A wave of longing hit me. I wished I could hug my mom and tell her how lucky I was to have her as my mother. She was strong and loving, and she would do anything for her children. I couldn’t have asked for a better role model.
“Have you anything to say before you leave?” the king asked Dariyah.
“No, Your Majesty,” she answered in a subdued voice. Dariyah wasn’t stupid. She knew nothing she said now would change his ruling.
He nodded once. “You have the remainder of today to pack and make your farewells. You may go.”
It was over. Faolin escorted Dariyah out of the room, and the king rose from his throne to speak to her parents. Lukas stood and held out a hand to me. I took it, and we quietly left the room.
“I’m glad that’s done,” I said as we walked to Lukas’s quarters. “How far away is Galia?”
He chuckled. “Far enough. I suspect Dariyah will be spending more time in the human realm once travel is permitted again.”
My heart leapt. “When do you think that will happen?”
“I can’t say for certain, but our tests have shown a slight strengthening in the barrier since all portals were closed.”
I stopped abruptly to stare at him. “You are only telling me this now?”
“I learned of it this morning. We are waiting on Seelie’s tests results.” He smiled ruefully. “I should not have mentioned it until after they confirmed it.”
“I’m glad you did.” Elated, I resumed walking. The ke’tains were starting to repair the barrier. I wished more than anything I could tell Lukas the truth, but there was no way around the gag Aedhna had put on me. It felt wrong to start our life together on a lie, and I prayed that when all this was done, she would finally allow me to confide in him.
Queen Anwyn was due in four days for more discussions. Lukas had told me that they’d made little progress during the meetings in Seelie because the queen was still set on the idea of sealing the barrier for good. She couldn’t do it alone so they were at an impasse.
“What would you like to do today?” he asked when we neared the lift.
“You’re free?” The king had been pulling Lukas back into meetings the last few days to prepare for Seelie’s visit, so I had expected to not see him until dinner.
“I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”
“In that case…” I lowered my voice so the guards couldn’t hear me. “Can we stay in?”
His answering smile made my breath quicken. “I think we can arrange that.”
* * *
I winced at the pain in my wrist and shoulder as I dressed after my shower. It served me right for agreeing to spar with Parisa. That girl was a savage when you put a weapon in her hands, and she handled the staff like it was a part of her. Thank God I wasn’t practicing with blades, or she would have sliced me to ribbons.
I never thought the day would come when I’d wish I was training with Faolin. He and the others were busy preparing for Seelie’s visit tomorrow, which had left me training alone until Parisa had offered to show me some of her techniques. It was no wonder she was Roswen’s head of security.
Kaia growled softly and jumped off my bed to run out of the bedroom. Seconds later, the bell rang. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror and hurried after her. Lukas had said he’d be here for dinner, but his work must have finished up early. No matter how many times I told him he didn’t have to ring the bell, he did it anyway. It was all a part of the courting thing.
I swung the door open, and my smile froze at the sight of the male standing there. “Your Majesty.”
“Hello, Jesse,” King Oseron said pleasantly. “May I come in?”
I came to my senses and moved aside for him. “Of course.”
He entered my quarters, and I noticed two of his personal guards standing behind him. They took up positions in the hallway, leaving me alone with the king of Unseelie.
“Would you like to sit?” I discreetly rubbed my damp palms on my pants. I could think of only one reason why he would visit me, and it wasn’t good.
In the weeks since Lukas and I had become an official couple and he’d informed his father he was done with the matchmaking, the king had been very quiet on the matter. I hadn’t believed he would give up that easily, but whenever I mentioned it to Lukas, he told me not to worry and that he would handle his father.
I trusted Lukas, but the fact that I hadn’t spoken to his parents since we got together told me the king was not happy about our relationship. Now, he was here to take matters into his own hands.
“Yes. Let us sit,” he said warmly. He took one of the large chairs and looked around him. “I have not visited private quarters on this level since before I was king. That was so very long ago.”
I perched on the edge of the couch, too anxious to relax. My throat had gone dry, and my stomach was twisted in knots.
If he noticed my emotional state, he did not show it. “Are you comfortable here?”
“Yes.”
“Faerie is very different from your old home in the human realm,” he noted. “You must miss it.”
I nodded. “I mostly miss my family.”
“The separation must be difficult for you. I am sorry about that.”
I heard the sincerity in his voice, and I managed a small smile. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to see them soon.”
“I hope that as well.” He settled back in his chair. “I have often wished I could visit that world. When I was young, I loved to travel. I would have been happy to do it my whole life if I had not become king. Did you know I was not the original heir to the throne?”
My mouth fell open at that revelation. “No.”
He smiled at my reaction. “I am not surprised. It was so long ago that most have either forgotten it or were born after that time in our history.” He touched the round eyranth medallion, which was only worn by the Unseelie king or queen. “Queen Belisande, the last monarch, is my mother, and she ruled Unseelie for eight hundred years. When she stepped down, my older brother Onagh became king.”
I didn’t say anything as my mind raced. Had Onagh died? What other reason was there for the current king to take his brother’s place on the throne?
“My brother had been groomed and trained his whole life to be king, and he did everything our mother asked of him but one,” the king went on. “Before she abdicated, she selected a high-born female to be his consort, but Onagh refused her. He was in love with a non-royal named Asherah, and he took her as his mate and consort.”
My stomach bunched into a knot because I knew where this story was headed. I said nothing, and he continued.
“Seven years after they mated, Asherah gave birth to a daughter, and Unseelie celebrated our new heir.” King Oseron sighed. “Fae infants are most vulnerable in their first three months, so she was under constant watch. Sadly, she did not thrive and died before she was a month old.”
“Oh, no.” I covered my mouth.
“It took fourteen years for Asherah to conceive again. She bore another girl, and this baby lived. We soon discovered, however, that the child’s magic was weak. A son came seven years later, and like his sister, his magic was not strong enough for him to be the next monarch.