Andrea heard a tearing sound and then felt the chill wind of Faerie. Fionn was there, reaching out.

“Touch me, Andrea. Quickly!”

Andrea ran at him. Fionn put one hand on the fur on her neck and stepped from Faerie into Shiftertown.

At almost the next instant, Fionn had a bow knocked, raised, aimed. Arrows flew—one, two, three. Three of the Fae warriors who had been sprinting for them dropped in rapid succession. The remaining two had the sense to flee back into the trees.

Fionn grabbed Andrea and nearly threw her through the gate to Faerie. Ronan, staggering badly, but not down yet, ran in after her, followed by another Feline who hit the ground, rolled, and came to his feet in the form of Dylan Morrissey.

Dylan had his hands on Andrea’s arms, dragging her up even as she shifted. He shook her, hard, eyes blazing with alpha rage. “What the holy hell did you do?” he shouted. “You’ve given the Sword of the Guardian to a gobshite Fae!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Along-fingered grip wrenched Dylan from Andrea. “Take your hands off my daughter.”

Dylan’s voice was hot with fury. “I don’t care what tales you told her, I still don’t believe you’re her father. She’s my son’s mate, and I’m not letting any Fae have power over her.”

“But having her in your power is better?” Fionn asked. “A Feline Shifter who hates her Fae blood?”

“She is my son’s choice. That means I protect her.”

“But who protects her from you, Shifter? How do I know your son is worthy of my girl?”

Andrea growled, her wolf fury unchecked as she stepped between them. “Could you two stop playing ‘Who’s the Better Dad’ for two seconds? Ronan needs help.”

Ronan lay on the ground like a big bear rug, his eyes closed, his sides rising and falling with labored breathing. Andrea knelt beside him and stroked his broad head and his muscle-filled ruff. Ronan acknowledged her with a little sigh but didn’t open his eyes.

Andrea focused on the fur under her hands, soft as down yet wiry and tough, just like Ronan himself. Beneath the fur she sensed the threads of Ronan’s aura growing black and brittle, much as Jared’s had.

Smooth fabric dropped over Andrea’s shoulders. Andrea looked up in surprise as Fionn draped a cloak of light green silk around her body, its cool folds pooling in her lap.

“You needed to cover yourself, daughter.”

Andrea didn’t miss Dylan’s look of disgust. Shifters didn’t find nakedness shameful or embarrassing, but Fae did.

Fionn knelt next to Andrea and touched Ronan’s side. “He’s quite big. What is he?”

“Brown bear,” Dylan rumbled above them. “One of the biggest kind, from the Kodiak islands. Ursines breed closer to wild species than other Shifters.”

“What Fae was mad enough to make Shifters from these creatures?” Fionn said in wonder. “The Felines are bad enough.”

Dylan growled, and Andrea ground her teeth. “Please? Can we focus?” she said. “Those other Fae might be back any minute.”

Fionn removed a pouch from his cloak. “What other Fae?”

“The ones you shot at. Remember? You hit three in about two seconds.”

“I fired too slowly, I know, but I didn’t have time to adjust for the air currents on your world. Otherwise, I’d have taken the other two as well.”

“Your modesty amazes me. But the others will just come charging back through here, won’t they?”

Fionn looked puzzled a moment before his brow cleared. “Ah, I see your mistake. Have no fear, child. Whatever way they found to your world, it is leagues from here. They would never dare to try to cross into my territory.”

“What do you mean, leagues? It was twenty yards, if that.”

“Yes, along the ley line in your world,” Fionn said. “That gate will not necessarily lead to the same place as the one I use. Their gate will open to the lands of their clans, which is a three days’ journey from here.”

“Oh.” Andrea needed to adjust her thinking, that was certain. “What says they can’t dive in here through your gate?”

Fionn opened the pouch and sprinkled what looked like plain sand into his palm. “Because only I can activate it, just as only their leader can activate theirs.” He traced the sand with one finger. “This will heal your bear, but it will hurt him. Can you ensure that he will not turn and kill me?”

Andrea lifted Ronan’s head into her lap, and Ronan huffed an unhappy sigh. Andrea stroked his fur. “Did you hear that, Ronan? The big Fae warrior is afraid of a little teddy bear like you.”

“You do have your mother’s sense of humor,” Fionn said. “Yes, I am afraid of him. He is large and could decapitate me with one swipe of his paw. Please tell him to stay calm.”

Andrea scratched between Ronan’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Ronan,” she said. “He’ll help you, but I need you to promise to let him live. He’s my dad, and I haven’t had time to get to know him yet.”

Dylan knelt on Ronan’s other side, put his hand on the bear’s shoulder. “Easy, lad. Let the Fae bastard try. I want you back with us, my friend.”

Ronan heaved another sigh, opened his eyes, and gave Andrea a long-suffering look.

“He’ll be all right,” she said to Fionn.

Fionn finished smoothing out the sand until a thin layer coated his hand. Then he slammed the hand, palm down, onto Ronan’s side, right where the arrow had gone in.

Ronan’s eyes popped open and a stifled roar came out of his mouth. Fionn kept his hand solidly against Ronan’s fur, flattening his lips in concentration as Ronan’s body began to heave.

“Hold him steady,” Fionn said.

“What is it doing?” Dylan asked.

Andrea knew before Fionn answered. In her mind’s eye, she could see the magic of the dust leach into Ronan’s blood, muscles, and bones, searching for the taint of poison and then eating through it like acid burning away rust.

It had to hurt like hell. Ronan writhed under Andrea’s touch even as she laced her healing power down to help him, his moans of pain almost howls. As the counterspell traveled through him, Ronan’s movements grew stronger, until finally he shook off Fionn and Dylan and sprang to his feet. He roared as he rose on his hind legs, all twelve feet of him, and he morphed into his human form in midroar.