Behind the Veil: 3 (Temptation Unveiled) by R.G. Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

She’d stood with her back to
the fire, and when she was sure they were all listening, made her demands. He’d
tried not to be offended that none of them were directed at the only being in
the room who was actually Fae and had a chance of fulfilling them.
    He saw hints of the feisty spirit he’d been drawn to in her
requests. She wanted detailed information about those Fae that Linnea and “The
Brads” viewed as the most likely suspects, she wanted Badger, in addition to
Damon, to be in charge of protecting Meru while they were in the Realm…
    And Kyle. Most of all she wanted to work with her old
partner Kyle.
    Finn felt the telltale pulse at his temple as he studied the
perfect curve of Sheridan’s hip. Even encased as it was in her favorite pair of
faded plaid boxers, the sight made him…hungry.
    He shook his head. The Druid he understood. She and her
counterpart, Bear, were both strong. Gifted. Not Fae. But Kyle was only human.
A full-blooded human, with no scent or trace of any Other ancestry—more of a
rarity than most knew. Once Sheridan had gone to bed, he’d felt compelled to
tell Meru of the difficulty of that particular demand.
    “Linnea is human, isn’t she?” she’d said, clearly confused. “They
don’t seem to mind her presence. I never got the impression that they would
turn someone away for being human.”
    Finn sighed. “The Guardian Mother carried a Fae child in her
womb. Crystal left her mark on her mother before she was born, cloaking her
instinctively for protection and diminishing her inherent attractiveness to my
people.” He looked over their shoulders and out the window into the darkening
night sky, trying to find the words to explain. “The human will is not usually
strong enough to survive that kind of mingling. And my people, as well, would
be unable to resist the temptation Kyle represented…unless he were claimed
first.”
    He could see she didn’t understand. Truthfully, he wasn’t
sure he wanted her to. He had been a Fianna warrior long enough to know
that Tuatha ways were unique. Their desires were unusual, different from the
Archons. They had never longed for power or wealth, never longed to rule…but
life, in all its forms, was irresistible. They craved it, sometimes to excess.
Danu’s people were peaceful in their way. But it had been so long since they’d
walked freely among humans, so long since they’d tasted pure, untainted mortal
life. They would be irresistibly attracted to Kyle and, being human, he would
be easily enchanted. It was unavoidable. Dangerous.
    Up to this point, Kyle had been protected. Finn had shielded
him from the full force of his own Fae nature out of habit. It was something
that came instinctively to him now. If he didn’t camouflage himself, he would
never be able to do his job. Kyle and any other human he came across would be
far more than agreeable, but it would take away their free will. That defining
trait valued above all others.
    The options were distasteful. Deny Kyle access or watch him give
his will over to the Tuatha—either choice ensured Sheridan’s wrath.
    Meru had been adamant. “I don’t need to know what you’re
talking about, but, Finn? I don’t care . Make it happen. Sheridan gets
what she wants for this. She’s doing it for me. For us. Voluntarily going to a
place where everyone is Fae. Where everyone looks like…”
    Like Eonis. Like Finn. It all came down to that. Even with
Kyle and the others beside her, would she be able to work with him? Would she
be able to endure a weeklong celebration of decadence surrounded by his kind?
Finn had fooled himself into believing that if she never forgave him, he would
find a way to survive, if only she would give him a sign that her spirit hadn’t
been completely broken by her capture. Give him hope that he would someday be
able to face himself again after his failure to protect her.
    But it wasn’t enough.
    “No more. Please .”
    Hell. He couldn’t leave her like this.