Seduced by Magic by Cheyenne McCray Page B

surely thump his head again.
    Grass, leaves, and vines rustled beneath him as he settled himself. He placed his weapons belt beside him, out ofthe rain. He and Copper both sat cross-legged, facing each other. It was the best they could do.
    For a long moment they studied one another, and Tiernan couldn’t think of a word to say.
    The pounding of Copper’s heart had slowed, but her limbs still trembled. She felt tremors of excitement and incredulity throughout her.
    The man she gazed at was one of the sexiest she’d ever remembered seeing. His blond hair fell to his shoulders, and his eyes were a piercing blue. And his build—it was amazing that he had been able to fit into the shelter at all. Now that he’d taken his coat off, the sleeveless leather shirt he was wearing allowed her to view the carved muscles in his biceps. His powerful thighs flexed beneath his leather pants. He was so damn hot, and she’d been without a man for so long. If she wasn’t so worried about everyone she’d left behind, she’d jump him, stranger or no. He’d be in for one helluva ride.
    Outside the rain began to pour down in sheets. Drops splattered inside the shelter, leaving a slight chill on her skin. She leaned forward and her pentagram earrings swung at her ears.
    Tiernan cleared his throat. “How did you get to this place, Copper?”
    She twisted her lips in a grimace. “Some warlock named Darkwolf came up on me on the D’Anu beach. I—well, I tried to send him to Otherworld. My spell hit some kind of shield . . .” She gave a shrug that was lighter than she felt. “I ended up here.”
    â€œDarkwolf,” he growled. “I have seen and know of the bastard.”
    â€œYou do?” Surprise shot through her and then her scowl met his. “If not for that shield, I wouldn’t be trapped here.” She sighed. “At least I didn’t end up in Underworld.”
    Tiernan braced one hand on the floor of the shelter. “The Fae . . . perhaps even Mystwalkers or Shanai—anyone of those beings could have assisted you in getting to the Elves, who would most likely have returned you to your home world.”
    Copper wasn’t sure what his reaction would be when she told him that she was pretty sure she was still trapped, and he was trapped with her.
    Well, at least she wouldn’t be alone.
    She tried to push away the selfish thought. “There’s some kind of barrier,” she said in a rush. “It’s like an invisible electric shield that keeps us inside and I think keeps anyone outside from seeing us, or we them.”
    Tiernan narrowed his focus. “Us?”
    Copper gestured outside toward the pouring rain. “There are Faeries, Pixies, Brownies, an Undine, and Drow that are stuck here with me.” She brought her hand down to caress the soft leaves of her vine dress. “Somehow we all have been trapped here for goddess knows how long.”
    For a long moment Tiernan couldn’t find words. Then very slowly he said, “We are contained within this meadow.”
    She nodded and brought her gaze resolutely back to his. “We’re stuck. Good and stuck.”
    Tiernan refused to believe there was no way out. “Perhaps my arrival has broken through the shield you speak of.”
    Copper brightened at once. “That would be too cool.”
    He cocked an eyebrow. “Cool?”
    Her voice was lighter. “When it stops raining we can check.”
    â€œHow did I come to be here?” he asked.
    Copper bit her lip again in a way that he found innocent yet enticing, and that somehow managed to distract him from what could be a disastrous situation.
    â€œWell,” she started, “I was performing another spell to try and get out of here. For some reason it brought you here instead of letting me out.” When he narrowed his eyes, she hurried to add, “I didn’t mean to, really, I