Marcus’s body hit the ground as the branch receded and suddenly the Green Man was walking toward me.
“I apologize for my host, daughter,” the Green Man said, a welcoming smile on his face. He twisted his hand and marigolds popped up around me. They formed a perfect semicircle around my feet, and the blooms were bright and glossy with life. “My name is Bris. Search your mind. You have knowledge of me.”
It didn’t work that way anymore. When I’d first met Dev Quinn, I’d been able to access all the knowledge of those around me. My fingers went to the collar around my throat. “I’m not who you think I am. And you aren’t Devinshea Quinn.”
He frowned, though there was no anger in the expression. “I am Devinshea and he is me. He ascended twelve years ago, a few years after your birth. You are beautiful, daughter. I cannot tell you what finding you means to us. Your father and mother…they did not understand that you were truly their child. Even Devinshea didn’t understand everything about the transference box you were born from. You have to know our family has had a hole in it for years.”
“Wait, what?” Kelsey was lending Marcus a hand. “She’s the queen’s kid? I thought you guys only had the three.”
“She is Summer Donovan.” Marcus straightened his shirt and frowned the Green Man’s way. He was angry. That was easy to see. His tanned skin had flushed, and he didn’t try to hide his fangs. “She is the king’s daughter and my fated companion. You should let Devinshea know that I will not allow him to come between us.”
Kelsey’s eyes had gone wide and her jaw dropped. “No shit! Dude, that’s awesome. High-five, man.”
“Not now, Kelsey.” Marcus didn’t look her way. His stare was on me and the man who might actually be Dev Quinn.
An ascension would explain why he felt different to me. His soul would have been changed by the ancient god he’d bonded with, and it made sense that the god would be a fertility god. Quinn had been a Green Man, though only partially. When I’d met him, I’d felt his sorrow at not fitting in either of his worlds.
Did they truly know my parents? Or was this another trick?
Marcus stalked our way. “Tell your host that if he ever tries to keep her from me, I will kill him.”
And we were right back in I own you mode. He was like the rest only more savvy about how to handle me. I shook my head. “He doesn’t have to keep me from you. I can do that fine on my own.”
“Oh, girl, you tell him,” Kelsey encouraged.
Marcus sent her a stare that could have frozen fire.
Kelsey shrugged. “You’ve had it easy. I would be disappointed if she just fell into your arms. You do that mind thing. It makes it easy for a chick to drop her panties. I should know. Hey, do people wear panties here? Because if I’m stuck, I’m going to need a couple of fresh pairs. I know there are lots of werewolves who don’t mind if their clothes are on the stinky side, but I am not that girl.”
The ancient god among us kept his eyes on me. “Summer, no one will force you to do anything. This I vow. Let’s go back to the field. We need to stay close to where we came from.”
I shook my head and it was time to see if this man meant what he said. “I have to get home. I have people there. Besides, the field is dangerous. The only reason I ran through was the men chasing me.”
“We must stay close,” Bris said. “We fell through an open doorway and it’s our only way home. Home is where your parents wait for you. Do you know how long they’ve looked for a way to pierce the veil and get to you?”
Apparently they should have simply fallen through some open door, since now it seemed I had three Earth plane beings to deal with. “You can’t stay in the field. In a few hours it will be filled with an army of wights.”
“I can deal with the undead,” Bris promised.
Well, of course he could. He was an ancient god who could make the trees do his dirty work. “You can’t kill the undead. I get that you can pull them into the ground, but they’ll fight their way out, and they’ll try to take a few of us with them. If they can lay hands on me, they can potentially kill me, and we all know how that goes. Perhaps they can’t turn you or the vampire there, but I assure you they can make me one of them, and likely Kelsey, too.” I turned to the female. “Are you a demon? I sense that you’re alive in a human way.”
If asking what she was bothered her, she didn’t show it. If anything, she seemed deeply amused with the whole situation. “I’m a Hunter. Like with a capital H. You’ll find if you’re weird and strangely important, they capitalize you. Think of me as a mix of werewolf and demon hunter. I’m pretty sure I can die, so that means I can come back as some crazy creepy thing. We should pass on that. But also, I’m pretty good at not dying. Your dad has often told me that’s my primary job. Well, that and keeping your brother alive. He’s a hoot, by the way, and he’s totally going to love you.”
The words nearly made me stop breathing. I had a brother?
“If there are truly wights in this space, we have to move,” Bris said. “They will come for Kelsey and they won’t stop.”
“What? I already have a reputation here?” Kelsey complained. “I haven’t even done anything. Sure, I killed like five dudes, but who can know that? It’s not like there’s social media here.”
Bris turned to her, his face going grave. “No, you don’t have a reputation. What you have is an unborn child.”
Kelsey gasped and I knew this was the first time she’d heard that particular fact. But then she hung out with fertility gods, so she shouldn’t be so surprised. It was a good thing the male I admired was incapable of procreating. I’d figured out that he was more than likely an earthbound vamp and therefore perfectly safe to have sex with.
Not that I would. Because I wouldn’t.
And all of these people were lying to me because I couldn’t possibly have a brother. After all, when your father is a vampire, you shouldn’t expect siblings. They had started talking amongst themselves. Marcus had finally turned his attention off me.
It was time to go.
I started walking because none of this mattered to me. Maybe that man truly was Dev Quinn, but it was apparent that my parents had moved on. It was time for me to do the same.
* * * *
Zoey
“Do you honestly believe that prophecy of Gray’s has something to do with my granddaughter?” My father watched the door Lee had disappeared behind. We’d retreated to the penthouse to discuss our plan of action. When Lee had gone to the bathroom, I’d told my father about the prophecy I’d read, the one about Summer almost being here. My father knew about the daughter I’d unwittingly sent to a Fae plane. He knew how I longed to know anything about what had happened to her.
It said something about my father’s tolerance of weird shit that he hadn’t even questioned that the odd piece of magic Danny and I had created all those years ago was his granddaughter. I’d told him after the first time I’d come back from Devinshea’s home plane and he’d immediately used his every resource to try to find her.
Like everyone we’d talked to, he’d come up with nothing.