Page 31 of Highballs & Hexes

As confused as when their argument had started, he pressed his temples, wishing he could go back into the shadows and ease his aching head. How hard was it to please one woman? Why couldn’t he do anything right?

“And that’s why you stopped me?” he asked. “Because you didn’t want to go through the portal alone?”

“No, I…” The look she cast the cell door was helpless. “I’m sorry. I can’t go without my brother.”

Patrick’s stomach bottomed out. How had he forgotten? Jaysus, he was a bloody old fool.

“Your brother,” he stated flatly.“Aye.”

“He’s who we came to find,” she reminded him, though he wasn’t likely to forget again. Fi was here for Tadhg, not him.

“I’m after trying the spell again, yeah, and I don’t expect you to stop it this time. If the opportunity arises, you’re to escape, Fionola Bohannon, and not spare another thought for those left behind.” When her lips formed a protest, he covered them with his index finger. “I’ll save your brother, love. I promise I’ll find a way to tear down this place and get him out.”

“Thank you!” She rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly around the waist. And really, he had no choice but to embrace her. His heart wouldn’t let him push her away, though it would be for the best if he did.

“I’m sorry, Patrick.”

“You’ve no need to be, but have a care around active magic in the future, yeah?” he said gruffly.

Lifting her face up, she grinned. “You always turn grumbly whenever your softer side makes an appearance.”

“It’s because my softer side dumps me in the deepest water without a life preserver. It’s a fucking pain in my arse.” Digging deep into his reserves, he found the strength to set her from him. Sure, his brain understood she was only here for Tadhg, but hisbody and heart hadn’t received the message, and they were both begging him to claim her for his own.

Noah scriedfor the fifth time in two hours to no avail. Neither Fi nor Patrick appeared anywhere on the map. Frustrated, he blew out a breath. Needing a break from the family drama, he’d left his brother and niece behind with the O’Malleys to work on the problem. Noah was better with solo endeavors, and he was determined to find Fi as soon as humanly possible.

A knock sounded on his pub door, and he frowned at the intrusion. With a wave of his hand, he unlocked and opened it, not bothering to cross the room. Indeed, he’d recognized his visitor the instant his face appeared on the other side of the aged and distorted glass.

“What do you want, Aether?”

Damian clasped his hands behind his back and ignored Noah to meander around the room. Here and there, he paused to study a picture on the wall or run his fingertips across a beautifully crafted furniture piece. He strolled the place as if he didn’t have a care in the world and nowhere to be.

“I asked what ya wanted,” Noah ground out.

“To see where you live. Your place of business,” Damian replied smoothly, with no outward sign of irritation.

He, on the other hand, was annoyed enough for the both of them. “You’re not welcome here.”

That stopped the Aether in his tracks. Pivoting, he met Noah’s challenging stare, and the fucker had the nerve to smile. The action wasn’t taunting or mean, but held the warmth of the sun.

“Growing up, I’d always wanted a bratty little brother. One who I could say wasn’t an adopted sibling,” Damian told him. “You’d have fit the bill nicely, I believe.”

With a snort, he crossed his arms. “Well, I suppose it’s too feckin’ bad our mother went mad and you’re filled with evil, yeah?”

His retort wiped all expression from his brother’s smug face.

“What is it you believe you know about me, Noah? I’ve the distinct impression our father didn’t provide you with the pertinent details.”

“Damarius was a lot of things, most of them mean, but he wasn’t a liar.”

“Mean?” A frown furrowed Damian’s brow. “Father was only disagreeable during the time he was infected by the Darkness, but Mother removed it.”

“Disagreeable. Ha! That’s rich. It had little to do with any residual Darkness, to be sure.” To put distance between them, he walked behind the bar and picked up a pint glass. After lifting it as an offering and receiving Damian’s nod, he drew a Guinness for each of them. “His soul took the beating, and he never recovered from the loss of you and our mother. When the man wasn’t crying in his cups, he was berating me for not beingyou.”

“I’m sorry.”

Noah’s brows shot up, but the sympathy on Damian’s face made him uncomfortable, and he shrugged. “What are you apologizing for? He’s the one who fled his home. I’d probably have suffered less if he’d left me behind for her to murder me.”

The temperature in the room cooled, and when he glanced up, it was to see his brother’s arch look.

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