Page 44 of Vampire's Hearth

“Thank you, sir,” said Paul with a tip of his hat. “It was a pleasure meeting you both.” His eyes danced between Lyra and me.

I looked up at Mac, still standing in the aisle. “I’d love for you to sit with us,” I said. The words were soft, and I truly meant them. His presence was calming in a way it shouldn’t be, but I didn’t want him to leave me alone with Lyra again. I could see his hesitation as he tilted his head and studied me, then gave a small shrug and sat in the seat facing Lyra.

Paul’s voice came across the intercom. “Ready for takeoff. Dani, sit your beautiful ass down before I come back there and tie it down.”

Mac chuckled. Dani hadn’t reappeared, but I assumed she found somewhere to sit because a moment later, the plane rose into the sky.

I glanced over at Mac and smiled. He pressed a button on his chair and turned it to face me. “That’s better,” he said with a smile. I caught a flash of anger on Lyra’s face.

I pressed my lips together while trying to ignore my cousin. “Is the entire flight crew—”

He nodded before I could finish the question. “Vampires. It’s safer that way. Jacob won’t fall asleep during the flight to Waterford.” He pointed at the button on my chair that would allow me to face him.

I smiled, turning my seat. Never had I thought I would be surrounded by his kind. I caught his eye and noticed nothing but comfort as we got closer to the O’Cillian home. How close was he to this family?

Lyra’s eyes drilled into the side of Mac’s head. “So what else can you tell us about the Coven of the Blood? Why don’t we remember any of this history?”

“I believe I asked you to discuss this with Conall.” Mac’s voice was like ice.

“And I’m asking you,” sneered Lyra.

Mac shook his head and sighed. “There was an incident.”

“What kind of incident?” I asked, knowing I was pushing but wanting to understand my history.

Mac’s eyes searched my face before he pursed his lips. He hesitated for a moment more, the silence deafening. “The coven attacked the O’Cillian sons.” His voice was harsh, as though he were remembering instead of reciting.

“So what?” Lyra pressed.

Mac ignored her. “The coven, in the 1850s, believed they could kill the O’Cillian brothers. They invited the family to Savannah, Georgia. The coven attempted a spell, but something went wrong. When it was over, the O’Cillian brothers were still alive, and the coven was decimated. Not a single one of them remembered the O’Cillians.”

“Our purpose has always been to maintain the balance,” I said. “We never wanted to kill a vampire until the hunters were unable to.”

“Are you sure?” Mac replied. “Think about it. Who is this vampire you’re trying to kill?”

I shrugged. “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Exactly. If you knew who the unkillable vampire was, you wouldn’t need me to help you find him or the Cure. You would simply be able to team up with the hunters to get close enough to kill him.”

“How? Neither a witch nor a hunter are strong enough?” Lyra’s eyes flashed with anger.

“No, but a witch incapacitating the vampire long enough for a hunter to behead him would seem an easy solution. So, again, why can’t you find him?”

Mac’s stony expression told me all I needed to know about pressing the conversation. I wanted to ask what happened that caused the coven to act this way, but I didn’t want to push him. And it bothered me that he had a point about the vampire. All we knew was that he existed and an arrow didn’t kill him, as well as his increased influence in Charleston. Why didn’t we know more? Why couldn’t the Charleston witches even give us his name?

Maybe this entire trip was why the pendulum kept pointing at Mac as the next step in finding the Cure. I set my head back and closed my eyes after the long day. My head was starting to hurt from everything I had learned.

Mac’s voice was low. “It’s a long flight to Ireland. Why don’t the two of you get some sleep?” His eyes focused on me with concern.

I held his gaze for a moment, a small smile on my lips before I answered him. “I thought I was sleeping.” I glanced around at the chairs.

“Dani can make up the beds for you. These chairs are single beds, the table becomes a double, and in the back are a double from the couch and a single from two chairs you can’t quite see.”

My heart sped up, and a blush crept to my cheeks as I thought of sharing a bed with Mac behind the partition, laying in his arms all night. There was no way I was voicing that thought.

I glanced over at him. “Where would you like to sleep?” He had a coy smile on his face, making me wonder if he was toying with the same thought I was.

“We can sleep up here,” I said on a breath.

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