Bronagh
I knew I was about to find out what had taken Cathal, Darragh, Sean, Patrick, and Cormac from the kitchen this morning. If I hadn’t been talking to Seerie, I would’ve tried to follow. I knew deep down it had something to do with me.
I tried to call Dad a few times, but all I got back were short replies saying we’d talk later today and that he’d explain. I asked Cathal if he knew why my dad hadn’t arrived yet. He hedged. I knew that he and the others knew. Maybe that was why they left the kitchen.
I waited and tried to bide my time patiently, but breakfast had ended over an hour ago.
Several family members had dispersed to their own homes or to do other things.
Cathal had walked over to speak to his dad.
The other elders of the family sat around the room, as did Darragh.
Without thinking about whether this was the time and place anymore, I stood and marched over to Cathal. He shifted his eyes to me.
“I want to know what’s going on with my dad and don’t lie and tell me nothing,” I demanded.
“Bronagh, we should talk—” Cathal started to say, but I cut him short.
“If you say we should talk about this later. Or that there’s nothing to tell, I’m gonna walk out that door and leave. And if you think your gate, walls, or your guards will stop me, try it and see what happens,” I growled.
“I don’t like to be given ultimatums,” he replied.
“And I don’t like to be lied to or treated like I’m stupid. Either spit it out or move. While I’m thankful for what your family did, it doesn’t mean you own me and can run my life,” I shot back.
The tension had spiked. No one else said a word, just watched Cathal and me. Silence stretched for a good thirty seconds before it was broken, not by Cathal, but by his dad.
“Cathal, it’s time to tell her. Don’t make this into a fight.”
I heard the warning in Cormac’s tone.
“Bronagh, have a seat, and we’ll tell you what we know,” Darragh said firmly, but not unkindly.
I broke eye contact with Cathal and moved across the room to sit.
I took a seat in a chair so that Cathal couldn’t sit next to me.
The way his mouth tightened, he knew it.
However, he didn’t sit on one of the couches.
Instead, he walked over to me and stood next to my chair, with his hand on the back of it.
If he thought his closeness would silence me, he was wrong.
“I’m seated. Tell me,” I demanded.
“You need to respect my family,” Cathal told me gruffly.
“Respect is given when it’s received. Do you want to argue about it?” I asked.
I met his gaze and didn’t look away.
“Dia, God, you two are something,” Patrick chuckled. He nodded to Darragh.
“Alright, before this turns into an actual fight, here’s what we know.
Your dad can’t come. He and his bodyguards were ambushed at the airport on their way here.
He’ll be fine, but he was injured. He feels he should keep a low profile until he can get a handle on who hurt you and targeted him,” Darragh began explaining.
I felt the color drain from my face and anxiety spike. I leaned forward as he continued explaining.
“Your dad will call you later so you can speak to him. He asked me to let you stay here and protect you until he can do it himself. Whoever did this, assuming it’s the same one who is eating away at the edges of Bragan territory, is no longer satisfied with gaining it that way.
They want you and your dad gone. It’s only a matter of time before we know if anyone else in your family will be targeted.
You have to consider it could be someone within the family behind this, not an outsider. ”
When Darragh paused, I spoke. “I’ve already considered that it’s one or more people within the family.
Those who opposed the changes. Or it could even be those who appeared to go along with them, but secretly don’t like the changes.
Of course, there could be outsiders at work or even those from one of the other families.
The only one I’m not concerned about being behind it is your family.
We’re not big enough or close enough to be of any use to you.
And if you hated us, you would’ve gotten rid of us like you did the Doyles. ”
I stopped and let the Doyle remark soak in.
They didn’t react, not that I expected them to.
Ivo Doyle deserved what he got, and so did those in that family who wouldn’t accept that he brought his fate on himself.
I’d never liked Ava. She’d always been an entitled bitch.
I knew that from the few times I’d been around her.
“As for me staying here, I think that is something that shouldn’t happen. I don’t want to put anyone else in danger, and protecting me could do that. I can either join Dad or disappear until this gets resolved. I can hop over to France and stay there.”
Cathal moved, coming to stand slightly in front of me. I looked up at him. His jaw was set. “You’re not running off to France or hiding somewhere else,” he said.
“Why not?” I asked, then a suspicion began to form. “What did he offer you to protect me?” I asked, narrowing my gaze on him.
“Faolán offered us a piece of his territory,” Darragh admitted.
“I knew there had to be something. Well, there’s no deal. Dad keeps whatever he has. I have friends. I can leave tonight,” I said, standing.
“Leave us,” Cathal barked to his family. He moved to stand in front of me, blocking my path.
“Mac, stay calm. Remember what we said,” his dad cautioned him.
“I remember, Daid. I’m just going to talk to her,” Cathal replied.
I watched as the other O’Sheerans left the room. I glared at Cathal.
“Don’t think you can stand there and intimidate me. I’m not scared of you. Go ahead, force me to stay. You can only do it so long before I’ll escape one way or the other.”
“What the hell do you mean by one way or the other?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow and smirked. Suddenly, Cathal grasped my shoulders. He didn’t do it so hard that it hurt, but he had a firm hold on me. Anger entered his gaze.
“Don’t you dare threaten to harm yourself! That’s what you meant, wasn’t it?” Cathal growled.
“Let go,” I ordered.
“Not until you swear that you won’t hurt yourself. There’s no reason ever to do that,” Cathal insisted.
“Yes, there is. If I ever get taken and can’t escape, I won’t allow an enemy to take my life or use me against my dad. I’ll remove myself from the equation,” I stated firmly. I’d decided that when I was a teenager, though I kept that part to myself.
I watched his expression change from anger to what I thought was fear. He crowded closer. Despite him doing it, I wasn’t afraid, though I should be.
“Bronagh, we’re not your enemy. We only want to keep you safe. And we’re not expecting your daid to pay us with anything. I don't think you should leave, even if it is to go to France. What if you go there, and whoever is doing this comes after you? You’re far away from immediate help.
“And think about what that would do to Faolán. He’ll be more worried.
That won’t help his concentration on catching whoever is behind this, his ability to think clearly to keep himself safe, or his healing.
And you’ve been hurt. You need to stay here, where you can be monitored medically.
You saw the security we have here at the commune.
It’s top-notch. It would take a goddamn army to force its way in here.
And we have safety measures that aren’t visible.
“Plus, I thought we were getting to know each other so that we can make your daid and your innocent family members safe from whoever is pushing in, taking your territory, by marrying.”
Cathal gave me an expectant look at the end.
Everything he said whirled around in my head.
The usual me wanted to argue. The weak version, which I found only came out around Cathal, wanted to submit to what he said.
To stay here, hidden within the walls, allowing him to protect me and my family, which would be his duty as my husband.
I reached up and rubbed my forehead, forgetting about the cut until I bumped it, causing me to hiss.
Instantly, I was wrapped in his arms, then twirled around and brought down into a seated position, except my seat turned out to be Cathal’s lap. I tried to pry his arms away, but couldn’t. I was seated crosswise on his lap. I frowned at him.
“Cathal, what do you think you’re doing?” I asked sternly.
“Making you rest. Your head hurts. I’ll take you to your room in a moment so you can take medicine and rest. But before I do, I want you to swear on your daid’s life you won’t harm yourself or run.”
“You can’t make me promise that,” I hedged.
“If you won’t swear it, I’ll have no choice but to chain us together and spend every second of the day with you.
And if you think that’s a hardship, believe me, it’s not.
If you try anything like that, you’ll see what happens.
I won’t punish you until after you heal, but you will get a spanking that’ll redden that ass good,” he said gruffly.
I knew he wasn’t bluffing. And I should be shrieking the roof off because he threatened me.
Or yelling at him that I wasn’t a child he needed to spank.
Instead, a warmth spread through my body.
To my astonishment, my nipples and pussy tingled.
Without conscious thought, I squeezed my thighs together. His mouth smirked.
“Ah, you like that idea, do you? I have no problem spanking your ass if you want, but you don’t endanger or hurt yourself to make me. That spanking won’t be the enjoyable kind.”
I’d had a previous lover who liked to spank me. I enjoyed it. But I wasn’t admitting that to him.
“I’m not into being spanked. I was adjusting myself because sitting like this hurts,” I lied.
Cathal studied me as if he were trying to figure out whether I had lied. I kept my expression slightly affronted. He sighed.
“Bronagh, I don’t want to fight. I told you I think marriage is a good idea. And if we both give it a chance, we can get along. Will you commit to it?”
I sat there, savoring the feel of his strong thighs beneath me and his muscular arms around me. I made him wait a good minute or more before I answered.
“I’ll give you my answer after I speak to my dad later.”
Seeing that I wasn’t about to budge, Cathal nodded.
“Alright, we’ll discuss it after you speak to Faolán. I’m sorry if it feels as if I’m rushing you, but the sooner we announce it, if you agree, the better it’ll be.”
I knew he was right. I couldn’t risk my dad’s life. He was really the only family member I had who cared about me. Losing him would gut me.