Taken

TEAGAN SKIPPED DOWN the stairs and into the now familiar kitchen with a huge smile on her face. She briefly noted no one was around before heading to counter and plucking an apple from the new fruit bowl someone had thoughtfully provided after her little magic mishap the other day.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ian said as he entered the kitchen.

“Oh, I thought I was alone,” Teagan answered.

“Nope, I got stuck with the babysitting gig today.” He laughed, thinking he was funny.

Teagan threw the apple she was holding at his head, but he bobbed and caught it. When he brought it to his mouth and sank a big bite into it, instead of throwing it back, she shook her head and laughed, turning to grab herself another apple. He was lucky there was more. After her and Aidan’s night, she was ravenous.

“What should we get into today?” she asked him.

He shrugged in answer. “I’m on the strictest orders, on pain of death actually, to keep you inside the wards. Aidan doesn’t want to take any chances right now. He said Cian tried to contact you, or Aoife?”

She nodded, glad that her mouth was full of the fruit because she really didn’t want to discuss it with him. She finished her bite, after several minutes of chewing, and swallowed.

“Why don’t we go outside, and you can show me more of that awesome paper of yours?” she said.

“I don’t know.”

She held up her hand. “I won’t use mine; Scout’s honor.”

“You swear it? Not even a touch, a smidge, the tiniest bit?”

“I swear. Cross my heart.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

“Yippee,” she giggled. “Aidan’s garden really needs some tending.”

“Hey, I’m not in the lawncare business.”

She punched him playfully in the arm. “I know, but I saw some wild roses out there that need a little love.”

“Fine,” he said as he trudged out the backdoor in front of her.

––––––––

IN THE GARDEN, IAN set to work “speaking” to the wild rose bush with his magic. He told her that all living things were connected. They all had their own language; you just had to listen to hear what they were saying. The roses were at the back of the field, she’d often seen them as she’d looked out the window from Aidan’s room. It would be pleasant to see them in full bloom, and she was excited at the thought. As the plants started to bloom for him, she clapped with sheer joy.

He looked at her, and froze, the smile leaving his face.

“Teagan, don’t move.”

“What is it?” she asked, her hand coming to her throat as she took a step back.

“No, stop.”

But it was too late, she was already over the wards at the back of the property line, and she realized it just as something grabbed her from behind.

“Teagan!” she heard Ian yelling for her as he lunged toward her, pulling roots from the ground as he did so.

He was too far. He wasn’t going to make it to her, so she struggled. She slammed her head back into her assailant’s nose and heard him grunt with pain. Instead of loosening her grip, he hit her. A blinding pain seared through her head, and she blacked out.

***

HER HEAD THUMPED AGAINST the window, adding to the pain from her attacker’s blow, and she groaned with pain. Her eyes flashed open as she remembered what’d happened. With her hands twist-tied behind her back, she was powerless to move. Her arms were numb with pain. They flew down a dirt road, and she looked out at a landscape she wasn’t familiar with. She wasn’t blindfolded.

When she turned to look at the driver, she gasped in shock.

“Dr. Cam? What the hell are you doing?”

“Oh, hello Teagan,” he said as though he hadn’t just assaulted and abducted her. She was pretty sure there were bounds even a shrink who’d cross an ocean to bring back a patient should have, and this was not one of them.

“Let me go.”

“I can’t do that. See, you’re my responsibility, and I just can’t have you traipsing around another country spewing your kind of crazy.”

“You have no right to be here. No right to take me back. There’s no law that says I can’t leave the country.”

“No, no, you’re right on that count, but after that little stunt you pulled back at the half-way house, I called in a few of my police friends, and I’m afraid you’re wanted for vandalism and arson. That’s a felony.”

“I didn’t start a fire, and you know it. I ran away.”

“And who’d you steal the money from to do that? Your poor mother?”

She shook her head. Arguing with him was useless. “You’re taking me back to the states then?” she asked, hoping the more questions she asked, the better chance Aidan had of reading her mind and finding her.

“Sure, sure, but first, we need to make a little pit stop. There’s something I’ve been dying to try.”

She didn’t like the sound of his voice, or that she thought he’d be rubbing his hands together in evil pleasure if he weren’t driving.

“A stop? Where?”

“Oh-ho, wouldn’t you love to know.” He glanced at her from the side. “You’re awfully full of questions. Maybe I should gag you.”

“No, I’m good. I’ll shut up.”

“Good,” he said.

––––––––

“NOW, I’M GOING TO UNTIE you, and you’re going to be a good little girl right?” He said this with the pointy end of a taser shoved into her back.

“Yes,” she grumbled, not like her odds as he pulled her roughly from the car, knocking her head on the way out.

“Welcome to the Dublin Museum, my dear.” He sounded proud of himself for some reason, and she pushed it to the back of her mind as he shoved her forward.

“Now, now, don’t forget your promise.”

She went willingly.

As they entered through the foyer of the museum, Teagan couldn’t help but stare in amazement. It was very opulent. A polished mahogany desk and furnishings sat upon a gleaming white marble floor. Two magnificent crystal chandlers hung overhead. Teagan’s gaze was drawn to a banister, which wrapped all the way around the second floor, and the massive, vaulted ceiling that stood two stories high in the center of the lobby. An impressive mosaic decorated the ceiling, and a huge marble and mahogany staircase completed the impressive sight.

Eventually, he led her to a wing of the museum that seemed somewhat detached from the rest of the museum. She looked around but didn’t see anyone else in the wing. She saw a sign saying that the wing was closed for cleaning, but he pushed her past the velvet cord and through the massive double doors. As they latched closed behind them, her heart sank. What did he want with her in the Celtic Folklore wing of the museum?

He pushed her roughly forward until they’d stopped in front of a display in the middle of the room. Teagan looked up at the statue before her, staring in disbelief. The huge statue, carved out of marble and granite, was the exact replica of her.

“What is this?” she asked.

“What do you think this is? I’ll tell you. It’s your intervention.” He let her go, stepping away to pace as he spoke, or rather yelled at her. “Look at it, Teagan. Do you think it’s you?” His voice was condescending, hurtful.

“What is this, some new type of therapy crap?”

“Don’t sass me.” He pointed the taser at her, but he was too far away at the moment to be a threat.

“Read the plague Aoife,” he yelled.

“Aoife?” How the hell did he know? The sessions?

“Oh, I know all about your little obsession with her. I know that you think you’re her. I know that you think you see her memories and that you know how you’re going to die. I know everything, Teagan.”

God, Teagan thought, he’s the crazy one. He was obsessed. With her.

“Read it!” His with the taser in it shook with anger.

She moved forward to read the plaque.

Aoife, Warrior Princess, Daughter of Light: It was believed by some that the princess was a goddess and by others that she was the immortal daughter of the Fae Queen who was sent to earth as an omen of goodwill. At the Battle of Balleymena, it is reported that Aoife single handedly healed over one thousand wounded soldiers. Local legend dictates that the princess walked among humans, for a hundred years, sharing her light and wisdom.

Tragically, in a small clan skirmish, she fell from the cliffs at Raithlin and drowned. Some believe the princess’s body was reclaimed by the Fae Queen and taken back to Tir na nÓg. Once there, her body was entombed in a sacred shrine and frozen in time, in order to preserve her beauty, and it now rests at the fairy palace of Breena. There, it is believed, the Fae Queen awaits the return of her daughter’s soul so that she may one day walk in the Fae Realm Court once more.

He was in her face now.

“Is this who you think you are? Famous light princess. Fae.”

“Alright, you’ve made your point.”

“No, I haven’t even begun to make a point yet. Face it. Face the truth and see it for what it’s worth. This, my dear, is called confrontational therapy. Nothing else has worked on your delusions, perhaps if you see that you can’t possibly be someone who lived a millennia ago, you won’t be so quick to claim it anymore. She wasn’t even real. This is a legend.” He spat as he spoke, anger thick in his voice.  

A chill passed over her, and she turned quickly thinking that Aidan had arrived at the museum. His presence usually caused goose bumps. She almost sighed with relief. Instead, to her amazement, she realized she was staring straight into the honey brown eyes of Cian. The smile left her face, and her first thought was to flee, but as her eyes darted around she realized there was nowhere to go. Dr. Cam had deftly cut off her only means of escape. His body positioned strategically just inside the closed double doors.

Teagan’s eyes searched frantically for something to throw at him or use as a weapon. He edged towards her and she opened her mouth to scream. The sound never reached her ears, and she watched with fear as Cian flicked his hand in her direction and a strange blue light flew at her and hit her in the throat. Her hand instinctively went to her throat. What magic did he have that he could take her voice? She was scared but, left with no alternative Teagan raised her chin in defiance. She refused to show him any weakness, as she fought to keep from trembling. Were they working together. Her eyes sought out the crazy doctor, and she found him in a heap on the ground in front of the very doors he’d blocked her from.

“Aoife, Beloved.” Cian’s glazed eyes traveled the length of her body as he stepped forward with his hand outstretched intent on caressing Teagan’s.

She jerked her head out of his reach. Was he mad? Was he so delusional that he believed her to be his long dead beloved? Teagan tried to move her legs to step back from him, but she couldn’t move. It was as if she were glued in place. She was so close to losing her composure. Rational thought left her, and she acted on impulse flinging both hands at him. She focused all her strength into pushing him back. She’d done it to Aidan before. Magic flew from Teagan’s fingers like lightning bolts and hit Cian squarely in his chest. Without warning he flew across the room and hit the brick wall on the opposite side of the room with a thud.

As Teagan realized she was no longer immobilized she took off at a sprint towards the now unblocked doorway. She was almost to the doors when a searing pain snapped her neck backwards and her scalp burned unbearably. Cian had a hold of her hair. Teagan tried to scream for help, but once again no sound came out of her mouth.

“Very clever, Teagan McKenna,” Cian yanked on her hair and whirled her around to face him, “but you’d better not try that again.” He hissed. “I see fear and confusion written all over your face. Good,” he said not waiting for an answer, “so we need no further introduction since we both know who the other is. I’ve been searching for you for a very long time, my dear, a very long time.”

A million thoughts whirled around in Teagan’s head. Although she was frightened, she had a feeling whatever Cian was planning he needed her alive. She managed to push through the turmoil in her mind and realized two distinctive facts. One, Cian was absolutely, positively, sinfully gorgeous like in the dream in which she had finally put all the pieces together. He was tall and lean, and built rock hard with muscle. But as he stared at her with liquid honey brown eyes, Teagan realized most importantly, his eyes weren’t black.

Second, although she sensed waves of confusion and anger coming from him, he exhibited no malice towards her beyond retaining her and subduing her magic. She sensed no evil coming from him and could only imagine what he may have already done if he were enthralled with the Ancients’ dark magics. Teagan’s mind reeled at the realization.

Cian leaned in disturbingly close to her. For a second, she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he grabbed her tightly around the waist. Without warning, Teagan went hurling through walls and buildings. She screamed and screamed. Fortunately, she succumbed to the blackness.

***

TEAGAN WOKE UP GROGGILY with the cold stone of a floor against her cheek. As her eyelids fluttered open, her first sight was of cracked slate-grey stone. Her eyes followed the crack in the stone until it met a crease in the floor separating the stone slab from other similar stones. Light grey mortar mixed with dirt and the crumbs of unrecognizable food and waste filled the crease. She almost retched as she tried to raise her head off the, vile dirt-encrusted, stone floor but it pounded in disobedience. Teagan gingerly rested her head back on the cool floor closing her eyes and swallowing hard. She felt as if she had been fragmented into a million pieces, like the little boy in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who was zapped into the television, and her body hadn’t put itself back together yet. Teagan forced herself to breathe slowly as she inhaled the musty earthen scent of the room. “Where am I?” she wondered.

When she felt less nauseous, Teagan opened her eyes again and examined her surroundings. In the gloomy light that shone in from a small slit in the wall, its lack of glass and size denying it the right to be called a real window, Teagan could just barely make out the stone that covered the round room from ceiling to floor. From the look and smell of it, Teagan assumed she was in some sort of old castle tower.

Teagan concentrated on her body, trying to figure out if her paralysis was caused by an injury. Although her body ached and her bound wrists burned, she didn’t think she had any broken bones. Her arms felt like dead weights, until she moved them, and then they tingled with a million pinpricks, as sensation started returning to them. Her aching arms were tied behind her back, although she could feel no rope, and she struggled fruitlessly to free herself of the magical binding. Wherever she was, Teagan was intent on getting out of there before Cian came back. Even though she felt that he wasn’t evil, she still wasn’t sure why he had taken her and what his intentions were. Clearly, they were not good intentions if he had used magic to bind her.

“It’s useless.” Cian said smugly and Teagan froze at the sound of his rich melodic voice.

“The ropes are magic resistant. I put a spell on them, when I tied you, just in case you have any more powers I don’t know about. My guess is that you have obtained all of Aoife’s powers.” He rubbed his head as he spoke.

“Good,” Teagan thought smugly, “at least I had hurt him a little.”

“You know Cian; if you want people to believe you’re innocent, you can’t just kidnap people whenever you feel like it.” Teagan said testily.

“Hum,” he said thoughtfully, “that is a good point,” then let out a good-natured laugh.

“Somehow I don’t believe that taking you can be referred to as kidnapping. That would imply that you were a kid, and what I see is full-fledged woman. Besides, I only need you to get me into Tir na nÓg, and then you can go back. No harm done.”

“I won’t help you get revenge on the Queen, and for goodness’ sake will you freakin’ untie me?” Teagan huffed.

“Do you promise to be a good little girl?” He asked her patronizingly. Teagan wanted to slap him.

The look she shot him sent figurative daggers flying his way. “Seriously my arms are killing me, and did you have to throw me on the floor? It’s not a good way to inspire cooperation.” Teagan said peevishly.

He shook his head chuckling softly and stepped forward to untie her. He hesitated for the briefest of moments as he squatted in front of her.

“Promise first.” He said seriously.

“Fine, I promise.” Teagan gritted out through clenched teeth.

When he untied her, Teagan sat up rubbing her wrists and winced. She hurt all over.

“The pain will lessen.” He said sounding sympathetic. “You know any pure human couldn’t have withstood as much of the pain as you did. I’m sure your Fae blood helped, but I sense an underlying strength in you. It’s impressive really.” He rubbed his goatee absently. “Though, I’m not surprised that Aoife chose a host with so much power.”

“Can you at least give me a drink, you insensitive jerk?” Teagan asked sounding a little ruder than she intended.

“Ah,” He got up and filled a glass from a jug on a side table. “So, you’d rather I’d left you with that psychopath back at the museum?” He asked while handing her the drink and kneeling in front of her.

“I guess not.” Teagan said looking at him curiously and taking the offered drink.

“Contrary to popular belief, Aoife didn’t die that day at the cliffs. In an effort to help me find her body, she sent her soul to me.” Teagan looked at him doubtfully, so he furthered his explanation. “I believe you humans would call what she did astral projection.”

When Teagan nodded in understanding, he continued.

“Tragically, while her soul was separated from the rest of her, her body was reclaimed by the remaining guard of the Queen. The one I didn’t manage to kill. I’m afraid, with my wounds; I was too weakened to help her at the time. While I limped home to coddle my wounds, he was retrieving her body from the ocean.” Cian said sorrowfully.

“Her soul was reclaimed?” Teagan asked him stupidly, obviously not following the story.

“No, no, no, her body was reclaimed.” He said sounding annoyed. “Try to pay attention. When they stole her body, it left her soul itinerant. Her body was taken too far away for her soul to travel back to it. She stayed with me for a time, in a spirit form, but she realized her soul was fading without a physical body.” He explained.

“So, after like two hundred years without a body, she decided she needed a host?” Teagan asked.

“Yes.” He smiled brightly, “but only until she could get back to her own body. She never intended to steal a body and un-house someone else’s soul. Her plan was to coexist. She needed someone strong, with power, and part fae.”

“So, that’s when she chose me?” It was more of a comment then a question, but he answered her anyway. 

“Yes, though I wasn’t with her at the time. We had been separated.” He gaze darkened.

When Teagan found herself staring at him longingly, she shook her head to rid herself of the foggy feeling washing over her.

“Knock it off Aoife,” she whispered.

She was hot and unfocused, and found herself leaning towards him. She shook her head again, snapping out of the trancelike state.

“Hey, are you doing that compulsion thingy on me? STOP IT!” Teagan yelled, pulling back quickly, trying to push him from her mind with her magic.

Cian smiled wickedly at her. “It’s not me Teagan. Push all you like, but remember, it’s Aoife’s soul inside you that’s reaching for me. I can feel her, and she hungers for me. That is what you feel.” He spoke glibly.

His words did nothing to relieve the tension she felt.

“You just keep your distance, lover boy, until we get this mess straightened out,” Teagan said, putting up a front and feeling absurd for needing to. She wasn’t about to let him know that part. The guy had to be like a thousand years old. Even though he was kind of hot, she knew full well she was bonded to Aidan. She loved Aidan, so this feeling, whatever it was — something Teagan absolutely refused to call lust — was just a side-effect of Aoife. Teagan rolled her eyes, feeling pissy.

Cian chuckled again. “I’m not the enemy, Teagan.” He turned serious and his voice audibly hardened, “They are.”

“Okay so let me get this straight.” Teagan said sardonically. “You think we can storm the gates of Breena, fight an entire civilization of Fae, steal your girlfriend’s body from a sacred shrine, and live through it?” Her voice was incredulous.

“Yes. I know we can do it.” He said fervently nodding his head in agreement as she spoke.

“Have you gone completely mad, Cian?” Teagan asked him as she stared at him skeptically.

He faced her squarely and with a sense of assurance she couldn’t fathom, clearly undaunted by her intense glare, and he answered her.

“We can do it, with Aoife’s help.”

Teagan shook her head incredulously. “What can a bodiless soul do to help?” She thought.

“I’ll help you Cian, on one condition.” Teagan said flatly.

“What’s that?” He asked unwillingly.

“Aidan comes with us.” She sat there resolute. Unwavering.

“No.” He said with finality.

“Then I won’t do it.” She crossed her arms. Two could play this stubborn game.

“Teagan, Aidan will get us all killed.” He complained sounding way younger than his tremendous age for a split second.

“You should spread that faith you have in your almighty Aoife around a little. It would probably do you some good.” Teagan huffed, offended that he thought so little of Aidan, a man whom he did not even know.

Cian shook his head unrelentingly.

“Cian,” Teagan said softly, “Aidan is the other half of my soul. We’re bonded, and I need him with me. I won’t go to Tir na nÓg without him.”

Finally, Cian’s look softened and he gave in reluctantly.

“Fine, he can go, but we do it my way.”

“Fine, now take me back to Aidan before he kills you.” Teagan ordered him.

He shook his head at her and pulled her tightly against his chest. For a split second, her heart fluttered, and her face turned red.

“Half-morts!” He exclaimed sounding annoyed and amused at the same time, and then he jumped.

***

MOMENTS LATER, THEY landed back in the Celtic Folklore wing of the Museum. Teagan’s body trembled, and she was weak in the knees. She felt like she was going to collapse. Her breath came in short rapid pants, and her stomach rolled dangerously. There were firecrackers going off inside her brain, making it hard to think straight. She hunched over, holding her midsection, unable to bare the sensations.

“Here sit down on this bench for a minute until it passes.” Cian said giving off at least some semblance of kindness.

Teagan glared at him unimpressed with his gesture.

“Isn’t there another way we can travel?” She asked sitting down hard on the bench before she fell over.

“Not one as proficient. Besides, I find the modern world’s mode of transportation is slow and unsatisfactory.” He replied snidely.

“Well I’d prefer -”

“There’s trouble coming.” He cut her off and crouched in front of her protectively.

Teagan’s gaze focused on the closed double doors. Although she couldn’t see anyone, she knew Aidan was coming. She could feel him. And, her dad was with him.

“Um Cian, maybe you should get behind me,” Teagan said trying to force her way in front of him, thinking that he would be the one that needed protection from Aidan, not her.

“It’s Aidan and he’s pissed.” She said without sugar coating it.

As soon as the words left Teagan’s mouth, the wide double doors bulged and groaned and with a splintering crack they slammed open. Aidan, along with Ian, Airic, and Colin, burst into the room through the opening. It was too late to avoid the confrontation, and Teagan cringed thinking that this meeting was going to be seriously bad. Aidan stormed in, a hot mass of hostility and overbearing possessiveness, causing Cian to swiftly draw his sword.

“Are you crazy?” Teagan asked Cian incredulously as concern emanated from her. She really didn’t want anyone dying here today.

The last thing she wanted was a fight. When Cian ignored her and instinctively took a fighting stance, Teagan rolled her eyes in frustration. Why men didn’t ever listen to women, she thought with annoyance, was beyond her comprehension. Acting on sheer instinct, Teagan threw up her hands and concentrated on pushing her power out of herself and into the rushing group of fools who barreled towards them. A bluish looking force field, which apparently only Teagan could see, slammed up between them and the guardians. The four men barreling towards them hit the invisible barrier like it was a stone wall, crashing into the shield and halting in their tracks.

With a guilty expression, Teagan cringed. That wasn’t exactly what she had planned. She had been trying to knock them all on their butts.

“Oh well,” She thought as she shrugged, “the force field seemed to be working just as well and this way there would be no hard feelings later. Men could be quite touchy when women showed them who was boss.”

She coughed to hide the chuckle on the tip of her tongue.

Aidan roared with furry. He looked like a caged animal. Poised. Ready to attack. He was waiting for the perfect moment to spring forward and issue sudden death to his opponent. Teagan had never seen Aidan like this. Disconcerted, she could feel his rage and his fear. She knew he was afraid for her. Colin, standing just behind Aidan, was purple with rage too. Like Cian he stood sword drawn, poised for battle.

“Were all men such fools?” She thought.

The testosterone levels in the room were almost overwhelming. Tension sizzled and crackled in the air around them all, but no one seemed to notice except Teagan.

“CIAN,” Aidan roared the one simple word.

Teagan stepped closer to the force field, which she had accidentally erected, and was thankful that she had made the mistake.

“Aidan, I’m okay. Will you calm down and let me explain?” Teagan tried to soothe Aidan and then turned to Colin. “Colin, put your damn sword away.” She said angrily.

“Teagan get away from him. Airic, bring down his shield.” Aidan commanded hotly while completely ignoring Teagan.

Teagan shook her head with impatience. Hadn’t he heard her? In the background, she could see Airic concentrating hard on the invisible force field, yet nothing happened. Aidan looked at him and Airic shook his head in response.

“Try it again.” Aidan said through clenched teeth.

“Aidan?” Teagan said and he ignored her again.

“I said try again.” Aidan growled at Airic.

“Damn it, Aidan will you listen to me for one freaking second?” Teagan stomped her foot in a tantrum-like manner just long enough to get his attention.

“I think maybe you should hear her out.” This came from Colin. Apparently, he had taken the time to assess the situation, and he’d realized that she wasn’t in imminent danger. He didn’t look so full of rage anymore.

“That’s what I said.” Teagan tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed over her chest, as Aidan finally looked at her. There was a wild furry in his eyes.

“It’s my shield Aidan.” Teagan said non-pulsed. At her words, he seemed confused at first and then predictably angry.

“You dare to protect him?” He practically yelled at her. “Has she completely taken over your body then?” He snarled at Teagan with hurtful words. She gasped at his meanness, a side of him she had never seen and hoped to never see again.

“Damn! You are so infuriating Aidan. If you’d just open your eyes for one second and quit acting like an arrogant, pompous, testosterone-crazed jerk,” Teagan paused for effect, “you would have noticed that Cian hasn’t touched a single hair on my pretty little head. Furthermore, he’s not E-V-I-L.” She spelled it out for him, literally.  Her voice rose to a yell on the last word, and she held out her hands in a questioning gesture as she shook her head indignantly. 

“Yep, that’s definitely my Teagan.” She heard Colin say laughingly.

Teagan, ignoring him, asked, “How did all of you guys get here so fast anyway?”

Ian was the one who answered her, and Teagan couldn’t help but notice the skepticism in his voice, “Fast? Teagan you’ve been missing for almost eight hours.”

Her head jerked sharply towards Cian. He seemed to be enjoying himself from where he was sitting on the bench. He was propped back casually against the wall, a smug look on his face, with the nerve to look amused. Yep, he was clearly enjoying himself. “And I thought Aidan was pompous,” Teagan thought shaking her head. “Fools, the lot of them.”

“I’ll be the one asking the questions.” Aidan said interrupting her thoughts with his terse statement.

Teagan threw her hands in the air in frustration and began to pace. “Fine, whatever, ask your questions then.”

“Let the shield down!” He demanded of her.

Teagan stared at him in disbelief. “I’m sorry, was that a question?” She said in a falsely sweet tone.

“Can you please let down the shield?” He asked a little more nicely this time.

“No.” Teagan replied.

“Err!” Aidan roared in frustration, “Damn it, Teagan, you’re driving me insane.”

Aidan hit her shield with his fist and a spark of blue light ricocheted off the invisible barrier. He pulled his hand back as if it had been burnt and glared at Teagan furiously. Cian laughed, and Teagan sent him a warning glance before she addressed Aidan.

“No, I won’t let it down until you calm down,” she yelled at Aidan.

“And you,” Teagan said turning on Colin, “put away that stupid sword.”

Cian was still laughing, so Teagan turned on him harshly this time.

“You shut up. You’re not helping the situation all at.”

She chanced an irritated look at Ian and Airic, and they both backed up a few steps with their hands in the air, obviously knowing better than to anger her further.

When they all stared at her dumbly, and she knew she had their complete attention, Teagan spoke again.

“Now then,” Teagan began sternly, “You can all see that Cian hasn’t harmed me in any way, and he’s not the evil man that I saw in my vision, right? If you need proof just look at his eyes. There has to be an explanation.” They all nodded at different intervals, some more hesitant than others, so she continued.

“So, if all of you,” she stressed the word all glaring directly at Aidan, “promise not to kill him, so we can figure this thing out, I’ll let down my shield.” Teagan looked pointedly at Aidan again.

When he nodded in reluctant agreement, she glanced at Colin. He nodded too. Satisfied with the outcome, Teagan concentrated solely on lowering the shield. She watched as the small blue band, visible only to her, which held the shield in place, snapped like an overstretched rubber band. Aidan, pressed up against the shield, felt its release and rushed forward crushing Teagan into his strong arms. The moment they made contact she felt all his worry and tension slam into her. Teagan felt a twinge of guilt at the anxiety she’d caused him but was sure she was making the right decision.

“I’m all right Aidan.” Teagan whispered soothingly into his ear, as she let him hold her. 

He grabbed her by the hair and turning her head he kissed her roughly, savagely. The kiss was fierce and possessive and aimed to show her who was the boss, at first, but as he calmed the kiss became gentler. With a sigh, he released his hold on her hair. Teagan melted into his arms, warming with pleasure, and sighed contentedly. He could boss her around all he wanted, but if he was wrong, she was going to tell him he was wrong. 

“Hmm hm,” Colin cleared his throat loudly, and Teagan stepped back from Aidan although she remained flushed and distracted.

“Can we take this somewhere more private?” Cian asked sounding irritated.

“That’s what I was thinking.” Aidan said and winked at Teagan.

She blushed fiercely but was glad that Aidan was now calm enough to joke with her. Sending Cian a heated look, Teagan turned to walk out with her gang of warriors close on her heels. A feeling of satisfaction overcame her as she walked out feeling completely protected by her men. Colin and Aidan walked in front of Cian, and the other two warriors walked behind him. It was obvious the Guardians still didn’t trust him, and they weren’t taking any chances with him whisking her away again.