Always Remembered (30 page)

Relief relaxed him more than anything else
had that evening. Closing his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.

“Tell me about Vesh,” Ula demanded the second my bedroom door was
closed. Her eagerness made me laugh. “What? He’s gorgeous. You
can’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

“Okay, okay. So I noticed.” I grinned at her
and sat on my bed, tucking my feet beneath me. “He’s a nice guy.
Really. You should get to know him.”

“He’s single?” Between the hopefulness in her
voice and the eager puppy expression on her face, when she
developed a crush, she crushed hard and fast.

“As far as I know.” I shrugged. “He hasn’t
mentioned anyone, but then again, we haven’t really discussed our
personal lives. You know, in the midst of rescuing everyone and
fleeing Ken’s wrath.”

She plopped next to me and bumped my
shoulder. “You could be nicer, you know. Considering I haven’t seen
you in weeks.”

Wrapping my arm around her narrow shoulders,
I gave her a squeeze. “I missed you too. Tell me what’s happened
since we’ve been gone?”

“I took over training.” She raised a ginger
eyebrow, daring me to challenge her.

“What about Uncle Angus?” I asked.

“He thought I should lead, and I did a good
job too.” She was defensive, like I would be mad.
No way!
I
was proud.

“Excellent, Ula! I’m so proud of you.”

“Yes, well.” Her face flushed from my simple
compliment. “They are all doing well. Almost everyone can shield
with their energy now, and a few can throw it in combat. Arren,
well, Arren is rather amazing and probably the strongest fighter
and magic wielder in the group.”

“Fantastic!” I was glad to hear of Arren’s
skills. In fact, I hoped more of the Selkies would reach his level.
We could use all the trained warriors we could get. Defeating Ken
and his army wasn’t going to be easy. Not only did we have to
contend with their strength and fighting skills, but we also had to
neutralize the magic he was using to feed the mantle plume. Evan
warned us that it was heading toward our island. I wondered how
many more days, or hours, until it reached us. Would we be able to
stop the destruction once it started? Kieran and I had seen the
devastation it caused—the stench of death and decay still lingered
in the dark corners of my mind. I feared it, but more, I feared for
my people. What would happen to us if we lost Ronac in a fiery
blaze of lava?

“Meara? You still with me?” Ula patted my arm
and searched my face with concern.

“Sorry, I guess I spaced out.” I gave her an
apologetic smile. “What were you saying?”

“Nothing too important. More updates on our
progress. You’ll see for yourself tomorrow.” She didn’t seem
offended that I zoned out. Standing to stretch, she smiled and then
leaned in to give me a quick hug. “I better let you get some sleep.
Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

“Thanks, Ula.” I walked her to the door.
“I’ll see you at breakfast?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. I’m curious how the rest
of the clan will take to our new friends.”

“Me, too.” I closed the door and laid back on
my bed, thinking about tomorrow. The introduction had to go well.
We needed to work together to have any chance at winning. Given
that we had anything from hours to a few days to determine our
strategy, any time spent fighting amongst ourselves would hurt
us.

I wasn’t sure how long I lay in bed, staring
up in the darkness and considering our options. For a while, I
planned what I wanted to say to my dad. I changed my speech about
fifty times. The funny thing about planning a conversation in your
mind was that his responses could throw everything I imagined out
the window and take the discussion into a completely uncharted
direction. It didn’t matter; he needed to hear me out. I was tired
of being overlooked, and it was time he knew it.

Someone knocked lightly at the door. At this
hour, I knew it could only be one person.

“Come in,” I called.

Kieran entered and closed the door quietly
behind him. He sat on the edge of my bed. His hair was damp from
his shower, the clean smell of spring rain stronger than usual. I
was glad he came and scooted over so he could stretch out next to
me.

“Did I wake you?” he asked.

“No.” His voice still gave me goose bumps. It
was deep and husky in all the right ways. I inched closer to his
warmth, and he placed his arm around me, pulling me against him.
“How was the meeting?”

“You didn’t miss much. David rehashed his
imprisonment and our rescue. Angus shared what was going on here.
You would’ve been proud of your uncle. When your name came up, he
put your father in his place and told him how you have been
instrumental to the training here.” Kieran’s lips grazed my
forehead. “David’s agreed to hear you out tomorrow.”

“He did?”

“Yes, right after breakfast, we’ll all go to
the training session.” Kieran chuckled. “I can’t wait. You’re going
to give your father the surprise of his life.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so.”

Kieran’s faith in me warmed me to the core. I
knew that Uncle Angus and Kieran had my back no matter what. Ula
and Padraic too. Now I just had to convince my father and get him
to stop treating me like a child.

“You’re no child.” Kieran slid his hand up my
side, and then brought it back down slowly. “Do you want me to
leave so you can get some sleep?”

“No.” I placed my lips on his neck, kissing a
sensitive spot. His pulse jumped in response. “I want you to
stay.”

“Always,” he whispered, lowering his head and
capturing my mouth in a kiss. He managed to make me forget all my
worries and live in the moment. I wanted, no needed, this moment
with him.

“I love you, Meara.”

“I love you too.”

*****

The sharp knock was followed by my father
asking, “Are you awake?”

“I am now,” I called back, a little grumpily.
Then my eyes flew open and, with relief, I noted Kieran was gone.
After Dad caught us in bed the last time, even with nothing
happening, I didn’t want to experience that embarrassment again.
The other side of the bed was still warm, reminding me that he woke
me earlier, kissed my cheek, and said he would see me later.

“We’re meeting for breakfast shortly. Hurry
along.” His voice was slightly impatient, but that didn’t surprise
me. Dad was an early riser, and he didn’t understand those of us
that liked to sleep in or at least lounge in bed for a little while
before going to work.

There really wasn’t time for lounging,
though. Soon enough, Ken would realize that Evan was gone, if he
didn’t know already. We were fooling ourselves if we thought we had
time. We didn’t.

Dad wanted me to hurry, but I couldn’t miss
my shower. I’d gone far too long without one while we were on our
rescue mission. I managed to be quick about it and, after, I pulled
my hair into a ponytail, skipped the makeup, and threw on jeans and
a T-shirt. Slipping my sandals on at the door, I was ready within
fifteen minutes.

On my way to the cavern, I stopped and
knocked on Ula’s door. I was about to leave, thinking she had
already gone down, when the door cracked open. Her squinting face
poked out. “Yeah?”

“Didn’t my dad stop by and wake you? We’re
all supposed to meet downstairs.”

“What?” Her eyes widened almost comically.
“When?”

“Now, I think.”

“Are you kidding me?” she squealed while at
the same time grabbing my arm and pulling me into her room. “Will
that hot guy be there… um, Vesh?”

I shrugged. “I think so. After all, Dad plans
to introduce them to the clan this morning, remember?”

“Help me get ready,” she begged. “I have no
idea what to wear.”

“Wear something green,” I suggested. “It
brings out your eyes.”

She changed into a bright green knit top and
cream-colored crop pants. Unlike me, she did take time to apply her
makeup and fix her hair. I tapped my foot impatiently and was about
to tell her that I’d meet her down there, when she said she was
ready. She picked her backpack off the bed and put it on. “If we’re
training, I might need this.”

I nodded in agreement, once again grateful
that I chose an anklet as the form for my Selkie skin when I wasn’t
using it. I wouldn’t want to haul a backpack around at all times.
It didn’t seem to bother Ula. After all these years, I guess she
was used to it.

The hall was full by the time we arrived. I
was surprised to see that the family table was empty. Instead,
everyone was seated at the much-longer table on the main floor.
Kieran was there too, and he never ate with my family. He smiled
when he saw me and motioned to the spot beside him. The only other
opening was between Vesh and Aunt Brigid. Somehow, I didn’t think
Ula would mind.

Dad glanced at us curiously, but he didn’t
say anything. I got the impression that he hadn’t planned on Ula
being here. Certainly, Paddy was absent, most likely in the kitchen
overseeing the preparation of the meal.

My father stood and tapped his spoon against
his goblet. The room quieted. “Thank you all for joining us this
morning to celebrate our safe return.” Dad paused while the clan
erupted in cheers. When they quieted, he continued, “We have
several guests staying with us who I would like to introduce. They
will be training with you and helping us prepare for battle.”

Several Selkies shifted uncomfortably in
their chairs, others sat up straighter, welcoming the challenge.
Dad motioned for the Blue Men to stand. “Allow me to introduce
Vesh, Dex, Slate, and Evan from the Blue Men of the Minch.”

People broke out in protests and questions.
Faces filled with shock, fear, and disbelief. Who could blame them?
We had invited our enemy into our home as guests. They didn’t know
that we could trust these men. Dad’s face hardened, and he banged
his fists on the table.

“Enough!” he shouted. “These men were
instrumental in our rescue. I trust them and you will, too. We must
work together or we are all doomed.”

With eyes full of challenge, he surveyed the
room for problems. Giving the clan a curt nod, he sat and resumed
his meal. The Blue Men followed suit. Soon, the room filled with
the sound of conversations and clattering dinnerware. As pep talks
went, Dad’s speech wasn’t much of one, but I guessed it was
effective enough. The question was—could we all work together? Only
time would tell.

Breakfast was awkward at best. Evan felt sorry for the Selkies. He
imagined they were confused and afraid. He noticed many of them
looked to Meara. She gave them reassuring smiles, but she didn’t
speak up. Clearly, David was in charge. Still, Evan could see how
Meara had gained the trust of their people.

The food was delicious. After two hot meals
and several hours of sleep in a comfortable bed, Evan was starting
to feel like his old self again. The other guys appeared well
rested too. Vesh was discussing training strategies with David.
Meara listened to them, her lips pursed in a frown. Dex and Slate
hypothesized on how much longer before Ken came after them. Evan
didn’t want to know. With luck, they had at least another day.

“Are you ready?” David asked the group as he
pushed back from the table and stood. “It’s time to train.”

He started walking toward the stairs when
Meara stopped him. “Dad? Aren’t you going to announce it to the
clan? Aren’t they training too?”

He turned back, a surprised expression on his
face. “In time. I was planning to have my guards train with the
Blue Men first.”

“That’s like ten people!” Meara said. “No.
Everyone needs to be involved.”

“No?” David’s eyebrows rose. He didn’t seem
mad, more bewildered. It made Evan wonder how often anyone
challenged him.

“We don’t have time for that,” Meara argued.
“Ken might already be on his way.”