Aaron Read online

  He waited for her response, and while she said nothing, the fear in her face melted away and was replaced by a radiating sense of hope and contentment. Her eyes brightened, and the forced smile was replaced by a genuine one.

  “I don’t know if my being a member of the Order will keep us safe, but I do know I will do everything within my power to protect you until the day I die. Of that, you can be certain, if you will become my wife.” Unplanned, unrehearsed, and undoubtedly the most important plea he’d ever made, he waited for her to respond.

  He did not have to wait long. “Yes, of course I will,” Aislyn said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She withdrew her hands from where they’d rested on his chest to cover her face.

  “You will?” he asked, unable to believe his ears. “You’ll be mine, forever?”

  “Forever and always,” Aislyn nodded, the tears flowing freely now.

  Aaron couldn’t control his happiness any longer. He grasped her small waist and lifted her into the air, swinging her around in a large circle as he did so, both of their laughter ringing out through the night sky.

  Setting her feet back on the ground, Aaron released her waist and cupped her face in his hands. This time he did not need to wait for permission as she stood up on tiptoe to press her lips to his. Her mouth was warm and welcoming, and the feel of her body pressed against him aroused feelings he’d never known before. She pulled her lips away to lean into his ear, whispering, “I love you, Aaron,” and in response he left a trail of kisses down her neck before she twisted her face back toward him and found his mouth with hers.

  Realizing he needed to find a way to pull himself away from her before he was unable to, Aaron took a step back, pressing gently against her shoulders as he did so. “Aislyn,” he said softly, once he’d freed himself from those honey lips. “I love you, too. With all my heart. I must go now. I will call on you tomorrow to speak with your mother.”

  By now, there was a foot or more of forced space between them. She nodded, her lips swollen and her face flushed. “Good night, my love,” she replied.

  “Good night,” he smiled, and before he could be tempted to take her in his arms again, he began to walk back down the lane toward the road that led home. Once he was a safe distance from her, he turned to watch her slide safely inside the house, overjoyed that she flashed him one last sweet smile before she disappeared.

  The walk home shouldn’t have been long, but he was reveling in his thoughts and the memory of her body pressed against his. It was almost impossible to believe that Aislyn had agreed to marry him. How had he become so fortunate to have the most beautiful lass in the world as his own?

  Soon enough, he found himself standing outside of his own door, and he realized he was also quite lucky that nothing had snuck up on him out of the shadows as he made his way home since he was paying absolutely no mind to his surroundings and would have been an easy target should anything, earthly or other worldly, chosen to claim him.

  He was still soaring when he quietly opened the door. However, he needn’t thought of disrupting his family members’ sleep, as all three of them were up, and clearly something was not right. Genty sat in a chair near the unlit fireplace, her mother on the floor beside her, holding her hand while Granddad stood behind her, his hands pressing on her shoulders. His sister was sobbing so hard, her entire body shook with each mournful sniffle.

  Aaron closed the short distance quickly, coming to a halt right in front of her. “Genty? What happened?”

  “Oh, Aaron, thank God,” his mother said, bringing herself to her feet and wrapping her arms around him. “I was so worried about you.”

  “I’m fine, Ma. I walked Aislyn home. What’s wrong with Gen?”

  “It was just awful,” his mother began, turning back to face her oldest child who could hardly catch her breath, she was crying so hard. “They were attacked on their way home. She hardly made it out alive.”

  “Oh, my God,” Aaron exclaimed, nearly unable to believe the story. He dropped to his knees and flung himself at his sister, his arms encircling her waist. “Are you all right, Gen? Please tell me they didn’t hurt you.” He began searching her arms and neck for scratches, knowing even the smallest scrape could lead to an infection.

  “She’s fine,” Granddad assured him. “We’ve done a thorough check over.”

  “They didn’t touch me,” Genty managed to get out between sobs. “It was everyone else.”

  “Everyone?” Aaron repeated, scooting back on his knees so that he could look up at her.

  “Yes,” she confirmed. Though tears still rolled down her cheeks, her breathing was becoming more even. “They came out of the bushes, near Min’s home. Loughlin shouted for us to run, and I took off into the fields. Min did, too, but she stumbled. Quin stopped to help her up and then… all I heard was screaming. I took shelter behind a tree, unable to run further, and I could see them, outlined against the night sky. Four Dark Ones, three of my friends, all being taken. I knew there was nothing I could do to help them, and so, once I caught my breath, I took off running again, leaving them all behind.” Her eyes began to gloss over then, shock taking over. Shaking her head slowly, she said, “I just left them behind.”

  “You did what you had to do,” Granddad assured her. “You did what Loughlin insisted you do.”

  “I was a coward,” Genty insisted, her head resting against her elbow on the small dining table. “I should have stayed and fought for my friends.”

  “If you had, they’d still be gone, and so would you,” her mother argued, using her hands to dry the tears that streaked her daughter’s face.

  Aaron was silent for a moment, but he could feel the anger building up inside of him. That sound he and Aislyn had heard, that must have been one of the Dark Ones during the attack. “I’m sorry,” he began, standing in front of his sister, his arms crossed. “I should’ve been with you.”

  “I’m so glad you were not,” Genty assured him. “I don’t know what I would have done if I needed to protect you, Aaron, but I certainly wouldn’t have run away. They might have gotten both of us.”

  Running his hand through his hair so forcefully that a few strands actually came out, Aaron exclaimed, “We cannot continue to live like this. In fear for our lives day after day. The number of crosses in the cemetery continue to grow, the fright in the eyes of the children, in their parents, is more evident each time another attack such as this one occurs. How much longer will we sit by and do nothing?”

  “There’s nothing we can do,” Granddad insisted. “We have the agreement.”

  “The agreement?” Genty said, turning so that she could look up at him. “Loughlin was a member of the Order, Granddad. You know that. So was Quin. If the Dark Ones can claim us now, then why can we do nothing in return?”

  “Do not speak those words,” Granddad replied, his voice a sharp whisper. “Do not speak of them, or they will come.”

  “They will come anyway,” Aaron said, his hands on his hips now. “Is there truly nothing that we can do, or have we only said that we will not because of this so-called agreement?”

  His Granddad dropped his eyes, his shoulders slumping. “There is nothing we can do. We are powerless against them.”

  Aaron knew his grandfather to be an honest man, but something about the way he said those words let him know he was not being truthful now. “Then why is there a difference between the members of the Order and the others?” he asked. “Surely there must be something to distinguish us.”

  “If there ever was, no one knows what it is now,” Bree said, standing next to her daughter’s chair. “Although I think there must be something as well. There were rumors when I was younger, stories of defeated Dark Ones, banished to ash.”

  “We will speak of this no longer,” Ferris demanded, pounding his hand on the table loud enough to leave it quaking for several seconds. “We are part of the Order, and we shall honor the agreement. At least, as long as I walk this earth, that is the c
hoice my clan, the McReynolds clan, will uphold. Anyone who wishes to do otherwise may leave this house!”

  The air between them was thick for several seconds as they all stared at Granddad in stunned silence. After a few moments, Genty rose from her chair, smoothed her gown, and said in a hauntingly calm voice, “I will be leaving. If not tomorrow, then the next day. I can no longer stay in a country that allows its people to go hungry while sending food abroad, who refuses to address those we do not speak of, who treats us as if we are slaves.”

  “Oh, Genty,” Bree said, tears streaming from her eyes. “Where will you go?”

  “To America,” she replied, as if her mind had been made up for quite some time. “I have a bit of money I’ve saved from the sewing I’ve taken on, and while it isn’t much, it is enough to make passage. Loughlin spoke of coming with me….” Her face was brave and her voice didn’t waiver, but Aaron could see her beginning to crack as she spoke his name. “His sister lives there, in Boston. I shall join her family there.”

  Leaving their mother gasping, Genty finished and turned to go. Bree’s hand shot out and caught her daughter’s shoulder. “Might we speak on this in the morning, when cooler heads may prevail?”

  “My head is cool, I assure you,” Genty replied over her shoulder without turning to face her mother. “We can talk about it, but I will not change my mind. This Ireland is not the one in which I wish to raise a family. If you choose to stay, then, I’m afraid we must live our separate lives.”

  In all of his years, Aaron had never heard his sister speak to their mother in such a fashion. As he watched her ascend the ladder to the loft, he realized she must already know that he had asked Aislyn to be his wife. Without her little brother in the house to watch over, Genty would be free to pursue the life she’d always dreamt of. Now, however, thanks to the Dark Ones, she’d be forced to find someone else to live out those dreams alongside.

  Aaron swore he would never let anything of the sort happen to his sweet Aislyn. If there was a way to protect her, he would find it—or die trying.

  Chapter 4

  Killarney, Ireland, 1847

  The potatoes were nothing but black mush. He’d spent hours tilling the ground, removing the rocks, tending the soil, planting the seeds, and now, all he had to show for it was a handful of black death. While he’d had the forethought to plant a few other crops as well, the potatoes were the only way they had to make any money, and with the little home the villagers had helped them build at the end of last year when he and Aislyn had tied the knot, needing a bit of repair already, he could have used the money. Now, it would be nearly impossible to even buy seed for next year’s planting.

  “What you got, lad?” Kian called, stepping through his acreage to Aaron’s. “All rot?’

  “Yes,” Aaron assured him. “Nothing but stink and filth. You?”

  “The same,” Kian nodded, his hands resting on his hips. “Shannon will have a conniption when she hears.”

  “Shannon will understand,” Aaron assured his friend, though he wasn’t quite sure if that was the case. It seemed Kian’s wife should’ve been the one with the fiery red hair to match her temperament now that they were married.

  Kian only shook his head and ran a hand through his blond hair. “Tomorrow, we should walk into town, see what the word is. Maybe someone has a solution.”

  “While I find that highly unlikely, I will accompany you on your journey. I need to check on my mother and granddad anyway. Besides, it beats digging up dead potatoes.”

  “All right,” Kian nodded. “I’m off to tell the wife. Wish me luck.”

  “It’ll be fine,” Aaron assured him, but he wasn’t certain he spoke the truth. Shannon could be quite harsh when she wanted to be.

  Pressing those thoughts aside, he brushed the dirt off of his hands on his trousers and made his way back across the five acres he worked towards his own home, hoping to find Aislyn inside. She would know how to calm his nerves and remind him everything would be all right.

  A few hours later, they lie twisted in the bed sheets, her head resting on his chest. He could tell by her breathing that she was still awake, but holding her was one of the small things in life he still found pleasure in, and he stayed quiet, lovingly stroking the red curls that cascaded down her back and across the sheets, the contrast between the white linen and her scarlet locks only momentarily reminding him of the carnage the village had been dealing with lately as the attacks increased.

  “What are you thinking?” Aislyn asked, propping her head up on one hand as she glanced down at him.

  “I was thinking about how beautiful you are,” he replied, with a smile, “and how lucky I am to be your husband. How you are all I’ve ever wanted.”

  She smiled at him and ran her hand down his chest. “You are too complimentary, my love.” Aislyn bent to place a soft kiss on his lips. “While I feel very fortunate to be your wife, I’m afraid we can’t eat or sell love. What are we to do?”

  He hadn’t even told her about the potatoes yet. Clearly, she’d known from the way he’d acted when he came back in the middle of the day to find her. Aaron shook his head and ran his hand down her spine. Even though they’d been married for several months, he was always entranced by the creaminess of her skin. “Kian and I are going to walk into town tomorrow to see if we can find any answers.”

  “No,” she said abruptly. “It’s too dangerous.”

  Holding back a smile, he said, “Aislyn, you needn’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine. It’s the only way to discover if there’s a solution to this blight.”

  “You know there isn’t,” she insisted. “The famine has been affecting Ireland for nearly two years now. Just because it has now reached us in Killarney does not mean things will be any different. If the other counties have been unable to find a solution, what makes you think we will do better?”

  “We always do better in Killarney,” he offered, though he knew his own words were not true. If they were, the potatoes would be their first concern, not the Dark Ones.

  “There have been so many attacks—in broad daylight—on members of the Order,” she reminded him, her green eyes quite serious. “You cannot travel now, my love. If something should happen to you, I don’t know what I would do with myself.”

  “Nothing will happen to me, Aislyn, I promise,” he replied, tipping her head down to kiss her. “I will be safe, and so shall you. I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”

  “I know you mean that,” Aislyn said, leaning down so that her face was hovering above his, as she softly stroked his cheek, “but there are some things in this world that are beyond our control, my love. If the Dark Ones wish to make a claim upon one of us, what can we do? We are only human after all.”

  Rather than attempt to persuade her that he would fight off even Satan himself to keep her safe, Aaron pulled her down and kissed her. Gently flipping her over onto her back, he slipped on top of her. Gazing into those green eyes, he swore to himself he would never let the Dark Ones claim her, no matter what the price.

  The next morning, he arose early before Aislyn was even stirring to slip out and meet Kian near the road that led into town. He was already there waiting, and the bags beneath his eyes showed that he had not had a restful night’s sleep. “Shannon didn’t take it well, then?” Aaron called as he approached.

  “I do not wish to speak of it,” Kian said, attempting to place his disheveled hair back where it belonged, though his efforts served futile. “How is Aislyn?”

  “Wonderful,” Aaron beamed. He didn’t like to go on about how incredible his wife was to his best friend whose marriage was not all that he had hoped, but in times like this, with her scent still lingering, he could not control his smile.

  “I’m very happy for you,” Kian muttered, and Aaron assumed he truly meant it, even if he was annoyed.

  “You will work things out,” Aaron assured him, but Kian did not answer, and so they started out in silence, only the sounds of
the calling crows and other winged creatures disturbing the morning silence.

  There were a few locations in town where one might seek out knowledge, but the best place was the tavern, and so they decided to try their luck there. Despite the early hour, the doors were open, and more than a few citizens gathered inside, their complaints and worries reaching the ears of the newcomers before they’d fully stepped inside.

  Many spoke of the rotten potatoes, how there was no end in sight, how the Englishmen refused more than a token show of help, and how the Irish were left to starve or forced to move away. Only a few hinted at the rising death toll in the village attributed to the others, and no one dared speak those words. One man, who’d clearly been there for quite a while, was crying about the death of his son just a few days earlier, and while his friends attempted to console him, it was the mead that began to quiet him after some time.

  “There’s nothing that can be done, then, to save the crop?” Kian was asking a group of farmers who clearly had many years on him.

  “No,” a gray-haired, stocky man who seemed rather lucid replied. “Once the blight has set in, nothing can be done a’tall. Tis a lost cause.”

  Kian shook his head in disbelief. “How can the English ignore a problem such as this?”

  As the gray-haired man offered an explanation, Aaron noticed a younger fellow with dark hair off to the side of the group a bit whose arms were crossed and his lips drawn into a harsh line, as if he had something to say but wasn’t sure how it might be accepted. “They don’t care a lick about us,” the gray-haired man continued. “They’d just as soon see all the Irish dead!”

  “That’s not true,” another older man chimed in. “If we were dead, who would they have to do all of their cheap labor?”

  “And clear out their land?” another man added.

  “If you ask me, the English will get what they have comin’,” a clearly inebriated fellow across the room shouted out. “The Dark Ones have moved in on them, too. They’ll be sorry they ever ignored the Irish.”