by Amy Sumida
“Hey, babe,” Killian grinned at me through the crystal ball.
My heartbeat started to slow down. “Hey, you. I hope I didn't wake you.”
“Nah, I'm in Germany. It's afternoon here. What time is it there?”
“Very early in the morning. Rowan and I just got back from Unseelie.”
“Ah. Gotcha.” He nodded.
Kill was, of course, the most human of my husbands as far as mannerisms went. I loved that about him. He helped me to remember that I wasn't just a fairy. Beyond his vivid green snake eyes and snake fangs, Killian looked much the same as he had the first day I'd met him: deep auburn hair, fair skin, and a body like a lumberjack. He wasn't as massive as Raza, but he was still impressive and he'd won his physique through hard training, not just genetics.
Killian flung a hank of hair out of his face with a shake of his head. That was one thing that had changed—he'd grown his hair out to a length closer to Raza's. Kill had been thrilled to discover that Raza and he shared a Djinn heritage and had taken to calling Raza his beast brother. Raza, on the other hand, protests both the moniker and the heritage, saying that although Kill is descended from Djinn, he is not Dragon-Djinn. There are three classes of Djinn: Dragons, Snakes (or on rare occasions, Dogs), and Spirits. Killian is obviously Snake-Djinn, not Dragon. Raza is absolutely correct. Still, Kill loves to annoy Raza, and Raza has been the victim of Killian's pestering for so long that he's begun to accept it as normal, if not outright enjoy it.
“What are you doing in Germany?” I asked Killian.
“I had to meet with some Storm Troopers.”
Storm Troopers is the nickname I had given the witches of the Storm Clan. Killian and I love coming up with nicknames.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, all good. How are my girls?” Killian asked.
“That's actually why I'm calling.”
Killian's smile vanished. “Is Rowan—”
“She's fine,” I cut him off. “She's playing with Cat right now and is looking forward to seeing her daddy when he gets home.”
Killian's grin returned in full force. “Her daddy is looking forward to seeing her too.” Then he frowned again. “But if it isn't Rowan... Are you all right, Seren?”
“I'm fine too.” I cleared my throat. “Actually, before we get into what I scried about, what do you think about changing our weekly rotation back to three days?”
“You'd spend three days with each of us?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, I liked that better. It was easier to work around my schedule too.”
“Good.”
“Now, tell me already. I'm dying over here.”
“I think Rowan's developing psychic abilities. In particular, premonition,” I said grimly. “Strong premonition. She probably got a dose from both of us.”
“That's wonderful.” He frowned. “Why don't you look happy about it?”
“Because her first premonition was about you. About you getting hurt.”
“She saw that?” Killian asked softly. “Shit. Is she okay? What a horrible first vision. Did you tell her I'd be fine?”
“Killian, Rowan is fine!” I snapped. “Don't you want to know what she saw?”
“If you think it's important.” He shrugged.
This is what happens when you're part of a powerful group of people; you reach a point where you think you're untouchable. I was there too, I couldn't berate Killian for his ego, but Rowan's vision had knocked me down a peg and reminded me that anyone can be hurt.
“She saw you being attacked by several people, Killian,” I said sternly. “And if it wasn't serious, she wouldn't have been given the vision. I think you're in danger.”
“I'll be fine,” he scoffed. “Who did she see attacking me?”
“She didn't recognize them, but she said that one of the men was holding a large pearl and it was the pearl that made these people hurt you.”
“A pearl?” Killian scowled. “I have no idea what that could be, do you?”
“No.” I grimaced. “I don't know of any magical pearls that can force people to hurt each other. Perhaps it's a Sea Dragon thing.”
Killian grimaced. He didn't have to say anything; I knew what he was thinking. Danu had dealt with the Sea Dragons, in her own way, and they had yet to give us any trouble, but they had been difficult. To put it mildly. While all Fairies had believed that their goddess had abandoned them, most still loved her, and when I revealed that it wasn't Danu who had stopped speaking to her children but rather, they who had stopped listening, the land Fey were overjoyed. Guilty, but overjoyed to have their goddess back. The Sea Fey, not so much. So, if anyone was brash enough to risk Danu's vengeance by disturbing the peace, it would be them.
“All right, so we keep an eye on the water,” Killian finally concluded. “We're warned now; that's a good thing.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Hey, I'll be home in a few hours. I'm just waiting for dusk and then we can talk about this in person.”
“I won't be here. I'm off to L.A. with the sunrise.” I smiled sadly. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, Twilight.” He laid his hand on the ball.
I grinned. It was his first nickname for me and even though he was the Prince of Twilight now, he hadn't stopped using it.
“And I love you,” I added. “Be careful, Skeletor.”
“Always. I love you too, babe. Don't worry about Row's vision. Forewarned is forearms or something like that.” He grinned when I chuckled. “Seriously, I'll be okay. I'll start researching magical mean pearls when I get home.”
“I think that's a good idea but do me a favor and be extra careful until you leave Germany.”
“Will do, Mama,” he drawled. “I'll see you when you come home.”
Chapter Seven
When I knocked on Conri's door, a Fey curse answered me. I chuckled as I listened to the grumbling, thumping, growling, and whining that followed. The tones of a calm female voice only made things worse and Conri started cursing again.
I could have gone to Torquil or Gilroy and had them wake up the other members of my Star's Guard but it was so much more fun to wake up Conri first. I'd grudgingly accepted the restrictions of being royalty years ago and didn't balk at my royal guard accompanying me every time I left the realm but it was still a little annoying that I couldn't visit Daxon alone, as I did my other husbands. Dax lives on Earth and that means I had to take a security detail to visit him, even when I left at dawn. So, I took pleasure in causing a little annoyance in return. And Conri is the easiest and most amusing of my knights to annoy. He was also the one most likely to still be sleeping, despite my warning that we'd be leaving for L.A. this morning. Yeah, it's petty but... nope, I don't have any excuses for it; it's just petty.
The door opened and Gradh appeared, dressed in human clothing and looking calm. She inclined her head respectfully, her sunset skin catching the light of a nearby fairy lantern and turning more bronze. Gradh is the only woman on my Star's Guard—which gets its name from my nickname: the Twilight Star—and she's been in a relationship with Conri since nearly the beginning of the Star Guard's formation. Conri, a self-proclaimed seducer and scoundrel, went into the shackles of a relationship with more ease than anyone expected. Except for me, I've always known that Conri has only been waiting for the right woman to commit to, and Gradh's perfect for him. Her calm and capable manner soothes the savage Bargest. Usually. This morning, not so much.
Oh, yeah, Conri's not a Sidhe like Gradh, he's a Bargest. That's a Twilight race of horned, canine-shifters with fiery eyes and buff physiques. They're what happens when Cu-Sidhes mate with Seelie Fey, any kind of Seelie Fey. The Cu-Sidhe blood always produces a Bargest when it's blended with Seelie blood. Cu-Sidhe are a race of Unseelie Fey who can turn into giant—as in the size of a bull—wolves with either green or white fur, long tails (which they, oddly enough, like to keep braided), and paws the size of a human head. Humans believe that they
're harbingers of death and another name for them is Death Hound. I don't know about all that; I think the deaths their appearances foretold were likely a result of the Cu-Sidhe themselves. As for Conri's mother, she was a Glastig—a race of Seelie Fey whose women are known for their mastery of seduction—and that combination makes for a very lusty, temperamental Bargest.
Gradh, on the other hand, is a Twilight Sidhe. Sidhe are usually—there are some exceptions—the most human-looking of all the Fey races but they're also the most unpredictable as far as racial traits go. Gradh's mother's mór was the Frost—I'm sure you can imagine what it does—and her father's was the Geannaire which translates to “Hammer” in English. The younger Fey, and I mean that in terms relative to Fairies, tend to translate their mórs into human languages—usually English since it's so prevalent—and use the translation instead. You may think that's kindness or an homage to humans but it's the opposite. A fairy's mór usually has a name that describes it and the reason for that is: it turns the name into a threat. It's an intimidation tactic and the tactic won't work if your enemy doesn't understand the language.
But back to Gradh Froststrike. Although her skin was the pinkish bronze of sunset—the only skin color exclusive to Twilight Fey—her hair was a deep indigo and her eyes arctic blue. This complementary coloring was apt; Gradh can be almost chilly at times but in a good way. Her aloofness kept Conri interested and once they got together, her cool calm tempered his heat. In short, they're good together. Fire and Ice, as it were.
“Your Highness, Conri will be ready momentarily,” Gradh reported as she stepped into the corridor and shut the door behind her. Then she flashed me a grin. “I reminded him that we'd be leaving for HR this morning, but he didn't listen to me and drank far too much last night.”
A crash and another curse filtered through the door.
“Did he?” I lifted a brow. Then I called out, “Sir Conri, you had better be ready by the time twilight arrives or I'm leaving without you!”
“Fuck me!” Conri snarled.
“That will definitely not be happening,” I said sweetly. Then to Gradh, I said, “Gather the others, Sir Gradh; I'll meet you in the entry hall.”
And yes, female knights are called Sir. Some people will precede the Sir with “Lady” but Gradh doesn't like to be called Lady Sir Gradh, and I don't blame her. She's a knight, she earned the title and there shouldn't need to be an appellation added to distinguish it from other knighthoods. One of the things I loved about Fairies was that, generally, they weren't sexist. I think that comes from worshiping a goddess.
“Yes, Princess Seren.” Gradh hurried off.
When in Twilight, I'm a princess—that's my title there. So, Twilight Fey always refer to me as Princess or Your Highness despite it being a step down from my highest rank. I don't mind; I know it's about loyalty to their king and kingdom and since that king is my father and his kingdom is my home, I approve heartily.
I came down a central stairwell, then turned up one of the main corridors of the first floor. My Star's Guard, along with my father's King's Guard, lives in the main keep with us, as opposed to the barracks outside the keep where the rest of our soldiers live. They even had the honor of rooms on the third floor, just below the floor reserved for extended family, court nobles, and visiting royalty. Which is why I had to go downstairs to get to the entry hall. As I stepped into Castle Twilight's entry hall, I checked the contents of the cross-body bag I always took to HR with me and made sure I had everything I needed: cellphone, scry phone, ID, wallet, and so forth. I kept clothing and accessories in my closet in L.A. so if I wanted to go out to dinner with my husband, I could always switch bags but this one was easier for traveling since I didn't have to hold it. Essentials verified, I took a look around the hall while I waited for my guards.
A soft light filled the room but it was from the fairy lanterns, not the Sun. The sky visible through the soaring windows above the main doors still sparkled with stars, not a hint of the coming dawn lightened it yet but I knew twilight was coming; I could sense it. I took a deep breath as I crossed another star—the silver symbol of the Twilight kingdom—embedded in the lavender floor. Most of the castle had been built of amethyst, or a jewel that resembled it at least, and the translucent gem seemed to glow even without the sunshine that streamed into this room during the day. The walls caught the scant light of the lanterns within their depths and magnified it.
I turned to face the grand staircase that led to a balcony on the second floor. The balcony gave two options with corridors to either side, both of which led to the fifth floor of the keep—the Royal Residence. There were also corridors on the first floor directly below the balcony's hallways. They bracketed the grand staircase—everything nice and symmetrical—and led to the rooms at the back of the building as well as central and rear stairwells that could be used to access the lower floors of the keep. I had emerged from the hallway to the left of the stairs, the one with a tapestry of the Twilight Forest hanging over it.
The corridor to the right had a collection of Fey weapons on the wall above its arched entry, just to keep things interesting. Then to either side of me were doorways; the one on the left led to the dining hall. I knew the layout like the back of my hand now. Not much had changed in the years I'd been living there. Except for one thing: the statues were gone. There used to be enormous statues of my grandparents standing to either side of the grand staircase—King Dhoire of Unseelie and Queen Iseabal of Seelie. Both of them are dead now, but my grandmother had been dead to my father long before she physically died.
Keir had learned that his mother had been enchanting him for years and manipulating him. My mother was a victim of that manipulation. It had been Iseabal who wanted Mom and me kept out of Fairy. She was the reason my father never brought us here and never insisted that Mom leave Ewan—the man who had raised me. Because Mom was left unprotected on Earth, my uncle Uisdean was able to send a pack of Pukas after her. So, my grandmother had been partially responsible for my mother's death. Yes, I have a screwed up family. I haven't even gotten to my cousin, Bress, who tried to rape me once, but he was crazy at the time. He's better now and I'm over it.
Back to Grandma. Dad cast a psychic death spell on her that effectively removed her from his life. You know that saying: you're dead to me? Well, this is the spell for that. It makes the caster immune to the target of the spell and the target invisible to the caster. Iseabal vanished for Keir; he couldn't see or hear her anymore and she couldn't touch him in any way—not with hands or magic. She became a ghost as far as he was concerned—dead to him. But that didn't make her statue invisible. My father got tired of looking at it and finally had Iseabal's statue removed, but he couldn't leave Dhoire's there, all alone, making the entry hall look lopsided. So, Dad moved it into one of the gardens while Iseabal's was destroyed.
“Your Highness.” Torquil, his blue hair held back in a braid, bowed to me. “The Star's Guard is assembled and ready to depart.”
Blue is a common color for Fey hair. It's actually less unusual than the ombré combinations or, say, pink. I know, the hearts of little girls everywhere will be crushed to learn that pink is a rare hair color for Fairies. Although, I have seen quite a few Pixies sporting it and since most human girls think Pixies are what all Fairies look like, maybe it's not so crushing. Pink is one of my least favorite hair colors, truth be told, but that's more to do with Tiernan's ex-wife, Cliona, than the color itself.
Thankfully, no one in my Star's Guard had pink hair. Technically there were ten knights in my Guard but since Tiernan now has a kingdom to look after, he got a pass on his guard duties. Despite his promotion, he refused to be released from his position. He insisted that as my husband, he was more my protector than any other member of my Guard. Killian had been my protector once too, but he'd been assigned by Anu so he wasn't a member of the Star's Guard. I wished I could have seen Kill before I left Twilight; it was bad luck that he was getting in just a few hours after I departed.
But that's how things often go with us and wishing wouldn't change it.
I looked over my shoulder at the window even though I didn't have to. Twilight was coming and I could feel its arrival—we all could. I held out my arms and my nine knights formed a circle with me. We didn't need to hold hands, everyone knew where we were headed, but I liked to start trips like this if possible. It made me feel as if we were a team—like huddling up before a football game. It imparted a sense of unity. We levitated off the floor just as the light shifted, the sky turning purple behind me. Twilight coasted over my skin and a collective inhale was proof that I wasn't the only one affected by the magical rush. It never got old, this vibrant energy. I never get used to it and that's a good thing.
