Tethered Souls

by Jessica McCrory

  “Like I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. But I suppose that’s not that large of a crisis right?” She added sarcastically. “I’m sorry Myria, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  Myria smiled, but Abby noted that it looked empty.

  “Abby its fine, no offense was taken. What did Aengus say to you?” She moved to sit next to her on the bed.

  “Not really much of anything, in a roundabout way he told me that it wasn’t a nightmare I had and that I haven’t been asleep for two days. So basically, I am going crazy because now three of the people I have been dreaming about since I was a child are actually living breathing people, or at least at one point were,” she added sadly thinking of the little girl, “so I’m supposed to believe that I somehow knew them prior to actually knowing them. Which sounds like the most ridiculous thing and I’m not doing it any justice by trying to explain.” She laughed and was relieved to see another smile cross Myria’s face.”

  “Sometimes things happen that we can’t really explain. It may just take you some time to make sense of it all, but you will.”

  “What is it with you and your brother? Do roundabout answers run in the family?”

  Now it was Myria’s turn to laugh. “You have no idea.” She pulled her in for a hug.

  “I’m so sorry you went through what you went through Abby. Just know that when you are ready to talk about everything, I am here.” She stood and moved towards the door. “Dinner will be at six. Sheamus is cooking tonight.” She beamed. “He is a fantastic cook. Not as good as my brother, but don’t tell him that.” She winked and left the room.

  Once outside Myria let herself breathe. So Abby was coming around. She may not be ready to fully grasp what was happening, but Aengus had been right. She was tougher than Myria had given her credit for. Most people would have chalked it up to a really bad nightmare and then moved on, ignoring the facts because they couldn’t quite believe in something that far fetched.

  Her heart ached for the pain that Abby had suffered today, but mostly for the young girl who still suffered at the hand of the cruelest man Myria had ever known. He had been a monster even when they had been children. Always yelling at them, telling them that regardless of their status they were still worthless. When her parents suggested she study her magic under him, she had been frightened. He had been a tough instructor, but she couldn’t deny she had learned quite a few things from him.

  She had seen when he started noticing Aine. He had ignored her when she had been young, but as she grew into a woman he had watched her with greedy eyes. She had known from a young age that her brother cared for her, and she had warned him that Caipre had eyes for her. He had brushed it off and she had even dismissed it as she grew into adulthood herself. Neither had given it any more attention until it had been too late.

  And now, Isleen was paying the greatest price. True that they were all stuck there, but Isleen had been denied her right to move on. She could never be fully brought back, so her soul was forced to linger. And somehow, he was controlling her, using her to bait Abby.

  “Hello, my love.” Sheamus pulled her into an embrace. “You carry too much on your shoulders.”

  “Oh, Sheamus. I don’t know what to do.”

  “You continue with what you have been doing. You guide her.”

  “Why did you believe me when I told you?” They walked towards the kitchen his arm slung around her waist where it fit so perfectly.

  “Because I loved you. I would have believed you had you told me you were a unicorn reincarnated.” He laughed and she smiled at the sound. “Myria, she will come around. She will realize who she is, who Aengus is to her. You just have to give her time. After all, there is almost six months left before the anniversary.”

  Myria knew that to be true, but part of her worried they didn’t have as much time as they thought.

  Chapter Ten

  The next week Abby spent most of her time with Sheamus and Myria. Aengus had kept to himself for the better part of the time and she was both grateful and irritated at the distance. No one had spoken about what had happened and she was glad to have had the time to sort out her thoughts. She had truly begun to think of Myria as a friend, one of the closest she had ever had. They spent quite a few nights drinking whiskey in front of the fire and talking about everything from clothes to hobbies.

  She learned that Myria did, in fact, work with herbs and had come up with quite a few different teas that aided not just the healing process, but also helped with sleep and anxiety as well. She quickly became fascinated with it and Myria had promised to one day show her how she did it.

  She confided in Myria about her dreams that had been centered around Aengus and was grateful when she wasn’t dismissed as that crazy American girl she had feared they would think of her as. In fact, Myria accepted it and told her yet again, that all things would make sense in due time. When she had pushed for answers, Sheamus had shown up and whisked Myria off for a romantic walk.

  Abby was beginning to get increasingly frustrated at Aengus’s absence. How dare he drop a bomb like that on her and then just disappear? She didn’t even know what kind of bomb it was! What was she supposed to make of that? He was absent at yet another dinner and Abby decided it was time to track him down.

  “Dinner was amazing Sheamus.” Abby carried her dishes into the kitchen where Sheamus stood washing. “You sure I can't wash those for you? I really don’t mind.”

  “Thank you, Abby.” He smiled at her. “I am perfectly fine. I enjoy washing dishes. It relaxes me.”

  “You are a strange one, Sheamus.” Myria walked into the kitchen and placed the empty plate that had held a large loaf of soda bread earlier that night.

  “That I am, but you love me for it.” He winked at Abby.

  “Have you seen Aengus?” She interrupted, feeling guilty at spoiling the moment.

  “If I had to guess he is probably out in the barn,” Myria replied cautiously.

  She squinted out the window into the dark and noted the light that burned.

  “Do you think he would mind some company?”

  “I don’t think he would mind that at all. Especially if you take this to him.” Sheamus handed Abby a covered plate. “I imagine he has worked up quite the appetite out there.”

  Abby took the plate and headed for the door not giving herself time to rethink it.

  “We are headed for bed ourselves, so no need to rush back in.” Myria sent Sheamus a steamy look over her shoulder and Abby smiled. They made such a perfect picture, the two of them.

  Abby stepped out into the night and felt a light chill. She would have turned back to get a sweater, but didn’t want to interrupt whatever may or may not have gotten started. She didn’t feel like a guest she realized, but more like part of the family. Something moved in the tree line and Abby jumped. Probably just a deer, she told herself. No need to panic, but she walked a little faster towards the barn.

  She gasped when she opened the door and stepped inside. All anger and irritation forgotten as she saw him. Aengus stood in the center of the barn's breezeway sanding a piece of wood, and he was shirtless. The muscles in his back flexed with each movement and beads of sweat had begun to gather on his skin. How could a man be that gorgeous? It just wasn’t fair she decided. She couldn’t even be mad at him anymore.

  She stood for a moment watching him. She knew his body, knew every single inch of his skin and yet it was as if she was seeing it for the first time. Technically she was, she told herself. She felt her blood begin to heat as he turned to look at her. He looked at her as if she were the most beautiful woman on the planet and when his hands began to curl into fists at his sides she knew he wanted to touch her as badly as she wanted him.

  She imagined running her hands over his body. Imagined gripping his shoulders and running her fingers through the light dusting of hair on his chest and then wrapping her legs around his waist as he lifted her to...

  Caley neighed over her stall door and sto
pped her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt you, I brought you some food. Sheamus made you a plate and since you haven’t been to dinner in the past week, I assumed you might be hungry.” He set his sandpaper down gently and began to move towards her. His jaw was set and the look in his eyes had her setting the food aside and moving towards him as well. She could feel her body warming in response to him. They clashed in the middle and his mouth took hers in a welcome heated assault. Her mouth opened under his and she took what he gave. His tongue darted into her mouth and for a moment they fought for the control. She needed to lose herself in him, he was the only thing that made sense to her.

  The moment their mouths touched Aengus lost his mind. He had waited nearly two hundred years to taste her again, and he knew if he had to, he would wait more lifetimes. She was his everything and though she didn’t know it yet, he knew she would soon enough. He held on to her as if she was his only lifeline, his only means of survival. His hands fisted in her hair and he pulled her against him. Her body melded with his just as he remembered. He took all that she offered and when she wrapped her arms around his neck, he pushed her back against the wall and took more.

  Neither noticed the way the walls of the barn shook. Neither heard the maddening screams in the wind from outside. The world could have come crashing down around them and they would have paid it no notice. All that mattered now was them and the need to feel skin against skin.

  She tasted fire and his mouth felt just like she remembered from her dreams. Suddenly the impossible seemed possible and she knew that somehow, they had been here before. Her heart slammed in her chest and she gripped his shoulders. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt the wall behind her back and put all that she had into the kiss. There was no slow seduction here, no taking their time. She wanted him now, needed him. His hand gripped her hair gently and pulled her head back. When Abby felt his lips on her neck and she moaned in response. This is what she had been waiting for her whole life.

  “I need you, Abby.” His accent was deeper now and his voice alone had her bones turning to mush.

  “Yes.” It was all she could manage to say. She felt his hand on her back under her shirt and the simple touch had her blood pounding even harder.

  He carried her up some stairs and onto the landing where he laid her back on a pallet of blankets. He pulled her shirt up over her head and the hunger in his eyes had her excitement growing. He laid her back and covered her mouth with this. He looked at her as if she was the only remedy to what ailed him. She had never been regarded as though she was necessary to someone else’s survival.

  His fingertips lit a fire as they passed over her skin and when his mouth closed on her breast, she nearly lost every ounce of sanity she had left. She bucked against him, desperate to have him against her, inside her.

  “Aengus.” His name came on a whisper and she pulled his mouth back to hers. She needed him now. She drove her hips up into him and relished at the sound he made.

  He quickly removed his pants and hers along with them. When he covered her with his body, she stared into his eyes. Emotions she had never felt before filled her and she felt at that moment that she had been born to love him. He covered her mouth with his and pushed into her, the momentary pain was quickly replaced with pleasure. As he began to move inside of her, she lost all thought. Her fingers gripped his shoulders and she felt the muscles beneath them quivering. Abby wrapped her legs around him and held on as he drove them both to the edge. She cried out with pleasure as they took the fall together.

  He collapsed on top of her and she wrapped herself around him. This is where she belonged, with him. The storm around them raged and still, they paid it no mind.

  “Abby.” He rolled off of her and pulled her into his side. He pressed his lips to her forehead and she smiled looking into his eyes. “Did I hurt you, love?”

  “A little at first, but that was amazing Aengus. I feel wonderful.” She stretched and he looked down at her. The fact that she had been untouched overwhelmed him. It had never mattered to him that Aine hadn’t been and it wouldn’t have mattered to him had Abby been with another, but the fact that he had been the first filled him with an overwhelming feeling of delight.

  “Do you need anything? Are you warm enough?” At the sound of the rain, he pulled her in closer and moved to cover her with another blanket.

  “Aengus, I am fine. And to think I came out here to yell at you.” She laughed and sat up to look at him.

  “Yell at me? What did I do?” He lay still watching her. Her dark hair was mussed and her mouth swollen from his.

  “You came in and dropped that whole ‘what if it wasn’t a nightmare’ statement on me and then left!” She smiled at him and for the first time since she had been in Ireland his smile reached his eyes. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen.

  “I am truly sorry for that, love. I have been battling with my own issues, I shouldn’t have laid that on you.”

  “I’m glad you did.” She was surprised that she actually was. She knew that something out of the ordinary was going on and by not dismissing it he had forced her to come to terms with it, at least as much as she could without fully understanding everything.

  “What do you know?”

  She gave him a lazy smile and moved to straddle him.

  “Well, right now I know that you are the most amazing man I have ever met.” She traced her finger down his chest and looked up at him from under her lashes. “And I know that I want you again.”

  “Aengus we will be discovered.” She giggled as she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

  “It doesn’t matter to me, love. I want the whole world to know.” He kissed her neck and she felt the familiar weakness start in her knees.

  “Oh Aengus, what would your parents think? Their son, in love with a servant girl.”

  “Oh my dear Aine, you are so much more than that.” He turned her to face her and stared into her eyes. Those eyes, he knew, held so much more than was on the surface. “You see these hands?” He asked lifting hers to his lips. “These are the hands of a queen.” He kissed each hand and brushed his lips against her neck. “These eyes,” He brushed his lips over her eyes and she felt her heart melt to the floor. “I can get lost in these eyes.”

  “Oh Aengus, what power you hold over me.”

  “I love you Aine. I have loved you since the moment I first saw you.”

  “We were but children Aengus, children, don’t know love.” She laughed.

  “I did. When your family first came to this house, and you would sneak into the gardens and just sit. I would watch, and I knew.” He kissed her then, she felt the heat and the need in the kiss. She no longer felt like a servant, but a queen just as he had described. What had she done to deserve such a love?

  “Oh Aine, you hold my entire life in your hands.” He rested his forehead on hers and breathed in.

  “Aengus. You are my life.”

  Abby shot up at the sound of the thunder. Aengus lay sleeping next to her and she smiled at the memory of the love they had made. Her body felt thoroughly amazing and she was sore in all the right places.

  The thunder sounded again and Abby stood to move to the tiny window. The storm raged just beyond her. Lightning split the sky and the trees moved violently in the wind. She squinted and could have sworn she saw a dark figure in the trees.

  Her head split with pain and she gasped.

  “You have dismissed me yet again, Aine.” She heard the man’s voice in her head as if he were standing next to her. It was a voice she would never forget. “I will come for you, and I will have you.”

  Suddenly a cloaked figure took form just in front of the barn. He looked up at her and all the remaining hope she had been grasping that it had all been a dream disappeared. The man from the woods stood before her and smiled.

  “You will be punished for what you have done.” The madness in his eyes chilled her bones.

&nb
sp; Abby cried out and fell to the ground clutching her head. Aengus was at her side in a moment.

  “Abby, what’s wrong?” He pulled her into his arms and the pain disappeared.

  “What is happening to me?” She cried and curled into him.

  He lifted her and carried her back to the pallet. Abby stayed curled in his arms and slept the rest of the night dreamlessly.

  When she woke the next morning, Aengus was no longer next to her. She heard him down below so she quietly dressed and headed down. He was sanding whatever it was he was working on and straightened when she slid her arms around him.

  “Good morning.” He turned and lifted her chin with his hand. He kissed her deeply and her heart began to race.

  “Good morning.” She smiled and leaned into him.

  “How are you?” She saw the concern in his eyes and knew it was in regards to what had happened in the middle of the night.

  “I’m alright, my head still aches a bit.”

  “What happened?” He hadn’t pushed it right after it had happened because he didn’t want to make her more upset, but he knew Caipre had to be at the bottom of it.

  “It was so strange.” She turned and walked to Eamon who had his head over his stall. “The thunder woke me up and when I went to stand by the window, I...” She hesitated. What if he thought she was nuts? She turned and when she looked at him, she somehow knew that he wouldn’t think that. He would believe her, she knew he would, it was possible he would even have an explanation. “I thought I saw a dark shadow in the trees. Then my head hurt and it was a man, he was standing in front of the barn. It was the man from before, in the woods. He spoke to me. Terrible things.” She shuttered.

  She hadn’t been prepared for the anger on his face when she looked at him again.

  “What did he say?” It sounded more like a statement rather then a question and his tone caught her off guard.

  “He called me Aine. He did that day in the woods as well. Told me that I had dismissed him again and he was coming for me.” She shivered. “He told me he would have me and that I would be punished.”