by Unknown
“Yep,” I huffed. “That sounds about right for my life. Nothing simple here.”
Stop your grumbling, Faerie snapped. You were just yelling at the dragon for pouting instead of helping your daughter, don't you dare do the same thing.
“I never said I was going to give up,” I growled. “I just said-”
Just stop talking! Alaric shouted. Both of you. We need to figure this out and if two immortal consciousnesses and a bunch of fairies aren't smart enough to find where Vervain's path forked into the wrong direction, we are just plain forked... I mean fucked.
“Now that you mention it,” I grimaced. “How do you two not know where I went wrong? Aren't you watching me all the time?”
We do have other things to do other than watch you, Faerie huffed.
Some of us even have more than one realm to look after, Al added.
“I'm oddly relieved by that,” I chuckled. “It's nice to know you aren't constantly lurking.”
Great, so glad we could make you feel better, Faerie grumbled. Now can we get back to saving the future?
Chapter Seventeen
“What do you remember about the days before you went to war with the rest of Faerie?” I asked Arach after the consciousnesses had calmed down.
“Not a whole lot,” he admitted with a sigh. “I remember you acting odd at times. You spent a lot of evenings in the solar, sitting by the window next to the lava flow. I'd ask you what was wrong and you'd say that it was nothing, you were just being selfish.”
“Selfish?” I frowned. “About what?”
“You never elaborated,” Arach grimaced, “and I never pushed you about it.”
“Selfish,” I said the word again. “Why would I say that?” I thought about all I had in my life; the men, the amazing people, the magic. There was so much for me to be grateful for that the need to cling or hoard things was ridiculous. So what would I have to be selfish about?
“What drives you?” Samara leaned across the desk to me. “What could possibly make you call yourself selfish, if you lost it and mourned it?”
“I don't know,” I sighed. “Possessions aren't important to me. Only death would affect me so deeply and Trevor didn't die until after I did.”
“Odin died,” Samara said grimly.
“But Arach said I'd let him go and by the time he died, it wasn't so difficult for me,” I took a deep breath, even the thought of Odin dying in the future was painful. I obviously hadn't let him go yet. “Maybe that's it,” I whispered. “Maybe I need to make sure he stays immortal. Maybe his death did affect me.”
“Odin died after the war began,” Arach shook his head. “I don't think this had anything to do with him.”
“Oh,” I sat back with a frustrated huff. “I don't know then. Do you have any ideas?” I asked Arach.
“I was a little obsessed with conquering Faerie,” he clenched his jaw. “I'm afraid I wasn't the best husband then... or father,” he looked over to Samara and she gave him a sad smile.
“I'm not going to find any answers here,” I stood up abruptly.
“Where are you going?” Arach stood as well.
“I'll be back in a second,” I held up my hand with the ring on it. “I just want to check out things in the God Realm. I think the answer might be there, not here.”
“I'll miss you,” he whispered as he pulled me in close.
“You're not supposed to say that till I get back, remember?” I teased him.
“I may not get the chance if you happen to figure out a way to fix this while you're gone,” he whispered.
“Right, I hadn't thought of that,” I put my hand to his cheek and stared at him a moment before hugging him tightly.
“Should I go with you?” Samara asked as we pulled apart.
“No, stay here with your father,” I gave her a long hug too before I stood back and smiled at them both. “I think you have some catching up to do.” Then I turned to Isleen, “Isleen, thank you for helping Samara like you once did Arach.” I gave my friend a hug.
“I hope you don't return to this time, My Queen,” she whispered and as much as I wanted to see my daughter again, I hoped that too.
Then I pulled back and asked my ring to take me over to Pride Palace in this same time. I felt my body rush through realms in the blink of an eye, time and space shifting around me, and then I was in my bedroom on the top floor of Pride Palace.
Things hadn't changed too much there and I sighed in relief. The kitchen was clean, the entertainment area tidy, and the bed was made. I don't think the room had ever looked so good. It was like...
“No one lives here,” I whispered.
I walked out onto the balcony and surveyed the grasslands spreading out before the palace. It all looked peaceful, serene. No one was about, just the animals contentedly grazing in their herds. Everything was eerily quiet... until shouting filtered up to me from the below.
I ran back into the room and took the elevator down to the first floor, the shouting getting louder and louder the further down I went. By the time the elevator doors opened, I could make out the words and when I reached the dining hall, I was mad enough to disembowel someone. I stalked into the room like Godzilla on a rampage, about to crush me some screaming victims.
“Mama's home!” I yelled as I spread out my arms and stomped into the hall.
A room full of Intare, with two fighting women in their center, stopped to stare at me in open-mouthed shock.
“Surprise!” I growled as I approached. “What? Cat got your tongue, Zariel?” I stopped in front of the mocha-skinned woman. She was stunning, with loose dark curls and Fallon's amazing hazel eyes. Her full mouth gaped open as I backhanded her, sending her sliding into the wall. the room erupted with shouting.
Several calls of Tima faded into the background as I picked out the one voice I wanted to hear and turned unerringly in his direction. His long hair was gone, cut shorter than Azrael wore his, and it made me pause for a second. Tears were pouring down his cheeks as he opened his arms to me and I rushed into them. He buried his face in my neck and inhaled deep, his entire body shivering before it settled against mine.
Around us came the warm press of my lions; hands stroking me, cheeks rubbing into my skin, lungs pulling in my scent. I pulled away from Kirill just a little so I could hold my arms out to my Intare and let them reassure themselves that it was really me.
“How?” Kirill's hands went to my face.
“My ring,” I held up my hand. “Samara used it to travel into the past and bring me back with her.”
“But you can't take more zan one person vith you,” he frowned.
“We both had the ring,” I grinned. “Don't think it over too much, your head will explode.”
“Tima,” he choked on a sob. “Everything has gone so wrong. Oh gods, I've missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I whispered. “But I'm here to fix this. That's why Samara brought me forward in time. She needed me to come here and discover where it all went wrong. We know that the turning point was when I allowed Arach to go to war with the rest of Faerie. Arach said I had changed, I was sad over something and wouldn't fight him on anything. I'd lost my will to oppose him and that's what I need to find out; what happened to make me give up. Once I do and I decide on a plan to change it, the future will change itself and I will return to my own time. None of this will have happened.”
“Is it safe?” He frowned at me.
“I'm not sure but does that really matter?” I asked him gently. “If I can change the future, I will save many lives, including my own.”
“What the fuck is going on?!” A female voice shouted and I looked over my shoulder to see Zariel getting to her feet.
She was standing outside the circle of Intare, alone. Well, not entirely alone. There were two others standing outside the circle of Intare. One was a fey man and the other was an Intare woman. They both looked shocked but the woman was staring at me with tears streaming down her face. I'd never s
een her before but my heart instantly recognized her. Her long, black hair curled in the same way as mine and her stance was mine as well, but those tear-filled eyes were all Kirill.
“Lesya?” I stepped through the Intare, ignoring Zariel as I went to my daughter.
“Mother?” She rushed into my arms and I held her tight, stroking her silky hair.
She was taller than me and sleeker in build. Her muscled arms circled me and her cheek pressed into my forehead. My lioness recognized our scent in Lesya, ours and Kirill's combined. It had an instant affect on me, pulling violent, protective instincts to the surface. The scent of her settled into me and the cord between us thrummed to life, glowing like the sun. She was mine. Mine. And I'd kill anyone who tried to hurt her.
I stood back a little shakily, trying to get my lioness under control. I knew it was the situation that had brought out her defensive urges. I was reacting to the threat I'd sensed. Otherwise, I would have had a similar response to Samara. So I needed to just take a breath and calm down. Except that breath inhaled fire cat.
I turned a sharp eye to the last man outside our group. The one I'd sensed to be fey. Now I knew he was fire fey, fire cat-sidhe to be exact, and there was only one cat-sidhe I knew to be living with my Intare. Which meant he was also a prince.
“Hunter?” I asked.
“Aunt Vervain!” Hunter smiled like his father, with abandon. Like there was nothing in the world that could dampen his happiness. Except Roarke didn't smile like that anymore.
“You look so much like Roarke,” I whispered as I hugged him.
“I got a little of my mother in me too,” he smirked and flipped his choppy hair back with a careless gesture that was so Roarke, it made my heart ache.
I looked him over and nodded. On first glance, he was his father's son; fiery cat eyes with thick black lashes, a rugged beauty that somehow conveyed a rakish nature, and a slim but muscled build which looked ready to pounce at any moment. But when you looked closer, you saw that within the pitch black of his hair there were stripes of white and crimson, horizontal stripes like a tabby cat. The shape of his eyes was actually closer to his mother's, more exotic than Roarke's, and his mouth was fuller. Yes, Anna was in that face as well.
“Someone had better tell me what the hell is going on, right now!” Zariel shrieked.
“Shut up, Zariel!” Fallon's voice boomed and the woman went quiet. “I've let you have your way for too long. You've driven your own mother away in shame and you've nearly divided the Intare in two. Our true Tima has returned and you will respect her!”
“This isn't possible,” Zariel came forward to stare at me as I went back to holding my daughter. “You're dead.”
“Yeah,” I smirked, “but that's never stopped me before.”
Kirill's deep laughter rumbled out as he came up beside me and wrapped his arms around his family. We sank into his shaking chest as he continued to laugh and the Intare around us began to join in.
“Truer vords have never been spoken,” Kirill finally said. “Velcome home, Vervain.”
“Thank you, honey,” I kissed his cheek.
“But you're dead,” Zariel said again.
“And so are you, young lady,” I growled as I disentangled myself from Lesya and Kirill. “I heard that you've been trying to steal the Pride from my daughter but I didn't really believe it until I walked in here. I thought; no way could that sweet little girl, whose birth wouldn't have been possible without me, ever betray me like that!” The last bit I roared in her face and she paled. “This is where you start begging!” I let my lioness rise up inside me and Zariel dropped to her knees before me.
“Please, Tima,” Fallon came forward and took my arm. “It's my fault, I raised her to think she was special.”
“She is special,” I touched Fallon's cheek gently. “As all of you are.” I stopped and looked around to see that the entire Pride was on its knees. I focused back on Zariel and said, “You were the first Intare child born. You were our miracle but you were never meant to rule. You are not a goddess,” I grabbed the front of her shirt and lifted her. “You don't have the magic to lead, to sustain the Pride. How did you think you were going to keep them all alive without the Intare magic?”
“Lesya isn't half the lioness I am!” Zariel shouted defiantly.
“Just because I don't believe in corporal punishment doesn't make me weak!” Lesya shouted back to her.
“Corporal punishment?” I narrowed my eyes on Zariel. “You've been hurting my lions?” The room around me went still as I looked over them. “And you let her?”
“Zey vere broken vhen you died,” Kirill laid a hand on my shoulder. “Ve vere broken. It vas easy for Zariel to return zem to ze old vays.”
“The old ways?” I turned to stare at Kirill. “You mean Nyavirezi's ways?”
“Not as bad as zat but da,” Kirill set hard eyes on Zariel. “You exploited zeir veakness. You are not fit to rule.”
“Someone had to,” Zariel sneered, still hanging from my fist. “You two were lost to your grief. No one was leading the Intare!”
“I don't understand why you're not begging yet?” I cocked my head and studied her like I was genuinely confused.
“Please, Tima,” Fallon started again but I stopped him with a look.
“You failed me, Fallon,” I said in a low tone. The room went silent. “You failed all of them,” I nodded to the Intare. “But you did it for love of a child, so I forgive you.”
“And my child?” He whispered.
“Oh, she has to die,” I said offhandedly and Zariel gaped at me. “Did you think you would get slapped around a bit and that would be all?”
“No! Please, Tima,” Fallon crawled forward and pressed his face against my leg. The anger was riding me and I did something horrid in that moment, something I can't believe I would ever do to Fallon. I kicked him away from me like he was trash. “Shut up, Fallon,” I sneered. “You're not helping her anymore, do you understand?”
“Yes, Tima,” he whispered as he stared at his daughter and cried.
“Dad?” Zariel looked back over to him but he didn't say anything. He just looked at her and sobbed. “Daddy? Daddy!” She screamed.
“It's I who holds your life in my hands, you traitorous bitch,” I shook her. “Your daddy can't fight me.”
“I'm sorry,” she cried. “I'm sorry, Aunty Vervain, please forgive me.”
“For what?” I narrowed my eyes on her. “What crime do you think is forgivable? Hurting my lions, your uncles? Betraying my daughter and my memory? Or trying to sentence the Intare to death with your rule? Which one would you forgive if you were me? Tell me!” I roared again and a little of my dragon emerged with the lion. Smoke poured out of my nose, circling around us like mist.
“I'm sorry,” she whimpered. “I'm so sorry.” The acrid smell of urine filled the air as a stain spread across her jeans.
“Good,” I growled and lowered her to my face. “Remember this moment when you go to sleep at night. Remember it every morning and all throughout your day. Think about it any time the thought of betraying me or my daughter ever crosses your mind again.” Then I threw her at Fallon. He barely caught her, he was so shocked.
“You're letting her live?” Fallon whispered as he cradled Zariel.
“Yes,” I softened my expression on him. “Love has saved her this time, my love for you, but the next time, I will not be so forgiving.”
“Thank you, Tima,” Fallon cried as Zariel clung to him.
“Now what happened to Samantha?” I asked as Lesya and Kirill flanked me.
“She vouldn't support Zariel,” Kirill answered when Fallon only cried. “Zey fought and Fallon took Zariel's side, so Sam left vith children.”
“Children?” I looked from Kirill to Fallon. “You had more?”
“Two,” Fallon whispered. “Both were born half-Froekn, so they weren't bound to the Pride. They chose to go with their mother.”
“You chose Zariel over
Samantha?” I gaped at him.
“Sam chose to leave, I didn't force her to,” Fallon sighed.
“Oh, Fallon,” I shook my head. “When did you become such a fool?” I turned away before he could answer and went out among my lions, helping them to their feet. “Get up, Intare, your heart has returned and it's time to remember who you are.”
The room exploded into joyful roars.
Then I turned back to Zariel, “Change into your lion form and meet me on the training field outside.”
“But Tima, you said you wouldn't kill her!” Fallon cried.
“I'm not going to kill her,” I kept my hard gaze on Zariel. “I'm going to show her what capital punishment is all about.”
Chapter Eighteen
The Intare stood grim and silent around the edge of the training area outside the palace. I had shifted into my lioness form and so had Zariel. She stood across from me in the open, sandy space, with only her father at her back. Her lioness form was a bit smaller than mine but she had sleek muscles beneath her tawny fur and her eyes were filling with a defiant glimmer.
I roared and the Intare echoed it, though Kirill, Lesya, Hunter, and Fallon remained quiet. Zariel roared back and charged me, exactly as I knew she would. Her attitude transferred to her fighting style; brash and arrogant. That kind of arrogance could get you killed, at the very least, it could lose you the fight. Add anger to the arrogance and you had the perfect conditions for disaster. I was calm in the face of her disaster and completely unsurprised when I was able to simply crouch to avoid her. She went sailing over my head.
She skidded to a halt behind me. I stood up and cocked my head at her. That's lion speak for; Is that all you got? I could speak in my dragon form but the lioness body limited my conversations to animal sounds and body language. So I'd had to learn to express myself as a lioness did, fighting without smack talk just wasn't an option.
Zariel roared again and came running at me low. I batted her head with one paw and she tumbled to the side, blood pouring from a wound above one hazel eye. I pounced on her, growling savagely as I clawed up her belly. Then I rolled onto my back and used my legs to throw her into the air. She fell near the edges of the training field, scraping a long track through the sand as she skidded to a stop. The lions nearby stepped away from her.