Chapter Twenty-Eight

I sat on the edge of the large oak tree, staring up at the two halves of the great trunk now split in two. I thought if I couldn’t travel into the Afterlife, I would have somehow been able to come back for Finn, find Bel, beg The Green Man for entry…but there was little chance of that now. The great oak had split, and The Green Man no longer answered. Above, the sky stretched endlessly in the brightest shade of blue, and just above the horizon a great supernova blazed in a spectacular show of pure white light. The device destroyed. The black hole gone.

I’d saved the day. The Morrígan hadn’t succeeded in breaking the worlds apart, but I was shattered. Broken. Finn was gone. I had always chosen him, but in the end, it wasn’t enough, and now he was lost in the gardens of Mag Mell. Would I ever reunite with him? I placed my head in my hands, too exhausted to cry.

“Elizabeth?” Malachy’s voice broke through the endless silence.

He raced up to me and shook my shoulder. “Bloody hell! Where have you been? The election is starting any minute, and you need to change into your ceremonial dress!” His face fell. “Where’s Finn? Where’s…” his voice trailed off, reading my face with a solemn stare.

I swallowed hard, lurching to my feet even though my knees had turned to water. I walked across the field as if in a dream, marching toward Teamhair, toward the rest of my life. The next chapter. The one without Finn. Without a father to my child.

Malachy peppered me with questions, but I merely raised a hand to silence him. If I began speaking, the tears would start. And I needed to be strong.

I reached the throne room, the leaders of the Fae gathered around a great round table that reminded me of the Trinity table I had broken so long ago. More tables. More councils. This would be my life now. Dealing and negotiating. Discussing and building, all without Finn, the one person I trusted most in the world. The black hole was no more, so Danu and Bel were reunited, the Morrígan destroyed or trapped. I closed my eyes, searching for Finn, but my mind came up empty each time. He was lost to me.

Malachy stepped forward. “Today, we decide our temporary leader who will rule for twelve months and a day before our official election as proper in the ways of the sacred laws of the Fae. Will the candidates step forward and take a seat at the table?”

No one moved, so I marched toward the table and perched myself at the front, facing the throne room. Hundreds of Fae, Fianna, and Druids had converged on the cavernous chamber, their eyes on me, studying me closely.

I dug my elbows into the table. “Will no one else step forward?”

Torc emerged from the crowd, clearing his throat. “We all saw what you did on the battlefield. The crown of Tír na nÓg always goes to the strongest warrior.”

Phelan came forward. “It’s clear it’s you, Elizabeth Tanner.”

I stifled a groan. “Fine. But we still vote.”

Malachy exchanged a frazzled glance with me and shrugged. “Well… All in favor?”

“AYE!” A great roar echoed up in the throne room.

“All opposed?”

Silence swept through the throne room, and Orin suddenly appeared beside Malachy, passing him a crown of golden branches.

Malachy came forward to the table and, without fanfare, placed the crown on my head. He stepped away. “All hail Queen Elizabeth!”

“All hail the Queen!” The cry shattered the silence, and I stood up, my gaze traveling across the chamber.

It felt so empty, the crowning, the celebration. I wanted Finn. The initial shock had fled and now only a crumbling hollowness remained.

A bright white light burst through the throne room, and I shielded my eyes. When I looked again, a strangled cry burst from my lips.

Danu and Bel stood in front of the table, shimmering with golden light, their hands clasped.

“We come bearing gifts for the new Queen,” Bel said.

They parted and Finn stood there, momentarily bathed in the same diamond glow as the gods. He locked eyes with me and raced across the throne room, his hands grabbing my shoulders and crushing me against him. He pressed his lips to mine, and for a moment we were the only people who existed in the world. Time stopped. A great cry filled my ears, and I sank into the sound. Blood of my blood. The essence of him roared through my veins—the sound love makes when it returns. I sobbed into his chest, and he gripped me tighter.

“Ahem…” Malachy cleared his throat and tapped me on the shoulder.

I dislodged from Finn’s arms to face the deities before me, giving a low bow.

“Thank you for bringing Finn back to me,” I said, choking back fresh tears of joy. “I thought…” My throat closed up.

Danu raised her hand. “You have defeated the Morrígan’s plans to destroy our universe, and now she is back in her prison, where she belongs. You sacrificed everything to do so, and such an act is sacred.” A soft, shimmering light emanated from her palm, and I felt like someone had coated me in warm honey for a moment. “I bless this union. May it be fruitful.”

I bowed again. “Thank you.”

Finn took my hand and squeezed, and together we watched as Bel and Danu faded away, presumably back to Mag Mell, united for all eternity now.

Hushed whispers spread through the throne room like wildfire. Malachy came up to Finn and clapped him on the back. “You missed the big coronation. Elizabeth won unopposed.”

“I would not doubt it. I would not doubt her.” Finn winked at me. “Hard to say nay to someone who can explode your head with their mind.”

“It’s not like that and you know it.” I gave him a playful shove, tears freely pouring even though my face strained from smiling.

Finn caught my hand in his and opened my palm.

He cleared his throat. “I may have missed the coronation, but there is one thing I must do.”

An emerald ring fell into my hand, and I lifted my other hand up to my cheek, letting out a sob.

Finn fell on one knee, and I could barely make out his searing gray eyes, his beautiful face looking up at me with such hope.

“Elizabeth. I cannot bear to live one more day without you. Please be mine forever. Be my wife. I beg of you. I—”

“Yes!” I was a mess of tears and snot and hopeless joy, but none of it mattered. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

A raucous cheer echoed up to the rafters, rattling the windows.

Finn stood up and called over his shoulder. “Máirtin!”

The Fianna warrior priest came forward, his brown robes, tattered from the battle, trailing behind him.

“My Commander.” He gave a low bow.

“Would you fancy performing a marriage ceremony this night?”

“Tonight?” I blurted out.

Finn winked. “Not another day, Elizabeth.” He pressed a soft kiss against my forehead. “Not another day.”

I stood through the ceremony in a daze, barely listening to the sermon Máirtin gave. Grainne and Una were my maids of honor, and Eamonn and Seamus stood as Finn’s best men. Before I knew it, Finn held my face in his hands, planting the most divine kiss on my lips. The whole assembly cheered, and the servants of Teamhair rolled out a great banquet. Before we could blink, a band started playing, the tune sweet and lively.

Finn and I shook hands with so many people. Loren and several Fianna inquired about Amergin, but I merely shook my head, too exhausted to tell the tale. The Fianna would need a new leader, but they didn’t need to decide that tonight. And I didn’t even want to begin to talk about how I (oops) destroyed the Veil. That would have to wait for another day, for sure.

Finn turned to me. “You need to rest.” He pulled me toward the stairs in search of a room, but I stilled, tugging at his arm.

“Wait,” I said. “I have another idea.”

He gave me a sly smile, and I closed my eyes, sending us traveling through space until we landed in the Forresters’ living room. Dust filled the air, and I raced to turn on the heat. It wasn’t like the vision I had in the Veil, clean and inviting, but for me, it felt like home. Or at least, something like home.

“We’ll have to clean this place up if we’re going to use this as a little love hideaway,” Finn said, reading my mind.

“Not just a love hideaway,” I said. “We have a lot to do in Tír na nÓg and in the mortal world with the Veil gone, but once things are settled, I think I might like to go back to school eventually. And also…” I swallowed hard. “I think it would be good for our daughter to know a little of this world, too.”

Finn whirled around, his eyes growing wide. “Daughter?”

I rubbed my belly.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded, fresh tears stinging my eyes.

Finn’s face lit up, and he threw his head back and howled, dancing around. Dancing. I couldn’t help but laugh, too. He lifted me up and spun me in the air.

“This is brilliant.” He peppered my face with kisses and then set me down, falling to his knees and putting his ear to my stomach. “There’s a baby in there,” he whispered. “Hello, baby…”

I giggled, his breath tickling my skin. “I’ll have to go to the doctor. Get vitamins and all that, but yeah. We’re having a baby.”

The words felt so final, but so right, like a puzzle fitting into place.

Finn’s fingers slid beneath my dress, and he kissed my belly, just the smallest bump, really. “We’re having a baby.”

His hands wandered until he cupped my breasts, slightly tender and swollen. Rising to his feet, he drew me closer, caressing my spine up and down.

“Is the Morrígan really gone?” I whispered.

Finn shook his head. “I don’t know if gods really can die. I know Bel and Danu trapped her once more, but she could come back.”

I let out a long exhale, running my hands through Finn’s silky hair. “I’m sorry I left you behind. I had no choice.”

He leaned back and locked eyes with me. “Elizabeth, it was the only choice. You saved so many lives. Whatever we have between us, it’s nothing if we can’t live in a world where we are safe and accepted. I would happily sacrifice myself a thousand times for that chance.”

I clutched at the back of his neck. “For love?”

“Yes,” he replied, grasping my waist and hitching me up against him. I locked my ankles against the small of his back, and he pressed me against the wall. “For love,” he whispered, rolling into me. He kissed me until I gasped for breath, liquid heat burning through my limbs. With dizzying quickness, he placed me gently on the couch, untying the laces of the wedding dress I had found for the ceremony, and, with gentle movements, pulled the soft white silk from my body. The sweet smell of the bath salts Una had insisted on before the wedding permeated the room, but it didn’t compare to the building need between us, the scent of pure lust overcoming all reason. Finally, he grabbed at my undergarments, tugging them down and over my knees, then burying his face into my sex. His tongue flickered against my sensitive flesh, and I moaned, lifting my hips to meet him, to slake the growing desire taking hold of me. His thumbs dug hard into my thighs, forcing me closer, his mouth feeding on me, his tongue pressing against my opening, falling away, and then teasing me once more.

I sat up, clutching at his ceremonial armor, tugging at the endless belts. “Get this shit off,” I said in a hoarse voice.

He let out a deep, rumbling laugh, and together we tore through the restraints until the armor clanked to the floor. And then it was just us. The only people in the world, it seemed like, Fianna and Fae. Leaders. Lovers. He stretched over me, his body heavy, his erection hard against my hip. He positioned himself at my opening, one hand grasping my wrist, while the other hand settled on my abdomen.

“You’re going to make an incredible mother,” he whispered.

I blinked hard, glancing away. “I’m so scared.”

“I am, too,” he replied.

I looked back at him, lifting my hips ever so slightly in invitation. “I thought nothing scared you.”

“I am always scared, but that’s not why I fight.” He loosened his hand on my wrist and brushed a lock of hair away from my face. “I fight for you. For this. And now for this child.”

“Our baby…” I said, a smile creeping across my face.

“Aye.”

I dug my fingernails into his hips and forced him inside me. He entered with a groan, my body slick with need for him. I closed my eyes and took in his deep thrust, his fingers clutching at my hair, exposing my neck. He kissed me, biting my skin and breathing hard into my ear. My mind was a whirl of color, like the nebula in the sky in Tír na nÓg, my thoughts nothing but bright, shimmering clouds of carbon, the most essential element of my being. Finn grabbed my knee and brought it over his shoulder, his hips bearing down on me with intensity even as I rose to meet him with an even darker violence made sweet by his gentle kisses, his thumb circling my right nipple. A wave of sensation caught me, and I cried out. A scream. It echoed through the house. Our home. Wherever we went now, we would carry it with us. Finn. Me. Our little girl.

Finn drove into me one last time, and I came with him, my body trembling in his strong arms. He held me so tight, smothering me against his chest as my orgasm trailed away, releasing me into a well of warmth.

“Have you thought of names yet?” Finn asked.

I rolled over and gave him a pointed stare. “All I’ve thought about is winning a rebellion and keeping a goddess from destroying the universe and stealing my boyfriend.”

“Husband.” Finn pointed with an arched eyebrow.

I nodded. “Husband.” I leaned back on the pillows. “But no, I haven’t had time to think of names. Not at all.”

“What about Agnes?” he offered.

I made a puking sound.

“That was my sister’s name!” Finn said in mock offense.

“It’s not her fault she had an unfortunate name.”

“And what do you suggest?”

“I don’t know. Beyoncé?”

“What?” His face contorted with confusion.

“Beyoncé Ruth Bader Hillary Rodham Tanner-O’Connell.”

“Och, aye…”

I glanced down, playing with a loose string on the couch. “Or maybe I’ll name her after my mother.”

Finn smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind my hair. “Little Niamh.”

“I like that,” I whispered.

“But a hyphenated name?” He shook his head. “Seriously?”

I threw a pillow at him. “Don’t you start in with that patriarchal bullshit.”

He took hold of my arms and wrenched me close to his chest. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Elizabeth Tanner-O’Connell.”

“Maybe I will take your name,” I said with a shrug. “I’m not particularly attached to Tanner.”

“I would like that,” Finn said. “But it’s your choice.”

“You could always call me Elizabeth Her Holiness in Faerie Badassery.”

“Not a chance.”

“How about ‘Elizabeth the Goddess Slayer’?”

Finn squinted. “Just doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, you know?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Elizabeth O’Connell it is, then.”

He grinned. “Now that rolls right off the tongue.”

I shoved him on the shoulder. “I have something else I wouldn’t mind rolling off my tongue.”

Finn caged me with his arms, kissing me deeply.

“Elizabeth O’Connell, first of her name. Ruler of Blowjobs,” I snorted.

He caressed my face. “Ruler of my heart. Of all I am and ever will be.”

“Now that’s a name.”

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.” I kissed him, staring up into his eyes. “Always.”

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