“I don’t know that at all,” Carrick replies, shifting so he can press a kiss to my mouth. “You are full of surprises. You have grit like no other being I’ve ever known. You’re smart, intuitive, confident, and strong in heart and body. I’m actually a little afraid for Kymaris.”
I laugh because that’s what his speech was meant to elicit. But I also know he meant all those things. Carrick never paid false compliments. “I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?”
Carrick snorts and wraps his arms around me for a squeeze. “You’re also headstrong, stubborn, and you rush into things without having a healthy dose of fear for the consequences. But these are the perils of loving you. It means accepting a certain level of worry.”
Tipping my head, I ask, “So I’ve always been like this?”
The corners of Carrick’s lips tip up ever so slightly. “Every damn incarnation.”
“Like, give me an example,” I press, because I seriously doubt I’ve put myself into the type of danger I faced today. None of my prior lives involved thwarting prophecies and battling dark creatures.
I sit up and twist on his lap so I can see him face to face, my head tipped expectantly.
“Well, there was that time in the sixties that you rushed off to an anti-war demonstration that turned very violent. You got into a fistfight with a cop and got arrested. I had to bail you out of jail.”
My jaw drops as I accuse, “You’re making that up.”
“I’m not,” he says assuredly, and I believe him.
“What else?” I press, because maybe that was an isolated incident.
“When you were a cattlewoman in New Zealand, a horrid rain and windstorm swept over your ranch. One of your calves got lost in it, and you went out on your own to find it. You didn’t even tell me… just hopped on your horse and rode out, branches snapping and falling, debris flying through the air. One of the hands told me you’d left and by the time I’d found you about an hour later, you had the calf draped over your lap on the horse and a huge cut to your head from a flying branch.”
“I was a hero,” I state proudly, puffing out my chest.
“You were a menace to my sanity,” he counters with a laugh. “So I wasn’t surprised you rushed off to save Blain. I have realized that’s who you are at your core. You will always do those things, and I’ll always be pissed at you. I expect it will be that way in the future when we find each other again.”
A smile comes unbidden, as it often does when I’m reminded we have eternity together.
It’s wiped off when Carrick brings me back to reality. “We have a lot of work to do. We need to garner more support to our side.”
“Do you think Nimeyah will join us?” I ask. Deandra certainly doesn’t think she will, and I find it odd that Deandra—who I hated the most out of that family—has turned out to be the one with honor and character.
Carrick shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“What about her husband, Callidan?”
“He’s a doormat.” It’s clear Carrick has never respected this particular fae. “He’ll do whatever Nimeyah tells him to do. But at least we’ll give it a try.”
“I assume you don’t want me to go with you and Deandra tomorrow?” I ask, proud that I have no desire to go due to any jealousy of Deandra. In fact, I’m ambivalent about it.
“It will be better if it’s just the two of us,” Carrick replies. “And besides, Rainey and Myles are returning tomorrow from their honeymoon. I think you could do with some time with them.”
My heart goes flippity-flop. I’d been so wrapped up in rescues, powerful magic, and flying bullets that I had forgotten about that. Yes, I’d really love to hang with them tomorrow because time is getting short for all of us.
“After I leave Faere, I’m going to travel to a realm of winged Light Fae called Brevala and prevail upon them to join us. Then I might need to make some visits to some others who owe me favors.”
And, of course, Titus and Caiden were gathering the annihilators to join us. Maybe we’d have a large enough force to disrupt the ritual and keep the veil intact.
“What should I do?” I ask.
“You need to handle Blain,” he reminds me, and I jolt because I had literally forgotten about him. “He’s probably pretty messed up. No telling what was done.”
“Can’t I do some witchy magic on his memory or something?” I ask.
Carrick actually looks alarmed I’d suggest such a thing, but then I grin. “Just kidding… I know better than to mess with stuff like that.”
I get a swift kiss born of amusement. When he pulls back, he’s serious once again. “Even I wouldn’t do anything to mess with his memory and I have the ability to do it. The human psyche is fragile. I think he needs to be told the truth of what is going on, and I think he needs to stay in hiding until this is all over with. I suggest somewhere far away from here and with some professional psychological help.”