by Amy Sumida
But then the Dark Prince and Princess had been born.
Now, both Arach and Rowan had dreams of uniting our kingdoms and continuing the dragon-sidhe race through marriage. Except I'd been to a horrible future where that plan had torn Faerie apart and killed me in the process. Arach had vowed to never merge Fire with Darkness; making it the deadly DarkFire Kingdom that was fated to attempt a hostile takeover of Faerie. But just because he'd given up on merging the kingdoms, it didn't mean he'd give up his dream for dragon-sidhe grandchildren.
“How are the Prince and Princess of Darkness today?” Arach asked the dark twins; his eyes straying hopefully to Sinnea.
“We are most excited to be here, King Arach,” Prince Baidhen answered as his sister gave a very adult curtsy. “Thank you for the warm welcome.”
The Dark Twins were just a few months older than my boys, and they had matured at a similar rate. Baidhen and Sinnea appeared to be equal in size to nine-year-old human children, but they were a bit more mature in their deportment. The maturity was likely due more to their royal upbringing than their accelerated development.
They had the dark-sidhe coloring with eyes the same shade as Lia's. But Baidhen looked every inch Rowan while Sinnea was a little version of the Dark Queen. Which made her a little version of me. I frowned at that; not because her looks upset me—I'm vain enough to love having a small, black-skinned version of myself running around—but because if Arach had his way, and Rian married Sinnea, my son would have a wife who looked like his mother. That seems wrong to me.
Then again, they say that little boys look for their mothers in their partners, just as little girls look for their fathers. Not in a gross Oedipus way; simply because a child's mother is the first representation of female beauty they see. That stays in the psyche and works in the subconscious. Maybe I was overthinking it. I glanced at Rian and saw that he was puffing out his chest and showing off his glorious green scales to Sinnea; who was secretly admiring him. I hadn't wanted to push the children together because I had this idea that people should follow their hearts when it came to love. But Arach and I had been brought together by nefarious means (his) and still managed to fall in love. Perhaps a little push was all right, as long as the people involved were already facing in that direction.
“I'm so glad you've come,” I said to all of them. “Have you eaten? Would you care for some breakfast?”
“We have eaten,” Lia said. “Thank you for the offer. We just wanted to bring the children for a visit. They've been missing their friends.” She gave me a knowing smile and leaned in to add, “Especially Sinnea.”
Rian gave a screech, pushed off his perch, and swooped down to land beside his father. Brevyn and Hunter followed him off the dais, but Hunter waited on the side as Brevyn came to stand beside his brother. Brevyn grinned at the dark twins as he laid a hand on Rian's shoulder.
“Rian wants to go flying,” Brevyn translated for his brother since Rian hadn't learned to speak in dragon form yet. “Want to go?”
Baidhen and Sinnea looked hopefully at their father.
“Not alone,” Rowan said. “But perhaps we can all go.” Rowan lifted a dark brow at the rest of us.
“That's a fantastic idea,” Arach agreed. “It's been ages since Fire and Darkness have flown together in a dread.”
The men were ready to shuck off their clothes and run outside immediately, but I was watching Brevyn. He looked back at Hunter; who was leaning against the wall as if he couldn't care less if he got left behind. Hunter had his father's devil-may-care attitude already, but he was still a child, and he was obviously hurt by the prospect of his friends flying away without him. Brevyn couldn't fly, but Rian would carry him. The twins hated being separated.
Brevyn wasn't the type to blithely leave anyone behind; especially not if it hurt them. He looked at his brother and then over at Sinnea. I saw a hint of boyish admiration in his eyes for the darkly beautiful girl, but Brevyn's heart was already given—to a human woman three times his age. Before he died, Ull had been involved with a human woman named Kaitlin. Kaitlin had loved Ull so much that she ate an Apple of Immortality and put her love life on hold just on the chance that Brevyn might grow up and remember how much he'd loved her too.
And it had paid off. Brevyn had already confided to me that he knew he was meant to be with Kaitlin. So, it was easy for him to let his brother pursue the dark princess. It wasn't so easy for him to step back and let his brother fly off without him, but that beautiful soul inside him—the same one who already loved a grown woman—knew it was the right thing to do.
Brevyn looked up at me, and I smiled proudly at him. Sometimes it felt as if my son were far wiser and kinder than I. I hoped that was true, and the promise of the man inside this boy came to fruition. I think we all want our children to be better than ourselves. If they aren't, it's a step backward, isn't it?
“I think I'm going to stay here with Brevyn,” I said. “But the rest of you have fun.”
The men paused their posturing to blink at me in shock, but Lia smiled and nodded serenely.
“But, A Thaisce,” Arach began.
“Brevyn wants to stay with Hunter,” I said with a pointed glance Hunter's way.
Arach looked at Brevyn with raised brows. “You don't want to come flying? You love flying. Hunter will be here when you get home.”
“But I already made plans with Hunter,” Brevyn said like a grown man. “It would be dishonorable to break them now.”
Arach gaped at our son, and I smiled brighter.
“It would be dishonorable, Arach. Don't you agree?” I asked. “A prince doesn't break his word.”
“Uh... well,” Arach stuttered.
Rian screeched at Brevyn.
“Go be a dragon,” Brevyn said gently. “There will be things that I won't be able to do with you, Brother. We must accept that and learn to find joy in it. Trust me; there will be many times when you prefer that I'm not there, and times when I prefer that you weren't.”
Brevyn cast a meaningful look Sinnea's way. Rian looked back and forth between his brother and the Princess. Then, in the way of young boys, Rian sat back on his haunches and chose his brother. One wing opened and spread around Brevyn as a clear statement that if Brevyn wasn't going, then neither was he.
I hid my chuckle behind my hand.
“Rian,” Brevyn said softly before the adults could try to sway him. “It's okay. Go and have fun. Baidhen and Sinnea don't come to visit very often. Hunter and I will build that fort like we planned, and when you get back, we can all play in it.”
I shook my head at how adult Brevyn sounded, and then I knelt beside the boys to say, “You're both growing up so fast. I wish you weren't but since you are, I will give you some advice; Follow your heart except when it sours your stomach.”
Rian cocked his head at me.
“She means that you should make decisions based on love,” Brevyn interpreted. “But if you feel—deep in your belly—that it's wrong, don't do it. Your heart wants to go flying, Rian. I want to go too, but my gut sours at the thought of leaving our friend behind.”
“Sweet darkness, who is this child?” Rowan murmured.
“He's an old soul,” I said softly. “And a damn good one.”
“Why don't we just bring Hunter along too?” Sinnea asked innocently.
Lia smiled broadly at me. “She's a good essence.”
Faeries had essences—elemental spirits—instead of souls. And Lia was right; her daughter had a good one. Sinnea was a kind girl with a rational mind; a lot like Brevyn. It was another reason why she'd be good for Rian.
“Indeed,” Arach finally found his voice. “And you're right, Princess Sinnea; the simplest solution is to take Prince Hunter with us.”
“Do you want to go flying, Hunter?” Brevyn asked the Cat Prince.
“Is fire hot?” Hunter asked with a wide grin. “Yeah; I want to go!”
“Hold on one minute,” Anna declared as she came back into the
hall like a cold breeze from Hell. “You are not going up into the faerie sky clinging to the back of a dragon, young man. Cats are not meant to fly.”
“But, Mom,” Hunter whined as his shoulders sagged. “Cats aren't meant to crawl on tables. Cats aren't meant to fly. You're no fun.”
“I will carry him myself, Anna,” I assured her. “There will be no clinging needed. I promise to take great care of your son.”
“Please, Mom,” Hunter begged.
Anna looked from her son to me and back again before she sighed and relented. “All right, but only because Queen Vervain herself is looking after you.”
“We will all look after Prince Hunter,” Rowan vowed to Anna. “I promise that he will be returned safe and sound.”
Anna nodded respectfully to Rowan, and Hunter whooped.
“Go get 'em, Son,” Roarke said proudly. “You'll be the first cat-sidhe dragon rider.”
“He'll be carried,” Anna said to Roarke.
“Don't ruin it, babe,” Roarke shot back. “It sounds cooler to be a rider.”
Anna grimaced but kept her mouth shut.
“Two royal dragon houses flying over Faerie with a cat prince,” Lugh said as he stood. “I'm not missing this.”
Most of my court felt the same way. They all followed us out to the courtyard behind Castle Aithinne to watch two types of dragons take to the sky.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was a glorious afternoon. We flew across the Fire Kingdom and then over a portion of the Dark. I carried Hunter and Brevyn together with one of my front feet. Dragons have big feet. The boys sat with their legs woven through my talons; kicking them excitedly in the open air as they shouted in delight. I suppose I was the faerie version of a carnival ride for them.
Around us flew the other dragons; Arach's deep crimson and Rian's brilliant emerald scales seeming even brighter when surrounded by the sin-black of the Dark Dragons. The Fire Fey in the villages came out of their homes and paused their work in the fields to shout and wave at us as we passed overhead, and the boys waved back. My heart was light and full all at once.
The Dark Royals showed us the changes in their kingdom; the way the animals were flourishing and the landscape developing its own nuances. The Dark Fey were growing too; with new births in nearly every race. Villages were being built all over the Kingdom. It was a wondrous feeling for me; to see the people I'd helped form thrive in the land I'd helped create.
When we finally made it back to Aithinne, the children were nice and worn out; just how every parent likes them. We provided a guest suite for the Dark Family and rooms for their entourage and left them to put their children down for a nap. We did the same with ours—after handing the head-bobbing Hunter over to his parents—and Arach and I ended up alone in our bedroom.
Except for two nurials.
I'd completely forgotten about Dexter's daughter. Arach and I strode into the bedroom carelessly and startled her. She jumped up and backed herself against the wall; snarling ferociously. Dexter got up too—looking bewildered—and went to nudge his daughter's face.
“Oh shucks,” I swore softly. “I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's okay; you're safe here. We didn't mean to scare you.”
“I will not walk lightly in my own home,” Arach said to the nurial sternly. “You are welcome here but you must behave.”
“She's an animal, Arach,” I snapped. “She doesn't understand you.”
“She's a fey animal, Vervain,” he shot back. “She understands more than you think.”
And sure enough, the female nurial relaxed into merely watching us warily.
“I think now is a good time to move them into the boys' room,” I suggested. “The Twins will have a nice surprise when they wake up.”
“Very well,” Arach agreed.
Arach went over to Dexter's bed and lifted the massive piece of metal and mattress as if it were cardboard. I held the door open for him, and he took it down the stone hall to the Twin's bedroom. Dexter padded after us; stopping along the way to coax his daughter along when she got nervous. We found a place for the bed near the door and then stepped out of the room and off to the side to let the nurials by.
Father and daughter wandered into the room and circled the perimeter. Dexter was showing her around; stopping at the interesting parts like the corner full of toys and the enormous scratching post. She sniffed at each sleeping child; her head pulling back in surprise after she scented Brevyn. I tensed at that, but she just walked away and finally settled in the bed. We left the door open a crack and headed back to our bedroom.
After our door closed behind us, I asked, “What do you think of Deidre?”
“Who's Deidre?” Arach asked in confusion.
“Dexter's daughter,” I said. “What do you think of the name for her?”
“Oh.” He frowned and considered it. “It's fine with me, but you should ask her.”
“I suppose I should,” I laughed.
“And I suppose you should return to the God Realm and warn the others about the Demon Destroyer,” he said gently.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “But I think I need some dragon fortification before I go. Come here, hot stuff.”
Arach grinned and swept me into a passionate kiss. I soaked him in; the taste, feel, and scent of my dragon husband. There was no one like Arach. But then, each of my lovers was special, and there was one in particular who I had to get back to soon. So, I didn't sink too deeply into Arach's erotic embrace. I didn't focus too intently on the way his fire was rising to fill his skin with lovely heat. I didn't lose myself in the steel and silk of him. I just took enough to empower me, and then I eased away.
Arach swept up my hand and kissed it, “Destroy the Destroyer, A Thaisce. I will wait here for your victorious return.”
I smiled brilliantly. That was my dragon; ever the encouraging one.
“I'll tell you all about it when I get back.”
And then I used my ring to return to the God Realm; right into Toby's bedroom.
Toby took one look at my face and sighed deeply. “We don't have time to finish what we started, do we?”
I'd forgotten that I'd left him hanging, as it were. I looked over his beautiful, naked body; the smooth contours of his chest, the thick biceps, that intriguing V that led to his eager manhood. Toby's silky hair spread over his shoulders to outline his body in the most enticing way. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up as I admired him, and by the time my gaze returned to his amazing eyes, Toby was grinning sensually.
“I think we can spare a few minutes,” I said breathlessly as I reached for the hem of my dress.
“No; leave it on,” his voice was low and aggressive.
Toby swung me up into his arms and carried me over the bridge to the island bed. He set me on my feet beside the bed but then roughly turned me around and bent me over it. Before I could catch my breath, he had my full, faerie skirts flipped over my head and was pushing apart my legs with his own. I grabbed handfuls of bedding as Toby drove into me suddenly, and then I sighed as the pleasure began to build. With his strong hands on my hips, Toby slammed into me wildly and took us rapidly into ecstasy.
Despite the intensity of it all, it still took more than a few minutes. But I wasn't about to complain.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Toby and I returned to Pride Palace, my husbands and fiance were all appropriately apologetic, and they had even called back the God Squad. Perfect, since I needed to speak to all of them.
I accepted apologies, kissed my men to seal the deal, and then strode into the dining hall to let everyone know what I'd discovered. But before I could get into my news, Re had something he wanted to say.
“I wanted to wait until you returned to say this so I could say it once and be done with it,” Re said.
“Okay.” I waved him to where I stood at the end of the dining table.
Re stepped up beside me, looked over the gathered gods, and then shifted his stare to Kirill. “My daughter d
id not use Ptah's staff to kill demons.”
Kirill grimaced, but Re wasn't done.
“I know this for a fact because I have Ptah's staff,” Re said.
That got everyone's attention.
“Just like you had Tlaloc's goggles?” Kirill said in a low, dangerous tone.
Re's body blasted heat as his eyes flared. “I moved my treasury,” he snapped. “Sekhmet won't be able to find it and even if she did, she doesn't have the magic required to open it.”
We all waited; stares ping-ponging between Kirill and Re. I didn't want to step in and choose a side; that gets tricky. So, I just waited along with everyone else.
Finally, Kirill nodded crisply.
“That's all I get?” Re asked. “A nod?”
“Vhat do you vant?” Kirill asked. “I von't apologize for zinking logically.”
“Fuck, I will,” Trevor said and broke the tension. “I'm sorry, Re. We should have spoken to you about it reasonably.”
It was what Kirill should have said, and I saw my lion flinch with the truth of it. But it's hard when you're drowning in hatred. Giving an inch feels like being dragged for a mile. All Kirill could do was nod again, but this time, Re accepted it. He nodded back and the men took seats across the table from each other.
“Thank the stars that's over,” Horus huffed. “It was starting to feel like the tropics in here.” He cut a look at his grandfather. “I haven't been in the line of your anger for awhile.”
“That's hard to believe,” Pan said dryly.
It wasn't that funny, but we needed a little comic relief so badly that we all ended up laughing. I was still smiling when I started to tell them about Brevyn's vision and what Scotaidh had found in the Inter Realm. But my smile quickly faded as the vision replayed in my mind. And I wasn't the only one deeply disturbed by my news. When I mentioned Dhumorna, Brahma cursed and shook his head.
“What is it, Brahma?” I asked.
“I should have thought of her.” Brahma grimaced. “I'm sorry, Vervain. I discounted Yama since he's dead. So foolish! Half of your enemies are related to people you've killed.”