Page 28 of Ink Sworn (Greatdrakes #3 | The Fae Universe #24)

B y the time Valentine had showered and changed, people had already started to gather in Taranis's meeting room. Valentine didn't recognize four of the fae there, but he saw Lord Afon with them and figured they must be the other lords.

The knights were there too, flanking Quinn, Charlotte, and Reeve.

Yelena was sitting by Avallach, and the chair opposite her was empty.

Valentine slid into it before anyone else could.

She was wearing blue, but it was a few shades richer than her usual pastels.

He had a feeling it was as close to a compromise as she would make for the time being.

Afon was staring at her in a calculated way that made Valentine's magic itch. Afon's eyes slid to Valentine, and they narrowed further.

Valentine wanted to ask what the asshole's problem was, but he bit it back. He didn't want to embarrass Taranis by being the uncouth stray Afon thought he was. If Yelena could tolerate his shit for decades, Valentine could do it for a single meeting .

Taranis greeted everyone as they came in, his hand resting lightly on Quinn's shoulder. Valentine didn't know if it was to reassure himself or his queen. He knew he would have felt better sitting beside Yelena.

Something curled around his ankle, and he glanced down as casually as he could. A silver wisp of her magic was wrapped around him. He covered his mouth to hide his smile and risked glancing across at her.

Yelena's eyes flicked to his, and she ever so slightly raised a brow before focusing back on whatever Charlotte was saying to her.

Heat and desire burned in Valentine's gut, and his magic threaded around hers in greeting. The tense line in Yelena's shoulders softened, and he could feel her relief washing back over him. She didn't want to be there any more than he did.

"Thank you for coming, everyone. Let's get this started," Taranis said, sitting down at the head of the table beside Quinn. "Bring it in!"

Two servants entered the room, carrying a large silver mirror. Valentine had only seen one similar to it before, and that had belonged to Kian. There were ancient fae glyphs carved around its border that hummed with so much magic that it made Valentine's skin itch.

The sun outside the window dipped below the horizon, signaling the time between times. The mirror glyphs hummed with Taranis's magic. It often appeared scarlet like Valentine's own, and he wondered if it was part of being an alpha.

The surface of the mirror rippled like a stone thrown into quicksilver, and a face appeared in its depths.

He had long golden hair and eyes as green as spring.

On his head was a crown that looked like it was made of crystal.

It wasn't until the mirror went clear that Valentine could see the cold bastard in those perfect green eyes.

"Taranis, you have aged since we last spoke," Midir said, instead of a hello.

"It happens to the best of us eventually." Taranis looked deceptively bored as he leaned back in his chair. "Shall we get to the point of the meeting? Your bastard general decided to send spies into Lord Afon's lands in the north, and they then killed my people and tortured two of my knights."

The hair on the back of Valentine's neck rose. He hadn't known that Afon had been the one to report Midir's activity. It didn't excuse how he talked about Yelena, but if he thought he was about to be invaded, then it was little wonder that he was so pissy all the time.

Midir laughed softly. "And by the destruction I found left behind at one of my forts, Cathal paid the price for that indiscretion."

"Not nearly enough," Valentine growled before he could check himself.

Midir's green eyes snapped to him and widened. "There you are. I have been looking for you, sorcerer."

"So I hear," Valentine replied, letting his own streak of cold bastard be seen. "It's always good to put a face to one's enemies."

Midir's expression cooled, and he turned his attention back to Taranis. "Give me back my access to my barrow opening in Ireland again, and I will leave your borders alone. I have no wish to fight other fae."

"Ireland, the human world in general, isn't the place you remember, Midir. They will not tolerate your raiding and other nonsense. It is a world of iron and technology now," Taranis replied.

"But it is fine for your nephews and your brothers to journey there? You yourself have gone and gotten a pretty little human wench, and yet you would begrudge me doing the same?" Midir demanded. "You just don't want to share."

"For starters, Quinn is my mate and queen, not my wench," Taranis growled before taking a breath. "And my nephew, Kian, already had a kingdom in England and has a right to be there."

"Your queen?" Midir looked at the lords and knights.

"You let a filthy human be in charge? They were created to serve us.

They will always be lesser creatures. I thought you dragons were meant to be proud.

How can you hold your head up when that lesser creature is on your throne and that feral beast sits at your table playing lady? "

Yelena's eyes shimmered with silver, but she remained silent. Valentine wanted to reach through the mirror and knock Midir's perfect teeth in.

"She isn't a beast," Valentine snarled. "She is worth a hundred of the likes of you."

"Another human. This one is powerful, at least. What do you all care about the human world?

It is nothing to you. Taranis and his family are being ridiculous over such a small thing," Midir said, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

"I only wish to explore this new time like he does.

The Dagda gave the barrow in Ireland to my father, so I have every right to reclaim it as Kian reclaimed his ancestral lands. "

"He does have a point," one of the lords said, looking uncertain. "What do we care what he does? It's none of our business, and the humans will fight back if his warriors overstep."

Taranis glared at him. "The humans are barely tolerating the fae there now after Morrigan's rampage. It won't just be a war with Midir's people. The humans will turn against all of the fae because they don't know the difference."

"If they are that small-minded, why not let us rule them like in the old times? They haven't evolved enough to look after themselves and could use some immortal guidance," Midir said and smiled warmly. "If anything, we would be doing them a favor."

Valentine's jaw ached from clenching it so hard.

The lords around him had no idea about the human world.

Human lives were fleeting to them—their dying world meant nothing to them—and if it weren't for Taranis and his brothers returning to help with magic, then both worlds would have suffered.

They would never understand that they were connected and that what happened to one would always affect the other.

"You have given us many things to think about. I will consider your request," Taranis said, trying to be calm.

"My request? I am not a lord of yours. This isn't a request. I will find my way back there with or without you.

How much bloodshed it takes will be on your hands.

" Midir turned to look at Valentine. "When they turn on you for becoming too powerful, and they will, you will always be welcome in my court. "

The king in the mirror disappeared, and Valentine took a breath. He looked across the table at Yelena. She had her hands in her lap, her fingers rubbing against the back of her silver hand. It was a small tick, but Valentine saw it and knew she was worried. It made him hate Midir even more.

Valentine got out of his chair when the others did, but no one left the room. Servants came in to refill wine glasses and the trays of refreshments.

"Perhaps you should just let Midir have his barrow. If it was Dagda blessed, who are we to deny him?" one of the lords asked.

"You don't remember what Midir was like.

He would try to go back to his old raids, hunts, and kidnappings.

Humans won't tolerate it. They have formidable weapons and would use them to fight back," Taranis argued, getting up to pace.

"The fae have a tentative peace there now. Kian makes sure of it. "

"And they are Kian's people. Why not let Midir make a treaty of his own?" Afon asked, gesturing to a servant to fill his glass. He walked around the mirror where Midir had been. "He isn't yours to command, my king, and you know he won't stop until he gets what he wants."

"We would be trading fae lives for human ones," Avallach pointed out. "I've seen what kind of hospitality Midir gives to those whom he believes are lesser."

"And it is my lands he will invade in retaliation! My people will die first for this," Afon argued back.

"Taranis's people," Yelena corrected coolly. "You may be a lord, but Taranis is king."

"And you are nothing but a pet he trained," he snarled.

Valentine stilled. "What did you just say?"

Afon turned a red face to him. "You heard me. She shouldn't even be sitting at this table, and neither should you. We all know you are sleeping with her. Just because you humans are into bestiality doesn't..."

Valentine vanished and reappeared in front of Afon. The lord made a startled sound, and Valentine's fingers whipped into his mouth and grabbed his tongue. The blade of his dagger rested against Afon's cheek.

"I have had enough of your tongue disrespecting Yelena. Just because she is willing to tolerate the insults doesn't mean that I am," he whispered, the edge of his blade digging into Afon's skin.

"Valentine," Yelena's voice cut through the rage that was turning his vision red. "Let him go. He's not worth your anger or your blade."

Valentine's grip on Afon's tongue tightened. "Take care with this tongue of yours because next time, she might not be around to stop me." Valentine let him go with a shove.

Not a single person in the room moved as Afon straightened his robes. "You might be able to turn into a dragon, human, but you are not one of us and never will be. Go and fuck your beast. You're no more fae than she is." He whirled away, leaving the room without asking permission from Taranis.

"Valentine, let him go," Taranis said, the growl in his voice stopping him from finishing what he started. "I will deal with Afon when he has cooled down. Yelena? I apologize for his words."

"It is fine, my king," Yelena replied, but Valentine knew that it wasn't. It didn't matter how much time passed. The lords like Afon would never accept Yelena amongst them.

"I think we have had enough of politics for one evening. I will think on Midir's request and all your concerns," Taranis said and made a tired gesture, dismissing them. "Valentine? I would like a moment of your time."

Valentine waited until everyone had left except Taranis and him. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I shouldn't have attacked, but..."

"But Yelena is your mate?" Taranis interrupted.

Valentine swallowed hard. "You knew? Are you angry?"

"No." Taranis's lips twitched into a smile. "No one with eyes would be even a little surprised. Total chaos is generally how you Greatdrakes operate."

Valentine's hands clenched into angry fists. "Even if she wasn't my mate, no one should be talking about her like that. Why do you let them?"

"I have asked Yelena on more than one occasion if she would like me to do something about it, and she has always said no.

You know why? Because they will all underestimate her if they think she's some kind of trained pet.

They are afraid of her, and they don't understand her, and it is how she likes it.

" Taranis drained his wine. "Midir is going to be a problem until he gets what he wants. "

"He's planning something. There is no way he would have agreed to that meeting and been so confident when he snatched up Avallach and Yelena if he didn't. For all we know, that could have been something to distract us," Valentine replied, folding his arms. "You can't let him have access to Ireland. "

"I know, Val." Taranis leaned his arms against the back of his chair. "I need to talk to my brothers in case Midir has already sent forces to their borders, too. He has always hated our family, and he will use this as the excuse he needs to turn all of Faerie against us."

"What do you need me to do?" Valentine asked.

"Stop attacking my lords and have the night off. I need to curl up with my mate for a while until I can think up a plan." Taranis waved him out, and Valentine didn't argue.

He knew he had reacted poorly. He should have known that Taranis tolerated Afon's snide comments only because Yelena had asked him to.

It was a smart plan to make sure the lords consistently underestimated her.

Valentine wanted to throw her over his shoulder and go home to Ireland. He was not built for court life.

Yelena was waiting outside for him, the knights loitering about, talking with Quinn.

"Ah, Valentine. If you aren't busy this evening, can you please bring your tools by and have a look at my hand? I'm going to need some adjustments," Yelena said, flexing her silver fingers.

Valentine couldn't see any issues with it, but wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud.

"I would be happy to. I will gather what I need and meet you soon," he replied, trying not to smile. Yelena winked at him and walked away with Avallach.

The meeting may have been a disaster, but if he were with Yelena, maybe the rest of his night wouldn't be a total bust.