Page 19

CHAPTER 19

YVETTE

I stand on the balcony of the tower, staring across the never-ending forest. I appreciate that the balcony faces the forest and doesn’t have a view of Sorsston or any other hint of civilization. It makes me feel like Lucas and I are the last two people in the realm, and it also helps me forget about the war that will likely rage for years, if not decades or longer.

Lifting my face to the sky, I soak up the warmth of the sun. It’s midday, though Lucas is still sleeping. Or, finally sleeping. We’d stayed up until early morning. Talking, snuggling, and making love. Heat flows through me and an ache pangs in my core when I recall all the intimacies we’ve shared thus far.

I glance over my shoulder and smile at the sight of my husband sprawled in the bed. His chest rises and falls steadily, and he looks so peaceful in sleep that it nearly brings tears to my eyes. I return to the bedroom and approach him, keeping my footfalls light so I don’t wake him. My heart brims with affection as I stare down at the handsome fae prince I now call husband.

Husband. My pulse quickens.

I like using that word, and I like it when he calls me ‘wife.’ It fills me with warmth and makes me hopeful for our future.

Speaking of our future, I still haven’t decided where we should live, though I’ll admit I’m stunned that he’s leaving it up to me. Last night after our final round of lovemaking, we’d discussed all our options, everything from a grand new house on the edge of the Summer Court to a cottage of our own in the human territories.

The only thing I know for certain is that I wouldn’t want to live in Aunt Heather’s cottage. I adore both my aunt and my mother, but as a newly married woman, I want plenty of privacy with my husband and I know he feels the same. But maybe we could build a house near my aunt’s place. Yes, that’s certainly a possibility.

I sigh and remind myself that I don’t have to reach a decision today. I have time. We have time. Gods, we’re both going to live for thousands of years.

I slowly climb into bed next to Lucas. He peeks one eye open, gives me a sleepy smile, and drapes an arm around me. He pulls me snug against his body, and a warm summer breeze drifts over us, making it unnecessary to get beneath the covers.

“I was dreaming about you, sweetling.” He presses a kiss to my temple, and I burrow deeper in his arms.

“Oh?” I trail a hand over his muscular chest, admiring the way the light from the sconces dances over his golden flesh. The fire has long burned out, but given his summer heat, we don’t quite need it. “What happened in your dream?”

A faraway look enters his eyes, and the barest hint of a smile pulls at his lips. “I dreamed we were walking through the ruins of the Summer Court, thousands of years from now. The ruins were lovely and overgrown with flowering trees and vines. We were holding hands, and our children were with us. Our grown children. Five of them, if you can believe it, which is a huge number of offspring for my people to have. We were showing them the old court. That’s it. That’s the dream. It was… pleasant. Gods, you looked the same as you do now. Young and beautiful with your dark hair flowing down to your waist.”

I smile as I try to picture his dream in my head. Though I’ve never visited the Summer Court, or any fae court, I’ve read enough books and heard enough stories to give me a fairly good idea of what each fae court looks like. It’s said the Summer Court is a sprawling city with white, stone buildings that contain colorful roofs. I can easily imagine us walking through the ruins of the white, stone buildings, but it’s difficult to picture five adult children. Gods, what if his dream comes true?

“Mira has told me that fae couples don’t have a lot of children. Usually just one or two, and there’s a huge span of years between the births.” I continue running my fingers over his chest. “Do you really think it’s possible we could have five children?”

“My parents had three children,” he says in a thoughtful tone. “Some of my distant family members have been rather fruitful, now that I think about it. Did you know Warden Valloc’s father has three brothers? So, perhaps we will have a large family.” He smooths a hand through my hair and sits up against the pillows, bringing me with him and arranging my head to rest on his chest, directly over his beating heart.

Five children. I suppose only time will tell, and in our case, it might be a long time. It’s still shocking to me that most fae siblings have hundreds of years between them. Shocking and perhaps a bit sad since those siblings can’t grow up together like human children usually can.

“How long will we stay here in the tower?” I ask.

“At least a week, sweetling, if that suits you.” He kisses the top of my head, then draws his fingers through my long locks. “Sometime in the near future, we must visit the Summer Court so I might introduce you to my parents, and my brothers too if they are in court, though it’s very likely that they’re off in the human lands now looking for brides of their own.”

My stomach does a little flip, but I remind myself that I’m safe with Lucas. The idea of visiting a fae court is more than a little unnerving, but he won’t let anything or anyone hurt me. I trust him, and it’s comforting to know the Summer Court isn’t as crowded as it once was. The regular faefolk have been migrating into the human and orc lands, following the spread of ussha, for several years now.

“We won’t stay in the Summer Court for long,” he adds in a reassuring tone, as though sensing my disquiet. “Not unless you wish to linger.”

I peek up at him and drum my fingers on his chest. “What will be expected of me in the Summer Court? Will I have to attend any events in the palace during our visit?” I think of the stories I’ve heard about the fae dancing for days upon days at palace parties, lost in trances of magic. I also think about the stories of the fae forcing humans to dance into exhaustion or even death, and I suppress a shiver. I know nothing like that would happen to me, but I certainly don’t want to witness any cruelty visited upon my own people while I’m there. It’s no secret that there are human slaves in all four fae courts. Orc slaves, too.

“You won’t have to attend any events in the palace, sweetling. In fact, I would prefer it if you didn’t. But I will arrange for you to meet my parents in a quiet setting. Perhaps over dinner one night.” He falls silent and a look of concern mars his visage. “It’s my hope that my brothers aren’t there. I don’t think you would like them very much. I don’t like them very much.”

“Do you think your brothers are upset that your father has ordered them to marry humans?” I can’t help but worry that his brothers might mistreat their human wives. Though Lucas hasn’t told me much about them, I’ve gotten the sense that they’re very… fae . Cruel and scheming. Violent.

“Yes, I’m sure they are furious, but they will also follow his orders. If they haven’t already taken human wives, they will soon.” He glances out the window as a small flock of birds dives in front of the balcony before swooping upward into the clouds. “They will likely try to wed human princesses, and I doubt they will care if the females are willing or if their families approve. May the gods have mercy on their poor brides.”

“Do you think your brothers will decide to live in the Summer Court with their new wives?”

“Most likely.” He sighs and brushes an errant lock of hair from my face, his fingers lingering as he traces my curved human ear. “I suppose I should be honest with you and tell you that I wouldn’t want to live in the Summer Court. I know I told you we could live wherever you wished, but the more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t want to be in close proximity to my brothers, or even my father. Though it pains me that being far away from them means I rarely see my mother.”

I sit up in bed and face him. Then I gather his hands in mine. “I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to live in the Summer Court. Instead of leaving the decision about where we’re going to live up to me, let’s figure it out together, and let’s take our time doing it. We could even test out living in a few different places and see what we like best. I also suspect you’ll want to live close to an area that contains a high concentration of ussha, though I realize it now extends into most of the human and orc territories.”

He sits up and withdraws his hands from mine, then reaches out to cup my face. Gods, his hands are so huge, and just as golden as the rest of him. Warmth fills his eyes as he holds my gaze, his expression gentle and loving. Gods, when he stares at me like this, I feel treasured, and I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

“You are so sweet and thoughtful, Yvette, that I fear I do not deserve you. Thank you for understanding my aversion to living in the Summer Court. Some highborn fae I am. Some prince.” He snorts.

“You’re still highborn, and you’re still a prince, no matter where you call home. Besides, the fae courts are falling. Very gradually, but it’s happening. That’s what Mira told me, that everything is changing and one day the entire realm will be under fae rule, and the Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn courts will be gone just like the Seelie and Unseelie courts are no more.” I take a deep breath as I consider my next words. “Just because you don’t want to live in the Summer Court, that doesn’t mean you’re any less of a royal than your father and brothers. It means you’ve embraced the change that’s coming.”

“Embraced the change that’s coming,” he repeats with a small smile. “I like the sound of that. It sounds much better than ‘running away’ or ‘avoiding.’” He touches his forehead to mine and his hands drift from my face to stroke my arms. His touch causes goosebumps to rise all over me. “Gods, Yvette, you are wise beyond your twenty-four years.”

I laugh. Shortly before our wedding, he’d inquired about my age, and he’d been shocked by the answer, believing I looked to be only nineteen or twenty. He’d been further shocked when I explained that twenty-four was considered old for a woman to still be unmarried, at least a human woman from Trevos.

Then he’d announced his age. Four hundred and sixty.

My mind reels at the huge age gap, but I remind myself that as the centuries pass, and eventually, the millennia, the more than four hundred years between us will feel like nothing.

“Gods, I still can’t believe the ages of your parents. It’s remarkable, and it makes me curious to meet them.” His father is over three thousand years old, but his mother is nearly ten thousand years old. A former Seelie queen, she’s one of the oldest fae in existence, but Lucas claims she doesn’t look any older than him. “I also can’t believe your poor father had to wait so long just to meet his fated mate.”

A strange noise outside draws our attention, and we exchange a look before dressing quickly and heading for the balcony. My overprotective husband pushes me behind him and shields me with his body, and I struggle to see anything with him standing in front of me. He peeks over the railing and stiffens, then tries to push me back inside, clearly not wanting me to see what’s below.

But curiosity gets the best of me, and I duck around him and look down. Just as he snakes an arm around my waist, I glimpse a huge pool of sparkling red. Blood? Why is it glittering? I don’t understand, but it gives me a cold feeling, and when Lucas guides me back inside, I don’t fight him. I’m eager to return to the warmth of our bedroom.

“What is that?” Worry tightens in my gut, especially when I notice a deep frown marring Lucas’s face.

“It’s a blood warning.”

“A blood warning? I don’t understand.” Yes, I’ve read a lot of books, but I don’t know everything there is to know about fae culture. I pray ‘blood warning,’ whatever it is, isn’t as ominous as it sounds.

He meets my eyes, and I don’t like the deepening anxiety in his expression. “It means someone doesn’t approve of our mating union, and they want us dead.”