The Rebel Queen (Outlaw 1)

I wondered how long Lee was going to take. I hoped he didn’t overfeed and get a tummy ache. He used to do that when he’d been a werewolf. He would eat the weirdest things just to prove he could.

“Yes, I have talked to Kelsey, and she’s incredibly irritated with me,” Gray admitted. “She’s…she was gone for so long and a lot happened. I don’t know if I should disrupt her life.”

I pointed the sword his way because he should get used to it if he was going to continue down this path. “She’s pregnant. Her life’s already disrupted. Look, I can see that you’re all dark and broody and bad shit happened to you. Get over it because you have a family.”

“Get over it?”

“Five minutes ago I had prepared myself for a bloody death that would send my son into a shame spiral the likes of which the world has never seen before,” I replied. “And now he’s fine and I’m alive and I’m over it. I’m a mom. I have to be because two minutes from now something else is going to go wrong and I have to be ready.”

The door opened again and Lee stood there, a hand on his belly. If the wards bothered him now that he was a vampire, he didn’t show it. “I think I ate too much.”

I nodded. “Yep, see, now I have a baby vampire king with indigestion and Myrddin has his freaking grimoire and I don’t know where Sarah is and we still have to get out of here.”

Lee held up his favorite toy. “He left us the invisibility cloak and the bag. So we’re still ahead. Oh, shit. I don’t need the cloak anymore. I can be invisible all on my own.” His eyes narrowed. “Can you see me?”

He would have to work on that. “Yes, honey. I can see you. I’m sure Dad will start lessons tomorrow.” The sword was humming in my hand, and I had a vision flash through my mind. Kelsey. She wanted to be with Kelsey. Good. It would give Gray a reason to see his wife. I turned it around and offered him the hilt. “She wants to see Kelsey.”

“She?” Gray asked.

“Gladys.”

Gray looked at the sword like it would bite him. “Uh, I don’t think I should touch that.”

Sure she tended to burn the flesh of men, especially those with some Hell plane DNA, but I expected him to be braver than that. Still, at least I had a way to transport her. I put her in the bag of holding and offered her to Gray. “She’s Kelsey’s. Please take her to your wife, and maybe you can bring her a sandwich or two. She’ll forgive a lot if you bring her Gladys and some food.”

Gray took the bag. “All right. I can try again. And, Zoey, it’s good you’re back. You’ll figure this out.”

“Do you know where Sarah is?” I had questions before he left. I knew we should take off, but I needed to know.

Gray shook his head. “She’s beyond my sight.”

Then she was far away indeed.

“Now ask me what you truly want to ask me, Your Highness,” Gray offered.

“What Myrddin said about my daughter…” It seemed the dark prophet knew everything that had happened here.

“What did he say about Evan?” Lee asked. He’d been too busy dying to listen in on my conversation with Myrddin.

Gray ignored him, staring at me. “What Harriet will become is up to you, but remember what happened here today wasn’t merely DNA. Raise your children in the light and even the darkest days won’t seem so bad. And what Myrddin sees as destruction could be exactly what the planes need.”

He was right. Why was I letting that fucker tell me my kid was bad? I’d made it through Rhys’s formative years and Lee’s turn. I was certain Evan was going to give me hell, too. Summer had nearly brought down the outer planes with her stubbornness. I could handle one little destroyer of worlds.

I could handle anything.

“I’m glad you’re back, Your Highness.” Gray tipped his head. “We’ve missed your chaos. Welcome home. I’ll tell Kelsey hello.”

He shimmered away.

That was new.

“How long’s he been doing that?” I looked up at Lee. His color was back to almost normal and his eyes were brown again. Only the blood covering his shirt gave away the fact that anything had happened at all. Well, and his eye had grown back.

“As long as I can remember,” he admitted and then sobered. “Grandma Chris’s body is gone. The witches did something to her.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. But she was happy at the end. She’s with Grandad.” She’d been able to see that everything would be all right. I hugged him, not caring about the blood at all. “But, sweetie, we need to move. I know you’re strong, but Myrddin will return soon, and I don’t want you to go up against him yet. He’s got his grimoire back.”