Slowly, she turned, her hand still bloody.
Flynn stood at the end of the path, his hands tucked loosely into his pants pockets. A chambray shirt hung loose on him and dark circles marred his eyes. His shoulders were hunched. He eyed her, clearly on guard.
Keelin felt her heart clench. She slowly walked to him, her bleeding hand in front of her.
"Jesus, Keelin. What did you do?" Flynn automatically stepped forward to take her hand. She stepped back quickly and evaded his reach.
"No. Watch." Flynn eyed her warily as she opened her palm to reveal the long slice across her skin. She heard his small intake of breath as he realized that she had done this to herself. Keelin met his eyes. She looked down at her bloody hand and covered it with her other. She closed her eyes briefly and focused on the pain and sent her light down to heal it. The amulet warmed against her chest. Feeling the light gather, she sent the ball of pain into a small bush nearby. Slowly, Keelin opened her eyes to look at Flynn. She held both palms open, her pretty skin free of cuts. Flynn took a step back, anger on his face.
"I won't deal with witches, Keelin. I'm sorry, but I just won't," Flynn said angrily. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, a storm of emotions in his eyes.
"This is me, Flynn. This is all of me. I can heal people with my hands. I'm not a witch. I'm a descendant of Grace O'Malley." Keelin spoke quietly but proudly. The amulet at her neck began to grow warmer.
"I don't understand. I mean, I know that Fiona heals people with herbs and whatnot, but this? This hand stuff? It's crazy." Flynn dragged a hand through his hair.
"It is crazy. I wish that I could explain it to you any more than I can understand it myself. I don't know how it works, I just know that I can do it. I've run from this gift my entire life and it wasn't until I came here that I realized running was futile. This is me. All of me." Keelin stared at him as her stomach turned. "I'm…I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I am just getting used to it myself. And, I was scared you would hate me. Which you do anyway," she said morosely as she put her hands down by her sides.
"I don't…I don't hate you. But, Jesus, Keelin. I was dying. I felt it! Blood was everywhere! And I sat there and watched you knit my bone back together. You put my artery back together! I could walk. It was terrifying! I didn't even know who you were at that point or what was happening. And then all of a sudden, you're dying on me!" Flynn was shouting at this point and pacing the beach. His shouts echoed off the rocky walls of the cove.
Anger flashed through Keelin. Vaguely, Keelin registered a small rumble and saw the waves beginning to pick up.
"Well, I'm just so sorry. Was I supposed to leave you there to die? I'm sorry that you can't handle this but maybe you could, oh I don’t know, thank me for saving your stubborn life? Had you not been so damn angry at me I would have been able to complete the healing and send the energy elsewhere. Instead I took it into me because you…you broke my heart." On a sob, Keelin turned and ran from Flynn. She was stupid to come here with him. He would never accept her for what she was.
Keelin let out a whoosh of breath as she was tackled from behind and flipped over. "Ooof!" she shrieked out as she landed on top of Flynn. He had turned to cushion her from the fall. Quickly, he rolled and pinned her underneath him.
"What do you mean that I broke your heart?" Flynn demanded.
"Nothing. I meant nothing. You are just a big jerk and I don't need someone like that in my life." Keelin avoided his eyes and stuck her chin out. Small fissures of heat curled through her where their bodies touched and she tried not to squirm under him. Keelin gasped as a huge wave crashed over them and shocked their bodies. Flynn sputtered out salt water and stared, aghast, at the beach. The shoreline was too far away for a wave to have hit them.
"What the heck was that?" Flynn demanded. "Did you do that?"
"Of course I didn't do that, you punk. I told you that I'm not a witch. The cove is mad at me is all. Probably you too. You should go," Keelin said spitefully. Another wave slammed into them both and they rolled from the impact. "Damn it. Fine!" Keelin shouted as she found herself pinned under Flynn again, soaking wet, her body wide awake.
"You broke my heart because I love you. I have no idea how or when it happened but I do. And when you stared at me like…like I was some kind of monster, I froze and forgot to heal the way that I was taught by Fiona. No big deal. It's fine. I can get over this. But I refuse to apologize for what I am. If there is anything that I have learned from this it is that you have to love me for me or not at all," Keelin spit out, and then stuck her chin in the air. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she shivered at the heat that was building in her most sensitive of spots.
"Damn it, Keelin. You died. I watched you die. I just, it was too much. I couldn't wrap my head around what happened and then you just…you died. I was terrified." Flynn brought his forehead to hers. Keelin's heart hiccupped.
Hope slid into her stomach.
"You left me. I came to and you just left," Keelin whispered. She felt tears prick her eyes. "You hurt me," she whispered.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left. I didn't sleep at all last night. I planned to come today to apologize. It doesn't matter what you are, Keelin. Your heart is pure as gold. So is Fiona's. I could never look at what the both of you are and hate you. I love you. All of you. Every last stubborn bit." Flynn raised his eyes to hers as Keelin felt her whole body flare with a flash of heat.
"You do? You really do?" Keelin felt the heat rush over her in a wave and she began to cry thick, fat tears, and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.
"Yes, you difficult, strong, beautiful woman. I fell for you the moment that I saw you. I want you as much as I want my next breath." Flynn captured her mouth with his and swallowed Keelin's sobs.
Her body shuddered with emotion as her heart sang. She heard a loud crack and pulled back to stare at the cove.It glowed a brilliant blue and a small flash of white light beamed from a cave far out in the rocky wall of the cove. Almost indistinguishable from the other rocks, Keelin would never have seen the small tunnel.
"Flynn! Look!" He turned and she felt his body go rigid at the image of the gently pulsing light that emanated from the cove and the cave.
"What…what is it?" Flynn said warily. He shifted to protect her.
"No, it's okay. It's said that the cove glows in the presence of true love. And, that tunnel must be where the chalice is. The cove is showing us her secrets. It trusts us." Keelin smiled at the cove and silently thanked Grace for the gift. She would be sure to honor it.
Flynn shook his head ruefully as the glow in the water subsided. He smiled a crooked smile down at her and Keelin's eyes pricked at how close she had come to losing this man.
"So, are our kids going to be witches too?"
