Maureen stood and approached the stage. She moved slowly, and allowed everyone to take in her ornate dress. Her head was held tall, and she didn’t look at anyone but Nessa as she walked gracefully past the rest of the sidhe. Everything about her said she was playing the part of future grandmother to the queen. She was in theatrical production mode, and planning to make a grand plea of her case.
Nessa rolled her eyes, and Devin coughed to cover a laugh. They might not get along all the time, but they were in agreement when it came to Maureen.
“Next up, Maureen Ferguson,” Devin announced, still coughing a little. “Anything new you’d like to add today? I’m pretty sure your case was decided yesterday.”
“I brought the two witnesses to the wedding,” Maureen explained, motioning for two people to join her.
‘They are elders in the Ferguson family. They are witnesses for the clan, and cannot tell a lie,’ Nessa told him. It wasn’t good to see that Maureen had brought elders. By law, they could not lie to the courts, and were to oversee all arrangements of the family. Either they were really married, or the elders were going to commit a crime against their position. Nessa didn’t know which, but both were not good.
Devin nodded to Nessa as he looked at each man. He was already prepared for the liars.
“Before I ask them to tell me what they came here to say, I’d first like to reiterate to everyone sitting here that I have been given all of the powers of the former king,” Devin said loudly enough for the room to hear him. Most of the people stared back blankly at Devin, but the two elders flinched as the crossed swords appeared on Devin’s back. “I don’t know how the man did it, but he did. Those powers are inside of me now, and will be for the rest of my life. Included in those powers is the ability to tell when one lies to me. So please step forward to tell the truth.”
The room erupted into chaos. Obviously only the older people in the room knew of that power. The younger were all as shocked and dismayed as Nessa was. She didn’t doubt him now, not because of his display before they arrived, but because he would openly admit it to the room. If he had any doubts on that power, he wouldn’t have said anything. Devin was always calculated in every risk he took. If he admitted to a room that he could do something, he would be able to do it perfectly. Nessa never once saw him claim to do something without being able to do it better than anyone expected. That was Devin’s style.
Devin smiled as the two men with Maureen pulled her back to talk to her. His statement would cause a stir. It might have been better to not let people know—then he could have used it in secret—but he needed them to understand when he told them the truth about the supposed wedding of Fiona and Rhys. Either way, Devin needed the elite sidhe there to believe him. Nessa completely understood and was proud of him. Devin was meant to be a leader.
‘What is the punishment if they are caught lying in public events?’ Devin questioned her.
‘Exiled to the castoffs camp for them and their entire immediate family,’ Nessa replied. The elders were exalted members of their family, and took an oath to not lie. Nessa had never heard of one lying before, but then again, this would be just their word against Devin’s. Nessa knew that is why Maureen was using them. An elder’s word against a day human. She was sure who everyone would believe, but not sure that they would support the elders now if Devin said they were lying.
Maureen seemed to be upset by what the men were telling her. They were quietly arguing when Devin stopped them.
“Now, what would you two gentlemen like to add to the debate? We decided yesterday that there’s no contest to the throne at this time, even if this is the former king’s child. The child will be a bastard and has no claim to the throne,” Devin reiterated to the gathered crowd that was finally quieting. Devin seemed to know exactly how to play the game; he was challenging the two men to lie to him.
“They would both like to confirm that Fiona and King Rhys were married,” Maureen spoke for the two men, who seemed to have lost their nerve. She was still willing to take her chance.
“That’s nice, but they need to be the ones to say that to be entered into the court documents.” Devin motioned to the young sidhe that was transcribing the events. They needed to speak for Devin to tell if they were telling the truth or not.
Nessa gave Devin a questioning look. How did he know how to play the game of sidhe politics so well? In answer to her question, Devin tilted his head toward the back of the room. Uncle Rolf was by the doorway. Nessa nodded in understanding. While she had not seen him enter, she was grateful for her uncle and his knowledge. Nessa needed him now more than ever. Never once, when skipping lessons on sidhe law for combat lessons, had she thought that maybe her fate depended on knowing those laws.
‘Gemma is awake and fine. She is sitting with Ronan right now,’ Devin explained.
Nessa smiled and felt as though a weight lifted off her chest. However, she was still very worried about her cousins. She didn’t want to lose the last family she had. Maureen saw Nessa’s smile and scowled, thinking it was because the older lady was caught. Her two witnesses didn’t seem to want to speak. Devin coughed over a chuckle again.
‘Why is she mad at me? What did I do now?’ Nessa asked, truly confused.
‘Timing, love, timing,’ Devin replied, while keeping his face serious. She could feel the humor in his voice, but externally he was completely composed. Devin was definitely well-trained in the art of night human politics.
“Well, we can’t wait around all day. We have a coronation to get ready for, and I have a few leads on the assassin to take care of in the meantime.” Devin looked straight at Maureen. Nessa got the hint behind his words and look. Maureen didn’t flinch, but stared back defiantly. She had been playing the game longer than Devin, and was equally prepared.
‘Is she part of the assassination attempt?’ Nessa asked. That had not crossed her mind. Yes, Maureen tried once before to kill Nessa, but with Devin’s threat of disbanding the entire family of the one at fault, Nessa thought there was no way possible Maureen would chance it. Her family, and the power of her family, was everything for her.
‘I’m not sure, but hers is the only family that has not been attacked. I’d say she’s most likely involved,’ Devin replied while continuing his stare down with Maureen. The odds were against her, after all. Nessa had not been keeping track, but Devin was right. Maureen’s family was the only one without an attack.
Devin looked to each Ferguson elder, and both stared helplessly at him. “Do either of you have anything to say?”
Both men vehemently shook their heads. Smiling, Devin nodded. His threat was enough to keep them to their job. Nessa had a feeling Devin might have actually just made things a bit easier for himself. The sidhe may fear him, and now have more fear, but he’d pretty much guaranteed they weren’t going to lie to him. He hated the deception and games, and that would have to be a relief for him.
“Then the case is closed. Without a marriage, whether or not Rhys was the father of Fiona’s child doesn’t matter. The child will be a Ferguson, and thus not in line for the throne. It remains that Vanessa will be made queen with Ronan McKinny second in line until she produces an heir of her own.” Devin stood and offered his hand to Nessa. He was happy to be finished with the elite. Nessa could feel the happiness roll off of him.
‘And just like that, we are done,’ Devin told Nessa.
Devin winked at her as they walked past the fuming Maureen. Nessa could almost see the relief in Fiona’s eyes. As conniving as Fiona could be, she might not have been following her mother by choice. Nessa couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. It seemed that for once she might have been caught in the web of her mother’s games.
Devin paused at the doorway to their apartment. Nessa walked inside, but immediately turned and crossed her arms with a pout. She’d gotten the hint and knew that he was going to lock her inside again. She wasn’t happy about it.
“You’re not coming in?” she asked accusingly
.
“I need to go pick someone up outside the village,” Devin replied. Hating his vague answer, Nessa glared at him.
“And I suppose I’m to stay here like a good girl.” She was back to showing her harshness only minutes after her lightheartedness in dealing with Maureen. Devin was beginning to see a trend, and it might have been partially his fault that Nessa was an emotional rollercoaster.
“That would be the plan,” Devin stated, already encasing the room in his protective bubble.
“Do you think I can’t help?” Nessa murmured. Now hurt was the emotion she was emitting. Devin was having a hard time keeping up with her. The bond alone was jumping with emotions, and her voice echoed it. She was too confusing sometimes.
“That isn’t it at all,” Devin replied, grabbing her hands before she could pull further away from him. “I know you could help me. It would probably even go faster if I had your help, but I can’t risk it. I can’t have you out there exposed and risk you getting hurt. Someone still wants to kill you. I am not a sidhe. I’m not a target, but you are. If I have to sit and worry about you, then I won’t be able to get done what needs to be done. I love you, Nessa.”
“Are you calling me a distraction?” Nessa asked. Devin couldn’t tell if that offended her, or made her happy.
“Gods, yes, you are a distraction,” Devin replied. Wasn’t that obvious by now? “Have you not figured that out yet? When you’re around, I can’t focus on anything else.”
Nessa leaned forward and kissed him. Wrapping her arms around him, she held on tight as he responded. His hands moved to her hips and held her as close as he could get her against him. It wasn’t the response he expected, as the last few times he’d tried to protect her had made her mad, but he wasn’t about to complain. When she pulled back far too early, he gazed into her eyes. She truly wasn’t mad this time. It was there on the tip of his tongue, what he needed to ask her, but the moment was lost as she stepped back.
“Then stay safe, and I’ll wait,” Nessa told him, gently pushing him out of the protective spell around her room.
Devin stood in the doorway and watched as she walked away. She was going to check on her cousin. He could feel the heartbeat of the sidhe in the room, and knew Ronan was alive but still not awake. Devin was sorry he had to cut off his two toes, but Ronan would be thankful to not be dead once he woke, and hopefully would not care too much.
With Nessa in a good mood for a change, Devin relaxed slightly as he made his way out of the palace and into the village. He planned to go by foot instead of the trees to meet Turner because he wasn’t sure where he would find him. He had told Turner where his car was parked. It would have been nice if Turner would wait there, but Devin knew his friend all too well. Turner wouldn’t just sit and wait. He wasn’t a patient guy. With his great lycan sense of smell, Turner was sure to come wandering into the village, if he could get that far.
Devin paused at the edge of the town. It was still magical how everything fit with nature, but something had changed now that he knew they hid people off in the shadows because they didn’t fit perfectly into their sidhe world. All of the castoff families he had stopped by at the start of the day were just that: families. He had expected castoffs to be more like prisoners and bad people. A typical castoff committed a crime, and therefore couldn’t be a part of regular society. Yet, there wasn’t a single bad person there. They deserved more, and Devin couldn’t wait to help them after he settled everything with the assassin and Nessa’s coronation.
As Devin crossed the bridge into the village, he found Lindsey standing in the clearing. Lindsey was the keeper of the sidhe; he guarded the one road into the village and was always on alert. As Devin approached, the hulking, green, moss-covered giant turned slightly to him.
“Hello, Day Human Prince,” Lindsey called in his booming voice. The man was twice the size of the largest man Devin had ever seen. Days ago, when he’d first met him, Devin had been shocked. Even now, having seen him before, he was still stunned to be standing in his presence.
“I didn’t figure I’d catch you up and about,” Devin replied, thinking how he never even saw the old sidhe when he first walked into that same clearing with Nessa days ago. He was first deceived as the giant sat in disguise, and secondly because Devin couldn’t track the man because he moved quicker than the wind.
“We have a visitor coming, and he’s coming quickly. I figured best to be prepared,” Lindsey explained. He was doing his job.
Devin smiled. “Is it in the form of a night human?” Devin asked, guessing Turner was on his way.
“A hairy night human,” Lindsey replied with some disgust. “I’m not fond of dogs.”
Devin laughed. Turner’s lycan form was hairy, whether he was partially or fully transformed. He didn’t recall the phase of the moon, but either way, Lindsey’s description would be correct. “I’ll greet this one.” Lindsey looked back at Devin and nodded.
“As you wish, Prince.” Lindsey bowed and moved to the side of the clearing. The old giant sat down and blended right in with the scenery as if that was where he always sat. The moss on him matched the moss on the neighboring trees.
Devin moved back to the bridge and waited as Turner approached. Half human, half wolf, Turner ran into the clearing. It must have been between moons after all. Turner paused, surrounded by the grass. He turned first to where Lindsey was sitting blended into the nature around him. Then Turner turned to Devin, letting his night human side go. He shook from head to toe as the hair faded, and he became a man. Turner flashed his brilliantly white smile while shaking his reddish-brown locks when he laughed. Devin hopped down and met Turner in the middle of the glade. It had been only a few days, but since they had spent more than the last year together—almost constantly—protecting Arianna, it was a long time apart. Especially when you were used to seeing and arguing with someone all day, every day.
“I was almost thinking you just set this up as an elaborate game, and wouldn’t be here when I arrived,” Turner said as he grasped Devin’s arm to shake it.
“You really think I’d do this to entertain you?” Devin asked. Driving to the middle of nowhere, hiking to the middle of nowhere, and then leaving sounded like a time-consuming hoax. It was definitely something Turner would have done—but that was more his style—not Devin. Smiling, Turner shrugged; he was probably storing it in his book of pranks for the future.
“It has gotten quite boring at the Randolph estate,” Turner replied. “I know you were busy when you were with us days ago, but I’m going crazy. Figured you had to have noticed that much, and were offering to entertain me.”
Devin hadn’t realized that before he left. He had been a little busy noticing Nessa, or trying to not notice Nessa, to pay attention to the lack of work. Devin was sure that Turner was right. Arianna’s bonded night human was one of the strongest Devin had encountered in a long time. She was perfectly safe and didn’t need her keepers now.
“I talked to Mori on the way. He said he needs another couple of hours for whatever you have him doing,” Turner continued, oblivious to Devin not replying the first time. This time Turner paused for Devin to speak.
“Glad you could make it so fast,” Devin answered. “Sorry, this isn’t a hoax. I really need some help.”
“Of course! What do you need me for?” Turner asked. “The sooner I get this done, the sooner we can return and find something else to do because it is so boring there now.” Turner looked around the glen. “And where would your little night human be now? I figured she’d not let you out of her sight since you said the bond wasn’t broken yet.”
“Yeah, ’bout that ...” Devin tried to figure out the best way to tell Turner. It had been easy to tell Mori he wasn’t coming back because he understood what the bond meant. Unfortunately, Turner had no clue about the bond.
“What?” Turner asked, looking into the forest for Nessa. “Is she hiding somewhere, and I have offended her?”
Laughing, Devin shook
his head. It was a perfectly fine assessment of her, and she wouldn’t be offended in the least.
“About the coming home part,” Devin began again. He wasn’t used to the energy that Turner emitted. It was strange to now be able to see him in the light that the sidhe would. He was as close to nature as they were, possibly even more so since he turned into a wolf during a full moon. He fit in with the sidhe world, yet was as different and foreign as Devin was. “I’m not going back to Arianna.”
Turner stared at Devin, obviously trying to make sense of his words. Everyone still expected Devin to return because he hadn’t had time to tell most of his family and friends. Arianna obviously hadn’t shared it with the team. Turner shook his head and opened his mouth to speak.
“You heard correct,” Devin replied before Turner could get a word out. “I’m not going back. I have to stay here. I’m kind of one of them now.”
“She turned you?” Turner’s eyes bugged out of his head as his form flickered between his normal human form and his night human form. Anger was rising in the lycan.
“No, no,” Devin quickly replied, holding his hands up in surrender and trying to calm his friend. “No one turned me. I’m still a day human.”
“They why can’t you leave?” Turner asked. He needed more information, and Devin was not doing the best to calm him down. His night human form flickered a second time.
“First off, because I’m still bonded to her,” Devin replied. Turner once again moved to speak, and Devin held up his hand. “It can’t be broken. If the bond really forms, you can’t break it, ever. I’m connected to Nessa for life. My life and hers will be forever intertwined, and she belongs here. I can’t leave.”