“Marybeth,” her mother called from within the house.
The little girl stood, causing her curls to bounce, and smiled at Devin.
“Where do the castoffs live?” Devin asked. He needed to see for himself … needed to see all of the sidhe to figure out what had to be done to help them.
“If you take a left at the ever-flowering tree back that way, it ends at a dirt path. It isn’t like the rest of the roads. Back there,” the girl explained, pointing down the road Devin had come from before she opened the door to her house wide enough to slip in.
“Tell your mother thank you,” Devin said as the girl smiled at him. “They were delicious.”
Devin stood and began walking back toward the palace. He had spent all day outside, wandering while the sidhe slept, and now he noticed the day was ending. The sun was lowering on the horizon, which meant Nessa would surely be waking soon. He needed to head back to her side. He didn’t want her to worry, at least not too much. He would have to see the rest of the village, and the castoff camp, later.
CHAPTER 2
Nessa woke from her sleep to find the space beside her cold. Devin was gone, and had been for a while. She vaguely remembered him leaving, but she’d also assumed he would come back soon. He was just going for a run, which shouldn’t take all day. She used the bond between them to track him down, and found him wandering around the village outside of the palace walls. She should have known that by showing him the one gate to leave he wouldn’t stay in the palace. It didn’t matter, though; she was certain he wasn’t going to leave her. She already knew that much because the bond told her. He was dedicated to staying beside her.
Moving to the bathroom, Nessa dressed quickly while her thoughts still wandered. Now she could easily enter his mind at any time, though she tried not to. She hadn’t given it much thought after they were initially bonded, and she’d made sure to stay out of his mind in the hopes that he would stay out of hers. It was weird to be intimately connected with another person. Even worse was that she couldn’t control her emotions as well as he could, and she was sure he could feel what she felt, some of which was very embarrassing. She’d never had feelings for someone like she did for Devin. It was new and exciting, yet very terrifying.
She was still shocked that he was hers forever. Things had changed in minutes after her grandfather had awoken and saved them. Nessa loved Devin—of that she was sure—almost as much as she hated him at times. It wasn’t exactly like what she’d thought love would be, but something about Devin had always felt right. He had a past, had loved another deeply, but she could see in his mind that she was the only one for him now. He was devoted to her, and she didn’t know how to act around that.
A knock at the door brought her attention back to reality. Nessa stood and walked over to it. It was a good thing she had already dressed. The sidhe didn’t seem to ever stop. She was surprised everyone had stayed away long enough for her to sleep. Since coming into power of the sidhe, it seemed something was always needed from her. She would have to grow used to it since the coronation was only days away, but it was still different. Nessa was extremely thankful Devin would be beside her, as she was sure he was the only reason she’d gotten any sleep at all. They all feared him. She cracked the door, discovering that her uncle stood on the other side. She smiled at him and opened the door widely to invite him in.
“I grabbed a tray for you on my way, figuring you wouldn’t have eaten yet. Breakfast?” he asked, holding a platter for her.
Nodding, Nessa took it from him as he walked into the front part of her apartment. Devin had released the blood spell they had placed on her apartment a little to allow people to visit her in private, but Nessa knew why. She could see the four assassins in the room with her. Devin had left her protection.
‘And you couldn’t at least take one with you?’ Nessa asked Devin across the bond. Four assassins as protection was a bit much.
Devin laughed. ‘Good morning, princess.’
Nessa huffed and her uncle looked up to her with worried eyes. Since she had returned from the crypt after seeing her grandfather, his father, he was a bit sensitive around her. Nessa shook her head, trying to get him to not worry.
‘Come on, Nessa,’ Devin added. ‘Who’s going to mess with me now? Everyone is afraid of me.’ That much was true. Her uncle was sitting here, his eyes growing wide in fear that he had upset her or Devin.
“Just talking to Devin.” She pointed to her head as she explained to ease her uncle’s anxiety.
‘You could have been a bit nicer, and maybe they wouldn’t fear you,’ Nessa replied. It truly was Devin’s own doing that he’d scared the crap out of the elite sidhe. Nessa secretly thought that he was happy they feared him because they left him alone.
‘I doubt that. The first view of your grandfather’s swords would have told them enough,’ Devin replied. He was making his way back to her.
It didn’t matter if Devin was in the room or not, all of the sidhe in the palace—beyond Ronan and Gemma—feared him, and thus feared upsetting Nessa and bringing down Devin’s wrath. It had been slightly comedic for the first ten minutes, but now Nessa was getting annoyed with it. Everyone was careful with what they said and how they said it. Devin’s new powers made everyone afraid of his wrath, including Uncle Rolf. Hoping that Devin wasn’t present, Uncle Rolf relaxed and sat down with her.
“He’s not with you?” Rolf asked, trying to look casually around the room and reassure himself that he was safe. He was still a little strung out being alone in her room since he wasn’t that comfortable with the new Devin yet.
“No, he is out in the village, going for a walk,” she replied, taking a bite of the food her uncle had brought.
“In the village?” Rolf repeated what she had just said, his voice a mixture of confusion and disgust.
Nessa nodded. The elite sidhe never went into the village for just a stroll. They only went out when going from family compound to family compound. Elite sidhe saw no use for the common sidhe beyond ruling them. She was raised to think she was better than the common sidhe, just as all of the elite had been raised, but the lessons never really stuck well with Nessa. She had seen plenty to wonder who the people were. She’d asked her teachers enough questions about the differences—which didn’t really exist—that they stopped answering. Nessa knew then that there was no real difference, just prejudice. Devin’s new fascination with the common sidhe didn’t bother her at all.
“Why would he do that?” Rolf asked, completely perplexed.
“Probably to learn more. He knows very little about the sidhe,” Nessa replied, taking a second bite.
“What could he learn from them? If he wants to be taught, we can arrange for someone in the palace to tutor him,” Rolf suggested. Nessa hid her smile with her napkin. No one in the palace would be willing to be alone with Devin; she knew that much. Nessa shrugged. There was no use explaining to her uncle that maybe the common sidhe were the best ones to teach Devin. They didn’t fear him yet.
The food tasted off—there must have been a new cook— so she set it down, unable bring herself to finish it. She’d have to go down to the kitchen and find her own food later. She had time since Devin was still out, even though he was slowly making his way back.
“What brings you by, Uncle?” Nessa asked. She knew he wasn’t there just to deliver her food.
“It’s customary for the new ruler to sit and listen to grievances before you ascend the throne. That leaves us two days to get through the whole list of people who wish to plead their case before you.” Uncle Rolf pulled out a list and handed it to Nessa. “There seems to be an increase from when your brother ascended. I’m guessing everyone figures since you’re a girl they might have a better chance.”
She took the list and paged through it. It was three pages of columns of names. Two days didn’t seem like much time if she had to listen to hundreds of people plead their cases. How long did each case take? How many people would she have
to listen to at one time? Would they each tell their side, or was it just a one-sided complaint? Nessa had no clue what it really meant to decide on grievances. She should have paid more attention to her tutors when she was growing up. There was very little about the whole process of becoming the queen that she knew about, and suddenly Nessa felt a bit light-headed. The whole thing was overwhelming. Everything since she had returned was happening too fast.
“What exactly do I have to do?” Nessa asked, setting the list down on the seat next to her. Now she felt a bit sick.
“They come before you one at a time to tell you their problem and how they’d like it solved. You just either approve or deny their request. It isn’t much,” Rolf explained. He didn’t seem to find the list overwhelming. In fact, he actually made it sound quite simple.
Nessa felt queasy, and her legs had begun tingling, too. She contemplated standing and rushing off to the bathroom. She felt off, but not quite that off yet. However, that was quickly changing. Maybe she was worse than she thought. She wasn’t sure she would make it to the bathroom if she did need to puke. Whatever she ate really hadn’t agreed with her.
‘What’s wrong?’ Devin asked. He knew the moment she’d taken ill. Their bond had grown stronger as the days passed. She felt his worry, too.
‘I don’t know,’ Nessa replied, and she truly didn’t. One moment she was fine, and the next she was ill. ‘I feel sick.’ That was the only way she could describe it. It wasn’t like she had much to compare to it. The sidhe rarely got sick and she could even remember the last time clearly, but that was the only answer she could give him.
‘What kind of sick?’ Devin demanded as he broke out in a full sprint back to the palace. He took her feelings more serious than she did.
‘I think I ate something that was bad,’ Nessa replied, trying to calm his now fast-beating heart. She could feel the anxiety pour off him. It was just a bad cook. How could she explain that to him? She doubted he would stop to listen now.
‘Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back to you in two minutes,’ Devin ordered her. The female assassins in the room moved closer, as if Devin had talked to them, also.
‘I’m fine,’ she tried to reassure him as she closed her eyes. Her head had begun to pound. Maybe it was the never getting sick thing that made it worse when she finally did fall ill. Being a sidhe wasn’t all that great if that was the case.
“Vanessa?” Rolf asked. He was kneeling before her now. She didn’t remember seeing him even stand and come over to her. Her eyes weren’t closed that long, were they? “Child?” Concern laced his voice. Why was he concerned?
Nessa closed her eyes again. It had been many years since she had actually been sick, and she never remembered it coming on this fast. This was a new feeling. Her stomach cramped, and she felt cold and hot at the same time. She was definitely sick. She needed to get to bed and lie down until it passed. She didn’t feel like puking, but just sleeping. Her body was feeling heavy.
“Nessa?” Rolf asked, tapping her face gently.
When Nessa reopened her eyes, he was standing perpendicular to her. That was odd.
“Why did you do that?” Nessa asked of her uncle. She felt sick already; she didn’t need him playing jokes on her, too. There was a hum of a siren going off in the palace. Nessa smiled and wanted to laugh. Devin had to have come through a different gate and set the alarm off. Everything was getting a bit surreal with the ding in the background.
“Do what?” Rolf asked.
“Decided to move sideways,” Nessa replied, yawning. “You shouldn’t play games on a sick person,” she jokingly chastised him. Rolf stared at her, looking confused and worried at the same time.
“Nessa, I didn’t move. You’re lying down on the couch,” Rolf explained as Devin burst through the doorway.
“Turn that stupid noise off,” Devin told Rolf, referring to the ding that was still constantly going off every one and three-quarters seconds. Rolf stood and immediately left the room. “Nessa, what is going on?”
Devin picked up Nessa’s arm, and she smiled. It was nice that he was going to take care of her when she was sick. Getting a boyfriend proved helpful after all. The pain was fading and she was feeling peaceful. Maybe she was too tired to care about being sick, or maybe she was already getting better. At least Devin was there to watch over her if the pain came back.
“No clue. I feel sick and strange at the same time,” she replied and squeezed her eyes shut again. She didn’t need her mind to do anything funny with Devin like it had with her uncle.
Devin moved around the room and finally came back to her, but she still didn’t open her eyes. She was too tired. It was weird to feel nauseous so quickly, and then suddenly tired. Nessa wasn’t too worried, but this was definitely something she had never encountered. His hands were warm as he placed them on her.
“Where does it hurt?” he asked, wiping her forehead as he waited for a response.
“My stomach was the first place,” she replied. “But then everywhere. My feet feel like rocks, and the world is spinning.” When Nessa peeked out past her lashes, the world was still warped. It was best to keep her eyes closed. “I felt weird, almost as if I were sick, but I’ve never felt this way before. It was really bad before you came back. Now I feel fuzzy and tired. Maybe you are magic.” Nessa expected a laugh from Devin, but didn’t get one in reply. He was genuinely concerned.
“Do you need blood?” Devin asked. Normally a hurt night human could recover with day human blood.
“No, sickness like this can’t be cured with blood. I probably just got food poisoning,” Nessa replied. Blood was good for a cut on the arm, but not for a bad meal or a cold. “But at this point I wish it could.” Nessa felt silly being weak in front of Devin. She really did wish blood would heal her quickly, and then she would be back to normal.
Devin pushed up her shirt, and soon his warm hands were on her stomach. Nessa cringed and smiled at the same time. It was nice to feel his touch, but the situation made it all wrong. His hands on her when she wasn’t ill would have been much more ideal. Devin’s touch was gentle, but she could feel him moving around. The pain increased as he pushed a little bit, probing her for the problem. Nessa wanted to moan, but kept her mouth shut. She trusted Devin, and knew he wasn’t hurting her on purpose. She didn’t want to make him feel bad. He was just trying to help.
“I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, but my gut tells me to do this,” Devin told her.
Nessa peeked out at him from her slightly closed eyes. He was pushing her shirt up further and soon would be exposing more of her flesh than she had yet shown him. Her cheeks would have reddened if they weren’t already flaming from the fever that had taken over. As much as she wanted to comment about the shirt staying down, she couldn’t even protest; he was trying to heal her. Nessa closed her eyes tighter as his warm touch probed more. He was taking his job healing her very seriously, so she would let it slide that he was getting a bit personal. Again, she wished she was better, and that he was touching her for different reasons.
“I can’t feel my hands now,” she commented. Her sleepiness made her not worry too much, but the worry from Devin told her that wasn’t a good sign. She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t seem too probable that it was still food poisoning. She had never heard of food poisoning making one go numb before.
Devin’s hands prodded her midsection before they began to warm hotter than possible for a day human. He was using magic to heal her. She hadn’t expected that. Nessa felt the energy from his hands leave them and go into her body. The warmth entered and swam around inside of her. She felt the tug as the warmness touched every part of her and then came back to where his hands were waiting. He was sending out magic to check over her body internally. She had no clue how he knew to do that, but she was thankful. His touch was soothing, and something about it made everything feel like it would be all right. Devin had that power over her. She felt safe with him even as her body was slowly shutting down
.
“I need to make an incision,” he warned her as he pressed a cool blade to her hip. She didn’t even have time to object before he was making the shallow cut.
Nessa had no clue what he was doing, but she trusted him completely. She had only been to a healer in the village once as a child, and she didn’t remember it being like it was with Devin. This was much more personal, and she felt safe, no matter what he told her he planned to do. Devin would do everything in his power to make her feel better. He placed his hand back on her and sent the magic into her veins. The warmth his hands had put into her only moments before was suddenly removed. It was like he was pulling a long string out of every part of her body at once. As it did so, she could feel all of the tingles leave her body. Her strength returned, and she no longer felt sick. He fixed it simply. She waited a moment as the flesh he’d cut healed itself. Slowly, she sat back up. Devin was right there with his free hand on her back, making sure she wasn’t still sick. Nessa smiled up at him. He was amazing.
“While that was fun, I’d prefer not to try that again,” she told him. She felt much better, but still a bit weak.
Devin made sure that she was stable sitting up before he stood up. Finally, she noticed he was only using one hand to steady her. Hovering between his fingers of his other hand was a greenish-colored blob. He didn’t touch it, but it stayed there as if he told it to. He said he didn’t know how to use the sidhe magic her grandfather had put in him, but Nessa could see otherwise. Devin was a natural. He took the green liquid and released it in a cup on the table.
“I believe that’s the poison you ate.” Nessa’s mouth dropped open. At no time did she think it was poison. How did he know? How did he remove it? He made it seem easy. “As long as you don’t want to feel sick again, I’d stay away from that,” Devin advised her as he looked into the cup like he was searching for answers in the green goo.