Page 46 of The Dark Fae Princess
Not great for getting any sleep.
* * *
I eventually give up on sleep several hours later when the sun comes up. I’m ready and heading downstairs, eager to get back to the D.F.K. and Trey. I want to thank him properly for his help yesterday. Where that will lead is something I’m very much looking forward to.
I pull up short when I discover that everyone is already congregated in the Grand Entrance Hall and I seem to be the last to arrive.
Well, second last.
Theo approaches slowly, bag in hand, giving me a nervous smile.
I see mother interrupt her tearful goodbye to give him a surprised look, which she then cuts to me with a raised eyebrow. Her green eyes narrow and she purses her lips when Jerrick steps forward, and with a solid hand on Theo’s chest, shoves him back from me before he could bend down to give me a kiss.
“Stay away from the Princess,” he growls.
“Theo’s joining us,” I say gently.
His furious look doesn’t go unnoticed by Mother.
I cringe. She must know that something is going on with us now. She is no fool. Especially when it comes to relationships.
“Why, yes,” mother says, looping her arm through a very surprised Theo’s and giving me a searching look. “The Fae are very strict about Vampires feeding. He’s coming with me as a food source.”
I gawk at her, as do her husbands, but she gives us all a bright smile as Theo splutters and tries desperately to convince Constantine that isn’t the case.
My stepfather is also no fool, though, and with a world-weary sigh, he waves his hand at the two of them, shaking his head. He knows his wife is up to something. I wish I knew what though. Why is she protecting Theo from Jerrick?
It makes no sense. But knowing my mother’s wily ways, it’ll be revealed soon.
Although, when she elbows me in the ribs and winks at me, maybe I do know. She isn’t protecting him fromJerrick.Daddy is glaring at both Theo and Jerrick in a way that makes me think he is going to start putting two and two together and coming up with the correct conclusion. It seems my mother already has and does not seem all that perturbed by the fact that I have a Vampire following me into the Fae’s den and a Dark Fae Guard ready to murder anyone who touches me.
Great.
I can only imagine how that conversation is going to go.
Where is Delinda when you need her? They’ve had this conversation before, and I could do with some advice on how best to navigate it. As it stands, I’m on my own.
“Let’s go,” I mumble and wait while Mother resumes her goodbyes with her three husbands. If Constantine is worried about her disappearing into a different Realm with my father, he doesn’t mention it. In fact, he doesn’t even look at Daddy.
It gets my wheels turning though. I intend to use this opportunity to convince my mother to give Daddy another chance.
It belatedly occurs to me that I’m just as big a meddler as she is, it seems.
Everyone then looks to me, their hands held out.
“Err,” I stammer. “I can’t take all of you!” I look at Mother. “Why can’t you take some?”
“Fine,” she huffs at me and, to my annoyance, grabs hold of Theo again,as well as,Jerrick, leaving Daddy and the two other Fae guards for me.
If I had any lingering doubt that she knows, I don’t anymore.
With a sigh, I give my stepfathers a small smile and wave and then grab hold of the men to Puffport away back home and my hopefully, soon to be Kingdom.
We land a few seconds before my mother, to be greeted by an anxious looking Gramps. His disappointed look at my arrival soon changes to a barely concealed look of joy when Mother turns up next to me.
Of course, his steely-eyed gaze lands directly on Theo, who, to his credit, doesn’t flinch as much as I thought he would, and any joy he was feeling dissipates in an instant.
“He’s food,” Mother barks at him, shoving Theo behind her. “Father. How horrid to see you again.”
