He was leading a wide-eyed Eamon back into the new barn he had built. The horse was clearly frightened but trusted his owner as he followed him into the barn. They disappeared for a moment and then re-emerged into Eamon’s paddock. Aengus had not put a back on either paddock so that the horses could leave when they chose since neither ever wandered far.
He had told her that he was just as afraid as them and had no intention of leaving them helplessly trapped again. He had such a good heart and she knew he still blamed himself. Myria’s healing salve had diminished any signs of burns that there had been and you wouldn’t even have known something had happened if it weren’t for the scorched ground.
She felt ashamed, but she was afraid to step foot outside. Afraid that Caipre might taker her again, and after what she had done to Annie, she knew it would be much worse and there would be no escaping him. She thought back to the night of the fire.
The pain in her chest at the thought that Aengus was dead had nearly consumed her. She had lost all will to live, knowing that life would be nothing without him. He was the reason for the very breath in her body. Those two weeks she had believed him dead had been the worst of her life, and not just because of what Caipre had done to her.
She had no idea how the man made it two hundred years after she had been killed.
“It wasn’t easy for him.” Myria came up behind her and looked out the window.
“I swear you can read my thoughts.” Abby laughed.
“You wear your emotions on your sleeve Abby.” Myria smiled at her. “He went through a very dark time after you had been killed. I wasn’t sure he would survive it.”
“What happened?” She wondered looking at Myria. “He told me about how he didn’t speak to you parents, about how he drank some after what happened. But he never went into much detail, it was bad wasn’t it?” She saw the pain flash over her face and knew it hadn’t been easy for Myria to watch her brother that way.
“I'll let him tell you the details of it, he’s very ashamed. Just know that he went through hell and back afterwards and the thought of you returning to him is the only thing that drove him on.”
Later that evening, after they had eaten dinner and were all headed up to their own corners of the house, Abby asked him. They were in the bath together and she was pressed up against him as he rubbed her shoulders. The scents from the tub filled the room, and she was more relaxed than she had been in what felt like forever.
“Aengus, how did you handle it?”
“Handle what love?”
“After I had died, how did you make it?” She felt him stiffen behind her so she continued, trying to ease him. “Those two weeks I thought you had died in the fire, I nearly lost my mind. I didn’t want to live anymore when I thought you were gone. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you.” She turned her head and looked up into his eyes. They were full of sadness and his jaw was tight. “I’m sorry Aengus.”
He smiled sadly at her now and gently touched his lips to hers. “I’m ashamed of how I handled it, Abby. I killed every single guard that had aided Caipre. Some we hadn’t discovered until the next day. I would have killed him too, except he slipped away and it wouldn’t have done much good seeing as how he was tied to Myria’s spell as well. I told you what happened after that, I spent about fifty years at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. Next thing I knew Myria was dragging me out of the hole I had crawled into and was knocking some sense into me.”
“Oh, Aengus. I’m so sorry you went through that.”
“It wasn’t your fault my love, you have nothing to feel sorry for. I should have handled things better.” He smiled absently at the memory of Myria. “She found me in a small cottage in the woods that I had discovered. I was drunk and was stumbling around. She came in lit with fury, and as you know her, she was glowing with her magic as well. I felt myself being lifted and slammed into a wall before I knew it. She hadn’t even touched me.” He laughed and continued rubbing his hands over her shoulders. “She told me to stop being a damn idiot that it wasn’t over yet and I needed to pull myself out. Then she lobbed my bottle of whiskey at my head.”
“I would have liked seeing her tossing you around.” Abby laughed trying to make light of it.
“I imagine it was pretty amusing. After that, I cleaned myself up and we started the bed and breakfast.”
“What made you two start it up?”
“We needed a way to blend into the community, a way to make money in order to change with the times. People in town assume we had just passed it down through the generations. Since we have to stay here, for the most part, no one is the wiser.”
“But what about the paperwork? Birth certificates and everything?”
“Myria takes care of it. I’m not sure exactly how, but she does.”
She turned in his arms so she was kneeling in front of him in the bath. “Thank you for waiting for me Aengus.”
“Oh love, I would do it again if I had to. Even if it were just for a moment like this.”
She straddled him and ran kisses down his neck. She kissed him hungrily as if she were starving for him and when he slid inside of her she knew that she would have waited through the centuries for him as well.
Chapter Twenty-Four
With less than a month before the anniversary, Myria and Sheamus had begun talking about what they would like to do once it was all over. Myria had decided that she wanted to travel the world, maybe go to America. Since she hadn’t ever left their little corner of Ireland, she was ecstatic to see what else was out there. Sheamus had agreed with her, except his plans centered more on marriage and having kids as quickly as possible.
“I’m not saying we aren’t ever going to have kids Sheamus, I’m only saying let's do some traveling first.” Myria took a bite of her mashed potatoes and grinned at Sheamus who sat next to her.
“Traveling will be even more fun with kids Myria. Think about all we could show them!”
“Says the man in the relationship. You won't be the one dealing with all the fussy babies the entire time.”
He laughed and Abby looked over at Aengus. He was smiling absently at them and eating his dinner. It was one of the first times she saw him actually eat rather than just push his food around with his fork.
She grinned at him and tuned out the conversation. He was so handsome, and all hers.
She could see the fear hidden behind his eyes and knew he carried so much on his shoulders.
“I’m going to wash dishes tonight.” She smiled and stood to gather everyone’s plates. She wasn’t prepared when her vision began to blur. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach and fell forward. She felt Aengus’s arms around her before she hit the ground.
Myria stood in front of her, holding her hands. “Aine, it is so wonderful to see how my brother looks at you. He truly loves you and you make him so happy.”
“I love him as well, he is my world.” Her chest felt tight and her eyes began to fill. “But how could we ever be Myria? I work in your home. I am not worthy of him.”
“Oh my dear Aine, our parents may not see it yet, but worth is so much more than status. You are worth so much more than you think. Don’t let that keep you from him.” She touched her fingers to Aine’s stomach. “You both deserve what has come from your love. He will be so happy when you tell him.”
Tears began to fall down Aine’s cheeks. “How did you know? I only just found out.”
“My eyes see much.” Myria winked at Aine and pulled her in for a hug.
Suddenly the images changed. Gone was the warmness of Myria’s embrace and she now stood in the center of the clearing she recognized as the one where she had taken her last breath. She wrapped her arms around herself to try and get warm, but nothing would bring her any relief.
“I took your child away from you then, I will do it again.” Caipre circled her and she protectively covered her stomach.
“What child? I am not pregnant.” She had been then she remembered n
ow, fresh tears filling her eyes. She had been on her way to tell Aengus when she had found Isleen. But what did he mean again? Could she be pregnant?
“Oh you foolish bitch.” He laughed and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “You killed my daughter. She could have been ours, but you killed her!” He screamed at her and for a moment she thought he would attack, but he just continued to walk around her, a predator circling its prey.
“She would not have ever been ours. I will not ever be yours, and she deserved to die!”
“You think yourself better than me Aine? Think that I am the only evil one here?” He laughed again, only, this time, there was no madness in it. “You have done exactly what I have. You have the same evil within you as I do, you have murdered and you are no better than me.”
“I did it out of protection for myself!” She screamed at him trying to ignore what he was accusing her of.
“You could have knocked her unconscious. You had the element of surprise, there was no reason for you to kill her. You wanted her dead. Wanted to feel her blood dripping down your hands. Admit it.” He walked towards her and lifted his cloak back. For a moment it was her own face staring back at her grinning.
“No. No! I am nothing like you!”
“They will all die because of you.” Suddenly she saw Myria lying wide-eyed on the ground, blood spilling from her chest. Sheamus cradled her until he was stabbed through the heart by a blade, only she couldn’t see who wielded it. Aengus yelled and ran towards them but he was struck from behind and his body fell to the ground.
She screamed and lunged for him but hit an invisible wall before she reached him. The images disappeared and Caipre stood in front of her.
“They speak foolishly of the future, yet they have none. You will lose everything, I will take everything you love from you including your child.” He laughed wildly and disappeared leaving her standing in the center of the clearing alone.
Abby opened her eyes to see Aengus, Sheamus and Myria staring at her. They had moved her to the couch and she sat up slowly. Her stomach still hurt, but the sharp pain from before was gone. Aengus knelt in front of her and she felt his thumbs wiping tears away from her cheeks. Tears she hadn’t known she had been crying.
“I was pregnant.” She could barely choke out the words her chest hurt so badly. The pain just as fresh as it had been that day when she realized she would never hold their child in her arms.
“What?” Alarmed he cradled her face to look into her eyes.
“The night Caipre found me. The night he...” She couldn’t finish the sentence with the emotions swarming her. “I had been on my way to tell you when I found Isleen.” She started crying and Aengus pulled her into his arms. “He killed our baby Aengus, we were going to have a baby.” Tears she hadn’t had the chance to cry that night began pouring out of her. The loss of the child she hadn’t met, hitting her harder than she would have ever thought possible.
“How is he getting to her?” Aengus asked Myria later after Abby had already gone to sleep. Abby had told him how Caipre had spoken to her after she had passed out, he wasn’t convinced it hadn’t been him who had made her that way.
“I’m not sure Aengus. I’ve protected the house from his physical presence, but I can't seem to find a way to keep him out of her mind.”
“Dammit.” Aengus leaned against the hearth and stared into the leaping flames.
“This will all be over soon enough Aengus.” Sheamus moved to stand next to him and touched his shoulder.
“Yeah.” He absently responded but didn’t sound convinced. It seemed like it was going to be impossible to keep Caipre away from Abby, he was always finding one way or another of getting close to her. “Pregnant. Damn him, she had been pregnant.” He wiped a hand over his face and moved to sit next to his sister on the couch. His chest was heavy with the pain and anger he felt knowing that they had been robbed of so much more than he had even known that day.
“Her more difficult memories may be resurfacing. I’m sorry Aengus.”
He looked at her and remembered that she hadn’t been surprised when Abby had relayed the news. “You knew.”
Myria took a deep breath. “I did. I saw it one night when I was doing my readings. I told her that I had seen it on the day she was going to tell you, I told her that you would be so happy.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked although he knew why she hadn’t. Had he known he had not only lost the love of his life but their baby as well he may not have ever pulled out of his bottle.
“I didn’t want to make things worse Aengus, I’m sorry I should have.” He saw the regret in her eyes and gently kissed her cheek.
“You did the right thing Myria. It wouldn’t have been wise to tell me about that and it only would have made things worse.” He paused for a moment and thought back on the rest of what Abby had told him. “Myria he told her he would take her child from her again.” He looked at her and saw the surprise on her face. “Is it possible that she could be pregnant again?”
“I haven’t seen anything, but I haven’t been looking either. I was looking for it then.” At his look, she added, “I knew you loved her and a grandchild would have brought our parents around. I was only keeping my eye out. I can look again, but only after I talk to her, she should be the first to know if she is pregnant or at least I’ll tell you both at the same time.” Sheamus reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I love you brother.” She loudly kissed his cheek and walked away with Sheamus leaving Aengus to his thoughts.
Chapter Twenty-Five
When Abby woke the next morning, Isleen was standing by the balcony doors. She jumped when she saw her. She was so grateful to have time with her sister, but it still surprised her each time she showed up. She had been popping in every now and then ever since Abby had woken up once they had rescued her from Caipre.
“I’m sorry Abby I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She came over and sat on the edge of the bed.
“It's alright, I’m so happy to see you. Good morning Isleen.”
“Morning!” Her childlike personality had been returning and Abby was beginning to dread the anniversary if it truly would be the last time she would be able to see her.
“Where do you go when you aren’t here?” She wondered aloud.
“Honestly, I’m not really sure. It feels like I’m always here except I know that days have passed in between because you are wearing something different or in a different place than you were before. It's very strange.”
“Well, I’m very grateful when you are here. I’m very sad for all the time we lost together.”
“Me too. I get angry when I think about what happened. But then I remember what you used to tell me whenever I would get mad about the village kids who teased me. Do you remember?”
“Angry thoughts lead to an angry life.” She remembered. But Isleen’s life had been stolen from her and she had every right to be angry though she didn’t say it out loud. She was so very proud of Isleen’s optimism. Abby stood and was walking towards the bathroom when a wave of nausea hit her. She bolted for the toilet and luckily made it there in time.
“I'll go and get Aengus!” She heard Isleen yell and said a silent prayer that this wouldn’t be one of those times she disappeared for a few days.
Luckily it wasn’t one of those times and within seconds she heard footsteps on the stairs. Aengus and Myria burst through the door and Aengus reached forward to pull Abby’s hair back.
“Well I guess now would be a good time to tell you both.” Myria smiled. “You’re going to be having a baby Abby.”
Abby sat on the bed as Aengus paced thoughtfully in front of the door. Myria, Sheamus, and Isleen had disappeared downstairs after delivering the news. Her hand rested on her stomach. She couldn’t stop smiling, she was going to be having Aengus’s baby. She was worried about Caipre’s threat, but they could find a way to protect the baby, couldn’t they? They had to find a way to protect the baby, she
wouldn’t lose this one.
“A baby.” He turned to face her a huge smile spread across his face. “We're going to have a baby!” He knelt in front of her and kissed her stomach.
Tears filled her eyes at the sight of her gorgeous Irishman kneeling before her.
“Are you hungry?” He asked worriedly. “Thirsty? What do you need?”
“Aengus I feel fine.” She laughed and ran her hands through his dark hair. “You aren’t worried?”
“About Caipre? Sure, but not worried enough that I am going to let him steal this moment from us. After all, we’ve been through together, we deserve it.” He grabbed her hands and kissed them. “Let's go downstairs and celebrate.”
“That’s a wonderful idea.” She kissed him loudly and giggled when he lifted her in his arms and spun her around. “I love you Aengus.”
“I love you, Abby.”
When they entered the living room Myria, Sheamus and Isleen were all sitting on the couch talking excitedly.
“Congratulations!” Sheamus stood and pulled Abby into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you both, you deserve this so much!” He exclaimed and released her.
“Thank you, Sheamus,” Abby grinned at him and looked over at Isleen.
“I’m going to be an aunt.” She beamed at her, but Abby noted the sadness behind her eyes. “You’ll tell the baby of me won't you?” She asked sadly.
Abby moved to stand in front of her sister. The image of her had begun to fade away a bit, something Abby knew happened whenever she got upset. “Of course, I will Isleen. Our child will know everything about her wonderful aunt Isleen.”
Isleen smiled and was back to normal immediately.
“Let's celebrate tonight,” Aengus said from the corner. “We can worry about Caipre tomorrow.”
“What a wonderful idea brother.” Myria smiled up at him and looked over to Sheamus. “How about some music?”
“Your wish is my command, my love.” He smiled and reached over to turn on the stereo.
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