She was worried when they didn’t find the witch sidhe the night before. They’d been sure the ploy would draw the person out, but now Nessa worried that the witch sidhe might have known Cassie was a witch. That could create problems if it got out, and Devin had made sure to whisk Cassie and Maria back to his place in the outcast camp to keep them safe.
Nessa was more than happy to be getting the dates that she was required to do with each suitor over with. Luckily she didn’t have to add any from the night before, as Ronan explained that he didn’t approve of a single one after none were the person they were looking for. It was too bad Ronan couldn’t have unapproved of the ones left over, and she could have been free to help them search for the witch sidhe.
Charlie, annoying suitor number one, paused for a breath, and Nessa considered excusing herself and not returning. A bathroom break seemed appropriate. She didn’t get the chance as he continued to talk, now with even more energy than before. Nessa caught Ronan’s eye as he sat across the empty courtyard, and she rolled her eyes at him. Charlie was back to his one and only topic, what a smart guy he was and why he was essential for Nessa’s rule.
Nessa let her mind wander as he droned on. Everything was still too complicated. She had hoped that becoming queen would ease her life— Devin’s iron fist rule that scared almost all the palace sidhe into submission didn’t hurt anything—but there were still problems. Would her life get any better? Was Nessa always going to be a target? She was beginning to regret even coming back. If they had stayed with the dearg-dul clan, she wouldn’t have had to deal with any of it. And now deal with suitors. That was just icing on the cake of annoyingness. Nessa was already sure what she wanted. Why did she have to follow tradition? What about what she wanted? Why couldn’t she just say no to everyone and be done? It was pointless and a waste of time to listen to the self-absorbed sidhe beside her drone on.
Finally, Nessa turned to Charlie, noticing that he had stopped talking. She looked at his smiling face and still didn’t understand what was going on. Was she supposed to say something? Was he waiting for an answer? Nessa glanced over to her cousin, but he wasn’t paying attention either. Turning back to the sidhe that was courting her, he held her hands. She hadn’t even notice that he had taken them in his own. He was that dull.
“Umm,” Nessa wondered. She had no clue why he had a stupid grin on his face.
“I can’t believe you accepted it,” he replied, finally.
“Accepted what?” Nessa asked. There was nothing she wanted from him other than for him to go away. That she would have accepted.
“My ring, of course.” Charlie smiled proudly, staring at her hands.
Nessa looked down at her own hands in shock. There was a ring on her finger. For a moment panic set in. Sidhe law was you were wedded once the man asked you, and you accepted his ring. Nessa always thought that required a vocal response but then again, maybe not. With the stupid sidhe in front of her smiling proudly, she was sure no verbal response was needed. Nessa tugged at the ill-fitting ring and took it off. Her suitor’s face dropped when he saw her do so. She handed it back to him.
“But I asked you,” he said.
“But I never said yes,” Nessa replied. She cringed at what she had to say next. She didn’t want to admit the truth brashly, but she had to say it. “In fact, I didn’t even hear you ask me.”
“It doesn’t matter if you heard or not. I got the ring on your finger. That means we’re married.” Charlie was now starting to get upset. He sat stiffly with the ring in his hand. “It shouldn’t have come off.” The sidhe was pouting at the ring now. Even Nessa knew their law. The only way a ring came off if you were married was by death. He was right, it shouldn’t have been able to come off. Nessa let out a sigh. They were not wed.
“You have to ask and be accepted,” Nessa replied a second time. It couldn’t be as easy as just slipping a ring on a girl; at least, Nessa hoped it wasn’t that easy.
“I have to ask, and you letting me put the ring on your finger is accepting. No verbal reply is needed. Trust me. Remember, I’m the smart one here.” He was still baffled at the ring.
Nessa bristled at his answer. She may not have paid attention to sidhe laws, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t smart. She was sure he had to be wrong.
“He’s right,” Ronan said from across the way. He didn’t even stand or come close; he just continued to look at the sky. “He asks, you take ring. That’s all it takes.”
“Well, I didn’t take his ring. Obviously. It let me give it back,” Nessa replied. Charlie reached forward and shoved the ring on Nessa’s finger again. Nessa pulled her hand back and ripped the ring off a second time. He really wasn’t wanting to take no for an answer. “I’m not marrying you.” Nessa was being as firm and blunt as she could. It was obvious that the sidhe wasn’t getting the hint by her giving the ring back to him.
“You don’t get that choice since I got the ring on your finger. We are married, and as your husband and the king, I get to decide everything.” Charlie stood, still confused by how easily the ring was off once more. He didn’t attempt to put it on again, but it didn’t seem to matter to him. “I don’t know why it isn’t staying on, but that doesn’t matter. I’m king now, and the sidhe will finally have a ruler they are fit to have. With my knowledge, we will …”
Nessa stood up and was still a whole head shorter than him. That didn’t matter to her. She was used to being shorter than everyone around her as she spent years training with the male sidhe since women typically didn’t train unless they were at the assassin village. Charlie kept rambling on about how he was going to change everything and how much better it would be. Nessa reached up and slapped him across the face, hard enough to get him to stop talking.
“You are not the king, so just shut up,” Nessa said, anger growing inside her. The sidhe was already getting on her nerves, but the fact that he readily told her he was tricking her and now was assuming power was too much.
Charlie’s calculated eyes changed, and anger flared behind them. It was probably the first time anyone told him to shut up, or maybe it was the first time he had been slapped. It didn’t matter which, but he was clearly upset with her. Most female sidhe were a bit more docile, and Nessa could only imagine the man that had raised such a disagreeable sidhe. Charlie reached down and grabbed her wrists. Nessa stared back at him as Ronan now stood and came beside her, ready to help her if she needed.
“You. Are. Not. King,” Nessa repeated, emphasizing each word.
She went to pull her hands from his grasp when she noticed that even though his hands were around her wrists, he wasn’t touching her. Devin’s protective barrier was still completely intact. Nessa laughed, and that was enough to cause Charlie to loosen his grip. Ronan quirked an eyebrow at his cousin’s reaction.
“You can think what you want. I put my ring on your finger. That makes us married,” Charlie sneered at her. All attractiveness was completely gone with his change in attitude.
“We aren’t married. In fact, if I even hear you doing this to another sidhe, I will inform the girl that if she chooses to kill you in your sleep, I would give her a pardon. Marriage isn’t something you go into by trickery. Marriage is a choice.”
Nessa was completely calm, and her offer to let someone kill him in his sleep made his mouth drop. She reached for his hand, and he involuntarily pulled back a fraction after her blatant threat. Nessa kept her giggle inside as she took the ring from him. Slipping it on her finger she looked closer at it. It was around her finger, but not a single part of the metal touched her skin. Ronan now noticed also and grinned.
“Well, that day human is something else,” he commented. Charlie was still in the dark, but didn’t dare speak.
“You see,” Nessa explained. “There have been many attempts on my life. So to keep me safe, Devin created this nice bubble of protection around me. It seems his protection included the likes of scum like you. This ring never touched my finger. We are not married.”
/> Nessa held her hand up for Charlie to see. Shock lined his face. Nessa slipped the ring off and stepped closer to him. His flinch was enough to keep her from seriously hurting the stupid boy.
“Like I said—if you ever trick a sidhe into marriage as you tried to do to me, I will pardon her, or anyone else for that matter, in any crimes against you, including murder. Marriage is something both people have to agree to without deception. Make sure you remember that.” Nessa turned on her heel and left Charlie standing there. While he had been angry only moments before, she could feel the relief slide off of him as she let him go.
Ronan followed behind as Nessa left the palace courtyard.
“Where to now, Your Highness? That is, if I’m allowed to ask without you possibly threatening to kill me in my sleep?” Ronan asked as she paused at the gate. He held up his hands like he was afraid she was going to turn on him next, but his grin said he knew otherwise. He was just being extra cheeky after her words with the suitor.
Nessa rolled her eyes at him as he walked forward through the gate. As soon as she left, the alarm would sound. She hated the damn gate that kept everyone alert to where and when she left.
“I need to see how everyone else is doing,” Nessa replied, still on the inside of the gate.
“You know, as queen, you can just tell the gate to knock it off,” Ronan told her as he suspected why she was waiting.
“What?” Nessa asked.
“I’ve seen my dad do it before, actually tons of times,” Ronan added. “He has to turn it off all the time if the gates throw up the alarm that you aren’t safe.”
Nessa swatted at him. Ronan jumped back out of the way on the opposite side of the gate to avoid being hit. “And you are really just telling me this now?”
Ronan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, I wasn’t sure it would work until after you were officially queen. I knew it worked for my dad when he was regent, but I wasn’t sure if you needed authority or something to activate it,” Ronan babbled on.
Nessa rolled her eyes again. She was going to get dizzy if she spent much more time with her cousin.
“How?” she asked.
“Just do a blood communication like you would between night humans. It already knows your blood,” Ronan told her.
Nessa stared at him, unsure if he was just trying to make her look stupid. She had never seen a sidhe communicate with plants with just blood. Ronan understood her hesitation.
“I’m completely serious,” he told her. “And I know the consequence of tricking you in any way. You’ll kill me in my sleep, and then pardon yourself.” Ronan grinned as if he couldn’t help himself.
Nessa wanted to smack him again, but he was too far away outside the barrier. The look in his eyes said enough. He was serious, and that meant it would work fine. She pricked her finger and touched the nearest leaf.
‘Hello, our queen,’ the vine told her.
“Holy crap, it worked,” Nessa said out loud. Ronan smiled and was obviously relieved it had.
‘Can you not sound the alarm every time I leave?’ Nessa asked.
‘If we feel you are in danger, we must sound the alarm,’ the plants replied.
‘But what if I am just leaving?’
‘Every time you are outside these walls you are in potential danger,’ the leaves answered.
‘And there is plenty of danger within these walls, also.’ Nessa found herself arguing with a plant. They seemed to think the outside world was the problem, but by headcount since she had returned, more nobles had tried to kill her than commoners. It was actually more dangerous behind the walls than outside them.
‘You mean the magic user,’ the plants answered. They had guessed an answer. Nessa was finding it strange enough to just be talking to a plant, but to argue and have them guess things was even weirder.
‘You know who this is?’ Nessa asked eagerly.
‘We do not, and we have told the king so. We will do our best to assist him to keep you safe. That’s why we must tell people when you are in danger.’
Nessa wanted to ask what the plants talked with Devin about, but she needed to be on her way. ‘Right now, am I in danger?’
The leaves rustled and flicked in the windless night. A few vines found their way to Ronan and then back to Nessa.
‘You are with him?’ they asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Then you will be safe for now. If you leave with someone we deem safe, we won’t sound the alarm.’
Nessa sighed. It wasn’t what she was looking for, but it was better than no change. Ronan looked at her.
“Did you get them to shut it off?” he asked.
“Kind of,” Nessa replied. Not really, but it was going to have to do for now. She’d need to have a talk with Devin about it. Good thing that was right where she was heading.
Nessa walked into Devin’s new house and still was in awe of it. She couldn’t believe how he was able to make it sidhe-like, but not. It was more Devin-like than anything: a mixture of sidhe and day human worlds. He had done such a great job, and yet had no clue about the powers within him. Nessa couldn’t wait to see what things would be like in ten years after he had done this much in just over a week in her village. Her grandfather was right—the sidhe needed to change. Observing the room she was sitting in while waiting for Devin to return was just the emphasis she needed to see that her grandfather once again knew what he was doing.
Ronan was lounging on the couch, obviously bored at his job of watching over Nessa, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. He was now her second-in-command and had drawn the short end of the deal when everyone else had jobs to do. They weren’t alone, either. In the corner of the room, Cassie was sitting with her herbs and a bowl. Nessa watched Cassie for a moment before the young witch noticed her.
It was strange for a day human to be calm amongst night humans. Even those that didn’t know about their world still felt the strangeness of being a food target, even if unintentionally. Cassie didn’t even blink at being amongst them. Nessa had to guess that was from being raised amid them. That was the only reason she could come up with, at least. Cassie noticed Nessa studying her.
“Can I borrow a couple drops of your blood?” she asked Nessa.
Nessa was startled by the question, but didn’t see a reason to refuse. She had no clue what the young witch was working on, but the girl was there to help. She had already made it clear that she was the one that wanted to stay when Maria wanted to leave. Nessa stood and walked over to the witch. When Cassie held out a small pen knife, Nessa took it from her.
“How much do you need?” she asked.
“A few drops is more than enough,” Cassie replied.
Nessa pressed the tip of the knife to her finger, piercing the skin. She dropped five drops onto the plate Cassie had before her. Cassie nodded her thanks before grabbing another bottle of herbs. The young witch was too absorbed in what she was doing to even notice Nessa now. Nessa returned to the chair beside Ronan. Everyone was still out doing their own investigations, while she could only sit and wait.
It didn’t take long before Devin returned. He had known she was waiting, but Nessa didn’t feel like bugging him too much. They were all busy, and she had nothing to do but go on dates. At one point in her life that would have been fun, but now her time was being wasted. Turner and Maria returned behind Devin and Keaton.
“Good date?” Devin asked. He had to already have known what had happened, as Nessa noticed him trying not to laugh when he asked. Turner perked up, looking between Devin and Nessa.
Nessa didn’t say anything but turned to Maria instead.
“Did you find anything?” she asked the older witch.
“No,” Maria replied. Her dark eyes had seen the exchange, too, but at least she was keeping on task. “We followed the cold scent that came from the woods, but once it goes into the town it just disappears. It faded almost as if the witch didn’t want to be found.”
Devin ra
ised his eyebrows and looked at Turner.
“No, she’s correct,” Turner added, defending Maria. “It really just disappears. I couldn’t catch a trace of it anywhere in town. We’ll have to do a second check, but it seems like whoever it is, they are well hidden now.”
“So our only lead is on Liam Kay?” Devin asked. “You are sure you sensed it on him?” He turned to Cassie, who was partially listening in but mostly focusing on her own spell.
“Mmm hmmm,” Cassie replied, not even looking up from her herbs as she mixed them slowly.
Devin raised his eyebrows at Maria, and she shrugged. It was obvious there was more said between them, but Nessa had to wonder if it was being kept from her or from Cassie. Everyone seemed to know more than Cassie did, and no one planned to share it with her. It seemed the younger witch may have had more in common with Nessa that she originally thought.
“So, what do we do?” Nessa asked. There had to be something. Could she just ask Liam what was going on? Would he even have a clue?
Devin glanced from Ronan to Turner. He nodded at each, and then replied to Nessa, “Nothing for you to do besides go on a few more dates.”
Nessa’s shoulders dropped. She didn’t want to go on more dates. It was pointless to be sitting around when there was someone using the wrong kind of magic in her city. It was dangerous, and she was more than afraid that Devin was the target for this person. He didn’t seem to mind being right in the middle of everything, but she worried about him. Nessa peered closely at Devin and could easily see that he didn’t have a protective bubble like she did. Why did it matter to protect her if he wasn’t protected, too?
“There’s got to be more I can do,” Nessa complained. She needed to help, and she needed to keep Devin safe.
“We can’t decide on anything until they check the city again. If there’s no trace left of the mystery sidhe, we have to see what we can get from Liam,” Devin told her.
“We passed him in town,” Turner added. “I didn’t get a scent on him right now.”
“In town?” Nessa asked. There was no reason for Liam to be outside the palace. The elite sidhe didn’t leave the walls of their homes unless they had to. Devin looked over to Ronan again, and he shrugged. Nessa hated that Devin could communicate mentally with everyone and thus be able to leave her out.