“Good morning, Madoc.” Chalcedony walked into the conference room holding another cup of Sahmuel’s special tea. The tea, and learning that her mother had been pregnant three times before she had given birth, oddly cheered Chalcedony up. If she lost the first baby, it wouldn’t be that unusual. The fact was, even if Coal had been the father, this wasn’t the right time to be pregnant. There was too much going on. The barrier was gone, and the fey were too vulnerable. Humans were trying to encroach on her lands, and a war could break out at any time.
She wouldn’t purposely try to hurt the baby. But if something happened, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. They could try again when things were safer.
Chalcedony’s mood was buoyed even higher when she saw it was only Madoc in the conference room.
When she sat down, Madoc shoved a newspaper at her. USA Today was written across the top in bright blue letters. If she had anything in her belly other than the tea, she probably would have thrown up on principle. ‘Meet the New Royal Family” was written across the page with a picture of Queen Isis and Jade holding hands. Next to them stood Coal. His skin was as dark as ever, but his ears were pointed. Chalcedony took a deep breath. He never wore his ears pointed at home. It was clearly for show.
“Did you know about this?” Madoc asked after she put the paper down.
Chalcedony fought to keep her tone flat. “Yes; Coal told me about it last night.”
“But not before?”
“He didn’t know about it beforehand. Jade just showed up.”
“And he went?”
“She’s his mother,” Chalcedony replied with the same lame excuse Coal had given her.
“You believe him?” Madoc asked.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t trust him. Has it occurred to you that he could be spying for them?”
“He’s not,” she said sternly, practically growling. She hardly ever took this tone with Madoc, but she wanted to make sure there was no room for doubt.
He ignored her anger with the flick of his wrist. “You've never been able to see the truth when it comes to that boy.”
“Coal is not a boy. And he has more than proved he can be trusted.”
“He is Queen Isis’s heir. Why would he be loyal to you? Here, he has nothing, but they are offering him everything. They are offering him power.”
“Coal is not after power. He never has been.” ‘He only wants me,’ she was tempted to say, but Madoc would have laughed in her face. In his world, love was not enough to guarantee loyalty.
He leaned toward her, his eyes hard. “Watch him. There is a reason Queen Isis and Jade moved heaven and earth to merge our worlds. I don’t believe it was for the good of the human race. Isis is after something else. Most likely, it's power. Why just control the fey when they can control the entire world?”
Chalcedony wanted to call him paranoid, but she respected Madoc too much. And something about his accusation made sense. She swallowed; her mouth suddenly dry. “Coal isn’t working for Queen Isis and Jade.”
“Just watch him.” He sat back, the steel in his eyes gone. “What did Luister say yesterday? Why were you sick?”
Chalcedony grimaced. The change in subject was jarring. Coal was not a spy. He would never betray me. Madoc had just planted a seed. She would have to kill it before it took root.
“You got your wish. I'm pregnant.”
Madoc smiled as if he hadn’t just accused the person she loved of betraying her. “I heard the rumors, but I refused to believe it until I heard it from you.”
She gave him a forced smile. “Luister told me about the restrictions. I’m worried about the timing.”
“You still have a few weeks before you’ll have to stop phasing. There are other modes of transportation. I don’t think you’ll have any problems. Things are already much more settled than they were even a week ago.”
She nodded, taking note of the hope in his voice. He was probably thinking of all the ways he would try to make this child stronger than her, succeeding where he had failed with Chalcedony.
“Have you forgotten about the human prisoners in the cells?” he asked flatly, moving on to the next item in his memorized agenda.
“Yes,” she answered honestly. She had completely forgotten.
“We should see them today.”
Chalcedony shook her head. “No; I have other plans. Let them rot for another day.”
“The accords are tomorrow.”
Chalcedony cringed. “You agreed to a date?”
“No, Queens Isis and Tasla agreed among themselves.”
Chalcedony fought hard to suppress the anger in her voice. “And we’re just going to let them bully us into it?”
He cocked a brow. “In this case, we have no power. Without Queen Tasla, we have nothing to bargain with. We could deny the invitation, but then we would have zero say on the human-fey relations going forward. And I don’t have to tell you that we don’t want that.”
Chalcedony was deathly tired of being the weakest one of the queens.
“Patience,” Madoc said, guessing her thoughts. “They’ll make a mistake sooner or later. Then the balance of power will turn.”
Chapter Ten
Chalcedony swung Mayhem from front to back before she stepped back and swung it side to side. She repeated the drill, moving at a dizzying speed even for her. After every third drill, she would release Mayhem from her grip and use her telekinesis to aim the sword into a straw dummy across the room before she willed the sword back into her hand.
When she first started working on these speed drills, she had fallen more often than not. Even the more experienced sentient sword had a hard time feeling grounded. But after three weeks of almost daily practice, the movements were etched into the muscle memory of her entire body. With each successive drill, she became faster and stronger.
Queen Isis was a master at shifting. Queen Tasla was an expert at phasing. She wanted to learn how to integrate all her abilities: telekinesis, shifting, phasing, and weapons into one cohesive fighting style. Chalcedony planned to master them all. And when the time came, she would be more than prepared to defeat both of them if she had to.
The drills usually helped clear her thoughts, but today, they weren’t helping. Madoc’s words kept playing on repeat: ‘He is Queen Isis’s heir. Why would he be loyal to you? Here he has nothing, but they are offering him everything.’
Madoc was wrong. Coal would never betray her. If anything, he would deceive Jade and Queen Isis. But why did Madoc’s words upset her so much? It was Elizabeth, Chalcedony decided. Coal had openly fought against Chalcedony to get the girl home. It proved his allegiance wasn’t unconditional. But did she really want unconditional loyalty? Coal had always stood up to her if she was wrong. That was a good thing, right?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone phase into the room. Instinctively, she turned, sword ready.
She had been expecting Queen Isis or Jade, but Tetrick stood ten feet away. His blue eyes stared intently at her. She hadn’t seen him in three weeks, and despite herself, she was happy to see him.
He still wasn’t supposed to be here.
She released her sword, propelling it forward with her magic.
He dodged it easily, and the sword embedded itself into the wall. Before she could will Mayhem back, he closed the space between the two of them.
He brought his sword down. She spun to the side. By the time she turned around, she had Mayhem back in her grasp.
The clang of metal rang through the room.
Patience, Mayhem, Chalcedony thought at the sword. It wanted to break the parry and attack Tetrick from a different direction. Chalcedony dismissed Mayhem’s plan. Tetrick was faster and much stronger than Avannah or Djamel, her usual sparring partners, but he wasn’t stronger than she was.
Chalcedony coaxed some muscles into her arms for a little extra strength. Tetrick moved back by less than an inch. That was all she needed.
She forced him back completely, and his sword fell from his hand.
She had her sword at his neck just as he reached towards the ground to pick up his weapon.
“You’ve gotten much better.” His gaze climbed from Mayhem to her eyes.
“How did you get past the wards?” she asked.
“We were mated once? Apparently, you never took me off your guest list.”
That was a stupid mistake, Chalcedony thought. “Why are you here?”
His eyes fell to her belly, still ignoring the sword at his neck. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” There was no way he could have found out that fast.
“Are you pregnant?” His blue eyes were as stormy as the sea.
This close, memories of their time together flooded her thoughts. She lowered Mayhem and turned away before he could see she was blushing. “That’s none of your business.”
“Be honest with me. You owe me that.” He phased inches in front of her, blocking Chalcedony’s path.
“I don’t owe you anything,” she snapped.
“I trained you until you came into your full power. When you asked for help tracking down Coal and the human girl, I helped. You accepted my offer as a mate, but you turned me away as soon as your human hybrid returned.” He took a deep breath. “Still, I fought by your side, and I defended you against my mother and sister.” He paused. “Do you deny any of this?” His voice was even, but Chalcedony still felt the pain behind his words.
“No; you were a good friend.”
“Then be honest with me. Are you pregnant?”
“Yes,” she answered, flatly.
“Who is the father?”
The lie was on the tip of her tongue, but he would figure out the truth sooner or later. “You are.”
His features relaxed, and he chuckled.
“This is funny to you?” she asked.
“No. It’s not funny.” He met her eyes. “Chaos follows you.”
It did seem that way, but she wasn’t going to admit it.
“Have you told him?” he asked.
“Coal knows I’m pregnant, but he doesn’t know it’s yours. I’m telling him tonight.”
He stared at her belly. “What happens now?”
“Nothing. Just because you’re the father doesn’t mean—”
“I’ll be involved. How did I know you would say that?”
“And I mean it.”
“We’ll see.” He grinned; it was genuine and it brightened his blue eyes. “I have to go.”
“Tetrick,” she called out. “Can we keep this between you and I for now?”
“Of course, my queen.” He lowered his head in a shallow bow before he disappeared.
Chapter Eleven
A fresh batch of coal lay clumped together inside the hearth while Coal hummed and swept the ashes from the ground. Six months ago, he was jailed and exiled in the human realm. Now, he was living with the elf he loved, heir to one of the three lands in the fey realm, and about to be a father. It was almost impossible to believe how much things had changed. At first, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be Queen Isis’s heir. He saw the tough choices Chalcedony had to make in the past and the stress she endured on a daily basis. But now, he was going to be a father. The stress would be worth it if it meant he could also leave a legacy to his child.
In the past, as long as the child was strong and healthy, no one cared about a queen’s mate. Chalcedony never mentioned her own father. It was almost as if the male’s role in childbirth was purposely erased. Coal wanted to be remembered. He wanted his child to know him, and he wanted to be a part of his child’s life. If being the lone male shapeshifter in the world didn’t give him enough clout, being a prince and heir to Queen Isis’s land ensured he would never be erased from the history of his child.
His children and grandchildren would know him. More importantly, he would be the parent he never got to know when he was growing up.
“Knock, knock,” sang a masculine voice.
Coal lifted his head, not the least bit surprised to see Royden standing in front of him.
“You must have been deep in thought,” he said. “I’ve been standing here for five minutes.”
Coal shrugged and continued sweeping.
“I called your cell phone,” Royden added, “but there was no answer.”
“I forgot it,” Coal replied.
“Well, are you ready for another adventure?” Royden clapped his hands and rubbed them together eagerly.
“I’m not going anywhere. Chalcedony was very angry when she found out about the press conference.”
“Your lady is always very angry. It’s her natural state,” Royden said. “Speaking of Chalcedony, how are things between the two of you?”
Coal yearned to tell Royden Chalcedony was pregnant. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Chalcedony had insisted they keep it secret until she was further along. “Things are fine,” he said instead.
“Good,” Royden said, “but I want to make sure that you're covering all the bases.”
“What are you talking about; what bases?”
“I was hoping we could talk about the birds and the bees.”
“I don’t understand?” Coal asked with a furrowed brow.
Royden sighed in exasperation. “Sex. I think we need to talk about sex.”
“It's too late for that.” Coal lowered his head, trying to hide the heat rising in his cheeks.
“That's where you're wrong. It's never too late for the talk.”
“I don't need it,” Coal insisted, growing more and more uncomfortable.
“Young boys always say they don't need the talk, but believe me, you all need it.”
Royden reached for Coal’s arm, but Coal stepped away. “I’m not going anywhere else with you.”
Royden pursed his lips. “If you want to ruin the surprise, fine. I thought maybe you would like to see where I was raised and meet my family.”
“Really?” Coal was skeptical, but he was also curious. “You have a family?”
“I spent the first few years of my life being raised in a home not too far from here.”
This time, when Royden reached for his arm, Coal didn’t pull away.
They reappeared on a walkway in front of a sprawling four-story house. A few feet away, two male elves danced underneath the shade of a large maple tree while a group of humans and elves watched. The dancers wore a thin, tan loincloth around their waists, and their pale skin shimmered in all the colors of the rainbow as they moved. Coal knew the dancers were using glamour meant to enthrall anyone watching, but knowing he was being glamoured did nothing to stop the effect of the magic. Coal couldn’t bring himself to stop watching.
“What we want is on the inside,” Royden said, pulling Coal toward the house and breaking Coal’s enchantment.
Coal shook away Royden’s grip. “A brothel. Why are we at a brothel?!”
Royden’s grin was large and mocking. “This was my home. I was raised here.”
“What?” Coal stuttered. Had he heard right?
“My mother, your grandmother, was a sex worker.” Royden squeezed Coal’s shoulder. “Come meet my family.”
Before they reached the entrance, the door opened, and a succubi wearing a sheer black dress stepped outside. The dress looked as fragile as a spider’s web, but somehow, it hugged her frame like a vice, giving her an hourglass figure.
“Jade!” she exclaimed, enveloping Royden into a hug. “Welcome home.” She released Royden and studied him while she held his shoulders. “You’re still masquerading as a human man, I see.”
“Old habits are hard to break,” Royden admitted.
The succubi rolled her brown eyes. “Your natural form is too beautiful to be discarded and replaced with a human man.”
“I’m not here to argue with you over beauty,” Royden said motioning to Coal. “I want you to meet my son.”
“Coal, this is Brigitte, the Madame of the house.”
“I finally get to meet the Dark Prince, heir to Queen Isis’s throne,” Brigette bowed, and her skin shimmered as the sun shone on her skin. “Uhm,” Coal said. “You don’t have to bow to me.”
“I know,” she said. “I just wanted to try it out. There has never been a true male prince. I look forward to serving under you.”
Coal stood speechless as he tried not to stare at her breasts through the dress’s thin fabric.
“Don’t let Queen Isis hear you say that,” Royden said to her.
“Of course not; I’m not stupid,” she said before she brought her gaze back to Coal. “I see you prefer the human form also.”
Coal shifted uncomfortably. “This is who I am.”
She cocked a brow. “Not anymore. You’re both elves. Embrace it.”
“Brigitte has a grudge against humans,” Royden explained.
“I don’t appreciate humans and their attitudes toward sex.” Brigitte narrowed her eyes. “They are either prudes or sadists. There is hardly an in-between. Though lately, they have been bringing me good business.” She took a deep breath and looked toward the group under the maple tree. “I have to watch them carefully, though.”
The succubus shrugged. “Well, you’ve picked a good day to stop by. It’s slow today.” As they watched, she pulled the strap of her dress from her shoulders, let it fall to the ground and she stepped out of it. “I’ll be out here if you need anything.”
When they stepped into the house, Coal had expected to see a more crowded and chaotic version of what he had seen outside under the maple tree, but the house was quiet except for the low sound of music thrumming from the back.
“Let’s have a drink before you meet the others,” Royden suggested, guiding Coal toward the music.
They ended up in a large, dimly lit bar. Bottles of wine, various ales, and what Coal recognized as human beer and liquor sat on shelves against one of the walls.
“We must be in Queen Isis’s territory,” Coal noted, motioning to a small electronic music player on the counter next to the liquor. Joseph, the human he had stayed with while he was exiled to the human realm, had more than one.
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