Matthew endured my tight embrace for exactly four seconds before he began to wriggle and kick his small legs. Letting him go felt like the hardest thing I’d ever done, and as I watched him toddle away, I felt a pinch of compassion for Savannah.
Damon knelt to take off his son’s coat. I stared at the picture they made, thinking that my brother deserved to know that his ex was currently residing at the Unseelie Court.
Then Emma stepped into my line of vision, cutting my thoughts short. Without saying anything, she gathered me into a hug that smelled like cigarettes and frost. Though she was so much shorter, she managed to make me feel small and wholly enveloped. Finn’s bright eyes tracked our movements as if he were worried I’d vanish any second.
“Welcome home,” Emma said in my ear, her voice as warm as I remembered. “Your room is exactly as you left it. I did change the sheets and tidy up a little. What happened to your shoulder, sweetheart?”
I couldn’t respond past the lump that had filled my throat, so I stopped trying. Seconds ticked by, and Emma didn’t pull away. I didn’t, either. Eventually I noticed a figure through Emma’s wisps of blue hair, and I realized that Damon’s new boyfriend still stood by the door. I swallowed and said, “It was nice to meet you, Danny.”
“You, too,” he said with a hint of humor. I didn’t know anything about him, but somehow this human radiated quiet interest and real sincerity. He was… soft, like Damon used to be before Jassin altered him forever. Danny began to say something else, but his attention shifted to my brother, who had drawn close and spoke to him in a tender murmur.
Emma finally let me go after the door closed behind him. Though I wanted nothing more than to stay here and revel in being home, I needed to explain everything to my family and find the goblin ring hidden in my room. After that inevitably long conversation was over, Gil and Lyari would still be waiting outside. There was also one more person I needed to see once my new friend was settled at Adam’s.
“Is Cyrus home?” I made myself ask.
Understanding flashed in Emma’s eyes. She knows, then, I thought. Shame scraped my heart like a tattered fingernail. My hero was aware of what had happened just before Belanor took me. She’d learned that I had taken advantage of Cyrus’s kind heart and asked him to do the unthinkable. It probably meant the rest of my family knew, as well.
But Emma didn’t try to broach the topic. “He’s at Bea’s, I think,” was all she said.
I’d figured—his truck wasn’t in the driveway—but that hadn’t stopped me from hoping. I owed my friend one hell of an apology.
That apology would have to come later, though. First I needed to focus on the goblin ring and telling the people I loved about Belanor, though every instinct in my body fought against recounting what he’d done. Maybe this could wait until tomorrow…
Mom’s voice floated through my memory like a gentle admonishment. No time like the present.
“Will you gather everyone together?” I asked Emma, hiding how my insides quaked. “There’s something we need to talk about. All of us.”
Her brows rose with obvious curiosity, but she just nodded. Giving her a tight smile of gratitude, I turned and went into the bedroom I’d been sharing with Collith. At the threshold, I didn’t pause or hesitate. That would allow the emotions to sink their claws in, and I couldn’t be bleeding out while I stood in front of the others. I didn’t even look toward the section of wall that had been repaired and painted.
The ring was where I’d left it. I steeled myself and slid the ugly piece of jewelry onto my middle finger. The spell on it must’ve been comparable to a glamour, because my features didn’t physically shift or change. When I looked at the mirror, though, a stranger looked back. Her features were nondescript. I studied her and could’ve sworn I heard a voice whisper through my head. Don’t notice me. Don’t see me.
This could actually work. I removed the ring and clutched it in my fist, trying not to think about Gil’s taunt. I’ll be here when you’re finished telling your family what horrible danger you’ve put them in.
Emma, Damon, and Finn were waiting in the living room, along with Lyari, I noted silently. She must’ve been listening from outside and deemed it safe to join us. I clasped my hands in front of me in case they started shaking. Matthew must’ve been put in his crib for the night, because a baby monitor glowed on the coffee table.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get that looked at before we begin?” Emma asked, gesturing toward the marks on my shoulder.
I let out a short, anxious breath and shook my head. “Later. I’m not sure what Laurie has told all of you, but knowing him, it probably wasn’t much. So I’ll start with my first day at the Seelie Court.”
I went on to tell them everything. Well, almost everything. I didn’t give specifics on the tortures Belanor had inflicted upon me—in fact, I avoided saying his name as much as possible, because names held power for faeries. Especially ones that could sift, as Belanor probably could. I also didn’t talk about the spell I’d performed myself, to survive Gil’s transition into a newborn vampire. But my family learned of the spell Belanor was attempting, and what he’d done to Gil, and how he’d pitted me and Finn against each other. I ended my tale with a swift summary of my battle with the prince outside the palace.
“I’m not sure if His Highness will ever recover, but he did once before,” I concluded. “It’s possible he could come looking for me. The last thing I want is to put you all in danger, so if you don’t like this idea, I understand.”
“You’re sure this ring works?” Lyari asked.
“You tell me.” The clunky piece of jewelry was still clutched in my fingers, and I watched their faces closely as I put it back on. Emma and Damon both jumped. The corners of Lyari’s mouth deepened, and she inclined her head as if she were impressed. I raised my eyebrows. “Do you think this will work? Is it enough to fool the prince, if he does wake up and search for me?”
For a moment, no one responded. Emma was the first to move. She pushed herself up, her bones audibly creaking, and closed the distance between us. She grasped my elbows in her palms and smiled up at me.
“The way I see it, we have two choices,” she said. “Either you use the ring, and we take the risk by staying, or all of us go. I’ll tell you what isn’t an option, though—you’re not leaving again. Not alone.”
Tears sprang to my eyes and Emma’s wrinkled face blurred. Blinking them back, I glanced behind her, wondering if everyone else agreed. Damon gave me a single nod. Lyari and Finn were stoic, but the steadiness of the werewolf’s gaze spoke volumes. I knew that if my Right Hand had anything to say, she would have. This silence was her way of offering support.
I cleared my throat and squeezed Emma’s arms before stepping back. It occurred to me that I hadn’t told them about the Rat King, or what Laurie and I had done at the Unseelie Court, but Gil was still waiting outside and I felt like a rag that had been wrung dry. “Well, then. I guess that settles it,” I said wearily. “If Belanor did survive, he’ll probably send spies to watch the house. We need to be careful. Avoid using my name or talking about the fact that I’m back. Emma, can I talk to you in the kitchen? Privately?”