She stood there, trembling with the force of the incredible gift she’d been given, before she finally heard the cries behind her. Turning, she saw her friends, along with Fiona, John, and baby Grace, standing outside the wall, pounding on an invisible barrier.
And Declan, his heart in his face, his hands pressed to the barrier, waiting.
Waiting for her to choose him.
She stepped through the thin membrane of magick, and was immediately swamped, everyone trying to hug her at once, while Declan stood back, his face a mask.
“Hold this,” Sasha said, handing the sword to Fiona, who took it reverently, running her hands over the jeweled hilt as Sasha pushed through to stand before Declan.
“Hey,” she said softly, looking up into his beautiful eyes, wanting nothing more than to jump into his arms, but sensing she had to tread carefully here.
“You left. Without me,” Declan bit out, looking away and then back down at her, his fists clenched at his sides.
“I had to. I had to do this on my own. It was the only way,” Sasha said softly.
“I’m supposed to protect you. I can’t do that if you just leave me,” Declan said, still visibly angry.
“I had no choice. Not in this matter. But I do now. And I choose you. I love you, Declan. For life. My destiny,” Sasha reached up and placed her hand over where his heart beat fast in his chest. “My heart. I’m sorry I had to leave like that, but this is what was needed so I could come to you freely.”
Declan clasped a hand over hers, taking a long moment to read what he needed from her eyes before sweeping her into his arms, his lips finding hers and sealing their promise to each other.
Baby Grace laughed and clapped in the background, which caused the entire group to laugh. Sasha turned to look at them, her face pressed to Declan’s chest as Fiona held the sword to the sun and the light captured it in all its glory.
“We’re free now, you and me,” Sasha whispered to Declan and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
epilogue
“Why do we have to go to the cove again?” Sasha asked, feeling just a bit grumpy. She’d just had this epic life-changing experience and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed with Declan and pull the covers over her head for days.
“Because you have to take the sword somewhere, duh. It’s the Sword of freaking Light!” Bianca exclaimed. “You can’t just, like, put it on the kitchen counter and deal with it later.”
“Your friend makes an excellent point. To the cove we go,” Fiona laughed.
And so Sasha found herself, walking hand-in-hand with Declan, at the first brush of dawn across the extraordinary cliffs that jutted proudly out into the sea, cradling a perfect half circle of beach far below them. They stopped at the top of a path that zigzagged its way down to the untouched shore below them.
“You go on. We’ll watch from above. Tell the Goddess hello for me,” Fiona said and Bianca paused to look back at her.
“Need we do any ritual? Or present a gift or anything?” Bianca asked.
Baby Grace shook her head no and Fiona laughed again. “I think the Sword of Light is gift enough, no?”
“I suppose as gifts go, it’s quite good,” Bianca conceded.
They wound their way down the path, the breeze just a light caress on their cheeks today, the water calm as they made their way to the beach.
“So this is the infamous enchanted beach?” Sasha asked once they’d stepped onto the sand. “I can see why Grace would want her final resting spot to be kept private here. It’s quite stunning.”
“Not as stunning as this creature,” Declan murmured in her ear and then astonished her by dropping to his knees.
“Are you proposing?” Sasha asked, her hand at her heart, then jumped when a laugh sounded behind her, like a hundred bluebirds singing. Whirling around, she gaped at the vision before her.
Light seemed to shimmer and shift around the image of a woman, but an everywoman, so beautiful that she was never one shape or color. She was the all-powerful She – the essence of all – and Sasha found herself frozen to the spot in awe.
“Thank you for your sacrifices upon the way. We are indebted to you.” Goddess Danu’s voice, like rich wine, fell upon her and Sasha bowed her head.
“I am grateful that I was able to succeed in my mission,” she stuttered.
“You’ll have a blessed life for it. The sword?” Goddess Danu held out her hand and Sasha skittered forward, bowing awkwardly again as she placed the sword in the Goddess’s hands. Danu smiled, running a hand down Sasha’s cheek.
“You’re more beautiful than you’ll ever know. Never forget to live in love. It is the only true currency that matters in this world.”
“I promise to remember,” Sasha said, but Danu had already disappeared, leaving Sasha with her hand pressed to her cheek where the Goddess had just touched her.
“I swear, she could appear to me a million times and it would never get old,” Bianca sprang up and did a little dance in the sand, her blond pigtails bouncing. “She’s freaking cool!”
Declan stood again and came to Sasha’s side, looking down at her.
“Did you want me to be proposing then?”
“I mean – I guess, well – not like, now. But you know, seeing as you’re my destiny and all... we should probably get married at some point,” Sasha laughed, then gasped when he swept her into his arms.
“Look,” Declan said, nuzzling at her ear and she turned to see a vibrantly glowing blue light shooting from the water. Sasha’s eyes widened in surprise and she looked up to see Baby Grace clapping her hands in laughter.
“Is the baby doing that?”
“No, silly, the cove glows in the presence of true love. It’s part of the enchantment,” Bianca said, a goofy smile on her face.
Maddox had pulled a handkerchief out and pressed it to his nose. “I guess I’ve got a wedding to start planning.”
“Enchanted, indeed,” Declan said, sliding his lips over hers. “And I’m enchanted with you.”
And for the first time, Sasha allowed herself to believe in the fairytale ending.
Spear Song
Book 3 in the Isle of Destiny Series
Coming soon!!
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Other Books by Tricia O’Malley
The Mystic Cove Series
Wild Irish Roots
Wild Irish Heart
Wild Irish Eyes
Wild Irish Soul
Wild Irish Rebel
Wild Irish Roots: Margaret & Sean
Wild Irish Witch
The Althea Rose SEries
One Tequila
Tequila for Two
Tequila Will Kill Ya
Three Tequilas
Tequila Shots & Valentine Knots
Tequila Four
The Stolen Dog
A non-fiction account of our dog being stolen and how we recovered him. A read that will renew your faith in humanity. All proceeds donated to animal rescues.
Author's Note
I’m honored that you have taken a chance on my stories – it means the world to me that you’ve followed this series to its conclusion. And, because I love writing about Ireland so much – I couldn’t help but start a spin-off series.
Thank you for taking part in my world, I hope you enjoy it.
Please consider leaving a review online. It helps other readers to take a chance on my stories.
As always, you can reach me at [email protected] or feel free to visit my website at triciaomalley.com.
You can sign up for new releases here http://eepurl.com/1LAiz.
Sword Song: The Isle of Destiny Series Page 16