by Amy Sumida
“Understood, Your Majesty,” Daxon said respectfully. “It will take time, but I will make the necessary changes. Goddess knows; I don't need any ardent Seren supporters trying to murder me for being inadequate.”
“What?” I gaped at the men.
“It's happened before,” Daxon said.
“What did you think I meant when I said a consort doesn't have a crown to protect him?” Raza asked me.
“I thought you meant slander, not slaughter,” I growled.
“We're fairies”—Daxon shrugged—“we can be vicious and tenacious in our beliefs.”
“No; that shit ain't happening in my courts,” I proclaimed.
“I will stay away from the Queen until I'm an acceptable consort,” Daxon ignored me and spoke to Raza.
“Excellent.” Raza stood.
“Hey, what the hell?” I growled. “Don't I get a say in this?”
“No,” both of them said at once.
I grimaced. “Great; now I've got two presumptuous assholes.”
“Choose a different body part. In fact, I think I'd rather be a dick,” Raza said in his kingly voice. “And make your goodbyes, Seren. I'll be in the car.”
Raza strode out of the room.
I stared at Daxon in shock. “What the fuck just happened?”
“Your husband—my king—gave me his approval.” Daxon smiled brightly. “This is a good thing, Seren.”
“Uh-huh.” I scowled. “Why does it feel weird then?”
“Well, I still have to make those changes.”
“Can you?” I asked him simply.
“For you? I think I can.”
“All right.” I sighed and stood, and he joined me. “Then I guess this is goodbye for now.”
“For now,” Daxon agreed. “Make sure that you put a good word in for me with the Councils.”
“I have to if you're going to be my consort,” I huffed.
“Maybe we won't destroy each other after all,” he whispered.
“Not if you're willing to come into the light, Dax Vader.” I smirked.
“You do know that he was an old, white guy in an iron lung, right?” Daxon grimaced as he pulled me into an embrace.
“Way to ruin the hot mask for me, asshole.”
“I believe your king commanded you to choose another body part,” he teased.
“I've never been good at following orders.”
“Neither have I,” he said softly. “But I think it's time to give it a try. It could be fun on the other side of the leash.”
Daxon kissed me goodbye, but it felt more like the beginning it was; searing with its possibilities and full of hopeful passion. I wrapped myself around him, and let myself believe—just for a second—that people could change; that Daxon could change. But I still had enough extinguisher in me to be skeptical. Perhaps Daxon would clean up his questionable business practices, or he might not, thinking he could hide them from us and continue as usual.
“You look grim,” he whispered and brushed his lips against mine. “I won't fail you, Seren.”
“See that you don't, Tromlaighe.” I let go of him and headed for the stairs, but then I stopped and turned back. “Did you say 'leash?'”
Chapter Fifty-Four
Raza drove back to San Francisco with two extinguishers while I flew to the High Human Council in Ireland with the rest of the team to deliver Shane into their custody. The High Fairy Council would attend his trial too, but Shane had committed crimes in HR which made him the HHC's prisoner. I wanted to feel sorry for him; I felt like I should since he was blood and all. But we all knew my track record with family members.
I slept like a baby the entire way to Ireland.
And it was a good thing too because as soon as I got off the plane, my scry phone rang. I answered it and then climbed into a waiting SUV. Daxon's face filled the crystal as Shane was shoved into the first row of seats, just behind my front passenger one.
“Couldn't even last a day,” I teased Daxon. Then I saw his tense expression. “What's wrong?”
“Seren, darling,” Daxon said calmly, “we have a situation.”
Daxon's face shifted away and was replaced with that of Marcan Luminary, ex-King of Seelie, and Shane's father. I scowled, confused for a moment. Then I saw the fury in Marcan's face, and it all became clear.
“Hello, Seren,” Marcan said.
As soon as his voice came through the phone, Shane started to smile.
“It was you the entire time,” I whispered.
“As if I would stand by while my son lived in squalor,” Marcan scoffed.
Thoughts raced through my head, and then memories; visions of Shane reading in his room, uncaring of court politics. Shane keeping a human woman as a plaything so that Cailleach Bheur could impersonate her. And then pictures of Marcan; so calm and collected; intelligence sharpening his stare as he stood behind my grandmother at court. The monster had been in plain view for years, and it hadn't been my grandmother.
“You manipulated your family, didn't you, Marcan?” I asked him calmly.
Marcan's eyes went wide.
The extinguisher driver was looking at me in concern. I held a hand up to tell him to wait.
“Just as I said, Seren,” Shane taunted me. “Things aren't going to go as planned. At least, not for you.”
Even in his taunts, Shane showed his ignorance. He couldn't have rallied seelie supporters; he simply didn't have the charisma or the wisdom for it.
“Shut up, or I will shut you up,” I said to Shane, then returned to my conversation with his father. “How much of my grandmother's rule was actually hers?”
Shane went still. No; he wasn't as smart as his father, not by a mile.
“Well done.” Marcan smirked. “So, you know who you're dealing with. Do not make the mistake of underestimating me.”
“How did you get to Daxon?” I leaned back in my seat as if we had all the time in the world.
“I used the luminary.” Marcan shrugged. “Light can reveal or blind. I blinded all of their senses and simply strode in. Then I blinded Count Tromlaighe. He was restrained within seconds. No one ever expects my magic to be so debilitating, but it's hard to fight when you can't see.”
“I was sleeping,” Daxon huffed from the sidelines. “I'd been up all night.”
“So, you want to trade your son for an underworld criminal?”
“A king,” Daxon corrected.
I rolled my eyes. “Keep him; he's an arrogant pain in the ass.”
“What?” Marcan asked in shock.
“What?” Daxon echoed him.
“You thought he meant something to me?” I laughed scornfully. “I just met the guy. Go ahead and kill him. Then there would be an automatic warrant issued for your extinguishment. In fact, your son has a warrant on him; I could kill him right now. Once an extinguisher, always an extinguisher, you know?”
“Seren, no!” Marcan shouted.
It was complete bullshit, of course. I couldn't kill Shane; his warrant was for his arrest, not his extinguishment. But Marcan didn't know that, and the extinguishers with me weren't going to say anything.
“I have Shane in custody, so I was being nice and taking him in for a trial. He's still my blood, after all,” I took the ruse further. “But, since you're going to be a dick—”
“What do you want?” Marcan growled.
“I want your mafia,” I said immediately.
“Dad, don't listen—”
I leaned over and calmly punched Shane in the face. He smacked into the window and then hunched over, unconscious. But I wasn't paying him any more mind. My attention was on the sky as I exited the SUV. I knew dawn was close; I'd been flying for twelve hours, but Ireland was also thirteen hours ahead of LA. That brought me right back to another sunrise. But even if I hadn't known that I would have felt the magic tickling my blood. Twilight was coming. I turned the phone away briefly and motioned to the driver to get Shane to the High Council. Then I began to hove
r as I flipped the phone back to me.
“Give me a list of your collaborators, and I'll make sure your son doesn't get extinguished,” I said, buying myself time.
My hands were shaking, and I wasn't sure how long I could keep up the sham that I didn't care for Daxon. Marcan's eyes narrowed on mine, and he reached out of my view. I had a glimpse of the room and hoped it was enough to direct my journey. If not, this was going to go very badly for me. When Marcan came back into my sight, he had Daxon by the throat. Marcan's hand began to glow. Daxon's jaw tensed, and sweat beaded on his brow. It appeared that luminary magic wasn't just about the light.
“I think you do care about this man,” Marcan mused as he watched me carefully. “I think you care quite a bit for him.”
Before he could say any more, twilight hit, and I latched onto the magic of the In-Between, using it to take me straight to Marcan and Dax. I simply visualized the room with the men in it, and that was enough direction for the Between. I popped into existence right in front of the ex-king. His eyes went wide a second before I blew lavender dust in his face. Marcan dropped as quickly as his son had.
Daxon let out a deep breath and chuckled. “You sure have a strange way of making a man feel wanted, sweetheart.”
“Hey, I'm here, aren't I?” I asked as I undid his magic-dampening bonds. “Where is here, anyway?”
“Some shitty hotel,” Daxon said. “Who gives a fuck?” As soon as he was loose, he swung around and yanked me into his arms. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“I have a feeling that's the first time you've ever said those words,” I teased.
“And it's the first time that someone saved my life,” he whispered.
Daxon's eyes went darker as he stroked the hair back from my face.
“If you say; 'my hero' I'm going to head-butt you,” I said softly.
But Daxon didn't need any words to tell me how he felt. He simply set his lips to mine and showed me. And he was very clear.
Epilogue
Marcan was carted off to Ireland too, where he became the Councils' problem. I didn't care about his cohorts; I knew who the mastermind behind the Fairy Mafia had been, and we had him. That business was over.
The trial, however, went on for weeks. It was more difficult to execute fairy royalty, even if they were ex-royalty. The Councils deliberated over it until they finally concluded that the men needed to pay for their actions with their lives.
Marcan and Shane were extinguished on the same day. As much as I didn't want to, I felt sorry for them.
On an uplifting note; Desmond's interest in Gradh turned out to be just the thing that Conri needed to make his intentions clear to his girlfriend—starting with the fact that he considered Gradh to be his girlfriend. Once the truth was out, they both fully committed to each other, and are now so damn happy that they are almost difficult to be around.
Daxon has been working on his promise to Raza, but he isn't quite to the squeaky-clean point yet. I suppose it takes more than a few weeks to examine several businesses and a slew of magical merchandise to determine whether they may or may not piss off the Human Council. I had no illusions about what Dax was up to. I knew that at best, he was selling off the questionable merchandise as quickly as possible, and at worst he was hiding it. But Daxon kept scrying me to give me updates, so I fostered a small seed of hope for us.
I had lots to keep me busy in the meantime. Seelie was settling after the debacle with its traitorous fairies and the dragon war that had nearly steamrolled across the kingdom. The Court of the Dragon Kings invited me back, and I've been fostering our friendship while trying to keep an eye on the Danu-struck Court of the Nine Sons. So far, the Sons have stayed quiet and gone about their business as usual. All was peaceful in the oceans of Fairy, just as the Goddess had promised.
The land-based kingdoms have been calm as well. No more moomin shenanigans or traitorous ex-royals. I haven't had the nerve to return to the Elven Enclave yet, but I'm told that they're their twilight village is growing steadily. So, all's well that—oh, who am I kidding? We're still waiting to see how the imbalance Danu created is going to be righted. I know the puka poop's gonna hit the fan; I just hope that I won't be standing front and center when it does.
Grammar Giggles
And just for a little laugh, here are some grammar mistakes found during the editing of this book.
Correct line: “Yes, Your Highness!” Conri turned on his heel and hurried off.
Giggle: “Yes, Your Highness!” Conri turned on his hell and hurried off.
Correct line: “You've thought of something.” Murdock's gaze intensified.
Giggle: “You've thought of something.” Murdock's gave intensified.
Correct Line: “They wear enough anti-fey charms to disperse most magic.”
Giggle: “They were enough anti-fey charms to disperse most magic.” (Extinguishers have evidently become their own anti-fey charms)
Correct Line: It had a very Mediterranean feel, with vines climbing over the buttery stucco.
Giggle: It had a very Mediterranean feel, with wines climbing over the buttery stucco. (I think I may have had too much of those wines when I wrote this)
And please feel free to write me at [email protected] if you spot any grammar errors yourself. I'm a poor self-published author who must rely on the kindness of my super-smart friends for help in editing. Please have mercy on my writing.
Keep reading for some sneak peeks, starting with the next book in the Twilight Court Series:
Black Market Magic
Chapter One
“Everything appears to be in order,” Raza said as he strode through the hallways of Enchantments. “Your list of services are suitable and there doesn't appear to be any magical weapons in stock.”
“I assure you, there are no hidden caches here, Your Majesty,” Daxon said.
“Very well, Count Tromlaighe,” Raza said reluctantly, “you've demonstrated your dedication to my queen and have proved yourself to be a worthy consort.”
“Thank you, King Raza.” Daxon bowed.
“There will be a month's probation for you to show us that you can keep this up,” Raza went on, and I rolled my eyes. “Don't look at me like that, Seren. This is necessary. We must prove that we have made every effort to determine Tromlaighe's worth. If not, we can be held accountable for his actions.”
“Unfortunately, he's right.” Daxon sighed.
“You have my approval for chaste visitations,” Raza went on. “But more than that will have to wait.”
“I understand, Your Majesty,” Daxon agreed.
“Fine,” I huffed, “he's on probation. Can we take the delinquent to lunch?”
“Yes, mo shíorghrá,” Raza said with a smile. “We can take your consort to lunch.”
“Why do I suddenly feel like a teenager going out with his parents?” Daxon drawled.
“Please don't ever put that imagery in my head again,” I said somberly.
We ended up at a little cafe called Toast. We sat in front of the cafe, at an umbrella-shaded table, and drank coffee while we waited for our food to arrive. People walked by, casually strolling until they saw the men. Raza alone was striking, even in his human glamour, but with Daxon's wild, fey looks on full display beside Raza's, they looked like a pair of celebrities. Only wealthy men could dress as they did and boast wild dye jobs; to be gorgeous on top of that just screamed power. If only the humans knew that these men were actually fairies; those crimson stripes in Raza's choppy hair, and the deep indigo color of Daxon's were natural. Maybe then the people wouldn't stumble as they passed our table, or maybe they would swarm.
Either way, I was starting to regret choosing an outdoor table to dine at.
“I've had enough of this,” a man growled from nearby.
I glanced over to a table a few feet from ours and saw a man clasp his hand firmly around his companion's—a tiny blonde woman. Daxon and Raza tensed.
“You've had enough
?” The woman asked in shock. “I was the one who caught you cheating, you dick!”
“Again with the body parts,” Raza murmured.
“It didn't mean anything,” the man protested.
“That's some bullshit,” Daxon said. “If it didn't mean anything, why bother?”
“I'm not arguing about this anymore.” The woman tried to stand, but the man pulled her back into her seat. “Fuck you—”
Her words were cut off when the man tossed a sparkling powder into the woman's face. She sat back into her chair heavily as a tingle of magic spread out to us. I gaped at Daxon, and his eyes went wide and horrified.
“That's better,” the man said smugly. “Now, you're going to forget all about seeing me and Tammy together. Do you understand?”
The woman nodded.
“Good,” the man said brightly. “Let's get back to having a nice meal.”
The rest of their conversation faded away as my gape turned into a glare. Raza had tensed as well, and began to lean across the table toward Daxon.
“I had nothing to do with that,” Daxon hissed.
“That was a forgetting spell,” Raza whispered. “Are you telling me that some other fairy sold it to the human?”
