The fiddler had been joined by a drummer and harpist, and the first song was a joyful jig. As they began to do the steps together in sync, the rest of the dancers melted away, and Aaron found himself entranced by those green eyes and jubilant smile. The touch of her hand, the feel of her in his arms, the way she twisted and turned, had him completely enthralled, and as the night wore on, he wondered why he had never attended the cross-roads before. Aislyn was an angel, floating around him on gossamer wings, and he felt as if he were the luckiest lad in all of Ireland, perhaps the world, to have the honor to be her partner for the evening.
Though others had tried to come betwixt them, the only time they left each other’s side was when the set called for it, and even then, Aaron kept his eyes interlocked with hers, only losing sight of her in a turn now and again. There were other young men who clearly had their eyes on the lithe beauty, but he was certain now that Aislyn was his. If other girls had set their sights on him, he hadn’t even noticed.
By the time the caller shouted, “Last song,” long into a star-filled night, Aaron couldn’t imagine letting go of the small hand he held so delicately as they went through the steps of what would be their final dance of the evening. It was a spirited set, and by the end of it, most of the dancers, including Aaron and Aislyn, found themselves out of breath.
With the final notes, she wrapped her arms around him and leaned into his chest in a long embrace as the others also hugged, clasped hands, or waved goodbye. Several groups began to head off in various directions, many of them laughing, some arm in arm.
“I suppose I should be heading home now,” Aislyn said, stepping back enough to look up at him but not releasing him.
Aaron spied Genty still standing off in the distance with one of her girlfriends and a couple of the older boys closer to her age. She was laughing and leaning over to talk to Loughlin Modha. The warning his mother had given both of them rang in his ear as the night began to quiet. “Perhaps I should walk you home,” he offered.
“Oh, there’s no need. My cousin, Manus, is just over there. He can walk me.”
Aaron felt his shoulders slump. He was hopeful he would be able to prolong their evening together by making the journey back to the village hand in hand. “All right then,” he said, keeping his smile, though it was difficult.
“Unless… you insist,” she said, looking up at him with a demure expression.
Her arms were still wound around his waist, and the feel of her hips beneath his hands began to consume his thoughts. The smell of the sweet perfume she’d been wearing mixed with the faint scent of her perspiration became intoxicating as he gazed into those two green orbs before him. “I insist,” he replied, his voice a breathy whisper.
“Aislyn!” Manus shouted from several yards away. “Are you coming then?”
“Just a minute!” she shouted back. Returning her attention to Aaron, she said, “Let me go speak to him, and I’ll return straight away.”
Aaron could only manage a nod. She gave him a slight squeeze before she pulled herself away and took off to explain to her cousin he needn’t accompany her back to her house.
After a long moment following her form across the road, Aaron turned his attention to Genty who was still standing in the same group she’d been with before. Keeping an eye on Aislyn, he approached his sister who saw him coming and excused herself, meeting him about halfway.
“Did you have a good time?” she asked, the excitement from the dance and the effects of the mead evident in her voice.
“I did,” Aaron assured her, unable to control the smile that insisted on spreading across his face. “I was wondering if you’d mind if I walk Aislyn home. Only if Loughlin or someone else can accompany you though. I shouldn’t allow you to walk by yourself.”
“Shouldn’t allow me?” she giggled. “Aaron, I’m practically a mother to you.” She straightened his collar, though it hardly needed fixing. “Yes, Loughlin will walk me home, but you needn’t worry about me.”
“I shall worry about you,” he replied, placing his hand on her shoulder, “until you are safely home, and I am lying next to you, dreaming of this night.”
She laughed again and embraced him. “Very well, then, little brother. I shall see you at home soon. Be safe, and take care of that beautiful girl.”
Aaron turned to see Aislyn had snuck up on him and was standing at his elbow. “Shall we?” she asked with a smile.
Offering her his arm, Aaron nodded to his sister who went back to join her friends and turned his complete attention to the lovely young lady he was lucky enough to escort home.
The fires had gone out, and the moon hung low in the sky, not offering much light. There were others still milling about, making their way back toward their various homes, but as they journeyed on, the silhouettes became fewer and farther between, and eventually the only noise they heard around them was a symphony of insects celebrating the summer night.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Aislyn asked. She no longer had her hand on his arm. Rather, she had slid her slim fingers down his wrist and interlaced her fingers with his.
“I did. Very much so,” Aaron assured her, giving her hand a squeeze. “And you?”
“It was certainly an evening I’ll never forget.”
Aaron stopped and turned to face her, his smile spreading across his handsome face. The moonbeams caught the sprinkling of hair that had come loose at her crown, and in the twilight, she resembled an angel, halo and all. She smiled up at him shyly, and Aaron slowly brought his free hand up to tip her chin ever so slightly. He waited to see if she would give him permission, and as Aislyn tilted her mouth up to meet his, he gently pressed his lips to hers.
Her mouth was warm and tasted of honey. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, reveling in the feel of her satiny skin. The touch of her hand sliding up his arm to encircle his neck caused him to temporarily lose his breath, and he felt his abdomen tighten.
Just as he began to press her to open her sweet lips, a shriek filled the night sky, its ominous vibrations seeming to shake the road beneath them and cause them both to jump back and cover their ears. Aaron pulled Aislyn close to his body and looked around, fearful of what he might see.
Nothing seemed out of place in the nightscape around them. There were a few trees and bushes, but nothing peered out from behind them, and the clearing on either side of the road seemed unthreatening as well.“What was that?” Aislyn asked. Aaron could feel her heart beating so quickly it reverberated in his own chest.“I’m not sure,” he managed. “Hopefully, whatever it was, it keeps its distance.”“Do you think it was a…”He cut her off, “Don’t say it, Aislyn,” he warned her, looking into her green eyes, which were narrowed in fright.She nodded in understanding, fully aware that many believed speaking of them aloud would bring them in. “We should go.”Aaron agreed, and as wonderful as the evening had been, he would feel much better once Aislyn was in her home where at least she would be indoors and probably safer. He wrapped his arm around her shoulde
The walk home shouldn’t have been long, but he was reveling in his thoughts and the memory of her body pressed against his. It was almost impossible to believe that Aislyn had agreed to marry him. How had he become so fortunate to have the most beautiful lass in the world as his own?Soon enough, he found himself standing outside of his own door, and he realized he was also quite lucky that nothing had snuck up on him out of the shadows as he made his way home since he was paying absolutely no mind to his surroundings and would have been an easy target should anything, earthly or other worldly, chosen to claim him.He was still soaring when he quietly opened the door. However, he needn’t thought of disrupting his family members’ sleep, as all three of them were up, and clearly something was not right. Genty sat in a chair near the unlit fireplace, her mother on the floor beside her, holding her hand while Granddad stood behind her, his hands pressing
Killarney, Ireland, 1847The potatoes were nothing but black mush. He’d spent hours tilling the ground, removing the rocks, tending the soil, planting the seeds, and now, all he had to show for it was a handful of black death. While he’d had the forethought to plant a few other crops as well, the potatoes were the only way they had to make any money, and with the little home the villagers had helped them build at the end of last year when he and Aislyn had tied the knot, needing a bit of repair already, he could have used the money. Now, it would be nearly impossible to even buy seed for next year’s planting.“What you got, lad?” Kian called, stepping through his acreage to Aaron’s. “All rot?’“Yes,” Aaron assured him. “Nothing but stink and filth. You?”“The same,” Kian nodded, his hands resting on his hips. “Shannon will have a conniption when she hears.&r
There were a few locations in town where one might seek out knowledge, but the best place was the tavern, and so they decided to try their luck there. Despite the early hour, the doors were open, and more than a few citizens gathered inside, their complaints and worries reaching the ears of the newcomers before they’d fully stepped inside.Many spoke of the rotten potatoes, how there was no end in sight, how the Englishmen refused more than a token show of help, and how the Irish were left to starve or forced to move away. Only a few hinted at the rising death toll in the village attributed to the others, and no one dared speak those words. One man, who’d clearly been there for quite a while, was crying about the death of his son just a few days earlier, and while his friends attempted to console him, it was the mead that began to quiet him after some time.“There’s nothing that can be done, then, to save the crop?” Kian was asking a group
After a few moments, he returned to Kian who was rubbing the back of his head but otherwise looked just fine. “Who was that fellow?” Aaron asked, glimpsing back the way he had come.“I don’t know,” Kian admitted. “But I’ve never encountered someone so strong.”“Or so fast.”“You don’t think he could be a… Dark One?” Kian asked, finally moving his hand off the back of his head.“No, I don’t think so,” Aaron said quickly, though he wasn’t sure. If Ward really was a Dark One, wouldn’t he have destroyed them? Why would he offer an explanation for the English’s reaction to the Dark Ones? No, he didn’t seem to be evil—just leery of trusting anyone. And definitely not human, though what he might be, Aaron had no idea.“Come on,” Kian insisted, tugging on Aaron’s sleeve. “Let’s go visit our paren
The plan worked and the Dark Ones gave chase to the two men, abandoning the children and rushing after the meddlers instead. Aaron knew there was absolutely no way that he could possibly outrun the Dark Ones; he had heard numerous stories of those who had tried and failed. Even as he began to accept that his fate was sealed and that he may never see his sweet Aislyn again, he realized a strange sensation, one he’d certainly never felt before, was beginning to spread throughout his body. His legs began to tingle, and while at first he thought it was due to the speed he was approaching, he soon realized that wasn’t it at all. He suddenly felt stronger, faster than he had ever before.A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that Kian was taking another path, a smart move. Perhaps that way one of them would escape. However, as the monsters closed in, they also split, and Aaron knew he’d have to turn and face his assailant soon. He couldn’t keep running f
Neither of them made mention to their wives what had happened, though they didn’t discuss keeping it a secret. It just didn’t seem like the sort of thing one mentioned to a person who was not there; no one was likely to believe them anyway.The next morning, Aaron met Kian outside near the road. They decided they must return to the tavern to try and find Ward. Without a word to their wives of where they were going, they set out, certain that Ward would have some answers, though the longer time went by, the more Aaron began to doubt anything about the experience was real.As they walked along, Kian voiced the same thoughts. “That did really happen to us, didn’t it?”“I think so,” Aaron shrugged. “I mean, it couldn’t be a dream or else one of us wouldn’t remember, right?”“Right,” Kian agreed, though his voice wavered. “I do hope those girls made it home safely. I would hate
“Very good. You are quick learners,” Ward nodded. “Kian O'Braonain, your clan was one of the greatest Hunters in all the world many hundreds of years ago. All Vampires feared the silver swords of the O’Braonains.” Turning to Aaron, he continued, “And the McReynolds clan comes from the descendants of the great Guardian Leaders. Not only that, your mother’s clan, the O’Riordans, were also highly skilled Guardians. With the blood of both of these clans coursing through your veins, you are sure to become one of the strongest Guardians of all time.”Both men were still having trouble accepting the information. Aaron looked at Kian and only shook his head. His friend, a stunned look in his eyes, finally asked, “May I have some water?”With a smile, Ward stood and crossed to a cabinet where he produced two glasses and filled them with water from a pitcher sitting on the counter before he took his chair.