Heart of the Druid Laird (5 page)

“I suppose.” Zoe gave him a small smile. “So, where did we leave off?”

Thomas pulled out into traffic in the direction of the restaurant. “I was about to tell you how Mairéad and Dermot came to be together. Have you heard of the
Tuatha Dé Danann?
”

“Sure. Faeries.”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“They’re only a myth, aren’t they?”

“No’ so mythical. Mairéad was
Tuatha Dé Danann,
a granddaughter to their high king. They’re immortal. Some call them faerie folk, though they refer to themselves as children of the goddess Danu.” He cocked his head as he thought about it. “I do no’ think they’re born immortal.” He flashed her a grin. “I have my theories, you ken.”

“The story, Thomas. Focus.”

“Bossy little thing,” he muttered. “Some things never change.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Would you like to have that first fight now?”

Thomas laughed, and ran his hand up her thigh. “Aye, if it means we can have make-up sex.” Zoe giggled and took hold of his hand. His world shifted, and all was exactly as it should be.

“Mairéad met Dermot at one of our gatherings. She became infatuated with him and begged Áine, her mother, to arrange a match. In those days, unions between the
Tuatha Dé Danann
and mortals were no longer so common. Her mother forbade the union, so Mairéad took matters into her own hands. She approached Dermot and proposed they wed, emphasizing the benefits an alliance with the
Tuatha
would bring to our clan. They have supernatural powers. An alliance would make the MacKays invincible, or so we thought at the time.”

“Have, as in they still exist? What about Mairéad’s father?”

“Aye, they still exist. Mairéad’s father was human. Perhaps that’s why Áine objected. As the story goes, her husband and sons refused immortality when it was offered to them. She watched them grow old and die. Dermot’s beliefs about immortality were well known to Áine. I’m sure she feared her daughter would suffer the same heartache.”

“How did Dermot feel about Mairéad?”

“It’s hard to say. I do no’ think he loved her as she loved him, but he certainly saw the value in the alliance with the
Tuatha.
Our clan was well off, and we had many enemies because of it. An alliance with the
Tuatha
made sense at the time. As a Druid, Dermot viewed Mairéad’s immortality as abhorrent and against the laws of nature. He agreed to wed her on the condition that she give up her birthright and become mortal.”

“No.” She gasped. “He didn’t.”

“Aye, he did, and Mairéad agreed to his terms. This made Áine livid and not at all kindly disposed toward Dermot, to say the least. Mortality put her only daughter’s life in peril, not to mention she’d have to watch her last remaining child grow old and die a mortal death.”

“I feel sorry for Áine. It must be terrible to watch everyone you love age and die.”

“Aye, that it is, but some suffer loss and become more compassionate. Áine’s losses turned her heart to stone.”

Sidney glanced at the clock on her bedside table. The green light showed 11:30 p.m. She flipped onto her back, pulled the covers up to her chin and tried hard to fall asleep. It wasn’t happening. Why on earth had she spilled her guts to Dermot MacKay? Even worse, why had she told him about her financial insecurities?

The blame lay with her mother. If she hadn’t shown up at the store, Sidney could’ve avoided Dermot’s company altogether. None of her conflicted feelings would have been stirred up. No, she wasn’t being fair. The fault was hers. If she had returned her mother’s calls, she wouldn’t have popped up at the store, and then Sidney could’ve avoided Dermot. Yep, it was her own fault.

She gave up, turned her lamp on and got out of bed to get her sketch pad and charcoal pencils. She settled on her bed with her back against the headboard. Flipping to a blank page, she let her mind wander and drew. The delicate features of a lovely young woman took shape on the paper. She wore her hair in a thick braid that hung over her shoulder. Her face radiated goodness, and her eyes twinkled with good humor.
Who are you? Why do you feel so familiar?

Sidney tore the drawing off the tablet and began another. This time a building took shape, a stone and timber structure built on the summit of a hill and surrounded by a ditch. One drawing after another littered the top of her bedspread.

Her heart beat a staccato rhythm and she had trouble breathing.
What does it mean? It means I’m going crazy, that’s what.
She covered her face with her hands and curled up into a fetal position amidst the drawings of places she’d never been and faces she’d never known. She reached out to turn her lamp off and fell into a restless sleep.

She awoke to the scent of a summer rainstorm. Sidney sat up in bed and searched the dark corners of her room. A tiny ball of blue light flashed into existence, spinning and growing. She watched in fascinated horror as the ball of light grew. Then
she
appeared, and a rush of fight-or-flight adrenaline coursed through Sidney.

Scary Faerie floated above the floor, her ethereal face an unreadable mask. “Did I not warn you to stay away from him?”

“I try, but MacKay doesn’t take no for an answer. He shows up anyway.” Sidney scooted back against her headboard.

“He forcibly carries you out of the building?” Scary Faerie’s iridescent gaze fixed on one of the drawings on Sidney’s bed, the image of the young woman. “What is this?” She extended her arm, and the sketch flew to her hand.

“Just a drawing. I…I don’t even know who she is.”

Scary Faerie’s expression hardened. The sketch in her hand curled at the edges, and blue flame turned it to ash in an instant. What was it about the picture that upset Scary Faerie so much that she’d burned it to a crisp? The faerie didn’t say a word, and Sidney hoped she’d disappear.

“The danger he poses to you is not physical. He’ll ruin your life.”

“He told me he’s only going to be here for two weeks. How can he ruin my life in fourteen days? How do you suggest I stay away from him when he keeps showing up?” Her excuses were lame. If she really wanted to avoid Dermot, she could. He drew her like no man ever had before and stirred unfamiliar and inexplicable emotions. Not just lust. She yanked at her covers and looked anywhere but at the being she could no longer pretend was a dream.

“Has he told you why he’s here?”

“He says he wants to do business with me. Something about bee products.” She shrugged. “I told him no.”

“He’s not here about bees.”

“Well, duh.” She looked across the room and met Scary Faerie’s gaze. “Why is he here? Why not tell me, and then I’ll know what the danger is. For that matter, why are you here?”

“As to the former—I cannot say. It is against the conditions of an agreement, a covenant of sorts.” She tilted her head. “As to the latter, as I said before, I am here to warn you.”

“Covenant? Conditions of an agreement? So, you’re a member of some kind of secret faerie union?”

“Something like that.” Scary Faerie almost smiled. The ozone scent filled the room, and she took on the otherworld transparency. “I was able to keep your presence hidden from him until now. Believe me—”

“You can do that?” Sidney’s eyebrows shot up.

“I can do many things.”

Scary Faerie’s words sent goose bumps skittering over Sidney’s skin.

“Did I not tell you? I’m not a faerie. I’m a goddess.”

Scary Goddess just didn’t have the same ring to it that Scary Faerie did, but she wasn’t going to argue the point. “If you kept my presence hidden for all these years, how did he find me?” For an instant, strong emotions flitted across the being’s face. Rage? Just when Sidney was beginning to believe the creature wasn’t evil.
What the hell?

Scary Faerie’s face hardened. “It is in your own best interest to stay away from Dermot MacKay. No more excuses.”

She disappeared, and Sidney was left staring into space with questions whirling around in her head. If she knew what the danger was, it would be so much easier to resist temptation. Dermot MacKay made her feel things she couldn’t explain.

Well, that wasn’t entirely honest. The lust she understood. The man oozed sexuality. But the deep currents of emotion rising to the surface whenever he was near? Those defied reason. Where did the grief come from, and the longing? His presence made her restless and discontented. He made her ache for the things she didn’t have in her life—intimacy, loving and being loved by a man—a man like him, but without all the mystery and supernatural encounters.

She gathered the remaining sketches, placed them on the floor and crawled back into bed. Dermot planned to take her to lunch again tomorrow, even though she’d declined the invitation again.

When he arrived, she’d be gone.

Sidney stood in front of the kitchen counter and watched the coffee trickle into the glass carafe of their coffee maker. Between the faerie and the Scot she
was
the wishbone—each side pulled her toward their…what? What did Scary Faerie know about Dermot MacKay? What did Dermot MacKay want with her, and how would what he wanted affect her? She moved away from the counter toward the phone. Oh, how she dreaded making this call.

“Hey, Sid, it’s only 6:00 a.m. What are you doing up so early?” David walked into the kitchen. His sandy blond hair stood on end from sleep, and his favorite flannel robe hung open over his pajamas with the belt dragging on the floor.

“I’m not up. I never slept.” She yawned, grateful for the short reprieve before calling her mother. David and her mother were morning people, while she could easily sleep until midmorning.

“Why not?” He opened a cabinet door, pulled out two mugs and poured them both coffee before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

She went to the refrigerator for half-and-half. “Things on my mind I guess. I was about to call Mom and ask her to cover for me at the store today.”

He gave her a surprised look. “Are you sure you want to do that? It sets a precedent, a foot in the door and all. I’m off today, and I don’t have any classes. I can cover for you.”

Sidney tousled his hair. “You’re the best little brother ever. Are you sure you want to give up your day off?”

“Sure. I can always use the extra money.” He grinned. “You have to make me breakfast though.”

“Done.” She crossed the kitchen to the fridge and pulled out bacon, eggs and bread. “Do you want your eggs scrambled?” She peeled off pieces of bacon and placed them in a cast-iron skillet.

“Sure.” He gave her a speculative look. “Does your lack of sleep have anything to do with the man I met the other day?”

“Maybe.”

“Can’t get him off your mind, eh?” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “This is a good sign. I’ve never known you to lose sleep over a guy.”

“No. It’s not a good sign. He’s not here to date me. He’s here for a couple of weeks, and then I’ll never see him again.” Why did that thought make her feel so hollow inside?

“Unless you do business with him. I
am
a business major. I’d love to get involved in some international trade. That is…if you want my help.”

She glanced over her shoulder at her brother. “We aren’t going to do business with him. Maybe once Panache is better established we’ll look into branching out. You’re welcome to handle all the international endeavors when we do.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s a story here?”

“I don’t know what it is.” An understatement if ever there was one.

“Whatever. It’s your store anyway.”

Sidney turned to face him. “No. It’s the family business, just like the hardware store.” Memories of her father behind the counter swamped her, and a lump filled her throat. She and her brother had grown up in that building, had played and run up and down the aisles while their parents worked. The place held her family’s history, and the history of three generations of her father’s family. “It will
always
be the family business.”

“Then why not let Mom work there? You know she wants to.”

“Of course I know she wants to,” she choked out. “Maybe once we’re turning a big, fat profit, and I don’t feel like she’s looking over my shoulder or judging how I do things—maybe then.” She blinked her tears away and concentrated on turning the bacon over in the skillet. Maybe once she was sure her mother couldn’t say
I told you so
, she would welcome her help.

“Lord save me from early risers,” Zoe grumbled as she yawned her way into the kitchen and headed for the coffee. “What are you doing up so early, Sid?”

“Did our conversation wake you?” David pushed a chair out for Zoe with his foot.

“No. The smell of coffee and bacon woke me. Mmm. That bacon smells good. I hope you’re making enough for three.” Zoe reached for a mug, poured herself some coffee and sank into the kitchen chair.

“I’ll throw some more on. Do you want eggs?”

“Of course. Nothing beats food somebody else cooks for me.” She grinned.

“I’m not going to work today,” Sidney said.

Zoe look confused. “What do you mean you’re not going to work today?”

“I mean I’m taking the day off.”

Zoe sat up straighter. “What do you mean you’re taking the day off?”

“I mean I won’t be there, as in carry on without me. You can do it.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday. We’re closed.” Zoe frowned. “That means you’re really taking two days off…in a row.”

“Drink your coffee, sweetie. We’ll discuss it once the caffeine has been absorbed into your bloodstream.”

“You never take days off. Remember when you were so sick with the flu? Even then you dragged your skinny ass in to work,” Zoe sputtered. “You’re doing this to avoid Dermot, right?”

“That’s what I thought,” David added. “She couldn’t sleep last night.”

Zoe studied her. “Really?”

“He won’t take no for an answer.” Sidney shrugged. “I figure if I’m not there, he’ll get the message and go away for good.”

“And then again, maybe not.” Zoe got up to top off her coffee, refilling all their mugs at the same time. “Thomas has nothing but good things to say about him. They’re cousins, you know. Maybe you should give the man a chance.”