Authors: Kassanna
“Perhaps we could trade her to a witch for a few spells or maybe a jar of wailing.” Tolley grunted. “I’m sick of running from that fat, orange bastard. We could get rid of him once and for all, and be free of his mercurial moods.” The giant continued to mutter quietly as he hefted up his bedroll.
Lucky clenched his jaw. Anger welled up at the thought of his childhood friend’s suggestion that they get rid of Landis.
Surprised by his strong emotions, he laughed. “You’re one to talk. You’ve sent more than one woman to Agrona because they made a deal with a witch for you.” He turned away from Tolley. “The decision is mine. I’ll take responsibility. I’m keeping her.” He picked up his saddle and directed his next question toward the woman he wasn’t quite sure what to do with. “Can you cook, Landis?”
“Or do you have funds? Crossing Tuatha De Danann’s territory takes coin and, sadly, my companion left our bag of gems with the troll king.” Tolley stuffed his sleeping bag within another pack and straightened, slinging it across his back.
“Yeah, I can cook. But what are banshees? Because if they are what I think they are…” She turned to face Tolley, clearing her throat she stared up at him. “I’m not real clear on what’s going on, but if you put your grimy paws on me, I will neuter your ass with a rusty spoon. Damn the consequences.”
Laughter burst through Lucky’s lips as he slapped his hand to his thigh.
Tolley blushed and marched away.
Lucky took a deep breath to control his mirth then called out, “Tolley, don’t be mad. I’d say your reputation precedes you. Landis is from beyond the veil, and she has you pegged. Come on, give us a minute to get ready to go.” He threw the saddle on Dubh’s back and buckled the cinch. After tying his bedroll to the pommel, he took hold of the reins and swung himself up to mount the unicorn.
Landis shielded her eyes with her hand and peered in the direction the giant stalked with ground-eating strides. “He moves fast.” She turned to face Lucky. “You still haven’t answered my question. What is a banshee?”
“Banshees are women who trade their most valuable possession with witches for their heart’s desire. They become haggard, sometimes horribly disfigured. Always desperate to get what they lost. When they open their mouths, the most hideous sounds emerge, or so I’ve been told. The yells can render a being helpless. It’s said a banshee can trade places with a person.” He looked in the distance. Tolley was already a good mile ahead of them. “His steps are quadruple mine, so he’s always been able to outrun me.” Lucky chuckled. “He always gets like this when he’s upset.”
Lucky looked down and met Landis’ curious stare. He needed to explain about Tolley. His companion could be abrasive on a good day, and with Dicklaus on their trail, Tolley had about reached his breaking point.
“Growing up, Tolley didn’t really have a choice but to become a little standoffish. His people consider him severely short.” He shrugged. “That’s how we met. While my parents sheared their sheep, he streaked past us and hid in a hay bale. Seems some of the larger boys were picking on him and chasing him through the fields. My da ran the youngsters off with the clippers. Tolley hung around for the duration of our business then followed us when we left. When my mother could no longer stand seeing him living just outside our camp, she took him in. We were raised together. To this day, he still refuses to visit his home.”
Lucky held out his hand. “Come on, luv, we need to catch up with the sensitive bastard.”
She hung back, staring at his fingers with disdain. “That’s all good—you got that great bromance thing going with your friend—but if I stay around here, I might be able to get home.”
“These are unforgiving lands, lass. There are marshes on both sides of the borders. Not to mention Dicklaus is hot on my trail. Portals open up beyond the veil all the time. Sometimes within days of each other—it’s a common enough occurrence. I choose to ignore them, but if you want to walk through one, I’ll not stop you. At least allow me to get you to a safe place. I can get you to a bustling town with a myriad of beings. That way, you’ll not stick out like a sore thumb until you can find your way back. I have a few friends I know can keep you safe.” Lucky hoped he’d countered any arguments she could think of.
“But I fell here.” She angled her head toward the sky.
“If the bridge trolls get you, lass, you could end up the slave of whichever guard captures you. Or worse, a sex surrogate to Dicklaus himself, if he takes a liking to you. I’ll not lie to you. I can leave you with provisions if you truly want to stay in the area, but it’s not wise.” He fisted his hands around the reins. Leaving her truly wasn’t an option. From the moment he saw her, an undeniable urge to possess her had influenced his choices. “Time is getting away from us, Landis.”
“I’m not comfortable with snap judgments.” She scrubbed her face with her palms.
“It is my sincerest wish I could give you time, luv, but I have none to spare.” His heart stuttered in his chest and Dubh grew restless, tapping his hooves in the soft earth.
Time seemed to stand still as she thought. Tolley was a large speck on the horizon. A few more seconds and he would make the decision for her.
“All right.” She pressed her lips together in a firm line.
He swooped over and snaked an arm around her waist, snatching her up. He settled her in front of him, her ass fitting snugly between his thighs. Lucky slid his arms around her waist and sunk his heels into Dubh’s side, speaking Gaelic.
The unicorn trotted off. Lucky’s chest pressed flush against Landis’ back and the inside of his arms brushed the soft curves of her breasts. The trot turned into a gallop. As they rose and fell in the saddle, Landis’ body rubbed against his. With each caress of her butt against his cock, his shaft grew more rigid. Her grassy scent surrounded him, wrapping them in a cocoon.
This would be a long, hard ride. Lucky followed the long column of her neck that gently curved into her shoulders and swallowed. Desire to grip her hair and nuzzle her neck, to taste her skin, made his dick throb. What had he gotten himself into?
THREE
Landis tossed and turned, unable to find the peace only deep sleep could bring. Loud snuffles and snores were part of the reason. She flipped to her back and sighed. Twisting her head to the side, she peered at Tolley’s big feet then followed the length of his body. Light from the fire danced over his pale skin and dark hair, creating shadows on his face when his cheeks hollowed as he expelled a shrill whistle through his lips. In the dark, his features appeared more menacing than they actually were. His distaste for her had rolled off him in waves. She searched her mind, looking for anything she might have done to offend him, and drew a blank.
Shivering, she pulled the thin blanket over her shoulders. Stars twinkled bright in the inky sky. They’d bedded down for the night in an alcove surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs with striations of smoky blue threading through the red slate. For their dinner, Lucky had concocted a soupy mixture that resembled watery oatmeal with strange berries. In this world, things looked the same but were totally different, and she was completely out of her depth. After they’d eaten, Tolley cleaned up and Lucky gave her his blanket. The men hadn’t said a word. Like a well-oiled machine, they worked together without a hitch, leaving her to watch curiously at what had to be their routine and yearn for home.
Her self-proclaimed host was an enigma to her. As much as she felt Tolley’s dislike, Lucky gave her the opposite impression. He went out of his way to talk to her, to explain things. His hard body pressed to her back that afternoon had been a welcome distraction. For a while, Lucky’s muscular thighs and hard dick flush with her backside allowed her to forget her predicament and just feel. Soon enough she would have to face her reality again.
Landis hit the ground with the side of her fist. Just this morning, she had been conducting an artificial insemination on a panther and looking forward to the next few days, tamping her excitement until she knew for sure Snuggles was pregnant. Tears seeped from the corner of her eyes. After getting sucked through a sinkhole, she was in some alternate dimension waking up in a leprechaun cowboy’s lap. This was shit you read about in those fake newspapers, only there was nothing false about her experiences. Nothing she’d faced in her life had prepared her for this.
Pulling up the edge of the fabric, she dabbed at her eyes. A chill ran through her feet, and she shook her head. The higher she pulled the cover, the more it inched up her calves. She couldn’t even get a decent throw to keep her warm.
There had to be a way home. Lucky had mentioned that doorways to other realms opened up all the time, as if it were a common occurrence. How did this happen?
She bumped her head against the soft ground, creating deep thuds. Why her?
“I’m used to Tolley’s snores, but could you please tone down the noise, luv? I’d like to get at least a few hours’ sleep before the sun rises.” Lucky’s slow, Irish drawl drifted over to her through the darkness.
Landis peered past the fire and could only make out a darker outline of Lucky standing beyond the flames. “How can you hear anything over that racket your friend makes?”
“Simple. I’ve had years to learn how to ignore him, but I can’t seem to do the same with you.” He appeared within the circle of light, standing with his palms raised toward the fire. A four-leaf clover pendant made of green stones glinted as it swung on a thick, silver chain against his defined bare chest.
He reminded her of the old cigarette billboards of cowboys they would drive past when she was a child. Shaking her head, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. What was wrong with her? She was attracted to a man when she should be concerned about getting home.
She sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs. “I don’t understand this place, and for the record, leprechauns are little men in green tuxedos who protect their pots of gold. Not sexy men wearing leather.”
“Hmmm, I have never been small…anywhere, and the only thing green that my people share in common is hair color.” He tugged on his shoulder-length tresses. “But it changes as we grow older. Soon I’ll not have a lick of the color left. Unicorns shit gold and you can pick up a load of it on any path. I promise you it’s nothing worth protecting. Ye think I’m handsome?”
“I shouldn’t be here.” Landis groaned as the tears began to flow again. She rubbed her cheek against her knee.
“Lass, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. I am a firm believer in the Fates. Those bitches are crazy.” He chuckled as he skirted the campfire and dropped down beside her. “You may want to keep it down. Honestly, Tolley is a right arse when he doesn’t get enough sleep.”
“You mean more than usual?” She couldn’t stifle the small smile that curved her lips as she turned to Lucky.
He’d stretched his legs out. Even relaxed, she could make out the muscular definition of his bulging thighs and strong calves. The leprechaun looked nothing like the images she grew up with, and the calm, smooth tenor of his voice was addicting. Landis leaned to the side, brushing his shoulder. Her gaze dropped to his arms and she marveled at the width of his biceps. Not so imaginary, his forearms were the size of her calf. Her mouth went dry. She had bigger problems than wanting to jump a being who technically shouldn’t exist. Landis licked her lips to work up moisture.
“Keep doing that, luv, and I’ll be forced to find out exactly what they taste like.” He leaned back on his elbows.
Excitement morphed into nervousness and snapped along her nerve endings. Her nipples tightened into hard buds in her bra cups. He smelled like earth, leather, and sweat, a scent she shouldn’t find appealing. She wiped a palm over her mouth. “So, if Dubh shits gold and pisses rainbows, what’s your specialty?” That was not what she’d intended to say. She pressed her lips together.
His eyes crinkled in the corners as his grin widened. “I don’t like to brag.” His voice dropped to a husky timbre. “Would you like a demonstration of my abilities?”
She glanced toward the dying fire and changed the subject. “Are we in the lowlands yet?”
As he shook his head, his hair brushed his shoulders. “No, it’s about a half day’s ride. We won’t be setting up camp there. It’s not safe.” His long, slow lilt wrapped around her. “We’ll make a stop to pick up provisions and then cross that desolate space quietly. I truly hope you can cook and weren’t just blowing smoke up my arse. Dubh won’t even sniff Tolley’s fare.”
“I’m a very good cook, thank you.” She huffed as she peered at him
“Good.” He cocked his head. “I’ll apologize now…”
“For what?”
“This.” Lucky leaned on one hand and cupped the back of her head, tugging her toward him. He pressed his lips against hers and slid the tip of his tongue along the seam of her mouth.
Heat consumed her like a fever. A thin coat of moisture covered her skin. He placed tiny kisses on her chin and nipped at the sensitive skin where her throat met her jaw. In between pecks, he muttered words she couldn’t understand, weaving an erotic web around her. Images of them making love, naked and sweaty skinned, sliding against each other, filled her mind. Slowly, he urged her back until she reclined on her blanket. Then Lucky broke the connection and hovered over her. The pictures ceased.
His breath coming out in quick pants, Lucky slid a finger along her cheek. “I wonder what exactly you are?” He spoke so low she barely made out his words.
His question made no sense. “Human.” Her heart beat in her throat.
“Nae, lass, you are so much more. No mere mortal could have passed through the portal unscathed.” He leaned closer. A fine sheen of perspiration made his face shine in the firelight.
“There’s a first time for everything.“ She placed her hands on his chest. The powerful thud of his heart beat against her palm. The solid feel of his body thrilled her and excitement coursed through her with a direct line to her pussy. Her clit pulsed.
“Not in the eight hundred years I’ve been around. I don’t believe I’d want a simple human woman this badly.”