Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely 4)

They are my life.

With them, he would rebalance Faerie.

And become enemy to both my sister-mothers.

Gently, he cupped Ani-Rae’s face in his hand. “You were right.”

“About?” Rae asked.

“Saving Ani. Pushing me.”

“And?” Ani prompted.

“That I am king.” He didn’t kiss them as he’d kissed Ani before. In truth, he didn’t know if Rae would mind his kissing them, so he was careful as he pressed his lips to theirs.

Either Ani or Rae—he wasn’t sure which—had no such hesitation. The gentle kiss he’d offered became something as fierce as the kisses he’d shared with Ani when she was draining his energy from him. Then Ani-Rae pulled back and grinned.

“I’ve been waiting for that kiss for decades,” Rae whispered.

“Welcome to the New Dark Court,” Ani said.

The wicked laughter that spilled from Ani’s—or Rae’s?— lips made Devlin shake his head. “Shadows. The Court of Shadows,” he corrected. “We’re not a replica, but something new. We don’t use an old name.”

Rae and Ani separated. They exchanged a look.

“I like it,” they both said.

In a breath, he removed the wall between them and the outside. The wolves leaped from Ani’s skin. Darkness fell in front of the Shadow Court, allowing Rae to walk alongside them. With Rae on his right and Ani on his left, Devlin stepped out of the High Queen’s palace, and together they walked to the moonlight veil, the first but not the only gate in and out of Faerie.

Just inside the gate, Barry stood. The steed was currently in the form of an actual horse. He was shadows made solid. Leaving without me was bad form.

The steed spoke in Devlin’s mind, but before he could answer, he realized that it was speaking to Ani.

I’m sorry, she answered. Her words to the steed were inside Devlin’s mind as well.

Other steeds waited in the shelter of the hazel trees.

I have called the Unclaimed for our New Hunt, Barry said.

We are here, Ani and Ani’s Partner. The steeds watched their approach, but none advanced.

Devlin answered aloud, “Welcome, Ani’s Steed and all.”

Barry laughed. I may grow to tolerate you. Get on with it, Devlin. They need to claim their riders.

Faeries had begun to gather, as if they had responded to a summons. Curiously, they watched the steeds, Devlin, Ani.

You will make a wonderful queen, Barry assured Ani. Worthy of being my rider. Worthy of beginning the Hunt that was lacking.

Ani’s words, to Barry and to Devlin, were confident. I just needed to find my pack.

“And we needed to find you,” Rae added with a smile, and Devlin realized that they all three could hear the mental conversation with the steed.

“Let’s do this.” Ani held out the sgian dubh she had used to cut her arm earlier. “Blood and breath.”

Devlin took the black-handled blade from Ani’s hand.

“With the hands that they made”—he cut a diagonal stripe in his right palm—“and the blood of Faerie…”