Chapter Two

I know I mentioned how expensive the tickets to the fundraiser were, but to give you more clarity, the President of the United States could not afford to attend. No politicians could. Or if they could, I think they were ignored. Azrael didn't want to deal with politics at the party. After the world leaders visited Faerie, we'd both had enough of them.

And there he was, in his Faerie God finery—leather and leaves mostly. Whatever Az wore, he looked magnificent, and I meant that to include his multiple guises—Angel, Faerie God, or Death, he was delicious. So, I had to pause a moment to appreciate the sight of him standing among the humans, dwarfing them with his height and bulk, much of that in his wings. He nodded, his impressive rack catching the light. Rack as in antlers. He had golden ones growing out of his head. Gold shone in his wings too—faerie dust sparkling in the black feathers.

As if he could sense us, the Faerie God's bright green eyes—the ones our sons had inherited (in his other form they were pale blue)—shifted our way. His face creased in a big grin, and he excused himself. The humans he'd been speaking to watched him go, then saw where he was headed and gaped at us.

This was the first public appearance of the Faerie God's sons. Not their first time in the citadel, mind you. We'd brought them down many times before along with Vero and Lesya, so they could play with the Wild Fey kids and explore the vast magical land beneath the citadel. But this was their first appearance with the human public. It was a big deal. On top of Sebastian and Dominic being Azrael's children, they had wings—always a hit with humans, and then there were their siblings. We had explained my relationship with Azrael and my other husbands to the world, but I don't think everyone truly grasped what our family was like. Now, they'd see it in person. At least, these very wealthy individuals would.

Trevor and Kirill drew our children closer when we became the center of attention. But people weren't staring at Vero or Lesya. As magical as they were, it didn't show as it did with the twins. They could pass for human. Not so much with Dominic and Sebastian. At least not when their wings were out. So every stare was on them.

“Daddy!” Dominic cried.

“Poky Daddy!” Sebastian said.

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. With Azrael's multiple forms, our boys had nicknamed the ones they saw the least. His normal form was Daddy, but his Death guise was Bone Daddy (my favorite), and the Faerie God was Poky Daddy because of the antlers. I was a little surprised at how easily they accepted that their father had three bodies. But then again, they'd been raised in the God Realm around a bunch of werelions, their uncles were some of the most powerful gods in existence, and their father was the Angel of Death and the Faerie God. Not to mention they could do a partial shift by banishing their wings. In light of it all, Az shapeshifting into other forms was nothing. They had even giggled the first time they saw him transform.

“My boys!” Azrael declared and gathered them up from Re and me. With one hooked over each elbow, he curled his wings around them and kissed their cheeks. “You look so handsome in your suits. ”

“Good, because it wasn't easy to get them into those things,” I muttered.

The boys giggled.

“Fly!” Sebastian said as he tried to climb Azrael's shoulder.

“Not right now, Sebastian,” Az said and wrestled him back down. Az was an expert in dealing with our sons. But then, he'd once been a winged child. “There are a lot of people who want to meet you.”

The Wild Fey kids were in attendance as well, all dressed up in fancy duds—as my newest lion, Captain Austin Wright, would say. Cowboy Cop was there as well, wandering through the crowd as a representative of the local police department. Mainly, he just wanted to attend the fancy shindig. The kids were chaperoned by their parents or nannies and were already pulling at their collars and frills. It was the reason we decided to bring our children to the party. Not to keep them from disrobing—more common with children than you might think—but as a sort of all's-fair gesture. If they had to get gawked at, then so did our kids.

And this was the safest environment in which to introduce them to the world. Inside the Golden Citadel, Azrael reigned supreme. He could shift the structure and use it to combat any invaders. If one of the humans got out of line, he would see to it that they snapped back in place. There were no photographs allowed inside the citadel, so that ensured that pictures of the kids wouldn't be circling the Internet or the news stations. The Press had been informed of the event but weren't allowed to attend. There was probably a horde of them at the gate, but all they'd get would be pictures of the guests leaving.

This is what the humans had paid the big bucks for—an exclusive look at the Faerie God's home and an introduction to his family. They had already been given a limited tour of the citadel, accompanied by Az and his citadel guards. Although Azrael hadn't been born a faerie, he was still the one bound to the Wild Magic that had invaded Earth and was the only one who could control it. I guess that technically made him a faerie. Whatever he was, he was in charge, and the High King of Faerie supported him by sending Fey soldiers to help Azrael guard the Golden Citadel. It was more about protecting the Elemental Well in the subterranean level of the citadel than Az, but still, it was nice of King Cian.

“Are we going to make the rounds, then?” I asked.

“No. That could get confusing. I might not make it to everyone,” Az said, his arm clamped around Sebastian to still his wriggling. “Instead, we've got a meeting room set up just off the ballroom.” He waved toward a door nearby. “I'll take you in and then make the announcement that we're ready for them to line up.”

I snickered.

“What?”

“Nothing bad. I was just thinking about how these are the kind of people who don't have to line up for anything. They probably had employees purchase their tickets. And now, you're making them line up anyway.”

Azrael chuckled. “I believe it was all done online. They were invited to attend.”

“Oh. That's how you kept the politicians away.”

“Exactly. We only sent invitations to people who could afford the tickets and who we knew were staunch supporters of the Fey.”

“Smart,” Odin said. “Should we take Lesya and Vero over to play with the other children? ”

Azrael frowned. “This event is focused on them. They will be in the room with us. And all of you are my family. People want to meet you, not just the twins.”

Kirill cleared his throat and picked up our daughter. At seven-years-old, Lesya was more the size of a nine-year-old thanks to her shapeshifter blood. So, she was a little big to be held in someone's arms. But Kirill, with his muscles and broad shoulders, made it look natural. And protective.

“Kirill?” I asked.

“Da, it's fine,” he said. “But I vill hold her.”

“Whatever makes you comfortable,” Azrael said.

“You want to come up too?” Trevor opened his arms to Vero.

Vero was five, but again, due to his shapeshifter blood, he looked a couple of years older. That number increased with the look he gave his father. “I am the God of the Moon and Wolves. I do not need to be held.”

The grown-ups, including me, pressed our lips together to keep from laughing.

Trevor, the good daddy that he was, looked at our son with all the seriousness he needed and said, “You're absolutely right, Vero. It was more for my comfort than yours.”

Vero blinked, and his chin lowered a few notches. “Oh. Well, if you need to hold me to feel better, Dad, that's fine.”

Trevor considered this. “I think I'll be okay.” He held his hand out to Vero. “As long as you hold my hand.”

“Okay, Dad.” Vero took Trevor's hand. “We'll do this together.”

Azrael cleared his throat. “All right then. Shall we get you settled in the room?”

“Yes. I think we should do that soon. People are looking as if they're going to come over,” I said.

The Faerie God spread his glittering wings, creating a barrier between us and the rest of the room, then waved us toward the door he'd indicated earlier. I took the lead, and he brought up the rear.

I smiled as I walked through the doorway. The room had been made to look as magical as possible. At least Az was giving these people a show for their money. Grass covered the floor, vines grew over the walls, and fruit trees formed columns to either side of a short dais on the far left. A path of sparkling stones led from the doorway on the right to that dais, winding through the room so that the guests would have things to inspect as they waited. The first thing to draw my eye was a wishing fountain with silver bowls full of coins on its rim. Nope, the guests didn't even need to bring their own coins to wish with. Probably because these people didn't carry cash, much less coins—that would be too much of a strain on their birkins.

In addition to the wishing well, there were fruit trees to sample from, and they didn't bear your average apples and pears. Their bounty sparkled with sugar, and the strawberries growing along the path were dipped in chocolate. No, they didn't grow that way. Az must have had the staff prepare them. A beverage station of sorts stood just a couple of feet down the path. An attendant waited beside the golden table that bore crystal bowls full of sparkling liquid and crystal glasses lined up on the shelves beneath.

“Would anyone care for some fresh apple juice?” the attendant asked.

“Me!” Lesya said.

“Do you have a child-friendly glass?” I asked in a whisper. Lesya was at the age when calling her a child was offensive.

“Of course, miss.” He bent around the back of the table and retrieved a highball glass. After filling it with juice, he handed it to Lesya.

“Thank you,” Lesya said. She took a sip, then declared, “It tastes like sunshine!”

“Could I please have a glass?” Vero asked.

“Of course, sir,” the attendant said, making me grin.

As he handed out glasses of juice, I went further down the path. Things glittered among the plants. I bent to inspect the glimmer. It was a little crystal. I smiled and straightened. So much to captivate the senses. Azrael had thought of everything.

But this was his project. All that milking of goodwill I mentioned was orchestrated by Az. I think he liked having a mission beyond watching over the world and keeping the superpowers—who weren't all that powerful anymore—in line. Not that we hadn't been trying to increase Fey popularity before Alex got abducted. We had, but it had been difficult. A two steps forward and one step back sort of thing. Especially after Jerry tried to convince humans that he was King Arthur returned to save them from the evil Faerie God. But now, we were moving steadily forward.

I got to the end of the path and stepped up onto the grass-covered platform. There were no seats, and I was grateful for that. The last thing I wanted to do was sit on a throne while I met a bunch of humans. It felt wrong, and I didn't think it would help our cause. Better to stand and meet them like equals. Plus, with our entire family and the Wild Fey kids with their families joining us, it would be a question of who stood and who sat. When you're married to a bunch of gods, you always have to think about equality .

“Just follow the path,” I heard Azrael say.

Although the path wound around some trees, there was still a clear view from the door to the dais. Again, smart thinking on Azrael's part. Before they got in far enough to be distracted by all the shiny things, the humans would be able to see the goal. And we'd be able to see them. I watched the Wild Fey kids come in with their parents and guardians. Some of those guardians—including Alexander's parents—were Fey.

I grinned when I saw Machar, Alex's Red Cap father, nod at Azrael and carry his son down the path with his wife, Slainidh, a Bean-Sidhe, beside him. They were such an odd couple—Machar massive, with bulbous features and Slainidh delicately slim, beautiful, and pale. They might have had children of their own, but only if Faerie, the Consciousness of the Realm, helped them. And Faerie had only done that once—for the King of Water and his Phooka bride. So, Machar and Slainidh were thrilled to adopt a Wild Fey boy who leaned toward Red Cap in the looks department.

Azrael watched everyone make their way down to where I stood, and I helped sort out who went where. When we were all settled, I looked back toward the doorway to find Az waiting, his stare on me. I nodded to let him know we were ready, and he left.

A few minutes later, I heard Az announce that introductions would now commence. Then he returned, striding down the sparkling path with purpose, his leafy cape fluttering behind him even though his wings were tucked in against his back. He came up the two steps and took his place on the dais. Some of the citadel knights followed Az, but not to the dais. They took positions at the door and among the plants to guard us. When Az was settled, he nodded at the knight at the door.

There was an instant rush of people .

Or there was for one second. And then whatever the knight said sank in, and they saw all the delights waiting for them along the path. The first couple—an old man with a young woman—hesitated.

“It's all right,” Azrael called out in his booming Faerie God voice. “Take your time and enjoy the journey. I've laid treasures for you to find along the way. Partake of food and drink to your heart's content, but the crystal charms are only one per person. So be careful in your selection.”

At the mention of free loot, the woman gave a little squeal and hurried forward. Her much older companion tottered after her, an indulgent look on his face. Behind them came more people. No one rushed. They were too eager to see everything Az had prepared for them.

“Nicely done, babe,” I said. “Crystal charms?”

“They aren't enchanted or anything,” Azrael said. “Just pieces of crystal etched with runes.”

“To make the humans think they're magical,” Re said and chuckled. “Nice.”

“It would disappoint them to come here and not leave without a little magic,” Azrael said. “And hopefully, this will stop anyone who might be tempted to steal a memento.”

“You did make gift bags for them, right?” I asked. “Events like this usually hand out gift bags.”

“Oh, yes, they'll each get a basket full of lovely things. But this is something they can pick out for themselves and it's before they leave. They won't get the gift baskets until the end of the night.”

“A treasure hunt. Yes, it's a wonderful idea.”

The woman squealed again and held up a crystal to show her husband.

He took it, nodded, pocketed it, then waved her on. “You can choose for me as well, sweetheart.”

“Thank you!” She sounded like Lesya.

I rolled my eyes. But hey, they were two adults—one of them just barely, but still—and maybe she really loved him. Or maybe she was with him for his money. Either way, none of my business. I had a friend who once told me, “The hardest thing to sell is your body. Never look down on a woman for selling hers.” I agree with that. This girl, if she did marry for money, had chosen it over love, and that's a tough choice. I looked over at my family, each one of them so essential to my happiness, and was truly grateful that I'd never had to make that choice. I got to have it all.

So, when the couple joined us at last and Azrael introduced us, I greeted them both warmly. And the woman turned out to be delightful. She gushed over my children, tried not to ogle my husbands, and thanked both Az and me for her gifts, even showing us the ones she'd chosen.

After her, the guests were rather tame and a little boring by comparison. My children started to get restless, but the guest list wasn't a long one. Only about fifty people had attended the fundraiser. So it wasn't long after Sebastian started squirming and asking to fly that the end of the line reached us. The last couple was on the younger side, maybe mid-forties. The husband had light brown hair cut short, and the woman had dark hair worn in a stylish bob.

“Oh, please let him,” the man said. “I would love to see him fly.”

Azrael looked at me, and I shrugged.

“Very well,” Az said and lifted our son. “Go on, son.”

With a delighted shriek, Sebastian launched himself out of his father's arms and flew across the room.

“Do not leave this room,” Az called after him.

“Mommy?” Dominic looked at me with wide eyes and fluttering wings.

“Yes, you can go too,” I said and held him out. “Make sure your brother doesn't dive-bomb our guests.”

“Yes, Mommy!” Dom shouted as he went airborne.

“Oh, they're incredible,” the man's female companion said.

“See, darling?” the man said. “I told you, being last in line is sometimes a good thing. There's no one behind us to rush us and we get to see things no one else has.” Then he held his hand out to Azrael. “It's an honor and a pleasure to meet you, Faerie God. I'm Elliot Gray and this is my wife, Rose. We're huge fans of what you've done for our world and politics.”

Azrael lifted his brows as he shook the man's hand. “Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well, Mr. Gray. Mrs. Gray.” He shook her hand next. Then he went through the introductions as he had with every guest, finishing with me.

I shook the wife's hand first, then her husband's. “Gray?” I asked with a lifted brow.

“Please.” He laughed and held up his hand. “No Fifty Shades jokes.”

“All right. As long as you know I'm thinking them,” I teased.

“Everyone does.” Mr. Gray rolled his eyes, but he was also smiling. “Now, I'm sorry to do this, but this is probably the only chance I'll have to speak privately with you, Faerie God.”

“That sounds ominous,” Az said.

“Not at all,” he assured Az. “I manufacture toys, and I was hoping you'd hear out a proposition I have for you.”

“You make toys?” I asked, intrigued. I'd never met a toy maker. It felt a little magical. And I wasn't the only one who thought so.

Lesya and Vero drew closer, flanking me as they took my hands.

I glanced down at them, then said to Mr. Gray, “You have our attention.”

“Oh, we brought gifts for the kids,” Mrs. Gray said. “The guards took them from us when we arrived, but there's a big assortment of what we produce. You can have your pick.” She winked at the children.

Lesya beamed at the woman. “Thank you very much.”

“You're welcome.”

“And you can see the quality of our products,” Mr. Gray said to Az.

“I'm sure your toys are wonderful, Mr. Gray, but what have they to do with us?” Azrael asked.

“I would like to sell Faerie God approved toys with magical themes.” Mr. Gray hurried to add, “Not real magic, mind you. Just toys that feel magical. Perhaps we could do a line of Wild Fey dolls and figurines. I'm open to suggestions.”

“Toys?” Az frowned.

“We've been so focused on the way adults view us that we haven't thought of the children,” I said to Az. “This could be a great opportunity for us. There are already many companies that manufacture Fey-themed products, including toys. But we don't have a say in them. We could help the Grays make toys that will encourage young people to embrace faeries and not fear them. In a few years, those children will be grown. It would be nice to have them on our side.”

Azrael nodded. “Perhaps.”

“And you'd of course get a percentage of the profits,” Mr. Gray said.

Az looked at me. “We could give it to the Wild Fey kids and their families. Then their trust funds would have regular contributions.”

“Toys supporting children,” I said. “I like that.”

“Very well,” Az said. “I'll consider your offer, Mr. Gray.”

“Great!” Mr. Gray exclaimed as he produced his business card. “My personal number is on there. Please, call me anytime to schedule a proper meeting.”

“I will.” Az accepted the card and tucked it behind a leather leaf. “Thank you. I hope you two enjoy the party.”

“We have been,” Mrs. Gray said. “It's the most wonderful party I've ever been to. Worth every penny.”

“I can't wait to see what's for dinner,” Mr. Gray said.

Then a little suit jacket fell on his head.

“Sebastian!” I shouted as Mr. Gray laughed his ass off.