He looked out the window for the sun's fading position. "In about thirty minutes."
"What!" she shrieked and flew out of bed. "Where's the shower? Where's my clothes? I need my makeup!"
He stood and placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her frantic circling. "Calm down. There's a dressing robe for you hanging up in the bathroom. On the counter, there is a basket; all you have to do is say what you need, and it will appear."
"Even makeup?"
He nodded, and she could tell he was trying not to smile. "Even makeup."
She twisted away from him and ran to the bathroom.
"Amelia?" He sounded concerned.
"Twenty-eight minutes until I have dinner with you mother who happens to be the queen of all the fae, and I have some of your cum dripping down my leg! Why am I even explaining this?" she slammed the bathroom door.
Men!
She could hear his unrestrained laughter from behind the closed door. She took a second to appreciate that he could laugh before she jumped in the shower.
She got out and quickly dried off. She was sorry she didn't have more time. The towel felt like a cloud from heaven. She wrapped herself up in its softness and padded over to the counter. She looked at the plain, white basket. She picked it up and turned it over. On the underside, written in fae, was a spell. Grinning, she set it back down. She took a deep breath and began reciting all the things that she would normally use to get ready. One by one the items started to appear.
She was just finishing her makeup routine when she heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Darian opened the door and she temporarily forgot what she was doing. He was dressed in a cream silk dressing robe, and his hair had been pulled back in a half-pony and braided. He wore a crown of gold and silver leaves, which accented the gold and silver threads in his robe perfectly.
"Gods, you're exquisite," she breathed.
"I was about to say the same thing about you." He pointed to her towel-wrapped body.
Laughing, she let the towel drop and watched with satisfaction as he swallowed hard. She reached past him to grab her robe. It was a grayish-silver color accented in emerald green. She slipped it over her head and had a moment of surprise when underthings appeared under the robe.
"All fae garments have a bit of magic in them." He held out his arm. "Shall we?"
Amelia turned to look in the mirror one last time. Her brown curls were behaving for once, and the robe made her eyes look like liquid silver. She turned back to him and laid her hand on his elbow. "Let's go."
*****
"Darian!" The queen threw herself into Darian's arms.
"Hello, Mother."
Amelia watched as Darian laid his cheek on top of his mother's head and held her tight.
"I'm so sorry!" The queen sobbed into his chest.
"There's nothing to be sorry for," he assured her.
A man every bit as tall as her mate stepped forward and gently extricated the queen from her son.
Darian held out his forearm and the man clasped it. "Brennus."
The handsome fae smiled. "Darian."
Darian turned and held a hand out to her, motioning her forward.
"Mother, Brennus, I have the pleasure to present my mate, Amelia Ironwood. Amelia this is my mother, Aleksandra Vi'EireDan, and her mate and consort, Brennus Vi'Eirlea, the unit leader for Tau Unit and commander of all the units in Éire Danu. His half brother Celyn Vi'Ailean is the fae Elder in Lycaonia. " Darian scooted her forward with a gentle push.
Remembering her deportment lessons, she curtsied low. "Your Majesty."
"Call me Aleksandra, or preferably, Mother." Aleksandra pulled her into a warm hug.
"Brennus is fine for me." The warrior winked.
"And you can call me Super Big Brother," Oron joked.
"Come. Cord has made all your favorites, Darian." She turned to Amelia. "Cord is my squire. He has known Darian and Oron since they first came to the palace."
They walked into a smaller dining room where the table was set for five. Amelia couldn't stop looking around. She thought there was a lot of magic in Storm Keep, but even the city of the witches couldn't compare to the palace of the fae. Everywhere she turned, spells were used to light hallways, turn fans, and keep fresh flowers from wilting. It seemed as if every surface glowed.
Once seated, a fae with the darkest hair she had ever seen stepped into the room, tears in his eyes. Most fae had blond hair in hues ranging from white to gold. This man's hair was like burnt umber and just as beautiful.
"Prince Darian," he said, his voice breaking.
"Cord! It's so good to see you again! I have missed your cooking." Darian stood and abandoned all formality to pull him into a hug.
Aleksandra turned to her. "I was mated to Brennus only seven hundred years ago. Cord acted as a father to both Oron and Darian before then," she explained.
Darian released his old friend and sat down.
The squire wiped at his eyes. "How embarrassing."
"Think nothing of it, old man. We're all glad Darian has come home," Oron said, patting the man on the back.
"Cheeky youngster." Cord swatted at Oron's hand, making him laugh.
Amelia turned to Darian's mother. "I don't know if it's okay to ask, but how are you all related?"
Aleksandra looked at Darian and Oron, and the three of them started laughing. She turned to Amelia. "It is a bit of a puzzle, isn't it?" She looked over at Darian. "Would you like to explain or shall I?"
"You tell the story best, Mother." Darian wrapped an arm around her shoulders, getting comfortable.
Aleksandra thought for a moment. "I suppose it all started right after the Great War. It was dark times; so many people had lost family. There was no victor in that war, just losers. The fae returned from the battlefields to find that things at home had changed as well. People were giving more deference to the families that had proven themselves in battle instead of established noble lines." She paused and looked at Darian and Oron before continuing.
"Before the war, House Eirson had been the closest to the throne, but they had made some bad decisions and lost favor with the people, whereas House Alina gained the people's trust by bringing home so many fathers and sons." She paused, again looking at Oron.
He nodded. "I know the story well Mother, you won't hurt my feelings in the telling of it."
"I love you, darling."
"I know."
The queen continued. "One night, the members of House Eirson decided to completely eliminate all of the family members of House Alina and blame it on a smaller house, House Liordon." Amelia gasped. Aleksandra looked at her. "You know that family?"
Amelia nodded. "Yes, Aedan Li'Liordon serves in my eldest brother, Caiden's, unit in Storm Keep."
The queen smiled. "His brother, Aeson, serves here in the Chi Unit. They are very good boys."
"They are," Amelia agreed.
"Since House Liordon wasn't a prominent house, the head of House Eirson figured no one would question his word when it came time to report the deaths of House Alina."
Amelia leaned forward. "What happened?"
The queen smiled at Oron. "He hadn't counted on the noble heart of a ten-year-old boy, his own son. Oron overheard the plans, but was caught trying to sneak out of the house to warn someone. He was locked away in the cellar until almost morning when he was able to break free. He immediately ran to House Alina and snuck in through a back window, which happened to be the window to the nursery. Oron gently picked up the baby and climbed back out the window. He heard the sounds of screams and men's shouts and decided to run and get help. He arrived at the palace carrying the only surviving family member of House Alina."
Amelia turned to her mate. "You?"
He nodded. "If Oron hadn't come to check on the house first, I would have been murdered with my family. He really is a super big brother." He winked at Oron.
Amelia smiled gratefully at Oron. She knew that heari
ng this story had to bring up painful memories for the warrior.
"Of course he is, he has always taken care of you." The queen took a sip of water. "Due to Oron's testimony, the members of House Eirson were banished from Éire Danu, forever denying them the light of the fae. Deciding their fate was the easier of the two tasks I had before me. After the rogue fae had been banished, I was still left with two little boys who had no family and no home. I interviewed countless families willing to take in baby Darian, but none would take Oron. They didn't want to be associated with such a treacherous House. I watched Oron and Darian closely, and what I saw made my decision for me."
"What did you see?" Amelia asked.
"I saw one little boy dedicated to a baby that he insisted was his brother. I asked Oron which family should have Darian and he said..."
"You can only give him to a family that has lots of boys. He'll need a big brother." Oron said quietly.
The queen nodded. "And I said, it's a good thing I have decided to adopt you both. You can be his big brother."
Oron leaned back. "It was the happiest day of my life. I swore that night that I would never let anything happen to my baby brother. And Gods, did he ever put that oath to the test! I never saw a kid get into so many fights and dangerous situations in all my days." He turned to Amelia. "It looks like I have blond hair, but it's really white. That's what he did to me."
Amelia laughed.
"I wasn't that bad," Darian scoffed.
"I started drinking at an early age because of you," Oron argued.
"Boys!" The queen clapped her hands.
"Sorry," they said together.
The queen looked at Amelia and winked, and they both laughed.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready," Cord announced as server after server carried in bowls of hot soup and plates of grilled vegetables. To Amelia, everything smelled incredible.
"Brothers can be the biggest gift and the biggest pain in the ass," Brennus said as he lifted his spoon.
Amelia, Darian, and Oron nodded. The queen looked shocked. "Brennus, language."
Brennus grinned. "I forgot my love, there's no way two unit warriors like Oron and Darian, or a woman raised by unit warriors like Amelia have ever heard the word 'ass' before."
Aleksandra sighed. "I wanted to at least give Amelia a good impression."
Amelia waved off her concerns. "He's right. I was raised by my brothers and pretty much all the warriors in Storm Keep. There isn't much that can shock me."
The queen became thoughtful. "That's right; you're an Ironwood...hmmm... that must mean you also know the Ashleighs?" she phrased it as a question.
Amelia nodded. "Despite actual blood ties, I consider the Ironwoods my brothers and the Ashleighs my half-brothers."
"Maybe if Amelia stayed here for a while, we could entice the Ashleighs to make their home here," Brennus suggested.
Amelia shook her head. "With what we discovered, they'll be needed by the council and Aiden McKenzie now more than ever."
The queen looked at Oron who shrugged. "What do you mean, dearest, by with what you've discovered?"
Amelia quickly looked at Darian. Was she not supposed to say anything?
Darian leaned forward. "Mother, a soundproof spell if you would."
Looking shaken she ordered most of the servants to leave and then folded her hands in front of her. A silver white light shone from her body and filled the room.
"Done." She nodded at Darian.
"The day before we arrived here, my unit was investigating the feral necklace for the council," he began.
Brennus nodded. "We have all read Aiden's report that the necklaces can halt the decay of a feral, mask their scent and give them abilities."
Darian's jaw clenched. "What we discovered that day, thanks to Amelia's amazing empath abilities, is that each bead in those necklaces is a soul."
Oron stared as the queen gasped.
Brennus shook his head. "We would have had a report from Aiden if that was true."
Darian exchanged looks with Oron. "We don't know what new information could have been revealed while we were here or what the orders from the council are."
To Amelia, it seemed like the light in the room dimmed just a little with the sad news, like the sun going behind a cloud. She turned to Darian. "I want to get home and check on Meryn." She hadn't been a big sister-cousin for long, but she couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to her quirky baby sister-cousin.
The queen turned to her a questioning look on her face. "You're concerned for Meryn McKenzie. What ties do you have to her?"
Amelia smiled. "She's my baby sister-cousin! Technically, my cousin, our mothers were sisters, but since I've never had a sister before, I claimed her as my baby sister-cousin."
Oron burst out laughing, hooting loud, and banging the table with one hand.
"Shut up, Oron!" Darian growled.
"Oh, this is rich! You mated into that craziness! Has she tried to electrocute you yet?" Oron heckled.
"You've mated into the craziness, too, Super Big Brother," Amelia teased.
Oron's laughter stopped immediately. "That's not funny. Seriously? That crazy little human menace is my sister now?"
The queen smiled. "Menace? I really do have to meet this woman. I don't think I've laughed harder than when Oron was telling me about her mating Aiden McKenzie."
Oron chuckled. "Trust me, the unit warriors enjoyed every second of watching those two come together."
The queen turned to Darian. "You would have missed knowing the Unit Commander. You would have never known Meryn or met your mate had you listened to me." She looked away, ashamed.
Darian strode over to her chair and dropped to one knee beside it. "I felt like I had betrayed everything you had done for me the day I left. I just couldn't explain the push I had to leave. Will you forgive me for the worry and heartache I caused you?"
The queen held him close. "Only if you forgive me for telling you that the only choice you had was to stay or forever be banished, I never should have given you that ultimatum. I just couldn't see how my gentle son could last as a warrior. Oron yes, but you my sweet boy, you couldn't stand to see people get hurt."
"Hey!" Oron protested.
The queen pulled away from Darian as he stood and looked at her eldest son. "You've always been a warrior my son, from the day I met you until this very second."
"Yeah, you brute," Darian teased.
His mother nudged him in the ribs. "Be nice to your brother, as memory serves me, he saved your butt more than once."
"Mother!" Darian protested, turning red.
"You tell him, Mother." Oron nodded.
The queen stood shaking her head. "Thousands of years old, and you still act like children." She stood on tiptoe and kissed Darian's cheek. "As much as I want to keep you here for months catching up, you're clearly needed back in Lycaonia. I think it's about time you have this." She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a silver ring. When Darian looked down, he paled and stepped backwards.
"Mother, no." He shook his head.
"I have already had this conversation with Oron. He knows he cannot inherit since his family name has been stricken from our records..."
"You could have children of your own," Darian interrupted.
The queen shook her head, and Brennus rose to stand behind her. "We've consulted every witch with the gift of premonition; I will never conceive."
Brennus wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders and looked at Darian then Oron. "Besides, we do have children of our own. Fate does things for a reason, do you think it coincidence that your mother adopted you, unbeknownst to her at the time that she couldn't have children?"
The queen stepped forward and took Darian's hand. She put the ring in his palm and closed his fingers around it. "You are my heir. This ring can take you to any pillar city through the fae portals along with select human cities. It will also act as a signet ring allowing you to speak for m
e and be recognized as my heir."
Darian shot a desperate look at Oron who raised his hands up grinning. "Don't look at me, baby brother, we both know I am not suited for diplomacy. I would, however, like a promotion to personal guard when you take over."
Brennus walked around his mate's chair to kneel in front of Amelia. He took both of her hands in his. "Just breathe darling, being a consort isn't so bad. For the most part, I just stand beside her and look pretty. I know you can do that."
Amelia looked past Brennus to Darian, and they shared a moment of pure panic. She took slow deep breaths as Brennus instructed and was able to smile reassuringly at her mate. "Think about it this way: is there anyone else you trust to do it?" she asked.
He immediately started to grin. "I think I can do anything if you're at my side."
"Even face the council regarding possible charges I may or may not be facing for attempting to kill a shifter family matriarch?" she asked smiling brightly.
Darian blinked. "Seriously?"
Amelia shrugged. "She was threatening Meryn."
Oron turned his face away, his entire body shaking with laughter. Darian let his head drop back as he mentally counted.
"Five...six...seven..." she said out loud.
He scowled at her, and she giggled. "There's my frowny face!"
Brennus stood and Amelia stood with him.
The queen laughed and then her eyes filled with tears. "Oh dear, I told myself not to cry. You can visit any time now."
Darian pulled her into a hug. "We'll visit every week. How's that?"
Aleksandra nodded and stepped back. "And bring the crazy human, too."
Oron stood. "That I have to see."
Darian slid the ring on his finger and turned to Oron. "You do the honors?"
"Sure thing." Oron stepped away from the table, held up his hand, and a portal of silver light appeared. "Ready when you are."
Darian kissed his mother's cheek and clasped forearms with Brennus. "I'll send an update as soon as I can." Brennus nodded.
Darian held out his hand to Amelia and they walked over to Oron who held out both hands. Darian took one and she the other. Together, they stepped through the portal.