Page 58

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Gen asked as they hopped off the subway in Brooklyn, dressed to the nines for Nate and Maura’s engagement party.

Kierse had spent the time since her meeting with Dr. Carrión working on her memory fortifications.

She wasn’t ready to face what happened with her parents.

But she couldn’t sit around and do nothing, either.

So she’d gone out and pickpocketed a few unsuspecting people to boost her reserves.

But it didn’t help her mental capacity. She’d hit the wall, and the wall had hit back.

Thankfully, by tonight, Kierse was feeling herself again. Well enough for a quick stop before the festivities.

“Define good idea,” Kierse said.

“Won’t Lorcan know that you’re here?”

“Yes, but we’ve got that covered,” Kierse said. “Just stick to the plan.”

“I don’t like the plan,” Gen admitted.

Kierse huffed, tugging down the hem of her black mini dress. “It was your plan.”

“I know. This is why we let you plan things. You’re good at that part.”

“It’s fine. The whole thing is going to be fine.” Kierse winked at her. “Let Operation Jail Break commence.”

Gen laughed and followed her down the Brooklyn streets. Kierse clocked a few patrols on rooftops—not that the Druids needed them to give the boss a heads-up she was in their territory. The second she’d crossed the bridge into Brooklyn, she could feel Lorcan.

Now that she knew what this was between them, that pressure in her chest made perfect sense. It was like a fishhook caught against her breastbone, and she just needed to follow the string back to its owner to find Lorcan.

She pressed her hand against her chest. Not yet.

“You okay?” Gen asked.

“Yeah,” she lied.

Gen pursed her lips. “You can feel him?”

“Over there,” Kierse said, pointing vaguely in the direction of his headquarters. The direction they were circling toward.

“It’s that specific?”

“If I think about it,” she admitted.

“So he’ll be on us soon,” Gen realized.

“Guess we’ll have to be quicker.”

Gen sighed. Always finding Kierse’s propensity for danger unnerving. “Hurry.”

They rounded another corner before hitting their drop point. Niamh’s head appeared at the back entrance of a building, her burgundy hair up in a complicated braided twist. Her red-painted smile widened as she saw them.

“Hello, girls,” she said with a wink.

“Niamh,” Kierse said as she ducked inside.

Gen shot her a shy smile. “Hi.”

“My little acolyte,” Niamh said. “Never took you to be a rule breaker.”

“I make an exception for Ethan,” Gen said with her head lifted high.

“Then let’s get going.”

Kierse and Gen followed her through the labyrinth of Druid corridors—a bunch of empty office spaces and then closed apartment doors—before getting into more familiar territory.

“You might have to do some offensive work,” Niamh warned Gen. “As we get closer.”

Gen bit her lip. “You can’t?”

“Oh, I can . But I’d like to see how my pupil is progressing.”

“Offensive work?” Kierse asked. She glanced between Niamh and Gen in alarm. “What exactly are you teaching her?”

“You’ll see,” Niamh said with a smirk.

Gen muttered a few words to herself and took a deep breath as they continued forward. They were nearly to the barracks when a pair of Druid guards appeared in their way.

“Gen,” Niamh said.

But Gen had already moved in front before either of them could react to intruders. Her eyes were closed and she moved on instinct, sliding through dance-like steps as she got in close to the two guards.

“What the…?” the first man asked.

Gen touched her finger to his throat and whispered, “Sleep,” under her breath.

The woman next to him watched with wide eyes as she realized who she was dealing with. Kierse could see surrender in her eyes, but Gen wasn’t looking at her. She wasn’t looking at anything, in fact.

Then she clipped the girl in the kidneys and said, “Down.”

She only opened her eyes after they both collapsed to the ground. Kierse’s jaw was on the floor.

“What the fuck was that?” Kierse demanded.

“Healing,” Niamh said simply.

“That…doesn’t look like healing.”

“There are two sides to healing,” Gen said.

Her eyes drifted to the pair of Druids with a frown, but she recited the words rote.

“Sustaining the body and relieving the body. All life is a circle, an ouroboros, birth and life and death. You cannot learn only parts of the practice or else it stunts all growth.”

“Precisely,” Niamh said with pride in her voice.

Gen preened under Niamh’s praise.

Niamh nudged Kierse with a laugh. “Stop looking so shocked. They’re just sleeping. We also don’t have unlimited resources. We don’t want to have to do that with everyone.”

“Well, at least I know you can handle yourself,” Kierse said once they’d moved the guards out of the way and continued on at a faster clip. “If you’re learning death magic.”

“We don’t wield that,” Niamh said automatically. “Only to ease suffering.”

Kierse had doubts. If someone could use the magic, then they would. Of that she was certain.

It was only a few more minutes before Niamh stopped in front of Ethan’s room. Kierse focused her mind on the hook in her chest. Lorcan had moved, but he wasn’t heading their direction just yet. They had a few minutes before her part began.

Gen knocked twice on the door. Her hand still hovered in the air when it was wrenched open.

Time froze as the three friends looked between each other.

Ethan, who had always been gangly, standing there all beefed out, wearing a green T-shirt a size too small to make him look even bigger and fitted running shorts.

Gen with a hand toward him, almost as if she couldn’t believe he was real.

And Kierse, trying to fight back the hurt of their last interaction, hoping Gen could heal it like she always did.

“Gen!” Ethan gasped, throwing his arms around her. “What are you doing here?”

Gen buried her face into his chest and squeezed. “We came to see you.”

“We should get inside,” Niamh warned.

“There’s not a lot of time,” Kierse added. She put her hand on her heart again. It was like she could feel that soulmate bond tugging closer.

“It’s not much,” Ethan said, self-conscious of his space as they barreled inside.

In fact, it made the attic look like luxury.

There was a narrow twin bed against one wall.

A utilitarian desk next to that with a wooden chair.

Papers were neatly piled on the desk, and an ink pen rested on top.

A chest sat at the end of the bed with drawers for his provided clothing.

There were no familiar touches. No pictures.

No books. And worst of all for Ethan, no plants.

“Where are your plants?” Kierse asked on instinct.

“There’s a greenhouse,” he said quickly. “It’s part of classes.”

Kierse eyed him skeptically. “You’re okay only seeing them during classes.”

Ethan tensed at the words. “Are you second-guessing the curriculum or are you just here to argue with me again?”

“Stop,” Gen said.

Kierse’s back went up immediately at his words. She could see Ethan was ready to bite again if he felt his place as a Druid was threatened. And that wasn’t why they were here.

“I’m not here to fight. I never want to fight with you,” she said softly.

“We’re here because tonight is Nate and Maura’s engagement party,” Gen told him.

Ethan’s jaw dropped. “They’re engaged ?”

“Yes. The wedding is in a few weeks,” Gen said. “After your boot camp thing is finished. We thought you’d want to come to the party tonight.”

“I do,” he said automatically. Then he wavered. “But…”

“What’s the worst they can do to you?” Kierse pushed.

Ethan’s eyes lifted to Niamh’s. “Well? Would they kick me out?”

“Maybe,” she conceded. “But you’re a strong talent. And you’re kind of essential in several ways.”

“The triskel magic,” Ethan conceded, looking between them. “Which we should be training.”

Kierse wrinkled her nose. “Yeah.”

“But also because you’re important,” Niamh said, pointing at Kierse, “to her.”

“What does she have to do with it?” Ethan asked, still sullen.

Kierse sighed. “I’m Lorcan’s ‘soulmate.’” She mimed the quotes around the word.

Ethan’s stunned expression was almost satisfying. His religious-like fervor for Lorcan, however, far from pleased Kierse. Lorcan was charismatic and beguiling in many ways. She wasn’t sure how to keep Ethan from falling any farther under his spell.

“You can get out for a night,” Niamh promised.

“Come with us,” Gen said, grabbing his hand. “Just for tonight. We’ll have you back in the morning.”

“Like Cinderella,” he mused.

Kierse could already see him bending. He’d always been persuadable. It was both an advantage and a flaw. Much like Kierse’s own cynicism.

“Please,” Gen said softly.

“Fuck,” Kierse said, eyeing the door. “He’s on the move. I need to go.”

“Go?” Ethan asked.

“Please come with us,” Kierse said as she headed toward the door. “I’m sorry about what happened last time, but I miss you. We both miss you. We want you there.”

“Plus, Corey is going to be in attendance,” Gen dropped casually.

Ethan’s eyes widened further. “Really?”

“Yes,” Kierse confirmed. “I’ll see you on the other side. I hope, at least. Because I’m about to brave Lorcan to let you sneak out.”

Then she was through the door, crossing her fingers and toes that Ethan would bend and join them for a night. Maybe then the fissure that had appeared between them wouldn’t turn into a chasm.

Kierse rounded the corner, jogging to get out of the building. It had been Gen’s idea to use Lorcan’s connection to her against him. After she’d heard Graves mention it, she’d thought maybe Kierse could be bait, luring him on a wild goose chase away from Ethan so that they could sneak him away.

She wasn’t sure it had worked until she’d dropped out onto Broadway a fair distance from Ethan’s building to find Lorcan loitering against the brick wall next to the door. Her traitorous heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.

He smiled, broad and predatory, as if he felt it. “Hello, little songbird.”

“Lorcan,” she said softly.

He dazzled in a summer gray suit. The jacket open to reveal a crisp white button-up with the top two buttons undone, his dark hair was windswept off his forehead. Those glittering blue eyes traveled over her like sunlight kissing across her exposed skin.

When Gen had suggested this, Kierse had thought this would be easy. That knowing she could manipulate him the way he had been manipulating her would make it so. Standing in the presence of the Oak King, she was less certain.

“You dressed up for me,” he said with a smirk as he eyed the short black dress and knee-high boots.

She cleared her throat. “Engagement party, actually.”

“Ah, your little wolf friend.”

“Indeed.”

“You thought you’d swing by before you go so I can see your outfit.” He twirled his finger in place as if he thought she might actually turn for him.

“Not exactly.”

“No?” He chuckled. “Well, you’ve been on quite an adventure.”

“Have I?”

He pushed off the brick and approached her. She had to tilt her chin up to meet his inimitable gaze. “Did you get what you were looking for?”

“Are you so sure that isn’t you?”

He laughed softly. “You never responded to my messages and have been dodging my surveillance.”

“We already had this conversation,” Kierse said. “If you want your men to follow me, then you’re going to have to send out better recruits.”

“You also recommended that I stop stalking you.” His hand swept up as if to brush her hair off her face.

Fear racketed through her. What if he touched her and she couldn’t say no, couldn’t escape, didn’t have anyone there to stop him?

His hand froze, his head tilting almost as if he could see the thoughts painted clearly on her face. “You think I would hurt you?”

“No,” she said. “Not on purpose.”

“Those are two different things.”

“I’ve known you to be the type of person who believes the ends justify the means.”

“Never with you,” he promised.

He dropped his hand and took a step back. The pressure in her chest dissipated so she could breathe. Had it gotten stronger?

“I wanted to apologize,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I never wanted you to find out about our soulmate bond that way.”

“Yet you didn’t tell me yourself when you had the chance.”

“I wanted to tell you when I first realized, but then you were gone to Dublin. When you returned…I didn’t want to unduly influence you.”

“That’s rich, coming from you.”

Lorcan straightened to his full height. “Why are you hell-bent on making me the villain here?”

“I’m not.”

He shot her a look. “I’ve been heavy handed, I admit, but I haven’t lied to you. As you are lying to yourself right now. As he has lied to you.”

Kierse bristled at the words. “Don’t bring him into this.”

“How can I not? You’re acting like he’s innocent.

Like he didn’t hide your heritage from you and lie to you about your abilities and hold you back from progressing.

” He spread his arms wide. “I’m standing here offering you all of that and more—a place among your family, safety, security, and all the knowledge I have of your people.

If that’s not enough, we are magically bonded. ”

“What’s the catch?”

“You have been so hurt all these years you cannot see that the people who care for you want nothing from you. Just you.”

“And that’s what you want?”

“I cannot deny it.” His hand landed on her chest right where the thrum was loudest. “And neither can you.”

The contact went straight through her. Her head felt fuzzy. Her body yearned. It would be so easy to give in to this feeling, to the need that shot through her body and burned her nerve endings and made her question everything she had done to get her to this moment.

“What would it have been like if you had found me first?” she whispered.

“Bliss.”

She believed him. It would have been everything.

And then he released her.

His fingers brushed her chin upward, and he pressed the softest of kisses into her forehead. His hand shook slightly.

“You can take Ethan tonight for your party,” Lorcan promised. He’d known all along. “Have him back before morning meditation.”

Kierse broke free from him, feeling shaky and uncertain. “Okay.”

“And Kierse,” he said softly, “come back to me.”