Captured Heart by Angelica Siren Page B

weren't exactly what I was expecting, but the results were a meal that truly did wonders to make me feel at home. As with any Irish gathering of any size, the beer kept flowing and the conversation turned from pleasantries to bawdy stories and loud boasts before long. Right in front of my eyes I saw Darren transform from a mild-mannered accountant to a loud and entertaining man who could keep the whole room's attention. Ronan and I hung on his every word as he told a particularly funny joke about a bear, the First Minister and why the two of them shouldn't be invited to the same disco. I didn't really understand the references, but I laughed uproariously along with the rest of them when he delivered the punch line. I was beginning to understand what someone like Lila saw in him. In fact, as he spoke, I could see the way she watched him. There was love in her eyes, pure and simple. I reached under the table for Ronan's hand and clasped it tightly. He didn't ask why, but held my hand warmly all the same.
    I watched Ronan's face light up as he told our hosts the story of how we'd met. I let him take the lead and explain it all with only a few interjections. Some stereotypes are just that, but I had yet to meet an Irishman who wasn't a born storyteller. Ronan was among the best of them, which probably has a lot to do with why he ended up as the leader of a motorcycle club in the first place. Being able to hold people's attention goes a long way when you're dealing with a group who prize their individuality. When his masterful powers of oration were turned on Darren and Lila, there was nothing they could do but to sit enthralled, listening to every word as he spoke it.
    Hearing him tell the story of our meeting was a pleasant reminder of the words he'd spoken to me before we set out for Belfast. He was coming up here to fight a war, but he said he was fighting it for me. At first I didn't know quite what to make of that. I wasn't the one who wanted him to go up here and fight. If I'd had my way, we'd be safe at home back in Dublin. I understood now the value of fighting in someone's name. If there was success to be won here in Belfast, then the victory would be belong to both Ronan and myself. Victory wasn't triumph over the enemies of the Druids, it was the way we would return home together - stronger than when we'd set out on this mad quest. This was a war that had to be fought for the good of Druids across Ireland, but for Ronan it wasn't about all that. It was about making our world a little safer for the pair of us.
    Eventually the stories grew less grand and the drinks were beginning to take their toll. I could see Darren drowsing at the table, and my head was swimming as well. I'd learned a lot about drinking since coming to Ireland, but I was still a novice by their measure. I smiled to myself at that thought. As incredible as finding Ronan had been, finding this strange and beautiful place was just as wonderful to me. I had found myself doing things and associating with people I never thought I 'd come near since arriving. Now I couldn't bear the thought of having any of it taken away. This place and these people were my new family and I wouldn't have it any other way.
    Lila helped Darren to their bedroom while Ronan and I cleared the dishes and brought them to the kitchen. Doing such an ordinary and domestic task alongside Ronan made me chuckle under my breath. He didn't need to ask what I was chuckling at and merely smiled at me as he washed out a large bowl in the sink. Ronan had so many qualities I had come to love, but his ability to laugh at himself might have been the most endearing. Bikers - even the other druids - all seemed to take themselves so seriously. Not Ronan though. He saw the ridiculousness of what he was doing sometimes and laughed because it was either that or get depressed. This was the role that life had cast him in and he'd play his part - but that didn't mean he had to do it humorlessly.
    Lila came