Chapter 16

SIXTEEN

Cassia

My sigh of relief lays perched in my chest as I opened the door to step outside, but Lady Grave, a group of fae, and Lady Nova crowd the door, seemingly blocking our way. My heart leaps into my throat. What will these fae do when they learn I've killed their fearless leader? And will we be able to handle this many of them when they try it?

"Cassia?" Prince Cobar says my name in confusion behind me.

"We have company," I whisper, and I sense they know exactly what I mean, even though my body blocks some of their view of the fae.

"Company we can handle?" Prince Zane asks.

"Yes," I answer without hesitation. At least, I think so. "Lady Nova?"

Her gaze meets mine, but I sense she's as uncertain as I am about how this will play out.

The crowd steps back, and Lady Grave stands before me. I know I saw her in Prince Forrest's dream, but it's truly like I'm seeing her for the first time. She's tall and beautiful with long black hair and a flowing green dress. Wings like a butterfly's sprout from behind her back.

She bows her head. "I'm Lady Grave, the leader of the House of Death. Please, emerge from the catacombs."

I hesitate, but then step forward, my men following behind me until we've all emerged into the light. Glancing around the inner courtyard we've stepped into, I realize that we've come out a different place than we came in. Is it magic? I didn't know, but every instinct in my body is screaming to be cautious.

Once we're all standing before them, they close ranks around us once more. There's tension in the air, and it makes me reach out for my magic again, for the threads that connect to all the dead in this castle. I tug on the threads, stealing the control from the fae in the House of Death.

I see shocked expressions come over their faces. Their magic pulls at the dead once more, but their threads are thin, weak compared to my own, and the control of the dead remains in my own hands. I don't bring the dead to us, but I keep them at the ready.

Lady Grave gives me a strange look. One that holds both curiosity and a threat.

That's right. If you're trying to hurt my men again, you're going to have to get through me.

I keep my head held high like the queen I'm supposed to be. "Are you attempting to stop us from leaving?" I ask, keeping my voice strong and steady.

Lady Grave regards me, an unreadable expression on her face. "No, Queen Cassia." Her voice is soft like a breeze brushing against a tree. "I'm not here to hinder you; I'm here to offer assistance."

I scoff. Yeah, right …

"Like the kind of assistance you offered when the Keeper of Death held us prisoner?" Prince Cobar asks, accusation thick in his voice.

Her cool expression doesn't waiver. "The Keeper of Death tried and failed to fight a fae stronger, or at least cleverer, than herself. She also tried to fight fate. Both battles were fraught with conflict and ended as they were foretold." Then she glances at Prince Cobar. "Like I said, death was inevitable."

What? This woman knew my mother would fail, and she allowed this to happen anyway? Then what the hell was this all about? What was the point?

Lady Nova grins, stepping near Lady Grave. "They said you used a dagger to end the bitch. Nice."

I grin back, trying not to look at the dangerous House of Death fae around me. "The fae are ready for powers and trickery, not a knife to the throat."

Before I can say more, motion behind me draws my eye. Just between my men, I see her , the Keeper of Death, emerging from the shadows.

Holy hell!

My stomach flips, and my hand finds my dagger again, but I hesitate. She looks different, her eyes vacant, her movements stilted, like one of the many lifeless servants we passed in the corridors of this great house. As her body comes into sight, I flinch back at the little that's left of her.

My dagger lowers. That change was swift. I take a shaky breath and turn back to Lady Grave.

She bows her head to me. "With the Keeper of Death no longer among the living, the bargain with the princes is complete."

"It is, so we'll be on our way." There's no softness in my voice because there can't be, and my only goal now is to get my men home safely. To take them somewhere they can heal from both what they went through physically as well as what they went through mentally. They need safety, warmth, and love, not whatever this woman wants to offer us.

My mates. It's my job now to protect them.

"You don't understand–" she continues.

"I appreciate your offer, but we can find our way back just fine." Looking around at my men, their expressions tell me they agree.

Lady Grave nods, then clasps her hands in front of her and asks, "Do you believe the kingdom will remain safe from the iron demons while you journey home?"

What?

I turn to my men. Disgrace and guilt paint their faces. Shame fills the air, and I know, I know they can't keep the barrier up. It's not their fault. No one could have held up against that.

Lady Grave stands quietly, awaiting my response.

But it's Prince Sulien who speaks. "It may fall for a short time, I think, before we can get it back up. Some demons will get in, but hopefully, not many. Not enough to destroy the kingdom, but surely enough that they'll cause death and destruction."

He looks so ashamed. So disappointed in himself. "You did well," I tell him, and smile. "You all did well," I say, looking at my injured men.

But I can tell none of them believe me.

I turn back to the woman in front of me, hating what I'm about to ask. "What can you do to help them?"

Seriously, as dangerous as I know these House of Death fae are, I doubt they're going to be picking up their swords and going to battle. They seem more in the realm of dealing with the dead than fighting the living. And with my control over their dead, I have a feeling they're not quite as dangerous as before.

So, I have to be smart. I have four injured men here, iron demons that may be on the loose soon, and a long way home. Getting help, even from them, might not be the worst thing. If we're careful.

Her expression never changes. She's a statue at my service. "I can marry you now to restore their powers and hold the barrier."

Everything in me tenses. Is that really what would happen? If I marry them, will things get easier for them? Will it save the kingdom in some bizarre fae-magic way? I have no idea.

Prince Forrest staggers next to me, bearing Prince Sulien's weight, and I turn in surprise. "Not a chance. I've learned my lesson. No one is going to make you feel rushed or forced into marrying us. No one." He follows his words up with a glare leveled at Lady Grave.

Prince Zane's firm voice comes from behind me as he draws closer. "This is our burden to bear, and our problem to solve."

Then Prince Cobar comes closer. "Marrying us to save the kingdom is the last thing we want." There's pain in his eyes as he speaks. "Seriously. Don't do this."

My gaze finds Prince Sulien's, and his eyes are intense. "I will never marry a woman who doesn't want to marry me."

Wow. What a change in their tune. Before, they didn't even seem to see me as a person. Just the mate they connected with, who would fall all over herself for them and marry them without a thought. It breaks my heart that they had to go through all this to realize that our relationship needs to be more than that, but some small part of me is glad they learned the lesson.

And… I've changed too. The terrible weight I felt on my shoulders at just the idea of marrying them is gone, because, what's really holding us back now? My dreams have shown me that having four husbands might be a hell of a lot better than having one, at least if they're these four men. Prince Sulien's revelation has erased my fears about being married to men I'd spend my life lying to. As a fae, my family is safe no matter what I do. All my fears are gone.

I want to marry these four insane men, even knowing they'll turn my life upside down. Even knowing that, if the tree spirit's predictions are true, I'll have my vagina torn apart by four giant fae babies. And even knowing that my family and I won't be able to spend all year at the Summer Court, since we'll be living in the middle of the four court's lands. Knowing everything, I still want to be with them.

So, why delay marrying my mates?

"Do you think the barriers will come down if I don't marry you?" I ask, looking at each of my men one by one.

"We'll do everything we can," Prince Zane says, his tone filled with guilt.

But they can't stop it.

The choice is easy. "I'll do it."

Prince Sulien shoves away from Prince Forrest, and then his hands are on my arms. Hands covered in blood. Our gazes meet, and this time I'm overwhelmed by the sight of the cuts and bruises covering his body. He did all of this just to get me back .

"You don't need to take this on. We'll find another way."

I gently place my hand on his cheek before facing the other three princes. "It's happening," I say. Then I make sure to look at each of them. "Because I kind of love you idiots."

It takes everything in me to pull away from their expressions of disbelief and walk over to Lady Grave. "Let's do this."

She bows her head. "Everything will be prepared."

A rumble of dissent rises from Prince Frost, Forrest, and Cobar. I hold my hand up in the air, waving it to silence them. "The decision is made." Then my eyes lock with hers. "But I want your word that we'll be safe here."

"You have it," she promises easily, and for the first time in my life, I feel the power behind a fae's word. Something I don't think I was sensitive to until now.

I release my hold on the strings to the dead, and I hear every fae there take an unsteady breath. Even Lady Grave looks like she might topple over for the briefest moment before she corrects herself once more. It's strange, this fae magic. But I like it.

"You're a very deadly woman," Lady Grave whispers.

I smile, taking the compliment for what it is. "You have no idea."