Whiplash (Through Time 2)

Trevor decided to ignore the voice as he took a survey of Jazmine Decker’s body and realized that some of the spider’s paralyzing formula had certainly gotten into her organs. They were shutting down.

If he didn’t find an answer soon, he would lose his Jazmine Decker. He could see her skin start to turn red; a rash was forming over much of her body. He knew too much of the poison had been absorbed. No, he thought. She can’t die. He had to heal her organs—but how? He had never seen it done. He knew nothing about human anatomy.

Then, the unthinkable occurred.

In that moment, Trevor of Lugh was sure he had somehow grown a heart, for he felt it expand before it broke, and then he felt the two halves break again. Agony tore through his body and exploded in his brain, tearing his world into shreds.

Jazmine Decker had somehow woven her spell around his essence, and he was fairly certain he no longer wished to live without her. But she had just died in his arms. All that she was had ceased to be.

How could he bear this?

He could not. He would not.

All Trevor of Lugh’s sacred rules of Fae ethics were demolished. He raised his hands heavenward and howled with his agony.

~ Twelve ~

AAIBHE RAISED HER iridescent eyes to Morgan LeBlanc as he pulled her in close and whispered in ancient Gaelic with that burr she loved so much. She couldn’t answer him, though. How could she allow this to continue? She was Queen of the Seelie Fae, and she owed—

“Doona ye feel the same, m’darlin’ lass?” he murmured in her ear.

She bent her head back. How she loved being his ‘darlin’ lass’. He made her whole, and she knew, looking into his blue eyes, that she could not give him up. “I do, but—”

“There is no but. Aye, ye be Queen of the Fae. So be it. I am leader of the Milesians, and together we stand against the Dark Fae, stand between them and our worlds. The humans canna take them on without us. Together, we can unite our worlds and forget what was and think only of what will be, could be.”

She touched his handsome face. “I know, but there are some here in Tir that would be …” She softened the word she was about to use and said, “upset.”

“Aye, but we should no care. I doona care, and ye be queen. Ye have given everything for your subjects. Now ’tis time they stepped back and let ye be, let ye enjoy what is yer right to have—a life.”

“You are, of course, quite right, but still I have to be careful,” she said, frowning. She heard two sets of footsteps approach her private chamber door and knew, at once, who it was. Her favorite princes. She turned towards the door, still holding onto Morgan’s arm, and said, “Enter.”

Danté, Prince of Lugh, and Breslyn, Prince of Dagda, came in. Breslyn, who already knew that Morgan was with his queen, hurriedly closed the door at his back.

“What is it?” Aaibhe said, dropping her hand from Morgan’s arm and stepping towards them.

The two princes, regal, warrior-like, and full with their news, first stepped forward and heartily greeted the Milesian. Shoulder to shoulder they had fought the Dark Prince, Pestale, and his monsters, and it had made them comrades.

They shook hands and slapped shoulders in greeting and then Danté, ever ready of purpose, turned to his queen, his face grave. “Z and I have closed a portal we found at her monoliths, but we believe it was a decoy. It didn’t have enough power to allow more than a lower-caste Unseelie through.”

“Aye.” Breslyn nodded. “The same as what Ete and I found. These portals are meant as a distraction. There is something being created that will open wide and large, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint just where that will be.”

The queen listened to this and paced a moment. Then Breslyn suddenly, hurriedly said, “My Queen, I can feel him. Banzar approaches.” He looked at Morgan. “Perhaps it would be better if Morgan was not here?”

Aaibhe made up her mind in that moment. Hiding her relationship was no longer an option. Morgan was correct. She had every right to form both a romantic and political alliance, and the Council would just have to swallow it!

A knock sounded. Excerpt for emergencies she should not be disturbed whilst in her private chambers without a formal request. Banzar did not have leave, and he did not have a prior arrangement; however, she said, “Enter, Banzar.” Her brow was up, clearly displaying her displeasure at his intrusion.

At his back were two other Council members; he turned to them and said, “What did I tell you? She entertains a Milesian in her private chamber!”

The two male Council members shifted uncomfortably and inclined their heads to the queen. One said, “But, Banzar, Prince Breslyn and Prince Danté are present.”

“So they are,” said the queen. “However, they were not present a few moments ago when I was very much alone with Morgan LeBlanc,” she said, daring them to object. She had made up her mind to take them on.

Breslyn and Danté immediately stepped up to flank her sides and folded their arms across their massive chests. Clearly they had chosen their allegiance, but then they had always displayed their loyalty to their queen.

The two Council members with Banzar seemed to make a quick decision, and that was obvious to all in the room. They might not approve of their queen cavorting with a Milesian, but they weren’t about to take her on, at least not without first checking where she stood with the remaining Council members. They bowed their heads and backed out of the room.

Banzar glared at her. “This is not over.”