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“You never said a word. Just let this all fall in our lap and watch us fumble around in shock.”

“I can speak of it in the veil but not in the real world. For us to acknowledge the sacrifices, every death you’ve been through, gives him more power since we are more than human. Until the stones gave you the power to protect yourselves, it was too dangerous.” His black eyes focused on her. “Ifreann has ears, dear Bryn. I’ve yet to ferret out all the spies, but I am keeping my eyes on a particular few and seeing what I can find out about them.”

“Daran and Arioch?” she asked, almost hopeful. “Mallory?”

Tilting his head, his hounds growled, a chilling sound.

“With time, you will know. Until then, I must see to this myself.”

Stonewalled. She could take a hint. She’d been with her powers for only so long while he had been at this for years.

“Why were you not reborn as well?” She folded her arms, her tattoos almost glowing in the moonlight as she did so.

“I do not belong to earth and cannot receive power from it like the rest of you do. I derive my power from the Otherworld, so I am able to move across the veil as I please. I was not weakened by the dying earth as you all were.”

“Why am I here?” Perhaps that was the most important question. She’d been on the street, surrounded by fighting, and yet...

“Your memories and powers are coming back, but not as fast as the others. Declan, Sage, Kessler, and even Justin are farther along in their journey back to themselves. You are allowing your past to hinder your future by repressing who you are.”

Bryn snorted, earning a raised eyebrow from Mr. Rafferty before he continued.

“Your subconscious mind, where the version of you that is the Morrigan resides and is communing with the return of your power, saw the vision as real and brought you here so that you could guide your warriors across. This is where you bring them, to me, and I take them home to care for them.”

Arawn waved to an island off in the distance.

“Paradise,” she whispered, and Arawn nodded.

“And the ones who don’t deserve to live in such a place? The evil of the world?”

“The souls who do not deserve such a place, well, wehunt.” His face lit into a devilish smile as the hounds bayed into the night.

Her wolf included.

Chapter 29

Joltingawake,Brynfellout of her bed in her desperation to check outside.

It was almost night, the sun setting, the heat of the window letting her know it was in fact all a dream.

A creepy as hell dream, but a dream. If it were a vision, though... and she hadn’t imagined the Otherworld and Arawn... she needed to make sure she was ready.

Bryn needed the memories of the Morrigan to keep her friends safe.

Perhaps, she should find Mr. Rafferty and have him work with her on crossing the veil at will and whatever else the Morrigan was supposed to do.

Probably wouldn’t hurt to learn how to actually fight, something that still hadn’t come to her with the power, which was incredibly embarrassing to admit since she was supposed to be a war goddess after all.

Better to die from embarrassment than a knife to the gut.

Jace first, she thought as she dressed herself and went over the words of apology in her mind as she walked to his room.

The door swung open before she even had a chance to knock, and then she was pulled into a hug that both her and Jace desperately needed.

Her cousin understood her, and the pain of never giving him the chance to get past the walls she’d built to keep everyone else out struck her with a ferocity that brought tears to her eyes.

No more, she promised herself. She had people who cared about her, she was just too blind to see it through her own pain.

He may not need the words, but she would give them.