Midnight's Temptation

besieged them.

Suffused them.

Their souls touched, connected. Merged.

There was no turning back for him, no walking away from the woman in his arms. She was his, and he would do anything and everything to keep her.

Phelan wrapped his arms around Aisley as she collapsed on his chest, their ragged breaths drowned out by the rain.

Phelan couldn’t quite grasp the tranquility, the serenity that had him firmly in its grip. Though he knew it couldn’t possibly last, he was going to enjoy it while he had it.

He rubbed his cheek against the side of Aisley’s face, careful not to scratch her with his whiskers. He was in bad need of a shave, but he was loath to move.

She sighed softly in sleep and huddled farther down in the blankets he wrapped around them. After their lovemaking, they had rinsed off in the shower. He smiled, remembering how he couldn’t keep his hands off her.

He refused to allow her clothes. Instead, he’d grabbed the tartan blanket from the couch and pulled her outside. There he sat on the swing with the blanket around him and his arms held wide.

Even now he could recall the sight of her sad smile as she nestled her firm arse between his legs and leaned back against him. He’d wrapped the blanket around them as they watched the rain fall.

That was hours ago. If he wasn’t certain she was warm, he’d have brought Aisley inside when she fell asleep.

He glanced at the sky to see it turning from black to a steel gray. Dawn was coming, and with it the rain tapered off to a faint drizzle.

What would the new day bring? Would Aisley still want to leave? Could he let her go?

It hadn’t taken long during the hours of the night for Phelan to realize he needed to fill Charon in on Aisley. And not just Charon. Fallon needed to know there was another Druid. Though Phelan was certain Charon had already mentioned it to Fallon.

Phelan wasn’t looking forward to answering all the questions he knew would come about Aisley. He wanted her kept away from Wallace and whoever else hunted her, but he didn’t want to share her.

Nor did he want to break the peace they had found.

It was their own world here in the middle of the forest. Nothing and no one to bother them. It was near perfection.

Which in itself brought ice to Phelan’s veins. Perfection had a way of dissolving quickly, as he learned yesterday.

“You let me sleep,” came Aisley’s muffled voice.

He smiled against her hair. “You needed it.”

“Did you stay awake all night?”

“Aye.”

Aisley yawned and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “What are you thinking about so hard?”

“I need to go patrolling again.”

“Hmm. I figured as much. There’s something else though.”

Phelan kissed her temple, hoping she didn’t ask him to take her into town. “Those at MacLeod Castle need to know about you. There is always celebrating when another Druid is found.”

He didn’t miss the way her body tensed, though she tried to hide it. “Why do they need to know?” she asked.

“As I said, protecting Druids is what they do.”

“It’s what you’re doing.”

He happened to agree, but Phelan also knew if Wallace attacked him, Aisley wouldn’t have anyone to back her up. Wallace was too powerful of a drough for Aisley to try and fight on her own.

“Aye, but for how long will you let me?” Before she could answer, he asked, “Have you used your magic in a fight before?”

“You mean against someone?”

He nodded.

She hesitated in answering, which made him frown. “Yes.”

“Then you know what you’ll have to do if Wallace attacks here.”

“Let’s not talk about that.”

Phelan took one of her slim hands in his. He marveled at her long fingers. With his thumb, he caressed her palm, trying to calm her. It wasn’t until he turned her hand over that he saw the scar running down her wrist.

Blood pounded in his ears while his gaze was riveted on the scar. He tried to draw in a breath, but his lungs seized. Phelan needed to be rational. He knew she didn’t wear a Demon’s Kiss, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t drough.

But he’d know if she was drough.

He’d know!

She put her other hand atop his to cover the scar he was tracing with his finger.

“Aisley…” He had to pause and clear his throat. He was afraid to ask, afraid she would admit to being drough. But she knew he hunted them. Why would she have willingly come to his cabin if she was a drough? Was this her secret? Had another betrayal come?

“Ask,” she said quietly.

“Did you try to kill yourself?”

She drew in a deep breath. “Many times.”

“Why?” The truth was in her eyes, boldly daring him to ask how.

“I couldn’t face the days after my baby died. I sat in the flat that was supposed to be ours looking at a crib that would never hold her. The tears stopped coming and life became … unbearable. I walked away from Pitlochry and the future I had there. It didn’t take me long to fall into the wrong crowd and use what little money I had on drugs. I prayed the Reaper would come for me.”

He drew her wrist to his lips and kissed the scar. “You survived.”

Aisley squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears. What a coward she was. She hadn’t been entirely truthful to Phelan, but she had tried to kill herself when she used the drugs.

But not by slitting her wrists.

Phelan had given her so much and offered her even more. He was a good man who deserved better than she was giving him. It was time she came clean.

“Phelan, about the scars—”

The sound of his mobile ringing interrupted her. Aisley sat up so he could rise from the swing and hurry into the house. She grinned when she caught sight of his bare ass before he disappeared through the doorway.

She stood, wrapping the blanket around her. A chill settled into her soul, a chill that had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with her.

Aisley walked into the house to see Phelan listening intently to whoever was on the other end of the phone. She ran her hand through her hair and wrinkled her nose.

A shower was in order. She could use that time to determine how she would tell Phelan what he suspected when he found the scar on her wrist, as well as her plan.

She shut the door to the bathroom and let the blanket fall when she turned on the shower. The warm water didn’t thaw the casing of ice around her soul. And the more she thought about telling Phelan, the sicker to her stomach she got.

But this is what she deserved for not being honest with him from the start.

She could have told him that night at the club when he kissed her. Of course, she’d thought he knew, but it was obvious now he hadn’t.

Instead of him chasing her to kill her, he’d been following her those two months trying to get closer to her.

Aisley couldn’t believe her luck. To finally find someone who was caring, honest, good-looking, and incredible in bed, and not be with him was a hard pill to swallow.