by Melissa Marr
The air took form and separated at my will.
“Go.” I held the intangible curtain aside as if it had actual form, and Christy stepped into the other world with her luggage. Sera followed with her bags. Ally carried my weapons bag, her handbag, and her gun—outstretched as if she might need to shoot her way through enemies. She didn’t bother with her suitcase. Priorities.
Misty paused. “Will it be better with the fae?”
I nodded, hoping I wasn’t wrong, and she followed my friends in Elphame.
Then I stepped through, leaving the pink smell behind.
We all paused, gasping the clean air, and I waited for the inevitable fae assembly to arrive. I wasn’t going to take one more step into Elphame until traditions were met.
Chapter Nine
“Geneviève of Stonehaven,” the king of Elphame greeted as he stepped into the clearing with a group of fae soldiers.
“Crowe,” I corrected. “Greetings to you, Marcus, King of Elphame.”
The king smiled but it was a tense expression. He was put-together as always. If my husband had an older brother who had just slain an army single-handedly, the king of Elphame would be that man. I trusted him as much as I trusted any faery or politician—which is to say that I felt as wary as he looked.
“Be welcome tonight, bride of my nephew.” The king met my gaze. The assembled guards, easily fifteen people, kept their silence. Swords were at the ready, and several were looking far too eager to draw them.
I sighed and dropped to a not-awful curtsy; my friends followed suit. Misty looked around like a drunk at an open bar. Allie held her gun loosely, ready but not starting trouble so far. Sera silently dropped our bags and handed me a sword.
“I seek haven for my friends . . . and a victim we rescued. We were attacked.” I was suddenly hyper-aware that we were bedraggled and pinkish. “We are safe, but . . . there was no way out.”
The assembled guards looked far from calm suddenly. They awaited orders, perhaps a rescue attempt.
“My nephew?” Marcus asked.
“Eli is at home, safe and blissfully unaware. I’d like to keep it that way.” I gave him a wry smile.
“Oh, Death Maiden, I think my nephew has more than met his match in you, hasn’t he?” The king didn’t stifle a smile that looked a lot like a laugh in waiting. “I shan’t be the one to tell him.”
The king stepped forward as if I wasn’t clutching a steel sword, and then the king of all fae in his world or mine kissed my cheeks in what appeared like fondness. I didn’t exactly trust that it was. The fae were nothing if not political.
“Welcome home, niece,” he whispered.
When he stepped back, I motioned to Sera, Christy, and Allie—naming each as I gestured their way. Then I added, “My friends and I were on holiday at the coast.”
“Roisin had mentioned an inability to reach you.” Marcus glanced at the fae guards. “There was a failure to update your travel plans for some reason. She was pursuing consent to forcibly enter the buildings where you were housed.”
“I told you something was wrong,” Roisin grumbled, sounding uncharacteristically human.
“You were correct, Roisin.” Marcus grinned. “Shall we prepare for battle, Death Maiden? I’ve not had a skirmish in quite an age. Let us roust those who have cast insult on my family.”
I tried to reply and choked on my words. “Roust?”
“I thought you said he was stuffy,” Alice whispered far-too-loudly in the silence.
And the king of Elphame laughed as if a grand joke had been shared. Then Marcus looked at Alice and said, “There are quite a few changes in my mood since my nephew has accepted his duty—subsequently marrying the prophesied Death that I thought would steal my throne. As a faery, Alice, I had thought that my own death would come if I grew too attached to a woman.”
“That’s so sad!” Alice stepped forward and hugged him.
As she did so a dozen guards surged toward her, and I stepped forward in answer. I was but one sword against fifteen, though. Rage bubbled in my belly.
“Boss?” Allie called. She was clasped in the king’s embrace, watching armed warriors aim weapons at her.
And in that moment, the magic I hadn’t been able to access since I’d raised a cemetery to fight woke with a roar.
“Mine!” The word echoed across the ground like a quake. A surge of almost maternal affection rose up—as did the very ground around us. The king and Alice were suddenly atop a tall hill where the ground had been flat.
Walls of soil encased Sera and Christy, and by proximity, Misty. They were safe from harm.
And Allie was out of reach of the guards with swords.
From atop the newly formed hill, Marcus stared down at me with a curious expression. He raised his voice and asked, “Yours how?”
Allie smacked him. G-d help me, she smacked the king.
“Don’t be a perv! She’s family,” Allie shouted at him. “I wouldn’t be fool enough to bed her even if she wasn’t twenty-seven kinds of drunk on Prince Eli. She’s a lot of work emotionally just being her assistant . . . and platelet supplier.”
Marcus made a gesture and stone steps appeared, carved into the soil and sod of the new hill. He offered Alice his elbow.
His words were clear as day as he asked, “Platelet supplier?”
“When boss almost died, she sprouted fangs you know? Lady B—she’s like you but fangier and scary but not quite as sexy—she said I need to feed the boss.”
They descended the steps as everyone there stared at them in a mix of reactions.
Allie continued, “So, Prince Eli tricked Gen into drinking blood. Not like all throat-bitey, though. That seems . . . intimate, and not really for me. I have a siphon and--”
“Allie, dear? Shut up,” Sera said calmly.
Alice snapped her mouth shut and nodded.
“Is she addled?” Roisin asked from my side.
“Such a good question,” Sera muttered.
Alice rose her hand, the one that was still holding a gun, like a pupil.
“Yes Alice?”
“Can we get a meal and some liquor for you before we go kick in the doors? And can we bring the faery lady who is staring at Sera?” Allie paused and grinned at Roisin. “Was that too blunt? I’m not sure of the etiquette. She’s single, though, Miss Faery Lady.”
Roisin folded her arms. “Not addled at all, is she? Sly.”
Sera grinned. “Try dealing with her regularly.”
“Food and refreshment sounds lovely,” I said loudly. “Then I will go deal with whatever monsters are there. If I could leave my friends here while I—”
“I go where you go, boss.” Allie still had a hand on the king’s arm, and he made no move to dislodge her.
“We will bring a squadron or two to handle this, niece of mine.” Marcus made eye contact with several guards, and they departed. Whatever orders he passed were handled so subtly that it was as if it hadn’t happened.
“Can we message Lady B?” Allie added. “I bet she’d love an excuse to come to San Diego. Plus, she loves a good fight.”
Marcus patted Allie’s hand. “So do I, my dear. So do I.”
I paused. “Alice, did my grandmother know about the spa?”
Alice paused, frowned, and then said, “She’s how I discovered it. Her legal team knew a guy, and we bought it from the original owners who had gone missing.”
I sighed, suspecting that my dear dead gran knew that there were draugr operating in San Diego. She couldn’t go there herself, because of the no-draugr policy the city had, but I had to wonder if she’d intentionally sent me as her emissary. If so, although I might not have known it, she’d dispatched me like a rabid hunting dog.
The king met my gaze, and I knew he’d made the same connection I had. “I’ll be at your side, Geneviève of Stonehaven.”
“Crowe,” I muttered. Then I added, “I look forward to battle at your side.”
* * *
; By the time I’d taken my friends to Eli’s house, which was also mine now that we were married, I felt the awkward need to ask my uncle-by-marriage what his intentions toward Allie were. There was no mistaking that spark of interest in his eye, and I wasn’t sure Alice was in the right frame of mind to be seduced by a faery king.
Once the guards had left, and Misty was sent off to wherever mortal who stumbled into Elphame went, I was ready to pull the king aside for a little chat.
“Misty will be okay, right?” Allie prompted again.
“I swear she will.” I gave Alice a reassuring look. “They treat humans well. She’ll have all her needs met, and she’ll build a life with the other humans. It’s sort of a forever-cossetted thing here. She can work—or not. She can date—or not. The only rule is that she can’t leave.”
Allie nodded. “Marcus is so sweet. I probably shouldn’t worry.”
Christy snorted. “Sweet on you is more like it. Human or fae, people are people, and that man was panting at you so hard he was practically tripping on his tongue.”
Allie sniffed as if dismissing Christy’s words. “He was just kind. Friendly. Being a good host. Right, boss?”
I met her gaze. “Allie, the king wants you. It was as obvious as the way Roisin watched Sera. The fae might not be blunt, but they are believers in enjoying love and sex. So, in that area . . .” I shrugged. “Eli likely slept his way through half the city. Beautiful, eternal, and sexual. It’s what they are.”
Allie walked over and started to clear the table when we saw trays of food being carried toward the house. “Well, I think you’re wrong,” she said primly. “I’m a widow. He was just being a gentleman.”
I exchanged a look with Christy. Clearly, I would be having a super awkward chat with my new uncle. Maybe reaching out to Eli—and asking him to handle it--wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Chapter Ten
Once we’d tucked into the sort of meal that vacations actually require—complete with a decadent dessert tray filled with everything from apple pie to crème brûlée to a Chantilly cream cake to a four-layer trifle and a selection of truffles—the dishes simply vanished.
“I’m feeling significantly less sympathy for you today, Gen.” Sera stretched. “That was amazing. This place is . . .”
“Gorgeous,” Christy finished.
“No draugr either,” Sera added. “Would it be so bad to live here?”
I shook my head. It was a complicated question, which I wasn’t entirely sure I could answer. Being here was incredible, and the best part was that it meant that I was now bonded with the only person who had ever made me feel whole. I’d always thought that “you complete me” business was silly, but then I melded with Eli. He literally completed me. Our souls were fused; our lifespans now tied together. I would die when he did—or the inverse. It was both terrifying and wonderful.
“It’s incredible here, but I have a duty in New Orleans,” I started. “Each person should leave the world better than how they came into it. That’s my faith. It’s as much a fact to me as anything science or magic can prove.”
“So basically, you can’t let yourself be happy because it’s your duty to behead monsters?” Sera gave me the sort of stink eye that highlighted the increasingly difficult issue in our friendship of late. She didn’t like what I did. Never had. Never would.
“Yes.” I met her gaze head-on. “You don’t have to like it—”
“Good. I don’t.” She folded her arms. “Why can’t you just be a faery princess, Gen? You love Eli, and being his wife creates other responsibilities that you could spend eternity working on. That would be making this world better, and you’d be safer!”
“Eli knew who I was when he chose me, and he accepts it.” I tried to keep my temper contained, but this had been the elephant-in-the-room for us for years. “This is me. Warts and all. You don’t have to like it, but you need to accept it.”
Sera pressed her lips together and walked out.
I sighed, hating the threat of tears I felt in the corner of my eyes. I wasn’t a crier, hadn’t ever been, but there were moments I wished I could be softer. I was happy with my life, loved my job—or jobs as the case now was—and I looked forward to my life with Eli. That didn’t erase my identity. That was not the point of marriage, at least not the point of my marriage.
“She just worries,” Christy said.
A thousand words wanted to come out, but it wasn’t Christy who needed to hear them. And I didn’t think Sera could, no matter how many times I tried to explain. Sure, she worried. She didn’t see the world as I did—and that was fine. However, it wasn’t my responsibility to change her mind.
I shoved the hurt away. It was time to focus on what I could do.
“So, my magic appears to have found its way home,” I started. “And the king is kindly offering me a few fighters. I’d like you to stay here. Enjoy Elphame. With fae back-up, I’ll get things sorted out over in San Diego.”
“With minimal damage, please!” Allie interjected. “Maybe I should tell Marcus . . .”
That was that. I was taking the king. The last thing I wanted was to leave him and Allie alone. They were both adults, but Allie was my responsibility.
And, of course, starting a fight with the king of the fae when he broke her heart would be . . . complicated. I wasn’t fae by birth, but I was fae enough to open doorways here now that I’d melded with Eli. I was, technically, a subject of Elphame. A citizen. Being the wife of the future king didn’t change that.
Of course, it also didn’t mean that I would stand by and let a friend be hurt.
“Marcus will be with me,” I pointed out. “You, Alice Chaddock, will be staying here with Christy and Sera. Relax. Sunbath. Eat desserts.”
Allie twisted her hands together. “I hate not being with you. What if you need me?”
“I do need you. Make me a pretty platelet smoothie, Allie, for when I return,” I said in my mothering-est voice. “I won’t be gone long.”
Then I left to find the king and troops. My magic was itching to be used, and I was ready to kick some ass.
* * *
When I reached the path that led to the palace, Marcus was outside. No crown. No guards. Instead, he was a man with a broadsword and a grin. A chain shirt covered his tunic, and thick leather gloves dangled at his belt like a sporran on a Highland clansman. He wore weathered boots, and his hair was braided back.
“Are we going to a medieval war?” I teased.
Marcus laughed. “I haven’t fed my blade for a few decades, Death Maiden. Duty to the crown, to the people. Now if I fall to a foe . . . this”—he gestured around us—"is all Eli’s responsibility. It’s freeing to have an heir willing to fulfill his duty.”
I nodded and drew the blade he’d gifted me when I wed Eli. “Freeing in all sorts of ways, I’d wager. . .”
Marcus bowed and lifted his blade. “Help an old man stretch before battle?”
I snorted. He might be a few centuries old, but the king of the fae looked to be only a few years older than me. This man was not a creaking old grandpa—and I was glad of it. I wanted him to live and age, wed and breed. I wanted him to have an heir, so Eli and I were never required to take the throne.
I bowed my head and waited for his first attack.
“So . . . does this mean you’re going to take a bride?” I asked as I parried his oberhau strike.
“Indeed.”
Since he volunteered nothing, I pushed the topic. “Shouldn’t you be casting your eye toward fae maidens? I recall quite a few beautiful women lining up to offer to marry my husband.”
Marcus grinned again. “Couldn’t wed the prince, so they’ll settle for the king. I suppose I could glance that direction.”
I decided to be blunt. Time was short when it came to private conversations with the king. “Alice is a widow, Marcus. She loved her husband, and he was murdered last year. That’s how we met. She hired me, tried to kill me, and the rest”—I lunged
at the king— “is history.”
He blocked. “She’s a mortal in Elphame, Geneviève of Stonehaven. I am within my rights to keep her here, and I find that I’d like that.”
“Crowe.” I attacked with a series of mittelhau strikes, all of which he deftly parried. “I’d like to see you try. King or not, you don’t want me as an enemy. Kidnapping Allie would create a problem for you. Don’t do it.”
We fought in silence for several moments.
Finally, Marcus offered, “If I break this law for you now, you will bring Alice for visits, Geneviève of Stonehaven. I offer you this bargain in kindness and familial regard.” The king lowered his blade. “You shall not speak of the terms of this faery bargain to anyone save for your husband.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t strike him unless we were exercising—and I couldn’t actually refuse his bargain. I might be his niece by matrimony, part-fae because of my meld with Eli, but Marcus was the king of the fae. He was not one to be outwitted or outmaneuvered.
And we both knew it.
“I will only accept this bargain if I have your word that you do not intend to harm or use Alice. Romance? Fine. Seduce her if she understands your intentions are temporary? That, too, would be fine, but she’s mine to protect as surely as every faery here or in my world.”
Marcus looked at me curiously. “What makes you think my intentions are fleeting? My family always knows when we meet our destined bride. I knew she was in your world, as did my sibling and my nephew. So, I simply stayed in Elphame to avoid meeting her. And yet . . . you brought her to me.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
“Alice is beautiful, clever, and charming. Anyone would be lucky to know her.” He gazed in the direction of the cottage where she waited. “Your loyalty is admirable, Geneviève, but your opinion of our kind could benefit from a bit less bias.”
“Oh.”
Marcus sheathed his sword, raised a hand in a gesture, and then added, “I believe mortals speak to the parental figure before beginning a courtship. This I have done with you. Do you accept our bargain?”
