Page 66 of Solstice

“My prince,”Miri said. “I’m happy you all are safe.”

“You need to come home,” I said. I’d just spent the last thirty minutes making sure the fairy king of motherfuckers hadn’t gotten to her and replaying everything that had happened thus far. “Siobhan and her fairy lovers are plotting the king’s downfall. We need you.”

“Alexei,” she said, her tone sounding more shallow than it ever had…like she was depressed or tired. “I understand this is important, but I can’t leave right now.”

“Why not?” I’d grown impatient at her absence. Sure, it had only been a few weeks since the last time she’d been here, but this was a fucking fairy war. Now was not the time for her to go AWOL. “You’re more vulnerable by yourself. You need us. We need you.”

“I know that, darling,” she said. “Look, I have to go. I’ll be okay, and I’ll visit when I can.”

“Miri—”

She hung up, and I glanced at Ivy, who stood with one arm clutched around her middle, biting at her thumbnail.

“See?” she said. “There’s something up with her.”

“I agree with you.” I shook my head and sighed. “What do you want to do? Get on a flight to England? Abduct her from her ivory tower?”

“What if the king has already gotten to her?” Ivy said, stepping toward me. “What if he’s already messing with her mind? Would we even know?”

“X, let’s not jump to conclusions.” I ran my hands over her upper arms in a sore attempt to calm her. Admittedly, I worried about Miri, too, and I didn’t know how to fix whatever was causing her to keep her distance. “If he wanted to get to her, he already would have. She sounds stressed. It’s probably her wicked grandparents fucking with her.”

“Hey, you all ready?” Siobhan nodded toward the dining room, where the rest of the family had gathered to figure out our next steps. “Have you talked to Miri?”

I nodded. “She’s…uh…busy.”

Siobhan pursed her lips and furrowed her brows, but didn’t comment.

We crammed around the dinner table like one big fucked-up family. Donnelly and Siobhan teased a barely healed Finn, and Poppy giggled at whatever bad joke Carter blurted out. Ivy talked to Kit and Jon while Abigail recited the research she’d done during the day. If I squinted just right, it would almost be perfect. Except, we were down one spouse and she left a void in my heart the size of a small planet.

“I still think waiting around here is a terrible idea,” Siobhan cut in, her voice echoing over the suddenly lowered conversation.

“I agree,” Carter said. “We should relocate to the safe house.”

“How do you expect me to get married from a remote cabin in the woods?” Ivy raised an eyebrow.

“Postpone the wedding,” Carter said. “You didn’t want to get married anyway.”

She laughed and shook her head. “If I could do that, I would have years ago.”

I ignored the sting in my heart. Ivy and I had long since moved past hating each other, so I knew she didn’t mean it the way it sounded. Given all we’d been through together, we deserved more than empty insults.

“We need to draw him out,” I said. “If he’s here, then the other night was child’s play. He’s fucking with us, batting us around. Theo was just a warning. Next time, it’ll be someone closer.” I looked at Ivy’s siblings, then at Carter. “Have you checked in on your family?”

He nodded. “Yeah, they’re safe and blissfully out of town. I’m more concerned about Miri.”

I knew my princess well. If she thought she could protect us by staying away, she’d do it. I feared the worst, imagining that smoky fairy bastard with his greedy hands all over her, tricking her or forcing her to stay away from us so it isolated her into complying with whatever he wanted.

Of course, all of this was conjecture because the stubborn brat wouldn’t tell me the truth. She wasn’tlying,but she wasn’t being completely honest.

“I hate to say it,” Donnelly cut in, “but I agree with the human.”

I tried not to be offended. The way he said “human” reminded me of the way humans say “piece of shit.” Siobhan pursed her lips, and Finn made a noncommittal noise.

“What? You too?” Siobhan looked at her commander.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.” Finn shrugged.

“What about the thousands of people in attendance? Or the millions more watching at home?” Kit crossed her arms.

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