Chapter Nineteen

When Azrael and I had first met with the leaders of Earth, there had only been a handful of them. But the world recovered further since then and its governments reformed. They were all on board with the Faerie Gods dictatorship (lets call a spade a spade) since it was a step up from what the Faerie God had originally planned (full world domination in a very Dark Star way). Funny how both my husband and I had nearly taken over the world. Well, I guess there was no nearly about Azrael (nor had it been very funny). He had done it. He took over the world and me with it, turning me into the Faerie Goddess. But we got through it and brought him back. Now, Az had his dark star, the Faerie God, under control.

Azrael couldnt just hand the world back to the humans after all that had been done. There had been positive changes made that we wanted to protect—things like an end to the threat of nuclear war. Also, there was still Wild Magic on Earth, contained within the land around the Golden Citadel and beneath it. Lastly, the Fey were out of the magic closet and that brought all sorts of trouble with it.

Most humans didnt know about Azraels true form. They didnt know he was a god and an Angel. Mainly because they didnt know that gods existed. Not like that. So, Az brought the Faerie God out for short intervals and tried his best to oversee the Earth fairly. As much as this was a type of dictatorship, Azrael didnt want it to be. So he encouraged the governments of the world to reform and handle their own business under his watchful eye. A sort of “do your thing, just dont kill each other” kind of situation. But now that faeries were moving to Earth, Azrael had to help the races learn to live harmoniously together. He sort of owed it to both sides.

Azrael worked with the Royals of Faerie, especially the High King, and the leaders of Earth to develop laws for both races to follow on Earth and establish methods of integration. The human leaders were offering free faerie classes in colleges around the world and had saturated the media with information about faeries. People feared things they didnt know, so we were making faeries known. It was a campaign of awareness. Things like, “Spriggans puff up when startled” and “Imps love to play jokes.” We wanted humans to know what to expect and what to avoid, but to also see the lighter side of faeries.

On the Fey side, the information wasnt just offered, it was mandatory for anyone visiting Earth. We required them to go through orientation classes. Most of the Fey hadnt been to Earth for a very long time. They didnt know about modern ways, and they certainly didnt know the laws of the land, especially since they varied from region to region. So, the orientation classes supplied them with the information they needed to navigate whatever part of the world they were visiting, interact properly with the locals, and stay out of jail. Any faerie found guilty of a crime on Earth got a one-way ticket back to the Faerie Realm.

This made everyone happy. But, as with any newly established system, those in charge wanted to check things out for themselves. The Fey Royals had approved the curriculum offered in colleges and all information handed out in the media about the Fey. Now, the Earth leaders wanted to take a look at what we were teaching faerie and make sure the laws and customs of their countries were being presented properly. In other words, they wanted an excuse to visit Faerie.

And boy had they taken it.

Every country, from Andorra to Zimbabwe, had sent their leaders on this field trip. Youd think theyd be hesitant to go to another realm, especially a realm that had birthed the fearsome man who nearly destroyed the world (as far as they knew). But nope. In true human fashion, curiosity had won over prudence and every world leader wanted to go. Not a single one chose to send a representative in their stead. And they all came with a translator (if they needed one) and a single guard. We didnt allow them more than that because, with nearly two hundred world leaders, that meant two hundred guards and nearly a hundred translators. Thankfully, most of the heads of state spoke English so there were fewer translators than guards. Still, around five hundred humans were coming to Faerie.

Five hundred.

Tracing that many people would have been torture. Instead, the Faerie God brought them through a rath—a tunnel between realms. There used to be many raths connecting Faerie to Earth, but after the Dragon-Sidhe were hunted to near extinction, the High King summoned all the Fey home and sealed the raths. After I accidentally entered Faerie several years ago, a tracing point was established in the Great Tree, but not a rath. The Faerie God, however, opened a rath beneath the Golden Citadel. It was the only open rath between the realms and it was located in the same meadow as the Elemental Well—the only such well on Earth. Suffice it to say it was vigilantly guarded.

Think of elemental wells like hearts that pumped magic, their veins stretching out through whatever land theyre bound to. In Faerie, every kingdom has an elemental well of the corresponding element that can be used by the monarch to touch all of their territory and people at once. Arach and I had given the Fire Fey back their fertility through the Fire Well beneath Castle Aithinne. And that was a well for only one element. The well beneath the Golden Citadel connected to all the elements and pumped Wild Magic (as opposed to the tamer, more normal version of magic that ran through Faerie) through the Wild Land. It had once pumped that magic through the whole Earth, but Azrael drew it back and contained it. Could he spread the magic again? Probably. Azrael and I both had a connection to the Elemental Well. But it was one of those things that was too powerful to mess with. So we werent sure what we could do with it.

Around the Elemental Well and the only open rath to Faerie was an orchard that produced shiny, red, Snow White apples full of Wild Magic instead of poison. Although Wild Magic could be a type of poison depending on who ingested it. At the start of the war with Heaven, Jerry had orchestrated an orchard theft. Okay, he didnt steal the orchard, I just liked the way that sounded. He did send an Angel to steal a bunch of apples, though. And those apples gave his army incredible powers. How you like dem apples? So, yeah, there was a lot to protect beneath the Golden Citadel.

And there we were, marching five hundred humans through that very orchard.

Azrael had planned to post Fey guards along the way to the rath, ensuring that no one wandered from the path or picked up anything along the way. It was a huge undertaking, but it was easier than tracing everyone and it had to be done to promote goodwill among faeries and humans. We had invaded their world. It was only fair that they got to visit ours.

All of this is just to explain that Arach and I werent meeting Azrael and the human invaders (just joking . . . hopefully) at the Great Tree. We waited to greet them at the Castle of Eight with the rest of the faerie royals, including the High family. The High Family now included Princess Isleen, the Leanan-Sidhe woman who had raised Arach. The high royal men loved the Leanan-Sidhe ladies. High Queen Meara was of that race as well. This was especially interesting since Prince Lugh so closely resembled his father, High King Cian. They could have been twins if Lugh didnt have both height and muscle on Cian.

Arach and I said our hellos to everyone, paying special attention to the Royals of Earth—King Ruari and Queen Bronagh. But I didnt sense even a hint of animosity from them. I ended up feeling guilty for thinking poorly of them. They were such a sweet couple. I still remembered the Crown Tourney in which theyd both fought and made it to the end. The last fight was them against each other. But neither could back down, nor did they want to disgrace each other by holding back. Ruari won, then raced to his wife and cradled her in his arms while she recovered. I think he even cried. Could those two really be responsible for kidnapping dogs and snakes? Again, that just sounded good in my head. Cerberus isnt a dog, and Viper certainly isnt a snake. Nor would they be easy to take. Damn it, did I just make a rhyme? That made it even worse.

“Vervain,” Arach whispered to get my attention.

I jerked my stare from the Earth Royals to the grand archway within the tree-wall. Yes, tree-wall. The Castle of Eight was composed of eight massive trees. And I mean massive. They soared thousands of feet into the air and each one was the width of your average castle on Earth. And I do mean castle, not manor or chateau. Although, I think chateau might be another word for a castle. I was never good at languages.

Anyway, the central tree was the tallest and widest, growing in the middle of the others, with a courtyard and elemental gardens around it. The seven outer trees were normal enough apart from their size. They didnt even breathe like many of the other ancient trees in the Forgetful Forest. That being said, the lower parts of their trunks extended several hundred feet to either side to join with their neighbors and form a seamless wall. The wall was manned by Fey soldiers from all the Elemental Houses, performing their required service to the High King. The trunks of all the trees were hollow, including the wall portion, providing housing for the High Court and its army. The High Royal Family lived in the central tree, of course. They also entertained there.

Just to be clear, this was not where the rath let out. The rath connected the Golden Citadel to the Imleag—the hub of Faerie, also known as the Navel of the Realm. The Imleag was the most central spot in the Faerie Realm and the most powerful location, where all the elements gathered. The Castle of Eight stood very close to the Imleag, but not directly upon it. No, that would have been blasphemy. But the Faerie God hadnt cared about blasphemy when he made the rath. He was more concerned about power.

Thank goodness Az had him under control.

You do know that the Faerie God is Azrael?Faerie spoke in my mind.

A twisted version of him tainted by Wild Magic,I answered in the same manner.

Yes, but as much him as the Dark Star was you.

Again, I was reminded of how my husband and I had separately gone bad and tried to take over the world. Everybody wants to rule the world. Was it our foray into evil that had caused this latest drama? Or was the trickster merely tricking us again—misleading us by directing our attention toward others? I glanced at the Earth Royals and knew, just knew, that they were innocent. This was a wild goose chase. Or a Wild Magic goose chase, if you will.

And then the sound of hundreds of footsteps grew louder and louder. The knights atop the walls came to attention. They didnt salute, that would be inappropriate since Az wasnt a King of Faerie. But they stood straight and proud as the Faerie God guise strode through the archway, leading a parade of humans corralled by citadel knights. Historic indeed. The Faerie Realm had never had so many humans in it at once, much less marching in formation like an army.

As I watched them enter the courtyard, I had to hold in a sigh. It wasnt about witnessing history in the making. Oh, no. This sigh was purely sexual and purely for Azrael. Or rather, the Faerie God. In my first life, Id been born a Dragon-Sidhe. That was during the start of the hunts, when human knights decided the best way to get themselves immortalized in stone or stained glass was to kill a dragon. It became all the rage and drove the maidens wild. To protect me, my mother cast a spell to make me human, repressing my Fey essence. But she was murdered before she could remove the spell, and I was trapped in a human body, never knowing who I truly was.

I met and fell in love with Odin as a human. Bore him a child. Raised two children with him. And then I died, starting an avalanche of magical alignments, vibrations, and coincidences that all led me here, back to Faerie. Id been born again, touched by gods and the Consciousness of the Void during my gestation. Altered so much, that I became someone entirely different. Yet, I was still the same. In my chest burned the heart of a dragon. And that dragon drooled over faerie men. Especially if they had horns.

All right, so the Faerie God didnt technically have horns. He had antlers. Close enough. And they were golden. As gold as the scales of my dragon. That impressive rack (sorry, couldnt resist) rose from my husbands head like a crown. The biggest damn crown in all of Faerie. The other royals shifted uneasily just to see it. Because all of them knew that if Azrael slipped, if he stayed too long in this body and gave it too much control, the Faerie God might return. And that man had more power than all of them combined.

All but me.

And that made me grin.

Something else a female Dragon-Sidhe loves—a powerful man. Power and authority radiated from the Faerie God. I mean, just look at that hair. Azrael normally didnt grow his hair longer than his shoulders, but the Faerie Gods midnight locks flowed down to his waist in tangle-resistant waves. The dark, unyielding color enhanced his vibrant green eyes. Eyes that glowed with magic. Eyes so different from Azraels pale blue. The Angelic script on his cheek was gone as well, hidden under the Faerie Gods sharp features. He was larger in this form too, almost as muscular as Odin, and his fingers ended in claws. He still had his feathered wings, and they were their usual black, but in this body, they were dusted with gold. Not even Re could surpass the Faerie Gods glory. And thats saying a lot.

Oh, yeah, and not only did Az have access to all his god magic in this body, but he also controlled all the elements.

Maybe the trickster was after him. How could they not be? Azrael/Faerie God was a fearsome opponent even if he wasnt against you. Just look at the Royals of Faerie. They knew Az was an ally and still, they worried about him going bad again. They feared him. Fear could make people do foolish things. I mean, its the whole reason we were doing this song and dance for the humans. Fear leads to war.

And still, I was certain the trickster wasnt one of the Earth Royals.

Then who?Faerie asked.

I dont know,I said. Did you see them do anything suspicious?

No,she admitted. They seemed normal. At ease. Not at all like they were coming to see someone they were targeting.

As I thought.

Dont get cocky. You still dont know theyre innocent. Not with any certainty.

I feel it in my bones.

Bones are useless. What does the Fire tell you?

I turned my attention inside myself. I had never used my element like this before. Fire isnt a divination tool. It burns. It consumes. It renews. It warms. And it also revives the soil. All the elements are connected. Could Fire give me insight? Could it help me see into anothers faeries heart?

Nope. I got nothing. The sense I was getting in my bones, or my gut, whatever you want to call instinct, had nothing to do with magic or the elements. It was just a collection of what I knew, including my knowledge of the faeries who ruled the Earth Kingdom. And that collective was telling me that the Earth Royals werent behind the tricks.

Very good, Faerie said. Now, that, I trust more than bones.

You could have just said that.

And how would that amuse me?

I snorted.

Arach looked over at me with a half-grin.

“Sorry,” I whispered. “Faerie.”

“Ah,” he said. “Well, stop talking to her. Here he comes.”

“Hey, honey,” I said to Azrael as he stopped before us.

He had greeted the High Royals first, then came directly to me. Bending his antlered head, the Faerie God smiled, and I saw a hint of the old him in it. Enough to send a zing down my back. But unlike the other royals of Faerie, I didnt fear the Faerie God. He had gotten the better of me once, but he wouldnt do it again. Not with Az and me keeping him in check.

“Hello, Carus,” Az said, confirming who was in charge with his pet name for me. “Arach.”

“Azrael,” Arach said. “Good to see you.”

Damn, it was hard to not pull Az aside and tell him what would happen in two days. I bit my lower lip.

The Faerie Gods green gaze focused on my mouth. “Whats wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing. Uh, why dont you introduce our guests to the Royals?”

Az frowned but nodded. Of course, it wasnt a one-on-one introduction. More of a, here you are and here they are thing. The royals got named, but he just waved at the world leaders as if they were one. Then came the trek around the main tree. The orientation classrooms werent in the central tree but behind it, in one of the outer trees. So we circumvented the enormous trunk of the central tree, giving our guests a good look at a few of the elemental gardens. Azrael explained what they were as we went by, and I was surprised to hear similar explanations given further down the line by some of the citadel guards.

“You prepped the guards on conducting a tour?” I whispered to Az.

“We cant bring a bunch of humans here and not explain what things are,” he whispered back. “It will only scare them.”

“Oh, Im not complaining. Its a great idea. I just didnt know you had planned for that.”

“You have a lot to deal with, Carus. I did most of the planning with the citadel team.”

“Az, Im sorry. I should have helped more.”

“Dont apologize. That wasnt bitterness. You have all the kids to look after. Samara is still so young. And you have the Intare to take care of too.”

“Kirill helps with that now. More than helps. And all of you help with the kids. I dont handle anything alone.”

“Neither do I, Carus. Truly. Its fine.”

“All right.” I chewed at my lip again because it wasnt fine, and I couldnt tell Az about it.

“Samara had her first flight a couple of days ago,” Arach said proudly and with perfect timing.

“Did she?” Azrael, father to our winged twin boys, knew all about that sort of pride and grinned broadly at Arach. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you.”

I looked back at our huge parade and was shocked at how quiet it was. There were a few soft murmurs of awe and the sound of all those footsteps, but that was it. Even President Jacob Lopez of the United States, elected for another term, didnt say much. He was at the front of the group with the British Prime Minister and, of all people, the new Pope. Vatican City was technically a state, and the Pope was a co-ruler with the President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State. So, there were actually, two rulers visiting from Vatican City. It wasnt the only place that had co-rulers from the clergy but it was the only place that was allowed to bring their co-ruler along. Mainly because it was the Pope and there had been an incident between us and the Pope. We wanted to smooth things over, and from the smiles he was giving me, so did he.

I smiled back as warmly as I could.

The Popes expression wavered.

Oh, crap. Too warm. Too warm! I reeled it in.

“I didnt expect it to be so cold here,” President Lopez finally whispered to Prime Minister Hallibrand.

“Didnt they warn you?” I asked, eyeing the group. Most of them were wearing coats. “You look prepared for the weather.”

“Yes, they did,” he said a little louder. “But we came through Texas. So . . .” He shrugged.

“Ah, well winter is an interesting time in Faerie,” I lifted my voice so the other tour guides would know to pass on the information. “Some faeries and fey animals shift with the cold, turning into winter versions of themselves. It affects their magic too. This knight, for example.” I waved at an Air-Sidhe who stood at attention at the entrance to the Air Garden, helping to direct the flow and prevent wandering. “Do you see how pale his wings are and the blue tint to his skin? Hes a Frost Faerie. That makes him very special.” I winked at the knight, and he inclined his head to me. “There arent a lot of Sidhe who transform in winter.”

“Like Jack Frost?” The Prime Minister asked.

I blinked. “Huh. Ive never thought of that. A faerie could indeed be the origin of that story.”

“Jack Frost?” Arach asked.

“A boy who brings the frost,” I said.

He grunted.

“Are there no children here?” someone asked, emboldened by our conversation.

“Not in the Castle of Eight,” Prince Lugh said, then grinned at his wife. “Not yet, at least.”

Isleen lifted a brow at her husband which had him grinning wider.

I almost squealed in excitement but held it in. Isleen as a mommy? Oh, yes. I would like to see that. So would Lugh evidently.

“None of your, er, courtiers have children?” another world leader asked.

“No, our court and guards are formed of faeries from the other houses,” High King Cian said as he continued to walk. Pausing at this point might cause a pile-up. “We believe children should be raised in an environment of their own element, so noble parents dont request to attend us and knights who are parents arent conscripted into duty.”

“Conscripted?”

“Each kingdom sends a selection of knights to serve the High Court for a few years,” Lugh took over. “Its similar to military service on Earth. The knights are chosen by their monarchs, and its considered a great honor to serve the High Court.”

Children. The questions reminded me that out of the six royal families, four of us had children. Well, technically, the High King had Lugh, but he was grown. That left only Earth childless.

Huh. Hold on. Is that important? Could this be about children? Damn it, do I still suspect the Earth Royals? What happened to that certainty in my bones? I guess my bones arent as steely as I thought.

More questions came from the humans after that; the dam had burst. Azrael and I answered many of them since we were the most familiar with the modern human world, but Lugh stepped in a few times as well. At last, we entered one of the seven outer trees and it got a little warmer. It hadnt snowed yet, but it would soon. The Castle of Eight had shed its leaves—a clear sign that winter was upon us. For a second, I wondered about the clean-up. Those leaves were huge. The castle staff would have to carry them out of the courtyard one by one. Or use magic. Duh.

“Here are the classrooms,” Azrael called out in a booming voice. “You will be taken to the appropriate room by your assigned guide and shown the curriculum pertaining to your country.”

The echo of translators murmuring followed Azraels words.

“Please, note any concerns in the booklets weve provided you,” he went on. “If there are any changes that need to be made, be as precise as possible in your descriptions, and we will make adjustments. When youre finished with your inspections, we will have lunch in the main tree.”

Faeries were waiting in doorways that we had passed. They stepped out one by one to call out the names of their assigned heads of state, then showed them into the classrooms. And yes, there were that many classrooms. Granted, some were much larger than others, with certain countries attracting more fey interest. But every country had a room and a curriculum just in case.

“Youre over here, President Lopez,” Azrael waved the American President toward a room.

“Sir.” An Earth-Sidhe bowed to the President. Her skin was a few shades darker than his, which went well with her violet hair.

President Lopez stared at the faerie for a second, entranced, then cleared his throat and held out his hand. “Im Jacob Lopez.”

“Yeselda,” she said and shook his hand. “Its a pleasure to meet you, President.”

“Excuse me, Maam, but may I inspect the room before the President enters?” a woman in a suit asked.

“My guard,” President Lopez whispered to Yeselda.

She smiled and stepped aside to wave the Secret Service agent in. “Yes, of course. We arent having classes today so there is only me here.”

“Youre the teacher?”

“Yes, I spent a month in Washington D.C. learning about your country with a man you assigned to teach me.”

“Oh! Yes, I recall that. So that was you?” He beamed at her.

“Yes. I brought many books back with me and maps to prepare the faeries who wish to travel to America. I hope my curriculum meets with your approval.”

“Im sure youve done an excellent job.”

“All clear, President,” the Secret Service agent said, giving him a strange look.

President Lopez cleared his throat. “Thank you.” He went into the classroom, followed closely by the agent, then the teacher.

“Is President Lopez married?” I asked Az.

“Oh, yes,” Azrael said.

“He seems to have forgotten that.”

“I think his Secret Service agent just reminded him.”

“I thought the American presidents are expected to take lovers?” Arach asked.

Az and I both looked at him in surprise while Lugh burst out laughing.

“Why is that humorous?” King Cian asked his son.

“Because so many of them have cheated on their wives,” Lugh said. “I can see how King Arach might assume it was accepted.”

“There havent been that many,” I protested.

“There havent been that many who have been caught, you mean,” Azrael said.

“As I said.” Arach waved an elegant hand at Az.

“But that behavior is not expected so much as tolerated,” Az said. “And hidden. That Secret Service agent may not approve of the President cheating on his wife, but if he did, shed never tell a soul.”

“Ah. Thus the title.” Arach nodded.

I giggled. “No, thats not why theyre called Secret Service agents, but I suppose that is part of their jobs.”

“Well, lets leave the humans to their secrets, shall we?” King Cian asked. “I have some refreshments waiting for us. Just a little something to tide us over until lunch.”

“That sounds lovely. Thank you, High King,” Queen Bronagh said.

We followed the High Royals down the corridor and into a small but luxurious room with an array of velvet-covered seats, including some backless options for the winged Air Royals. The furniture was not of the tree-grown variety that Id seen in other rooms of the castle but was free-moving and had obviously been collected and brought into the room for our use. Along one wall was a sideboard laden with trays of food—not just appetizers either—and an assortment of hot and cold beverages.

“Its not Dads fault,” Lugh whispered to me when he saw my wide eyes. “This is what you get when you ask the kitchen staff for some light refreshments.”

I snorted. “Im not complaining. I have a dragons appetite.”

“Indeed,” Arach murmured.

I smacked him in the belly, but he only grinned wider.

Then I saw Queen Bronagh heading for the drinks, and it occurred to me that maybe I should use more than my instincts to put my suspicions to bed.

“Im going to talk to Queen Bronagh,” I whispered to Arach.

He nodded and veered to intercept Azrael. “I dont know about you, but I need more than a drink.”

Az agreed, and they headed off toward the food with Prince Lugh.

“Hey,” I said to Bronagh as I stepped up beside her.

Queen Bronagh looked over at me with lifted brows.

“Oh, sorry. I mean, greetings, Queen Bronagh. How do you fare this fine day?”

She laughed brightly. “I didnt mean to look disapproving. I was just startled. Youd think after all these years, Id be used to your way of speaking.” She lifted the carafe she was holding. “Hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please.” I grabbed a mug and held it out to her.

“Im glad I dont have to travel to Earth,” she said. “I wouldnt do well there.” After filling my mug, she put the carafe down, then looked up and giggled. “And Im the Earth Queen! Thats funny, right?”

“Yes, it is.” I laughed with her. Then I used the opening. “Have you never visited Earth?”

“Oh, Ive gone a few times,” Queen Bronagh said as we left the beverage table. “But that was thousands of years ago. Well, thousands of years in fey time.”

“Oh, yes. Im aware of the time difference.”

She laughed again. “I suppose you would be. You are the one who aligned our realms.” She waved at her fur cloak to add, “And brought the seasons back to us.”

“Some might not think thats a good thing.”

“Theyd be wrong.” She cocked her head at me. “Do you feel guilty because of the way some of us struggled in the beginning, Queen Vervain?”

“No, not really. Its not as if I cast a spell to bring back the seasons.” I shrugged. “And yes, it was rough at first, but I think its good to have the Faerie Realm back to the way it was originally.”

“I do as well.” She laid her hand on my upper arm. “Im glad you dont have regrets.”

“Not about that, no.”

Bronagh lifted her brows. “You have other regrets?”

“Well, maybe not regrets exactly. Ive made some huge mistakes, but theyve all led me to where I needed to be.”

She nodded. “Even the Fey believe in fate.”

I stared at her for a second. If I had gone back to save Rivella, Bronagh wouldnt be on the throne. Aalish wouldnt have been Queen either. That was the main reason I couldnt risk going back. As horrible as my interactions with the last Earth Queen had been, if I undid her rule, my history would change drastically. It would save Aalishs life, most likely. And that of her husbands. And my sweet Breck. Shed be alive as well. But in saving them, who would I lose? It was just too risky. Staring at the current Earth Queen, I couldnt help but feel that fate was strong in her life as well.

But I had to be sure.

“So, youve been to Earth in the past,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “Have you ever been to the God Realm?”

“The God Realm?” King Ruari, Bronaghs husband asked as he joined us. “Why would she go there?”

“No reason I can think of,” I said. “Just making conversation.”

Queen Bronagh grinned. “You are such an interesting woman, Queen Vervain.”

“Thank you. You as well. I still remember you kicking ass in the Crown Tournament. That was inspiring.”

“Kicking ass,” she repeated the term slowly, then grinned at her husband. “I like that. Even though my ass was the one that ended up on the ground in the end.”

“Are you going to torment me with that imagery again, my love?” Ruari whined. “You know how it haunts me.”

“Oh, but youre always so attentive after I bring it up.” She winked at me. “Entering that competition was the best decision Ive ever made.”

“What about deciding to marry me?”

“Oh, yes, that was a good one as well.”

I burst out laughing. This woman was more like me than I knew. And yet, there was one more question I still needed to ask her. “So, are you two thinking about having children anytime soon?”

Ruari stiffened.

Oh, damn. Maybe there was an issue here.

“He wants to,” Queen Bronagh said to me as she casually patted her husbands arm. “But Im not ready. Now that we have our fertility back, its as if the men think we women are all eager to get pregnant, but some of us have been happy as we are. We dont need children to complete our lives.”

“But we are royals,” Ruari said.

“Yes, and I am not opposed to having children. I do want them. Someday. I get moments of wistfulness, you know that. But we need to settle into our roles as monarchs first. You promised that we would rule together, even if you won the tourney.”

“Of course, we rule together.”

Oh, wow. This sounded like an old and personal argument. I backed away. “Im sorry. I shouldnt have pried.”

They didnt even hear me. They were too deep into their personal stuff. And that made it clear to me better than anything else could have. Their biggest issue was children, but it had nothing to do with me or Azrael. These two were not behind the mischief in the God Realm. I dont think theyd know how to get into Heaven, even if they wanted to.

So maybe it wasnt a faerie. The manacles could have been taken from the Golden Citadel by a god. Hell, they could have been taken by a human. We had enough of them running around the place these days, what with all the human families moving in with their Wild Magic babies. But then again, those families stayed in the neighborhood outside the citadel wall, in the buffer zone between the wild land and the rest of the world. There werent a lot of humans allowed into the Golden Citadel itself. And a human didnt have the power to sneak into the God Realm.

Hold on. I had done it when I was only human. With the right chant, anyone with a little magic could get through a ward. And some humans had magic. Even more of them these days.

But a human? Could this trickster really be human? Maybe I shouldnt rule anyone out. A human would have reason to be angry with both Azrael and me. Although, a human, even a witch, wouldnt remember the stuff Id done as the Dark Star. I had erased all those human memories.

If only Id done the same with the Gods.

But hey, Id done what I could, and that had been a lot, all things considered.

I found Azrael and Arach and sat between them. They were opposite Isleen and Lugh, all of them holding plates full of food. A laden plate was also waiting for me.

“Thank you,” I said, casting a questioning look from one husband to the other as I settled my plate on my lap.

“We both filled it,” Arach said magnanimously.

Azrael snorted. “No, we didnt. He made the plate for you. I wouldnt dare pick your food, Carus.”

I chuckled. Both men knew me well, but one of them had touched my soul. My Angel of Death proved wiser than my dragon in this instance.

“I thought it better to have something waiting for you,” Arach said. “Whatever you dont want, Ill eat. Then you may fetch more for yourself if you wish.”

Then again, my Dragon King had some damn good instincts.