Blood In Fire (Celtic Elementals Book 2) (23 page)

"Aye. How do ye feel?"

"Fine as wine, and a good deal stronger."

"Do ye notice any weakness t'all? Any difference in anything, Aidan? Psychic, physical…yer hunger?"

Aidan's shoulders tensed, but he forced himself to relax. "Nae. Well, except…maybe a lightening? I donna how to explain it, but I felt it before, the first time. A floating feeling. Almost as if…as if I am no' quite as solid as normal. Weird, innit?"

"Ye seem solid enough." Without warning, Ronan whipped his sword from his back and attacked.

Aidan ducked under the swing, slipped to the right and hooked his foot behind Ronan's ankle. The big man went down with a whoosh, but rolled with the movement. In a blink of an eye, he was back on his feet.

He spread his legs wide, lifting the sword in one hand and beckoning with the other. "Come on, then, try us."

Aidan sighed as he moved lightly to Ronan's left.

"Ye've a sword, a
magical
sword, mind and I've naught but me own two hands."

"Oh, quit yer whining and—"

Aidan attacked, going low and hard. His shoulder hit Ronan in the gut and the big man bit the dust again, flying over Aidan's back and landing on his own with a grunt.

Once more, the former werewolf gained his feet quickly. In the second it took Aidan to turn, Ronan was facing him, his grey eyes narrowed. "Yer being easy on me, I can tell."

"Well, ye are bloody human again, mate. I wouldna want to injury ye. Yer woman might take tha' sword to my throat again. Come to think of it, she got closer than ye ever will—"

With a roar, Ronan lunged. Crafty this time, he thrust right, but when Aidan dodged, he got a huge fist coming from the left.

Lights exploded and for the first time he stumbled. Shaking his head like a wet dog, Aidan glared at Ronan from under his curls. "Oy! Tha' is gonna cost ye."

"Is it then? Trash talk is all well and good, bloodsucker, but canna ye back it?"

A plume of dust was all that remained were Aidan had stood.

Ronan blinked at it for a moment, then slumped when a hard forearm slipped round his neck and squeezed once, warningly.

"And yer dead, Fitzpatrick."

Ronan gave a grumpy shrug. "Aye. Get off then, ye'll still stink to me, ye know." His nose wrinkled as Aidan moved back around, his eyes dancing. How long had it been since he'd sparred under a blue sky over which white clouds floated like the sails of quiet ships?

Then he realized he'd forgotten they had an audience. His head turned.

Heather sat there on the lake shore, frozen. Her hand on her heart, her mouth open, staring at them both.

"What the fuck was that?!" She finally managed to whisper. It had been terrifying, even when she had realized they were not in earnest.

"Fun." Aidan said as Ronan grinned and tucked the sword away.

"And educational." The big man added. "I reckon yer just as deadly in the sunshine, O'Neill. However light and fluffy ye feel." Ronan was frowning now, but Aidan didn't notice.

She watched as he breathed deep and stretched up to his toes.

"You look like a flower turning toward the sun." Heather's tone was amused, but Ronan howled at her words, distracted from his train of thought as he laughed until his face turned red.

"Oy. I am n'ver forgetting tha' one, mate. Bloody flower, tha's ye!" He said when he got his breath back.

Aidan scowled at him, but his heart wasn't in it.  "Are we done then?"

"I donna know. I donna know what I really am looking for here, to be honest. Or what I expect to do about it anyway." Ronan's face darkened again.

Aidan shrugged.

"'Tis only a dose left, if tha'. And no one else knows."

"A few grains is all it takes for a good chemist to recreate the formula. And how do ye know no one else knows. Abha—"

"Has no' come. And if he knew…Ronan, do ye honestly think he coulda resist?"

"I didna think he could resist
ye
being back in Ireland, mate. I expected him to have our boundaries patrolled day and night. But here ye are. With him still in the bloody Reeks. No' a hint of anyone observing us, no' anywhere. And tha' bothers me."

Ronan's eyes were steel grey in the light coming off the water.

"I do nae know what he knows, or what he is playing at. And neither do ye. So donna underestimate him. He's a wily, twisted—"

"I know what he is."

"Aye. So mind what he would do, what lengths tha' bastard would go to, to have ye under his thumb along with tha' bloody potion. I donna think anything could stop him then, O'Neill. No' even the gods themselves."

"I know." Aidan's voice was resigned as he reached into the pocket of his jacket. "Take it then."

He extended the glass vial in his hand. Ronan and Heather both started.

"There's nae point in having it tested, nae point in figuring out its limits. We know enough to know what must be done. It
has
to be destroyed. Ye knew it from the beginning. It was only knowing what it would mean to me tha' kept ye from doing yer damme duty in the first place, innit tha' the truth of it?"

Ronan bowed his head. "Aye."

"So take it now, ye sod. I had me day…well, a half and one. And since there are only hours of daylight left…canna we no' spend it arguing?"

Ronan reached out finally and Aidan dropped the vial in his palm. Their eyes met for one second, but Aidan turned away. Heather had stood up, hoping her eyes didn't give away too much of her thoughts as she studied him. She could feel her lips trembling.

She firmed them and took his hand. "To the rest of the day then?"

"Aye. And to no cars, mind? I'd like to see the sunset this time."

Heather snorted. Her gaze moved over Aidan's shoulder and caught sight of Ronan's face. There were tears in the big man's eyes as he tucked the vial out of sight. She blinked and quickly put her arms round Aidan's neck when he would have turned around at her expression.

"Are you sure? I do need to get the Jag out of impound and work it all out with the rental company. You could enjoy the day like a normal person, running errands and stuck in queue—"

Aidan lifted her into the air. "Fuck tha'. I have a better idea." There was no mistaking that tone.

"And I think it's a good idea if I make meself scarce." Ronan mumbled dryly.

"Aye, Fitzpatrick, I think tha' is damme fine idea inded." Aidan spun her round until she squealed and everything dark twirled away.

For the moment.

It was much later that night, when the family were due to be back at any moment, that Heather found herself alone in the kitchen.

Aidan had taken her again at the lakeshore. Then once more, right after a glorious sunset that had seemed to put in a special effort, just for him. At least that was what she chose to think. Purple velvet and gold satin had creased the clouds like a rich cloak unfurling as night came down.

They hadn't talked much after that.

She had let him soak up everything and tried not to intrude, though he never seemed to resent her presence, even when they weren't having sex. He seemed to want her close far more than was usual for him.

It was true that Aidan was a physical man, even in Istanbul he liked to have his hands on her, not only in private but on the street, in the cafés. The difference in Istanbul was that while his touches had not been disrespectful or cheap, they had been…careless.

Filling a need, no more.

Today had been different. He reached for her often; her hand, her face, her hips, her hair, with fingers that held a sweetness that hadn't been there before. More than that, he had sought something more than just physical pleasure from her for the first time. Comfort, perhaps.

And maybe today he had touched her so often simply out of a need for assurance. A way to prove to himself that what he was experiencing was not a dream.

Was that all it was though? Was this on its way to becoming something more?

She fiddled with a tea cup, trying hard not to listen to the echo of Moiré's words in her head. Setting the cup down, Heather gripped the edge of the sink hard.

She heard footsteps behind her. Twisting her head, she let out a slow breath when she saw Ronan. The big man gazed back, unsmiling, as he leaned a hip against the table. Heather turned to face him, hoisting herself onto the counter with a tired sigh.

"Long day?" He said idly.

Not long enough, she thought. All she said aloud was, "Maybe a little."

"'Twil n'ver happen again." There was something deeper in his words, something that made her throat tighten up.

"I know that."

Ronan leaned his head back, looking up at the exposed wooden beams of the plaster ceiling. "I like ye. Ye know tha', I hope?"

She blinked. "Well…good. I like you, too. I can't pretend I wasn't inclined to, not at first—"

"Because ye were worried about yer friend." He continued to look up, away from her.

"Yes, I was. But you…you two are right together. You fit."

Ronan nodded slowly. "Aye."  He lowered his head, looking at her with such sadness in those grey eyes it made her heart clench. "But ye and Aidan…ye
donna
fit, Heather. Ye canna. He canna. I'm sorry, but ye need to see it. Ye need to stop this, because I donna think he can."

She stared at the big man, an urge to scream and fly at him and make him take those words back almost overwhelmed her, but she kept control. Heather forced herself to reply carefully, even as her heart raced.

“You all act as if he’s so fragile. He’s
not.
He’s…he’s…” but her voice failed her, as all the words she had for what Aidan was becoming to her seemed suddenly much too private to share.

Ronan saved her from continuing. “Nae, he’s no’ weak. I dinna mean tha', lass. Only tha'…

"Aidan has always had a soft heart, understand? He's just spent several lifetimes concealing it. Because he
canna
bear it, lass. He had to put what he was away, tuck it down so far he could forget it was even there. 'Twas the only way for him to survive.

"Why do ye think he wears those gloves? 'Tis too much for him, feeling what others feel, carrying tha' burden.

"Twas powerful cruel what Abhartach and Bav did to him, but I'm warning ye…if ye keep taking the steps yer taking, he'll fall in love with ye. And tha' would be crueler than anything those two ever did."

Heather swallowed, everything inside her had gone still and cold. "I appreciate the warning, Ronan, because I know you love him and you mean well, but you're wrong. We
aren’t
headed that way." She said it firmly, and tried to make herself believe the words. But she couldn’t quite meet his eyes when she said them.

Ronan cleared his throat.

"Am I, lass? Well, I surely hope so. Because if ye let him fall for ye, ye'll destroy him. A vampire canna love a human, Heather, not a vampire like Aidan. He willna stand it."

It was getting to be too damn much. She couldn't hold the pain in any longer.
Did they think her
that
awful and unworthy?

"Why? Not that I have any intention of finding out, but
why
does that scare you all so much, Ronan? What the hell is so wrong with me?”

Ronan gave her such a gentle, understanding smile it made her realize again just how lucky Lacey had been to find this man.

"Tis naught to do with who ye are, Heather. Tis
what
ye are…and what he innit.
Human.
Humans grow old, lass, and they die. Loving ye would destroy him bit by bit, every day. Knowing ye will go where he canna follow. Donna give him tha' burden…if ye care about him at all. It'd be a damme site kinder to shove him outside at noon.”

He pushed off the table, and patted her shoulder as he left. He'd intended his touch to be kind and reassuring, no doubt, but instead he nearly tumbled her from the counter while his words sank deep.

She stared out at the garden and the hill, everything was smudged blue, grey and green as the day headed to deepest twilight. Now she’d had
three
Fitzpatricks warn her off Aidan. But unlike Chloe, who had shocked her, and Moiré, who had simply pissed her off, Ronan’s words
hurt.

She knew why, too. Something had changed in the last forty-eight hours. Before she had dismissed their concerns almost out of hand, she hadn’t been able to imagine meaning enough to Aidan do any harm to him, though she
had
been wary enough of the opposite. But now…

Now she could remember him laughing with her in the grass, the sunshine on his hair and the way he had kissed her with the lake splashing over their bare feet. The way he had taken her under an open sky and made her wish they had more than one day filled with light. But they didn't, and they never would.

Tears ran down her face one by one as everything inside her ached.

Ronan was right. The sooner she faced that, the better.

Everyone else was back by the time the sky went from blue to black.

It was noisy and rather jangled Aidan's nerves after the day that he'd had. He said his hello's, listened to the children's chatter for a bit, then made his escape, pleading the need to patrol.

Really though, he just wanted to brood.

His last day in the sun. Forever.

He should be happy for what he'd had and let it go at that. This was best for everyone. No way in hell would he take a chance of the potion falling into Abhartach's hands. It should have been easier to make that decision once he'd had a taste.

That
had
been his plan from the beginning.

He had always known he couldn't hold on to the sun, but he'd wanted that one last vision to imprint upon his mind before he let it all go again.

Instead, he'd gotten
two
days, and this last one had been damn near perfect.

Not just because of the sun though. Nope, some things shined even brighter. His hands clenched and Aidan walked faster.

Green light sparkled in front of him like a cascade of emerald stars and he cursed.

"Oh for heaven's bloody sake, woman. No' now, leave…" he trailed off when he saw,
really
saw, Bav's face.

She looked different than he'd ever seen her. Drained, as if all the will had seeped out of her. Before he could remark on this, she spoke.

"Aye.
Leave.
Ye've said tha' to me so many times I am sure ye'll hardly be believing I am doing it at last, but I am. I am leaving ye alone, Aidan. For good."

His eyes narrowed. "Believe what?"

"Ye heard me! I've given up. It's over. I willna be seeing ye anymore."

He contemplated her, wondering what new trick this was. As if he'd believe a word that came out of this one's mouth.

""Tis no' a trick, Aidan."

"Donna matter if it is or no', Bav. I canna believe ye, ye've made damme sure of tha'."

"I suppose I have." She sighed.

He wanted to ask her what had brought this on, but decided against it. If she was really leaving, then he wanted her to do it.

As quickly as possible.

"Well, okay then, if this is goodbye, let's nae drag it out."

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment. She turned to go, drawing up her hood, but then straightened with a startled gasp.

"Oh, gods, Bav, really—!"

"Quiet! Aidan, he's coming.
Abhartach
. Right now. I donna know why, but he's finally left the Reeks. Just this very minute!"

He stared at her, this was what he's been expecting every minute for the last three days but suddenly the words wouldn't compute.

"Now?"

"Yes, now! You have to leave, Aidan. Get out of Ireland before he traps ye for good."

Ronan's voice came calling behind him, just as Bav leaned forward and kissed him once, lightly on the lips. "Goodbye, my love."

Aidan barely felt the kiss or heard her words. His head was blank. He had to leave now.

Now?

"They're coming." It wasn't a question. Ronan looked at him in the starlight as Bav vanished.

"Aye." He spoke the words, but for a moment Aidan could not move. He had to leave.

And he no longer wanted to go.

Fuck.

Fuck
that.

His jaw tightened. He would to do what needed to be done, it didn't matter what he
wanted.
His da's mantra rang in his head.
We do what we must, son.
We do what needs to be done.

He had to go. Maybe he could get even manage to get around Abhartach and his lot if he left right now.

Yeah, probably
not.
But what choice was there?

Ronan was not in agreement. Of course.

His big friend nipped at his heels the entire way back to the house, resembling a yapping dog in his relentless stream of nagging. Except this dog was huge and very wolf-like, despite the breaking of his dark curse. He was also bloody annoying.

“Nae. Ye wonna get to the coast, Aidan.
Stop and think, man!
We can figure another way!”

Aidan shook his head impatiently, dragging his leather coat from the line of hooks near the kitchen door. “It’s my choice, mate. And ye’ll stay out of it.” He hissed this last quietly to Ronan as the children entered the house, shooed in by their parents.

Chloe caught sight of his coat in his hand and her eyes darted to his face. He didn't even have to open his mouth.

"Ye're leaving." The accusation in the words stung, but he could only nod before a cacophony of protest rang up from the others.

Aidan caught a glimpse of a wet, freckled cheek before Chloe dashed from the room.

He put off their questions as best he could, pushing his way through the room with squeezes and pats and tickles that he tried his damnedest to make light-hearted and easy. Finally, he made his way past them all, with the excuse that he needed to gather up his things.

Aidan stepped into the hallway. He was unsurprised but gutted to hear the sobs coming from behind one closed bedroom door. He walked to it with heavy footsteps, his hand seeming to weigh a ton as he lifted it to knock.

“Aye, innit my sunshine girl gonna say goodbye then?”

There was a sound that told him a pillow had been flung at the door. “Nae! Go away! It’s what ye always do anyway!”

He leaned his forehead against the door, trying to blink past the sting in his eyes. “Oh, come now, love. Do nae break my heart! I’ll be back sure enough.”

Hating himself for lying to her, but far too cowardly to expose her to the truth. One he didn’t want to face himself. If he got out of Ireland alive this time, he wouldn’t be coming back.

The door was wrenched open, almost toppling Aidan inside a room that look as if it had been drenched in purple and rainbows, making him smile a little before the tear-stained face of the room's occupant filled his vision.

“Ye wonna be back! Do nae
lie
to me, Uncle Aidan. Lying’s a mortal sin, it is!”

He sighed, deciding against pointing out, that he was not, after all, mortal. Chloe knew it well enough. She knew too many sad things well enough. “Aye. I am sorry for tha', sweetheart. Sorry for leaving so soon, too.”