Celtic Evil: A Fitzgerald Brother Novel: Roarke (31 page)

Nodding, his hand caressed
her face. “We’ll talk about you not telling me my brother was
around then later,” he told her, gently easing her up again so she
was leaning against his chest. “Just close your eyes and listen for
the music.”

Suddenly tired, Jessica
didn’t argue as she laid her head against his chest so she could
hear his heart while slipping her arms around him. “What music?”
she asked through a yawn, feeling the chest wound pull
slightly.

“This was my parents’ room
and it’s said that if you listen close enough and you believe, you
can hear the fairies singing from the fairy hill outside,” he
replied softly, gently holding her, and began to let his powers
build up slowly.

Roarke was concentrating on
the girl in his arms so much that he failed to see the candles
around the room were lighting themselves and in addition, how the
fireplace glow seemed to flicker.

It had never been a
question that of the five of them, Kerry and Mac got the stronger
empathic and healing abilities even though all of them could do
both acts.

“‘
You must always be
cautious when using those powers, my son,’” Roarke recalled his
father’s words when he was a child. “‘Never open yourself fully
because it’s too dangerous to leave yourself that vulnerable unless
it’s with someone you trust explicitly.’”

Knowing that and accepting the dangers, he
knew that was exactly what he’d have to do in order to do what he
needed for his friend.

“Just listen, luv,” he
murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair before closing his eyes and
letting the powers flow out of him, around her and back.

He felt the pain and emotion but pushed them
down as he soothed her softly, beginning to rock her and sing a
quiet Irish song that he hadn’t considered since he’d toured with
his brothers.

Jessica had fallen into an almost half-sleep
as she listened to his heart, to the lilting Irish accent as he
sang and to something that seemed to be coming from the room
itself.

Unknown to either of them,
the girl’s hands that lay on his back seemed to shimmer as she
snuggled closer to his chest.

The flame in the fireplace
seemed to shoot higher as Roarke struggled to contain the pains,
fears and emotional wounds when he wasn’t up to full strength yet,
when he almost felt the light touch on his shoulder; as if someone
was saying it was time to stop.

He hesitated until he felt
Jessica murmur sleepily as her body seemed to relax against him.
“Sleep now,
a gra
,”
he whispered, laying her back on
the bed so she could sleep peacefully, but he made sure the room
was safe before kissing her forehead and stepping out of the room
to go get coffee or something to remind him he was alive. “Be back
in a second, luv.”

Deirdre O’Connor had long
ago gotten out of the habit of preparing breakfast in a kitchen
filled with people, yet she decided it was time to get back into
that habit since it appeared as her young Lords preferred the
kitchen to bicker than the dining room.

“Ignore anything that
demented old devil says, Mary Margaret,” Mac was saying after
having spent a good portion of his time convincing Lorcan Kerrigan
to go see the horses.

“I think your Grandda is a
dear old man,” Maggie countered, rolling her eyes. “Once I figured
out he wasn’t really a leprechaun.”

Ian was choosing a topping
for his pancakes when he saw his brother in the door. About to make
a joke, the youngest Fitzgerald frowned upon seeing how pale he
looked. “Roarke, you okay?” he asked.

Ryan’s smirk toward Mac turned to a frown
when he looked to the door and saw his younger brother.

“I’m…” Roarke started to say ‘fine’ but
didn’t get the chance when he felt his legs start to buckle under
him.

“Roarke!” Kerry turned from the kitchen
cabinet but stopped when he saw Ryan already grabbing their brother
as he fell forward.

Mac shoved a chair out and
helped Roarke onto it, knowing by how clammy his skin was, the
paleness and weakness, what he must have done.

“Dammit, Roarke, why didn’t
you wait for one of us?” he demanded, kneeling next to the chair
and laying a hand on his arm.

“Thanks,” Roarke took the
glass of water Maggie had quickly gotten and sipped before dipping
his fingers into the icy water and flipping in onto his
face.

Kerry accepted the cold
cloth from Deirdre and placed it on his brother’s neck, fingers
slowly rubbing his neck and felt what Mac had. “You aren’t strong
enough yet to have taken her wounds, Roarke.”

“I just eased her pain and
leveled the fears,” the younger man spoke, leaning his forehead on
his arms, which were lying on the table. “She still trusts me,
Kerry. That was my bloody biggest fear was that she wouldn’t be
able to trust me or…”

“Jessica loves you, brat.
Of course she still trusts you.” Ryan rolled his eyes and lightly
slapped his brother’s head. “Now sit up so Mac can look at
you.”

Ian finished his pancakes
and slid a glass of orange juice across the table. “Drink this,” he
urged, blinking as he noticed something. “Mac, look at his
arms.”

Roarke’s t-shirt showed the
scars usually on his arms, yet as Ian had suddenly noticed, they
didn’t seem as bad.

“What the bloody hell?” Mac
gently eased his brother’s shirt up and was quick to hold him still
when he felt the first movement. “Stay still.”

The sharp tone made Roarke
sit still, but still didn’t like having his brothers see
them.

Mac knew what he should see
but as he lifted the shirt up, his eyes narrowed upon seeing only a
few scars, the deeper ones, still visible to the naked
eye.

Looking up, he lifted an
eyebrow at Kerry, who frowned while Ryan knelt down to look for
himself.

“Roarke, what happened when you healed
Jessica?” Kerry asked curiously, moving around to sit across from
his brother and seeing him pause to consider.

“Just held her and listened
to the music from the fairies,” he shrugged, looking down at his
arms, then pulled his shirt off to look down. “Why… where’d they
go?”

Mac placed his hand on his
brother’s shoulder and saw the images of what occurred upstairs and
he frowned as he saw the candles light themselves, the fireplace
flames changing and actually heard the music of the
fairies.

“Get him to drink the juice
and eat something,” he told Ryan quietly while shooting Kerry a
look to come across the kitchen with him. “Something happened
between them when he used his powers.”

“It could be their link,
her trust and the fact they’ve both accepted the feelings they
share, caused his feelings of guilt and shame to ease. It was
enough that while he was healing her, Jessica’s own powers took
some of his,” Kerry mused while looking back to see Ryan’s hand was
lightly rubbing his brother’s back while Ian and Maggie worked on
getting him to eat.

Picking at the steak and
eggs that Deirdre had placed in front of him, Roarke didn’t seem to
mind Ryan being so close. “Will they stay gone or come back?” he
wondered, handing Ian a piece of bacon he didn’t want.

“It may depend on your
moods or stuff,” Ryan shrugged, not feeling the same emotion from
the scars that remained as he had earlier in the week. “Are you
alright, brat?”

Looking over at him
curiously, Roarke honestly thought about that. “I think I am,
Ryan,” he nodded, easing back in his seat to meet eyes that were
like his own. “So, should I thank you for Athens?”

“I didn’t do anything but
make sure the lass didn’t starve herself while sitting with you,”
Ryan wanted off this subject or his image would suffer. “You take
too many bloody dumb chances most of the time.”

“That’s what I do for a
living,” Roarke shrugged, looking at his brother fully. “She’s not
out of danger, is she?”

Ryan knew what he thought
but wasn’t ready to answer that. “Does one of you care to tackle
that?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Not if I had a choice,”
Mac threw back, retaking his seat and feeling Maggie’s hand on his
shoulder. “Kerry?”

Shooting both brothers a
dark look, Kerry sighed as he looked at his younger brother’s
hopeful gaze. “Sebastian will never be able to do what he did this
time, but until we deal with him fully, Jessica could be used
against you.”

Seeing that news sink in,
Kerry gripped a clenched fist. “You aren’t alone, Roarke, and
neither is Jessica, but you have to accept help and let us in,” he
declared.

“I know that,” Roarke
sighed, thinking of something. “Is the attic room still the
same?”

“Yes,” Kerry looked harder
and saw what his brother was thinking. “I think the tower room
would suit your idea better.”

Both Mac and Ryan knew that
room had been their father’s sole sanctuary, and none of them had
ever entered it.

Roarke also knew that and
stared at Kerry. “We never went in to Da’s room.”

“True, but I doubt if he’d
mind in this case,” Kerry replied easily. “You want to reassure
yourself that Jessica will be safe, and you’ll need their
energy.”

“Can you check on her?”
Roarke asked, standing slowly but not feeling as weak as he had. “I
don’t want her to be alone if she wakes up.”

Maggie lifted a hand. “I’ll
go sit with her until you get done with whatever you’re
doing.”

“Thanks.” He looked deeper
at the red headed reporter, then shifted a look toward Mac and
smiled.

“Shut up, Roarke,” Mac
warned, catching the thought.

As their brother left the
kitchen, Ian sent a look toward Kerry. “Can he protect
her?”

“Not totally, no,” Kerry
replied grimly, reaching for his coffee. “What he wants is to give
her some type of protection. Like a talisman or something, like the
Trinity medals we wear.”

“He needs both his charms,”
Ryan frowned, seeing Kerry nod. “You still have it, give it to
him.”

Their brother knew what he
meant. “I was going to but wanted to be sure it was
alright.”

Mac snorted, knowing Ian
was confused. “Mum had a necklace, a rose quartz heart, that Roarke
bought her one year on her birthday,” he explained before looking
back at their older brother. “Give it to him while I go make sure
Gramps isn’t letting the horses loose or planning another tale of
my life to spin to Maggie.”

“When will he see it?” Ian asked Ryan after
they were alone in the kitchen.

“Mac can be a bit dense
about some things.” Ryan finished his drink before deciding to go
upstairs to check on things himself. “Besides, sometimes having
deep feelings or being in love just leaves you open to pain,” his
eyes seemed to go cold as he added while walking out. “I should
know.”

Ian frowned, wondering if
he’d ever understand everything he should, and once again wished
his memories were as clear as his brothers.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The tower room of the Fitzgerald Manor had
always been off limits and Roarke still was wary as he stepped
inside, surprised that it still felt as if his father had just been
there.

It was a nice-sized room
that Toryn had made special so he’d have a private room to do
spells or other things he felt he’d need solitude to do. In the
center of the room sat a handcrafted table, the tools and wands
laid out passed down through generations.

Letting his fingers run over the chalice
that was sitting on the shelf, Roarke knew he was no longer alone
even before he felt the breeze.

“Hello, Da,” he was proud
that his voice remained steady but he didn’t turn to look behind
him yet. “Kerry said it was alright to come up here.”

A thin shimmering glow was around his
six-foot plus frame as Toryn Fitzgerald leaned casually against the
mantle of the black obsidian fireplace across from his fourth born
son.

“Your brother would know
the right time for things,” he finally spoke, his deep voice still
heavy with the Irish brogue he’d had when alive. “He knew it was
time to send you up here, didn’t he?”

Roarke knew what he’d see
if he turned, but in his heart the fear was still too huge until he
felt the warm hand actually close over his shoulder and he glanced
over, into his father’s smoky gray eyes. “Are you real,
Da?”

Chuckling, Toryn’s eyes
were amused. “You see me, don’t you?” he countered then grew more
serious. “Your mind is clear, lad. Look for yourself.”

He did just that and
probably would have collapsed again if his fingers hadn’t closed on
the table to keep him standing, and he felt the emotions swell.
“Da, there’s much I wanted to say. To do or apologize
for…”

“Roarke, I said before you
needed to let go of the guilt and that’s true.” Toryn kept his hand
on the boy while his eyes looked into his fully. “Brenna and I did
what was needed to save you and it’s time to let the pain
go.”

Pausing as he considered
things, the senior Fitzgerald saw his son’s pain. “I should have
allowed for my mother’s downturn but I didn’t think she’d do what
she has. Especially what she’s done and had done to you.” He held
on when his son went to move away. “Roarke, what happened wasn’t
your fault, and none of it could have been prevented. Now, you need
to stay with your brothers and deal with what I
couldn’t.”