by Sierra Rose
Mac’s eyes narrowed dangerously as his grandfather laughed. “Didn’t Gram teach you not to snoop?”
“Well, since you were always fond of it yourself as a lad, I thought it only fair,” Lorcan returned, stepping up to smile down at Maggie. “Boy got me in so much trouble with his Gran it wasn’t funny.”
“Oh, did he now?” Maggie wasn’t sure who this older man was but decided to play along.
Knowing it wouldn’t take much prompting to get his grandfather talking, Mac cut in. “Mary Margaret Cavanaugh, meet Lorcan Kerrigan, our maternal grandfather,” he introduced.
“I knew who the lass was, boyo,” Lorcan rolled his eyes then winked at Maggie. “Boy’s a bit slow, lass so you may have to…”
“Gramps, shut up!” Mac cut him off, seeing Ryan smirk and shooting his brother a look of warning. “Why are you here?”
Lorcan waved that away with a snort. “Your Gran is here so I thought I’d take the opportunity to see my grandsons and what all this fuss is about.”
The agile older man could read his grandsons easily and felt the tension between them. “Now, you three take yourselves to bed and let those rowdy lads outside with the guns protect the house. Fi and I will see to the magics.”
“No, I should redo the protection spell,” Kerry sighed; smiling at the short look he got, which reminded him of his mother. “Alright, I’ll check on Roarke and…”
“Lord but you lads got your Da’s hard-head,” Lorcan complained, shifting an exasperated look at Maggie. “My girl was stubborn as can be since she got that from Fi, but these five got that from Brenna and they also got Toryn’s hard-head.”
“Gee, thanks Gramps,” Ryan scowled at him, grinning at the scowl he got in return. “These two can fight with you but I’ve taken in way too much from Roarke tonight, so I’m crashing.”
Kerry was about to say something when that simple comment sank in, but a look from his grandfather had him staying silent as Ryan left the room. “Ry’s never been much of an empath.”
“He hasn’t been close enough to Roarke to be much help either,” Mac muttered, wincing as he felt the mild slap.
“He’s taken a lot tonight and you’ve both used too much power recently, so off to bed,” Lorcan shooed as Peter left to report to his leader. “Off with you before Fi starts yelling at me.”
Maggie couldn’t help but be amused at the wiry little man trying to physically move two grown men who were both a good foot or so taller than he was.
“C’mon, Doc let’s go,” she urged, laughing. “Let’s get you washed off and maybe I’ll tell you a story,” she offered, using the same bribe she often tried with one of her brother’s children.
“I’d take her up on that if I wasn’t so tired,” Mac yawned, shifting a final look back at his patient to be sure she was resting well before leaving the room.
Leaving Mac in Maggie’s hands, Kerry paused to look at his grandfather. “I can’t thank either of you enough for coming or…”
“You’re of our blood, Kerry,” Fiona spoke from beside him as she had come from checking on Ian. “You only had to ask sooner.”
Knowing this, Kerry nodded as he finally took his grandmother warmly into his arms, but something nagged him. “Did you… I mean…”
“Kathleen’s power was strong back then, plus the grief of losing Brenna,” Fiona had guessed what he was going to ask as she brushed a hand over his light hair. “Lorcan and I had no idea what she had done or what was being done to your brother.”
Lorcan Kerrigan’s light blue eyes seemed to darken in temper at that. “Had we known, that boy wouldn’t have spent a single night in that place,” he vowed, still angry over the abuse his grandson suffered and still suffered. “You should have let me deal with that treacherous…”
“Lorcan, that’s enough,” Fiona’s tone was mild but her eyes held a warning that she waited until Kerry had gone down the hall to speak of. “We don’t have to like or approve of what’s happened, but Kathleen Fitzgerald is still their grandmother.”
Huffing a little at that, he shook his head. “Maybe, but I doubt if she’s done yet.”
“I fear you‘re right,” Fiona sighed, feeling the house settle for the night.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The singing of his mother and his father’s laugh is what Roarke Fitzgerald woke up to, sitting up quickly and falling back as his head pounded.
Having been on the receiving end of hangovers, tranquilizers and sleeping aids, Roarke knew which one he’d been given and swore to make Ryan hurt the next time he saw him.
Looking around, he was surprised to see he was in his old room, but it was clear that the remodeling in here had been sparse. Mainly updated furniture, curtains, etc., but the memories still were clear if he thought about them.
Glancing at the clock told Roarke it was barely dawn so he doubted if any of his brothers were up yet, and a part of him wasn’t sure if he was ready to see them. But it was something else that drew his attention and fear.
“Calm her down, Mac,” Ryan was short-tempered since he hated being woken up at any time and especially if it was before the sun was even up fully.
“Kind of what I’m trying to do,” Mac shot back, sitting next to Jessica as she twisted in her sleep.
The girl had begun to move in her sleep an hour before and by the time Peter thought to get help, her fears had grown to the point where Mac was having a hard time.
“Her mind isn’t always open so calming her down isn’t like it is with someone else,” Mac complained, feeling her panic and pain grow as she struggled past the most recent memories. “New plan, mates?”
“She’s scared,” Roarke spoke quietly from the door, not stepping in since he didn’t want to scare his friend more with any fighting. “Jess gets like this when hurt real badly.”
Kerry looked between them, sensing the same thing but also sensed his brother’s unease again. “She’s closed herself off to us.”
“She needs you to do for her what she did for you after Athens,” Ryan spoke directly to his brother, seeing his eyes jerk.
“How did you…?” Roarke stared hard at Ryan, not understanding how his brother could know about that when only Jessica and Cam knew what he did.
Ryan had stretched out on a sofa in the room with his eyes half closed, but he looked at his younger brother from under his lashes, serious fully. “Because I was with Jessica the whole week and a half you were comatose,” he replied, not liking to admit that or to recall the emotions that dredged up. “I stayed with her as she talked to you, held your hand, and hoped you’d forgive her for letting you get hurt, and then when the doctors assured me you’d live, I paid a visit to the back-stabbing little traitor who blew your cover.”
Mac had turned to stare between his brothers even as Kerry’s mouth was thinning, a sure sign he didn’t like what he was hearing. Ian wondered which would speak first.
“I want medical records on you,” he told Roarke without a beat as he narrowed his gaze as if looking to see for himself.
“You never told me any of that, Ryan.” Kerry knew why even before his brother smirked.
Roarke still hadn’t stepped into the room but his gaze had lowered slightly as what his brother said penetrated. “It wasn’t her fault. I took the job and let my cover go in order to shield her,” he paused. “Why were you there?”
“Brat’s supposed to be smart but at times he’s an idiot,” Ryan muttered, sitting up on the sofa. “I was there because some group of racist Neo-Nazis decided to use my little brother as a guinea pig and despite it all, I loved you enough to know that no one but me gets to hurt you.
“Now get your bleedin’ ass in here and talk to the lass,” he finished with a growl, throwing Ian a look. “Don’t grin at me like that, lad.”
Still surprised, Roarke was hesitant until Jessica’s cry took them all by surprise and Mac found himself across the room.
“Well, her powers are working again,” Ian noticed, smiling at the dark look Mac
gave him. “You were worried if the spell that bound them was gone, right?”
“Shut up, Ian,” Mac growled as Kerry held out a hand to him but then stopped when they saw that Roarke had responded on instinct.
Seeing his brother shoved away in the girl’s panic, Roarke went with his heart and moved to the bed, sitting next to his friend and gently reaching for her hands.
“A gra, you’re safe,” he spoke softly, hoping she’d respond to his thoughts as well as his voice, but knowing his friend would be wary of their link since she’d been controlled so violently. “It’s Roarke.”
Jessica’s body jerked suddenly at his voice causing a frown to form on his handsome face.
“This is bad,” Mac murmured upon seeing the rapid flickers of images from the British girl. “When Sebastian first approached her…” closing his eyes, he shook his head. “That’s how he breached her defenses.”
Roarke had gone still when he also saw the flashes and felt her fear growing. “Damn.” He twisted to stare at his brothers. “How can I do anything when she’ll be afraid I’m another trick to hurt her?”
“She’ll be scared for awhile but Sebastian could fake the image and your voice, but he couldn’t have faked the feelings of the link you share with her,” Kerry replied, stepping closer to lay a reassuring hand on his younger brother’s shoulder. “Talk to her but let her feel you’re here.”
“Tell her what you told me last night, brat,” Ryan stated, meeting the wary gaze. “It’s time to let go of the fear and shame, Roarke. If you love her then fight for her or the bastard will have won because he knows she’s your greatest strength.”
Mac couldn’t help it as he stared at his brother. “Did you get replaced by an alien or something recently?”
“Shut up or I could tell the perky little reporter some other things about you,” Ryan countered, smirking.
Roarke had stopped listening to his brothers by this point and despite his nerves and angst, began focusing on his friend, letting his thoughts and emotions flow fully between them in a way he hadn’t before.
“It’s alright, luv,” he spoke carefully, keeping his voice even and not wanting the anger to show as he saw fully what the events of last night had caused. “You’re safe, and just ignore them. Kerry.”
Knowing what the younger man wanted, Kerry shot both Ryan and Mac a sharp look. “A little emotional support would help him,” he decided but knew they were just trying to relieve stress.
While Kerry dealt with their bickering siblings, Roarke knelt on the floor by the bed so he’d be closer to eye level with her, but his fingers were gently stroking her hair as he recalled Athens and his injuries.
He didn’t recall many of those but his biggest memory was waking in the hospital, and his first feeling and sound was hearing Jessica’s soft voice, feeling her hand on his face and knowing he was safe.
It was those feelings that he wanted to give the girl back but wasn’t sure if he could since it would be his face and voice she’d very nearly be afraid of.
“I love you so much, Jess,” he whispered, letting his head lean on the side of the bed and closing his eyes. “For so long when we were kids I adored you. Before Mum and Da died, I always thought you were so pretty, but knew Ry would bug me if any of them knew how I felt.
“After that all happened, you were the only thing that saved me. I would have bloody well died in Mayo if you hadn’t come that day. So many days or nights afterward when I wanted to die rather than face the memories, or knowing I could never go home or let those events hurt my family,” Roarke gently let his fingers run over her face and down to her fingers where he held her hand.
So involved in what he was doing, Roarke didn’t even notice that his brothers had fallen silent, or that his powers had activated so to cause a soft glow to surround the bed.
“We’ve been through so much and no matter what, you are always there when I need you to be even when I’m not the greatest to be around,” he continued, hearing Ryan snicker at that but he didn’t care by this point. He only wanted to see his friend’s blue eyes open.
“I know what Sebastian made you see, luv.” This time Roarke let his other hand rest on her cheek, feeling the wetness from tears she’d cried in her uneasy sleep. “I know what he did. I know he used my image, my voice and your trust of me to hurt you in the very way I said I’d never but I need you to hear me and I need you to trust me just one more time, a gra.”
Leaning up slowly, he lightly pressed his lips to her brow, then let his forehead rest against hers. “Wake up, muirnin (sweetheart) and let me take the pain.”
“Can he do that?” Ian whispered, knowing one didn’t have to be an empath to feel the emotions in that room.
Mac was considering while Kerry sighed. “Yes, but it’s more dangerous for Roarke since he’s always been too susceptible to strong emotions or wounds,” he explained, seeing that Mac also knew this. “If he were to take too much…”
“He’d hurt himself rather than help her,” Mac rolled his eyes, wondering how he’d gotten so many stubborn brothers.
Ryan had been watching more closely and saw his brother’s power was coming on stronger as the lights seemed to glitter and as always, Roarke’s eyes and face took on an almost ethereal look when he used them at this level. “Think it could be too late for those concerns,” he called.
“Roarke, be careful,” Mac warned, knowing why he was doing this. “I can heal Jess if you get her awake.”
“No. I left Jessie alone, I left her open to him and I hurt her, so I’ll do this,” Roarke replied, voice tight, as he didn’t want to admit the strain this was having on him.
Ian shook his head as he neared the bed. “You were lured outside which left Jessica alone, and that was what they had planned, Roarke,” he told his brother, seeing the strain. “Let Mac help.”
Roarke was about to speak when Jessica whimpered, twisting violently until her eyes snapped open, and looking around quickly while she struggled to sit up.
“Take it easy, luv,” Kerry spoke soothingly, seeing that her eyes had a cloudy sheen over them, she was rubbing at them, and he nudged Roarke’s arm.
Remembering that Sebastian had blinded her, Roarke gently took her fists away from her eyes and lightly ran his hand over them to ease any leftover effects.
When she jerked at the touch, he sighed and began to ease away. “She’s still scared, Kerry, and I don’t want to make it… What?”
Roarke looked down when he felt her make a grasp for his arm. “Jessica?” he made no further moves to touch her, just waited.
Still frightened and uncertain, the girl fought to clear her vision so she could see and also to clear her inner vision so she could be certain if what she did see was correct.
She had begun to wake up and was instantly overwhelmed with the memories of last night and the pain in her upper chest. The voices and thoughts near her were familiar and didn’t cause the same bad feelings, but it wasn’t until she had heard Roarke’s voice and thoughts that she had come around more, but she also felt his darker thoughts.
When she felt him start to move away, her first instinct was to latch on, needing his presence most of all, but was still too weak and scared from the aftereffects of Sebastian’s spells to do more than try to grasp his arm.
“Give her time, brat,” Ryan urged, knowing they all had doubts to the extent of her injuries at the wizard’s hands.
Wanting to hold her but afraid to rush it, Roarke just took Jessica’s hands in both of his and held on as tight as he dared right then. “I’m here, Jess,” he promised, fighting to keep his voice from breaking as he watched her eyes slowly refocus and lock on his. “We’re here with you.”
“I doubt if she really cares about that right about now,” Ryan muttered, wincing as Mac threw a hard elbow back to his ribs.
“Let’s leave them alone for a minute,” Kerry decided, placing a hand on his brother’s neck to reassure him and felt him nod.
Ne
ither Mac nor Ryan seemed to like that plan, but Ian had leaned out the door and blinked. “Mac, did you know our grandfather is telling Maggie about changing your diapers?”
A low growl came before Mac bolted from the bedroom and Ryan snickered. “Yep, this should be fun,” he paused to lean down to whisper something to his brother.
“I know, Ry,” Roarke murmured, and then his full attention was on his friend who still seemed so pale and edgy to him.
A strained silence filled the bedroom for a long while as he just looked and felt. His own emotions going through a varying range of changes until finally he was satisfied both his tone and emotions were in control.
“God, I am so sorry,” he whispered, still on his knees by the bed, and he just brought her hands to his lips, holding them there as he held her eyes. “I knew telling you how I felt would place you more at risk but I couldn’t have… I mean… this shouldn’t have… God.”
“…Roarke...” her soft accent strained but just hearing her voice made some of the unease in his gut smooth. “Not your… fault.”
Jessica still labored to breathe right due to the trauma but she could feel his emotions and knew what he was doing to himself and had done for her.
“The son of a bitch made you see me.” That was his biggest issue, but something else tugged though he was afraid to ask. “Did… did you think it was me, luv?”
“Maybe for a few seconds, I did,” she replied quietly, watching him turn her one hand over in his. “The vibe was off and I… couldn’t feel you like I do now, or how I felt you on the steps finally.”
Those comments made his eyes lift back to hers, pain clear. “I didn’t know what else to do, Jess,” he admitted, feeling her free hand brush weakly against his face. “My powers weren’t at full and I couldn’t have risked a full out fight, power-on-power, with him while you were so close but…” Roarke swallowed the lump as he recalled last night and seeing her in his enemy’s hands.
“I’d rather be dead than let him…” Jessica cut off, eyes dropping until a gentle hand cupped her face to bring her gaze back to his. “I knew what you needed to do and I trusted you to do it.”