won’t have to fight anymore.”
Her answer was to flick her hand, rip a candelabra off the wall, and throw it at his head. Fionn winced as it connected, his hand rubbing the spot where it hit before clattering to the floor by the bed. The vibe in the room grew considerably darker as he turned from the broken light fixture to her. “Very mature, mo chroí.”
His tone was anything but loving.
“Don’t—”
“Call you that.” He pushed his face into hers, forcing her back against the headboard. “I’ll call you what I like, Rose Kelly, because you’re my mate. And as my mate, I expect you to return an item that means a great deal to me.”
“Can you find a way to undo this mating bond between us?”
Fionn couldn’t hide his astonishment. “What?”
“Can you find a way to undo this shit between us?”
His expression darkened. “There’s no undoing this.”
Rose sat up, pushing her face into his. “Then why should I return an item that means a great deal to you when you can’t return something that means a great deal to me?”
Confusion flickered across his face. “Wha—”
“You have a piece of my soul, even though you don’t want it.” Hurt edged her words no matter how hard she tried to camouflage it. “So I’m keeping An Breitheamh, even though I don’t want that. Fair’s fair.”
Understanding softened his features and he reached out to touch her. Rose flinched away. “Don’t.”
Sighing heavily, Fionn straightened, stepping back from the bed. His countenance and tone turned matter-of-fact. “The spell that keeps An Caomhnóir invisible from the rest of the world has its drawbacks. Neither of us can travel in and out of the castle grounds until we’re beyond the spell barrier. You’re stuck here, Rose. You’re not going anywhere until you deliver An Breitheamh to me.”
“Then I guess I’m stuck here forever.”
“You will give me that dagger. Of that I have no doubt.” He marched away from her, his long strides eating up the distance between the bed and the door. “Dinner is served downstairs in an hour. If I have to come get you, I won’t be nice about it.”
The urge to throw something else at him was real. “If I don’t want to eat, I don’t have to.”
“You may be immortal, Rose, but starving yourself will lead to a very painful, uncomfortable existence, and since I’ve vowed to keep you safe until I’m no longer of this earth, it won’t be happening on my watch.” The door slammed hard behind him, making the tapestry on the wall flutter.
Ugh!
“What am I supposed to wear?” she yelled at the closed door.
In answer, the doors of the wardrobe in the far corner flew open, revealing a row of jeans and tops.
Rose huffed. “Show-off.”
Answering masculine laughter, dulled by stone walls, met her ears.
She rolled her eyes at the sound, wishing it didn’t cause that warm, painful ache to score across her chest.
28
The gale-force wind and wet weather had finally moved on. It was a crisp day, sunny and calm, with the ocean stretching out before the castle like a sheet of sparkling glass. There was a gentle breeze—it was unusual for there not to be on this part of the coast.
Fionn sighed and glanced over his shoulder to stare at the castle towering behind him. For two and a half days, Rose had coexisted with him at An Caomhnóir. She was uncharacteristically broody and to say her behavior frustrated him was an understatement. Not that Rose was stomping around like a sullen teenager; that wasn’t who she was. If she was pissed, she let it hang out. Fionn preferred that to huffiness.
No, it was more that Rose was wounded and trying to figure out how to maneuver through the days with her new affliction.
He’d caused the wound.
Therein laid his guilt and frustration.
His current plan of just waiting for Rose to come to him was not working. He was no closer to mending their relationship or retrieving An Breitheamh. Pulling out his mobile, Fionn hit Bran’s button.
The vampire picked up after a few rings. “You do this deliberately—I was just falling asleep.”
“This will only take a second.”
“Give me a minute, then.”
Fionn waited and heard murmuring in the background. Suspecting he’d interrupted an interlude, he felt an unusual emotion: jealousy. He stared up to the castle. An interlude with Rose would not go unappreciated.
“I’m back,” Bran said. Fionn could hear a beeping sound in the background followed by a door closing. A heavy one. Fionn knew what that meant. Bran