Beauty (A Faery Story 3)

Shim turned on the vampire mercenary. He didn’t understand them. He couldn’t. “See? You don’t have a consort. You don’t have the bond. You can’t understand.”

Roan laughed, a disdainful huff. “No, Your Highness, I don’t have a consort. I haven’t had the cash or the connections to keep one. But that will change.” His eyes went right back to Gillian.

She hugged Shim. “Stop baiting the mercenary, brother. I will try to do so as well. He’s only here to try to help. And I’m grateful since otherwise we have nothing but you and Lach to protect our precious Bron.” She smiled, her face vibrant. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she? When I first came to negotiate your marriage, I worried she was far too young and spoiled, but she’s been magnificent through all of this. You should know I have come to love the girl dearly, and I will kick both of your asses if you cause my Bron a moment’s pain.”

Shim liked that his sister was so protective of their wife. “We love her, Gilly. We’ve been lost without her.”

“But we have some work to do with her. I’m worried she’s angry at you,” Lach said, his eyes going back to the stairs.

Gillian sighed. “I am sure she will be. I thought it best to simply be her guardian. We’ve met so many nobles here who would have used her as a rallying point.”

Dellacourt’s foot tapped as he thought. “Not just a rallying point, I would suspect. Bron is the last Finn on the plane. And she’s female. If I were a betting man, I would lay a lot of gold on the fact that noble families here would see her as a way to take the crown. Oh, wait, I’m actually quite a good gambler. I also bet that’s what you were doing here in the first place.”

“I was attempting to negotiate a proper, advantageous marriage for my brothers,” Gillian replied. “When the coup occurred, I protected the princess. She died. Do you understand that, vampire? She was dead, but my magic brought her back to life. I was the one who used magic to cover up the fact that she was alive. She’s here today because of me.”

Gillian was wrong about her magic. It had been he and Lach who had brought her back, but Shim kept his mouth closed. Gillian needed all the help she could get with the vampires.

“And you intend to use her to unite the crowns.” Dellacourt’s voice was without a touch of emotion. Bland, even. But there was a shrewd ruthlessness in the vampire’s eyes that let Shim know he had an angle to play. “It might work except for one small fact you’ve overlooked.”

“Really? I don’t think I overlooked a thing. When Torin falls, and I will see that bastard fall if it is the last thing I do, Bronwyn will assume the crown and my brothers will be kings. My father will step down and the triumvirate will rule both planes.” Gillian made her announcement with a brutal practicality.

“That will be interesting to see.” Roan crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, his fangs peeking out.

Dante sighed a bit before making his point. “I believe Their Majesties, Beckett, Cian, and Megan Finn will have something to say about that when they reclaim their throne. Or were you planning on Bronwyn going to war with her brothers? I assure you I love my cousin, but I will not allow her to claim her brothers’ rightful throne. Certainly not when she would be an Unseelie puppet. But then your brothers would be puppets, too. You want to be the power behind the throne.”

Shim stared at his sister, Dellacourt’s words sinking in. “Gillian, Lach and I have no intentions of fighting with the Seelies.”

“We’re taking Bronwyn home. We’re going to make sure she’s safe,” Lach said. “Her brothers can have this plane.”

Gillian rounded on them both, her eyes alive with fire and anger. “Where is your bloody ambition, brothers? I don’t care that the Finns bonded or that they think they can waltz in after thirteen long years and reclaim their throne as if they never ran.”

“They had to run,” Dellacourt argued. “And don’t think they haven’t tried to fight.”

“Well, as I’ve been alone and protecting their sister, you’ll have to forgive me for saying that they didn’t try hard enough.” Gillian’s fists were clenched at her sides. “I have fought and protected her. I will not allow them to come in and claim that which I have sacrificed for. I will speak to father. He will see reason. If my brothers don’t want the bloody crown, I’ll take it myself. I’ll take it by right of blood. I’ll bring an Unseelie army back. Father will support me.”

“Your father wants you safe,” Roan said, his eyes hooded.

“My father trusts me, vampire. And you have nothing to do with it.” She dismissed him utterly.

“Your father promised me a boon if I carried this off. Would you like to know what that boon is, princess? Your father has spent too much of his time mourning. He needs someone to come in and train his forces in modern warfare. He would feel so much safer if the general of his army was also his son-in-law.”

“Bloody hell, Roan. Did you have to tell her that now?” Dellacourt asked, cool green eyes rolling.

Shim knew he should be shocked, but he wasn’t. Gillian was a royal. She wouldn’t be marrying the stableboy. She’d planned to offer herself as bondmate to the Seelie twins. She couldn’t be shocked that their father offered her up to the man who would save her.

Except she was. “No. My father wouldn’t do that.”

Roan didn’t move, but there was a certain satisfaction in his stance. “Your father wants you safe, consort. I have done the king and your cousin, Julian, much service and will continue in the future. And you will be my reward.”

Gillian turned to Lach. “Brother?”

Lach reached for her. “Gilly, I’ll talk to father, but you have to see that this plan can’t work. It would mean all-out war between the tribes. I don’t want to war with my wife’s family. Honestly, much of the hatred between us seems very silly now that I’ve walked the plane. They are Fae. We are Fae. We can coexist.”

“This isn’t our war, sister,” Shim said. “We thank you for protecting our mate, but it is our turn to protect her and you. We will go back to our plane, and if the Seelies win the day, we will open relations with them.”

“And you would call yourselves kings.” Gillian shook her head and turned to Roan. “You will never touch me.”

“We’ll see about that, consort.” Roan didn’t move as Gillian strode out of the house.