Reluctant Hero (The Dunamis Covenant Book 1) (21 page)

"Well, it looks like he'll recover, so I say we celebrate; my little brother is a Paladin like me." Connor wrapped his arms around his brother and added, "Let's go to McRory's, we'll get the whole family to go."

"Sounds like a plan, but remember, Son, no one outside the family can know that Dyson has powers. We will begin training him tomorrow and if anyone finds out, we say they were late in manifesting. It's rare, but it does happen."

"It's not even a lie, dad," Abby added, "We just don't have to say how they manifested."

"True enough, Abigail. You should go celebrate with your brothers, I'll call you if Thomas wakes up," Grams said.

"Thanks, Grams," she said, and then left with her brothers to meet her cousins. Dyson felt whole and that was cause for celebration. The Fitzpatricks would be taking over McRory's pub tonight.

The Irish folk music blared, and the Fitzpatrick boys and their wives drank and danced into the night. The regulars at McRory's enjoyed the spontaneous festive atmosphere and the free rounds the Fitzpatricks kept buying. Abby danced with each of her brothers and several of her cousins and she almost felt like a little kid again. Once Thomas had disappeared, she had almost gone into a depression, but her brothers wouldn't have it. They would always take her places and dance with her because she loved to dance. This felt a lot like those old times, only now, the center of attention was Dyson. She had never seen her brother as happy as he was right now, and she loved Thomas even more for the gift he had given him. Dyson and his wife danced, and Abby could see the light playing off Dyson's eyes as his greatest wish had now come true. They danced and sang and laughed and drank well into the night. When it came time to leave, Connor's wife, Inga and Abby went to the bar to pay the tab. None of the men were in any shape for counting out money or calculating a tip. They paid the bartender, Patrick, left him a generous tip and then left for home.

Abby entered Thomas room, hoping he might be awake, but felt a mild disappointment that he wasn't. She curled up into the chair next to his bed with a tiger-striped blanket and watched the love of her life, the hero of her brother's, in a peaceful slumber. She contemplated joining him in his bed, but didn't want to disturb his well earned rest. Her brothers had already loved him for saving her in the park, but now he would forever be a part of the family for what he had done for Dyson. Thinking about the man she loved brought her joy, and she continued to watch his chest gently rise and fall as he slept. The rhythm of his breathing soon put her to sleep.

Thomas woke up twelve hours later with the worst headache he could ever remember. He noticed Abby sleeping in a chair next to his bed. Her blanket had fallen to the floor. He picked it up and covered the woman he loved with her favorite blanket. The pain in his head was nothing compared to the constant ache he felt over not being with his betrothed. He tiptoed into the bathroom, hoping to find some aspirin for what felt like the hangover of the year. He splashed water on his face and took a long drink with some aspirin he found in the medicine cabinet. The water cleared his head, but there was still a dull ache. He ventured out to the living room and saw all of Abby's brother's crashed on the floor. It looked like they walked in the house and slept where they fell. There was still a residual smell of alcohol emanating from the sleeping men.
Must have been some party
, he mused as he stepped over bodies on his way to the kitchen. Grams was already making breakfast and he wondered if she ever slept. He also wondered if her Ethereal ability was feeding large groups of people. She looked up and smiled at him; he could see Abby in her as her smile reached her eyes.

"You're quite the hero in this family, Thomas Hunter. How are you feeling?"

"A little weak, but not bad. I'm not entirely clear on what I did, though."

"What do you remember doing?"

"Dyson was upset that his abilities had never manifested, but I could sense them within him. I just remember wanting to let them out so Dyson would feel like he fit in with his brothers. I grabbed him by the face and then my hands got very hot and the next thing I know, I'm waking up next to the most beautiful woman in the world. The woman that I still can't be with."

Grams had a look of regret when she answered, " You and Abby have not been dealt a kind hand, but don't worry, it will happen soon enough." Then she added, "Well, you're not missing anything from last night, whatever you did, worked. Then the entire family went to McRory's to celebrate. I'm sure you had to climb over and dance past the result of their efforts on your way in here. Dyson is going to love you forever. All night he was talking about how he feels whole. Thank you, Thomas."

"Happy to do it, I just hope I don't ever have to do it again." Thomas was smiling and Grams put a plate of food in front of him that he attacked. After shoveling it in for a minute, he looked up in embarrassment and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize how hungry I was. I'm glad Abby didn't see that. It's very good. Thank you."

"You are most welcome, and there's more on the way, we need to make sure you have the energy you need for your trials. I just need to caution you, do not under any circumstances let the Council know you have this ability. Please, they will take your life and Abby's life and turn them upside down forever if they know."

Thomas considered her words for a long while. He was thankful there were now people in his life that would look out for him with no motive and no agenda. "I hadn't thought of that, thanks. It's nice having people looking out for you."

"Thomas, none of us knew that you knew how to speak Greek."

"What makes you think I speak Greek, Grams?"

"You were repeating the same phrase in Greek over and over again when you helped Dyson."

"Maybe I heard it from one of the linguistic majors back in college, in Texas."

"Speaking of that, Abby mentioned you got a call yesterday from a young man named Trevor. She didn't want to give him any information because she was unsure if you know him." She handed him the phone, and he saw the eight one seven Texas area code.

"I know him very well. Thanks, Grams." He dialed the number and waited for Trevor to pick up. He was a little surprised when Kendra picked up.

"Thomas, do you know what time it is?"

"Kendra? What are you doing with Trevor's phone?" He looked at the clock on the wall and then felt bad about calling. "I'm sorry, I had no idea what time it was until you just mentioned it."

"Six o'clock, Thomas!" she said for emphasis. "Trevor won't be up for hours. Lucky for you, I'm already up with Sarah. Why didn't you call us back yesterday?"

"I got home from the council meeting and then things got a little crazy and then I was unconscious for twelve hours. I just woke up now and called you back, sorry it's so early, I didn't realize."

"No problem, and what do you mean you were unconscious for twelve hours?"

"It's a long story. Do you know what Trevor wanted?"

"Yeah, we're here to back you up. The clan called everyone back to New York. We're at a hotel by Newark Airport, with your aunt and uncle."

"But you don't even have powers, Kendra, and you've got Sarah to worry about now."

"I know, but Trevor had to come, and I had to be here for him, for both of you. The business is going well and I brought everything I needed to work on with me. You know I couldn't stay away, it would have just given my parents one more reason to slam the door on me and Sarah."

He felt terrible about the bitterness he could hear in Kendra's voice. Her relationship with her parents had been ruined because of him. It was all Asa's fault, but she would have been much better off if she had never known him and become a pawn in Asa's games. He hoped her bravery and the fact that she answered the call might put her back in her parent's good graces. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I can't wait for you guys to meet Abby and her family. I'm gonna see if they could put you up in one of their safe houses. Hold on a minute while I ask Abby's grandmother." He muted the phone and asked her if there was a safe house nearby that his friends could stay in with his aunt and uncle. She told him to have them come here and her son John would figure something out. He un-muted the phone and said, "Kendra, when everyone wakes up, bring them here and Abby's dad will get you sorted. I can't wait to see you guys again and hold little Sarah." He gave her the address and hung up to find another plate of food in front of him. He thanked Grams and dug in again, this time, a little bit more civilized.

Four hours later, the whole family was up, dressed and had eaten. They were sitting around waiting for John and Dyson to get back from Dyson's first training session. Dyson had learned how to use a sword a long time ago, all of the Fitzpatricks had, so they all figured he would take to it easy enough. There was a knock on the door and William opened it. The first person he saw was Kendra and he just stood there. It didn't take Connor long to tease him for it. "Ay, Will, are you planning to leave Tommy's guests out in the cold or what?"

William seemed to come back to himself, and he said, "Sorry about that. Please, come in." Thomas noticed that William couldn't take his eyes off Kendra. Her long dark hair and bright blue eyes had him captivated. Then Trevor followed, holding little Sarah and the last to enter were Aunt Laura and Uncle Pete.

Thomas looked at his friends and family, every one of them put in his life by Asa to keep tabs on him. The old, cautious Thomas would have had a big problem with that type of betrayal, but the new, Paladin TJ knew they had no choice, and had done their best with a bad situation. He ran across the room and picked his aunt up in a bear hug that she hadn't expected, but very much enjoyed, and followed with a firm handshake pulled into a half hug with his uncle.

"So, does this mean you're not mad at us, Tommy?" Everyone noticed his aunt's apprehension at his uncle's question.

"Of course not, Uncle Pete, you guys raised me. I know Asa strong-armed you into lying. You had no choice, I don't blame you, I blame him. You can't fake the kind of love you guys have shown me." Aunt Laura's relief was visible and she gave Thomas another hug. He thought he saw a tear in her eye. Then she moved to hug Abby. Thomas made the introductions while he gave Kendra and Trevor a hug. He then relieved Trevor of the small, precious package he was holding. He held up the beautiful, happy little girl and was rewarded with some spit-up right on the front of his shirt. He made faces at Sarah while Kendra wiped his shirt off and apologized. Sarah seemed much happier and everyone laughed. He gave Sarah back to Kendra and took Abby aside to explain who Kendra was. He told her everything including giving her the five thousand a month ago. Abby was not happy at first, but felt a lot better when Thomas convinced her that he and Kendra had no interest in one another. He also pointed out William's interest in Kendra, and Abby was quick to set a new goal of getting her only unmarried brother off the block.

"So, Trev, how did that mountain bike trip turn out?"

"It was epic, bro, thanks for the wheels. I had a great time." He looked around the room and added, "So, how bout you hook a brother up. Abby is beautiful, where's her sisters?" Everyone started laughing and Trevor looked confused.

"Abby doesn't have any sisters, just five brothers and twenty-three male cousins. She's the lone young lady in the entire Fitzpatrick family. Sorry man, all of the good genes were wasted on this lot." He swept his arm over Abby's brothers and a couple of her cousins.

"Well, we know Tommy's part of the family now, don't we?" Connor said. "So, Trevor, what are your abilities?"

"I'm a Mage, I haven't completed my training yet, but I had to come to back up Thomas. He's been good to me over the years. Even after Kendra couldn't take lying for Asa anymore and went to a different college, he still helped me out whenever I needed it. I heard your granddad is a legendary Mage, maybe he can help me get ready for the battle."

"He's not here now, but in the meantime, Liam and Mark could probably help you a bit." Grams began, "But no one is going anywhere until you get some good, home-cooked food, and I get to hold that beautiful baby girl. That was a joy I had far too little of during my time as a grandmother."

"You can't fool us, Grams; you loved every second of all of your grandsons." Connor reminded her. "After lunch, William can take you guys over to another one of our houses, it's only a few blocks away, and we'll do our best to get Trevor squared away. How about you, Kendra? What are your powers?"

"I'm sorry to say, they never manifested, but I'm a Mage as well. I'm just here for moral support and to take care of my little brother."

"That's more than enough, plus you have the baby, so you'll stay back at our base of operations where it's safe, with Grams. Pete, Laura, how about you guys?" Connor asked.

"We're both Paladins, although I don't have much power." Laura began. "Pete on the other hand is pretty powerful. He'll get Tommy's back, too. I'll stay back with your grandmother and Kendra, to help with things here."

"Sounds good. Grams get's some help and we get two more competent fighters that Tommy trusts." He looked over to see if Thomas agreed.

"That sounds good, Connor. We'll let your granddad make the final call. Is there any way we can get the other five families aligned with you together? I'd like to see what we're bringing to the table, and figure out who has to stay behind. We're going to need to leave a sizeable chunk of Fitzpatrick's and their allies behind and use people we might not trust as much."

"Why would we do that?" Liam asked with a confused look on his face.

"Now that I know the dynamics, I believe Asa's plan is to put us all on the front lines so that when it's all said and done, the Fitzpatricks won't be able to challenge for clan leadership. I know none of you would ever run from a fight, and you will always want to be there for each other, but you have your families to think about as well as the clan. Think of it as fighting the battle on two fronts."

"Thomas is absolutely right," John said as he strode into the room with a happy Dyson in tow. "We have two concerns, and while one might not be as glorious as the other, it's no less important. We want a strong presence here, but we will also need to make sure Thomas is covered. We can trust everyone the Light Council puts out there except Asaph's people and the Cadaraii clan." He looked up when he noticed the guests. He broke into a huge grin and said, "Hey, Pete, Laura, when did you guys get here?"

They explained over lunch followed by William taking them to the nearest safe house. Grams didn't want to give up the baby, so Kendra promised they would be back later. It was hard to tell, but it looked like she was enjoying all of the attention William was giving her. Thomas wanted to help her get her powers, but he didn't sense them the same way he had sensed Dyson's. He would need to seek some council from Abby's dad or granddad before trying that again anyway. Grams seemed to think it wasn't a good idea for him to do it again, ever. When everyone was settled, Thomas took Abby by the hand, gave her a light coat and left with her to take a walk. They had not had anywhere near enough conscious alone time and he needed to be alone with her for a little while. He couldn't wait to fight Devlin and get it over with so he could finally be with Abby. Until then, getting to know her, holding hands and the occasional kissing of her angelic face would have to do. He vowed to himself that if Devlin didn't attack soon, he would take her to city hall to make it official and then the war would have to wait a couple of weeks for them.