"Did I take too much? Evee? Oh shit Fiona's gonna kill me. I'm such an ass."

I tried to keep a straight face but Liam's accent and worry over his beloved Fiona made me giggle.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL! EVELYN!?!?!"

It was finally night time and he was back to his old self... almost. There was still sadness in his eyes and a wariness about him.

"I couldn't help it! I've told you time and time again that I'm fine. I'll let you know when your feeding becomes too much. And I'll talk to Fiona."

He was out of the hole pacing back and forth in his bare feet. "Like hell you will. This is between me and my mate." At the word mate he stopped and sank down, his thighs sitting back on his calves. "But maybe she isn't mine."

"Liam, that's ridiculous. You know that right? I'm going to to pick my true mate and break this stupid curse that my crazy ancestor put on you all."

He stretched his arm out to help lift me up and out of the hole. Once out, I turned around and put my hands to the earth.

'Thank you Gaia for your protection.'

And with that the hole closed up and the tall grasses sprouted from the ground. I don't know why but I felt the need to take some with me. I ripped off a handful and put it in my pouch.

Turning to Liam I asked if he was ready to go. He picked me up and we were off.

"Can you ask the Moon Goddess for directions?"

At first I laughed assuming it was a joke, but when I looked up at him I realized he was serious.

"Uh I don't know. I mean I can try. Do you not know where you are going?"

He just looked down at me giving me no answer and less confidence.

I looked at the rising moon and asked Selene to show us the way.

Without delay we heard wolves howling. Liam almost fell out of the sky at the sound.

It was so melodic and eerie, yet beautiful. I wanted to cry.

Liam tilted his head and said thanks out loud and started following the noise. His hearing being supernatural he heard the direction of the wolves howling. To me it sounded louder and I was more aware of how each howl was distinct but my faery side didn't include keen hearing like werewolves and vampires had.

"Praise Selene, we are saved!" Liam's lips were turning up at the ends. He deserved to smile. I missed his smile.

"Hey, I believe you meant to say 'praise all goddess' not just Selene." I poked him in the chest and quickly put my arm back around his neck holding tightly to my other hand.

He smirked! It worked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what? I believe all women are goddesses. No offense to the goddesses that have clearly helped us and taken quite a liking to you lass, but all women should be treated with respect and be worshipped." He winked. I knew what he meant and it just made me happy to see his charm coming back.

"Mmhmm Fiona is one lucky gal. I guess I have to choose between Oisin and Rian now so when we get back you can go to her knowing the mate bond is and was always there between you two."

"Are you really thinking of Rian?"

"Do you mind if I talk it out. I can't draw up an pros and con list while we are flying."

Liam's hand held me tighter as he turned to follow the wolves howling. "Sure Princess, what are friends for?"

"I am thinking of Rian. Oisin is a perfect fit but that's what makes me question it. Maybe Maggie is involved in how I feel about Oisin. I only recently found out that Rian had killed my stepfather."

"What the fuck you talkin' 'bout lass?!" His thick accent came through and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his skull. "He hadn't even known 'bout you!"

"That's what he wants everyone to think but he tried to compel me and it didn't work because I wasn't fully human. Nyx showed me the memory." I let out a big sigh, "I always thought I had killed him and even though he deserved it after everything he did to me, I'm not a killer. He deserved to be behind bars after going before a judge and jury."

I felt Nyx's grip dig into me but this time we weren't turning; he was angry. I continued when I heard him grinding his teeth.

"Rian's artwork impressed me too."

"And he tried to claim you." Liam's fangs were coming out and his eyes darkened the more infuriated he became.

"But he didn't. Try to, I mean. You fed from me. Oisin fed from me. Rian pretended that he couldn't feed from me to keep me safe. He wanted to rile Oisin up enough to get in the way of me becoming a sex slave or blood bag." I shrugged. "Thinking about it, he knew Oisin was in love with me even before Oisin had admitted it to himself. And now that we know about Maggie... kind of... we know that Rian wouldn't want another situation like that."

"So the bastard might actually be your mate. Bloody hell Evee, only this could happen to you."

"Not really. It happened to Maggie, didn't it."

The night sky was clear and we saw some shooting stars as we passed from one realm into the other. The wolves quieted down as we got closer and closer to home.

"No, Maggie played them for power and revenge. She didn't love them. She loved power and wanted to push them to see which one would lead her to the top. When Rian did, she stood by his side in public, while telling a depressed Oisin that she truly loved him and was with Rian for appearances only. There is a lot more to that story that you don't know. It was fucked-up what she did."

I nodded in agreement. There was also that whole possible murder that no one seemed to care about.

"True, but what I do know is that although Rian made me feel more than uncomfortable and nearly raped me like my stepfather had, or at least appeared to try to? Does that make sense?"

"Not really, but go on."

"Rian and I do have a connection. I can't deny that any longer. But the more I learn about myself and who or what I am, the more I see Oisin as a piece of my soul, part of my being. Isn't that what a soulmate is?"

"Well, Princess, I apparently don't know, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that without Fiona I am not whole. She has my entire heart and yes, even my soul. I'm not myself without her. I don't mean that to come off as codependent as it sounds. I mean it is, but it's not. I'm better with her. I gave her my heart willingly. And even when she tried to give it back after you left for Tir na Nog, I couldn't accept it. Maybe we don't have the mate bond to really tie us to one another but she's my mate, my chosen mate. We aren't like the werewolves who have the Moon Goddess creating only one mate for them, and occasionally a second chance mate. We have each other. An eternity together."

My heart sank to in my chest and knotted in my stomach. I didn't understand the werewolf mate being different from a vampire mate until now. Faeries have true matches, aka mates, too but faeries are also fun-loving, hypersexual, and flirtatious. They don't always find their mate. My mother did with my father, but I hadn't seen many other faery couples. The ones I did meet were dating around or decided to marry for the sake of having a family. There was lust and love in every relationship I saw, but few had the glow that came with finding your true mate.

I wished in that moment that Nyx, Violet, and Maeve found the love of their lives. My heart ached and I felt like weeping. Something was terribly off.

"We're here Princess. See that building in the distance?"

There was a gothic castle like building in the distance and a town gated downtown that was packed with vampires going about their 'day' presumably. The compound was much more attractive outside then I had imagined. From way up here I could see the work being done on the one section and remembered that they had just remodeled the main entrance for guests.

"Wow"

"Home. At last." Liam's eyes were tearing up. He seemed to have some conflicting emotions.

Yes. Home at last.