It was deserted.

Her heart contracted painfully and her eyes pricked with tears that were lost in the sea. These had been her people. She knew it as surely as she knew the sun rose every morning and went down at night.

Esras floated down at her side, an eddy of sand swirling about him.

«What’s happened to them?» she cried.

He touched her shoulder and gave a sad smile. «Manannan’s Kingdom was wiped out millennia ago by the Irish Tuatha Dé Danann. This ancient ruin has only survived because it’s still protected by the powerful magic of the sea god. The people of the rainbow are light through water; they spread peace and love. But the Tuatha Dé Danann walk a dark path, imposing their will with the sword.»

«We were no match for them. Most of the survivors were scattered to the four winds and, like you, their descendants have no idea who they are. Only a few of us still live together in our tiny demesne in County Cork.»

Bereft and confused, Kate turned into Esras’ arms and rested her cheek against his chest. She felt as though she had found her people only to lose them again immediately. She relived the misery she’d felt as a child at being denied the magic of her grandmother’s stories. Why had her mother been so violently opposed to her finding out about her people? They must be her mother’s people as well.

Esras stroked her hair back from her face. «There’s something I want you to see.»

He took her into a massive building that resembled a Greek temple, except each of the supporting columns was a sculpture of a man and woman entwined in each other’s arms. «We do not worship a god, we worship couples as the Union of Opposites.»

He stopped and let her find her feet before taking her in his arms. «The ceremony that joined us at the Feast of Beauty was the ancient Union of Opposites. In the eyes of the Rainbow People we’re now man and wife.»

Kate tried to remember why she’d been so angry with him over the ceremony but couldn’t. Being with Esras now felt like the most natural thing in the world. «What do you normally do to celebrate the Union of Opposites?» she asked.

A smile spread over his face, his eyes glittering. «Make love.»

Anticipation quivered through her. She slipped her arms around his neck, moulding her body to his, wanting to forget her melancholy. «Let’s celebrate.»

Esras cupped the back of her head, then leaned down and kissed her. The unusual sensation of the salty water mingling with their lips and tongues drove her wild. The overwhelming need to possess and be possessed beat in every cell of her body like an elemental force. The tumultuous sea ran through her veins, urging her to be wild and unrestrained.

She pushed the silk shirt off her shoulders and it floated away. His hands cupped her breasts, stroking and teasing. She traced the shape of his muscles with her fingers, sliding her hand down the ridges of his abs. He made a needy sound as her fingers slid further.

Esras pushed off his underwear and soon her panties floated away as well. «We usually make love topside,» he said. «It’s easier. But I can’t wait. Clamp you legs around me.»

He gripped her thighs and pressed himself against her sensitive flesh, drawing groans from them both. She clung to him with her arms and legs, digging her heels into his buttocks as he thrust inside her. When they were as intimately linked as it was possible for a male and female to be, they stilled in unspoken assent. They floated together just above the soft sand in the temple beneath the towering statues of ancient lovers.

She had never felt such a sense of peace in the middle of overwhelming desire. Did this mean she was in love?

His fingers gripped her buttocks, then he started to move inside her, slowly, sensuously. His lips traced her throat and shoulder before teasing her nipples.

The water held them in its embrace, playing over her skin like silky fingers as the pleasure built inside her. Waves of sensation flowed through her body. They floated to the ground and her back landed on the soft sand. His green eyes burned with the intensity of his need. Kate touched his finely carved lips, felt the hot touch of his tongue on her fingers. Ecstasy burst through her, sweeping her away from reality to a place of pure sensation.

They clung together as the flutters of pleasure faded, their heart rates steadied, and their bodies settled in sated lethargy. Kate unhooked her legs from around Esras’ hips; she felt relaxed and dreamy. Esras started to drift away from her. He held out a hand for her to lace her fingers with his. He closed his eyes and they glided together, letting the water take them where it would.

When Kate recovered from her pleasure-soaked haze enough to open her eyes, Esras appeared to be asleep. With his hand still linked to hers, he floated above her. His lean muscular body glowed with a subtle gold light while his hair shimmered in a silver cloud around his head. A tremor passed through her, ending deep in her belly where it gathered in a tense knot. She wanted him again so badly she ached. But mixed in with the need was a hint of caution.

He was incredibly beautiful and desirable. From what she knew of him, he was also kind and generous and he had a mischievous streak. Was it possible she’d fallen in love with him after only knowing him for twenty-four hours?

Whatever she felt for him he’d only chosen her to become his queen because of her heritage, not because he loved her. A little chill passed through her. Suddenly she yearned to feel the sun on her skin.

Esras had proved to her that she was one of Lir’s Rainbow People. She hadn’t decided yet if that meant she had an obligation to them. But she was sure of one thing: it didn’t matter whether she was human, or even Queen of the Rainbow People; she was not going to stay with Esras unless he actually loved her.

Eight

So much had changed for Kate while she’d been underwater. She felt as though she’d been away from Knock House for half a lifetime, not mere hours. Yet when they returned, the Feast of Beauty was still in full swing. A bonfire roared in a fire pit and the smell of roasting meat drifted on the air.

Kate had changed into her jeans and a T-shirt when she and Esras got back. He had gone to speak with his people while Kate stood near the production company’s mobile office, watching the revellers celebrate. Gus the cameraman roved among the crowd, filming interesting people and events to include in the show.

Peter the producer huffed up the hill towards her looking harried with his glasses on top of his head. «What the hell happened to you? I needed you to go with Gus to log his shots and answer questions people might have.»

«Sorry,» she mumbled. Kate had always worried that if she did something to displease Peter she might jeopardize her reputation for reliability. She had been so determined to make her career in television that she’d worked relentlessly for a pittance and hardly received a thank you from Barthurst Productions. Her mother had told her that the early starts and late nights were character building. Now she felt as if her employers had taken advantage of her.

Esras sauntered towards her, a sexy smile on his face as his eyes caressed her. His hair once again looked brown with silver highlights and his skin just lightly tanned. Every nerve in her body fizzed with awareness at the sight of him. He stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist as he had while they were underwater, and pressed his mouth to her ear. «You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.»

His words enfolded her heart like silky ribbons. Closing her eyes, she revelled in the feel of his strong arms around her and the sun-warmed seaside smell of his skin. He feathered tiny kisses down her neck and nipped gently at her shoulder. She had only kissed him underwater, and she wanted to taste him in the air. She turned in his arms and looped hers around his neck.

His lips met hers and she lost herself in the heat of his mouth as their tongues tangled. Finally, she broke the kiss and he grinned at her. «I can’t wait until the feast ends so I can take you up to my bed.»

There was no doubt that he wanted her to stay, but she ached to know how he really felt about her. He often called her my love, but did he love her or was that simply a casual endearment?

Peter scowled at them. «It’s obvious what you’ve been up to for the last few hours when you should have been working. You’re as bad as Claudia.»

Kate blushed. She’d been so focused on Esras that she’d forgotten where she was. But she hadn’t done anything wrong. And she certainly did not sleep with half the men who were guests on the show like Claudia did — and Peter knew that. He was just being a jerk.

«I’m quitting, Peter.»

«What?» His mouth dropped open.

She gave a faint smile. «I’m sure you’ll find another slave who wants to work in television.»

As Peter stomped away to tell the director, Esras pulled her back into his arms. «Don’t feel bad. You had to give up your job if you’re going to stay with me,» he whispered.

She stared up into his face. «Why, Esras? Why should I stay?»

Shock flashed in his eyes. «We’re destined to be together. Otherwise I wouldn’t have made love to you in the temple.»

A little shiver of relief passed through her but she couldn’t shake the niggling doubt in the back of her mind. «By destined do you just mean we suit each other really well, or is it something more?»

A frown creased Esras’ forehead before he managed to hide it. An answering bolt of concern shot through Kate.