Danu, The Return

Danu, The Return Sally Painter

Part of The Hussies series.

Danu has one weakness—hot, sexy dragon-hunter Ragna. As leader of the Hussy Warrior Hunters, she reaped eternity with him in the Netherworld—until now. Destiny calls Danu back to Earth—alone. Torn between her sacred duty and her lover, Danu agonizes over losing Ragna forever. Strong, fearless Ragna makes her mindless with desire, and each time he touches her, Danu melts. Ragna is powerless to stop her from being ripped from his arms. His last words ring in her ears… He’ll find a way to return to her.

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Danu, The Return ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Danu, The Return Copyright © 2009 Sally Painter Edited by Sue-Ellen Gower Cover art by Syneca Electronic book Publication September 2009 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

DANU, THE RETURN

Sally Painter

Danu, The Return

Chapter One Danu slipped from the bed, careful not to disturb Ragna. Retrieving her robe from the bedside chair, she pulled the silk material over her naked body and tied the sash at the waist. She stood by the bed, looking down at his bare back and the intricate Celtic tattoos woven into countless battle scars. She reached out to trace one of the patterns but retracted her hand, not wanting to disturb him. She turned from the bed and padded across the room. The marble floor was cold against her bare feet as she exited the bedroom and walked down the hall to the expansive den. Moonlight filtered through the wall of windows opposite her. Shadows of swaying trees tumbled over the furniture onto the floor. She looked about, expecting to find something out of place, some sign of a disturbance, but everything was in order. So what had awakened her? Beyond the windows, wisps of light glittered through the trees, giving brief glimpses of a full moon. The summer night beckoned her to join it. “Danu,” came the familiar voice. “Leave me alone.” Her gaze dropped to the jagged mountainside and glistening sea below. “I won’t answer the summons. I won’t leave him.” She blinked back the tears, watching the ocean lift and fall as it rolled toward the shore. For the briefest of moments she saw not the Eternal Sea of the Netherworld, but the ocean surrounding her beloved earthly home on the Isle of Sàbhail. A mist stirred over the cliffs and within its haze a faint shadow emerged. “Grian Ròs Castle.” Her pulse quickened when her beloved home materialized. “Come now,” the voice said. “Step outside and come home.”

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Danu pressed her hand against the windowpane. Homesickness washed over her like an ocean wave and swept her through past memories, disjointed vignettes of the past. “Danu. Come outside.” She glanced at the portico, her gaze tracing the gnarled wisteria vines wrapping about the columns. Ragna had helped her plant them. The painstaking detail to recreate her beloved Rock Rose Castle had failed to capture the mystique of her magical haven. “Time is running out.” “I won’t.” She shook her head, swallowing the burning knot in her throat. She rested her head against the windowpane. Nothing could make her leave Ragna. “What’s wrong?” Ragna’s deep baritone sounded behind her. Danu spun around to find him standing in the doorway. Even in the dim light she could see his worried look, but her attention was captured by the image he cut standing naked in the moonlight. Her gaze dipped past his broad chest and trim waist to his engorged cock, buoying with each step he took toward her. Heat throbbed to her groin and all other thoughts faded from her mind. She lifted her gaze to his and her pulse quickened. “By all that’s holy, my love, the moonlight bathes ye in pure light.” He paused midstride, his gaze transfixed on her. “Ye are more beautiful than when I first laid dying eyes upon ye.” “Ragna,” Danu whispered, unable to push any more air through her lungs. His presence made the room seem smaller. Her fingers itched to thread through his long dark hair disheveled from sleep. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, feeling as though she would melt into a pool of quivering want the moment he touched her. “How is it possible after all this time you make me feel like a maiden bride?” She started toward him.

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“The same way ye turn me into a rutting stag.” His long-legged strides closed the distance between them. Danu fell into his arms, molding herself against him. “I love the way you feel.” His powerful arms lifted her from the floor and she clutched his biceps—flesh over steel. “And I love the way ye taste.” He nuzzled her, planting short kisses along the arched line of her neck. Tickling sensations cascaded in the wake of his kisses. “Our bed grew cold.” His breath was hot against her ear. “Why are ye awake, vixen?” His tongue flicked over her ear. He paused to tilt her chin and covered her lips with his. New sensations rushed through her. Firm, moist lips grew demanding and his tongue teased her mouth open. Danu moaned and he responded with a deep, throaty groan. Excited pulses throbbed to her clit. Suddenly he broke from the kiss, his breath still caressing her lips. His embrace loosened and once more her bare feet touched the cold floor. “Now tell me why ye left me alone in our bed when I so clearly need ye.” He glanced down at his erection and she closed her hand around it. His body tensed. His engorged shaft felt like silk over steel beneath her stroking. Her attention moved to the tattoo in the center of his jaw. The Celtic knotwork snaked down his neck and disappeared over his shoulder. She was momentarily transported back to the moment she first recognized the design’s significance. She moved her other hand to trace the dragon head hidden within the Celtic braid. “I-I didn’t mean to wake you.” She tried to calm the urgent need quaking through her. “I dinna think I’ll last much longer under your touch, especially with ye looking so fetching in the moonlight.” Pre-cum seeped from the tip of his cock and smeared over her fingertips. The robe slipped down her arm and he leaned over to drop a kiss on her exposed shoulder. Tender nerve endings tingled where his lips touched her flesh.

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“Were ye sleepwalking?” His tone was deep and seductive. Danu cleared her throat. His touch unleashed a fervent rush of memories of his lovemaking. She sucked in a deep breath. His scent of earth and sea filled her nostrils. “Come now, lassie. What troubles ye?” He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his stare. “Besides you?” She trembled. The corners of his eyes crinkled and she was instantly lost in their brown depths. “Just dreams,” she said. “Dreams?” He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. She melted under his touch. “Truly, Ragna, my love.” She released his cock to lift onto tiptoes and touched her lips to his. At first he didn’t respond and she worried he would press the matter further, then his lips pressed into hers. His tongue plunged inside her mouth and she twisted hers around his. Her pulse throbbed when he untied the sash to her robe and the gathered material fell open. His hands slipped between the silky folds. Danu held her breath, expectant of his first touch. Warm hands cupped her breasts and a small moan eased between her lips. Delightful sensations goose-bumped over her. One of his hands slid around her waist and down her back until firm fingers gripped her buttocks. He tugged her against him and she rolled her hips, grinding her pussy into him. His thumb brushed over a hardened nipple, sending excited pulses to her groin. She ached to feel his lips close over the puckered bud, instead, he closed his thumb and forefinger around her nipple in a gentle pinch. Jagged streaks of heat made her burn to feel him inside her. “I want you, Ragna.” She needed to feel his cock scrape past the folds of her pussy and plunge deep inside her.

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He lifted her from the floor and Danu found herself being carried to the library table. He shoved stacks of books out of his way. They tumbled to the floor in a cascade of thuds. “Ye make me wild with need.” He lowered her onto the leather desktop, her bare buttocks pressing into the leather. Ragna peeled the robe from her and tossed it to the floor. “Ye need to be ravished. And I’m just the man for the task.” Dark unruly hair fell over his face, reminding Danu of the way he looked the first time she’d seen him, fighting a dragon along an icy riverbank. Her pulse quickened. He was still that mighty warrior she’d fallen in love with so many centuries past. She met his gaze and recognized the raw urgency reflecting in them. The air crackled between them. “Spread your legs so I may feast upon your beauty,” he said. Danu opened her legs. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she wondered if she’d always blush under his regard. “I burn for ye, Danu.” She swallowed back the rising excitement. He held his cock in one hand, pumping up and down. She rolled her hips to entice him to enter her and glided her hands over her abdomen to her pussy. She spread the plump lips open to reveal herself fully to him. “Ye are so beautiful. My perfect mate.” His words fell over her in a hoarse whisper. She ran her finger over her clit and moaned. He pushed her hands away and grasped her by the thighs, tugging her to the edge of the table. Her pulse pounded harder. He kneeled down and dipped his head, burying his face between her legs. She held her breath until he slipped his tongue between the moist mounds of her pussy and flicked it over her sensitized clit. A sharp twinge of pleasure zinged through her and she gasped, threading her fingers through his hair. She pressed him closer, rolling her hips to his tongue-play. He plunged his fingers inside her opening and she quickened her movements. The rising orgasm teased 9

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her, driving her into a frenzied need. She rotated her hips, lifting from the table to meet each touch of his tongue. His fingers pumped in and out of her pussy. Jagged streaks of pleasure surged then faded only to return stronger and hotter. His strokes grew faster and she thrashed against them, wanting to reach the pinnacle of release yet savoring every flick of his tongue over her clit. Electrical pulses rushed up her spine and the sexual energy burst in a spasm of release. Her muscles clamped around his fingers. “Ragna.” Delightful sensations spasmed through her and radiated in a rush of wet heat between her legs. “My warrior lover.”

Hot cum seeped from her opening to drench his fingers. Ragna groaned under the sweet taste of her juices. His cock pulsated when the folds of her pussy clenched his fingers once more. He sucked her clit, teasing the nub with an erotic tongue dance. He sensed every excited twinge and streak racing through her. He quickened the rhythm and she thrashed against the playful flickering of his tongue. Her flesh grew hot. When her body stiffened and she came a second time, he eased the pressure of his tongue. She panted. God how he enjoyed the way her body quivered each time he touched the tip of his tongue to her clit. Slowly, he lifted his head and met her wanton gaze. “Ye have such a delicious pussy.” Gently he pulled his fingers from her tightened pussy. Her juices coated his fingers and he sucked them into his mouth, enjoying the way she tasted. “Sweetest nectar in all the world.” He licked the last bit of her essence from his fingers. “I love ye more than words can say, Danu.” His throat muscles tightened against the rush of emotions. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was lying there, golden tresses fanning about her head. He hungered to whisper in her ear how he adored the way her pussy felt whenever he fucked her, but all he could manage was a low groan. There would be 10

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time—later. Teasing sensations traveled to the crown of his cock. The foreskin constricted, tugging the flesh away from the tip to expose the sensitized slit. “I’m going to sink my cock inside your sweet little cunt and take you hard.” His voice grew hoarse. He parted her legs. She’d be tight from the orgasms so he must be gentle. His muscles tensed against the urgent command quaking through his body to fuck her. It was a mindless urge that required all his willpower to resist. He wanted this to last as long as possible. “Don’t wait. Please.” Her eyelids fluttered open. Her entreaty melted his resolve. Ragna grasped her by the hips and the tip of his cock eased into her opening. His heart hammered out the excitement he could no longer contain. He pressed past heated folds of wet, silky flesh. “Gods, ye are so sweet.” Her juices flowed around his cock and he slipped past tightened vaginal walls. She whimpered and rolled her hips forward then back, urging him to take her harder. Faster. “I love how you fuck me.” Her sultry words made his heart stop then slam against his chest. He grasped her by the waist and rammed his cock deep inside her. Tense muscles relaxed around his cock. He moved in and out of her, slowly at first. “You have the tightest pussy.” He ground into her. She encircled his waist with her legs and locked her ankles. She matched his movements by rolling her hips. Ragna closed his eyes, enjoying the way they fit together. Each time he made love to her was like the first time. Each time he reclaimed her—his forever. He ground into her, longing to go deeper. Sweat popped out along his spine. He molded his hands around her sweet little ass and tugged her into him. This position incited her and she pumped him harder.

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“Don’t wait,” she panted, lifting onto her arms. Her hair was plastered to the side of her face with beads of perspiration glistening in the moonlight. The sucking sound of his cock coated with her juices, moving in and out of her pussy, filled the room, driving him into a mindless passion. He lifted her legs so she could drape them over his shoulders, and tugged her to him each time he thrust his cock into her. The furnace inside him roared and he pounded her pussy until she stiffened and cried out. The walls of her pussy gripped him. Ragna dug his fingers into her hips and fucked her harder. The sound of his balls slapping against her ass drove him wild. Liquid heat rushed through his cock and hot cum spewed out in a powerful burst, filling her. He groaned. His body spasmed as the orgasm seized him. Tightened muscles clenched his cock. Each gripping sensation made him spasm again, followed by a rush of intense pleasure. His cock throbbed with each pulsing release of his cum. He gulped air. “My Danu,” he breathed, lifting his head to capture her lips in a long, tender kiss. He broke away and smoothed dampened locks from her face. “I love ye more than any man has ever loved his woman.”

***** Danu lay with her arms and legs entwined with his. Ragna had spread a couple of quilts on the lawn so they could sleep beneath the moon and stars as they so often did on sultry summer nights. Her earlier fears had been replaced with the restive afterglow of sexual pleasure. “So what woke ye earlier?” he asked, stroking her face with the back of his hand. “It was just a dream.” She rested her head on his chest. “Hmm…”

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Although she knew he was trying to sound nonchalant, Danu sensed his concern. She lifted onto one elbow. Tense lines hardened his face. She wouldn’t let anything end their life in paradise. She wouldn’t allow Mila to separate them. Fear closed around her heart. She wouldn’t give Ragna up. She stroked his chest and he released a deep breath. She met the worried look in his eyes and he averted his gaze, shifting underneath her to sit up. “I love the way your hair curls around my fingers.” He captured a stray curl and smoothed it behind her ear. Silence filled the space between them, but she knew his thoughts. They were the same as hers. “We shall be together forever.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her onto his lap, folding her into his arms. “We belong together.” She sat resting her head on his chest. The pounding of his heart grew faster. It was as though he sensed what lurked in the shadows, waiting for them. “Forever.” She rubbed his chest, trying to soothe him. The late night summer breeze caressed them, showering them with the sweet scents of honeysuckle and rosemary. At length, Ragna lay back down, this time on his stomach, arms folded beneath his head. She settled beside him, resting her head on his back.

Her delicate fingers moved over his back. His heart stirred with her slightest touch. She shifted and surprised him by straddling his waist. She massaged his back and the tension eased from his muscles. “Ye are a sorceress with magic fingers.” He groaned, enjoying the way her hands manipulated his body. “Seer, my love, and part elemental, hardly a sorceress. My magic, like yours, was left in the earthly realm.”

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“Perhaps.” She wiggled and her pussy brushed against him. Liquid fire coursed through him. “Vixen.” He rolled over, grasping her by the waist so she could reposition herself on top of him. She lifted her hips and eased him inside her channel. His breath rushed from him. Rosy-tipped breasts taunted him, bouncing under her movements. He lifted into a sitting position and leaned down to close his lips around one of the tender morsels. The puckered bud rolled away from his tongue and he clamped his lips over it, trapping it inside his mouth. He flicked his tongue over it and suckled the nipple in his mouth. A low, throaty groan rushed between her lips each time she lowered her hips, taking his length deeper inside. Ragna released her nipple and lay back down, enjoying the sensations seizing his body. His cock was so hard, he felt it would burst if he waited any longer. She pressed her hands into his chest and lifted to her knees, pulling his length from her, but pausing with the tip of his cock just inside her opening. She sat back down and his cock slipped past the fleshy folds of her pussy, embedded snugly inside her once more. When she started to lift again, he clamped his hands around her waist and held her down. She took his lead and rocked back and forth. Ragna tightened his buttocks, lifting his hips from the ground as she rolled her hips. “Oh baby, you know how to fuck me,” he rasped. Every nerve ending on his cock twinged with pleasure. She cried out as the spasm seized her. Breathing between clenched teeth, Ragna rolled her over, his cock still inside her. He was incited and fucked her harder…faster. His muscles tightened and the pent-up energy burst from him, spilling into her. He roared with the release.

“What are ye thinking about, my love?” he whispered as Danu lay with her head on his chest. “How much I love riding you.” She closed her eyes. 14

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“’Twas always good between us.” He stroked her face. His hands felt rough against her tender flesh. “Aye.” She released a dreamy sigh. “Why so nostalgic?” He rubbed her breasts. She enjoyed the way he touched her. So completely. So possessively. “I-I don’t know…” She wanted to tell him, but the words hung in her throat. She swallowed. “I was just thinking about how we restored order to the world yet no one remembers us.” “’Tis the way of life, love. No more dragons to fight. I became obsolete.” “Don’t you miss it?” she asked. “My deep love affair with dodging flames? Aye, I sorely miss the battle wounds and having no new tattoos.” “You tease.” She slapped at his chest. He laughed. “I dinna miss tracking dragons that shape-shifted into humans so I couldn’t tell them apart from the villagers. Watching my friends die one by one. Nay, love, I dinna miss those things.” “You know what I mean.” “Aye, love. I’m content. I have a warm bed to share with ye and make love to ye whenever I desire. These are all good things.” “Those aren’t the things I’m talking about. It was exhilarating knowing that my purpose in life was to help save the world, one man at a time. I gave the Hussies I trained the tools to accomplish their missions.” She bit her lip. This approach to telling him the truth wasn’t working. “And here I thought ye were content in paradise, just the two of us.” He clicked his tongue. “Shame on ye for fooling me.”

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Her pulse pounded. She had fooled him. She needed to tell him the whole story about their paradise. The words pressed against the inside of her mouth but she couldn’t move her lips to release them. He would never understand. Never forgive her.

***** Ragna slid his hand down the silky length of her leg then back up, pausing along her inner thigh. He was surprised when she awoke. “I dinna mean to wake ye.” She pushed him onto his back and leaned over him, letting her silky blonde tresses brush his chest. Her teasing scintillated his senses, especially when she trailed kisses over his chest and abdomen. His muscles flinched involuntarily when she feathered kisses to his groin. His breathing deepened. His cock throbbed. Delicate hands closed around his thickness and she lowered her head to take his length into her mouth. “Danu, my sex goddess.” Exciting sensations consumed him as she drew him in and out of her mouth, sucking and licking his cock. She molded her lips around the tip of his cock and sucked harder, letting her tongue flicker over the crown. Ragna groaned. She held the base of his shaft, moving her other hand up and down its length. She lifted her head then leaned down to curl her tongue around a bead of pre-cum that seeped from his pinkened slit. “Uhm.” She ran her tongue over her lips. His heart slammed against his rib cage. He seized her by the upper arms and tugged her to his mouth. This fiery sprite set his blood on fire. He covered her mouth with his, teasing her lips with his tongue. Instead of opening her mouth, she broke from the kiss and turned her back to straddle him, tilting her ass up to him. Delicate hands cupped his balls and once more her lips closed over his cock. Her rounded ass moved up and down as she leaned over to take him inside her mouth. Excited twinges raced down his legs. He leaned forward, gripping her hips, to draw her closer to his mouth. He ran his tongue down her length while moving one 16

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hand around her abdomen to her pussy where he separated her labia. He rubbed his finger over the fleshy nub while tongue-fucking her opening. Gods, her essence intoxicated him and made him want more. Always more. Nimble fingers massaged his balls, easing the ache tightening his belly. His heart pounded out an urgent need that surged through him. When her tongue circled the sensitized crown he gritted his teeth against the rising orgasm, willing himself to wait, just a little longer. Sweat popped out over his flesh and he flicked his tongue in and out of her. How he loved the way she moved under his touch. He eased his fingers inside her pussy. Moist flesh, hot and pliable, engulfed his fingers. He rammed his fingers in and out of her pussy and sensed the burning rush of release building in her. He broke away and his cock tumbled from her mouth. He gripped her arms and turned her around to face him. “I canna wait to ease my want.” He quickly found her opening and she settled onto his cock. His flesh stretched so tightly around his erection, Ragna felt he’d explode. She pressed her hands into his shoulders to support herself and lifted her hips, and each time she rolled her hips, streaks of heat raced the length of his cock. Her channel tightened around him then relaxed. Firm breasts jostled under her movements and he reached out to cup them. His fingertips brushed over the rosy tips. Everything about her took him to the edge of control and if she kept teasing him, he was going to come. “I must have ye completely,” he whispered. “I need to take your ass.” It was a primal need he couldn’t deny. He lifted her from him and she settled onto her knees, tilting her ass into the air. “Gods and goddess.” He huffed and slapped her tush, enjoying the way her soft skin felt against his large hand. She rolled her hips and he patted her ass again, this time massaging the rosy flesh. He spread her butt cheeks and groaned. He leaned down and licked her length, enjoying the way she tensed and then pushed her pelvis toward him. He trailed his 17

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fingers to her pussy and pressed his fingers into her opening, pumping them deep inside. “Oh Ragna.” She undulated under his touch. “I’m going to take you hard, my little magical imp.” He leaned down and circled his tongue around her anus. He eased his fingers from her sweet, hot cunt to tease the puckered opening he ached to fuck. “What a perfectly rounded ass ye have, lassie.” The sight of her wiggling in front of him set his blood on fire. “Sweet paradise, I must have a wee taste.” He leaned forward, pausing to flicker imaginary circles around the puckered rim. He toyed with her clit and sensed the energy gathering in her, close to bursting free. Her movements grew frenetic. She panted and moaned. He sat up on his knees and reached for a slim glass bottle of oil, turning it upside down into his palm. He rubbed the oil over his cock, smearing some around the outer rim of her anus before grasping her by the hips and pressing his cock into the cherished opening. The walls of her asshole were tight and he moaned under the building pressure squeezing around his cock. He took her inch by inch until his length was snugly inside her. He shook as he fought the need to ravish her. Sweat rolled down his spine. Every nerve ending in his body twinged with the electric current zinging through him. She writhed against him and he flattened one hand against her abdomen, molding his body to hers. She rolled her head and tilted her pelvis higher. He moved with her as though they were one. She twisted and panted then cried out. Her body tensed and she tightened her anus muscles. “Danu.” The pent-up heat shot down his shaft, liquid heat erupting from his cock as he spasmed, gasping for air.

Ragna stroked her hair and hummed a Celtic lullaby as they lay entwined in each other’s arms. 18

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Danu drifted off to sleep. He thought of the final battle he’d fought by her side and the first time he’d seen the castle she’d created, telling him the name was Rock Rose Castle. “I shall be your rock and ye shall be my rose, my beloved Danu. We shall serve the world well from this fine home.”

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Chapter Two “Awaken, my love.” Sleep faded and Ragna’s voice called to her from the mist. Groggy and disoriented, Danu opened her eyes to find him standing with his back to her. “See there?” He pointed to a silver light shimmering in the darkness. “What has come to visit us?” Danu’s heartbeat quickened. “Mila,” she whispered and picked up her robe, pulling it on as the light drew closer. Ragna stood with legs braced apart and hands balled into hard fists resting on his hips. He was stark naked yet unabashed in the presence of an elemental being. “What do ye want, Mila?” he challenged the guide before she could materialize from the luminescent form. “Ragna, calm down.” Danu stepped in front of him, noticing the angry tic in the muscles of his clenched jaw. “The time has passed, Danu.” Mila remained a shimmer as though reluctant to fully materialize. Danu didn’t blame Mila for choosing to remain partly in spirit form in case she needed to hastily escape Ragna’s wrath. “You’ve ignored the Elders’ summons. I’m here to fetch you home.” “Like hell!” Ragna took a step toward Mila who floated backward. “Ragna, please. I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you.” Danu closed her fingers around his arm, wanting him to understand, hating herself for betraying him. “Please understand.” “Go back, Mila. Ye aren’t welcome here.” Ragna moved to stand between Danu and the undulating light.

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“You have no say in this matter, Ragna. You aren’t a Hussy. You’re a…” “I know damn well what I am. I’m Danu’s husband. Ye rewarded her with eternity in paradise. Ye made a vow, Mila.” “And that vow was for five hundred years.” “What?” He paused, glancing back at Danu. The anger in his expression drained and was replaced by disbelief. “Danu? What does she mean?” Danu licked her lips. “Danu?” When she didn’t answer he grabbed her by the shoulders his fingers digging into her flesh. “Tell me ye dinna strike such a bargain with this she-devil?” “Ragna.” Danu gasped. “I-I…never thought the world would reclaim me.” Sobs choked her. “Ye…ye lied to me?” The look in his eyes pierced her heart as surely as if it had been a blade. He released her. “All this time together… ’Twas a lie?” “Nay!” Danu reached for him, but he jerked from her touch. “I didn’t lie, my love.” “Ye dinna tell me paradise came with so high a price.” “I was going to. I was. I just…” “Ye had five hundred years to tell me, Danu.” “She didn’t tell you, Ragna, because it was the only way the Elders would agree to let you enter the Netherworld. You only belong in one world, that of the earth. Danu belongs to both worlds.” “Ye sacrificed eternity for me?” He turned to Danu. “What good would eternity be without you, my love?” She swiped at the tears in her eyes. “Oh Danu. Tell me ’tis not true.” Tears glistened in his eyes and he cradled her face between his hands. 21

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“I gave us time together. Time they would have denied us. I wanted to be sure you would always be safe.” Her heart pounded harder. “Safe?” He glared over at Mila. “You’re immortal, Ragna,” Danu said. “In your world you possessed great magic.” “What did you expect the Elders to do about you?” Mila asked. “Allow me to fight my own battles.” He spat and turned back to Danu. “Ye had no right to make such a choice for me.” “It’s time to leave,” Mila said. “If ye must return to the earth plane, then I shall go with ye.” “You cannot.” The bluish figure undulated and for a moment Danu thought the elemental was slipping back to the earthly world. “You no longer belong in that world, Ragna.” Danu watched the blood vessels in his temple bulge. He turned on Mila. “I shall destroy ye and the Elders.” He reared back, drawing his arms out to his sides. Mila chuckled but still backed away from him. “Ragna.” Danu touched his arm. “You have no magic here, remember?” He frowned down at her and lowered his arms. Defeated. “I’m sorry, my love. It’s important to me that you survive.” Her heart ached for the painful expression moving over his face. Pain she’d caused. “Like me, you’re the last of your kind, Dragon Hunter.” “So I was spared because I’m a fucking specimen?” “We must leave,” Mila said. “No! Danu!” He grabbed her by the shoulders, hugging her to him. “Ye canna go. Ye canna leave me here. Without ye there is no life. This isn’t saving me. ’Tis condemning me to eternal hell.”

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Tears welled in her eyes. She’d never thought beyond the initial safe haven of being in the Netherworld. She hadn’t allowed herself to contemplate this moment. “I’m sorry, Ragna.” “Danu is no longer yours.” The light surrounding Mila began to shimmer. Danu clung to him. “Ye can fight them. Together we can fight them.” He tightened his arms around her. “I cannot refuse. Mila has the power here, Ragna. Not us.” “Nay.” He spun around to face Mila. “I want an audience before the Elders. Now!” “The Elders don’t recognize you as anything more than Danu’s mate. They shan’t sanction an audience. You must resign to this, Ragna. ’Tis a better fate than the one you would have known had Danu not bargained for your life.” “Bargained?” He looked down at Danu. “With those pious creatures who hid behind their wall of magic while I slew their enemies? They had no right…” “Forgive me, Ragna,” Danu said, holding onto him, never wanting to let go. “I love you. I couldn’t allow them to destroy you.” She knew he felt betrayed. She’d kept the truth from him, but had he known he’d never have agreed to their journey to paradise. He’d have fought the Elders and lost. “Your battles are over, Ragna,” Mila said. “My battle with ye, Mila, and the Elders has just begun.” His caustic tone made Danu cringe. “Ye and the Elders shall regret ever placing Danu in a position that forced her to lie to me. Let me return with Danu.” He glared over at the translucent figure. “You possess too much magic in the earth world, Ragna,” Mila said. “Your sacred Elders canna control me,” he interrupted. “They’re afraid I might wield my magic against them. Well they’re damn right to fear me now. I shall use my magic to destroy them.” “Ragna, no,” Danu cried, fearing what he would do. What the Elders would do to him.

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“I proved my loyalty. I helped ye defeat the enemy and this is the gratitude your bloody Elders bestow upon me?” “I am but a messenger,” Mila said. “How convenient for ye, Mila.” Ragna turned to Danu. “Danu. Ye know my heart.” “Ragna, I feel the transition beginning. Please forgive me. The agreement was the only way I knew to save you. Forgive me.” The world around her began to grow thick and heavy. Ragna reached for her, but his movements were slow as though he fought transparent sand. She held out her hand to him, longing to touch him one last time. To share a final kiss. “I love you, Ragna.” “Danu!” he cried out as the brilliant light engulfed her in a bubble. “Nay! Danu!” His voice rang in her ears.

***** Danu stood on the seawall. Thick fog rolled in from the ocean. The first rays of daylight penetrated the clouds shrouding the castle. A sudden shift of wind and the mist parted, revealing Grian Ròs Castle on the hill above her nestled among the hazel, rowan and yew trees high atop the magical Isle of Sàbhail. “Ragna!” She sobbed, turning for the castle. It had been two weeks since Mila had brought her to Grian Ròs. She pined for her beloved every moment, even in her dreams. He was lost to her. The ocean scents filled her nostrils. She descended the steps and started across the moss lawn, letting her gaze sweep over the lush grounds greened by spring. It was just as she’d left it as though frozen in time. She stepped onto the marble portico and reached for the door knob but the door opened by itself. “Magic,” she whispered, still not used to reclaiming it as her own. It had waited for her to return. She entered the great room, recalling the one she’d shared with Ragna in the Netherworld. 24

Danu, The Return

“I miss you, my love.” “Danu.” The voice echoed around her. “Ragna?” Hope seized her. “Where are you?” Tears streamed down her cheeks. She ran to their bed chamber, but it was cold and vacant. “Ragna!” The sense of loss closed around her. “He isn’t coming. It’s forbidden,” came Mila’s disembodied voice. Danu bit back the tears, refusing to give in to the welling emotions. She’d find a way back to him. “Do you remember how it was, Danu?” Mila manifested in front of her, donning the appearance of a woman in her thirties with straight, long, almost black hair. “When man became lost? For centuries. Until the Dark Ages, mankind’s most trying time.” “How could I ever forget? Humans separated from all that was good. But we changed it. Ragna and I changed it.” “You and your Hussies changed it.” “This castle is the only marking left that proves we were here. Me…Ragna…the Hussy warrior hunters. I recall when I first discovered this magical island.” She glided her hand over the carved marble column. “I gave it the name of Sàbhail. Isle of Rescue. Ragna was my first rescue.” “He doesn’t need to be your last,” Mila said. “You must rebuild, Danu.” “I can’t rebuild. All the Hussy warrior hunters are dead.” Tears tumbled down her cheeks. “I need Ragna. Don’t you understand, Mila?” “You could have remained in this world and continued to train Hussies.” “And what kind of life would I have lived, condemning the man I loved to death? The Elders wouldn’t let him remain in this world. He was too much of a threat. They let him go with me not to reward me but to solve their problem.” “The world needs the strength of Hussies, Danu. The battles are more important than ever. Some will be upon battlefields as in ancient times, while others shall be of

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personal strife. ’Tis a new world, Danu, but warriors are still warriors and Hussies are still Hussies. “You alone possess the knowledge of generations. You’ll create a new army of Hussies and train them to hunt and find the warriors destined to be their charges. Your unique ability to locate warriors in need or peril is your greatest gift. But not just any warrior—a man destined to change the world for the better.” “I canna rebuild an entire army of Hussies.” “Serve the world one last time, Danu, and you shall be granted eternal rest with Ragna.” “How long?” she asked. “As long as it takes. Seek out one Hussy at a time. Select her for specific abilities matched to those of her charge and above all ensure the success of each mission.” “I know my duty,” she clipped, irritated with her guide’s attempt to inspire her to take up the challenge. “They have no knowledge of the legacy. They don’t know that the title of Hussy was worn with pride. That my warrior hunters were strong, independent women, capable and dedicated to their mission. How do I teach them that to have a Hussy on your side means certain success and victory over whatever battles the warrior must fight? The time of the Hussies has passed, Mila. The legion is gone. “I’d have to find their descendents. Bestow their birthrights and…” She shook her head. “It’s a lot to ask. And why now? If the world has been ravaged by wars during my slumber, why didn’t you awaken me then?” “The Elders honored your agreement. They gave you five hundred years of rest. The world is in crisis. Mother Nature totters on the edge, threatening to abandon her throne. Darkness lurks to consume the world again. How can you deny this quest?” The internal war waging in her stopped. “I canna deny it.” A feeling of defeat settled in the pit of her stomach.

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“Excellent! You must become familiar with the customs and mores of the new world and master all of its technologies. You shall need to incorporate these with your magical powers. Only then shall you be a formidable opponent to the evil forces determined to gain control over this world. Combined with the ancient knowledge and your shape-shifting abilities, you shall once more help set the destiny of humankind back on its proper course.” The weight of the world settled onto Danu’s shoulders—again. “’Tis a formidable task.” “Under your guidance, the Hussies’ descendants shall form a new Order of the Hussies and in the tradition of their ancestors, strike out on missions to effect change in the world of mankind, assuring destiny is not denied its birthright.” “Enough!” Danu interrupted. “I shall be about it.” “So it shall be.” Mila’s shimmering image began to fade. “Wait! I won’t do this without Ragna. You tell the Elders to amend my agreement.” Danu wrung her hands together. “That isn’t possible.” Mila vanished. “Ragna.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Danu, my love. I shall find a way back to ye.” His voice drifted over her. His deep brogue was faint and she knew the longer she remained in the earth plane the thicker the veil between both worlds would grow. Ragna didn’t have the magical energy needed to cross over and her magic was limited to her new world.

***** Danu stood staring out the window at the brilliant blue light gyrating over the lawn. She stepped out onto the portico. No doubt her guide had returned to assess her progress in recruiting new Hussies during the past months.

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She’d recruited several and so far three had graduated and were ready to undertake a mission. The Elders should be pleased. An image began to form within the light, but it was taller than Mila. Her pulse spiked. Danu cried out when she recognized Ragna. He stepped through the light, his kilt swinging with each stride. He stretched out his arms. “My beloved Danu.” The light vanished and Danu ran into his arms. “Ragna.” He lifted her from the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist, planting kisses all over his face. “I’ve longed for you…” Tears filled her eyes when she met his loving look. “I missed ye so much, Danu.” He captured her lips with his. How she’d missed his kisses…touching him. Tears streamed down her cheeks. He broke from the kiss to cup her face between his hands. “Ragna.” She tried to keep the sobs from bubbling in her throat. “Did ye think I’d stay in paradise without ye?” “But how?” He captured her lips again. Warm hands cupped her buttocks beneath her nightgown. She heard the buckle to his belt clatter to the stone patio, followed by the tartan. She tore at her gown, longing to lie naked with him again. Her pulse quickened when he lowered her onto the plaid. The urgent need to rejoin consumed them. His cock scraped past her opening and she released a deep sigh. “Welcome home,” she gasped between heated breaths. He moved in and out of her, groaning. Her pulse throbbed. She clung to him. His hard body was hot and wet. The morning sun beat down on them as he took her,

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ramming his cock into her pussy as though he couldn’t get enough of her. She moved with him, chasing the orgasm that would reunite them and make them one again. Excited twinges shot from her pelvis up her spine to her head. Brilliant shards of light burst around her as the orgasm seized her. His body stiffened and hot cum burst inside her as he spasmed. “Danu.” She closed her eyes. They were once more sealed as one—an eternal bond that could never be severed. “I’ve wanted you so much. I thought I’d never see you again.” He nuzzled her neck, panting with sweat soaking his skin. “’Tis good to be back together.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Aye, love. As long as we’re together, any place is home.” “How did you manage to transcend the Netherworld?” “The Elders failed to realize one very important thing about my magic.” “But…they said you had none in the Netherworld.” “They dinna understand that the magic of our love transcends all other magic. No one can control how we feel about each other or keep us apart. That’s the power of our magic, Danu.”

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About the Author When an astrologer told Sally, “Beneath that smart business suit you’re wearing beats the heart of a Hussy,” she was inspired! Born in the South and into an Irish/Scottish family meant storytelling was a natural part of her life, especially the ghost stories of her state. From an early age she had many encounters with real ghosts and, years later, was invited to participate in a three-year paranormal project. Sally went on to host a monthly paranormal workshop and paranormal radio talk show. Nowadays, when not writing hot sexy gargoyles, vampires and futuristic hunks, she takes off on a new adventure with her soul mate husband, enjoys her family and hangs out with friends.

Sally welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Sally Painter All I Need All I Want Divided Love Fae’s Gargoyle Fated Mates anthology Lap Dance Last Resort Not Just an Orgy Reunited Sexed Up Things That Go Bump in the Night VI anthology To Kiss a Gargoyle

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