by Kiki Howell
Yes, life had dumped a whole crap load of change and new discoveries on her. By the looks of things, another dump truck sped her way, but her mother hadn’t raised a quitter. Besides, Aedan’s strong arms and solid frame offered a possible means to diversion, if desired. From what her glimpses in the airport had gathered her, outside of being exactly what she’d imagine a SEAL to be, retired, he could now pursue a career in modeling with his intense dark eyes and full lips. Simply put, he had rugged, good looks that rivaled anything she’d seen in the movies. He stood strong and tall beside her, an image of masculinity beyond any she’d witnessed before, at least in her mind.
While she dared another look, Aedan focused on getting her inside. With her first glimpse despite the rain that fell in large drops from the hood framing his face, her stomach tightened even more. Locks of dark chestnut brown hair fell in long, messy sections on each side of his forehead. Long, dark eyelashes framed wide moon-shaped eyes interspersed with flecks of green and gold shimmering in the reflection of the house lights. Intense and mesmerizing, she lost her train of thought, even as curiosity and anxiety mixed to further unsettle her.
In perfect symmetry, the slim, angular, fu Manchu moustache thing he had going on accented the sharp ridges of his cheekbones. Scruff filled in his jaw line. Whether intended or not, he worked the look, appeared more wild and beast-like. She quivered at the thought of such a man attacking her, his eyes lust-filled. Her fingers twitched to touch the small patch of hair just under his full bottom lip. The word fierce popped into her mind, sent a shiver rushing through her spine that escalated as it moved from her head to her toes.
The sudden absence of rain and the sound of a large door opening jarred her attention back to the present, wiping the decadent and wondrously distracting thoughts from her mind. For a moment, she stood in a dark alcove. The primitive chandelier above her head gave the appearance of rough flickers of candlelight over the mahogany-colored wood walls. A chair, massive and medieval in style, sat beside her, the only objects in this tight entranceway save for doors on each side of her. Another man in a black uniform entered from the door to her right and snatched her coat without word of greeting as she watched the first uniformed man with her bags disappear into the same door.
“Go ahead in, Ms. Hughes.” Aedan’s deep, rough whisper behind her ear, accompanied by the unexpected warmth of his large, calloused hand pressing on the small of her back made her jump.
His gentle push through an ornate shaped opening reassigned her unsteady gait to a landing, teetering just inches from a set of stone stairs with an actual red carpet down the middle. Lush on the sides but worn in the middle, it’d obviously not been laid out for her. The thought almost brought a delirious laugh, but her frozen lungs stifled the sound.
“Ms. O’Riagain should be here momentarily.” Again, Aedan spoke, his gruff voice a blanket of soothing comfort for the moment. Although, she wished with every fiber of her being that he hadn’t removed his hand from her body.
Actual armor, minus a man she hoped, stood on a stand next to her. On her other side, a small cannon sat. Neither provided her a feeling of welcome, nor security at all, but rather a sense of being ready for battle. Juxtaposed to these intimidations were the candles perched on wrought-iron stands aligning each side of the carpet on the stairs. Perched between each tall candlestick sprayed an exquisite array of long, sharp green leaves topped with out-of-season pink-spotted orchids and white roses. The color scheme surrounded by scarlet walls screamed abundant wealth and refined taste from centuries ago.
Although Kyna had grown up in a mobile home with a single mom, she knew wealth. Opulent displays no longer intimidated her. Her mother had worked tireless hours at The Greenbrier, one of the leading luxury resorts in the States. Allowed to work alongside her mother some days growing up, she’d found employment there herself during her college years.
A woman with pale skin and strawberry-blonde waves of hair, garbed in a simple, white, flowing dress, walked into the picturesque scene. Kyna grew unnaturally conscious of her damp clothes and rain-matted hair as the vision in white flew to her with wide eyes and open arms.
“Oh, Kyna, at last—” Her aunt’s final word stopped on a sob.
As the woman apologized again and again, for what Kyna didn’t know, their bodies shook as her aunt wept in great heaving moans. Moments crawled by while feeling trapped in this woman’s lung-crushing embrace. Kyna's gaze searched for Aedan. Employed to protect her, he’d claimed during the car ride here. Apparently, this type of event didn’t count. She found him standing to her right, next to the armor in a similar stance. In fact, save for his all-American boy slash hoodlum attire, he looked like he’d just stepped out of the metal suit.
When he caught Kyna’s pleading look, he shrugged his shoulders, paused for a brief moment as if in thought, and then asked of her aunt, “Are you okay, Ms. O’Riagain.”
“Yes, oh yes. Just splendid. Better than I’ve ever been,” she exclaimed, releasing Kyna from the hug, but holding her at arm’s length for a moment as she stared.
Finally, with a sigh followed by another single sob, she released Kyna to wipe at the tears streaming down her face. Kyna could see stress and age in the fine lines sprinkled around the woman's eyes
“Please call me Aunt Saoirse,” the woman croaked as if she’d choked on her name. “And, welcome to your home. I hope you’ll be very comfortable here. I want it to be yours. It will someday. Anyway, listen to me ramble. I want to hear all about you.”
“O-kay,” Kyna stammered.
Yet, she squared her shoulders and forced a smile. Although, she’d asked her mother in the States how to say her aunt’s odd first name, she mulled over in her mind the way her aunt had pronounced it, in a mild-Irish accent.
“Oh, I’ve made you uncomfortable with my tears and rambling. Please forgive me. I’d hoped to make a better first impression, but seeing you, it took my breath away. I trust my Aedan did better upon introducing you to Ireland, though I would assume the stormy weather didn’t help. We actually have snow predicted soon. Crazy weather lately, from a raging storm to a few inches of snow that will quickly melt. I’ve never seen Ireland in such a state of unnatural unrest. Anyway, there I go again. Let’s get you settled by the fire in my private sitting room so we can get acquainted a bit, if you’re not too tired from your travels.”
“No, that sounds great,” Kyna agreed.
In all truthfulness, she sensed her numerous cups of coffee had finally kicked in now that she’d stepped into this place. On second thought, maybe nerves had finally wreaked havoc on her fight and flight response, sending it into overdrive. A runner, she longed for a good ten miles right about now to work off some excess energy despite her long travels.
Her aunt placed a thin arm heavily across Kyna’s shoulders, fingers biting into her shoulders and urging. her forward. There seemed to be a lot of touching around these parts. Soon she found herself guided down a few endless hallways adorned with museum-like art. Rolling landscapes with cloudy skies, along with men and women in various poses, flickered in and out of her view. Rooms opened up around her, but they rushed past them so Kyna could barely take in the ornate nature of each of them. She’d never seen so much rough stone, deeply colored wood, and rich hued fabrics before.
The Greenbrier stood out to her as an elaborately decorated, predominately white structure. Pastels mostly decorated the crisp and clean finish of that place. Here, oversized fireplaces and dark toned furniture warmed a more primitive almost medieval style of home, which was indeed very castle-like. Candles and flowers appeared everywhere. There had to be employed a servant in black whose only job existed to take care of fresh flowers and candles. Lavish, elaborate, and affluent, were all words that came to mind.
A quick look back showed Aedan followed along, stealthy and deliberate in his movements. As they entered a room, a flash of lightning lit up the image of a forlorn forest just outside an almost floor to ceiling window. Two such
gothic windows surrounded a fireplace in the cave-like room. Wooden beams loomed overhead, holding up a cement-like ceiling. Long window seats, adorned with various shapes and sizes of pillows, spanned the lengths of the windows. Closest to her, on both sides, at the opening of the room where they stood, sat an overstuffed, velvety couch and wide, leather chairs. Rugs thrown about the floor bore intricate patterns. All of this, seen only through the low light of colored glass lamps and multiple candles cast a cozy, albeit eerie sort of ambiance around the room.
Aedan strode immediately to the first chair as her aunt guided her to a plush, animal fur rug in front of the fireplace. She found herself surrounded by pillows larger than any she’d ever owned. A servant wheeled in a cart of food. Kyna wondered how many worked in a place like this. Smells of bread, oil, and potatoes met her, forced her stomach to rumble for everyone to hear.
This gained a smile from her aunt, one filled with warmth and affection like she hadn’t been the recipient of since she’d said goodbye to her mother in the States. A stab of guilt plagued Kyna as she remembered not returning the love, so angry and wired over her news and trip. At this moment, she longed for the only mother she’d ever known to be with her even in this, as she’d been her whole life. Kyna had tried to remind herself of this fact several times, as she’d recounted lie upon lie throughout her life during the never-ending plane ride over the ocean.
“I ordered a draft cider, sweet and warming. I hope that’s all right. If you’d prefer something else, I can order it now.”
“No, that sounds great. Everything looks great. This room is amazing. The whole house, actually. Is it an actual castle?” She promised herself to be more articulate tomorrow.
“No, not a castle, just my home. It’s a country estate, rebuilt after a fire by my...our family in 1836.”
“It’s just so big, like the resort my mother works in back home.”
“My father accumulated great wealth, though the accounts as to how the money was assumed are sketchy at best,” her aunt offered with a shrug.
The woman insisted Kyna help herself to the bounty of food that had been wheeled in on carts. While what she called boxty-potato pancakes filled with meat and vegetables tasted wonderful. Their greasy, but crisp texture and hearty filling sat like a brick in her stomach after only a few bites. She concentrated, rather, on the warm Irish bread to soak up the draft cider, which had gone down way too easy. Regardless, it had warmed her chilled bones and calmed her jumpy nerves.
She swore nerves had to be the cause of the rolling feeling of energy inside her. Never had she experienced such a rush, a feeling of power such that she could accomplish anything she wanted at the snap of her finger. A strong, independent woman, at the insistent upbringing of the woman she’d called mom her whole life, never had she felt so unsettled and so undefeatable at the same time, so sure and unsure of her life. Maybe they’d put something in the drink. Being drugged by this new relative wouldn’t surprise her at this point, she guessed. Even now, something electric balled in her stomach as her fingertips tingled.
“Everything alright, Kyna?” Aedan inquired, having come at her aunt’s request to gather himself a plate of food.
“Yes. I think living on coffee during the trip rather than food is allowing this drink to have its way with me.” She admonished herself for using such a turn of phrase.
Her cheeks blushed at the admission that him having his way with her had been on her mind far too much for all she had to deal with today. He proved an escape her subconscious dwelled on. That had to be it. He provided the sexy thoughts her mind needed rather than shut down from overload.
“It can sneak up on you. I can attest from my travels to the fact the Irish take great pride in their drink, and it shows,” Aedan added, with his shoulders back and his face intense, though his words were spoken softer than any she’d heard him say thus far.
He still seemed ready to leap at a moment’s notice as he ran a constant scan of his environment, even while addressing her directly.
“You live here alone, Aunt Saoirse?” Kyna asked.
“Sadly, now, yes. Although, I have many servants. I have Aedan, now, as head of my security team. And, there is Darcaryn, an employee but long time friend of the family whom you shall meet tomorrow, I’m sure. He’s been staying here of late, but has gone out for the night on some pressing personal business.”
“I’m sorry to press, but my mother, what can you tell me of my real mother? Do you have pictures? I have a thousand questions.”
“I’d anticipated you would. I apologize, as I did in my letter, for causing such an abrupt upheaval to your world. I know your mother in the States was sworn to secrecy regarding your true paternity, but I just needed to see you. I can’t fully explain it. But, I had to. And, all the dangers you were sent away for, they just don’t, well, exist as such any more. Please understand, I had to contact you.”
“No, I’m glad to know the truth. I want to know more,” Kyna admitted, trying not to beg and plead with the woman for information.
Her aunt drew in a long breath as she gazed down at her tightly entwined fingers. After a brief glance up, Kyna twitched at the flash of heat that overwhelmed her when she met her aunt’s wide, tear brimmed eyes. The woman cleared her throat and shook her head, but still didn’t speak.
“It’s okay...” Kyna attempted to say, but found her words cut off as she laid her hand on her aunts. A shock, like static electricity but much more intense, shot through her hand, up into her arm. She fought the urge to stand, to defend herself, though nothing warranted such action.
“No, it’s not. It won’t be. I’ve not lied, but I failed to tell you the whole truth as to calling you here. I had no choice. And now, seeing you, I just want to protect you. I don’t want to confess all you must know,” her aunt sobbed.
An angry roll of thunder gave an ominous touch to the woman’s dire words.
“I don’t understand,” Kyna stammered.
Kyna looked behind her, a sudden tingling sensation indicating someone else had entered the room. Though she would’ve staked her life on the fact another man stood by the window to her left, none did. Yet, the incessant ghost-like feeling of being watched remained. She turned her head so quick to locate Aedan, a muscle in her neck pinched in the process. She relied on no one, never had. So, she took this pain as a reminder of that, of her failing to depend on only herself. She heard her mother’s words ring in her ears as to her strength, her invincibility, if she just counted upon herself. She’d heard those words so many times in her life when they’d fallen on rough times. Right now, though, in this moment of true uncertainty, she thanked the gods the man stood there, and not just for something nice to stare at.
“I don’t know where to start, but time, I can sense we have little.” Her aunt looked around her as if she’d sensed a ghost as well.
Kyna couldn’t help but notice how the woman’s fingers outstretched, tense, yet trembling, as if she scrambled for purchase upon something lingering unseen in the air.
“Okay,” Kyna demanded a bit loudly even for her ears. “I’m not breakable. I can handle it. And, I insist upon the full truth after traveling all the way here.”
Her aunt directed her gaze to Aedan rather than Kyna. He moved from his seat to the floor, a mere foot from her, like a lion protecting cubs from an enemy sensed but not seen. She startled, then braced. Every muscle contracted as the energy rumbling inside her core threatened to burst forth from her every pore. The sensations had to be from some odd alcohol. How else could one explain such a thing? It had to be a drunken flight or fight response going on inside her.
“Listen, Kyna, just a few weeks ago, what your aunt is about to tell you, I would’ve thought crazy, too.” His voice, deep with a smooth, husky tone, worked like a balm against whatever ailed her current state of mind. “I’ve traveled the world over. I’ve fought men who were monsters. I’ve seen devastation, perils of war unlike most military ever witness. And still, nothi
ng could have prepared me, no amount of unorthodox SEAL training, not kill houses or torture training, or even book learning, could have made me ready for what your aunt has shown me in this house.”
“You’re not helping,” burst from Kyna’s lungs.
A flash in his serious eyes broke her heart. Feelings she couldn’t exactly identify as her own overwhelmed her, overrode and mixed with her own. She’d always been good at reading people, sometimes too good for her own comfort. Aedan possessed a save-them-all-at-all-costs attitude that right now she sensed overwhelmed even him. She closed her eyes, positive she couldn’t know such a thing about him. Surely, she couldn’t feel him wanting to protect her in a way that scared even him. Neither could she sense how her words had sliced through his emotions. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her.
Her mind, and thus imagination, worked on overdrive. That had to be it. Maybe her world-weary heart needed support to cling to so badly at the moment it would make it up if it had to. Never had she felt so far from her mother, from the source of all that had grown strong inside her. She’d often experienced the world on a deeply emotional level, but never, not ever, to this level. It had to be her addled brain in need of rest.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to sound so mysterious. I just need you to know even I believe now. And, I’m here to help you if you need it.” His tone had turned brittle, but nothing about him hinted at him shedding a tear.
“I get it. You’re being paid well to take care of me. I will trust in that. But, enough with cryptic talk, with evading the answers to my questions.” She turned to her aunt, who once again had tears streaming down her face. “Tell me now what all of this is about.” She swallowed over a dry throat, scratchy from the force of her words.
“You have powers. Special powers,” her aunt cooed. “You were sent away years ago to hide you from those who would take you to possess them, to use you for their own dark desires.”
