23. Cormac
Cormac
T he evening sky held a few early stars as Rory and I walked along the beach, the cool night air carrying the faint perfume of the harbor water. Dún Na Farraige loomed ahead like a phantom in the distance, its lights beckoning. The blanket draped over my arm was the sole witness to our afternoon in the waters of the cave—wrapped in each other’s arms, fucking until her screams echoed off the walls. I bent down, kissing her again, each touch of our lips pulling me away from reality and also sending a surge of regret through me. What would happen when she learned who I really was?
“Careful on the steps,” I murmured as we reached the moss-covered stones leading up to the manor.
“I will,” she replied, her voice soft.
Something in the air caused my senses to prickle. My eyes searched the darkness until I saw her. Runa. She walked along the edge of the beach, her pale eyes locked on Rory, the wind tossing her ash-blond hair like the whisper of a storm approaching. My jaw clenched.
“I see you,” Runa’s voice carried on the wind, cold and sharp.
I pulled Rory closer. Whatever Runa wanted could wait. Right now, I needed to deliver a message.
“Is something wrong?” Rory asked, concern lacing her words. She must have felt my muscles tense when I spotted the other vampire.
“No, nothing’s wrong.” I tightened my arm around her waist, letting Runa see Rory was mine to protect. “You’re my guest here, the High Priestess Heir of the Coven of the Blood. No one is going to harm you.”
Rory bit her bottom lip, trying to hide the playful smile. “All that?”
I gazed over Rory’s shoulder, sure the vampire on the beach had heard my warning. I cupped the back of Rory’s neck, bringing my lips to hers again, this time slower, deeper. There was warmth in her I could never seem to get enough of, something that called to a part of me I wasn’t ready to face. I melted into our kiss before I pulled back just enough to meet her gaze.
“Yes, all that,” I whispered. “Someone I never could have dreamed of being with.”
She smiled, a small, knowing curve to her lips, her walls slipping for just a second. “I feel the same way.”
I led her up the remainder of the stairs, her hand warm in mine. Would we ever speak of the fire and weight that burned in my chest? I shook the question from my head, satisfied with one certainty from our exchange: Runa had seen everything, and she knew Rory was under my protection. Whatever twisted truce remained between her and my family would hold—for now.
I opened the anteroom door for Rory, guiding her into the cool, dark interior of the manor, away from Runa’s gaze. I threw the blanket in the corner, knowing it would be washed and returned over the next few weeks. The motion stirred up the scent of the long-drying wood around us.
“Why does this room look so much like the cottage?” Rory’s voice held a curious edge that hinted at something more—like she was piecing together the puzzle of my family’s past.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Eventually, I would have to tell her. But not right now. “When Aine had the manor built, she wanted the family entrance to remind everyone where the O’Cillian family began.”
Rory nodded, her fingers brushing lightly against the stone as if she could feel its history. Before I could say more, a commotion from upstairs broke the silence.
“Mac!” Conall’s voice rang out, strained. “Where the hell are you?”
Did he even know we were back?
“Come on,” I said, touching her arm. We ran up the heavy oak stairs, the soft blue silk carpeting muffling our steps. As we reached the morning room, Conall and Declan rushed down the steps from my parents’ rooms.
“I’m here,” I replied, already expecting the worst but unsure what the worst could be.
Declan’s entire body was tense, worse than I could recall from recent memory. His hands balled into fists at his side. Conall stormed into the room, his eyes flickering in every direction, taking in everything from the stairs to Rory and me. He exhaled sharply, his arm flying up toward Rory before falling to his side. “Well, she’s still here.”
“What does that mean?” Rory’s voice was sharp with a defensive edge.
Declan’s eyes narrowed as he focused on her. “Your cousin,” he said, his voice tight, before he clenched his jaw and shook his head. “She’s disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” Rory folded her arms across her chest. “That doesn’t make sense.”
But it did. It hit me all at once. I turned to Rory, my stomach tying in a knot. “Rory, go see if the grimoire is still in your room.”
Her eyes widened. “She wouldn’t...”
But I could see it in her expression. She knew what she’d find. Without another word, Rory sprinted across the great hall and up the stairs to the guest floor. Moments later, her voice echoed down to us.
“She took it,” Rory called out, the rising lilt at the end of the comment hanging in the air as she gave a short, bitter laugh. “Why would she do this? Where is she even going?”
I shook my head, my chest feeling hollow. “I don’t know.” I nearly growled the words.
“How did you even figure out she left?” Rory asked, rejoining us in the morning room.
“I did,” Isla said from the doorway. She stepped into the room behind Rory, her lips drawn in a fine line. “I was outside when I saw her leave. I didn’t realize at first she was leaving, and she was gone before I could do anything.”
Rory exhaled sharply, her jaw clenching as she balled her fingers into fists. “There’s one person who might know.” She pulled out her phone, dialing quickly. It only rang once before Rory spoke again. “Amara.”
I watched her closely, my senses tuned in. “Yes, Rory?” Amara’s voice answered on the other end.
“Lyra’s disappeared. Do you know where she is?”
Amara’s tone darkened. “Well, child... I know.”
My teeth clenched. I knew what that voice meant, what Amara had planned. So did Rory—her eyes flashed with anger, but she held her composure. “You told her to take the grimoire.”
Amara’s sigh crackled through the line. “I asked her to bring it home. You’ve done well, Rory, but now you need to think. Think about where your loyalties lie, the balance of the two sides. What path will you follow?”
Rory’s eyes glanced around at each of us. “I can’t believe you don’t trust me.” Her voice trembled with anger. “I thought—”
“I am the High Priestess,” Amara cut her off. “When you become High Priestess, I will follow you. But right now, it’s the other way around. It’s time for you to decide.”
Rory’s face paled as the call ended. She shook her head, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. “I don’t even know where to start with this. One minute, I’m to follow my heart, and the next, choose my loyalties. What the hell?” She shoved the phone back in her pocket.
I bit the inside of my cheek before meeting her gaze. “We’re going back to Georgia.”
“Georgia?” she asked, her brow furrowed. “Do you really think that’s smart?”
I shook my head. “It’s the only move we have. Gather your things. We’ll leave shortly. It’ll take Jacob some time to get here with the plane.”
Conall looked at him. “Do you want to take mine?”
I considered his offer. “No. We need to keep up appearances.” I went to an intercom. “Dani, please come to the morning room.”
The button returned to off just as Dani appeared across the room, her form rigid. “Sir?”
“Find Jacob and Paul. Have the plane at Cork ready to depart for Savannah in an hour and a half.”
She hesitated. “But—”
I knew where she was going. “Compel the results if needed, but we will leave on time.”
“Yes, sir.” Dani disappeared as quickly as she had arrived. I turned toward Rory.
“Rory, please go.” I gave her a quick kiss on the lips and nudged her toward the door before returning my attention to my brother. “Conall, I need to speak with you.”
Declan’s mouth dropped open. I’m sure he felt the sting of being excluded, but I didn’t have time. Conall gave me a curt nod, and we made our way out of the front door of the manor, the tension between us thickening with every step.
“This isn’t a normal talk, is it?” Conall asked, his tone sharp.
“I saw Runa earlier, down on the beach,” I replied, my voice low, my fists clenched. “I need to know why she’s here.” If it had anything to do with Rory, it may have meant an end to the truce.
He rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. “You really couldn’t handle this on your own?”
“No,” I snapped, glancing over my shoulder. “Not this time.” We reached the cliffs in near silence, our speed carrying us across the grounds as though we had wings. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a silvery light over the violent, crashing waves below. And there she was—Runa, standing at the edge of the beach as though she’d been waiting for us all along.
“Cormac. Conall.” Her voice was a whisper carried on the wind, but it was enough. “It’s been too long.”
I clenched my jaw. There was no need for niceties. “Tell me about the Cure. Where can we find him?” I called out, my nails digging into my palms as I approached her. Conall stood at my side, his posture stiff, ready for a fight.
She blinked at me, her hair fluttering in the wind. “So the coven still doesn’t remember their true purpose. How interesting.”
“What does that mean?” I narrowed my eyes as I looked at her, hating that my parents had not told me any of this, and now I had to rely on her.
“To keep the balance and protect the Cure. How is the coven protecting that which they cannot even remember?” Her eerie bell-like laughter echoed across the beach.
I wanted to reach out and sink my hand into her chest to remove her undead heart. What would we lose if I did? No one from my family came to Waterford with any regularity as we had in the past. Did we still need her protection?
I pressed my teeth together, drawing in a calming breath. “What are you doing here, Runa?”
“I’m just picking something up,” she said smoothly, her gaze shifting toward the crate resting in the sand beside her.
The full moon glittered on the water as I glanced toward the wooden box. My heart clenched. Inside were rows of flasks, their metallic surfaces reflecting the moonlight. I kneeled and picked one up, recognizing the knotwork etched into the surface. It was unmistakable—the O’Cillian crest, the same one given to our chosen progeny to walk in the sunlight. I held it up toward her, my fingers curling tightly around it.
“Where did you get these?” I asked, my voice low, the fury barely contained.
Runa tilted her head, her lips curling into a faint smile. “Where I got them is none of your business. But you’ll be leaving them with me.”
I stood, stepping closer, the flask still in hand. “And what happens if I don’t?”
Her gaze hardened. “There’s a truce in place, Cormac. You know that as well as I do. Aiden may have forgotten it, but you…” Her smile widened. “You’re a man of your word.”
She was right. As much as I wanted to rip the truth from her throat, there was nothing I could do about any of it. Not without breaking the very truce that kept us from all-out war in Waterford as well as the one in Charleston. Still, every instinct in me screamed I couldn’t let her walk away with these flasks. How was she filling them? I handed it back to her, my grip tightening one last time before releasing it, my fingers lingering just long enough to feel the cool metal against my skin. “How did you come about these?” I asked, my voice low, struggling to conceal my rage.
Her eyes glittered with amusement as she took the flask from my hand. “Ah, the man of the family acting as only a boy. If you’re that curious, Cormac,” she said, her voice laced with mockery, “perhaps you should ask your father.”
Conall bristled beside me, taking a threatening step forward. I held up a hand, commanding him to stop.
“You know where our father is?” I asked, my voice a dangerous whisper.
Runa shrugged, turning back toward the water as if the conversation bored her. “Perhaps I do. Perhaps I don’t.” She cast a sidelong glance at Conall, her lips curling into a smirk.
Conall’s eyes narrowed, his fists clenching at his sides. “I don’t know why we ever made a deal with you.”
“You sound like Aiden,” Runa taunted, her eyes glittering with dark amusement.
I turned to face Conall, grabbing his arm and reaching my own across his chest. “Brother, don’t.” With one last glare in her direction, I led Conall away from the beach. My mind was a storm of unanswered questions, but one thing was clear—whatever Runa was doing with those flasks was nothing good. But that was a problem for another day. I would add it to the growing list. Right now, I needed that grimoire—and to figure out how to tell Aurora her coven had a different purpose than just keeping the balance between good and evil.