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)
“Well, aren’t you a little rebel, Bibi,” Neil says and holds a hand out. “High five, girlie.”
Neil adores my Bibi. And she’s got the biggest crush on him because as I have pointed out on many an occasion, trolls have no gaydar.
Bibi gasps and turns to run, but Sasha catches her, drawing her up and looking my way. “You know this troll, Your Highness?”
“I do.” I think it’s worth the risk.
Daniel moves in. “Bibi, is it cold iron in the wine?”
Tears run down her face. “My master will take you all down, and you will not see it coming. You will not know him. You can kill me but I will never give you his name.”
Neil looks at me, grinning. “You need to give Bibi a raise or she might assassinate you.”
“How do you all know my name?” Bibi shrinks back from me, and it hurts my heart.
I look to Danny. “Can we be honest with her? We need an ally. She can give us history we don’t have.”
“And it will allow our Devinshea to feel more confident in his conversations with this court of his.” Sasha stares down at the troll. “Your Highness, I recommend this course of action. You should know I use many Earth plane Fae as spies. They are some of my best sources of information. It’s precisely why Myrddin banned them from the Council House. Well, he did before the queen blew it up.”
I’m never living that down. You cause one building to explode…
Danny nods my way, his decision made.
I hope Bibi doesn’t, like, have a cold iron tooth her spy master gave her to chomp down on in case of capture. “Bibi, I know this is going to sound odd, but we know each other. Or rather there’s a version of you I know on another plane of existence.”
Danny clears his throat. “Timeline. Technically this is absolutely the same plane.”
I bite back a growl. First I had to deal with other planes. Now all the planes have different timelines. If I ever meet the maker of this whole existence, we will have such a talk… But for now I’m talking to a troll. “Fine. Timeline. Bibi, my name is Zoey Donovan-Quinn.”
The troll gasps and tries to step back, but Neil is right there. “But the king has no wife. He is supposed to marry Ostara and gain all of her power.”
Yep, that’s something I would like to have a chat about. We need to know if Evil Dev’s chosen bride is going to aid us or be a real problem. “And yet I am married to the Devinshea you see here.” I pull out the necklace that lay under the bodice of my dress. The Goddess Chain. “I am his goddess.”
Bibi bites her bottom lip. “I do not understand. That is supposed to be for Ostara, but my master...”
“It’s okay, Bibi. You can talk to us. The real King Devinshea is off plane partying it up somewhere. The Devinshea you see before you is not a king. He is the High Priest of Fae. Seelie and Unseelie alike.”
She looks up at him. “Unseelie?”
Yeah, it was a good bet Evil Dev probably did the purity thing. Which my Dev has zero time for. “We spend as much time with the Unseelie as we do his mother, Queen Miria, who in our timeline is probably pissed that we’re late.”
“And just so we’re clear, my brother is perfectly alive and annoying even though there are times when I think seriously about how much easier my life would be without him,” Dev says with a sigh.
A look of hope crosses Bibi’s small face, but I see the minute she tamps it down. She nods as though she knows she must survive the next few moments. “Of course. Well, if you want to get back to your home, I fear I don’t know how.”
It’s going to take more. “Bibi, is your king an ascended god?”
“Like Ostara?” Bibi asks. “No. King Devinshea would never share his body with a god. He would never give up control.”
“Then look into my eyes, Little One, and know the truth.” Bris has control of the body, and he bends to one knee in front of Bibi, holding out his hand. “Devinshea and I bonded many years ago, and my host is one of the best men I have met in my long existence. He shares his body and soul with me, and he shares his love. We share a goddess and a partner and several children, including the one who just walked out. Seeing him frightened you. Not Devinshea, but our son, Rhys. Why were you frightened of our boy? I assure you he means no harm.”
Bibi stares for a moment and then places her hand in Bris’s, tears beginning to fall. “You are truly not our cruel king.”