A Family Oath

by Auburn Tempest

  I leave Emmet’s hold to hug Dora. “We meet again, my friend. Thanks for being you and also for being ready.”

  “I am me because of you. If you hadn’t given me a glimpse of who I was to become, things would’ve ended very differently for me. I was not on a good path back then.”

  I nod at Zxata. Myra’s brother runs a hand over his face and looks shakier than me. I feel bad for the guy. He seems wholly unsettled by all of this.

  I step back from Dora and offer him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry. You don’t know me well yet, but this is kinda what happens around me. I’d rather it not, but…yeah, it does.”

  “Myra said you are a wonder. Can I get you anything?”

  I swallow, and all I taste is Dora’s remedy coating my tongue. “Could I bother you for a glass of water?”

  “No bother.” He flips into gear. “I’m relieved to have something to do finally.”

  Sloan scoops a hand around my hip and turns me toward the sofas. “Take a seat and tell us what happened.”

  I accept the glass of water from Zxata when he returns, then Dora and I recount the tale of our first encounter.

  “Unbelievable.” Sloan rakes his fingers through his dark hair. “Ye never cease to amaze me, Cumhaill.”

  “Oh, speaking of unbelievable, I took pictures for you. I thought you’d enjoy seeing my adventure this time.” I pull out my phone and open things up to the gallery. “Yeah, start there and swipe through. Wait, where are they?”

  Sloan takes possession of the phone and flips through a couple of pictures forward and back. “There’s nothin’ here.”

  “Well, I see that, but I took them. I wanted to show you the castle, the village, the architecture, the healer’s clinic… Where are they?”

  Sloan closes the gallery and sets the phone back in my lap. “I think I see what happened. How much do ye know about astral projection?”

  “It’s a strength in your Spiritual discipline.”

  He blinks at me. “That’s it?”

  “How much do you know about priming a beer line during a Saturday night rush? We all have our skills, Mackenzie.”

  He chuckles. “Totally not the same thing. I ask because when yer whisked away in time and space, yer physical body stays put. Yer consciousness may have done things elsewhere, but yer body and yer phone were still here in the bookstore. Back then, yer phone and yer normal clothes were the manifestation of yerself and what ye know, but in reality, they weren’t there and ye didn’t take pictures. Do ye understand?”

  “You hurt my brain sometimes. You know that?”

  Sloan chuckles again. “Then I suppose we’re even. How about I take you and Emmet home?”

  I look at the box and shake that off. “No. I have to figure out what to do with the book, and I’m supposed to check on Myra, and we still have to figure out who did this to her.”

  “That can wait until tomorrow.”

  “No. I’m fine.” I hand Emmet my glass, and he shuffles off to put it in the kitchen. “It always looks scarier to the people watching one of these crazy Fiona-freak-fest events than it is. I do best if I keep moving.”

  Sloan’s lips narrow into a tight line. “Yer not fine, and no one here will judge ye for it if ye need a feckin’ moment.”

  It dawns on me then. It’s him that needs a moment.

  I squeeze his hand. “Okay, surly. You win. We’ll take five and regroup. Dora? Are you good if I take control of the book and stash it somewhere?”

  “It’s your destiny, girlfriend.” Dora gestures at the lead box. “Do with it as you will. I want you to come to see me every couple of days though. I’ll need to cleanse any of the book’s lingering aftereffects from your system.”

  “For how long?” I ask.

  “As long as it takes until we know you’re healed,” Sloan snaps. He holds his hand out and squeezes Dora’s fingers. “I thank the goddess fer yer help tonight, and the millennia and a half ye took to get ready to be here. Yer an absolute blessing.”

  Dora flutters her long lashes and winks. “Careful, Abercrombie. Talk like that will get us both into trouble.”

  I chuckle and pick up the box. “I don’t want to drive around town with this all night. Zxata, can you email me Garnet’s address and we’ll meet you there in a while?”

  “Of course,” he agrees. “Your man’s not wrong. If you need to take tonight for yourself, you’ve earned it. No one would think less of you for taking a moment to recover.”

  I wave that off. “No. I’m sure. Once I get this put somewhere safe for the short-term, we’ll join you. I may be out of my hell, but Myra’s not.”

  * * *

  Sloan poofs me and Emmet home, and I’ve barely taken a step in the front hall when the boys get knocked flying, and my bear rears up on his hind legs. He pulls me in with his mighty paws and squeezes my breath out of my lungs. “Are ye all right, Red? I wanted to go with ye, believe me, but Fionn said I might alter yer path if I interfered in yer quest.”

  “What?” Sloan snaps. “Ye knew Fionn was takin’ her back to get the book and ye didn’t warn her or us or anyone?”

  Bruin growls and lifts his lips to show his canines. “I couldn’t. Timelines are tricky beasts. Ye don’t fuck with them. I was living my life with the players in that part of history. Fionn said if I interfered, I could not only change her path; I could change mine. It was after she left with the book that I found out we would bond and when I needed to expect ye at the Cumhaill estate.”

  Oh, that hurts my head. “That’s why you picked me—because I told Dora back then that we’d bonded, so you sought me out in Ireland this summer?”

  “It was our destiny. Like I said. Timelines are tricky.”

  Sloan doesn’t look appeased, but it doesn’t bother me. Tough situations force tough decisions. I won’t judge him for it. “You did what you thought was best for us to end up together. I get it. All’s well that ends well.”

  Sloan hits me with a glare. “It didn’t end well. Yer suffering from a toxic book being thrust into yer system and yer not clear of it yet. We have no idea what the aftereffects will be. Ye can’t just dismiss it. Not everythin’ in life is over with a shrug and a laugh.”

  I hear the worry lacing his tone, and I know this is more about him being afraid for me than anything else. I rub my face into the long, soft fur of my bear and hug him again. “We’re one hundy percent good. I wouldn’t risk what we have for anything. I love you, big guy.”

  “I love you too, Red.”

  I kiss his boxy cheek and scrub his fur. “Slurp up a roasting pan full of beer while I talk to Tall, Dark, and Surly. Then we’ll head out. We have a night ahead of us, and it’s about time you take your place. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too.” Bruin dips his chin. “I’ll be in the basement when yer ready to roll. Calum, can ye play the part of my bartender? Emmet, maybe ye can join us and fill us in on what happened?”

  “Yep. I could use a drink myself.”

  I nod and take Sloan’s hand. “Come upstairs with me for a minute, will you?”

  “Noice!” Emmet waggles his brows. “Have fun, kids. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  I laugh. “There’s nothing you wouldn’t do.”

  “Fair point. So, I guess that means have fun.”

  I roll my eyes and pull Sloan along. When we get into my room, I shut the door and set the lead box on my desk. He moves to my window, the tension in his shoulders making him look impossibly tall and rigid. He looks at the grove in the back yard as his fingers grip the window frame.

  I hate to see him so twisted up. It’s dissolving my resolve to stand firmly independent. Stepping in behind him, I touch his shoulder and turn him to face me. “I’m all right. I need you to look at me and believe that. I’m all right.”

  “No. Yer not. Ye can put on the ‘Fi is invincible’ show fer the others if ye think ye must, but I see more.”

  “It’s not a show. Yeah, it sucked. I’m not one hundy perce
nt, and I won’t lie and say I am, but tying yourself in knots over what happened and who could’ve done what differently doesn’t make anything better. Don’t be mad at Bruin.”

  The muscle in the side of his jaw clenches. “I’m sorry.”

  I soften my approach and press my hand flat against his chest. “This isn’t me giving you shit. This is me saying I understand you’re scared, and you hurt because I’m hurt, and I appreciate it. I appreciate you.”

  He draws a deep breath. “I hate that there are times I’m left behind and can’t help ye. It guts me when ye suffer and yer forced to face things on yer own.”

  “I get that, but I’m never truly alone. I had Birga and Fionn, and Dora was there. Even if I didn’t, I’m Fiona-freakin’-Cumhaill, remember? You can knock me down, but you can’t keep me down. I’ll get a grip on this. Give me a chance to show you.”

  He groans and stares up at the ceiling, then sighs. “Yer so cock-sure. I think that scares me more.”

  “Nah, don’t believe the hype. I lose my shit all the time. I just do it privately. My poor pillow has absorbed more than its share of screams and tears. The point is, we can’t both be shaky at the same time. I need you to fake it and pretend we have things under control until we make that our reality.”

  He hooks his thumbs in the belt loops of his designer jeans and drops his chin. After a few deep breaths, he raises his gaze and nods. “Fine. Whatever ye need. I’ll fake it until we make it if that’s what ye want.”

  “When we’re out in the world it’s what I need, but the reason I brought you up here is that when we’re alone together, we get to be real. You can be scared and angry, and I get to fall apart if I need to, and that’s okay.”

  He looks at me, and I’m pretty sure he wants to be the one to fall apart.

  “I learned something about myself during my time at Carlisle Castle.”

  “Yeah? What was that?”

  I offer him an unguarded smile. “I wished you were there with me. I wanted to show you the things I thought were cool. I looked at the architecture and the clinic and the villagers in the courtyard and wished you were there to share it with me.”

  “We make a good team.”

  “We do, but that wasn’t it.”

  “No? Then what?”

  I close the inches between us and look up into those eyes. He’s much taller than I am, so I palm his cheeks and pull his mouth down as I rise on my tiptoes. His lips are stiff and hesitant at first, but it doesn’t take long before he gives in and kisses me like I know he’s wanted to.

  He’s got skills. My shield tingles warm, and I’m not sure if it’s a warning that I should take things slow and guard my heart or if my cells are simply bursting to life.

  I go with door number two.

  I’m breathless as I end the kiss. “That was perfect.”

  He gives me a cocky smile. “It was rather memorable.”

  I press my forehead against his chest and settle my racing pulse. When I look up at him again, his gaze is nothing but smug satisfaction. He’s got me, and he knows it.

  “No need to gloat. I still need to be me and figure out who I am in the druid world, but you’re right—there’s something here. No rush. No expectations. That’s what you said.”

  He dips his chin. “That’s what I said.”

  “Then, good. This was a nice way to reset our balance.”

  “Agreed. Ye wouldn’t happen to need more of the same, would ye? I could stand you using me for a little more resetting.”

  I giggle and step back. “Not right now. Places to go. People to save. You know how it is.”

  “Where do we go from here?”

  I point at the lead box. “We gotta stash that.”

  * * *

  It’s not ideal, but for the short term, I have Sloan poof us to the back of the St. James Cemetery. It lies within spitting distance from my house, and we’ve been there, so he can portal us quickly and without being followed. Assuming someone might follow us, which sounds paranoid but given my history, is a possibility. I figure this was a good enough hiding spot for Morgana’s brooch to stay hidden for a century, so it’ll work for the book until we have a better idea.

  We sneak around in the dark and pick an old and well-used area where the groundskeepers won’t dig any new graves. I explore some of the ancient mausoleums and family lots and choose one that looks full and forgotten.

  I kneel on the dried grass, place my hands flat, and call my connection to Move Earth. I’ve been working on not needing to cast my spells verbally, and it’s getting easier.

  I send my call deep. The soil responds and creates a focused sinkhole. After doing something similar a couple of weeks ago while drilling through stone to release the ley lines’ power, I assess the funnel and figure it goes down into the earth about five hundred feet.

  “That should be deep enough.”

  Sloan closes his eyes, and the hole widens.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’d rather not drop the possessed book of all evil into the big hole to knock and bounce around on its way down. While that might be a great plot twist in a cartoon, I’d rather play it smart. I’m sure Dora’s lead tomb is strong, but I’d rather set it in its resting place.”

  Yeah, I can visualize that. As the hero and heroine walk away, a green, evil mist seeps through a crack in the casing deep beneath the ground.

  “Good call. Point for you, Mackenzie.”

  He winks and steps to the edge of the hole. “Don’t get any ideas about burying me alive.”

  “And give up access to those lips? Never. Be careful.”

  He nods, grips the box, and poofs off. A couple of seconds later, he’s back and brushing dirt off his pants. “The book is safely squared away at the bottom. Let’s hope Dora’s box holds its seal and stays hidden.”

  “Let’s hope.” The two of us fill in the hole, and I repair the grass. “I want to do what Sir Bathalt did and put a ward on this site to notify us if anyone tampers with the soil. Do you know how to do that?”

  He arches a dark brow. “Are ye serious? Yer Granda is a Master Shrine Keeper of the Ancient Order of Druids. Ward protection spells were something he taught me while I was still cuttin’ teeth.”

  I laugh. “You met him when you were five.”

  “Semantics. Ye get my point. I’ll cast it and tether it to both of us, to be safe.”

  “Perfect. Do your thing, oh Jedi Master.”

  Sloan walks over the area first north to south, then east to west as his lips move, his voice low. It only takes a few minutes. Then he gives me a cocky grin. “All set.”

  “Awesomesauce. Let’s not forget where we put it, ‘kay?”

  Sloan chuckles. “I doubt that’s possible, but now that ye mention it, I want to put a block in yer mind so that no one can pluck the location out of yer head.”

  When he finishes that, I tap his temple. “What about your noggin?”

  “Och, I’m good. I have a mind like a steel trap.”

  “Or a head as hard as rocks.”

  He chuckles. “No. I truly am good. My strength in the Spiritual discipline and dream manipulation gives me the ability to erect wards in my mind. I learned how to put those up as a kid.”

  “Were you still teething or was it after that?”

  “Funny girl.”

  As I extend my hand for him to poof us home, I wonder if that’s why he feels so closed off at times. Maybe he doesn’t realize. Or perhaps him being alone on an emotional island results from the emotionless druid soldiers who raised him.

  * * *

  We take form in the back hallway and jog down the stairs to the basement to pick up Bruin. Back upstairs, I grab my keys from the rack and my purse off the little table by the door. “We’re off to Garnet’s. I don’t think we’ll be too late.”

  “Have ye got Bruin?” Calum calls back. “Because you know that’s the first question Da will ask when he calls to check in.”

  I brush
a gentle circuit over my chest and smile at the flutter of pressure. My bear hasn’t been in place for what now…four days? Since Liam’s birthday drinks at Shenanigans. Too long. I missed him.

  “Yes, I have Bruin and Sloan and Birga. Even without them, I can hold my own, thank you very much.”

  “Don’t kill the messenger.”

  “Call if you need backup,” Dillan reminds me.

  “Is it wrong to hope she does?” Emmet asks the others.

  I laugh and head to the back door. “Love you guys.”

  “Love you more.”

  The locks of my Dodge Hellcat pop with the click of my fob, and Sloan and I climb in. I latch my belt, smile at the beefy growl of the engine, and pull out my phone.

  While Sloan taps the Hellcat’s nav screen, I call up Garnet’s address and read it out to him. Once we’re programmed and ready to roll, I reverse out of my spot in the back lane, drive around to the front of the house, and onto my street.

  Our home is the last on the street with only a dirt laneway between the fence of our side lot and an access point to the St. James Cemetery property and the Don Valley River System. The forest and creeks of the Don were our playgrounds as kids.

  I suppose we were druids by blood long before we knew anything about our heritage.

  I leave the sleepy streets of our neighborhood and head toward midtown. “Garnet lives in a swanky part of town.”

  “Are ye surprised?”

  I think about the sleek, metropolitan man and shake my head. “No. I guess not. I suppose he’d have to have some money and status to be Alpha of the Moon Called and the Grand Governor of the Lakeshore Guild.”

  “I suppose yer right.”

  My stomach growls long and loud, and I sigh. “I might need to hit a drive-thru on the way. I feel like it’s been fifteen hundred years since the last time I ate.”

  Sloan tenses in the shotgun seat beside me.

  I chuckle. “Too soon?”

  “A little, yeah. Yer hard on my heart, Fi. Honestly.”