With his feathers puffed, Alec strutted along the leaf-covered top of the wall. His head jerked to the right and then to the left as he ignored Ciara’s question.
Ciara lowered herself to a nearby bench sheltered by an arc of rowan trees. As though in a trance, she eased herself back against the seat and rubbed circles on the surface of her belly. With a weary sigh, she watched the irritated bird as he fluttered along the top of the wall. As she glanced around the gardens to ensure they were quite alone, Ciara lowered her head and fixed Alec with a purposeful stare.
The shape of the black, saucy raven disappeared. In the bird’s place, a blond-haired youth with a look of shocked surprise straddled the garden wall. He stared down at his hands, his gaze traveled up his arms, then he gingerly patted at his chest. His mouth fell open; he spread his arms wide as his gaze traveled over his now quite human shaped body.
Alec jumped down from the wall, landing with a thud and stumbling forward as though unsure of how to use his legs. Average height, his build compact and wiry, his wasn’t the massive bulk of Faolan’s Viking ancestry. Alec stood just over five and a half feet once he straightened from his rough landing on the ground.
His round-eyed gaze locked with Ciara’s as he brought his hands in front of his face to touch his fingertips and rub his hands together. “How, Ciara? How did you do this? I thought only the goddesses could return me to my original form.”
As she planted her hands on either side of her hips, Ciara shifted positions to make more room for her very active unborn son. Mercy, she wished the child would settle for a second or two and give her poor ribs a rest. Ciara studied Alec with an appreciative eye. She hadn’t seen his human shape in eons. “When the goddesses asked that I take this task, they passed the power to me.”
Alec patted at his face, shaking his head as he laced his fingers through his hair. “Why then? Why did ye release me now?”
What a flawless face.Ciara admired his smooth, tanned skin. The cut of his jaw, the line of his nose, and his features spoke pure, aristocratic precision. Alec shimmered as glorious as the angels the mortals worshiped; the portraits of the ones Ciara had seen when she’d traveled along the timeline of DaVinci’s age. As she rested an arm across her swollen belly, Ciara shrugged as she replied with a weary smile. “You’ve served your penance, my dearest friend. It’s time you were released to follow whatever path you choose.”
Alec’s face darkened as he connected with Ciara’s mind. He frowned as he moved to sit beside her and slowly shook his head. “Ye’re sending me away. Ye’re hoping the goddesses will allow ye to stay and be Faolan’s wife. Ye at least wish to stay until his mortal life is finished and it’s time for him to pass through the Veil.”
Alec scooped Ciara’s hand in his and peered deep into her eyes. “Ye’re mistaken, Ciara. They’ll never allow it. They don’t give a damn about your love for that mortal or the pain his loss will cause ye.”
Ciara jerked her hand out of his; he voiced the demons she already feared. “Alec! You are wrong. Cerridwen and Brid both care about me…and it’s got nothing to do with my pain. Once they see how much better it would be for the future, I know they will allow me to stay. Faolan and I can have more gifted children. If one gifted child can better the world, think what several children could do.”
Alec snorted and jumped up from the bench, shaking his head as he raged with a fist toward the cloudless sky. “Stop lying to yourself, Ciara. Ye love the man and when he passes over, ye will barely survive the pain. I know ye, Ciara. I’ve traveled at your side for centuries. I may not have been in the form of a man, but I’ve loved ye with a man’s heart and mind. Ye love Faolan and ye already love that child beyond all reason. Ye canna help yourself, it’s how ye’re made. And Brid and Cerridwen dinna give a damn about ye.”
Ciara covered her face with her hands, her throat strangling with unshed tears. By the pits of the eternal abyss, she couldn’t bear the weakness of these damn mortal emotions! They ripped her very essence to shreds. “Then help me, Alec. Help me convince them I have to stay. Go to them. Help them see the truth. Make them see how wrong it would be to tear me away from these mortals I have grown to love.”
Alec’s eyes filled with sadness as he knelt before her and took her face between his hands. “I tried, Ciara. I swear by the eternal light of the moon. I already tried…and they refused.”
Unable to stop them, her tears over-flowed as Ciara covered his hands with her own. She already felt protective toward this child she carried beneath her heart. She’d be damned if she’d give up without a fight. Swallowing hard, she wiped away the tears and her voice steadied as she swore, “Then I’ll figure out a way. I’ve got seven years once the babe is born. Hear me well, dear Alec. I am going to find a way to stay.”
* * *
He pulledher warm body close and spooned himself behind her. His legs notched comfortably into the crook of her knees; Faolan breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. With a contented sigh, he reached over and rested his hand on her enormous, swollen belly. He didn’t want to wake her. She tired so easily these days but he longed to feel the movement of his son.
Faolan smiled into the darkness as he felt the smooth movement of either a knee or a sharp little elbow as the baby shifted positions. The child was strong. He stirred constantly as though searching for the exit from his warm, safe nest. Faolan ached to hold the child; surely, it wouldn’t be much longer now.
Ciara had said the child would come late in the summer. The time she had spoken of was now. The moon would be full within the next two days. Perhaps the great glowing orb would coax the child to be born.
Firelight flickered and danced along the tapestry-covered walls, Ciara’s even breathing the only sound stirring through the room. Faolan could lie like this forever, his wife and child safe within his embrace. Their heartbeats thumped gently as they nestled in his arms. He basked in the warmth of his love for them.
He only wished he could find a way to oust whatever unseen demon troubled Ciara of late. In the evenings while they’d sit together at the hearth, she’d taken to reaching out and pulling his hand to her chest as though she feared being spirited away.
Ciara had admitted to him that she was a witch, but he had trouble believing her words. He knew of the powers his mother had held and they paled in comparison with what he had seen Ciara do.
He’d seen Ciara make things happen with nothing more than a glance. She’d never resorted to any type of spell work to make events come to pass. The closest she’d ever come to convincing him she was truly a witch was when she’d scryed the waters within the pool. Even then, she’d not needed the power of the moon or the stars to assist her with the visions. He knew the energies when he’d seen them in use. They responded to Ciara as though she were a part of them. What then could be so powerful to make Ciara afraid? What tormented his wife?
Ciara rustled in her sleep; she snuggled back against Faolan’s chest. She stirred as if to reassure herself she still rested safe within his embrace. He held his breath until her breathing evened back into a slumbering rhythm and signaled she’d settled back into her dreams.
He smoothed down her curls and narrowed his eyes as he gazed out into the shadows dancing about the room. His gaze traveled over the many tapestries hung upon the walls. With Ciara’s movement, he’d become aware of a new presence in the room. He searched with his senses as well as his sight; the uneasiness strengthened with each passing moment. Whatever he sensed, it neared the bed. The energy pulsated through the air and pricked through the hairs standing on his skin.
“Faolan.” The voice of a female called out his name. One he’d not heard for years.
“Mother?” he whispered into the shadows. He watched Ciara’s face as he spoke. He was determined not to wake his sleeping wife, no matter what entered the room.
“Yes, my son. Listen but do not speak. You will wake your poor exhausted wife.” A pale, shimmering mist swirled in a pillar beside the bed, emitting a warm and loving light. “You must leave Ciara to her secrets, Faolan, just love her and allow her to be. All will become clear in the proper time. For now, just revel in the peace and joy in your life. Trust that all will be well.”
His mother’s words struck a note of dread in his heart and Faolan eased himself higher on the pillows on the bed. He searched the mist as though trying to focus on her form and struggled to keep his voice to a whisper.
“What danger lies ahead? I hear it in your voice, Mother. Are they to be taken from me so soon?” Thoughts of the woman who died while giving birth ran rampant through his mind.
