“And go where?” Myrddin was here, and I didn’t know if I could shake him. I also didn’t know how many guards he had hidden around the city, ready to pounce. If I was about to be taken, the least I could do was grab a snack.
“I don’t know,” Neil huffed. “Someplace that’s not here surrounded by… Huh. I guess you’re right. We’re safer in a crowd. Humans having those pesky cell phones on them all the time helps us out. Ooo, try the chocolate cake of death. It’s super rich. And meringue cookies. You know what? I could eat.”
He always could eat. Neil had that good old werewolf metabolism I envied. I thought briefly about texting Lee or Rhys, but then the danger simply shifted from myself to my boys. I had to hope they would take their time getting their errands finished.
I glanced over and Myrddin was still standing outside, staring in like walking away was the last thing he’d expected me to do. He looked…almost confused. When a young woman opened the door and walked inside, he followed her.
“Zoey, I’m only here to talk to you.” He held his hands up as though showing me he didn’t have a weapon would make me feel better. Myrddin was a weapon. Ancient magic flowed through his veins. “You know there’s an explanation for what happened. I’m going to assume your brain went to all the worst places since you seem to have a terrible impression of me.”
I ordered a pot of tea and let Neil select our treats while I moved to a table at the front of the café. It was by the window and chilly, but it also allowed people walking on the sidewalk in front of the café to see anything the wizard might do. “Are you seriously going to try to play me this way?”
Myrddin sat down across from me. “I know you won’t believe me but losing the king for over a decade was not my intent.”
“Excellent. It was all a mistake. I’d like my crown back now. I’ll let my husband know he can take his, too.”
Myrddin stared at me for a moment. “That won’t happen anytime soon. I’ve been forced to make certain deals in order to survive. Though I did not ever intend to banish Daniel, I’ve made the best of things, and your return could complicate my plans.”
Neil moved in, putting a tray of sweets on the table. “I wish you would stop doing that. I’m supposed to be guarding you. Do not make me choose between this cake and your life.” He sat down beside me. “The tea is on its way.” He gave Myrddin the stink eye. “No wizards allowed. Buy your own cake.”
Myrddin chuckled and sat back, his body leaning away from the table. “I should have known nothing would faze Zoey Donovan-Quinn.”
“Oh, I assure you losing twelve years had an effect.” I pulled my gloves off and set them aside. “Now what are you doing here? I won’t ask how you found me because you would only lie.”
“I’ve always known there was a base somewhere here in Iceland. I assume you have a network of portals,” Myrddin mused. “It’s what I would do, and your ties to the earthly Fae are legendary. I think it’s somewhere up north in the mountains, but it’s well shielded. I almost found it the other day.”
“Yeah, fuck you very much,” Neil said.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t at the coven house when you returned.” Myrddin studied me carefully. “I’d love to know how a painting that should have been on the Hell plane managed to end up in one of the offices. I’ve already had a long talk with the witch who runs that particular office.”
I wasn’t about to tell him about Christine. I hoped whoever we’d screwed over hadn’t been one of our own. “Don’t look at me for information, buddy. I just got here.”
“And yet you’ve already caused much chaos. It will take weeks to get the wards back at full strength. That bomb your spawn set off was quite effective.” Myrddin chuckled. “I should have known it wouldn’t take Daniel long to find his group of loyal friends. That was my true trouble with Daniel. My other charges tended to be lonely and isolated. I should have gotten to this king earlier. I might have been able to save him.”
I’d been Danny’s best friend even when we were children. “You mean you might have been able to control him better than you have.”
“Oh, I controlled Daniel perfectly well. You were the problem, and now I find your children very difficult,” Myrddin admitted. “If I’d been allowed to influence them, they would be living happily in the safety of the coven. Poor…Lee, I believe his name is…he would still be whole. It was a terrible thing the Fae did to the boy. And with a magical weapon so the big Russian couldn’t fix him. That certainly wouldn’t have happened if he’d been in my care.”