by Amy Sumida
I rolled my eyes as I took the phone. “I'm sorry about that, High Councilman,” I said as I angled the slice of crystal toward me.
Lorcan Timberstride was so embarrassed that a blush infused his nut-brown skin. The rose tint made him look almost clownish when combined with his pale yellow hair and violet eyes. He would have been even more horrified to know that, I'm sure; the man was generally a nice guy, but also very vain.
“Not at all, Your Majesty,” Timberstride stammered. “I'm the one who must apologize. I shouldn't have scried again so soon after my last attempt. It's just that there is an urgent matter I need to discuss with you.”
“Apology accepted,” I said as Daxon rolled his eyes.
My husband kissed my cheek as he finished buttoning his shirt, then headed out of the bedroom. I only had the dress on, no underwear, since I'd rushed to clothe myself, but I followed him out. Dax looked back at me over his shoulder and lifted a dark blue brow in question.
“One moment, Councilman.” I faced the scry phone away from me, pointed at Daxon's office, and whispered, “I don't want to take a business call in the bedroom.”
Daxon nodded with a smirk and leaned in to whisper in my ear, “I can still taste your pussy. I'm going to savor that flavor all day.” Then he bit my earlobe.
As I shivered and blushed, he turned on his heel with a satisfied smirk and headed downstairs.
I took a moment to compose myself, then turned the phone back around as I entered Daxon's office. “All right, how can I help you, Councilman?”
“The Fairy Council has decided to reinstate you as our ambassador,” he announced as if it was the greatest honor I could receive.
I plopped down on Daxon's leather executive chair and sighed. If I'd been petty, and I had my moments, I would have told Timberstride where he could shove that reinstatement.
When I got pregnant with my children—all four at once—I had resigned from my position as Ambassador between the fairies and humans. I'd started life as human, or at least thinking I was human, and was raised to be an extinguisher—a psychic soldier whose job was to protect humans from law-breaking fairies. You see, there's a truce between fairies and humans that has been in place for a really long time. That truce now includes the Witches—both the Coven, with their segregated clans, and the Casters, with their mixed clans—but the laws haven't changed much. Anyone, of any race, caught breaking the laws was dealt with either by the Extinguishers if the criminal was a fairy, or the Wild Hunt if they were human or witch. The Witches also had their version of a militia, the Vexes, but they were still finding their place among us and mostly policed their own people.
Which brings me back to how I was raised. I had expected to remain an extinguisher in the employ of the Human Council for the rest of my life. Then I'd found out that the man who raised me wasn't really my father—even he hadn't known. I was the secret love child of an extinguisher and the King of the Twilight Kingdom—a kingdom that most humans hadn't known about until my parentage was revealed. I was suddenly half-fey and the Princess of Twilight.
It had taken some getting used to, but I'd eventually found a position that worked for me. I became an intermediary between the Councils—a soldier/investigator who could be employed by both of the Councils simultaneously, remaining neutral as I helped them with cases that affected both communities. For this role, they gave me the title of Ambassador even though the work I did was more than ambassadorial. Then the Witches were discovered and things got a little more interesting. Witches are descended from fairies, but their magic is so diluted that they don't register as fey. That being said, when they visit the Fairy Realm, the magic of the realm wakes up the magic inside them, resulting in a physical change that can be quite startling.
The Coven is the original group of Witches, and they are divided into clans by abilities passed down to them by their fey ancestors. The Coven preferred to keep the clans separate, fearing what would happen if magical abilities were blended. Their segregation law became so ingrained that anyone breaking it was considered a traitor. Having a child with a witch outside of your clan could get you ostracized, and that child reviled and ridiculed.
But love knows no bounds, and there were finally enough outcast witches with inter-clan babies that they formed their own clan called the Casters—a play on being outcast and casting spells. My husband, Killian, is a caster witch, a child of a Storm witch and a Flame Witch. But he's not a witch anymore, not exactly. He went into Fairy to help me and with his first step on fey soil, the magic inside him was awakened and he was transformed. Because of his mixed heritage, he became a Twilight Fairy; in particular, a Nathair-Sith, which is a type of snake-shifter. Killian's the first Nathair-Sith in existence, but we think our daughter Rowan will inherit his magic.
Where was I? Right, I became the Twilight Princess and the Ambassador between the Fey, humans, and Witches. But then I got pregnant, so Killian took over for me. He did the job alone for a little over five years before Anu, the God of Earth, called me back into service. There are two gods who claim me as their child, and they happen to be twins. Anu was born on the planet of Fairy with his twin sister, Danu. When he left, his passage through space created a wormhole that connected Fairy to Earth—the planet he made for himself. On Earth, Anu made the humans while back on Fairy, his sister made the Fey and all of their wondrous sub-races. After a while, the Fey figured out how to make more passages between the planets, pathways they called raths, and they hid these passages in caves and under hills. That's when the problems between the races began.
But I digress.
Because I'm half-human and half-fey, both gods have claimed me. Danu released me from her service after I married the Kings of Seelie and Unseelie, thereby uniting her previously warring world. Granted, the undersea kingdoms aren't included in our unity, but after Danu made a few dramatic appearances, they've kept to themselves. With Fairy at peace, Anu decided to call me into his service, and I started helping Killian with ambassadorial matters several months ago.
Which brings me back to my current conversation. The Human Council had readily rehired me when I asked if I could return, but the Fairy Council had held off on making a decision. It had been over six months, during which time I'd helped Killian save Earth from a human with a fey relic and stop a fairy who had been controlling humans through a magic narcotic. The Wild Hunt had worked with us on both missions, but still, the Fairy Council had waited until now to rehire me.
I think they might be holding a grudge over the time I had pulled rank on them.
“Your Majesty?” Timberstride prompted warily.
“High Councilman, I want it noted that I'm not pleased with the Council for their tardiness in responding to my offer.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said softly. “I do understand, but we've had some disagreements over you.”
“I'm sure you have, and I certainly don't want to hear about them,” I said primly. “But I will remind you that I will be utterly neutral and unbiased in any case I take. I will not be your ambassador alone.”
“Yes, we understand that.”
“Then I will accept the position.”
“Good,” Timberstride said in relief. “We have your first mission.”
“Excuse me?” I straightened in surprise.
Timberstride grimaced. “It's why your rehiring was urgent, Queen Seren. It seems that Verisande Osag was not working alone. Either that or someone has found her research and has used it to recreate her work. There have been more human deaths in St. Louis relating to magical drugs.”
“What? I haven't heard anything about it.”
“We asked Prince Killian to hold off on contacting you until we had a chance to speak with you regarding your position. He asked that you scry him when we finish our conversation.”
“Sweet Danu,” I whispered. “Has anyone notified Baron Drostan?”
“He's the one who contacted us.” Timberstride looked uncomfortable.
Several e
motions swept through me, one after the other. First came anxiety. Drostan Dealan was a Baron of Seelie who lived on Earth, specifically in St. Louis, Missouri. Killian and I had worked with him on the magic drug case, and the faerie drug dealer had turned out to be Drostan's girlfriend, Verisande Osag. Verisande had tried to enslave me using her drug, Newt, which worked on me because I'm part human, but Drostan had saved me and, pretty much all of us, by killing her.
During the mission, Drostan and I had developed an unsettling and complicated relationship. I thought he was handsome, and I admired him, but nothing more than that. Drostan, however, believed our attraction was the Call of Danu. I disagreed with him and that denial, in addition to Verisande's death, left him a bit broken and standoffish with me. But Drostan had sworn to call me if he needed me. That he had called the Fairy Council instead annoyed me, even as it relieved me.
It also pissed me off, but I wasn't angry with Drostan. I realized now that it was likely his insistence, the request of a Seelie baron, that had prompted the Fairy Council to rehire me. Drostan had likely called the Fairy Council to report the deaths, then insisted that I be put on the case. In fact, that was probably the reason he'd gone that route instead of contacting me directly. He knew of my issues with the Fairy Council and, as a Seelie Baron and the man who had killed Verisande Osag, the Council would be inclined to listen to him. In which case, I should be grateful to Drostan, but all I could feel at the moment was anger toward the Council.
“Baron Drostan asked that I be on the case, didn't he?” I demanded.
Timberstride flushed again, but nodded. “It was what compelled those who opposed your reinstatement to reconsider.”
“I'll contact you when we any updates, High Councilman.”
“Uh, Ambassador,” Timberstride stopped me, adding emphasis to my title to remind me that I was now working for him. “The Council's plane is currently waiting for you at LAX. The pilot only needs thirty minutes to prepare. A team of hunters has already been assembled in St. Louis, and they can meet you at the airport when your plane lands.”
“I need to speak with my husband first, Councilman,” I growled. “I'm in the middle of a visit with him and my son.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.” He inclined his head. Then he added, “I believe there is also an extinguisher team assembled.”
“I probably won't need the plane. I can twilight to St. Louis at dusk if I can settle my affairs by then.”
“Just let me know what you decide,” Timberstride said grandly. Then he sobered to say, “I was for your reinstatement, Your Majesty. From the very beginning. I just want you to know.”
My irritation softened and so did my tone, “Thank you, High Councilman. I appreciate that.”
“Your Majesty.” Councilman Timberstride bowed and his image in the crystal hazed to mist before clearing completely.
“Killian Blair Firerain,” I called, immediately starting a second scry to my husband.
Chapter Three
After talking to Killian, I had to speak with Daxon and break the bad news that my visit would have to be put on hold for a new mission.
“I will accompany you,” Daxon said decisively.
“To St. Louis?” I asked in surprise.
“On the mission.” Daxon nodded. “You agreed to allow one of us to accompany you in addition to Killian. Raza asked to go last time, and since I had business to take care of, I didn't protest. But I'm free for the next few weeks, and I want to go this time.”
I noted the steel in his stare. “Does this sudden desire to help have anything to do with Drostan?”
My husbands knew all about Drostan; he had boldly declared, right to Killian's and Raza's faces, that Danu was calling us together—a claim that would normally allow us to become sexually intimate without my husbands' approval. But there were a few things that didn't add up. First off, the Call was Danu's way of bringing together her warring children, the Seelie and Unseelie, to breed interracial babies—the Twilight Fey—to bridge the rift as it were. Not only did it seem odd that Danu would call us together after she'd already summoned four other men to me and had straight-up told me that she was done interfering in my life, but also because her world was at peace. Then there was the clincher; I simply didn't feel as strongly attracted to Drostan as he did to me, and the Call is all about irresistible sexual attraction. I'd even tried speaking to Danu about it, but she wasn't talking—another strange thing. Danu had always been very vocal about what she wanted. If she wanted me with Drostan, she'd tell me.
All that said, even if it was the Call, it wouldn't mean welcoming Drostan into my life. Yes, my husbands had been called to me, but it had been a special call. They were needed, first and foremost, to unite the kingdoms of Fairy. Our children were a bonus blessing—a sort of thank you gift from the Goddess. As I mentioned earlier, the original reason for the Call of Danu was purely for procreation. Since the kingdoms were united and Danu wasn't talking, we could only assume that if this really was the Call, the Goddess wanted Drostan and I to have a child together. Once that child was born, I wouldn't have to keep seeing Drostan. I could choose to, but it wouldn't be a divine edict. And with my possessive husbands, I was certain that Drostan would be shoved out of the picture as soon as possible.
“I want to meet this man who claims to be called to you. I owe him some gratitude for saving your life, but that doesn't mean I'll automatically accept his claims,” Daxon declared, not bothering to hide his motivations. He's always been a bold man, so his declaration didn't surprise me.
“I don't accept his claims, babe,” I said gently. “If this were the Call, I'd be pining for him. Believe me, that is not the case. I've barely even thought about the man since I left St. Louis.”
“Good.” Daxon grabbed me by the hips and pulled me into a savage kiss. Then, with his lips hovering over mine, said, “But I still want to meet him. Maybe even more so now.”
“We can scry the others and ask if they're okay with you attending me,” I offered. “But what will we do with Caelum?”
“Do you think your father would like to babysit?”
“He would, but we'd have to get Caelum to Twilight.”
“I can send Desmond with Cael to San Francisco,” he suggested. “He can take him through the rath.”
The San Francisco rath was near Twilight Castle and also happened to be located in the basement of my father's company, Gentry Tech. Since we were in L.A. it wasn't a long trip.
“That would work. Now that Dad has some working cairs, it won't take long for him to get to the rath to pick Caelum up.”
My father had a team of fairies who had been working on designing a magic-fueled vehicle to use in Fairy, but it was Tiernan's team of Imps who had succeeded in making the first cair—a car powered by air magic. Tiernan had sent an Imp to Gentry Tech to help my father's team, and they'd come up with an even better design. The prototype had been perfected and more cairs constructed. Raza hadn't bothered to try to make his own cairs; he assumed that we'd share, and he was right. Every kingdom now has its own team of cairs. Carriages were still used, but when time was of the essence, a cair came in handy.
“Excellent!” Daxon exclaimed and took my hand. “Can you speak to them for me? I'm sure they won't mind and there are a few things I need to go over with the Elite before I leave.”
Daxon had more than the Elite—his deadly fey security team—now. As King of the Undergrounds, he was entitled to a court and an army. He had didn't want the hassle of a court, but he did want the army. So Dax had built a barracks and hired fairies who lived on Earth to be his soldiers. His L.A. estate was large enough that, most of the time, we could forget an army was housed on the premises. But he couldn't leave without giving some instructions to the Elite, who were now in charge of the Royal Army.
“Can you let the Star's Guard know to prepare for travel too?” I asked him.
The Star's Guard was a group of fey knights I'd chosen with the help of Danu to serve as my
bodyguards. All royals were required to have a Guard, and that team usually traveled with them wherever they went. Since my Star's Guard was nine strong (if you didn't count Tiernan), I often tried to leave a few behind. But I'd brought them all with me to visit Dax and Caelum, so they'd all be coming on the mission with me. That is . . . unless I sent a few home with Cael, under the guise of protecting my son. Then Desmond wouldn't have to make the trip. Bwahahaha.
“Sure.”
“Scratch that.” I grinned at him. “I can have a few of my guards twilight Cael directly to my father.”
Caelum was technically a Twilight Fairy, what with his mixed heritage. All my children were. We didn't trust them to twilight on their own yet, but they did all right with other Twilight Fairies holding their hands and leading their journeys.
“Trying to get rid of a few guards?” Daxon chuckled.
“As if you're taking any with you,” I shot back.
