Free Heart of the Druid Laird by Barbara Longley Page A

worried about where Zoe’s thoughts were taking her. She walked stiffly down the sidewalk beside him. “I’ve rented a car, love, and I moved out of the suite I shared with the others.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “I have a private room now.”
    “What happens at the end, Thomas?” Her voice quivered.
    “Och, we’ve no’ yet gotten to the middle.” Thomas reached for her hand only to have her yank it from his grasp. “Where did we leave off?”
    “What happens at the end? Is Sidney in danger?”
    “Ah, I recall. When last we spoke, Mairéad had agreed to forfeit immortality to marry Dermot.”
    Zoe stopped dead in her tracks at his words.
    “We’re about to have our first fight, aren’t we, leannan? ”
    “Yes, we are. You haven’t answered my question. I’m not taking another step anywhere with you until you do.”
    Thomas fidgeted. He wasn’t ready with an answer. Zoe glared up at him with her blue eyes shooting sparks and her hands on her hips. Exasperated, he let all the air out of his lungs and stared at the sky. “No one knows. We’ve been arguing the point for more than sixteen hundred years.”
    “Well, what are the possibilities?”
    “Zoe, can we no’ finish the tale and then discuss the possible endings?”
    “No.”
    “Stubborn wench.”
    “Mule-headed man.”
    “Do we get to have make-up sex tonight?” She didn’t answer. Not a good sign. “Och, lass. Dermot believes the minute the curse is lifted, time will catch us up. We’ll disintegrate into sixteen-hundred-year-old dust.”
    Zoe hauled her fist back and slugged him hard in the biceps.
    “Oy.” Thomas rubbed the spot where his sweet little woman had punched him. “There’s no need for violence.”
    “I can’t believe you were going to let us just ‘take up where we left off’ knowing full well I’m going to lose you in the end.” Zoe slugged him again. “What was all that there’s no life for me without you bullshit?”
    “Zoe.” Thomas wrapped his arms around her. “Disintegration is what Dermot believes will happen. It’s no’ what I think. Remember, Mairéad gave up her immortality to be with Dermot. She didn’t disintegrate. We were cursed with immortality. The logical end to the curse is mortality. Mairéad’s mother has never said what will happen once it’s lifted. She’s always refused to say.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. “I’ve always wondered about that. I think her refusal to say is another way to torture us.”
    “You’re going off on a tangent again,” Zoe mumbled into his chest. “Mairéad gave up her immortality to marry Dermot. So what? Was she sixteen hundred years old? For all you know, she could’ve been in her teens or early twenties at the time.”
    “I doubt it.” Thomas rubbed her back. “The tale of her mortal father had been around forever by the time we met her. She must have lived at least a hundred years or more.”
    “You said you don’t believe the Tuatha Dé Danann are born immortal. You don’t really know though, do you? Maybe choosing mortality affects them differently than it does humans.” She raised her head to glare at him. “I’m going to be so pissed off if you disintegrate.” Zoe grabbed the collar of his jacket with both hands and gave him a shake. “I’ll never forgive you.”
    His heart melted. They’d only been reunited for a few days, and already she cared. “I promise I will no’ leave you, love. If Dermot is proved right, I’ll remain cursed is all.” Thomas cupped her face in his hands. “I’ll no’ give up my chance at a life with you. I swear it.” He kissed her, and the brief contact electrified his entire body. “Did I mention I have my own room at the hotel?”
    Zoe giggled. “You did mention it, yes.” She stepped out of his arms. “I don’t know what to make of this. How can I feel so much for you already? We’ve only been together for a few days, yet the thought of losing you