“Enjoy the moment, Cael.” The man shook his head as he met my gaze. “My son doesn’t know how to savor every moment. Life is about the little things. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
“Introduce me to your friend, Cael.”
Cael sighed. “This is Elliot Coyne. I told you about him and my reaper brother, Grym.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.”
He smiled. “Call me Aengus.”
I turned to Cael for help on how to ask a god for a favor. Cael rolled his eyes. “I told you we needed your help before. That’s why Elliot is here.”
Aengus met my gaze. “You fell in love with a reaper. That makes you very special. Love can do great things. Don’t you agree?”
“The realm-walking thing and immortality are nice perks, but Grym is what makes me feel special.”
“What a lovely response, but I’m afraid Grym is beyond your reach now.” Aengus shook his head. “Donn has sent hellhounds into Tech Duinn. It will take the three of us to save him.” He tilted his head and scowled. His jaw muscles twitched. “Oh, that will not do. Not. At. All. Donn has gone a step too far by taking the beloveds.”
Aengus stood, holding out his hands, one to me and one to Cael. He smiled at me as if he knew the panic had set in and was taking hold the more he spoke.
I took his hand with my own shaky one. I couldn’t speak with the emotions lodged in my throat.
“I told you this would get worse,” Cael growled. His expression hardened. “We should have done something days ago.”
“My stepping in wasn’t an option until now. Love, not war. You know that’s what we are about, my son.”
Cael sighed. “We’re at least going to rescue Grym and the beloveds, right?”
Aengus nodded. “I will do that much.”
“How... how do you...” I wasn’t sure what I was asking. I didn’t want to believe something bad was happening to Grym, but a thousand scenarios kept running through my head, each worse than the last.
“How do I know a reaper is in Tech Duinn? I can sense the tether binding you. It’s stretched too far, out of your reach, but it only just happened.”
The ache in my chest worsened.
“It makes me very sad, too.”
Cael huffed. “Which is the only reason he’s helping us, by the way.”
I didn’t care why he was helping. I was just glad he was.
As we walked, the garden turned black. Aengus and Cael glowed as though they were giant flashlights. It took me a minute to realize their auras were the only light in the dark. Aengus’s light was brighter than Cael’s. The light should have been a blessing, and in some ways it was, but it illuminated their surroundings. There was nothing but dense forests for miles, and things with glowing eyes watched them from their hiding spots in the brush.
“Fucking light.” Cael drew his sword from its sheath. “I’m like a damn beacon for whatever Donn cooks up in that messed-up brain of his.”
“You know him, Cael.”
“Sometimes I wish I had never met him,” Cael mumbled.
“I’m sure you do, and I’m sorry for your pain. I didn’t mean to bring up the past.”
“This whole thing with him brings it to the surface.” Cael stayed vigilant, scanning the area to make sure nothing lurked nearby.
Aengus sighed. “Do you think his imagination goes beyond demons and hellhounds?”
“Isn’t that enough?” I asked. I hoped we wouldn’t find out. I hoped Grym wouldn’t find out either.
