Chapter Three

I opened my eyes, and Finn’s face hovered over mine. My head lay in his lap, and he flashed me a relieved glance.

“What happened?” My voice came out a croak. “Are you okay?”

Grainne shifted into view, taking hold of my hand. “You disappeared for a moment, but you’re back now.”

I sat up, my mouth gaping. “I disappeared?”

My mind raced with what I just saw. I didn’t know if that was a vision or what, but I knew it didn’t bode well for Finn. He placed his firm arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. His five o’clock shadow brushed against my neck, and I shivered, grasping his loose tunic, bunching the coarse black fabric in my fist.

“Where did you go?” he whispered in my ear.

“I…” I swallowed hard, shaking my head. “I don’t know.” I had done this before. Traveled out without realizing. Sometimes it happened when I was upset or angry. This was different. Very different. Taking a deep breath, I glanced back at Eamonn, hoping to deflect attention from myself. “Is the device…stable…?”

He nodded. “I think so. That is, for now.” He set it down on the table, a red mark on his hand. “I want to study it a bit more before we leave in the morning.”

I glanced at Grainne. “Guard him. No one else knows about this. Are we understood?”

Everyone uttered a firm agreement.

Finn followed me out of Eamonn’s laboratory and into the larger commons, the expansive caverns having grown quiet after the raid. Trinity often made reference to the old gods: Bel, Danu, Morrígan. Danu had granted a wish from my mother once, but other than that, they seemed abstract and distant. Characters in a long-forgotten myth. My mind grasped at the puzzle shifting around in my mind. I didn’t have the whole story, but our lives and the fate of this world depended on me figuring it out. I mumbled something about taking a look at the spoils from the raid and collecting the Fir Bolgs’ confiscated weapons, but Finn called to me, placing a gentle hand on my arm.

“Business can wait,” he said. “You need rest. Come.”

“There’s so much to do before we leave tomorrow,” I replied, pulling against his firm hand.

“The púcas will see to it,” he said, arching one eyebrow. “Delegate. That’s what good leaders do.”

“Ah, more lectures.” I sighed.

“No, that’s not—”

I raised my hands. “I know. I’m sorry. I guess I am a little tired.”

He flashed me a smile. “And hungry?”

I chuckled, staring down at my stomach. “Starving.”

He took hold of my hand. “Come, my lady.”

The smoldering heat in his eyes melted all my resolve, and the weight of the day’s events crashed down on my shoulders as I leaned into him, letting him lead me back our chamber at the far end of the caverns. Not uttering a word, he began to take off my leather armor, unlatching the belt that locked my breastplate in place.

“I can do it,” I murmured.

He kissed my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Let me,” he whispered. “It’s been a long day.”

“I’m filthy,” I said.

“I know.” He shifted the breastplate away and lifted the thick iron pauldrons from my shoulders.

I lifted my arms and stretched up to the ceiling, luxuriating in the cool breeze hitting my sweaty T-shirt beneath. The thing was now in tatters, but I clung to it, trying to keep my head still in the human realm as much as I could. I twisted around and studied Finn. With his armor and cloak, he looked straight out of Lord of the Rings. A real warrior, but I supposed that’s what he had always been. I stared at my hands, now callused from my endless trainings with Grainne.

All changed utterly.

“A great and terrible beauty has been born,” I whispered beneath my breath.

“Hmmm?” Finn moved the collar of my T-shirt and planted a soft kiss on the curve of my shoulder.

“Nothing.” I turned around and began unbuckling his armor.

He took my hands in his and shook his head. “Let me tend to you first.”

“Is that a promise?”

He planted his large hands on my hips and pulled me to him so close, nothing standing between us but the coarse material of our trousers. He hardened against my belly and I smiled, rolling into him until he let out a low growl in his throat. He stooped and undid my shin guards, and, pulling me down on the pile of furs that made our bed, Finn tugged at my boots, setting them to the side. His hands slipped up my legs, my thighs, and I threw my head back and closed my eyes as a ripple of electricity raced through my body. He lingered at the hem of my shirt and inched it up my waist. He planted a soft kiss on my belly button, and I ran my hands through his silky black hair, twirling it between my fingers.

His blood is mine.

I took a deep breath. Slipping my hand down Finn’s cheek, I tilted his chin to force him to look at me.

“I don’t know where I went,” I said. “I don’t know if it was some sort of premonition or what. But…” A lump rose in my throat, recalling Finn’s body prostrate on the ground, his body covered in blood.

He crawled up the length of my body, his vast arms caging me beneath him. “Tell me.”

I scooted to sitting, resting my back against the wall of the cave, and recalled in detail the strange vision I had. The battle, his body, the raven. We picked at the humble dinner someone had left in our chambers, but as I told the story, my appetite waned and I threw a hunk of bread back in the basket, saving it for later.

“And it said… His blood is mine,” I finished.

Finn rose from the bed and paced the floor, his hands folded against the back of his head. “Are you sure?”

“Do you think it has something to do with your oath?” I clutched a fur around my chin as a strange chill ran through me. “Do you think it was the Morrígan?”

It had been a fake promise to her, he said. An empty vow he’d made to an empty goddess whom no one had seen or heard from for centuries. But now I wasn’t so sure.

Finn paused, his broad form turned away from me. His massive shoulders slumped as he let out a long exhale. Minutes passed and I wanted to speak, but my throat felt like sandpaper, the words a great jumble in my mind. What do we do? The question drummed through my head as fast as my racing heartbeat. I wanted to crawl out of my skin, escape to the astral plane and transform to pure spirit. Maybe the Morrígan was watching us right now. Watching and waiting until she could steal Finn from me.

“Is she coming for you?” My voice came out thin and shaking.

Finn turned on his heel and he practically tackled me against the bed, showering me with hard kisses on my lips, my neck, my chest. I dug my fingernails into his back, willing him to stay pinned to me. I lifted my hips, taking in his strength, his heat. I would have defied a thousand goddesses to keep Finn there, his body a shield against the cold creeping into the cave as night fell.

His arm slipped behind my neck as he shifted above me, nestling me in the hollow of his shoulder. “Let’s not think about it.”

I let out a long exhale, burying my nose in his chest. “I know. I can’t help it.”

“If the Morrígan comes for me, we shall deal with it then,” he said. “One battle at a time.”

I nodded.

He stretched and pulled me up from the bed. “You smell like Fir Bolgs.”

“I do not!” I made to punch him in the arm, but his quick reflexes had me spinning. He pinned my hands and pulled me against him.

“Fir Bolgs and horse,” he whispered in my ear. “Mmmm…so sexy…”

I elbowed him in the gut, and he grunted.

I marched away from him, my arms crossed against my naked chest. “And speaking of battles, don’t lecture in me in the middle of one again. I’m not your Padawan.”

Finn’s mocking grin turned to a grimace. “A what?”

“Star Wars?” I raised my eyebrows. “Jedi Apprentice?”

He blinked.

I rolled my eyes. “Just hand me the damn sponge so I can clean myself up.”

Finn frowned and walked over to the small tub we kept handy for bathing. He lifted the sponge out from the bath and squeezed it, his knuckles flexing as all the water ringed from it. His eyes lowered to the ground, and he walked over to me, clasping my hand in his.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“For what?”

“For mansplaining, or whatever it is you call it.” He ran the sponge across my wrist, tiny rivulets of water and dirt falling down my arm. “You are not my Pad— Pa—”

“Padawan.”

“Right.” He ran the sponge across my shoulders, and a small moan escaped my lips as he applied slight pressure to my sore muscles. “I’m used to giving orders, not receiving them. And I…” He hesitated, his hand lingering on my waist.

“What?” I said in a soft voice.

“It’s hard for me to see you put yourself at risk. Like today with the wagon, and how you—”

“Finn,” I said in a warning tone.

“I know.” He ran the sponge down my back, my body trembling at the seductive motion.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.” He planted a kiss between my shoulder blades.

I didn’t know if I would get used to it, either. The killing, the fighting. The first time I killed a Fir Bolg during a raid, I couldn’t eat for a week. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I still remembered the way my spear pierced his skin, how the blood had poured from the wound in his side. I’ve killed since then, but I would never stop thinking of that first one. Who was he? What was his name? Would someone mourn for him? But it had been either that Fir Bolg or me, and in this war, that was a fundamental truth I could not escape.

I turned to face Finn. He stood half naked, the edges and planes of his incredible body as chiseled and fine as a marble statue. I reached out to brush my hand against the small hairs on his pecs, tracing a line down to his emerging erection. He was insatiable lately, as if fucking me silly could somehow win this war. It was a constant undercurrent of our lovemaking. He accepted me as leader, but I knew he struggled with the risk, our mortality always one breath away from a stray bullet. Finn had one setting—protection. It didn’t matter if it was the Fianna soldiers he once led or me, his lover. Even then, I knew the unspoken truth of his heart, how he secretly wanted me safe in a tower, alone and waiting for him. But the rebellion would never wait, nor would liberty from the Fir Bolgs’ extremism. No one else could lead us to a real and equitable peace. As heir to Tír na nÓg, I was it. He had to get on the Xena-Warrior-Princess party wagon or find another girlfriend.

He reached for me, his eyes darkening. “I don’t know if I want to get used to it.”

I lifted my gaze to meet his smoldering stare. “I don’t think I can get used to your righteous BO, but I’m trying to make it work.”

“BO?”

“Body odor?” I waved my hand beneath my nose. “I’ll have to pick up some deodorant next time I’m mortal side.”

He cracked a wide smile and pulled me close to him. Before I could wrestle away, he lifted his armpit and put me in a headlock. “BO? That’s the smell of a fighter, princess!”

I squealed, falling in a fit of laughter as I tried to wrench myself away. I loved his smell. Sweaty, leathery, strong, and pure man.

“I can’t breathe!” I made pretend gagging noises. “Oh, god, get some soap, for the love of—”

He wrapped his arm around my waist and, seemingly defying the law of physics, flipped me into his arms, cradling me like a child. He rubbed his thumb down the side of my cheek, lingering on my bottom lip.

“I love you,” he said.

I arched an eyebrow. “Even though I stink?”

He nodded. “Especially because you stink. I love the smell of you. All of you. All of it.” He pressed his lips to mine, and I clutched his face with both hands, moaning as his tongue flicked against mine.

He set me down and threw my grimy clothes at me. “Put those on.”

I glanced down at the bloody rags and made a face. “Why?”

“Wouldn’t want to scandalize the Fae with you running around in your birthday suit.” Finn ruffled through a stack of folded clothes, pulling out clean tunics and pants. “I feel like a swim. Care to join me? We can burn those after.”

I cracked a smile, pulling my stained tunic over my head. “I can’t wait to get clean.”

Finn pulled his dusty shirt back on and reached for me, drawing me back alongside his muscled body. “I fear you might only get dirty again.”

I pressed my head against his chest, stifling a giggle. “Is swimming the new code for sex?”

Finn growled, taking my hand and leading me from our small chamber. “Sex is the new code for sex.”

I laughed, the sound echoing through the cavern, bouncing off the stalagmites lining the expansive ceiling. The cave was silent as a tomb, only the faint murmurs of the guards at the entrance breaking the stillness. They waved as we slinked past, returning to their conversation, the crackling fire they hovered over painting ghostly shadows on their rugged faces.

The cool night breeze brushed against my skin, sweet and clean, and I breathed the crisp air as I glanced up at the Van Gogh dreamscape swirling across the dark sky. Bright purples, faded yellows, and brilliant blues danced in a symphony of color, star clusters pulsing with light. I gripped Finn’s hand tighter, and he followed my gaze, a soft smile sweeping across his hard face.

“It makes you wonder,” he said.

“What’s that?” The grass was cold and wet beneath my feet, soothing the blisters on the edges of my toes.

“Do the Fae have their own constellations?” His neck strained as he glanced up, exposing his Adam’s apple. “Their own mythos of the sky?”

We continued on into the forest, our footsteps loud in my ears, leaves rustling beneath our feet.

“I don’t know.” I let go of Finn’s hand and walked ahead, turning to face him. “It’s strange to think how little we know of this world. And yet…”

Finn brushed a lock of matted hair from my cheek and tugged it behind my ear. “I was about your age when I became a rebel. Secretly.”

“Yeah?”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me through the woods. “I suppose in Ireland you have no choice in the matter. You’re born on one side or the other. But what did I really know of it? Rebellions. They are both so immediate and so far.”

“What do you mean?” I leaned into him, our footsteps in rhythm. He rarely spoke of his time before the Fianna.

“We knew what the lads were up to in Dublin, and maybe we felt that, too. The tree of liberty and all that. But when it comes to fighting. Well…” His voice grew soft, and I strained to hear against the sound of the will-o’-the-wisps in the trees. “In the end, all that matters is what you see in front of you.”

We walked on, the whisper of the shaking branches above like the waves of the ocean. I nestled into his shoulder as the wind pierced through the thin linen tunic flapping around my thighs.

“Still,” I said. “All bloodshed for a place that’s not even my home.”

Finn stopped and turned me to face him. “I was in your father’s house. That bare, sterile place. I would not call that a home, Elizabeth. You would not fight for Tír na nÓg and these people if you did not belong here. I know that.”

I nodded, my throat swelling as I ran my hands up and down Finn’s tight forearms. I didn’t know what I had done in a past life to deserve this beautiful man, but it didn’t matter. I would hold onto him with all I had, and I would destroy anyone who came between us.

“You’re my home,” I whispered, throwing my arms around his neck.

“Maybe it’s not this world you’re fighting for, then,” he said. “Maybe it’s for a better one.”

I nodded, thinking of the ancient laws we had broken to be together. It was forbidden for the races to mix, but here we were, Fianna and Fae, standing in the woods in Tír na nÓg, hopelessly in love, heart eyes, dopey grins, and all.

“A better world for us.” I stood on tiptoe, kissing him behind his ear.

“Yes…” he uttered in the hollow of my neck.

His body tensed, and before I could blink, he pushed me behind him. He reached into his pocket, and a knife appeared in his hand.

“Show yourself!” he demanded.

The leaves rustled, and my heart thundered against my rib cage. I grabbed for the spear I had left behind in the caves. I crouched low, recalling all the moves Grainne had taught me in case I had to fight.

Parry, parry, check. Parry, block, arm bar. Thrust, punch, jab, cross, kick.

A slight figure emerged from the darkness, a pair of bright eyes flashing in the shadows, leaves and branches sticking each and every which way from her head. She raised her hands, and realizing she was flashing us a considerable part of her anatomy, she pulled down her leather tunic, her face flushed.

“Una!” I said, as my dear, shy friend emerged from the bracken. “What are you—”

Aodhan, the Fae general, emerged behind her, his hands raised. “I was just debriefing Una on the recent Fir Bolgs attacks south of the perimeter.”

“Debriefing?” Finn’s face was a blank mask of stone, but his eyes crinkled with a mischievous spark.

“Yes, sir.” Aodhan raised his chin, straightening his belt and smoothing his shirt.

I gave Una a meaningful stare, but she studied her shoes, her hands holding onto the hem of her shirt for dear life.

“Well, carry on, then,” I said, waving my hand, “…with your ‘debriefing.’”

Una grimaced and bowed her head low before retreating back into the bushes, Aodhan following after.

Finn walked in silence until we knew we were out of earshot. Then we turned to each other and burst into gleeful laughter.

I grabbed his shoulder. “Did you know—?”

“Did Una tell you—?”

“No—”

“What a wonderful—”

I threw my hands in the air. “Couple! I know!”

We reached the edge of the springs, and I dipped my toe into the warm water. The mouth of the spring lay high on the cliffs above, a sacred space for the púcas. This particular pool was flanked by a high ridge of stones, far off from the source. Phelan had pointed it out to us as a good place for a soak, and Finn and I came here often when the camp had fallen asleep.

“I’m happy for them.” I sat down at the edge, staring into the luminescent pool. “Especially for Una. The things she’s endured…” A shiver ran down my arms, and my skin prickled despite the heat radiating from the water. Una and I had become close after enduring imprisonment by a Fae warlord. As the warlord’s prisoner, I learned my true powers, trained in the ability to transport armies, to create and destroy portals, all while enduring vicious torture. At the time, I thought I would go mad, kill myself—anything to escape—but Una’s friendship, kindness, and empathy saved me from a darker fate. She was human, but years amongst the Fae had turned her a bit magical. At least she was magical to me. Her quiet strength and unfailing loyalty had made her presence essential in the turbulence of the rebellion. We had survived something truly horrible together, and I couldn’t do this without her.

Finn settled beside me, his hand folding in mine. Squeezing my fingers tight, he brought our fists to his lips and pressed a hard kiss against the seam of our palms as if to seal them. I smiled, resting my head against his shoulder.

“Maybe that’s one more thing, then,” I whispered.

“What is?” Finn’s low voice echoed across the stones like the distant roll of thunder.

“Aodhan and Una. One more thing worth fighting for.”

Finn turned to me, his eyes shining in the moonlight. “Love is always worth fighting for.”

He kissed my forehead while his hands pulled at the hem of my tunic, throwing it to the side until I sat naked before him. “Get in that water. I want to watch you for a moment.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Expecting a synchronized swimming routine?”

“Go,” he demanded, his eyes doing that perfume-model smoldering thing that made my inner muscles clench.

“Okay, bossy…” I muttered, but I loved it. I did. After the chaos of the day, the stress of the ambush, I fell into the release of submission like a warm blanket, wrapping it around me until I forgot myself completely. With a slight sway of my hips, I glanced over my shoulder before I walked into the water with long, seductive strides.

“It’s so warm,” I called to him.

He sprawled out on the grass, his eyes glued to me. “Is it?”

I closed my eyes and submerged completely, twisting and turning beneath the depths before breaking the surface and pulling a Little Mermaid, ropes of hair slapping against my bare back. I pushed the loose strands out of my face, my hands wandering down to my breasts. I put on my best Marilyn Monroe pout, and Finn smiled, his eyes slits in the darkness.

“Do you want to join me?” I said.

His eyes glanced down to my chest. “Do that again.”

“What?” I said in a husky voice, crossing my arms and palming my breasts. “This?”

“Yes.” He leaned forward. “Touch your nipples.”

I smiled, heat rushing down between my legs. With shaking hands, I pressed my thumb against the small beads, peaked and hard from the cool air sweeping down over the ridge. I didn’t know if it was my own touch or his lusty gaze, but the sensation sent me shivering with longing. I arched my back, giving in to the pleasure and letting the moonlight bathe me as it reflected across the still water. I closed my eyes and let out something between a purr and a moan, and I nearly laughed at the sound of it.

“Touch yourself,” Finn said in a low, firm voice. “Give yourself pleasure.”

I bit my lip and stared straight into his eyes as I slipped my hand down my waist and to my mound, seeking out the throbbing nub buried in my folds. As soon as my index finger sought that tiny circle of pleasure between my legs, I hitched my breath, another wave of desire enveloping me.

“Good.” Finn leaned back on his elbow, his hand resting on his solid chin. “You found that sweet clit of yours.”

“I did.” My voice emerged with a gasp, scandalized by Finn’s uncharacteristic dirty talk, but loving it all the same. I didn’t move, my hand lingering beneath the water.

“I want you to keep touching yourself there,” he demanded. “Do that until I tell you to stop.”

I let out a long exhale, drawing my two fingers closer to the swollen spot, turning and turning in the warm water. He couldn’t see me beneath the surface, but I knew my face was flushed, and my chest rose and fell in quickening pants. With every twist of my fingers, my body shook and trembled until I floated, my face lifted toward the sky. The water splashed against my cheeks, and I closed my eyes, giving into the weightlessness, the never-ending expanse of pleasure. My orgasm rushed through my body, and I let out a high-pitched cry as it gripped me.

“Enough.” Finn’s voice pierced through my bliss, and I slipped beneath the surface, cooling my hot cheeks. I emerged spluttering and gasping for breath.

He made a low sound in the back of his throat and stood up, his shadow stretching across the water. With one swift motion, he dropped his pants, and his erection sprang from beneath the rough material, swollen and magnificent. My throat tightened, and my insides fluttered at the sight of him, the chiseled planes of his body, his muscles firm as a mountainside. I wanted to touch every inch of his skin, fall into him and never emerge. He stepped into the pool, concentric circles radiating from his body in loops of bright blue and silver.

He didn’t reach for me but simply stood there, locks of black hair brushing against his jawline, his shoulders rippling with incredible power. I breathed in the nearness of him, great waves of desire emanating from his form in shades of lust. His gaze traced the crown of my head, the slope of my neck, the curve of my breasts. The space between my thighs throbbed, and I wanted to turn away, crawl out of my skin, escape the tension between us. But I knew this was a test, a game of wills. A game I wanted to lose.

Through the water, he clasped my hand, not gently, but with a commanding grip, leading my palm back between my legs.

He locked on my fingers. “Touch yourself inside now.”

He pushed my hand between my thighs until I found my opening, and I had to grind my teeth to keep myself from coming again right then and there.

“Open yourself for me.” He leaned forward, his lips brushing against my earlobe. “I want you aching for me to fill you.”

I moved my fingers in and out, the warm water allowing me to glide back and forth in a smooth rhythm. I rested my head against his hard chest, but he didn’t enfold me in his arms, didn’t even kiss me although his breath branded my skin with each exhale. Through blurred vision, I watched as he gripped himself and began to pump his cock beneath the water. Tiny waves cut his motions like a choppy strip of film, and I stared, mesmerized as my own fingers massaged my inner sex. It was like a show, erotic and almost impersonal. But at the same time close and intimate, the steam of the hot spring swirling around our skin in soft tendrils.

“I want you,” I whispered, my gaze locked at his erection beneath the iridescent water.

“Where do you want me, Elizabeth?” he breathed into my ear, and I let out a small whimper.

“Inside me,” I said. “Now.”

In a flash of movement, his hands gripped my hips and pulled me up with effortless strength. My legs locked around the small of his back, and I cried out as he penetrated me finally, thrusting deep. Joined together, he pressed me up against the cliff face, his palms cupping my ass as he glided into me again. I dug my fingernails in his shoulders, a sharp cry erupting from my lips each time our bodies came together, the water lending us a buoyancy that sent my mind whirling into space, the heat from the pools, from his body, melting my spine and making me boneless.

“Do you want to come?” His teeth brushed the strained tendons of my neck, sending a bolt of hot pleasure directly to my core. My orgasm rushed through me like a stampede of wild horses I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Yes!” I cried out breathlessly. “Yes…yes, please…”

“Come, Elizabeth,” he demanded as he pushed into me. So deep. So hard. “Come all over me.”

My body shook and shattered. Reassembled and broke again. Every part of my anatomy displaced by an impossible wave of energy that blew through me and then put me back together. It was rebirth. Reincarnation. The end and the beginning. And as I clung to him, my sex milking him for every ounce of his essence as he released into me, I pressed the softest kiss against his shoulder, my mouth cracking into what I knew must have been the most ridiculous grin. My chest shook with laughter, the purest feeling of joy taking hold of me.

“Are you laughing or crying?” Finn panted, brushing my hair from my face and crushing me against him.

“No, I’m… I’m…” I blinked back tears. I guessed I was crying. “I’m just so happy.”

He kissed me with a desperate hunger, squeezing the air from my lungs with his biceps.

I broke the kiss, squirming in his embrace. “I can’t breathe. I love you so much, and I can’t breathe.”

His hold on me softened and he swept me up beneath my knees, carrying me from the pool and setting me down on the cool grass. I inhaled deeply and stared up at the stars swirling above us. I wanted to throw the ground over me like a blanket and stay there with Finn, safe and sound and one with the earth.

He nudged me, rubbing my limbs with a clean towel and then throwing a fresh tunic over my head. He pulled on a loose pair of trousers, his eyes locking on mine.

He dressed himself and then sat down beside me with a gentle sigh. “What are you thinking about?”

I exhaled. I hadn’t realized I had been holding my breath, watching him, his perfect body shrouded in moonlight. He could make putting on a shirt look like ballet, each movement as graceful as a dancer.

“Nothing,” I replied, staring up at the stars, but really, I felt as though the entire universe were racing through my brain. Planets, stars, people, and Fae. An endless parade of everything. I took a deep breath and let my gaze return to Finn, staring at the length of his neck, his presence steadying, quieting the chaos in my mind. “Do you remember the first night I spent in Trinity, in Chicago? Do you remember what you told me about Thornton?”

“Vaguely,” Finn said, placing his arm over my shoulder. “Why?”

“You told me he wanted control of the Tree of Life, that he would do anything to get to it. But what is it, really?” I snuggled deeper into his chest. “Where is it?”

The muscles in Finn’s biceps tensed, and his hand slipped down my back, stroking my spine for a brief second before retreating to his lap. “I’m not sure what else there is to tell. There are legends, and Eamonn has explained a few things to me.”

I sat up, seeking his gaze in the darkness. “Like what?”

“Well, for one, the Tree of Life isn’t exactly a tree.”

I snorted. “I wasn’t expecting Groot.”

He shook his head, not bothering to ask. “The Tree of Life is the axis mundi. It’s what holds together heaven, Earth, and the underworld. But according to Eamonn, it is what connects all our parallel dimensions. Earth, yes, but also Tír na nÓg. And of course, there are other worlds…”

I folded my knees close to my chest. “Other worlds?”

“Sure. Tír Tairngire, Tír fo Thuinn, Ildathach, Mag Mell—”

“Mag Mell!” I exclaimed, my memory sparking to life. “Thornton mentioned that in the church. That’s where he was trying to get to with the—”

I almost said demon, but after what happened the last time I mentioned that horrible being, I didn’t even want to think about it. I had destroyed that evil creature after it killed my mother, but who knew if demons could actually die? It wasn’t the kind of thing I wanted to mess with anymore. At all.

“That makes sense.” Finn nodded, squeezing my arm. “Mag Mell is sort of like the Fae version of heaven. A luscious and endless garden. It’s supposedly where the goddess Danu dwells, and there she pines for her consort, the sun god, Bel.”

“What happened to her…uh…consort?”

Finn shrugged. “There are so many stories. Some say he was exiled for giving magic to the Druids, but others say he was exiled as part of a sacrifice to end a great war between the goddesses Danu and…the Morrígan.” He whispered the name of the goddess, and I tensed, almost expecting her to appear in front of us. After a moment, I sighed, my thoughts wandering to Danu, sad and beautiful and lonely within her infinite paradise, waiting for her lover. She had sacrificed Bel for peace. Could I do the same? I snuggled closer to Finn, tucking my head into the hollow of his shoulder.

“In any case, one can only enter Mag Mell through death or if the gods deliver you there.”

“Thornton seemed sure he could get there through dark magic.” I sat up and ran my hands through my hair, trying to recall everything that had happened that night in the church. I had been so preoccupied with saving Finn at the time, I hadn’t paid much attention to details.

“Perhaps.” Finn shrugged. “Anything is possible.”

I nodded, tension crawling back into my stomach and gnawing at my insides. “We need to take him out. I don’t know how the Fir Bolgs are using him or what sort of bargain they made with him, but none of this looks good.”

“No, but we have their device, and that buys us time.” Finn stroked my hair, sighing into the crown of my head.

“But who knows how long?” I said softly.

“It’s better than nothing,” he countered, pausing for a moment. “Have you thought about what I proposed before? About meeting the Fir Bolgs on the battlefield?”

I tensed, sitting up and drawing my knees up to my chest. “We’ve already talked about this.”

He raised his hand defensively before running it through his damp hair. “I know. But these guerilla tactics will only take us so far.”

“We’re outgunned, Finn,” I said, my voice shaking with the heat of anger welling up in my chest.

“But we have you,” he said after a lengthy pause.

I turned away and sighed.

“Elizabeth, I’ve seen you crush an army. I’ve seen you destroy a man with your mind.”

“Yes, when I was angry.” I whipped my head around to face him. “What if we meet the Fir Bolgs on the battlefield, and I can’t muster that kind of power? What if a Fir Bolg sniper shoots a bullet through my brain, and all my friends and all the people I love are left there with their swords and bows and arrows to face heavy artillery, alone and defenseless?”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“You don’t know what’s going to happen,” I cried. “None of us do. Besides… I have another idea.”

“Excellent.” Finn smiled, leaning back on his elbows. “What is your beautiful mind cooking up?”

I snorted, but the smile faltered as I ticked through my half-baked plan in my head. It was risky. “We gather our forces and we take Teamhair from the inside. I can teleport our forces strategically and we strike.”

“We’ll need a diversion,” Finn said.

“Right. We’ll need…” I let out a long sigh. “…a lot of things.”

Silence stretched between us, but our minds cranked with ideas, contingencies, tactics, strategies. I glanced up at the stars, the unnamed constellations turning above as the seconds ticked on, spiraling into midnight. How much time did we have? My thoughts wandered back to the caves where Eamonn crouched over his microscope studying the small device with the power to destroy us all. At least we had it in our possession, and as long as it didn’t reduce us to ash, I guessed we would be all right.

“We need to find a way to destroy that bomb,” Finn said, reading my thoughts.

“I know. Eamonn has bought us some time, but for how long? The Fir Bolgs will want it back, and that makes us vulnerable.” I swallowed hard, squeezing his hand as if I could syphon his strength and courage. “We’ll see Morven tomorrow to make sure the device is stable, and then we’ll start planning for our attack.”

He leaned over and kissed my hair, smoothing the wet strands behind my ears. “We’ll be ready. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Ready or not,” I whispered, “it’s what has to happen.” A yawn escaped my lips, and I entangled my fingers with his, leading him away from the pool. “We can go over your assessments of the mission tomorrow.”

His hand popped across my bottom, and I let out an involuntary squeal. “I have some other assessments you can go over.”

I rolled my eyes. “God, you’re insatiable.”

“You have no idea.”

That was a lie. Because I did know, and even if I had forgotten, Finn made sure to remind me long into the night.