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So focused was he on pulling the dark poison from her body, that he barely noticed the others surround him and lay their hands on Terra. Together, they poured their love and magick into his woman, and, when Rian ripped the last nasty bit of dark magick from her and poured it into the ground, his entire body trembled with the effort.
“Rian.” It was but a whisper, but it was all Rian needed to hear. Burying his head into her neck, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Sweet Terra. My beautiful Goddess. You’ve come back to me.”
“You claimed me.” Terra gave a happy little trill. “I can feel it.”
“I did, my love. It’s an idiot I am for making you wait for my claim. I should have accepted you the moment you told me you were my fated mate.”
“You can hold that over his head for ages now,” Seamus piped up, and Terra chuckled, the vibrations of her laughter warming Rian.
“Oh, I plan to,” Terra laughed, turning her head so her lips met his.
It was the kiss to end all kisses, and had they been anywhere else, at any other time, Rian would have sunk into it. Instead, he broke the kiss and looked up at the others.
“We need to leave at once. Be ready to transport as soon as possible.”
“Where are we going?” Terra blinked up at him, her eyes still groggy with pain.
“I know just the spot,” Rian promised her.
22
Terra rested for a moment,keeping her eyes closed and her head on Rian’s shoulder, as he hurried the others along. It didn’t really matter where they were going, so long as it was away from Goddess Domnu and the amulet came with her. Luckily, she could feel its happy hum at her leg. She had just been reaching for it when she’d been cornered by the Domnua, and now she was grateful to have it still strapped to her thigh. They were moving quickly, and it didn’t matter if her pack got left behind. But not her…
Terra jerked her head up.
“Cormac.” Instantly, sadness hit her like a ton of bricks, and tears began seeping from her eyes again. “We can’t leave him.”
“Shhh, darling, I’ll take care of it. I promise you.” Rian gave Callahan a look, who nodded once before crossing the meadow.
“Can he get him home?” Terra asked. She knew her brother was gone, at least from this realm, but still she wanted to perform his last rites. Though he’d left this world on a low note, his life hadn’t been all bad. They would need to celebrate the whole of it, not just focusing on the distressing portions. Because wasn’t that what life was about? Nobody was perfect all the time. A life was made up of mistakes and hurts and grievances, along with achievements, goodwill, and kind gestures. Terra refused to define her brother by the one devious act in his life but, at the same time, she could acknowledge that he’d done wrong. Either way, a life had ended, and he was due his last rites. She would perform them when she was able.
“Of course. Just focus on your healing, we’ll take care of your brother.” At the softness in his voice, Terra shifted and brought her hand to his face.
“You aren’t angry with him anymore?” Terra studied her fated mate’s perfect face.
“I don’t know that it will go away that easily. It’s not necessarily something I can immediately turn off, but I don’t think he deserved death either. I may have said I wanted to kill him more than a few times during my exile, but it’s not the justice I actually wanted served. I’m sorry for your loss,” Rian said.
“That’s fair,” Terra said, pressing her lips together. She had to acknowledge Rian’s feelings in all of this. Cormac had turned their lives upside down and would still do from his grave once her family learned of his misdeeds. But that was for another time, she supposed.
“Let’s go,” Bianca said, having hurried back with their satchels.
“Callahan?” Rian called across the meadow.
“It’s done,” Callahan said, and Terra closed her eyes in relief. “Cormac has returned home.”
The guards would attend to his body, Terra knew from previous experiences when Fae returned to their realm after losing their lives. He was in safe hands now. Exhausted, Terra turned her face into Rian’s chest and let the tears come.
The strange sucking sensation that went with transporting surrounded her, and, when it was over, Terra looked up and blinked. They were in another meadow, by another set of cliffs, and beside a cheerful looking cottage. A bark sounded, and Terra shifted to see a dog with ears flopping in the wind race over to them.
“That’s a good girl. Haven’t seen you in a bit, Rosie.” Bianca crouched and scratched the dog’s ears. Looking up at where Rian still held Terra, she smiled at him. “Good choice.”
“Where are we?” Terra asked.
“At my home. I’m Gracie, by the way.” A woman with tumbling hair and confident eyes nodded to Terra. “This wee beastie is my overly opinionated dog, and the lot of you are looking a touch worse for wear.”
“A few bumps and bruises to heal up,” Seamus said, brushing a kiss across Gracie’s cheek.
