Dark Fae(11)

Don smiled, his grin splitting his face. “Now, that’s my girl. You let love rule your heart, and that is what will save us all.”

Reaching out, he took my hand and pulled it towards the Cauldron. “Stick your hand in there, you’ll be marked, a brand as it were. Through the mark you will be able to heal Luke, even if he’s crossed over. But only if it’s recent.” Again, he lifted his finger to me. “If he’s been dead more than an hour, you can’t save him.”

Gritting my teeth, I plunged my hand into the Cauldron, expecting the heat to be intense, the pain to be all-consuming, but the mist just engulfed my hand, and warmth spread up my arm as the pink fog clung to me. I swirled my hand about and, though I couldn’t see it, dipping my hand deep into the fluid within the Cauldron.

“How long will it take?” I lifted my eyes to Don’s.

“It’s done,” he said, motioning for me to take my hand out.

Standing up, I pulled my hand out. There on the palm was etched a cup, like the world’s most intricate and detailed tattoo. Jewels stood out along the stem, and the base pearls and diamonds that even reflected the light around us back to me.

“You can use that mark to heal one time. One time only. “If you use the Cauldron a second time, you will likely lose your life.”

“Likely?”I asked.

“Well, let’s just say that it will take everything you have and then keep on taking.” Don shook his head, a tear slipping from his eye. “So, just don’t try a second time.” Leaning over he patted my cheek, his lips trembling. As he pulled away I saw the faint imprint of a cup—the same cup I now had on my hand—on his. A flash of insight hit me hard.

“That’s how you lost your Mary, isn’t it?” I whispered. “She used it twice.”

Don nodded, the tears running freely now. “She was a brave girl, a beauty like you, but her heart was too big. I tried to get to her, but it was too late for her; she was gone too long.” He sniffled and rubbed one big hand across his eyes.“Go on now, you don’t need to have the same thing happen to you and your man.”

On impulse, I gave Don a hug, holding him tight for a brief moment before leaping to my feet. I waved back to him, as Bres and I ran down the beach. There was one final burning question I had.

“How do we get back to Fianna and the swamp?”

“We don’t. You do,” Bres said.

As if his words were the signal, something pulled on me, like a marionette string attached to my body that I’d been unaware of all along.

“No! I’m not leaving without you,” I screamed. Before I could get yanked any further, I leapt towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Hang on to me. I’m not going to leave you behind.”

His arms wound about me, but with every beat of his heart under my ear, I felt him fading.

No! Bres, fight for me! I screamed into his mind.

I’m trying, Quinn. He whispered back.

I struggled to hang onto him, tried to find a way to bury my hands into him so that whatever was trying to spit me back out into the swamp would take him too.

Love. Don had said love would save us. Maybe now would be a good time to not only listen to those words, but believe in them too.

Lifting my head, I pressed my lips to his, the kiss deepening without any effort. Bres’ hands tangled into my hair as I forgot for just a moment why I’d kissed him and only knew that it was everything I wanted. The kiss was a fire that raced through my body, weakened my knees and drew a moan from my lips. His body seemed to solidify in more ways than one, his arms pinning me to his chest. My feet were lifted from the ground as we clung to each other, lips sealed. I wouldn’t lose him, not again.

Someone cleared their throat. “Well, I see you found him,” Fianna said, though she seemed, to me, to be quite far away.

I could barely open my eyes, the languor of Bres’ kiss stealing any ability I had to move fast. “What happened?”

Bres smiled down at me, his eyes full of a hunger that we’d re-lit with one kiss. Good gods, what would happen if Luke saw us like this?

The cold from the swamp seeped back into me, but my left hand, the one with the Cauldron’s mark, was still pleasantly warm.

“We have to hurry,” I said, stepping back from Bres and untangling my arms from him, knowing I couldn’t untangle my heart so easily, but then, I didn’t really want to untangle my heart from him or Luke.

“Come, I will lead the way back,” Fianna said. I finally looked over at her and frowned. The light around us was not anywhere near where it had been when I’d gone through the gateway. It was morning now, daybreak, and I’d gone through as the moon rose.