Blood In Fire (Celtic Elementals Book 2) (39 page)

The sound was soft, but carried over the whisper of the rose petals. He didn't lift his head to look, because her smell reached out to him before her hands. That wonderful smell that could sooth everything inside him. Except this. He didn't think anything could touch this.

"Aidan." Her fingers were on his face, silky, but strong, forcing him to look at her. "Tell me what I can do."

He had no words to give her, because there was nothing. She seemed to understand. Her hands slipped around his neck and she held him while the wind moaned down the hill and off into the woods.

A long while later she asked him what Lugh had meant. About choices.

He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "I think ye know. I never would have turned ye had there been any other option,
a ghrá mo chroí
. Never.

"As it was I almost let ye die," his grip on her tightened until she let out a muffled squeak. "Bav could have stopped it. She could have chosen to save ye like she saved Lacey for Ronan."

"Doesn't that just mean she hates me?"

Aidan laughed, despite himself. "Oh aye, I doubt tha' has changed. But 'think on it', love. Just like Lugh said. If she had saved ye, ye'd still be human and—"

"You would have had to push me away. You wouldn't have let yourself love me."

He bumped his forehead into hers gently. "Oh, nobody,
nothing
could have prevented me from loving ye, but giving in to it…"

No
, he thought. Having to make the choice to turn Heather had broken something inside him, ripped down those old barriers, allowing him to not only save her, but somehow granting him permission to love her freely as well.

Did it rankle now that he realized it had been Bav who had given him that choice?

Aye.

For once though, he couldn't find fault with the goddess's interference. Whatever else she'd done, Bav had given him Heather.

In her own twisted way, she had given him love.

He brushed Heather's hair from her face and kissed her until she went limp against him.

She sighed. "What are we going to do, Aidan?"

"I donna rightly know, love. But whatever it is, we're going to do it together."

The future might be dark, but darkness shared wasn't a thing to be feared.

It was to be embraced.

****

a chuid den tsaol-
Irish Gaelic, roughly, my share of life

Aine-
goddess of the moon and time cycles, patroness of werewolves

Ailech
-a keep in
Uí Néill

Aillen-
Fomorian prince, half-brother to
Aine
, ruler of demons and Changelings

Aillte an Mhothair-
now the Cliffs of Moher, famous site in western Ireland

álainn-
Irish Gaelic, beautiful

An bhfuil tú go hiomlán gan chiall, tá tú bean dÚsachtach

Dhraíocht-
Irish Gaelic, roughly 'Are you completely without sense, you crazy woman?'

An bhfuil tú féin-
Irish Gaelic, roughly 'do it yourself'

Bav-
the woman in her prime form of the goddess trinity known as
the Morrighan
, goddess of death, cycles and war, patroness of the vampires, her other forms are
Anu
, the crone and
Machu
, the maiden

bitseach-
Irish Gaelic, bitch

Balor-
Fomorian king killed by
Lugh
, he of the evil red eye, killer of
Nuada

Brian Boru-
the last High King to be crowned at Tara

brehon-
judge, or arbitrator, also used in the term ‘brehon law’ This was a largely hereditary role, taken on by several clans in ancient Ireland

Bréifne
-a keep in
Connaught

Brigid-
goddesss of hearth and home and fire

cábúnach
-Irish Gaelic, a stupid or foolish person, big talker

Cad é seo?-
Irish Gaelic, what's this?

claíomh na gréine-
Irish Gaelic, sword of the sun, term used for Lugh’s sword, in Ronan’s possession. It can only be wielded by those Lugh gives his blessing to.

Cúchulainn-
legendary hero of the
Cróeb Ruad
, half-human son to
Lugh the Long hand

Changelings
or the
Sluagh
-
undead creatures formed from lost and damned souls to do the bidding of
Aillen

Conchobar
-man at arms to
Connor Mac Nessa

Connaught-
one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, north-western Ireland

Connor Mac Nessa-
ancient king of
Connaught

Cróeb Ruad (Red Branch)- Irish Gaelic,
roughly 'branch of red', legendary band of warriors loyal to
Connor Mac Nessa

Cú Chulaind-
Irish Gaelic, roughly 'Cullen's hound' term applied to
Cúchulainn

Danu
-mother of the
Tuatha de Naanan
, first of their race

Damnú air-
Irish Gaelic, roughly 'damn it' or 'sod it' Expression of frustration

daor-
Irish Gaelic, slave

Dian Cécht-
one of the Tuatha de Naanan, a healer, and inventor

Du'n Dreach-Fhoula
-castle of the vampire
Abhartach
, located in the area of County Kerry now known as
Macgillycuddy's Reeks

Eire
-Irish Gaelic, Ireland

eirnin-
Irish Gaelic, iron

Fand-
queen of the fae, former wife to
Manannán mac Lir,
believed to be
sometime lover of
Cúchulainn

faoladh-
werewolf, werewolves are not traditionally ‘evil’ in Irish folklore, they were more protectors, but they were considered extremely dangerous

craiceann a bhualadh le
do thoin-
Irish Gaelic, roughly 'go fuck yourself'

Emain Macha-
keep of
Connor Mac Nessa

Emer-
mortal wife of
Cúchulainn

Finn MacCool-
a legendary hero of Irish mythology, much like
Cúchulainn

Fomorians-
the demon gods who ruled before the
Tuatha de Danaan

ghrian siúlóir-
Irish Gaelic, loosely sun walker, or one who walks in the sun

luchóg
-Irish Gaelic, mouse

Lia Fáil-
legendary stone of destiny, said to have been broken by
Cúchulainn

Lir-
god of the sea, not
Manannán mac Lir,
but his father

Leinster-
one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, in the southeast, including Dublin

Le do thoil, a rún mo chroí, ní raibh mé chiallaíonn sé-
Irish Gaelic, roughly, Please, secret of my heart, I did not mean it.

Litha-
the summer solstice

Lugh of the Long Hand
-current king of the
Tuatha de Danaan
, foster son to
Manannán mac Lir
and
grandson to
Balor
, king of the
Fomorians
. Lugh killed Balor to end the war of the gods. He is the god of the sun, among other things, the term ‘long-hand’, or sometimes said as 'long-arm' is given for his deadly prowess with the spear.

Natilus-
Catholic priest

Niall of the Nine Hostages
, perhaps the same as
Niall of the Red Hand-
an ancient king in Ireland, many stories are told of a man called Niall who was king for a time in
Uí Néill,
it is not clear if they are all one and the same man, or merely related

Ní thuigim déithe-
Irish Gaelic, I don’t understand gods

Nuada-
former king of the
Tuatha de Danaan
, prosthetic arm of silver made for him by
Dian Cécht
after he lost it in battle, killed by
Balor

Orthannach
- demon henchman and executioner for
Aillen

Peel-
a city on the Isle of Man

Mac Giolla Phadraig-
ancient name of the Fitzpatrick clan

Manannán mac Lir-
god of the sea and horses and weather, foster father of
Lugh of the Long Hand

Manx-
term for the Isle of Man

mo ghrá-
Irish Gaelic, my love

Munster-
one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, the southwest

the river
Shannon-
well-known waterway in Ireland

ruad-
Irish Gaelic, red

Tá fáilte romhat sa teach seo, mo dheartháir-
Irish Gaelic, you are welcome in this house, my brother

Tá mé chomh mór sin i ngrá leat
tá
sé
nimhneach
-
Irish Gaelic, I am so much in love with you it hurts.

Tarraing mó coileach
-Irish Gaelic, roughly 'suck my cock'

Tara-
an ancient site in Ireland, once the seat of high kings, located in
Leinster

Ti'rna No'g
-a place of the
Otherworld
, a starry city in the sky that vanishes with the rising of the sun. A place mortals cannot go

Tuatha de Danaan
-people, or tribe of the
Danu
, the gods of the Irelan
d

Uliad-
one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, in the north-east

Ulster-
a province in Ireland, mainly the north

Valhalla-
Norse, the Viking afterlife

Thank you for taking this journey with Heather and Aidan and I. It has been quite the road trip; full of laughter, tears, a lot of Avenged Sevenfold and Florence + the Machine on repeat, a fair amount of coffee and a lot of sleepless nights.

I wouldn't have missed it for anything and I hope you feel the same.

Feel free to drop by any of the following and say 'hey' and let me know what you thought.

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