The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance Part 31

They swam towards the cave opening, Esras pulling her while she swam one-handed. Sunlight glinted off the ripples as they emerged from the shadows. The Celtic Sea spread out in front of them for as far as they could see.

He pulled her closer, treading water. "Now, we go down."

She looked down through the water at the rays of sunlight painting wavering green-gold streaks across his body. He moved behind her and slid an arm around her waist, holding her loosely against his chest. She filled her lungs and they ducked beneath the surface.

He angled them down, swimming surprisingly fast out to sea. She scanned the area, expecting to see whatever it was he wanted to show her before they had to return to the surface. Fish slid among fluttering fronds of kelp and seaweed, while even down here rays of sun pierced the water with golden warmth.

Her lungs started to burn and panic quivered in her muscles. Esras was still descending. They were so deep now, she wasn't sure she could hold her breath long enough to reach the surface again. She should have told him that she was out of practice. She hadn't been swimming for years. She struggled in his grasp, but his arm only tightened around her waist. She tried to turn, see his face, signal her distress, but he kept going down so fast that the momentum prevented her from escaping his grip.

When she was certain she couldn't hold her breath a moment longer his voice slid into her mind. "Relax and stop fighting it, my love. Trust me."

The last air leaked from her lungs in a shower of tiny bubbles that raced away to the surface. In that moment, a strange calm came over her. She stopped struggling and closed her eyes. The water skimmed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and legs, Esras' warm chest pressed tightly to her back, his hard muscles rippling against her as he swam. She became aware of his heart beating, sure and steady.

Water filled her mouth and nose. She waited . . . not for pain and death, because she knew they wouldn't come.

"Breathe." Esras' voice whispered into her head, soft as a caress. And she obeyed him.

Strength and energy flooded into her with the water. Her nerves tingled, blood surged. She heard sounds she hadn't noticed before, squeaks and clicks and deep rumbles and booms that echoed through the water.

She tried to turn to smile at him but he held her tight.

"We're going to ride a current. Be ready."

Ahead the water plunged and churned, dragging at the seaweed and scattering debris like a storm. She tensed as they approached; then they were sucked into it, being tossed and buffeted by the current, moving so fast Kate couldn't see anything but foaming water.

Esras wrapped his other arm around her, hugging her tightly to his body. She felt as though she was white-water rafting without the raft.

"When I tell you to, swim hard," he said inside her head. "Now."

Kate kicked and pulled with her arms for all she was worth. Esras' muscles flexed against her back as he swam with one arm, holding her with the other. After they broke away from the turmoil, the sudden peace of the still water came as a relief. He loosed his arms, releasing her, and let her float beside him. For the first time since they'd dived, she saw him. Her breath caught in her lungs. Everything about him had become more beautiful beneath the water. His hair gleamed with a patina of silver, his skin glowed pale gold and his green eyes shone like starlight through emeralds.

"You're gorgeous, Kate," he said.

She'd been so entranced with Esras, it hadn't occurred to her that she might look different. The b.u.t.tons on the silk shirt she was wearing had come unfastened, but she hardly registered that her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were bare. She was mesmerized by the subtle play of colours across her opalescent skin.

Esras gathered a handful of her long hair and held it in front of her face so she saw the gleaming polished ebony strands. He stroked his fingertips across her cheek, traced her jaw. "I wish you could see your eyes as well. They put sapphires to shame," he said.

His fingers trailed down her neck and along her collarbone, drifting lower to the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Kate wanted to tell Esras how luscious he looked, but she didn't know how to speak underwater. Instead, she reached out and slid her palms over his shoulders and chest, revelling in the solid strength of his muscles.

His arms closed around her. He drew her closer and kissed her forehead and her cheeks. Then his mouth covered hers. His lips were firm and cool, but his tongue was hot in contrast to the cool seawater as she opened her mouth and he deepened the kiss.

Too soon, Esras pulled away. "You're so distracting. You nearly made me forget why I brought you here."

Kate raised her eyebrows and pointed at herself. Hadn't he wanted to prove to her that she was different? He'd certainly done that. Whatever decisions she made about her life when they returned to the air, she would never be the same person again.

"Try to speak to me. Focus on your pearl as you think what you want to say," he said.

She put her fingers on the teardrop pearl against her chest and concentrated. "h.e.l.lo, s.e.xy."

He laughed, a rumble in the water as well as the sound in her head. "h.e.l.lo, gorgeous. You learn fast."

He kissed the tip of her nose, his fingers grazing tantalizingly low across her belly. He stilled, staring into her eyes. A hot needy tension thrummed between them. "I really want to take you back to my bed, but before we leave I must show you your heritage."

Seven.

They swam side by side until they reached the edge of a cliff beneath the sea. Esras stopped and released Kate's hand. "We're going deeper now, so I need to make some lanterns." He cupped his hands together as if modelling clay, then spread his palms to release a glowing ball. It floated beside them while he made four more in the same way.

Esras took her hand, guiding her down vertically. The lanterns floated on ahead to light their way. Instead of the water getting colder as they went deeper, it became warmer. Finally, Esras stopped and pointed down at the valley floor.

All Kate saw was the seabed below them. She frowned at him.

"Touch your pearl, Kate."

She wrapped her fingers around her pearl and a veil lifted before her eyes. In the valley below, a city of glowing white houses appeared. She pulled her hand from his and swam on. Her heart thudded with excitement. This must be the underwater city from Grandma's stories.

Multicoloured mosaic floors gleamed, while bright murals decorated the walls similar to the decorations inside Knock House.

But where were the people?

Kate reached the seabed and floated down between the buildings to street level. From higher up, she'd seen only colours and shapes. Down here, she noticed the buildings were falling down, the mosaic floors fractured. Heaps of sand and sh.e.l.ls lay in the corners of empty rooms. Seaweed and sea creatures had moved in, growing between the rocks of the tumbledown walls and the cracks in the tiles.

It was deserted.

Her heart contracted painfully and her eyes p.r.i.c.ked with tears that were lost in the sea. These had been her people. She knew it as surely as she knew the sun rose every morning and went down at night.

Esras floated down at her side, an eddy of sand swirling about him.

"What's happened to them?" she cried.

He touched her shoulder and gave a sad smile. "Manannan's Kingdom was wiped out millennia ago by the Irish Tuatha De Danann. This ancient ruin has only survived because it's still protected by the powerful magic of the sea G.o.d. The people of the rainbow are light through water; they spread peace and love. But the Tuatha De Danann walk a dark path, imposing their will with the sword.

"We were no match for them. Most of the survivors were scattered to the four winds and, like you, their descendants have no idea who they are. Only a few of us still live together in our tiny demesne in County Cork."

Bereft and confused, Kate turned into Esras' arms and rested her cheek against his chest. She felt as though she had found her people only to lose them again immediately. She relived the misery she'd felt as a child at being denied the magic of her grandmother's stories. Why had her mother been so violently opposed to her finding out about her people? They must be her mother's people as well.

Esras stroked her hair back from her face. "There's something I want you to see."

He took her into a ma.s.sive building that resembled a Greek temple, except each of the supporting columns was a sculpture of a man and woman entwined in each other's arms. "We do not worship a G.o.d, we worship couples as the Union of Opposites."

He stopped and let her find her feet before taking her in his arms. "The ceremony that joined us at the Feast of Beauty was the ancient Union of Opposites. In the eyes of the Rainbow People we're now man and wife."

Kate tried to remember why she'd been so angry with him over the ceremony but couldn't. Being with Esras now felt like the most natural thing in the world. "What do you normally do to celebrate the Union of Opposites?" she asked.

A smile spread over his face, his eyes glittering. "Make love."

Antic.i.p.ation quivered through her. She slipped her arms around his neck, moulding her body to his, wanting to forget her melancholy. "Let's celebrate."

Esras cupped the back of her head, then leaned down and kissed her. The unusual sensation of the salty water mingling with their lips and tongues drove her wild. The overwhelming need to possess and be possessed beat in every cell of her body like an elemental force. The tumultuous sea ran through her veins, urging her to be wild and unrestrained.

She pushed the silk shirt off her shoulders and it floated away. His hands cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, stroking and teasing. She traced the shape of his muscles with her fingers, sliding her hand down the ridges of his abs. He made a needy sound as her fingers slid further.

Esras pushed off his underwear and soon her panties floated away as well. "We usually make love topside," he said. "It's easier. But I can't wait. Clamp you legs around me."

He gripped her thighs and pressed himself against her sensitive flesh, drawing groans from them both. She clung to him with her arms and legs, digging her heels into his b.u.t.tocks as he thrust inside her. When they were as intimately linked as it was possible for a male and female to be, they stilled in unspoken a.s.sent. They floated together just above the soft sand in the temple beneath the towering statues of ancient lovers.

She had never felt such a sense of peace in the middle of overwhelming desire. Did this mean she was in love?

His fingers gripped her b.u.t.tocks, then he started to move inside her, slowly, sensuously. His lips traced her throat and shoulder before teasing her nipples.

The water held them in its embrace, playing over her skin like silky fingers as the pleasure built inside her. Waves of sensation flowed through her body. They floated to the ground and her back landed on the soft sand. His green eyes burned with the intensity of his need. Kate touched his finely carved lips, felt the hot touch of his tongue on her fingers. Ecstasy burst through her, sweeping her away from reality to a place of pure sensation.

They clung together as the flutters of pleasure faded, their heart rates steadied, and their bodies settled in sated lethargy. Kate unhooked her legs from around Esras' hips; she felt relaxed and dreamy. Esras started to drift away from her. He held out a hand for her to lace her fingers with his. He closed his eyes and they glided together, letting the water take them where it would.

When Kate recovered from her pleasure-soaked haze enough to open her eyes, Esras appeared to be asleep. With his hand still linked to hers, he floated above her. His lean muscular body glowed with a subtle gold light while his hair shimmered in a silver cloud around his head. A tremor pa.s.sed through her, ending deep in her belly where it gathered in a tense knot. She wanted him again so badly she ached. But mixed in with the need was a hint of caution.

He was incredibly beautiful and desirable. From what she knew of him, he was also kind and generous and he had a mischievous streak. Was it possible she'd fallen in love with him after only knowing him for twenty-four hours?

Whatever she felt for him he'd only chosen her to become his queen because of her heritage, not because he loved her. A little chill pa.s.sed through her. Suddenly she yearned to feel the sun on her skin.

Esras had proved to her that she was one of Lir's Rainbow People. She hadn't decided yet if that meant she had an obligation to them. But she was sure of one thing: it didn't matter whether she was human, or even Queen of the Rainbow People; she was not going to stay with Esras unless he actually loved her.

Eight.

So much had changed for Kate while she'd been underwater. She felt as though she'd been away from Knock House for half a lifetime, not mere hours. Yet when they returned, the Feast of Beauty was still in full swing. A bonfire roared in a fire pit and the smell of roasting meat drifted on the air.

Kate had changed into her jeans and a T-shirt when she and Esras got back. He had gone to speak with his people while Kate stood near the production company's mobile office, watching the revellers celebrate. Gus the cameraman roved among the crowd, filming interesting people and events to include in the show.

Peter the producer huffed up the hill towards her looking harried with his gla.s.ses on top of his head. "What the h.e.l.l happened to you? I needed you to go with Gus to log his shots and answer questions people might have."

"Sorry," she mumbled. Kate had always worried that if she did something to displease Peter she might jeopardize her reputation for reliability. She had been so determined to make her career in television that she'd worked relentlessly for a pittance and hardly received a thank you from Barthurst Productions. Her mother had told her that the early starts and late nights were character building. Now she felt as if her employers had taken advantage of her.

Esras sauntered towards her, a s.e.xy smile on his face as his eyes caressed her. His hair once again looked brown with silver highlights and his skin just lightly tanned. Every nerve in her body fizzed with awareness at the sight of him. He stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist as he had while they were underwater, and pressed his mouth to her ear. "You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen."

His words enfolded her heart like silky ribbons. Closing her eyes, she revelled in the feel of his strong arms around her and the sun-warmed seaside smell of his skin. He feathered tiny kisses down her neck and nipped gently at her shoulder. She had only kissed him underwater, and she wanted to taste him in the air. She turned in his arms and looped hers around his neck.

His lips met hers and she lost herself in the heat of his mouth as their tongues tangled. Finally, she broke the kiss and he grinned at her. "I can't wait until the feast ends so I can take you up to my bed."

There was no doubt that he wanted her to stay, but she ached to know how he really felt about her. He often called her my love, but did he love her or was that simply a casual endearment?

Peter scowled at them. "It's obvious what you've been up to for the last few hours when you should have been working. You're as bad as Claudia."

Kate blushed. She'd been so focused on Esras that she'd forgotten where she was. But she hadn't done anything wrong. And she certainly did not sleep with half the men who were guests on the show like Claudia did and Peter knew that. He was just being a jerk.

"I'm quitting, Peter."

"What?" His mouth dropped open.

She gave a faint smile. "I'm sure you'll find another slave who wants to work in television."

As Peter stomped away to tell the director, Esras pulled her back into his arms. "Don't feel bad. You had to give up your job if you're going to stay with me," he whispered.

She stared up into his face. "Why, Esras? Why should I stay?"

Shock flashed in his eyes. "We're destined to be together. Otherwise I wouldn't have made love to you in the temple."

A little shiver of relief pa.s.sed through her but she couldn't shake the niggling doubt in the back of her mind. "By destined do you just mean we suit each other really well, or is it something more?"

A frown creased Esras' forehead before he managed to hide it. An answering bolt of concern shot through Kate.

"I'd better tell you the full story." He glanced at the noisy crowd surrounding them. "Let's go somewhere quieter."

He led her around the side of the house to a lush private garden. They followed a narrow winding path between the riotous fragrant shrubs and came to a circular pool containing a beautiful fountain in the shape of a dolphin shooting water from its mouth. Esras pulled her down beside him on a stone bench hidden in an alcove overlooking the pool.

"What did your grandmother tell you about the Rainbow People?"

Kate stared at the cascading droplets pattering into the water, the sound soothing her jumpy nerves. "Fairy stories really." She shrugged. "The last time she spoke to me about the kingdom beneath the sea was when I was five. Then my mother banned the stories. She virtually banned me from seeing Grandma as well."

Esras pulled her hand on to his thigh and ran a finger lightly across her palm, tracing the lines. "The woman you knew as your grandmother was older than you think. She was really your great-great-great-grandmother."

Kate's breath hissed in.

"I knew her as Aine. She was once our queen."

"Grandma?"

"In 1865 she fell in love with a human and had to follow her heart to England. Before she left, she read the future in Lir's whirlpool and foretold that one of her female descendants was my destined bride. She made me king so that when you came to me you could take your rightful place as queen."

The blood rushed out of Kate's head, making her ears hum. How old did that make him? She tried to do the maths in her head, but her brain refused to work. She pulled her hand from his grasp and jumped to her feet.

"Kate, my love."

"Just give me a moment." She moved away from him and ended up by the pool. She stared at the bobbing pink water lilies, trying to calm her swirling thoughts so she could make sense of what he'd said. The memory of his mind-shattering kisses and the feel of his sculpted muscular body made it impossible to believe he wasn't young. She glanced over her shoulder at him to make sure she wasn't losing her mind. "You don't look more than thirty."

Esras grinned wryly. "I'll be 219 on 11 August. People of Lir live for centuries. That means you will as well."