by KB Anne
“Answer the question, Gigi.”
I inhale deeply and exhale before turning to face my brother. “No, we didn’t.”
Scott lunges for Alaric. “Why you . . .”
Alaric knocks him away. “She’s a reincarnated goddess. She can’t even have kids.”
Everything inside me stills. It feels like I’ve just been hammer kicked in the stomach by Caer during a training session and all the air’s knocked out of me.
“I can’t?”
He cradles my hands in his as he kisses them. He senses he delivered a tremendous blow and would do anything within his power to ease it. “Wouldn’t there be multiple Brigit lines alive today if you could? When Brigit was human, she gave birth, but through the reincarnations, she hasn’t because she can’t. You and Scott are the last of the line.”
It takes me a long time to answer. Everyone’s staring at me, but it does nothing to relieve the sadness. “Brigit’s line ends with us?”
He pulls me to his chest. “Yes, but you’ve got a lifetime to live before that happens.”
I bury myself in his arms, and though he makes me feel full, an overwhelming emptiness hollows my chest. I am the last.
* * *
Scott is barely sympathetic as I cling to Alaric with the devastating news. To think that Brigit’s line will no longer continue in the Earthly Realm is a sadness beyond measure.
Caer shifts around uncomfortably. She can’t understand why I’m so upset that Brigit’s line will end. Caer Ibormeith is a lesser-known god in Celtic mythology. Barely anyone has heard of her. Her story is overshadowed by the more testosterone-driven aspects of the pantheon. (I don’t agree with the gender bias. It’s symptomatic of many of today’s current world issues.) But for some reason, people have worshipped Brigit since the beginning when they were just Druids, before her name was even adopted by the church. When Christianity embraced her, Brigit found everlasting life, but her line didn’t. It will end with me.
Caer casts an occasional glare in our direction too. She’s mad at me for ditching her and bringing Alaric instead. She’s also trying not to think about what Scott’s butt might look like naked. I try not to think about what it looks like either, but for vastly different reasons.
Maddie clears his throat. All our attention focuses on him.
“What is it, Maddie?” Scott asks.
“Well, I’m no portal-jumping expert, but does time jump when you travel within a realm? When Gigi was in the Shadow Realm, she was gone for weeks, but to her it was only a few days. Is it the same when you jump within the realm? And if so, shouldn’t we hurry and find this woman you want to question?”
Neither Scott nor I really have any experience portal hopping within the same realm except for the portal we took from Clarissa’s to Granda’s property last night, and time had stayed the same then.
Alaric’s chest rumbles as he answers Maddie. It’s not as sexy as the purr he gave when we were otherwise engaged, but it’s still pretty darn sexy. “I traveled between Kildare and Vernal Falls via a different portal, and time remained the same.”
Scott stands in front of us, reeking of judgement. “Right. I heard about that. And what exactly were you doing in Vernal Falls?”
Alaric tightens his arms around me as if he doesn’t want to let me go. “My nan sent me to keep an eye on Gigi and Breas.”
“So you were a peeping Tom, back-stabbing, pervert spy?”
Alaric ignores the jab. “It was during that time that I fell for Gigi and found it more and more difficult to keep my distance. Nan sensed that and called me home under the guise that Gigi would be in Ireland soon, and she was.” He kisses the top of my head.
Sensing that Scott’s interrogation could go on all day, because no matter how Alaric answered, it would never alleviate my brother’s anger at catching us in the buff, I tear my head from Alaric’s chest and the rest of me follows. Cold invades my limbs as my body immediately feel the absence of him, but soon we will solve the Naisha/Nancy riddle and in so doing maybe resolve the Alaric/Lizzie situation.
I take off walking. “So, who wants to lead the questioning?”
Scott and the rest of them follow along. “Well, you definitely shouldn’t lead it. Remember the funeral fiasco?”
For the benefit of the group, because I know exactly what it feels like to be left out of something, I fill them in on Lizzie’s funeral happenings. “Lizzie’s mom scolded my dad and me for being there. She said it was all our fault that Lizzie had died—which at the time I believed it was. There was pushing, name-calling, and an overturned coffin that turned out to be empty except for the ripped fabric liner and the claw marks on the wood.”
Alaric touches his nightlock-imbued crystal to reassure himself that it’s there. “Claw marks? But it was between full moons.”
Maddie and I exchange glances. He remembers when I forced him to semi-shift outside of the full moon. Alaric also did during my meditative visit to Brigit’s shrine room, but with the rage that burned inside him, he doesn’t remember.
“It seems that, with some persuasion, some werewolves can at least partially shift when it’s not a full moon.”
Alaric stops. “What? I never have. That’s not possible.”
Maddie takes the lead on this one. “Man, it is. Gigi took the crystal from me without me knowing and forced me into a semi-shift.”
Scott throws up his hands. “Gigi, are you crazy? You could have been killed.”
I forgot how overly dramatic my brother is.
“I wasn’t. Maddie wasn’t going to hurt me. I was in control of his shift, and I gave him the crystal immediately after. Werewolves only assume they can’t shift outside of the full moon because of the curses Brigit placed on them, but apparently some of them can, or at least they can semi-shift. I didn’t want to push Maddie to fully change.”
Maddie shivers. “And I didn’t want to fully change either. I lose myself when I’m a wolf, and I don’t like losing myself.”
All during our conversation, Caer watches Maddie closely. “What else are you?”
Maddie starts moving along the trail to avoid her question. She unnerves him, and he’s afraid to reveal to her the other things he can do.
“Show her, Maddie,” I call out to him.
He stops on the trail, his shoulders stiff.
“It’s okay. You can trust her.”
Without more ado, he disappears.
Caer gasps. “He can go invisible? Is he resistant to magic too?”
Maddie appears beside me. He finds comfort in my presence. The feeling is mutual.
“I don’t think so,” he says. “Gigi’s crystal works on me, and the wolfsbane ropes Breas used on me worked until I disappeared.”
Alaric’s temper flares. “He used wolfsbane rope on you? Breas will die a long, painful death for all he has done to the both of you.”
“Chill, man,” I tease. “Listen, this catch-up session has been riveting, and I mean that in the least sarcastic way possible, but it proves all the more reason to solve the Naisha/Nancy riddle.”
“Agreed,” Scott says. “Let’s go. But since Caer is Fae and Maddie is clearly part Fae . . .”
“Fae? I’m part Fae,” Maddie whispers as if he’s been waiting his entire life for an explication—which he has.
I rest my arm on him and push some soothing comfort into him. “You’ve found some of the answers you’ve been waiting for. We’ll find out more when we can.”
“Thank you,” he whispers.
A small part of him is still freaking out about being part Fae, but my little pep talk settles him. Plus, I pushed in some calming energy to speed up the process. He trusts me, and his trust means more to me than any kingdom. He’s the first outside of my immediate circle to do so. I want more than anything to keep him safe.
Scott glances at Maddie and Caer. “They should go invisible. We don’t know what Nancy might be capable of, especially if she’s Fae. The element of surprise would be useful.”
“Agreed,” Alaric says, pulling me along. “I’ll lead the way.”
We continue down the trail bordering Vernal Falls. I love Ireland—the green, the intoxicating clean air, the feeling of oldness—but the crunch of dry leaves, the sweet smell of pine, the quiet creaks and moans of the forest remind me I am home.
Alaric strides beside me. To have him with me after longing for him for so long fills me with the possibility that we will figure this madness out. That we will get answers and that, somehow, we will stay together. But even if we don’t, we shared something neither one of us will ever be able to take back. I will savor “us” forever.
“I like having you with me,” he whispers as if reading my thoughts. And maybe, after what we shared, he can. Maybe we connected in more ways than just physical.
“Only like?”
“Well, with the possibility that we’re meeting someone who may be my mother but who abandoned me as a baby, I’m a bit on edge. I want to keep you safe, but I want to find answers. I’m not sure I’ll be able to do both. I did find this though,” he says, revealing a four-leaf clover.
“When did you find that?”
He bumps his hip into mine. “While I was hiding your gorgeous body from our unexpected guests.”
If one of my past exploits had mentioned my nakedness, I would have been embarrassed. I always split after sex, never staying longer than the time it took to put my clothes on. But with Alaric, it doesn’t bother me. Not in the least. We did what we were meant to do. What we’ve always been meant to do.
“May I?”
He hands it to me. “There’s a legend about the four-leaf clover.”
“That it brings good luck?”
He laughs. “You are a smartass. Yes, but do you know why?”
The four-leaf clover tingles in my hand. “Is it capable of magic?”
“The luck of it comes from warding off evil faeries.”
“So I suppose it’s a good sign that you found it. Must mean you aren’t evil.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” He stops, dipping his head toward the horizon.
There in the distance behind a grove of oak trees is a cluster of homes, including Lizzie’s parents’ house.
“Caer, Maddie, it’s time.”
I inhale deeply. “Let’s do this.”
9
Knight of Swords
Scott’s fingers twitched with the desire to rip Moralltach from its bindings, have it transform into a sword, and slice Alaric’s head off as he watched the bastard walk with his sister up in front of him. It wasn’t that bloodshed excited him, but he couldn’t forgive what Alaric had done with his sister without protection, even if she couldn’t bear children. The bastard took his sister in the forest. He deserved to be punished.
Gigi and Alaric held hands and exchanged knowing glances at one another. Alaric had even given her a four-leaf clover moments ago. He wouldn’t fancy himself so lucky when Scott was through with him.
Caer and Maddie walked in silence beside him. They had just gone invisible, so he wasn’t entirely sure of their proximity. He sensed Caer’s presence, but he couldn’t offer her his hand or wrap an arm around her as Alaric did with Gigi. He and Caer were not “there” yet, and with her serious nature, he didn’t know if they ever would be.
Gigi giggled at something Alaric said and swatted him on the arm. He’d never seen her so happy and carefree, even with the risk of danger ahead. Truth be told, he was jealous. Scott had dreamt about Caer for weeks, but he was no closer to her than he had been when they first met. A few kisses, some hand holding, but not the obvious bond that Alaric and Gigi shared.
“Hang back,” he told his silent companions. “Keep your distance from us, just in case.”
He sensed Caer’s annoyance. She liked to be in the thick of the action, but in this case, the only action was the flirting of Gigi and Alaric as they entered the oak grove, and nobody else needed to participate in that. It was bad enough that the three of them were forced to witness it.
“Hey, wait up!” Scott called out to Alaric and Gigi. He stepped into the grove just after them, and that’s when everything went to shit.
One second, sunlight was shining and the air was still. The next, leaves and pine needles lifted and swirled around them in a tornado of ferocious wind. He couldn’t see anything. Not Alaric. Not Gigi. Not even right in front of him. Instinctively he reached for Moralltach, but his leg yanked out from under him as a snare caught his foot, knocking him backward and shooting him up into the air.
The chaos subsided as quickly as it appeared. Leaves and pine needles settled back to the ground, and the grove turned peaceful once more except, of course, for the three of them hanging upside down as caught prey.
“Stay back!” he screamed to Caer and Maddie, not wanting them to fall victim to the trap. He prayed they’d assess the situation first before acting.
An eerie, unnatural silence descended upon and around the grove, falling heavier than oxygen itself.
“I haven’t feasted on human flesh for many years. Fifteen to be exact,” a woman’s voice drawled as she stepped into the now-calm clearing. “Of course, I shouldn’t sample you beasties,” she said, stroking Gigi’s hanging hair, “but who can resist such a godly banquet?”
“Get your hands off of her,” Alaric and Scott growled together.
Nancy’s face shot to Scott’s. “You were always too protective for your own good. I wanted to get rid of you long ago, but it was forbidden. Now, however,” she said, appearing before him faster than humanly possible, “with your mum dead, you’re fair game. Were you surprised to see her alive when she showed up at the juvenile detention center?”
Scott inhaled, trying to calm himself the way Gallean had shown him. Nancy sought to catch him unawares and use his bewilderment to her advantage. Even her cashmere cardigan, floral blouse, and tan slacks were meant to throw off her victims. All those years as a dedicated Jehovah’s Witness follower were meant to hide her trail, but the truth was laid bare before his circle of friends now.
“Who do you think told her where you were? Did you think your mum was keeping an eye on you?” Her evil laughter spoiled even the afternoon sunlight. “No, she was too busy playing Carman’s star apprentice to be concerned with your whereabouts.”
She dragged a single claw across Scott’s cheek. Burning wetness seeped from the wound and trailed down his face at an excruciatingly slow pace before dripping onto the ground.
“She’s not her star apprentice now, is she.”
“Get away from him,” Gigi warned.
Nancy ripped off her cashmere cardigan and flew over to Gigi. Flew as in she sprouted freaking red and black fairy wings. “Or what? What are you going to do?”
Now, Gigi placed in his head.
Caer flashed outside the grove, hiding in the shadows. She stared at him with a promise for vengeance.
He shook his head no, mouthing, “Not yet.”
With Nancy preoccupied, Scott contorted his body to reach Moralltach. With one powerful movement, he had the dagger in his hand. Now free from its constraints, it instantly shifted into the sword. He sliced the rope above his foot and swung his feet down to land easily. As his feet hit the ground, he lunged at Nancy, wrapping his free arm around her throat and yanking her to the ground. She punched and kicked her way free. Caught unawares, Moralltach dropped out of his hands to the forest floor. After years of being conditioned to her weak church-mom appearance, he’d underestimated her strength, even now equipped with the knowledge that every aspect of her was intended to ensnare.
He lunged at her before she could spring back up, and took her down using a chokehold he’d learned from his Vernal Falls High wrestling days. She swiped at him with her claws, but he dodged them. His cheek still burned from the single scratch of her nail. It was likely laced with something toxic. He pinned her in place, waiting for his circle to join him.
Caer and Maddie charged into the cleari
ng and freed Alaric and Gigi from their constraints. Soon the four surrounded Scott at the four cardinal points with him and Nancy at the center.
“Talk,” he growled.
“Never,” she said.
“Actually, you just did,” Gigi said from her position. “So tell us what we want to know.”
“That your mom was a crack whore who deserved to die?”
Scott winced. Pre-goddess Gigi would swipe her sharpened fingernails across the face of anyone who dared to shame her or her birth status along with dropping a string of curse words that would make Satan blush. He had no idea how post-goddess Gigi would react. He watched as she knelt above Nancy’s head. Gigi’s expression was controlled, and her body movements were slow and methodical.
“You and Kensey use the same lines. Almost as if someone whispered in Kensey’s little eight-year-old ear and taught her the nasty lies.”
“They’re no lies. She betrayed Calliope by birthing you. She deserved everything she got.”
Scott applied more pressure to her throat. She spoke too loudly about too many nasty things for his liking.
Hunger for vengeance slammed into Scott’s mind. An unquenchable thirst for blood hummed in his veins. He had never desired to harm someone so badly before, but Nancy’s throat called for Moralltach’s blade.
“My sword. I need my sword,” he said to the circle.
No one answered. No one moved to retrieve it for him. Nancy stared at him. Impatience plagued him.
Finally Gigi spoke. “Scott, let Alaric take over.”
“No. She deserves death for her crimes.”
Nancy continued staring at him, but now with a maniacal grin. What was happening to him? Why did he speak with such loathing and hate? He’d never been filled with such a powerful thirst for vengeance or blood lust.
“She’s poisoning your mind. Your thoughts are not you own,” Gigi said.
“My sword. I need Moralltach. That will teach her to fear me.”
“No, Scott,” Gigi said. “Alaric, take over for him.”