Undeniable (The Druids Book 1) by S. A. Archer, S. Ravynheart Page B

locked it, and then rested her forehead against the wood before releasing a slow exhale. Home at last. The crap day could end now.
    Except…
    There was a subtle sound in an apartment when it was empty. And that was not the sound that she heard now. The presence of another crowded against her senses. Maybe it was the presence of a body that disturbed the air flow and the echoes. Maybe it was just the awareness of being watched. Whatever it was, London spun around. Her hand slipped up under the robe and pulled out her pistol before she even finished the turn. The gun was up, the safety off, and the muzzle aimed at the man in her apartment before she even recognized who it was.
    London froze for a full breath. Her body stiffened for action, and then suddenly relaxed with relief. Her gun hand lowered to her side, as if the muscles just gave away, and then she dropped the gun on the side table as she rushed forward to throw her arms around the one man she’d needed to see all evening.
    He was tall; even with his bum leaned against the arm of the sofa and his hands casually resting at either side of his hips. His long legs extended out at a comfortable angle. The expression on his gorgeous face was as gentle as his smile was tender at her relief. Those blue eyes would always see right into her and London needed for her patron to see her now, even with all of her pain.
    Lugh’s arms wrapped around London, as he gathered her into his embrace.
    London’s cheek nuzzled against his chest. Her head tucked under his chin since he was so much taller than her even sitting as he was. Her fingers curled into the front of his shirt, clinging to him as his warm, strong arms pulled her near. “Where have you been?”
    “I felt your call, but by the time I left Bastion, and could teleport to you, I felt the urgency had waned. I’ve been keeping mental tabs on you all evening, waiting for you to have a quiet moment where we could talk before coming to you.” Lugh’s voice had that deep, musical baritone that just seemed to vibrate right through London. “I’m glad to find that you are unharmed.”
    “All the pain is on the inside,” London said, shaking her head. “It’s been a rough night and I really need you now.”
    “Are you unsafe? Do you grow weary? Perhaps I should take you away from here for a while. Would you like to come to the Isle of Fey and take a respite?”
    The invitation sounded so much like an escape that London actually had to think twice about what he was saying. She’d not been one to run away from her problems before. And she knew that she could now. Lugh would protect her, if she asked it of him. He would hide her away on the Isle of Fey where Granger couldn’t find her and Derek wouldn’t know where she went. She wouldn’t have to think about vampires anymore or Interpol.
    But she wouldn’t be given relief from the worries that plagued her. The safety of the Sidhe, and all the fey really, felt like a responsibility to her. Ever since she’d been a part of saving the fey, and building the new fey realm, she’d felt that it had been her purpose. The Scribe, Willem, had opened her eyes to a bigger world beyond herself.
    Protect Malcolm. End the wizards.
    Lugh’s directives still echoed within. The wizards were destroyed with the destruction of their headquarters. Malcolm, however… If either Derek or Granger set their sights on him the young man would be in serious danger. “I don’t want to leave these problems for someone else to deal with. There is some vampire that’s got it out for my blood, and he seemed just as content to feed off the fey in my stead. There is something more going on with him and I need to make sure I know what.”
    “This wouldn’t be the first vampire who’s come hunting for the fey,” Lugh said, something unspoken still shadowing in the depths of his eyes.
    “I know. But if there’s anything I can do to stop him, then I need to.” She ran her fingers through her wet