Chapter Seventeen

"Helloooooo, Earth to Bo-Bo!" Kenzi prodded, waving her hand in front of the succubus's face. Everyone was spending one last calm night at the Dal before things got serious again.

"Hmm?" the brunette replied without looking. She was busy gazing at Tamsin as she and Fíonn played doubles against Dyson and Hale. Every so often the Valkyrie would look over and wink at her, making Bo's heart beat wildly in her chest. She wanted to push her drink aside and bend Tamsin over the pool table, but she had the feeling that would be frowned upon.

"Oh my God, you have it so bad!" Kenzi giggled, giving her friend a shove.

"I really do, Kenz," Bo sighed. "I just wish…"

"You just wish what, Bobolicious?"

Bo tore her gaze away from Tamsin to look at the girl she considered a sister. "She's never lied to me, not once. But there are things she's keeping from me. It's like she's scared to tell me and I don't understand why. And then there's her wings," Bo added with no small amount of distress. "I wish there was something I could do to help, but I don't know what."

"Tamsin's not the only one with Valkyrie smarts," Kenzi pointed out. "Kayleigh's mom was a Valkyrie, remember? You could always ask her."

Bo bit her lip. "I suppose, but I don't want to go behind Tamsin's back…"

"You're not, Bo. And if Tam-Tam gets mad, you can blame it all on me, promise," the Russian insisted.

The succubus sighed again, her curiosity finally winning. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll go ask Kayleigh. Thanks, Kenzi," she smiled, giving her friend a hug.

"It's what I'm here for. Now go get yourself some answers," the human said with a push at Bo's back, directing her to where the empath and her girlfriend were talking over drinks.

Kayleigh had to do her best not to smirk, feeling Bo's curiosity before she even saw the succubus approaching. Kenzi had called her earlier and said that if Tamsin wasn't going to make a move it was up to them to get in the game. Kayleigh had readily agreed and it hadn't taken long to plan things out. So the empath was ready with a nonchalant expression when the brunette reached her side. "Hey, Bo, what's up?"

"Hey, Kayleigh. I, um, have a few questions about Valkyries," the succubus began awkwardly.

"Sure, fire away," Kayleigh replied. Aislinn took a long drink from her pint to hide her knowing grin.

"Well, I was wondering…what did your mom's wings feel like?" Bo began, thinking back to the afternoon she had run her fingers through Tamsin's rough feathers.

Kayleigh shrugged. "Wouldn't know; I never touched them. I valued my fingers too much."

Bo frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you see what Tamsin did with her wings when we fought those Under-Fae behind the Dal? You probably had the best seat in the house – she was standing right over you. A Valkyrie's wings can be both weapon and shield," the empath explained, unknowingly echoing Tamsin's own words to Kenzi. "Anyone who touches them gets sliced."

Feeling both uneasy and abundantly more curious, Bo continued, "But is there a way to feel the feathers without getting cut?"

"Yeah, if a Valkyrie pulls a feather out and hands it to you. Mom did that for me once. You have to take it quickly, though; Valkyrie feathers don't last long when they're taken from the wing. It felt sort of fluffy before it vanished."

"What color were your mom's wings?"

"Pure white, so bright they were almost blinding," Kayleigh smiled, looking a little wistful at the memory.

"Just white? No hints of brown or anything?" Bo clarified, thinking back to the original appearance of Tamsin's wings.

"Nope. Just white."

"So what does it mean when a Valkyrie's wings are black?"

"Like Tamsin's are, you mean?" Kayleigh interpreted. Bo blushed and nodded. "I'm not a hundred percent sure," the empath lied, trying not to grin. Aislinn once again had to take a long pull of beer. "I think it's some sacred change of sorts. Mom said her wings were black once, but that was before I was born."

"Did she ever tell you why?"

Kayleigh shook her head, feigning a look of contemplative ignorance. "Not that I can recall. Trick might know something, though. I think he has a book about Valkyries." This was information passed to her by Kenzi for the specific purpose of leaving breadcrumbs for Bo to follow.

"Thanks, Kayleigh. Oh, uh, one last question. Aislinn, you might be able to answer this better, actually."

"Sure, what's up?" the blonde empath queried.

"Tamsin's called me something in Irish a few times that I don't understand. What does 'mo laoch' mean?"

The empaths' eyes widened. "She called you that?" Kayleigh exclaimed, stunned. When Bo nodded, the brunette empath let out a low whistle. "Damn, woman doesn't do anything by halves, does she?"

"So you know what it means?" Bo prodded hopefully.

"That's Tamsin's place to tell you, not mine," Kayleigh replied. "And she will tell you. She just…keeps things to herself sometimes. But you'll be able to strong-arm it out of her, I'm sure."

Bo sighed her acceptance. "I guess…I'll go ask Trick about that book. Thanks, Kayleigh."

"No bother."

It was only after the succubus was out of earshot that Aislinn spoke. "You evil, evil woman," she teased her girlfriend, accentuating each "evil" with a smack to the brunette's arm. Kayleigh's responding grin did nothing to contradict the blonde's assertion.

Bo wasn't looking forward to talking to her grandfather, but she knew it needed to be done, and not just because she wanted information about Valkyries. She wanted, needed an explanation for his behavior just as much as she needed to forgive him. She didn't blame him, not exactly. She just wanted to understand his reasoning so there was nothing between them. Finding Trick at one end of the bar, the succubus took a deep breath and headed towards him. When Trick looked up to see who was approaching, his expression became one of solemn anguish. Bo had just opened her mouth to speak when he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, Bo. I should have told you." The succubus blinked in surprised, but nodded for her grandfather to continue. "I don't hide things because I want to, Bo, but because I have to," he began, struggling to find the right words. "It's imperative that my identity remains a secret. Most of the Fae know me as the simple keeper of a way station, and it needs to stay that way. Only other sídhe know that I'm sídhe as well and very, very few people know that I'm…who I am. The more people who know, the more danger I'm in, and the more danger there is for the those who know. I didn't want to put you in that sort of danger, Bo. I just wanted to keep you safe. And in the end, I hurt you by trying not to hurt you, and for that I am truly, truly sorry."

To the Blood King's surprise, Bo smiled at him. "I forgive you, Trick. I do. I think…I understand why, now. And that's really all I wanted – was to understand. Your secrets are safe with me."

"I'm through keeping secrets from you, Bo," Trick replied. "Anything you want to know, go ahead and ask."

Bo let out a little laugh. "Funny you should say that now, 'cause what I want to know has nothing to do with you or your past."

Trick raised his eyebrows with a hint of a smirk. "Oh? Whose past are you trying to delve into that you think I might know something about it?"

Bo chuckled at his very correct assumption. "Well…I was wondering about Valkyries, actually, and Kayleigh could only tell me a little bit. I'm worried about Tamsin," she admitted. "Her wings are all black and they feel so rough and – "

"Wait," Trick stopped her, startled. "She pulled out one of her feathers for you?"

"No, that's just it – I touched her wings, and Kayleigh said that's impossible."

Trick's jaw dropped as he stared at his granddaughter with wide eyes. "But that means you're… Here, come with me," he beckoned, leading her to the door to his lair.

Bo followed Trick down to his lair and over to a small shelf. Browsing the contents for a moment, the Blood King pulled out a thin volume with a Norse rune burned into the leather cover. "Here – it's one of the few written records about Valkyries," he explained, handing it to his granddaughter. "Most of it is just gross speculation and wild theories, but it's the only text with an accurate description of the Valkyrie Bond."

"Thank you," Bo murmured, taking the tome. Having the answers at her fingertips filled her with both excitement and dread, and she found her hands trembling as she opened the book to the first page. Giving Trick one last smile, she sat down on the couch and began to read. Trick smiled in return before leaving her to her study.

Trick reached the top of the stairs to find a grinning Kenzi and Kayleigh waiting for him. Looking back and forth between the two of them, he let out an exasperated sigh. "I should've known you had a hand in this," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. The two girls could only giggle before clinking their shot glasses together and tossing back the alcohol.

Kayleigh gave Bo about fifteen minutes of reading time before making her way over to Tamsin, who was throwing back her own shot of vodka. "Hey, Tam, Bo's looking for you," she told her casually. "She's down in Trick's Lair."

Tamsin frowned in wary confusion, not even bothering to say thank you as she made her way to the stairs. Kayleigh was grinning so broadly at her retreating back that she only distantly felt Aislinn come up behind her. "Evil, evil, evil!" the blonde empath accused with more hits to her shoulder.

…

When Tamsin reached the bottom of the stairs, Bo was sitting on the couch with the closed book in her lap, tapping her fingers on the cover. Trick had been right: the majority of the book was speculation, but the part about the bond had been written by a Fae who regretted his acceptance and, in his spite, revealed his Valkyrie's secrets. He described the changing of her wings, the connection between their hearts, how he could feel pleasure with no one but her, and how their lives were forever entwined in almost unnatural longevity. What broke Bo's heart the most was what he said of her wings: so enraged was this Fae that he wanted to cut them off himself, being the only person who would ever be able to touch them in all the Valkyrie's lives. Despite the vitriol behind the explanation, it was everything Bo needed to know about what was happening to Tamsin.

Hearing the footsteps on the stairs come to a stumbling halt, Bo turned to gaze at the woman she loved, who was staring back at her with anguished fear and resignation. "When were you going to tell me?" Bo murmured.

"I didn't know how," Tamsin managed in a hoarse voice. "How do you tell someone that you love them so much that your life is tied to theirs? How do you tell someone that you want to bond with them for the rest of both your lives, never to break apart? How do you tell someone that knowing that it may not be what they want?"

Bo patted the space next to her on the couch and Tamsin obeyed, sitting wearily and resting her forearms on her knees. "One of the many things I love about you Bo is how free you are – independent and willful and steadfast in your beliefs. You never let anyone force you into anything – hell, you're unaligned. The relationships you had before…those two tried to force you and control you and it's pissed me off from the start. When I Fell, I knew I Fell for you, and I promised myself that I would never, ever try to force you to accept the bond. I want you to be free to make your own choices, Bo, even if it means…" Tamsin choked back a sob. "I want to be in your life, Bo, but it would be unfair to you to tie you to me forever."

"That night I found you downstairs and you said you were getting a drink of water…that was the night you Fell, wasn't it?" Bo asked gently. The Valkyrie bit her lip and nodded. Bo reached over and laced her fingers with Tamsin's. "What if this is what I want, Tamsin? What if the choice I make is to be with you?"

Tamsin squeezed Bo's hand but didn't meet her gaze. "Bo, this isn't something you can take back if you change your mind. The bond is forever, both in life and what comes after. You'd only ever be able to be with me. I'm not sure if you'd even be able to feed from anyone else and…well, get something out of it."

"Monogamy worked well enough for my grandparents," Bo pointed out with an arch of her eyebrow.

"I'm being serious, Bo," Tamsin replied, finally looking up at the succubus with tears in her eyes. "You'd be mine and I'd be yours forever. I love you so much, but I want you to have the freedom to…to leave, should you ever want to."

"And that's one of the many reasons I love you so much, Tamsin," Bo soothed, taking the Valkyrie's face in her hands. "You've never tried to hold me back or tell me what to do. You've never once lied to me – hidden things, yes, but I can certainly understand hiding something like this. You love me for everything I am and I love you for everything you are and I never want that to end."

"Bo, we only just said it this morning," Tamsin protested weakly. To her surprise, Bo chuckled, shaking her head.

"Oh, Tamsin, I've loved you for much longer than that. I just wasn't able to name it until this morning. But I love you, Tamsin, so very much." She tilted the Valkyrie's chin, forcing the blonde to meet her eyes. "You want me to be free to make my own choices? Well, I already have, and that choice is you." Bo smiled, tenderly stroking Tamsin's cheek. "How many times do I have to say it? I could never regret you."

Tamsin was looking at Bo with such hope and longing that it made the succubus's heart ache. "R-really? You want this?"

"With everything I am."

Never taking her eyes from Bo's, Tamsin stood from the couch, her face darkening and hollowing into its true form. Her ink-and-coal wings stretched from her back to extend their full length. Bo stood to face the Valkyrie, who held her gaze for another moment before dropping to one knee before the succubus and bowing her head. "My love, my life, my warrior, I give to you my heart."

Bo smiled down at the woman she loved. "My love, my life, my Valkyrie, I accept, for you already have mine."

Tamsin looked up at her then, her joy evident even in that elemental visage. Anyone but Bo would have found that smile frightening, but as the Valkyrie got to her feet before her chosen warrior, the succubus found her so very beautiful. Bo caught movement over Tamsin's shoulder and gasped at the sight. Tamsin followed Bo's gaze to see that, starting from the base of her wings, the inky hue of her wings was slowly giving way to a white so pure it was almost blinding. The glow spread along her feathers, chasing every hint of the darkness away. The blackness retreated to the very tips of her wings before disappearing entirely, leaving only brilliance in its wake. Bo reached out to run her hands along Tamsin's feathers and grinned giddily at the softness beneath her fingertips. She lifted her gaze to Tamsin's face with a happy laugh, wrapping her arms around the Valkyrie's neck.

Tamsin stared down into her love's eyes for a moment before realizing that her face was still in its sunken form. She had just turned her head and was retracting her wings when Bo stopped her with a hand against her cheek. "Hey," she murmured, guiding Tamsin's gaze to hers again. "You're beautiful." The Valkyrie responded with a smirk, cupping Bo's face in her hands and running her thumb along her cheekbone, just below her eye. Understanding, Bo let her gaze shift from brown to brilliant blue.

Stripped to their primal forms, Bo and Tamsin met in a searing kiss, the Valkyrie wrapping both arms and wings around the succubus. Bo purred against Tamsin's lips, the taste of her somehow more exquisite with her true face revealed. She gave the Valkyrie one last playful nip before pulling back with a mischievous smile on her face. "So is this what you meant by 'my Valkyrie is thine'?"

Tamsin blinked, then groaned in realization, dropping her face to Bo's shoulder. "You did read it."

"It was beautiful, Tamsin. Why didn't you finish it?"

"I tried. I couldn't find the right words, in any language," the blonde murmured, nuzzling Bo's neck.

"Speaking of languages, are you going to tell me what 'mo laoch' means now?"

Tamsin lifted her head and smirked at her again, black eyes somehow sparkling. "Well, I'll give you a hint. You are mo ghrá," she kissed her lightly, "mo shaol," and again, "mo laoch."

"My love, my life, my warrior," Bo breathed. "'Mo laoch' means 'my warrior.'"

"Yes it does," Tamsin chuckled. She retracted her wings and let her face return to normal as Bo let her eyes fade back to brown. Pressing her lips to her warrior's again, the Valkyrie murmured, "Shall we take this home?"

"Yes, please," Bo grinned lasciviously.

Tamsin laughed, each woman wrapping an arm around the other's waist as they headed for the stairs.

"Oh, and Tamsin?"

"Hmm?"

Bo pulled her Valkyrie into one more fierce kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, mo laoch."

…

Kayleigh, Aislinn, Kenzi, and Fíonn were having a deep debate about movies when the two empaths nearly spat out their drinks, heads whipping in the direction of Trick's Lair. Their reaction was so sudden that Fíonn and Kenzi followed their gaze. The four watched as Tamsin and Bo meandered towards the back door of the Dal, arms around each other's waist, heads bent as they giggled together. Only after the door had shut behind them did Kenzi punch the air with both hands as Fíonn burst into song.

"And caaaaaaaaan you feeeeeeeel the loooooooove toniiiiiiiiiight," the gancanagh crooned.

"Yes, actually, we can," Kayleigh commented, indicating herself and Aislinn.

Language Lessons:

"Mo ghrá, mo shaol, mo laoch": Pronounced "moe (gh)raw, moe hale, moe lake." "My love, my life, my warrior." "Life" by itself is "saol," pronounced "sale."