by K. V. Adair
“Child? I’m not a child. You didn’t notice that with your leering earlier?”
Aidan turned to me. “What are you talking about?”
“I told you. Not my type. If you’d just listen to me, you’d understand I’m trying to help you.”
“Fine. I’m listening. How?”
“As queen, you will have control, however limited, of your fate. Give the throne to Hailstone, and you’ll spend the rest of your life in chains, your body raped and used to continue the bloodline.”
His words were like a punch to my gut.
“Aidan, is he telling the truth? They’ll do that?”
“The bloodline is more important than anything. They were terrified for years after your father died, leaving your brother as the only carrier of the line. Now that you’ve been revealed, I don’t think they’ll sit back and let you decide when to start popping out heirs,” Aidan said.
“Wouldn’t Niamh’s children inherit the throne, though?”
Aidan shook his head. “Not how it works. The throne belongs to your family, direct descendants of Titania herself. You can walk away from it, but it doesn’t change who the throne actually belongs to.”
“If Hailstone, if Innis is so concerned about his own power, he’s not going to keep me around. He’ll either let me leave or…”
I swallowed. I doubted it was an actual either or. He’d have me killed. If he was as smart as they’d said, it was the only option.
“Even if Innis let you leave, the others wouldn’t. You’re too valuable.”
“I’m also a threat, which makes me even more vulnerable.”
“Innis wouldn’t have you killed. He’s a douchebag, but he is an honorable douchebag,” Aidan said.
“People change. You’ve been gone a long time,” Eoin said.
Aidan shook his head. “He still wouldn’t. It’s a death sentence for us all.”
“No, he probably wouldn’t. But I’m sure he’d be first in line to plant his seed.”
I felt like I was going to throw up.
“This is your fault, you know,” Aidan said, pointing at Eoin. “If you’d let us go—”
“You’d have been hunted down and killed while she would have been dragged back here powerless and with no options. You’ve always lacked foresight, Aidan. You need me.”
“No, we don’t,” I said. “Do you really expect me to trust you? To believe that you aren’t trying to manipulate me for your own gain?”
“Better the devil you know.”
I scoffed. “You aren’t helping your case.”
“Make no mistake, Princess. There are no angels here. Not even Aidan.”
I threw a glance at Aidan when he didn’t deny Eoin’s claim. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. He was keeping something from me, probably a lot of somethings.
My brother was dead. My best friend was lying to me. I had no friends. No allies. No one I could trust.
I was completely and utterly alone. I could dwell on that. I could succumb to hopelessness and despair.
But fuck that.
I’d known devils. I’d been to hell. I was still breathing. I was still standing. They’d have to do a hell lot more than fling threats my way to make me cower and cowl.
Even then, they better check for blades. Being down didn’t mean I was out.
“Fine, I’ll do it. First, I want to know more about my bloodline and magic. And who the hell are the Unseelie?”
“There will be time later for all that. Right now, you need to solidify your control and make the nobles get in line. The people out there are not sycophants. They are princes, princesses and kings in their own right. They have their own territories to rule.”
“But they deferred to my brother? Because of the bloodline?”
“Because he made them. They will probe for your weaknesses. They will attack what you care about. They will use every advantage to overpower you. If you want to survive this, if you want to stay in command you need my help. I know this court better than anyone.”
“No,” I said.
Eoin looked surprised. “You can’t do this on your own.”
“Watch me.” I started for the door, but he grabbed my arm.
“You don’t need to trust me. And you definitely don’t need to like me. But it is foolish to throw yourself into the fire and expect not to be burned. I was loyal to your brother; I’ll be loyal to you.”
He was lying. Not that it mattered. Even if he was telling the truth, I couldn’t risk it. “I will not allow you to use me for your own gain. I’m still a puppet, no matter who holds the strings.”
His jaw locked, and his eyes darkened. A trickle of fear went up my spine.
Do not look like prey. Prey gets eaten. You may be a sheep among wolves, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put on a wolf mask and make them believe otherwise.
I glared at him. “You can beat my body, but you can’t break my spirit.”
He looked taken aback. “I wouldn’t do either, Princess.”
He was lying. Again. At least this time he seemed to be sorry for it.
But sorry didn’t mend bones.
Chapter Thirteen
Standing where I’d been standing at my brother’s side just a few hours earlier, looking at the sea of unfriendly faces, knowing that it was likely one of them had my brother’s blood on their hands, only served to strengthen my resolve.
I didn’t want to be their queen, but I’d play my part as long as I needed to.
Like a cockroach, it’d take more than a nuclear disaster to take me down.
The nobles were no longer grouped on two sides of the aisle but rather in four areas in front of the dais. I had the suspicion they were grouped based on which nation they belonged to.
Feoras stood next to a giant of a man with a unruly red beard. His skin was nearly the same color. Feoras’ brother, Gavan, was also nearby. He looked like he’d just drank a gallon of lumpy milk.
Innis and Niamh stood together in front of the smallest amount of others. I guessed that made Innis king or the leader or whatever he called himself. It explained the ego at least.
I didn’t recognize anyone else.
Only Eoin and Aidan stood with me. I realized I had no idea which nation Eoin belonged to. Aidan had used air magic against me, and Eoin had used some sort of earth magic.
It dawned on me, and I felt incredibly stupid. Earth, air, fire, and water. The basic elements. Well, ice instead of water.
I looked down at my hands, remembering the display of magic my brother had shown. It didn’t seem to fit with any of those elements.
The others had alluded I had great power and that it was tied directly to my family line and my family line only.
I didn’t feel very powerful in front of these nobles. And whatever magic was inside me laid dormant.
No one spoke. No one seemed to breathe. They had mastered the art of uncomfortable silence.
They waited as one for me to make an absolute ass of myself.
May as well get it over with.
“Hi,” I said. “Your queen, here.”
I could feel Eoin face palm behind me.
I cleared my throat and started again. “I don’t want to be up here any more than you want me to be. Life isn’t fair, though. Most of the time it sucks.”
Someone snickered in the crowd.
“But we make due with what we have because there is no other option.”
“There’s always another option,” someone yelled from the crowd.
I bristled.
Respect needs to be earned. They won’t just give it to me.
“Sorry, I’m your option. If you don’t like it, you are free to leave. I’m sure you know where the door is.”
There were several gasps in the crowd. Apparently, they couldn’t believe the gall I had. Bastards had no idea.
“Well, fuck,” Eoin said behind me.
He’d need to learn as well.
Fake it ’til you make it.
“Anyone else who wants to grumble and bitch can follow. I’m new around here, but I’m not new to dealing with assholes.”
“Oberyn’s balls, will you stop her?” Aidan harshly whispered to Eoin.
I wanted to turn around and tell him he could try, but I was already two seconds from throwing up. I needed to end this before they could see my shaking.
“I don’t care to disrupt your lives or change things here. Status quo is fine with me, but I will keep my autonomy, thank you very much.”
“And how do you expect to do that?” Innis asked, arms folded over his chest. “Tough words will only get you so far, my queen.”
He practically sneered the word queen. He was going to be a problem. I doubted I’d be able to kick him out of here, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.
I looked across the crowd. Several ben síde and guards—I figured who belonged to what based on their uniform—stood against the walls on both sides. Five were behind me as well.
I might not trust Eoin or anyone else here, but I had to believe the ben síde were loyal to my family. Otherwise, I was about to look like a giant fool. At least more so than I already did.
I caught the eye of Deidre and nodded toward Innis.
“Could you please show the prince of Hailstone how we treat our most esteemed guests who can’t keep their giant mouths shut?”
I made sure to put as much scorn as I could in the word prince. I didn’t even know if that was his proper title.
Without hesitation, Deidre indicated to the others to follow my orders. Several circled around Hailstone’s people, more heavily close to Innis. The nobles were poised for action, waiting for a signal from their prince, or whatever he was.
I steeled my face from what I was feeling the best as I could. The last thing I wanted was bloodshed. From anyone.
I felt Eoin behind me, his damnable hot breath on my neck for the hundredth time. “You are making no friends here today.”
“No shit,” I muttered, hoping no one else heard me. Another snicker told me we weren’t as quiet as we needed to be.
“But he’ll make no friends antagonizing the throne, either. You may have started a war, Morgan. Or you may have just neutered your greatest threat.”
He actually sounded proud. Or at least amused.
“Only my friends call me Morgan. I’m your queen now. You made sure of that.”
As Eoin and I had our secret conversation, Innis stood frozen in place, staring at me.
“Your move, my prince,” I said as sweetly as I could.
He glared.
“In public, I will show the respect your position requires. But in private I will call you what I wish,” Eoin whispered.
I wasn’t the only one asserting my dominance. Backing down and letting him win this one would put him at an advantage over me forever. I couldn’t let that happen. “You serve me now, Eoin. Don’t ever forget that.”
His hand gripped my hip, though not tight enough to hurt. A breeze drifted across my bare arm and settled over my shoulders like a light blanket. Aidan showing his support, I assumed.
Eoin let go of my hip but didn’t step back.
Innis tilted his head to the side. I doubted he had heard any of that, but he’d been watching, looking for weakness. Seeing which one of us he would actually be dealing with.
He raised his hand, indicating to his people to stand down. Deidre and her people took a couple of steps closer, but I raised my own hand.
“Will you behave now, Innis?”
He chuckled. It sounded so foreign coming from his mouth I was taken aback. “This is going to be fun,” he said.
“For one of us, maybe.”
He smirked. I had the sinking feeling I hadn’t come out of that scrimmage as the victor like I’d thought.
“I, leader of Hailstone, propose a union between myself and High Queen Morrigan.” The smirk remained on his face.
I doubted by union he meant becoming buddy/buddy.
A tall, unhealthily thin man stepped forward from a cluster. Wisps of gray hair intermingled with soft blond and a shiny forehead. It was a rather large forehead on account of the receding hairline. He was the first Fae I’d noticed who had gray hair.
No one else looked a day over forty. Either he was ancient or a rebel.
He cleared his throat and looked behind me. “Unacceptable.”
“I agree,” I said. While I was irritated at not being addressed myself, I tried not to let it show.
Innis didn’t bother to turn and face the male who’d spoken. “Unacceptable? My sister was intended to be queen. It only makes sense for me to take her place.”
“As my queen?” I asked, unable to help myself.
No one thought I was funny.
The other male snorted. “Your sister seduced the king, displacing his rightful consort, my daughter Bryna.”
I wasn’t at all surprised my brother had chosen Niamh over Bryna. I’d have made the same choice.
“Careful, Tiergan. Think deeply on your next words,” Innis said
Tiergan glared at Innis with scorn. “Careful of your words, boy. You are newly crowned, so I will forgive your first transgression. I will not forgive another.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “If you want to have a dick waving contest, do it on your own time. I have no interest in uniting with Prince Innis or Bryna or anyone else for that matter. My focus is on finding the person responsible for assassinating your king. After that, do what you please with the throne.”
Eoin sighed behind me.
Tiergan sent me a disgusted look. “What makes you think you have a say in any of this? You’re even more of a child than he.”
“I’m not a child,” Innis said, sounding very much like a petulant child. “And I don’t take kindly to insults from senile, irrelevant monarchs.”
Tiergan’s nostrils flared, and he looked like he was about to charge like a bull. I probably should have said something to dispel the tension, but it was nice to have Innis’ ire directed at someone else for a change.
“The throne belongs to one of my heirs. We’ve been cheated twice now. It is our turn.” I couldn’t help but think Tiergan also sounded like a petulant child.
Innis gave a short laugh. “There’s a reason for that.”
Tiergan only grew redder. “Yes, you’re whore of a sis—”
Ice encased around his throat, cutting off his words and likely his air supply. His eyes narrowed and with a flick of his wrist, the ice shattered.
A wave of energy flashed across the room, slamming into Innis’ chest and sending him backward into Deidre.
He recovered fast, and the air chilled. I noticed his hands didn’t move like I’d see Aidan’s, Eoin’s, and now Tiergan’s. Interesting.
“Enough! Starting a war when we are already weak is a death sentence. I’d expected more from both of you,” Eoin said, his voice laced with disgust and condemnation.
Neither looked cowed, but they both backed down.
“I said, I wasn’t going to marry any of you. I mean that.”
Innis face softened, but his words were harsh. “You have no choice. You have no heir. That must be rectified before—”
“Before what? I die? Someone murders me, too?”
“Yes.”
Well, wasn’t he blunt. “Seems like being the last of my bloodline is the only protection I have. Why would I give that up?”
Innis looked surprised, and a flash of approval went over his face.
The giant next to Feoras scoffed. “And if you fall down some stairs? Or accidentally stab yourself with a sword? Or blow yourself up with the magic you can’t control? Death comes for us all. Only a selfish child would put their own life above the lives of their people.”
My nose flared. Less because his words pissed me off and more because they were true. “You’re not my people. You’ve all made that quite clear.”
The giant sighed, and I thought I saw pity in his face. “Not all of
us believe that, but continue your defiance and any chance of loyalty will vanish. Besides, it is not just an assassin amongst our midst you must worry about. When word spreads to the Unseelie, they will probe for any weakness.”
“Who are these Unseelie?”
Feoras stepped up, his eyes on me. “Our enemy and a threat to all of us. I agree with my father. It would be selfish to ignore the very real threat of the end of your bloodline. Not wise, either. A husband, an alliance, offers you protection.”
I grunted. “Unless they get a little too ambitious and off me to continue their rule. I know my history.” I paused. “Earth history, at least.”
He perked up at the mention of Earth history, and I suppressed a smile. “Then be careful who you choose.”
“Fine. You, or anyone else here, want to be king? Bring me the ones responsible for murdering my brother, and I’m all yours.”
Tiergan laughed obnoxiously. “You still think you have a choice in this? You’re nothing but a broodmare. Your only purpose is to be filled with superior seed and—”
“Ugh. That’s disgusting. What backwards, sexist country do you—”
“Enough!” Eoin said. “You can squabble amongst yourselves, or you can act like true Seelie and put your petty ambitions aside for the good of our people. You reprimand the queen for childish behavior while mimicking it.”
Ouch.
“So, what? It’ll be up to you?” Innis asked.
Eoin shook his head. “She’s ignorant, irrational, and so very frustrating.” He looked at me, and I could tell he meant every word. Double ouch. “But she’s still our queen. The decision is her’s.”
The nobles grumbled, but no one spoke against him. Every advantage I’d gained was gone in a moment. Eoin had moved me on the board exactly where he wanted.
I had no doubt now what piece on the chessboard he believed himself to be.
And he would sacrifice me without hesitation to stay out of check.
Chapter Fourteen
I was escorted to my room after the meeting. The nobles had still been murmuring their disquiet or whatever, but Eoin, gracious as can be, suggested I rest.
