By the time she forced herself back to her record search, she’d practically drooled over her keyboard at the cart full of historical clothing. She sipped her lukewarm coffee and shoved aside the impulse to pull out a credit card. Spending money for a trip to the past that might not happen made no sense.
After another forty-five minutes of fruitless searching, Meredith threw in the towel. Daniel would be waiting to hear what she’d discovered, and she had nothing to offer. Meredith shoved her things in her backpack and hoisted it to one shoulder. A stop at the grocery store—the collective list and combined food allowances in her wallet—and then she’d head back to Garretsville.
Just as she climbed into her Jeep, her phone rang with Regan’s ringtone. Meredith’s pulse surged as she hit speaker phone and accept. “What did Boann say?” she blurted.
“She won’t get involved.”
Meredith’s stomach dropped. “I figured.”
“You care about Daniel Cavanaugh, don’t you?” Regan said.
“That’s … weirdly difficult to say.” Meredith’s throat tightened, and she swallowed a few times. “Would you have admitted you had feelings for Fáelán when you believed he was a ghost?”
“I get what you’re going through.” Regan gave a short laugh. “It’s this awkward gray area where you know in your heart if the man were alive you’d fall for him, but he’s not. Still, as you get to know him better, those feelings grow, and all the while you’re thinking it’s wrong, stupid, foolish, impossible—”
“But you just can’t help yourself,” Meredith finished for her sister. Now her eyes stung, and the tightening in her throat turned into a lump.
“Exactly.” Regan went quiet for a moment. “All is not lost, Meredith. Do you remember Alpin?”
“Fionn MacCumhail’s fae cousin? Of course I remember him. Isn’t he helping Brían’s clan?”
“He is. Naturally you and your Irish ghost were the topic of conversation at our dinner the other night. Alpin happened to be there, and it turns out he’s a romantic at heart.”
“Okay.” She frowned. “Don’t the same laws against meddling apply to him?”
“They do, but Alpin says he knows a way you can travel back and forth in time without having one of the Tuatha dé Danann directly involved.”
That same breathlessness she’d experienced when she’d first read the bureau’s article overtook her, and once again she felt like she might faint. Was this feeling a premonition about her own future? She’d always sensed things about those she cared for, but never about herself, and never like this. “Really?”
“Yes, really. It’s an ancient method using magically infused, flawless, uncut diamonds. He says using diamonds was very popular back when their laws also prohibited time stepping in the human realm. For some reason, the energy trace created when the gem is infused either dissipates completely or remains inside the crystal once the magic is spent. The fae who casted the magic can’t be traced.”
Anticipation won out over the anxiety, and a flicker of optimism flared to life. “He’s willing to provide me with that kind of magic?”
“If that is what you want, he is willing to provide you with two crystals: one to travel to the past and one to return.”
“I want that. Regan, if all I can do is prevent Daniel’s murder, if I can give him his life back, that would be—”
“I’m not finished.”
“Sorry.” With so much jazzed up energy coursing through her, she could barely contain herself. “Go on.”
“Alpin says time travel by this method is not as reliable as traveling via portal created by one of the Tuatha. The risks are much greater. It’s possible you won’t end up where you intend to be, or maybe not at the exact time you mean to be there. I want you to give this a great deal of serious thought. Discuss it with Daniel before you commit.”
“If something goes wrong, would Alpin be willing to help me?”
“He might be willing, but I don’t know that he’d be able to. He, Boann, and Fionn are under constant surveillance by the fae council since they were granted permission to assist Brían’s clan. That’s why Boann said she couldn’t get involved. If she helped and the council found out, she’d be banished from our dimension. Fáelán, Conan and I are much too important to her to take that risk, and she’s important to us as well.”
“I get it, but Alpin doesn’t have the record of interference Boann has, does he? He doesn’t have a human family either. Maybe he’d be willing to risk a slap on the wrist if—”
“He does have a record of interference. He was involved in Fáelán’s rescue, and he’s the fae who wove the magic hiding Fionn’s valleys. I don’t believe he has a human family, but I can’t say that with any certainty. You can’t count on his help.” She sighed.
“I know what you’re going through, Meredith. I’ve been in those shoes. Here’s what you need to ask yourself: Is Daniel worth the risk? If you choose not to travel back in time, you can still help him cross into the light.”
Could she? He’d tried to cross numerous times, only to encounter a barrier, and he wanted to cross. “I don’t suppose Grayce has had any visions about my situation.”
“No. She would’ve contacted you immediately if she had”
“I know.” She bit her lip. “I guess I have a lot to think about.”
“That’s for sure,” Regan said. “Whatever you decide, you have my support. I love you, Mere.”
That did it. Meredith’s bit her lip harder to gain control over her roiling emotions. “I love you too. You have no idea how difficult it’s been for me now that you and Grayce are so far away.”
“Yes I do. Don’t you think it’s hard on us
