A Family Oath

by Auburn Tempest

  I blink at the time on my phone. Oh, damn. It’s almost ten o’clock. “Yeah. Okay. Give me twenty minutes.”

  “Make it ten.”

  When the line goes dead, I blink at the end screen. “Manners matter, Guild Governor.”

  Still, he wouldn’t be so short with me if it weren’t urgent.

  “Trouble, Red?” Bruin is star-fished and sleeping belly up, eclipsing most of my bedroom floor. He lifts his head and stretches, his massive paws reaching to the window seat.

  “Looks that way.” I grab a pair of olive khakis, an ivory knit sweater, and my underthings, then hustle my butt across the hall and into the shower.

  * * *

  “Where’s the fire?” Dillan asks as I jog down the stairs eleven minutes later.

  Sloan stands from where he’s sitting at the kitchen table, and I smile at the spread laid out on its surface. “Aww, you boys made brekkie.”

  Emmet, Calum, and Dillan all point at Sloan.

  I grab my shoes and bring them in to sit and put them on. “And I slept through it. I’m sorry.”

  “If it mattered, I would’ve woken you. Sleeping was far more necessary.” Sloan’s up and putting his shoes on without knowing why.

  “What’s the dealio, sista?” Dillan asks.

  I relay the call from Garnet, and the boys are up now too.

  “You don’t all need to come.”

  Calum frowns. “When the leader of the Justice League gives you a heads-up that there’s trouble coming at you and calls you to the site where we were held hostage, and you were almost a blood sacrifice, there’s cause for alarm.”

  Dillan nods and grabs his military boots. “No way we’re sitting here eating French toast sticks while you’re out there facing hostile forces.”

  “Have ye got yer bear?” Sloan plucks my jacket off the hook and holds it open for me to slide into.

  I rub the fluttering presence in my chest. “Present and accounted for.”

  “All right then, hands in.”

  I chuckle. This is their new manly way to travel with Sloan. Instead of holding hands, everyone gathers round like a huddle and stacks hands. Sloan’s hands are the top and bottom bread of the hand sandwich, and away we go.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I check my Fitbit when we arrive at the druid stones, and it’s been sixteen minutes. Yeah, well, I did my best.

  “Miss Cumhaill.” Garnet waves me over to a group of people gathered near the altar stone.

  Miss Cumhaill? Since when has he called me—oh, the terse tone of his call makes more sense now.

  Several Guild Governors are glaring at me.

  “Mr. Grant.” I take his lead on keeping it formal. “I’m here, per your order. What’s this about?”

  “Where were you last night between the hours of eight o’clock and midnight?”

  The subtleties of social cues aren’t always my best event, but saying “with you” seems an obvious thing to avoid. “Sloan and I visited a sick friend from eight until about twenty after nine, then we went to the bookstore where I work and spent a few hours organizing it. We got home about a quarter to one. Why do you ask?”

  “Can anyone verify that?”

  I finger through my still-damp hair and sigh. “Sure. Sloan and my friend’s brother were there for the visit, and there were eight or nine of us cleaning up the bookstore.”

  Garnet nods. “Very well. Give those names to my man, Anyx, and he’ll report back to the council as to whether or not your alibi checks out.”

  “My alibi for what, exactly?”

  “Oh, you wily bitch, you know for what.” I follow the vitriolic remark to meet the icy gaze of Droghun rounding the altar. “You did this, and you’ll hang for it.”

  “I haven’t got a clue what you’re blustering about.”

  “Lies,” he shouts while pointing. “The only thing this bitch spouts is lies.”

  “Hey, fuckwad,” Dillan snaps and calls his dual daggers to his fists. “Call her a bitch again, and you’ll spout something other than lies. How far do you think I can fountain your blood across this clearing?”

  “Inquiring minds want to know,” Calum adds, his bow raised and arrow nocked. “Give it a go and we’ll see. Emmet, you can measure the distance.”

  Sloan and Emmet are tight on my back.

  The attention of everyone milling around the site is now firmly locked on the standoff. Just for fun, I release Bruin, and he swirls around the crowd in a gusting gale before materializing between Droghun’s Black Dogs and me.

  Bruin rears up and lets out a violent roar. Whether they want to or not, all the smug assholes take a step back.

  “Do you want to continue with your threats now, fuckwad?” Emmet asks. “Or do you need time to go home and change your underwear?”

  Droghun straightens and shrugs his reaction off. “Scare tactics only serve to prove how weak you truly are.”

  “The skid marks in your drawers only prove how tough you’re not.”

  Garnet’s brow creases.

  Whatevs. This is us. I raise my hands and reclaim center stage. “You asked me to come. I came. You asked me where I was last night. I answered you. Now, what is this heinous and unforgivable act I supposedly committed?”

  Three Black Dog assholes back away from a body on the ground at the head of the altar. His throat is sliced wide, and his expression is frozen in a look of horror.

  It all becomes clear. Surprise.

  “Okay, can I have all the Moon Called and anyone else who can scent lies, bring it in? It’s lie detector time.” I wave my hands, and Garnet, Anyx, and two other men come close.

  Garnet gestures at an older beer-gut-TV-and-recliner-type guy fancied up in an expensive suit. “Stanton reads lies through touch. Are you good with that?”

  I hold out my hand and nod. “Allll righty then, from the top. I have never seen the dead guy in my life. I told the truth about where I was last night. And Droghun is acting like a big dick to compensate for his tiny dick. He’s painting me as the villain in every crime, and I’m sick of it.”

  Stanton nods. “All true.”

  Garnet, Anyx, and the other guy nod too. “All true,” Garnet confirms. “We’re sorry for the accusations, Miss Cumhaill. You’re free to leave.”

  “Wait!” Droghun snaps and breaks out into a smug grin. “You hexed the altar stone. That’s how you did it. Maybe you weren’t here, and you didn’t know Brahm, but you did this.”

  I roll my eyes and give Stanton my hand again. “Annnd, I also didn’t hex, spell, or do anything to the altar stone. But, as a druid, and looking at the damage, I’d make an educated guess that your dead guy was about to slaughter an innocent and his ill intent bounced back. Seems like your sacrifice stone is now a justice stone. I won’t pretend to be sad about that, but I didn’t do it. And hey, you’re a filthy necromancer. You enjoy dead bodies, amirite?”

  I check with Garnet and Stanton, and they all nod. “She speaks the truth. You are again free to go.”

  I nod, pat my chest, and when Bruin takes his place, my party puts our hands in, and we flash to the back hall.

  “You totes did that, didn’t you?” Emmet says.

  I grin. “Hells yes, I did, but I only came up with the idea. The level of magic to ricochet their intent back on them is way above my paygrade.”

  “So, who has that kind of mojo?” Dillan asks.

  Sloan frowns. “I assume a Greek god with questionable morals and an attraction to yer sister.”

  I shrug. “I’m not a snitch, but I must say, your intuitive power never ceases to amaze me, Mackenzie.”

  * * *

  After heating up and eating my French toast sticks with fruit and plenty of syrup, I grab Gran’s book about keeping a healthy and happy sacred grove and haul everyone outside to have some family time.

  Sloan is still stewing about me going out on a vigilante run with a Greek god I barely know, so I figure the longer I keep my brothers around as a buffer, the
more time he has to realize he has nothing to stew about.

  When we’ve all gathered around, I sit in my wicker basket chair and close the book. “How do we keep our fae warm through a Canadian winter?”

  I open the book, and spells fill the pages.

  “That’s freaking cool,” Calum says while reading over my shoulder. “Gran’s awesome.”

  We all smile and nod. She is.

  I scan a few of the headings and give the boys the highlights. “It says here we can create a natural hot spring, or a geyser, or seal the canopy with a fae membrane impervious to cold. Anyone have any preferences?”

  “Are we late?” Aiden joins us with his two kids. “I thought working on the grove might be a nice way to keep them involved.”

  I giggle. “And Kinu is at one of her ‘alone time’ classes, and you’ve run out of things to occupy them.”

  “Rude,” he complains.

  Dillan snorts and bumps knuckles with Jackson. “So, where is Kinu?”

  “Pottery. It’s glaze and fire day.”

  I hand Emmet the book and take Meggie from my oldest brother, then sit back in the basket swing and snuggle her. “Okay kids, the same rules apply here as they did in Gran’s and Granda’s grove. We act nice, and we play nice.”

  “And I can touch the bunnies?” Jackson asks.

  “Do you see bunnies, buddy?” Aiden sets him in the wicker chair opposite mine.

  He points. “There’s one, and there’s one, and…that’s not a bunny, and that’s a birdy person.”

  Aiden looks at me, and I nod. “Yep. He sees them.”

  “Naturally?” Dillan looks put-out. “How? He only has his heritage spark. He hasn’t begun to develop his abilities.”

  I’m not sure if Aiden looks more proud or freaked out. “You’re sure?”

  Emmet backs me up. “He pointed right at Flopsy and Mopsy, and he knew Nilm was different, then pointed at Nyssa.” He scoops up one of our Ostara rabbits and has a few woodland words with him. At the end of the conversation, Emmet nods and sets him in Jackson’s lap in the wicker swing. “Mr. Bunny says you can pet him on his fur, but he doesn’t like people touching his wings. If you do that or if you’re not nice, he’s going to fly away and not let you touch him anymore.”

  Jackson nods and looks somber. “Promise. I be good boy.”

  “I’ll watch him,” Aiden says.

  “No, I’ll watch him.” Sloan sits in front of the swing. “I can see the animals so there’s that. And I can see if they’re getting stressed.”

  Emmet nods. “Okay, Sloan and Fi are watching the monkeys. The rest of us are winterizing this forest. I like the sound of a hot spring. Shall we vote?”

  I roll my eyes. “I hope fae aren’t easily shocked. I have a feeling our grove is about to become clothing optional.”

  An hour later, Da gets home from doing paperwork at the station, and the grove loses all interest for the kids. Aiden heads inside with them to help with hot chocolate with marshmallows all around, and I join the winterizing brigade.

  “How’s it going?”

  Pip climbs down from one of her favorite trees and holds her arms up.

  Pip and her mate Nilm are brunaidh, or brownies, and are similar in size and body to a two-year-old child. Except they have wide-globe eyes and antennae that bob when they walk. “Are you getting warmer, sweet girl?”

  She chatters something to Emmet, and he responds. Pip grins and presses my cheeks together while chattering happily.

  “She says for you to feel how toasty warm her hands are. Yes, they are very thankful to have heat and are blessed to have such a wonderful host family.” He laughs as she says something else and nods. “She wonders if we have any of those salty treats we brought out for movie night.”

  “Pretzels? No, sorry, sweetie. I don’t—”

  “Did somebody ask for pretzels?”

  The whole group tenses and I step to block any bravado about to be thrown around. “It’s fine, boys. This is Nikon.”

  “Your Greek threesome candidate?” Dillan eyes him up and down. “Not bad.”

  I facepalm and shift closer to Sloan. “I never said that.”

  Dillan chuckles. “I wasn’t talking about you, Fi. I meant Calum and Kev.”

  Okay, at least I’m not the only one blushing now.

  “You’re an ass, D.” Calum shakes his head and offers the newcomer his hand. “You’ll have to excuse my brother. We Cumhaills tend to omit the stage where we filter our first thought.”

  Nikon shakes his hand and smiles. “It’s what first drew me to your sister. In a room full of pompous asses and powerful people, she said all the things people kept to themselves.”

  I snort. “Most people find that rude and annoying.”

  “I’m not most people.” He tosses Emmet two bags of pretzels. Then his interest moves from me to Sloan and his smile broadens. “You must be the boyfriend. Fi mentioned you were tall, dark, and handsome.”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  “Well, you thought it.”

  “As you pilfered through my mind.”

  “I was bored, and you were the only bright and shiny thing in the room. And, I didn’t pilfer. Your thoughts for him are front and center.”

  “And yet, ye still made yer offer to hook up,” Sloan challenges.

  He chuckles. “No. It was when I brought up having some fun that her mind flipped solidly to you. I didn’t have a chance. Sorry. After thousands of years, my social skills have suffered. I asked, and she promptly declined. Then we moved on to solving a few of life’s injustices.”

  True story. “Is that why you’re here? You heard about what happened at the druid stones?”

  He surveys the crowd and seems hesitant. “Yeah. The Guild is in a tizzy about Droghun and what happened.”

  I wave away his concern. “It’s cool. My brothers know we were co-conspirators and hexed the altar stone. Apparently, I’m easy to read.”

  His brow pinches. “Didn’t you say your whole family works for the police department?”

  Dillan chuckles. “There is the law, and then there is justice. Seriously, an eye for an eye spell won’t get you in trouble here. Especially when the dead guy was obvi about to slit someone else’s throat.”

  Nikon assesses the rest of them and nods. “So, it worked as you wanted?”

  “Yeah. I doubt anyone will be volunteering to run a sacrificial ritual at the stones anytime soon.”

  “Mischief managed.” He holds up his palm, and I can’t leave him hanging. I slap him a high-five even at the risk of earning me a scowl from Sloan.

  “Kids,” Da shouts from the back porch of the house. “Get yer asses in here and join the hunt. Jackson’s run off with the marshmallows again. If ye don’t find him, there’ll be none left for ye.”

  Emmet, Callum, and Dillan take off like a shot.

  Sloan folds the blanket and places it back into the swing seat. When he straightens, he gestures toward the house. “Shall we? There’s hot cocoa gettin’ cold.”

  I meet his gaze to double-check. “Yeah? You’re okay with Nikon joining in?”

  He offers Nikon his hand. “I can’t blame any man for floatin’ the idea by ye. Like he said, he asked, and ye promptly declined. End. Of.”

  I slide in for a hug and kiss his cheek. “Point for you, Mackenzie.”

  He squeezes me in a side hug and gestures toward the house. “The way I figure it Nikon, after two thousand years, ye might even be ready for an afternoon with her family.”

  I snort. “True story. A Cumhaill event is not for the faint of heart.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  My family makes me proud, as always. They welcome Nikon in, and the hilarity ensues over hot chocolate and Baileys, the latter growing in steadily heavier pours as the afternoon passes. Aiden takes the kids home after Kinu’s pottery class, Dillan and Emmet head upstairs to get a few hours of sleep before they start nights, and Kevin swings by to pick up Calum for their Saturday af
ternoon plans.

  “This was fun,” Nikon says a couple of hours later. He stands and eases around where Bruin takes up most of the floor. “Thank you for including me.”

  I’m more than a little bloaty from chocolaty bliss, and I have a lovely, warm spin going on in my head. Whatevs. “S’all good. You stood up well under the Cumhaill scrutiny. You should be proud.”

  Nikon laughs but then sobers. “No. Seriously, Red. This was the most fun I’ve had in centuries.”

  I hug him and smile. “Anytime you need a dose of loud, nosy, and inappropriate, pop over. We’ve got you covered.”

  He nods, and fist bumps Sloan. “Thanks again, Irish.”

  Sloan dips his chin. “Good to meet ye.”

  Unlike how Sloan poofs out when he portals, Nikon kinda snaps out. It’s like the air snaps its fingers and in the wake of the crack of the noise, he’s gone.

  “Alone at last.” I flop on the couch.

  Sloan sits with me, and I lay my feet on the coffee table and lace my fingers with his. “You did good, Surly. Thanks for always being the better man.”

  He squeezes my fingers and brings my knuckles to his kiss. “It’s easy. Yer the most loyal and honest person I’ve ever met. I trust that ye’ll tell me if and when there’s something I need to know about other men makin’ advances. Ye said Nikon’s a good guy, and he obviously is. Yer first impression of people hasn’t been wrong yet.”

  I let my head fall back and stare at the painted tin on the ceiling. “What time is it?”

  “Almost five. Should we think about dinner?”

  “I’m not hungry. Are you?”

  He laughs. “Hardly. We’ve done nothing but fill our faces all day.”

  “True story.”

  The ring of my doorbell has me sitting up. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  Sloan laughs. “This is your house. Who would I be expecting?”

  “Good point. Okay, I’ll get it.”

  Bruin dematerializes from where he’s lounging on the floor and flutters in my chest as he settles. I pat my sternum and head for the door. When I open up, Anyx is standing on my porch. “Miss Cumhaill. If you’re free, Garnet Grant would like to see you.”