Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

Seven months later…

Cassia

The Summer Court at this time of year is pure perfection. I stand in the garden, letting the sun caress my skin as I stare out at the light gleaming on the surface of the nearby lake. I can't resist the playful urge to channel my magic, summoning dazzling honey-colored fireflies that dance around me. But even as I see them, I change the fireflies' colors until they're a rainbow of twinkling lights.

Being a fae has its benefits…

Grinning, I spin around, loving the way the grass tickles my feet. Everything, even now, I appreciate. Because as much as a part of me doesn't want to remember my time before my husbands, another part of me knows I can never forget it. If I do, I might stop fighting to have humans paid better for their work, and to make certain they aren't starving in our streets. I might stop fighting to enact laws that punish fae for hurting humans. And if I did that, all my friends, Beatrix included, wouldn't have happier lives .

How could I enjoy all this if I knew people I cared about were suffering?

Pausing, I sense the raven on the branch nearby and spot it in the shadows. He's dead. His feathers are barely attached. His head is permanently cocked in the way it was when his neck was broken.

"Rest," I whisper, and let my magic reach him. In his mind, I see a place. A nest. A tree. It was where he was happiest. I pull on the thin thread from me to him and send him back to that place, where I see thick leaves and soft earth. It's a proper place for him to rest.

He takes off, disappearing into the woods.

Some of the dead who follow me need more. They need a purpose, they need me to give them a task. Others, like the raven, simply need to be told they can rest. So I let them, unlike my mother.

Death is a constant presence in my life now, but not in a bad way. It's just a part of who I am. The part of me I got from my birth mother. It took time to accept that, but now that I have, I've made peace with it.

I continue spinning, closing my eyes, thinking of what it means to be Lady Wither of the House of Death. Unable to stop my thoughts, I remember the conversation with my father when he revealed everything about my mother and my past. The conversation had broken our hearts and healed it all at once.

"I need you to tell me about my mother, about the Keeper of Death, with no lies and no secrets," I'd told him, trying to keep any accusation out of my voice, and failing.

His shoulders had hunched, the happiness and health that was restored to him fading in an instant. "Please, just let me explain," he begged, his gaze pleading at me to forgive him, even though I didn't yet know if he even needed to be forgiven. And then he'd told me the whole story. "After your grandfather died, I left my home with your grandmother to set out on the world. To make my mark. Only, it was harder than I'd imagined to travel the roads as an inexperienced youth. One stormy night, lost in the woods, I stumbled upon the lands of the House of Death and met your mother out in the rain. She was beautiful and kind, leading me to safety and allowing me to stay with her through the storm. Then longer.

"During that time, I found her to be as smart and interesting as she was beautiful and kind. And I fell for her. Hard. By the time any normal person should have been moving on, I didn't, because I wanted nothing more than to be with her.

"We spent months courting each other. Reading to one another, swimming together, even exploring her lands. I felt like the luckiest man on the planet. We were lovers, but we were also friends. So when she told me that there was a way we could have a child together, I leapt at the chance. I thought I could have the family I had always dreamed of."

His voice had started shaking then. "The night you were conceived, when the spell was used, I blacked out. I woke up weeks later having lost the use of my legs. Your mother, Lady Wither, seemed to feel terrible for what the spell cost me. I, on the other hand, simply felt broken. Like half a man. But then she announced her pregnancy, and I knew I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. I had to accept that I could be a father, whether I had the use of my legs or not.

"I learned to use a wheelchair. I helped build your nursery and whittle toys for you, and the happiest day of my life was when you were born. The instant I saw you, I knew love in a way I never imagined possible. It was like my life was incomplete until you were in it." His eyes pleaded with me then. Pleaded with me to believe him. To understand him in that moment.

"You have to know that I never knew about their tradition of leaving babies in the woods. I would never, never have done such a thing, no matter how much I loved her. I just couldn't have been with someone who could do that.

"It all just felt like a bad dream. Even now, it still does when I think about it. They proclaimed that you didn't have magic and asked her if she wanted to give you back to the woods… and she did. Without thought. Without an ounce of love. You were just something… to be rid of. To be forgotten.

"I argued with her, but that was when I realized what she was. A person as dead inside as the dead she commanded. She never loved me. She never cared about me. Your mother wasn't capable of it. She simply saw my untapped magic as something that could finally give her the powerful child she desired. So… I stopped fighting, knowing that I couldn't win against who she really was, the Keeper of Death. She told me I could stay around as someone for her amusement because she liked me, and that was it. Like I was one of her dead, she simply expected me to obey her.

"But I was different from who she imagined. My parents had raised me to follow my heart, and my heart was with you. So I waited, and I pretended." His expression had grown hard then. Determined. And I was bespelled by his story. "I followed the fae into the woods… I left my chair. I crawled. For a time, I lost them, and I th ought I lost you. But then they were gone, and it was just me in the woods, crawling, trying to find you, when I heard you cry. You hadn't cried from the moment you were born, so it felt like you were crying to lead me to you, and you did. Just a tiny thing. Those big blue eyes. That strong cry. Your grip on my finger, holding on like you never wanted to let go.

"Nothing mattered after that. Not how much it hurt to crawl and carry you through those dark woods. Not how much I had to beg and sell to get those farmers to let us in their cart, and how many people I had to beg after that to get us back to your grandmother. None of that mattered, because all that mattered was you. You were worth… everything."

I'd cried when he'd told me the story. Picturing my father really believing my mother loved and cared about him. Imagining the moment he realized that she didn't, and that she was just going to throw me away. And everything he did after that to make sure I survived.

My father was a good man. He might have made a mistake never telling me about my fae-side… not just about my mother, but my grandfather, who had been like him, a powerful fae with no powers. But he'd been afraid that if he told me about any of it, I would want to be acknowledged as a fae, and that it might lead my mother to find out about me, which would end in my death. Since the House of Death believed each couple could only have one living child, which is why they sacrificed weak children, he was worried that my mother would kill me if she found out I was still alive.

And maybe she would have.

I still wish he would have trusted me with all of this, but I understood he was just trying to protect me, like he'd done my whole life. I couldn't be angry at him for that. Especially when it led me to all of this happiness.

And we were happy. Him. My grandmother. Me. And my men.

Life was good.

I spin faster, although I'm aware that my sense of gravity is off and don't push it too far. The fireflies move around me, circling me in the wind as I laugh. Changing colors with my encouragement.

Thoughts of the changes I've been implementing come to me, making me smile. Raises for all the humans had been met with happiness from the humans and minor grumbling from the fae. Making it a requirement to feed any human working more than a four-hour shift had been met with more happiness from the humans and confusion from the fae. The fae sincerely didn't seem to know whether or not their human workers were already being fed.

Big surprise, huh?

There were other changes too. Far more than I can count. But it's just the beginning. By the time this baby arrives, our kingdom will already be a far better place for them to grow up in.

Cobar's voice reaches my ears before I see him, but I hear the smile in it. "Be careful with my baby in there." He approaches, and I stop spinning, watching him coming toward me.

He looks amazing. All my men do nowadays. They'd healed from their time with the Keeper of Death, both in body and in mind. Most of the time in their minds, at least. Watching them heal and change, becoming happier and lighter has been one of the highlights of my life, along with the baby growing within me .

He waves away my fireflies, wrinkling his nose. "Are these air bugs bothering my lady?"

I glare at him, then laugh, conjuring up more fireflies to hover around his nose. "Don't worry, I love them, and our little one is safe with me."

I hear a cacophony of noise and stare as my kings emerge from the woods, out into the clearing, heading toward me like a rumbling pile of puppies. They're all finely dressed, their long hair left loose and their feet bare, meaning they've gotten free from the terrible meeting they were in and are now ready for fun.

They converge on me with smiles and laughs. Their skin is sun-kissed. Their smiles are wide. Even Sulien's.

"Whose baby did you say this was?" Sulien asks as he bends down to place a kiss on my stomach. The baby kicks his hand, and Sulien's eyes light up. "You see? This baby's mine."

I lean in for the kiss he offers me, then Zane kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear. "You can lie to them all you want, but we both know whose baby this is." He places both hands on my stomach and holds them there, looking down at me as if in awe.

Forrest's eyes twinkle, and he smiles widely, running his hand down my back. "I won't have to say a word when my green-eyed red-headed baby is born. You'll all know the truth."

Their laughter fills the air, a symphony of pure joy that warms my heart.

Time for some fun. "Guys, I can't keep this secret any longer," I tell them, a conspiratorial grin tugging my lips. They freeze and stare at me, waiting for my next word. "The baby is all of yours." At least in my eyes.

They break out into cheers, giving each other high fives and laughing loudly. Sulien's eyes twinkle as he says, "Our baby will be the most loved in the world."

All of us nod in agreement.

"Along with any more that might come," Zane adds with hope and longing in his voice.

The wood spirit did imply I'd have four babies, one for each of my men. I can't do anything but smile so much my face hurts. Whether that happens or not, I'm so in love with my family. We could have this one baby or we could have six more. I'd be happy all the same.

"You were smart to take a break from the meeting," Cobar says, wrinkling his nose. "The elders do not seem to be getting the message that they control absolutely nothing."

"Is that what you came to tell me? We're implementing another law without their blessing?" I laugh. "I think I could have already guessed that."

He shakes his head. "No, we came to find you because we missed you, and your dad and grandmother wanted us to stop by. They said your dad has some new dance moves to show off, but I think he just wants an excuse to see you."

My eyes sting. Watching my father dance after he wasn't able to walk my whole life makes me feel something I can't put into words. There's sadness at how much he missed and how much we suffered because he couldn't walk, but there's also pride at the fact that I could give him the gift of mobility back.

I'll watch my dad dance every day of my life.

It's true that I'll never be able to thank him enough for going against the Keeper, saving me from a grisly death in the woods and stowing us away on a wagon until we could reach my grandmother at the Summer Court, but I'm sure as hell going to try. Every day for the rest of our lives.

The baby kicks hard enough for it to be visible. All of my men jump in surprise at the sight. Then they exchange grins, and I pray I won't have to listen to another round of them bragging about how strong and mighty their child will be. I mean, their words warm my heart a little too, but the rest of the kingdom is going to grow to hate them if all they can talk about is me and their perfect baby.

Forrest draws his shoulders back, so I know it's coming before it does. "If he's a boy, he'll be as mighty as the tallest oak."

"And if she's a girl…" Zane says, lifting a brow in amusement.

They've made it clear that girl or boy they'll love the tike, but they seem strangely concerned about their daughter needing to be protected. Something about her being as beautiful as me… yet they say it like it's some kind of curse they'll have to endure to keep her safe. Somehow, they seem to have forgotten who she'll have as a mother. So if they're planning for some fragile little thing, they're going to have a surprise coming for them, boy or girl.

Forrest looks flustered. "Well, our daughter will be smart and strong… and I'll teach her how to take down a man with one hand as soon as she can walk."

"And how to sucker punch their dick before they can even get close," Cobar mutters with a fiercely protective look. "She can turn the damn thing into mush if a man so much as looks at her the wrong way."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want her to meet any men like her fathers," Zane says, a small smile dancing across his lips .

"Definitely not," the other three say in unison, their voices filled with horror.

It's hard not to laugh. I think Zane's secretly hoping for a daughter who turns out just like me, even though he hasn't said it. A daughter who will put any man in his place. And I think he likes to bother the others about it, just to see them flustered.

They might tease and say that Zane doesn't have a sense of humor, but I know better.

"Our daughter can focus on laughing, fighting, and leading," Forrest says, puffing out his chest. "Men can come… later."

"Or never," Sulien says, shooting him a glare.

I laugh and kiss each one of them, escaping when they try to pull me closer. These men, I swear, could touch me all day long, and it still won't be enough. It's nice to know when this baby comes my men will have somewhere else to put all their cuddles and love… or at least a little bit of it. They certainly have a surplus of it right now that I know they can't wait to unleash on this baby.

"What did the elders think of the idea of me officially telling the House of Death that they can no longer give their children back to the woods?" I ask, stifling another yawn.

Sulien's eyes darken. "They don't like standing against the House of Death, but as the most powerful fae in their house, they should obey your word for that alone, which I explained to them. So it won't just be their queen making a ruling about their house, it would be their leader."

"So…?"

He shrugs. "So, they will support your decision."

"Yes!" I pump my hand .

It's true that I don't need the elders' permission to change a law, but it certainly helps to have their backing. All the changes we've been implementing have been making some of the fae uncomfortable, so we're trying to remember that things have been done a certain way for a long time. Therefore, it might take a little while for the fae to accept doing things in a new way.

Yet stopping the murder of babies can't be delayed.

"I'm just glad that's done." And I am. I know when the baby comes I'll have less time to focus on the welfare of my people. Not none, but less time. Walking the line between accomplishing as much as I can before the baby, at a pace the people can handle, hasn't been easy.

Tired at just the thought of everything I still need to do, I lie down in the soft grass, and my men lie down beside me. Between the warm air and the soft grass beneath me, a yawn slips from my lips. "I'm a little tired," I tell them off-handedly.

"Tired?" Sulien sounds horrified as he sits up. "We should get you into bed. Perhaps the healers should be–"

I laugh. "Remember, I told you, I'm not made of glass. It's okay if I'm tired sometimes. It's okay if I'm sore sometimes. I'm growing some massive king's child, a future ruler of one of the courts, in my belly. It'd be more worrisome if I felt just fine."

He looks uncertain, but I push on his chest, and he lays back down with reluctance. The others stare at me, but try to hide their looks of concern when I shoot them dirty looks. "Have you heard any word from the Celestial Equilibrium?"

Zane answers without hesitation. "They're still making changes but swear that the castle should be ready for our arrival in a year's time. "

That should be enough time for the baby to be old enough to be able to travel, and for grandmother and father to be ready. My father and grandmother claim they're already ready to explore the kingdom and start over in a new place, but I suspect that despite their words, there will be things they'll miss about the Summer Court. I certainly will. Giving them a little more time here isn't the worst thing, even if we will get to return to it each year.

Sulien reaches over and takes my hand, then Forrest's big hand is tangled with my other one. I glance between us and see all of us holding hands, looking up at the bright sky. The fireflies move above us, a rainbow of colors flying in the pure blue sky.

It's strange. I'm happy. They're happy. Life is so damn good that I never imagined it could be like this. We're absolutely surrounded by love. And yet, soon this baby will come, and I know we'll be even happier. It's like a fairy tale. I don't know what I did to deserve all of this, but whatever it is, I'm glad I got my happily ever after.

Happily ever after. I laugh, drawing my men's gazes. I guess it does exist.

"What is it?" Cobar asks, his kind eyes filled with curiosity.

I just smile. "Everything." And it is. It's just everything.

If you enjoyed this story, keep an eye out for two new series in this world, one in the Vampire Kingdom, and one in the Shifter Kingdom.