There was no way to hide the blood on the men’s shirts when we arrived back at Devin’s house, not to mention and the tense feeling that accompanied us when we came in. Joel quickly hustled Nicolas upstairs while Devin gave the family a few pointed looks that made me think he was communicating with them mentally, explaining what had happened. All three of them had matching looks of concern by the end of it and Skye asked out loud if everyone was all right. Her brother assured her that everyone was fine and by the time Joel and Nicolas returned, the adults were able to seem is as if nothing had happened.
I had a need to keep Nicolas close to me so when Skye suggested we go ahead and watch the movie I could have hugged her. No one brought up what had happened, and I figured it was because it was silently agreed that the discussion would wait until the boy went to sleep. Being the outsider, I went with the flow.
Those men kidnapping Nicolas had to do with Mac and I was fighting the urge to call the island and make sure that everything was okay there. The only thing that held me back was if Eliza were to find out, she would want me to come right home and I didn’t want to do that.
It was obvious that Nicolas felt vulnerable because he stuck very close to his dad, but I also noticed that he wasn’t as standoffish with me as he had been either. Joel and I ended up on either side of the boy on the couch for the movie, Joel’s arm around Nicolas with his hand resting on my shoulder. Toward the end of the first movie, Nicolas’ eyes got droopy and he started to lean my way. When it was over Joel told Nicolas it was time for bed and when the boy started to protest Skye said she would sit with him until he was asleep. The fight went out of him and with a lingering look at his father he went with his aunt with no further discussion.
Once they were upstairs Riley quietly asked what happened. Joel began with stopping at the video store and encountering no problems. Then Devin continued, saying that Nicolas walked off in the grocery store, and when he couldn’t find him he followed a hunch and went out the back of the building, where he met up with us. They all looked at me expectantly after that.
I explained that when Joel and I finished paying for the videos we went to the car to wait for Devin and Nicolas. They seemed to be taking a long time, so we went in the store after them. “I immediately used my magick to try to locate them. I felt Devin at the edge of my ability and Joel and I joined him at the back of the building. I reached out again and felt Nicolas in a warehouse nearby. I told Joel and Devin to go there and we stepped again.”
I reached for Joel’s hand and held onto it tightly. “Once we were inside I felt three different places were life was, but there was a dampening field of some kind that limited me from finding Nicolas specifically. We split up, Joel and Devin going to two locations on the main floor of the warehouse and myself going to offices on the upper level.”
I glanced at Joel quickly then continued. “I found him in one of the rooms upstairs. There were two male mages and they were preparing to open a gateway somewhere else so I tried to bind Nicolas to me so they couldn’t take him further.
“They don’t want you teaching Mac for some reason,” I told Joel quietly. “It has something to do with his destiny. What do you know about it? Why wouldn’t they want you to help him?”
Joel’s expression turned bleak, but his gaze was steadfast. “I know that there are those who will not want your father to succeed at the task he must do, which makes it even more important that he do so.”
“I hope it’s worth it to put everyone in danger,” I commented bitterly, doubting that Joel would ever tell me anything else about Mac’s destiny or what it meant for the rest of us. I stood and crossed the room to look out a window. “That is what the Fates were talking about, wasn’t it? They know about what Mac is supposed to do, too, and they were willing to put Nicolas’ life in the balance so I could freaking prove myself?” My voice rose slightly, once again angry at the three meddlesome entities.
“I don’t know what they were talking about, Corrine, but I’m sure they know what Mac is to do.” Joel got up and followed me across the room, putting his hands on my shoulders from behind and pulling me back against his chest comfortingly. “Nicolas is fine, thanks to you. If the goal was for you to prove yourself, I believe you have. The Fates never ask more than we can handle, only more than we care to.”
I leaned back against him slightly, but my body was still stiff with anger. “I’m not going to be their puppet, Joel. If they have nothing better to do than be cryptic, they can leave me alone.” I took a deep breath, then turned to him and leaned into him totally. “Mac was right. Destiny is a bunch of crap.”
“Nay, lass,” he said softly, bending near my ear. “They teach us lessons that must be learned. We all have a purpose in this world, and they help us to stay to our course and stand firm against danger.”
“I almost dropped him,” I whispered. “I almost lost him. If that werewolf hadn’t come when he did, I would have lost him. I guess that’s proof enough, isn’t it?”
“But you didn’t drop him, Corrine. If the wolf hadn’t been there, you’d have found a way to catch him, I know you would have. Don’t worry about what might have happened, be satisfied with the things that have.”
I wiped away the tears that had formed in my eyes, remembering that there were others in the room. “What happened to you? And Devin? You were burned.” It was one of those ‘doubting myself, let’s change the subject’ tones.
“More mages. They kept us occupied long enough to stop us from helping you. What do you know about the werewolf who helped you?”
“Nothing. He gave me his name. I could call Uncle Angus and ask him.”
“What name did he give?” Joel’s father asked.
“Laughs-at-the-Moon.”
“I think I’ve heard of him,” the elder Fenian commented. “Comes from the Jagged-Mourning Sept. Wonder what he was doing in the area.”
“Where is he from?” I asked.
Riley smiled dryly. “He gets around. Can’t say where he’s from.”
I looked back to Joel. “Did you recognize any of the mages you were fighting against?”
“No, not at all,” he answered, looking to Devin for his answer and the other man shook his head.
I sighed at the lack of knowledge. “What do we do from here?”
Joel glanced at Devin. “We make sure that Nik stays safe, that there’s always an adult with him. We can do a few wards to help, maybe a locator spell in case he’s taken again.” He turned to his father. “He should make his bargain as soon as possible. It will help him defend himself.” Riley nodded in agreement, as did the other members of the family. Joel turned his attention back to me. “The werewolf killed the man in that room?”
I nodded. “The other one fell through the hole I made.”
“Were you carrying your gun?”
I stiffened slightly at his questions, knowing that it was a stupid move to not have a gun on me, regardless of how safe I felt. Mac and Eliza had pounded that into me enough and I still hadn’t done it. “No, I didn’t bring it.”
“We’ll have to work on getting you more comfortable with using it, at least for now,” Joel said, not knowing that I was perfectly capable of using a gun, I just hadn’t brought it. He was then regarding his family. “Do you think we could be ready for the ceremony by midsummer?”
Riley nodded, but Morin looked sad. “No sooner,” he started, “you should keep him close to home until after the bargain is made.”
“I’ll do what I can to help him prepare,” I offered. I knew that being a mage meant that there probably wasn’t much I could actually do to help when it came to Nicolas’ ability to use magick, but I was willing to do what I could.
“No offense, but I’m not sure what you can do to help,” Riley commented, but Devin was shaking his head.
“He is a bit slow on meditation,” he said.
“I’m sure any help you can give will be welcome, Corrine,” Joel said, reaching up to touch my face. “Thank you.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my face into his hand, not saying anything for the moment.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone our visit to Maine,” Joel said softly. “At least until after midsummer.”
I nodded. “I understand. I’ll figure out something to tell my parents. Nicolas’ safety is more important.”
“I’m sorry. I was looking forward to meeting them.”
I smiled up at him and lifted my hand to touch his chin with my fingers. “There’s time.” Remembering that we weren’t alone, I stepped back from him and looked around at Joel’s family. “I need some air. I think I’m going to step outside for a minute.”
Joel reached out and ran a hand down my back reassuringly. “All right. Stay close to the house though, will you?”
I nodded and grabbed my coat before heading out the front door. I was feeling really unsettled and wanted to go out to find a secluded place to meditate. I needed some time to think about the Fates and how I really felt about them. I also wanted to ask Gaia for guidance so that I might be of some help with protecting Nicolas. It was probably a good idea to give the Fenian’s a chance to talk candidly about what had happened without a stranger lurking about.
There was an old, welcoming rowan tree not far from the house that I went to sit beneath. It felt good to connect with the earth, to let its solid foundation cradle me as it soaked up my left over restless energy and negative emotions. I was soon in a meditative trance as memories of the day swirled and coalesced into thoughts and feelings I could easily put into order.
The Fates were intrusive trespassers. They hadn’t been helpful in any way with their vague warning that only put me on edge. As I’d stated many times, I had no problem with destiny; on the contrary, if there was something that I had to do to keep things moving on the correct course then I would gladly do it. If that meant helping Mac fulfill his destiny, then I would. I just wanted to do it on my own, without the troublesome threesome dropping vague hints as if I were a pet who deserved a treat.
I also knew that I would do everything I could to protect Nicolas and not just because he was Joel’s son. The boy was now a part of my world, a part of my family, regardless of what happened between his father and me. He hadn’t yet made his bargain that would give him access to his magick and so it fell upon the adults around him to protect him in the meantime.
I decided to set up a locator of sorts so that I would know where the boy was at all times. Working magick was easy when in a meditative state and within seconds I had the locator in place. My range would be limited, about two miles or so, but that would work for now. It felt like I was doing my part to keep him safe.
When I was finished meditating I returned to the house and I wondered how the discussion was going. I stepped up onto the porch and stopped, taking a moment to listen for raised voices that meant a fight. I didn’t use magick to heighten my hearing, but then again, I didn’t need to.
Joel’s father stared to speak, “Joe, he could have been—”
“But he wasn’t, Da, Corrine was there to save him. And on the island, Mac and Eliza will help me protect him. He’ll be safe there, we both will.”
“Why is it so important that ye teach him?” Devin asked, his voice begging his brother for clarification.
“If I could explain it, I would,” Joel said sadly. “I wouldn’t be there if I didn’t think I had to. I realize I mucked up in Chenasar, but I know what I have to do now. I’m sorry you don’t understand, but this is somethin’ I have to do.”
“Can’t someone else—” Morin began.
“No, I’ve told you before, I have to do it. Look, we’re getting’ nowhere here. I’m stayin’ on the island, and Nik is stayin’ with me. I’m sorry that you don’t trust me—”
“That’s not the case, lad,” Riley interrupted.
Joel ignored him. “-but I will do my duty. I won’t wake the boy tonight, he needs his rest after the day he’s had, but we leave first thing in the mornin’.”
I felt bad that his family didn’t understand Joel’s seriousness about teaching Mac and choose to pressure him into not helping my father instead. Joel hadn’t shared with me his reasons either, but I got the impression that he considered it important enough to make it his priority, so that was good enough for me.
I heard footsteps approaching the door from inside the house and quickly moved toward the steps, so I could pretend that I was just coming up them as Joel opened the door and froze, obviously surprised to see me there. He recovered quickly and came the rest of the way out, closing it firmly behind him. “I was just comin’ to find you,” he said and I knew he was still upset, but trying very hard to hide it.
I closed the distance between us and put my hands on his chest. “What is it?” I asked.
He shook his head and took my hand instead, leading me back down the steps and across the lawn. “I just needed some fresh air myself.”
I let him control our course, knowing he probably needed some time to cool off. “Did something happen inside?” I asked tentatively after we were a good distance from the house.
He glanced at me and smiled sheepishly. “We were getting’ a bit loud at the end there, weren’t we? My family doesn’t understand why I have to teach your father, and I’m afraid I can’t explain it to them.”
I glanced up at him as we walked. “Can you explain it to me? I’ve been picking up some weird vibes about you teaching Mac from the beginning with your family. At first, I thought it had something to do with him being a mage once, but I just don’t understand it.”
“No, I don’t think that has anything to do with it,” Joel replied softly. “I’m not sure I can explain it, really. They know there’s some danger involved because of what Mac has to do, but because I won’t give them details, and because of what happened in Chenasar, they assume that I’d be better off here, where they can keep an eye on me.”
I stopped walking and turned to face him. “They’re just worried about you.” I looked at him intently, wondering myself what was in store for Mac, “Do you know what he has to do? Or do you just know that it’s dangerous?”
“Yes and no. It is dangerous, but it must be done, and what I have to teach him is very important. I know they worry about me, but I must be the one to teach him.” He stopped and turned toward me. “Did the mages say anythin’ before the werewolf showed up?”
I took a moment to think back on it. “They said they needed to stop you before the damage was done. Why is it you that must teach him?”
“Because there is no one else. I canna explain, it, Corrine, I only know that it is so.”
I looked at him doubtfully. “Is that what the Fates told you?”
“They did say that, but I know it here,” he touched his heart, “as well. The future isn’t as plain to me as it is to the Fates, but there are times I know things to my soul. This is one of them.” He looked at me intently, almost as if he wasn’t talking exclusively about Mac.
I put my hand over his and looked up at him. “If that is how you feel then that’s all that matters,” I told him in a low voice.
“I think how you feel matters a bit as well.”
I bit my bottom lip, nervous about taking the plunge and sharing my feelings. “I think I feel the same as you do,” I confessed, moving closer to him. “About everything.”
Relief was apparent in his gaze as he took me in his arms and pulled me even closer yet. “Do you, Corrine?” he asked hopefully.
I snaked my hands up his chest and into his hair. “If we’re talking about us… then yes. Totally.”
His lips met mine, softly and carefully at first, then gradually the kiss deepened, stealing all rational thought from my brain in so short a time, leaving me aware of only the man who was holding me so tightly. His mouth made me feel like I was on fire, his hands hot where they touched me, pulling me as close as I could go.
The kiss went on for a long time, his tongue invading my mouth and making me feel things no one else ever had, pulling moans from the back of my throat that I couldn’t believe I was making.
Just as his hand was inching its way up my abdomen and nearing my breast, Joel stopped himself and pulled back, breathing hard as he put some space between us. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have. This isn’t the time for this, but you make me forget everything else.”
“No, I’m sorry,” I replied, breathless myself as I leaned my forehead against his chest. “I know you want to wait, but it’s hard. I’m not going to lie.” I lifted my head to look at him, “I want to be with you. I want you, but I’ll wait.”
He tangled his hand in my hair. “I want you too, Corrine, but now is the time for sowing seeds, as both Eliza and Siofra can tell you. I don’t think either of us would be ready for a child right now. We must wait.”
I gave him an odd look; the idea of a child wasn’t where my life was headed at the moment, but his words didn’t make sense. “Are you talking about that prophecy? Is Siofra going to be pregnant as well?”
“If she’s not, she soon will be.” He took my hands in his and stepped backward. “And unless you would be as well, we should go in. I am not made of stone, Corrine,” he added with a smile.
“Neither am I, Joel,” I replied with a smile, taking a long breath to gather my wits. “How long is this fertility spell supposed to last? And won’t contraception help?” Having a child right now might not be what I wanted, but I wouldn’t regret it either, not if it were Joel’s child.
He laughed a little. “It’s not a spell, exactly, more a time. And no, contraception won’t help, not at all.” He started back toward the house, holding one of my hands loosely in his. “It should be done by midsummer.”
At his mention of midsummer, I pulled Joel to a stop again. “Midsummer? But that’s months from now.”
“Less than two.”
I shook my head and pointed a finger at his chest, slightly teasing. “Joel, don’t you dare act like it’s nothing but a drop in the bucket.” I was only half joking with him and I knew that he had to be just as frustrated about the situation as I was.
We had to wait two months?
“It’s a long time, to be sure, but it will be worth the wait,” he grinned, catching my finger and kissing it, before continuing on toward the house.
I huffed out a breath and followed after him. He had to have the patience of Job, I mused to myself. “Do you think your family approves of us?” I asked, suddenly remembering that he had been fighting with them before he came out.
“Not that it matters, but yes, I do,” he replied and as we reached the bottom of the steps where he stopped to look at me. “Do you think your family does?”
“I think they will have doubts about anyone I’m involved with at first,” I admitted. “They are so protective. I think it has something to do with the fact that they weren’t around while I was growing up and they are overcompensating. But in the end, I think they are okay.” I reached out to touch his face, “I wouldn’t care if they did have a problem, though.”
“I would. I think Eliza would kill me if I hurt you.” He was only half joking, causing me to laugh.
“Let me worry about Eliza. I would never let her hurt you.”
“I know,” he said, reaching up to touch my cheek. “We can wait. It will give us a chance to get to know each other better; to make sure this is what we both want.”
I looked down at his chest. “What happened tonight with Nicolas has made me realize how much you both have come to mean to me in such a short time.”
“I’m glad that you care for him. He does seem to like you, although he tries to hide it.”
“When he clung to me, it was like the only thing I could think about was him. It didn’t matter anymore what was done to me.”
Joel pulled me into his arms. “Children will do that to you. They climb inside your heart and sometimes you don’t even know how deeply they’re there until it’s almost too late.” I wondered if he was thinking about the past, about Nicolas and Cathryn. “The important thing is you saved him, Corrine.”
“No, the important thing is that you are back with him.” We were both silent for a minute and I enjoyed just being held by him. “I know that I probably can’t be at his bargain ceremony, but I’d like to do what I can to help him prepare.”
“Normally only those who have made a bargain can witness one,” he explained. “Your magick is different from ours in many ways, but there are many similarities. There are things you can do to help.” He held me for a moment longer. “We should go inside before you prove too great a temptation for me, Corrine.”
I nodded, then pulled back from him and took his hand to lead the way up the stairs, stopping just before we opened the door. “Are you still going to watch over Nicolas’ dreams? I want to be sure he’s safe on that front. You should know that I put a locator on him. I don’t know how strong it is, but it’s working now.”
“That’s a good idea, Corrine. And yes, I plan to watch over his dreams.” He looked toward the house. “In fact, I should be in there doing that right now.” He looked back at me. “I’d like to leave early in the morning, if that’s okay with you.”
“Whatever you want is fine with me. Do you want me to stay here still? We can take turns in the dreamworld with him, that way we can both get some sleep.”
“Yes, I do want you to stay.” His eyes were saying he wanted to do much more than watch Nicolas’ dreams, but I understood his responsibility and wanted to share in it.
*****
Inside, Joel’s parents were gathering their things to go. We all said our good nights, and while they behaved normally toward me, they were a little cool toward Joel. They thanked me for visiting and told me that I was welcome to come back any time. Devin was a bit withdrawn as well, but I attributed that more to worry about Nicolas since he’d been the one to look after the boy while Joel had been trapped in Chenasar.
Skye, to my relief, gave her oldest brother a loving smile when we returned and after the elder Fenian’s had departed she offered to show me up her room, which we would be sharing. I accepted thankfully, asking if we could look in on Nicolas first, “Just to be sure.”
After looking in to find that the boy was sleeping peacefully, Skye led me further down the hall to her own room. Inside was a very large, old bed that looked like it would sleep four people easily. The room was soft and feminine and reminded me of all the things I liked myself. Thankfully, Joel’s mother had brought my things with her when they came from Dara Hollow. Skye and I took turns in the adjoining bathroom then turned in for the night.
*****
Joel took the first watch in the world of dreams and came to get me when it was my turn. There had been no indication that anyone had come close to the boy’s dreams, much less had actually tried any sort of attack, but Joel urged caution.
“Call out if anything’ happens,” he told me as we neared the edges of Nicolas’ dream. “I’ve set up a beacon that will recognize your voice and alert me if you say my name.”
“Don’t worry,” I tried to assure him. “Everything will be fine. Get some sleep.”
He pulled me close for a soft kiss. “I’ll see you in the mornin’.”
I smiled as he pulled away and let my fingers gently caress his cheek as he moved back. “Sweet dreams.”
Joel smiled and was gone. I spent the next few hours watching over Nicolas, whose dreams were filled with your average boy stuff and thankfully no one interrupted them. He did have one particularly vivid dream about being a sorcerer where he blew away two men that looked a great deal like the mages that kidnapped him, but that too wasn’t out of the ordinary. He’d been a victim and, in his dreams, he’d overcome his fear and taken care of himself. It reminded me of my first Seeking.
Before I knew it, Devin appeared to take that last watch of the night. I let him know that nothing had happened so far. “See you in the morning,” I told him in lieu of a good night, then faded away. I didn’t return to my own dreams, however. Temptation and thoughts of our earlier conversation got the better of me and instead I went in search of Joel’s dreams. I wanted to see what more I could learn from watching them.
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