Page 74 of The Rebel Seer

I know I should be stronger, but I step back. I don’t want to go through this again. I survived it once. I don’t know how I would do it again even if his face is my husband’s. “I do understand, Your Majesty. And you are right. I don’t know much about the planes. I have spent my time taking care of my husbands and our children, being the queen. I don’t know much more beyond that life.”

“And I will give it all back to you. When we are wed, my magic will flow again. You will see. The temple will open, and I will be a proper Green Man once more,” he vows. “It all went wrong when I lost you. Now that you are here, things will be right again and you will have your life back as well. I will not fail you the way…well, the way I did in your time.”

Oh, he failed on so many levels. There’s an odd air of anticipation, and I realize if I don’t retire soon, he’s going to try to kiss me. I want to put that off as long as I can. “I appreciate it, Your Majesty, and I thank you for your consideration in giving me my own room. It has been a long day.”

His expression softens. “I remember. You don’t fall easily. I will be patient with you as long as you give me the chance to be. The palace is warded. You will be safe here. Stay in your room tonight. Tomorrow I will show you all I can offer. There’s a mirror in the bathing room if you require me.”

I raise a brow. “The bathing room?”

He merely smiles and turns and walks away, closing the door behind him. Well, I definitely won’t be bathing.

I take my first long breath in hours, shoving my fist in my mouth so I don’t scream.

I back up, not caring to look around the room he’s caged me in. I’m certain it’s beautiful and delicate and potentially deadly. All I can think about is my heart pounding as I let the horror of the night flow over me.

We’re here again. Goddess, how are we here again? I fall to my knees, praying there’s no surveillance on the room, but I can’t…I can’t hold it back….

Then arms are around me, and I feel a body moving behind mine.

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay, Z.”

Before I can start to fight I know it’s Danny behind me, and I turn so I can get my arms around him. I love him. I love him so much. So much more than when we were dumb kids and everything was dramatic and overwrought. I joke about wanting adventure again, but I loved our life before we fell into that stupid painting. Quiet days with our children. Dumb arguments with the Council about petty things like who sits where. Dinners when we were all together and we would tell Lee he had to eat broccoli and pretend not to notice when he shoved it in the pocket of his pants.

I thought I loved him when we were young, thought he couldn’t possibly have more of a chokehold on my heart, but he does. I clutch him, my arms trying to trap and keep him with me. I lost him once.

Are we going to lose Dev?

“Baby, it’s okay. Rhys is okay. Dev is alive. He’s alive and he’s going to stay that way.” His voice is a hoarse whisper against my ear, and I can feel his emotion. “Are you… Baby, did he…”

I shake my head, knowing he feels our position as keenly as I do. And then I realize how dangerous this is. I pull back. He always does this to me. “You have to go. How did you get here in the first place?”

He strokes a big hand over my hair, deep blue eyes taking me in. “Bibi knew where he would put you, and the servants all hate him. They’re oathed to him by a spell so they can’t harm him or say a word, but they can show a guest how to get through the many hidden hallways and servant entrances and exits. I’ve been in the closet for the last half hour and don’t worry. I have several charms and talismans that Evan gave us. Including the one that will make me invisible to security wards. I can’t get through them without help, but they can’t see me so they can’t sound an alarm.”

Evan is excellent with Fae magic, and she made sure we had all her tricks before she took off for the Hell plane. She told us she wanted us to have them even though we thought we were going into friendly territory. She looked at me with grave eyes and reminded me there’s no such thing. My sweet girl. “He said he knew she was on the Hell plane.”

“Myrddin?” Danny asks.

I nod.

“Well, that was inevitable. It’s the first time Lady Sloane has visited her manor. I’m sure all the gossip rags are covering it. Don’t worry. She can handle herself, and Kelsey and Fen will watch her like a hawk. Or a couple of really overly protective wolves. Lee won’t allow anything to happen to his sister. Did you see him?”

Normally the idea of Hell plane media would amuse me greatly, but I can’t stop thinking about what’s happening to Dev. “Lee? Yes. There’s a version of him here, and he really hates his father. I saw Neil, too, and I’m a little worried he’s attracted to himself.”

I wish I hadn’t been hauled out so quickly. I don’t know what happened to them. To any of them.

Danny snorts and hauls me back into his arms. “Our Neil is out there. He sent Brendan and Cassie with Rhys, but he’s with us. He found me in the stables where the trolls decided to stash me until they could get me here. Sasha wasn’t far behind. They’re being led into the palace as we speak. They’re going to hide in the servants’ quarters. We owe those trolls or I would have to have fought my way out, and Myrddin armed the guards with silver.”

I hate that man. “You really don’t think you could cut through his guards?”

I’m used to Danny being Superman, completely invincible.

“I don’t know if you felt it but Myrddin did something when he walked into the palace. Some kind of ward he activated when he knew we were here. It was always a trap. I can’t fly. I feel weak. Even getting my fangs to pop out is a challenge,” Danny admits. “It’s dampening my senses, too. I need to find that ward or figure out how far from the palace it holds and then I can take them all out, and no amount of silver is going to stop me.”

“He either put it in a central location or he’s got more than one.” Sarah taught me a lot about wards. If it’s covering the palace grounds, it’s incredibly powerful or he’s got more than one. “I’ll keep my eyes open, but you need to run if they come after you. He can’t cover the whole sithein.”

“I’ll talk to the servants and ask if there’s anything new they’ve seen,” Danny offers. “You be careful. I’ll try to get Bibi assigned to you.”

“Devilshea should have gotten rid of all the non-sidhe, apparently.” The words hold no small amount of bitterness.

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