Page 26

Zoey

I stare at myself in the mirror and realize I’m this man’s Barbie doll.

I mean there have been times in our lives where that was certainly true of my Fae husband. For Danny, clothes are just an obstacle to his final destination, which is me naked, but Dev likes to dress me up and show me off.

It rankles with this man.

The sidhe maid finishes tying the bow around the waist of my dress and steps back. She’s been silent most of the time, only answering my questions, and it takes me a moment to remember that she’s under a powerful spell. She cannot talk unless I speak to her directly.

She’s thin, far more than is natural, and she doesn’t glow the way I’ve found most Fae do. Not like Twilight or anything, but most sidhe I’ve met have this brightness to their features no matter their skin tone.

A bit like Shy. Huh. I never considered it before but my son’s goddess—and after the magic I felt last night she’s absolutely his goddess—has that bit of glow around her. Though she was born on the Earth plane, I now think she has Fae in her background.

“Are you all right?”

I ask quietly.

The woman’s eyes widen as if shocked I would ask. “I am fine, my lady. Thank you. Is there anything else you require?”

“Some information, if you can,”

I say, glancing at the door. Daniel promised there’s nothing there that would give anyone special access to my conversations. That was oddly all in the bathing room. I’d been careful when I used it earlier. Careful in the way I let him get brief glimpses, little looks, and then I would hurry away because I’m such a delicate princess and no one ever saw me naked before. Only him.

He doesn’t need to know how many people have seen my hoohaw in the name of fertility rituals.

When I awakened, Danny was gone. He held me until I managed to fall asleep, but it took a while since we both sat up, feeling those waves of magic pulse against us. Familiar and yet uniquely theirs.

There were definitely wards to keep out magic, but Rhys’s had slipped under them, weaker than they would be without the wards since they didn’t send the palace into a frenzied orgy, for which I will forever be grateful, but they were there. I heard the king screaming at his guard to do something about it, but he didn’t come into my room.

Danny and I had been on the outside again. Our son bound himself the night before—a ceremony that should have been joyous for us all. And Dev was held in shackles as his son took his rightful place.

Another sin I place at Myrddin Emrys’s feet.

“Of course,”

the woman says, her head bowing.

How much has this woman gone through? “What’s your name? I’m Zoey.”

Her head comes up. “My name is of no consequence.”

“It is to me. It’s so much nicer than hey, you.”

I give her a smile and step back from the mirror. “You did a wonderful job, by the way.”

She glances to the mirror, wariness clear in her eyes.

I wave off the fear. “It’s not spelled. It’s only a mirror. I checked it with a charm my baby girl made. She’s excellent with Fae magic, but she comes by it honestly. Her father is a high priest in our timeline. Did you know that?”

Her face flushes, and her voice goes low. “I heard this. That he serves both courts.”

I nod. “He does, but he prefers the Unseelie. Don’t get me wrong. He wouldn’t deny his Seelie brethren, but if he had to choose it would be the Unseelie. They’re less pretentious.”

She bites her bottom lip, and her eyes go wide again.

Damn it. Communication is going to be so much fun here. “What’s your name?”

“I am Grenelda.”

“Are you Seelie?”

“Of course.”

She winces as though something hurt her. “I do have some Unseelie blood, but please do not tell the king. My father was part troll. I can pass.”

I feel for her. And I’m glad apparently no one ever asked the question directly to her because it appears she cannot lie. Not even to protect herself. “There is nothing wrong with being part anything. Except asshole. Your king’s got a lot of asshole in his background.”

That earns me a slight smile.

Though if she can’t lie, I need to give her truth to tell. “Although he is handsome and seems kind.”

I wink at her. “I could definitely come to love him, if you know what I mean.”

Her smile widens. “Yes, Zoey. That is good. If I am asked, that is what I will report to him.”

I doubt the king will ask her, but I’ve given myself cover. I can get to the question I really want the answer to. “Do you know what happened at the temple last night?”

She nods. “Oh, yes. Or rather I have seen what happened to the temple itself. It’s so beautiful again.”

I didn’t see it when we came in. “What was it like before?”

“Before last night or before the king took over?”

“Both,” I say.

“It was beautiful. Peaceful. It was open to all when his grandfather was king,”

she begins quietly. She frowns. “I am not usually able to speak so much. Usually the spell only allows a few words.”

“My son’s magic is the language of Faery. His magic got through the wards last night. I felt it.”

Danny and I talked about how Rhys and Shy finally giving in to longing would affect the sithein. Years and years of pent-up need had flowed out the night before and despite the wards, it would affect everything here. “I’m sure the king will tighten it up again when he realizes, so perhaps you should all remain cautious.”

“You are not here to take her place.”

Grenelda slaps a hand over her mouth as though she can’t believe the words came out.

I am so pleased I can’t begin to express it. If Rhys’s magic can break the king’s stranglehold, I can work with that. “I am not. I came here to see my mother-in-law and ask for her aid. You see, in my timeline, Myrddin Emrys stole my husband’s crown and twelve years of our lives with our kids. I need to find a friend of mine who might have the only magic that can counter him and free us, but I need the ancient amulet. The one the royals use to talk to their ancestors. I certainly didn’t come here in hopes of dumping the husbands I love in favor of a bad version of one of them. What do you think?”

I give her the question because I’m sure it’s easier for her to reply that way. Even without the spell, they’ve had years to learn when not to talk, when their voices could cost them much pain and suffering.

“I think he wears it most days,”

she replies quickly. “I do not know how often he uses it, though. He doesn’t believe in listening to his ancestors. Especially when they give him bad news.”

“Do you remember the last time he did use it?”

I’m surprised since at least in our time, it is only to be used as a last resort. Dev is worried they’ll be angry with us, but I don’t know where else to turn. Finding Sarah and Felix and Mia is the most important thing I can do.

She nods. “He asked how he could get back into his temple. He was so angry the day he realized he couldn’t even walk onto the grounds, and neither could anyone who follows him.”

“Follows him or is forced to work for him?”

“I cannot walk on the grounds, either,”

Grenelda admits. “At least I couldn’t before. I am afraid to try.”

The spell would have the king’s signature on it. The temple’s magic would recognize it. “Do you know if Myrddin can go into the temple?”

“I don’t think so. The temple doesn’t seem to like what he does.”

“He destroys souls.”

She nods. “No one can know exactly, but there are dark rumors that the wizard has taught our king new ways to find magical energy in hopes of getting back inside his temple. I believe some of the lesser Fae still find ways. They enter to help the rebels. The king guards the lands around the palace vigorously, but it is said there are tunnels he has not found, and that is how they get in. Please do not tell him.”

“I would never tell him,”

I vow. “I need you to understand that the lesser Fae are important to me. In my time I am their high priestess, and I love them. I honor them. What your king has done to you and them is evil. I will do anything to help you, but from what I understand there is no rebellion among the palace staff. Not among the sidhe. Could anything cause them to risk rebellion?”

She nods slowly. “Yes. I think what happened last night might sway us. Especially since that magic seems to have dimmed the king’s spells that keep us quiet and submissive.”

“What happened?”

A smile crosses her face. “The temple is alive again. We felt that sweet magic flow, and it filled my soul. I woke in the middle of the night and I felt…love and hope. I cried. I have not been able to cry since the king forced this curse upon me.”

I didn’t realize it went beyond ensuring obedience. He shut down their emotions? They haven’t had emotions in years until the night before when they felt the marriage of a god to his goddess.

“One more thing, Your Grace,”

she says as I hear shouting out in the hallways. She leans forward. “I have heard rumor that there was a theft last night.”

Shit. All eyes will be on me then. “Of what?”

“The Goddess Chain,”

she whispers as the floors shake lightly, a sign that someone is coming. “The one he should have offered Zandra.”

We don’t have much time left. “Do you know anything about my husband?”

Her lips curl up. “I know the guards are surprised at how little damage their torture did to him. They are not warded in the dungeons. They felt the full magic. The guards ran fleeing because they were in a full lust. Still, the injuries they gave to the Green Man should not have healed the way they did. And I heard Ostara was not there this morning at all. They fear the king’s anger at losing her.”

The door begins to open, and I whisper to her. “Pretend you are normal. Don’t let him know you can talk freely.”

Devilshea strides in, his face an arrogant mask.

I turn, offering him a deep curtsey which also gives him a good view of my breasts. “Your Majesty.”

He stops, and I can sense his irritation. “You…you look lovely this morning.”

“I want to know where she was last night,”

a distinctly unwelcome voice says. Myrddin steps into the room, and he looks to Grenelda. “You, girl. Where was she last night? She is your charge, correct? You stayed in the outer rooms in case she needed something.”

The king sighs. “I didn’t want her to think I didn’t trust her. The guard on her door told me she did not leave.”

Grenelda stares at the wizard, a blank look on her face. “Yes. No. I was in the servant’s quarters.”

The words came out like she had to push them.

She’s good at this. Thank the goddess.

“I was in this room all night, Your Majesty. I did not leave,”

I say, telling him no lies.

The king sighs. “It appears there was a theft last night, and the wizard believes it was you.”

“I know it was her.”

Myrddin looks a bit ruffled this morning. Like something’s thrown him off his game. Whatever it is, I’m here for it. “She is a known thief in her timeline. She stole the Goddess Chain, and she’s going to use it to some nefarious purpose.”

Now I’m a little confused, and it’s time for some honesty since the sucker is still around my neck. I pull it from my bodice. “I have worn this for years. You accuse me of stealing something that belongs to me.”

The king stills, his eyes on the chain. “It is similar but not exact. The one that belongs to me is slightly larger, and the crescent moon is done in silver, not gold.”

“Of course not. You took the other one,”

Myrddin accuses. “I believe you stole it from its place in the library and you found a way to smuggle it to your son. He is using it to transform the temple.”

Myrddin doesn’t know everything. He is of the inner planes, a child of a human and a demon. He has been the mentor to the King of the Sword since there was first a king. He doesn’t understand Fae magic. He probably thinks it’s too soft to harm him. I pull the chain over my head. “I did not leave this room, and this is my Goddess Chain. I was given it by Declan Quinn in the name of his mother, Miria, the Queen of the Seelie Fae. I have worn it since our wedding night. Your Majesty, do you want me to give it to you? I am certain the wizard will tell you I am wearing the proof of my crime. I’m sure I changed it just enough to fool you. I can’t defend myself in any other way.”

“My mother gave it to you?”

He takes it and holds it up to the light, inspecting it.

“It was actually your brother. He was her emissary that night. He did not want to give it to me, but Dev forced his hand,”

I reply honestly, not bothering to clarify that it was another Declan Quinn entirely. I’m starting to worry there is something wrong with the king’s brain and he can’t think completely straight. “He thought we should not marry. He thought I should be kept as a mistress and Devinshea should screw as many pretty Fae girls as he could.”

A bitter expression crosses his face as he brings the chain back down. “Yes, that was his argument. My mother’s as well. Zandra was low born, and it wouldn’t do even when it was obvious she was my goddess and my magic was so much stronger when she was with me. I spoke with your Devinshea last night before the temple went insane. It unsettled me.”

He holds the chain and looks to Grenelda. “What did she say to you this morning? Anything about me? Did she ask you to help her get away?”

Grenelda’s mouth opens, and her head shakes as though she’s not sure which question to answer first.

Myrddin sighs. “I told you. You have to be specific. Girl, did this one say anything concerning?”

Grenelda nods as though the confusion is gone now. “No, sir.”

“Did she say anything about me?”

the king pushes.

“Yes,”

Grenelda says.

“Well, what was it?”

the king asks with utter impatience.

“She could…she could fall in love…with you.”

The words come out haltingly, stumbling over each one.

A perfect performance. I lower my lashes as though the revelation is too emotional for me.

He comes to stand before me. “You could?”

Myrddin actually groans.

I let my eyes meet the king’s. All I can think about in this moment is somewhere beneath me my real husband is held in chains. “It’s what I said, but I understand if you cannot say the same of me because you think I’m a thief.”

“Think? You are a thief. You pretty much introduce yourself as a damn thief,”

Myrddin complains. “You are proud of it.”

I shake my head. “I was once, but I have children now. You can’t think I go around stealing things. I left that life behind long ago. I never thought I would have to be anything again but a wife and a mother. Now I have to face a life where we are perpetually at war, with my children in constant danger because my husbands won’t do what they need to do to protect them.”

“Which is why you want a man who would burn the world for you,”

the king says, and he holds out the Goddess Chain.

I bend my neck and allow him to return it to me. It settles between my breasts. “I simply want to be safe. I want to know my children are safe.”

“Well, he can’t keep your children safe,”

Myrddin replies. “No one can.”

“You doubt me?”

The king turns on the wizard, moving to my side. He holds his hand out, a silent request.

One I dare not refuse. I let my hand lay on his, the gesture regal in nature, a king about to lead his queen.

I am not his queen, and I will lead this game.

“I do not, Your Majesty,”

I say and look to Myrddin.

The hate on his face is blatant and pure before the courtier is back. He bows toward the king. “Of course you are more than capable of protecting anyone you wish to. But none of this solves the problem we’re facing. Someone has the Goddess Chain, and they are using it to power the temple.”

“Then destroy the temple. I’ll build another one,”

the king says. “I’ll build one for me and my goddess.”

“I have explained to you that the temple is necessary to the sithein. To the whole plane,”

Myrddin explains. “Even if I could destroy it, it would likely take everything close with it. And by close I mean within sight, and that includes the mountains.”

A long look passes between them, and I know they’re talking about the mountains that called to Shy. My daughter-in-law is on to something, and I have to pray Rhys will allow her to investigate.

Or that she’ll insist.

“Then find a way to cut it off from the rest of the palace,”

the king says with obvious frustration. “Look. I appreciate what you’ve done for me thus far. Your teachings have been invaluable, and you will get what you came for. But she is not fully mine yet and cannot be until I have the god’s power for my own. Until then, I cannot go to the mountains with you and unlock what you need. So work on cutting the temple off. Find a way in and desecrate it so its power is dimmed.”

“I don’t know that…”

Myrddin’s head bows. “Of course, Your Majesty. I will work on the temple and my own projects and report back to you. As to our future queen, be careful with her. She will lie and cheat and do whatever it takes to save her family.”

The king’s eyes narrow. “If you feel she cannot love me then your portion of our bargain is unfulfilled, and we should do something about it.”

Myrddin holds a hand up, and I finally truly understand the quandary he’s in. He can’t tell this man I’m pregnant because I’m the prize and the prize has to be perfect. The king has to desire the prize or he won’t give the wizard what he wants. What he needs so desperately. “Of course she can, Your Majesty. This one is the right one. It didn’t work before, but it shall this time. You will see. I’m only asking you to take things slowly and be cautious or you might…lose her again.”

Oh, I don’t like how that sounds. I don’t think he’s talking about taking me to the mall and oops, I thought she was at Ulta but now she’s gone. This feels like losing me in the most malicious way possible.

“Come, Zandra.”

He fumbles over my name, and I see the recognition of wrongness, but a stubborn will hits his features and he does not correct himself. “I have a lovely breakfast set out for you and then I thought we would tour the palace. I want a nice day with you.”

I just want to get through it. Danny’s going to try to break Dev out this evening, and Rhys and Shy should be going on the run this morning.

I smile. “That sounds wonderful.”

I follow him out and pray Myrddin can’t get to the temple.