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Mananan’s feet touch the sand, and he instantly sensed the portal beneath him, the magic choked as it was filtered through the altar somehow. He didn’t need to know the how. He just needed to get rid of the blasted thing. He wedged the silver grenade under the rocks, pulled the pin, and swam away to get some distance between them.
The water vibrated around him, whipping past, toward the altar like it had been sucked in. It burst in a silent explosion, Taranis and Charlotte’s combined magic mixed with something dark and distinctly Formorian. The altar was obliterated, and the portal shuddered to life.
What the fuck had they done?
Mananan swam back to the portal, pressed his palms on the sand and rock and fed it his magic. It burst back to life, briefly opening and letting in a school of bright fish and Faerie magic.
Mananan was concentrating on the portal so closely that he started in alarm when a tentacle brushed against him. He whirled, drawing Fragarach and striking his assailant in its monstrous head.
The creature was already dead. The sand was kicking up around him as dead horde creatures lifted out of the sea floor where they had burrowed and were floating to the surface.
The bomb had worked.
Mananan swam fast and breached the surface near the boat. Bayn reached out for him and hauled him back in.
“Well, I think we could call that a success,” Mananan said with a bark of laughter.
Above them, Taranis dove, catching one of the dead horde creatures from the water. He tossed it high in the air before sending a fire ball to incinerate it.
“Let’s hope they don’t play too long. We still have to go to Wales,” Bayn said, but he was smiling wide as he watched Taranis soar.
26
Ella and Chrissy found a corner of the library and set themselves up with tea and books. Freya had gone to her office to manage her antiquities business and had left the two women to their own devices.
Chrissy burned some sage and smudged Ella and herself before sitting down.
“It can’t hurt, right? I never know if it works, but the ritual of it makes me feel better,” she said. Her abundance of dark curls was pulled back with silver clips that matched her heavy jewelry. She had a gleam in her eyes as she shuffled a deck of cards.
Witch. It was a word Ella had never used for herself, but it was perfect for the beautiful woman in front of her.
“My grandmother Deidra would have loved you,” Ella said and then realized she had said it aloud.
“I’m sure I would’ve loved her too. Has she dropped into any more dreams?” Chrissy asked.
Ella shook her head. “Not yet. I was pretty tired after last night and didn’t dream at all.” Heat was creeping over her face, and she tried not to remember exactlywhyshe was too tired.
Chrissy’s smirk was all-knowing. “That good, huh? I’m not surprised. These fae males are something else in the sack, and their staying power is damn legendary.”
Ella covered her face. “Fuck, is it that obvious?”
“Babes, you’re radiant today, and if that wasn’t enough, Mananan looked smugger than a cat who got some very good cream,” Chrissy said and let out a big, bawdy laugh. “Don’t be shy. We are all good friends here.”
“We are?” Ella looked up, so hopeful, it made her heart hurt. She had always wanted friends. Real ones who could understand her.
Chrissy’s dark brown eyes softened. “Of course we are friends, Ella. We have adopted you, and you’re just going to have to get used to it, I’m afraid.”
“That’s not what I’m afraid of. I worry that I’ll get used to it, and it will all go away,” Ella admitted.
Chrissy surprised her by laughing again. “Let me tell you something about the fae, sweetheart. Once you have the attention of them, like you have with Mananan, they have no intention of letting you go anywhere. When I started working with Oberon, both of his brothers warned me that I was playing with fire. It’s how they are when they fall in love.”
Ella sipped her too hot tea and scalded her mouth. “You think he loves me?”
“We know he does. Literally all of us. He might not have said it yet because he doesn’t want to scare you off, but he’s there. Trust me,” she said. She looked like she was going to say something else and then changed her mind. “How do you feel about him?”
Ella pulled at her hair, feeling exposed and vulnerable. “The same. It’s crazy, right? I feel like I barely know him and also that I’ve never known anyone better. Even now, I’m worrying about him and hoping he’s okay. It’s messed up.”
“You have an ache in your chest?” Chrissy asked, brows drawing together.
