His lips twitched slightly. “Not exactly. I’m not used to the beast being so strong. He’s hard to control.”
“You are Gamma in rank, are you not?” Another delicate flaring of his nostrils told them all that Kane was scenting the air.
“Yes.”
“You’re not anymore though, are you?” Kane scowled. “In fact, you’re a blend. Most peculiar. How is the beast reacting to Thalia’s She-Wolf’s disappearance?”
“Not well,” he admitted on a grunt.
Thalia’s fingers squeezed his. “You never said anything.”
“Of course I didn’t,” he dismissed.
Her frown was loaded with pain. “Why not? There’s no ‘of course’ about it, Rafe. We’re all in this together.”
He shook his head. “You’re the priority.”
She tightened her lips. “We’re a unit.”
“At this moment, we need to worry about you and Mikkel. My Wolf getting stronger isn’t a detriment to our situation. Your weaknesses need to be shored.”
“As damaging as that statement is for both of your egos,” Kane said drily, “Raphael isn’t wrong.” He cut his son a look. “Have you considered your names?”
“I did. From the start.”
“Interesting choices, no?” Kane pursed his lips. “Some of our eldest were named Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel—which is Theodore’s middle name. And that doesn’t take into account the meaning of Theodore itself.”
“Which is what?” Mikkel asked.
“God given.” Kane narrowed his eyes at Theodore. “There has to be a reason for this.”
“Do any of the eldest still live?”
“If they do, we know not where they live,” Kane replied. “This is not unusual. The Eldest are tired of people. Trust me, you live as long as we do, you get irritable. Isaura wasn’t always the bitch she is today. She grows wearier every year.”
“I told you she is renowned for her impatience,” Theo murmured quietly.
Thalia folded her arms across her chest. “Doesn’t she want to be queen?”
“I fear she would fight to retain her crown,” Kane said with a grimace. “But no, she doesn’t want it.”
“Why would she fight for it then?”
“Because she’s a bitch,” came the amused retort.
Thalia shook her head. “I don’t understand why she’d fight if she doesn’t want the position.”
“Because she’s fifty thousand years old and set in her ways, child.” Kane kicked his legs out from under him and Rafe watched, amused, as the King of the Fae sat cross-legged before them all. He pressed his elbows to his knees, then touched his fingertips together in a position of true contemplation. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I’m destined to have children that will change Lykenkind,” Thalia said drily. “Which means I’ll have children, period, and according to Theo that means he will ascend to the throne.”
“Destined to have children?”
“It’s a long story, father.”
“We have all the time in the world, son,” Kane retorted, his tone caustic. “I think we should start at the beginning, don’t you?”
Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. “And you want to have this conversation in the middle of the Armory Atrium?”
Kane huffed, clicked his fingers. “There. Does this place meet with your approval?”
The three non-Fae gaped at their surroundings as they took in the completely different environment. None of them had moved or changed position, only Theo was standing, but the room itself was... Well, Rafe had never seen anything like it.
Thalia whispered, “What the fuck?”
Mikkel grunted. “This is worse than Harry Potter.”
“Who is Harry Potter?” Kane demanded, seeming to take affront at that statement.
“It’s a character in a book.”
“Then how can he be worse than me? He does not exist,” Kane questioned with a sniff.
“I mean, it’s weirder than. At least in Harry Potter, they couldn’t just click their fingers and move to a whole other room.” He blew out a breath. “I thought my life was crazy before. I’m realizing how wrong I was.”
Theo glowered at his father. “Was that really necessary? You know they’re not accustomed to this realm.”
“That is because you’re slow, Theo. You always did take an age to do anything.”
“I was making sure they were ready for the changes that were coming.”
Kane heaved a sigh. “You are foolish, child. No one is ever ready for change. They can’t be. It isn’t in anyone’s nature to accept massive alterations to their universe.” He shot Thalia a look. “And a change such as a Lyken losing access to their beast? No, indeed. There is never a quantity of time where a Lyken could ever adjust to such a loss.”
With a graceful sweeping motion, he climbed to his feet, belying his decrepit age as his body seemed to dance rather than ‘move.’ He held out his hand in a polite gesture and indicated a seating area that seemed to be made of clouds rather than chairs.
There were no walls, and all around them there seemed to be only sky. Bright pink sky and endless amounts of vast nothingness.
It was like being on an airplane over the Atlantic. Except there was no jet. And the sky was pink.
The only reason he felt sure this was sky and not a room was the smell. It reminded him of hikes he’d done, the climbs he’d enjoyed over his lifetime. He recognized the scent of pure, fresh air. Not even Heden could change such an intrinsic and base scent.
Thalia was the first on her feet—she seemed to bounce as she approached the unusual seats. “What are these?” she asked cautiously, bending over to poke one. When her hand went through it, she leapt back in astonishment.
Kane laughed. “This is my favorite sitting room. They’re formed of clouds.”
A sitting room in the sky?
Sweet Gods, Heden was beyond mad.
“How are we supposed to sit on them?”
His eyes twinkled with mirth. “Faith.”
Thalia choked out a laugh. “Faith? Does that really work?”
Theo snorted. “He means faith in us. That we will fortify them for your weight.”
Mikkel shook his head. “You mean to tell me that you collected clouds and are using them as chairs?”
“Indeed, why not? Wait until you sit on them. You’ll find them most comfortable,” Kane said cheerfully.
“My father is affiliated with water,” Theo explained wryly as he took a seat. The clouds spread and parted in a way that reminded Rafe of feathers rather than, well... Clouds were made up of water vapor, weren’t they?
Feeling a bit bewildered, Rafe looked around the ‘room’ in the vain hope he’d find something a little more normal to rest on. He found buttkiss.
The room was bright, and if, in his mind, he’d thought about St Peter’s check-in point to the human version of Heaven, this would be how he’d imagined it. Clouds everywhere, white light so glaringly gold it made his eyes hurt, and very little else in the near vicinity.
In this instance, Kane was the whack-job St Peter, the chairs were clouds, and the light didn’t seem to have a source, it just blinded.
“I think I need shades,” Thalia grumbled as she took a seat beside Theo. She held her breath before her ass connected with the cloud, but when she didn’t fall through, she released it on a moan. “Sweet Gods, this is so beyond comfortable!”
Mikkel eyed the seat and then her. “Are you fucking with me?” he asked gruffly.
Kane smirked. “Fear not, I would never allow my son to play jokes on my guests. These are my quarters and all who enter here are safe. Even from practical jokes.”
“Because I’m renowned for being the joker of the family,” Theo mocked.
Kane conceded this with a nod. “He speaks the truth; Theo is the staidest of my sons.”
“Staid translates as boring?” Mikkel asked, but he was teasing.
Thalia nudged him in t
he side. “Shut up.”
Mikkel just laughed and took a seat at her side. When he didn’t fall through the cloud either, Rafe ceased dawdling and took a cloud for himself.
“Wow,” he exclaimed on a breath as the fluffy seat seemed to cushion, warm, and cosset his butt all at the same time. As he settled amid the downy goodness, he asked, “Do you meet with your people here?”
Kane tilted his head to the side. “That’s an unusual question.”
“It is? Why?”
“Because most people wouldn’t assume the consort plays much of a role in Court life.”
At Kane’s simple answer, Thalia murmured, “My mother has a similar role to you, and she plays a part in Court life. Not as much as my fathers, but that’s mostly because she’s only half-Lyken. Why wouldn’t you be equally as important?”
“Because, in truth, I’m not, but my roles are different.”
“In what way?”
“Father is Mother’s general.”
“For when you go to war with…?” Thalia drew out the question.
“Yes. War doesn’t happen too often, though. And the enemy varies,” was all Theo said.
“War doesn’t happen often enough according to Isaura,” Kane said playfully. “She says I make too much mischief when I’m not busy with games of war.”
Thalia sat up a little. “The myths of Zeus are based on you, aren’t they?”
Kane grinned. “Indeed.”
“Did you really have sex with a swan?” she asked, her eyes wide, and Kane flung his head back as laughter pealed from him.
“Do I look like the sort of male who’d appreciate having sex with a bird?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “No.”
His grin widened. “In those days, Lykens were far more interesting than they are now.”
“There were Swan Lykens?” Rafe demanded, leaning forward with his surprise.
“Yes. There were many different species back in those days, before things grew tedious. When the interesting breeds started dying off, I stopped playing over in the human realm.”
“That’s why Zeus died out and became the stuff of legends?” Rafe asked carefully. There was something about Kane that invited him to trust the man, but at the same time, Rafe was finding it hard to trust the Fae.
Theo was different because his best interests were in line with Rafe’s, Thalia’s, and Mikkel’s. But his father? No, he had his own role to play in the games that had been arranged by the Fates.
“Yes.” Kane wriggled his shoulders. “Isaura hated those times. Her ego is far larger than mine. She never understood why she was dowdy Hera who Zeus cheated on while she looked like the bitter spouse.”
“But you did cheat on her, didn’t you?”
Kane’s eyes twinkled again. “The Fae play to different rules than the Goddess’ other children.”
That had Thalia stiffening as her head whipped around to the side so she could stare at Theo. His hand came out, and as he pressed it to her knee, Theo murmured, “I am not my parents.”
“No, but you are our race,” Kane said softly. “Our race does not change. Although, you’ll have three mates to keep you interested.”
Thalia’s face blanched and Rafe wanted to smack Kane and slam him into the ground. “Was that necessary?” he demanded instead. “You have to know how that would hurt us.”
“You Lykens are always so delicate when it comes time to talk of mates,” Kane retorted, his lips twisting nastily. “We live a long time. Far too long to be so bland.”
“There’s a reason I’m known as the staid child,” Theo countered gently as he reached for Thalia’s hand. He pressed hers between both of his. “I am capable of faithfulness.”
“For thousands of years?” Kane asked, cocking a brow. “This I would like to see. Your mother too.”
“Don’t test me, Father,” Theo snapped. “I’m here on sufferance. You wished to speak to us about Thalia’s She-Wolf. If you’re only going to shitstir then we’ll return to the Armory. I have a checklist I must see to before I feel comfortable presenting Thalia to Court.”
“Why? Do you think we wish to hurt your little Lyken?” Kane drummed his fingers against the cloud and stunned them all—well, save for Theo—because there was a rapping sound, as though he were touching wood.
“I’d prefer not to test the situation.” Theo narrowed his eyes at his father. “You’re well aware of how jealous my siblings are. If Mother has been foolish and informed them of Thalia’s current limitations, I don’t put it past any of them to take her from me before I could do anything as lofty as take the throne for myself.”
Kane fell silent at that, and having seemed to contemplate it, stated, “You are right. I shall cease teasing you. Explain to me, from the beginning, what has happened, and I will do my best to see if I can help.
“It is time for Isaura to pass on the throne. She is growing bitter in her old age and isn’t ruling justly. Not that she would admit to such a failing. In the past, having children has softened her, but since Eddard was born four thousand years ago, we have not managed to bear fruit since and her temperament has grown more sour by the millennium.”
Theo nodded. “The TriAlpha beget triplets, and Thalia is their firstborn and only child. She broke the mold. An Elder has indicated that she will be Lyken-kind’s salvation from the humans. Lykens are leading their lives in such a way that will make the humans aware of them, and if that is the case, then their entire culture is in danger.”
“And what is Thalia supposed to do about that?” Kane asked, his tone curious.
“I’d imagine prevent the humans from learning the truth. Or,” Theo argued, “to lead the Lykens into the dawn of a new age where the humans are well aware of the creatures they share the planet with.”
Thalia stiffened at his side. “You don’t think that, do you?”
“I do, actually,” Theo reasoned softly. “Rafe told me of what the Elder, Bahkir, had to say. It seems to me that in this day and age, keeping such a secret from the largest population on earth is going to be a distinct impossibility. In the last three decades alone, the advances in technology have made it such that hiding the breeds is next to impossible.
“I believe it is more by luck than management that the truth hasn’t already come out.”
“But Bahkir indicated that Thalia’s becoming Triskele would be how she keeps our kind safe,” Rafe argued.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Theo shrugged. “I have my suspicions, but I’m no Oracle. That is my take on what you have told me.”
Rafe pondered the Fae male’s ease, discerning that the other man wholeheartedly believed that the greatest secret on earth was about to be revealed to the largest apex predator in the known universe.
Shuddering at the prospect, Rafe asked, “Why would her becoming Triskele be important then?”
Theo’s lips curved in a slight smile. “Why, for her to come to my attention, of course.”
6
Thalia
The table before her had an array of weapons laid out on it as though she were at a banquet and could select the dishes she chose to eat for herself.
Each piece was on a silver platter that gleamed as bright as the sun, so hotly that it made her eyes sting as they’d done in her father-in-law’s chambers. She wanted to wince as she looked upon each weapon, and where some of them were concerned, it was hard to do more than glance at them before looking away.
That notion alone had her fighting her instincts, but that was easier said than done.
She wanted to study each piece, wanted to look at the differences. Her time in exile hadn’t been wasted. Of course, she’d passed many miserable days in her other form, but she’d also stayed as a human and she’d read and absorbed as much as she could about human and Lyken culture as it was available to her.
And she wasn’t talking about the latest celebrity on-dits.
She knew the difference between a Sig-Sauer and a Beretta. She knew which type of bull
ets could make the most damage—hollow pointed ones could and would rip a body to shreds—and she’d even hazard a guess that she’d impress Mikkel with her knowledge of guns. Even though she’d never fired one in her damn life.
She knew the benefits of knowledge, even if studying the weapon hadn’t saved her from being grievously injured by one. But now, the weapons simply weren’t allowing her to study them, and it was irritating the hell out of her.
Releasing an aggrieved breath, Thalia bit off, “Why can’t I see the weapons?”
Theo’s hand came up to cup the back of her neck—it was a comforting gesture, and she realized how comfortable she was actually getting around him. She liked his touch. It soothed her, and she felt his calming presence level out some of her testiness.
After the discussion with Kane, she wasn’t feeling bright and breezy, and the last thing she wanted was some kind of fucking defense lesson from her Fae mate.
What she wanted was to run.
Not in this form either.
She wanted to shift, and she wanted to lope around the grounds of the castle she’d only seen from the skies. She wanted to feel the different elements in her other form, and she couldn’t. Wouldn’t be able to until her She-Wolf decided to return.
If she decided to return.
And the beast had to, because there was no way Thalia was going to allow Mikkel to go mad because the mate bond was incomplete.
Shuddering at the thought, she nestled closer to Theo. Her men all gave her a surprising amount of comfort. She hadn’t expected that. Hadn’t really thought about that side of their relationship when she’d been desperate to meet them, for her torment of the visions to come to an end.
Now?
She wanted them sexually as well as emotionally. They balanced her out, and that could only be for the good considering she was growing testier and testier without the outlet of her She-Wolf to calm her down.
“You’re not supposed to see them all.”
“Why the hell not?” she demanded, scowling up at him and the lame ass answer he’d just given her.
“Because only one is supposed to call to you.”
She thought about that, then thought about how fucking weird Heden was, and nodded. “Okay, that makes sense.”
Triad (The TriAlpha Chronicles Book 3) Page 10
