When he saw the guy coming to take their lunch order, Fionn had lowered the spell that blocked their conversation from other passengers and put the headphones away. The spell was still down as they settled into their seats. They’d only been on the train three hours. After he’d told his story, Fionn had fallen into silence. Rose had discerned correctly; he wasn’t much of a talker beyond mandatory explanations.
The silence, however, was not awkward between them. It was comfortable.
“There’s another four hours to go,” he said, glancing out the train window. They traveled along the Adriatic coast, and the late afternoon sun glistened across the sea. “Perhaps get some rest. We have a two-hour wait in Milan.”
Usually this would suit Rose. She was used to sleeping during the day because of her job, but now she was too wired. “I’ll rest on the train to Barcelona.”
He shrugged like it made no difference to him.
“So I’m immortal, right?” It sounded crazy saying that out loud.
“Yes.”
“When do I stop aging and changing?”
“You already have. From what I gathered from my time on Faerie, the fae stop developing once they reach adulthood. Roughly twenty-one, twenty-two years old.”
Huh. Rose let this sink in. No wrinkles for her, then. That was pretty cool.
Speaking of which …
“When can we start training?” She was itching to learn to control her powers but also to see what she was capable of. The last thing she wanted was for Fionn to hide her behind him again like he’d done in the woods with those warlocks. Rose hated depending on anyone for anything, and that most definitely included her survival. “I need to take care of myself.”
Fionn studied her a moment and then stood. “Wait here.”
She frowned, watching as he disappeared out of their carriage. What the hell? She sat for several minutes wondering what he was doing and if he was coming back.
Of course, he was coming back, she scolded herself. The dude was trying to save her life and the world at the same time.
When Fionn reappeared, Rose breathed a sigh of relief. “Where did you go?”
Instead of answering, he gestured for her to follow him. “What about your stuff?”
“What stuff?” He waved a hand over his belongings and the air shimmered as shadows from the dark corners of the train crept over the items, camouflaging them.
A swift grin replaced Rose’s concerned frown. “That is very cool.” She looked to him from the items and found him watching her.
Something like amusement flashed across his expression.
But it was gone so quickly, Rose wondered if she’d imagined it.
Rose followed him out of the carriage and through several others. He halted when they entered an empty carriage. He turned to her. “Let’s train.”
The thought was both scary and exhilirating. “Here?”
“Where’s better to train than on a train?”
She grinned. “Are you cracking jokes again?”
“Again, if you have to ask …”
Glancing around at all the empty seats, Rose’s smile slipped. Suspicion formed in her mind. “Why is this carriage empty?”
“I encouraged the occupants to move elsewhere. No one will disturb us here.”
“By encourage, do you mean that mind-control crap?”
Fionn shrugged.
Shrugged.
Unease moved through Rose. “You said it was only to be used in a life-or-death situation.”
“This whole situation is life or death, Rose.”
She glared at him.
He sighed. Heavily. “You need to practice if you want to learn to defend yourself. I made it so you could. Unless you’re happy to stand behind my back and let me protect you.”
Anger suffused her at the taunt.
Fionn nodded. “I thought not.”
“I don’t like it,” she told him. “The other abilities are exciting. But that mind thing—it seems wrong.”
“Because it is. But you live in a new world now, and you must make decisions, choices, that won’t sit well with you. That’s your new reality. Or are you okay that I killed two warlocks to save your life today?”
As if on cue, Fionn’s cell rang, thankfully saving her from answering his complicated question. The question was simple; its answer was complicated.
He pulled the phone out of his back trousers pocket. “Bran,” he told her before hitting a button. “You’re on speaker with me and Rose.”
Bran’s voice filled the empty carriage. “No humans listening in?”
“No.”
“Sorry it took a few hours but my contact at the coven needed further incentive to divulge the info we need.”
“Pay them whatever they want,” Fionn acceded.
“Already suspected you’d say so and already did.” He released an exhalation. “Rose, I’m sorry, but the two warlocks who came after you were in fact O’Connor warlocks. My contact relayed your story. Are you ready for it?”
She wasn’t sure but she nodded mutely anyway.
Fionn replied, “She’s ready.”
“Each baby in the O’Connor Coven is put before a psychic. The O’Connors have held a line of psychic witches in their coven dating back to the fourteenth century. Anyway, the psychic got a vision of what you were, so the coven gathered around you, felt your power, and brought your case before the equivalent of a high court to decide your fate. It should be noted they did this without informing the European High Council of your existence.
“Anyway, your parents pled for you to live. In the end, the majority decided to cast a spell that would suppress your powers. However, it was under the proviso that if the spell ever broke … they’d sentence you to death, Rose.”
Nausea welled inside her.
“They forbid your parents to leave Dublin with you, but when they died in a car accident and your aunt became your guardian, she had a different notion. You see, your mam was the eldest daughter of the coven leader and as such raised to be a leader, but her younger sister, Rihanna, whom you know as Anna, was a typical rebel. Apparently, she constantly disobeyed her family’s wishes, including marrying Cian Cosway, whom you know as Bill. Cosway was covenless and considered too common for the daughter of an O’Connor. Anna married him behind their backs.
“Once they became your guardians, Anna and Bill cast a spell that allowed them to flee Ireland. They took you to the States under a false identity, and they’ve been in hiding from the coven ever since.
“But when the spell on you broke, the entire coven felt it.”
Her mom and dad hadn’t betrayed her.
They’d been trying to protect her all this time. She looked over at Fionn, tears blurring her vision. “My mom and dad … are they safe?”
Bran answered. “According to my warlock, they’re still in hiding. The coven doesn’t know where they are, but they’re not a priority for them. The priority is finding you.”
“Then how are they tracing Rose?” Fionn asked. “I assumed they were using personal items from her home back in the States.”
“Apparently, you left a jacket behind at the Zagreb nightclub, Rose. That’s what they’re using. But the witch who has the jacket is relaying your position to others coming after you. They don’t want to take the chance that the jacket will fall into your hands during a confrontation with the coven.”
“How many are following us?”
“They’ve sent out a witch and warlock. They don’t know where you’re going, only where you are, so they’re following by road. The problem occurs when you stop too long in one place.”
Fionn stared impassively at Rose as she fought back tears of relief. “We need to destroy that jacket if w
e can.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Offer your informant double what you’ve paid them to take out the witch with the jacket and burn the damn thing.”
Uneasiness swamped Rose. This was no longer defense playing. This was offense.
It felt like war.
“Because it is a war,” Fionn said softly.
Had she spoken out loud?
“Aye,” he replied. “I’m not a mind reader, Rose.”
“Fionn,” Bran said, his voice cutting through their staring contest. “Just a reminder—the Blackwoods are using Barcelona as a trap.”
“I’m aware I have two covens on my arse, Bran,” he said. “Anything else to report?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Thank you, Bran,” Rose said before Fionn could hang up.
“No problem. I’m sorry my news is so fucking dismal.”
“It wasn’t,” she promised him. “It’s good to know my parents have been trying to protect me and that they’re safe.”
Fionn hung up before Bran could reply.
“That was rude,” she huffed.
He ignored her and took a few steps down the carriage in her direction. “We can leave training to later. Your mind might not be in the right place now.”
Rose straightened. “No, I can do this. I want to … but …”
“But?”
“I need to let my parents know I’m okay. I don’t want them traveling to Europe and getting caught up in this when they could be safe at home in the States.”
Fionn let out another heavy sigh and then began typing on his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Asking Bran to keep checking on your parents. If they make a move, we’ll get a message to them.”
Rose felt her whole body relax. Gratitude swamped her. “Thank you. I know you’re helping me for reasons bigger than me, but thank you.”
He frowned and strode to the other side of the carriage. He turned to face her again, his expression blank. “Don’t thank me. Let’s practice.”
Bracing her legs to face him, Rose’s body thrummed with anticipation. “Okay. How?”
“Sometimes, as much as it sticks in the craw, it’s better to hide than to fight. The more supes you fight, the greater the likelihood of them discovering you’re not a witch but fae. Witches can’t travel, for a start.” Fionn gestured beyond her. “What I did to my belongings, you’re going to do now to yourself.”