That got the reaction she wanted. A groan was forced from his throat and he jerked his hips.
“Do you want me?” she asked again.
“Yes,” he ground out.
Bat released him and crawled back over his body. Her lips took his and she lay flush against him. After a long moment she pulled away once more. “Then take me.” She licked along his neck then bit down on a straining tendon. “Worship me.”
And that was Finn’s breaking point. His arms came around her and he flipped them once more. His head met the bulkhead with a thud, but he didn’t pause or notice, far beyond being deterred by a few pesky bumps or bruises.
He pressed between her thighs and Bat opened for him. Reaching down, he aligned his shaft with her opening and thrust. He was large, but Bat was more than ready for him.
He paused over her, muscles straining, and their gazes locked.
“You are mine, are you not?” It wasn’t only Bat who spoke those words. Or, it was, but it wasn’t only the Bat who had come to Ireland a broken and abandoned goddess. At this moment, power was flowing through her, her being opened to the sky above and the earth below. She channeled the very essence of herself into that question.
“I am yours,” Finn growled out. He pulled back and thrust into her again, pulling groans from both of them. “I am yours.” The last was a mere whisper, as tenderness broke though the passion for a brief moment.
Then the heat overwhelmed them both. Finn’s hips worked in long thrusts and Bat met each and every one. As they neared completion, their movements shortened until Finn barely pulled out, only jerking into her. Bat clenched around him, keeping him within her, not wanting him to escape from her hold for even those small shifts, no matter how she craved the friction.
They were together in this, as the goddess took in the man who had pledged himself to her.
Finn’s lips took hers in a biting kiss as he pulled away one last time only to slam back into her. They groaned together as the building sensations finally burst. Power flowed between them then surged into Bat and she threw her head back. Her mouth opened but her throat was too tight for any sound to escape.
Finn collapsed over her, heavy breaths hitting her neck. After a few seconds he groaned and rolled, only to slam into the bulkhead. Bat followed him, nestling into his chest as they both lay on their sides.
He shifted again, hitting his elbow on the curved wall behind him. “Fuck this,” he growled.
Bat giggled. The power was fading away. Well, not fading, exactly. It shifted between them as she gradually siphoned it away. She was coming back to herself.
And she realized that that other woman Finn had pulled from her, that goddess hungry for physical sacrifices of passion, was not her. It was a part of her, yes, an aspect of the Egyptian deity Bat—but it was not her.
Bat cuddled into Finn’s sweaty chest. The air of the cabin shifted over their exposed skin, cooling her. The boat rocked on gentle waves, lulling her now that passion was spent.
Her eyes closed as she drew in the scent of Finn.
This. More than the sharing of their bodies, this was what she craved. These are moments I need. The moments of intimacy after passion, the moments when all defenses are down, the moments when it is just a man and a woman with nothing between them.
“Love you,” she whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
Finn pressed his lips to her forehead. He did not return the words, and she did not expect them, not yet. It could be decades before he gave them back to her. She didn’t mind, for he was already hers. If they overcame Balor, they would have those decades together.
She could wait. Because this not-man was already hers, and she would not allow him to be taken away.
Chapter 21
Dear Bastet,
I do believe I have been going through what humans call growing pangs. Or is it growing pains?
Never mind.
Who knew a five-thousand year old goddess still had growing up to do?
- Bat, the goddess who is a bit more mature now.
BAT
“Here,” Saoirse said from where she stood next to Dub at the front of the bridge, staring out the observation windows.
Dub throttled the boat back and set it to idle. “Do we need to set an anchor?”
“No, this shouldn’t take long. We just need to set the wards, then I can lead us in.”
Bat had spent the morning with Saoirse. The selkie was actually nearly as entertaining as Ailis, once Bat could see past her own unfounded jealousy. It also helped that Bat was able to spend the morning on the bridge with Dub, Con, Finnegan, Finn, Saoirse, and Mell.
Yes, she was squeezed into a corner and not very comfortable, but she was participating again. Mostly in the form of questions because she didn’t understand most of what they were referring to, but she was done with taking the backseat, even if she had put herself there in the first place.
“How far out are we now?” Bat asked.
Saoirse twisted back to look at her. “Maybe two hours.”
Bat nodded. “From what Ari told me of what he sensed on Daniel, Balor and his allies are no doubt also aware of this. Can the wards disrupt his sense of where we are?”
Finnegan opened his mouth to respond, then paused. He frowned. “I want to say yes, but I don’t know exactly what this connection is.”
Bat thought for a moment. She should have brought this up earlier. Well, what she should have done was taken her head out of her ass and participated in the first meeting.
She shook the stray thought off.
“How long were you allowing for the reconnaissance?” she asked.
Dub and Finn exchanged a glance. No doubt asking each other why Bat was suddenly so vocal when she’d held her words for the last two days. “A few hours,” Finn finally said.
“But that assumed the wards and cloaking runes wouldn’t allow Balor to find us, or to know we were already there.”
“Yes,” Dub said. He frowned his thoughtful frown. He was starting to get it. Then he sighed. “If Finnegan can’t guarantee that his wards will block Balor and Daniel’s connection then we can’t rely on surprise as an element.”
“So we concentrate on what we can control,” Finn said.
“And we play into Balor’s hands,” Bat said.
Everyone twisted to stare at her.
“There are certain things we all need to have happen. Where the struggle begins is after Balor emerges from the cauldron.” She left the rest unsaid. They assumed she meant he would try to get away after he’d returned to life, and avoid the spear they’d created to ensure his death. She would allow them to believe this. When the time came, the final battle would be between her and Balor, and it would not be fought with swords or spears.
Bat had picked up a lot of what she’d missed in the earlier meeting. Certain roles had already been decided on, no matter what the pixies found on the island. Con would be in the air. The banshees would find a vantage point somewhere near the bay and take out the enemy ships, if for no other reason than to cause chaos. Certain people, such as Ciara and Finnegan, would be left on the boat to guard it. And then there was the group who would be going after the cauldron.
“What if we… circumvent the time needed for that step of the plan?”
Finn’s brows rose. “How?”
“Saoirse was already set to do surveillance of the bay, so there is no need to adjust that, of course. Con goes into the air as soon as we cross the barrier into Tir Hudi. He is a dragon, after all. I am sure he can figure out the best ways to inflict pain and chaos on his enemies.”
Con let out a bark of laughter then bowed to her. “You are a perceptive goddess.”
Bat gifted him with a smile. “I am, aren’t I? I will share my strawberries with you later. The banshees can also get into place. The question was always where to place everyone based on the distribution of the enemy, correct?” She didn’t wait for them to agree. “So, we skip that step, and play to our stre
ngths.”
A very narrow path of success that you must travel…
The Morrigan didn’t say it was a narrow path that they must travel. The narrow path was Bat’s to navigate.
She thought about the fae that had joined them. Other than the brothers and the two guardi, there were no trained warriors.
These fae do not work well together. Finn had told her that just two days ago. Even the time spent in close quarters on the boat hadn’t changed that. They still stuck to their own groups, with a few floaters like Ailis chatting with everyone.
Play to our strengths…
“We are a rag-tag bunch of misfits who do not play well with others,” said, thinking it through. No one interrupted her. “Misfits who, from the stories I have heard, are very good at causing their own particular forms of chaos when provoked.”
Mell laughed and Finn snorted. “No argument on that.”
She was getting excited now. Everything was coming together in her mind. Bat bounced on her toes. “We are trying to treat them like warriors and trained soldiers. As you all have already noted, they are not. What if we just… give them a goal and let them figure out how to reach it? What is the main thing we need to achieve?”
“Balor’s death as soon as he is restored.”
“Yes. What if he is able to slip away from us?”
“Then we can’t let him get off the island.” That was Dub. He stared at her with wide eyes.
“So we make that impossible!” Bat clapped her hands, thoroughly pleased with herself. They did need to plan for all eventualities. What if Balor decided to slip away and use the cauldron later to gain his godhood? What if his soldiers overpowered her own small force after the cauldron was restored but before Balor came back?
They needed to prevent any possibility but the narrow path Bat needed to walk to victory.
Saoirse was grinning at her. “I knew you were my kind of goddess.”
“Cause enough chaos and destruction to keep Balor and his men distracted,” Finn said, nodding slowly.
“This is not a battle where we must win against the enemy soldiers,” Bat said. “This is a battle we must win against Balor. And the way we win is we do not allow him to reach his goal. That is the only thing we are fighting here.” It did not matter that they did not understand his true goal. Her statement was truth.
Dub smiled at her. It was fierce, the smile of a warrior who scented blood. “We will need to leave some things in place. Finnegan and the others designated to stay on the boat will remain. And I do not think it smart to have Daniel accompany us for the first part.”
“We can use the pixies as messengers instead of recon,” Finn said. His gaze was distant, his brows drawn as he no doubt ran through the various scenarios in his mind. “And we will need to agree upon a signal that allows the others to know when to begin. If we can manage a concentrated attack, it will be more effective.”
“Leave the goblin and at least one of the fae aboard the boat. They can assist Ciara in guarding it. I can transport Daniel to the island when it’s time.” Finnegan began mumbling to himself, and Bat could only make out part of it. “… communicators… fire? No… wind… back…”
Shar shook his head and patted Finnegan’s back. Not for the first time Bat wondered what the brothers’ relationship was with the Druid.
Everyone began talking, discussing timing, signals, transportation, finalizing who would stay behind, which pixies would go with who, and just how many people needed to be with Bat and her group. Bat listened to it all, ready to jump in with an opinion.
She had nothing more to add, though. She’d said everything she needed to. She was a little astonished that they had listened to her so readily, that they had taken her ideas and run with them without protest. But she also knew this was the right thing.
Mell sidled around the edge of the room and to her side, nudging Finnegan from beside her in the process. He leaned over and whispered, “Don’t be so surprised, realta. You were right, this isn’t the usual dog and pony show. Dub, Shar, and I know better, but even we were still treating the solitary fae as though they were something they are not.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Ye’re one of a kind, goddess.” Warmth and affection wrapped around her.
“No time for that now,” Finnegan interrupted them. “I’m going to set the wards, then work on a way you can communicate back to me.” The Druid marched from the bridge, a determined glint in his eye.
“And that’s my signal too,” Saoirse said. “Time for me to strip down and jump in the ocean.” She sent a wink to Bat before sashaying out the door.
Oh. Bat’s cheeks colored as she realized just how much she’d misinterpreted Saoirse.
“Hmmm… Not that I want to add anyone else to our little nest of love, but if you want her, who am I to object?” Mell’s words sent even more heat into Bat’s cheeks.
She sent a hard elbow into his gut. He coughed but that was it.
Stupid giant warrior Fomoiri brothers. And he was the smallest. She did not even put a dent in him.
Dub reached out and grabbed her wrist, dragging her to his side. “Mell, stop being a wanker and go tell the others the new plan.”
Bat shot a smug look at the middle brother and stuck out her tongue. Hah! She had the grumpy one on her side.
Mell grumbled and left the bridge.
“I’m going to put together a few small packs of equipment and provisions. Don’t know what we’ll find in those cliffs,” Finn said. He cupped the back of Bat’s head, turned her to him, and gave her a hard but quick kiss before leaving the bridge as well.
Then it was just her and Dub. They didn’t speak, but the silence was not uncomfortable.
She was finally on the right path, she knew it.
Chapter 22
Bastie,
TODAY I SAW THE DRAGON AS A DRAGON!!!!
He was so pretty…
- Bat, the goddess who has seen a dragon!
BAT
The island matched her vision perfectly, down to the five boats anchored in a small bay. She’d caught sight of them briefly before sheer gray cliffs that fell directly into the ocean blocked the view.
“The cauldron is close, goddess.” Ari stood beside her, his round red eyes trained on those cliffs.
“Good.” She looked down at the man of ba. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, goddess.” The two words echoed with blood and fury. The tone perfectly conveyed his need to avenge those of his clan who had been slaughtered by Balor’s men—and the ones who’d been persuaded to betray their own. Bat had not forgotten the scene that had met her eyes in that clearing, nor the number of souls she’d helped send on their way to the afterlife in the Land of Reeds. Ari had held back that need for justice as he helped her, but now he and the other men of ba would get their chance.
Finnegan approached her. “Here.” He held out a flat stone, a small rune painted on one side. “You just press your thumb to the rune and say ‘now.’ It’s a bit simple, but anything more complicated would take time we don’t have, especially if it needs to get through the wards I set on the boat.”
Bat tucked the stone into her pocket and nodded to the man. She’d learned this morning that the brothers had once stayed with the Druid about nine hundred years before. He was also the one to teach them what rune-magic they knew. “You should come visit them.”
He didn’t ask who she meant. “No. There is no need.”
She shrugged. “The invitation will stay open.”
Finnegan stared at her a moment longer then turned on his heel and headed for the bridge. A few minutes later Dub emerged. He shrugged on one of the small packs Finn had put together. There were bandages, water, rope, and a small axe that had been dug up from the emergency fire kit in the engine room.
Bat herself had the Uaithne. She adjusted the strap again, making sure the precious instrument sat securely against her back.
With the arrival of Dub, everyone who would be seeking the cauldron wa
s gathered on the deck. Well, everyone except the guardi. Finn and Cuchi were still transporting the small units of fae to the island.
Bat grinned as she recalled the expressions on the faces of her new friends as they’d stood on the deck earlier. Bloodthirsty glee was the only way she could think to describe it. Even the pixies had looked eager to cause bloodshed.
They hadn’t quite believed the plan at first. Carrig, one of the sluagh, had even asked her if it was true.
“Yes,” she’d replied. “Think of this as permission to do whatever you want, as long as it is toward the goal of distracting Balor’s men from what is happening in the hills. Destroy the ships, their supplies, their weapons. Incapacitate them however you like.” She’d felt no compunction on uttering those words. As she now knew, the only way the men with Balor would die would be through the use of soul blades or the new shard-spear. Since none of the misfit fae whose mission it was to torment the enemy possessed those things, there would be no murder.
She was okay with anything up to that point, especially considering the circumstances.
“Remember, if you see the golden spear or the sword with the green gem in the pommel you do not have to engage directly. See if you can find another way to distract them,” she had added. She did not think they would encounter Nuada’s sword, as that would be needed to kill Daniel and revive Balor, but the golden spear was another matter. It was said whoever held it could not be defeated, and it would be best if her new friends avoided it.
Teagan had given Bat a mock salute. “Yes, General Goddess, sir. We will create mayhem, sir.” The banshee had then rubbed her hands together in glee.
Now, Finn appeared before her, his usually neat hair wind-blown. “They are in position,” he said, referring to the banshees. They had all agreed that a high hill to the south of the bay would afford them the best vantage to hit the boats and men on shore with their voices.
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