by Leigh Kelsey
With difficulty, I peeled my eyes open, crying out at how sore they were. Oisìn’s hand squeezed mine, his fingers wrapped around my aching palm. Everyone was looking at me with worry, even Bran sat at the far end of the bed. Why did everything hurt? Why hadn’t I healed? I looked around at my family, frowning, and then I remembered everything. The battle, the exposure, the church, Fear Doirche, Oisìn fighting the hunters, Finn steadily weakening, and then… “He’s really dead?”
“Yes, love,” Finn said with the sweetest smile. “He’s really dead. You don’t have to be scared anymore.”
My bottom lip wobbled and tears made my vision misty but through it, I still saw everyone lurch closer as if to comfort me. Finn’s lips pressed to my forehead and Allen rubbed comforting circles on my belly as Sceolan shifted into hound form and laid fully across my lap, his tail thumping the bed. He was awake—alive. I bowed over him as tears flowed freely. I kept seeing him hit the wall and slump down it, unmoving. His blue eyes lifted to mine as if he knew, and held my teary gaze until I’d accepted he was okay.
Fingers trailed carefully down my thigh, comforting while avoiding hurting me more, and my eyes flew open as I fully connected the touch and signature.
“Scarlett!” I rasped. “Where were you? I couldn’t see you.”
“Locked on the other side of the portal,” she replied sourly, giving my knee a squeeze. “I’m fine now. Just annoyed I missed all the fun.”
Finn scowled at the word but he just pressed his lips into a line and said nothing.
“Janna?” I asked, almost hesitant.
“Alive and downstairs, helping Rita and your parents make a roast dinner.” At my shocked glance, Scarlett shrugged a shoulder. “Janna comes from a line of seers. She knew you’d wake up, so now it’s a big, family gathering.”
“Well,” I said. “I guess I know why you’re all in my bed now.”
Allen chuckled. “Not that we need much encouragement.”
I smiled at him, although I was struggling to keep my eyes open.
“Sleep,” Oisìn said—commanded. His fingers ran through my hair as he shifted my head to rest against his chest. I didn’t fight it as comfort rocked through me, so intense I nearly passed out there and then.
“Will you stay?” I murmured. “All of you?”
Sceolan huffed through his nose, wiggling on my lap before settling down. He seemed to imply he wasn’t going anywhere.
“I won’t leave your side,” Oisìn vowed.
“Neither will I,” Allen murmured.
Finn kissed my head again and I went weak. “I’m staying right here, love.”
“Me too,” Scarlett agreed.
“And me,” Bran said seriously.
“And so am I,” Kwame said in his deep, bass rumble.
I sighed, letting my body relax. I was asleep in moments.
NEVER AGAIN
The next time I woke, I felt a little better. Everyone was curled up on my bed with me, except for Finn and Kwame who were by the window, talking quietly. Allen was wrapped around me, all his limbs entwined with mine, his arms overlapping Oisìn’s around my waist.
“How do you feel?” Oisìn asked quietly, dropping a kiss on my shoulder.
“Less … shredded.”
He held me tighter, his chest vibrating with a growl. “Never again. And I mean it this time. Never again.”
I nodded, as much as I could. “Never again.”
I tested my arms for pain, hurt pinging in my muscles but not my bones anymore as I reached down to run my fingers through Sceolan’s wiry fur, his touch like a live wire sparking through my blood even in hound form, everything about him electric. His tail thumped the bed and whacked Allen’s legs, making him groan and hug me tighter as he slowly woke.
“Drink this,” Scarlett commanded, reaching for a glass of green sludge from the bedside table. She made sure I had hold of it as Oisìn helped me sit up, and didn’t stop glaring at me until I drank down every grass-tasting drop.
“Ugh,” I complained, looking for water to wash it down with. Oisìn was there in a heartbeat, pushing a bottle of spring water into my hands before he slowed my heartbeat to near-post-orgasm levels by carding his fingers through my hair. My eyes dropped to half-mast as he stroked my hair. I was careful to put the lid on the water bottle and set it aside. Allen chuckled beside me, lacing his fingers through mine to lift my hand and place a gentle, lingering kiss to the back of my palm.
“I’m going to fall back asleep if you keep doing that,” I mumbled.
Finn neared the bed with a chuckle. He looked … happy. My heart soared to see him that way. He grabbed Allen’s chin, lent over him to kiss him soundly, and when Allen was gasping and moaning, said, “Shift. I want to be near Elara.”
Allen slid from the bed with feline grace, still looking a little dazed as Finn sat beside me, tracing my cheekbone with his thumb and searching my eyes. I struggled to keep them open with Oisìn stroking my hair and Finn brushing my cheek.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Good. There’s a doctor downstairs, waiting to see you if you feel up to it. She’s a specialist, a faerie who treats supernaturals like us.”
I could barely focus on his words. “Mmm?”
Finn laughed under his breath, laying a kiss against my cheek before letting go of me. I barely trapped my needy whimper. “You’re going to have to stop doing that, Oisìn. She can’t focus.”
I reached out to feebly slap Finn’s arm. “No.”
Oisìn carved his fingers through my hair once more before stopping. I made a sound of protest in the back of my throat. “No,” I repeated.
“Ellie,” Finn said, drawing my attention to him. The buzz of pleasure left, my head clearer but so were my aches and pains, my lack of strength. “Do you want to see the doctor? She made that for your pain but once she examines you, she can give you more specific treatment for your injuries.” He looked at the glass that had held the green sludge with as much distaste as I had.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Seeing a doctor would be good.”
“I tried to heal you,” Oisìn said quietly, causing me to look at him in surprise. “I could only heal your physical injuries. Everything else was … internal.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You ruptured your power in some way,” Kwame explained, coming over to perch on the edge of the bed beside Scarlett, who was just watching me. “It’s the rupture that’s making you hurt so badly, not a physical wound.”
“Oh,” I breathed. “That makes sense.”
Finn’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
“It felt like … I was pouring everything I had into the stake to kill Fear Doirche. I gave it everything, and even more, and I could feel it moving into the stake. It wasn’t physical, or anything I’d felt before.”
Bran nodded, her turquoise eyes gentle on me and her hair as ruffled as I’d ever seen it, more than one hair out of place. “You exhausted your magic. Spent it all and pushed even further. I’ve done something similar, though with faerie magic. You need rest, and to eat a lot.” She paused. “And if you’re anything like my brother, you need to eat a lot.”
Sceolan huffed a laugh through his doggy nose.
I smiled at Bran, seeing a softer side to her. “So if I sleep and eat, I’ll be fine?”
“And touch,” Allen added. “You’re a vampire. You need to take care of your vampire self, too.”
“Sleep, blood, food, drink, and touch.” I looked between them. “And then I’ll be fine?”
Bran smiled. “Then you’ll be fine, Elara.”
Relief rushed through me like a wave. I hadn’t realised … I’d thought this rupture would be permanent. “I’d still like to see the doctor.”
HAPPY
The doctor was a mousy fae woman with blond hair, a caring disposition, and greenish skin. I tried not to stare as she checked me over and listened to my heart, my breathing. She came to the same
conclusion Bran had—I’d depleted my magic, and needed rest. She also said I needed to be careful, and have no physical exertion or sex for a while, but since we were alone when she gave those doctor’s orders, I neatly left that part out when explaining what she’d said to my family later that day.
We sat at the dining table, every chair full and bodies spilling onto the couches in the living room. I devoured the roast chicken and potatoes, recognising my mum’s recipe, and went back for more when I was still hungry. It looked like I was recovering the same way Sceolan had—I couldn’t get enough food.
“That,” Sinclair said, watching me with a wry smile, “she must get from you, my heart.”
My mum snorted. “Not a chance. I’m blaming you.”
I was glad she was happy even if I still stung at the secrets she’d kept from me my whole life. We’d spoken earlier, and she’d said sorry for all the lies and omissions, and I’d said I forgave her. I did. But it still hurt.
Sinclair … I didn’t know how to feel about him so for the time being, I was treating him like my mum’s new boyfriend. I’d figure out how to treat him like a father later.
“There’s sticky toffee pudding for afters,” Janna said, breezing to the oven to pull out a whole tray of sponge. I still didn’t know if she ate, or anything about her wraith nature, but she didn’t have any trouble touching things like ghosts did, and she didn’t feel cold when she’d squeezed my hand and told me she was glad I was okay earlier. I was glad she was okay too—for Scarlett, for how much she loved her.
I filled myself up on chicken but as soon as a bowl of sponge and custard was placed before me, I devoured that too. Having my magic depleted was strange, like I’d been possessed by a gluttonous monster. Oisìn squeezed my thigh under the table, pushing reassurance into my body and subtly sliding his uneaten bowl towards me. My heart beat so hard it should have burst out of my chest, and I loved him so much right then. Not just because he was offering me food but that played a considerable part. He snuck a quick kiss and ducked his head as Janna awwed, his cheeks flushing.
I smiled, finishing my food. I looked around at my family—my full family—and didn’t feel even a slip of anxiety, a trace of fear. I just felt safe, and loved, and happy.
QUIET
My mum and Sinclair left after dinner, Rita went to pick up the pieces of her coven’s disagreement over helping us—and over the silver-haired witch, Estelle, fixing our exposure and doing something witchy to erase the sight from people’s minds, memories, and every camera in existence—and Scarlett went to walk Janna home. Kwame disappeared, a shadow in his eyes that told me he wanted to be alone. The rest of us piled onto the sofa and chairs in the living room and I snuggled up against Allen, who snuggled up against Finn. My heart felt light, watching Allen doze in the circle of Finn’s arms. I worried about him, how he was dealing with everything that had happened.
To be honest, I worried about everyone. Finn would bottle everything up until it scarred him, Sceolan would get wild and reckless, Bran would brood the same way Finn would, Oisìn would beat himself up about everything, Scarlett would lash out at everyone else, but Allen … I really worried about Allen. I pressed closer to him, spreading my hand over his ribs and smiling when he sighed in his sleep.
“He’ll be fine,” Finn said quietly, and I looked at him in surprise. “You were frowning, your worry written all over your face. He’ll be okay, Ellie. He blames himself for you being hurt, because he told you to go help me. But he’s been through worse.”
“I know,” I murmured. I didn’t, not fully. I knew his little brother died and he blamed himself, that he beat himself up over Rita following him into immortality, but he’d lost someone as a vampire and I still didn’t know who. I leant up to kiss his cheek, overwhelmed with protectiveness. “Will you be alright?” I said quietly, lifting my eyes to Finn.
“With all of you safe? Yes, love. I’ll be fine.” He grinned, and my heart leapt into a fast beat. “I’m so lucky to have you all, safe and here with me. But you—you saved me. Saved all of us.”
I shrugged. “I did it for you. And Oisìn.” I paused, smiling. “And myself.”
He kept one arm banded securely around Allen’s waist but lifted his free hand to my face, cupping my cheek. “You amaze me, Ellie.”
I glanced away, feeling my cheeks prickle with a blush. My eyes slid over the two hounds curled together in front of the fire, their heads pillowed on each other’s backs. My entire heart softened at the sight of Oisìn sat in the armchair, his head tipped back and mouth slightly open. He was so damn adorable when he slept.
Allen groaned and shuffled. “Can we go upstairs yet?”
Finn chuckled, the sound coming from deep in his throat. “Yes, Allen, we can go upstairs.” His eyes flicked to me. “Unless our Ellie has any objections.”
I shook my head fast, any drowsiness vanishing. “No. No objections.”
Finn’s grin was leonine and feral.
WANT
I tumbled onto Finn and Allen’s bed—and promptly remembered everything that had happened yesterday and all my questions.
“The vampires—what happened?” Sinclair and my mum had been very careful not to mention anything, not even the rush of vampires that had been heading for our allies the last time I’d seen them, not the outcome of that battle or how many people they’d lost. “And the helicopter, all those people with phones, how did they go away?”
Finn’s eyes softened as he climbed onto the bed and covered my body with his. Instantly, the anxiety lessened its grip on me but I still needed answers. Even if his lips on my collarbone did make my eyes flutter shut for a second. The bed dipped as Allen sat beside us, his hand trailing down Finn’s back, and Finn’s sigh whispered over my skin.
“They felt it when Fear Doirche died, according to Kwame,” Finn answered finally, brushing his lips over the dip of my throat. “I don’t know if he had a hold over them and they broke free of it when he died, or if they simply ran out of fear, but every one of them fled.”
“Not every one of them,” Allen disagreed, a dark look in his eyes. “A few stayed but they didn’t last long. And at the same time … what was happening inside the church, Elara?”
I glanced between his dark expression and Finn’s stubborn glare. “He didn’t tell you.”
“No,” Finn replied, scraping a fang over my throat. “And for good reason. He doesn’t need to know.”
“I deserve to know,” Allen said, quietly seething.
I took Allen’s hand, squeezed it tight, and said, “When I walked in, Finn and Fear Doirche were fighting with swords.”
“Elara,” Finn warned.
“They were evenly matched from what I could tell. I tried to hurt Fear Doirche but he used his power on me.” I paused. “It was excruciating. Like being crushed from the inside out. My eyes … they still feel sore from bleeding so much.”
Allen pressed as close as he could get.
“Oisìn was fighting three hunters. At once.” I laughed. “He’s … I’ve never seen anyone fight like that. I didn’t know anyone could. At the same time, Finn and Fear Doirche were still fighting. Oisìn killed the hunters—all three of them—then he helped me up, distracted Fear Doirche, and I … I staked him. That’s it. That’s everything that happened.”
Allen leaned close to scan my face. “That’s everything?”
I nodded, and his eyes narrowed on Finn. “You made me think you’d been eviscerated in there. You … my imagination was so much worse than what actually happened. Silly old man.” He took Finn’s chin, tilting his face to kiss him, and Finn sagged against me, all his strength gone. I brushed my lips against his throat, wrapping my arms around him, and his whole body went limp as he groaned.
“I didn’t want to make you any worse,” Finn mumbled when Allen drew back. “You had enough worries and fears and trauma, and your depression—”
“Finn,” Allen said, lightness back in his eyes. “I love you, but shut up.”
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Finn barked a laugh.
“He’s right,” I murmured, squeezing him tighter. “You are a silly old man.”
“Alright,” Finn replied, pulling away from us both. “Less of the old, thank you.”
As he sat up, I let my hands trail around his sides and down the hard, compact muscle of his chest and stomach. And I snorted. “You have nothing to worry about when it comes to age, Finn.”
He raised an eyebrow, motioning for me to continue.
I bit down on a smile as Allen laughed loudly. “You’re gorgeous,” I said. “You know that. There’s no way you look old enough to be my great-great-great-great-great—”
He kissed me to shut me up and my toes curled in glee. Allen’s deep chuckle had heat pooling between my legs and I gasped into Finn’s mouth as he rolled his hips, nudging my thighs apart. Allen somehow stripped my vest off me without disturbing mine and Finn’s kiss for more than a second, and my bra followed quickly. The wet heat of his mouth closed around my nipple and I groaned, so wet for him, for them both.
“You want this?” Finn asked, his eyelids heavy as he looked down at me, one hand wrapping around my calf to position my leg and give him better access. I wanted less clothes between us.
“Yes,” I breathed, reaching for the buttons of his shirt.
“Sure, Ellie?”
“Yes,” I repeated, exasperated and frustrated.
Allen laughed again, a deep sound that made my heart stumble. “I think she really wants you, Finn.”
“And you,” I gasped as his mouth returned to my breast, the edge of a fang touching sensitive, pebbled flesh. “I want you, too.”
“Greedy girl,” Finn purred, and moved down my body until his head hovered over my pussy. He stripped my leggings off me slowly, never once breaking eye contact and driving me mad. I was panting, impatient, by the time he threw them onto the floor and brushed the lightest kiss against the edge of my underwear. I made a needy, frustrated sound and grabbed his hair, pushing his lips harder against me.
