Cormac tightened his grip on her hand. “Look at me.”
She didn’t move. He let go of her hand, reached for her chin, and turned her gently towards him.
“I’m right here. You saved me.”
“I was so scared,” she admitted, her voice shaking.
“I wasn’t.”
The words shocked her so much that the tears stopped. “How?”
“Because I had you. I’m sorry I put that on you, but I knew I had nothing to fear if you were there to look after me.”
Aoife let out a wet laugh. “You put a lot of faith in my healing abilities.”
“I put a lot of faith in you,” Cormac reached up with his good hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Come here,” he said, holding his arm out.
She hesitated, afraid she might hurt him.
“Didn’t your mam say hugs were healing?”
Aoife gave another watery laugh, then walked around to the other side of the bed and lay down on his good side. She left a gap between them, but he slid his arm around her and drew her close.
They stayed like that for a while. Aoife listened to his breathing, relieved that it already sounded easier, less strained than the night before.
Eventually, the question she had been holding back broke free.
“You’re the Athraith, aren’t you?”
He went still, then nodded once. “Aye.”
She exhaled, halfway between disbelief and relief, and sat up. “You could have told me.”
He picked at the seam of his cuff, eyes down. “I wanted to. Do you know how hard it is to keep it hidden? All your life? Even from the people you trust?”
She studied him. The light caught in his hair, his head at the same stubborn tilt she’d known since they were children stealing apples. How many times had she thought she knew him completely?
“I knew you had secrets,” she said. “I thought they were ordinary ones.”
He gave a small huff of laughter. “Not much ordinary about this.”
“So why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, teasing lightly. She nudged his knee with hers, a small, familiar gesture. “Didn’t think I could handle it?”
He looked up at her, a wry smile tugging at his mouth. “I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. The fewer people who knew, the safer it was for me and for my parents.”
Aoife nodded slowly. “That’s fair.” Beneath the words, a tug of warmth. Even his silence had been a way of protecting others.
“Even with you… as much as I might have wanted to. I couldn’t risk it.”
She smiled. “I understand.” He looked doubtful. She reached for his hand. “I do.”
He laughed softly, shaking his head. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
They fell into a more comfortable silence. Rain tapped faintly against the window.
“So,” she said, glancing at him. “What made you risk it now?”
He looks at her questioningly.
