“Seriously?”
Trace nodded. “They have no knowledge of shifters, the Fianna, or any of us. As far as the people on the other side of the door are concerned, even you and me are heroes in a myth that has never even been fully written down.”
Take our mate and run.
Not being able to shift was going to be a problem. He and Failinis liked being able to switch places depending on who was feeling most like dealing with other people.
I never feel like being around people.
People smell.
“Don’t worry too much.” Trace interrupted the rant Failinis was about to go on in Cian’s head. “When you are on my property, you should be okay. Just don’t go outside the bounds of the fairy circle.”
“Stay in the Lios, got it.”
Reaper uncrossed his arms and rolled his shoulders. “We doing this or what?”
Viper nodded. “Soon as Ward gives the all-clear.”
Ward didn’t take his hand off the stone. His brow furrowed, his lips moving silently as if counting. Then, with a sharp inhale, he stepped back. “It’s now or never. The door’s aligning with the ley lines, but my magic isn’t that strong yet, so it won’t hold for long.”
Juice cracked his knuckles. “Then let’s move.”
Cian adjusted the strap of his bag, the familiar weight of his blades settling against his spine. He caught Reaper’s eye, just for a second, but it was enough. Warmth flowed down the bond flared between them, and for the first time since they’d stepped into this clearing, Reaper’s expression softened. Just a little… just enough that Cian knew he and Failinis had to go where they had once sworn never to return to... the other side of the veil.
Where our Grá Croí leads, we will follow.
Agreed.
Kaze slung his rifle over his shoulder, the modern weapon a jarring contrast to the ancient magic swirling around them. “You sure this thing’s not gonna fry our brains or something?”
Zero smirked. “If it does, at least it’ll be quick.”
Trace barked a laugh. “No promises.”
He watched Zero go first, followed by Kaze. When it was Reaper’s turn he had to force himself not to snatch his man back and hold him to his chest.
“Just like walking into the hall at Dún Fianna,” Trace said.
He knew that was a lie. There was a little more to crossing the veil than walking through a door. But Cian nodded, then without another word, followed his mate into what had become a whole new world since he’d last graced its shores.
The moment his boot crossed the threshold, the world tilted. The air thickened, his vision blurred, and colors bled together. Failinis snarled in his mind, hackles rising, but Cian forced himself to keep moving.
One step.
Two.
Then the pressure vanished, and the scents of a forest filled his lungs.
Cian blinked, steadying himself as the world righted itself. In his head, Failinis hissed against the change, unsettled without the familiar tang of magic that buoyed Tír na nÓg like a sea.
Reaper stood a few feet away, his face lightened when he met his gaze. “You found me.”
“Just as you knew how to find me at my father’s house.” He moved to stand next to him, “I’ll always find you.”
“You okay?” Reaper asked. “You know, being here?
Cian nodded slowly, feeling the weight of his Grá Croí bond pulling against the strangeness of modern-day, despite the calm suffused through him. “It’s different.”
