by Amy Sumida
“Prince Lugh,” Isleen stood, lifting her glass as she did, “your weapons aren't sharp enough to penetrate. You wouldn't last a day in my war.”
She saluted his gaping face, downed her wine, and strode out of the hall. Lugh stared after her like a lovesick puppy. Then he looked back to me with a question in his eyes.
“Go on,” I waved him off. “Try your best. Wave your dull weapons about and see where that gets you. We'll see you at dinner.”
“Thanks, Vervain,” Lugh kissed my cheek, and got up, completely ignoring my teasing. “Any advice?”
“Don't surrender,” Arach said with a smirk. “Not even when your blood is in her mouth. And it will be, High Prince. Isleen will eat you alive. But I promise you, you'll enjoy every bite.”
Lugh's eyes rounded, and he rushed from the hall with a look of excitement and determination.
“Now,” Arach turned his eyes to the messenger, and Taran gulped. “What news do you bring us?”
“Oh!” Taran seemed relieved to be reminded of the true reason for his being there. “I have an invitation.” He reached inside his coat, and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Arach.
“Ah. Here, hold my son,” Arach passed Rian to Taran.
Taran held the baby gingerly, as Rian happily stood on the bargest's lap. My son started bouncing, bracing his hands on Taran's shoulders. Taran's eyes rounded, and his grip tightened. I just shook my head, and looked over to Arach.
“An invitation to what?” I asked him as he read.
“A Crown Tournament,” he didn't sound surprised. “The Earth Kingdom needs to appoint new monarchs. A tournament is the traditional method.”
“Traditional?” I frowned. “That's not what happened in Water.”
Our friend Guirmean had taken the throne of Water after Dubheasa had been sent away by my ring. He was simply chosen by his people. No tournament had been held.
“Guirmean was extremely popular,” Arach shrugged. “No one wanted to contest him. I imagine that's not the case in Earth.”
We both looked pointedly to Taran.
“I'm sorry?” Taran fumbled with Rian. “Oh, yes, King Arach. We have many candidates for the throne, so they must prove to be the strongest.”
“Excellent,” Arach took Rian back. “You may inform your candidates that Fire will attend the tournament, and bear witness to the outcome.”
“Thank you, King Arach,” Taran stood and bowed. “Queen Vervain. And thank you for your hospitality today. I'm deeply honored to have been included in your happiness.”
“You may stay, and partake in the feast if you like,” Arach offered as Taran backed away from the table.
“Thank you, but I must return,” he bowed again. “There is much to be done in my kingdom.”
“Then safe travels to you,” Arach nodded, and the bargest hurried away.
“I think we scared him a bit,” I grimaced.
“Fear is good for faeries,” Arach smirked, then added, “Other faeries, that is.”
Chapter Twelve
The celebration feast was spectacular, as most feasts in Faerie were. Ours in particular was unique because our chefs had been trying out recipes from the numerous human cookbooks I'd brought them. The measurements, and some of the ingredients, had stumped them for a little while, but they'd caught on quickly, and now we had things like hamburgers and spaghetti set out next to perfectly roasted whole birds and towering displays of golden pastry puffs. The new High Prince loved it, though he was a little busy chasing Isleen to enjoy the food.
I laughed and bounced Rian as I watched Lugh try to disengage himself from yet another woman who wasn't Isleen, all while Isleen, ever aloof, hastened away as if she couldn't escape him fast enough. The woman was good, I had to hand it to her, but then Isleen had been alive for thousands of years. She'd probably had lots of practice. Though age didn't seem to help Lugh's other admirers. No, Isleen was simply an expert at understanding people. She had sussed out exactly what Lugh needed, and the way he needed it given to him.
And Isleen was becoming the talk of the castle in the process. One doesn't scorn a fairy prince without raising a few eyebrows. The only ones who didn't seem disturbed by Isleen's behavior, besides Lugh, were the fey who knew her well. Many of the leanan-sidhe exchanged knowing looks with me, and a few of them even tried to aid her by getting into Lugh's way. It had become a bit of a game. I would have put a stop to it if Lugh hadn't been enjoying it as much as they were.
No, the warrior was on the hunt, and I suspected that he knew he was being led a merry chase. But he followed anyway, dodging grasping hands as he pursued his prey. Finally, Isleen left the hall completely, and Lugh followed her like a conquering hero. The other Lugh admirers pouted and gave up the fight. It was obvious that the hunt was winding down, and the Prince was about to corner his quarry. I just hoped he remembered Arach's words.
Speaking of which, Arach was more than ready to leave the festivities himself, and we ended up handing the twins off to their nannies, and heading up to our bed. Dexter followed after us, a little more sedately than usual due to his stuffed belly. He had played the sweet puppy with all the pretty girls and received numerous handouts for his efforts.
When the bedroom door was finally shut behind us, I groaned and kicked off my boots. I had started removing my belt, draped low beneath my belly, when Arach came up behind me and pressed into me. The dragon was all fired up. I gave a happy sigh. I may have been tired, but I wasn't too tired to enjoy my husband.
We helped each other undress as Dex climbed into his bed and passed out, pink tongue lolling out of his mouth. Arach led me to our bed, kind of silly and sexy all at once since we were naked, and then helped me up into it. We were just warming up, when Arach bared his teeth and went for my neck. I jerked away, and he growled in frustration.
“I don't think you should see my recent memories,” I warned him.
Dragon-sidhe liked to share blood with their mates. It was nothing like the leanan-sidhe. We didn't need the blood to survive, we just liked the taste. And the blood also gave us glimpses into our partner's memories. I could actually take anyone's blood and search their memories, not just their recent ones either. Usually it was whatever was closest to their thoughts. I'd seen some pretty horrible stuff by accidentally consuming someone's blood. And yes, you can accidentally taste someone's blood. But with Arach and I, we immediately got a rush of each other's most recent memories. If we took enough blood, we could search longer, sift through more, but usually we limited ourselves to a couple sips. And a couple sips would let Arach experience my recent sex orgy from my perspective. I didn't think he'd appreciate that.
“Why not?” Arach growled.
“The heat,” I reminded him. “There was a lot of intimate moments you shouldn't share.”
“Intimate moments with my wife,” he snarled as his face shifted.
I heard Dexter whine, but I couldn't reassure him when Arach was losing his dragon-shit above me. The bones in Arach's face became sharper, and the scales, which had already been cascading down the sides of his body, started to spread even further, widening out their patches to cover his belly. His manhood was hard against my stomach, and it suddenly felt more aggressive than romantic.
“Arach, take a deep breath,” I tried to ease him through it.
“Why can't I see what you did with them?” Arach angled his head down. “Did they do things to you that I don't do? Did you scream louder for them? Did they pleasure you more than I?”
Each word altered him more, until he was nearly shifted into his half-dragon form. Crimson scales covered his body and horns swept back from his forehead. Wings sprouted out of his back and then a tail extended to whip across the mattress. Thwack, thwack. The cool, glassy surface of his scales would normally have called to the dragon in me. I could have shifted, then calmed his beast with my own. But my lioness was in charge now, the pregnancy giving her more control over my other forms, and she didn't like to be challenged. Sh
e roared in Arach's face.
He roared back. But unlike our experience with Kirill, my lioness didn't like Arach's roar. She wasn't cowed by it, nor was she turned on. She felt threatened, which meant her child was in danger, and both she and Lesya wanted to fight. Lions rarely choose the “flight” option. I tried to reason with them, but they weren't having it, and I found myself battling both Arach, my lion, and my baby.
Arach slammed himself into me violently, his wings whooshing out with a great slap of air, and I heard Dexter start growling. I batted at my husband as he tried to bite my throat again, bucking my hips to dislodge him as he drove himself deeper. His eyes started to glow, and I realized then that he had started making love to me in an effort to calm his dragon. Arach was fighting himself too.
“Arach,” I tried once more, but again, my lioness roared.
Arach snapped at the air, then bared his teeth. His hips pumped faster, but instead of pushing him away, I wrapped my legs around him, urging him closer. This seemed to help a little, and he briefly closed his eyes to enjoy the pleasure. I kissed his jaw, his neck, the top of his muscled chest. Then my lioness rose again, and I bit Arach. Deep. His blood rushed into my mouth, and I experienced exactly what he was feeling.
Panic, anger, possession, guilt, and, of course, love. They all swirled together, battling each other as his dragon tried to dominate his entire being. Arach understood about Lesya. He knew my other husbands were going to have children with me, and he accepted that. Arach's dragon, however, was another matter entirely. The beast didn't want to share, and he certainly didn't want me bearing another man's child. This latest episode, with me going into heat, must have been yet another thorn in the dragon's paw.
I didn't know what to do, and Arach's panic was building up my own. We both knew this could go very badly if we didn't calm ourselves. But I had forgotten about something important. My star. I was in control, not my lioness. My nine-pointed star helped me with that. And it also had other uses.
My whole body flared white, and Arach was shoved away from me. I heard him grunt as he hit the floor, and I lay there in shock as my lioness backed down, hiding from the light which was just beginning to fade. Cernunnos had told me I had unlimited power at my fingertips, access to all the Great Nine Magics, all I had to do was believe in it. And have a need. I didn't know how to access my star's powers, but they seemed to emerge in times of great stress. I had needed to stop Arach, and my star had helped me.
But I had done more than simply stop him. Arach was back to his normal self by the time he crawled over the foot of the bed. His face looked tired, but relieved, and when he finally reached my side, he just pulled me in against his chest and held me. He kissed my temple and then pressed his cheek to mine.
“I don't know what you did, A Thaisce,” he whispered. “But it was a miracle. I thought we were going to tear each other apart.”
Dexter whined.
“Everything's fine, Dex,” I waved him away. “Go back to bed.”
Dexter cocked his head at me, then looked over Arach, and finally decided that he wouldn't have to die saving me from my husband tonight. He headed back to his bed with the equivalent of a nurial shrug, and went right to sleep.
“Why did that happen?” I asked.
“I imagine your star did-”
“No, I cut him off,” I couldn't talk about the star right then. I needed to let that just process a bit. “I mean why did we react that way to each other? How did we let it get so out of hand?”
“It's the baby,” he sighed. “I'm constantly pushing back my beast, constantly waging an inner war to calm my dragon whenever you're around. I can smell her, your daughter, and I can also scent Kirill. The child smells wrong to me, and my dragon translates it into a threat.”
“The baby is threatening you?” I was aghast.
“Think, Lion Goddess,” he said sternly. “What do male lions do when they take over a pride?”
“They kill all the young,” I whispered.
“Exactly,” he said. “Another male's offspring is a threat to an alpha, especially if that alpha already has children with the mother. My dragon wants to eliminate the threat.”
“That is terrifying, Arach,” I said.
“Yes,” he agreed. “And no doubt, it was what your lioness sensed. I tried to distract my dragon with pleasure, but that just confused him more. He believes that pleasure should come after all threats are eliminated.”
“Holy hellions,” I groaned. “Am I going to have to stay out of Faerie until the baby is born?”
Arach's arms tightened convulsively around me, “No, don't stay away.”
“Arach, you wouldn't even know how long I was gone,” I tried to reason with him. “It would be a moment for you.”
“I... I would know because you would tell me,” he sighed. “Normally, I'm in full control, but this situation has unsettled me. I believe my unstable emotions have given my dragon more power. I'll endeavor to push aside my feelings.”
“Push aside your feelings?” I turned in his arms so I could look into his face. “I don't want you to do that. Why are you so unsettled? Just tell me. We need to talk about this, not ignore it.”
“But talking won't accomplish anything,” he shook his head. “I know what I feel is unreasonable. I know that I have no right to be jealous, especially since you've already given me two beautiful boys. I know I have no need to feel worried that you might leave me for Kirill, you would never do that. See? I can reason with myself, but it makes no difference.”
“Emotions are hard to reason away,” I agreed. “That's why they're called feelings. You feel them, you don't create them, and it's very difficult to simply decide to not feel.”
“But I will,” he swallowed hard. “I will put aside what I feel, and concentrate on what I know to be true.”
“I love you,” I kissed him. “Maybe we need to concentrate on that truth for tonight. No baby will ever replace you, or pull me away from you. You are mine, and I am yours. Always.”
“A Thaisce,” he swallowed hard. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you can reason away feelings.”
“No, I'm not reasoning,” I corrected, “I'm giving you something else to feel.”
“Mmm,” Arach smiled as he lowered his mouth to mine. “I like these feelings better.”
“Me too,” I whispered.
Then we focused on a lot of good feelings. For hours.
Chapter Thirteen
A week later, Arach and I got into our royal carriage with our sons, Isleen, and Dexter, and headed to the Earth Kingdom for their Crown Tournament. I wore my fire queen regalia; a fey dress woven of fire itself, red leather boots, and my crown. Heat waves radiated off my garment, giving me a wavering, almost ghost like appearance, and the extra perk of warmth. My crown matched Arach's, though it was a little more dainty than his. Flames shaped from gold shot up around the band, set with yellow diamonds and rubies cut into the shape of even more flames, making it look as if there were multiple tongues of fire licking up my head. Talk about being a hot head. Around my neck, I wore a heavy gold necklace, with matching yellow diamonds and rubies, in those same flame shapes. They draped over my cleavage, yet another layer of fire.
Beside me, Arach was dressed in a more subtle ensemble of golden velvet and black leather. He preferred to let me shine, as it were, and left the wearing of elemental clothing to me. He still looked amazing though, especially with that fire crown upon his head, and his dress sword hanging from his hip. On his lap, Rian perched, dressed nearly identically to Arach. We tried to get him to wear the little baby crown our pixies had crafted for him, but Rian kept pulling it off and throwing it. We tried replacing it several times, until it became obvious that this was a new game for him. I wasn't having that, so Rian went crown-less.
Brevyn, however, in his matching golden tunic and black leather pants, wore his baby crown without complaint. Except we couldn't have one prince crowned while the other went bare-headed, especially when the
bare-headed one was the Heir Apparent. So we'd left both of the baby crowns at home.
Across from us, Isleen sat between baby baskets. The baskets were lined in cushions, and currently filled with jars of baby food, eating tools, cleaning cloths, blankets, toys, and all the other nonsense that always went along with the babies. When the boys got tired, all that stuff would have to be pulled out so they could actually sleep in the baskets. But for now, they worked great for carrying the supplies. Going anywhere with a child was like preparing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.
On the floor, Dexter draped himself over our feet. He was huge now, so much bigger than the little fur ball I'd first adopted. I'd become a sort of surrogate mother to him. Maybe even closer than that. Even the call of the wild couldn't take him from me. Dexter had recently run off for the nurial mating season. I thought it had been for good, but he'd come back after doing his duty and fathering three baby nurials. Evidently daddy nurials didn't stick around. Not cool, but I was grateful for it.
The ride to the Earth Kingdom took hours, but we were toasty warm inside the carriage and the babies kept us entertained. Or the other way around, I'm not sure. In between baby bouncing, I wondered why Earth had decided to have the tournament in winter, and how that would play out. Were we all going to sit up in some bleachers, huddling in our cloaks while earth faeries battled it out below us? I wasn't looking forward to that. But when we finally pulled up to the gigantic double doors of the underground Castle, Crith-Fuinn, we were directed inside by the waiting stewards.
I'd been in the Earth Castle a couple of times, and both experiences had been bad. Though one of them had brought me my earth pixies, so I guess that had ended well. This time, however, there was a lightness in the air, an excitement which burned away my hesitation. We were led through the stone tunnels by a brownie (the faerie, not the delicious dessert), past the main dining room with its vine covered walls, and through several more stone tunnels, until we came out into a cavern. The cavern was easily ten times the size of the dining hall, and it was stuffed full of faeries.
