Chapter 24

Breathe. Inhale. Sight. Exhale. Squeeze. Carter’s face disappeared from his scope. He shifted a half degree to his left and down. Delaney. Her body tangled up with Carter’s. Blood matted in her hair. Eyes, wide and frightened like a doe, seeking out his position. She was alive. Breathe.

Rory didn’t remember leaving his sniper’s nest. Didn’t remember clamoring down the stairs and bursting into the street. Scott had tried to grab him, but he broke free. Delaney. He had to get to her. Somebody…Jessie, maybe, loomed in front of him. He didn’t pause, juking and ducking around every human barrier.

He barreled through the doors of the restaurant headed straight for the private room. A part of his brain recognized Connor and Nessa. Ciara and Keegan. The Burns. Becca. And Ciaran. No. Kieran. He slowed, realized he still clutched his rifle. That damnable gray mist fogged his vision again and his head swam.

“Riordan.”

The bodiless voice raised the hair on the back of his neck. “Ciaran?” Or Kieran. Which man called to him across the mists of time? A figure appeared—not Ciaran at all. Manannán. The faerie king stared at him, unblinking, unemotional. Not laughing this time.

“Do you love this woman, mortal?”

He nodded mutely. His hands itched to take her into his arms, to touch her and make sure she was unharmed. He wanted—needed—to kiss her, to make love to her. He wanted to love her with all his heart for the rest of his life.

Manannán mac Lir seemed to grow, his hair a golden nimbus, his swirling robes infused with every color of the rainbow. “So be it. The vow, Riordan MacDermot. Bind her with the vow.”

Rory staggered backward as thunder rang in his ears. Stars burst against his retinas, and for a long, frightening moment, he could neither see nor hear. Voices. Far away on the very edge of his hearing. He screwed his eyes shut until the skyrockets behind his lids stopped shooting into the darkness. When he opened them, the room appeared in sharp focus even though the people still wavered. He refused to let the vertigo swallow him, and in moments he recognized Kieran and Becca.

“Delaney?” Rory shook off the hands trying to hold him back.

“Rory!” He jerked his arm again, but Scotty held on tight. “Dammit, give me your rifle so I can secure it.”

Hoss appeared and Captain Davis, both trying to block him, but it was the captain who issued a command. “Stand down, MacDermot. You can’t go in there. You know the protocol, man, when there’s an officer involved shooting.”

He stripped out of his gear, passed it to the big man, while staring at his captain. “I don’t care. Sir.”

“Rory—”

He didn’t stop to listen, pushing through them with a singleness of purpose. Delaney. He had to see her, touch her, make sure she was okay. The doors at the end of the hall stood open and people milled around. Footsteps echoed his, and he spared a brief glance over his shoulder to see who was foolish enough to try to stop him. Kieran.

They stepped through the door side-by-side and Rory was struck by the sense of rightness in that action. They’d done this so many times throughout their lives. Paramedics and cops cluttered the area, and he couldn’t see Delaney for a minute. When he located her, he grabbed the EMT closest to her and pulled the man away. He dropped to his knees next to her, reached for her hand until he realized his own was shaking. Breathe.

“Doc?”

She whimpered, her eyes closed. Her bangs straggled across her face, matted with something dark red and sticky. Blood. And other bits. But not hers. Dear God not hers.

Rory wiped his hand on his thigh before taking her hand. Kieran’s voice, quiet but commanding, rumbled in the background, soothing the uniforms and paramedics. “Doc? Don’t open your eyes yet, okay? Hold on just another minute.”

Rory glared at a CSI holding a camera. “Get the damn pictures so I can get her out of here.”

Galvanized by his voice, the CSI snapped photographs of the scene, focusing on Delaney first. At the investigator’s nod, Rory leaned in. “Put your arm around my neck, baby. I’m getting you out of here.” Her eyelids fluttered. “No, baby. Not yet. Don’t look yet.”

Her lashes teased her cheeks and then opened. Her eyes focused on him. “Rory?”

“It’s me, Doc. I’m here. You’re safe.”

She turned her head and he tried to stop her, but she shook her head. “No. I have to see. If I don’t, it will haunt me. What’s in my imagination. What I see when I close my eyes is much worse. I know it is.”

With reluctance, he helped her sit up straighter and turn. She stared at the man who’d been intent on taking her life. Thankfully, she couldn’t see the back of his head. One bullet hole blossomed in the middle of his forehead. The back would be a bloody pulp. Carter’s death had been instantaneous. His finger never had a chance to squeeze the trigger of the pistol he held to Delaney’s head.

Rory started shaking, hard shudders coursing through him. A warm hand clamped on his shoulder. Kieran. Breathe.

Steadier, he touched Delaney’s face. “C’mon, Doc. Let’s get out of here. Get you cleaned up. I want to take you home.”

Tears formed in her eyes but didn’t spill over. “Home.” Her voice remained steady despite the quiver in her lower lip. “I’d like that.”

He dipped his head and kissed her. “Me, too.”

****

They’d dealt with the paperwork, the hospital, and Internal Affairs. Kieran ran interference each step of the way. Now at Rory’s condo, Becca and Delaney had disappeared into the master bath while he and Kieran shared glasses of Guinness. Rory could breathe again, and his hand didn’t shake. Much.

“Thank you.”

“No need for that, Rory.” The other man watched him, a guarded look on his face.

“What?”

“Would ya mind tellin’ me what occurred? There in the hall.”

His hand shook again as he swallowed several large gulps of his beer. “Manannán mac Lir dropped by to visit.”

Kieran snorted. “I’m not surprised considering that bloody harper visited earlier. He arrived with Delaney. This whole affair stinks of fae.”

“Be nice, darling. I’m sure you’d hate a visit from the in-laws about now.” The two men stared at Becca. She snagged a beer from the fridge and popped the top, drinking straight from the bottle.

“Shush, darling. Don’t be sayin’ their names out loud.”

Rory raised a brow, his gaze tracking from one to the other. “I don’t want to know, do I?”

Becca laughed, the sound bright and joyful. “No, probably not.” She stared at her husband, and Rory realized something meaningful passed between them. “We can’t ignore the five-hundred pound gorilla, Kieran. We both saw Abhean before that man came in. And if that wasn’t Manannán mac Lir himself in that swirling mist in the hall, I’ll…well, it doesn’t matter. We know he was there.”

Kieran watched Rory, his expression inscrutable. “How much do you remember, Rory?”

“All of it.” He lifted one shoulder in a desultory shrug. “But I need the words to the vow. If I tried hard enough, I could probably remember the gist of what you said that Samhain night, but let’s just make it easy.”

The sound of a pen scratching on paper drew his attention to Becca. She busily scribbled words on a paper towel she’d snagged from the stand next to the sink. The two men watched her in silence, and she pushed it toward Rory when she finished.

“Hope you can read my writing. Say the words to her, Rory. And she needs to say the words back, so be sure this is what you both want.” She glanced at her husband and then down at the paper. “We think that’s what happened before. You said the words and she didn’t. You were destined to love her life after life, but because she didn’t say the words back, she never loved you. Until now. Don’t blow it.” She straightened and opened her arms for a hug. Rory provided one. “Welcome home, Rory. We’ve missed you.” She cleared her throat and wouldn’t look at him as she stepped away.

Rory turned to Kieran and was enfolded in a massive bear hug. “Aye, Rory. We have. We won’t let you be a stranger, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Once they were gone, he locked the door, turned out the lights, and headed to his bedroom. He didn’t tell them that he was the one who’d screwed up before. Vows. Who knew simple words could be so powerful? He’d learned his lesson, though, and he would never take them for granted again. He heard Delaney in the bathroom and tapped on the door.

“Delaney? May I come in?” He heard the sound of splashing water and indecisive uhms.

“Okay.” She sounded so unsure and timid.

Rory cracked the door open and peeked in. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

She smiled and her expression relaxed. “Better now.”

“When you’re done, I’ll help you get ready for bed, and you can get some sleep. I’ll bunk on the couch.” She looked crestfallen, eyes lowered, the corners of her mouth drooping. “Or…”

Delaney glanced up, hope brightening her expression. “Or?” Her skin flushed and the color climbed to stain her cheeks.

He pushed the door open and stepped in. “Or I can take you to bed and make sure that you are well and truly loved. Tonight.” He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “And always.”

Her eyes glistened and water dropped from her arms as she raised them. “Oh, yes, please. I like that idea very much.”

Rory snagged a towel and offered his hand to steady her as she stood up. Then he wrapped her in the towel and picked her up. The covers of his bed had already been turned down, so he laid her on the cool white sheets. His voice hitched as he admired her. “You are so beautiful.”

He knew the moment she had second thoughts. She shuttered the emotions in her eyes and opened her mouth to say something.

He stayed her with a gentle finger against her lips. “Shh. Yes, I know. I’m under suspension. Again. But the shooting was righteous. Yes, I’ll have to undergo mandatory counseling. But not with you, Doc. No desks between us. No files. No official status. You aren’t my doctor. You’re the woman I love, and I have far more interesting plans for us.”

He dipped his head to kiss her. He nibbled her lips then swirled his tongue along the seam of her mouth teasing and tasting until she opened to him. Their kiss deepened, and her arms circled his neck. He swallowed her sigh. And the words that followed.

“I love you, too.”

He pulled away from her long enough to strip his clothes off. Stretched out beside her once again on the bed, he gathered her into his arms. His hands stroked along her side, savoring her curves, the silky feel of her skin beneath his rough calluses. She arched and sighed like a contented cat, and he enjoyed the sound. Rolling her to her back, he brushed his fingers across the tender skin of her tummy and teased up to cup one full breast.

“So beautiful.” He smiled as her skin flushed again, and he dipped lower to nuzzle the nipple of her other breast. While his thumb teased one, his tongue laved the other. Her hips arched and she twisted them toward him. He slid his knee between hers, and she opened for him, her thighs clamping around his. She rubbed the center of her heat against his thigh, and his erection thickened as her thigh brushed against him. He groaned.

“I want you so much.” He grit the words out, breathing in slow gasps in hopes of holding onto his control.

“I want you.” Her hand circled his shaft and squeezed.

“God, baby. You touch me now—”

She squeezed again and slowly stroked her hand up toward the head of his erection, giggling softly. “I thought I was in control.”

“You. Are. Killing. Me.”

Delaney laughed. “Good. Now, come here.” She spread her legs and shifted her hips, inviting him inside.

His hand dipped low, barely brushing through her soft curls before seeking the wet warmth. His finger pushed inside and she gasped. Two could play this game, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to be buried deep inside her. He needed her wrapped around his heart in the same way she wrapped around his body. “Put me inside you.”

He felt her shiver, but she did as he asked. Raising her knees and widening them further, she guided his erection to her opening and pushed the head inside her. His balls tightened and he ground his teeth. He’d never felt a sensation more pleasurable. He curled his hips, and his shaft sank deeper, pushing slowly as her inner muscles caressed him with wet silk and fire.

Delaney wrapped her legs around his waist and cupped his face with her palms. “Make love to me, Rory. Tonight and always.”

“Always,” he murmured. “Marry me, Delaney. Right now. Right this instance. Marry me in the old way, and we’ll do it again in the church.” He held his breath, waiting for her answer.

She arched her hips against him, swiveled them, and smiled when he bit back another groan. Delaney raised her head and kissed him. “Say the words, Rory. I love you.”

He all but collapsed in relief, but his arms continued to brace his body above hers. His hips rocked, pushing into her and pulling out only to return. As he made love to her, the words tumbled from his heart.

“By the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, I take thee to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one. To desire thee and to be desired by thee. To possess thee and to be possessed by thee without sin or shame for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly in this life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. There is no beginning, there is no end but in you. You are my chosen.”

He quivered with the effort to keep from climaxing. If she didn’t say the words back, he’d be in this damnable limbo for eternity. But he didn’t care. Even loving her from afar was better than not loving her at all. He pushed deep inside her and dragged his shaft back out, almost leaving her warmth. She gasped and her grip, both inside and out, tightened around him.

“Say them again.” She stammered a little. “Slow. So I can say them back.”

He surged deep inside her. “By the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, I take thee to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one.” She repeated the words as he pulled back again. In. Out. Promise given. Promise received.

“You are my chosen.” As she vowed the words, it felt like a key turned in his heart and everything just…fit. He felt her tighten around his shaft and she hunched against him.

Once. Twice. Three times he surged deep inside her before he exploded, his roar echoing her delighted cry. Spent and drained, he cuddled her, still buried deep.

He kissed the tears from her cheeks as she gazed at him.

“I love you…” Delaney’s voice trailed off. “Anything I say or compare my feeling to will sound trite. It sounds so simple when I just say the words, but somehow it’s not enough.”

He kissed her. “It’s enough, Delaney. More than enough. Always,” Rory promised. “I will love you with my whole heart now and always.”