Tires crunched over gravel as the van backed to a gradual stop. A minute later the doors opened, flooding the dim compartment with afternoon light.

"We're here," Finn announced, wearing an enigmatic grin.

I carefully backed Katherine's wheelchair down the ramp and onto an open field of grass hemmed in by trees with what appeared to be a large, military surplus tent set up in its center.

"This doesn't look too safe," Katherine said dubiously, wrinkling her nose at the tent. "At least the warehouse has walls."

"Don't condemn it too quickly," Finn said, "I busted my ass to get this set up for you. Well, my crew did. Here's one of them now." She nodded to the tree line where a woman ducked beneath a low branch and walked toward us, wearing a light, sun dress and hiking boots. My first thought as the pale, black-haired woman approached was that all Fae must be gorgeous. Then I remembered the satyr. Her actual appearance might have been anything.

"Meg, this is Tom and Katherine," Finn said. "The other two are coming with Cuthbert."

"Meg Malone," the girl inclined her head and extended a hand to Katherine. Her tone was polite, but distinctly neutral, as if the friendly gesture had been coerced, then she stood straight and faced me.

"I know what you are," she said, her voice still dry and casual. I answered with a tight lipped grin and bore her stare in uncomfortable silence while Finn smirked at my misery.

"Where's Julius?" the red haired Fae asked abruptly, with far too much cheer.

"He finished a while ago and left."

"Good. We don't want to scare this lot off just yet."

Meg looked us over appraisingly and snorted. "Jules is a pussycat. I'd be more worried about Cleigh."

"He's on lookout duty, they'll never see him."

"Yeah, but it's not like he's never eaten the wrong people."

I liked the idea of camping less and less the longer they spoke and was about to weigh in when the black sedan pulled onto the gravel drive behind us. Meg stalked off with a surly nod before Miss Gold exited the passenger door, leaving Becca and Rachel to extricate themselves from the back seat. She watched Meg retreat into the forest before approaching.

"You still employ the hag?"

"Hag?" Katherine glanced between them with an expression of disbelief, "You mean Meg?"

"What happened to keeping secrets?" Finn eyes narrowed dangerously upward and Miss Gold returned a dour look.

"My priority is Thomas' safety,"

"I've had to pull a shit ton of resources off other projects for this little adventure just to satisfy your requests. There isn't anyone better than Meg at setting up and tuning the wards, and you know it."

"She is a threat."

"So am I," Finn growled, and I believed her. "Meg wouldn't hurt a fly without good reason."

Miss Gold crossed her arms defiantly. "I should think not. A fly would fall far short of sating her appetites."

"Do you really want to do this here," Finn bristled, "in front of them?" Miss Gold stood, silent and stoic, until Finn threw up her hands in disgust and stomped off. My godmother said nothing more about it and I was more than glad to dismiss their exchange, so I focused on helping Katherine out of her chair while Becca and Rachel came up behind us.

"Rad," Rachel nodded her approval, taking in the clearing, tent, and fire pit. "Are we gonna roast weenies over the fire?"

"You just ate three bratwursts and a pint of potato salad," Katherine protested. "I'm convalescing here, I need a hotel. Three stars at least."

Becca brought up the rear with an optimistic grin. "I like it too. Can we go hiking?"

"No, Rebecca," Miss Gold replied. "You will stay inside the tent until we return you to the island tomorrow morning."

"What are we supposed to do for the next fourteen hours?" I asked.

"Survive," she answered in a tone that closed the subject. I followed her to the tent flap and she held it aside while we filed in one by one.

Becca's disappointment couldn't have been more clear. She'd obviously been expecting something grand and magical, like a hotel suite on the inside, or at least a much larger space, but it appeared to be nothing more than a simple, if spacious, canvas tent. There were some creative amenities, like cafe lights hanging from the ceiling and wired to a car battery, and the four cots were large and luxuriously piled with blankets. Camp chairs were arranged in the center around a cooler that contained drinks ranging from fruit juices to beer, accompanied by a grocery bag full of snacks.

"I'm going to blow up if I keep eating like this," Katherine muttered as I helped her into one of the chairs. Rachel sat next to her while Becca explored, and I took a seat across from them.

I didn't speak for quite a while, lost in the surreality of being put on lockdown by creatures from another world. The strangeness was made complete by an impossible familiarity, as if the fevered dreams of my youth had been preparing me for half my life to accept the inexplicable.

"My clothes!" Becca shouted, jarring me out of my introspection. "There's one here for everyone!" She pulled a long-sleeved shirt out of a rucksack that had been set atop one of the cots and hugged it to her. She was right. A bag under each cot contained at least one change of clothes for each of us.

"How the fuck?" Rachel asked, withdrawing a pair of leggings. "These were in a drawer in my room."

"Same," I said after confirming, and passed the fourth sack to Katherine so she wouldn't have to get up. Hers contained socks and shoes and underwear, but instead of street clothes, there were two more white robes like the one she had on.

"It's just as well," she said, "I'm not buttoning anything around my waist until it's healed. Can't say it's not comfy."

"It looks cold," Becca noted.

"Not really, but Thomas can always warm me up."

"You're getting the worst of harem life right off," Rachel said from across the tent, examining a black, long-sleeved tee, "roughing it without showers or makeup and shitting in the bushes."

"It's not that bad," Becca said.

Rachel shrugged, "I'm not complaining. Not like I can leave anyway. I've gotta change, I've been in these clothes since Saturday." I turned quickly to face the door, a move Katherine seemed to find amusing. "Suit yourself," Rachel added, "but It doesn't bother me. You've already seen my tits."

"When did you see her tits?" Katherine asked, her eyebrows lifting half an inch, "you haven't even seen mine."

"It was an accident."

"You were staring," Rachel corrected. "I said it's fine, don't make a big deal about it."

"Staring? Really?" Katherine's expression made me feel like a toddler caught with his hand in a cookie jar, "you won't even look at me unless I'm covered up to my chin."

"It's not like that," I began, "I wasn't expecting—"

"He's probably terrified of those blimps."

"Thanks Rach," I murmured, "I wasn't in enough trouble as it was."

"Um," Becca cut in, hugging an outfit to herself, "I'd like to get out of this too." It was clear she wasn't on board with Rachel's policy on changing in mixed company. I pulled a chair behind Katherine and sat, adamantly facing the door.

"I think you're going to have to help me," Katherine whispered over her shoulder.

"With what?"

"I can manage the robe, but I've been wearing the same pair of cotton granny panties for two days. There's a change in my bag, but it hurts when I bend down."

"I'm not changing your underwear," I said firmly.

"Yes, you are, because I'm not going to stop nagging you until I get my way. Consider it penance for looking at Rachel's boobs."

"I didn't—ok, fine, I was surprised and got caught staring, but I'm not in danger of doing stuff with her. When you're half naked it's not about whether or not I want to look, it's about what looking would do to my self control."

"Aww," she said, keeping her voice low. "You're sweet, and I forgive you, because Rachel's got a nice body and I can't blame you for peeking, but don't kid yourself. Maybe she wasn't an option before, but she is now, and turning your back won't work forever."

I wasn't about to let her steer the conversation in that direction again, so I kept quiet and focused on the sliver of light shining through the tent flap.

"And you're still helping me change," Katherine added as Rachel and Becca both indicated they were done. I could hear the amusement in her voice. She was as bad as Finn.

The notion was much more provocative than the reality. Apart from briefly touching Katherine's bare hips, her modesty was fairly well preserved by the length of her gown, and the injury kept her from excessive teasing.

"Where'd you get those?" Katherine asked Becca once everyone had settled down. She was wearing a pair of embroidered jeans with her cotton shirt.

"Mom bought them for me ages ago," she replied, looking relieved to be out of her coveralls. "They're a little tight but they still fit."

"They're super cute."

"Thanks. I wish I knew how the fairies got them. How do they even know where I live?"

"Miss Gold showed up at the dorm right after Katherine kissed me," I said, "and I never did find out how she knew I was there. She once told me she could get through doors when she wanted, so I imagine pulling a few things out of your room isn't that big a deal."

The chairs were arranged facing each other, and with all of them occupied, I had no place to get dressed without an audience. "Mind if I get a turn?" I asked.

Rachel looked up at me. "For what?"

"My clothes."

"Go ahead" Katherine said and sat watching me. My eyes grazed each of them in turn.

"Could I get some privacy?"

"Doesn't look like it," Rachel found a brush in her sack and was running it through her hair.

"I turned around for you."

"You turned for her," she said, indicating Becca, "I said I didn't care."

"I don't see much point in being a prude about it, Thomas," Katherine said. "You helped me into my underwear."

"You didn't give me a choice."

"Yes I did. Letting me nag you to death was a clear option."

"Becca help me out here," I plead with her, but she seemed unwilling to contradict the others. "Fine," I grumbled. "I'll be back." I collected my things and walked out with Rachel and Katherine chuckling quietly.

It wasn't fair, I thought to myself. Rachel pulled a gun on me because my dad told her to, but I couldn't get them to shut their eyes for two minutes. My influence was either much different from his, or much weaker. That, or he simply knew how to use his abilities while I was still wrestling with the fact that I wasn't entirely human.

"You shouldn't be out here, Tom," Finn said as I stepped into the clearing. She sat on a stack of logs piled next to the fire pit, nudging the burning logs with the end of a stick. "The clearing is warded, but it's not as secure as the island. It's strongest and safest in the center."

"I just need to put these on. Five minutes?"

"Why out here? Are you trying to impress me?"

I felt my cheeks flushing. "The girls are giving me enough grief, I just want to put on some clean pants without a running commentary."

"I see," she grinned, "well we're far enough away from town that I don't think you'll trigger any alarms in the next few minutes."

"Thanks," I said and started toward the trees.

"Hold up," Finn shouted, "where do you think you're going?"

"To change."

She shook her head, "Not out there, you're not. The perimeter is inside the clearing. You stay close to the tent or go back inside."

I stood frozen for a second, trying to calculate my options, "Wait, what if I have to go to the bathroom?"

"There's a portable toilet on the opposite side, but it's not enclosed. I'm afraid you're not going to have a lot of privacy for the next few hours. Just enjoy it, those ladies of yours aren't exactly hard to look at. Would it help if I took my clothes off too?"

"No!" I almost shouted, "I don't need any more temptation."

"Does that mean you think I'm pretty?"

"I thought you said I didn't affect you."

Finn's laugh was musical, and would have been contagious if I weren't the subject of her humor. "I was teasing, but if it'll make you more comfortable..." She trailed off and unbuckled one of the straps of her overalls.

"No! No, I'll just go over here," I backed away toward the side of the tent where I could pretend she wasn't mocking me. It wasn't that I was particularly modest. Becca had seen me in a towel twice, and I'd slept next to Katherine in my underwear without a panic attack. I just wasn't prepared to go full monty in front of everyone, especially if they considered it comic relief.

The afternoon came and went, and the four of us spent most of it just talking. In a complete reversal of attitude, Katherine drew Becca into the conversation until the three of them were chatting like they'd all been friends for years. Feeling at peace for the first time in several days, I closed my eyes to listen and let my mind wander.

The lights came immediately, almost surprisingly, into focus. Miss Gold had said they were connections, or gateways into—What? I tried to remember all of the words she used. Chi sounded too much like Eastern religion, but Katherine had recognized the word Anima, I'd have to ask her about that. Dunamis was Greek for "power," which seemed like a better description for the pressure lurking in the back of my mind than the floating sparks.

I could feel that knot of power clearly, as though it had shape and form, a shadow made from dust and liquid fire, coiled like a serpent around something I couldn't see. I shuddered and cast the vision aside in favor of sparkling gates and fairy lights, shining warm and welcoming among colorful ribbons of fog and immaterial scents. I could clearly make out three distinct patterns, lingering just beneath the surface of my thoughts like the memory of a dream.

The weight of the world slipped away and I drifted among those primal sensations, feeling their pull, drawn to their luster. Voices became as indistinct as running water, and the lights overhead blurred into formless gaps where an afternoon sun broke through a green canopy of indistinct leaves. I tried to focus but registered nothing except vaguely shimmering shapes and color, like wind caressing the leaves of a great tree.

Suddenly, a face appeared, feral and fierce, crisp and real, with yellow eyes staring down into mine, framed by a mane of savage, tawny hair that blocked the sky. My heart lurched and I cried out, or thought I did. The knot in my mind wrenched itself free and lashed out like an untamed storm.

"Holy fuck!"

"Rachel?" Katherine said, hissing in pain after trying to stand, but Becca was up and kneeling beside Rachel who groaned, spasming and clutching at the floor. It was over before I had fully registered it.

"Motherfucking hell," she breathed, trembling.

"What happened? Are you okay?" The interior of the tent was still resolving as I leaped up to join Becca on the floor, but she wasn't paying attention to Rachel anymore. She was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, catching her eye, then glanced back at Katherine who had the same expression. "What?"

"I think you were dreaming," Katherine said.

"I don't... what? Rach, what happened?" I asked. She shook her head, still breathing heavily.

"You nuked her," Katherine said, looking from me to Rachel to Becca, who nodded her confirmation.

"Rach?" I helped Rachel sit up and she gripped my hand like a vice.

"I'm okay," she said between breaths.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" she asked, incredulous, then hissed through her teeth and her nails dug into my palm.

"Rachel!"

"I'm fine. Just an aftershock."

I stared at her stupidly.

"She just came, Thomas," Katherine said, slowly and calmly.

"Fucking understatement." Rachel mumbled, levering herself to her feet.

"You what?"

"I felt it too," Becca whispered at my elbow, her voice surprisingly calm.

"Same," Katherine nodded, "but just the edges."

I tried to help Rachel to her feet but she just shook her head and pushed me away. "I told you I'm fine, give me a second." Becca had set Rachel's camp chair upright and she dropped into it with her head in her hands.

"Thomas," Katherine said softly, "do you see why I told you to practice on me? How are you going to learn to control that if you don't start doing it on purpose?"

"I don't know, but—"

"You nodded off for five minutes and knocked Rachel out of her chair."

"But—"

"You can't just drop that on someone because you're tired."

"Katherine, what am I supposed to do? I don't know anything about it except what Becca got out of the Glim, and the book said it's not supposed to work that way."

"The leanan sidhe makes the mind focus, work harder on one thing," Becca corrected, "but you need access, and that comes from your dad's power, which is limited to..."

"Sex," Katherine concluded.

Becca nodded, "I felt it when you kissed Rachel at the apartment too."

"That must be what happened to Gloria." Katherine went on, "Though we'll have to wait and see if Rachel masturbates all night."

Rachel flashed her middle finger and raised her head wearily. "It's like a bomb went off inside," She said. "I don't know how you practice that shit but get some control. You can't just throw sex grenades everywhere."

"Just telling me to get a handle on it it doesn't help."

"You just plowed through me like a damn truck, its not my job to be helpful."

"Tom?" Becca spoke again, hesitant but steady.

"Yeah?"

"I think Katherine and Rachel are right. Even Miss Gold said you had to practice."

I stared at her blankly before answering, then gestured to Rachel. "You saw what just happened, right?"

"I don't mean do that every time, I mean figure it out so you don't. I know you'll have accidents sometimes, but it's better that it happens when we're ready for it."

"You know she's right, Tom." Rachel sighed. "Getting jacked up like that wouldn't be so bad if I knew it was coming. Maybe buy me dinner first though."

"You're turning this into a joke." I couldn't believe Rachel, of all people, was going along with it. "I attacked you with this thing and Miss Gold said it almost killed you. If she wasn't there it would have."

"I don't remember that part, but you didn't fry my brain just now." She knit her brows as if turning her thoughts inward, then looked up with a hint of surprise. "In fact, it's just the opposite. The ache I've had in my chest since yesterday is gone. Fucking hell."

Katherine smiled, something between triumph and consolation, and it annoyed me that nobody else seemed aware of the danger.

"I can't believe you want me to experiment with a weapon on people I care about."

Rachel fixed her eyes on me, obviously wrestling with herself before speaking. "I carried that gun of mine for six years and I only ever pulled the trigger at the range until..." She broke off, then started again, "Do you know why I didn't use it on people?"

"Because you're not a killer."

"Hell, yes I am!" she shouted, "If some asshole was fucking with me or someone I loved I could put the barrel against his head, blow a hole through his skull, then sleep through the night like a baby. The reason I don't is because I don't want to be some fucking maniac. The gun never made me do anything. I'm the only one who gets to decide who I am."

"It isn't the same."

"Fuck that. Think about all the shit you could do," she interrupted. "When Kath caught me up on what's going on, that was the hardest thing to believe, that any dude refuse being handed the key to every pussy in the city and yet here you are, not sticking your dick in anyone. Not even Kath and she's practically begging for it."

"I am not!"

"Any guy with that kind of control," Rachel continued, "is some kind of superhero. It's not too hard to believe that you'll get a grip on this bullshit."

"Gaww, that was beautiful, Rachel," Katherine said, smiling and batting her eyes. Rachel returned a flat stare.

"Sooner or later I'm going to run out of guilt and your shit will start pissing me off."

"Let me know when I get close."

Everything they said was apparently true, but Fae weren't hunting me because I was safe. I looked up again and found all three staring me down.

"Fine," I said and returned to my seat next to Katherine, "but we take it slow, and if the tiniest thing goes wrong, we stop until I talk to Miss Gold. And I'm not doing anything to anyone on purpose until you're better, Kath."

"Fair enough, but don't forget Becca has her book, maybe there's more in there that will help."

"It's not mine," Becca mumbled.

"It might as well be, you're the only one who can read it."

Katherine took my hand and pulled me in for a kiss. With her face an inch from mine, she whispered, "Don't forget what we talked about in the van. This might take some of the pressure off, but it doesn't replace your affection and nothing else has changed. I still want you first."