Unholy Blue by Darby Kaye Read Free Book Online Page B

men?”
    â€œExactly. Know any volunteers?”
    Bann smiled.

4
    A T DAWN , S HAY WOKE up to the warmth of a body in her bed.
“Cin a body meet a body; Comin’ thro’ the rye, Cin a body kiss a body, Need a body cry?”
The words of Robert Burns—
while not a fellow Irishman, certainly a fellow Celt
—wafted through her head.
    The tenderness between her legs reminded her of their second round of lovemaking last night. That one had been more intense, as if Bann had been trying to rid himself of the residual adrenaline rush brought on by Cor’s unexpected appearance.
    Rolling over, she held up her hand and examined the rings, then glanced at the form next to her. Bann was sprawled on his back, one arm curled over his head and the covers pushed down to his hips, clearly not bothered by the chill of the early morning air. His rugged features were softened by sleep; his lashes were dark fans on his cheeks, and his lips were parted. The position and expression was so much like Cor’s, she couldn’t help grinning.
    Her gaze traveled south. The mostly healed wounds on his stomach looked like dark, wet spots.
I should apply more of that salve to reduce the scarring
. The memory of that day pulled at her gut. That day when they hadkilled—well, mostly killed—the Stag Lord, then fought like crazy to keep Bann from bleeding to death after he had been impaled by the shapeshifter’s antlers.
    Shoving the memory aside, she slid out of bed and pulled on her shirt and pajama pants—
for like the third time in eight hours
—then slipped out the door on bare feet. Closing it behind her, she walked down the hall and paused by Cor’s room on the way to the kitchen. Head close to the door, she listened. No sound.
Good. Still asleep
. Not that she minded sharing the morning with father and child, but she relished a few minutes of solitude over that imperative first mug of coffee before the hurly-burly of a new day began.
    As she measured coffee into the filter, she breathed in the earthy aroma of her favorite dark roast blend, humming a rendition of “Here Comes the Sun.” Dumping an additional spoonful into the basket for the extra caffeine kick, she made a note to add coffee to the grocery list.
If the Vikings had brought bags of Gevalia with them when they first invaded our homeland, we would have surrendered to them from the get-go
.
    After starting the machine brewing, she glanced at her cell phone sitting on the island.
I should call Mom and tell her our news. Knowing her, she’s already up and puttering around, even though she got home from her annual trip to Ireland just two days ago
. She made a face, thinking about their phone conversation last week, right after Bann had left for Pennsylvania, and her mother’s concern about the new man, with a son in tow, in her daughter’s life. Especially in light of the recent events.
    â€œIf it wasn’t for Hugh and Ann,” her mother had grumbled, her voice fading in and out due to a storm onthe west coast of County Clare. “I’d be on the next plane home. I’m still furious with you, and with them, for not letting me know what happened until after it was all over.”
    â€œWell, we were kind of too busy fighting for our lives to stop and make a call—”
    â€œYou know quite well what I’m saying. Are you
sure
you’re okay?”
    â€œYes, Mom, I’m fine. The cousins are fine. We’re all fine.”
Except for poor Max
, she thought.
    A long pause. Then, her mother continued. “Look, m’girl. The gods know your father and I raised you to trust yourself, but are you certain about this man? I mean, he has a child already. Won’t that complicate things more than—”
    â€œYou can’t be serious!” Shay had fought not to raise her voice. “Mom, he’s the long-son of the High King—he’s practically royalty! Plus, he’s