Lucky shook his head. “Although I’ve never tried it, I think it best to perform the ceremony in person to be sure it takes.”
I glanced around the faces watching me with curious scrutiny. Only one person in the room fit the requirements, but I didn’t have the heart to say his name out loud.
“It’s okay,” Mason said. “I know who it has to be.”
Lucky clapped his hands together. “Then if ye have made your choice, we should get started. But after we eat somethin’.” He rubbed his little pot belly. “I’ll be needin’ the fuel to build up my energy.”
Matt stood up and stretched. “If y’all will join me in the kitchen, you can help us get through some of the casseroles in the fridge. There’s heapin’ plenty to choose from.” He waited for everyone to file out of the room except Dash and the leprechaun.
Lucky stopped at the doorway. “Oh, and since the secrets out, I’ve decided to embrace my past. I’ll rally all of the fae of Honeysuckle, and we shall be there in whatever capacity you require in order to battle this she-devil.”
Giddy with his choice to reclaim his rightful role he gave up long ago, I stood and offered my best curtsy. “Thank you, your majesty.”
The leprechaun dismissed my salutation of respect with a wave of his hand, although pink flooded his cheeks. He left my brother and me alone.
Matt squeezed my shoulder. “I’m just in there if you need me.” He left to go sort out food for our guests.
Dash made his way over to me but kept a little distance as he faced the mirror. “I’m sorry that it’s me and not you.”
Mason snorted. “Me, too, if I’m being honest.”
“I don’t see any other way,” I said, fingering the pendant he gave me. “Not if we want to make sure Nick’s sister doesn’t win.” The lights went off again. “And I don’t think we have time to figure something else out.”
“Dash,” Mason called out.
The shifter leaned forward. “Yes.”
“Swear to me with everything you have that you will keep Charli safe at all costs,” the detective insisted.
Dash’s eyes glowed when he made his vow. “Even if the binding to come didn’t mean that ending my life might mean losing her, too, I would sacrifice it all to keep her safe.”
Mason glared at the shifter through the reflective surface. “And I will do everything in power to hold you to your promise.”
“I’m not finished,” Dash said. “Although I hope it doesn’t need to be said, I also swear that I will honor her relationship with you.”
“Thank you,” Mason said, his left brow rising in surprise.
My heart thundered in my chest as I listened to the two men make pledges for my life. It didn’t feel right for them to be the only ones who reassured each other. They both needed to know my absolute intentions for my decision.
“And I promise,” I said, looking between the two of them, “that as soon as the purpose of this binding is over, I will do everything I can to make sure to break it.” With the hard stuff out of the way, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Why are you grinning?” Dash asked, the left side of his mouth twitching up in amusement.
“Because we’re going to win,” I said, following Nana’s advice and trusting my gut. “We’ve got a decent plan in the works, a way to protect my soul, and literal luck on our side in the form of a leprechaun king.”
Mason chuckled at my boast. “Yeah, but you forgot one thing. Wherever you go, there’s one thing that always seems to show up.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Trouble,” both Mason and Dash said at the same time.
Chapter Twenty-One
The world was full of unusual smells, and ever since I’d gone through the binding ceremony with Dash, I experienced the world in a whole new way.
“Quit scenting the wind,” Dash grumbled as he waited beside me.
Annoyance ruffled my confidence, and I didn’t know if it came from him or me. I stood at the edge of the field in front of the Founders’ Tree. Although none of us from last night could agree with the meaning of Nana’s three words, I decided on meeting Lorelei under the live oak’s curling branches. Maybe its protective powers would keep me safe, and it couldn’t hurt to hedge the huge bet I was getting ready to make.
After the binding ceremony, Nick had contacted his sister through his own phone that still worked. He baited her into coming today and set up the meeting under the tree. Lucky picked the crucial time of twilight as its in-between properties boosted the powers of the fae.
“I can hear the beating of wings and the pitter-pat of rapid heartbeats,” I muttered to Dash.
“Shifter hearing,” he said in a low tone, tapping his ear.
My eyes scanned the field as I tried to guesstimate how far away Lucky and the rest of the fae residents were from me. “You can always detect things from this distance?”
“Depends on what other noises there might be, who I need to block out, and more,” he explained. “I’ve got more practice than you, but you need to try and stay focused. And please try to slow your heart rate. The more nervous you get, the harder you make it for me and my wolf.” His eyes blazed yellow, affected by my stress.
I drew in deep breaths, holding them in for a few seconds, and blowing them out slowly. The rhythm of my heartbeat slowed, and I regained a fraction of my confidence back.
Bright purple and fuchsia streaked the sky. Dark, gray-hued clouds skittered across as the end of daylight drew near. Right above the tree line on the western side of the field, the last rays of the sun blended red and orange
