He shook his head. “Please, don’t do this.”
I left him there and escaped into the hall, my head and heart pounding in time. Weary legs carried me down the stairs, my mind so lost, I nearly collided with Ruairi at the bottom.
His massive hands fell atop my shoulders, keeping me from collapsing at his feet. “Where are ye off to in such a rush, human?”
I swiped at the tears bleeding down my cheeks. Why couldn’t they have stayed away until I could be alone? “I need somewhere…somewhere to g-go. I c-can’t stay here.”
A loud crash echoed down the staircase. What was Tadhg thinking? He was going to wake the—
Brogan’s shrill screech cut through me like a scythe.
Ruairi held out his hand and said, “Come with me.”
29
TADHG
Keelynn was gone.Well and truly gone.
She’d left me. Well and truly alone.
Brogan let out a pitiful whimper.
Not alone.
My son was with me, and the halls echoed with his screams. It sounded like Rían’s dungeon in here.
Speaking of Rían, he hadn’t returned since he’d gone to find Aveen. Ruairi was nowhere to be found. And when I evanesced to the kitchens, Eava was missing as well. She’d left a plate of food for me and a bottle of milk in warm water, along with a note that said she would be back tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
Although my stomach grumbled, I grabbed the bottle and evanesced back to the bedroom.
Brogan screeched louder than one of Ned’s victims. Nothing wrong with the lad’s lungs, that was for sure. My head thumped and vision swam. “Could you not do that? I’ve a headache brewing.” He only cried harder. Maybe he was actually Rían’s child since he clearly had a penchant for torture.
“Here.” I handed him the bottle, but he was in such a strop, he wouldn’t take it. His tiny fists clenched and swung, as if he’d box me in the ear if he could.That makes two of us.
I deserved a good boxing. If Rían were here, I’d let him kill me. Death would’ve been a welcome respite from all the crying.
“Brogan? You’re going to have to calm down, lad.” I reached into the cot to pat his head when it hit me.
The stench.Feckin’ hell. I’d never smelled something as rotten, and I’d woken up beneath a pile of dead bodies on more than one occasion. Where had Keelynn said the nappies were? I dragged out every drawer in the room, finding nothing but miniature clothes. You know what? One of these tiny pants would have to do.
When I picked him up, he only roared louder. When I laid him on the bed, his legs kept pumping up and down, making it nearly impossible to catch his tiny ankles and get him undressed.
Bile singed the back of my throat, and my eyes stung.
This child wasn’t well. That much was clear when I saw what he’d done to his nappy. No wonder he was so cross. If I’d done that, I’d be screaming too.
I shifted a bath because there was no way in hell I’d be able to get him clean enough without it. He only slipped beneath the water once, but I was there to catch him. When I saved him from drowning, the funniest thing happened. Hesmiledat me, water dripping down his face, as if he’d enjoyed the unexpected dousing.
Then he took a shite in the tub and that was the end of that.
With the nappies nowhere to be found, I made do with a washcloth and a few pins. The little lad didn’t seem to care as he sucked his bottle dry, scowling over at me every so often. Why had I thought this would be so hard? You had to keep him clean and fed—same as Rían.
Brogan threw the bottle aside and let out a belch loud enough to rattle the feckin’ window.
I couldn’t have done it better myself.