FinnsRedemption (12 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Alli held her breath as Finn led her into the grove. She
hadn’t been back since that night long ago and her stomach rose up in revolt as
the memories of that night came flying back at her.

As before, there was a blanket set out on the black stone.
Torches lit up and formed a circle around them. The moon was bright and stars
were out in the night sky. Crickets and an occasional owl announced themselves.

Finn pulled her into the circle. “Alli, baby, I have to ask
you something.”

Alli felt tears gather in her eyes as he fell to the ground
in front of her.

Looking up at her, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “I am
here to ask your forgiveness, Alli. I need you in my life. It’s not just
because of the necklace. You have remained a part of me since that night so
many years ago. I am here to offer myself up to you and receive punishment for
the sin that I committed against you.”

Her hand flew to her mouth as Finn passed her a long leather
whip. Was he crazy? She was not about to hit him with this.

“Finn, what’s going on here?” Her voice was barely a
whisper.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to him. He pressed
his head into her soft, warm belly and she pushed her fingers through his hair.
She loved the heat of him as it seeped from his body into hers.

“Alli, I want you to marry me. Shh…don’t say anything, just
listen.” Finn stroked her hips as he spoke, looking her deeply in the eyes. “I
want you to marry me in the way of my people. We can get married at a church
later if that’s what you desire but in my heart you are my mine, you have always
been mine. I know this is fast but I also know that no matter how much time
passes, I will still feel the same.”

She wanted Finn to hold her close as her tears fell but he
didn’t.

“Say yes.”

She winced as she looked around the familiar grove, the
memories rushing back to her. Hearing the voices of Gavin and Sully discussing
the bet. Wasn’t this the same thing, except this time he was doing this for a
more noble cause, to save his sister? Alli couldn’t help but feel terrified.
She pulled back from Finn and started shaking and dropped the offensive whip.
She wasn’t Claudia.

“I can’t, Finn…you don’t understand.”

Finn stood up. He didn’t reach for her. Keeping his hands at
his sides, he just looked at her. Alli couldn’t tell what he was feeling
because his face was devoid of any emotion.

When he spoke, it was in a quiet tone that made Alli feel
like dirt. “I love you. It’s not something I’ve made up. This is something that
I feel but I can’t force you to believe me. What I did fifteen years ago was
rotten but if you want us to be together, you need to let it go and accept my
apology.” He ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh. “I won’t beg,
Alli, for myself or for Heather. She wouldn’t want you to be here unless it was
by your choice.” He closed his eyes for a moment.

“Sully will be up here in a minute to drive you home, Alli.
I’ll be waiting here tomorrow night. If you want me then you have to be the one
to come get me. If you aren’t here, I’ll know what your decision is and I will
leave you alone.”

With that, he turned away from her and walked back into the
forest, leaving her confused and sad.

Alli had fallen into a fitful sleep after Sully drove her
home. To his credit, he didn’t say anything about Finn to her. It seemed the
family was determined to follow Finn’s wishes and let Alli decide for herself.

She tried to keep herself busy in the morning but only
managed to move aimlessly around. Lying down for a nap was equally useless. She
did nothing but toss and turn, unable to even drift off for a few minutes.

Her long day turned to evening and she finally accepted the
only conclusion that made sense to her. Alli wanted nothing more than to belong
to Finn.

She paced back and forth in her living room, eyeing the
clock. Six in the evening—how long would he wait for her before he gave up?
Wringing her hands, damn she wished she were a drinker. She could have used a
shot by now.

“Alli.”

She jumped as she heard James’ familiar voice behind her.

When she turned to ask how he’d gotten into her house, she
paused. James was standing in her living room but he looked remarkably
different. He had a glow about him that made him beautiful. His blond hair was
long and thick and fell below his shoulders, two thin braids on either side of
his face. He wore black jeans and a T-shirt but it was his eyes. They had
turned into an aquamarine color unlike any shade she had ever seen before.

She started to speak but James put up his hand. “I’ve come
to beg for Heather’s life.”

“James. What is going on with you?”

“It’s a little complicated. The truth is that I am Fae.”

Alli felt her world spinning out of control and she slid
down the wall onto her backside.

He ran over to her, holding her hand tightly in his. “I’m
sorry to have scared you but it’s true. My sister was Ariel, the one who died.
My mother the queen is the one who cursed the Donovans.”

Alli shook her head. This was impossible. “I don’t
understand. The other day you told me to stay away from Finn.”

“Yes, I did. That has been my job for more than two hundred
years, to make sure the Donovans never come into possession of the gems. It was
I who kept the curse going for these many years.”

Pulling her hand from his, Alli knew he was telling her the
truth. No human being had eyes like his. “Why the change of heart? Why now?”
she asked harshly.

This was the man responsible for poor Heather lying in her
bad, dying before her time. The curse probably could have been broken a long
time ago but James had interfered.

“It’s Heather, she is my
Matree
, my mate. We Fae only
have one in our immortal lives and Heather is mine. I can’t lose her or I shall
have no choice but to follow her in death.”

Alli sat stunned at James’ revelation. He was Fae, not just
any old Fae but a prince. “Can’t you ask your mother to break the curse
herself?”

“It doesn’t work that way. The Goddess gave my mother the
curse and it can only be broken by her rules.”

Alli couldn’t help as tears filled her eyes. She felt as if
she was going to explode from the raw emotion filling her up. James looked so
forlorn when he talked of Heather. He was lucky to be that sure about his
feelings.

“I don’t trust myself with Finn. I am so scared, so afraid
that I’ll be hurt again.”

He sat next to her and put his arm around her while she let
all her emotion pour out in large, racking sobs. He stroked her hair and
allowed her to cry it out. She needed this, needed to purge all her feelings,
she needed to let go of the past and then she would be able to see with love
instead of fear. She was grateful James was being supportive. She needed to
lean on him now.

“Let me ask you this. Do you love him?”

“Yes, I do,” she answered without even thinking about it.
Yes, she loved him with everything inside her.

Finn was the man she wanted to spend her life with. She had
no doubts there. Alli wanted to grow old with him, have children with him. He
told her he was in love with her. Did she believe him?

Yes, she did without a single doubt. She’d believed when he
told her he cared for her fifteen years ago, that what happened between them
was real and not because of some stupid teenage misunderstanding. This was her
real chance at happiness. Finn had made her realize he really wanted her, not
what she could do for his family. In fact, she knew that if she chose to walk
away he’d let her.

She wasn’t about to walk away, not now, not ever. Her heart
burst as pure joy emanated from her every pore. A weight lifted and she felt
light as air. Finn was her past, her present and now her future.

Laughing, she stood. James followed and she wrapped her arms
around him. “James, please can you take me to him?”

Letting out his breath, James kissed her on the forehead.
“Of course I’ll take you.” He pulled back and looked at her. “I have a request.
You must not tell anyone who I really am.”

“Does Heather know?” Alli asked, not wanting to keep
secrets.

James shook his head. “No, she doesn’t and she can’t know
right now. It is our custom that if we fall for a human they must fall for us
without knowing who we are. Only then can we reveal ourselves as Fae. It is how
it has always been and I ask you to keep this to yourself so that Heather has
the chance to love me as I love her.”

“You sound very sure about her falling in love with you,”
Alli said, punching James in the shoulder.

He spread his arms out and a faint white glow radiated from
his body. Alli couldn’t see him anymore as the glow engulfed his tall frame.
When it fled, Alli gasped as again James appeared like the man she had always
known. A respected school principal.

“I will never get used to this magic stuff.”

“Dear Alli, you have experienced the most magical thing of
all. The love you have for Finn will carry you throughout your life. In it, you
will know more magic than anything an Other may come up with.”

“
Ooh
, you’re a poet as well. I’m glad you want to be
with Heather. I think you’re a good match.”

“Yes, Alli, we’re meant to be together, and the Goddess
willing, she will be alive to experience life with me.”

Chapter Sixteen

Finn walked around the circle of the grove. His patience was
wearing thin. Where the hell was she? He had been so certain she would come to
him. Now doubt crept in as he looked at the cloudless night sky.

She was coming and he could feel it. The wind carried her
scent and shivers moved up and down his spine. Still, his two brothers who were
waiting with him gave him sympathetic looks.

“You can both stop looking so sorry for me. I know she’s
coming so knock it off.”

“It’s almost midnight. I don’t think she’ll be here. Why
don’t we get some sleep and you can go to her tomorrow and talk to her?” Sully
asked, slapping Finn on the back. “She obviously needs more time. With Heather
getting weaker each day, I wanted her to show up but she can’t be pushed into
something so fast.”

A noise caught Finn’s attention and he stopped his frantic
pacing. Through the trees, led by James of all people, came his Alli. She was
dressed in a long ivory gown that flowed over her body just right and fell to
her bare feet. She wore a wreath of flowers in her hair.

Finn was stunned by her beauty and could only look at her.
He was afraid to take a step toward her, afraid this was a dream and that at
any moment he would be woken up by one of his brothers.

“You came,” he said quietly, not wanting to speak too loud
in case she changed her mind and decided to leave him.

Her smile was dazzling as she said, “Yes, I came back for
you. I want to be with you.”

“Why?” he asked and heard his brothers groan. He ignored
them. This was no longer about the damn jewel and Heather. This was about him
and Alli and he wanted to hear her say it. The words he never thought he would
ever say himself much less want—no, crave—to hear from another human being.

“Why?” Alli repeated, walking up to Finn. She smiled as she
placed her hand on his chest, where his heart lived. “I came back because I
love you.”

It was all she managed to say before Finn hauled her up to
him and gave her a scorching kiss.

His woman. He held her tightly as his mouth plunged into
hers. He heard the clapping and hooting coming from his brothers behind them
but chose to ignore them.

A hand fell on his back. “Boy, ya have to complete the
ceremony before ya go any further,” Patrick Donovan said.

Finn pressed his head to Alli’s, wiping away the tears on
her cheek with his thumb. “Alli,” he whispered. “Are you sure this is what you
want?”

She nodded. “I’m happier than I ever thought possible. I
can’t believe this is real, that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with
you.”

He gently kissed her forehead. “I’m yours, now and forever.
I will spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you.”

Patrick summoned the two of them to stand before the black
stone altar. From the shadows appeared another person next to Sully and Gavin.
The figure was tiny and wore a white robe. The person stood next to Patrick and
pulled back the hood covering her head.

“Elsapeth,” Finn said, happy to see the only one on Avalon
who had been good to him.

The woman was very old, with deep wrinkles lining her face.
She had her long gray hair braided down her back and she held an ancient book.

She opened the book and took out a blue-and-silver bit of
braided rope. “Finn,” she said, looking at them both. “I want you to lay your
left hand over Alli’s.”

Finn grasped Alli’s hand and held it as Elsapeth wrapped the
rope around their wrists.

“You are here in front of these witnesses and in the
presence of the Goddess to proclaim your love for one another?” She waited for
Alli and Finn to reply yes. “By binding yourselves to each other you must know
that you shall never be alone. There is no parting once you have committed to
each other. Do you both abide by this?”

“Yes,” they said in unison.

“Finn, do you promise to care, love and always be mindful of
the needs of your mate?”

“I do.” Finn didn’t think he could be any happier than he
was at this moment.

“Alli, do you promise to care, love and always be mindful of
the needs of your mate?”

“I do.”

Torches started to light all around Finn and Alli as the
Donovan men and James began to clap.

“Is that it, are we married now?” Alli asked.

“We need to do one more thing for this ritual to be
complete,” Finn whispered. Alli was gonna love this one. “We have to make love
on the altar together.”

“With everyone watching?” she said a little too loudly and
turned a bright pink as he stifled a laugh.

“A hundred years ago, yes, that would have been the case but
this is a different era and we try to change with the times, my dear,” Elsapeth
answered her. “You and Finn will have your privacy. Trust me, we will know when
you have completed that part of the ceremony.”

Alli looked up at her new husband and smiled. “Can we…well,
is it possible to get married in a church?”

“Oh baby, of course we can. I told you before that we could.
I will do anything for you, Alice Donovan.”

A slight breeze ruffled the trees and Alli and Finn were all
alone in the grove.

“I’m never going to get used to all this magic stuff,” she
said.

Alli stood before Finn, the warm breeze lifting the bottom
of her dress, the flowers falling out of her hair. He leaned forward and placed
a chaste kiss on her forehead. His hands slid down her shoulders, pulling the
dress with him. It fell to her feet.

Finn kissed the knuckles on both her hands, running his lips
back and forth across them. His hands dropped hers to trace along her shoulders
and run down the front of her, passing over her ripe breasts, down her round
tummy, flaring out to caress her hips and reaching around to her ass. He yanked
her forward and kissed her. He murmured against her lips in the language he
used when casting a spell and his clothes disappeared. It should have freaked
her out but now it felt as natural as if he’d peeled off his clothes one at a
time.

Alli skimmed his sides, running her fingers up and down his
strong chest. Letting her nails scrape the round, flat nipples. He sat on top
of the black stone and pulled her down so she was sitting on his lap, his hard
penis lying against her thigh as he broke their kiss.

“Thank you, Alli, thank you for being my wife, for helping
to save my sister. Most of all, thank you for loving me.”

He leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck, playfully
biting it as his lips traveled south. She held her breast and lifted it to meet
Finn’s eager mouth. Her head fell back as Finn began to suck hard on her
nipples.

“I can’t wait for you any longer,” she mewled. “Finn, please
fuck me now.”

He placed his cock at the entrance of her pussy. Her juice
was flooding her thighs and he slipped inside. Her cry filled the air and
around them it began to sizzle and pop as streaks of lightning lit up the
grove.

She rode him hard and fast, trying to ease the ache between
her legs. Her nether lips so swollen and tender from the past few days only
enhanced the needy feeling she had.

Over and over, she came down on his cock and Finn pushed up
to meet her every time. Reaching between her thighs, his finger finding the
hard pulsing clit, he massaged it. Rolling his finger over and under it.

Alli threw her head back as she felt the orgasm rising up
out of her. In that moment, Finn also started to come. The lightning crackled
hard and at Alli’s first scream of release, a bolt hit her in the chest where
her necklace lay. Finn tried to hold on to her tight as electricity flew from
her body to his.

It was over in seconds and Alli looked down at Finn, who was
still lodged inside her.

“What was that?” she said, trying to catch her breath.

“Look,” Finn said, pointing to her necklace. Gone was the
black onyx and in its place was a beautiful diamond. “Alli, it worked. The
magic was released from the jewel. Heather has more time.”

Alli smiled and ran her hand down Finn’s face. “Yes, she
does, and we have forever.”

Leaning forward, she kissed Finn and was thankful for
whatever magic had brought them together.