A small, sad smile appeared on his lips. “I’m quite glad you did. I’m just so damn angry. I want to put an end to all this madness. But it seems like there’s always something more she’s done. I’m caught in Aoife’s spider web and I can’t see how I’ll ever be free.”
Headlights peeked through the night and Ethan’s truck pulled up in front of the house. The sound of his truck door opening and slamming shut echoed in the quiet evening. Even dressed in a plain white T-shirt and worn jeans he looked amazing. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over to where we sat.
I smiled as I stood up and rubbed my arms. “Hey.”
Ethan gave me a little smile and I felt my heart turn over. Liam stood and they shook hands.
“What’s going on?” Ethan said, looking between us.
“Not much,” I said, glancing at Liam out of the corner of my eye.
“How are you handling everything?” Liam asked.
Ethan chuckled. “Well, I guess I’m still processing it. I probably wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
Liam jerked his chin toward his house. “Shall we go where we can talk?”
I watched Ethan follow behind Liam and I trailed a few steps behind them. Liam opened his front door, motioning for us to go in first. It was dark and quiet inside. Our steps echoed on the tiles of his foyer.
“Where’s Aodhan?” I asked Liam when we were all sitting in his living room. “I haven’t seen him around in a couple days.”
“He went for a hike at the state park Friday. He hasn’t been back since. I think he’s getting restless.”
“I’m not surprised,” I said, trying to imagine what he could be doing for the past two days in the wilderness. It was probably relaxing to be away from all of this. He didn’t have to worry about being attacked by a bear or anything. He could outrun any animal and fight off any predator.
“How does Aodhan fit into all of this, anyway?” Ethan asked, rubbing his jaw.
Liam looked thoughtful for a minute. “Aodhan and Niamh were once in love. She brought him home with her after he’d been shot by a British soldier in the early seventeenth century. He stayed in Tír na n’Óg for so long that everyone he cared about was long gone by the time he came back here.”
Ethan shifted in his seat on the couch, his knee pressing into mine. All thought left me, and my mind focused on that one spot where we were connected.
“That’s harsh. So they’re not together anymore?” he asked, meeting my eyes.
I blinked and glanced over at Liam, thinking back to the time in Thunder Bay when I’d asked him the same question. I hadn’t understood the dynamic between Niamh and Aodhan back then, not that I fully grasped it now.
Liam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “They’re not. Things between them are complicated. I’m sure you’ll figure that out pretty quickly if you plan on sticking around.”
A hot flush crept over my cheeks, spreading down my neck. I looked down at my hands clasped in my lap, peeking up through my lashes to make out Ethan’s reaction. He bumped my knee with his, amusement flickering in his deep brown eyes.
“Have you heard anything from Niamh?” I asked, trying to focus on the bigger issue at hand.
My sister. Not Ethan’s dimples.
Liam frowned. “Not yet, she sent a message that she was in Wheelwright..”
“What’s she doing up there?” Ethan asked.
“She has a house. It’s where one of the portals to Tír na n’Óg is.” I studied Ethan’s reaction. He just nodded, taking it in stride.
The front door slammed shut and, as if we had summoned her, Niamh walked into the living room. Her face was expressionless, but her posture was rigid.
“My father’s gone. He went to Tír na n’Óg without me,” she said, crossing her arms.
“What happened?” Liam asked, standing.
“Diarmuid said he came up there on Friday ranting about us allowing Ethan to keep his memories and Aoife destroying Tír na n’Óg.”
“It’s about time he starts taking what she’s done seriously,” Liam said.
“Yes. I just wish I could’ve caught him before he left. It would have made it easier to deal with Ciarán and Samantha.” Niamh tapped her finger on her lips and looked at me. “Have you seen them again?”
I shook my head. “Not since I was at the mall.”
Ethan squeezed my knee and when I looked at him, he gave me a reassuring smile.
“I’d like to find them tonight,” Niamh said, her eyes on Liam.