The wraith reached out, red talons flashing in the waning sun, and I cringed when I saw the white fingers reaching for me. To my surprise, the wraith didn’t touch me, though. Instead it grabbed Fontaine’s arm.
Fontaine groaned as the wraith started to drain him.
“Aisling Grimlock must not be touched,” the wraith hissed. “She’s not for you. She’s not for us.”
“Let me go,” Fontaine screeched. “Let me go.”
“Aisling Grimlock must not be touched,” the wraith repeated.
Fontaine shrugged off the wraith, his face ashen as he regarded me. “Fine.” He mustered whatever remnants of strength he had, and then he threw me. I shot out of his arms and slammed into a nearby car, my head snapping back as bright light flashed behind my eyes. The pain was overwhelming.
Uh-oh. This wasn’t good.
Twenty-Eight
“Baby, look at me.”
I shook my head, forcing the sparkly cobwebs to recede. I hadn’t lost consciousness, which was a nice change from some of my previous interactions with wraiths. My back was on fire, though, and I knew it was going to be a mess for days.
Griffin kneeled in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me.”
“Is she all right?”
“I think she’s coming back to me,” Griffin said, his eyes dark as he studied me. “Aisling, please look at me.”
“I’m okay,” I murmured.
I felt gentle hands moving across my hair. “Did you hit your head?”
“No.”
“Did you break any bones?”
“No.”
“What hurts?”
I finally focused all of my attention on Griffin. “Does my pride count?”
“Sure,” Griffin said, forcing a thin smile onto his handsome face. “What else hurts?”
“My back.”
“It’s not broken, is it?” Jerry asked, appearing behind Griffin and wringing his hands. “Don’t worry if it is. I can totally trick out a wheelchair.”
“It’s not broken,” I growled. “It’s just … hot.”
“Hot?” Aidan was holding his shoulder, but my injuries were affecting him more than his own. “Can you lean forward and let me look?”
“Sure.” I started to move. “Ow. Ow. Ow!”
Griffin pressed his forehead to mine as he waited for Aidan to run his hands over my back.
“I think she’s okay,” he said, eliciting a relieved sigh from Griffin. “She’s probably not going to be able to walk tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I just need to walk it off now.”
Griffin arched an eyebrow. “You’re going to walk it off? Do you know how far he threw you?”
Memories flooded in. “Wait. Where is Fontaine?”
“He ran,” Aidan said.
“What about the wraith?”
“Is that what that was?” Jerry asked. “I couldn’t figure it out.”
“What did you think it was?” Griffin asked, annoyed.
“I don’t know,” Jerry said. “People wear odd things. Grief can do horrible things to a person. I figured it was someone in mourning.”
“You need to be quiet for a few minutes,” Griffin ordered.
“Hey, I’m traumatized here.” Jerry’s voice was shrill.
“I will beat you,” Griffin said.
Aidan motioned for Jerry to take a step back. “You’re not helping,” he said. “I know you’re upset. I’ll make you feel better later. We need to get Aisling up and out of here. We got lucky no one saw us fighting. We can’t press our luck.”
Griffin reached down, shifting a hand under my rear and lifting with his legs. “I’ve got her.”
Aidan was impressed. “Do you work out?”
Griffin chuckled, the sound hoarse. “Yeah.”
“We should go to the gym together sometime. I mean … if you want to.”
“I … okay.” Griffin seemed surprised, but also relieved. “That sounds like something we can do without killing each other.”
“It’s a start,” Aidan agreed.
I rested my head against Griffin’s shoulder. “I’m going to start going to the gym. I’m in terrible shape.”
“You’re going to bed,” Griffin said. “In fact, I think maybe we should take you to the hospital just to have you checked out.”
Jerry pointed to the building behind us. “We’re at the hospital.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I just need a hot bath.”
“With bubbles,” Jerry said.
“With bubbles,” I agreed.
“And ice cream,” Jerry added.
“Definitely ice cream.”
“I will buy you a whole truck of ice cream,” Griffin said, kissing my cheek. “In fact, if you want anything extravagant, now would be the time to put in your request.”
“Ask for a pony,” Jerry prodded.
“I just want a bath and ice cream,” I said.
“I want a pony,” Jerry said.
“I think the bath and ice cream is all I can handle tonight.”
“You’ve got it,” Griffin said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“ARE you sure you’re okay?” Aidan was gentle as he settled on the couch next to me.
“Yeah. I’m just going to be sore. I’m betting you will be, too. He threw you with more force than he threw me.”
“Yeah, that whole wraith thing was a surprise,” Aidan agreed, putting his arm around my shoulders. “It was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it. My ears were ringing.”
“It kept saying that I couldn’t be touched.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing,” Aidan said. “On one hand, I’m glad they don’t want to touch you. On the other, that means they have something else in mind for you.”
“Fontaine didn’t seem surprised to see it,” I said, resting my head against Aidan’s shoulder. “He seemed surprised it dared touch him, but not to see it.”
“They have to be working together,” Aidan said.
“That means all of our assumptions were wrong.”
“I know,” Aidan said. “I’m going to have to call Dad. You know that, right?”
“Yeah. He’s expecting us to deliver the soul.”
“Do you still have it? I figured Fontaine took it from you.”
“It’s in my pocket. I’ll get it out when I take my bath. I can’t stand right now.”
Aidan pressed his cheek to my forehead. “You should have given it to him.”
“No way.”
“It’s like when a mugger tries to steal your purse, Ais,” he said. “You don’t fight. You just give it to him. Nothing is worth losing you.”
“I am not purposely losing to Fontaine,” I said. “It’s just not going to happen.”
“You’re a stubborn fool.”
“I know.”
“I need to call someone to come and pick up the soul,” Aidan said. “If I don’t, one of them is going to show up. I’d rather have Redmond or Braden here than Dad.”
“Dad won’t come here,” I said. “The last time he did, there was a bunch of underwear hanging over the shower door in the bathroom and he freaked out because he thought it was mine.”
“Was it Jerry’s?” I could feel Aidan’s smile against my temple.
“You know how he is about his delicates.”
“I do indeed.”
“When I explained that to Dad, it only made things worse.”
Aidan chuckled. “I’m sorry I missed it.”
Griffin stood in the door between my bedroom and the living room watching us when I glanced up. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, his eyes soft.
I felt Aidan shift next to me. “I suppose I should relinquish my spot.”
“You don’t have to,” Griffin said. “She looks … comfortable.”
“She is,” Aidan said. “I think she’ll be more comfortable with you.” It was hard for him to say, but he seemed earnest.
“You don’t have to … .”
“I know,” Aidan said. “It’s your … spot, though. You should probably take it. I need to make sure the pizza is taken care of and I have a call to make.”
“To your father?”
“To Redmond,” Aidan said. “I don’t think anyone needs to deal with Dad tonight.”
Aidan kept me upright until Griffin slid into the spot next to me. Once he was settled, he brushed my hair out of my face so he could study me, finally deciding I wasn’t going to die – or cry – in the next few minutes. “I would rather not deal with your father,” Griffin agreed. “He’s going to yell and I’m going to have to listen, because I deserve it.”
“How do you figure that?” Aidan asked, pulling his cellphone from his pocket.
“I shouldn’t have left her.”
“We had no way of knowing Fontaine would be there,” I protested.
“She’s right. It was a fluke,” Aidan said.
“No offense, but you guys seem to have a lot of flukes lately,” Griffin said. “I’ve known you for two months and she’s almost died three times.”
“Oh, let’s not get dramatic,” I said. “I didn’t almost die today.”
“It was close enough to scare me,” Griffin said. “That’s not even counting the time Aidan fought off the wraith to save you and you fought off the wraith to save Cillian.”
“We have been having a bad run,” Aidan acknowledged. “This honestly isn’t how it usually is.”
“You don’t have to apologize or make excuses,” Griffin said. “I’m not happy with what happened today, but I have no control over her job. We just have to come up with a better way to keep her protected.”
“Yeah … well, I’m a little worried about why the wraiths won’t touch her.”
“You guys know I’m in the room with you, right?”
“I do,” Griffin said, brushing his fingers against my cheek. “I also know we’re probably lucky you are. Something has to give here, and I’m guessing that’s Duke Fontaine.”
“I’ll call Redmond,” Aidan said. “We could use another mind to work through this. You’re not used to this and I’m not at my best.”
Jerry poked his head into the room. “That’s why you have me.”
Aidan smiled. “And Jerry is going to be too smart for all of us to keep up with.”
“When you call him, have him bring some Epsom salt,” Griffin said. “She’s going to need it for her bath.”
“I want a bubble bath,” I whined.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Griffin said, sighing. “Just … sit there and rest.”
“I still want a bubble bath.”
“You’re going to be the death of me. You know that, right?”
“I want a bubble bath.” What? If I’m ever going to get my own way, it’s today.
“Fine. You can have a bubble bath,” Griffin conceded.
I love winning.
“After you take a bath in the Epsom salt.”
Life just isn’t fair.
“HOW are you feeling, kid?” Redmond’s face was concerned as he floated into the living room.
“I’ve had pizza and PMS meds,” I said. “I’m … great.”
“PMS meds?”
“They help with pain,” Aidan said. “Did you bring the Epsom salt?”
Redmond shook the bag in his hand. “Has she eaten anything?”
“She ate two slices of pizza,” Griffin said. “Then we gave her the meds. Now I’m going to get her into a bath and put her to bed. She’s going to be sore as hell tomorrow.”
“That’s going to make work a delight,” I said.
“You’re not working for the next few days,” Redmond said.
“Dad won’t like that.”
“I don’t care,” Redmond said. “I’ll handle Dad.”
“How are you going to handle him without telling him what happened?”
“I have to tell him what happened, Ais,” Redmond said. “He has to know. Fontaine is his … .”
“Arch enemy,” I finished, resigned.
“He’s the Joker to his Batman,” Redmond agreed. “I’ll take care of telling him. I just need to get the particulars straight.”
Griffin glanced at Aidan. “You can do that, right? She’s about to conk out.”
“I’ve got it,” Aidan said. “Just … take care of her.”
“You might want to take a bath, too,” Griffin said. “You took a hard jolt. The only thing that saved you is that you were lower down on the car. You didn’t absorb the same impact she did.”
“And I weigh fifty pounds more than she does,” Aidan said.
“Fifty?” I think I’ve just been insulted.
“Sixty,” Aidan conceded.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Fine. Seventy. You’re pushing your luck, though.”
Redmond chuckled. “Well, I brought you another treat,” he said, digging into the bag. “Do you want this now or later?”
The pint of ice cream in his hand piqued my interest. “Is that Phish Food?”
“It’s still your favorite, isn’t it?”
“Oh, you’re the best brother ever,” I said, leaning forward to snatch the ice cream. The movement inadvertently caused me to whimper.
“Let me do that for you,” Griffin ordered, grabbing the ice cream from Redmond. He studied the container for a moment. “This is your favorite ice cream?”
“Other than Blue Moon,” Jerry said. “That’s the real way to her heart.”
“They didn’t have any of that,” Redmond said. “I looked. I figured this was just as good.”
“That is awesome,” I said.
“Well, how about this,” Griffin said. “I’ll get you in the bath, and when you’re done you can eat the ice cream in bed.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I want the ice cream now.”
“You need to get in the bath,” Griffin said. “You have no idea how much pain you’re going to be in tomorrow.”
“You have no idea how much pain I’m in now,” I countered. “I want that ice cream.”
“If I give you this ice cream now are you going to give me crap about the Epsom salt?”
“No.” That was a lie. I wanted bubbles.
“Are you lying to me?”
“Yes.”
Griffin rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Fine. Have your ice cream. I can’t argue with you. It’s too hard when you look like that. I can’t say no to you.”
Aidan smirked. “Welcome to the family.”
Twenty-Nine
“What’s on the agenda today?”
I found Aidan and Griffin sitting at the kitchen table, their heads bent together as they discussed something in low voices. It had been three days since our confrontation with Fontaine, and after a tense visit from my father – during which he insisted I come home so he could take care of me, a suggestion I quickly shot down, mind you – I felt markedly better this morning. I wasn’t a hundred percent, but I was well on my way to recovery.
Other than going to work, Griffin hadn’t left my side. He’d even insisted on Maya visiting me, and about a half hour after her arrival Cillian had conveniently shown up for a visit. One look at Jerry’s guilty face told me he placed the call. I’d expected Griffin to balk at the overt flirting, but he’d been friendly … and silent.
As far as Aidan and Griffin were concerned, they’d been pleasant and amiable with one another. After a long nap the previous afternoon, I’d found them watching baseball on the couch and arguing about whether or not the Detroit Tigers were going to make it to the playoffs. The swing between them had been sudden, but I welcomed it.
Jerry was having a harder time. He didn’t get sports and he certainly didn’t understand how Aidan and Griffin could waste an entire hour watching grown men run around bases. It baffled him, especially the unflattering socks, and I was worried his nose was going to be out of joint before long. For now, I couldn’t dwe
ll on it.
“Good morning, sweetie,” Griffin said, looking me over. “You look a lot better today.”
“She showered,” Aidan said.
I shot him a look. “I showered every day this week.”
“And then you slept on your hair when it was wet and woke up looking like Medusa.”
“I thought she looked cute,” Griffin said.
“Good. I took a few photos and posted them on Facebook,” Aidan said. “Between her sleeping with Cillian and her hair during the past few days, you’re her last chance to snag a man.”
“Oh, you two are just so funny,” I said. I stalked to the counter and poured a cup of coffee. “What’s on our list today?”
Aidan shifted in his chair. “There’s nothing on our list. I have two names on my list. You’re staying here.”
“I’m not staying here,” I argued. “I’m ready to work.”
“No, you’re not,” Griffin said. “Your range of motion is still limited, and since you’re a target you’re not wandering around and into danger.”
“Aidan hasn’t had one problem since I’ve been out of commission,” I protested.
Griffin raised an eyebrow. “Have you considered that’s because you weren’t with him?”
I faltered, the truth of his words leaving me cold. “Oh.”
“Don’t do that,” Griffin chided. “I can’t take that sad face you make.”
“Why do you think she’s so spoiled?” Aidan asked. “My father can’t take it either.”
“I can’t not work,” I said. “It’s not fair to you guys.”
“It’s fine,” Aidan said. “Right now, keeping you out of danger is our primary job. You’re safe here.”
“But … what am I supposed to do?”
“What have you been doing?”
“Sleeping and watching soap operas.”
Aidan sipped from his coffee and shrugged. “Do that.”
“I can’t do that again. I’ve peaked in the Soap Opera Olympics. It’s time for something new.”
“So, do something … girly.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Define girly.”
Aidan shifted his gaze to Griffin, silently pleading for help. He’d stepped into the middle of a minefield with no safe way to extricate himself with all of his limbs intact.
Grim Offerings (Aisling Grimlock Book 2) Page 21
