by Amy Sumida
“And now, you command them,” Daxon said as he opened a door for me.
“Shit!” I said as I stopped short in the doorway.
“It's lovely to see you too, sweet wife of mine,” Tiernan said as he stood.
“No, honey, not you,” I hurried to explain. “Daxon just pointed out that I command the Sluagh now.”
I went over to kiss Tiernan hello, and he widened his stunning eyes at me.
“And the Shining Ones,” he added in a tone just as shocked as mine. “That's something that has never happened in all of history.”
“Whoa,” I whispered as I stared at my husband.
“Do you two need some privacy?” Daxon drawled.
Oh; the puppet was back.
“This is the man who reminds you of me?” Tiernan asked skeptically.
Tiernan's knights stood along the back wall of the room; looking every inch the proper King's Guard. Daxon's Elite sauntered in and flopped down on the open seats. My Guard took up positions around the room; sort of in between proper and casual.
“King Tiernan Shadowcall of Seelie,” I said in a tone to remind Tiernan that he was supposed to act royal now. “This is King Daxon of the Fairy Undergrounds. Now, shake hands and be civil, please.”
Tiernan smirked and kissed me thoroughly before turning to look over Daxon. Tiernan's eyes narrowed, and his lips tightened. There was something in his eyes as he stared at Daxon; something that made everyone in the room tense. Even me.
Then it was gone.
“I like your club,” Tiernan said as he held out his hand. “It's interesting.”
“Thank you,” Daxon said. “I like your jacket.”
Tiernan laughed. “Seren bought it for me. I don't do so well with human fashion.”
“It takes a little adjustment.” Daxon shrugged. “Have you been provided refreshments?”
“The offer was made, but I'm not here for a social call.” Tiernan shifted his stare back to me. “Danu sent me.”
“What?” I blinked in surprise. “I just saw her, and she didn't say anything about you coming to HR.”
Tiernan shook his head with an amused look.
“Yeah; that sounded dumb even to me,” I huffed. “Sorry; I'm just surprised.”
“As was I,” Tiernan admitted. “Danu said that she felt darkness coming for you, and I was needed to stop it.”
“Shadowcall,” I whispered as I glanced at Daxon. “We were just talking about your mór.”
“Were you now?” Tiernan smirked.
“Because we saw you standing in front of the club; looking like a cross between an emo-goth and an 80s punk,” I teased him.
“I don't know what either of those—” he paused and frowned. “Wait; I think I recall something about the Goths not being real Visigoths. They just wear a lot of black clothing and have strange taste in music, correct?”
“Oh; this guy is fantastic,” Rodaidh murmured.
“Either way”—Tiernan sent a scathing look Rodaidh's way that shut up the seelie sidhe instantly—“I don't believe that was a compliment. And as you are the one who chose my clothing, you're only insulting yourself.”
“Damn it,” I growled. “That joke backfired.”
“Indeed.” Tiernan chuckled as he pulled me into the curve of his side. “But I'll forgive you because I'm ecstatic to be guarding you again.”
“Being a king is tiresome, isn't it?” I rubbed the end of my nose against his.
“Beyond tiresome.” He sighed and leaned into me. “Especially without you there. It will be nice to pretend to be a hunter.”
“Yeah; except you have an entourage now, Your Majesty.” I nodded to his Guard.
“More protection for my queen,” he declared. “And I've left our council in charge while I'm away.”
“You mean your mother and sister?” I smirked.
“Yes, them.” He laughed. “Now, tell me what you've gotten yourself into this time, Twilight Princess.”
“Don't call me 'Twilight Princess,' T-bag,” I grumbled.
“They're adorable,” Sanna whispered to Ainsley.
“I know,” he whispered back. “And inspiring. The obstacles they've overcome to be together are mind-boggling.”
“One of the biggest obstacles being King Tiernan himself,” Conri muttered.
“We can hear you.” Tiernan turned to look at the peanut gallery.
“Sorry,” they all mumbled.
“We're actually here to pick up those stone princes I told you about,” I said to Tiernan. “We're taking them back to Fairy.”
“I just got here, and now you want to turn around and go back to Fairy?” Tiernan huffed.
“This sounds familiar,” Daxon noted.
I eased out of Tiernan's embrace; realizing that I'd left Daxon standing on his own while I reconnected with my husband. I stepped between the two men; making things more neutral. With a sudden epiphany, I realized that I was the neutral, Twilight border between Unseelie and Seelie.
“Daxon said something similar when we left Fairy,” I explained to Tiernan.
“How long has it been since you were home?” Tiernan asked Dax conversationally.
“Too long to remember,” Daxon said.
Tiernan lifted a skeptical, platinum brow.
“Three-hundred-forty-seven years, two months, six days, and”—Daxon looked at his watch—“forty-eight minutes.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“You never forget the moment you leave Fairy,” Tiernan said sympathetically. “Much like leaving your kingdom, except far worse.”
“Yes; I imagine so,” Daxon whispered as he stared at Tiernan in surprise.
I restrained myself from saying “I told you so” to Tiernan. But I said it in my head, and it must have shown on my face because Tiernan grimaced at me.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“Well, leaving the Human Realm is easier than leaving Fairy,” Tiernan said. “Let's get those princes home.” Then he paused. “Why are we taking them home?”
“I'll explain in the car,” I said. “It's going to be a long night.”
“And we're going to need another van,” Daxon said.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
On the way back to San Francisco (boy, I was getting tired of this drive) Killian scried me.
“Damn, Twilight, you missed some fireworks!” Killian exclaimed.
“What happened?” I asked as I eased the phone back so Kill could see Daxon on my left and Tiernan on my right. “And Danu sent us Tiernan, by the way.”
“Danu sent you?” Killian looked at Tiernan. “Shit, I just saw her, and she didn't say a damn thing to me about it.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as I sent a side look to Tiernan. Tiernan just shook his head as if lamenting the fact that he was stuck with the two of us.
“What happened, Kill?” I prompted.
“Oh!” Killian laughed. “You totally called it; Murdock sent a bunch of extinguishers with me into Fairy, and you should have seen their damn faces when Danu showed up.” Killian hooted.
“I'm sure it was entertaining,” Tiernan said with a move-it-along tone.
“Fuck yeah; it was,” Killian said. “But then Danu un-statued Reese, and Reese dropped to her knees and started blathering all over Danu.”
“Not surprising,” I said. “Danu has that effect on people.”
“But then the Extinguishers went forward to put the cuffs on Reese, and Reese started to beg Danu to save her from the humans.”
“Oh, no,” I whispered.
“Oh, yes,” Killian verified. “Reese was all like; Oh, Danu, don't let these filthy humans take me, your precious daughter, from our blessed home.”
“Laying it on rather thick,” Daxon muttered.
“Right?” Killian agreed. “But get this shit; Danu puts her hand on Reese's head and tells her that she's disappointed in the way Reese has behaved.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
“Yep.” Killian nodded. “Reese stopped the theatrics and just started to cry.”
“What did Danu do then?” Tiernan asked as he eased a hand onto my thigh.
“She told Reese to stop her crying and start doing something to change her life,” Killian hooted. “Danu told Reese she had to make amends for what she did, and a good start would be to go willingly with the Extinguishers and tell them everything they wanted to know.”
“Fuck me,” I whispered. “Did she? Did Reese go willingly?”
“Of course she did!” Killian chortled. “When Danu herself tells you to do something, you fucking do it.”
“Unless you're Seren,” Tiernan said affectionately. “Then you might argue a bit first.”
“And ask a lot of questions,” Daxon added.
“Ha ha,” I huffed.
“What has Reese told them?” Daxon leaned forward as he put his hand on my other thigh.
I looked down at the male hands on my legs and sighed. Boys. At least I had jeans on. Goddess knows what they'd have gotten up to if I had been wearing a dress.
“Nothing yet,” Killian said. “Murdock wants you to question her, Twilight.”
“Really?” I was shocked. “Even after what I did the last time?”
“Hold on, honey.” Killian looked off-screen. “What's that?” He looked back at me. “Murdock wants to talk to you. Hold on.”
The view shifted until Head Councilman Murdock's face filled the crystal.
“Ambassador Seren, I'm glad to see that you're unscathed,” he said. “I heard the incident in San Marino was harrowing.”
“We've all seen worse,” I said. “You included, Councilman.”
“Yes, well... anyway.” He cleared his throat. “You know that we have twelve monarchs in custody, besides Reese. Counting the rulers we previously apprehended, that leaves thirty-four unaccounted for. Killian tells me he saw roughly twenty in San Marino with Lana. What do you recall?”
“I'd say that's accurate.” I frowned in thought. “Which means that Lana didn't have all of them on her side.”
“Not yet, at least,” Murdock said. “We have to assume that's her goal; to unite them against us again.”
“Now that both her human cohorts and most of her fairies are imprisoned, that would be the wisest move,” I agreed.
“The wisest move would be for her to go into hiding and never emerge,” Tiernan said menacingly.
“King Tiernan,” Murdock said in surprise. “You're with the Ambassador?”
“Our goddess sent me,” Tiernan said. “How are you, Head Councilman? It's been awhile.”
“It has.” Murdock huffed and smiled. “I'm well, and frankly, I'm damn glad to see you. We can use your help here.”
“That's what Danu said.” Tiernan nodded. “I'll do my best, Councilman.”
“I'm certain of that, Your Majesty.” Murdock looked back at me. “Seren, what's your ETA?”
I looked at the dashboard clock and then out the window. “We should get there around 4 AM. We have to take the princes into Fairy, and then we'll head to the Council House. But honestly, Councilman, I haven't had any sleep yet, and I don't know how good I'll be in an interrogation.”
“Get some rest first then,” he said. “We need you sharp, and Reese isn't going anywhere.”
“Thanks.”
“We're busy interrogating the others anyway.” Murdock went grim. “They're all saying the same thing, Ambassador, and it's disturbing.”
“What's that?” I asked as chills coasted over my arms.
“That this device of Lana's that steals magic—the one that gave her Gorgon abilities—is only the beginning. The power she's collecting is to fuel something far bigger; possibly a weapon.”
“Possibly?” Daxon asked.
“They don't know.” Murdock grimaced. “Lana's smart; I'll give her that. She didn't share all of her plans with the other ex-rulers.”
“I have a feeling that she shared more with Reese,” I said. “It may be why she resorted to stoning her.”
“That's exactly what I was thinking,” Murdock agreed. “All right, Ambassador; I'll see you when you get here, and I'll hopefully have more information for you by then.”
“Good luck, Councilman,” I said and swiped the phone clear.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
By the time we pulled into the parking garage at Gentry, I was lolling in my seat; held up by the men.
“Seren,” Tiernan said softly, “we're here. Wake up, love.”
“I'm awake,” I mumbled as I tried to focus my eyes.
“She's been going full tilt without rest,” Daxon said to Tiernan.
“She always does,” Tiernan countered.
“I'll be fine.” I pushed against Tiernan to get him out of the van.
Tiernan eased out gracefully—as he did everything—while I stumbled and nearly fell on my face. Tiernan caught me, of course, and lifted me easily into his arms.
“I'm fine,” I protested.
“I know you are,” he said. “But you're also tired. I'm taking you up to Dylan's office. King Daxon can see to his princes.”
“Dax?” I looked over at him. “You haven't slept either.”
“I'll be fine,” Daxon promised. “Go get some rest. I'll see you soon.”
Daxon kissed me softly and then turned to help his Elite get the statues out of the vans. My Guard and Tiernan's surrounded us as we went into Gentry and then kept watch while we waited for the elevators. The night security gave us respectful nods and kept out of our way. Only fairies worked at Gentry Technologies, and they knew that late night visits usually came with urgency. When the elevators arrived, we had to separate into smaller groups. I'm not sure who was in mine; I barely saw the steel doors shut before I passed out.
When I woke, it was morning, and I was on a king-sized bed next to Daxon. He was passed out; short, indigo hair mussed around his peaceful face. I smiled at that; the soft light coming in through the window to our right backlit him and gave him a blue halo. Daxon looked like a blue angel, which he would have hated.
I rolled as I took in my surroundings and realized that I was in Dylan's hidden bedroom. This was pretty much Dylan's home; he hardly ever left Gentry. I'd only seen it once, and I'd never spent the night. I must have been in bad shape for him to let me pass out in his bed.
The room was spacious, but not big enough for me to be able to live in comfortably. There was a bathroom in the far left corner, a TV hung off a wall, and then a mini-fridge sat beneath it. The area was large enough to hold the bed with room to spare for the nightstand, an antique wardrobe, and a sitting area to my left. But the ambassador and two kings who were seated there looked a little cramped. Especially since one of the kings was a dragon.
“Raza?” I whispered in surprise.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Raza said as he stood. He came over to the bed and sat on the mattress beside me. “Feeling better?”
“Much.” I sat up with a yawn. “What are you doing here?”
“Danu sent me,” he said simply.
I looked from him to Tiernan in surprise. “This can't be good.”
“Tell her what Danu said,” Tiernan prompted him.
“We need to stand together this time.” Raza took my hand in his. He was in his human glamour, so his skin was a honey-bronze instead of its usual true-ebony. “Whatever is coming, it will take all of us to fight it.”
“You were right,” I whispered suddenly.
“About what?” Raza frowned.
“It never ends.” I sighed deeply. “And I've just realized that I do want it to end. I want to give this up and just live our lives. I want to have a family with you; with all of you.” I glanced at Tiernan. “But I never will, will I? Because this will never end. There will always be someone trying to hurt us or our kingdoms.”
Raza's eyes flared gold, and his jaw hardened. “If you wish it to end, I shall end it for you, mo shíorghrá.”
“Raza.”
I shook my head, about to tell my dragon-djinn that this was one wish he couldn't fulfill when he cut me off.
“Whatever battle looms, we shall make it one so vicious—so bloody—that no one will ever come against us again,” he vowed.
I swallowed past the dryness in my throat. “I don't know if I want that.”
“The war to end all wars,” Tiernan declared. “I'm with you, Raza.”
“Tiernan, I—” I stuttered.
“They're right, Twilight,” Killian said softly. “We do this now, and we'll end up saving countless lives in the future.”
“I don't want to rule with fear,” I growled.
“It's not ruling,” Daxon said as he sat up. “We're talking about a battle. You use this one as an example of what we can do. Show your enemies that you can't be beaten, and they will cease trying. Then you can rule however you wish.”
“We don't know for sure that war is coming,” I said, and it sounded ridiculous even to me.
The men just stared at me.
“Yeah, okay,” I whispered. “A battle like that on Earth, though? That can go very badly.”
“All battles can go badly,” Killian said. “But yeah; here—with cell phones and social media—it can become a nightmare.” He looked at Daxon. “No offense, dude.”
“None taken,” Daxon said. “Nightmares can be conquered.” He turned a soft gaze to me. “Sometimes by another nightmare.”
I smiled at the reference, and then my eyes went wide. “Another nightmare,” I whispered. “Daxon, you dated Lana.”
“Well, dated is perhaps not the best—”
“You slept with her,” I cut him off. “You knew her intimately.”
“Yes.” Dax frowned.
“What about your magic?” I asked. “Did it know her?”
Daxon's eyes went wide.
“What are you talking about?” Killian asked.
“I believe Seren is asking if Daxon knows what Lana is afraid of,” Raza mused.
“But you don't see what your victims fear,” Tiernan said to Daxon as if he knew it for a fact. “You only release the magic.” When Tiernan noticed me staring at him strangely, he added, “Do you?”
“It depends,” Daxon said. “If I'm in a war, attacking a group, I don't see anything. But if I'm fighting an individual, and I choose to see, I can.”