Finn found Andie crouched under the kitchen sink in a panicked state; the frightened girl cowering amidst dish soap, bleach, and scrub brushes.
“Take my hand,” Finn said.
Andie looked at him wearily, extended her hand, then pulled it back. “Why?”
“Because we need to get out of here before the cops arrive and you’ll be needing all the luck you can get. I can help with that. Just trust me and stay close.”
Her hand shook as she reached for Finn’s. He had to give it to her—the girl had been through a lot in one morning. All things considered; she was handling everything like a champ. Finn pulled her up from her clever hiding place and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder when she started to tremble.
“I’m okay,” she said, lifting her chin up. “I’m going to be okay.”
From her little kitchen alcove, they walked into the living room together.
Andie brought both hands to her mouth and shrieked. Finn couldn’t blame her. The place was a mess. He made a mental note to reimburse her for all the damage.
“Are you wearing my sweatpants?” she asked Garrett in disbelief.
Garrett, who stood in the middle of her destroyed apartment looking markedly pleased with himself, was indeed wearing her sweatpants. Loss of clothing was one of the cons of being a shapeshifter. Despite the gunshot wound that was already starting to heal and his rather questionable attire, Garrett still managed to look perfectly at ease.
“Would you rather I be naked? While I’m more than happy to accommodate, we are in a bit of a rush,” Garrett said as he grabbed Andie’s purse from the floor. “Time to go, sweetcakes. Your local authorities should be arriving soon.”
“Where are we going?” Andie asked, her panic clearly returning. “And what happened to those men? Where are they?”
“Oh, they’re here. They’re just invisible for the moment. But don’t you worry—they’re all quite assuredly dead.” Garrett said.
Andie paled and inadvertently squeezed Finn’s hand until it started to hurt. “Okay. I can handle this,” she said, seemingly to convince herself. “Where are we going?”
“A safe house,” Finn said. “Don’t let go of me, okay? Garrett and I will go unseen, just in case. The Unseelies don’t really know your face, but when they realize these guys are missing, they’ll soon find their way here. We’ll get a cab, and we’ll show you the way. We need to leave now, but everything should go without a hitch. You’ll be fine.”
“Because you’re my lucky charm?” Andie asked after taking a long breath.
Finn nodded. She was obviously trying her best to keep it together, but Finn could see the cracks through her veneer.
Andie took her purse from Garrett and reached for the house keys that were hanging by the door. “Let’s go. I’m ready.”
As they prepared to leave, Finn felt the compass vibrate in his pocket.
Nothing ever got past Garrett and his exceptional hearing. “Aren’t you going to get that?” he asked.
Finn shook his head. “Not until Andie is safe. I’ll contact Anna later. Let’s get out of here.”
The safe house was a large Dutch colonial in a non-descript suburb of New York, an hour away from the city by cab. From the outside, it looked like every other house on the sleepy block, but inside it was a fortress, with galvanized steel doors, reinforced window grates, and the most sophisticated security system Andie had ever seen. Once they were all safely ensconced in this secret suburban stronghold, the faeries finally dropped their invisibility cloaks—or whatever it was that kept them unseen.
“There you are,” Andie said, as she let out a sigh of relief. “It was getting weird sitting in the cab, not seeing either of you, but feeling like I was being squished between two boulders. Did I have to sit in the middle seat? I looked absurd. The cabbie must have thought I was some kind of weirdo.”
Garrett laughed unreservedly. “We’ve just fled a fatal crime scene—your apartment, by the way—and you’re worried what the cabbie thinks?”
The sight of Garrett, bare-chested and in her sweatpants, was disconcerting to say the least but try as she might, Andie could not look away. “Maybe you should go find something to wear. You look ridiculous.”
“And yet you haven’t stopped staring, sweetheart,” Garrett said with a wink.
Andie immediately looked away, infuriated. She’d thought she was being a lot less obvious than that.
Finn started rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and the fridge, and took out some deli ham, a jar of mayonnaise, and a loaf of bread. “Are you hungry? You should eat.”
Andie’s appetite had gone the way of the four dead faeries in her apartment. “I can’t eat right now, but thanks. I’m surprised there’s food here. It doesn’t look like anybody’s been in here in ages.”
“Somebody comes twice a month to restock the fridge. Just in case,” Finn explained. “Garrett, help yourself to my closet. While you’re at it, grab me a fresh shirt, will you?”
“I’m in fervent need of a shower. I may have bits of brain matter in my hair,” Garrett said matter-of-factly.
“That’s disgusting,” Andie said.
“Care to join me?” retorted Garrett.
“In your dreams.”
“I’m pretty sure, in yours,” Garrett said with a self-possessed grin.
“If it were a nightmare,” Andie countered. She rolled her eyes as the pooka pranced out of the room like a model on a runway.
Andie turned to Finn. “Is he always like that?”
“You mean irritating as all hell?”
“Yes.”
Finn nodded. “But I’d lay my life down for that guy, and he’d do the same for me in a heartbeat. Garrett is the type of man you always want on your side.”
Andie plopped down on the plush sofa in the living room. “I guess.”
“Don’t let him get to you,” Finn said as he sat next to her, two cans of soda in hand. “He makes light of everything. It’s just his way,” Finn explained as he popped open a can and offered the other one to her.
Andie took a big gulp, suddenly feeling the day get the better of her. Adrenaline was quickly replaced by exhaustion as she pondered her next step. Where would she go and what would happen if somebody discovered the dead bodies in her apartment? She worried about Clover, too. How safe was she really when thugs like that were out to get her? Andie pinched her brow and wondered how one perfectly normal day could go so horribly wrong.
“Hey,” Finn said as he bumped shoulders with her. “I’m really sorry you got messed up in all of this. I should have known better than to endanger you like that. Clover might literally kill me for this.”
Eyeing the handsome leprechaun sitting beside her, Andie couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a good guy. And you really like her, don’t you?”
Finn slumped lower in the couch and exhaled in one long breath. “You have no idea.”
She nudged his shoulder right back. “I’ll put in a good word for you.”
A welcome silence filled the space between them, both seemingly engrossed in their own thoughts. Despite the uncertainty of what lay ahead and the prospect of danger at every turn, Andie felt surprisingly safe, hiding out as she was with a couple of supernatural creatures.
Garrett walked in, looking disturbingly dapper. The boy had flair; Andie had to give him that. In a plain gray shirt, a pair of vintage-looking designer jeans, and white sneakers, he looked like he’d just stepped off the pages of a magazine. The effortless pizzazz in which he carried himself was so maddening in its perfection that Andie sighed despite herself.
“Has our dear leprechaun been boring you with inane lamentations to do with his weepy heart?” Garrett went straight to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He flashed them a well-rehearsed grin like he was posing for a print ad, then threw a balled-up shirt at Finn.
Finn caught the shirt then sidled close to Andie, whispering, “Pay him no mind.” He got up and changed his shirt. “I need to get in touch with Anna and make a few other calls. I’ll have some clothes brought for you. Take a nap if you’d like. First bedroom to the right on the second floor. I’ll have someone take care of the situation in your apartment and then later, after you’re well rested, we can discuss the next steps.”
It had all sounded so reasonable and mundane. No big deal—fresh clothes, dead body clean-up, a nap. “Actually, a bed does sound inviting right now.” Realizing she’d just left herself wide-open for a jibe from Garrett, she shot him a preemptive cautioning look.
He flashed her the most wicked of smiles. “What? I didn’t even say anything.”
She got up and made her way to the stairs. “We’ll figure this all out later?” she asked Finn.
Finn nodded reassuringly.
“Keep the bed warm for me, all right?” Garrett teased.
“Oh, shut up,” Andie retorted as she ascended the stairs, hating that she blushed like a schoolgirl and flattered that the obnoxiously irresistible pooka couldn’t take his eyes off her. She’d encountered her fair share of men to know that—faerie or otherwise—Garrett was trouble. If she knew what was good for her, she’d stay away. She bit her lower lip as she realized making wise decisions was never her strong suit.
After what felt like hours of restless sleep, Andie was softly nudged awake. The room had gone completely dark, illuminated only by the small lamp on the bedside table. Rubbing at her eyes, a little bit of the panic she’d stashed away and suppressed began to burble back to the surface. In the dark, somebody was sitting on the bed beside her.
Garrett softly shook her again. “You awake? We’ve got a situation.”
Garrett’s tone and the lack of his usual playful innuendos told Andie something was definitely wrong. She bolted right up, suddenly as wired as if she’d taken two shots of espresso. “Tell me.”
“Finn’s gone,” Garrett said, his tone almost disbelieving.
“What do you mean, gone?”
“He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re asking,” Garrett said as he got up to turn the light on. “He left. After you went up to nap, Finn had gone into the den to make some calls. I had laid on the couch and dozed off. When I woke up, he was gone.”
“He probably got take-out or something. He’ll be back, right?” Andie asked.
Garrett half shrugged, half shook his head, then pulled out a Post-it from his pocket. He sat back down on the bed and handed the note to Andie.
Garrett,
Keep Andie and Clover safe.
I owe you one, old friend.
Finn
Andie examined the sticky note like it was some relic from the past; rereading Finn’s words as if they’d somehow magically reveal some cryptic coded message. “What the hell is this supposed to mean?”
“Listen, I’m as flabbergasted as you are,” Garrett said, keeping his tone light, but clearly bothered by the unexpected turn of events.
“He said we’d figure this out after I took a nap. Why would he—I don’t understand. What are we going to do now?” Andie asked, her panic now pouring forth in waves.
Garrett flashed her a sideways grin, his usual charisma making a comeback. “Good news, sweetheart. You’re going to Disneyland.”
Clover’s days had started to blend together, composed of the same dependable company and predictable routines. Her training with Meara had been going splendidly; her magic flowing more freely and almost every day, a new skill uncovered. As her confidence grew, so did her worry and longing for Finn. Not having parted on the best of terms, every day that passed without a word from him compounded the growing uneasiness in her gut.
Hanging out with Button and Mirabella certainly helped lift her spirits. The stronger she became, the slacker her tether was to the Otherworld. Meara had let her visit with her friends and family more often—something Clover had appreciated and looked forward to. Throwing knives and visiting with Anna had become their unusual yet enjoyable routine. Mirabella was as fierce with a blade as her father and seeing Scobert with her warmed Clover’s heart. She couldn’t even begin to imagine Scobert’s inner turmoil over the whole Helena-Therese situation, but it was evident to all that spending time with Mirabella had become the clurichaun’s favorite pastime.
Button, too, seemed to enjoy their company immensely. Even Sinann seemed to embrace her girlfriend’s small yet burgeoning social life. She’d happily see Button off to her adventures above the sea, always making her promise to take good care of herself and return safely to her. Clover had admittedly judged their relationship in the beginning but had since come to understand its complexities. Faerie and human relationships were difficult enough without having peering eyes and rubberneckers cast judgement. How different was Button and Sinann’s relationship to her and Finn’s? Hadn’t she agreed to travel to another realm with a leprechaun who’d known her all her life, but she’d barely just met? Talk about complicated.
Clover’s thoughts were interrupted when her mother walked into her bedroom—more accurately, the huge one-bedroom suite in Lir’s castle that could easily have housed a family of five.
“Get dressed,” Meara said without preamble.
Even though she saw Meara every day, her presence still elicited in her a sense of awe. That her mother was an honest-to-goodness merrow and a total goddess was still hard to fathom sometimes. If it weren’t for the magic that undoubtedly coursed through her own veins, she would have easily wagered she was adopted.
“Where are we going?” Clover asked.
“I’ve received word that Anna requests our company at her cottage.”
The resident butterflies resting dormant in Clover’s belly stirred. “Do you think Finn is back?”
“Quite possibly,” Meara replied. “A sizable contingent of Queen Helena’s men has slowly been trickling back to the realm in the past few weeks. I would surmise Finn’s work is done.”
Suddenly, the moment she’d been waiting for seemed daunting. She wondered whether Finn had thought of her in the past weeks and if their silly argument was for him long forgotten as well. Whatever the outcome of their impending reunion, she was just happy to have him safely back. What with the escalated skirmishes with the Unseelies and Liz’s recent abduction, she needed more than ever to have loved ones close by.
“Give me a second to get ready,” she said as her heart hammered in her chest.
Before she could even get a toe past the door, Momma Ruth had enveloped Clover in the tightest of hugs and she hugged her back with equal intensity. Her grandmother would always be her calming security blanket in every situation. When finally they released each other, she saw that Anna’s house was packed with the usual suspects: Her dad, Scobert, Mary, Anna, Cordelia, and even Kean. No sign of Finn.
She greeted everyone and found a seat next to her dad on the sofa. She gave him a peck on the cheek as he ruffled her hair as usual. “Everything all right?” Clover asked, sensing a tense undercurrent in the room.
Nick squeezed her hand as everybody sort of corralled themselves in the small living room—Scobert in a chaise meant for two, Anna and Mary on the sofa across the coffee table with Cordelia hovering overhead, Kean standing behind them, Momma Ruth sitting beside her, and Meara, perhaps unsure where to situate herself, perched on the arm of Scobert’s chaise. The scene had the feel of a badly choreographed intervention.
“Somebody say something,” Clover blurted out.
Scobert shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. “We’ve received word from Garrett. He and Finn had delivered your letter to your friend, Andie, when they were attacked by four Unseelie soldiers.”
Clover brought a hand to her mouth, fearing the worst.
“She’s fine,” Scobert assured. “Your friend is unharmed.”
“Is Finn—”
“Nobody was harmed,” Scobert clarified. “They bested the Unseelies and brought Andie to a safe house, but Garrett felt Andie would be safest here for the time being, so she and Garrett are on their way. The journey, as you know, will take a few days. They were already in Limerick as of last night.”
Clover let out a sigh, relieved nobody was hurt, and equal parts thrilled and anxious to have her best friend in the faerie realm. Her two worlds were slowly merging and messy as it was, she was happy not to have to hide from Andie anymore. Soon enough, Finn would complete his mission and be back, too. Sinking into her seat, she started to relax; everybody was safe. There was nothing to worry about.
With a pained expression on her face, Anna edged forward in her seat, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, hesitating. Clover hadn’t really noticed when she first walked in, but now that she got a better look, realized Anna looked absolutely distraught. She steeled herself for what would certainly be bad news.
“Yesterday, I uncovered some rather distressing information when I was going through some of Finn’s mother’s old things,” Anna said, her voice shaky.
Clover knew practically nothing about Finn’s mother; only that she passed when he was a baby and Anna had cared for him ever since. Whatever it was that Anna discovered, she doubted it could be all that bad, but judging from the look on her face, Clover had to reconsider.
“I realize perhaps I shouldn’t have contacted Finn right away—”
“You think?” Scobert interrupted.
Completely taken aback by Scobert’s tone, Clover shot him a look and turned to Anna encouragingly. “Go on, please.”
“He’s my son, and he deserved to know,” Anna said to the whole room.
“What exactly did you tell him?” Clover asked, trying not to lose her patience.
“The identity of his father.”
Clover swallowed. “His father?”
Anna fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, plucking at loose threads, and avoiding everybody’s gaze.
“Go on and tell them,” Scobert said.
“You see,” Anna started, “Brielle—Finn’s real mom, was my best friend, but she’d never told me who her babe’s father was. She never wanted him in the picture, and I’d respected that.” Anna paused and took in a deep breath. “In the old journal I found yesterday, she’d written about him and all her reasons for not wanting this man to be a part of their lives.”
Clover searched the faces of those gathered in Anna’s living room, and with the exception of Scobert who no doubt already knew the answer, found the same question evident on all their expressions—who was Finn’s father?
“Alistair McCabe is Finn’s father,” Anna said before she cast her gaze to the floor.
As a cacophony of raised voices filled the room, Clover’s heart caved in on itself even as it went out to the leprechaun who would have done anything to protect her, the boy she’d fallen in love with, the same man who’d unknowingly vowed to kill his own father.
Everybody had something to say−thoughtful advice, a strategic ploy, cautioning words−but amidst the din, Anna sought Clover out. The girl had escaped to the kitchen after the proverbial cat was let out of the bag. Even though every soul in the house cared for Finn one way or the other, Clover had been the center of Finn’s life for so many years and she was also the girl who now owned his heart. Anna owed her the rest of the story.
Clover sat by the butcher block that doubled as the kitchen table, her gaze fixed on Anna as she walked in the room.
“What did he say?” Clover asked. “After you told him.”
Anna’s heart bled for her son as she recalled the pain in his voice. “He was quiet for a long while, and then he said he needed to see him.”
“That’s it?” Clover asked, her face etched with worry.
Anna nodded. “He’d abruptly ended our communication. Later, we found out he’d left Garrett a note. He asked him to keep you and Andie safe but mentioned nothing else.”
“Does Alistair know about him?”
“No. Brielle had intentionally kept him in the dark. She didn’t want Alistair to have anything to do with Finn’s upbringing. I wish she would have told me,” Anna said, her voice breaking despite herself. “I had no idea. When Finn came of age, I had intentionally sought Alistair out so he could train him. He was the best in the army. How was I to know—how was I to know that I’d pushed for my son to be mentored by the very man his real mother had despised?”
Clover caught her in an embrace as her tears flowed freely. “What have I done? I can’t lose Finn to Alistair. I just can’t.”
“You won’t. Look at me,” Clover said as she gently lifted Anna’s chin. “Finn will come back to you—to us. We just need to have faith.”
Anna shook her head, completely deflated. “I just don’t know. I’ve been trying to make contact using the compass, but he’s been ignoring me. Trying to reach his mind proved even more futile. If I were his real mother, it would be easier. Faeries who are related can almost always seamlessly communicate with each other telepathically. Look at you and Meara. Remember how effortless it was when she first breached your mind?”
“But some faeries can reach other’s minds, even though they’re not related, right? Alistair controlled mine when he pretended to be Finn,” Clover said.
“Yes. Some very powerful faeries can. Also, don’t forget. In Alistair’s case, he’d already had a magical connection to you from the beginning. In a way, he’d been breaching your mind since your birth.”
Clover bit her lower lip, seemingly lost in thought. “Maybe my mom can try. Or Scobert—after all, they’re cousins, right?”
“Not real cousins, dear. Mary and I are related, but since I’m not Finn’s real mother…” Anna shrugged.
When Diana padded in and nestled at her feet, Clover absentmindedly picked the cat up, gently petting her. Suddenly, her face lit up. “I have an idea. Diana and Finn have been able to communicate with each other even through long distances. Do you think perhaps—”
“We could try,” Anna agreed. “And since all faeries can pretty much understand animals, Diana could, in theory, pass a message on to me.”
“Pretty much understand animals?”
“You have to have a close connection to an animal to thoroughly understand it. For instance, when I try to breach Diana’s mind, I see images and memories, but not necessarily words and ideas.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Clover looked Diana in the eye. “Please tell Finn I really need to speak to him and that I’m worried about him. We just want to make sure he’s okay.”
Dianna purred and lightly butted her head against Clover’s chin, a clear acquiescence. The cat squeezed her eyes shut, as if working out a puzzle. Then she opened her eyes and meowed. Reaching out to the cat’s mind, Anna saw fragmented images of Finn and a large wooden door shutting firmly closed.
Her shoulders slumped. Finn was blocking Diana out. He wasn’t letting anybody in.
Clover instantly picked up on the disappointment on Anna’s face. “What do we do now?” she asked.
“I’m afraid it’s up to Finn now. All we can do is hope he finds his way back home.”
Liz’s hands and feet were bound and shackled to a stone wall in what looked to be a dark medieval prison, except there were no cells, just one cavernous room with chains and restraints screwed into the walls. There was hardly any illumination except for sparse sunlight that streamed in through a small window overhead. A basin of water and a hard loaf of bread lay barely within arm’s reach. She blew at the errant strand of hair that maddeningly fell across her sweaty face and swore an oath of revenge against whomever it was that did this to her.
Hearing the shuffle of footsteps approaching, she braced for the worst.
“Why haven’t you eaten?” A kindly female voice asked.
When her captor came into the light, Liz found herself staring at the familiar ruby-red eyes of Iekika, the sorceress. “You,” Liz spat. “Traitorous leech. This is how you repay me after I saved your miserable little life?”
“There, there, now. Don’t take it personally,” Iekika said in the same cheerfully creepy voice.
“I never should have helped you. You promised me you’d get rid of Clover, but all you did was murder Boris and frame the Seelie Queen for his death. How did you even take me? The queen’s lair is impenetrable. The last thing I remember was tending to my freesias, the next thing I know I’m in this godforsaken hell hole.”
Iekika squatted so they were eye to eye. “I barely lifted a finger. It was all you. You wrote the letter, made yourself invisible, snuck out when the soldier left, trekked across the faerie realm, and delivered yourself trussed and bound at my dungeon door.” She wagged a bony finger at Liz’s face. “Don’t underestimate the power of suggestion.”
Dehydrated as she was, Liz hocked up all the spit she could muster and propelled it at Iekika’s face. The profound satisfaction she got from the look of absolute disgust on the sorceress’s face was short lived. In the next moment, she was engulfed in searing and agonizing pain. From the tops of her skull to the very tips of her toes, hot lava seemed to rapidly flow forth. Try as she might to mask her suffering, she let out an ear-splitting cry.
“I urge you not to test me,” Iekika said, her voice sweet and amicable. “Alistair wants you alive, but frankly, I don’t give a crap if you live or die.”
When Iekika allowed her a brief reprieve from her mental assault, Liz dared a retort. “Mark my words. The Seelies will come for me and they will kill each and every one of you. Now, get those disgustingly diseased eyes away from my face before I catch whatever repulsive fungus you’ve got.”
Liz’s body contorted in pain and a whimper escaped her lips before everything went black.