Chapter 23 #2
Nora left without a word. I caught Maeve’s eye, and she gave me a look of admiration, and then sank back against her chair. A lesser woman would have escaped while she could.
While Nora was out of the room, Cillian crossed to the cabinet, showing no outward signs of distress. He retrieved four whiskey tumblers, carrying two in each hand as he joined us. They thudded softly as he set them on the table before settling into the chair next to mine.
We sat in silence, Maeve flicking her gaze between Cillian and me, until Nora returned with his request. After she sat, he glanced around at each of us in turn. “Anyone else care for a whiskey?”
Nora nodded without hesitation. Maeve, fighting back a grin, said, “I’ll not say no to that.”
I said nothing.
Cillian poured the whiskey into three glasses, and Nora distributed them as he did. He drained his glass and poured more before looking at me. “It’s true.”
That he admitted it without hesitation knocked me off kilter, and it took me a moment to find my words. “Why would you do that? I trusted you.”
He held my gaze. “I won’t blame anyone for telling you the truth, though Bren and I will have a discussion about timing.”
His mouth curved faintly. “Did he at least have the decency to explain why it was necessary?”
I shook my head, refusing to let him slide past it that easily. “I understand the protection aspect. God knows you’ve also given me the chance of a lifetime, professionally.” But that didn’t erase what he’d done.
I shifted in my chair, holding onto what composure I had left. “What I want to know is why you didn’t tell me. Why lie? Why hide it?”
Cillian nodded slowly as he considered my question, and then he fixed me with a look that held no apology in it at all. “Because you weren’t ready, Selene. I fully intended to tell you when the time was right.”
A harsh scoff escaped me. “And when would that have been?”
He shrugged, the gesture light, almost careless. “Months from now, I’d have guessed. Possibly longer. But that choice, the ease of slowly learning what you were so that it didn’t dysregulate you, was taken from us both the moment you ran into Bren, considerably sooner than I’d planned for.”
He lifted his tumbler in a small, mocking toast. “Kismet. Karma. Call it what you like.”
I slid the fourth glass toward him as a concession, as a way of letting him know I’d listen. And I really needed a stronger drink.
Cillian watched me for a second, as if to be sure he understood, before he poured a measure into the tumbler and returned it.
He held my gaze, never looking away, as he continued. “Your arrival caught me completely by surprise. I can’t specifically say what alerted me to you, but I sensed your presence and knew it was something I couldn’t ignore. So, I tracked you down.”
I nodded slowly. “And you found me wandering in the Trinity Library the next day.”
Cillian accepted my claim with a lift of his chin. “I watched you for a bit first.”
He snorted softly as his expression grew wistful for a moment. “You were quite charming the way you admired the buildings and the history. I knew at once that ancient architecture had a place in your heart. A simple conversation led me to the rest.”
I scoffed, thinking how easily I’d been duped. “And you just happened to have a restoration company waiting to hire me?”
He produced a fake smile. “I have many connections across Ireland. It took little to secure the right company to hire you.”
The sound of Maeve’s tumbler thumping hard against the table stole my attention. She cocked her head and stared at Cillian in disbelief. “That’s a lie. I’ve worked for you for several years.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “Some version of that, yes.”
She shook her head, not accepting his answer. “Some version? You’ve owned the restoration company where I work for years. There’s no other version.”
Cillian held her gaze but didn’t respond. She stared back, defiant, until suddenly she wasn’t. She glanced at each of us with an odd look. “Is there a problem?”
I dropped my jaw and turned to Cillian in outrage. “You—”
He spoke over top of me before I could continue. “Selene. Let’s focus on this discussion for today, shall we? Others can wait.”
Fear at what he’d done to my friend mingled with my outrage and left me trembling. His professional manipulation was one thing. But altering her mind?
My instincts told me to be quiet, to let it go. I didn’t know what he was or what he was capable of. But anger wouldn’t allow it. “You don’t want to talk about your underhanded tactics?”
His snort was deliberate and cutting. “Sometimes one must play the game to survive in this world.”
Those words stopped me in my tracks. I suspected he wasn’t only referring to him. Was he suggesting Bren was the same? Or was it a warning that I needed to learn the rules of the game if I wanted to stay out of danger?
Regardless, it was enough that I held my tongue and allowed him to finish explaining how hiring me was a way to buy time. Time for me to be protected and hidden while I learned, gradually, what I was and what that meant, before anyone else noticed or could act.
He lifted his chin, challenging me with a stern look.
“You think something changed when you arrived in Ireland. It didn’t.
Your arrival only uncovered what was already there.
If I hadn’t stepped in, others would have noticed you.
Eventually, if not immediately. Whether or not I existed.
Whether or not you met Bren, though I suspect that part of it was always going to happen, regardless. ”
He set his whiskey down and looked at me directly. “I didn’t bring you into danger, Selene. I offered you safety. I’ve helped all of you.”
He had, but still. “It’s the lies.”
Cillian shrugged. “I did what I thought was best.” He pinned me with a sharp look. “To help you. To protect you. And look at you. You’re safe, aren’t you?”
Maybe so. At least for that moment, but he hadn’t come close to appeasing me. I opened my mouth to continue pressing, but his eyes seemed to waver, as if mine had gone out of focus for only an instant.
It was enough to halt my thoughts and freeze my words. But not steal them as he’d done with Maeve.
Cillian’s entire demeanor shifted back into something familiar and unbothered. “I’m glad we’ve settled the matter.”
He turned his cheek to me and focused on his keeper. “Is that your shepherd’s pie I smell? Tell me there are leftovers.”
Immediate relief broke across Nora’s face, and she jumped at the ordinary, safe request. “As it happens, there’s plenty. I’ll dish you up a plate.”
Cillian had closed the door to further discussion, and I didn’t fight it. He was something powerful, and I was not.
I already had enough to think about for the moment. My entire life had been rearranged again, like pieces scattered across a game board. I needed to fully absorb everything I’d learned and regroup before restarting the conversation.
Exhaustion hit me all at once, and I craved what it offered. I pushed back from the table, a yawn escaping before I could stop it. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m heading to bed.”
Maeve stood as well. “Me too. We’ve a full day of work tomorrow.”
Cillian inclined his head toward us. “I hear the project is going well. I appreciate the effort you’re both putting into it.”
I managed a nod and walked out with Maeve beside me. At the top of the stairs, she leaned in close, her voice low. “His ability to switch like that is honestly award-worthy. Don’t you think?”
It was far more than that. I wondered if I should try to explain it or force Cillian to come clean with her too? The latter seemed the best option. Our boss deserved her fresh wrath and not something time had watered down.
I huffed a tired laugh at her comment and nodded. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow, away from the house. A walk by the lake?”
Her expression softened. “We’ll do that.” She paused at her door. “If you can’t sleep, come find me. I’ll likely be awake half the night anyway.”
I said goodnight and went to my room.
It would have been normal for sleep to evade me. Stress always kept me up. But I could barely keep my eyes open as I changed and climbed under the covers, the day finally catching up with me all at once.
One last thought drifted through before sleep took me. Cillian hadn’t said a word about Bren touching my hand. Though maybe he wouldn’t mention it to me.
Perhaps he would handle the matter with Bren.
Curiosity gave me enough energy to check my phone to see if Bren had messaged. The last thing I recalled was noting he hadn’t.