He was right. Of course he was right. I dropped my head into my hands, wishing there was some way out of this hell. “She said no.”
“Can ye blame her?”
No. I couldn’t.
“How many years has it been, lad?”
Too many. Far too many.
“Ye can’t keep doin’ the same shite expecting a different outcome. And ye cannot expect a woman to care fer what ye are. Ye need to do better. Be better.”
“I don’t know how.”
“That’s a load of bollocks, and we both know it.”
Do better.
I knew I had problems, but knowing you had problems and doing something to fix said problems were two very different things. Marina had had a problem. And she’d done something about it. Speaking of Marina . . .
“We need to get rid of the body downstairs.”
Ruairi nodded. “I’ll get Rían. Ye need to sleep this off.”
Guilt churned in my gut, not mixing well with the water.
You can’t let her children starve.
This is your fault.
You have to fix it.
I called for Ruairi before he could evanesce. A plan formed in my drink-drenched mind, meaning it was probably a terrible idea. Still, I smiled and asked, “How do you feel about kidnapping?”
27
The waves meetingthe shore made it difficult to hear anything beyond the walls of the one-story cottage tucked at the base of a craggy hill littered with stones and briars.
“Can we get this over with already?” Rían whined, tucking his hands deeper into his overcoat pockets and scowling into the night. “I’m cold.”
“Do you ever shut up?” Ruairi muttered, black hair flying loose in the sea breeze. The animal hadn’t even bothered with a feckin’ coat.
Rían’s eyes ignited. “What did you just say to me,dog?”
I gave the two of them a shove, knocking them a few steps forward. “Both of you. Quiet.” If they didn’t shut their gobs, we’d wake the neighbors. The last thing we needed was witnesses.
It was a moonless night, perfect for stealing things that didn’t belong to you.
Rían flicked his wrist. Something large and dark appeared in his hands.
“What’s that?” I asked, giving his shoulder another nudge.
“Burlap sacks.”
“We’re collecting children, not vegetables.”
His nose wrinkled. “Equally as dirty and disgusting, if you ask me.”
My brother and dirt. I could still remember his face the first day I’d thrown him into the oubliette. Horrified, that’s what he was. Of course, that was a long time ago. With my magic bound, I was the one who ended up in the pit more often than not.