Page 29

CHAPTER 29

F ionola’s hand on Patrick’s chest brought him back to his physical form. Shouts from the cottage sought his notice, but he only had eyes for her, as she did for him.

“How did you know I was here and cloaked? And how did you break through my ward?”

“Noah figured it out. He felt your energy.” She smiled as she stroked his jaw. “As for the ward, you left it open for those who love ya, Paddy O.”

“And you instinctively knew that, did ya?” he asked dryly, dipping his knees to accept her sweet, lingering kiss.

“Not if I’m being honest. Fintan told me just as I approached ya.”

The door to the Bohannon home swung open, and Tadhg charged out.

“What happened in there?” she asked as she shifted to put herself in front of him, prepared to face off against her bullheaded brother.

“He stabbed me in the heart.”

She gasped but didn’t turn around, likely already guessing Patrick had astral projected into their kitchen.

“The bastard,” she muttered under her breath, causing him to huff out a laugh.

“Don’t be too hard on him, love. Remember, he went through hell.”

“As did you,” she reminded him over her shoulder. “But you’re not stabbing people in the chest, are ya?”

He opened his mouth to say he wasn’t above it, but Noah and Fintan joined them, creating a protective wall in front of him. The immediate realization that he’d acquired friends floored him. Patrick’s entire life had been a one-man journey. Him against the world. Yet they were all willing to confront a self-righteous prick who was justified in his anger.

Gripping Fionola by the shoulders, he moved her behind him. “I’ll not have you fight my battles, Fi.” He held up a hand. “Before you think I’m being a chauvinist, it has nothing to do with you being a woman—you’re fierce and capable—and everything to do with not putting someone I love in the middle of conflict.”

Her eyes softened.

“Feckin’ charmer.” Noah shook his head. “If only I’d thought to say it that way earlier, I’d have saved an elbow to the solar plexus.”

“You manhandled me, ya tool!” she retorted.

“You did what?” Patrick’s temper exploded, and he raised his fists in preparation to pummel Noah.

Fi dove between them. “Not like that!”

“Far enough, boyo.” Patrick threw up a hand and created an eight-foot wall of fire in front of the fast-approaching Tadhg, careful to only let the younger man feel the heat yet not get burned. It moved when he did, blocking his path. With his other hand, Patrick eased up Fionola’s chin and focused all his attention on her wary eyes. “Explain it, please, love.”

“The first time or the second?” Noah asked with a snort.

“Ya manhandled her twice ?” His rage was at a fever pitch, almost blinding him to the concern on Fi’s face.

“No!” She elbowed Noah.

“Make that three times.” He rubbed his midsection. “You may want to rethink a relationship with her. She’s bloodthirsty, to be sure.”

“Noah, I swear to the Goddess, if you don’t shut your gob?—”

The two of them continued to bicker and fight like a couple of Tom cats with their tails tied together.

Patrick laughed. “Never mind. I’ve the feeling you got the worst of it, Noah Riley.”

“You can believe it,” his once-rival agreed. “And for the record, it was only a hand over her mouth to keep her from screeching when she heard Tadhg order Clara to kill ya. I feared she’d bring them running.”

Fi’s eye roll was adorable as feck, and Patrick lost the fight to hide his grin.

“Speaking of, the man’s skin is scarlet. He’s going to have a full-blown stroke if ya don’t release him,” Fintan said.

“Aye, it’s time to cool him off,” Fionola replied, opening her palms and pulling moisture from the gathering clouds to douse the fire and her thick brother with it.

As he gasped in outrage, dripping and looking like a drowned street rat, Tadhg’s face grew redder still.

“He might suffer a stroke regardless,” Noah muttered. “I’m amazed he hasn’t, with Fi as his sister.”

“Sure, and if you want another elbow to the ribs, craic on,” she warned. Striding forward, she shoved her brother’s chest. “What were you thinking by stabbing the man, ya feckin’ eejit? On the day the Goddess was handing out brains, yours went missing!”

Crossing his arms, Patrick enjoyed the show.

“Jaysus, you’re a lucky man, O’Malley,” Noah said in a low voice. “She’s likely to beat him bloody on your behalf.”

“She’d do the same for you or anyone she cares about. That’s our Fi.”

“Ours? You sound like you’re willing to be sharing, and I know bleedin’ well you’re not. And also, she has a say. Her choice is plain.”

Patrick’s desire to laugh died as he watched her. Anu hadn’t said he could keep Fi and still make restitution. She’d said he’d become her consort, which meant he’d move on to a non-earthly plane, and he didn’t know how to proceed without offending the Goddess.

“Your heart is heavy, and worry is eating at you,” Noah said. “What am I missing?”

“I’ll explain it in due time.”

“You’ll explain it now. Fi has five more minutes of her rant left.”

With the understanding Noah knew her better, Patrick walked a short distance away from the siblings to avoid being overheard. When the other men joined him, he explained what Anu had decreed.

“Aye, and it’s a shame another can’t take your place, pretending to be you,” Fintan said when he’d finished.

“Who would want to?” he asked, doubtful anyone would willingly accept his punishment for him.

“You’ve seen the Goddess, yeah?” Fintan shook his hand out like it was hot. “She could make a man forget his own name, willingly.”

“Then you go.”

“Ack, no! I’ve my own fate to avoid.”

An unwitting laugh bubbled up, and Patrick stared at the Seer, waiting for an explanation.

None was provided.

“I’ll do it.”

They both looked at Noah in shock.

“I can take your place and pretend to be you for untold power.”

“Why would ya want to?” Patrick eyed him with suspicion. “Especially for me? For the power?” He snorted. “Trust me, it’s not all rainbows and kittens. And besides, your path to Fi will be clear when I’m gone.”

“I’ve my reasons for wanting more power, but they’re altruistic, to be sure.” Noah cast a sorrowful glance Fionola’s way. “I love her, aye, but Fi loves you . She deserves to be happy, and I’ll do what I can to make it happen. So, if it means takin’ your place, I’ll do it.”

“But I’ve got to be the one to make restitution. You’ve done nothing wrong, man.”

Patrick’s frustration was at an all-time high. He had less than twenty-four hours to tell Anu his intent.

“Talk to Fionola, O’Malley. Let her be part of your decision,” Noah advised. “And if you believe I can help, call me, yeah?”

With that, he teleported away.

When Patrick looked toward the Bohannon siblings, it was in time to see Fi punch her brother square in the face. His brows shot up.

“Noah’s going to be sad he missed it,” he told Fintan.

“Aye, it was grand, it was.”

“Mam promised no more hitmen.” Fi placed two cups of steaming tea in front of Patrick’s whiskey bottle and settled onto his lap. “We’ll need to keep an eye on Tadhg for a bit, but he’ll cool down eventually,” she added after pouring a shot into each of their mugs and handing him one. “He’s always been high strung."

“How are your knuckles?” He hid a grin behind his first sip.

“Grand, after ya healed them.” She examined her hand. “I knew Tadhg had a hard head, but I didn’t realize the rest of his face was like granite.”

Patrick laughed.

“I suppose now’s the time for you to tell the truth of it, Paddy O.” She turned somber eyes on him as she lifted her drink and sipped it. “Why did you pack and move your things here.”

They’d relocated to Patrick’s Galway flat to discuss their future, or lack thereof.

“Anu assured me the Witches’ Council will look the other way, given the circumstances. She also gave me a choice, and I’ve got to do the right thing, Fi.”

“What choice?”

“Become her consort to make restitution for what I’ve done. Or not.”

Although she paled and her mouth tightened, Fi didn’t react in any other way. “What punishment is attached to the ‘or not’ part of this?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t imagine it’s good.”

“Ya didn’t ask?” She jumped up and slammed her mug on the counter, whirling to glare at him. “What kind of bleedin’ eejit doesn’t ask?”

“I was too torn up at the idea of losing you,” he retorted hotly as he surged to his feet. “Was I supposed to be weighing all the options when my heart was being torn from my chest?”

“Yes!” Her expression softened, and she patted his chest. “Yes, love, you were. You can’t make an informed decision without all the facts.”

“It doesn’t matter, Fi. I have to help those I’ve wronged.”

“And how will you help them?”

“With the power she gifts to me. I’ll be able to remove their pain.”

Fionola shook her head and cupped his jaw. “We are the sum total of our experiences and the pain associated with it. You can’t expect to take that away without removing their memories. Who will agree to having it done?”

“No, I’ll give them a choice. I can ease their suffering like I was tasked to do.”

A frown drew her brows together, and her troubled blue eyes turned thoughtful. “If you were given the assignment at the beginning, don’t you possess the power to achieve it? Why do you need more?”

The remembered sensation of bashing his head against the wall struck him, and he stared at her in wonder. Why hadn’t he come to the same conclusion?

He didn’t realize he’d asked it aloud until she responded.

“You’re too close to the problem. Sometimes it obscures the solution.”

“Do you think it’s as simple as me completing the first assignment?” he asked with a stunned shake of his head.

“Would it hurt to summon her and ask? Why does she want a man in love with another to become her consort? There’s no offense intended here, Paddy O, but if she’s not particular about the fact, why not choose the likes of Ronan O’Connor with his fine face and grand?—”

Patrick pressed his palm over her mouth. “Don’t finish that statement if you want to remain in a relationship with me. It’s not that I can’t agree. The man has a fine face and grand body, but I’ll always be wondering if you prefer him.”

Peeling his hand away and placing it on her shapely ass, Fi winked. “I’ll state it plain, Patrick O’Malley, and you need to hear me. Commit it to memory, too.” She cradled his face. “I love you. I want you. Only you. And I’ve not fantasized about another while in your bed, nor will I. You’re the one for me if you’ll have me.”

His grin started and widened with every point she hammered home. Gripping her ass cheek, he drew her against his full length, allowing her to feel the desire he felt for her that was never far from the surface. “Those words are the most welcome to reach my ears, Fionola Bohannon.”

“And?”

He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “And I love you. I want you. Only you. I’m not fantasizing about another while you’re in my bed, nor will I. You’re the one for me if you always want me.”

She grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “That sounds like you’ve committed. What are you going to tell Anu now that she has to replace you as her companion?”

Sunlight flooded the room, bathing them in its warmth.

“I think she’s fine with it,” he said with sudden certainty.

The choice was simple. It always had been, and it appeared Anu merely wanted Patrick to recognize the gift she’d given him.

Hugging Fionola tightly to his chest, he raised his eyes skyward.

“Thank you, Exalted One,” he said silently.

“You’re welcome, Beloved.”

The fragrant smell of clean ocean air drifted to him through the open window, and peace filled him, making him feel truly whole for the first time in forever.

Another realization hit him.

The Goddess had been watching over him all along.