Pints and potions, p.14
Pints & Potions, page 14
“It’s not the American,” Cian growled the lie as he stomped around the end of the bar and poured himself a drink. Odd, how Seamus had pretty much quoted him without being privy to the conversation Cian had exchanged with Piper, her first morning at the inn.
“Sure, and you’re going to be a surly sod and kick us out if we call you a fecking liar. But you are, Cian,” Ruairí said with a snort.
“Leave off, Ruairí O’Connor.” Bridget smacked him upside his head. “Or I’ll throw you out myself.”
“Bridg, I’ve a right to be powerful angry about the blow to my head, but since the blow you gave to my heart hurts more, I’ll let this one go.” He spun in his seat to face her. “But don’t interfere with one broken man counselin’ another. I’ve a mind to help Cian so he don’t make the mistakes I did and suffer a lifetime for it.”
As Cian watched in amazed horror, Bridget’s eyes filled with tears.
“You’re a fucking arse!” she shouted in Ruairí’s face. “A complete and utter arse!”
The pub was silent for a full ten seconds after her departure, before finally returning to the normal roar of a crowd. Ruairí remained staring at the door long after Bridget’s jaw-dropping exit.
“What did you do to her, man?” Cian asked him cautiously, not wanting to provoke another outburst from anyone.
After spinning back to face the bar, Ruairí shrugged. “I asked Bridget to marry me sixteen years ago. Then I kissed another woman after she said no.”
“That makes no sense. She can’t be angry at you for moving on,” Seamus sputtered. “She’s touched in the head, to be sure.”
“Seamus, get the fuck out of my pub.”
The ginger-haired fool realized he’d stepped over the line with his comment the instant he got a good look at Cian’s livid face. Seamus began to stammer. “I-I dinnit m-mean it the w-way it sounded… I… he… she… j-just commiserating, I am.”
“Get out or I’ll pound your face until not even your own mother recognizes you,” Cian warned. He’d had enough of Seamus’s toxic fun at everyone else’s expense. “And don’t return until you can keep a civil tongue in your head, you arse.”
Seamus dug for his wallet, but Cian pointed toward the door. “Just go. You can settle up with Bridget, if she’s willing to let you back in. Mind, you’d better have an apology to serve up when you do return.”
With a brisk nod and a resentful glare, Seamus weaved toward the door. When he’d reached the exit, he cast one last long look at them.
Cian flipped him off.
“I suppose you want me to leave, too?” Ruairí asked then drained his drink.
“Nah. You need to don an apron and take over Bridget’s shift. I imagine it’ll be a while to cool that fiery temper of hers.” Cian dumped Seamus’s abandoned beer mug into the sink and wiped the counter.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s all good, O’Connor. I suspect I don’t know the half of it. You confirmed what I’d long since wondered.”
“I still love her, but to Bridget, I’m the enemy at the gate.”
Cian fumbled the glass he’d been in the process of picking up. “What?”
“I said I still love her.”
“No, the other part.”
“To her, I’m the enemy at the gate?” Rauirí repeated uncertainly and seemingly confused. “What’s that to do with anything?”
“You brilliant bastard!” Cian sandwiched his friend’s head between his hands and kissed him hard, full on the lips. “You bloody, bloody brilliant bastard!”
With a scowl and a hard swipe of his mouth, Rauirí glared. “The entire village is going to think I threw over Bridget to toss you, you prick.”
Cian grinned. “Want another smack on the lips to drive it home?”
Rauirí laughed and shoved him. “Feck off. And you can tell me why I’m so smart after you go take care of what’s making you dance.” He shot a look around and gave a nod in the direction of Sorcha, who was hanging with her friends. “It’s slowed down enough for one bartender, and I can have Sorcha man the tables and the wash up. Go on with you.”
“You’re a good friend to our family, Ruairí. Even if Bridget can’t see it and I forget to tell you when it merits.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get. I have to convince the pub we didn’t just escape the closet we were hiding in.”
Cian laughed and bolted for the door.
From the shadows outside the window, the real enemy watched. He noted the second Cian’s attitude changed as whatever Ruairí O’Connor said hit home. Cian jogged toward the exit, and his laughing mouth settled into a wide smile. An air of hope and expectation hung around him.
Fear clawed the enemy’s guts.
If the O’Malleys fulfilled the prophecy, then he was buggered.
Resolve firmed his spine.
He’d had no trouble hiding his dastardly deeds until now, and he’d no reason to believe he wouldn’t get away with it for good. No one suspected the mastermind behind the horrific incidents surrounding the O’Malleys in the past, and they never would. He knew how to play a part and wouldn’t let them figure it out. All he needed was to tweak his latest plan from chasing away the B&B residents to permanently doing away with them—or rather, one in particular.
It was time for Cian and his family to suffer another stroke of bad luck.
Piper Thorne needed to disappear. And soon.
Then he could report back to Ronan with news of his success.
21
“What are ya doing out here?” came a low, hoarse voice from behind her.
Piper wasn’t too surprised by the fact someone had discovered her outside under the moonlight, her entire family was on high alert. But she was disconcerted by the age of her visitor. He turned out to be a small blond-haired boy who looked far too thin for any child. Even though he was fair in color, he had the look of an O’Malley. Maybe it was the stubborn chin and suspicious forest-green eyes.
“Recharging my batteries,” she replied in a voice as quiet as his had been. “What about you?”
“Rechargin’ me bat’ries.” He barely managed to get the words out, but she understood him.
She smiled at him and patted the wet grass beside her. She didn’t mind having a damp seat for a bit, not when she could snap her fingers and dry her clothes. The occasional indulgence in magic wasn’t wrong. It was like having a cheat meal on a diet. And since coming to Ireland, she felt more comfortable with her abilities.
“Do you recharge under the full moon often?” she asked curiously as he sat down.
He shook his head.
She wasn’t an empath like her cousin Alastair, but she didn’t need to be to read how wounded this young boy was. It hurt her heart to think he was struggling. No kid should have to deal with trauma so young in life. And he had. It was the only reason the child wasn’t in his bed dreaming of toys and treats instead of out here, wearing a haggard look of someone ten times his age.
Turning her face up to the light of the moon, she inhaled the cool night air.
He mimicked her action, and Piper fought a smile.
“It’s healing, isn’t it?”
“What?” he asked. His little voice sounded rusty to her ears.
“Mother Earth. Mr. Moon.”
“Yeah.”
But he hadn’t sounded certain, and her heart ached for him. Because he didn’t know her, she didn’t have the right to question why he was truly out here and awake this time of night. She simply allowed him his own space.
“Why do ya need t’ heal?”
She looked down at him to find him watching her with wide, haunted eyes. Her heart melted on the spot and she instantly tumbled headlong for another O’Malley male. This one she wanted to bundle up and keep forever so she could protect him from all the world’s evils.
“I’m in love with the wrong man.” She shrugged a shoulder matter-of-factly.
“Who?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Does if he beats ya. Does he beat ya?” He sounded angry on her behalf, and again, Piper fought a smile.
“No. As far as I know, he’s a great guy.”
“No’ so grand if he don’t love ya back. He’s a bloody eejit.”
Ah, out of the mouths of babes.
“Hmm. You may be right. He must be an eejit.”
The boy gave one decisive nod, then reached out his tiny hand to nestle into hers.
Piper’s heart stuttered, and the sudden urge to cry overwhelmed her. She gave his hand a light squeeze. “Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
Her lips twitched again but only after he turned his face up to the moon and closed his eyes.
A deep voice cut through the night. “Aeden?”
The boy jerked his hand away from hers as if burned, and folded in on himself, causing Piper’s mama-bear instinct to surge to the forefront. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and twisted to face Cian.
“What are you doing out here with my nephew?” He didn’t sound accusatory, merely curious. His look was somewhat awed.
“Nephew?” She’d assumed he was an O’Malley, but she hadn’t quite figured out who he belonged to. She hadn’t gotten far enough in her acquaintances with Cian or Bridget to delve into their personal lives. “He’s Bridget’s son?”
“No. Carrick’s.”
He plopped down on the other side of Aeden and gazed up at the moon. He inhaled deeply. “It’s healing, isn’t it?”
She smiled until it occurred to her, he’d heard her conversation with his nephew. Now, mortification swept through her, lighting her face on fire.
Thank the Goddess for the darkness.
“Yes,” she replied tightly.
Within her embrace, she felt Aeden shift to look up at her. The clear question in his eyes made her nod. Leaning close enough for only him to hear, she whispered, “Yes, Cian’s the eejit.”
The tiny hint of a smile was her reward. Although he didn’t return her hug, Aeden shifted closer and rested his cheek against her breast.
She caught Cian’s amused look. “Lucky kid. He might be breaking the O’Malleys’ unlucky spell.”
“Pervert,” she mouthed over the small blond head.
Cian looked oddly happy when he winked, closed his lids, and turned his face back up to the moon.
Aeden shifted to stare at his uncle.
“We all need healing on the rare night,” Cian said without opening his eyes.
The boy drew back slightly and checked Piper’s reaction. She smiled as she leaned back on her hands and repeated Cian’s pose.
Aeden seemed to grasp no one was going to demand answers as to why he was outside rather than in his bed. From the corner of her eye, Piper witnessed him mimic her. Her smile widened.
The three of them sat in silence for about five minutes. Then, without warning, Aeden rose to his feet and flung his arms around her neck.
She hugged him tightly and rubbed his back, barely managing to avoid a wince at the initial feel of his ribs and knobby spine. He hurried away, and she stood to watch as he ran through the gate opening and rushed into his home next door.
“Thank you,” Cian said gruffly from beside her.
She tore her gaze from the closed side-door and turned it to him. “Whatever for?”
“For being kind to Aeden when he needs it the most. For not sending him away after he disturbed your peace.”
“He’s adorable. Why doesn’t he speak to you?”
“Noticed that, did you?”
“Yes. It was as if he was trying to hide. Why does he fear you?”
“Not me. The world.”
She stayed silent for him to elaborate.
He proceeded to tell her the tale. “My brother’s wife died in an accident. Aeden happened to be trapped with her dead body and that of his near-fatally wounded aunt for nigh on two hours. He stopped speaking to anyone but his da, and he suffers night terrors.”
Piper sucked in a pained breath. “Poor tyke.”
“Yeah.”
“Is this the incident that happened eight months ago?” At his nod, she asked, “How old is Aeden?”
“Just turned seven.”
“Do you want me to discuss his case with GiGi? She might be able to help him.”
“That’s Carrick’s call, but I’ll pass on the offer to him.”
She nodded and turned her face toward the moon a final time.
* * *
Cian watched Piper. He’d heard her tell Aeden her reasons for the healing, and his heart had swelled with the glory of it. He was getting used to the idea of them as a couple, and he didn’t dislike it.
The moon’s rays caressed her face like that of a lover, and he’d never seen a more incredible sight.
“Gods you’re beautiful,” he said in a thick, husky voice, unable to help himself.
Her tone was dry when she said, “Everyone’s attractive in the moonlight, Cian.”
“Not as attractive as you, love.”
She stilled. Two feet separated them, but it might as well have been two kilometres. Piper would remain on guard against him because she wasn’t the type to dally, despite what she’d offered.
“Thank you,” she finally replied. After sitting and drawing her knees up to her chest, she acknowledged him with a look when he sat down beside her. “What brought you out here tonight?”
“Couldn’t sleep. The woman I’m craving isn’t in my bed.”
“We have the rest of tonight,” she said in a voice so quiet, he almost didn’t hear.
His lungs seized and desire shot to his groin. He wanted her as he’d never wanted another. Not even Moira. Maybe it was Piper’s kindness toward Aeden. Maybe it was his new ability to discern how different she truly was, but he finally recognized the truth: he loved her.
Although his stomach was a bundle of knots, he drummed up the courage to tell her. “Piper—”
His confession was aborted by the sight of a shadowy figure lurking along the fence line between the inn and Carrick’s house. “Stay here.”
Jumping up, Cian hugged the darkness under the trees and crept toward the gate. He was happy his brother kept the hinges well-oiled as he soundlessly moved through the opening. Two feet away from the intruder, recognition struck.
“Meghan?” Cian was flummoxed as to why Carrick’s sister-in-law would be skulking around his place. “What are you doing here at this hour?”
She let out a meep and spun to fully face him with a hand on her heart. “Cian! You near caused my heart to fail.”
“I asked you a question, Meg. What are you doing here?” His tone was steely, but then again, he’d never cared for the woman. She was as sneaky and underhanded as they came, and he’d seen her lust when she looked at her sister’s husband, not caring who noticed.
She squared her shoulders. “I was checking on Aeden. I know he wanders at night.”
“And just how do you know that?” Cian demanded. “Have you been spying on him?”
“No… yes… but not the way it seems.” She sounded tentative and not at all like the crafty woman he knew her to be.
“Why don’t you explain to me how it is?”
She cast a nervous glance at Carrick’s house, as if she hoped for rescue, but Cian knew his brother would never serve up the help Meghan desired. Carrick detested the woman as much as the rest of them.
“Since the accident, since the loss of his mother, Aeden has been getting worse.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know, why don’t ya,” he snapped.
“Shh. You’ll wake Carrick,” she scolded with a dark frown.
She winced and touched her scarred cheek as if the change in expression hurt. Perhaps it did. The angry mark had been a devastating blow to her legendary beauty; blinding one eye to the point the iris was leeched of color and her pupil was cloudy. The scar dragged down the entire right side of her face.
“And you don’t want him to realize you’re stalking his family?”
“Yes… no! I’m not stalking…” She trailed off, and she must’ve realized she had no effective way to convince Cian differently. He’d caught her in the act. “All isn’t as it appears, Cian,” she said. The pain in her voice almost convinced him of her sincerity, but he’d dealt with lying women in the past.
“Get you gone, Meghan, and don’t let me find you here again.”
“Cian—”
“No!” He said harshly. “I’ll not accept excuses and lies. Stay away from Aeden. He doesn’t need your toxicity.”
“What’s going on out here?”
Cian and Meghan hadn’t heard Carrick open the door, and as a result, he startled them both. Cian was the first to recover and shot Meghan a furious glare. “I found her skulking about.”
“R—uh, Meg?” Carrick didn’t sound as mad as Cian would’ve expected, nor did he look as angry. Instead, his brother’s eyes darkened with confusion, hunger, and something that appeared remarkably like love.
Cian’s heart beat faster. It would be difficult to dig out Meg’s claws once she got them into Carrick.
“Carrick, I…” She shrugged and looked at him with mute appeal.
The unspoken apology in Meghan’s voice surprised Cian, and he didn’t quite know how to react to this softer side of her. He’d only ever seen the gorgeous but spiteful woman who’d gotten what she deserved; a savage, ugly mark on the outside to mirror what was in her nasty heart.
As Carrick and Meghan stared at one another, their unspoken communication bothered Cian. When he had his brother alone again, he intended to beat some sense into him. No way would he allow Carrick to fall under this evil hag’s spell.
“Go away, Meg,” Cian ordered with a warning edge.
Carrick glared at him. “Stay out of it, Cian. It’s none of your concern.”
Shock caused Cian to take a step back. The fury radiating from his brother disconcerted him. “Carrick—”
“I mean it. You don’t have a clue what’s going on, and I’ll thank you to stay out of my personal life.”
“You’d let this minger into your life—into Aeden’s life—knowing she’s the reason Roisin is dead?” Cian’s voice shook with his disbelief and rage. Like the rest of the family, Roisin’s death had hit him hard. The polar opposite of Meghan, Roisin brought light and laughter with her wherever she went. “Are you mad, man?”
