by KB Anne
I sigh, resting my head against the headrest, working through some different spells I learned from Giselle. She’s as curious about reincarnated gods as I am about their coven’s green magic practices. Their ability to mask their houses and practice while tourists fill the streets is remarkable. Suzanne runs an apothecary, selling dried herbs, soaps, and lotions. Gifford owns a rock and gem shop, supplying the coven and the town with crystals and other healing stones. Giselle reads palms and tarot cards, but she’s careful not to share too much. She tells her customers mostly truths with a layer of people-pleasing generic lines like, “A difficult decision lies ahead,” “You will meet someone,” and perhaps the most vague but highly sought after, “I see wealth in your future.” The coven takes “hidden in plain sight” to the next level. Their very existence has been kept secret from Granda and his coven. I wish I could visit them again. Their coven has so much to offer, but it is not in my cards.
Gifford hung out with Ryan and Alaric. He was fascinated by fellow shapeshifters, though he was of the feline variety. Sphinx was obviously a huge fan. Scott and Suzanne discussed upcoming events and possible outcomes, and everyone took turns watching Lizzie. She was no longer in a trance-like state and she wasn’t overtly trying to kill me or make death threats against me, but she was doing a brilliant job ignoring us. Well, except Ryan. She’d watch his movements, and her body softened when he was near her, which I took as a good sign. She also seemed to brighten when it was Alaric’s turn. She always wanted a brother.
Being in Kilkenny felt like a mini vacation away from our lives. It was much harder to say goodbye to our new coven friends than I thought it would be. I’ve never made friends easily, so to meet a coven’s worth of witch friends and then have to leave them was heartbreaking. But nothing can stop time (believe me, I asked). We encouraged them to reach out to Granda. Powerful witches should be friends.
I adjust my backpack. I’ve taken to wearing it all the time because of the way things seem to be going. It no longer carries the cursed eyeball necklace. That was thankfully turned to dust along with Carman’s Maleficium connection to Lizzie. And my necklace no longer carries the spell book crystal. That stayed in the well-deserved hands of Suzanne and her coven. The spell book had been stolen from them and corrupted by Carman long ago. Calliope had somehow gotten her hands on it and hidden it in Gram’s attic, unbeknownst to Gram. That explains why Suzanne and her coven weren’t too keen on us when we first arrived.
The backpack does carry two glass cylinders coated with crushed nightlock, lavender, and some other herbs. Once the cylinders explode, the evil in a person will disintegrate. One is for Lizzie, and one is for Naisha, but everything is contingent on getting Naisha back from the Faerie Realm by the Storm Moon.
I sent word, but I haven’t received confirmation that Caer got the message. The fact that I couldn’t reach her directly worries me. She was someplace inaccessible to me. Caer and I are similar in a lot of ways, and that scares me because it means she might fight Balor on her own, since that’s totally something I would do. From what I witnessed in the Shadow Realm, no one possesses the strength to take him down by herself without life-threatening ramifications. His magic is too potent and malevolent—it’ll seek to destroy that which threatens it.
Alaric squeezes my hand. “You okay?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
Scott groans in the back seat as if in pain. “Pull over.”
“It’s really raining. The sides of the road might be washed out,” Alaric says, glancing at Scott in the rearview mirror. But whatever he sees worries him. “You got it,” he says and pulls the truck over to the side of the road.
I whirl around. My brother’s clutching his chest like he’s having a heart attack. “Scott, what is it?”
He’s unable to speak. The pain blinds him, but it’s not from an injury he received during any of our many misguided adventures to cure Lizzie. It’s about Caer. Ryan throws the truck door open for him. Scott climbs out, doubling over when he gets outside.
We all follow him. The hail attacks us. Wind whips across our faces, trying to blind us.
I grab hold of his shoulders to push energy into him if he needs it. “What do you see?”
“Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong with her.” His voice gets drowned out by the storm, but I can read his mind and Alaric and Ryan have werewolf hearing.
“How do you . . . ?” Ryan asks.
Scott lifts his eyes to mine. They’re wild with fear. “She needs me, Gi. She needs me.”
“I don’t—”
He grabs my arms. “A portal. Make me a portal. I need to get to her. Hurry, there’s no time.”
His worry hits me in powerful waves. It should be enough emotion for me to draw from. I glance at the others because there is no way in any of the hellish realms that I am leaving them. “Everyone, grab hold.”
The five of us join in a circle. Sphinx climbs on Alaric’s back. Alaric leans over to whisper in my ear. “Do you even know where she is?”
I breathe in and out, steadying myself. I search for Caer in my mind, but there’s nothing there. It’s absolute nothingness.
“Hurry, Gi, she needs me,” Scott pleads.
I pull my lips in, determined to help him find her. “Scott, I need you to use your connection. I need you to think where she could be.”
He closes his eyes and immediately opens them. “Got it.”
I read his mind and envision her location. The shimmery haze of the portal appears before me. “Hold on,” I remind everyone as I step into the portal.
* * *
Ryan and Lizzie double over when we land, but we don’t have time to wait for them to recover from their portal-jumping hangover. Caer needs us.
As if reading my mind, Alaric says, “Go. I’ll find you.”
Before I can answer, Scott throws me on his back and takes off.
Having a werewolf boyfriend does have a lot of advantages, although calling him just a boyfriend feels so fleeting, so temporary. We are so much more than that. We share a connection between time and space. We’re soul mates. Scott and Caer share that same bond, but where Alaric can find me by my scent, Scott can’t smell Caer.
“How do you know where to go?”
“I just know.”
Up ahead, a large group of faeries circle around someone. The remains of a shimmering portal disappear.
“Move,” Scott roars, pushing his way through when the faeries fail to listen to him.
He throws me off his back as he slides to Caer’s side. I land on my feet, embracing my inner cat, and hurry over. She’s not breathing, and the grayness of her skin suggests she hasn’t had oxygen in her lungs in some time.
Maddie is there.
“What happened?” I ask him.
“We don’t know. She threw the spear and killed Balor, but then she collapsed. I flew down and saved her before a giant boulder pummeled her, but she’s been unresponsive since.”
“Caer,” Scott whispers. “Caer, I’m here. Come back to me.”
She remains still, even with Scott’s persuasive spelled words. He bends down and breaths air into her lungs just as he’d done for Alaric. When nothing happens, he breathes into her again and again. Still nothing happens.
“Don’t leave me,” he pleads.
He breathes into her three more times, her chest still refusing to rise and fall even with his mighty breaths.
The intense emotion swirling around them overwhelms me. I bite my lip, trying not to cry.
“Caer, come back to me,” he whispers. “Please.”
His eyes find mine. “Is there anything you can do? Is there anything left to be done? I love her.”
I wish that I’d had Sphinx steal the Vessel of Life for me. I’d use it on Caer. I do have the Chalice of Healing in my backpack, but it can’t bring someone back to life when her life-force has left her. It only strengthens what life is already there.
There is o
ne way as old and ancient as life itself. “Tell her.”
Tears stream down his cheeks. He’s never said the words to her. They hadn’t found their time yet, and he fears it might be too late.
“I love you, Caer. I love you,” he says, and breathes into her one final time.
He pulls her head into his lap. “I love you,” he says again and bends down to kiss her lips. Four doves appear and circle around his head. They appeared after Alaric came back to life, but it doesn’t look like Caer’s life-force is returning.
Or is it?
Scott kisses her again, and the grayness disappears from her skin. Her cheeks return to their natural rich shade of brown. Her lips, no longer pale and lifeless, fill with red and open to meet Scott’s third kiss. He’s too consumed with his own sadness to notice her life returning to her. She lifts her hands around his head to deepen the kiss. Scott tries to break away. He wants to see for himself that she’s alive, but she’s back in control now and he’s powerless to stop it. He cradles her face in his hands as if she is the most precious person in any of the realms—and to Scott, she is. The four doves circle round and round them.
I glance around at the gathering of faeries. Pure wonderment adorns their faces as they watch their queen return to life. Each breath she takes is proof to them that their battle wounds and lost comrades were worth it. That Balor was defeated, that their queen is safe, and that the kingdom will once again return to peace.
Alaric wraps his arm around me. I rest my head against his shoulder and watch my brother kiss his true love. His soul mate. For once, the universe aligned for us, and I am thankful.
“Get a room,” Ryan says, breaking the silence.
Scott pulls away from Caer, but she’s not done kissing him yet. She yanks him back down to her.
I lean over to Ryan. “You can’t stop love.”
His gaze drops down to Lizzie. “No, you can’t.”
Her lips curve into a shy half smile.
With that look, I know that there’s hope for Lizzie. There’s hope for us all.
27
All for a Song
Eventually, Keturah, Maddie, and the rest of us left Caer and Scott to do their thing, and by the looks of it, they were going to be doing it for a while.
“I didn’t know Scott could breathe life back into the dead,” Alaric says as we head toward the castle.
“He didn’t either. At least not until it happened with you. Being a reincarnated god doesn’t come with an instruction manual. I wish it did. It would make my life a lot easier.”
Ryan holds Lizzie’s arm as we enter the castle. “It seems like you just know stuff.”
“I do, but sometimes the goddess speaks to me too.”
Maddie pats my head as I walk past him into the castle. “And let me tell you, listening to one of their conversations is really weird.”
Ryan offers his hand to Maddie. “Name’s Ryan.”
He accepts it. “Maddie. I spent a lot of time watching you in your cell.”
Ryan laughs. “In most cases, that would sound very creepy stalkerish, but given our circumstances, it sounds about right.”
We follow Keturah through the halls. “It’s this way to the dungeons.”
“Do you think Naisha will talk to us?” I’m not exactly hopeful, but I sense Keturah can be very persuasive.
“Evil taints her. Everything she says is double-talk. What are you planning to do with her?”
“There’s a spell we need to conduct on the Storm Moon to break the connection between her and Lizzie.”
Keturah stops to look at me. Anger swells around her. “She tied her life-force to her daughter?”
“She did.”
She shakes her head and takes off toward the dungeon at a much faster pace. “I never realized how evil she was. I wish I had known long ago. I could have stopped it. I could have stopped her.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. If you had, Alaric would never have been born, or Lizzie.”
Alaric squeezes my hand. He’s been mostly quiet since we left Caer and Scott. It’s not easy to hear someone bash your mother. I know that better than anyone. At least my mother turned out to be a wonderful woman. I can’t say the same for his.
“She’s refused to eat or drink, but otherwise, she’s been the model prisoner,” Keturah says, stepping back from the cell as Maddie leads Naisha out.
Even though she’s been kept prisoner in the dungeons, she’s been well taken care of. She could be the ideal duplicitous mother model for Macy’s department store: Whether on the soccer field or in the dungeons, always look your very best.
“Lizzie,” she yelps at the sight of her daughter.
Lizzie’s eyes jump to hers. Ryan tightens his hold on her.
“What have you done to her?” Naisha hisses.
My protective nature arrives full force. “Nothing, actually. All the spells and enchantments on her have been lifted. Well, except for your curse. She’s able to speak if she’d like to. She must not be happy to see Mommy Dearest.”
Her gaze jumps to Ryan. “You. You did this to her.”
He pulls his free hand to his chest. “Me? I didn’t do anything to her.”
“Her affections for you are preventing her from achieving greatness.”
Lizzie stiffens.
Ryan’s nostrils flare at the slight. “I think she’s pretty great already.”
Naisha’s lip curls. “Of course you do. You’re not worthy of her. You were supposed to die at the hands of Scott. Breas subverted my plans. That stupid egotistical bastard.”
I raise my hand. “You’re finally speaking my language, but we’ve got a curse to break and a battle to plan.”
She tries to say something especially nasty, but I slap a silencing spell on her.
“We need to get this show on the road. Think my brother’s done sucking the tonsils out of Caer?”
“I wouldn’t mind taking some time to do that with you,” Alaric says, cupping my bottom.
I pull him along, with the rest of them in tow. “We’ll see if we can carve out a few minutes.”
Scott and Caer meet us at the entrance. Caer’s back to her glorious, gorgeous self, looking even more radiant if that’s possible. I don’t know how she was able to hide in the shadows for so long when she’s as bright as the sun itself.
Even in the fallen faerie’s presence, her thoughts keep shifting back to Scott and what she’d like to do with him. I block their minds off from me, because there are some things I don’t want to know.
“So, what’s the plan?” Maddie asks, rubbing his hands together.
I run my hand over a few gashes on his arm. “Don’t you need some rest?”
“No way. I’ve got adrenaline coursing through my veins. I’m ready to fight.”
“You are your mother’s son,” Keturah says, smiling broadly at him. Her own battle scar marks her left cheek. I suspect there’s more under her armor, but she would never admit it.
I embrace their enthusiasm. “Well, let’s open up a portal and kick some Fomorian ass.”
“We already kicked some major Fomorian ass,” Caer says. “Let’s finish this fight once and for all.”
“Breas isn’t going to be happy you killed his secret weapon,” I pretend to whisper in confidence to Caer, but it’s for everyone’s benefit.
Her fangs protrude as she smiles. “I know.”
“Are you up to opening a portal?” Scott asks her.
She grins at him. “With our trí cumhacht, it will not be a problem.”
“Does anyone have motion sickness medication?” Ryan asks.
Scott slaps him on the back. “Suck it up, buttercup. You’ll get used to it.”
“Let’s go out to the courtyard. Your people are waiting for your command,” Keturah says, leading the way.
A large group of faeries stand in a circle as if knowing what we intend to do, and maybe they do. Maybe all Fae have the gift of foresight.
“Join together,�
�� Caer says, and we all do.
“Triple power, activate!” Scott teases, as a portal appears before us and we jettison back to Kildare.
* * *
Chaos hits when we land. Torrential rains batter our faces, blinding our senses. I throw up a shield above our heads to protect us. Darkness consumes the remaining light of the day. We run through Granda’s boundary shield to get away from the punishing elements. It’s only once we’re inside that realization strikes us in one collective breath: The Storm Moon will soon be upon us. The battle is fast approaching. Granda and his coven surround us as if they, too, have the gift of foresight.
“There is much to discuss,” he says in welcoming, “but first, Scott and Caer, you must shift into swans and fly over as much of Ireland as you can while singing your love song.”
Scott brings Caer closer to him. “And why do we need to do that?”
“Because your love song will lull the world to sleep for three days and three nights. It is the only way to keep humans safe and blind to the upcoming storms and battle.”
Scott tries to argue, but Granda raises his hands. “There’s no time. You must go.”
“Come, Scott,” Caer says, pulling him over to an open area. “He’s right. Our love song is in the legends. It’s the only way.”
“I always knew you put me to sleep, though I could never figure out why,” Ryan says with his arm draped around Lizzie’s shoulder. Her head rests against his chest.
Scott fails to reply to him. His attention is fully on Caer. “Our love is that powerful?”
“Powerful enough to bring me back to life,” she whispers.
“Powerful enough to save the world,” he smiles.
Together they shift into swans and take to the skies.
“That. Was. Impressive,” Maddie says, watching in wonder as they fly away.
“Yes, it was,” Alaric agrees.
I rush to catch up to Granda who has already spun on his heel and is hurrying inside his cottage.