Kira's Reckoning (5 page)

He could not believe his men had been so stupid
.  He was furious as he stormed into his home, heading straight for his office.  He called to one of his men to follow him.  When he entered, he immediately walked over to the bar in the corner and poured himself a large shot of whiskey.  He heard his man enter behind him as he down the shot and poured another.  Then he turned and faced his man.

"I want those two idiots dealt with
.  How they lost her, I have no idea," he said with fury on his face.  "They had her.  All they had to do was deliver her to me and they failed.  That is unacceptable."

His man inclined his head
.  "I will deal with them personally."

"What news
from Thomas?" he demanded. 

He saw the fear come into the man's eyes as he answered, "
He sent word he should be here in a couple of days."

He had walked over to his desk and slammed his hand down on it
.  "Damn it, he has to find the final piece." Then he took a deep breath as he gave this news some thought.  "It seems I may be going to the Council myself.  You need to set your sights on the sisters.  I need the eldest but that will be impossible now.  You need to observe the others.  I have a plan but need to know their routines."

His
man nodded and then said, "We will observe and report back.  Good luck on your trip to the Council."

He sneered
.  "I don't need luck, unlike my inept men, I will get what I want."

****
*

"I'm worried, Kira
," Sheela told Kira as they sat there talking.

Kira looked up from eating and said, "Talk to me."

"I'm pissed off.  This person who is targeting us seems to always be one step ahead." Sheela got up and started pacing.  "I mean, we seem to be hiding out here instead of looking for him or her."

"I agree
," Kira said seriously.  "I'm going to talk to the Guardians tomorrow after Ari leaves for her honeymoon."

Sheela nodded
.  "Okay.  Maybe you should do it when we go out to practice."

The sisters practiced their magick ever
y day, the only time they had not was the few days before the wedding and the day of the wedding.  They would go out into the meadow beyond the castle with their grandmother and Guardians.  Their grandmother showed them how to work their magick while the Guardians showed them how to fight. 

Kira shook her head
.  "I don't want you all out there without backup."

"It's okay, Mamo said she was taking us to the greenhouse to show us some herbs and how to use them in spells
," Sheela assured her.

"Okay then
.  That's when I will talk to them," Kira answered.

"Good, now get some rest
," Sheela said then smirked at her with merriment dancing in her eyes.  "Or as much as you can knowing there are two hunky men on either side of you."

"Get out
," Kira said with a growl.

Sheela laughed then gave her a hug
.  "I really am glad you are alright.  I don't know what we would have done if..."

"It's okay, Shea."
Kira used her nickname for her sister.  "I'm fine.  Thanks for bringing me the food."

Sheela pulled back and nodded, then headed out taking the now empty tray with her
. Kira watched her go and then walked to the door to lock it behind her as an afterthought to their conversation.  She stuck her tongue out at the door as she heard Sheela laugh, knowing she had heard the lock slide into place. 
Sometimes sisters were just a pain in the ass
, she thought and then grinned,
but they were worth it
.

She took off her robe and went to her dresser, pulling out sleep shorts and a tank top
.  She slid them on and then walked over to her bed and pulled back the covers.  Although it was now only lunchtime, she was exhausted and needed a little sleep.  Crawling in between the sheets, she got comfortable.  As she lay there, Sheela's taunting words came back to her and she found she couldn't fall right asleep.  She tossed and turned for some time before finally succumbing to the blessed darkness.

****

Kira woke to a noise out in the hallway.  Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, she saw it was almost dinnertime.  She had slept for almost five hours.  She hadn't realized she had been that tired.  Laying there, she tried to figure out what the noise had been that woke her, when she heard it again.  She threw back the covers and went to her door.  As she opened it, she let out a girly squeal as a male body all but fell into her room. 

"Ronan!
What are you doing?" Kira exclaimed as the Guardian righted himself.

"I was keeping an eye on you
," Ronan said.

Kira frowned at him
.  "I think I am perfectly safe here in the castle.  Mamo has all kinds of wards set as well as what Reilly and Lachlan have set."

"We needed reassurance after your ordeal
," Brendan said from the doorway.  He was leaning against the doorjamb.  "You two are being awfully loud in here."

"Well that's what happens when you wake up to find a man leaning against your door
," Kira told him.  "Now, I need to get ready for dinner.  You two need to go."

Ronan and
Brendan seemed to have a silent conversation as they looked from her to each other.  Then they reluctantly walked out and Kira once again shut the door behind them.  She blew out a frustrated breath and then went to get dressed.

A few minutes later, she exited her room and glanced down the hall
.  With no sign of the men, she headed down the stairs to join her family. As she hit the foyer, she could hear her sisters all talking in the kitchen and headed that way.  As she entered the kitchen, all talk ceased.  She looked around at her sisters, all of them, including Julie, were there with her grandmother except for Ari, and Kira knew what she was doing. 

"What's going on?"
she asked.

Her grandmother walked over to her
.  "How do you feel?"

Kira smiled at her
.  "I'm fine, Mamo.  Promise."

Her grandmother looked her over for a minute and then nodded her head
.  "Good.  Come, let's finish dinner."

Kira glanced over at her sisters who still hadn't made a sound
.  Calli and Sheela grabbed plates and headed into the dining room.  Erin turned back to what she had been stirring on the stove.  Kira knew she had been the topic of conversation by their reactions and frowned as she joined her grandmother in putting together a salad.  Once they were finished and the table was set, Kira went back into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. 

Two strong arms came around her waist and hugged her from behind
.  Then she felt a nose nuzzle her neck, inhaling deeply.  "Mmm, you smell good enough to eat." Ronan's deep voice slid over her.

She set the glass down on the counter and reached up to pry his hands away from her but stopped
.  For that one moment in time she decided to take what he was offering and leaned back into his embrace.  She laid her head on his shoulder while he continued to nuzzle her neck and kiss down to her shoulder as he rubbed his very impressive erection against her backside.  She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relish in the wonderful feelings he was stirring. 

Suddenly they heard a throat clear and Kira jerked out of Ronan's arms
.  She turned to see Erin standing there with a grin on her face.  Ronan had positioned himself behind her, probably to hide his erection, she noted. 

"I was just grabbing the bread
," Erin said, trying to hide a laugh.

"I can take it
," Ronan said to her.

Erin shook her head
.  "No, I think you have your hands full.  I got it." She took the basket with the bread and breezed back into the dining room.

Kira turned to Ronan and as he opened his mouth to say something, she held up her hand, silencing him
.  They heard laughter break out in the dining room and Kira winced.  Yep, Erin had tattled on her. 
Damn it.
  Kira glared at Ronan, then took her glass and headed into the dining room.  She was ready to take what was about to be dished out, knowing that it wouldn't be food.

Luckily for Kira, her grandmother had shushed her sisters as the men joined them for dinner
.  Kira knew her face was flaming when both Ronan and Brendan gave her an extra long look when they sat down on either side of her.  Ari and her men were absent, for good reason.  Calli had taken a tray up and set it outside their door earlier.  The rest of them enjoyed the chicken parmesan.  It was one of Kira's favorites.

When dinner was over, the men volunteered to clean up and the women went into the living room
.  Their grandmother had saved a couple of bottles of white wine from the wedding and now passed out the filled glasses to all the women.  They sat around talking of the wedding and the good parts of it.  Julie recounted the bouquet toss and Erin's leap to catch it.  That set off Calli and Sheela as they began to tease Erin, asking her when she would tie the knot with her men.  Erin just rolled her eyes.  Kira knew if Erin had her way, they would elope.  She wasn't one to have all the fuss of a big wedding. 

Kira had enjoyed watching her sisters banter back and forth with each other
.  It was nice to see after all they had been through lately.  At one point she had even caught her grandmother's eye and saw that she too was taking in the joy of the moment.  For the first time since before the wedding, Kira took a deep breath.

After the men had finished cleaning up,
Myles and Aedan came to steal Erin away, saying they wanted to take her on a moonlit walk.  Their grandmother excused herself, telling them she was going to bed.  She was tired from all the stress with the wedding and Kira's kidnapping.  Julie excused herself as well, she was leaving in the morning to fly back to New York.  Calli and Sheela looked at Kira who was sitting in between Ronan and Brendan.  They suddenly decided they had planned to watch a movie in Calli's room.  Kira rolled her eyes at them and then stuck her tongue out.  They laughed and headed upstairs with a bowl of popcorn. 

As silence came over the living room, Kira couldn't stand it, she stood and said, "Well
, I guess I will turn in too."

Brendan
stood up beside her, grabbing her hand.  "Wait.  We wanted to speak with you for a moment."

Kira paused and then pulled her hand from his to cross her arms
.  "Okay.  What is it?"

Ronan stood as well and then he simply bent at the waist and picked Kira up, carrying her out the main entrance
.  Kira was pounding him on the back and kicking her legs.  Ronan reached up, swatted her on her ass, and ordered, "Keep still."

She stopped moving and then began to grumble at both of them
.  She knew Brendan was there as well because as she swung upside down, she could see his legs following.  She was so mad at them both at that moment she wanted to scream, but she knew that might bring the other guardians out or worse—her sisters.

Ronan stopped and then bent again to set Kira
gently on her feet.  He knew she was going to be angry with him and stopped the hand that came flying toward him.  Damn he loved her spirit, she made him so hard he could pound nails with his dick.  All they had wanted to do was talk to her and she had gotten attitude over it. 
What was with her
? he thought.  He looked over at Brendan as he continued to hold Kira's hand in his.

'You better calm her down, she is mad at me for bringing her out here
,'
Ronan sent to his brother.

'You started it by picking her up
.  Can you tell me what your plan was?'
Brendan sent back.

'
I wanted to get her alone where we could talk.  She's the one that got attitude
,' Ronan huffed.

'
I see, so you thought you would piss her off more? Good move
,' Brendan said sardonically.

"Would you two stop the wonder twin power and just tell me what the hell you want?" Kira broke into their conversation.

Both men looked at her in surprise and Brendan said, "What do you mean, wonder twin power?"

"Well, you both stop sometimes and look at each other and it seems as if you two are talking without talking out loud
," Kira explained.

The two brothers exchanged a look, a look that said they both like
d the fact she had revealed she had been watching them.  It also surprised them she had been that intuitive to know that they were "talking".  That amazed them the most. 

"We just want to talk to you for a little while, sweetling
," Brendan cajoled.  "We were worried about you when you were taken and now that we have you back, we just ask for the chance to get to know you."

"Is that so bad?" Ronan asked
. 

Kira looked down and felt a little bad for getting so angry, but only a little
.  These men had put their lives on the line to save her from goddess only knew what and they had barely known her.  She decided to hear them out.  She looked around and saw Ronan had brought them to the front garden.  It was actually toward the side of the castle, away from where they drove the cars.  There was a beautiful fountain there with some benches, so she walked through the flowers her grandmother had painstakingly planted and sat on her favorite bench.

She saw the men had walked over with her and she said, "Okay, I'm here and I'm listening."

Brendan sat down beside her on the bench and Ronan collapsed on the ground by her feet.  They were quiet for a moment and she knew they were doing that twin thing again. 
That was going to irritate her if they continued, not to mention it was rude
, she thought with a huff.

"You said before that the men never said anything
.  Did you by chance remember something they said or did that we can use?" Brendan asked her.

Kira shook her head
.  "No, nothing.  I have gone over it several times and there is nothing worth a grain of salt."

"Are you feeling okay?
You don't hurt anywhere do you?" Ronan asked with concern in his eyes.

"No, I'm feeling fine
," Kira answered.

"That's good
," Brendan said.  "We are going to contact the Council in the morning and see if they have any information and fill them in on your abduction.  They were, of course, informed immediately and then told of your rescue, however they want details now."

"There's not much to tell
.  All I know is when we got to the cave, I called Mother Earth to help me, keep me safely away from the men.  She answered and kept me sheltered as you saw," Kira explained. 

"It was clever
of you to use your gift that way.  We are grateful to Mother Earth for protecting you when we could not," Ronan said.

Brendan
shifted on the bench and when she turned to him, he said, "We are so grateful." He plunged his hand into her hair on the side of her face and leaned down to capture her lips.  He brushed his lips over hers at first, silently asking her to allow him to kiss her.  She moaned as his arms closed around her, pulling her closer as he deepened the contact and kissed her as if she was the most desirable woman in the world.  He lifted her onto his lap, settling her on his thighs, and then went back to kissing her like she’d never been kissed before.  She was practically breathless by the time he lifted away.

Then suddenly Ronan was there, sitting beside them and he scooped her out of
Brendan's lap onto his.  He didn't give her much time to draw a breath and then he was kissing her, taking her breath away.  He pulled away only to give Brendan a chance to whisk her t-shirt over her head, then Brendan bent her back so he could kiss her again.  Ronan reached around her and slipped her bra off, then leaned down to lightly trace her nipple with his tongue. 

Kira moaned into
Brendan's mouth as Ronan suckled her nipple and gently massaged her other breast.  She had one hand on Ronan's head and one wrapped around Brendan's neck to ensure he wouldn't stop kissing her.  It all felt so good, she never wanted it to stop.  Just as Ronan reached down to her shorts, he froze for a moment and then sat back, letting go of her nipple with a pop.

"I hate to break this up, but someone is coming
," Ronan said softly.

Kira broke the kiss quickly with
Brendan and then the two men helped her back into her bra and t-shirt.  They had just finished pulling down her shirt when Myles came around the corner.  He stopped abruptly and took in the scene before him. 

"Ah, hey there
.  Sorry to interrupt but Kira, Calli and Sheela were looking for you," Myles told her.

Kira stood quickly
.  "Oh okay, thank you." She turned to Ronan and Brendan.  "I'm going to go find my sisters." She swiftly took off for the castle main doors.

Myles turned to Ronan and
Brendan.  "Sorry I had to interrupt, I tried to make as much noise as I could."

Ronan shook his head
.  "Thanks for making the noise so she wasn't embarrassed but dammit, we were making headway."

Myles chuckled
.  "I know exactly how you feel.  Been there, done that."

"Well I want to go there and do that
.  She is ours," Brendan grumbled.

Myles slapped him on the back as they began to head back toward the main entrance of the castle
.  "Come on, we'll get a beer and hang.  Erin is with the girls.  Something is up and this might take a while."

Ronan frowned
.  "Something wrong? Should we go too?"

Myles shook his head
.  "No, you don't want to be there now.  They will eat you alive for being too overprotective.  You have to give them their space.  Don't worry, you'll learn."

Both Ronan and
Brendan flipped him off and as Myles laughed a great belly laugh, the two brothers headed into the kitchen to drown their sorrows.

****
*

Kira entered Calli's bedroom where her sisters were waiting for her
.  Her knees still felt weak and she couldn't seem to form coherent sentences in her brain.  What had they done to her? Those two men knew how to turn her inside out.  She shook her head, trying to clear it, as she walked further into the room.  She needed to focus, Calli looked upset.

"What's going on?" Kira asked the room.

Her sisters all looked to Calli.  Calli closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  "We were watching a movie.  A woman walked into the room and told me I needed to concentrate," Calli began.  "I don't know her, at least I don't think I do, but she says that things are going to get bad."

They all knew Calli was able to talk with spirits as that was her gift of magick
.  They didn't know the extent of her powers, but they did understand she could talk to the other side and that meant she could also tap into any spirit, alive or dead. 

"Did she say how things are going to get bad?" Ari asked
.  Ari was sitting on a chair by the window dressed in a silk robe. 
Guess the honeymoon has begun
, Kira thought with a little smile.

Calli shook her head
.  "No, she did warn me that we needed to go back to our roots.  That things were not as they seem."

Sheela frowned
.  "I don't understand."

"Maybe we should talk to Mamo in the morning
.  She may be able to help you figure out the meaning," Erin told Calli.

Calli looked at each of her sisters then back to Kira
.  "She also said something else." Calli seemed to hesitate.

"Go on, Calli
.  What else did she say?" Kira said as she prepared for a message she knew was meant for her by looking into Calli's eyes.

"She said you were going away soon
.  That you needed to be very aware of what is around you.  That there is a traitor in the midst of where you will find yourself.  He is who we seek," Calli said.

There were a few moments of silence as the sisters let what Calli said sink in
.  Then Kira said, "Okay then.  I'm going on a trip.  Anyone know where so I know what to pack?"

The sisters all began to giggle, which is what Kira had hoped for to alleviate some of the heaviness in the room
.  They all began to talk at once about what Calli had seen and heard. 

"Maybe it means you are going to go with those two gorgeous men waiting outside for you
," Sheela said slyly.

"We need to talk to Mamo
," Ari said.

"
No, you need to go on your honeymoon.  We will talk to Mamo tomorrow," Erin suggested. 

Calli had gone quiet and Kira walked over to her where she sat on the bed to sit beside her
.  "What is it?" Kira asked softly.

"I don't know
," Calli said troubled.  "I just wonder..."

"What?" Kira prompted her.

Calli sighed and rubbed her face with her hands then looked up at Kira with sadness in her eyes.  "I have been able to speak to several spirits that have crossed over and I can't help but wonder." She took a deep breath.  "Why haven't mom or dad come to me?"