Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe (34 page)

“Good Morning,” he said, not spilling a drop of the good stuff.

“Hi!” Rowan walked up to Adam and gave him a kiss on the cheek then did the same to Nora. The little Brownie smiled a crooked toothy grin back at her and then hurried into the kitchen to grab the two pots of tea that were steeping. Yum.

“This is amazing!” Rowan walked around the table sampling the goodies. “I can’t believe Nora did all this for us.”

Devlin winked and gave her an
I told ye so
nod. This was the best wedding feast ever. Rowan was about to reach out for a plate and load it up when a loud siren sounded and startled the lot of them. Adam hissed at the screeching sound and Devlin was instantly in attack mode, instincts gripping him. Rowan was startled herself at the foreign sound until she realized it was coming from her back pocket.

“Oh shit,” Ro saw who was calling; it was her partner Jeremy’s ringtone. In all the chaos that was Rowan’s life these past couple of weeks, she’d completely forgotten about her duties at home. Guilt and shame made her stomach twist and she debated on hitting the reject button on her screen.

No, that’s not fair. She can’t ignore her responsibilities and she owed Jeremy a big explanation. And an apology. Ro’s confidence meter plummeted as she answered the phone. “Hey Jer.”

“What the FUCK Ro, where are you? I’ve been tryin’ to get you for days and you don’t answer my calls, my texts, or my knocks on your damn door!”

“Sorry.”

She didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t tell him the truth, he’d never believe her and she could possibly lose a good partner and friend. It wouldn’t be the first time someone cut and run when discovering secrets of Ro’s. Jeremy was important to her, he was an awesome business partner, and a big brother in the way he’s always had her back. But the big brotherly voice on the other end of the line was very pissed at the moment.

“What the fuck is going on with you, Ro?”

“I really can’t say right now.” Short and simple. No lies, but no truths.

“Are you in danger? Did those two guys hurt you? I can’t believe you just took off like this. What the fuck? Where are you, I’ll come and get you.”

Well now she felt double guilt. Here he was, offering to come to her rescue even when he’s so pissed at her for having abandoned him and the studio.

“No, no. I’m fine. I’m…” what? I’m part Fae? I’ve got tons of crazy magic in me? I’m going to kill a monster? I’m married? I’m eating a puff pastry? What?

“I’m in Ireland. I had a family emergency.” There, that wasn’t a lie. Devlin was now family (and so was Ava and Adam, Ro admitted to herself) and there was an emergency – of the dark and sinister kind.

“In Ireland? What the fuck, Ro?” He never cussed so much in one conversation with her before. Between the two of them, she was usually the one with the sailor’s mouth. He must be really, really mad.

“Yes, I’m so sorry Jeremy. I don’t know when I’m coming home.” Now the puff pastry felt like a rock in her gut.

“Ro, this is a partnership we’ve got. 50/50 split remember? I can’t keep these hours at the shop all by myself. I’m exhausted and at the end of my rope. Christmas orders are already startin’ to come in and we are double-booked for every weekend between now and January.” It was a good problem to have, Ro was happy to hear it.

Annndd cue the reality check.

“You need to get back here Rowan ‘cause I for damn sure ain’t doin’ this alone. I can’t. I’m only one person.” His accent got thicker as he got madder. Jeremy was from Louisiana, and there was a bad temper ragin’ in that Cajun right now. Rowan felt so damn guilty for it too.

Well what could she say? She was so torn between her duties and guilt for having not called him sooner, she felt like a total shithead. But coming home right now was not an option.

“Change the hours of the shop. Cancel appointments if you have to Jeremy. Work when you can instead of when you have to.”

It was an easy solution and an irresponsible one at that. She knew it the minute the words flew out of her mouth. Now she was ashamed on top of everything else. They’d started this business together, several years ago, with the dream of creating masterpieces all day long and selling them at high prices and be well-off glass makers. Reality kicked in when they signed their lease on the warehouse and bills piled up immediately. They settled for fantasy in their free time and paid-for orders during regular business hours.

“Oh yeah? You think I should make the hours up as I see fit, huh? Should I pay our bills as I see fit too, Ro?”

Yup, she’d stepped right into that one. Blowing out a breath of regret, Rowan sat down at the big table. “How about hiring someone else temporarily until I get back?”

“WITH WHAT MONEY?” That was a shout. She was in bigger trouble than she thought. Jeremy never yelled at her. He had reached his own breaking point and it was all Rowan’s fault.

“I don’t know, Jeremy. Let me think about this okay? There has to be a solution. I’ll call you back.”

“The solution is to get your ass back here.”

He hung up before she did. Rowan looked down at her cell phone and felt terrible. What a mess this all was. How did this all happen so fast? Her life was completely turned upside down and Rowan didn’t know how to handle the fallout.

“What is amiss, lass?” Devlin could feel the sorrow pouring off of her and felt like killing this Jeremy for having ruined his wife’s good mood.

“Trouble at work.” She left it at that. She didn’t want to talk about it right now. Her brain felt fried and she was suddenly very, very tired.

“We will send him a large check, my dear. One that will cover the rent, utilities, supplies, and two additional employees until you can return.” Adam handed her a glass of bubbly. “Consider it a wedding gift.”

Rowan was speechless. It took her a minute for the words in her brain to travel to her mouth, “I can’t let you do that, Adam. It’s too much.”

He laughed big and bold, smiling with his whole face while he came around to her side. “My dear, I have more money than I will ever spend. Devlin is like a brother to me, and you, my sweet girl, are the answer to all our prayers. I will not take no for an answer. The money will be wired to your business account this morning with a message that it comes from you and your family.”

Rowan stared in disbelief. She didn’t know what to say.

“Say thank you, my dear, and think on it no longer.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

Rowan fought the emotions rolling through her. On one hand she was relieved. It was a great solution to her problem. On the other hand, she didn’t like someone coming to her financial rescue. It was a nick in her pride.

She looked up at Devlin, still battling the thoughts in her head and the guilt in her gut. He winked her way as he filled a plate with Belgian waffles, scotch eggs, sliced pears and apples drizzled with a cinnamon cream sauce, quiche, and a bunch of other goodies that Nora took such pleasure in making. He handed the plate to her and kissed her forehead.

“Dinna worry, lass. Money is never going to be a worry. We are family. We take care of our own here. Besides, ye deserve a little boon, you’ve sacrificed everything ye are to help us.” He was sincere when he said it.

Rowan tried to return the heartfelt look, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Maybe she was paranoid or just plain tired and hungry, but Rowan always felt that sometimes when something really good happens, luck has a way of turning coat and she gets hit with something bad shortly after. She shook the thought away.

“Thank you,” she said again as she dug into her plate of food, and she waited for the other shoe to drop.

Ava was taking a walk. It was getting close to Samhain and the high energy levels felt like static in the air. Ava always liked Samhain. It was a celebration with bonfires and candles, feasts and celebrations of loved ones who were gone and given the day to revisit their families. More recently, traditions morphed into Samhain being a time for children to run around dressed in costumes of princesses, vampires, and any other character they wished to be and were rewarded with candy and treats for their efforts. It was a time for everyone, living and dead, to be together.

Ava smiled as she thought of the jack-o-lantern faces that she passed in windows down in the village that morning. Some spooky, some silly, some serious, all fun. ‘Twas a fine tradition, and one she enjoyed partaking in whenever she had a chance. Perhaps she’d pick up some pumpkins and bring them to Adam’s. The thought flew away from her head when she felt the pang of guilt for her sneakiness the night before. She didn’t lie to Rowan about the ritual, Rowan just never asked about any of it. Ava had her memorize the Summons of the Gods, prepared for Rowan to interrogate her on it, but she didn’t. Ro trusted her without reservation. ‘Tis a small blessing to trust and be trusted.

Ava shook out of her gloomy mood and felt the energies surge in the air. The veil between worlds was already starting to thin.

And so were the Gods’ patience.

Ava finally got to her destination: the stone circle. Tourists came from all over the world to see the mysterious stone circle in Drombeg. Only a few who walked the earth knew their true purpose, most of which were Fae. Towering in a circle, like a mini Stonehenge, they were a way between worlds, a tool for time travel, and at times can be used as a source of great power - both light and dark.

Ava walked around the structure, touching some of the stones like they were old friends. It had been a long time since she traveled through them herself and she missed the feeling of them.

Earlier that morning she tried to read her deck of cards in hopes that the Fates would give her a hint of this outcome. Rowan was going to be fighting a very harsh battle, and the truth was, Ava was scared for her new friend. The cards didn’t tell her a damn thing. Neither did the runes, the scrying ball or the stubborn tea leaves. Ava was going to have to rely on faith - something that one might think a creature of her making would be good at, but alas, she wasn’t.

Understanding what her purpose was, Ava stared up at the stones one last time and said a prayer. She ran her fingers through her hair, changing the color, and rubbed her face to make a few subtle changes to her features. Taking a deep breath, and a leap of faith, Ava disappeared into the stones.
 

“Oh my God, this was amazing. I feel like a tick about to pop!” Rowan leaned back in her chair and rubbed her stomach. She had eaten three huge plates of food, drank four glasses of the sweet and bubbly, and then polished off a pot of tea. She should be ashamed of herself, but she was impressed instead. “Boys, I might have just beaten my own record on food intake in one sitting.”

Adam hadn’t touched much of the food himself and Devlin was only on his second plate. Sissies.

Rowan got up slowly, groaned, and then shuffled into the living room and straight towards the sofa. “I’m going to have to take a nap after this. I’m too full to do anything but hibernate now.”

The two men watched her wobble out of the room. “Your wife must’ve worked up quite an appetite,” Adam was amused and it showed in his grin.

“Aye, that she did brother,” but Devlin wasn’t one to kiss and tell. Macho man was he, Devlin just sat and smiled with his proud, big self.

The two men stayed in the dining room for a little while longer and then retired to the living room themselves although it wasn’t to take a nap on the couch. They had some more research to do. Devlin walked quietly over to his sleeping wife and pulled a blanket over her curled up body. She was out like a light, the poor lamb. Fintan jumped onto the sofa with Rowan and promptly curled up next to her. Snapping his fingers, Devlin lit a fire to help keep her even warmer. Smiling at his sweet angel, he bent down and kissed her head. Aye, he was the luckiest man alive.

Adam watched as Devlin kissed his new wife. The woman was one surprise after another recently. The biggest shock so far was that Rowan was able to summon the Death Bringer. That would have taken some seriously powerful magic, or a damn miracle, for anyone to do. She was still a newbie in the ways of magic, so it was double spectacular she’d managed it, and unsettling that Ava would think she could. Hmmm, and the fact that the Death Bringer so willingly handed over such a coveted weapon to her was another whammy of surprise and concern. He wanted more answers.