Chapter 21
The next morning the sun rose, and activity could be heard throughout the camp. Tents were being taken down, and people were heading home. The family sat patiently waiting. There was no talking; no one knew what to say. Three more hours passed, and then it happened.
Opening her eyes, Keegan rubbed her face and stretched.
Thaddeus jokingly said, “Leave it to you to sleep in the day you come back to life.”
Keegan looked puzzled. Looking over at her mother, she said, “Is there anything to eat around here? I’m in the mood for bacon and eggs.” Everyone laughed, and you could feel the tension lift.
Rourk still looked concerned. “Bacon? You’re a vegetarian.”
Keegan glanced over, eyeing him speculatively. “Who are you, and why would I be a vegetarian?”
Rourk felt as if he had been stabbed through the heart. How could she not know who he was? His worst nightmare was coming true. Maybe she just needed time to adjust. “My name is Rourk. I work with your father, and your brother was one of my students.”
This seemed to bore her. She looked over at Anna’s mother, “What are you doing here?”
Jennifer stood up and walked over to her. “Your mother will explain. I am glad you are okay. If you need anything, or just want to talk, you know where to find me.” Then she was gone.
Anna’s mother was a creature of the light? Why was everyone staring at her? The tent was filled with her family members. Kat looked like she wanted to cry, and Brigid looked like she had something to say, but wasn’t sure how to say it. Even her grandmother seemed to be at a loss for words. Keegan was starting to get concerned.
Emerald wasn’t sure what to do. “Why don’t you get out of bed and come out and get something to eat? You might feel better when we are outside.”
Keegan got out of bed and wrapped her arms around herself. She was so cold. “Okay, but let me grab a sweater.”
They all walked out in silence. Keegan looked around at all the tents being removed. “What is going on? Did we win?”
Richard stepped in, “Long story short, we called a truce. The war is over.”
After taking a second to process the information, she said, “That’s good.” Her mind felt fuzzy. She figured she would feel better after some coffee and food. The bacon tasted so good she felt like she could eat a plate full. She downed three cups of coffee.
Her mother was concerned. She reached over to place a hand to Keegan’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”
Surprised, Keegan pulled away, wrinkling her nose. “I feel fine. Just a little cold and still tired. Why is everyone coddling me?”
“What is the last thing you remember about yesterday?” Emerald asked her softly.
Keegan thought that was an odd question to ask. Concentrating, she thought back. “I remember Donald almost dying and you saved him. How is he?”
Taking a deep breath, her mother moved closer and put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “There is something we need to tell you.”
“Okay, what is going on and why is everyone acting so strangely?”
“As we were walking away from the battle after healing Donald, you were struck by an arrow.”
Snapping her head towards her mother she said, “I was what?”
“You have been unconscious for over twenty-four hours. Keegan, the arrow went through your heart and killed you.”
Keegan looked at her mother as if she had lost her mind. “What in the world are you talking about? Dad, is there something wrong with Mom?”
Staring at her with a look that could only be described as empathy, he said, “She is telling the truth. Anna’s mother brought you back to life.”
Standing up quickly, Keegan knocked over the chair, trying to wrap her mind around what they were saying. “You can only be brought back from the dead with black magic. Are you saying that Anna’s mother is a dark witch?”
“She is not a dark witch, but her grandmother was and taught her spells. We are very grateful that you were given a second chance at life.” Her father watched her carefully as if he was afraid of her reaction.
“How long was I dead?” The sound of disbelief was still there. She half expected them to tell her it was a practical joke.
“Only a few moments or at least that is how it seemed. Anna’s mother appeared and was chanting, and the next thing we knew your eyes opened,” Richard told her, rubbing a hand over his forehead without looking at her.
“Keegan, do you recall anything during the time you were passed out?” Her mother was looking at her curiously like she was some kind of science experiment. If Keegan hadn’t felt so weird and out of sorts, she probably would have been mad.
“I had a dream. I was in a field of flowers, I felt free and happy. A tiger was with me.”
Rourk flinched. “Keegan, do you really not know who I am?”
She stared at him trying to feel a twinge of recognition, but she felt nothing. He was cute though, that was for sure.
“Should I know you?”
Rourk inhaled sharply closing his eyes he sat back in the chair. “I am your chosen.”
“That’s impossible. We cannot meet our chosen until we are eighteen.”
Emerald was deeply concerned. “Keegan, he is telling the truth. Under unusual circumstances, you met early. You even spent a weekend with him at a cabin with your father and I.”
Okay, this was getting weirder and weirder. Maybe she was still dreaming. As if her parents would allow her to spend a weekend with a guy. “I asked you how Donald was doing, and no one has told me.”
Rourk got up and walked out of the tent. He had to get out of there before he lost control. He felt like throwing things and screaming at the top of his lungs. He wished the battle was still on; he felt a deep need to destroy anything and everything in his path.
Calm down, he told himself. Don’t let your emotions take control of your mind. He knew he had to take a step back.
Thaddeus walked out of the tent and joined Rourk. He stood silently beside him, not knowing what to say.
They packed up their belongings and headed back home. Normally, they would have stayed and traveled while they were in Ireland, but they felt the need to get Keegan home. They hoped that once she was back in her own environment, she would feel better.
Once back in her room, Keegan laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was too much to digest. She had spent a weekend with a guy she didn’t remember? Looking over at her camera laying innocuously on her desk, she jumped up. If she had gone away for a weekend there had to be pictures. She scrolled through her latest photos and what she saw made her feel sick to her stomach. There were tons of photos of an apparently amazing weekend that she had no memory of. She looked so happy. There were several goofy ones of them where she must have used her self-timer to take them. It was obvious they were crazy about each other. So why couldn’t she remember him? Ever since she was a child, she had dreamed of meeting her chosen mate. She had woven fairy tales in her head of how perfect their life would be.
When she looked at Rourk, she had felt nothing. There was no connection or the chemistry she’d been promised. The pictures were proof that there once were a lot of feelings between them. She wondered if it was possible for it to come back or if it was gone for good. What must he be feeling? It had to be frustrating for him.
More than anything on Keegan’s mind, she couldn’t stop wondering one thing: Why did she keep thinking about Donald?
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