Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
SELENE
When I returned home that evening, I found Cillian’s fancy black sedan parked in the driveway. I was honestly surprised he returned after our confrontation several nights ago.
I dropped my things inside and found Nora in the kitchen. I asked his whereabouts, and she directed me to the garden on the side of the house.
I smelled the lilacs before I spotted Cillian.
He stood in front of the fragrant lavender bushes growing in a row along the low stone wall, clad in well-pressed black slacks, the cuffs of his light gray shirt rolled several times.
He was working his way along them with a pair of pruning shears, cutting back the spent blossoms in unhurried strokes.
He heard my footsteps on the path and looked up. I noticed only a slight narrowing of his eyes as he looked me over. “Good afternoon, Selene.”
I’d let him scare me into not pushing him further the other night, but I was over that. He hadn’t hurt me, nor did I believe he would. “No.”
He blinked, his cool, dark eyes assessing me. “That means what?”
I held Cillian’s gaze with a determined look. “We’re not doing that today.”
He looked at the shears in his hand, then back at me, and set them on the wall. “I see.” He folded his hands together. “And what are we doing?”
“I’ve decided to kiss Bren.”
My boss froze but didn’t alter his expression, and I gave him points for that. But it changed nothing.
I plucked a sprig of lilac, sniffing it as I listened to the birds calling from the trees along the property’s edge, and I waited.
Moments passed before he responded. “I beg your pardon.”
Inside, my nerves tightened, but I remained composed. “You heard me.”
His gaze drifted past me as he looked out across the lawn for a moment. He turned back, and I silently applauded him for his swift recovery. “That’s not appropriate behavior for you where clients are concerned.”
He might have looked stern, but his argument lacked substance. “But lying to and manipulating your employees is? Especially when some kind of supernatural influence is used?”
The distinguished gentleman shifted his weight. “The two are not comparable.”
It surprised me that I’d begun to enjoy his discomfort. “Do you intend to fire me if I do?”
I knew he wouldn’t. Otherwise, it might mess up his precious plans, whatever they were.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t know how to express this more strongly, Selene, but what you’re suggesting is highly inadvisable. It may have unexpected consequences, the likes of which you’ve not seen.”
I shot him an annoyed look. “By unexpected consequences, do you mean our passion might cause a ripple in the Veil that can be felt around the world?” I paused for dramatic effect. “Or at least throughout Ireland?”
Cillian pursed his lips as he nodded slowly and then pressed them until they were flat. “He’s told you then.”
I tossed the lilac at his feet. “Why didn’t you? If doing something like that places me in peril, how could you not say anything to me?”
The smile that curved his lips held no warmth. “First, Miss Sullivan, I wasn’t aware such a thing might happen until it did. And second, I expected you to be in Killarney doing your job and not cozying up to men.”
His rebuff stung, but it wasn’t enough to stop me. “Did you feel Bren holding my hand at some point during the past few days?” I didn’t intend to give him specifics. Not yet.
The irritation in his expression vanished. “He did what? When?”
I shook my head. “No. You tell me first. Did you feel anything? Did we create a ripple or whatever it is that you sense?”
He studied me, and the look in his eyes left no doubt that he didn’t like being challenged. After several moments of our wills clashing silently, he exhaled. “I did not.”
Victory raced through me with a chill. “Good. That’s really good.”
Cillian shook his head. “I disagree. It means Bren is not a man of his word. Worse, his reckless behavior could have put you in grave danger.”
My elation slowly faded, echoing the clouds that drifted in and hid the sun. “That’s not true. It was an accident, not a conscious choice. Bren touched my hand while we sat outside the house in his car talking. He’s as concerned as you are, and I know he deeply regretted it.”
His expression held no forgiveness.
I ignored that. It made no difference to me. “That means the assumption you two have been operating under was not as precise as you believed.”
They’d forced me into something without proof of the outcome, something that hurt and then frightened me. “We touched, and the Veil didn’t notice. So, it’s not an all-or-nothing game here.”
Cillian picked up his shears and returned to pruning the lilacs. “I see you’ve given this some thought.”
I had. For days. “Yes. And I will not let it go, no matter how hard you push. You can either help me or watch.”
He choked and turned to me with wide eyes. “I will not watch.”
Cillian deserved the frustration I served him and much more. I chuckled. “I didn’t mean literally. I promise I’ll kiss him when we’re well away from you.”
He whipped around to face me so fast that I took a step back, almost tripping on the uneven lawn. “You are playing with fire, Selene.”
The fun of the moment was gone in an instant, and I regarded him with a serious look.
“You seem to forget that we’re talking about my life, my right to choose, and my right to happiness.
Yes, I understand there are forces out there that may try to end me.
I don’t want to put myself in their direct line of fire.
But what if your absolute, no contact whatsoever is harsher than it needs to be? ”
I sucked in a shaky breath as the fear of what I wanted to attempt crept through me. Was I truly willing to die just to hold a man’s hand?
No, it was more than that. I’d been pushed into a corner and told what I could do. My choices had been taken from me.
And my plan had merit. It wasn’t as reckless as Cillian seemed to think.
Still, my response held less fire this time. “What if I could hold his hand or touch his cheek and it hurts nothing?”
“He’s still our client.”
I scoffed before I could stop myself. “I think we’re a little past that, aren’t we? You and I both know I’ll continue to restore the castle regardless of what happens because it protects that portal, which strengthens the Veil. None of us want to compromise that.”
He studied my eyes for several seconds and shook his head. “But isn’t that exactly what you’re doing? The only way to know exactly how long you can touch him is for your actions to create a ripple, isn’t it?”
I gave him a hesitant shrug because he was correct. “I suppose, but what I’d like to propose is the safest way possible to test it. Maeve recommended what seems to be the perfect location. It’s beneath a church, under layers of rock.”
His gaze turned annoyed at the mention of my friend, but he said nothing.
I braced for rejection but held onto hope. “I’d like you to be our testing agent.”
Cillian widened his eyes in disbelief. “Absolutely not. I’ll have no part in this.”
I shifted my stance and regarded him with irritation. “Well, I wanted no part in your fight against the Unbound.”
His gaze darkened, and I pressed my lips together as frustration built inside me. Still, he wouldn’t bend.
My chest expanded as I breathed deeply, and I waited until I’d settled before I spoke. “Fine. Don’t help me. I’ll do it without you. I’m used to managing things on my own. And I believe I’m right, so I likely don’t need you anyway.”
I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my arm. “And Bren’s agreeable to this? The bastard.”
I refused to answer as I shook my arm free and continued marching toward the house.
He called after me, but I had finished arguing my point. I’d done my best to persuade him, and anything he intended to say would be more of him doing the same to me.
I was halfway to the kitchen door when everything blurred for just a second, but it was enough to cause me to stop. I blinked, and things returned to normal. But I knew what had happened.
Cillian had tried to use his magic on me once again. And it hadn’t worked.
I rounded on him with a glare and caught the surprised look on his face. He hesitated, and then hurried toward me, all traces of composure gone.
When he reached me, I narrowed my gaze into a scathing look. “What was that? What did you do?”
The man had the actual nerve to shake his head, pretending bewilderment. “What do you mean?”
I nodded, amazed at his audacity. “Right.”
It didn’t seem to matter that he’d been caught trying to influence me. He chastised me with a shake of his head anyway. “You stubborn girl. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
I studied his eyes and the set of his jaw, preparing a venomous response. But something had changed.
The irritation was still there, but the fire in his expression was gone. I couldn’t believe it. “You’re going to help me, aren’t you?”
Cillian regarded me for several long moments before exhaling. “Well played, Selene. Well played.”
I blinked, uncertain if that meant he was willing or not. “And?”
He ground out his words in an exasperated tone. “You’ve left me with only one legal move, so I have no choice.”
Even though I’d coerced him, his willingness to help me attempt to make my life better touched me. “Thank you.”
He scoffed and looked away. “Don’t thank me yet. Thank me when Ireland hasn’t burned.”
The man turned back toward his lilacs, stiff but composed, and I headed for the house.