and grief and fear into the embrace. She didn’t realize she was weeping until he pulled back enough to wipe away her tears with his thumb. “Why are you crying, my love?”
She shook her head. How could she put into words the depth of her fear and concern the last several months, the relief that she felt at finding him alive and whole before her?
She reached up and laced her fingers with his. “We’ve got an audience.”
He kissed her again. “I don’t care.”
Neither do I, she thought, getting lost in the sensation of being in his arms again. She loved this man. Needed him like breath. But self-consciousness got the better of her and she backed away. “Plenty of time to . . . catch up. Your friends and your father will want to see you.”
She could almost see the relief rush into him. “They’re all right? Eoghan? My father? Master Liam?” Apparently he read the spark of grief in her eyes because he gripped her hand tighter. “Who?”
“Liam. Your father is in charge of the warriors now. But things have changed.”
He took in his surroundings. “I can see that.” Then he looked back at her and smiled. “Time enough for explanations. For now, we celebrate.”
Impulsively, Aine pulled down his head and kissed him again, not wanting to let him go. She laced her fingers with his and turned to face the watchers. Riordan strode toward them, beaming, but when she sought Eoghan in the crowd, he was gone.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Only seconds after his reunion with Aine, Conor found himself surrounded, and dozens more people rushed toward him. Apparently word traveled as quickly as ever in Ard Dhaimhin. Riordan crushed him into a strong embrace. “Welcome home, son.”
“Thank you,” Conor said, overwhelmed by the welcome. He barely recognized the faces around him, conscious of Aine getting farther and farther away.
“The Conclave will want to speak with you. Eoghan was here a moment ago . . .”
Conor didn’t hear the rest of the words as he pushed back through the crowd to Aine and seized her hand. “You didn’t think you’d be rid of me that easily, did you?”
Mischief glinted in her eyes. “Don’t think you’ll use me as an excuse to escape from the Conclave. If I had to sit through their meetings, so do you.”
Things had changed even more than he had thought. Obviously the city had been opened. He’d thought it a result of the burned forest, but as they fell in alongside Riordan and headed for Carraigmór, he realized it probably had something to do with his wife. Everyone knew her, and even more surprising, they didn’t come across anyone whose name she didn’t know in return.
“You have a lot to tell me,” he said.
“As do you. For example, what have you been doing in Gwydden these past months?”
He looked at her in shock, but she just wore a satisfied little smile. “How do you know that?”
“Same way I know you’re contemplating slipping out of the hall before the Conclave can pin you down.”
It was indeed what he’d been thinking, though he doubted she knew—
“Oh, aye. I know that, too.” She squeezed his hand, and a tinge of pink reached her cheeks.
“Then you know I’m not likely to be dissuaded.”
It was Aine’s turn to laugh. “Husband, do your duty and tell your story to the Conclave. There are things you must know.” Her amusement faded. “Much has changed.”
He nodded. There was plenty he needed to tell them, but he didn’t want to waste this joyful reunion with Aine. Just releasing her hand to start the upward climb to Carraigmór filled him with loss.
Once they reached the hall, Riordan paused. “I’ll assemble the Conclave. They’ll want to speak with you right away.”
“I’d like to wash and change first. And something to eat would be appreciated. I’ve been traveling on foot and sleeping rough for weeks.”
Riordan looked startled, but he bent his head in acknowledgment. “I’ll have supper brought to the hall. Aine can show you to her—your—chamber. Someone will come fetch you when the Conclave is assembled.”
Conor gave a short bow and then turned to Aine. He could sense his father’s disappointment. But what had he expected? Conor was no longer Fíréin, if that designation still meant anything. Did Riordan think his return to Ard Dhaimhin could overshadow seeing his wife again?
Aine led him upward to one of Carraigmór’s guest chambers, sending him a sympathetic glance. “It will take time. You’re his son, and his former student. He’s not