There was scattered laughter, and next to Cathryn, Seamus grinned.
“And then the very worst happened.” Her smile faded. “We lost a valuable agent and friend, someone who was very dear to Rafe. He wanted to give up, too. Zoe, Harley and I decided that there was only person who was powerful enough take on the job of rescuing Rafe and bringing him back to life, literally and metaphorically speaking. That person was Nell, and as events unfolded, it turned out that we were right. We’d linked together the perfect pair, and since then, the two of them have moved from strength to strength.
“For me, it’s been a rare honor to watch them grow and mature. I’m grateful to say that they’re not just agents or employees . . . they are my friends. My family. Celebrating their official union tonight has been a privilege.”
Murmurs of agreement made my heart swell with warmth. This was my tribe, and these were my people. If I were going out in this battle, if this was our last hurrah, these were the ones I wanted to share my final hours.
“All of us here . . . we’re about to embark on a mission that will divide us for a time, but ultimately, it unites us as no other could. From this day on, we will always be family. We will always be linked by the experiences we live through . . . and by those we lose. So tonight, I want to take a moment and remember those we’ve already lost, especially our own Julia.”
We all stood still, thinking and remembering. I buried my face in Rafe’s chest, willing myself not to see the necroloquitar’s vacant stare as she’d lain in that alley.
“It is out of tribute to those we’ve lost, out of responsibility to make sure this evil cannot continue to exist to destroy more light in this world, that we will fight. It is because we believe in love, and because we value the most precious intangibles—hope and faith and trust—that we will give everything to defeat the Hive. When we fight, we’ll think of tonight and remember again why.”
She turned to face Rafe and me, raising her glass of champagne. “So, one last toast tonight: to Nell and Rafe. May your love be epic, deep and sweet. And may your lives together be long enough that the coming battle is soon nothing more than a vague memory.”
Seamus cleared his throat. “If I may . . . this is one of my favorite wedding toasts from back home.
Sláinte go saol agat,
Bean ar do mhian agat
Talamh gan chíos agat
Leanbh gach bliain agat,
Is solas na bhflaitheas tar éis an tsaoil seo agat.”
A small cheer rose, and everyone drank. Rafe called out to Seamus, “Thanks, man. Want to translate for those of us not fluent in Gaelic?”
Seamus laughed. “Well, not sure if you’ll appreciate all the sentiment but basically, it’s health during your life, a wife of your choice to you, land without rent to you, a child every year to you, and the light of heaven after this world for you.”
I groaned. “I hope that was just a toast and not a curse.”
The Irishman shrugged. “Hey, it’s all good, darlin’. But you know, we Irish tend to be a fertile bunch.” He mock-leered at Cathryn, who rolled her eyes and pushed him away.
The party went on for a few more hours, but we were all a little quieter. There was an underlying solemnity now, replacing the almost-desperate gaiety of before. I spotted Joy standing against the railing by herself, watching everyone.
“I hope you don’t feel too lost.” I leaned against the porch rail next to her. “Some of us have been together for a while, fighting the Hive. But others are newer, too. The O’Casey brothers only just joined us, and Veronica . . . well, she’s both old and new, I guess.”
“Everyone’s been wonderful.” Joy sighed a little and rubbed her baby bump. She was wearing a loose dress that looked like something an older woman might have, and I wondered if it came from Marley Sawyer, who’d taken the younger woman under her wing. “I’ve felt welcomed and included. I was just watching everyone and thinking that I’ve never been part of anything the way I am now. It’s . . . weird. Not bad weird, but still—different.”
“I understand.” I nodded. “I was always sort of a loner, too, until I met Rafe. He dragged me kicking and screaming into a more communal life. I pretend to tolerate it, but I’m actually getting used to it. I like being with people. Well, I like being with these people, I should say. I’m still working on the rest of the world.”
Joy laughed. “Then I guess there’s hope for me. I haven’t been alone by choice so much as circumstance. I’m glad those circumstances have changed, though.”
“I am, too. We’re happy to have you with us, and not just because you’re the vessel. You belong. You’re one of us.”
“She’s right.” Rafe came up behind me, sliding his arms around my waist. “You are. So much so that I’m going to do something I’d never do in front of someone who wasn’t. I’m going to be rude and steal my beautiful wife away, because tonight’s our wedding night, and tomorrow morning, I’m traveling back fifty years in time. Will you excuse us?”
“Of course.” For a moment, Joy looked wistful. “I hope you guys are really happy. And Rafe, good luck with the hippies.” A wicked glint appeared in her eye. “I bet you look groovy in tie-dyed shirts.”
“Thanks. Good luck to you, too. I guess we’ll meet up on the other side.”
Joy nodded. “One way or the other.”
“Will it freak you out if I call you Mrs. Brooks?” Rafe climbed into bed with me, grinning.
“Only because I might think your grandmother’s in the room, which would be a real mood-killer just now. Not that I don’t love your grandmother, but I don’t think she’d want to be here tonight, either.” I lay back on the pillows, watching my husband strip off his shirt and toss it to the side. He was so damned gorgeous. His shoulders were broad, his chest wide and rock-solid . . . and his arms. Those muscled, capable arms had been the first thing that I’d noticed about him back when we’d been hiding out at that cabin in Tennessee. Even now, when he held himself over me, the rippling skin made me go hot and molten.
“Yeah, I agree. I’m just as happy Grams is back in King tonight. I love her, but on our wedding night . . .” He rolled over, his smile turning lascivious. “Two’s company.”
“True.” I held his face between my hands, staring up to memorize every nuance. “I don’t mind being Nell Brooks now, you know. I like it. The Masslers never did anything for me, and I’m not a Brador like my mother either, not really. Being part of your family is an honor.”
“It doesn’t matter what your last name is, sweetheart. You’ll always be . . . Nell. The most powerful witch, the sexiest and the most drop-dead beautiful woman I’ve ever known. And mine. That’s my favorite part now. You’re mine. I’m yours.”
I tugged his lips down to mine. “Always.”
We made love with a new wonder at being husband and wife. The words had value, more than I’d expected. But our coming together also had a desperate quality, because we knew that at sunrise, we’d be parting for a time.
Rafe slid his lips down my neck, humming in pleasure when he realized I’d come to bed nude. Moving the sheet out of the way, he palmed one breast, lifting the pink tip to his mouth and sucking hard, using his teeth to scrape over my sensitive skin. I arched, crying out a little and holding his head in place. But he wriggled away from my grasp, skimming down lower, over my stomach, until he lay between my legs, his mouth inches from my center.
“Nell . . . I love you.” He murmured the words just before his tongue swept over me. “Fucking love you, beautiful. Love to taste you. Love to feel you on my lips. Love to feel you come against my tongue.”
I rocked my hips into him, my breath coming in short puffs. “Harder. Take me . . . harder. Make me come.”
Rafe responded, obeying my request, pressing against me and sucking hard until my pleasure rose to a sharp and shattering peak. He stayed with me, crooning soft words and stroking my sensitive skin until I could breathe again.
And then he reared up, taking my m
outh, his tongue thrusting between my lips at the same time that he plunged into me. We moved together, finding a rhythm that locked us together in a world that only existed for the two of us. I threw back my head and let go, the power flowing through both of us until we rose from the bed, floating in the air. Rafe ground against me, growling with the intensity of the moment, until we soared together. Rafe slanted his mouth over mine, chanting my name between his deep kisses.
I lowered us back to the bed, and Rafe cradled me in his arms. “Nell . . . my wife. God, I love you. Love you so much, babe.” He smoothed my hair back from my face. “I’m coming back to you, and by God, Nell, you better be here. I’ll track you through eternity, I swear it. Do you understand me?”
I swallowed back a sob that was threatening to wrack my body. “I’m not going anywhere. Do you think I’d let anything happen now that I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted? You’ll come back to me, and I’ll be here. We’re going to do this, Rafe. We’re going to stop my mother and the rest of the Hive. The world will be ours again.” I touched his cheek. “Promise?”
“I promise.” He held me close, and throughout the night, we loved as though time didn’t exist and the morning sun would never rise.
Sionnach
We left the safe house before sunrise, driving away from the cabin in a small, generic rental car that Seth had managed to obtain for us. After the doomed trip into San Francisco to retrieve Julia, Cathryn had decided that the vehicle they’d used that night was too easily recognized by the Hive.
We were all quiet as Lucas steered us through the early-morning hours; I assumed that each of us was preoccupied with the good-byes that had just happened and with the task that lay ahead. Not to mention, of course . . . time travel. The idea of it was downright trippy, but it was easier and less painful to focus on that than it was to think about how hard it had been to leave Daeglan.
I’d never expected to care about anyone enough to experience a difficult parting. As much as I’d loved Lou, my foster father, and Rosa, his wife, leaving them hadn’t ever been a hardship, because that wasn’t how we rolled. I was stubbornly independent, and I’d started working as a private detective slash fox for hire when I was only eighteen. I knew Lou and Rosa were my home, and that they would be there for me. Even now, I was secure in the knowledge that although Lou had just died, Rosa was still in our New Orleans home, where she’d welcome me back whenever I got there.
But leaving Daeglan had hurt. I’d tried to keep it casual, and I’d been able to maintain that façade until he’d pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around me and pressing my head to his chest, where I could hear the steady thumping of his heart.
“Be safe, my fox,” he’d murmured gruffly. “Take care of yourself back there, mo mhuirnín. I expect you to come home to me, so that we can make that trip to Ireland happen. I want to introduce you to my people.” He’d leaned back, gazing down into my face, brushed back my hair and dropped a kiss onto my mouth, whispering against my lips.
“I love you, Sionnach.”
And then the big galoot had turned around and gone back into the house, not giving me even a minute to digest his words or to say anything in return. I wondered if I’d have told him that I loved him, too. It was true, I thought. I hadn’t given myself much room to think about it, because, hello! Looming apocalypse. But I was sure that Daeglan O’Casey made me feel things I never had, and I wanted to be with him more than I’d ever wanted anything else. If that was love, then yes, I loved this man.
I’d been distracted in the moment by the intensity of the emotions around me. Lucas and Jackie were locked in a wordless embrace, tears streaming down her face. Cathryn, whom I’d always thought was such a cold fish, was kissing Seamus with passionate abandon, her hand buried deep in his hair.
Next to me, Rafe had cleared his throat. He’d come down alone this morning, and he’d told Veronica and me that he and Nell had preferred to say their goodbyes in private. I understood that. I did know that she and Zoe had attached Joss to the silver pendant again, and now Veronica wore it around her neck. Once we’d made the jump, Nell and Zoe had assured us that she would automatically appear, with no spell needed—something to do with the transmittal of time. I’d decided to stop trying to figure out how the whole damn thing was going to work. It only gave me a headache.
Now, Lucas spoke up from the driver’s seat. “We’ll be leaving the car in a garage a block down from the townhouse that will be our home base in 1967. Or that was our home base back then . . . shit, I can’t keep track of the future or the past.”
“You shouldn’t try.” Veronica shrugged. “Our tomorrow will take place in our yesterday. That’s enough to drive anyone mad. Let’s just focus on what has to be accomplished.”
“How do we have a home base in the past?” Rafe asked. “Seamus, did you jump back and hook us up?”
He shook his head. “No. Cathryn and I agreed that doing any time traveling back to 1967 before today was too risky, because it was possible that the Hive would find out. But we didn’t need to, anyway. Veronica here had something in mind.”
“Yes, back in the day, I had a townhouse in the city. But in the weeks leading up to the ritual, remember, I was still living at the commune, under cover, as it were, keeping my eye on them. I left the townhouse empty for the three months I was living out there. Since the Hive of 1967 didn’t have any clue that I wasn’t one of them, staying there should be safe.”
“And we won’t run into past-Veronica?” I knew that avoiding her former self was important.
“We won’t. I know where I was in those days, and it should be easy to stay out of my own way.” Her lips twitched.
“Here we are.” Lucas slowed the car and turned into the garage. “I’m going to park up top, in the back, so that we won’t be disturbed when we time travel. Seamus, you’re sure this is a safe place to jump? What if we end up landing in the wrong place?”
“I checked this out. It was a vacant lot in 1967, which is where we’ll land. I’ve done this before, you know. We won’t end up hovering in thin air . . . trust me.”
“Hmph.” Lucas didn’t seem convinced.
“Are we at all concerned that the Hive has already figured out that we’re making this jump?” The thought had been rattling around my head for a while. I’d only had the barest minimum of brushes with the evil we were fighting, and it had shaken me up.
“Of course, we are.” Seamus answered me crisply. “The Hive knows I’m with Carruthers now. The agent who accosted Cathryn and me back in Ireland knew I was a time jumper. It wouldn’t take much imagination to figure out at least part of our plan.” He paused as Lucas found a spot for us to park. “On the positive side of the coin, while I’m not the only time traveler around, there are precious few of us who can make grand leaps like this. Cathryn contacted them, and to the best of our knowledge, all are under protective custody at the moment.”
“If they were honest with us about their allegiance.” I had a tendency to embrace the worst possible scenarios.
“Very true. Most claimed that they had no allegiance at all, that they merely wanted to be left alone, and Cathryn assured them that she respected that. We encouraged them to accept our protection, because if the Hive approached them and the time jumpers rejected its offer, there’s no doubt that their life expectancy would be considerably shortened.”
“At this point, we have to move forward, regardless of what the Hive may or may not suspect. I don’t think they can communicate with their former selves to warn them about us. We believe that our biggest enemy during the Summer of Love will be the Hive leadership from back then. We only have to stop them.” Lucas shifted into park, pulled on the emergency brake and pulled the keys out of the ignition. “All right, kiddies. Here we go. Once we get out of the car, everyone grabs onto Seamus, and he makes the jump. We’re not going to stand around discussing anything. The less time we’re here, the better our chance of success.” He reached for the door hand
le.
“Next stop, San Francisco, Summer of Love.”
1967 was . . . wild.
We’d held on tight to Seamus as directed. I’d screwed shut my eyes, because supernatural travel of any kind tended to make me a little woozy. When I’d opened them again, we were in a field filled with tall grass and an explosion of wildflowers. And there were six of now; Joss stood next to Veronica, squinting in the light of the rising sun.
“Hey.” Rafe touched her arm. “Check you out. All solid and shit.”
“Yeah.” She looked down at herself wonderingly. “Look, I can even hug you now, for real.” She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. I caught sight of Rafe’s face in that moment, and it was mix of happiness, pain and regret. I didn’t envy him that emotional cocktail.
“Let’s save the joyous reunions.” Seamus peered around us. “I’ll feel better once we’re at the townhouse. Veronica, can you lead the way?”
Walking through the streets of 1967 San Francisco was like being in an old movie. We passed through groups of men and women who greeted us like old friends, some inviting us to meet ups. We’d dressed as near as we could manage in clothes of the day, but still, I was awed by some of the outfits I saw: long, colorful skirts, high-necked blouses and some dresses that looked more Victorian than hippy. Some of the men wore boater hats and carried walking sticks.
“The catchword of the day when it came to fashion in San Francisco just now was old timey,” Veronica murmured in my ear. “The earliest hippies became obsessed with the pirate culture from a hundred years before. You still see bits and pieces of it among the tie dyed and granny skirts.”
Age of Aquarius Page 24
