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“You don’t?” I asked.

“No. I do.” He propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his palm. “But it’d be easier if he was an evil mastermind, wouldn’t it?”

“Because then you could hate him.” I sipped my tea and passed him his. “No?”

Another dramatic sigh. After a gulp, he slapped a palm against the tabletop. “Why? Why can’t I fucking hate him?”

Because he was redeemable. Because no matter how badly the little fucker messed up, he always felt genuine remorse for it. Because when disaster struck, and he made the worst possible decisions, he learned from his mistakes and attempted to do better.

“He’s your brother,” I said.

“Aye, and his sons are my nephews, and I fucking hate them.”

He didn’t. I saw the love in his vibrant blue eyes when he talked about them. There was passion and anger there too, but not hatred. He hated their actions, but not who they were.

I didn’t hate them either. But it would be easier if I did.

“What’re we gonna do with them?” he asked. “Is leaving them imprisoned best?”

“I don’t think it’s unwise. I don’t think killing them would be good for public relations, and I don’t think we could stomach it. But I’m not so sure keeping them on Matriax where a civil army stands behind them is wise either.”

“Can’t bring them here. Or to the human world.”

I sipped my tea. “We could take them home.”

He arched a brow.

“Matriaza. It’s unoccupied. They’re no threat to the population, and we could imprison them somewhere specific.”

“That’d only work for Michael and Gabriel.” Nix shook his head. “The others are only half eternal. They won’t survive the damage Lux did to the world.”

“We don’t know that. Elvan ore is all that’s been able to kill Angels in the past.”

“Aye, but it’d make them sick at least, and given the crime, if we’re going to subject anyone to torture, it should be Lux.”

“True.” Reaching for one of yesterday’s pastries in the dish on the center of the table, I laid a hand on his thigh. “But I don’t think torture’s necessary. Humane punishment is best.”

“And what do you have in mind for a humane punishment?”

“Hmm.” I chewed my biscuit for a moment, raising a shoulder. “Imprisonment until the war with the maalaichte cnihme arrives?”

Nix chewed for a moment, then nodded. “I think that’s fair.”

“But will everyone else?” I offered him a corner of my bread. “Because I believe Rion’s set on the death penalty.”

“Well, you’re the diplomat.” Chewing, he wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me in. “You handle the politics.”

“Don’t I always?”

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

NIX

We left the babies in bed after we had our tea. Véa went on to get dressed while I lapsed to everyone’s doors and told them we needed to meet. “Meet with who?” they’d asked.

I didn’t give them an answer.

Queen Iliantha, ruler of the land we’d called home for the last year, deserved the truth, however. We were guests on her land, and she was entitled to the facts. She wasn’t ecstatic for Lux to enter her castle, but she allowed him on the condition that she have until sunrise to safeguard the throne room where we’d meet. She also demanded that the only entrance would be through me. I’d have to lapse everyone in.