Kierse leaves her room and follows a strong magical pull to a large chamber containing a massive, sacred tree. A group of people in green robes are chanting around it. As she enters, a man she vaguely recognizes calls her “Kierse.” At the same time, goblins from the auction appear, and the man shouts for them to capture her. The seemingly peaceful meditators turn hostile and rush toward her.

Kierse flees, breaking a woman’s grip and running back through the corridors. She escapes through the magical door and runs directly into Graves, who was preparing to break it down, and Vale, whom Graves had called for backup. Vale holds off the pursuing cultists while Kierse and Graves race through the market. They escape Nying Market and jump into a waiting limo, speeding away just as the man who recognized her emerges onto the street, cursing their escape.

Safely in the limo, Graves admits that he was so worried about Kierse being alone in the market that his team had to stop him from eating goblin fruit to get to her. Hearing the depth of his fear shatters Kierse’s lingering anger and distrust. She realizes that he truly cares for her, and they reconcile with a passionate kiss as the sun rises. During their conversation, Kierse reveals what she learned inside the compound: The organization is called Sansara, the name of the sacred tree Cillian destroyed. Based on this and the familiar pine-and-lemon-scented magic, she tells Graves that she’s certain the Curator is Cillian.

Back at the brownstone, Kierse and Graves find Gen asleep in a chair, having waited up for them. Graves leads Kierse’s to his room. In his private bathroom, he reacts with alarm to her stitched wound as they shower together. Their reconciliation continues as they have sex first in the shower and again in his bed. During their second encounter, Kierse willingly lowers her magical absorption, allowing Graves access to her mind. They share their thoughts and desires, and he sends her a powerful image of his perspective, showing her how precious she is to him and that he would destroy the world to protect her.

A few days later, Graves’s team gathers in the library to debrief. Gen questions Kierse about being Lorcan’s soulmate, and Graves explains that the bond creates a powerful magical and physical connection. Gen also reveals that she has been secretly training with Niamh. Laz reports that he decrypted files from the auction, confirming that the Curator will display the cauldron at an upcoming event called Monster Con. He also admits that the Curator’s security is too advanced for him and that they need a more skilled tech expert. Kierse suggests that they recruit Walter Rodriguez, Graves’s powerful former apprentice. Though Graves is hesitant, calling Walter a liability, he agrees to contact him. The team also decides to ask Nate to join the mission as an ally inside the event.

Graves attempts to guide Kierse through her memories to find information on Cillian. They’re able to access memories of her parents on the night of the spell, but her mind hits a block every time she gets close to the memory of entering Cillian’s apartment building in Tribeca. During one attempt, Kierse detects the pine-and-lemon signature scent at door 7020, confirming Cillian’s presence. Each attempt to push past the block causes Kierse increasingly severe physical trauma, starting with a nosebleed and escalating to bleeding from her eyes. Graves theorizes that Cillian intentionally erased or blocked the memory. Kierse also suggests the unidentified man from Sansara who called her by name as a potential lead, and Graves agrees to pursue it. Realizing that they can’t break through her mental blocks without causing Kierse serious harm, they decide to seek help from a professional.

At the Covenant hospital, Mafi introduces Kierse to Dr. Camila Carrión, a psychiatrist who studies monster mental health. Kierse explains her fragmented memories, and Dr. Carrión suggests that the block may be partly psychological, a defense mechanism against trauma. She performs a magical ritual using burning herbs, which reveals two distinct blocks in Kierse’s mind: One is a magical barrier, but the other is a psychological wall surrounding what happened to her parents. Dr. Carrión explains that Kierse must be willing to face the trauma of what happened to her parents before she can hope to overcome the magical block. Overwhelmed, Kierse leaves, and Graves comforts her, promising to wait until she’s ready.

A few days later, Kierse and Gen head to Brooklyn for Nate and Maura’s engagement party. Before the party, they execute a plan to break Ethan out of the Druid compound for the night. They’re met by Niamh, who guides them through the corridors. When they encounter two guards, Gen reveals a new offensive application of her healing magic by touching them and whispering commands that put them to sleep. To create a diversion, Kierse separates from the group to confront Lorcan while Niamh and Gen get Ethan out. As it turns out, Lorcan was already aware of the plan and permitted Ethan’s exit.

Lorcan dismisses Kierse’s anger about him hiding their soulmate bond from her, claiming that he didn’t want to influence her unfairly. He places his hand over her heart, and she feels the overwhelming power of their magical connection. He tells her that she can take Ethan to the party but must have him back before morning meditation. Before she leaves, he lets her go with the words “come back to me” (225), leaving her shaken by the intensity of their bond.

At Club 21, Kierse, Gen, and Ethan celebrate Nate and Maura’s engagement. Ethan reconnects with Corey. To everyone’s surprise, Graves arrives. He integrates himself with Kierse’s friends and, in a conversation with Ethan, reveals that he trained with the Druids as a teenager alongside Lorcan and Niamh. He explains that their group also included Emilie as a second High Priestess and Saoirse as the wisp at the center of their triskel. By sharing this part of his past, Graves builds a bridge of understanding with Ethan, who is shocked to learn of Graves’s history with the Druidic Order. Nate’s second-in-command, Ronan, is also at the party and flirts with Gen.

During the party, Graves, Kierse, and Nate retreat to the wine cellar to discuss business. They officially ask Nate to join their heist at Monster Con. As an incentive, Graves offers him a chance to use the cauldron, suggesting that its legendary power might cure Maura’s incubus curse. Nate immediately agrees and formally joins the team. After Nate returns to the party, Kierse and Graves remain in the cellar and have sex.

The next morning, the expanded team meets in the library. Walter is present, having officially joined their ranks. He explains that he agreed to help because Kierse and Graves had the opportunity to kill him when they stole the spear but chose not to. Gen lightheartedly dubs their group “Team Holly” and shows off a logo she designed. Walter reveals that he easily hacked the Monster Con network, has reestablished Graves’s security net reinforced with his warding, and is working on the problem of the Curator’s identity. The event’s schedule shows that the Curator’s collection will be showcased during a Friday night welcome reception. The entertainment will be a performance by the cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which includes the actress Lyra, providing a potential way for Kierse to infiltrate the event.

Kierse solidifies her plan to infiltrate Monster Con by befriending Lyra, who eventually offers to get her into the event with the theater troupe. Meanwhile, Graves informs Kierse that soulmate bonds traditionally require a magical binding ceremony to be fully realized. On the night of the full moon, Kierse and Gen return to Brooklyn for triskel training under Lorcan and Niamh’s guidance. Kierse confronts Lorcan about the binding ceremony. He reveals that his deceased wife, Saoirse, was also his soulmate and that Kierse has Saoirse’s magic, though he admits that he doesn’t know how and has been researching reincarnation. During the training session, the trio successfully links their powers. However, near the end of the night, an exhausted Ethan accidentally draws too much magic from Kierse, causing her to collapse from magic drain and fall unconscious.

Niamh tends to the unconscious Kierse in Lorcan’s bed, confirming that she’s suffering from magic burn but will recover with rest. Lorcan is furious and possessive, threatening to kill Graves if he attempts to take Kierse while she’s vulnerable. Niamh insists that they must notify Graves and tells Gen to call him. As she waits, Niamh reflects on her past, remembering her own romantic relationship with Saoirse before Saoirse’s relationship with Lorcan, as well as the triskel that the three of them eventually formed together. Gen makes the call, and Niamh braces for the violent confrontation she knows will follow.