Chapter Twenty-One
Ava
Savannah and I argued for maybe the third time in our decade long friendship.
“He was practically out of his mind,” she hissed. “He didn’t know who you were. He didn’t even know who he was! You can’t be alone in a room with him until we’re sure that he’s back to normal.”
I bit back a sigh. The anxiety was rolling off Savannah in waves and her fingertips were sparking. Rhys watched our argument with his arms crossed over his chest, ready to intervene should she lose control of her newfound powers. After the binding spell, Savannah’s body was having some interesting reactions, the first being that she now shared Rhys’ ability to manifest electrical currents. She also fried electronic devices within a five-foot radius, so Kerry made her an amulet similar to the one she’d made for Rhys. It made it possible for them to use cell phones, laptops, and other devices without frying the circuits.
“Whether he remembers me or not, he’ll be calmer if I’m the only other person in the room,” I shot back.
She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked one hip. “So he didn’t nearly rip your throat out earlier?”
I sighed at her exaggeration. “No, he didn’t. He definitely wasn’t himself and he did seem a little more…fanged than usual, but he controlled himself and he didn’t hurt me.”
“But he’s an echo, or whatever it’s called!” she cried, waving a hand in the air. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
It was dangerous. He was dangerous. Echoes were able to “borrow” a witch’s ability. Some for just a short time and others for the rest of their existence. The length of the borrowing depended on the Echo’s level of power. The stronger they were, the longer they could hold the power.
Then again, borrowing probably wasn’t the exact word. The witch they echoed wouldn’t lose any of their strength or abilities. They never knew they’d been touched by an Echo most of the time.
The Echo’s powers seemed to learn and adapt based on the witch they copied. Almost as though the magic was a sentient being that recognized the power and imitated it perfectly. Like a chameleon blending into the background, the Echo’s power blended with whatever magic surrounded it. It was the ultimate magical defense mechanism.
Over the centuries, witches had slowly eradicated Echoes. Or at least sent most of them into hiding. The community didn’t believe they could be trusted. Something about absolute power corrupting absolutely. I often thought it was preposterous. No witch, even an Echo, could gain absolute control over magic. And even if they were able to, their power didn’t dictate the way they wielded their abilities.
Light or dark, the powers used by any witch were determined by their choices.
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted.
Savannah looked at me as though she wanted to thump me on the back of the head. Then she turned to Rhys, who lifted his hands in mock surrender.
“I’m not getting involved. Ava is older than me and stronger than me. If she says she can handle the vampire if he gets fresh again, I believe her.”
“Fresh?” Savannah asked. “What is this the 1950’s?”
Rhys shot her a look that promised retribution for that remark.
Before they could get into an argument of their own and gallivant off for the subsequent make-up sex, I lifted a hand to get Savannah’s attention.
“I will be perfectly safe with Macgrath. He’s still asleep and likely will be for a while. If he’s not…back to normal when he wakes up, I’ll call out for you, okay?”
She stared at me for a long moment and must have realized that I’d relented as much as I intended to because she nodded. “Fine.”
“C’mon, Savannah, we should get a bit more sleep,” Rhys stated, reaching a hand out for hers. When she took it, his face softened in an affectionate smile. “You’ve had a big change today and I don’t want you to have any problems.”
Savannah sighed but didn’t argue as she followed him back down the hall to the guest room. I watched them go, wrapping my arms around my waist.
As soon as they vanished from sight, I released a long breath and leaned back against the door to Macgrath’s room. Scrubbing my hands over my face, I tried to encourage my sluggish brain to move.
For the first time in many years, I wasn’t sure what my next step should be.
I always had a plan. A plan for my plan. A contingency for my contingency.
But now I was winging it. There were too many variables and too many emotions. I knew nothing of my past or Macgrath’s, and it was the same for him.
We were strangers to each other and, in many ways, ourselves.
When I lowered my hands, Kerry stood before me, her face gentle and encouraging.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing,” she stated.
“Am I?” I mused.
She nodded. “You and I both know that fate has something in store for the two of you.”
I considered her for a long moment. “Perhaps, but fate also needs to understand that we have our own free will.”
Kerry grinned, her eyes twinkling. “That may be true, but your free will usually brings you back to fate’s way of thinking.”
I barked a harsh laugh. She wasn’t wrong, but she also wasn’t correct. I didn’t want to debate it at the moment though. I truly wanted sleep, but I would have to stay awake until Macgrath opened his eyes once more.
And I could only hope that he would be back to his obnoxiously protective self.
“We’re going to bed,” Kerry continued. “If you need us, call out. Finn’s a light sleeper and he’ll be there in a flash if there’s a problem.”
“I will,” I promised.
She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Try not to worry too much,” she assured me. “Everything will work out in the end.”
I assumed she was talking about Rhiannon, so I nodded because I was extremely confident this would end with Rhiannon dead. It was the only safe resolution for everyone in this house.
“Goodnight, Kerry, Finn,” I bid them as they nodded at me. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
They too disappeared into their room, leaving me standing in the hallway alone.
I faced the doorway at my back and scrubbed my hands over my face one last time. I had to stay awake for an hour or two at least. Just long enough for the sleeping spell to wear off.
And I could only pray to the Goddess that whatever strange amnesia had Macgrath in its grip wasn’t deadly. For either of us.
I turned the knob and tried to enter the room silently.
I shouldn’t have bothered because Macgrath sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands.
I moved toward the mattress, hesitating at the end. I wanted to speak to him but I wasn’t sure who I was talking to. If he was Alaunus, he would be angry that I called him by another man’s name. If he was Macgrath and he didn’t know who Alaunus was, then he wouldn’t believe me.
I knew he heard me based on the thin thread of tension that ran through his body as I approached the bed.
At last, he turned and watched me walk the last few steps. I clasped my hands in front of me and looked at him, waiting to see if he would speak first.
Which he did.
“I am so sorry,” he murmured, his voice little more than a light sigh. I wasn’t even sure I’d heard him at first, until he spoke again. “I’m so damn sorry.”
He faced me then, his expression tortured. I knew immediately that I was speaking to Macgrath. His eyes were full of regret, but still guarded. Alaunus hadn’t hesitated to show me everything he was thinking or feeling. He looked at me the way Macgrath did in my dreams. Or maybe it was Alaunus I dreamed of. Somewhat dazed by the sudden realization, I took a deep breath. How could I dream of Alaunus?
And who was Alaunus? I had my suspicions that Alaunus was who Macgrath had been before he was cursed. The idea had lingered in the back of my mind since I’d cast the spell to send him to sleep earlier.
“I know you’re angry,” he continued, turning his back to me once again.
I shook my head and opened my mouth to speak, but he didn’t see and he didn’t stop speaking.
“No. Don’t excuse me. Don’t give me all the reasons I was tired or overly stressed or not in control of myself. I’ve worked for centuries to make sure I always remain in control of myself at all time.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t harm you, right?”
I shook my head, once again parting my lips to talk to him, but he didn’t even pause.
“If that ever happens again, I need you to promise me that you will lock me up immediately. Don’t ever give me a chance to…to…” He couldn’t finish this sentence and my heart softened toward him even more.
Not long after I knocked him out with the sleeping spell, I’d come to the conclusion that Macgrath wasn’t Rhiannon’s Trojan horse. At least not willingly.
It was far more likely that Rhiannon was siphoning off his powers without his knowledge or permission and using them to get whatever she wanted.
Like a grimoire locked in a secret room in my house.
If she’d taken some of Macgrath’s ability, then she would be fully capable of echoing my magic and using it for herself.
So much for the magical equivalent of a DNA lock.
I wasn’t even sure I felt anger toward Macgrath for keeping his abilities a secret. I knew quite well what witches were capable of when they felt threatened by someone who was different or more powerful than they were.
Though Echoes were no longer hunted as they once had been, magic wielders of all leanings gave them a wide berth.
I had experienced the same avoidance tactics time and time again. My power might be renowned by witches, yes, but it was also envied.
I’d been thrice blessed by the Goddess, my magic stronger, adaptable, and more stable than any witch before or after me. While the power was a blessing, it was also a curse.
I was able to protect myself and the people I loved, but it made it difficult to create and maintain lasting relationships. Friendships and romantic attachments were few and far between in my life. It hurt to watch the humans I cared for age and eventually die when my own immortality kept me young and healthy century after century.
I’d grown accustomed to it, even told myself I preferred it that way, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t face loneliness from time to time.
“Ava?” he asked.
When my name fell from his lips, I loathed it for a moment. It sounded wrong and… unnatural. But it was the name I’d chosen for myself for the foreseeable future, so I needed to suck it up. I would choose something less similar to the name Kerry shared with me. Maybe Jennifer or Rebecca.
“Yes?” I answered him, no longer sure what I wanted to say.
When he appeared in front of me, I blinked as I tilted my head back to look into his face. My mind was stuck between my conversation with Macgrath and the concept that I was dreaming of Alaunus, and who Alaunus might be.
The floor seemed to shift beneath my feet. I couldn’t gather my whirling thoughts.
“What’s happening?” he asked, his voice low and concerned.
Suddenly, his features were in sharp focus. “Do you remember everything you said and did?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why, but the answer to that question felt important.
“Yes,” Macgrath answered. “I remember everything.”
Before he could apologize again, I kept speaking. “Do you know who Alaunus is?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t. I remember saying and doing those things, but I wasn’t in control.” He paused, his eyes searching my face. “My thoughts were not my own.”
“I have an idea about what happened,” I stated. Before I could finish my thought, I yawned, my eyes watering as I covered my mouth with a hand.
Macgrath smiled when I dropped my hand. “Whatever it is, it can wait until the morning.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “And it’s after midnight so it’s technically morning.”
He shook his head, took my hand in his, and guided me toward the bed. “We both need sleep. Whatever you’re thinking can wait until morning.” He didn’t give me a chance to argue. He stared down at me with shadowed eyes. “Lie down with me?”
I hesitated. It was a request rather than a demand and I couldn’t resist the combination of his deep voice and the sadness in his green and gold eyes.
“All right,” I agreed. “But we need to talk about this first thing in the morning,” I stated.
“We will,” he agreed.
I glanced down at my clothes. “I don’t suppose I have anything else to wear.”
“Kerry packed a few of Savannah’s things for you,” he replied, gesturing to the bag in the corner.
Though Savannah was taller and curvier than I was, I would take clean clothes over nothing at all.
I went to the bag and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of light cotton shorts. “Where’s the bathroom?” I asked.
He walked across the room, opened the door, and turned on the light.
“Thanks.” I scurried inside and shut the door, ready to change out of my grimy clothes.
To my surprise, I found a few toiletries sitting on the counter, unopened. A travel toothbrush and toothpaste sat next to the sink and a small bar of soap and tiny stick of deodorant were nearby.
I quickly changed clothes and made use of the toothbrush and paste, then quickly washed my face with the bar of soap.
Once I used the facilities and washed my hands, I exited the bathroom to find Macgrath lying in the bed, covered with a light blanket, and his hands stacked behind his head.
I tried not to be disappointed that he wore a t-shirt. I climbed into bed next to him and settled beneath the covers. I felt strange and slightly uncomfortable.
It had been a long time since I’d slept with a man I wasn’t also having sex with. Even then, it was easier to keep my distance if they went home.
Defenses were down during sleep and I never wanted to become accustomed to having another body to curl up against. Not with my life being as it was.
I closed my eyes and tried to relax, all too aware of the warmth of Macgrath’s body a scant foot away.
Suddenly, he turned and pulled me toward his body. After a brief flurry of movement, I found myself with my head resting on his shoulder, his arm winding beneath my neck and curving around me to rest on my hip. Unable to help myself, I bent my knee so my thigh crossed over his.
He grunted and I glanced up to see that his eyes were closed.
“Stop staring at me and go to sleep,” he murmured. “I’m tired.”
I bit back a smile and tilted my head back down. I snuggled a bit closer to Macgrath, lining my body up more comfortably. I could feel the warm, firm muscles beneath the t-shirt and shorts he wore and I settled into them, letting my body soften against his.
His hand lifted from my hip to my hair and began to slowly sift through the strands. I sighed at the sensation and threw my arm over his waist, holding him in place so he wouldn’t stop what he was doing.
I hadn’t experienced many perfect moments, even in all the centuries I’d lived, but this was definitely one of them.
I felt warm, safe, and peaceful.
I wanted to remain here, in this moment and in his arms, always.