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  Devin got to his feet, dusted snow off his knees, and pulled his coat tight around him. Shaking off the images his mind would never let go, he ran across the empty battlefield toward ruins of the high stone walls of Glen McLoch.

  Chapter 2

  Scotland–Glen McLoch, three years later

  Devin slipped his keys into the pocket of work-worn blue jeans. Three years. Three long years it had taken to build the new McLoch keep on the grounds of the original castle. Magic would have shortened the time frame some, but he’d wanted to have a hand in building his home. His hands, nimble with long fingers, a thief’s hands, both clever and quick, were covered in tiny scars and calluses. He’d watched every stone, every brick set into place, nursed blisters and bruises.

  He stood in the front hall, a little disoriented at first. Devin had designed the home to mirror the one he’d lost so many years ago, but now looking around at the finished result, a new heartache reached out and snared him. Finally home, but it was like a ghost surrounding him. His father and mother, sisters, even the servants lost to the battlefield and time. Maybe he should have died in battle alongside his father.

  No. Not true, just a melancholy thought. He would never have met his dear friend Serena–another lost soul–or Jack, never have found Liv and the others. Funny, he hadn’t minded being alone before, craved it sometimes. Now the silence drove him mad.

  Empty. Alone. “Well, not completely alone. I still have you, Tessa.” Bending down, he picked up the fat, spoiled black cat meowing at his feet and scratched behind her ears. “Dinner time for you, is it?”

  Tessa batted his shoulder twice, meowing her impatience loudly in his ear.

  “Salmon it is, then.” Walking into the kitchen, Devin took a piece of fresh salmon out of the fridge for the feline and laid it in her food dish. “Enjoy, kitty. Last one you get this week. It’s diet kibble for you.”

  The cat stuck out her tongue, gave him her back and began to wash her feet. Typical, but he loved the little diva. Tessa had found him on the same snowy day he’d returned to the ruins of his keep. The scrawny little kitten roaming around the rubble couldn’t have been weaned from her mother more than a couple of weeks. Figuring she’d either been abandoned or wandered away, he’d planned to find her a home. Perhaps with Allie, but then she’d climbed up his shirt with tiny claws, snuggled into the groove of his neck and purred her way into his heart.

  Leaving her to her dinner, Devin waved a hand as he walked down the hall, setting all the lights blazing, allowing their warmth to fill the empty spaces. He passed the door to the kitchen and made his way into the great hall, up the stone staircase leading to the second floor. The original castle steps didn’t have handrails, just an open fall to the slate below. Remembering the littlest members of his new clan, Devin began to conjure a rail of iron twisted into the shape of draping ivy as he climbed the stairs, keeping the bars only a couple of inches apart. Couldn’t have one of the kids or the kitty taking a fall.

  Turning left off the second floor landing into his bedroom, he sat down on the bed, slid off his work boots, and left them on the floor beside the nightstand. He’d done as he pleased here too, adding modern conveniences to mix with the old style of the home. Dark blue drapes covered energy efficient windows and blocked out the night sky. The dresser and wardrobe were ornately carved works of art, even a little feminine, but mixed with the bold chocolates, reds and navy colors of the bedding and rugs they worked and suited him perfectly.

  Moving into the en suite, Devin loosened the buttons of his shirt and walked across the heated tile floor to turn on the shower. He stripped off his filthy work clothes, thankful he could finally retire them, stepped under the hot stream of water and closed the frosted glass doors. Turning another knob, he let the hot water pound his aching muscles from every direction, glad he’d listened to the contractor’s suggestion of adding multi jets to the shower. He hadn’t been concerned with the added expense, or the knowing wink the burly man gave him when Devin originally incorporated the couple-sized shower into the plans in addition to a huge soaking tub and double sinks. It was a room meant to accommodate lovers.

  He’d had his fill of lovers. He wanted a wife. He wanted Arianne, but unless he intended to live in the mists of the stone dance, he couldn’t have her.

  Damn her sexy self straight to hell. He wished she were here. Never had he been so tortured over a woman. She was doing her best to convince him to change his mind and give up his power and way of life. Which was why he’d avoided the dance for the past year. Oh, he checked in on his family, had been there for the births of Meara and Aaron and all the birthdays and holidays since. If the Corrigans needed him, he could be there in a heartbeat. But they were managing just fine on their own.

  Ari was another matter. Stubborn witch. She wouldn’t give in to his demands and neither could he toss them aside. They were at a stalemate. On my terms, Ari.

  He lathered the strands and tried to think of a solution that would suit them both. She wouldn’t give up her magic and he couldn’t turn her loose on the world. If he could trick the spell holding her, use his circle instead of the dance? Maybe. He turned off the water, grabbed a fluffy red towel off the warming bar and wrapped it around his waist before heading into the bedroom.

  Still mostly wet, he pulled down the comforter and sheets, tossed the decorative pillows into the corner chair, let the towel fall to the floor and climbed into bed naked. Snapping his fingers sent the room into darkness. Devin waved toward the hearth where logs had already been set, and started the fire with a whisper.

  Laying in the dark, he allowed his mind to drift back to the day Daemon’s spell had been cast. If he could remember the exact words, the inflection of the incantation, maybe he could find a magical loophole. Daemon often acted without thought of the consequences. His words came back along with the smell of death, the clanging of steel on steel in the heat of battle.

  “I am Sea, endless, constant. Time is nothing to me. Raging waters, shifting tides, within our power she will abide. She is Earth, bearer of life, comfort in death, mate of Sea, thus by her right she holds the key. She that is Air all must take heed, a maelstrom of fury her dark deeds unknown, a lesson this one must be shown. I call her now here to me.”

  Identifying words, commanding presence, a brutish show of power. Unimportant, except that Arianne would be chained by their power alone. Okay. Simple enough.

  “You brought down the price on all three. Earth, Air, and Sea we shall ever be until our blood meets love, one times three. My seal is set, our bargain met, if three can accept love’s pain and joy without condition, then Earth and Sea shall be set free, only Air will be chained to thee.”

  The price? What had Arianne done? That’s right. Siphoned her sister’s power and used Daemon to do it. Yeah, that would have been enough to set off Daemon’s temper. Maybe he wasn’t so different from Ari after all. Clearly all three would remain in elemental form until three of their blood found love and accepted the heartache as well as bliss. Something had gone wrong. Arianne wasn’t in elemental form. Only Air will be chained to thee. Daemon and Briella had already been freed or were destroyed when the spell was cast. And if they were destroyed, then how did Arianne survive?

  “Air may scream and howl, but it is her sister’s pleas you will hear now. Fire will come to wrench her free. If he is not bold and Air’s heart grown too cold, love will fail and your chains will hold. Still, if Fire can melt Air’s icy wind, then love will triumph once again. So mote it be, an it harm whomever it need.”

  And sweet Briella couldn’t bear the thought of her twin alone forever trapped with her selfish heart. Though she was angry and weak, she had faith Arianne could change. Hope. Give her hope. And he was that hope. Fire.

  Wrench her free. Love will fail and your chains will hold.

  As Devin drifted off, he realized he had been going about this all wrong. Chained. Break the chains. But how?

  * * * *

  Satin moved sinuously over his body. Soft feathery kisses whispered across his skin. Smooth fingertips caressed and aroused him. Devin breathed in the scent of vanilla, felt the silk of Ari’s hair brushing his chest as she bent down to bring her lips to his. She tasted of hellfire and magic. Of promises.

  “Devin.” The devil whispered his name. Another dream. Here he could take all he wanted. Damn the spell and to hell with the consequences. Knowing every inch of his woman, the texture and taste of her skin, her touch, Devin let his hands and mouth explore at will. And he was utterly, hopelessly in love with the Arianne in his dreams.

  “Come to me, Devin. Free me.” Words he had heard so many times.

  “Ari, I can’t.” Still, he poured himself into the kiss, his tongue mating with hers in a lover’s dance as she sank down on his length, engulfing him in hot velvet. Claiming him. Bowing underneath her, Devin pushed deeper, matching her rhythm. His fingers clutched her hips as she moved like lightning.

  “My turn.” Rolling with Ari on the cool sheets, Devin let his weight pin her to the mattress. She linked her ankles together at his spine, wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  “I wish you were here, Ari. I wish this was real.”

  Her whispered reply brushed his ear. “It can be. Quick as a flash. Come to me.”

  He made love to her slowly, achingly until he shattered in her arms. “I love you, Ari. I love you. Don’t torture me like this.”

  “Devin, I–”

  He woke with the fire still crackling in the hearth, vanilla scenting the air, the sound of his name on her lips. Arianne’s words came back to him as he waited for his heart to level out. Quick as a flash. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? So simple. So easy. Smiling, he floated off back to sleep.

  Chapt
er 3

  Arianne waved a hand over the mirror she used to scry for him and froze the image reflected there. Fierce tawny eyes–lion’s eyes–stared back at her with desire and something more. His dark mahogany hair hung straight, perhaps just a little too long, and tended to fall into his eyes as he made love to her in dreams. Devin. His name held a thousand heartaches, pleasures, and hopes.

  Her body was on fire. She ached for his touch, to know what his hands would feel like on her skin. Were they rough? Smooth? Craved the chance to know how it felt to be held by a man in love beyond the shadowy realm of sleep. Before she thought to stop herself, Ari brushed a finger down the reflection’s face, instantly distorting the image.

  I love you, Ari. Those words ripped at her heart. No one had ever given them to her before. Yes. He was dreaming and probably said them out of habit. She didn’t like to think about all the women he must have lain with over the course of a thousand years. She was a virgin, but wasn’t ignorant in the ways between women and men. Etain–her nursemaid–had educated her on the subject; convinced Ari would seek temptation and find herself alone with a babe to raise. Knowledge is power. As a healer, she had helped birth children, tended the wounds of men and listened to the women’s hushed gossip.

  Her father, a warrior, was killed in battle while her mother lay in childbirth. She had never known her parents. Would they have loved her? All the elders had seen was her dark power. Her gift damned her in their eyes. Brie had never shown her love, nor her nursemaid. Even the seven guardians had been wary of her, though they had bigger problems than one woman’s powers.

  Sometimes a glimpse of him would come through the mist. She had felt a taste of his lust when Daemon’s spell had been broken, had known surely as Devin when the magic began to unravel. Aided him where she could.

  And so she had appeared to each of the Corrigan siblings, using what gifts she had to steer them closer to their destined path. Liv, the seer, feared magic would rule her choices in love. The legend warned of the evil twin’s unthinkable deed, of the healer and the witch. Liv would never have taken her advice if she’d known who visited her dreams. Ari had claimed Briella’s name, using Liv’s gift of wisdom to guide her steps closer to Jack.

  But as strong as their love was, alone they couldn’t break Daemon’s spell.

  Ryan, clinging to his mis-beliefs and anger at his beloved Kate, had sought solace in a foreign country only to find wealth and despair. Foolish man. Such love only comes around once. And so she had tried to explain, to show him sometimes things aren’t what they seem, by giving him the dream of her treachery against Briella. He’d found his way, claimed his magic and daughter Allaina.

  Skye was another matter altogether. So in tune to the magical realm around him, he’d ignored the visions she sent him as another part of his gift, until Rhiannon needed him.

  In truth, Briella and Daemon had ceased to exist the moment the spell had been cast. Mixing too many magics had been a grave mistake. Briella had been severing the link keeping Daemon alive, while Daemon summoned her, then cast his spell. She had fought to stop them all, but in the end the three warring magics were too much for any one of them to contain. Then Devin had added his power, saving her along with his keep. His protective circle had been hidden by the mists of time, a constant wind inside the dance. As much as it was her prison, the circle was also sanctuary, protecting her from the backlash that had ensured the nixie and healer would never return to this plane of existence.

  She remembered the image of him during the battle in her mind. Tawny eyes tinged with grief and hate, dark fiery hair, blue and green plaid across one shoulder and around his waist. Muscles flexing, bunching, dealing death with every blow. Fierce, wild, powerful, smeared with the heat of battle, the blood of his enemies. Not for the sake of war, but for those he loved.

  Come to me, Devin.

  “He will, but not for reason you want him to, at least not at first.”

  The young woman’s hair fell straight as rain in dark strands below her shoulders. Green eyes held power well beyond someone of her years. Allaina Corrigan was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

  “It is rude to read other’s thoughts without their permission, Allaina.”

  “Yeah. Well, your brain was screaming it loud and clear. ‘Come to me, Devin.’ Can’t help but hear it.” Vanishing her plaid school uniform, Allie replaced it with jeans, sneakers and a black t-shirt that said Trust me. I’m a ninja, and sauntered through the ring of stones. Three years ago, after Arianne had turned Devin down and he’d flashed away, Allie had boldly stormed into the circle, demanding to know what Arianne’s problem was and why Devin wasn’t good enough for her man-stealing self. She had been so shocked that someone besides Devin could actually enter the circle, she’d let the insult pass. The two had become quick friends.

  Devin may have taught Allie everything he knew about using her powers, but it was Ari who’d passed along her knowledge of herbs, healing plants, and incantations to Ryan’s daughter.

  “I brought you some of Skye’s chocolate chip cookies.” Allie handed her a plastic container filled with the treats. She could conjure whatever was necessary to survive–if she had knowledge of how it worked or was made–but the food was flavorless. Skye’s cookies were like ambrosia to her taste buds.

  “Thank you. What do you mean? Have you seen Devin?”

  Completely at ease, Allie stretched out on the grass, crossed her ankles and leaned against the king stone. Ari joined her, smoothing out the wrinkles in her red dress as she tucked her feet underneath her. “Not yet, but he’s come back. Raine needs him.”

  “What is wrong with the child?”

  “She’s been running a high fever for the last two days. My binds have broken. I couldn’t even touch her.”

  “You tried the herbs I told you to use to make them stronger?”

  “Yes. They worked for a while, but it wasn’t enough. I’m sure that is why Dev’s come back. He’d do anything for us. Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why did you turn him away and cling to your power, Arianne? Heat can turn into love. Would it be so bad to be mortal, just a woman?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I’ve never been just a mortal woman. I was born with power, as were you. He offered me everything but his love. For that, I would have given up anything.” Ari sighed. “Do you regret being born with magic?”

  “Not really. I can do a lot of good, but sometimes I wish I couldn’t see things so clearly.”

  “I see. You saw something that bothers you? Tell me.”

  Allie picked a blade of grass and twiddled it in her fingers, tossed it aside and drew her knees up to her chest. “I broke up with Blake.”

  Ah-ha.

  “He’s a jerk.”

  “Most of them are, dear.” Ari patted Allie’s knee in sympathy.

  “He has two other girlfriends.” Now those bright green eyes, Ryan’s eyes, were flashing angrily.

  “The bas–” Ari caught herself just in time before she swore in front of Allie. She’d like to teach that little worm a lesson. “Worm.”

  “And he called me a freak.” Allie sighed. “I wanted to roast a certain tender portion of his anatomy.”

  “An it harm none, even if I agree with you.”

  “I know. It’s all that saved him. I got my revenge, though. I told the other two girls about me and then each other. It was priceless.” There was a quiet sniffle. “I really liked him, Arianne. Why did he have to be like that?”

  “Because he isn’t fated for you, sweetheart. You’re still young. There will be other jerks and then you will meet a man that will understand you and accept you for all you are, Allaina. Alas, he may still be an arse from time to time. You are a wonderful, amazing person. Never let anyone make you feel less than you are. Your magic is a beautiful gift. Don’t let his idiocy corrupt you.”

  “How’d you get to be so wise?”

  “By doing a lot of stupid things and learning the hard way. You were right about one thing.”

  “Only one?”

  “I was a fool. What if he doesn’t give me another chance?”