\u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Teague twisted slightly toward the sound of Kira\u2019s voice and smiled a faint, vague smile as she pressed a mug of something steaming into his hands.\u00a0 \u201cWell enough,\u201d he murmured before turning his eyes back to the sky.\u00a0 She slid her arms around his shoulders and hung on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you staring at?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cNothing.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled wryly at her and wrapped one hand around her forearm, squeezing gently.\u00a0 \u201cIs he sleeping?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally,\u201d Kira said with a faint smile.\u00a0 \u201cFull tummy and clean bottom.\u00a0 You need to do the wash tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teague\u2019s nose wrinkled, but he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 Nothing better to get my head out of the clouds than washing diapers.\u201d\u00a0 His fingers tightened again, then loosened as he stared off into space again.\u00a0 \u201cSomething happened today,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cSomething happened to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo who?\u00a0 To your sister and Phelan?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cTo Phelan, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kira squeezed him gently.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s fine, Teague,\u201d she whispered, breath tickling his ear.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure everything will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teague made a soft noise in his throat and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 You\u2019re right.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s too early for them to go.\u00a0 Too early for all of that.<\/i>\u00a0 He glanced back toward Kira and smiled faintly.\u00a0 \u201cWhy are you right all the time?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not right all<\/i> of the time,\u201d she said, smiling back at him.\u00a0 \u201cOnly about three quarters of the time.\u201d\u00a0 She kissed his ear and rested her cheek against his.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s really eating at you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDreams,\u201d he finally said after a long, silent moment.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I took that nap earlier, I had dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBad ones?\u201d\u00a0 She ran her hand gently up and down his arm, resting her chin on his shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrange ones,\u201d he said, staring at the sky again.\u00a0 Another storm was coming, gathering on the horizon.\u00a0 The bare tendrils of the wind that stirred their hair, worried their clothing, promised bitter cold coming.\u00a0 He sighed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a long-ago yesterday, tonight my sister would sing the dead home to their rest,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cThe fires would be blazing in the halls and my father would be laughing.\u00a0 Seamus and I would tease Neve and Aoife and the women of my father\u2019s court with sweets and little trinkets when we were younger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you dreaming of long ago?\u201d\u00a0 Kira asked, her fingers lacing through his hair, now.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes when I close my eyes, I can see those long-ago days,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cNot often, but sometimes.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI remember one Yule eve.\u00a0 I remember your smile and Neve insisting that I dance with her and Aoife to celebrate the solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember that night,\u201d he said, wrapping his hands around the mug she\u2019d brought him, letting the ceramic warm his chilled fingers.\u00a0 I remember better what happened after.\u00a0 Blankets in the hayloft, the smell of her hair and sweet straw.\u00a0 The feel of her against me\u2026<\/i>\u00a0 His eyes slid shut for a moment and he sighed softly.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a good night,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were other good nights,\u201d Kira said softly.<\/p>\n
Teague nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cThere were.\u201d\u00a0 There\u2019ll be more, now.<\/i>\u00a0 His brow creased as he turned to her, lips brushing against hers tentatively at first, then more hungrily as he twisted toward her.\u00a0 He set the mug on the porch rail and slid his arms around her, tugging her close to him.<\/p>\n
Then her arms were around his neck and she was pressed against him, eyes closed as she kissed him back with all the hunger of thousands of years of separation, as if they hadn\u2019t been together almost every waking moment for the past year.\u00a0 He wanted to scream, to cry, to melt into her arms and never emerge.<\/p>\n
They came up for air a moment later, foreheads resting against each other\u2019s.\u00a0 Kira reached up and held his face between her palms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever it is,\u201d she whispered, \u201cwhatever has you tied in knots, you don\u2019t have to face it alone.\u00a0 Never again.\u00a0 I\u2019m never leaving you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve said that before,\u201d Teague whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, well, this time there\u2019s no one to stop me by standing between us.\u201d\u00a0 Her thumbs brushed his cheeks, caught the single tear that he couldn\u2019t withhold.\u00a0 \u201cForever, Teague.\u00a0 I made the promise and I meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForever,\u201d he echoed.<\/p>\n
Then, he smiled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cAre you all right?\u201d Teague twisted slightly toward the sound of Kira\u2019s voice and smiled a faint, vague smile as she pressed a mug of something steaming into his hands.\u00a0 \u201cWell enough,\u201d he murmured before turning his eyes back to … Continue reading