by Lexi Blake
I groaned and opened an eye. I could already tell it was way too early. Dev grumbled in his sleep and disentangled himself from me so he could turn over and shove his head under a pillow to try to escape the noise. I wasn’t allowed such retreat as Neil was insistent.
“God, Neil, what time is it?” I moaned the question.
“It’s time for you to help me.” Neil’s voice was a little desperate and whiny. “If you want to make that brunch we’re supposed to go to before we head home tonight, you’ll get up and fix this.”
I sighed and pushed myself up. I really couldn’t miss the brunch with McKenzie. We were still negotiating the alliance, and after last night, we were coming in from a position of power. I just wished I could have slept the day away. My husbands had taken the idea of a wedding night seriously. Danny had kept me up until right before dawn, reminding me I was married to him as well as Dev.
My vampire couldn’t seem to stop indulging in the new freedom he was giving himself. When I told him I couldn’t take anymore, he just cuddled against me, playing with my neck or pressing his ear against my chest because he said he loved the sound of my heartbeat. Dev passed out after our little feeding session, the events of the night having exhausted him completely. As I drifted off to sleep, Danny had kissed me and promised that when we got home, he would sleep beside us again. The noise of so many people kept him awake, so he slipped off into his coffin for the day. Now I was kind of wishing I’d gone with him because I would still be asleep.
“What’s the problem, sweetie?” There was no getting around it now. I was awake.
Neil scratched his head and his eyes had a desperate look to them. “I think it was the pixie.” Tears welled as his voice quivered so slightly. “I think she gave me fleas.”
I tried really hard not to laugh but Dev didn’t bother. He just shook with the force of his amusement.
He tossed the pillow aside and pushed up on his elbows to regard Neil with sparkling green eyes. “I told you she would get you back, wolf. Pixies may be small, but they’re great believers in revenge. Hope, no pray, she’s satisfied with this or it will only be the beginning.”
A horrible thought hit me. The ramifications could be truly terrible. “Dev, this isn’t funny. If Neil has fleas, then they could move over to Lee and Zack. All of our wolves are going to end up like this. I have to flea dip Neil or they’ll be all over the house.”
Dev thought that was just the funniest thing he’d ever heard. He let his head fall back as he laughed loudly. “I assure you Zack would never let himself be flea dipped, but you should probably check out Lee. I heard he went hunting last night so he wouldn’t have to listen to the sounds of our wedding night.”
Neil was still scratching his hair furiously, trying to stop that itch. “It’s making me crazy, Z. Please tell me I won’t have to wear a flea collar. They don’t go with anything. I promise I won’t eat the pixies anymore.”
I shot a look around the room where the pixies were glaring at Neil. I pulled the sheet around me even as Dev protested the loss of it. I rolled out of bed and addressed my new tiny retinue. “He’ll leave you be from now on. You’ve had your revenge and he’s sorry. All the wolves will know the rules. You have to get along with them because they’re not going anywhere. Now, I have to go delouse my wolf. Try to stay out of trouble.”
I swear those little butterflies were laughing their asses off and their priest was right there with them.
“Come on, Neil,” I said, giving the entire Fae contingent my most forbidding look before holding out my hand to him. “We’ll wake up Sarah. I’m sure she knows something that will get rid of the fleas.”
An hour later, Neil sighed as I used a scrub brush on his hair. He sat in the tub looking a little like a drowned puppy with his blonde curls flat against his face. Sarah had whipped up something with orange, yarrow root, and a bunch of flowers that seemed to be working. At the very least, Neil had stopped trying to peel his scalp off. Sarah wielded a pitcher of warm water and poured it over his head.
Lee walked in and frowned at the scene in front of him. “You do know he’s human too, right? You two girls treat that boy like he’s one of those yippie dogs debutantes buy. I bet you’d carry him around in your purse if you could.”
Neil’s hand shot up, and he scratched behind his ear. “Missed a spot, Z.”
He probably wouldn’t have cared if we did carry him around in an oversized handbag as long as it was Louis Vuitton.
I rubbed some more of the paste into his scalp and frowned at Lee. “Well, you better stay away from the pixies or I’ll have you in this tub too, mister. Neil tried to eat one and she gave him fleas.”
Lee’s face lost all color. “Are you talking about the little butterfly things that are suddenly everywhere?”
“Tell me you didn’t eat one,” I begged.
“It got away.” Lee sighed a little. “They’re really fast.”
Sarah shook her head. “I’ll make up some more.”
“Actually, I was looking for you, Sarah. I don’t feel so hot. My stomach is upset. Nothing too bad, but I was hoping you could give me something.”
I gave Neil one more thorough rubdown as I cast a glance at Lee. He’d been running around in the woods all night. “Well, it was probably something you ate. Have you been eating strange birds again? I told you that would give you a tummy ache.”
“I have just the thing.” Like the good little healer she was, she declined to give Lee a lecture on not eating nasty things. “Ginger will take care of it. You’ll feel better in no time. I swear, Z. I’m going to have to pack up my garden when we go to Faery.”
“Oh, Sarah,” Dev said from the door. “You haven’t seen gardens until you’ve been to Faery. I assure you, you’ll find everything you need and many things you never thought you would ever see. I’m truly glad you and Felix have agreed to journey with us. Zoey will need her friends around her. It’s a strange place but very beautiful.”
Dev was going home for the first time in seven years, and he would be returning with more power than anyone could have imagined. He would be returning with a wife and his friend. He’d left alone, but he was going home with an entirely new family at his back.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Sarah said, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Dev was dressed in his version of casual, expensive but comfortable slacks and a T-shirt that hugged his chest. His long black hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, but I remembered the way it hung down when he was on top of me. I smiled up at him, my breath catching a little because I was so happy. Danny was happy, really happy, for the first time in a long time. He was finally relaxing and learning to be comfortable with who he was. Dev was happy. They had promised to stay with me forever. Our relationship, the three of us, finally felt settled. There would be more changes. I knew that for sure, but it felt like forever this time.
“Sweetheart, Declan and Padric are here. We’ll be going over to the big house together.” Dev looked at me, amused with my activity. “When you finish scrubbing your wolf, get him dressed because we need to leave in twenty minutes if we want to be on time.” He turned back around with a superior look on his face. “I managed to catch Zack before he chased down a pixie. I explained the rules to him and he’ll follow them. You won’t have to worry about him. My wolf is much better trained than yours.”
I wrinkled my nose as he laughed and went to join his brother. I tried not to think about the fact that Lee chose that moment to scratch fiercely behind his ear. He tried really hard to stop, but he was suddenly scratching his head all over.
“I’ll heat up some more water,” Sarah said with a frown. “And maybe I’ll get a couple of the guys because I don’t think he’s going into the tub willingly, Z.”
I gave Lee my most ferocious stare. “We’ll see about that.”
* * * *
“Your Grace.” McKenzie greeted me as we entered the big house. He had a large smile on his face and the look of
a man whose plan had worked out well. “I’m so pleased that we were able to host the marriage of a priest to his goddess. It was truly an honor. The magic associated with the ceremony was beyond our wildest dreams. My own wife is certain that it worked. She’s hopeful for the first time in a long time, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that.”
“We were happy to have the ceremony here.” Dev gave the alpha a courtly bow. “It was beautiful. Everything was perfect. My goddess and I thank you for making our wedding a memorable one.”
“It should have been performed in Faery,” Declan pointed out just a little sourly. “It is traditional. It should have been performed at Devinshea’s temple. My brother has an inexplicable fondness for this plane.”
“If it hadn’t been performed on this plane, I could never have received Bris.” Dev didn’t look at his brother as he spoke.
“I meant the marriage, brother, not your ascent,” Declan shot back. “Obviously your ascent had to be performed on this plane. The marriage could have waited until we returned. Mother will be upset you ran off to another plane and married without ever bringing your goddess home to meet your family.”
A servant was passing around champagne glasses with mimosas. I sipped mine while watching Dev and Declan bicker. It was going to be a long trip if this is what they did the entire time.
“Besides, mother should have been here to witness the act itself,” Declan said with a sigh of pure regret. “She will never believe anyone as small as Zoey could swallow you whole.”
I coughed up just a little of my drink while John McKenzie couldn’t stop his laugh. There were four other alphas who stared at Declan, shocked but amused. They’d all been there last night so I was sure it had already been discussed, probably at great length and in ridiculously graphic detail. Everyone else ignored him because they were used to Declan’s outrageous comments by now.
“I am simply saying that you might be asked to prove my tale, Zoey,” Declan continued. “Mother is a great believer in seeing proof before she accepts truths.”
I shot a desperate look at my husband, hoping he would tell me his brother was just teasing me. He simply shrugged and downed his drink before seeking out another one.
Padric patted my back soothingly. “I am certain she will accept my version of the tale, Your Grace. Declan is trying to scare you. I would point out that when he chooses to marry, you have every right to be one of the witnesses at his ceremony.”
“Damn straight,” I shot back at my brother-in-law. “I’m going to watch and comment on everything, Dec. You’ll be lucky if you can perform over my incredibly loud commentary.”
“Dev, you would not allow that.” Declan sent his brother a pleading look.
“There’s a saying on this plane, brother,” Dev replied. “Turnabout is fair play. I look forward to your ceremony.”
“You have just given me another good reason to not get married at all,” Declan admitted. “And I had a list before.”
McKenzie introduced us to the alpha wolves joining us this morning. They were the four most powerful in the country and important to Daniel’s plans. Each had been impressed with the magic Dev had performed and commented on the rare nature of what they had witnessed. Dev talked to them smoothly, working in certain points and making them laugh. He played the politician with ease, and I knew he enjoyed having the wolves right where he wanted them. I only caught them looking at me a few times, obviously remembering what they had seen the night before. They had each been there with their mates.
“Relax, Your Grace.” Padric guided me slightly away from the crowd.
“Really, I prefer Zoey.” I had to crane my neck up to get a good look at him. I’d brought mostly flats in deference to the fact that we were in the woods, but I would be taking my good heels to Faery with me. I would need them.
“What you did last night was a great act of love and nothing to be ashamed of, Zoey,” Padric said softly, looking down on me with affection. “Devinshea is lucky to have you for a wife.”
“Thank you.” I was happy I had at least one faery on my side. Now that we were as close to alone as we seemed fated to get, I decided to ask the question I’d waited to ask for almost a year. “So am I really his wife? Am I his only wife?”
Padric blinked a couple of times in obvious surprise. “He told you about Gilliana?”
I nodded. He’d told me the tale when we’d gotten serious about our relationship. Gilliana was the woman his mother had wanted Dev to mate with, despite the fact that he hated her. His mother had used magic to force her will on him. “Of course he did. I know what happened. Did he get her pregnant?”
Padric frowned, and his eyes strayed over to where Dev was talking to the wolves. He seemed to wonder just how much to tell me. I was sure he would rather talk to Dev first and find out what Dev wanted me to know.
“I’ll find out, Padric,” I warned the royal guard. “You can tell me now or I’ll find out later and it will be worse.”
He sighed. “The short answer is yes. Gilliana did get pregnant from the night she spent with the prince.”
I felt my eyes well up immediately at the thought of some other woman having his child. It made my stomach roll.
“Zoey, don’t cry,” he said quickly. “She was foolish and lost the child. She acted as though she wasn’t even pregnant. She got drunk and fell down her own stairs. She lost the child in her fourth month. I believe she was with another man at the time of the accident.”
“I am sorry for her.” I hated the fact there was a part of me that was relieved. It was horrible, but I couldn’t stand the thought of that woman who wanted to leave Dev to die when he was proven mortal having his baby.
“Don’t be. She’s vile, Zoey. I don’t know what Miria was thinking except that she’s been obsessed with Devinshea reproducing. She fears he will die and leave her with nothing. He would never believe it, but he’s her favorite child. She died a little the day she discovered his mortality. It’s been difficult for her to deal with the fact that she will lose him.”
My eyes narrowed in suspicion because that wasn’t the way Dev told the tale.
“There are always two sides to every story,” Padric pointed out, sensing my disbelief. “I’m sure you’ve heard Devinshea’s, but I ask that you hear Miria’s side as well. Devinshea was young. The filter he viewed the world through was self-centered. I think he’ll see it differently as he ages and has young of his own. You will meet the woman and I ask that you judge her worth based on your experiences with her, not Devinshea’s childhood struggles. You remind me a little of her, actually.”
I doubted that, but I was willing to give my mother-in-law a chance since this journey meant so much to Dev. Walking in and punching his mother might cause him trouble. It seemed like it was going to be hard on me, though. “So I’m a second wife?”
Dev would have been married to the witch when she came up pregnant. The fact that they were compatible would have ensured the marriage. Being a second wife limited my rights once we got to Faery, the way I understood it. I wouldn’t be running Dev’s household and I would be relegated to second class status, given only the rights his first wife was willing to give me.
“Miria annulled the marriage herself when Declan and I returned and told her Devinshea was taking a goddess,” Padric explained.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I wasn’t sure how Dev would have reacted to being forced to live with a wife he hated. I was certain he wouldn’t be happy that she would have had authority over me.
Padric smiled at my relief. “She loves her son, Zoey. It was her right to annul the marriage because there were no children. You’re Devinshea’s only wife and a full member of the royal family. You should take it as a great sign of her love for her son that she consented to the marriage with no proof of your fertility.”
I was choosing to ignore that. I didn’t wish to be married for my fertility, but I knew it would be highly prized in Faery. “And
Gilliana is all right with this?”
“She realized how much she angered the queen when she lost the child.” Padric frowned. “You will have trouble with her. She’s been petitioning the queen to be allowed to leave the sithein to join her husband on this plane in the hopes she would get pregnant again. She wasn’t happy when Miria denied her and then annulled the marriage. She’s vowing vengeance on you, Your Grace. I fear she won’t go down without a fight.”
So I’d be packing my Manolos and my Ruger. I’d take some knives with me too, I decided. Cold steel. I smiled up at Padric. “She won’t find me an easy mark.”
“I do not doubt that. I believe she is expecting a sweet little flower like Devinshea’s priestesses. You’ll be a shock. She will also not be expecting your vampire. I’ve already discussed the situation with him. I thought it best that he understand the position you’re in. Devinshea must act the royal and the priest. Daniel’s position is freer. He can protect you without worrying about any consequences.”
“So you think the queen will allow Daniel to stay with us?”
“If it means her son comes home then yes, she will most likely make allowances.” Padric gestured to my left. “I think something is wrong with your wolf, Your Grace.”
I turned to see Lee as he fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. Zack and I got to him at the same time.
“What’s going on, brother?” Zack took a knee beside him.
I got down on the floor with the wolf, who seemed weak all of a sudden.
Lee was sweating and his face had lost its color. “I hate this. What the hell is wrong with me? I don’t get sick, damn it.”
Dev left his conversation and looked down at us now with great concern in his eyes. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know.” I put my palm against Lee’s forehead. It was cold and clammy, not warm as it should have been. Wolves tend to be warmer than humans. Even as I touched him, his muscles began to shake. “He said he was feeling bad this morning. Sarah gave him some ginger for nausea.”
