Chapter Twenty-One
Adrian Conroy sat on the bed of his temporary residence on Stonefire, staring at the letter Caitlin Todd had passed on to him from her son.
The letter from Elsie Day.
If his dragon wasn't still groggy from being drugged quiet, his beast would've demanded that he open the blasted letter and see what the human had to say.
Flicking his thumbnail against one corner of the envelope, he debated what to do. If the female wanted to see him, it would only encourage his dragon to pursue the human.
And for many reasons, Adrian couldn't do that. The least of which was the history between his family and hers. They might live in separate countries in the present—his family in Northern Ireland and hers in England—but the Days and Conroys had been neighbors before the Second World War.
His grandfather had even considered mating one of them before the betrayal.
No, Adrian needed to sever ties, which meant never reading the letter. Going to the kitchen, he lit the gas burner on the cooker and put the envelope to the fire. Once it caught, he tossed it into the sink and watched the flames consume the paper.
Whatever Elsie Day had wanted to tell him wouldn't change his mind.
Or, so he told himself.
Lorcan and Caitlin would be returning to Northcastle the next day. Adrian would join them, return to Northern Ireland, and never have to see the female again.
Because if he was alone with her pretty eyes and curves made to be held close, his fortitude might slip and he'd probably end up kissing her. That meant a mate-claim frenzy.
Which could never happen.
As soon as the flames died, he turned on the tap and washed away the ashes. As the last of them disappeared down the drain, he felt a sense of closure. Elsie Day wasn't to be his. Ever.
~~~
Brenna stood next to her father and brother, with Killian on her other side, and stared at the shroud-clad form of her mother on top of the pyre.
Some said that dragon-shifters had begun cremating their own since the eighteenth century to prevent humans from digging up the bodies for research. But no matter how it had started, the tradition was ingrained into the way of life. Cremating a loved one signaled the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Caitlin and Lorcan had asked to stay for the ceremony, and Caitlin had been given the task of singing the traditional dirge since Brenna's father couldn't do it, being the mourner. As Caitlin's soprano tones warbled the final notes, Brenna squeezed Killian's hand in hers. It was time.
As the eldest child, she had a duty to fulfill. Brenna released her mate's hand and marched over to Bram, who held an unlit torch. He held it up and said the traditional words, "Sharon Rossi may be departing the earth, but she will forever be a part of our clan, helping to nourish the trees watching over us all."
He flicked on a lighter and the torch soon blazed with life. As Brenna took it, she replied, "I shall also carry on her legacy, through blood and memory."
Since she had cried herself out over the last two days, Brenna took a deep breath and turned toward the pyre with a neutral expression.
She took a second to memorize the moment. The white shroud was embroidered with a large image of the Stonefire crest, which was a dragon clutching a shield and the two pieces of a broken sword. Surrounding the crest were roses, her mother's favorite flower. Every member of the clan had contributed at least one stitch to the design; appearance wasn't the most important. No, sending off a fallen clan member with haphazard designs meant little compared to the sense of clan and togetherness. It didn't matter that her mother had spent time away in Italy. She was Stonefire, always and forever.
Her dragon said softly, It's time.
Aware that the entire clan was watching her, Brenna kept her head high and shoulders back. Reaching the pyre, she sent one final silent I love you to her mother before lowering the torch to the wood stacked underneath the shrouded figure. Leaving the torch in the open space left for it, she stepped back to join her father. Caitlin began another song about how the fallen member wouldn't be forgotten as the flames licked and then consumed her mother's body.
Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and they stood for who knew how long, watching the dancing flames. They wouldn't stay the entire time since it would take hours for the pyre to fully burn and extinguish. But once the blaze roared, concealing her mother, Brenna looked up at her dad. "She has been honored."
Bram took the cue and raised his voice. "The commemoration continues in the great hall. We have mourned Sharon Rossi's passage and now will honor her memory with a celebration."
As members left, Caitlin sang one final song about fostering the next generation and taking care of one another when times turned tough.
Only when everyone but Brenna’s family and Bram had left did she take her little brother from her father and say, "We should go, too."
Her father stared at the flames. "I'll be along shortly. I want to sing one final song to Sharon alone."
Pushing past the emotion in her throat, Brenna nodded. "Find me when you're ready. I'll watch over Ethan until then."
Her father kissed her cheek, shook Bram's hand, and moved closer to the pyre.
At her father's silhouetted figure, tears threatened to fall again.
Her dragon spoke up. We must be strong for Ethan.
She glanced down at her brother and adjusted his blanket. I know, but sometimes sadness can't be contained that easily, no matter how much I wish I could do so.
Killian placed a hand on her back. "You did brilliantly, love."
Adjusting her brother in her arms, she leaned against Killian's side. "It's easier when you're older. I can only imagine how difficult it must've been for you and Teagan when you were children, at your father's mourning ceremony."
He grunted. "Yes and no. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry because I needed to be strong for my family."
"You weren't even ten at the time."
"That didn't matter to me. Without my dad or either of my grandfathers alive, it was up to me as the only male in the family to be strong and take care of my mother and sister."
She smiled. "Even at that age, I'm sure Teagan didn't take that well."
"No. I suspect that if it had been any other circumstance, she would've challenged me and won. However, she took dad's death even harder than me. It took years for her to smile again." He lightly caressed her cheek. "But this circumstance is different. You have me. And even if it means allowing Blue to take charge to charm you, I want to make our lives from here on out happier. That doesn't mean forgetting your mother, but there are other ways to honor someone than with tears."
Her dragon spoke up again. He's right. Protecting Stonefire means protecting everyone we love. Mum would've approved of that, I think.
If what Dad said is correct, about her being proud, then I think so, too.
Glancing down at her brother's sleeping face, she wished she could just kiss Killian and enjoy the celebration being held in her mother's memory.
However, that would be the coward's way of handling things. There was one remaining thing she needed to tell Killian before making any sort of plans with him.
The hard part was that it might drive him away.
No. She'd put it off long enough.
So, she mustered the courage to say what she'd been trying to say for the last two days. "I know that previously I wanted to return to Glenlough, but I can't do that anymore." She looked up at Killian. "My brother and father need me here. I understand if that's too much to ask, giving up your family and everything you've known, and that you'd rather go back to Ireland."
He frowned. "Why would I go back to Glenlough without you? You're my future, Brenna. I thought we were supposed to decide it together?"
"You may regret staying here."
He stopped and gently took hold of her shoulders. "Why? Because I can be treated as I am now, with two dragon personalities and no past to tie me down? If anything, it's a sort of blessing. I'll miss my sister and I hope we can visit her often, but Glenlough is her home and future. Stonefire is mine."
She held her breath and tried to spot if he were putting on a show for her.
But there was only truth and love in his eyes.
Releasing her breath, she whispered, "Oh, Killian."
He cupped her cheek. "It's the truth. And if being with you wasn't enough of a reason, then know that Black and Blue have grown fond of Tristan and Dr. Sid, too. Even without a cure of sorts to ensure I don't have any more episodes, I think I have the best chance at being the male you deserve here, on Stonefire."
"You are the male I deserve, and maybe more than that."
He smiled. "I'm not going to argue about who is more deserving than whom. How about we just agree to talk about any decisions related to our lives, so that we can forge a stronger future together?"
"I like the sound of that."
"Right, then open communication, no matter the topic. And let me start by saying how much I love you, Brenna Rossi."
"At least you didn't start a contest about loving me more than vice versa."
"Brenna," he growled.
At his tone and grumpy expression, she did something she hadn't done in days—she laughed.
His frown vanished at the sound. "I've missed that laugh. I hope it's the first in a long string of them to come."
"Maybe. It depends if you're amusing or not."
"You don't want to issue a challenge with me, Brenna."
"Don't I? Dragon-shifter males like challenges. It's even better when I best them at said challenges."
He moved his face closer to hers. "Then you'll like this challenge—let's see how we can help make our future the happiest it can be from here on out."
"That's one I can get on board with."
"Well, after everything we've both gone through, I think a happy future is well deserved."
Her brother squirmed a little, telling her he would wake up in the next few minutes. "Then kiss me quickly to start it because Ethan is going to need to be fed soon."
Her mate complied, slowly taking her lips and lingering as long as possible. Only when Ethan gave his first cry did he pull away.
Brenna and Killian picked up their pace and reached the great hall as soon as they could. She had a bottle warmed for her brother in short order and sat at the side of the room, with Killian next to her.
As she leaned against her mate, watching her brother eat heartily and taking comfort from the sounds of her clan members all around them, Brenna was optimistic. She may not have thought Stonefire was where she belonged, but now she couldn't imagine being anywhere else. She'd always treasure her time in Ireland, especially as she'd learned so much from Teagan and had met Killian there, but Stonefire was her future. And she was going to do whatever it took to protect her clan, her mate, and her family to give everyone the happy ending they deserved.