Ascent

by Bethany Adams

  “I imagine so,” Shayan answered. “Doubly so with your mates with you. The Gwragedd Annwn are a peaceful people, known to be hospitable when they allow themselves to be seen.”

  Maddy tried to process the conversation between her parents, but she couldn’t make sense of it. Based on what her mates had told her about their other encounter with her mother, she’d gathered that Angela’s uncle had married one of the Gwragedd Annwn and something bad had happened. Something about her cousin almost drowning? But it made no sense that her mother had knowingly married a Sidhe man without saying a word about her family’s history.

  “There are lots of unpleasant stories about the Sidhe, but you still married Dad,” Maddy pointed out. “Why didn’t you assume the worst about him, too? Are you waiting for him to turn into a mythological bad guy?”

  Shayan froze, and Maddy could tell from his expression that he dearly wanted to know the answer, too. Her mother winced. For a moment, it looked like she wasn’t going to reply, and Maddy had a real worry that her parents might have their first major problem—the kind that ended relationships.

  “It wasn’t a human who saved my cousin from drowning,” Angela said softly, pulling her hands from Shayan’s to rub her arms. “I was only five, but I still remember the gleam of his long red hair and the point of his ears poking out from the soaked strands. He smiled at me as he lowered my gasping cousin to the shore, bowed low, and walked away. Just disappeared between a couple of trees. The Gwragedd Annwn didn’t seem to have pointy ears, and he didn’t disappear into the water. I suspected he wasn’t one of them. Then my parents moved us to America and insisted I not mention my uncle’s ‘fanciful’ stories. The memory of the rescue faded.”

  Shayan’s lips parted. “Angela—”

  “I thought you looked familiar when you entered my office.” Her mother’s smile was wry. “But I didn’t make the connection until we were already engaged. I’m still not sure I’m right. Maybe I was afraid to confirm it, and I had promised my family not to talk about what had happened. What if the reminder of the event chased you away? The Gwragedd Annwn leave. I didn’t want to risk the Sidhe being the same.”

  Tears prickled Maddy’s eyes as her father pulled her mother close. “I would never leave you,” he said, the words nearly muffled against Angela’s hair.

  “I know that now,” Angela said. “I’m sorry I was afraid.”

  When her parents parted from their embrace, their usual ease had returned. Maddy let out a relieved sigh. Their love had been such a constant in her life that she’d never really considered it being shaken. They shared such a deep bond. Apparently a longer-lasting one than she’d known.

  Angela’s gaze darted between Fen and Anna before settling on Maddy. Her mother gave her a hesitant smile. “So. You’re in a relationship with two people?”

  Maddy stiffened out of reflex. “We’ve mated in the way of Fen’s people.”

  Bracing herself for disapproval, Maddy pushed her shoulders back and kept her eyes trained on her mother’s. No matter what she’d learned about her mother’s past, it was tough to imagine Angela ever being okay with this.

  “Oh, Maddy,” her mother began, her sad tone making Maddy’s hands clench, “I’ve done a poor job with you lately. I haven’t handled things well at all.”

  “What, me being bisexual?”

  Angela shook her head emphatically. “No, not that. I admit I had a slight preference toward you marrying a man, but only because I’d be more likely to have grandchildren. And the discrimination is awful when you’re dating your own gender. The whispers and looks. The lost jobs and uncertain housing. The threat of getting disowned by your family. It’s a little better than it was when I was your age, but…well, a mother worries. I’m sorry.”

  Maddy blinked at those words. Getting disowned? She might have been upset at her mother’s strange behavior, but Maddy had never believed it would go that far. Then she noticed her mother’s downcast eyes and the way she nibbled on her lower lip, a sure sign she was uncertain about something. Shayan rubbed his hand across her mother’s back as though to offer comfort.

  Finally, it clicked, and Maddy gasped. “You had a girlfriend?”

  “A couple of years before I met your father. It was the family scandal at the time.”

  “I…” Maddy honestly didn’t know what to say to that. A quick glance at her father showed him to be unsurprised, at least, so this wasn’t a complete secret. Still. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Her mother grimaced. “I thought it was better for you to decide for yourself without thinking you had to be like me.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.” Maddy shook her head. “If you’re bi, then you know it’s not something influenced by the power of suggestion. It just…is. Unless you randomly decided to date a girl even though you weren’t attracted?”

  “Absolutely not!” Her mother flushed. “There were a lot of changes in the sixties, but my parents weren’t exactly on board. To say they weren’t supportive is an understatement. I learned to repress a lot of things from them. They never knew the truth about Shayan being Sidhe, either. They mocked my uncle enough for me to know better than that.”

  Maddy stared at her mom as this new revelation sank in. Sometimes, she forgot that her mother was older than she appeared, her lifespan extended by a fruit the Seelie queen had granted Shayan. But that didn’t make the last year or so any less difficult. As soon as she’d gotten serious with Anna, her mother had started acting strange. Pointed Maddy-only invites to family events. Suggestions of men she could date. It had seemed so out-of-character, and apparently, it was. More so than Maddy would have guessed.

  “Discriminating against Anna because she might be one of the water fae isn’t any better than treating us badly because we’re bi,” Maddy said.

  Angela’s shoulders slumped. “I know. I was wrong, but I can learn to be better.”

  “I need time to think about this, Mom,” she said. “I’m not exactly mad. I just…I don’t know what I am.”

  “I understand.” Her mother’s focus shifted to Anna. “And I owe you an apology, Anna. If I hadn’t held on so tightly to the past, I could have given you a chance from the beginning. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

  Naturally, Anna smiled. Because that was who she was. “Of course.”

  Such an odd conversation. It certainly wasn’t what Maddy had expected—nor was the sly look gathering on her father’s face. Damn, she hoped he didn’t have some big secret to impart. She was so not on board for another revelation.

  Fen couldn’t concentrate on the awkward-as-hell conversation, even though he really, really should have. Instead, he kept getting distracted by the rings set in a careful row in the small tray on Shayan’s desk. They were spectacular works of artistry, resonant with energy, and he practically vibrated with the desire to see their creation from start to finish. Even observing the fine detail work around the edges of one ring had been an amazing experience.

  “I’m glad to see your approval,” Shayan said.

  Fen glanced up to see that the other man had returned to his previous place beside the workbench, his wife looking on in confusion. Maddy and Anna appeared equally baffled, and Fen wished then that he’d been paying attention. Had Shayan said something upsetting before leaving his wife’s side? He could have announced his imminent departure for the Seelie realm for all Fen knew.

  “It’s amazing work,” he finally replied. “I taught myself to harvest and refine stones, but I’m not sure if I could work with gold like that. Is it a form of earth magic?”

  Shayan nodded. “It is. Perhaps when your current troubles have been overcome, we can see if you possess the talent. I would be happy to help, though I must warn you that the offer isn’t entirely altruistic. I could use some new creations to sell at the shop, and having someone who can assist with jewelry repair would be a fine thing, indeed.”

  Taken aback, Fen could only stare at the other man. He’d never had a near-stranger o
ffer him an honest job like that. As though he was someone worthwhile to hire. Even if he didn’t possess the talent, the trust was blessing enough. “Thank you. I would be happy to consider it.”

  “Good.” Shayan gathered the rings into his palm and smiled down at them. “You sense the energy I imbued in these, so there’s hope for you. Follow me.”

  Fen lifted a brow, but when the Sidhe man headed toward Maddy and Anna, he followed. Shayan stopped across from Maddy and Anna, so Fen ranged himself at Maddy’s right. He had a feeling those rings were intended for them—a suspicion confirmed by Shayan’s smile as he extended his palm in front of Maddy.

  Light sparked around the rings, and energy swirled around them. Then the glow settled, and Shayan handed each of them one of the bands. Though Fen had watched the other man engrave the last few tiny leaves that circled the top and bottom edges of the band, he hadn’t paid much attention to the stones settled smoothly around the entire perimeter.

  The design was impossible.

  Fen spun the ring in his fingers, counting the stones. Eleven. Fluorite, bloodstone, aquamarine, pearl, amethyst, citrine, emerald, kyanite, lapis, clear quartz, and rose quartz—each blended smoothly into the other until they could have been one piece. It was so well-done that he couldn’t feel a single bump, and he detected no bonding agent or glass when he scanned it with his magic.

  “How did you…?”

  “A technique I’ve honed over the centuries.” Shayan grinned. “And one I never use on the jewelry I sell in the shop. It takes a great deal of time, so these are quite rare. I’d already started Maddy’s and Anna’s when Maddy told me about meeting you, Fen. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the third finished.”

  “That was a couple of months ago, and you hadn’t even met Fen.” Maddy held hers up for a closer look. “Yet there’s something for each of us in the stones you chose. Thank you, Adai.”

  The way her voice caught on the Seelie word for “Dad” had Fen’s throat clogging with emotion. Damn, but he couldn’t help but envy her a little for her obvious connection to her parents, even the mother she disagreed with. There was no question that they were close in a way he would never manage.

  But as he met her eyes and then Anna’s, love and belonging shot between them, and past hurts faded into the background. They would create their own close family, and someday, when they were ready, they would show their own children this kind of love. He would see to it.

  Together, they slipped on their rings, and Fen’s chest tightened at the perfection of it. A subtle hum vibrated along his skin and seeped into his shields, clarifying his link to the other women and reinforcing it. Their bond had already been solidifying this way without the rings, but the sudden focus of it was glorious.

  “Will the effect remain if we take off our rings?” Fen asked.

  “Of course,” Shayan said. “My enchantments didn’t create your link. They only helped steady it. Oh, and there is also a spell to heighten psychic powers and ease communication through shielding.”

  Frowning down at her finger, Anna shook her head. “How did you get our sizes right? You barely know me and Fen.”

  Shayan shrugged. “Magic.”

  Fen chuckled at the consternation on Anna’s face. “I think he means that literally, not as an evasion.”

  She blushed, her smile wry as she glanced at Shayan. “Sorry. I’m still not used to thinking about magic as a real thing. I barely know anything about my own powers, but if I can find that colony you were talking about, maybe they can teach me.”

  “They might provide clarity and explanations, but water is as much emotion and instinct as anything,” Shayan said. “Or so I’ve heard.”

  Before Anna could ask the question Fen could see building in her furrowed brow, Angela approached, her steps slow and hesitant. He hoped she wasn’t about to cause Maddy more grief, because cussing out one of his new in-laws wouldn’t be a good way to start their relationship. Not because he couldn’t sympathize with some of her faulty reasoning—gods knew he has his own—but because he couldn’t bear to see Maddy hurt.

  Fortunately, she gave a tenuous smile and held out her hand. “Could I see the rings?”

  Maddy only hesitated for a moment, but as soon as she extended her hand, Fen and Anna followed suit. Angela examined them each in turn. By the time she got to Anna’s, she was sniffling, tears running down her cheeks. Suddenly, she pulled Maddy into a blubbering hug that made Fen both uncomfortable and happy.

  “We should have an actual wedding,” Angela said, her voice muffled against Maddy’s shoulder.

  Despite the tears Fen could see in Maddy’s eyes, she chuckled. “Well, that would be a disaster. A guest list full of Seelie, Unseelie, and humans? And hey, if Anna finds some relatives, we might be able to throw some Welsh water fae in the mix. What could possibly go wrong?”

  Angela pulled back to frown at Maddy. “We’ll only invite people who can behave.”

  Fen had his doubts about the feasibility of that, but it would make for a much smaller crowd. Like, what, two people? But poor Angela didn’t know that Fen’s mother was the queen of the Unseelie or that Maddy’s Seelie relatives would probably rather eat iron than inhabit the same space as Unseelie royalty. The inevitable battle would traumatize any human family for generations. But who was he to point that out to an excited mother?

  He might be many things, but an idiot wasn’t one of them—usually.

  Chapter 28

  Rain plopped halfheartedly against Anna’s umbrella as she marched down the sidewalk, doing her best not to check over her shoulder for the car. They hadn’t wanted to arrive together in case Rianehd was watching, but Maddy and Fen had parked close enough to keep an eye on her as she walked toward the park. As soon as she reached the gates, they would seek their own positions.

  This was such a terrible idea. When they’d told Shayan about the man who called himself Rianehd a Orsed, his face had taken on such an expression of deadly fury that Anna had been ready to flee. A rumor, Shayan had said, that started during an attempted coup millennia ago when the old king died and Queen Tatianella ascended the throne. No one ever stepped forward claiming the title, but the rumor almost tore the Seelie court apart.

  Whether this was the person behind the original lie or an opportunist who knew the story, it was certain that he wouldn’t be a random passerby who decided to help Anna out of pure altruism. According to Vek, this was exactly the kind of thing Meren would do in order to gain the power he desired, but any random fae asshole could have decided to do the same thing. It wasn’t likely, but it wasn’t impossible, either.

  Twilight was slipping steadily to night, and that along with the rain left the park completely empty. Her Sidhe “friend” wasn’t sitting on the bench where they’d originally met, but she hadn’t expected him to be. Not until full night. Whatever his intentions, she didn’t think he would want witnesses to this conversation.

  What would he do when she rejected his offer? That was the biggest risk to this reconnaissance mission. He might disappear as he’d promised during their last meeting, or he might try to force her cooperation. The second possibility was why Fen and Maddy guarded her from the sidelines. All they had to do was distract the Sidhe lord long enough for Anna to get away, and then all three of them could escape and report back to the outpost.

  That was the goal, anyway.

  Anna stared down at the wet metal bench and sighed. If she had a clue what she was doing, it could be dry in seconds. Though maybe she could push the rain aside the way she’d shoved the river water from their phone and clothes. It wouldn’t create a rain-free forcefield or anything, but her umbrella was good enough at that. A dry ass was better than nothing.

  After a quick look around to make sure she was still alone, Anna extended her hand, palm down. Her arm trembled as she held the umbrella over the bench, preventing more rain from landing as she worked, but it wasn’t from the weight. Nerves assailed her until she took a steadying breath. If emoti
ons were key, then she had to calm them.

  Finally, she felt ready. Anna let her draw to the water rush through her and shivered at the force, so strong beside the river with the rain pouring down. But she could resist. With a surge of her will, she shoved at the puddles until they rolled like tiny waves off the bench. Then she sank down on the dry metal and slumped in relief as she stifled the water’s lure once more.

  How awful was she at this that clearing a place to sit was a big production?

  It was in that moment of doubt that he arrived, of course. One moment, the path was clear, and the next, the tall regal Sidhe man appeared. Had she even blinked? Maybe he could transport himself, too. She wouldn’t take it for granted that he couldn’t, so it was best to make mental note of the possibility.

  With a wave of his hand, the other side of the bench cleared of water. He held no umbrella, but the rain didn’t dare to mar a single strand of his hair or blotch the fine fabric of his clothes. This time, he wore what had to be Sidhe finery, his tunic embroidered with silver thread and even jewels. No pretending to be from Earth today. That had her heart slamming in her chest as much as his casual use of power.

  “You made a nice showing of it,” Lord Rianehd said, an indulgent tone to his voice like a teacher speaking to a small child. “But you have much to learn before you would even count as a novice in my court.”

  Anna forced herself to smile. “And here I thought the Sidhe were masters of flattery.”

  “Would it work on you?” He chuckled. “No, I can see from your expression that it would not. Let us cease these games. Will you accept my tutelage or did you foolishly decide to refuse?”

  His voice was cool and unyielding, any hint of charm gone. Were Maddy and Fen in place, or had Rianehd arrived too quickly? Time to stall. He didn’t look prepared to give up when she said no.

  “What are the terms?” she asked.