Page 8 of The Rebel Seer

“Beyond finding Sarah, we need to get to Faery to help Rhys control his powers,” Dev says. “I don’t think you understand how bad it could get. His powers seem soft…”

“There’s nothing soft about Rhys.” Sasha waves him off. “Rhys is a hell of a fighter, and his powers can help us win this war. What is it about being in Faery that will help him? I would think having his father back in his life would be what he needs to learn to control these new powers of his. His fathers. Has Bris spoken to him?”

My faery husband’s eyes shift in a heartbeat, the change so quick, going from his normal green to an emerald color that takes over the entire eye, leaving no white behind. Unlike my son, who ascended to godhood all on his own, my husband did it the old-fashioned way. He opened his soul to a non-corporeal ancient god. Bris, an Irish fertility god. They bonded at our wedding. Which I mostly didn’t know was a wedding. Let me tell you it’s a shock when you realize the public proof of sexual compatibility ritual you’re performing with your honey has been taken over by a sex god.

Though now I simply love Bris. He looks my way and sends me a warm smile. “My Goddess.”

“My Lord,” I reply with a smile of my own.

Once he’s greeted me, he turns to Sasha. “General, being in Faery will amplify Rhys’s powers. My host believes being in Faery will push our son to have sex. Rhys is a sex god. He requires sex to exist. It is not natural for him to be a virgin, and that state is causing him to struggle to contain his magic. If he were having sex as he should, his partners would absorb some of his magic.”

“He’s apparently really good at masturbating,” Neil offers helpfully. “I mean I mostly stay in the forests with the wolves, but we’ve all heard stories about gardens exploding around Rhys’s house after a late-night session.” He sighs. “I never thought of it. He can’t even jerk off without the world knowing. If the grass around his place grows a couple of inches, everyone assumes he’s been one-fisting it. The only way I knew Brendan had figured it out was those socks. Socks aren’t supposed to be sticky. That was when I realized the boy needs to do his own laundry.”

“Thank you for the clarification, Neil,” Danny says with a long sigh. “Bris is right, of course. We have to find a way to get Rhys to… I can’t believe I’m having this conversation. When I thought about having kids, never once did I imagine I would be sitting around a table with my wife and partner and the living god inside him discussing how the hell to get our sex god firstborn laid.”

“There are many temptations in Faery,” Bris says slowly as though he knows it will be controversial. “My host thinks being there will put Rhys on a proper footing.”

They are forgetting one important fact.

“You tell your host that our son is in love with Shy.” Of the three of us, it’s Dev who is having the most trouble adjusting, and it’s affecting his relationships with our kids. He tried to meddle in Evan’s relationship with Fenrir already, and that went south. I’m not about to allow him to ruin Rhys’s relationship with that smart, brave and gorgeous girl. “He isn’t going to be tempted by anything. She is his goddess.”

Bris shakes his head. “I know he is in love, but she hasn’t proven to be his goddess yet. Not only does she have to bring forth his magic, she has to be able to contain it, to calm him. As far as I can tell, being close to Shahidi merely heightens Rhys’s issues since they won’t do what they need to do. There is also the fact that my host believes Rhys is too young to take a goddess.”

I feel my brows raise at the hypocrisy. “His brother said the same thing to me. It was his justification for withholding the Goddess Chain.”

“He’s four years younger than Dev was,” Danny points out. “I’m with Z on this one, but we need to all be on the same page.”

Dev’s back, his eyes normal again, but I’m getting used to that frown of his. “And that page is the one the king chooses to be on, I assume.”

Danny sighs and sits back. “Devinshea, you are pushing our children away. You have to accept that they are adults and understand their hearts. Evan loves Fenrir.”

“And Fenrir is destined to be the king of the wolf packs,” Dev points out. “They will never accept a companion as a queen. There have already been attempts on her life.”

“Which we have successfully stopped,” Sasha interjects. “Your Grace, the situation with the wolves is complex, but I need you to understand Fenrir has called for her. There is no other mate for Fen. He will never give her up. So his father and I have a plan, one which we will implement when Fenrir is ready.”

Danny grins, but it’s a predatory expression. “Kill every fucking wolf who refuses to accept their marriage?”

“That seems extreme,” Neil begins.

Sasha shrugs. “I figure we only need to have Fenrir challenge ten or so of the strongest alphas to let the packs know we won’t stop. They can accept Fen’s mate or they can lose a generation of alphas and unite under Fenrir only. He can be a modern king or a ruthless dictator. It’s up to them.”

“Evan is seventeen.” Dev’s hand slaps at the table. “She should be finishing high school, not be in the middle of a fucking political campaign.”

“I assure you, Your Grace, that neither Fenrir nor Evan sees their relationship in those terms.” The Russian sits back and seems to consider my faery prince. “I know you have anger because you lost those years with your children, but that is the reality of the situation. I watched those children grow. Those children have been the center of my life for the last twelve years, even while my own child grew up with a different family. Fenrir loves Evan and Evan loves him. It is the same with Rhys and Shy. Did you know the dark prophet visited Frelsi when Shahidi first came here?”

Dev studies Sasha for a moment. “No, I did not. Do we know why Gray thought Shy was important? Or was it Harry? Shy brought Harry with her. I know he had a profound impact on the rebellion.”

Sasha’s head shakes. “No, it was Shy. I know this because he came in full prophet mode. He did not speak to the rest of us. Merely watched for the moment he was supposed to witness. Would you like to know what that moment was?”

I can guess. “When Rhys first met Shy.”

Sasha nods.

Dev takes a long breath and seems to calm. “I am not trying to alienate our children. I will accept whatever Evan and Fenrir decide, but we have a problem with Rhys. He and Shy have known each other for a long time. I don’t think she wants him. Lee’s been having sex for years. The only reason Fenrir and Evan aren’t sleeping together is he promised her brothers to wait until she’s eighteen.”

Which is coming up on us like a freight train, but I’m not about to point that out to my husband. “And until a few weeks ago Shy had my father in her head. Do you honestly believe she was going to go to bed with Rhys with his grandfather talking in her head? I love my father, but he could be bossy at times and very opinionated.”

“Look, let’s give them some time,” Danny says, obviously trying to placate Dev.

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