A Sacred Grove (Chronicles of an Urban Druid Book 2)

by Auburn Tempest

  He’s an elf. I’m sure of it.

  “If them seeing behind the faery glass is what’s stopping you, I can fix that.” The elf drops twenty feet from the tree and stalks closer. He’s got swagger in his hips, and his gait reminds me of a panther on the prowl.

  He stops in front of me, and I’m wondering what he’s going to do when—Oh, kissing me...

  Okay, wow.

  The elf is quite the kisser and brazen with his tongue.

  As quickly as he advanced, he retreats, and he steps back unaffected. When he steps over to Emmet, my brother drops his duffle and holds out a hells-no hand. “Simmer down, Legolas. I’d rather not have your tongue in my mouth if it’s all the same with you.”

  “Suit yourself.” He takes Emmet’s hand from Sloan and sticks his thumb into his mouth.

  “Ow, fuck,” Emmet snaps while pulling back. “Why’d you bite me? Are you rabid?”

  The elf chuckles. “You didn’t want my tongue, but you wanted to see us, didn’t you?”

  I realize then that yeah, I’m no longer holding onto Sloan, but I see everything I could a moment ago. “Your saliva has magical properties.”

  He winks and bows. “Fayolorn, at your service. Now, Mr. Dark and Stormy Nights over there can choose his favor.”

  Sloan’s glare is more heated than usual, and I’m not sure which offense of Fayolorn’s has pissed him off most—there’s so many to choose from. Still, he seems to swallow his ire and reaches down to select a swirly green and purple poop.

  “I am humbled by the gift and the thoughtful intentions behind it.” He nods to the winged bunny. “Blessed be.”

  “Blessed be,” Emmet and I repeat.

  I slip my rabbit raisin into my pocket and collect my suitcase. It came a bit undone when I dropped it, so I zip everything back up and grab the handle.

  Emmet picks up his duffle and lifts Pip into his arms.

  Sloan reclaims his bag and lifts Nilm.

  When the connection between the five of us is established, Sloan gives us a last look and flashes us home.

  Magic never fails to awe me. One moment we’re standing in a grove in Ireland, and in the next second, we’re continents away and standing in our back yard. Emmet and Sloan kneel to set Pip and Nilm on the grass. Nine o’clock at night in Ireland is four o’clock in the afternoon in Toronto. A moment ago, we were in full dark. Now we have a couple of hours to show our brownies around before we lose the last rays of sunlight.

  “It’s not much yet.” I know they don’t understand me, but I feel it needs to be said. “The whole urban druid concept is new. We’re on the cutting edge of starting a trend. Lucky you. You’re in on the ground level.”

  Sloan chuckles. “Who are ye trying to convince?”

  I shrug. “I wish we had more for them.”

  “Cumhaill, they’re here for yer family not for yer trees.”

  “But they have to live in my trees. They need a home.” I sigh and look at the old Victorian where I grew up. “Homes are important.”

  I’m still glancing up at my house when movement in one of the upper windows catches my attention. The hair on my arms stands on end until I recognize the slim build and blond hair of the guy in Calum’s bedroom.

  “Why don’t you and Emmet take them across the lane and show them the forest? I’ll take the bags inside.” I reach down to grab the handles and—“Hubba wha?”

  I jump back and squeal as Sloan’s bag wriggles.

  “Something you want to tell me, surly? Are you smuggling weirdness into my house?”

  He unzips his bag and chuckles as two large, pointy-legged fuzzy spiders scramble into the grass and two bunny creatures hop out and fly into the top branches of the cherry tree. “We have stowaways.”

  “Let’s hope they didn’t gift you with more psychedelic turds en route. After a week away, I’ve got my own laundry to do.” I remember my bag being unzipped back at the grove and undo my suitcase. “Oh, hello there.”

  Five of the tiny hummingbird people fly out of my suitcase and hover while looking around.

  “Emmet, ye better check yer bag.” Sloan’s amusement is thick in his deep voice. “It seems Pip and Nilm weren’t the only ones who wanted to move to the big city.”

  Emmet blinks at the small crowd we’ve smuggled into Toronto. When he unzips his duffle, a horned stag lifts his head and rises out of the nylon bag one-third of his body size. When he steps out, a doe follows close behind. Emmet covers his mouth, laughing. “How did I miss that? You’d think carrying two deer would’ve been heavy.”

  I wiggle my fingers at him. “Magic.”

  Emmet turns to listen to something Nilm is saying, then shakes his head. “They’re afraid we’re mad that their friends wanted to join them in starting a new grove. Pip’s worried we’ll send them back.”

  “No, no. Assure them it’s fine. I’m only worried about them finding what they need here to live happily.”

  Emmet relays my message, and Pip rushes to hug me.

  “It’s okay, sweet girl. I’m not mad.” Her big globe eyes are far too watery. I hug her, remember Kevin inside, and point at the side gate. “Em, why don’t you and Sloan introduce them to the trees here and take them across the lane? I’m going to take the bags inside and freshen up for a sec.”

  I drop Sloan’s bag at the top of the basement stairs and take Emmet’s and mine up to the bedrooms. When I creak on the stairs, and Kevin doesn’t say anything, I realize he’s probably wondering who’s in the house. We weren’t expected to arrive home until tomorrow night.

  “It’s me, Kev. All’s well.”

  Kevin pokes his head out of Calum’s and Brendan’s room, and he looks like hell. “Is he here? Did you catch an early flight? Did something happen?”

  I drop my suitcase and rush to hug him. “No, only me and Emmet. What’s wrong? What happened?”

  Kevin is a Hollywood hottie blond with perfect hair and genuine goodness in his heart. He and Calum were buddies growing up long before they were a couple. He’s been in my life since around the third grade, and I love him. To feel him hurt, hurts me. When he doesn’t say anything, I hug tighter and wait. He’ll get there.

  “You know I love him, right?”

  What? “Of course. He loves you too.”

  He draws a deep breath and heads back into the bedroom. Crossing the room, he picks up a note from Calum’s pillow and holds it out to me.

  “What’s this?”

  “I’m breaking it off.”

  “What? Why?”

  He sinks onto the bed and runs his hands over his face. “He’s lying to me, Fi. He’s keeping things from me and has been for months. Even before Brenny was shot. I’ve asked him…I’ve begged him to let me in, but he says he can’t. He says we’re good and I need to trust him. I’ve tried, but this week I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. As much as I love him, I can’t be on the outside. It’s killing me.”

  “Oh, gawd.” I drop to the bed beside him and my stomach knots. “I know Calum’s had a hard time. I’m sorry, Kev. This is all my fault.”

  “Your fault? I doubt that.”

  I pull the elastic out of my hair and try to ease the tension in my skull. “No, seriously. This is all on me. I’m sorry.”

  The hurt in his gaze melts me. “Did I do something that upset you, Fi? Is Calum mad at me for something specific? He’s fiercely protective of you, so if I offended you—”

  “No, no, it’s nothing like that.” I stand up and pace to the dresser. When I rebound back, I see the disillusionment in his eyes. Gawd, it must be gutting Calum. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything. Then you’ll be on the inside. You won’t believe me, but I’ll prove it once I finish. Okay? You gotta stay with me.”

  “Okaaaay.”

  “It started the night I was attacked in the alley behind Shenanigans.” I turn and pull my shirt off, giving him my back. “This tattoo appeared the next morning.”

  “What do you mean appeared?”

 
“I mean one minute it’s not there, and five hours later it has risen from beneath my skin and is there in full detail. I asked Da, and he balked and acted like he knew nothing…”

  I tell Kev about my first trip to Ireland and finding out we’re druids, then about Baba Yaga, the Queen of Wyrm Dragons, and Patty.

  “Then, a few weeks ago, we ran into a ring of dark druids living here in Toronto.” I tell him about the bodies the cops found in the Don, and meeting Fionn and our quest to go back to the Fianna fortress.

  “And so, you all trucked off to Ireland to reclaim your warrior heritage and the magic your family holds?”

  “Right. And we weren’t allowed to tell anyone. Da didn’t want anyone else hurt.”

  “But Aiden told Kinu.”

  “Only a couple of days before the trip. She’s going to start seeing the kids do things. She had to know.”

  He rubs his chest. “Christ, Fi, this hurts. I thought I was family. Liam knows. Shannon knows. Hell, I was the one drawing the picture of the guy who attacked you, and I still couldn’t know?”

  “Da was unwavering. He said it put you in direct danger to be part of it, and Calum didn’t want you hurt.”

  “But I am hurt.”

  “Fi! I need you,” Emmet yells from downstairs.

  “In a minute.”

  “No, seriously, we need you outside.” Emmet comes bounding up the steps and stops when he sees Kevin. “Oh, shit. Hey, Kev. Uh… Fi, can I talk to you downstairs for a quick sec?”

  “He knows.” I meet Emmet at the door to Calum’s bedroom. “I told him everything. Kevin’s part of the inner circle.”

  Emmet relaxes. “Have you shown him Bruin?”

  “No. I haven’t gotten to the fine details yet.”

  “Have you told him Calum’s a badass archer?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What about bringing home fae to spruce up our grove?”

  “Nope. Hadn’t got there either.”

  “Okay, well, we need to get to that part PDQ because big things are happening in the backyard and you’re gonna want to see them. Come down. And bring your swirly rabbit poop.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “What. The. Hell?” I’m stunned as I hop off the back steps and stare at the yard. “This is still our backyard, isn’t it?” I glance over my shoulder at the house, then at the mass of trees filling the fifty-by-seventy-foot rear lot. “What did I miss?”

  Emmet chuckles beside me. “I guess our fae guests don’t only live in a grove; they bring it to life.”

  “Magic,” Kevin says beside me.

  I take his hand and pull him across the little patch of back lawn we have left. It’s a postage stamp area off the deck big enough for a couple of chairs or a sun lounger, then a straight shot past trees to the cars parked in the lane. That’s it.

  “Magic, you say? You ain’t seen nothing yet.” We stop next to Sloan, who’s standing ten feet into the treed area observing. “Would you mind holding Kevin’s hand for a little?”

  Kevin looks from Sloan to me. “Are you trying to get me in trouble with your brother?”

  “Nope. You’ll see.”

  “Are ye sure about this, Fi?” Sloan’s brow pinches. “Yer da won’t be happy.”

  I shrug. “It’s too late for that. It’s a lot easier to let the cat out of the bag than to force him back in. Kevin gets to know everything. I made the call, and I’ll take the heat.”

  Kevin kisses my cheek. “I owe you big for that, Fi.”

  “No. I owe you and Calum a huge apology. I’m sorry the druid stuff left you on the outside. Not anymore.”

  Sloan shrugs and takes Kevin’s hand.

  I’m not a hundy percent sure the magic of Sloan’s ring will allow Kevin to see behind the faery glass, but it’s obvious the second the wonder takes hold.

  Kevin tenses and his jaw falls slack. “That’s amazing.”

  “What do you smell?” I ask.

  “Your brother.” He looks around. “At the end of the day when there’s only a hint of his cologne left on his skin, and he’s a bit musky…how do I smell that now?”

  Aww. And just like that, I love Kevin even more. “Because that smell is your warm and fuzzy happy place.”

  Nilm trundles out of the trees and starts talking. He seems so much more relaxed than he was, his antennae bobbing as he chitters on.

  “He wants to know if you like it,” Emmet translates, “and if there is anything specific you want in our grove?”

  “I love it.” I bend down and hug him. “Tell him it’s amazing, and anything they think we need will be perfect.”

  Emmet relays the message, and Nilm tugs on my hand to pull me with him. He leads me deeper beneath the canopy and points at the buds and blooms still forming.

  “Happiness?” One of the little hummingbird people asks. She’s tiny and mostly purple with lacy, white wings. A Spriggan. The recognition of her species downloads and I’m at a loss, once again, at the magic of this world.

  “It’s perfect. You’ve all done us an amazing honor.”

  “Take out your poop,” Emmet’s excitement spills over.

  I reach into my pocket, careful not to squish my fingers into the round rabbit raisin I chose in the Doyle grove an hour ago. When my fingers close around it, I’m confused. I take it out and look at it. It’s still teal, bronze, and navy blue, but it’s not warm or squishy.

  It’s as hard as stone, shiny, and tingles in my fingers.

  “It holds power now.” I roll it in my palm while assessing its contained fae energy.

  “It’s a charm stone,” Emmet says. “Jinji was telling me that the rabbit dude that pooped that out for us is the original Ostara hare. Very old. Very rare.”

  “What is an Ostara hare?”

  “The goddess Ostara’s rabbit companion. The myth says the goddess of spring transformed a bird into a rabbit and in the spring it laid eggs for her festival celebration. It’s the foundation of the Easter egg tradition.”

  “I thought that was the Hershey’s commercial with the clucking bunnies.”

  Emmet chuckles. “Oh, I love that one…but nope.”

  “So, this is real?” Kevin waves a weak finger toward our surroundings. “I’m not hallucinating this because I’m messed up about Calum? You didn’t slip me a mickey?”

  “Nope. This is real. Trippy, isn’t it?”

  “And you haven’t even met Bruin,” Emmet says.

  “Hold onto your hat, Kev.” I check that my bear is ready to come out and play, then take a step back. “This one’s going to blow your mind. Just remember, you’re safe.”

  Sloan takes a stronger hold on Kevin’s hand and nods. “Take it away, Cumhaill.”

  I release my bear, and if Sloan weren’t holding him, Kevin would’ve ass-planted in the trees ten feet back. “Holy shit.”

  “Kevin, this is Bruin.”

  Bruin bows his front half and holds up his massive paw. “Tell him I’m pleased to meet him and that Calum has told me much about him.”

  I relay that, and his shock increases. “He talks, then?”

  “You can’t hear him because you’re not a druid, but we all can.”

  Kevin pulls up his big boy pants, straightens, and uses both his hands to shake Bruin’s paw. “Kevin is friend—not food.”

  I laugh. “He knows you’re family and he’s here to protect us as a family, you included.”

  “Hopefully he won’t need to protect ye from much,” Sloan adds. “That was the point of keepin’ ye out of the know. It’s dangerous for ye now that Fi involved ye in our world.”

  Kevin waves that off. “No. I’m glad she did. Calum and I would never have made it if she hadn’t.”

  Bruin raises his nose and sniffs. A low growl rumbles from his chest and Kevin takes a step back.

  “What’s wrong, buddy?”

  “Thought I caught somethin’ on the breeze. I’ll sniff around on my way to find my lady friends. Don’t wait up.”

&n
bsp; “Treat them well, big guy. Safe home.”

  Sloan snorts. “Treat them well? Ye weigh in on yer bear rutting in the wild?”

  “Sure, bears are people too.”

  He rolls his eyes at me. “No, they aren’t. They are bears. It’s right there in the name. Yer ridiculous.”

  Kevin looks at his and Sloan’s joined hands. “And you’re a druid too?”

  “I am.”

  “Of the stuffy, stick up his ass variety,” I add.

  Kevin ignores me. “And the last time you were here...when I saw those pictures on the kitchen table of the crumpled car…when Fi had her accident…”

  I wince at the memory of being t-boned and rolled through the intersection. “It wasn’t an accident. The group of evil druids I mentioned attacked me. It’s an organization called Barghest, which translates to Black Dog. I’m sure you’ll hear us talking about them sooner or later. They have roots in Toronto, Ireland, and who knows where else.”

  “And they plowed into your car?”

  “Rude, right? And that was before they kidnapped me and tried to sacrifice me on an altar to use my blood to power themselves up.”

  Kevin pales. “Shit like that actually happens?”

  “It’s cray-cray, I know. Druids never ventured off the Emerald Isle that we knew of. When I declared my intention to be a druid in Toronto, it ruffled a few feathers. I upset the applecart and dragged the whole family into hot water.”

  “Totally wasn’t your fault.” Emmet is holding one of our Ostara bunnies and stroking his ears. “And besides, being a druid is the coolest thing ever. You should see the shit we can do when we’re properly juiced up. It’s more difficult here, but we’ll get there.”

  I explain to Kevin how Ireland’s ambient magic feeds a druid’s cells and how the ley lines and other fae creatures help keep our magic fully charged. “We don’t have that here.”

  “Yet,” Sloan adds, “but with the improvements in yer grove and the fae who decided to live here, that will change.”

  I smile at Pip and Nilm, and at the Spriggans flying from tree to tree, the Ostara hares, the deer, and even the pointy spiders draping silver and gold webbing in glittery swags from tree to tree. “It’s pretty incredible.”