Read Online The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor - Free Book Online Page A

they pasted on emotionless expressions gave her a shot of satisfaction that boosted her resolve.
    On weary legs, she made her way back toward the pub, acutely aware of the two men at her back. Niall carried knives up his sleeves, and Nightshade had wings and silver eyes.
Shit!
The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she fought the overwhelming urge to look around.
    Now that she’d gotten their mea sure, she wouldn’t let them intimidate her again. Difficult situations had never beaten her before. She would get one of these two men to answer her questions about her father. Rose just prayed they were answers she wanted to hear.
    Feeling more composed after a ten-minute walk, Rose went through the back door into the Elephant’s Nest kitchen. Michael was leaning against the counterdressed in skintight scarlet silk pants, a multicolored shirt, and a pixie hat with a tassel and bell on the end. He held a cigarette in one hand and a glass of amber liquid in the other.
    He looked like an X-rated Santa’s elf.
    Rose smiled and some of her tension fell away. Winking, he held up his glass. “Want one, darlin’?” He glanced at Nightshade hovering in the doorway behind Niall. “You’ve had a shock, I’ll wager.”
    She nodded. “I usually steer clear of alcohol, but tonight you can make mine a double and stick a little parasol in it.”
    Michael filled a tumbler, strolled over, and pressed it into her hand. He clinked his glass against hers.
“Sláinte.”
This time the look in his eyes only warmed her. Odd that she had become immune to his attraction just when she was starting to like him.
    Niall walked up and raked his gaze over Michael, and a muscle jerked in his cheek. “Who you got working to night?”
    Michael grinned, mischief bright in his vivid blue eyes. “The lovely Marie. She’s out front now stocking the bar. Me fans will soon be arriving to hear more tall tales.”
    Niall sighed as though the worries of the world weighed on his shoulders. He crossed to the door into the hall and locked it. “The nightstalker cannot stay long,” he said, glancing toward Rose. “Marie will need to use the kitchen.”
    At Niall’s signal, the extraordinary dark angel sauntered into the brightly lit kitchen. Rose tried not to stare. She didn’t know whether to think of him as man or beast. Niall had called him a nightstalker, what ever that was. He was over six feet of well-packed muscle,with everything above the waistband of his jeans on display. Her gaze trailed up and down his body; then she cleared her throat and looked away.
Definitely all man.
    In her peripheral vision she caught Niall watching her, eyes narrowed, mouth tight. She sensed him like heat, warming the edges of her mind. He averted his gaze, straightened his cuffs, and the heat faded, leaving her cold.
    So, she hadn’t imagined the link with Niall. After years sensing only her tarot people, why the sudden connection with Niall?
    Michael tilted his glass at Nightshade and gave him a cheeky grin. “Come join us in the bar. To night I’ll reveal one of the secrets of the fairies.” He sucked on his cigarette and blew a perfect smoke ring. “’Tis a tale about a nightstalker who creeps around watching lasses in their underdrawers. I’m thinking you’ll add some spice to the telling.”
    Nightshade raised his chin. “Don’t mock me, bard, or I’ll crush your scrawny neck.”
    Michael shrugged innocently. “What’s biting him?”
    “For Dagda’s sake.” Niall stared at Michael, frustration shimmering in his eyes. “Don’t tread on his toes. We have little enough time as it is.”
    Nightshade folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. “I believe Rosenwyn wished to ask
me
some questions.”
    Under the fluorescent light, his silver eyes gleamed, and his black hair slid over his shoulders like ebony water. Rose tried to suppress the little frisson of excitement that buzzed through her every time she looked at him. Any normal person