Page 44 of Devotion

“A few hours at least. I’ll send it by pixie mail as soon as it's ready.”

“Thank you, Moira.”

“No prob, Daddy G. Remember your time zones, please? Sunday would kill me if I sent you back to her only for you to arrive in the middle of a sunny afternoon. She’s pretty attached to you, you know?”

It was a good point, but it did nothing to soothe me. I wanted to be back at my wife’s side now. The thought of further delays had me ready to tear the walls down.

“It’s mutual,” I muttered, hanging up before Moira could say anything else.

“Pixie mail.” The words were grumbled with pure frustration as I paced the stone floor of my office, anger at my impotence burning through me.

Bringing my phone back in front of me, I did the only thing I could think of. I called my wife again.

Chapter

Sixteen

ALEK

“I’ve spoken with my father. He’s going to do what he can to get us an audience with the Shadow Queen,” I said as I threw myself into the welcoming comfort of my favorite chair in the living room.

“An audience? Do you mean a trap so we can kill them all for trying to hurt us?”

“What part ofdiplomatic solutionare you having trouble with?” I asked.

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” Thorne said under his breath before focusing on me, “but Kingston has a point. If it is the Shadow Court behind all of this, they’ve tried to kill us multiple times at this point. First via their association with The Society, then their attack on the ranch, then again at the house at Ravenscroft, the attack on my family’s home that led to my mother being turned, the mucked up curse...” He listed off each incident on his fingers. “They don’t exactly seem a trustworthy sort.”

“Can we pause for just a moment so I can bask?” Kingston asked.

“Bask? Why?” Thornearched a brow.

“You said I had a point. That means I’m right. You admitted I was right, Thorne. This is a momentous occasion.”

He reached over and shoved Kingston off the couch, but the wolf only grinned. “I’m wearing you down, Thorne. Admit it. We’re besties. You love me.”

“I tolerate you.”

An affronted gasp from Kingston had me fighting a smirk. “After what we did to Sunday together a few nights ago, I thought we were past this.”

Thorne heaved a sigh and turned his attention to me. “Who’s to say scheduling an audience with her won’t mean we’re the ones walking into a trap? I’ve read Game of Thrones. This isn’t a wedding, but it might as well be. They could slit our throats and be done with all of us in one fell swoop.”

“They could, but the whole point of going through my father is to help create a sense of neutrality. If we have any hope of fostering peace, we have to at least extend the olive branch.”

“Look at you,” Kingston said, finally picking himself up off the floor. “Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? A Berserker advocating for peace talks. Wild.”

I frowned. “How many Berserkers have you known? Three?”

“Four. Your mom counts. Don’t leave her out. That’s sexist.”

“I would never. She’s the worst of us, temper-wise. I was omitting Tor. You haven’t known him since he turned.”

“False. I got to spend some quality time with him at Blackwood, remember?”

I huffed. We were getting seriously off track. “Correct. What we need to do now is defend our home but alsoprepare for a coming meeting with the fae. Are either of you up to speed on fae politics and customs? I’m certainly not.”

“You mean you didn’t pay attention in Fae Studies at Ravenscroft?” Thorne teased.

“I . . .”

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