17. Cormac
Cormac
R ory and I climbed the staircase, our footsteps echoing softly in the quiet of the old house. The polished wood banister was cool under my hand as we ascended, the grand staircase curving gracefully upward, the aged wood and lavender scent permeating the heavy air around us. When we reached the top, I turned to her, my voice low. “Do you wish to be alone, or would you like to join me as I make arrangements?”
Her lips curved, and I caught the briefest flicker of mischief in her eyes, sending a jolt of warmth through my chest, followed by a hesitance. The invitation to my room, without knowing of the separate sitting area, probably sounded a bit forward. “I’m going to read for a little while,” she said.
I wondered how much of her response was the truth as I nodded, a slight pang of disappointment hitting my stomach. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t expected it. “I need to call the O’Cillians anyway.”
She tilted her head, eyeing me with suspicion through the corner of her eye. “You really know them?”
A slight cold hit the base of my spine. So we were going to get to the heart of what she was really upset about. I looked beyond her shoulder, refusing to meet her eyes. “I’ve known them for a long time.”
“Because you’re both from Ireland?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in an unspoken challenge.
“Yes,” I confirmed, a ghost of a smile on my lips. “Because we’re both from Ireland.” Hopefully, she would forgive me when the truth was revealed, but until I could be assured of her safety, she could not become entrenched with my family.
We walked down the dimly lit hallway, shadows dancing on the walls from the lights. The light through the window at the end of the hall faded as night set upon us.
We reached the doors to our respective rooms in silence. I feared she was piecing together the connections, but she didn’t press for more. She reached for the doorknob to her room. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’m done with the arrangements,” I murmured.
“Thank you.” Her voice was soft but tinged with a smile I couldn’t see. I watched as the door closed behind her before going through my door.
Inside my room, I paused, taking in the familiar surroundings, chasing away the thoughts of Rory: her smile, her eyes. The room was just large enough for a few people to converse comfortably, with only a settee and chair sitting before the fireplace—nothing like the receiving room in Waterford. I crossed through the door next to the fireplace and into my bedroom. The light gray walls contrasted with the dark wainscotting that wrapped around their lower half. The heavy wood furniture, contemporary to the time the house was built, showed the passage of time, even though its owners did not. On the nightstand, a book I’d read countless times sat next to my phone.
I picked up the device, hesitating for just a moment. How long had it been since I last called him? I wasn’t even sure he’d want to hear from me, but better me than one of my other brothers. Did he even have the same phone number? With a deep breath, I flipped through my contacts until I found the entry for my youngest brother. I pressed the button to dial.
“Hello?” Conall’s voice was deep and slightly rough as if I might have woken him from sleep.
“Hello, brother,” I said, my voice steady, though a hint of nostalgia seeped in. The sound of his voice brought back a rush of memories—of simpler times, before everything became so complicated. “I don’t even know where you are. I apologize if I woke you.”
“Cormac?” His voice held a note of surprise, though I knew he had already recognized me.
“There’s much we need to catch up on, brother, but what it comes down to is I need your help.”
“And why would I help you?”
“I may have found a way to stop Aiden’s descent into madness—to allow our family to live in peace.” I heard the rustle of sheets. He must have been lying down.
“I’m listening.”
“I can explain more later. I need you to meet me at the manor.”
“Why the manor?”
“I’ll explain when we get there. I’m bringing two witches with me, and we’ll arrive by jet.”
“Well, Cormac, this sounds like one of your usual plans.” His voice held that familiar mix of skepticism and affection, a reminder that despite everything, we were still brothers.
“And when I get there,” I continued, “I need you to pretend I’m not one of us.”
“So where do these witches think they’re going?”
“Oh, they’re coming to meet you—just not knowing that I’m an O’Cillian.”
“Brother, if it were anyone but you, I wouldn’t agree with this.”
“I know what I’m asking, and I need you to trust me.” I could see him in my mind, one hand rubbing his eyes as he shook his head, debating if he should before finally giving in, perhaps because I was the oldest, perhaps because he believed me.
“Is Runa going to try to kill us?” he asked with a hint of humor in his voice.
The Dearg Dur being one step from killing our family felt like an old line of self-deprecating humor. I couldn’t help but smile. “Quite possibly. But the truce should hold.”
Conall did not yet know our family’s blood was what allowed her to walk in the sunlight. It was too much to tell him now.
“Fine. I’ll see you when you get here. Should I collect you from the airport?”
“Collect us?” I narrowed my eyes.
“I’m already at Dún Na Farraige. Something told me I needed to be here.”
Relief washed over me, tension easing from my shoulders. “Swimming?” I guessed at the water which had triggered my brother’s premonition, all of us having suffered them from time to time in our lives.
“The shower and I really didn’t need images of you interrupting what I was doing. I’ll see you upon your arrival, brother.”
“Yes, you will.”
As I ended the call, the silence of the room settled around me once more. I tucked my phone into my pocket. Despite the years and the miles between us, it was as if no time had passed. Still, a flicker of doubt remained. Conall had left me once. Would he stand by me this time to face our brother when the truth unraveled?
I crossed the room to the window and pulled the curtain aside. The moon hung low in the sky, a silver light falling across the once beautiful grounds. My reflection in the glass caught my eye—tired but resolved, a ghost of who I used to be. Do you even know what you’re doing, Cormac? The thought came unbidden and I clenched my jaw in hesitation.
Across the hall, Rory sat in her room, likely turning questions over in her mind that she wouldn’t yet dare to ask. But when she did, what would come of it? How could a witch and a vampire ever be together, yet she pulled me to her more with each passing breath. The image of my family speeding away from Oak Leaf Hallow in a carriage before the witches found us came unbidden to my mind, running for our lives. Outside, the faint sound of the wind carried through the night, a low, mournful whisper that set my nerves on edge as I let the curtain fall back over the window.
It wasn’t just Aiden or Conall or even the witches I had to worry about. It was the truth—what it could shatter and what it could ignite.
A faint smile tugged at my lips, bitter but determined. “We’re all playing with fire,” I muttered to the empty room, my voice barely more than a whisper. “And I’m the one holding the match.”