The Day Human King

  Rolf began to walk down the hallway, and Devin stayed behind Nessa, waiting for her to follow her uncle. Planning, helping, and even being courteous. What more could Nessa wish for in a guy? Devin was the complete package.

  ‘Why?’ Nessa asked silently without turning around. She was too close to caving in and forgiving him for being overprotective.

  ‘Why what, princess?’ Devin replied innocently.

  ‘Why listen to grievances?’ Nessa began to walk after her uncle. Devin kept in step behind her, which Nessa appreciated since she wouldn’t have to turn around and look at him.

  ‘Why not? Did you see the list? You’d be in there from sundown to sunup every moment until the coronation. I figure if I help out, you might just get a bit of rest. You did almost die yesterday,’ Devin replied. She didn’t need to be reminded, but she felt it again. He was taking the poisoning upon himself again, thinking it was his fault. Nessa shook off the feeling.

  His reply made sense, but Nessa still didn’t completely understand. Why would he spend time listening to people complain? That didn’t sound like fun. None of the other rulers ever had help. Her brother, Rhys, had ruled on his own. Her father never asked her mother to help with anything. Her grandfather ruled with an iron fist that no one could deny. They sat for hours listening to complaints from common and elite sidhe alike. It kind of went with the job, no matter how boring it could be. Devin was a strange addition to the sidhe world, and she would have to get used to that fact.

  Rolf stopped at the amphitheater and looked between Devin and Nessa.

  “If you both are to be meeting with people, we will need a second room,” Rolf told them, aware that his logistics wouldn’t work well.

  “I can meet with the common sidhe in the courtyard,” Devin replied. That was so Devin. He didn’t require a fancy room where he sat above the people. A park bench in the courtyard was more than enough for him. Nessa knew exactly why the sidhe needed Devin as their king: they needed the humility that went with the man she fell in love with.

  “If you would like,” Rolf replied, perplexed by the arrangement. He couldn’t fathom why Devin would want to sit as equals with commoners.

  Nessa shook her head as she caught Devin’s innocent glance at her. He knew exactly why Rolf was confused. All of the sidhe were confused by Devin, and that was a good thing. Since he was being himself, he didn’t mind in the least.

  “Once Nessa is settled, I’ll wait in the east courtyard for anyone on the commoner list,” Devin explained as he ushered Rolf and Nessa into the large room in which he’d threatened the noble sidhe just the day before.

  Nessa followed her uncle past the waiting mob of people without looking to see who was there. The list said enough. At least a quarter, maybe even half of the palace residents had a complaint. They usually settled grudges themselves, therefore she knew there wasn’t going to be much with real substance. It was going to be a long day, and she wasn’t looking forward to any of it. However, since Devin had cut her list in half, it wasn’t going to be as bad as she’d originally thought when Rolf had handed her the list. At least she hoped it wouldn’t be as bad.

  Nessa tentatively sat down in the ornate chair in the front of the room. It was ridiculous to be up on display, and never in her life had she thought she’d be there. This was her father’s seat, Rhys’s seat … she wasn’t the heir. Unfortunately, she was the only one left. Reality was settling in. While she still couldn’t fathom the coronation that would occur in less than two days, this made things a bit more real.

  ‘I’ll be back when I am done,’ Devin told her, leaning down to kiss her cheek before leaving. ‘All four of the assassins are with you, but if anything at all seems strange, call for me.’

  He was still worried. Nessa watched him walk out of the room, and noted how all of the sidhe sitting around shied away as he passed. Nessa had always wondered why her grandfather never remarried after his wife died, or why he’d never had friends. It was a bit clearer now: with great power came fear and loneliness. The elite were showing that Devin would never find a friend in their crowd, and they would never stop fearing him.

  Rolf walked up near Nessa and bent down to whisper in her ear. He stopped abruptly about a foot away from her face, startled, but trying not to show it. Nessa was confused and reached up to touch her uncle, but something stopped her. Her hand hit an invisible wall. She was safely encased, kept away from everyone, even her harmless uncle.

  Nessa huffed. She thought Devin was being a gentleman by offering to return to walk back with her to their rooms, but now she saw the truth. He had placed his protective bubble around her, and she was stuck sitting in that chair until he returned. He was going overboard. Four invisible assassins and a protective bubble no one could enter. Nessa was beyond safe … she was a captive. Her anger returned. It was one thing to be protective, but Devin was a bit obsessive. That was going to have to change.

  CHAPTER 4

  Devin finished the last person on his list about midway through the night. It was simple to listen to the common sidhe because they had real disputes that had easy answers. There was no trickery or lies, and everything was straight forward. One sidhe had been providing clay for the potter, yet the potter wasn’t returning the favor by giving the pottery he said he would.

  Devin could relate to the common sidhe; with them he saw something worth saving. The elite would have driven him nuts. Everything about them was petty and filled with lies. Due to her upbringing, Nessa was way more suited to dealing with them.

  Slowly, Devin stood and stretched. There was still time to go for a walk through the town. He wanted to learn more about the common sidhe since he had sat in on all of the cases. He learned new facts with each case, and now pictured the village differently. They were beginning to mean more to him, feel real to him, and he couldn’t help his curiosity. He wanted to see everything.

  Unfortunately, that would have to wait. Nessa had already figured out that he had placed her in protective bubble she couldn’t move from, and he could feel her anger across the bond. It wasn’t his intention to make her mad, he just wanted her safe, and it was the only solution he could come up with quickly when he saw the amount of nobles in the room. They were scared when he was around, but he was sure once he had left they would all be looking for a way to get rid of Nessa. He could feel the emotions behind each person. Fear was foremost, but there was also disgust upon seeing Nessa. Not a single person that sat there with a grievance wanted a female leader. Devin didn’t know how they would act without him around, and therefore had done what he felt he must.

  Devin waited until the last commoner had been escorted out of the palace courtyard before he stood to join Nessa … just not inside of her room. She had to have more cases left, since she had more people to see to begin with, but he would wait outside nonetheless. Devin peeked in the room, but that was as far as he planned to go until she was done.

  Nessa was still seated in the front of the room—it wasn’t like she could move, after all—and Devin paused to watch her. She was listening to a case presented to her by an older man, and her concentration was completely focused on what he was saying. She didn’t notice Devin enter the room, and she wasn’t paying attention to the waiting sidhe. She was actually listening in order to make a good choice in the matter. She cared. Devin was unsure how she did it. The elite sidhe drove him nuts, but she was there making each person feel like what they had to say was important. She was a light in the dark world of the elite sidhe, and Devin felt unworthy to be beside her. He would do whatever he could to keep her safe, even if it made her mad. Devin was meant to be behind the scenes, protecting people, and he would do everything to let her be the light they needed. The old king might have told Devin he was there to save the sidhe, but in reality, Nessa needed to be the one to do it. Devin was still in shock that she was his and would be forever. He couldn’t hide the love that crossed the bond. She was amazing.

  As Nessa sat listening, Devin watched
her, and couldn’t help but think that she was smart and beautiful. She had considered everything about the man’s plea carefully. The older man nodded and walked back to his seat after her decision, and immediately the next person stood and walked forward. She had more to listen to. Devin moved to hide behind the door, but stopped. He could only see the back of the next petitioner’s head, but from Nessa’s face he had to guess she knew the woman. This wasn’t going to go well.

  “I’d like to present my plea that you step down as future queen and back your nephew as the next heir to the throne,” Maureen stated loud enough for everyone in the room to be witness to. Nessa had no nephews. Rhys was her only sibling, and he died unmarried and childless.

  Devin felt his stomach drop, or maybe it was Nessa’s stomach. They were too connected by now to know which one was more shocked. Devin knew about Fiona, but he had yet to tell Nessa, or even process what it meant when he’d found out she was pregnant. Yes, he thought it could be a problem, but he also didn’t think they’d deal with it until after the baby was born.

  Nessa’s eyes flew to Devin at the back of the room. She’d known he was there and had been watching.

  ‘What is she talking about?’ Nessa asked Devin, since he wasn’t as shocked as she was.

  Devin cringed. Fiona was seated next to her mother, and stood to join her. Fiona’s protruding belly answered the question. It was too late to just stand and watch the cases. Devin needed to step in with the fear he had created, and stop the farce before Maureen got anyone to actually join her side. The last thing the sidhe needed was to be divided.

  Devin brushed off the shock that Maureen would be that blunt and hurried down to the stage. Rolf’s mouth was still hanging open, like most others in the room. Fiona hadn’t just hid her pregnancy from Nessa and Devin, but from everyone. Even after they’d dropped their illusions, she was still able to hide it, but was making no effort now to hide her belly.

  Nessa was confused by it all, and couldn’t take her eyes off Fiona until Devin was next to her. He nodded to Nessa, taking a place beside her. Nessa was prepared to deal with the elite sidhe seeking help and answers, but she wasn’t prepared to deal with the likes of Maureen. The older woman was cunning, and had tried on several occasions to take the throne; first through her daughter and Rhys, then through Nessa and her now dead son Finn, and finally through a grandchild that was obviously going to arrive soon. No one was prepared to face Maureen, and that was just the way the old lady liked it. Maureen grinned at Nessa and Devin happily.

  “Rhys was never married,” Nessa finally spoke. Devin hid his smile. Maybe Nessa was prepared to deal with Maureen.

  “He has no legitimate heir,” Rolf replied, joining in on the decision. “The law states only legitimate heirs can rule. Besides, for all we know, Rhys may not be the father.” Rolf was quick to Nessa’s aid. He knew, as well as Devin, that no one wanted Maureen in power but Maureen. The old lady was ruthless and had a heart of stone. The sidhe were doing a good enough job killing each other off on their own. With Maureen in charge there would be no hope to save the sidhe.

  “My daughter only had been with King Rhys. She was a virgin before she met him, and now she is pregnant. It’s his child,” Maureen replied. Devin glanced at Fiona. Did she appreciate her private life being divulged for the sake of the argument her mom was making? Ever the dutiful child, Fiona was a statue beside her mother, so Devin couldn’t tell. “I have hundreds of witnesses that would tell you Fiona and Rhys were together. They were even secretly married,” Maureen added, and the room erupted in talk.

  Devin stared at Maureen. She was lying, but he had no proof, just as she had no proof. It was word against word. Sidhe against day human. There was no weight behind his words without being a true sidhe, no matter what powers Devin had. To make matters worse, the man in question was dead, thus there was no debate. It was an argument he couldn’t win.

  “Then why did he go to seek out Arianna Grace in order to marry her?” Devin asked in reply. The room quieted at his question.

  “He never intended to marry Ms. Grace,” Maureen replied, brushing off his question like it wasn’t even a problem. “Even Nessa has admitted that much.”

  That was true. Nessa had stated that her brother didn’t intend to marry Arianna, but Devin knew otherwise. Rhys grew desperate to win over Arianna, and tried to charm his way into her heart to no avail. By the end, Rhys caused a battle to grab his trophy with every intention of making her his. Devin looked to Fiona. Her eyes were downcast and she remained silent. She knew the truth as well. Devin was growing more certain that Rhys never had any intention of marrying Fiona once he met Arianna.

  “And you?” Devin asked, pointing to Fiona. She still didn’t look up at either Nessa or Devin. Fiona was the weak link. Rhys must have broken her heart.

  “I support my mother on all she says,” Fiona mumbled. The room was back to chaos. No one knew what to think of the news.

  ‘I should have asked her yesterday,’ Devin told Nessa.

  Nessa faced him, and her anger increased. While he was getting used to it, Devin was a bit surprised. He had said the wrong thing again, though he wasn’t quite sure what it was, exactly, that he said wrong.

  ‘You knew?’ Nessa asked, like he had set her up to be placed on the spot by Maureen. In fact, Devin was sure Fiona didn’t want anyone to know. She had been nothing but scared and embarrassed when she saw him. It had to be all Maureen’s doing.

  ‘I ran into her yesterday. We didn’t really talk. I just saw. She knew I saw and ran away,’ Devin replied, trying to get Nessa to understand that it wasn’t a big deal. Yet it obviously it was to her because she didn’t calm down at Devin’s explanation. He was in hot water again. Every time he thought he was winning her back over, he pissed her off. Nessa was a hard one to crack.

  “The time for putting forth a new heir to the throne is done,” Rolf told the crowd, trying to calm the noise of the chatter. “The council agreed a month ago that Nessa was the rightful heir and had set the date that was only three days away. Maureen sat on that council herself. From the looks of it, Maureen knew about Fiona, and could have voiced her opposition then. She didn’t, and thus there’s nothing to discuss now. Next person. Thomas Knots,” Rolf stated, trying to contain the situation. He was moving on. He had to. What else could they do?

  However, Devin felt that the crowd wasn’t convinced, even if it was true. Fiona was known to be the companion of the late king. As big as she was now, she had to have gotten pregnant well before the king left for a month and was subsequently killed. This was a matter that had to be dealt with, but Devin needed time to think. Too much was building up at one time—Maureen’s claim to the throne just adding to the list—but right now it was more important to find the person poisoning everyone else. Devin had to agree and let Rolf move on with the grievances for now.

  “Devin,” Nessa’s cousin, Ronan, called out as he burst into the room. All faces turned to the young, dark-haired man. “There’s been another poisoning, but the person is still alive. They need you.”

  Devin nodded to Ronan as he stood. “Sorry. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he told Nessa as he leaned over and kissed her cheek, setting up the barrier to keep her safe again.

  Nessa was a ball of confusion as he ran away. She was still angry, but hopeful he could rescue the person that was dying. Devin grinned over the fact that her anger was simmering down as it had been full blast only moments before. He knew from the first time he met Nessa that she would be hard to keep track of, but it was all beginning to feel a bit more normal. He was getting used to the roller coaster of emotion from her, especially now that the bond was completely open. It was easier to see the world through her eyes and have more empathy for her. Now, he just wished she could do the same for him.

  Devin followed behind Ronan as they left after healing the sidhe, leaving him awake and coherent. He had made it just in time to save the young man’s life, even if the sidhe he was helping didn’
t appreciate being saved by a day human. The injured elite sidhe couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen years old, yet still disliked Devin extremely just for being a day human. No matter the young man’s attitude, Devin hated to see someone so young caught in the war. The boy had a future ahead of him. Someone that age didn’t have much time to be involved in any of the sidhe politics. He was probably innocent of any doings of his family or clan. Why would they poison such a young man for crimes he didn’t commit? The elite needed to change.

  He looked down at the new vial of poison he held. Though he didn’t know what it was, it looked similar to what he had taken from all of the other places. He needed to find out what it was because he couldn’t be there every time someone was poisoned. They required a solution that didn’t involve calling in the day human that everyone despised. They had to stop the culprit, and stop the poison. Those were their two main goals. Everything else had to come in second.

  “You know that the nobles would be forced to listen to you if you would just marry my cousin,” Ronan told Devin as they slowed down once they rounded the corner to the amphitheater where Nessa had been left again. Devin wasn’t anxious to see what he found there. She would be pissed.

  Marriage had crossed his mind several times in the last two days. They had been bonded for months now, but they’d both thought it was temporary. Their lives were intertwined, and so were the emotions that pulled them together. Marriage seemed like the next best option, especially with Nessa becoming queen soon. Regardless, there was no way he was going to allow someone else to marry her. She meant too much to him. It filled him with jealousy just to see another gaze upon her in a desirable way.

  “That would work if there was ever the time to ask her,” Devin replied, which was the truth of it.

  “So you don’t have time to talk? What do you two do all day?” Ronan teased as they slowed.