13

We went to unpack, but Cara and Jordan were there… With Zack and Ray hovering over them.

“No, nope, I’m not dealing with the bullshit of you guys in my new suite, so get the fuck out and leave them be,” I said with a huff. I growled when they both went to object. “I will force you both to shift and shave your stupid asses. Now get out. If you need to go hunt in the forest to get some of this energy out, do it.”

“Sorry, Tams,” Ray grumbled, leaning in and giving my cheek a kiss before heading out… Which made Zack cave and do the same.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Cara chuckled. “They are insufferable since the healers confirmed we’re both pregnant.”

“I know, and they’re brats, but there aren’t words for how they suffered while you guys were frozen here,” I reminded them. “They’re still scared they could lose you both again. I sense it sometimes. I’m not trying to guilt you, but—nothing will make me cry like the howls they used to let out in pain for you both.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Jordan accepted. “Now, what can we help with? We have some of your new clothes.”

“Setting up my closet would be amazing,” I admitted. “I know—the amount of closet space I have is ridiculous, but I know it’s going to be needed. I get it. And there’s storage to switch shit out and—”

“It’s overwhelming,” Cara comforted. “I read some of the journal of one of the handmaidens your mother had who died in the war. Your mother actually had a separate room completely for all her gowns and formal attire. There’s a drawing room under this room that we could completely renovate and use for that.”

“I was going to say a different floor might be annoying, but I can teleport, and we’re all allowed to use portals in the castle if we forget something,” I muttered, glancing at Neldor. “You’re the real royal of us.” I waved off his objections. “You know what I mean.”

“Mother has the same,” Hudson cut in. “It’s a guest room off of their suite. It has like mannequins for the gowns for upcoming events and everything set out and—she said it’s a lifesaver. You won’t have as many events as she does—”

“I would die. I cannot be as social as your parents,” I mumbled, rubbing my stomach just thinking about it.

“No, but you like to be organized, and it will help your staff,” he said gently. “If Cara and Jordan talk to Mother’s aides, they could walk them through what works for her and the system.” His eyes said to listen to him. “You will go to less events, but you also promote companies and what you wear. You want to breathe life into Faerie’s economy.”

I stared at him a moment. “Fine, you won’t be a stupid dragon today.”

“Thanks, shorty,” he chuckled. “It works too because my parents are a bit anxious to see our suite and where I’m going to be living. Apparently, they weren’t as ready for this as they thought.”

I hadn’t thought of that, and everyone went tense.

“I think it’s fine as long as we all check with each other and there aren’t any drop-ins,” Neldor muttered. “Your parents won’t snitch that I have a room here.”

“And they won’t snoop in our rooms,” Julian agreed. “I’m fine with your immediate family or Lucca’s. Freya will visit, but—I think we keep it limited. Hhora won’t be in here. We all agreed only Izzy, Cara, and Jordan to help Tamsin. Irma can do whatever she wants.”

I nodded. “And only Talila, Shael, or Stefanie if there’s an emergency. We agreed to clean up ourselves because we don’t want staff in here much.” I shrugged. “And Neldor and I can do most of it magically after all.”

“We’ll be in here less often if we set up the other area as well,” Jordan added.

We all agreed that would be best then and focused on unpacking while Hudson stepped out to contact his parents… Who wanted to come right away. It wasn’t to be jerks or pushy. They thought it would be less intrusive to come see before we were all settled in and unpacked.

Apparently, he was supposed to have brought it up once the renovations were done but missed what they were getting at. He apologized and asked if a quick visit was okay. Everyone said it was fine, especially if they knew it was a relaxed Sunday and just his parents, not a king and queen or whatever. They agreed and brought treats… And his siblings.

It really was fine. They were worried, and I understood it better after hearing their thoughts a bit. No Vogel had lived away from the castle in a while… Except Xavier’s brother who died.

I told the guys that in their minds, and I loved them all even more when they immediately understood this was just scary for them.

“I’m fine if you want to show your parents a bit of our security plans and how the new protocols will work,” I told Hudson, nodding when he couldn’t hide his shock. “Not King Xavier and Queen Sasha, but your parents. Let them even talk to Iolas who is staying here as well and that we’re training the royal security forces to be our Secret Service.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Xavier rasped. “I didn’t even realize this would be such an issue for me but then...” He turned away and wiped his eyes before going over to the balcony off the main room. “This view is lovely. It’s not our mountains but just as gorgeous.”

And there it was. This wasn’t Hudson going off to college or even him moving out for a bit to my house after. This was forever, and he was never coming back to their home.

My beastie realized what was going on too and nodded he understood. He bragged about the spread of food we had from all over for our first night here and how Irma was spoiling us.

“We’ll still come sneak in for dinners now and again that aren’t official visits,” I promised them. “It’s not like it will be the first time I just invited myself to your castle.” I went over to Sasha and hugged her when tears filled her eyes. “I know it’s another world, and that’s probably really just sunk in, but you were here in a flash.”

“Promise me that the portals will never blow again and my son won’t be frozen and trapped here,” she choked out before breaking down sobbing.

I couldn’t hide my horror that she’d actually said that to me, especially in the presence of Neldor who looked like he’d been kicked in the nuts.

“She had a nightmare last night about it,” Xavier whispered, rushing over to his mate. “Forgive her, Tamsin. I know that’s horrible, and—she saw Hudson trapped in the darkness you showed us so many years ago. I’m sorry.”

I swallowed loudly and nodded, unsure of how to handle this.

“No one knows the future,” Neldor said quietly. “But the only two people who can declare war in this world are determined it never happen again.” He let out a slow breath. “And I’m in love with Tamsin, so I’d rather die than ever do anything to hurt her. I’m also not as powerful as my mother and could never—”

“That’s not what I meant at all,” Sasha cried and pulled away from Xavier to hug Neldor, shocking all of us. “I would never blame you for what Elora did, and I have trouble blaming her anymore after all that came out. I just—I worry for my son, and I never really thought the day would come when he left us. I focused on him being happy, not losing him.”

He patted her back. “You didn’t. You gained another daughter and hopefully lots of grandkids.”

“Let’s not add lots onto that topic when I’ve finally stopped feeling nauseous at the idea of having any kids,” I grumbled, rubbing my stomach. “What is your worry really—what’s the root of it?”

Xavier sighed as he rubbed his hand over his head, shooting his mate a look.

“Father made a comment that Hudson couldn’t open a portal in Faerie if there was an emergency, and they’ve spun out from there and have had a bit of tunnel vision,” Connor snitched. He sighed when they both shot him unfriendly looks. “We’re all worried about it now. Hudson doesn’t ditch his detail, but—I don’t like that either.”

“Are you worried about this?” I asked Hudson.

He snorted. “No. Not once. If there’s really an emergency, I can just shift, and I’m ridiculously durable then. I don’t have that option on Earth, but this is Faerie, and supes are all you have here.”

Well, damn. Like… Dayumn.

“You’re not all that durable against a fairy, and you just made yourself a bigger target then,” Xavier countered.

Hudson crossed his arms over his chest and took it seriously. “Yes, but my roar is loud. That would alert the right people where I am.”

“Or the wrong people,” I admitted, getting in on this since I wanted him safe too. “And I can put up a barrier or silence something like that. The average fairy could.” I shrugged when he raised an eyebrow asking whose side I was on basically. “I want you safe always, beastie. It won’t ever come to this. You have a detail of Guardians, and you couldn’t lose them if you tried.”

“Not if they like breathing,” Neldor chuckled. “Plus, once she’s queen, the threat isn’t just Tamsin, but the law of what—their whole family would be executed if they even attempted to kill the mate of a queen. I believe it was done once for an heir too.”

“I know you’re not joking, but I want to ask,” Connor whispered.

“He’s not,” I confirmed. “And that’s why I stepped everything up and made it clear across Faerie that the five of them are now to be treated as princes of Faerie and my mates.” I sighed when the Vogels couldn’t hide their shock.

Along with Hudson, Lucca, Julian, and Darby.

“The queens are the shield of Faerie. We are powerful for that reason, and there are a lot who believe as part of their religion that if we die, Faerie does. What is the best way to take one of us out?” I explained.

“Kill your mate,” Sasha sighed. “Forgive me, but Neldor’s mother is the perfect example of the downward spiral.”

“It’s more complicated than that but yes, she might have been able to fight back better or hold onto herself if her mate hadn’t died. And it was a freak accident. I spoke personally to someone who was there—”

“You what?” Neldor gasped.

I sighed, hating he’d found out like this. “I wanted to know. I know my mother didn’t order it, but I wouldn’t put it past the ancients—light or dark. I wanted to know for myself and what happened. It always bugged me that they were traveling to come see my mom when we portal all over but—”

“It was to be seen by many that my parents wanted to discuss peace, be seen making the effort,” he whispered. “It’s common between the royals of each realm. Your grandmother made the same gesture. Only when it’s a royal birth or like you were too little to travel in that way.”

I nodded. “It bugged me, but I didn’t know the history of that. I wanted to hear it and listen to someone there.” I explained for everyone present. “It was a sinkhole. It wasn’t even a big one, and it was because a farm had been expanding. A freak thing and a stuck wheel that spooked the unicorns since it’d like never happened and they didn’t normally pull a damn carriage.”

“He died almost instantly,” Neldor rasped, turning away from all of us. “When the carriage flipped, a metal rod broke off, and—the gods are cruel that it went right through his body where it did. Two inches different in any direction and there would have been time to save him.”

I moved closer and rubbed his arm. I glanced at Xavier and Sasha. “Thank you for bringing up this concern. I’ll handle it, I promise. I cannot give them the power to open portals in Faerie. It’s not—even I can’t give them that power. It’s our DNA that allows it in our world. But I’ll figure out something.”

“I suggested a charm bracelet like Hudson gave you and you can teleport any of them to you,” the older of Hudson’s sisters said.

“Perfect, but that only works if I’m in Faerie, and I might not be,” I praised. “But yes, we will start there. Immediately. Thank you. I’ll figure out something else with my father, but for now I’ll give them the same charm Izzy has.”

Xavier did a double take and swore under his breath which shocked all of us. “I’m such a fool. I’m so sorry, Tamsin. Of course. I never thought—I had forgotten—”

“You love him,” I chuckled, waving off the apology. “My dad starts trouble all of the time too.”

“Do I know this charm?” Neldor hedged.

“It’s an ultra barrier and protection,” I told him. “She had to activate it once when her parents pulled a fast one to try and abduct her from Artemis so the old council could shred her mind and find out what species I was.”

“You were so annoyed we showed up to help,” Sasha chuckled. “Thank you, Tamsin.”

I nodded and was glad when they all relaxed and we could move things along. Cara and Jordan talked to Sasha about the separate room for my gowns and formal attire and she was glad to help.

It went fine and they didn’t stay long. Darby admitted that he was going to suggest the charm I’d given Izzy later but didn’t want to act like he was doubting the Guardians in front of other royals.

I kissed his cheek. He was seriously perfect sometimes.

Like right then as he came with me to my studio. He promised it was fine and he didn’t have anything going on and wanted to spend the time with me.

What we didn’t expect to find was a bunch of fucking fairies. I had a few who took care of the place and protected my countless paintings stored there but… Huh?

Immediately, I teleported outside when I sensed all the fairies there and couldn’t hide my shock.

“Your Highness!” someone gasped, and people all around me started jumping to their feet and bowing.

“I’m confused on so many levels,” I whispered as I glanced around. There were like fifty fairies just hanging out there.

“It’s my fault, Your Highness,” one of the fairies admitted as he stepped forwards and knelt in front of me.

And I recognized him but couldn’t place him.

“Major, it’s surprising to see you here,” Ara muttered, having followed me outside, and I was glad she had.

He nodded but kept his focus on me. “After I was awakened, I was one of the Guardians who was assigned to protect this property while getting up to speed. This place…” He sighed and glanced around. “It has a peace that’s not very common on this planet. I found myself coming back when Faerie and the problems we have there were overwhelming.

“And it seems I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Others who had this assignment kept coming back to enjoy the peace and—well, the aura of this place really. It’s a mix of promise and tranquility. Others learned of the place we kept escaping to when overwhelmed and—”

“And my studio became a hangout spot?” I asked, sounding like I wasn’t buying it to my own ears.

“It’s true, Your Highness,” someone else promised. “We’re all Guardians.”

“I’m not,” a few admitted.

“Right, but you’re here with Guardians,” he corrected. “You’re dating one and the other two are family. It’s like a—”

“Why were you overloaded and needed to hide out?” I asked, curious what was going on that I might be missing.

“Family drama,” he grumbled, but then sighed when it was clear I wasn’t going to let it go. “My parents support you. I don’t want you to think otherwise.” He waited until I nodded. “They don’t have faith that peace will really last. They want me to hand in my papers and marry, raising our family’s station that way. It’s stupid and—I’m just over it.” He cleared his throat.

Yeah, that was probably more than he should tell the ruler of Faerie and the others he worked with there.

I nodded and glanced around. “Are all of your stories like that?”

“Not really,” a light fairy admitted. “I just feel trapped in Faerie sometimes. My whole squad died besides me. Sometimes I look around and just feel like they’re watching me and I see their bodies—I need to not be there and remind myself that I can leave.”

“That’s what I meant,” I said gently. “It’s not someone being abused in this moment or something I’m doing wrong.”

“No, Your Highness,” the major promised. “I apologize that we didn’t admit to this or—please don’t be upset with the caretakers.”

I swallowed a sigh. “They aren’t powerful enough to sense you. You’re blocking them or cloaking.”

“Yes, we didn’t want to upset them,” he admitted, wincing at whatever was on my face. “I apolo—”

“Stop. You know you’re in the wrong,” I cut in, ignoring when people went tense. “I don’t care that you used this place that way. It’s not like you’re inside snooping. Hang out here. It’s fine.”

“You’re upset that we interfered with the caretakers doing their jobs,” someone surmised.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “They’ve had a rough go too, and I was letting them take care of this place and live here for their own peace. You intruded on that, and now it will be harder for them to feel that way. It was selfish of you. So you’re all going to do some sort of penance for that. Go help out at the havens or—whoever has been doing this.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” they all said, their tones sad as if assuming that I was going to cut this off.

I glanced around taking in how they were all hanging out. “Going forward, no more cloaking. If people like this place and find peace here—it was why I picked it to be my studio. The vibe of this place is—I get it.” I smiled when Darby snorted.

“It was waiting for you. You said that,” he muttered, remembering that the place had dropped into my lap in a weird way.

I nodded. “I’ll have things transferred out of the garage and you can all use it as well. Store food or drinks there—whatever. I don’t feel comfortable with people inside even to use the washroom when my paintings are stored here and it’s my safe space. And we can put furniture on the patio—fire pits—whatever.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” the major whispered, others agreeing and thanking me.

“It’s really fine.” I let out a slow breath. “But everyone needs to understand that this is my place of solace too. I’m willing to share it, but if I show up, then I need you guys to give me space. I—I come here to be alone and not worry about all the eyes I always have. I’m hidden here.” I gestured to my security. “Besides these fools.”

“I’m actually shocked the fae dogs didn’t snitch,” Ara muttered, her tone worried.

I shook my head. “They’re not sworn to me, and it wasn’t random supes or even fairies. It’s Guardians, and one is always on duty here. They’re nosy and snitch when they think I’m in danger or trouble.” I glanced over at the fae dogs who came out to see what was going on. “But you’re also not getting extra treats for a while. You had to know this was weird.”

They accepted that. They didn’t want to snitch on people who needed a safe place like they had.

I got that, but it wasn’t their call so no extra treats for them.

People accepted that and started getting their things together to leave… Which made me feel guilty. I swallowed a sigh and went over to the garage to see what was there for now. It was full of crates of supplies mostly, but there were some of finished paintings.

“It’s time to store these at the castle even if you stick them all in an empty guest bedroom to go through later, agra ,” Darby said under his breath. “You can teleport all the ones inside out here, and part of their penance can be getting it all to the castle through the portals. You can put magic on them so they can’t be opened, right?”

People seemed offended that he suggested that, but he didn’t brush it off or allow them to pressure him.

“This is basically my mate’s diary in picture form and with her magic,” he told them firmly. “Are you allowed access to the royal journals or anything in the castle now? Of course not. It’s not a statement of whether I trust you—the people who are complete strangers to us—but handling security appropriately.”

“Well, I feel like an idiot when you put it that way,” one guy chuckled, clearly accepting the chastising.

But Darby was right, so that was what we did. The major went and contacted the other fairies he knew who were using the place as their hangout spot. Word of it all reached Iolas and he showed up ready to pound some people.

I told him why I was upset and what I’d said. He promised he’d handle it and get the rest of the Guardians who had used my sanctuary as their clubhouse.

It was hard not to laugh when he put it that way. I made him also promise to handle getting it updated.

“Iolas, I don’t care if they use it as long as people know if I show up that they gotta leave,” I told him. “I barely—when was I even last here? Six months ago? A year?” I frowned. “No, not that long. Like six months when I did more paintings for auction.”

“Yes, but you want to use this place more again for your own emotional and mental health.” He gave me a kind look. “You’ll need it with what is coming.”

I swallowed loudly. Yeah, he was right. I would definitely need my studio after I set my mom free and my dad died too. “You’re right, and thank you for understanding that. So yeah, people can use it as long as they don’t cloak from the caretakers and will take off if I show up. It’s my place first.”

“I’ll handle it. Open a portal inside, and we’ll carry the crates out real quick and clear out. I know where to store these in the castle and protect them. I’ve got this.”

So that was what we did, but then I really wasn’t in the mood to paint or do much of anything. I felt… I wasn’t really sure.