been the owner of the necklace, she was the
only one for him. Finn realized that he had always loved Alli.

Over the past fifteen years, he had thought his feelings for
her were nothing more than an infatuation he had never put to rest. Now he knew
they had been the real thing all along. Closing his eyes, he could still smell
her soft skin and feel her lips caress his body. Damn if she didn’t make him
walk around with a constant hard-on.

“Mmm, is that hard cock for me?”

Finn’s eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice.

“What the hell are you doing here, Claudia?” He reached for
a pair of jeans on the floor and hastily put them on his still-damp skin.

Damn the woman, what the hell was she doing in his room? He
had asked Pop to make her leave but Pop refused. He didn’t want to upset the
women on the council. They knew what had happened to Finn and were either
indifferent or didn’t care.

Claudia knelt on the bed and pulled the belt loose on her
robe. Her small, pert breasts pointed out proudly to him. She ran her finger
and thumb across one while her other hand dipped between her legs and began
touching her pussy lips.

“I think what I’m doing is obvious. Come on, don’t you want
to play with me?” She licked her lips and pinned Finn with a playful smile.

“Get the hell out of here.” He growled, walking toward her.
Claudia raised her hands and Finn became frozen, unable to move his body.

“You bitch,” he hissed as he began trying to undo the spell
she had woven. Claudia was a very powerful priestess, more powerful than Finn,
but there was no way in hell she was going to get away with this. The sight of
her made him sick to his stomach. He never wanted to feel her cold touch against
his skin.

She stood and went around behind Finn, pressing her small
breasts against him and rubbing herself back and forth.

The hard-on he had for Alli faded at Claudia’s first touch.
Finn laughed. “You’re a cold-hearted woman, Claudia, and I will never fuck
you.”

Claudia felt around the front of him and sighed. “Oh Finn,
you always were a stubborn one. Why do you think I had to whip you so often?”
She slithered up and sat on the bed before him. Putting one leg up and opening
herself to his view.

“You beat me then because I wouldn’t bed you. What are you
going to do now?” He couldn’t help but shiver, remembering the lash going
across his shoulders every time he spurned her attention.

Claudia was a barracuda and even at eighteen, Finn had
enough sense to turn her down regardless of the punishment she gave him. Life
chained to this woman would have been pure hell. She seemed to take her
greatest pleasure in punishing men. Finn had witnessed on several occasions
when other males had been sent to the island, the pure delight she took in
causing them pain.

“You know you want me. You’re just being stubborn yet
again.” Her finger slid inside her wet slit as she began to masturbate in front
of him.

His stomach tightened, he forced himself not to vomit. How
could she honestly think he’d want her after all she’d put him through? He
recalled one of the last nights he’d spent with her. After Finn spurned her
attention yet again, she’d chained him like a dog. Forcing him to sit in the
freezing rain all night. Denying him food and water.

When she finally brought him back inside before dawn, she
whipped him until he begged her to stop. His desperate cries of pain caught the
attention of Elsapeth and she’d taken him from Claudia. The old crone didn’t
say much about Claudia, only that she’d been through a great tragedy that
scarred her for life. He didn’t care what she’d gone through, her sadistic need
to control him, hurt him, was all he needed to know about her. He couldn’t
bring himself to empathize about whatever turned her into the woman she was
now.

Finn closed his eyes and thought of Alli and all that he
felt for her. Alli would never act this way. She was too dignified, too
beautiful, and he’d had about enough of Claudia’s games for one night. Heat
began to sizzle within his body. Lightning crashed from the ceiling, throwing
Claudia off the bed. He was free, able to break the hold she had placed on him.
His thoughts of Alli and what she meant to him enabled him to break free from
the meanest witch he had ever known.

Without a word, she ran from the room, screaming curses at
Finn as she fled. He laughed loudly and it shook the house. His magic vibrated
throughout his body, giving a high better than any ale could have.