Page 40 of Snapped
Chapter 27 | All Mine
In the weeks following Rian’s ordeal in the bunker with Cillian, Cirian had the area sealed off so no one could get down there again unless they were a relative of Hercules himself. Everyone agreed burying Cillian with the family was not an option. “Hell, I don’t think he should be put in any ground anywhere. Not even consecrated ground could imprison that kind of evil. I vote for cremation,” Aiyan threw out over dinner one evening. Again, everyone agreed.
Unable to let the son he should have fought harder to keep leave the world the same way he came into it, Gabriel took the ashes and, with Raven’s assistance, spread them along the banks of water surrounding House Gaeland.
As the last ash fell from the urn, Gabriel bade Cillian a proper farewell. “Ar dheas Dé go raibh a anam.”
On their walk back to the palace, Raven asked Gabriel what he’d said, at the end.
“May his soul be on God’s right hand. Lord knows he wasn’t with God while he was alive. Let us pray he is before he visits this world again.”
“I know Cirian is angry with you right now for wanting to do any type of service for Cillian, but I understand completely your need to at least try to set things right for the sake of his soul. When Marcus died, Tanis was fit to be tied because I presided over what little funeral he had. But my spirit wouldn’t have remained intact if I didn’t do something, you know?” Raven reasoned.
Nodding, Gabriel agreed. “I do, my boy. I do.”
“I wanted to talk to you about something, Gabriel.” Raven held the door to the kitchen open for Cirian’s father.
“Of course, what’s on yer mind then?” the older Irishman asked, grabbing the jug of milk from the fridge and a glass from the cabinet.
“Well, with everything that’s happened as of late, Tanis and I were thinking of canceling the ceremony.”
Gabriel choked on the swig of milk in his mouth. “Ya say what now, boy?” he sputtered.
Raven grabbed a towel and handed it to Gabriel, patting him on the back. “It just doesn’t seem like the right time, Gabriel. I mean, we could have lost Rian, and he’s still in so much pain…mentally, physically and emotionally.”
“Which is precisely why you will still be having your official ceremony; to lift my spirits.” Raven jumped when Rian spoke behind him.
“Good lord, scare a man half to death why don’t you!” Raven barked.
Cirian walked in behind Rian, smiling and shaking his head. Rian was still on the mend, but the bruising had gone down, and the pain was no longer a constant. Still, he moved slowly to the table, sighing as soon as his ass hit the seat. “How ’bout some sandwiches then?” Gabriel asked, already pulling meats and vegetables from the fridge.
“Perfect Da, lemme help ya.” Cirian disappeared into the large pantry, emerging a few minutes later with bread and a jar of pickles. Normally, Cook would be in the kitchen—in fact, Raven was hard-pressed to remember a time her laughter hadn’t brought the room to life. But with the involvement of her own blood in the plot against Cirian, Cook had taken some time to spend with her family after her grandson was arrested.
“Sit, Raven, and let’s talk about why you think I wouldn’t want you and Tanis to continue with your ceremony as planned.” Rian pointed to the seat across from him, smiling and kissing Cirian on the cheek when he brought over a glass of water for him.
“Did I just hear you right, Rian? Raven and Tanis want to call off the wedding?” Maya came into the kitchen with a tray of dirty teacups and a pot, which she placed on the counter by the sink. Turning and leaning against the counter, she snagged the pickle Cirian had just pulled out of the jar and bit the end off. “I’ll have one of those as well, please.” She nodded at the sandwich Gabriel was making, pickle juice dripping out of the corner of her mouth.
“Saints preserve us woman, you’d think you were a commoner with your wretched table manners,” Cirian smarted, tossing a towel at her.
Maya squinted, frowning at him. “I’m not at the table, ass,” she admonished before turning to Rian and Raven. “Seriously, what’s this crap about no wedding? You’ve lost your mind, Raven, if you think Ari will one, let you cancel the wedding and two, not scratch your eyes out if you try to stop her plans for the ‘Royal Wedding’.” Maya said the words with mock sincerity, air quotes and all.
Raven sat back and watched the four of them for a few minutes, happy to have faded into the wall for a little while. He’d never seen Maya and Rian in the same room for an extended period of time without claws coming out and glass breaking. Not only were they talking and doing something that resembled getting along, they were laughing, all of them. Gabriel slid into the chair beside him, pushing a plate with a sandwich and a couple of pickles toward Raven. Cirian and Maya sat on either side of Rian and they all set about eating their sandwiches and talking…civilly. It was the damnedest thing Raven had ever seen.
When Rian went to stand and winced, Cirian gently pulled him back down into his chair. “What do ya need, love?”
“Sorry, legs are still a bit wobbly, need some more water,” Rian told him, grinning.
“I got it; you just sit there.” Maya stood, grabbing his empty glass and turning to fill it from the pitcher of water. All four men stared at her, dumbfounded. She turned and froze. “What?”
“You—you’re positively chipper; what gives?” Cirian goaded her. Oddly, she didn’t respond. She handed Rian his glass, then took her seat and picked up her sandwich.
Unsure how long he sat staring at Maya open mouthed, Raven blinked when Rian snapped his fingers. “Raven, did you hear me?”
“Sor…sorry, what?” Raven choked out.
Gabriel and Cirian chuckled, Rian shook his head, and Maya ignored them. That was more like it. “I said, why don’t we simply…well, simplify the wedding?” Rian laughed at his own joke. “Seriously though, many of the things that need to be done in the background are already done. We need to reel Ari in and not let her turn it into the extravagance she was initially planning.” Leaning across the table, Rian patted the top of Raven’s hand. “I’m dealing with this Raven, with everything that happened, one day at a time. I don’t want everyday life to stop because of an act of violence. I think the best way to remind ourselves, our friends and our families we are strong and stable is to put our best foot forward. What better way to do that than with a wedding?”
“And a christening?” Maeve asked, coming into the kitchen and leaning on the back of Rian’s chair. “Oh, you gonna eat that?” she asked, pickle already in her hand and heading toward her mouth.
