Haunting Embrace by Erin Quinn Page B

wage, I will. A fair one. Ten percent of me taking.”
    Áedán tried to look suitably impressed by the offer. “Thank you, Mr. O’Shea—”
    “Hoyt. Call me Hoyt. I’m not like Mickey that way.”
    “Thank you, Hoyt, but Mr. Ballagh has been good to me, and it wouldn’t be fair—”
    “Oh, he’s got you fooled, doesn’t he? He’s made you think he’s done you a favor, taking you in. Truth is, he’s a user, that man. He’s not done right by you. You do the work of five men. Sure, and haven’t I seen it with my own eyes. His catch is more than double—nay triple—what he brought before you come. Bet he didn’t tell you that, did he?”
    No, he had not. It wouldn’t have mattered, though, even if he had. Áedán did not plan to be on this island much longer. He’d taken Mickey’s offer of labor for food and board only to hold him over until he could determine what exactly had happened and what, exactly, he’d become.
    He’d once been the powerful Druid that Meaghan spoke of. But now . . . he’d thought himself a mere man until Meaghan had appeared. Now he didn’t know if he was even that.
    Hoyt’s excitement was nearly as overwhelming as his odor. Seeing what he thought to be indecision on Áedán’s face, he pushed. “He’s got you thinking you owe him, and it’s the other way around, isn’t that a fact? He’s done you a disservice, Áedán. That’s the truth. Jump ship, lad. Come to the High Tide. ”
    Áedán glanced at Meaghan and quickly away. He had no intention of jumping ship, not now. He needed to stay as close to Meaghan as he could, and the easiest way to do that was to keep toiling for the disagreeable man, Mickey.
    “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Hoyt, though I do appreciate your offer. I’m where I should be for the time being. If circumstances change, I will let you know.”
    For a moment, Hoyt stared at him blankly, as if it went beyond belief that Áedán would—could—turn him down. Then his expression became sour and his eyes hard. “You think I’ll just hold the offer for you until you decide it’s good enough, then? Well, I won’t. It’s now or never.”
    “Then it’s never,” Áedán said without apology.
    Hoyt’s mouth opened and closed before he spat, “That Mickey gets all the luck, doesn’t he now? Well, you have it your way.”
    And with that, he stomped back down the hill. Silently they watched him join his friends and give what appeared to be an animated rendition of their conversation, arms waving, fingers pointing.
    “He seems quite upset,” Áedán commented, hoping the interruption had derailed Meaghan’s questions. When he looked back at her, though, he knew he would not be so fortunate. Meaghan watched him with the attention of a scientist studying a rare anomaly that she planned to categorize and document.
    He started walking again, forcing her to fall into step. The sky had cleared and now the clouds made a patchwork of the gray and blue, casting soft shadows that whispered over the sloping hills and hulking boulders, diluting the sunshine into a buttermilk haze. It was late afternoon. The pubs would be swelling with fishermen done for the day. Mickey would be in the thick of it, swigging brew and talking out of both sides of his mouth.
    “I’m still waiting for you to answer my question, Áedán,” Meaghan said, as he’d known she would. “Are you the Druid that Saraid warned about?”
    “The evil Druid? The one who could destroy the world if he so wanted?” Áedán mocked.
    “Yes.”
    “Well, of course I am. And can’t you tell by looking at me that I’m all-powerful? That’s why I’m working on a fecking boat the size of a shoe, just for the privilege of eating and sleeping somewhere dry. You heard Hoyt O’Shea. I’m slave labor, beauty. If I had a choice, if I had the power to change things, I’d be living under better circumstances, wouldn’t I?”
    She narrowed her eyes and he knew she’d seen through his sarcasm.