Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Birds flitted in the branches overhead, the sounds of their chirping and their wings whooshing as they darted about. I leaned against the large rock in my grove, where I’d pondered life for centuries.
Water tumbled down the rocks, spilling into the small pond before me, creating a fine mist that cooled my face. Same as it had for years.
I’d experienced the sounds and sights so often that I’d stopped noticing them. One day had drifted into the next. Wraiths came. Wraiths died. Occasionally, Cormac dragged me to the pub.
Otherwise, the years blurred together until I scarcely noticed another had passed.
Now the world held so much.
I released a deep breath, trying to ease the weight of my worries.
I hadn’t expected Selene. Her beauty. Her passion. Least of all, the way she affected my world, including the Veil.
What was a man to do with that?
I fell into a daydream of sorts, imagining possibilities as clouds drifted overhead, when suddenly one sound stopped.
The castle.
I straightened in a panic and, with little thought, I raced through the shadows of trees. I cared not how much stored moonlight I burned as I crossed the distance toward home.
When I reached the sessile oaks nearest the castle, I slowed and emerged from the trees as though I’d been walking through the woods.
I couldn’t say what I expected to find when I stepped through the door, but it wasn’t Selene and Maeve sitting flat on the floor in front of the old portal, chatting and smiling at each other.
They both turned to me as I stood at the threshold, and Selene immediately jumped to her feet and hurried toward me, bringing with her a rush of excitement.
Her green eyes were bright as she reached for me.
She stopped before touching me as her words gushed from her.
“Bren? Do you feel it? Do you sense the change?”
I nodded wordlessly.
She turned and pointed toward Maeve. “We fixed it.” Her attention flew back to me, her auburn hair swishing about her shoulders. “It was the stones in the inlay. Something must have happened in the past. An upheaval that dislodged some of them, and they weren’t put back in their proper spots.”
She exhaled, trying to catch her breath. “I don’t know why it took so long to figure out, but we finally did. Maeve’s the one who noticed first.”
The fiery-haired woman approached more slowly, but she was just as happy as Selene. “You must feel it. Even I can tell the difference.”
“I do,” I managed to say. “It’s hard to guess how many centuries must have passed with it in that state.”
Selene grinned and tried to take my hand again, but I pulled back.
It didn’t affect her demeanor as it had only days ago.
“I’m just so happy. It was the beach and the waves, and you saying the ocean didn’t resist, that it just moved as it should.
After that everything literally and figuratively fell into place. ”
I released a chuckle, trying to act as carefree as they were, and slipped past them. “Let me see it then.”
I could hear them following behind me as I knelt at the stones. At the heart of the castle. At the one place my mother loved dearly.
The weight I’d carried for centuries was simply…gone.
Long-buried thoughts tumbled through me. Ones with similar excitement shimmering in her eyes as she gathered me, or later, took my hand, saying, “Listen. The stones are singing today.”
I’d learned at an early age that the hum meant my father was returning home. It wasn’t until I was older that I understood he went somewhere my mother and I couldn’t. But we always celebrated when he returned.
I closed my eyes as the ghost of laughter surrounded me. Such good times. Happy times.
Before everything changed.
Someone put a hand on my shoulder, and I jerked my gaze upward, only to find it was Maeve and not Selene. She grinned down at me. “This calls for a celebration, don’t you think?”
She glanced away, likely toward Selene. “We should have a proper party. We can invite Nora and Cormac. Can’t forget Cillian, of course. Rian won’t believe it when he gets here.”
I stood and faced the women, going along with the idea just to give me space to breathe. “Sounds grand. Let’s do it.”
Maeve cocked her head as a mischievous look stole over her. “Maybe we should invite Margaret and show off a little.”
“No.” The word came out stronger than I’d intended, and I softened my tone. “She would only ruin the mood.”
The sound of an engine slipped in through the windows Maeve always insisted upon opening, and she turned toward the door. “I bet that’s Rian now.”
She headed straight for the door and stepped out, leaving it open behind her. Selene moved closer, her gaze searching mine. “Is everything okay? You seem…off.”
I smiled and nodded. “I’m just so surprised. It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it?”
Selene relaxed then, and her happiness returned. “So strange. But so welcome, you know. Just yesterday, I wondered if it was even possible.”
She glanced around the great hall. “And now it happened. It makes me think we’ll find our way to a peaceful existence too.”
Maeve returned inside with Rian alongside her as she chattered about what had taken place. He glanced around, seeming appropriately impressed.
But then another shadow darkened the threshold, and I turned to find Cillian standing there. The darkness in his gaze turned my blood cold.
What she’d done had been noticed by others. Not just me.
Selene seemed oblivious as she left my side, hurrying toward her boss, explaining what had taken place, her words mingling with Maeve’s excited ones.
Cillian smiled gently at her. “Tremendous success, Selene. You and your team deserve full applause.”
She grinned at him, but when he looked past her to me, she did the same, and all traces of happiness disappeared. She glanced back at Cillian and then at me again. “No.”
Her whisper must have reached Maeve because her friend turned away from Rian. “Did you say something?”
I had no choice but to intervene. I stepped between them, focusing on Maeve. “You mentioned a celebration. It’s a grand idea.”
I slipped my wallet from my pocket, and she widened her eyes as I pulled out a credit card and held it toward her. “Why don’t you and Rian head to the pub and gather some tables? Order us a grand meal. I’ll call Cormac, and we’ll stop by and steal Nora away.”
Cillian nodded, falling into step. “She deserves a meal she didn’t have to cook, don’t you think?”
Maeve gave us a brilliant smile. “Oh, ho ho. This really will be grand. I don’t know who’ll stay sober to drive us home, but it won’t be me.”
I dipped my head as if I wholeheartedly approved and shoved the credit card into her hand. “We’ll see you shortly then.”
Rian and Maeve headed on their way, both happy as larks. The door closed behind them, and I dropped all pretenses.
I turned to Selene, and she shook her head. “That created a ripple, didn’t it? I felt it. Deep down, I knew.”
Her soft, fearful tone hurt. I strode toward her but didn’t dare touch her. I searched her face, hoping I could convey the depth of my feelings through words. “I sensed it in the grove, though I didn’t connect it immediately. But I recognized that things here had changed.”
Cillian stepped forward, focused solely on me. “Why are you involving her in all this? We’ll take care of things.”
I heard Selene’s sharp intake of breath but spoke for her. “She’s earned the right, Cillian. This is her life, and it’s not for us to decide things without her.”
Selene drew her fingers through her hair and clutched her head with both hands. “What have I done?”
“Stop,” I said gently. “You’ve done what guardians have tried and failed to do for centuries. The inlay portal has been weak for as long as I can remember. I did as much as I could to strengthen it without others knowing, but you fixed it. This place now feels like a home again.”
I glanced at Cillian, sending him a hard look, urging him to speak. “He’s right, Selene. Sealing the portal was the right thing. You’ve strengthened the Veil in a way we hadn’t. The shock is that it happened unexpectedly.”
The fear in her expression lessened as she studied our faces. “But the ripple?”
I tried to bolster her with a nod. “Others may have felt it, but no one but us knows it was you.”
She held that for a moment. I thought she’d surrender to it, but she sighed instead. “Still, it’s only a matter of time before they figure things out, isn’t it?”
Cillian nodded first. “I never doubted that would happen. But that day is not today. We still have time.”
Selene inhaled a deep breath, and a fierceness I hadn’t expected entered her eyes. “If I can generate something strong enough that others can feel it from a distance, then I’m not weak, am I?”
I chuckled. “Ah, A stór, I suspect you carry far more power than any of us realize. If you remember anything, remember that.”
I smiled then, putting on a braver face than I felt. “Now, are you wearing that to the party, or do you want to change first?”
Selene glanced down and brushed at the dust on her jeans. Then she smiled. “I’d like to stop by home first.”
I turned to Cillian. “Do you require a ride as well?”
He held my gaze for a long moment, and I suspected he was holding back his irritation for Selene’s benefit. “I’ll be fine.”
When I turned toward the door, a glint of silver on the floor caught my eye.
I recognized the chain and pendant and stepped a few paces closer to the inlay to retrieve it.
Then I presented it to Selene. “Looks like you lost your necklace in all the excitement. The chain is broken, but I’ll get you another. ”
She drew her brows into a frown as she accepted it. “I didn’t even notice.”
Cillian met my gaze and held it for several seconds before speaking to Selene. “Tuck it into your purse so you don’t lose it again.”
She gathered her purse and coat and did as he suggested as she led the way outside. Something about that pendant bothered me, but I couldn’t say what. Cillian had noticed too.
Perhaps when I gave her a new chain, I’d have a better chance to examine it. For now, we’d celebrate.
It felt good to stroll out of the castle, lock the doors, and leave it behind for a bit. Things were better there, and yet weren’t.
We feasted well at the Silver Hart. Cormac joined us after a while. As I drained the remaining Guinness from my glass, I glanced over the gathering. Most of the people there had become the closest thing I had to family. Not Rian, of course. And never Cillian.
For a few stolen hours, we pretended the world hadn’t changed.
The old vampire caught me a short time later, just after I’d relieved myself. His gaze held not even a trace of warmth as he blocked the narrow hallway. “This won’t go unnoticed.”
There wasn’t a thing I liked about the man. Except his concern for Selene. “I’m well aware.”
“The necklace. We need to know more.”
“We do.”
His gaze hardened. “They’ll come after her. You know they will.”
I nodded once. “I’m well aware.”
He snorted, the sound full of irritation. “Aware, but are you prepared?”
Curse the man. He knew full well that neither of us knew what was coming. “I’ve given it some thought, and I’ll take full blame for it. They can’t touch me.”
Cillian held my gaze, and then slowly shook his head. “They won’t believe it. Guardians preserve and protect. You don’t heal things.”
I knew he was right, but I couldn’t say it. “I guess we’ll see.” Then I shoved past him and strode back toward Selene.
Whatever came next, it would have to come through me first.