by Lizzy Prince
“The veil between our worlds was thinner then. We still have caol áit but nothing like back then.”
His words triggered a memory from a conversation I’d had with Munro, but my tired brain didn’t have enough synapses flaring at the moment to remember what it was.
“Keel atch?” I repeated the words back to him though I knew I butchered the pronunciation. I’d heard the term before. And I knew that Munro had told me what it meant but I was so tired that nothing was clicking in my brain just then.
Roark smirked and leaned back into his chair like he was enjoying schooling me. “Thin places. Haven’t you taught her anything, Munro?”
“Give it a rest, Roark. We’ve been awake for a fucking eternity. Get on with it,” Munro tossed back with a snarl in his voice as his fingers tightened just the slightest on my neck. Munro’s reaction only made Roark’s smile grow. I slumped more fully into Munro’s side to force his attention away from Roark. Munro was too tense, and I was afraid he was going to snap.
“Fair enough,” he said as he held up his hands in placating manner before he re-crossed his arms, his biceps flexing with power from the small movement. “The twins were born of a fae father and a human mother. It’s said that upon their birth, the Seelie and Unseelie courts brought them gifts.”
“Seelie? Courts?” I asked, feeling more confused the longer Roark talked, which seemed counterintuitive since he was supposed to be explaining shit. Not muddying the waters further. My waters were pretty damn dirty. I didn’t need assistance stirring shit up.
Roark let out an exasperated sigh but didn’t comment on my question or the apparent lack of knowledge on all things magical. “The light and dark courts of Fairy,” he said by way of explanation as if that should be sufficient.
I made a note to ask Munro about it later because I wanted to find out what the hell my mark meant. It felt like we had started off on a tangent and now we were a hundred fucking miles away from getting answers.
“The sisters were perfectly balanced, born of both light and dark, so it is not surprising that they would receive gifts from both the light and dark fae. The gifts were given as a blessing and each were connected to a specific power or element. The stone was earth, the cauldron water, the sword represented fire and the spear was air. Each gift held powerful magics within them that enhanced the element.” Roark paused as if this should answer all of our questions.
“What does that have to do with this?” I snapped, pointing to the mark on my arm.
“That is the mark of the sisters. It is a representation of the lia fáil. The four lines are the four elements or gifts, and the slash down the center represents the last of the magical elements.”
“Soul magic,” I muttered, and Roark nodded.
My head was buzzing with information, but I didn’t know how to sort through it all in order to ask questions. I hadn’t mentioned to anyone yet what Áine had shared with me about our souls. I needed to talk to Munro first before I put that information out in the open, but the mark on my arm suddenly took on all kinds of new meanings. Was this really the mark of my family? Were Áine and Cailleach some ancient ancestors, and that’s why I’d been chosen to carry out this task? Or did this mark appear because pieces of Áine’s soul were mingled with mine, and my magic recognized it? It was all too much for me to dissect at such a late hour.
“Where do we find them?” Lola asked, and I almost wanted to hug her for getting us back on topic.
“Well, obviously, the stone is at the Hill of Tara.”
“Yeah, thanks for that nugget.” Lola’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Any other useless pieces of information you can share?”
“I like you,” Roark said with a wink, and I swear Lola blushed even as she shot a withering look at him.
“Back off,” Theo grumbled from the couch and blindly wrapped an arm around Lola who just shook her head but didn’t bother hiding her smile as she put a hand on Theo’s arm.
“I’ve got a lead on the sword, but I’ll need to go talk to someone who doesn’t appreciate an audience for these types of conversations,” Roark said with a pointed look at all of us, then turned to Ryan. “You should go to Estell’s to ask her about the cauldron. I think she might know something about that and maybe the spear. I can check out a few things on the spear, too. I’ll need at least two days.”
“That’s it? No other information for us?” I asked, feeling like this was all way too vague and full of maybes.
“That’s all I’ve got, unless you have something else to share?” Roark gave me an irritatingly smug look that made me wonder, once again, if he could read my mind. There was all of the business about the souls, but I wasn’t bringing that stuff up now.
I glared at him, feeling like we were playing a game that I didn’t know the rules too, and I was way out of my league. “Nope.”
“Alright then. I believe that’s everything there is to share,” he said as he got out of his chair slowly, stretching like a giant cat who had all the time in the world to spare. “I’ll be leaving in just a few to go see my associate about the sword. I’ll be back in two days.” He made his way over to the stairs and was up and back down within a minute. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, and he’d put on a heavy flannel button up that covered up all of his tattoos. He still looked like a scary bad ass though.
“Lock up when you leave. Be back here in two days. Who knows what the hell kind of damage Cailleach will do in the meantime.”
With a heavy clunk, the door to the apartment swung shut, and I exhaled loudly feeling like I’d just been involved in some messed up test. Roark’s exit took some of my tension with it, even though there was no real reason I should have felt that way. Roark was an intense dude, and I found myself sinking back into Munro, feeling like I’d just taken a test that would inform my grade for the whole year. And I wasn’t sure I’d passed.
Ryan’s face was pensive as he looked over the room, but I got the sense that he wasn’t seeing a thing. “Everyone try to get some rest. We’ll leave early in the morning.”
His eyes jumped over to me and grew shadowed. “You think you’re going to stay put for the night?”
I huffed out a humorless laugh. “I sure as hell hope so.”
My answer must have been good enough, because Ryan nodded and headed up the stairs, obviously availing himself of Roark’s now empty bedroom. Why pass up a comfy bed when the floor was your other option? Lola tucked in next to Theo and was out before Butch had the lights off. He and Mari had been sleeping on the middle and left side of the sectional, and they both crashed almost as quickly as Lola.
Munro eased his arm from my shoulder and settled me back against the couch. I gave him a confused look, but he just got up and found some pillows and blankets and made a bed on a free space on the rug. With an inviting nod of his head and a raised eyebrow, I understood that he was inviting me to sleep there next to him, and I practically fell off the couch scrambling to get on the floor.
I heard his soft chuckle as I grabbed a pillow and lay on my stomach. He pulled off his shoes and socks and settled next to me, propped up on his side, looking down at me with an easy smile. The room was dark with the lights off, but the moon was so bright that light peppered pockets of the apartment where it hit the windows at the right angle. It gave everything a dreamy blue quality that felt otherworldly.
Munro’s hand traveled up to my face, and his thumb brushed over my bottom lip, causing a pulse of electricity to shiver over my skin with a faint spark. I brought my hand up and found his, linking our fingers together as Munro smiled at me. “You ready to meet my Gran?”
So much for a good night’s sleep.
Chapter 8
Ryan wasn’t lying when he said we’d be up early to hit the road. I’d barely closed my eyes before someone was shaking me awake. Opening my eyes, I found Mari squatting down next to me, looking more alert than was reasonable after so little sleep.
“Time to wake up, kiddo.”
With an agreeable nod, I sat up and groaned at my stiff limbs. I didn’t know if sleeping on the floor was to blame or my nighttime teleportation and excursion was the culprit. Whatever it was, I felt like warmed over ass. I looked down to find Munro’s pillow still next to mine, bearing the imprint from his head. I almost kicked myself because I’d gotten to sleep next to him last night, and I hadn’t enjoyed a single moment of it.
I was the last one up, and everyone else was in various stages of getting ready. I hopped in the shower and was mildly surprised that it wasn’t ice cold since I was the last one in. Washing off the two days of travel and supernatural cluster fucks was incredible, and I would have stayed in the shower for an hour if the water hadn’t turned tepid and my skin all pruney. By the time I made my way back into the living room, all of the blankets and pillows had been folded into neat little piles and there was little evidence that we’d been there.
I was zipping up my bag, shoving down the clothes I’d traveled and slept in, when Munro walked into the apartment. His black hair was messy and windblown, and his cheeks were rosy from the cold, making him look hot and adorable all at once. He was holding two cups of coffee and when he saw me, his face softened, and his gray eyes flickered with a simmering emotion that left me blushing.
“Morning. I thought you might need this.” He crossed the room and handed me the warm cup, our fingers tangling for the briefest moment, sparking the connection between us and making me want to toss my coffee over my shoulder and jump into his arms.
My more sensible side said, “Thanks,” and I groaned in approval when I took a drink.
Munro pointed down at my bag. “You all set?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, and he picked up my bag, tossing it over his shoulder. “Everyone else is already downstairs.”
We locked up the apartment and headed down the stairs. “How far is your grandma’s place from here?”
“She’s in Enniskerry. It a little more than an hour away.” There was a smile in his voice, and I knew he was excited to see his grandma, while I was more than a little terrified to meet her. This woman had helped raise Munro, protected him against the awful circumstances of his early life, and I could only imagine she was fiercely protective of him. What if she hated me?
As if he could sense my nerves starting to work on overdrive, Munro turned when we got to the bottom of the steps and looked up at me. I was still a few steps from the ground and for once had a little bit of height on him.
“She’s going to love you.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “How do you know that?”
“Because I love you.” He stepped back up one step so that we were chest to chest and when his words sank into my brain, I released a breathy oh that sounded like a combination of a laugh and gasp of surprise.
Munro smiled at me, and my own grin spread across my face. I brought my hands up to rest on his shoulders before wrapping them around his neck. My bag, which Munro had been holding, landed on the floor with a heavy thunk, and he placed his hands on my hips.
“She’s going to love me because you love me?” I asked quietly.
Munro hummed an agreement, and that was all it took. I closed the distance between our lips, kissing him with a ferocity that almost stunned me. I poured all of my emotions into that kiss, love, desire, fear, worry, lust, and need. Munro’s hands slid to my back, and his arms tightened around me, pulling me against his body so tightly that I could barely breathe. But I didn’t care. Kissing him, with the spark of our connection flaring between us, was like lighting an explosive. Every touch of his lips, his tongue to mine, sent little pulses through my body until I was trembling with need.
Munro deepened the kiss until I had no idea where he began and I ended. We were just us. Heat pooled in my belly, and the world around us completely melted away. There were no more troubles, no danger that threatened us. There was just this kiss and the burning need to be as close to Munro as possible.
“Ahem.” An overly loud voice broke through our fog, and I pulled back enough to see Theo standing at the door. “I was sent in to figure out what was taking so long,” he said with a smirk and a raised brow. “I’ll just go let everyone know why we’re waiting on you two.”
“Theo,” I groaned as Munro chuckled and rested his forehead on my shoulder in a move that was almost more intimate than the kiss we’d just shared. I found myself threading my fingers through his hair. “We’ll be right out.”
“If you say so,” Theo replied with a salute and shut the door, leaving Munro and I alone again on the stairway.
Munro started to pull back from me, but I stopped him, refusing to relinquish my hold around his neck. When his gray eyes looked up at me, puzzled, I smiled back. “I love you too. I just didn’t want you to walk out of here without hearing that first.”
“Annie,” Munro groaned. “You’re making it really hard to get in that van.”
I laughed and pressed a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. “I know. Let’s go.”
Munro grabbed my bag and held open the door for me so we could join the rest of our waiting crew.
The ride to Munro’s grandmother’s home was quiet. One night of shoddy sleep after being awake for way too long hadn’t been enough for anyone to recover. Lola and Butch were the only two who looked mildly rested, and I wondered if it was something genetic, like maybe the people in their family didn’t need as much sleep as the rest of us.
Butch was driving since Ryan kept falling asleep behind the wheel. His eyelids kept sliding shut, and then he would jolt awake and shake his head. It happened a handful of times before Butch finally yelled at him to pull over and forced Ryan out of the driver’s seat. It would have been funny if I wasn’t so worried that he’d drive us straight into a stone wall. And if I didn’t feel so bad about how exhausted he was. I was sure having to come pick me up at the Hill of Tara in the middle of the night before hadn’t exactly helped.
I would have loved to close my eyes for a while, but I was too anxious and felt like I’d had ten cups of coffee instead of one. At some point during our drive, Munro had turned around in his seat in front of me and placed his hand on my knee, stilling the bouncing that I hadn’t even realized I’d been doing. It had probably been jostling the whole van since the thing had the constitution of a tin can.
The landscape passed me by in a blur of green rolling hills and stone walls, the roads narrow and winding through the countryside in a way that almost made me carsick. Or maybe that was the nerves. Way before I was ready, we were pulling up in front of a two-story stone cottage whose nearest neighbor wasn’t even in sight. There was a low stone fence running around the house and a small bit of yard. Behind the house was the wood that Munro had told me about once. Everything about the place screamed quant and familiar. Like this was a place where everyone was welcome, friend or stranger.
The cottage had little window boxes that must have held flowers in the warmer months but were cleaned out and empty now that the weather was cold. The front door was a royal blue that looked freshly painted, and it made me smile for some reason. Maybe it was the thought of Munro’s grandma wanting to add a splash of color to the gray stone exterior.
As I took in the home where Munro had grown up, a thought occurred to me. “Does your grandma know we’re coming?”
“I called her this morning to let her know,” Munro replied, and he looked so happy.
This homecoming must have been bittersweet for him. The reason we were here was horrible, but it also meant that Munro got to see his grandma. I guess that was making lemons into lemonade.
Before we could all extract ourselves from the car, a woman threw open the front door of the cottage and hurried outside. I hadn’t necessarily had an image of what Munro’s grandma looked like, but I was still surprised by the little spitfire that came bustling out of the house. She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall, and she had salt and pepper hair that was fashioned in a long braid falling h
eavily down her back. She had some extra padding around her middle that made her look like she gave extra comfy hugs, but her eyes were sharp as they scanned our bedraggled crew, and she didn’t miss a thing. I could feel when they focused on me and wished like hell that I could control the blush that was quickly creeping up my neck and onto my face.
I didn’t know why I was embarrassed. It wasn’t like this woman knew I’d just made out with her grandson’s face an hour before. When I finally freed myself from the backseat of the van, I nearly tripped out in a way that was the complete opposite of elegant and graceful.
Feeling flustered, I flipped my hair out of my face, because it was a floppy mess covering up my eyes. I just wanted to stand still without stumbling over my own feet. Munro’s hand clasped my arm to help steady me, his lips pressed tightly together as he fought not to smile. I narrowed my eyes at him before I remembered that his grandmother was looking right at me. I forced my face into a blank mask which apparently was the last straw for Munro because he barked out a laugh as he gave my elbow a squeeze.
“Relax.”
I made a garbled sound of defeat and looked at him before I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
“You’ll be just fine. Let’s go meet my gran.” Munro bent slightly to look at me, his eyes reassuring and supportive. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I choked out the word, and Munro laced his fingers through mine, tugging on my hand gently to pull me forward.
Ryan was giving Munro’s gran a hug, stooped low to account for the height difference, and she only released him when we approached. I remembered that Munro had once told me that his grandma had all but adopted Ryan as her own. In a way, since he’d lost his own parents and for all intents and purposes his sister, he’d been a bit of an orphan, too. Their embrace made me smile and helped relax me, just a little. If this woman could welcome Ryan into her life when his sister had killed her son, well, she must be something pretty special.