by Amy Sumida
“Yes.”
“Ah,” Raye nodded. “Of course.”
“I'll allow you the one strike, Lord Tiernan,” Raza had barely moved but a thin trickle of blood was dripping from his nose. “Only because I understand what you feel for our Seren-”
“Just stop,” I shook my head at Raza. “Enough. Let it go. Drop it. Finito. Okay? If it happens and that's a huge if, it won't be anytime soon, Raza. I'm with Tiernan and neither of us will take kindly to your insane insistence that our threesome is a done deal.”
“But it is,” Raza shrugged. “Everyone should have a lover who truly accepts and understand them. Isn't that right, Lord Tiernan?”
Tiernan's eyes narrowed on Raza and he started towards him with clenched fists.
“I will walk out those doors right now, dragon,” I hissed as I slid between them. “Do you hear me? I will walk out and never come back. Do you understand what I'm saying? Cut it out!”
“As you wish, my love,” Raza held up his hands in surrender.
“Agh!” I shook my hands in his face with violent frustration, turned, grabbed Tiernan's hand, and headed over to where Chad was waiting, near the door with his friends.
“Hey, Chad,” I sighed as we approached him.
“What was all that?” Chad peered around me curiously at Raza and his family.
“Lord Raza has gone insane,” Tiernan said dryly.
“Well let's hope not,” Chad grimaced. “Because he's our best bet for a peaceful kingdom.”
“Yes,” I grimaced. “But first there will be war.”
“Not always,” Chad smiled. “The previous king could abdicate.”
“What do you know, Chiwen?” I leaned in closer and felt Raza suddenly looming behind us. Don't ask me how I knew it was Raza, I just did.
Chad glanced up at Raza and smiled brightly before continuing. “King Uisdean looked harried when I scried him. His eyes were deeply shadowed and his skin was sallow. When I informed him of my retirement, he screeched like a wounded bird and when I added that the Alaskan fairies were giving up on their patrols and going home, he hung his head in his hands and groaned. I believe our prey is ripe for the kill.”
“Eloquent,” I rolled my eyes. “Damn dragons.”
“What I mean to say, Lord Raza,” Chad added. “Is that with enough support, I believe King Uisdean will simply concede defeat.”
“And I'll believe that when I see Uisdean hand over the unseelie crown,” I huffed.
“It matters not,” Raza said grimly. “Through battle or concession, I will take the throne or die trying.”
The fey filling the room cheered but my stomach clenched. I didn't like vows involving death and I found that I liked the idea of Raza's death even less. I looked to Tiernan and saw that he was watching me with a careful expression. He shifted his hand up and into my hair, going to the back of my head. Then he pulled me close so he could whisper in my ear.
“Perhaps you shouldn't be involved in this, Ambassador.”
“I'm afraid I can't back out now, Lord Hunter.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“Let me amend my statement,” Tiernan shot a look at Raza as we edged away from the others. “I know you're involved in this, Seren but you need to be in your own kingdom right now. You can't stay here during a bid for the throne of another kingdom. Both for ambassadorial reasons and for royal reasons. Twilight is neutral, ambassadors are neutral, staying here while Raza gathers his forces is not remaining neutral.”
“Didn't my father tell you?” I lifted a brow. “Twilight is no longer neutral. Our king has declared support for Lord Raza out of vengeance for our dead and in the effort to see peace restored.”
“No, he didn't tell me,” Tiernan frowned. “But then, we were rather rushing through our conversation.”
“Go home, Seren,” Raza's voice came from behind me.
“What?” I turned to him in surprise. “Really?”
“Lord Tiernan is right,” he gave Tiernan a nod. “You can't be here. I won't risk you or your status as Ambassador. Even though your father gave his support, the Councils may feel differently about your involvement. In addition to that, I'd be more at ease knowing you were safe.”
“I wanted to help you.”
“You will be helping me. Your father will need you to oversee the preparations with him and I will need your army to lend strength to whatever supporters I can gather,” his dangerous hand slipped around my neck carefully and he leaned his forehead to mine. “Thank you for believing in me,” he slid his face up and kissed my forehead. “Now go home, Princess, so I can make you a queen.”
“Goddess damn it, Raza!” I swore and the room went silent. “Stop saying that I'm going to be your queen.”
“I couldn't resist,” he chuckled and then looked to Tiernan. “She may not be mine just yet, Lord Tiernan, but my heart is already hers. So any who strike against her, strike against me. I will take great offense if you fail to protect her from such attacks.”
“I can protect myself,” I ground out and waved at myself. “Extinguisher, remember?”
“Yes, I remember,” Raza said gently. “But how well did those talents serve you as you fell from an unseelie tower, bound by magic dampening chains?”
I rolled my eyes.
“I don't need you to tell me to watch over my own woman,” Tiernan said in an even tone. “Good luck on your revolution, Lord Raza. I'll be taking the Princess home now. To Twilight, where she belongs.”
“Thank you, Lord Tiernan,” Raza smiled and then turned back to his waiting fey. “First order of business; we need to gather some supplies. Full bellies mean strong warriors.”
“An army marches on its stomach,” I shook my head and turned away with Tiernan. “Aren't you exhausted?” I asked him. “I don't mind waiting if you want to rest a little before we leave.”
“What I want is to get you home,” Tiernan took my hand firmly. “And never let you out of my sight again.”
“You keep saying that,” I laughed as we walked out of the soaring double doors. On the courtyard ledge was a pile of wooden crates bound with thick ropes, a twilight carriage, and my Star's Guard on horseback. “What's this now?”
“Chad's household goods,” Tiernan said as if it were obvious.
“He brought everything with him?” I gaped at the boxes. “How?”
“Well he wasn't about to leave his belongings in Alaska,” Tiernan frowned. “As to the how; he's a dragon. We shipped them with us through human means and then when we reached the rath, he transformed and carried them on his back the rest of the way.”
“Well... wow,” I blinked. “Being a dragon has more perks than I'd thought. But I actually meant, what's with the Guard being here?” Conri gave me a cocky smile and I chuckled. “Hello everyone, you're a sight for sore eyes.”
A chorus of greetings met my ears.
“I scried King Keir before we left,” Tiernan grinned. “He must have informed the rest of your Star's Guard of my plans because they met me at the Twilight rath and came through to Unseelie with us.”
“You knew you'd be bringing me home,” I accused him.
“Or die trying,” he mimicked Raza's voice.
“Alright, Lord Hunter,” I said as I headed to the carriage with him. “I'm actually looking forward to getting back and having a hot-” my words were cut off when I opened the door, due to a large, gray, furry form launching itself into me. “Cat! Oh, I missed you too,” I buckled under her weight and then righted myself, tossing her back into the carriage. “Sorry, girl, I know you've been cooped up in there awhile but we need to head home.”
But Cat ignored me, jumped back out, and ran to the strip of gardens between the castle and the mountain.
“Hey!” I called after her.
“Like you said,” Tiernan chuckled, “it was a long journey. She probably needs to relieve herself.”
“Oh, right,” I leaned against the side of the sleek black carriage. “Why was she in ther
e in the first place? She could have just ran with the rest of the pukas, in her horse form.”
“I think she wanted to surprise you,” Tiernan shrugged. “Conri said she climbed in the carriage and wouldn't get out.”
“Actually, I think she wanted to be sure we didn't leave without her,” Conri called over. “Either that or she was being lazy.”
“That wouldn't surprise me,” I smiled after her fondly. “Hurry up, Cat!” I called and then lowered my voice to mutter. “We need to get moving before a certain dragon-djinn changes his mind.”
“No kidding,” Tiernan cast a look over his shoulder at the gleaming castle. “That was a little too easy.”
“He's become overconfident in us,” I sighed as Cat came running back. I climbed into the carriage and settled into the plush seat with a sigh. Cat circled the space in front of me before settling over my feet as Tiernan got in. “I'm not sure why or how to stop him.”
“Aren't you?” Tiernan closed the door and tapped the roof. In moments, we were on our way home.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Your demeanor around him has changed, Seren,” he noted without any rancor. “It's more open, like the way you behave around someone you're very comfortable with. Someone like me.”
“The man saved my life twice in the last week,” I said dryly. “And then he healed some pretty bad injuries I had. I'm pretty comfortable with him.”
“I don't- wait; injuries? What injuries?”
“I thought I told you Uisdean kicked my ass,” I grimaced.
“You did but,” he leaned forward with a look of horror. “How bad was it, Seren?”
“Very,” I said seriously. “Without magic, I probably would have needed surgery to fix my jaw and my ribs were broken.”
“I changed my mind,” Tiernan's jaw clenched. “I'm going to kill Uisdean.”
“Never mind Uisdean,” I waved it away. “I gave nearly as good as I got.”
“I suppose that's something,” Tiernan grimaced and sat back. “But as far as Raza goes; I don't think his valiant rescues have anything to do with how comfortable you feel with him.”
Silence stretched between us as the carriage rumbled down the mountain road.
“I see something when I look into his eyes,” I finally admitted. “Something like...”
“Destiny?” He sighed.
“No,” I shook my head. “I'm not even sure if I believe in destiny, much less know what the hell it looked like. What I see in Raza is... kinship. I recognize bits of myself in him. I know that sounds strange. Obviously we're very different people but sometimes his reactions, they're very like mine. This thing with Uisdean for example; he knew I went after Uisdean, not because he knows me so well but because it was what he would have done. That's how I feel about him; most of the time I know how he'll react because it's how I would react. Does that make any sense?”
Tiernan gave me a slow nod.
“It feels safe; reliable,” I went on. “So I suppose that's why I feel comfortable with him. But honestly, Tiernan, the idea of having two men for lovers makes my stomach turn. I'm sure it would be fun for a few days but then I think I would just feel...” I shook my head, “wrong. Dirty.”
“It's not wrong or dirty,” he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No one would even look twice at us. It's a perfectly normal arrangement among the fey. Especially the fey royals. That's why there's such a term as the Queen's Consort.”
I grimaced.
“That being said,” he amended. “Half of me hates the thought of Raza in your bed.”
“Our bed.”
“Our bed,” he smiled. “But the other half-”
“No,” I held up a hand. “Not you too. Please tell me you're not being seduced to the dark side.”
“I'm not,” he laughed. “But I see the advantages. Seren, if he becomes king, the possibilities for uniting-”
“Stop!” I pointed at him. “Raza has said those very same words and honestly, Tiernan, I didn't expect to hear them from you. It's a little disappointing.”
“Seren,” he began but I cut him off.
“I thought we were more than a political couple,” I shook my head at him. “I thought this was only about love.”
“You're a princess, Seren,” he said gently. “It can't ever be only about love.”
Something cracked inside my chest and I blinked rapidly to keep from doing something as embarrassing as cry in front of my boyfriend. When he saw my reaction, he looked as stricken as I felt. He tried to reach for me but I held up my hand and pulled back. I knew he loved me and a small part of my brain was agreeing with what he said. But a much larger portion of my heart was hurt by it.
I clenched my hands into fists and tried very hard not to punch Tiernan in his beautiful face.
“Don't do that,” Tiernan growled and grabbed one of my fists, closing his hand around it. “You know my attraction to you has nothing to do with your status. I made it very clear that I wanted you back when I thought you were only human.”
“Even though the idea disgusted you,” I sighed, feeling a little of the hurt pull back.
“You've slowly changed my opinion of humans,” he gave me a smile. “A little.”
“But once you knew I was not only a fairy but heir to Twilight, you fell in love?”
“Are you trying to start a fight, Seren?” He scowled. “You know I love you. You know what we have is real. Why are you looking for a way to tarnish it?”
“You're the one who said that being with me can never be simply about love,” I shot back.
“That's the truth,” he leaned forward and stared me down. “Be it for ill or good. There are things we must both deal with because of your status. The fact that your marriage could have an impact on Fairy, is one of those things. Do you think I want you to marry another man? Do you think I want to stand at your side as your consort instead of your husband?”
“It's too soon for any thoughts of marriage,” I snapped. “But if it weren't, you'd be the one I married. I'd want you on your own throne, not standing beside mine.”
He went silent for a few moments.
“I want that too,” he swallowed hard and sat back. “I couldn't care less about the throne but the marriage; yes. I want you to be my wife. But the good of the people must come before my own desires.”
“This conversation is over, Tiernan,” I felt my jaw clench. “I didn't take the crown only to sacrifice myself to it.”
“Yes you did, Seren,” he whispered. “Every royal does. And in return for that sacrifice, they're lives are protected by the Sluagh.”
“The Sluagh sucks at protecting my life and they, as well as you, can kiss my ass,” I growled.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
When we crossed through the rath into Twilight, there seemed to be an easing of tensions among my Guard. The sound of laughter and camaraderie carried in through the carriage windows. But underneath it all, we were still grieving and the joviality wasn't at its normal level.
“Will we have a funeral for the men who died?” I asked Tiernan. It was the first thing I'd said to him since our argument.
“There will be a wake,” he nodded stiffly.
“I should have done more,” I shook my head and looked out the window.
“They were defending you-”
“No, Tiernan,” I cut him off. “You don't understand. They were behind me. I was speaking with Uisdean when he decided to attack. He pushed me aside to reach them. They were his targets.”
“He targeted them because he knew he couldn't hurt you,” Tiernan said gently. “In that way, they were defending you.”
“He knew...” I gaped at Tiernan in epiphany.
“What is it?”
“He swore to me over and over that since I had come to attack him, it was considered a battle and he was taking those lives honorably,” I ground out. “But if he knew better than to kill me, then he also knew he was committing murder.”
“He didn't care,” I said in shock.
“He wanted her back any way he could get her,” Tiernan said sadly. “It would be pitiable if he hadn't killed my friends in the process.”
“That kind of blatant self-delusion in a king is terrifying,” I whispered. “Things must be bleak at the Unseelie Court.”
“And they'll only grow more so,” Tiernan agreed.
Cat whined and lifted her head and looked at me in concern.
“I know,” I stroked her silky gray head. “We're going to do our best, Cat.”
She huffed and settled back into sleep.
“Well at least Cat has confidence in us,” I gave Tiernan a sad smile.
“Seren, you can't go on blaming yourself for those deaths.”
“I know-”
“No. I can see the wound in your eyes,” Tiernan shook his head. “You're still bleeding, I can practically smell the blood. I can hear the hurt in every word you speak. You blame yourself and I have a feeling that nothing anyone says will change that. But still, I have to try because I know those men would not want you to live like this. Respect their memories by letting go of the guilt.”
“I'll try,” I whispered.
“Come here,” he took my hand and pulled me over to his side of the carriage, dislodging Cat, who whined and resettled. He tucked me into his side and began to stroke my hair soothingly. “Just close your eyes and relax for a little bit. Forget about all that trauma for awhile and just be here with me.”
I sighed and snuggled in against him. His chest was solid beneath my cheek, as solid as Tiernan was. He'd been there for me since the day we'd met, saving my life and guiding me through my transition into becoming a fairy. Nestled there against him, I let go of my guilt over the men Uisdean killed but a new guilt was rising.
Raza.
Tiernan was right; I'd let myself get too comfortable with the dragon. I'd slept beside him and snuggled into his side just as I was with Tiernan. Sweet Danu, if Tiernan did this with another woman, I'd be deeply hurt. The truly terrible thing was; if I told Tiernan about getting close to Raza, he'd understand. In fact, if our earlier conversation was any indication, he might even approve. But he wouldn't be happy. And therein lied the source of my new guilt. That and the fact that I'd made a vow to myself to be true to Tiernan and yet Raza kept wiggling his way further and further into my life.
