Page 41 of Resurrecting the Witch
“I see I was advised correctly on the way to win Schmidt’s approval.” Patrick kneeled down and held out one of the treats Lennox gave him. I saw Schmidt’s pupils grow wide as saucers as he leaned in to sniff the treat. He gently leaned even closer, looking from Patrick to the treat, and then licked it slightly before chomping at it. “Easy, little man.”
Little man. Ugh, my ovaries.
Patrick stood back up, pocketing the rest of the treats. “You get these if you are a good boy for the rest of the night.” Schmidt looked up at him in what could only be described as a kitty fury. Lennox never made him work for the treats; she simply dumped them on the floor when she walked in.
Schmidt turned to me, his pupils receding to show the grass green of his eyes more clearly. “You heard him.” I held my hands up in surrender and giggled when his head shot back and forth between Patrick and me.
“Sit here while I cook us our dinner.” Patrick motioned toward one of the barstools that were available looking over the island into the kitchen. He put the grocery bags on the counter and unloaded them before asking for any guidance. The confidence with which he moved was lovely. “Wine opener?”
“On the fridge.” I pointed toward the novelty Little Shop of Horrors plant wine bottle opener and sat down like he said. If the man wanted to cook, who was I to deny him the pleasure? I also loved that I didn’t have to do much except keep Schmidt company. And stare at Patrick’s ass as he maneuvered around my kitchen.
I never said I wasn’t a perv.
He found the wine glasses without any fuss and poured two glasses. “I am going to tell you my story while I cook,” he told me, walking around to set the glass of sweet red wine, one of my favorite blends, in front of me. He looked into my eyes and gave me a quick kiss on my lips before turning back into the kitchen.
“You said that with a morose tone, Patrick,” I replied, noting his less than cheery disposition, which was odd for him.
“I’m going to be honest about some things I haven’t told you yet. Guillermo has been helping me on how to tell you, and I am not sure how you will see me after I tell this story.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, straightening my shoulders. This was serious, it seemed. I took a big swig of liquid courage and listened.
“I know you’ve seen my file, or at the very least it crossed your desk as part of my application,” he said and got to work rinsing the vegetables we’d bought, or he’d bought since he wouldn’t let me pay, at the grocery store. “But my file doesn’t show every detail of my history, like what I did for Lady Orla during my time with the sídhe before I died.”
“I only remember that you were fae, undead, and were recommended to us by a coven back in Ireland we’ve worked with before. I felt weird prying after I’d met you, so I trusted Guille.” It had been easier said than done, I had even resorted to asking about Patrick in my own sessions and work meetings with Guille; neither of which were a proud moment for my curious mind.
Patrick chuckled and started chopping the veggies without me even realizing he’d found a cutting board. “Yes, and I’ve talked to Guillermo about this conversation already at length, so if you want to be done with me, I wouldn’t fault you,mo grá. In fact, I think the chances of you letting me stay after you hear my truth are slim to none, so I’m hoping maybe my cooking will make up for it.” He winked at me, but I saw the insecurity behind his words. He was nervous. Patrick, my goofy always positive in a weird, disassociated sort of way was really nervous for this conversation. I had to give him my full attention, especially after all of my own magick drama he’d listened to since we met.
“You know I was a warrior and that I served Lady Orla, who was an emissary from the sídhe realm where most of Ireland’s fae population live.” He paused and I nodded in agreement, taking a generous gulp from the sweet wine and accepting a head nudge from Schmidt who probably felt my unease at this story. “The sídhe are very structured. My people are a lot of things, but you can’t say we are lazy or unorganized. We have very regimented and strict practices as it applies to fields of study and how we serve our Queen after we hit maturity.”
I didn’t know a lot about the sídhe since most fae I knew were not from the realm in Ireland, but American or Canadian-based. They were all related in a general sense, but the sídhe were some of the oldest fae, and I knew only what Gran shared, which had been rather limited. I nodded anyway so he would continue.
“I was orphaned at a young age, along with my two brothers, Cuglas and Daniel.” He hadn’t mentioned his brothers until this point. “Both of my parents died valiantly in battle. I remember them fondly, but I hadn’t reached maturity when they were felled in a skirmish against the Orcs for territory on the northern part of Ireland. They’d been stationed outside of the sídhe realm since before my brothers and I were born, serving Lady Orla’s father in whatever was needed.
“Because of where they were stationed, I was raised in the human lands of Ireland in the 1600s. My brothers and I served in Lady Orla’s estate after our parents died, proudly and with great honor for my entire life.” He paused. “Well, most of my life, now that I think on it.” His chopping turned a hint angrier, and my cutting board cracked beneath the force of his knife work. “Feck me.”
“Patrick, why don’t you come sit so you can tell this to me without worrying about the food?” I didn’t want to say I trusted Patrick completely, but I couldn’t think of anything he would tell me that would cause me to turn tail and run from whatever we were finding within one another. I didn’t like seeing him so frazzled, regardless.
“I have to keep my hands busy, but you’re sweet for caring about me,mo grá.” He hadn’t called me his pet once since the grocery store, which told me enough about how he’d felt about this conversation. He took a deep breath and added onion, olive oil, and garlic to a large pot and the smell immediately brought me some peace. I sipped on my wine and waited for him to continue. He added the ground beef and sausage mixture to the stove and turned the heat down so it would start to brown, but not too quick. “So, I was with Lady Orla and the rest of the estate for many years training for battle. My brothers and I trained as warriors from the time my parents died. I was a warrior through and through, and even for a fae I had always been a bit bulkier than most. Lady Orla fancied my brothers and me, probably more than was normal for even a horny fae, but I wasn’t interested in her at all. I was able to keep her at arm’s length most of the time.” Instantly my blood boiled at the thought of someone else even looking at my Patrick and I knew he felt the uptick when he gave me his signature smirk. The smoke from the meat continued to billow as he stirred it in with the onions and garlic. The smell was absolutely divine and in the next moment he poured the cans of tomato into the pot, stirring it all together. “Do not worry,mo grá. I’m sure she is long dead, or she is at the very least hiding like a coward. I didn’t welcome her affections and she was… Forceful when it came to her desires. If you feel anything toward her it shouldn’t be jealousy. You are it for me since I saw your beautiful arse trying to run from me at Drew’s.”
I squinted at him and refused to admit I was jealous. But I was.
I was really jealous. But also angry if he hadn’t wanted her attentions and she forced them on him anyway. How far had she gone in her desire for Patrick? I wanted to ask but knew he’d tell me eventually if he wanted.
“Then one day, about thirty years before I was felled, my commander told me Lady Orla had a special task for me.” He twirled the spice rack on the counter and sorted through the dried herb packets until he had a healthy selection out. “I was honored to be chosen, of course, as would any warrior. My brothers warned me against whatever she was going to propose, but I was headstrong and knew she was offering me a chance to prove myself and our family name. The fact she’d let us stay on the estate after our parents died had given me a great deal of respect for her, despite her constantly trying to feck me. She could have let us starve or pushed us back to the sídhe realm where we hadn’t really been before except for holidays. All that to say, it truly was an honor to havetheLady Orla ask for me by name. I didn’t even consider not doing what she asked of me because the idea of denying someone in her position was completely foreign. I just wanted to please her and do what I needed to help my people survive in the war against the Orcs.”
Cliona was thankful when Patrick stirred the seasonings into the sauce then poured himself a glass of wine before leaving the kitchen, grabbing her hand, and leading her to the couch. “This next part is where I must confess my sins to you before we proceed further with our courtship. Because, Cliona, I do wish to continue courting you, and it has taken every ounce of restraint in this modern dating not to have fecked your sweet perfect cunt like you deserve. My cock has been aching and angry at me for my resolve in keeping it away from you for now. But I know now is the right time to tell you the truth of my past in hopes we can continue.”
I nodded, unsure if I could trust the words to make sense right now at his declaration. On one hand, I was glad he confirmed it had been just as hard for him as it was for me these past two weeks. I was panting for him and ready for him to take me, so I hoped whatever he had to say wouldn’t lead to us parting ways. We sat on the couch and Patrick took a swig of his wine, or maybe he swallowed it all in one go, either way, he was getting settled in.
“Lady Orla told me there was a bigger threat with the witches in my territory and that they were aligning with our enemy, the Orcs.” I froze and didn’t like where this was going one bit. I looked into his eyes and saw the truth before he spoke the next words. “Specifically, one coven, led by a High Priestess and her three mates.”
I knew what he was about to say. “Gran, Gramps, Pops, and Papá, you mean?” I asked quietly, still trying to piece together what Gran and my aunties and uncles had told me of how they founded HOMES to begin with.
“Lady Orla had me act as a spy at first with the surrounding covens, I didn’t know Bryg at first.” He said Gran’s name with a familiarity that made my pulse increase. “Only that a High Priestess was causing Lady Orla worry, and therefore she was my enemy.” He paused and looked down at his empty glass. “I was tasked with hunting witches who knew the High Priestess, or finding out how I could get close enough to her to stop them from aiding the Orcs in our war.”
“But if Gran was helping, she was doing it because she had to have a good—”
“Please let me finish,mo grá,” he interrupted me, pleading in his voice that shown in his crystal-clear blue eyes. “I promise to answer and tell you everything at the end if I don’t answer every question you have.” I saw the genuine need in his eyes to say what he needed to. I also reminded myself that Guille already knew everything about this, and still let Patrick come over. I took a few deep breaths and was met immediately by Schmidt curling up in my lap with a loud purr.
