“What? Then who is it?” Ronnie asks, crying into the phone.

“We don’t know. She doesn’t know, either. But we’re fairly certain the fairy is hiding in the bog.”

“Our intuition was correct about the area all along, then. Who could it be?”

“Ashley isn’t a Tylwyth Teg, but her son is half fairy. The residue I sensed in her apartment didn’t belong to Nuada. Aidan’s power was sparked by coming in contact with magic at the bog. His father was here to corral a few fairies and take them home.”

“Shit. There’s more than one of them here?”

“Yeah, but Ashley believes this one is just hiding in the bog. She tried to communicate with her but got no response.”

“How is Derek?”

“He’s in the bedroom, lying down with his hand on Luna’s bassinet. I cry every time I'm in there. He feels helpless being an Unremarkable.”

“He’s not alone. The rest of us aren’t sure how to fight a Tylwyth Teg fairy.”

Ronnie sniffs. “Bring Luna home, Gwyn. A piece of me will be lost without her.”

“I promise I will. But we can’t do anything else tonight. It’s too dark. We’d be fighting blindly. The coven is meeting at sunrise in the park to avoid hikers. Plus, the temperature will be in the teens.”

“I won’t sleep until she’s back in my arms.”

“We’ll get her back, Ronnie. Try to sleep. You’ll need your energy in the morning when we return her to you.”

“I trust you all, but I can’t stay back at the house twiddling my thumbs. I need to go.”

“Rest the best you can, then. You’ll need your energy. Bye, Ronnie.”

The phone goes silent as I’m pulling into Archie’s driveway. He’s waiting in the foyer when I enter.

“You spoke with Ronnie?”

“Yeah.” I fall into his arms.

“We’ll figure out a way to puncture the barrier at the bog. Spence says he’ll dive in and search for the fairy’s protective bubble and retrieve Luna.”

“What if he can’t? I shouldn’t have messed up my training with Seamus. If I’d convinced him to share his secret about the third step, I could have prevented Luna’s kidnapping. I might have figured out how the bog was connected and that a fairy was hiding the children there.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself, Gwyn,” he says, kissing the top of my head. “You did the right thing regarding Seamus. If you had let things continue, you would have crossed a line. Using people isn’t in your skill set.”

“I won’t sleep a wink tonight,” I say, peering up at him.

He offers me his hand. “We have to try. Let’s get as much shuteye as we can. The coven needs to be at full capacity.”

“Ronnie’s going, but she won’t be much help in her weakened state.”

“Then we’ll fight harder.”

While I’m lying in bed, I gaze at Archie’s family dirk in the glass case. Do I have it in me to kill one more time?

Chapter twenty-sixTo Catch a Fairy

The moon is still shining through the front bedroom window when I wake, but a hint of sunrise peeks through pink skies. I barely slept, but adrenaline rushes through me like the first sip of hot cocoa, prompting my heart to pump faster than usual. I check my phone for the weather and discover a text from my crimson-haired best friend.

Ronnie: We barely slept. Derek is coming, too.

Me: OK. Tell him he’ll need to be careful. He’s an Unremarkable.

Ronnie: He doesn’t care. He’s helped us before.

Me: Meet you there.

I roll my head right on the pillow and find Archie dead to the world. I go into the bathroom to wash up and get dressed. When I’m finished, I tiptoe to his side and reach behind the headboard. I turn the key and remove the dirk from the glass case.

“What are you doing?” Archie asks in a thicker Scottish brogue.

I sit on the bed next to him, the dirk resting in my hand. “I couldn’t sleep any longer. We have no idea what powers this Tylwyth Teg has. I’m going to go early and check out the area.”

“Killing Nuada left you quite shaken. Are you sure you’re capable of taking the life of another fairy?”

“Fuck, yes. She took Ronnie and Derek’s baby.”

He sits up in bed. “That’s very true. But what happens if your PTSD is triggered? I should go with you.”

“You don’t think I can defend myself?”

He clasps my hand. “I do, but you’re a single witch, Gwyn. Fighting against a fairy with unknown powers. I almost lost you once. Please, let me go with you.”

I squeeze his hand. “Sure. But you need to get ready quickly. The sun is almost up. I want to arrive at the bog before the rest of the coven shows up. I could detect the magic there by increasing my energy level. Together, the two of us could analyze irregularities in the protective shield she’s placed over the water. We could prepare a more efficient plan of attack.”

“Aye. I’ll get ready in a jiff.” He jumps out of bed and darts to the bathroom.

“I’ll carry the dirk in my backpack,” I yell to him.

I empty most of the contents and place the dirk in the computer slot. As I slip my arms through the straps, I recall the moment I stabbed Nick Evans and shudder. Damn it, Gwyn. You can do this. You have no choice.

Archie parks his Tesla as close to the trailhead as possible. When we exit the car, the bitter air hits me like a block of ice. I pull up the hood of my puffer jacket, slip on my gloves, and we walk toward the trailhead.

“This polar vortex could have waited one more day to dip into Delaware,” he says, pulling his DUB beanie over his ears. “This fairy may be immune to the cold. That’s one shot against us.”

“We fought a fairy in frigid temps before. Remember?”

“Aye. You fought for Ronnie that night as well.” He grabs my gloved hand. “You’re a devoted friend.”

“I may have killed the Sluagh, but the coven fought as a team. I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t.”