by Amy Sumida
“Oh snap,” Killian chuckled.
“I would snap my mouth shut, if I were you,” Tiernan growled.
“You can try to do it for me,” Killian hissed at Tiernan, his snake fangs flicking down as he did.
“I'll make you into a pair of boots, snake boy,” Tiernan started forward.
“Sweet Goddess, are they like this all the time?” Bress asked, his stormy eyes rolling up to the dark sky.
“Tiernan!” I shouted, and Cat began to growl. “Enough.” Tiernan froze, glaring at Killian. “And you,” I said to Killian, “put those needle teeth away. No one wants to see that.”
Killian frowned, then prodded his teeth. He flinched when he pricked his finger on his own fang. It took him a few jaw stretches before he was able to get the teeth to retract.
“Sorry,” Killian grimaced. “Sometimes it happens automatically.”
“That's freaky,” Conri observed.
“He's a new fairy,” Ainsley said. “Give the guy a break. It's not like he was born with them.”
“The guy has snake teeth,” Conri growled. “It is freaky.”
“You get furry and lick your own ass, but no one calls you a freak,” Torquil pointed out.
“Fair enough,” Conri's tone lightened. “And by the way, I don't lick my ass, I lick my balls. There's a huge difference. And don't act as if you wouldn't do it too, if you could.”
All the men went markedly silent.
“Come here, Cat,” Conri gestured to her. “We furry ones need to stick together, and I don't think you can levitate on your own.”
Cat trotted over to Conri, and he picked up her massive weight as if she were a puppy.
“Dawn approaches,” Gradh announced.
“I'm sorry, Tiernan,” I drew back with the rest of my Guard. “I can't have you with me now.”
“I will remain with Lord Tiernan,” Bress offered. “We can travel to Twilight together. I would like to speak with King Keir anyway.”
“Thank you, Bress,” I said.
“Then I shall await you in Twilight, Your Highness,” Tiernan said stiffly.
I gave him an annoyed look as the twilight magic filled me. My Guard, Killian, Cat, and I began to levitate, and then we slipped into the Between. In moments, my Guard, Cat, and I stepped out, into the courtyard of Craos-Teine. The heart of the Unseelie Kingdom. I just hoped I wasn't about to break the heart of its king.
Chapter Ten
“Seren,” Raza was heading towards the central staircase when I walked into the castle. “Thank Danu,” he altered his course to intersect mine. “It's been a long night.”
“Yes, it has,” I slid into his hug. “I need to talk to you,” I said to his massive chest.
“Alright,” he angled his face down to mine. “The library or the bedroom?”
“Bedroom,” I decided. I didn't want anyone to overhear this conversation. I turned to my Guard, “You're off duty for awhile. I need some privacy.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Conri huffed. “You don't have to throw it in our faces. Go have some fun with your boyfriend.”
“Don't knock a girl for wanting to be open about her relationship,” I gave Conri a knowing look and he blanched.
I hadn't told him or Gradh that I knew about their little romance. It wasn't my secret to spill, so I wouldn't tell the rest of the Guard. But it was fun to see Conri flounder and let him think that I might.
“Come on,” Gradh slapped Conri's arm. “Stop harassing the Princess. Let's find some food.”
“I'm with Gradh,” Ainsley declared and followed her towards the kitchen.
“No, you're not,” I muttered, then pushed Cat in their direction. “Go on, Cat. Go get something to eat with everyone else.”
Cat didn't need to be told twice. She hurried away at Conri's side. I took Raza's hand, and let him lead me upstairs. I slid my hand up the golden railing as we went, and considered the grandeur of Craos-Teine. The last Unseelie Castle (as in the royal dwelling) had been dark and pretty gloomy. This one was bright, filled with jewel-toned fabrics, gleaming metals, and luxurious furnishings. I loved it, almost as much as I loved Twilight Castle. But I loved Unseelie's King the most.
My hands were starting to shake. I really didn't want to tell him. We'd been so happy lately, everything was perfect between us. I felt like I finally knew the real Raza, and I was letting him see the true me. We were connecting profoundly, reaching deeper levels of understanding, and sharing things with each other that were more intimate than sex. Which leads me to another point, the sex was phenomenal. Was I about to ruin all of that?
“Seren?” Raza scowled as he closed the bedroom door. “What is it? You're obviously upset.”
“I cheated on you!” I blurted out, then clapped a hand to my mouth in shock.
“You what?!” Raza shouted.
“I mean...” I held out a hand. “No... I said that wrong. I was talking to Tiernan-”
“Tiernan? You cheated on me with Tiernan?!”
“No, hold on a second,” I huffed.
“Hold on? You want me to wait for you to come up with some way to justify it?” Raza's golden eyes were going molten.
“Raza,” I moaned, and covered my face with my hands. “I'm sorry.”
“Damn you, Seren,” Raza whispered brokenly.
Then he roared. A full out dragon roar which echoed through the castle. Everything went silent in the aftermath of that fearsome sound. The walls seemed to vibrate. Raza's entire body was shaking, his fingers curved into talons, and his jaw clenched. His wings lifted behind him like he was about to launch himself out the window.
“He kissed me,” I offered lamely.
“And then you thought 'What the hell? I might as well fuck him'?” Raza snarled.
“What? No!” I cried out. “I didn't fuck him.”
“You just said you cheated on me,” Raza frowned. “Was it just oral? If you don't consider taking him into your mouth to be fucking, I beg to differ.”
“Gods no!” I huffed. “Jesus, Raza. It was just a kiss. I was talking to Tiernan, and he apologized for being such an ass. Then he started going on about being my consort, and I told him you didn't want that anymore, and then he grabbed me and kissed me. Okay? No sex.”
“No sex?” Raza's shoulders dropped. His wings snapped shut. “Why didn't you just say that, Seren? Why did you have to say you cheated on me?”
“Because I did,” I whispered. “Because in my opinion, that was a betrayal.”
“You say he kissed you?” Raza asked.
“I could have stopped him.”
“Like you could have stopped me once?” Raza edged closer.
“I did stop you once,” I grimaced. “Then I went right back at you.”
“And is that what happened with Tiernan?”
“No,” I sighed. “I walked away.”
“Then that is good enough for me,” Raza pulled me into an embrace. “Sweet Goddess, you scared me. Be careful how you word things, mo shíorghrá. You just put Tiernan's life in jeopardy.”
“You're not mad?” I pulled back in shock. “You don't care that I kissed him?”
“I care,” he gave me a look which said exactly how much he cared. “But I also understand that there's history between you. I know you, and I know how you love. You will never stop loving him. I understand that, and I've accepted it. I've also accepted that it will make for uncomfortable situations.”
“Like when I kiss him?” I lifted a brow. “Raza, if you had kissed another woman, I'd have left you.”
“I know that too,” he smirked. “So it's lucky that you were the adulterer and not I.”
“Hey!” I made a face. “You just said you understood.”
“And you said you believe your actions were traitorous,” he reminded me. “You claimed the scarlet letter, I did not place it upon your chest.”
“I guess I deserve that,” I sighed.
“No,” Raza went serious, his lethal hands bracketing my face. “Yo
u don't deserve that. Your relationships in Fairy have been confusing, to say the least. Tiernan and I have offered you contradicting things. Tiernan wanted to have you for himself, then he wanted to please Danu. I said I was willing to share you, then I swore I wouldn't. Now Tiernan wants to take the position I once said was his. We are the ones who have acted fickle while you have remained steadfast. If anyone is at fault in this, it is me and Tiernan, not you.”
Steadfast. I stared up at Raza, wondering if I had really been steadfast in my desires. Or had I only been protesting what I'd been raised to believe was wrong? Had my fey heart beat faster at the thought of loving more than one man, all while the human blood in me denied it? And what exactly was so wrong about it anyway? We were all adults. We weren't hurting anyone. As long as we all consented to it. But therein lay the problem. Raza didn't consent. So none of my reasoning mattered anyway.
“Were you being fickle?” I asked him. “Or did you simply say all that so you could have a chance with me, when actually, you never wanted to be in that sort of relationship?”
“I believed in Danu,” Raza sighed and took a seat on his unusual bed. His hand slipped around one of the bed posters, a dragon tail, curling up and over the center of the bed to connect with the other three. “I still do. I know that what she wants for us is the best thing for Fairy. I understand that Tiernan could mean the difference between peace and war in our world. But I've pushed that knowledge down inside me and ignored it. For love of you. No, that's a lie,” he rubbed his free hand over his face. “I ignore it for me. Because the thought of someone else holding you makes me want to burn things. Starting with Tiernan.”
“I understand,” I sat beside him and took his hand. “I would feel the same about you and another woman. So I can't criticize you for your feelings.”
“But Danu can,” he whispered.
“Let her,” I shrugged.
“I think it may not be so simple, Seren.”
“We can deal with complicated too.”
“I noticed that you left Lord Tiernan behind,” Raza smirked and got off the subject of our goddess.
“I thought it would be wise,” I chuckled, then sobered. “I'm glad you're not upset with me.”
“I love you, Seren,” Raza slid his arm around my waist, and pulled me into a kiss. “No matter how angry I get about anything you do, remember that I will always love you.”
“I may hold you to that, Dragon,” I teased.
“I hope you will,” he said seriously. “Sometimes I react without thinking. I may say awful things to you, I may rage and even shift. But I will never physically hurt you. I need you to know that. Don't ever be afraid of me. Or be afraid to remind me of what you mean to me.”
“I won't,” I vowed, and then sealed it with a kiss.
Chapter Eleven
The dark elves were gone. Raza had the all of the lower levels of Craos-Teine searched, and even scried his cousin, Hana, at the old Castle Unseelie, to check if there were any dark elves with her. There weren't. The elves had vanished completely. Vanished while Raza had been in HR with me.
Then I remembered that my father wanted Raza to scry him. I followed Raza into his library, where his crystal ball was kept. Raza scried for my dad while I took a seat on the side. In a few minutes, the ball filled with mist. Color seeped into the mist, then everything sharpened. King Keir's face came into focus.
“King Raza, my daughter is with you?”
“Yes, she's here,” Raza nodded to me.
“The dark elves have disappeared, Dad,” I called out to him.
“As I suspected,” Keir grimaced. “Will you be going to Iceland then?”
“Iceland?” I asked. “Why would Raza go to Iceland?”
“There's a large elven community in Iceland,” Raza explained as his eyes lit with interest. “I'd forgotten. Thank you, King Keir.”
“Of course,” Keir nodded. “But when I asked if you were going, the 'you' in question was Seren.”
“Me?” I got up and went to the front of the ball so I could frown at my father. “Why not Raza?”
“Because Raza needs to remain in his kingdom, like a good king does,” Keir grimaced. “And Raza doesn't have the twilight ability to walk the Between.”
“Twilighting,” I muttered.
“What's that?” Keir asked.
“Oh, it's a term Killian came up with for walking the Between,” I grimaced. “He's turned twilight into a verb.”
“Twilighting,” Keir laughed. “I like it. He's a bright boy. I see great potential in him, Seren.”
I gaped at Keir.
“Did I say something wrong?” Keir asked.
“I thought you hated Killian?” I huffed.
“I have never said that I hated Killian,” Keir scowled. “In fact, I believe I was very supportive of him after-”
“After he became the first nathair-sith!” I said with an aha tone. “That's why you like him, cause he's twilight now, and... and...”
“Yes?” Keir smirked.
“Nothing,” I glanced guiltily at Raza.
“And his objections against a relationship between you two now have no merit,” Raza finished with narrowed eyes on my father. “What are you playing at?”
“My daughter's happiness is not a game,” Keir went serious. “And I think you know.”
“Know what?” Raza leaned closer to the crystal.
“You know,” Keir widened his eyes.
“This is ridiculous!” I growled. “What are you talking about, Dad?”
“Nothing,” Keir waved it away. “It doesn't matter now. There are more important issues. You'll need to find the elves, Seren. I want you to take your Guard with you... and you may want to bring Killian. For his connections. In case there are witches in the area.”
“Uh-huh,” I stared my dad down, but he didn't flinch. Not even a twitch.
“I think I shall go along,” Raza declared. “I don't want you out there, hunting elves who have already revealed their intent to kill you.”
“I'll take some suvanis with me,” I said. “And I'll wear kevlar. Iceland is Seelie territory. I don't think they'd take kindly to you showing up there, even if it's on the HR end.”
“I still don't like it,” Raza shook his head.
“Now you know how I feel,” Keir muttered. “Forced to watch Seren wander around the worlds without me, just after I got her back into my life.”
“I'm sorry, Dad,” I deflated.
“I understand,” he said gently. “As King Raza must also understand.” Keir turned his gaze on Raza. “Your kingdom will not take the news of a dark elf exodus well. You know you must remain at Craos-Teine to keep them calm.”
“Yes, I know,” Raza sighed. “And I also know I need someone to investigate the elves. Someone I can trust.”
“I'll be back before you know it,” I promised.
“Impossible,” Raza said, “I already feel your absence.”
Chapter Twelve
I left shortly after speaking to my father. There were two ways to access the In-Between. One was by standing in a between place (such as a shoreline or levitating just above the ground) at twilight (dawn or dusk). The other was to walk off the path within a fairy mound. Since there was a rath near Craos-Teine, I didn't have to wait for twilight.
I scried Killian first, asking him to meet us in Vik i Myrdal, an Icelandic town with a small population of humans, and a huge community of elves living nearby. Killian said he'd make some hotel reservations for us, in case we didn't make contact with the elves by sunset. Then I scried the local chapter of the Wild Hunt to let them know we'd be arriving shortly. The Lord of the Wild Hunt in charge of Iceland's team said he'd send a hunter out to Vik to help us.
I'd phone the local Extinguishers too, after we arrived in HR, but I knew they were based in Reykjavik, which was a couple of hours away from Vik. The fey hunters were based in Grafarkirkja, which was only about forty minutes away. As far as witches went, Killian said
they were everywhere. Apparently, witches loved Iceland as much as the elves did. So we'd simply have to keep an eye out for them both.
After changing into some human clothing, I headed down to the rath, in a cavalcade of carriages, with a few of my Guard members, Cat, and Raza. It was a tense trip, during which Raza muttered about the restrictions of being royalty, all while clutching my hand. Cat watched us avidly from the seat across from us. Raza had wanted a little privacy, so my guards were riding in other carriages.
When we finally reached the rath, Raza opened the carriage door for Cat, then shut it again as soon as she jumped out. I looked at him in surprise as he pulled me onto his lap. Our goodbye kiss was scorching, all grasping hands and growling moans. He had me pressed in tight, grinding up into me, and I was so deep within his kiss, I couldn't tell where I ended and he began. Raza finally nibbled his way back from me, and let me go.
“Where is this kevlar you spoke of wearing?” Raza asked.
“It'll be fine.”
“Seren, you promised me kevlar.”
“This is a really strange goodbye conversation.”
“Seren,” Raza growled.
“I have the suvanis flowers,” I tapped the pocket of my jeans. “Don't worry.”
“Impossible,” Raza rolled his eyes. “Loving you is half anxiety and half bliss.”
“Which half of me is your bliss?” I teased.
“You know exactly where my bliss lies,” he grinned wickedly. Then he laid his palm over my heart, and his expression went soft, “Right here. Your heart is mine now, Seren. So you must protect it.”
“I'll do my best,” I whispered and kissed him one last time before getting out of the carriage. “Go run your kingdom, Dragon. I'll find your missing elves for you.”
“I know you will,” Raza smirked, then tapped the carriage roof.
I shut the door on his beautiful face. The carriage turned about, and the line of them headed back to Craos-Teine. I didn't like watching Raza ride away from me, probably as little as he enjoyed doing the riding. At least when I dated Tiernan, he'd go everywhere with me. Tiernan always had my back. Not that Raza didn't. There were just times when he simply couldn't, not physically anyway. But Raza was still with me, even as I turned away from him and headed to the rath. He was right, my heart was his. Which meant that he was always there.
