Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
I have to wonder if he’s actively rewriting history or just forgetting. “Says the man who cut his hair and vowed to never return to Faery. You left with nothing more than a pack on your back.”
He chuckles. “Well, I did steal a bunch of gold, and my favorite brownie packed some sandwiches, but I get your point. However, I had to leave Faery. My mother forced my hand. I had no great desire to leave the only place I’d ever… Shit. You think Rhys is afraid to go to Faery because he was kidnapped by Fae. He’s using Shy as an excuse.”
I never said he wasn’t smart. My faery prince really left the sithein to make his way in the world. Having a human father who was a ridiculously successful businessman helped, certainly, but he was brave to leave what he knew behind. No one wanted Rhys to do that. “I’m worried they both think Rhys might have to sacrifice in order for us to obtain the army we need.”
Dev steps back, frowning. “He thinks I would ask him to… What?”
I hold a hand out. “Please don’t take this personally, babe. I’m not saying he thinks you are going to ask him. He thinks he’s going to have to make the decision and weigh the greater good with his own wants and needs. The Fae won’t simply fall in line. They will ask for concessions, and one of them might be Rhys. If you recall, your brother thought it would be best if I remained your mistress and allowed you to find a proper Fae wife.”
“And I punched him for even suggesting it. My goddess, I know we’ve had trouble with my family in the past and I will talk to my mother about how she handled our children, but the truth of the matter is…”
“We need them.” I wish we didn’t. “I intend to behave until I have what I need, but you have to understand where Rhys is coming from. Shy is everything to him. The way Fenrir is to Evan. And before you tell me they need time to see the world or find themselves, I’m going to ask you when you expect them to do that. They don’t get to go off to college. They didn’t get to graduate from high school and backpack through Europe. They got blood and sweat and fear. They had to spend their childhood on the run, and in the midst of all of it, they found family.”
“We are their family,” Dev says stubbornly.
“Of course we are, but not the way Fenrir and Shy are right now. Not the way Sasha and Trent are. You have to respect what they went through. We were not there. It wasn’t our fault but we weren’t there.”
“And that is why I will kill Myrddin.”
I need to get him to the place I am, the place where he’s honest, but first he has to be honest with himself. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“Rage.” He steps away, pacing again. “I don’t understand this fucking world. It’s like we came home to utter chaos.”
“Not true. We came home to a well-run rebellion. Sasha and Trent did a magnificent job.”
“They turned our children into soldiers.” Dev runs a hand through his hair, a frustrated gesture.
“They had to be soldiers. They tried to hide the kids and when they couldn’t, they raised them to be a marvelous unit who love and care about each other.”
His eyes darken. “Yes, and that is my mother and brother’s fault.”
This is well-worn ground. “And you are angry with them.”
“I have considered killing them both.”
I sigh and move into his space again, placing a hand on his chest. It’s good to acknowledge the impulse even if I know he won’t follow through with it. “What else do you feel?”
“It’s wrong. It’s all wrong, Zoey. It’s not supposed to be this way.” He grinds the words out, his discomfort plain.
I can’t care about his discomfort now. “I need you to think about this, my love. Don’t tell me now. I want you to sit with the question for a few days. Have you felt this before? This feeling, this all-encompassing, drowning feeling. If you have, what name did you give it?” It took me a while to name this feeling. This emotion that threatened to take my heart. But I had to come to this conclusion myself. Knowing what was truly ruling me, saying the name plainly, made it easier to deal with. I need my husband to come to the revelation on his own. “Now tell me what you sense from Shy. Does Bris have any thoughts? What could we be missing? What power would tempt Arawn into being willing to help us?”
I’ve been asking the question since we met with the crone. Shy is good at what she does. I know her powers are impressive, but I fail to see how Arawn would need her. He can already talk to the dead. I’m asking the question now because I think my husband could use a few moments to calm down.