Unknown Magic Page 6

  “Well, a ghrá, would you like to tell me what you remember after seeing me in my wolf form?”

  “I remember you kept me warm at night, and you carried me on your back when I was too tired to walk on my own. I saw the dream I had about getting out of the warehouse, but with more detail. I still don’t remember anything before that yet.”

  “Well, at least you seem to be remembering more and more. Do not push it. That in itself was an awful lot to take in at one time. I promise I will help you in any way I can.”

  Seamus’s kindness and understanding touched her heart. Granted he had been a close friend with her uncles for years, but she was virtually a stranger to him. “Why are you being so nice to me? First you save my life and now you are trying to help me regain my memory.”

  “You are a Tuatha Dé Danann and we are a close people. I could sense your power even as a child. When I saw you two days ago, your power called to mine. I could not understand how you did not know about our people until I spoke to Dono and found out about your memory loss. It is of great importance that you learn as much as possible about our people before your birthday.”

  “Is it this power thing that makes me feel so comfortable around you, even though I really don’t know you?”

  “There is much to the fact that our magic calls to each other. It is not something that we have any control over. We will become closer as time goes on. Our power will start to have a more intense pull. We will want to spend more and more time with each other and begin to share many of the same thoughts.” Seamus brushed a lingering tear from her cheek. “One thing that usually happens between mates is that we will be able to speak to each other telepathically. Although, due to the drugs that were used on us when we were in the lab, that may never happen.”

  Megan grabbed his wrist. “Wait a minute, wait just one blasted minute. What is this mate thing?”

  Seamus turned red as Megan stared at him. He stammered when he did find his voice. “Ah…sorry, I keep forgetting that you do not know much of our people. You would feel and understand this if you had your memories. So let me see if I can explain it to you in easy terms. As you have been brought up as a non-Tuatha you would not know that our magic is what brings us together. We have no choice in our mates. The Fates choose them for us. As close an example I can give you is the marriage bond, but much stronger. We mate for life, and there is only one mate for each of us.”

  How can this be happening?

  Horrified, she jumped off Seamus’s lap and began to pace. “So you’re telling me I’ll be forced to marry you?”

  “Let me ask you this. Have you ever been as attracted to another man as you are to me?”

  “Who said I was attracted to you?” Megan stood poised with her hands on her hips.

  Seamus didn’t answer her. He just looked at her and started laughing, which irritated her even more.

  When he settled down he said, “Who are you trying to convince? I know you are as attracted to me as I am to you. Over the next weeks you will become even more so.”

  Seamus reached his long arms out and took her hands into his. “Megan, we have no choice in this. So do not try to pretend otherwise, and most certainly, do not try to fight it, because that will only make things harder on both of us.”

  Megan jerked her hands from his grasp and stepped back. She was having enough trouble getting used to the fact that she was some magical person she had only read of in Celtic folklore. She had no memory of anything. Now she was being told she was going to be married off and had no choice in the matter. What the hell was she going to do? To be truthful, she was attracted to Seamus, although she refused to admit it—especially to him. In spite of her attraction, she didn’t think she wanted to be stuck with anyone for the rest of her life without having a choice in the matter.

  This was not fair. She had a mind of her own and had a right to choose whomever she wanted to marry herself. No one had a right to take that away from her. She looked down at him. Yes, he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. And yes, she was attracted to him. He seemed sincere and believed in what he was saying. But, by God, she wasn’t going to let him rule her life without having a choice in the matter.

  “No, I don’t believe that. You’ve no right to think, just because you say it’s so, I’m going along with it.”

  “A chroí, {My Heart}, trust me on this, I know what I am talking about. Even if the timing stinks for both of us, we will have no choice in what will happen.”

  “Yes, we do. I don’t care what you say. I have a choice, and I’ll do what I damn well please.” She turned and stomped off toward the cabin.

  Seamus watched her stalk off with a smile on his face and laughter in his heart. By the gods, she was the most magnificent and headstrong creature he had ever encountered. And she was his little spitfire. He could not have asked for a more suitable mate if he had picked her out himself. The only thing that worried him was she believed what she was saying. She was in for one big letdown.

  Chapter Six

  Seamus sat in the clearing just outside the cabin’s front door and waited as Donovan marched over and towered over him.

  “Well, Seamus, what did you say to Megan to get her knickers in such a twist? She came storming into the kitchen mumbling something about men being so full of themselves and thinking they had a right to run someone else’s life. Sparks practically shot from her eyes as she flew through the kitchen; I figured you must be the one that sent her into such a tailspin.”

  Seamus pictured her blasting through the kitchen. Yes, his little spitfire had quite a temper on her. He had better watch himself when she came into power. “Aye.” Seamus sighed. “She went into a rage when I told her she was my mate. She believes she can go against The Fates and do as she damn well pleases. All I did was explain to her that she has no choice in the matter and she went off the deep end. I have to say she is going to keep me hopping.”

  Donavan grinned and dropped down beside Seamus. “She has always been a bit headstrong and I will say she is not going to give you an inch. Now tell me what happened when she saw your wolf.”

  “She saw herself in the cage they kept her in and my wolf getting her out. She remembered more details of the explosion and how she got home. She still does not remember anything before that so we might have to try some other things with her.” Seamus tore a handful of grass from its roots. “Although, I truly hope she never remembers some of the things those bastards did to us in the lab. She did remember crying from the pain. It is a shame she is only remembering the horrible things that happened so far.” He twisted the blades of grass, shredding them. “I am sure it will help for her to remember more of when her mum was alive and the good times they had together. We might try taking her back to the old house and the paths they walked when she was young.” He brushed the pieces of grass from his fingers.

  “I am sure Jim will balk at us doing that, but I think you are right. I tried to get him to do it years ago, but he refused. I think he truly believes that getting her memories back is somehow going to hurt her. He is so overprotective of Megan, and we really need to go easy on him. Personally, I feel Megan is much stronger than Jim knows, but he is her Da and I have always tried to abide by his wishes.”

  Shifting Donovan continued. “Unfortunately, I feel I have done a disservice to Megan. She does not know enough about our people, and I have done nothing to help her regain her lost years. However, at this point I feel we need to do everything possible to get her to remember, even if it is against Jim’s wishes. Although I do think he seems more receptive after last night’s discussion.”

  Seamus laughed and turned his head to look across the meadow. “In any case, Megan will be the one to make that decision. I do not think she will let her Da or anyone else detour her from what she wants to do. And at the moment she is bound and determined to remember the years prior to the kidnapping.”

  “Aye, she has always had a mind of her own and when she makes it up about something
, she is as tenacious as a bulldog with a bone. I have to say I feel sorry for you, as she is going to fight you at every turn.” Donovan said with a grin on his lips.

  “She might at that, but she is about to find out I can be just as stubborn as she.” Seamus rose and pushed the hair from his forehead. “I am sure we will find a way to work this out and she will get used to the idea eventually.”

  “I hope you are right because I hate to see her fighting her nature and hurting herself just because she is too stubborn to let go of her pride.” Donovan clamped his hand on Seamus’s shoulder. “I do not envy your journey, my friend.”

  Shaking with anger, Megan stalked into her room and slammed the door. How dare he think he can rule her life just because he saved her so many years ago? She paced her room as restless as a lioness in a cage trying to decide what she was going to do about it.

  Before she had a chance to get anywhere with her decision there was a knock at the door. Expecting it to be Seamus, she flung the door open ready for another fight, only to come face to face with her Uncle Sean.

  Sean’s eyes widened, and he took a step back. “What is it, Pet? You look like you could chew off my head and spit it out before I could say sorry for whatever indignities you think me guilty of.”

  He made her laugh, and she loved him for it. “It’s not you; it’s that idiot, Seamus. Do you know what he told me?”

  Megan had to give her uncle credit for trying to assume an innocent expression, as he asked her what Seamus had done, but the humor in his voice came through despite his best effort. She ignored his amusement and paced the room.

  “The man had the nerve to try to tell me that I’m his mate. Can you believe it?” She paused from pacing and faced her uncle. “As if I would put up with such a thing and besides, I have only known him since yesterday for crying out loud. He even said I had no choice in the matter. Is he stupid or what?”

  The guilty look decorating Sean’s face spoke louder than words.

  Megan’s heart sank as silence echoed the room. “Uncle Sean, the look on your face makes me think you want to run as far from here as possible. Why are you standing there and not answering my question about that twit, Seamus?”

  Exhaling he said, “Well, Pet, I really do not know what to say. This is between you and Seamus.”

  Megan’s spirit plummeted farther. “What are you saying? What do you mean? Uncle Sean, please tell me he is lying.”

  Sean dropped his gaze to his feet. “I am not sure I can say anything that is going to make you feel any better.”

  “So, by saying nothing, are you telling me he’s right?”

  “Well, in a matter of speaking, yes. Donovan and I noticed it when you walked into the kitchen this morning.”

  “Dammit, Uncle Sean, how is this possible? I can’t believe this is happening to me. One day my life is easy going and the next it’s in an uproar. I don’t want to get married to anyone just yet.” She sank to the edge of the bed and pulled the pillow to her chest.

  “I know the timing is bad, Pet, but when the magic chooses, we do not have a choice in the matter. I know this seems unfair, but you will find that it works out well in the end. I have seen this happen time and again. You will see that Seamus will treat you like a queen and you will find you will eventually be very glad you found each other.”

  Not likely. He is way too arrogant for his own good. “Why now? Couldn’t The Fates wait till I got used to what I am before throwing something else at me?”

  “If only life could be so simple. It never fails that during one crisis another will rear its head.” He shook his head.

  Out of all her uncles only Noel was married. How was it, Sean, Donovan nor Patrick had no mates? “How come you’re not mated? You’re older than I am.”

  “Age has nothing to do with finding our mates. It is just a matter of when the Fates decide to let us know who our mate is going to be.”

  “It’s still not fair, and if he thinks he is going to start telling me what to do, he’s got a lot to learn.”

  Sean laughed. “I will tell you one thing, Pet; I think that you are going to be just the ticket for him. He needs to be taken down a few pegs, and you are just the person to do it. My money is on you. Do not let him get away with anything,” Sean said with a gleam in his eye. “He was always one that thought what he said was gospel and very few ever stood up to him. Knowing you the way I do, you will give him a swift kick in the arse before you will bow down to his every whim.”

  “I don’t want to bow to any of his whims. Uncle Sean, isn’t there anyway I can get out of this?”

  “Megan, if there was any way at all that you could, I would be the first to help you. However, going against the Fates would be about the same as trying to stop a hurricane from coming ashore when it is fifty miles out. It just will not happen.”

  “Well, I’m won’t make it easy for him,” Megan said.

  Sean let out what might have been a chuckle, concealed as a cough. “Good for you.”

  Megan stepped out onto the porch that evening to clear her head before she went to bed. She walked out into the clearing, lay down on the grass, and turned her face to the stars. The outdoors always relaxed her. The night was clear and crisp. An owl hooted from a nearby tree; another answered from a short distance away. Closing her eyes, she lay there and thought about the mother she could not remember. Her mind drifted.

  Megan saw herself as young child, “Mommy, look at Bandit.” She laughed. “He keeps sticking his head in the water trying to catch that frog.” The dream went on and she laughed and giggled with her mother. The scene changed and she was a few years older. “Mommy, tell me about the first time you changed.”

  “Ah, Little One, are you ever going to get tired of hearing that one?”

  The vision continued and Megan saw the whole scene of the day she was kidnapped. When the man chasing her grabbed her Megan sat up with a start; a scream tore past her lips. Her heart pounded as if it would burst from her chest.

  Within seconds, Donovan, Patrick, Sean, and Seamus stood around her. Each crouched, ready to attack.

  Uncle Patrick spoke first. “Are you all right, what happened?” His tone reflecting his worry.

  It took her a few minutes to regain her voice and clear her head enough to speak. “I must have fallen asleep; I remembered walking with my mother, as a young child. She looked so much like I do now. We walked down a path, bordered by a silver stream, and laughed at the antics of a young black pup, who bounced around as he chased a frog.

  Then my dream changed and I was older. I sat on a rock as mom told me the story about her first change. Suddenly, she told me to be quiet and pulled me into the water. The dog started barking like crazy. We moved down the stream when mom gasped and fell to her knees; she pushed me and told me to run. In fact, she begged me to run. As I did, someone grabbed me from behind and that’s when I screamed. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare all of you.”

  Then she stared from one to the other in puzzlement, “How’d you get here so fast?”

  Seamus answered for all of them. “That is one of the many things we can do, a ghrá.”

  Donavan’s gaze locked on to her as if he was searching for some answer, “Well, you are definitely getting more of your memory back. Are you sure you are all right then? Do you want to talk more about your dream?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. It was just a shock to remember what happened that day.” Megan looked at her Uncle Donovan. “My mother looked so much like me, only with hair more your color and her eyes like all of you.” She took a breath and glanced at each of her uncles in turn, then back at Donovan. “Why are my eyes such a different color from the rest of you?”

  Donovan shrugged. “The only thing I can figure is that your eye color is a throw back from your Da’s or our past.” But he continued to stare at her for a moment more with a strange look on his face. Then shook his head.

  “I need some time to digest what I just learned. Can we talk more about
it in the morning?”

  Donovan gave her a nod of affirmation, “Fine, then we will leave you to your star-gazing.”

  With that she watched her three uncles vanish. Seamus made no move to leave. Instead, he asked if she would mind some company.

  Not sure being around him alone was a good idea, she was about to tell him no, when he sat next to her and touched her cheek with the back of his finger. Her cheek tingled as he slid his finger down to her jaw and lifted her face to look at him. It took every ounce of control for her not to lean into his hand. No matter how much she would have liked to she was not giving in without a fight.

  “I know you do not like the idea of us being mated, but love, if you will just give us a chance I am sure you will not find it as repulsive as you think.”

  “Seamus, it’s not like that. It’s just I can’t believe I don’t have choice, and I really don’t know you. How can I trust myself to make a rational decision about it?”

  “Even though it is not our decision, I will try to make this transition as easy as possible for you. We will take it slow. I will not force you to do anything. We can just spend a bit of time getting to know each other, no pressure. We can go for a few walks and such. I can also use the time to teach you all about our people.”

  A large weight lifted from her. “Thank you. That would make it easier for me. Will you tell me about your life, so I can get to know you better?”

  “A ghrá, I will tell you anything you want to know. Although, it might take years to tell you my life history.”

  Relief cascaded through her. He was being so easy-going about this. She found herself starting to relax a little. “That just might give me enough time to get used to the idea of being mated to you.”

  He laughed at that, lying back on the ground. He pulled her down next to him, placing her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. She stiffened. “Relax, a mhúirnín, {my beloved}, I already promised to move slowly. We can be comfortable as we talk without you feeling threatened. Can we not?”