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“In the now? Dylan. But, in that life, my name was spelled Dillon.” Dylan took the time to spell out the name, and Iris’s eyes widened.
“Dillon is my last name. Iris Moon Dillon.”
“You’re Iris Moon?” Gracie gasped, putting her hand to her lips.
“Yes,” Iris said, her face freezing when she suddenly realized what she’d revealed.
“I had no idea you had another name. Oh, this makes so much sense now,” Gracie crowed. She did a little dance in her chair, shaking her head back and forth. “I’ve admired your work, you know. Phenomenal career you’ve had. And of course you’ve got power. Everybody touched by me does.”
“I’m sorry…what?” Iris said, blinking rapidly at the still dancing Gracie, and Kane was with her on this one. It was just too much to process quickly.
“Gracie, as you see her today, is the reincarnated soul of Grace O’Malley,” Dylan explained. “When she and I met in another lifetime, we fell deeply in love, but our time together was brief. When I was murdered, Grace avenged my death but never stopped loving me. Later, upon her own death, Grace walked into the cove you see there, and her powerful magic enchanted her bloodline for generations to come. Sacrifice in death, you see? That same night, as Grace died, her daughter gave birth on the same beach. More powerful magick. However, what we’ve recently learned, cheeky wench that she is, Grace loved so strongly that she also afforded magickal protection and powers to those of the man she loved. My bloodline.”
Kane was kicking himself for not having a recorder for all this information. He turned to Iris, who sat frozen. Putting an arm loosely around her shoulders because it seemed she needed time to process, Kane raised an eyebrow at Dylan.
“That’s…okay, so that’s a lot to wrap our heads around, isn’t it? But I guess the gist of what you’re saying is that Grace, in that time, was able to protect the bloodline of her own and those she loved. Is Iris Grace’s family, then?”
“No.” Dylan winced. “It appears I had a child at home that I hadn’t met yet. I was a sailor, you see, and out to sea to help with the battles.”
“Ah, I’m sorry?” Kane wasn’t sure if an apology was appropriate for something that had likely happened centuries before.
“Thank you. Iris, we’ve only just learned about your branch of the family, and I’ve been looking into finding and contacting you. You…well, you have more family you likely don’t know about,” Dylan said, his tone kind, and Kane felt Iris stiffen beneath his arm.
“I have more family? I have family?” Iris’s voice squeaked.
“You do. If you’re willing to accept them, of course,” Dylan hurried on, seeming to sense Iris’s tension. “It’s probably a lot to take in, so whatever you’re comfortable with, really.”
“I don’t know how to be comfortable with a family. I’ve only ever had my mother. What does that even mean, family? Like sisters and brothers? Cousins? Do I show up for holidays now?” Iris asked. Kane felt a slight tremble move over her and understood just how deeply this must be hitting her.
“No, Iris. We have no expectations of you. Other than to hopefully get to know you a bit, if you’ll allow us to. You’re welcome here, in our home,” Dylan said.
“And, unlike Dylan, who is much more respectful and kind than I am, I’ll likely arrive on your doorstep, force you to stay in Grace’s Cove, and pepper you with a thousand questions. My love is more of the aggressive sort, so you’re kind of stuck with me now,” Gracie said, finishing her biscuit.
“But…we’re not related.” Iris narrowed her eyes at Gracie.
“Sure, we are. This one’s my husband. That means you’re family. Plus, I gave you powers, didn’t I? Ungrateful one, isn’t she. Kids these days.” Gracie clucked her tongue though she couldn’t hardly be much older than Iris.
“My wife can be a touch abrasive.” Dylan held up a hand as Gracie rounded on him. “But we love her, nonetheless. I think she is trying to say, in her own way, that we’d like to get to know you further if you’re comfortable with that.”
“I…I don’t know. I think that I am?” Iris looked at Kane as though he could answer this for her, and he just shrugged.
“It’s whatever you’re comfortable with, Iris. It doesn’t sound like they are forcing family down your throat. Well, maybe Gracie is, but you can probably just sit with this a moment and see how you feel. Can you tell us any more about the family? The ones related to Iris, that is?” Kane asked, squeezing Iris gently. She remained at his side, leaning into him, and Kane realized how much he enjoyed her warmth. She fit well.
“We’re still tracing the bloodline, to be honest,” Gracie said. She drummed her fingers on the table and plopped her chin into her hand. “We’ve met your cousin, which is how we just learned about you. From there, we’ve tracked a few aunts and uncles. I’m guessing that your grandmother went on to marry and have children, so it’s hard to say how much of my magick was imbedded in those that came next. I don’t think I was thinking all that much when I was working the enchantment, what with facing my impending death and knowing that I was stepping over into the veil for a while. It’s…an unsettling feeling, I’ll admit.”
“I can imagine,” Iris murmured.
“Your cousin is here. Well, not here, here. He’s in Dublin right now, likely at practice. You may have heard of him. Mac? William MacGregor? He plays rugby.”
“No way!” Kane exclaimed. He was a huge rugby fan, so the fact Iris was related to someone famous excited him. Maybe he’d get to go to a match with her.
“You’ve heard of him?” Iris looked up at him, forehead creased in concern.
“Of course, I’ve heard of him. Most of Ireland has heard of him. He’s, like, a media darling. It’s going to be so much fun for you to meet him,” Kane said.
“He’s famous. Which means paparazzi,” Iris said, hunching her shoulders, and Kane realized then why this might upset her.
“Or maybe we wait on that introduction…” Kane turned to Gracie. “Iris is dealing with a lot right now. I’m not sure she’ll want to be adding any more fodder to any headlines.”
