by Amy Sumida
“What's this, now?” Raza lifted his brows.
“I want to have Unseelie searched for the humans,” I said.
“No.”
“No?”
Keir watched us, his gaze going back and forth.
“I won't have my people harassed because a few humans have gone missing.”
“I'm your queen,” I snarled. “They're my people too.”
“Then fucking act like it!” Raza roared. “Be their queen and not an extinguisher. Until then, Seren,” he growled as he stood, “stay out of my kingdom.”
Raza stood and strode from the room.
I stared after him with my jaw on the floor.
My father clicked his tongue at me. “That was handled poorly, Daughter.”
“You think?” I drawled as I sat back in my seat with a huff.
I knew that Raza was justified. I wasn't even mad at him for yelling at me. He was right; if I were going to pull the queen-card, I'd best behave like a queen. If I was going to be an ambassador, then I needed to behave like an ambassador. But I had been acting like neither of those things. The thought of humans in danger had regressed me to what I'd been raised to be. I was acting like an extinguisher.
Chapter Six
I should have gone after Raza, but I was in that angry-that-the-other-person's-right stage. I needed some time to simmer down, and so did he. So, instead of racing after my husband, I went to scry Killian. My father's concerned stare followed me out of the room. I wasn't worried; Raza and I would be fine after we remembered how much we loved each other. But I still couldn't change the way I felt about finding those humans. There were ways to search the kingdom without making everyone feel like a criminal, but Raza had gotten angry before we could discuss those options.
I didn't blame him for that either. Unseelie had been going through a rocky phase. All of Fairy had, but Unseelie was in particular. My Uncle Uisdean had betrayed his own fairies, making them mine in HR (something akin to making a Hindu eat beef), and then Uisdean had brought his wife back from death, killing nine twilight fairies to accomplish it. His wife, Rue, had come back wrong, giving new meaning to her name. We all rued the day Uisdean had brought her back to life; Uisdean included. Then Raza had taken the throne from Uisdean, and we had hunted my uncle and aunt across HR until we finally found and extinguished them... with the help of Anu. Ironically, when Uisdean gave Rue life, he had set them both on a path toward death.
Anyway, the unseelie fey were still recovering from all the mayhem. I could see why Raza didn't want to add to their anxieties. If I was acting only in their best interests, I would feel the same. But I wasn't. I was an ambassador, and I needed to find my balance. Perhaps not go to an extinguisher extreme, but not ignore the issue like a fairy monarch would either. I had to have everyone's best interests at heart. And damn was that hard to do.
Raza was just going to have to deal with it.
This was my train of thought as I approached the crystal ball in my office. By the time I reached it, I was much calmer and ready to have a conversation with Killian. There was more to think about than missing humans. The information Raza had brought me—
I was grabbed roughly from behind and yanked around into an ardent embrace. Raza's mouth covered mine, giving me just the barest glimpse of his furious face before I was consumed. Then his hands were on me, his claws tearing away my clothing as I pulled his away just as violently. Things went crashing to the floor as he lifted me onto my desk. He laid me back, and I finally got a good look at his expression.
He was angry, yes, but he was also wounded, and that wasn't an emotion Raza dealt with well. His breath was coming fast, in heavy pants, his eyes were glowing gold, and his wings were fully extended. Even the ridges on his face seemed more prominent.
Raza pushed my legs apart and settled himself between them. One shove brought him home, and we both groaned with relief and pleasure. He folded over me, his massive chest blocking my view until he began to thrust. A shimmer of magic alerted me to his shift, and I glanced to the side to see that he had transformed his claws into safer, human hands. I smiled to myself; Raza didn't want to accidentally hurt me with his intensity. Even when he was angry at me, he tried to protect me.
Raza eased up and leaned on his forearms so that he could bring his head level with mine. We were an inch apart, our rapid breaths mingling as he drove into me with all the mixed emotions he was experiencing. I lifted my hands to his face and held him gently as I pulled him down for a more tender kiss. Raza's whole body trembled as he sank into love with me.
“I understand,” I whispered to him, “and I'm sorry.”
“You let me leave,” he flung the accusation at me. “I told you to stay out of my kingdom, and you didn't contradict me. You just let me leave.”
“We were both angry,” I said gently, “and I knew you were right. But that doesn't mean that I'm entirely wrong.”
Raza growled, rolling his hips tighter to me, easing that dragon bone on his pelvis into the right position to make me moan. I slid my hands to his shoulders and clutched him tightly, knowing enough had been said for now. The dragon needed to release his fury, and then we could speak more reasonably.
I simply held on and rode out the storm with Raza, venting my own anxiety in the process. After we had shouted our pleasure to all of Twilight, Raza crumbled over me and laid his cheek against mine.
“I love you, Seren.” Raza rubbed his lips over mine.
“I love you too.” I kissed him and held him as the aftershocks rolled out into a relieved calm. “Now, do you want to try that conversation again?”
Raza chuckled as he eased off me. He didn't bother with clothing, just righted a chair that had fallen in our fury and took a seat.
“I understand too,” he admitted. “I know that this is a balancing act for you; you're walking a tightrope between the worlds and races. We need to find you some solid ground.”
“We don't have to make it into an obvious search,” I offered. “We could simply send some fairies out to visit the villages and look around casually. They can investigate the unpopulated areas in between as they go.”
“Now see, if you had suggested something like that first, instead of simply saying that you wanted the kingdom searched, I wouldn't have been so ...”
“Antagonistic?” I asked sweetly. “Bullheaded? A downright asshole?”
Raza rolled his eyes. “It's as if you're speaking of yourself.”
“Yes, we're a lot alike,” I agreed. “And that will be both our greatest strength and our greatest weakness.”
“You may be right.”
“You think?” I teased him as I stalked over and straddled his lap.
“No, I'm not thinking much anymore,” he growled and pulled me forward. “But I will grant your request for a kingdom search—done my way.”
“As long as we do this my way,” I purred and took him in hand.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Just sit back and hold on, Dragon.”
Chapter Seven
It was hours later, after we were both satisfied that we'd made-up enough, that Raza and I scried Killian.
“Kill, what's wrong?” I asked as soon as I saw his worried face.
Killian wasn't a classically handsome man, but he was striking enough to make most women do a double-take. His hair was a rich auburn, his skin was fair but not pale, and his eyes were a vivid green—they were also slit like a snake's, but once you got used to that, it only enhanced his appeal. He had a luxuriously masculine face; heavy features paired with full lips. That handsome mug was currently creased with concern.
“The sea dragons were here, Twilight,” he growled. “They've been trying to strike a deal with my witches.”
“Yes, I came to warn Seren of that very thing,” Raza said. “Have the Casters made an alliance with the Sons?”
“No.” Killian's face relaxed marginally. “The elders told them where to shove it. In a diplomatic way, of co
urse.”
“Of course.” I rolled my eyes.
“But the dragons are returning today.” Killian looked over his shoulder as if they might already be there, lurking behind him.
“Why?” Raza asked.
“To offer more incentives, I suppose.” Killian shrugged.
“Do not let them in,” Raza said urgently. “I'll send some unseelie knights to assist you in barring them.”
“Assist us?” Killian narrowed his eyes. “What do you expect them to do?”
“Dragons are volatile,” I said when Raza only gave Killian a grave look. “They could be planning to use something to leverage the Casters, or they could simply be bringing a better offer to the table. But it seems odd that they would have to leave to come up with this better offer.”
“Good point,” Killian snarled. “Anything else, Twilight? Otherwise, I'm off to reinforce the gates.”
“That's it for now,” I said. “But stay at the gate and keep an eye out for the unseelie that Raza will be sending.”
“Will do.” Killian's face faded from the crystal.
Raza barely waited till it was clear before he leaned in and called out, “Chiwen of Unseelie.”
“Oh, that's evil.” I chuckled.
King Chiwen—Chad to his friends—was a sea dragon himself. He had once been a member of the Court of the Nine Sons, but he had left it to take a position as Lord of the Alaskan Rath. When Raza was fighting to secure his kingship, he offered Chad a position in his court, and Chad took it. There was no one better suited to lead a group of unseelie knights to discourage unwanted sea dragon attention.
“King Raza.” Chad's kindly face appeared in the crystal. He was one of the few dragon kings with short hair; it was a shade darker than his oak-brown eyes.
“King Chiwen,” Raza said respectfully.
The men had become very close; a fact which pleased me to no end. Raza needed friends like Chad. Not just to keep him grounded, but also to confide in. A king had very few confidants. But then Chad was a king too. A king without a kingdom, but that was a non-issue for a dragon, especially a sea dragon. When you were a dragon king, the whole damn world was your kingdom.
“How can I help?” Chad immediately knew he was needed. He had a knack for that.
“I'd like for you to take a contingent of knights to the Hallow,” Raza said. “They've refused the first offer from the Sons, but the dragons are due to return today.”
“Oh, dear.” Chad's face went grim.
“Yes, we feel the same,” Raza agreed. “I told the Casters to refuse them entry, and that I would send reinforcements.”
“Now, they're reinforcements?” I asked.
“It is nearly certain that the Sons' second offer will not be in the Caster's best interests,” Chad said sagely. “It's a dragon tradition; lure your prey with bait first, but if they don't bite, you bite them.”
“Will you go?” Raza asked.
“Of course.” Chad bowed. “I'm probably the only unseelie who can stop them.”
“Thank you, Chad,” I said sincerely.
“My pleasure, Seren.” He gave me a bright smile, and then his face faded away.
“Should I be worried for Killian and the Casters?” I asked Raza. My chest was getting tight with the beginning of fear.
“Perhaps a little,” Raza said honestly.
I checked my watch.
“Do not go there, Seren,” Raza's voice was firm. “It's bad enough that the future Prince of Twilight is in danger, we cannot risk the Twilight Princess as well.”
“If it were you, I would go.”
“And I still wouldn't want you to,” he said gently. “You are more important than any of us. You bind us together, and without you, the three kingdoms would fall back into uncertainty.”
“You wouldn't war with Tiernan or my father,” I scoffed.
“I wouldn't have to.” Raza lowered his head to look me in the eyes. “The fairies would know that war was once more a possibility, and in our world, possibilities are sometimes more dangerous than reality.”
I stared at Raza as Cat came in and sat at my feet. I felt her wet nose nudge my hand and looked down into her soft, brown eyes. She didn't want me to go either.
“Fine.” I sighed. “I won't go to Alaska.”
“Thank you.”
Cat settled around my feet with a relieved sigh.
A chiming filled the room, originating from the crystal ball. I frowned at Raza before touching the crystal to accept the scry. High Councilman Murdock's face appeared in the sphere. He was frowning, but the man had a resting bitch face, so I wasn't sure if it meant anything.
“Ambassador,” Murdock said brusquely. Then he spotted Raza. “Your Majesty.”
“Hello, High Councilman,” I said. “What can I do for you?”
“Another fairy ring has popped up,” he said grimly. “And there's been another missing person reported.”
“Give me the location.” I reached for a pen and paper.
Murdock rattled off the coordinates then added, “This one is a child, Ambassador.”
“How old?”
“A ten-year-old girl.” Murdock swallowed roughly and looked away from the crystal. “I'm sure you know how upset we are.”
“I understand, Councilman.” I glanced at Raza and saw his face settle into angry lines. Abducting a child took it to a whole new level. “I'll leave as soon as dusk falls.”
“Thank you, Extinguish... uh, Ambassador,” Murdock hurried over his mistake and cleared the ball before I could say anything.
“What was that about?” Raza lifted an ebony brow.
“When Ewan died, Murdock told me that I was no longer an extinguisher,” I explained. “I had no family left in the group, and my duties had progressed to something beyond what I'd been trained for.”
“That's rather harsh,” Raza growled.
“But true.” I laid my hand on his tense arm. “It just shows how shook up Murdock is that he nearly reverted to my old title.”
“Taking a child was foolish,” Raza declared. “but also a little telling.”
“How so?” I asked.
“If a fairy steals a human, there can be several reasons,” he explained. “The most obvious is for sexual use, but the human could also be taken because they're talented in the arts; like a musician or dancer. Or they could be taken for simple slavery—someone to do the menial tasks or hard labor.”
“All right.” I folded up the paper and tucked it into my pants pocket. “But how does a child change things?”
“Children are taken by fairies for only one reason,” he said. “To love.”
“To love?” I repeated.
“We have children so rarely,” Raza said.
“Females are fertile once every hundred years, right?”
“Yes, exactly,” he confirmed. “A century is a long time to wait for a child, if you're eager for such a relationship.”
“So, fairies steal human children because they want a child to hold?” I was shocked. “That's a little extreme.”
“It's a different perspective.” He shrugged. “Most fairies believe that a child would be better off in our realm. They wouldn't be exposed to the diseases of the Human Realm or the violence.”
“Violence?” I huffed. “There's violence in Fairy; Twilight was created because of it.”
“Yes, but children are never exposed to court life.” Raza waved it away. “Human children are treasured here, and when they reach adulthood, they can choose to remain in Fairy or return to the Human Realm. Most stay, Seren.”
“I have never met a human here,” I said with a skeptical tone.
“They die.” Raza rolled his eyes and leaned against my desk. “Just because they come to Fairy, it doesn't make them immortal.”
“Oh.” I glanced at my watch. “I need to gather the Star's Guard. Walk with me?”
“Of course.” Raza straightened and led the way out of my office, holding the door gallantly
for me.
We headed out of my suite and down to the lower levels of the castle. Cat trailed after us.
“You know, if that's really the case, there are plenty of orphaned children in the world who would probably come here willingly if asked.”
I froze when I realized that Raza had stopped walking.
“What?”
“That is a wondrous idea!” Raza declared. “Do you think the Human Council would approve it?”
“Shipping in orphans?” I blinked in surprise. “I don't know. Maybe.”
“It would give relief to the overpopulated Earth and happiness to lonely families,” Raza whispered with wonder. “We could present it as a type of goodwill gesture on our part.”
“You want them to hand over children and thank you for it?” I laughed. “You're devious, darling; even when you're trying to do good.”
“I can't help it—”
“You're a dragon, yes, I know.” I rolled my eyes. “We'll work on the orphans issue later, right now I have to concentrate on the missing people. Why did you say it was foolish?”
“Because the humans will double their efforts now that a child is involved.” Raza shrugged. “Every predator knows that you only hunt the young after you kill the mother.”