“Maybe Bran—”

“I asked.” For a moment, her gaze dropped to the ground. “I know I shouldn’t have, but after I knew you loved me, I asked. It is beyond him. He promised to do offerings, but he can’t break a spell done for the good, for the light. Even for love, for you, I can’t break my oath.”

“Okay. Okay.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Maybe I can do a Tom Hanks.”

“What is it to do a tomhanks?”

“No, it’s a name. Tom, first name, Hanks, last name. An actor. He did this movie where he fell for a mermaid.”

“Oh. I would like to see this.”

“Yeah, we’ll get to it. Anyway, she fell for him, too.”

“Yes, so it’s a good story.”

“But there were bad people.”

“Evil gods?”

“No, but bad people, and they would’ve hurt her, or worse. She couldn’t stay with him, so in the end, he jumped in the water after her. And she did something so he could stay with her. So he could live in the water with her.”

Gently, Annika kissed his cheeks, skimmed her fingers back into his hair. “It would be a pretty story. There is nothing I could do to make you live under the water. You are of the land.”

“Maybe the sea witch—”

“That you would think to do this for me makes my heart full of joy and tears. But she has no power to change you.” Because the tears threatened, she started to turn away. “We should pack now.”

“Okay, but I’ve got one more. Don’t cry, Anni, just listen to this one more possibility. The island where I took you. It’s kind of got a magick of its own, right?”

How she wished they wouldn’t talk of possibilities that could never be. “Yes. The water around it is sacred, and the land is important.”

“Right. And it’s not in the shipping lanes. We’re both connected to it. I could live there. I’m handy, so I could build a little house—I’m all about living on the beach. And you could live in the water there. We could be together. I could swim with you, and sit on the beach while you sat on the rocks. Talk to you, see you, touch you.”

Inside her breast her heart trembled and shook. “Your family.”

“Hey, I’ve got the compass. I can see them, bring them to see us—same with yours if they want. But the bottom line?” Eyes on hers, he skimmed his hands down her arms, up again. “Bottom line, Annika, you’re my only, too. I don’t want to live in a world where you’re not. And I’m not going to believe that we found each other, we’ve fought together, and done all we’ve been asked to do only to never be together. I’m not going to accept that. Would you stay with me—you in the water, me on the land?”

“I can’t give you young.”

“Annika, just give me you.”

“I have. I will. Yes, I will stay with you. I don’t want to live in a world where you’re not.” She threw her arms around him. “I will be yours, and you will be mine.”

Closing his eyes, he held on. “And that’s enough for anybody.”

“I love you with all I am.”

When he kissed her, they both forgot about packing and everything else until Sasha rapped sharply on the doorjamb.

“Sorry, but we’ve got to get everything downstairs and go over all the steps. It’s nearly four.”

“Sawyer is going to build a house on the island, and live there, and I can live in the water, so we can be together.”

“Love finds a way.” Touched, Sasha moved in to hug them both. “A good and loving way. And don’t think moving to some deserted island in the South Seas will stop us from visiting.”

“Counting on it,” Sawyer told her.

“But now, get moving. We’re getting antsy.”

“Five minutes.”

It took a little longer, but they hauled everything down, steered Doyle’s motorcycle in from the side room.

“At least I’ll be able to ride this again once we’re in Ireland.”

“I like riding the motorcycle.”

“Anytime, Gorgeous.”

“Until that happy day, we’ve got three hours and . . .” Riley checked her watch. “Thirty-two minutes until sunset. If we’re going to do this, we’d better do it.”

“One more thing. Sasha’s last vision.”

“Sawyer, no.” Alarmed, Annika clutched at him. “She is a god.”

“And Bran and Sasha took her down pretty hard in Corfu. This time it looks like it’s my turn. My risk, my choice—that’s what Sasha said, that’s what we explained to everybody. I’m making the choice, and I have to believe I can do it, buy us that time. But I’m going to need help.”

“Whatever you need, brother,” Doyle told him, “you’ve got.”

“The timing has to be close to perfect, and I need to get close enough to her to connect.”

“She could rip you to pieces.” At Riley’s words Annika turned her face into Sawyer’s shoulder. “Sorry, really, but we’ve got to be straight. Maybe we wait, take more time to plan it out.”

“It’s now. I’m sorry, too.” Sasha reached out to stroke Annika’s hair. “But it’s now. For the star, for the battle, for the risk.”

“She could rip me to pieces, but I’m banking she won’t, especially if Bran softens her up a bit.”