Maria woke in the twilight hours-it was never fully dark, here. Mark was behind her clutching her waist while her leg was thrown over Lugh's thigh.

Her breasts were achingly stiff. "Where's Ethelyn?"

Lugh helped move the sleeping baby onto her tighter breast while the other leaked freely, as was common when she went too long. "Is that normal, Lass?"

"Any time I'm off schedule? Yeah." She wasn't sure why she fell asleep so hard until flashes of what they had done crossed her mind. At least putting pressure on the other nipple kept it from leaking all over everything, but she knew her mind had left her ears over trying to become like her ancestors. One leak or another, I'm a mess.

Mark was extremely slurred in his response to them, not being fully awake. "She needs to drain the other side. Just give Ethelyn to me when she's done and take care of it."

It took quite a while for the sleeping baby to finish, especially since she was very difficult to burp. Mark carried Ethelyn off to work the air out while Lugh gently relieved the swelling in the other.

It was difficult to switch from purpose to pleasure. Clinically, Maria knew some women couldn't do it at all, but these two men were too good at making the dance pure joy. They spent their morning devoted to worshiping each other as thoroughly as they could, collapsing on each other as the dawn broke through the fog.

Then Lugh played with his daughter. Maria wished she had brought her phone, but like the first time she came here, she left it on her bed. She suspected that this realm simply repulsed electronic machines and some part of her instinctively knew to leave the thing behind. After all, Mark never used one.

He must have known she was thinking about him as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the crown of her head. "Do you want to give them some privacy?"

Maria nodded and Préachán shifted them around Lugh's realm up to the foggy mountain borders. All around them were bird's nests stuffed with eggs twice the size of her belly right before Ethelyn was born.

"What's this?"

"Lugh's army-my people. I wasn't the only one of us created, just the first."

"They just lie dormant here?"

"We're a very aggressive species with more power than the average Fey and less of their weaknesses. He doesn't dare release them, yet, as it would mean war with the rest of the Pantheon." Préachán sighed. "I've been denied a people so I could be devoted to you."

"Do you regret me?"

"Not at all. I just hope these children never understand the loneliness both Lugh and I went through to find you." He kissed the crown of her head, again, having never moved from behind her.

"Did you want to?"

"No, not this time. I've eaten the fruit of my homeland. It makes me very sleepy. I would be poor competition for my God."

Maria shook her head, and corrected him. "Sex isn't just about getting off. It's comfort and connection and can be used just like cuddling."

Préachán lined an empty nest with fluffy blankets and found out the truth in her words as they both fell asleep without release.

~~~

Late midday, after yet another round of feeding Ethelyn, Lugh guided them behind one of the doors in the hall to reveal a burial mound. He lead them to the central chamber and had Maria place his daughter in the middle of a stone bed, where the sun broke through the earthen ceiling.

Maria was at peace until Lugh brought out the knife.

She lunged forward to grab Ethelyn but Préachán caught her up in his arms, turning her head away from whatever would come.

She began beating on his chest. "No! Let me go, damn you!"

She couldn't pull her hands free to form a cross against him-that wouldn't work well as they were in the Fey realm. She couldn't push him off-he was far too strong.

Ethelyn cried-a rage-filled piercing scream that made Maria fear the worst. In that moment, she hated both men and struggled to find the thing Lugh nearly woke in her, but without him it was painful, tearing bone and sinew that wasn't meant to change.

In desperation she broke through, though Préachán managed to keep a hold of the spinning rings and eyes--she could see everything.

Ethelyn was wholly unscathed while screaming her little head off in a bed of tulip petals. Préachán was crying silently, tears running down his face as he pulled her in tighter.

It was Lugh.

The God split his chest open from neck to navel and all that kept pouring out was the flowers. He winced as he shifted the blade to his sternum and cut across his chest. Lugh removed the knife and plunged his hand in to pull out a small puffy scrollwork heart on a chain, something that looked a lot like jewelry her mom had in the 90s.

Maria had no voice to scream, not in this form. She could weep-it's all she had, not what she wanted to do. They ran down the facets of her rings and over Mark's arms.

Lugh looked up at her, his own tears as red as blood trickling down his chin. He had two words left in him. "I'm sorry."

Then he opened his mouth and wretched the remainder of his life out in fairy lights that swirled the petals and pierced the soul of Ethelyn. The raging child was finally at peace.

Maria and the land were more defiant. The rings flashed their wrath as the ceiling of the tomb shook. Mark snapped the rings into a pile he could grip as he picked up Ethelyn and the necklace. He pulled them out of Otherworld as the tomb collapsed in on itself.

They landed in the cab. "Damn it, I didn't mean to come here."

Maria had no idea how she was supposed to speak, but she thought as many insults as she could dig up in her now too-pure mind. You poot filled Snickerdoolde!

"Boss ordered this last night, crow." Crasboeth muttered. "And don't blame me when we get there."