Page 51

That was when I knew…Tyr was an empath, an incredibly strong one.

From that day forward he never left my side.

A constant and loyal friend in this fucked up world we lived in and his exterior demeanor, at times most unsavory, was his form of protection from the world's emotions that plagued him everyday.

Tyr felt everything …and in turn taught himself to feel nothing .

And today, there was too much tension in the room for him to handle, he was cutting it down the only way he knew how.

I ran my hand through my hair with aggravation. “Yes.”

My friend leaned in excitedly. “And?”

“Growers…hidden beneath their scales.” I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly with heat pooling across my face.

Penina snickered and Quinn gave a quiet chuckle. Eshe and Jarquinn rolled their eyes in annoyance.

It was made worse when Remnant added dryly. “Your king also had the enjoyment of experiencing said growing after the fool drank water fae ambrosia.”

There was stunned silence and then…Tyr’s roaring laughter rattled the walls. Penina giggled next to us, and suddenly…the air in the room lightened.

I playfully scowled down at Remnant, locking my body in my chair to keep from kissing her with pure gratitude. There was no doubt that she was one of us already…she belonged here.

“And I’m still feeling the effects of your remedy to that, General.”

Remnant shrugged. “Like I told you, it was necessary.”

“There had to be another way.” I retorted.

She shrugged again. “Perhaps but it wouldn’t have been as satisfying.”

I snorted at that.

Tyr pounded the table, rattling the polished wood with his raucous laughter. “I was fucking right! You know what that means.”

I did. It had been a boyhood wager…one that was coming back to bite me in the ass.

Tyr winked. “You can pay up later.”

“How kind of you.” I growled low .

He shook his head, the heavy bar piercings on his tapered ears clinking. “Still can’t believe you were in The Under though.”

“Afraid of water, shifter. Let me guess—” Remnant tapped her finger to her lips, “you’re a wee little kitty cat.”

I scrubbed at my face with a groan. These two were going to be a problem.

“Nothing about me is wee, beauty. And I’m not afraid of being wet, I just prefer my females that way.”

“For Faerie’s sake!” Jar exclaimed and smacked Tyr upside the head again. This time it was hard enough to almost faceplant him into the hard wooden table.

Penina covered for him. “I do believe we have… got off …topic.” And then winked at Tyr who’s head popped up with a grin, his hand extended in an air high five.

Jar rubbed his temples. “Goddess help us all.” He muttered.

I snorted and Remnant grinned, shooting me a comical look.

“My question still remains unanswered.” Penina continued, propping her bare feet back up on the table, relaxed once again. Jar glared at the tiny gold adorned toes. “How were the blood crystals not destroyed when Atlantis fell?”

Remnant sighed. “The blood crystals did indeed disappear with Atlantis but they were not destroyed. Nor was the city. It was how I was able to come here from The Under.”

There was only one way that was possible.

“The whirlpool gateways are still active?” I said with awe.

“Apparently.” She shrugged.

I hummed. “That may come in handy.”

Remnant shook her head. “I’ve been told that they are only a one way portal now.”

Tyr whistled. “Should we expect an armada of angry water fae on our shores?”

“I did some house cleaning before I returned home.” I said carefully. “The water fae have taken a huge blow…I doubt they will be mounting an attack on us anytime soon. Our main focus should be stopping Deirdre from coming through the Sanguine gateway.”

Remnant crossed her arms when I ignored her inquisitive look. “I don’t know about water fae…” She narrowed her eyes with thought. “But I believe fortifying your shores against blood wraiths if able would be appropriate. There were almost a full score of them inside Atlantis when I escaped there. ”

“Done.” Tyr snapped, no questions asked. I gave him a small smile. He respected her.

Penina cursed. “Do we know if the blood wraiths can use these crystals if they are in The Under?”

My brows furrowed. “Perhaps I may be able to find some answers about that in one of my texts.” I attempted to reassure them.

“Your majesty, if I may?” Jar’s bright blue eyes were full of unease.

I nodded in earnest.

The master healer stapled his fingers in front of him.

“I feel that some truths need to be told behind the Sanguine. Truths that you will not find in the history books you love so much Daemon.” He paused, tapping his fingers, drawing our attention further in.

“As you all know the Sanguine was more than just a power, it was also a court, the blood fae court.”

Nods of understanding came from around the room.

Jarquinn continued. “The blood fae held a tremendous power we now refer to as the Sanguine.

With this power came the ability to control any living lifeform through their blood…

like a puppet. They were the world's deadliest manipulators and often created mischief with other courts. Except this terrible power came with a terrible price…it drained the blood fae of their own immortality and they aged. Quite unlike the rest of us, who stop aging in our thirtieth year and become fully mature in our centum.”

“Let me guess…” Penina drawled. “They didn’t like that.”

Jar gave her a pointed look. “No. They did not. Nor would you if you had been in their place. Their power destroyed them. Imagine if shifting destroyed you.”

Penina’s lips thinned. “I get your point, healer.”

He nodded. “Be sure that you do, my cub.” He looked down at the table to me.

“Their resentment of their own power turned onto the rest of us and they quickly found that they could quite literally suck our immortality by drinking our blood. Not only did they become youthful again but their power heightened.” Jar visibly shivered as if he were lost in an old memory.

“The more powerful the fae they drank from, the longer their youth lasted. They started to become more animal than fae, hunting the ancients first as their favored blood source since our blood was more potent. It was dark times and I lost many loved ones from the blood fae’s unquenchable thirst. Including my beloved.

” He looked sadly over at Quinn. “Your mother was one of them. It was that moment that I turned my attention to healing rather than killing, a path that was too little too late for our family. I am sorry, my son.”

“I know you would have saved her if you could have, father.” Quinn said quietly.

The healer’s blue eyes sparkled with tears.

“It wasn't until our most powerful and revered seer from the elemental court was slaughtered that we collectively reached our breaking point. The blood wars were the result of the shifter, elemental, and shadow court joining forces to stop the blood fae once and for all.”

“Who was the seer?” Penina twirled a piercing on her furrowed brow.

Jar looked at my soulmate. “Her name was Talgira.” He said solemnly.

“Deirdre’s mother.” Remnant breathed.

Jarquinn nodded. “Yes. Talgira was a wise and kind fae, with very powerful insight. She was able to see blood fae attacks and thwart their plans quite effectively. We all looked to her for safety but that also made her a target. She was sent into hiding, away from her family, with a powerful and brutal ancient shifter fae we all voted for as a guard for her. A shifter king we all know as Daemon’s father, Asher Windswift Strider. ”

I inhaled sharply. “He never told me any of this.”

Jar gave me a sympathetic look. “Because to his greatest shame, your father failed although it was never his fault. As I said before, Talgira was a very powerful seer, an ancient like myself, and she was shown a vision. One of our world dying if she stayed in hiding. Those were the words she left behind hastily scrawled out on parchment before she drugged the shifter king into a deep sleep.” He bowed his head.

“Her drained husk of a body was found a week later on our shores along with her newborn grandson protected tightly in her arms.”

Remnant looked out the sunlit window. “Deirdre’s son.”

“Goddess.” Whispered Eshe, a hand covering her mouth with horror.

“That is why…that is why the queen hates us so much.” Penina whispered. “She blamed the shifters for the death of her mother and her son…killing our queen was her retribution.”

Jar slanted eyes closed. “Sadly, yes.” He sighed and swept aside his blonde hair.

“You all must understand that grief can either form us into something dark and twisted or allow us to grow into something more, it can fuel our vengeance or deliver us peace. It is a choice we make, at times without notice. Deirdre made her choice and never looked back.”

I heeded Jar’s advice and let go of the deep hurt in my chest from knowing that my mother was killed for misplaced revenge. “But why want the very power that destroyed her own mother and son?”

Jar sighed. “The thirst for power is a vicious cycle and thirst for justice even more so…while searching for it, the lines blur, and we often become the villain in our own story.” He looked at me pleadingly.

“Be sure to understand, Daemon, that Deirdre led us through the blood wars, without her, many fae would have perished. None of us knew that her grief was festering beneath the strong front she held for all of us during those dark times. If we had…if I had. I would have stopped it.”

I gave him a sad smile, knowing the toll it took for Jar to be the cause of one's death and not the preventer of it. “You are like a father to me, Jar. I would never have blamed you even if you had. But thank you for telling me that.”

His blue eyes gazed at me thoughtfully and then he sighed.

“There is more.” Tapping his fingers together he continued.

“Dierdre was insistent on destroying the blood fae entirely…like we all were. But without Talgira, we had no way of defending ourselves during their attacks and with each victory of theirs, with each feeding, they got stronger and stronger. So much blood was spilled during that time that the mountains turned red…and stayed that way. Like the vile red cap creatures who soaked their hats in the blood of their kills, the mountains did the same with the blood shed of our people. We call them the Red Cap Mountains now because of that, but they were never that color when I was young.”

I glanced at Tyr who sat very still in his chair and I knew he was remembering those caves. There would be no lightening the mood for him. Sometimes we just had to feel…and learn from it.

Jar held our attention when he leaned in and flattened his hands on the smooth polished wood. “That amount of bloodshed drew the ire of our Goddess Faerie and along with her…her two god brothers—”

“I’m sorry but did you say brothers?" We all stared with wide shock when Remnant gasped. “The goddess has brothers?!”