Velvet Haven

she saw red pulsations, like beating blood vessels. Then she heard the thumping of a heart, the rhythm slowing . . . slowing, until she held her breath, waiting to hear the next beat, fearing she wouldn’t.
    Oh, God, was it her heart she was hearing?
    Opening her eyes, she looked down at her trembling hands, saw the scars staring back up at her, mocking her; then the oppressive feeling of hurt and anger pulled at her, sucking her into a black yawning void that she feared, but could not step away from.
    No, not again . What happened last time would not happen again. She would not allow it.
    Jumping up, she lost her balance, forgetting she was wearing stilettos, and banged into the wall of the stall. Righting herself, she managed to unlock the door, despite her blurring vision.
    “Hey, watch it!” a woman snapped as Mairi lost her balance and fell into her. Red lipstick was smeared from the corner of the woman’s lip to her cheek. Mairi met the woman’s gaze in the mirror and was startled by her own reflection. She did not recognize the person staring back at her, even though it was her face. Her eyes were wild and glassy, her cheeks deathly pale.
    “Sorry ’bout that,” Mairi slurred, trying to focus. “I’m not feeling well.”
    “Obviously,” the woman sniffed.
    Feeling along the wall, Mairi finally found the door and let herself out. The hallway was dark. The music was loud, pumping, banging around her head. The air was stale with the smell of spilled alcohol and cigarettes. The combination only made her head feel worse, and still the black yawning emptiness washed over her.
    “Come to me, Mairi. Come . . .”
    Oh, shit, those were the same words she heard the last time. And they beckoned her, just as much as they had when she’d first heard them.
    “Step over and come to me.”
    No, she wouldn’t do that. She knew what it was to step over. She knew where that led, and she wasn’t going there. Not again.

CHAPTER FIVE

    Suriel pretended interest in his drink as he watched Mairi disappear around the corner with Bran. He had not meant to frighten her. He sought only to remind her of his presence. It had been a long time since he had made his presence known to her; perhaps that was why she had run away.
    Sipping at the drink, his gaze skipped from immortal to immortal, taking in their actions and wondering what purpose drove them to Velvet Haven tonight. He knew why the Raven was here. Sex. It was the only thing that compelled him to mix with mortals. The Sidhe preferred his own world, and Suriel liked him better when he was there.
    After nearly a century, Suriel knew enough about the king of Annwyn to distrust him—especially with Mairi.
    Mairi was special. Mairi was his . They had a bond closer than lovers. Within her small, human body, Mairi MacAuley carried a part of him.
    It was that part that had called to him tonight, whispering to him that he needed to follow her. Theirs was a connection that could not be severed. He would not allow it. Not when he knew her power. Not when she could help him.
    He needed to find her. To steady her. To keep her safe from Annwyn, and the purpose the goddess intended for her.
    Cailleach had robbed him once before. She wouldn’t again.
    Suriel rose from his chair with one intention. To take Mairi away from the raven.

    “Mairi, talk to me.”
    Her eyes were open, but Bran knew she didn’t see him standing before her. Her stare was vacant, her brown eyes clouded. Pressing against her, Bran steadied her with his thighs as he cupped her chin, tilting her head up so he could see more of her in the dim light.
    What had happened? One minute he’d sensed her arousal and her softening to him, and the next she was gone, looking as though she were possessed. Something still held her hostage. He saw it in her eyes, felt it in the fine trembles that shivered through her curvaceous body. Fucking Suriel . She’d been fine, even turned on, until the angel had somehow forced her attention away from him.
    Fallen angel , Bran mentally corrected, and a son of a bitch pain in the ass. Bran didn’t understand how, or why, but he felt it in his gut; Suriel had done something, had planted a seed in her mind that was suddenly taking over.
    “Mairi, it’s all right. I’m here. You’re safe.”
    She looked at him, her eyes now misty, her lips quivering. He wanted to take away her fear with his arms, his mouth.
    Damn it, he shouldn’t even be thinking this, but he gave words to