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“Wait…” Nelson frowned as he did the simple math. “If you’ve known two, then you’re older than Merlin,” he said to Clancy, making the other man smile over the rim of his glass.
“I’m almost twice as old as Merlin but dark magick will shrink you and make your hair fall out. Among other things,” he added cryptically.
Merlin shrugged. “You can’t fight what you don’t know and I still get around.”
“How does that work?” Nelson asked, stopping Merlin when he opened his mouth to answer. “Not that. How does it work with you two and me? Did you always know you were part of the three and why didn’t I know?”
“We’ve always known,” Merlin said, giving Clancy a chance to nod before continuing. “Our lines have been unbroken and we live unnaturally long lives because of our connection with and proximity to the heir.”
“But Uaithnes don’t?” Nelson asked and Merlin nodded quickly.
“They do! If they remain close to the heir, but your line broke with us and somewhere along the way one of your ancestors didn’t have an heir of his own or didn’t pass the knowledge of the vow onto his son. But I suspected and checked and your people, the Nelsons, have been in this area for as long as there have been MacIlwraiths and I don’t think that is a coincidence.”
“Why did they break with you?”
There was a pained grunt from Clancy. “Because you’re Uaithnes and everything about the vow offends your nature and your purpose.”
“And what would that be?” Nelson asked, but he already knew the answer. His heart sank as Clancy refilled his drink, stalling.
“Merlin and I have a duty to protect the heir and his family and to help the heir fulfill the prophecy—to bring in a new age of glorious light.”
“Right…” Nelson said, nodding slowly. “But you all made a vow to suppress that to protect the Dagda’s followers from Christianity, so you wouldn’t be wiped out.”
Merlin hummed in agreement. “That has never sat well with the Uaithnes because their duty is to not only protect the heir himself, like a bodyguard, but to also act as the bridge. The Uaithne is the gateway and the heir’s guide.”
Nelson felt like throwing up as he stared at the rug between them. “I thought I could control it by myself—keep Nox away from Him—if I was careful. I was so stupid,” he said, but Clancy chuckled bitterly and shook his head.
“You were controlling it. That’s why your tea was tampered with.”
“Why?” Nelson demanded in a hushed growl, causing Merlin to flinch. “He trusted you to protect him from this! You knew I was trying to keep them apart.”
“Nox has to face Him!” Merlin whispered loudly, regaining his bravado as he squared up to Nelson. “The only chance Nox has of holding his own is if he’s had a glimpse of the Dagda and seen the tricks He uses. And I didn’t just design him to be a beacon for the Dagda.” Merlin scoffed defiantly. “I designed him, right down to choosing an Ó Murchadha to be his mother, so that Nox would be strong enough to withstand the Dagda. I believe he can and is at his strongest when he’s with you. That is why I specifically ordered you to stay with him.”
“That was why?” Nelson dragged a hand down his face, still baffled at the irony. “Why couldn’t you have warned me and why did it have to be sex?”
A soft, snorting giggle bubbled from Merlin. “I told you before, you don’t know any other magick.” He laughed, the sound fond and soft as he stared at Nelson. “I believe that the Dagda overplayed his hand with you and that is the key to saving Nox.”
“How?” Nelson asked, becoming alert.
Merlin made a knowing sound as he wagged a finger. “See how he is all that matters to you? The Uaithne is always too attached to the heir and is hurt whenever the cycle takes its course. That is usually when they abandon the cause and the line ends until another Uaithne finds his way back,” he said sadly and Clancy grinned at Nelson wryly.
“Welcome back to the game, Uaithne. Now, how would you take it if you knew Nox would have to die?” Clancy asked, raising his brows as he dared Nelson to judge them.
“He would lose his mind,” Merlin predicted. “You would not part with Nox for anything, would you?”
Nelson felt the answer before it touched his lips. “Never!”
“That’s where the Dagda went wrong!” Merlin said as he patted Nelson’s chest. “It might be in your nature to serve both Nox and the Dagda, but your heart is your own and it beats for the man, not the god.”
“Okay…” Nelson took a moment to consider and could understand some of the logic behind Merlin’s actions. “Has it always been like this with the heir and the Uaithne? Have they always been…” He scrubbed his face, wishing he didn’t blush like a teenager every time he mentioned sex.
“Mates?” Merlin offered.
“I guess.”
Merlin laughed. “I suspect that has more to do with what pleases Nox and a stroke of kismet that your nascent sexuality aligned with your innate need to serve and protect him.”
That certainly aligned with the compulsion Nelson felt to keep Nox safe and satisfied and the physical discomfort he experienced when they were apart for too long. “So you and the Dagda have been using me?” He asked Merlin.
