showed signs. A coven like the O’Connors would know of the legends and—”
“And they’d know her life was in grave danger,” Fionn cut in. “They sought to protect her.”
“Not just her. The O’Connors, unlike the Blackwoods, realize how dangerous it would be to open that gate.” There was more than a hint of rebuke in Bran’s tone. Fionn ignored it. It wasn’t like he was planning on letting the fae into this world. He wanted into Faerie. Aine had worded her spell very carefully. It allowed people to cross from Earth into Faerie to stay permanently. Which meant that gate would close behind him.
“Is there more?”
“There is.” Bran sounded grim now. “If you’re planning on going to Barcelona, I wouldn’t take the airport out of Zagreb.”
Fionn marched toward the hotel with more urgency and felt Rose hurry to follow him. “Why not?”
“Because I’ve hacked into the security cameras and used face recognition tech. Not only did it alert me to several known lackeys of the Blackwood Coven walking through the airport like the guard dogs they are …”
“Lone wolves.” Fionn sneered. The Blackwoods were known for paying supes to do their dirty work.
“Yep. But they’re not alone. There are members of the Garm waiting at the airport. So I hacked into the train stations’ security cameras, and both the Blackwoods and the Garm have supes at every one of them.”
“Fuck.” Fionn grabbed Rose’s arm and led her toward a coffee shop. “Get me a car, Bran. Untraceable.”
“Got it.” Bran hung up and Fionn shoved his mobile into his coat pocket.
“What’s going on?” Rose jerked against his tight hold.
“When the spell broke, it was powerful enough to be felt by the supernatural community in Zagreb. Someone talked to the Blackwood Coven and the Garm.”
“And they are?”
Fionn’s patience was thin but he was determined to keep up this pretense of openness to secure her trust. “The Blackwoods are a North American coven, one of the most powerful in the world. They want to open the gate to Faerie.”
Rose shook her head, amazed. “It’s all true, isn’t it?”
Fuck, he thought they were past that. “The faster you accept that, the easier this will be.”
She swallowed hard and pressed her lips together before giving him a tight nod.
“The Garm is a group raised by an ancient vampire named Eirik. He was killed six months ago … by one of the few fae left on this world. He hated the fae, even though they were responsible for creating what he’d become. Perhaps that’s why, in fact. Like me, he knew the fae saw humans as mere playthings. And he knew how dangerous it would be if the gate to Faerie was opened again. I can’t explain everything here, Rose. I promise I will once we’re on our way out of the country. But what I can tell you is that his group, the Garm, go on without him. Do you know much about Norse mythology?”
She shook her head. “Valkyries and stuff, right?”
He tried not to sigh impatiently as he glanced from left to right, keeping his senses alert. “The Garm was a wolf described as the guardian of Hel’s gate. Hel was a goddess who resided in the realm of the same name where portions of the dead were sent in the afterlife.”
“That’s relevant why?” she asked.
“The Garm believe themselves guardians of the gate to Faerie. They will destroy anyone who intends to open it, intentionally or unintentionally.”
“You said I’m the key … to the gate. So the Blackwoods want to kill me to open the gate and the Garm want to kill me to stop me being used to open the gate?”
Fionn nodded, ignoring that incessant niggle of uneasiness in his gut. “I want you to wait in the corner of this coffee shop. I’m going to travel to the hotel, get my things, and meet you back here. Bran is arranging a car for us. We’ll have to drive to the airport in Venice.”
“But wait.” She grabbed his arm. “Are you a key? Are you in danger?”
He faltered, taken aback by her apparent concern for him. Most people would shit themselves at the news there were powerful people hunting them. He gave her a slightly discombobulated shake of his head. “I’ll explain later.” He pulled her into the coffee shop, led her to a table in the corner, sat her forcefully down, and ignored her penetrating stare before he stalked toward the restrooms.
Once inside a stall in the men’s restroom, he focused on