I shoved my hands into my pockets, listening to the back and forth banter happening behind me. Hopefully by the time I got back\u2014or by the time one or all of them wandered out to the forge to join me\u2014they\u2019d have worked through whatever ridiculousness was going on between brother and sister and apparent significant others.<\/p>\n
I wonder what\u2019s going to happen when Aoife realizes her cousin and Leinth are together.<\/em> That had the potential for fireworks or not much at all. If she didn\u2019t have much reaction, Phelan was likely to go ballistic.<\/p>\n On second thought, I don\u2019t think I want to be around when that happens.<\/em> My patience was wearing thin for the shenanigans related to the Vaughan and O\u2019Credne siblings. They were my friends\u2014hell, I loved them\u2014but there were a lot of things that were starting to wear on me.<\/p>\n And yet, you wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/em><\/p>\n I sighed softly, stopping dead in my tracks and looking back over my shoulder toward those tents.<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t that the truth?\u201d I whispered to myself. I really wouldn\u2019t <\/em>have it any other way, blood or no blood. They were family and family had always been important to me\u2014and, like as not, always would be.<\/p>\n \u201cMar? What are you doing out here? Thought you were sticking close to home today.\u201d<\/p>\n My gaze snapped toward the sound of Thom\u2019s voice and I managed a rueful smile even in the face of his furrowed brow, meeting him halfway between where he stood near the door to the forge and where I\u2019d been standing on what was left of the concrete walkway below the hill it stood on. \u201cI was just coming up to see what all of you were up to, that\u2019s all.\u201d I slid my arms around his waist even as he wrapped his around my shoulders, tugging me tight against his chest for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing\u2019s wrong.\u201d I pulled back to look at him, nose wrinkling slightly. \u201cWhy would you think that there\u2019s something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll go with the weird look you had,\u201d he said, then smiled wryly. \u201cFollowed by the fact that it\u2019s damp as hell out here and drizzly and you\u2019d rather be under cover than wandering around. Something made you wander up here instead of staying well under cover.\u201d<\/p>\n I waved a hand. \u201cNo big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Thom gave me a level look, though his brows rose slightly in question.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were you guys up to in there?\u201d I asked, gesturing to the forge and hoping he\u2019d let me off the hook.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you if you tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n And there I was, back to the same game I\u2019d walked away from ten minutes before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I shoved my hands into my pockets, listening to the back and forth banter happening behind me. Hopefully by the time I got back\u2014or by the time one or all of them wandered out to the forge to join me\u2014they\u2019d … Continue reading