To Keelynn and Padraig.
“You cannot tell anyone of our plans,” Rían insisted, lacing our fingers together. “Not one word. Promise me.”
Keelynn would be devastated. I wouldn’t tell anyone else, but I had to tell her. To let her know that I never wanted any of this but that dying was the only way to ensure she could live the life she wanted. Still, with Rían so adamant, I couldn’t tell him any of that.
So I promised.
My hand tingled until Rían let me go.
Tadhg appeared beside me, bringing with him an almond-scented breeze as he flicked one of my curls over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Aveen. I’ll make your death a pleasurable experience for the both of us.”
Rían caught him by the collar. “Go find someone to seduce.”
“Why find my own when you’re letting me borrow one of yours?” Tadhg winked at me again.
Rían twisted his hand, tightening his hold on his brother’s shirt. “Don’t make me kill you.”
“You know, for someone who wants my help, you really should be nicer to me,” Tadhg choked, flicking Rían’s knuckles until he let go. Straightening his wrinkled shirt, Tadhg smiled at me. “Aveen.” He bowed, caught my hand, and pressed a kiss to the pulse at my wrist with those ice-cold lips. “Until we meet again.”
And then Tadgh vanished.
It took a few moments for my heart rate to return to normal. Rían watched me through wide eyes, quietly assessing from beside the fireplace.
“So, your brother is interesting.” What must it be like, to be the sibling of a heinous murderer? Part of me had believed the Gancanagh was an old wives’ tale used to caution young women about the dangers of entertaining men without a chaperone.
“I’m surprised you didn’t fall at his feet.” Rían dropped onto the bed with a heavy sigh. “You did well. I think he was properly convinced.”
I sank onto the mattress beside him, my legs no longer able to keep me upright. “Why the ruse? He seemed more than willing to help.”
“Only because I told him we were desperately in love.”
Pity the girl from Graystones who loved a heartless prince . . .
What a ludicrous idea. Me loving someone like Rían. My sister was the one with the foolish notions when it came to men, not me.
My sister.
“You didn’t mention Keelynn, did you?” If Tadhg knew about her . . .
He glanced sidelong at me. “If you want to keep me from your sister, I assumed you’d want to keep the feckin’ Gancanagh from her as well.”
He’d considered my sister’s wellbeing. I don’t know why that made my heart swell. Perhaps there was a tiny speck of goodness in him after all.
We laid together, staring at the canopy above us in companionable silence. I kept expecting him to leave, but he didn’t.
Was I really going to do this? Was I going to trust this man lying beside me?
He’d saved me twice.
He’d come to my aid when I sent the note.
But did I trust him enough to let myself die?
Marriage to Robert would be another type of death. The death of my happiness. The death of Keelynn’s.
I hadn’t given real death much thought, assuming it would be waiting for me at the end of a long life. That I’d be ready for it when it came.
“Do you think it will hurt?”