A multifaceted demon—who’da thunk it?
Chapter 6
McHenry wanted to level something. Anger raged, burning under his skin like lava. If he weren’t so damn weak right now, he would have trouble controlling his magic.
Who in the hell wanted him dead?
He hated to admit the faerie was right, because he could be an ornery bastard when he wanted to be. But this? This attack wasn’t what he would have expected.
It was one thing to strike at him, but it was another to endanger his nephews.
And the bastard hadn’t stopped there. He’d messed with their minds. Why? McHenry barely held back a groan as he sat down on the porch chair. The faerie wanted him to go back upstairs, but he wasn’t going to hide out in his bedroom. Not when they needed to figure out what was going on.
Even now, she watched him from her spot across the courtyard where she discussed something with Tim. Her frown told him she was seriously considering coming over and telling him again to go upstairs. She wasn’t shy with her opinions, which he grudgingly respected.
The front door slammed open and Jamie rushed out of the house, hell-bent on going somewhere. He jogged down the stairs and McHenry leaned forward.
“Jamie, where are you goin’?”
His youngest nephew shook his head and kept walking.
“James. Stop! Don’t make me get up and chase you. I’m not up to it right now.”
He stopped, his shoulders sagging as he turned around to face McHenry. Fear shone from his eyes, making McHenry’s chest hurt.
“What’s wrong, son?”
“You were attacked. Andrew told me.”
“We’ll be fine. There’s nothin’ to worry about.”
Jamie took a step closer to him. “You don’t know that. They attacked your mind, made you forget. What if it’s my fault? What if it’s the supremacists again?”
McHenry pulled himself up by sheer will alone, since his body screamed in protest. “This is not your fault.” He bit back another groan as he moved carefully down the porch steps to meet his nephew. “You were not to blame for the supremacists. They attacked you . If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I should have taken better care of you.”
“You’ve taken great care of me.”
McHenry’s chest tightened again. “We’ll figure out what happened. You’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine.”
Jamie looked at the ground. “You can’t protect me forever.”
McHenry lifted his hand and gripped the back of Jamie’s neck so his nephew would look him in the eye. “You will always be mine to protect. I don’t care how old you get. Got that?”
Jamie nodded. McHenry pulled him close into an awkward half hug since his back couldn’t take a full embrace right now, and looked over Jamie’s shoulder to see the faerie watching him. He didn’t know for sure what the puzzled expression on her face meant, but he would probably hear her opinion later.
He whispered in his nephew’s ear. “Why don’t you help your old uncle up onto the porch so he doesn’t take a header in front of everyone. But don’t make it too obvious, now.”
Jamie actually smiled at him, which helped relieve the pressure in his chest. “Sure. We wouldn’t want you to fall down in front of the guys.”
“It’s not the guys I’m worried about.”
McHenry glanced the faerie’s way, and her mouth tipped up into a smirk. Had she heard what he said? Did faeries have ears like werewolves?
He turned away from her, and Jamie stayed close by in case his legs decided to give out on him. The longer he was on his feet, the worse he felt.
As he reached the front porch, steps sounded behind him. Light steps that could only mean one thing. The faerie was following him.
“Before you sit down again out here, why don’t you let me check to see how your back is doing?”
McHenry barely managed not to growl. Or rather his lack of energy stopped him from growling. There was no point in fighting her. She was stubborn and wily.
Jamie walked with him inside, and they headed up the stairs. By the time they got to the end of the upstairs hallway in front of his room, he was done. He sat on the bed with a groan.
Jamie frowned at the sound. McHenry patted him on the shoulder. “I’m fine, son.”
“Why don’t you give us a few minutes, Jamie? I’m going to examine your uncle.”
Jamie nodded before heading out of the room and shutting the door.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
She sighed. “You had your nephew help you inside. You’re not fine.”
“It’s rude to eavesdrop on private conversations.”
“Says the demon who spied on us through the mirror.”
McHenry couldn’t help himself. He laughed at her cheeky response. Although it sounded rough, even to his own ears.
Her eyes widened before she grinned. “I never thought I would hear the great and powerful McHenry laugh.”
“You surprise me, lass. That doesn’t happen often.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now strip.”
His eyebrows popped up before he could stop himself.
She shook her head. “Just your shirt. I want to look at your back.”
He lifted his arms to unbutton his shirt and flinched at the twinge along his shoulders.
“Here, let me help you.” She leaned over and unbuttoned the shirt, pulling it gently off his shoulders.
She smelled like a meadow of wildflowers—what the hell was he doing smelling her?
She finished pulling off his shirt and circled the bed. “Your back is looking pretty good, but you’re obviously still in pain.”
She came around the bed and stood in front of him. “Lie down for a moment.”
He settled on his stomach, arms wrapped around the pillow. “Now what?”
“Nothing else. You’re exhausted. You need to rest.”
“And you’re diabolical. You brought me up here on purpose.”
She held up her hands. “Busted. And if that’s your idea of diabolical, I think you’ve been cooped up in the Burrow too long.”
She didn’t know the half of it. But then he wouldn’t be sharing that with her. “I don’t need you babyin’ me.”
She crossed her arms in front of her. “What if you think about it this way? You need to get your energy back so you can have your manly showdown with whoever did this to you.”
“Manly showdown?”
“Yes. You know. Pounding your chest. Marking your territory. And let’s not forget pulling out the measuring sticks.”
“Sexist.”
“I guess that was a bit sexist.”
“A bit?”
“Don’t try to distract me with another argument. Rest for a while. I’ll even tell the guys downstairs that you’re ready to bench-press one of your anvils, but I decided you need some more time and slipped you a sleeping spell. Does that work for your ego?”
“You really need to go to sensitivity trainin’, faerie.”
A laugh burst from her and now it was his turn to look at her in surprise.
“I’ll save a seat for you at the front of the class, demon.”
His eyes drooped. When he forced them back open again, he watched her eyebrow pop up in an I-told-you-so expression. She was a cocky one.
“I’m goin’ to rest my eyes for a bit. I’ll be down to bench-press two anvils in a few minutes.”
She saluted him. “Got it.”
The door shut just as his eyes closed.
* * *
Darcinda took a deep breath as she headed down the hall. What an exasperating male! How could he be so ornery with her one minute and so supportive of his nephew the next? And she had to admit, it was good to hear him laugh for the first time. It was nice to see humor in his expression as opposed to the perpetual scowl she was used to seeing.
He was complicated. But then she was an expert at complicated, or her family was. Maybe she was surprised at how supportive McHenry was with his nephews because she hadn’t really experienced the same in her own past.
She shook her head as she jogged down the stairs. No time for self-pity. She needed to figure out how to reverse the memory spell on McHenry and Andrew. It might make more sense to work with Andrew first, since he was stronger than McHenry right now. Not that she would be telling the stubborn demon that anytime soon.
Darcinda walked toward the back of the house and narrowly missed colliding with Jamie, who held up his hands. “Whoa.”
“Sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“How is he?” Jamie asked as Andrew joined them.
“I convinced him to lie down.”
Andrew crossed his arms. “That must have been a struggle.”
Darcinda smiled. “A bit. I’m supposed to tell you he’ll be downstairs to bench-press anvils in a few hours.”
Andrew chuckled. “That sounds like him.” His expression turned serious. “Thank you for helping him.”
“You already thanked me.”
“I know, but it bears repeating, since he can be stubborn.”
“I see you’re the master of understatement like your uncle.”
Andrew shrugged. “Not surprised. He raised us, so I’m sure we take after him in some ways.”
The three of them entered the kitchen, and Darcinda snagged the teakettle to fill it with water and heat it on the stove. “When did you come to live with your uncle?”
“Almost thirteen years ago?” Andrew looked at Jamie, who nodded before Andrew continued. “I was twelve when we moved here, and Jamie was nine. Mom couldn’t handle us. Or me, really. Uncle Mac will tell you I was a hellion.” Andrew’s voice took on McHenry’s slight accent. “Looking back at it now, if I was him, I would have kicked my butt up to my shoulders.”
“And he didn’t?”
Jamie smiled. “I think he might have come close a couple times, but he never laid a hand on us. Back then Andrew was mad all the time and I was sad. Kept trying to run away, but I never got far.”
“Can I ask where your mom is now?”
“She lived here for a while when we first moved to the Burrow, but when we got older, she moved back to Scotland to be with our grandmother, who needed her help.”
“And your father?”
Andrew scowled, and Darcinda could see a resemblance to his uncle. “Our father abandoned us when we were small.”
Jamie spoke softly. “Which was fine with us. McHenry is a better father than he could ever be.”
Andrew clapped his brother on the back. “Yes, he is.”
Another facet to McHenry. He was definitely a study in contradictions. She wondered what he was like without all the blustering. But she wouldn’t be here long enough to figure him out. She wasn’t sure anyone could.