Page 173

“Finn, please… share with us what you were told,” Amelia says.

Running a hand down his face, Finn meets Amelia’s gaze as he continues. “The same woman approached me.”

Finn looks down at me, his expression troubled. “In the same tavern the night before. She came up to me out of nowhere, as if she’d been waitin’ for me. She spoke of things that defied explanation—words that felt like riddles spoken by a troubled woman. But now…” He looks directly down at me. “She was speakin’ about you.”

I ask, my voice rising with urgency, “What did she say?”

Finn hesitates, as though the words weighed heavily on his tongue. Finally, he exhales, his voice low and steady. “As you said, it seemed the speech of a madwoman. She said, ‘She is the thread that binds you to the stars.’”

My breath catches, and I stand abruptly. “She told me ‘You are the thread that binds him to the stars,’” I add softly, the weight of the revelation sinking into the space between us.

Finn’s eyes search mine. Slowly, he reaches out, his hand trembling slightly as he cups my cheek. His thumb brushes against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. “It’s as if… we were always meant to find each other,” he murmurs, his voice raw.

Emotion wells up inside me, threatening to spill over. I cover his hand with mine, leaning into his touch. “What does being bound like this mean?”

His forehead rests lightly against mine, his breath warm against my skin. “It means we’re stronger together than we are apart.”

“Quite the opposite of what you’ve believed of yourself, right Finn?” Bran says.

I place my hand on the back of his neck. “I could have told you how wrong that was years ago if only you’d told me how you felt then,” I say as I kiss his cheek.

Finn’s hand slips to the back of my neck, grounding me with his touch. “If the stars bind us, then they’ve already seen what we can be.”

Tears sting my eyes as his words settle over me. There is a strange comfort in the way he speaks. As if he possesses the knowledge of our future.

Before either of us can delve further, Mannie claps, breaking the moment. “Ooo, I do so love the joining of two souls, don’t you, Amelia?”

“Indeed, but such bonds are not without trial. Threads must sometimes fray to find their true strength.” Amelia turns her gaze to Deidre, their eyes meeting briefly. Something unspoken passes between them—pain, perseverance, love earned.

Mannie’s grin widens as he leans closer. “Trial, indeed. Though I suspect these two are not ones to let their thread snap so easily.”

Finn shifts beside me, his jaw tight. “Tell me something, Mannie,” he says, voice cool and clipped. “Have you been screwin’ with us this whole time? Flirtin’ with Triona, buttin’ in to compliment her, touch her, dance with her—was that all just some game to you?”

Mannie doesn’t retreat. If anything, he tilts his head with maddening calm, that ever-present smile twitching like he’s tempted to laugh—but doesn’t.

“Hardly a game, Finn. I only ever meant to push you two together—seemed the only way to get you to move.”

He lets that linger, then adds, “Though I will admit, watching you stew was a delightful bonus.”

Finn steps forward, but I place my hand firmly against his chest. His breath hitches under the weight of my palm, and his jaw loosens just enough.

“Who exactly is this maiden?” Finn asks sharply.

Mannie sobers. “She is a Keeper,” he says with more weight than flair this time. “An oracle’s guide. The Mirror of Whispers she carries would have pointed her directly at you.”

Finn’s brows draw together. “To Triona?”

“To you both,” Mannie corrects. “The mirror does not see faces. It sees ties—what is bound, what is meant. That is how she found you.”

My hand remains on Finn’s chest. “So she was sent?”

Mannie nods. “In a way. Called, rather. By fate.”

His expression softens. “Your mother,” he says, his voice quiet, “was a Timewhisperer. She could hear the echoes of what has yet to come, the whispers of fate weaving through the air.”

I blink, the words barely registering. “A Timewhisperer? My mother?” My voice trembles as I speak.

Mannie continues as if his words aren’t an absolute shock. “And you, Little One…” His voice takes on a reverence that makes my stomach twist. “You have the power to do both.”