Being free of my curse was a similar rush. My head, my whole body, whirled with dick tingling ecstasy.
I was home again. Even though home was nothing but rotted castle walls and the dusty bones of the female giants who’d died out when the males never returned from the battle of Mag Tuired.
“What are those?”
My attention dropped to Maeve tucked beneath my arm, who was craning her head to eye the rib bones which created arches over my gardens. “Giant bones, what else?”
Her face drained her color. “You can get that big?”
“Bigger. These are the bones of a female, a rather small one at that.”
I could feel her heart lurch, thrumming against her chest like it was trying to burst free. An infernal grin curled my lips.
She was no doubt imagining just how big parts of me could get.
Maeve didn’t know my power was leaking from my eye, and that I’d lost my ability to shift. Was she afraid I’d shift while I was inside her?
It was almost like Maeve could sense the dark path where my thoughts had wandered, because her efforts to free herself from my hold renewed. I dropped her to the lush forest floor, and she scrambled to her hands and knees.
She looked hellishly delicious in that position, and my cock stiffened as I imagined dropping to my knees, ripping that skirt off her and taking her from behind.
“Where are we?” She gingerly plucked a gold coin from the grass. Treasure littered the grounds among the roots and the grass and crumbling ruins.
“Tír na nÓg. Commonly known as the Otherworld,” I said with a growl, my attention clamped to her backside. “These are my old palace grounds.”
“Looks more like a graveyard.”
“It is,” I responded with a sneer, hunger making me take a predatory step toward her.
She shot to her feet, skirt whirling around her curvy hips as she whipped around to face me, and stumbled back when she realized how close we were. As she fumbled backward, she tripped on a root protruding from the ground and fell onto her arse.
“W-why did you bring me here? To bury me?”
“I have no intention of killing ya, girl.” I paused, rubbing my flaming beard in thought. “Not anymore.”
“But you’re going to fuck me, right?” Her tone turned sharp, coming out as an accusation rather than a question. “You’ll kill me. You’re going to shift while you’re inside me. I—I just know it.”
Both my brows arched, and I crouched down with my hands gripping my knees so we were at eye level. Pathetic wee thing was terrified and outraged and confused by the desire she felt for me in equal portions. “Do ya now? See the future, do ye?”
“If you’re going to rape me, get it over with.”
“Rape?” I frowned. “No, Maeve. Make no mistake, we won’t be leavin’ this place until we’ve sealed our bond. But I won’t be forcin’ myself on ya.”
“Then you’ll die waiting, because I’m not fucking you.”
I smirked. “Really? Well, shame. I thought ya liked red-heads. Otherwise, why bring back that male from the pub?”
Maeve’s nostrils flared at the mention of the man from earlier. “I’m not going to fuck you because of your hair color. I’m not fucking you because you took everything from me. Not to mention, I’m way too small for you.” She pointed to my groin. “I’ll die if I try to ride that thing.”
I canted my head at her, grinning like a devil. “I think ye’ll enjoy it more than ya think.”
When she shook her head with a frantic motion, I sighed. “Yer a stubborn girl. How about this? See this bed of shamrocks?”
I gestured to the large patch of grass she sat in, which was covered in clovers. “Find me a four-leaf clover. Do that, and I’ll take it as a sign from the gods that we weren’t meant to mate.”
“How long do I have?” Her eyes narrowed, her voice laced with suspicion. I didn’t blame her for thinking this was just a way of torturing her. In a way, it was. Though, in a small part, it was agesture so she’d think she had at least a shred of autonomy in this.
Even though she didn’t.
