Page 37 of Fae Devoted (Fae Touched #3)

“Yes, the metal’s presence is like an itch I cannot scratch,” the queen said; vampires were the most sensitive of the Fae Touched to iron. “I cannot imagine the level of discomfort a pureblood must feel under its influence.”

“Then why would an ancient Sídhe choose the UP to train the halfbloods?”

Tucker heard the disbelief in the king’s question and couldn’t blame him for his skepticism. They’d given the three a lot to take in without an ounce of tangible proof beyond their word and speculation.

“I do not know.” Lady Rose shook her head. “Perhaps the facility was already established in this location when Lord Daimhín discovered it?”

“We’ve known of the return of the Fae halfbloods for months, but it’s still hard to believe.

” Lydia’s tight, black curls threaded with silver that ended at her jawline swayed as she shook her head.

“And now we’re supposed to accept a pureblood Sídhe has returned to our realm and could be collaborating with a covert group associated with the American government practically in our backyard. ”

“Not returned,” Samuel emphasized, tone devoid of emotion. “He never left.”

“So the gateway between Earth and Faery remains closed?” Anand asked.

“Yes,” Lady Rose replied, unflinching green gaze sliding from the beta to the king. “It is closed for now.”

“For now?” If the veins distending in his neck and biceps were any indication, Remington was losing patience. “Care to elaborate, milady?”

Tucker stepped closer to his queen while Ethan unclasped his hands, laying them flat on the table. A glance confirmed neither Anwyll had lit up again.

“Sinclair kidnapped my Ca’anam,” Samuel spoke into the mounting tension, his canines lengthening then quickly retreating.

Tucker didn’t need a magical tie to his Alpha to decipher the seething anger Samuel grappled with.

The king of the West South Central had yet to pay for his intolerable treatment of Abby, which didn’t sit well with him or anyone else who cared for the sweet halfblood.

“The vamp did what?” Remington’s irises flickered between mahogany and wolf-yellow. If a single Mating Mark reaped the respect of every Ferwyn male, a female who carried the status of Ca’anam was near sacrosanct in shifter society.

Samuel’s jaw worked, his fingertips converting into black claws. Tucker’s canines punched through his gums in response to his Alpha’s renewed rage.

“Nathan sent a vampire hybrid after our Abigail on Lord Daimhín’s orders.

” Lady Rose answered for the struggling commander.

On the surface, the queen gave off an impression of regal poise, but the scent of her outrage commingled with the males in the room.

Only Lydia’s smell differed, emitting shock instead of fury.

“One of the Nine sent a…” Remington stopped, his hands clenched and released, clenched and released, nostrils flaring. “One of the Nine stole Walker’s truemate for an ancient Fae. Why?”

“It is Abigail’s opinion Nathan believes the return of the Sídhe and the subsequent war is unavoidable.

She overheard comments while held prisoner that implied the king struck a bargain with Lord Daimhín to protect his region’s people from future harm.

Nathan and his House thlán, Mason O’Donnell, made it clear they were unhappy with the duties forced upon them by the Fae but felt they had no alternative but to comply. ”

“There’s no excuse for what Sinclair put Abby through,” Ethan snapped in an atypical burst of anger.

But he’d witnessed the devastating aftermath of the cowboy king forcing Abby to use her unique magic for weeks on end.

He was there when she’d saved Samuel’s life and, in doing so, almost lost her own.

The Alpha’s new mate had wormed her way into the hearts of more than just the pack.

“None at all,” Lady Rose agreed, covering the witch’s white-knuckled fists with her fingers.

“I don’t give two shits about his motives or that he’s a king,” Samuel said, voice deadly soft. “He almost killed my Abby, and for that alone, he will die by tooth and claw—mine.”

Remington promptly nodded. There would be no argument from the ENC king even though they spoke of killing a Fae Touched monarch. Ferwyn law was indisputable: harm a mate and face the brutal consequences.

“You have yet to explain the role of your Ca’anam in all this, Commander Walker.” Lydia rubbed her temple with two fingers as though absorbing the magnitude of Samuel’s declaration had given her a headache.

“Hall,” Samuel said, his focus on the Ferwyn king, “activate a privacy ward.”

“The building is secure,” Anand snarled.

Remington planted his elbow on the table with a thud and raised his left hand. “Take it, Ajay.”

Anand ground his teeth but latched onto the king’s wrist, then the Anwyll commander’s.

Ethan took Lydia’s offered hand with his free one, the other now held by the queen.

Tucker cupped Lady Rose’s left shoulder, repeating the action with his Alpha’s right.

The symbol on Ethan’s sternum emitted a dull glow beneath the fabric of his navy Henley, its hue brightening to blazing white as it escaped through his open collar.

Samuel held out his palm to Remington.

The king took it, completing the circle. “Now explain or get the hell out of my territory.”

“Abby was one of the halfbloods trained at the facility.”

“And?” Remington’s expression remained flat at the Alpha’s announcement.

“She’s a Walker.”

The Ferwyn king cocked his head, clearly confused as to how a mate’s Clan status would make a difference to the Elven Lord.

“Abby is what the Na’fhuil refer to as Walkers . And as far as we know,” Samuel said, his golden-brown eyes sparked with the blazing maize of his wolf, a warning to the ENC representatives there’d be hell to pay if his trust was misplaced, “the only one of her kind.”

“I’ve checked with our curators, Commander Walker,” Lydia said, as puzzled as her king. “They found nothing on Walkers, only Jumpers. If the known ability of their race is capable of manipulating time, I’m almost afraid to ask what your truemate can do.”

“Jumpers don’t technically manipulate time. It just appears that way.”

Ethan’s statement was directed at Lydia, but it was Anand who snapped, “Then what do they do, witch?”

“In simplest terms, they bounce off the edges of the Rip.”

“The Rip?” Remington’s brow furrowed.

“The bridge between our realm and Faery, which is for lack of a better word, bubbled.” Ethan tilted forward, his body language exhibiting his avid fascination with the subject.

“Inside this bubble, time is measured differently than on our world. A Jumper can use the Rip’s edges as a kind of springboard, vanishing and reappearing elsewhere instantly, alone or with a passenger. ”

“And a Walker?” The king’s gaze leveled on Samuel.

“My Ca’anam can enter the Rip and make small changes to our reality, but it is an agonizing process for her.”

“Agonizing?” Lydia blinked. “All magic produces a level of pain to activate, but—”

“Abigail’s magic is crippling. Using it can knock her unconscious for hours if not days afterward,” Lady Rose interrupted, full mouth twisting in a grimace.

“I understand why halfblood Jumpers are in demand. Their unique skills would be an asset to any region. But if the changes your halfblood can make are as insignificant as you’ve implied, then why does the Sídhe Lord want her?

What use is she to him? You’re still not telling me everything.

” Remington’s jaw bulged beneath his beard, the pulse at his temple throbbing.

“You either trust me, or you don’t, Walker. Choose.”

“I want your vow.” Alpha male to Alpha male.

There was no need to elaborate, everyone in the room understood what Samuel required of the king.

“You have it.”

Samuel nodded, an almost imperceptible dipping of his chin. “My mate can unlock the pathway to Faery.”