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  Quinlon shook his head. “I do not think that bringing this to the council years ago would have made much of a difference, as many of us had our heads in the sand. We are here to see what we can do to help alleviate this problem. My only wish is that we would have known you were alive back then.”

  “Well, A Tiarna Uasal, as I am sure my father informed you I am unable to communicate with anyone through telepathy since I was kidnapped.”

  Dermot said, “Shall we dispense with the formalities?” He waved his hand to a grouping of chairs. “Let us have a seat and then we can continue.” Once seated, Dermot continued the conversation. “Now, we understand that Sean and Donovan O’Shea have also lost their ability to communicate telepathically since they were attacked.”

  Seamus nodded. “It would seem so. Has anyone spoken to Noel or Brian, to know if they have been affected?”

  Roarke tilted his head and then started cursing up one side and down the other. “Whatever these bastards are using it seems anytime they shoot one of us we lose our telepathic ability with everyone…but our mate. Therefore, Brian is now virtually as cut off from the rest of his family as you are. Fortunately, Noel is still able to communicate with Shannon, so he has an advantage over you four.”

  Nolen spoke up then, “Speaking of mates, have you completed the Deasghnáth with yours? As we now know, that will give you both an advantage if for some reason this group gets hold of either of you.”

  “Megan and I have been discussing it, and she has agreed. She was quite hesitant due to not having the knowledge of our people. We will need a few days to prepare as she knows very little of our customs.”

  Quinlon spoke, shaking his head. “Yet another tragedy this group must be held accountable for.”

  Seamus could feel Roarke vibrate with anger. “They have a great deal to be accountable for. He took my son from me for seventeen years, killed Bernadette, who was one of our strongest women and was like a daughter to me. But worse, they left Megan without a mother to guide her. They have declared war against our people and when we find them, we shall give them the very painful justice they rightfully deserve. We also must find the fealltóir {traitor} that has given them so much information about our people, for he also must be brought to justice, for the crime of divulging such information about us to a non-Tuatha. Our laws are very strict about that, and I have a great deal of trouble believing one of our own would do such a thing, but there is much evidence to the contrary.”

  Seamus understood his father’s anger, even though it took him by surprise. His father had always been one that was calm in every situation. He now saw just what damage he had done by letting his father think he had been dead for so many years. He did the only thing he could do to help ease some of the suffering he had caused. He went to his father, knelt down, and hugged him. “Da, I am sorry for giving you this sorrow to deal with. I should have somehow come to you and let you know what was happening and that I was alive. I was not thinking of anything but keeping my family and our people safe. I now realize I also caused a great deal of pain to you in the process. Please forgive me for that miscalculation.”

  Roarke, with admiration showing in his eyes, looked at Seamus, but it was Quinlon who spoke. “You have done nothing that should need to be forgiven. You acted as a great leader to our people. Another would have come to us immediately and, more than likely, brought disaster with them. You on the other hand tried to alleviate the problem. The unfortunate thing being your inability to communicate with us and let us know what was occurring. No one could have foreseen that these mad men were continually working on ways to overcome our magic. Now that we do understand the threat they are, we will be helping you in your quest to eliminate them. I also want you to spend some time with our healers to see if they can figure a way to unblock your telepathic channel.”

  Seamus answered Quinlon with a nod, but his eyes never left his father’s face.

  Roarke spoke then, “Son, Quinn is right. You have done no wrong. I am proud to have sired you. Yes, the loss of you years ago was devastating, but the joy of finding you alive has overshadowed that. Yet, I still want to see justice served to the people that have caused us all such anguish.”

  With much relief, Seamus said, “I shall do my best to see that you get your wish on that.”

  Megan dozed fitfully after Seamus left. She finally decided she needed to talk to someone about the mating ritual Seamus wanted to do. She knew it would give everyone around her peace of mind to know that he could find her if this group somehow took her again. However, she wanted more information about it before she went through it. Knowing Shannon would be with Noel at the moment, she decided she would talk to one of her uncles, although she hoped she could still talk to Shannon before everything was completed.

  Just then, Donovan walked into the room looking as though he had just come from taking a shower. It made her wonder, once more, at the power she was about to possess.

  Her uncle looked at her and smiled. “Little Bit, I can tell you have something on your mind.”

  Smiling, she said, “Nothing ever gets past you does it?”

  He laughed at that. “With that look on your face, I would have to be blind.”

  “I wanted to talk to you, well I really wanted to talk to Shannon about the mating ritual, but I know she has her hands full with Uncle Noel at the moment. Do you know how Uncle Noel and Brian are? Are they going to be okay? When will they be…”

  Donovan started to laugh which stopped her for a moment as she realized, with disgust, she was once again running her questions together.

  “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

  Still chuckling Donovan replied, “Little Bit, that is one of the things we all love about you, but yes, you are. First off, Noel and Brian are coming along fine and should be here shortly. Second, Shannon will be coming with them so you will get your chance to talk to her. If I can wipe out some of that questioning look you had on your face when I came in, I will be happy to try until you can talk to Shannon.”

  “That would help. I just feel like I’m getting pushed into this before I really have a chance to research anything.”

  Donovan pulled up two chairs and sat on one and Megan sat on the other. “I am sure Seamus would give you all the time in the world if we were not faced with this crisis. He has never been one to insist someone do something unless that person was comfortable with it. Nevertheless, we have to be able to reach you if these bastards get hold of you again, especially before your empowerment day. You do know that you must go to Brú na Bóinne on that day or you will die. If you were to be kidnapped, he would be the only one who would be able to help you, but that is only as long as you complete the Deasghnáth. None of us is willing to let anything happen to you. I know we are all asking a lot of you, but I could not bear it if you were lost to us as your mother was.”

  “I understand that, Uncle Donovan, what I want to know now is what it means to me personally once I go through the ritual.” Megan stretched her arms over her head.

  “Well, that is easy. It is similar to a marriage except you are tied together, heart, body, mind, and spirit. You will be able to draw power from each other and know where each other are at all times, unless one blocks the other. You will be able to read each other’s thoughts and feel each other’s emotions. As I have not experienced this, I do think you should speak to Shannon about that part. From any one of my friends who share the bonding, they say it is the most wonderful part of our mating.”

  “What would happen if we find out we’re not compatible? Is there any way to undo this once it’s complete?”

  Shaking his head Donovan said, “When the Fates bring two people together, they are never incompatible, so you have no worry there. The only time I have ever seen a problem is when two people go against The Fates and do not mate or mate with someone other than their fated mate.”

  “How do I know for sure that Seamus and I are fated mates and not some infatuation that will wear off in
time?”

  Donovan chuckled, “Trust me, Little Bit you two are definitely destined for one another. The reason you do not recognize it is because you do not have the experience of our people and that is my fault. I am sorry for letting you down in that area.”

  “I understand why everyone thinks we have to do this now, but I still want to wait. I’m not sure I feel it’s the right thing for me to do.”

  Donovan shifted in his chair and cleared his throat before he continued.

  “Little Bit, this is going to sound cruel to you, but I will force you to do the Deasghnáth even if it is against your will. I love you so much that I am not willing to lose you because you do not know enough about yourself and your people.”

  His words horrified Megan. “You would never do that! Would you?”

  Determination crossed his face. “I am sorry to say, but we all agreed, including your father, that we need you protected any way we can, even from yourself. So yes, I am afraid I will, along with Sean, Patrick, Noel, and Kevin. We are willing to have you hate us for a while, in order to save you, if need be.”

  Megan’s anger sprouted to the surface and she jumped out of the chair, clinching her fists.

  “Megan, I only told you this to make you understand how strongly we feel about your safety. None of us would consider such a thing if Seamus had not been your true mate.”

  “I don’t care if Seamus is my true mate or not. You still have no right to even consider trying to make such a decision for me. How could you? I’m way past being a child and no one, not even for love, has a right to tell me what I’ve got to do.”

  Donovan continued talking as if she had said nothing, which infuriated her even more.

  “I wanted you to know how we feel about this matter. Your father was so distraught over finding out that her mate could have tracked your mum if he had been Tuatha. We made him the promise to try to persuade you to complete the Deasghnáth, or we would force the issue, if necessary. Little Bit, I do not think you realize the anguish the loss of your mother and you had on any of us. It was by the luck of The Fates that we got you back. None of us will go through that again. Not if there is a way to prevent it.”

  “So you are willing to make me do this against my will?”

  His gray-blue eyes took on a stormy look as he said, “I hope it will not come to that, but that is the way it will be if you do not complete the Deasghnáth immediately. Do you understand what I am saying?”

  “Yes, I understand perfectly.” Megan turned her back and stormed out of the area.

  Megan was fuming. When she spotted Seamus sitting with his father and three other men, she marched up to them and let loose on Seamus. “Did you know that my uncles planned on forcing me to complete the mating ritual with you? Were you in on that planning? Do you think that because you are all men, you can bully a woman into doing something against her will? What gives you the right?” The whole time her voice kept getting higher and higher, and at the same time, things started flying around the room.

  Megan paid no attention to the three other men sitting with Seamus and Roarke.

  “Megan, a ghrá, would you please calm down and tell me what has you so upset before you knock yourself or someone else out.”

  Megan was in such a rage at this point that Seamus’s words did not penetrate. “Don’t you dare take that innocent attitude with me.”

  When a lamp slammed into the side of the protective circle Quinlon had placed around the group and crashed to the ground, Megan jumped. That was enough for her to see through the red haze of her anger. Seamus then pulled her into his arms, his touch helping to cool her temper also. When she looked around, she was astonished at the mess she had created. Only then, did she look around at the four witnesses to her tantrum. Her cheeks burned as a blush crept up her face.

  “Megan, may I introduce you to three of our peoples’ High Lords. A Thiarnaí Uaisle Quinlon McSweeny, Dermot O’Neill, and Nolen MacMohan.” All three men rose. “Gentlemen, I would like you to meet my mate, Megan Tully.”

  Seamus’s lips were compressed, but the corners turned up as if he were having a hard time not laughing. When Megan looked at his father, she could see he was having just about as much trouble.

  Megan groaned and felt the heat of her blush rise from breast to brow. She wished the ground would open up and she could just slide into it. She had never been so embarrassed in her whole life.

  At that point, Donovan rushed up, picking his way through the debris Megan had created in the wake of her anger. “May I apologize for my niece, since I seem to be the cause behind her rampage?”

  Seamus looked from Megan to Donovan. “And what did you say to her that had her in such a snit with me?”

  “I told her that her father and uncles had decided if she did not agree to going through the Deasghnáth, we were prepared to force the issue.”

  Seamus started to laugh and so did his father, as well as Nolen, Dermot, and Quinlon. Megan stiffened in his arm, but it did not seem to help.

  When they all got themselves under control, Quinlon spoke, looking directly at Megan. “Well, I must say, when you come fully into power, my dear, I will not want to be on the receiving side of your anger.” He then turned to look at Donovan with a twinkle in his eye that no one could dispute for anything other than laughter. “Donovan, you sent your niece into a rage over nothing, as she had already agreed to go through the Deasghnáth with Seamus.”

  Megan was happy to see that Donovan was dumbfounded.

  Before her uncle could say anything, Megan turned to Seamus and quietly asked, “Well, did you know what they were planning?”

  “No, a ghrá, I had not talked to anyone but your father, to ask his permission to be your mate. We both came to the conclusion now would be the best time. After which, I spoke to you and let the decision be yours to make. I would have done everything possible to try to persuade you though.”

  Megan looked up at Donovan, and he ducked his head.

  She was still angry with him, but she decided it was best to let it go. “So now, Uncle Donovan, you know I made the decision already and you can tell the rest of the family. You can also tell them if they ever, and I mean ever, try to pull a stunt like that on me again I will disown everyone of them. You included.” She then threw his words back at him. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Donovan smiled. “Yes, my Little Bit, I understand you perfectly.”

  With that, she turned back to the group of men and said, “I’m sorry for making a fool of myself in front of all of you.”

  Roarke laughed and said, “Child, you are like a bright light in the darkness. You will always bring joy to our family and our people, but most of all you spice up my son’s life. He has always been a serious soul and with the last years of being alone, he can use your light to shine through him. For that, I will always be grateful. Now, do not worry about your little tantrum. I think you had every right to be upset.”

  Megan, seeing the love and respect Roarke carried for his son, felt her fondness for him grow to newer heights. To have him as a father-in-law was something she knew she was going to like. The more she thought about it the more she was coming to accept the fact that she would be joining with Seamus. She knew in her heart that she was feeling the first stirrings of love for him. So maybe her Uncle Sean had been right when he said she would be happy it happened.

  Quinlon waved in another chair for her. “I have to agree most definitely with Roarke, but I would like to talk to you about your ability to move objects when you get mad.”

  The other two men nodded. They crowded in for a discussion on what Megan knew and what she could do. She felt comfortable around these men even though they were high ranking in the Tuatha, which surprised her. They treated her with the same respect that they showed Seamus.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Shannon, Noel, and Brian were back by morning. Impatience gnawed at Megan as she waited to get to her personal time with Shannon, but the ne
eds of the group had to come first.

  Tensions ran high during breakfast. Megan barely touched her food as Shannon argued against Noel trying his stunt again.

  Quinlon said, “Shannon, I can go out with him and shield him while he is using his energy to incapacitate this group.”

  Shannon glared at them and said, “That will work fine, but I am going with him as well.

  “Shannon.”

  Megan watched with amusement as Shannon ignored Noel’s interruption.

  “He is not one hundred percent recovered, so if I am touching him, the combined power will be more efficient.” Shannon turned to look Noel in the eye. The look that passed between husband and wife was beyond Megan’s understanding. Was it because they were communicating telepathically, or was there something more connecting them? Whatever it was, Noel ceased to protest.

  “I agree that our combined power is a good idea. If Quinlon will be able to shield both of us, I would very much like you to be with me.”

  Megan was amazed to see her uncle so readily agree to put Shannon in any danger. It made her worry if he was still suffering a lot more from his injuries than he was admitting. Could Golden Enterprises be a greater threat than she had thought?

  After breakfast, Shannon came to Megan.

  “This would be a good time to have our discussion as we are waiting until midday to start our attack.”

  Megan said, “Then let’s go to the smaller cavern. I have so many questions but I’m not sure where to begin.”

  Megan waited long enough for them to sit in the armchairs before she bombarded Shannon with questions.

  Shannon held her hand up laughing. “Meg, one question at a time, please.”

  “Sorry, I always do that.”

  “I understand it cannot be easy for you to have all this thrown at you in such a short time. So how about if I tell you everything I can and then if you have some questions afterwards I can try to answer them. I think it will make more sense to you that way.”