Scythe & Sparrow

Fionn stays behind to help the wounded dog, but he begs Lachlan to keep Rose safe. After bringing the dog to the vet, Rose texts him with an address. Fionn races to the location, ignoring repeated calls from Leander. (Fionn is supposed to be at the airport for his flight to Croatia.) When Fionn finally answers Leander’s calls, he tells Leander what is happening to his family. Leander reschedules the flight for the next day but threatens repercussions if Fionn fails to show up.

When Fionn finds his brothers, he is horrified to see Rose lying unconscious on the street. Lark is safe, but Rose has been stabbed in the liver by a man who is now lying dead nearby. In the ambulance, Fionn holds Rose, furious with himself for failing to tell her that he loves her. He begs her to fight and promises himself that he will save her no matter what.

At the hospital, Fionn and Sloane stay near Rose’s bedside through the night. Sloane reveals that she got the truth out of Leander and knows that Fionn is leaving on a secret mission for the man. She gives Fionn her private address in Croatia and tells him to send letters to Rose there; she will then forward them to Rose. After Sloane leaves, Fionn begs Rose to wake up before he has to go, but she doesn’t move. Fionn tells her that he loves her. He leaves her a love letter before heading to the airport.

After her recovery, Rose rejoins Silveria Circus and returns to her life on the road. However, before each performance, she no longer feels the excitement that she used to feel. She is glad that Lark and Sloane have kept in touch in recent months, but she is still heartbroken over Fionn’s unexplained disappearance. Then one day, Rose receives a love letter from Fionn with a tarot card inside. He expresses his love and regret and promises not to give up on their relationship. The letters keep coming over the following weeks. Each one contains a new tarot card and ends the same way, with Fionn promising that he is “not letting [her] go” (337).

Seven months later, the circus moves to a new location for another show. Before they perform, José confronts Rose in her tent. He gives her another letter from Fionn and encourages her to follow her heart. He has noticed that she no longer seems invested in the show, and he suggests that she might want to be with Fionn instead. Rose protests but privately wonders if José is right. After he leaves, she opens Fionn’s letter. He tells her to meet him in Ellsworth, Maine if she wants to reunite. She looks out over the fairgrounds and considers what to do.

Fionn sits at Lookout Rock outside of Ellsworth and waits for Rose. He knows that she should have received his letter days ago, but he hasn’t heard from her. Finally, he looks up to see her approaching. They talk about their separation, and Fionn gives her the last tarot card in his deck and another letter, which he reads aloud to her. He apologizes again for leaving her and breaking her heart, then reiterates his love and declares his desire to spend his life with her. She asks how that would look, and he lets her decide. They agree to abolish their old relationship rules.

Fionn and Rose get a room at an inn. Over drinks, Rose reads Fionn all of the replies that she wrote to his letters over the preceding months. They spend the night talking, laughing, and sleeping “in each other’s arms” (355).



Fionn and Rose spend three weeks in Ellsworth. They continue writing and leaving each other letters, giving each other space and comfort as needed. They also renew their sexual relationship. At the end of the trip, Rowan, Lachlan, Lark, and Sloane meet up with them. Beforehand, Fionn secretly pockets a ring that he bought for Rose and waits for the opportune moment to propose to her.

The narrative shifts to Rowan’s first-person perspective. The brothers and their partners have reconvened at a cabin in the woods and are engaging in games and other festivities. They are also playing their murder competition. During their getaway, Rowan observes Lachlan, Fionn, Rose, Lark, and Sloane together and privately muses on their relationships and how they have all changed.

One day, Fionn confronts Rowan about what happened to their father. Rowan insists that Fionn isn’t at fault and that he, Rowan, is the one who strangled Callum to death. The two hold each other, making amends and reaffirming their brotherly love. Not long afterward, Fionn surprises everyone by getting down on one knee and proposing to Rose. She accepts, and they share a passionate kiss.

The narrative shifts to Autumn Bower’s first-person point of view. Autumn is a woman that Sloan and Rowan saved from a murder in Butcher & Blackbird. Autumn hides behind a tree in the woods to see what the Kane brothers and their partners are doing. She has asked them for help with escaping her abusive husband, and she knows that they are going to exact revenge on her behalf. After they kill Autumn’s husband, Autumn and Sloane catch each other’s eyes, and Sloane gives her a nod of recognition. Autumn feels relieved and ready to tell her story.