Page 69 of Whiskey & Witches

With a firm hand on her lower back, he led her toward the door. “No, my dear. Neither of you owes me a thing. The only payment I require is that you be happy and the two of you be the best parents possible to that amazing son of yours.”

As soon as Damian opened the door, they saw Carrick holding a sleepy Aeden securely against him and leaning against the far wall.

“He woke and wanted his mam,” he said with a one-shoulder shrug.

Carrick’ssharp-eyed inspection missed nothing. Not her tears or her closeness with Damian. He hadn’t expected to feel the pang of jealousy, but it was likely he’d always be territorial when it came to her. Roisin was his as he was hers. Anything that threatened that, however remotely, would get his back up, to be sure.

She wasted no time hugging him and Aeden in a tight embrace. And when their son reached for her, Carrick wrapped his arms around them for added support.

“I was just about to show your wife to the guest suite. If you’d like to follow me, you can all have family time together.” Damian smiled and gestured down the hallway.

“I think I’d like to take them home if you wouldn’t be offended.” Carrick kissed the top of Roisin’s curly head.

The Aether frowned and opened his mouth as if to speak, but his face lost expression as he turned toward the far windows. It was as if he was seeing or hearing someone else in the distance, and Carrick was chilled.

Shaking off whatever had taken hold of him, Damian returned his stare. Some of the warmth had fled, but he was just as courteous as always when he said, “Not at all, Mr. O’Malley. Of course, you’d want to return home.”

“What just happened there, man? Are you all right?”

“To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure.” Again, the Aether frowned. “It’s as if someone walked over my grave, and yet, as hard as I try, I can’t seem to find the source.”

Carrick began to sweat, and his heartbeat doubled in speed. “Another threat? You think Moira has returned?”

“Possibly. But if she has, she’ll find it impossible to break through my wards.” Damian shook his head slightly as if to rid himself of his thoughts. “Give me time to scry and search your home for danger. Then you can return to your place, all right?”

“Maybe we should stay the night, Carrick.” The worry on Roisin’s face bothered him. It was as if she felt a disturbance, too.

“Let Mr. Dethridge do what he intended, and we’ll discuss it after. If there’s a problem, I’ll leave Aeden here with you and check on Cian and Bridget myself.”

“Not without me, you won’t,” she said firmly. “I’m comfortable leaving Aeden here where he’s the safest, but you’ll not go home alone to face an unknown threat.”

“We don’t even know that there is one, Ro,” Carrick reminded her. Yet he knew what she meant. Too many times in the past, he’d acted on their behalf without considering that she’d want to be part of the decision-making. “But yeah, moving forward, we’ll face whatever might come—together.”

Her luminous smile was his reward. “Thank you.”

CHAPTER27

It took the Aether roughly twenty minutes to give the all-clear for Roisin and her family to go home. When they arrived back at their place, she used her returned magic to illuminate the house without the need to go from room to room, turning on the lights.

Aeden, surprisingly, had decided to have a sleepover with Sabrina Dethridge, and Roisin was thrilled the two children had formed a fast friendship. Of course, it could be the trauma of what happened that afternoon. The two had bonded over the attack by Seamus and Moira.

Roisin said as much to Carrick.

“You could’ve knocked me over with a feather when he said he wanted to stay there tonight.” He shook his head, a look of bemusement on his face. “I can’t say I haven’t played over the question if we should’ve stayed a million times since I declined the Aether’s invitation.”

“Me, too.” She kicked off her shoes, sat heavily on the couch, and hugged a pillow. It would’ve been nice to tuck Aeden into bed and read to him as she had in the years before the accident. To get back to a new normal. “Do you think she’ll continue to bother us now her plans have been foiled?”

There was no need to elaborate on the “she” since Moira was the only woman out for everyone’s blood.

Carrick settled next to Roisin on the sofa and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Doubtful, but there’s no telling. We all know the woman is mad. With insanity comes unpredictability.”

“We’ll need to be on guard until the final part of the prophecy is concluded.” Roisin didn’t feel they could relax yet, and she couldn’t understand why. Perhaps it was the residual effects from earlier or a culmination of the last few days. A PTSD of sorts.

“Yeah.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head. “I doubt I’ll sleep at all tonight.” Lacing his fingers with hers, he lifted their hands and kissed her knuckles. “Maybe we should find another way to pass the time.”

She snorted a laugh. Leave it to Carrick to turn amorous the instant things calmed down. “I’m not sure I’m in the mood,” she lied as she shifted to lean back on the pillows and positioned her legs over his thighs. After a fake yawn, she said, “I’m knackered.”

A wide, engaging grin played on his supremely kissable mouth. “Well, if you’re knackered…”

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