Page 38 of Fey Empire (Fey Lords #5)

Chapter thirty-seven

“ A re you sure?” Monty asks yet again.

But the look in his eyes says he is starting to waver. He is finally beginning to believe me.

We have been sitting on top of this dustsheet-covered settee for hours, while I have been filling him in on everything that has happened, and we discussed various options and plans.

Loki and Gray calmed down ages ago and are now doing something quietly in the far corner. I’m a little alarmed at how much the demon’s dark ideas on how to deal with Mother appealed to me. But if anyone deserves darkness, it is her.

“Yes I am sure,” I say resolutely.

Doubt lingers in my brother’s eyes, and I understand, I really do. There is a part of me who longs to go home. But I have a mess of my own making to fix.

And I don’t want to leave Selwyn. For many reasons. I think I want to help him with his noble plans to save the world. I think I want to stay for romantic reasons too.

“He has loved me for a long time. Longer than I have known him,” I say, reminding Monty of what I told him earlier .

It feels a little like a betrayal of Selwyn’s secrets, but I think it is worth it. Monty is bound to be reassured by the fact I am with someone who loves me.

My brother winces in sympathy. He has a very good point. Unrequited love must be a torture like no other.

A look of guilt flashes across his face, and he quickly turns away. Almost as if he always knew Selwyn loved me, and was keeping it from me. But that can’t be right. There is no way he could have known such a thing.

“But do you love him?” Monty asks softly, jarring my thoughts to the present.

It is a fair point, albeit an overly idealised one. I don’t need to love him to be safe and happy. He loves me, so he is going to do everything in his formidable power to protect me.

My brother waits patiently for my answer. Monty is in love. It sounds as if everyone he lives with is also in love. Love has shaped his world. Coloured it. He doesn’t just want the same for me. He expects it.

Answers swirl through my mind, some of them even reach the tip of my tongue.

Possibly. I’m starting to. I believe I will in the future.

Then abruptly, my heart leaps up and takes over. It pushes all my sensible thoughts away.

“Yes!” I hear myself exclaim.

Monty’s eyes widen, and he blinks in surprise.

I taste the truth of my declaration on my tongue. I love Selwyn. Now. Today. Already. It may not make any sense, but it is true nonetheless.

I am in love with my husband.

A s I open the door to my rooms, I wipe the last of my tears away. Saying goodbye to Monty was hard. He got weepy too. We hugged, and I promised to visit soon. I’m sure Selwyn will indulge me in that. Once everything has calmed down.

Selwyn freezes mid-pace. He stares at me. I stare back. I wasn’t expecting him to be in our sitting room. I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be pacing frantically.

“You have decided to stay?” he asks with such ?fragile, tentative hope, that my heart nearly bursts.

“Yes,” I say.

Then I run up to him and throw myself into his arms. He catches me and holds me tightly, and a stubborn hope ignites in my chest. Everything is going to be all right. I’m going to make it so.

T his party is busy. Normally I would hate it, but since I am here with a purpose, I am finding it bearable. Even though there are several pets fornicating in the middle of the room, as entertainment. I really am becoming brave. Of course, having Loki with me helps.

As does the fact that the crowd is thick enough to obscure the entertainment if I stay towards the edges of the room.

Even so, it is not that I’m feeling fully brave. Nervousness is making my legs tremble. However, that is because of what I am about to attempt, not simply because I am here .

My mind frantically runs through the plan again, even though it is simple enough. I’m so glad that I had the chance to talk through everything with Monty. He got all of the brains from Papa, and left me with none at all. He is definitely the smart one.

Monty helped me to come up with this plan, so I know it is a good one. His demon friend added some dark and delightful suggestions. And then I ran the whole thing by Selwyn, and he doesn’t think I’m crazy.

Jamie, Ollie, Blake and the princes would all approve of what I am about to attempt. All in all, there are a lot of people on my side. They have my back. For the first time in my life, I can afford to be brave.

I take a deep breath. And then another, because I am not quite ready yet.

Selwyn glances over from his usual gaggle of admirers. He nods and flashes me a quick, secret smile.

My lungs fill one more time. Okay, I can do this.

I force my feet to move and then, all of a sudden, I am striding towards Mother, with Loki loping beside me.

I join her circle of sycophants. Mother looks at me, finishes what she was saying, and then takes a long sip of her champagne.

“Finally deigning to talk to your mother?” she says coldly.

My heart thumps and my mouth goes dry.

She takes another sip of her drink. “Let me guess, you are here to beg for your little friend?”

One of her followers titters. The sound is sharp and harsh. I flinch, but keep my head high.

“Yes.”

One of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows rises .

“Dyfri is loved by his brothers,” I blurt before I lose my nerve. “They all think highly of him. Including the Crown Prince.”

Mother’s green eyes blaze at me.

“It would be diplomatic to rescind the forfeit!” I say all at once before she can stop me.

“The boy has a point,” says Viscount Bellany.

Mother’s eyes narrow and her lips purse. “Are you insulting my intelligence?”

“Not at all, Your Grace,” I reply. “I just wasn’t sure if you had heard the rumours about what happened to the last person who defeated Prince Dyfri in a duel.”

She glares at me, but her little crowd of followers starts murmuring.

“They say the Crown Prince himself killed the man,” I say solemnly.

Viscount Bellany nods eagerly. “I heard he cut off his balls and forced him to eat them first.”

Everybody within earshot gasps. Except Mother. Her brow furrows, and fury begins to smoulder in her eyes.

“Nothing but rumours.”

“I heard the same story from several reputable sources,” says Bellany.

Gosh. I was not expecting his help. Bless Dyfri and his many webs. Whatever his intention in flirting with the viscount was, it is certainly paying off now.

“Your Grace, perhaps you should rescind. It would make you look very forgiving,” says one of her lackeys with a deeply worried expression.

“I agree,” nods Bellany.

Mother turns on him with a hiss. “You just want my position, don’t think I don’t know that! ”

Bellany places a hand over his heart. “Your Grace! You are the only one who can lead us.”

His expression does not match his words at all. Heavens, was this Dyfri’s plan? Did he plant the seed or merely water what was already there? Not that it matters. The end result is the same. Bellany has been forged as a weapon to wield against my mother.

“Yes, I am. I know what I am doing,” Mother practically growls. She hates people disagreeing with her. Any defiance of any sort sends her into a rage. She expects no less than immediate and absolute obedience. From me most of all, but also from everyone under her sway.

“This action has not endeared you to the royal family,” I persist. “You have made powerful enemies and lowered the fey’s opinion of humans.”

Her circle of followers stare at me wide-eyed. I am winning them over. She can see it too.

“I will not discuss this with a vessel,” she snaps.

“But, Mother, it is important,” I argue, and I really don’t know where I am getting the courage from. I have never talked back to my mother. Not once. It is kind of exhilarating to be doing so.

“You must rescind the forfeit before something terrible happens,” I add. “You and all of your followers will suffer the wrath of the royal family.”

Two spots of colour appear high on Mother’s cheeks. She is as furious as I have ever seen her.

“Leave me!” she snaps haughtily.

My feet begin to move, instinctively obeying, but I override them. She is a mage and I am only a vessel, but this is the fey court and there are too few vessels here to have that ingrained hierarchy. She is still my mother, yes, but she is also only a duchess. I am a prince consort.

“Mother, you must listen to me!”

I am disobeying her. Defying her. Disrespecting her status and her authority. Embarrassing her in front of her inner circle. A mere lowly vessel who is daring to talk back to her.

Rage ignites in her eyes. She takes one step closer to me. Her hand lifts, and she slaps me across the face. Hard. Hard enough to whip my head to the side. Just like she has done a thousand times.

My ears are ringing. Loki is growling. There are no other sounds. The entire party has fallen silent.

I turn my head back around to face her, and I smile. Shock drains all colour from her face. Then two fey guards seize her. One grabbing each arm. She bristles and tries to pull herself free.

“What is the meaning of this!” she demands.

Selwyn appears by my side. “Striking a member of the royal family is a crime punishable by death,” he intones calmly.

Mother pales even more. She stops struggling against the guards, and sags in their grip. “He is just a vessel,” she whispers weakly.

The room is so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

“I am his mother. I can discipline him.”

Selwyn’s eyes glow. “He is my consort.”

A cacophony of exclamations and whispers rises up from the watching audience. It is enough to make me dizzy.

Then abruptly, the silence returns. The crowd has parted to reveal the Crown Prince looking stern and regal, and looking right at Mother. Jamie is on his arm, and the Prince Consort’s expression is positively gleeful.

“Prince Consort Laurie Wyf Selwynogi is a member of the royal family. Violence against him, is violence against the crown.”

The crowd murmurs.

“Prince Consort Laurie may choose the punishment,” the Crown Prince declares.

Excited, eager gasps fill the air. More drama and spectacle. The past few days have been a feast for the court.

Slowly, an expectant silence grows. A thousand pairs of eyes fix on me. Waiting.

I take a breath, and fill the silence. “I think I shall be lenient and choose a forfeit.”

I have the court’s rapt attention. Everyone is hanging on my every word. It is making me feel powerful.

“You are no longer ambassador,” I decree. “You are hereby banished from court.”

The watching crowd goes wild. A swarm of noise and motion. Delighted gasps. Jubilant whispers. Excited cries.

Selwyn grins at me. He moves his hand in a careless gesture, and a golden portal opens beneath Mother’s feet. She yells, and the guards release her. She drops like a stone. Her scream cuts off as the portal winks out of existence.

I stare at the ornate carpet. It worked. I did it. My mother is gone.

I knew she would never agree to rescind the forfeit. I knew there was nothing I could really do. Revenge never solved a thing, but it feels so damn good.

Viscount Bellany chuckles. He lifts his glass and salutes me. I shudder, even though he is no worse than Mother. Having him as the ambassador is a price I am willing to pay.

I turn away from him to face my husband. Selwyn is standing a few steps away. Grinning wolfishly, with pride in his eyes.

My heart skips. My feet run over to him, but I don’t throw myself into his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down for a kiss.

Our lips collide, and the party erupts with glee at this new scandal. Kissing is momentous for the fey. And that is just fine by me. I want everyone to know.

I want everyone to see that we are in love.