Two hours later, I was deliciously sore and sated.
Simeon and I had taken our lovemaking to his chamber, but I couldn’t even tell you what the decor was. I’d been too busy running my hands along his muscles, tasting him, and having him bring me multiple orgasms.
My wings itched to be free, and I let them break through my skin that healed up from their flames.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Malcolm drawled.
“And you know why.” He’d be able to scent mine and Simeon’s sex on me.
“Ready to go a round with me?”
“Later.” I held out my hand. “Walk with me to the balcony.”
When we pushed open the patio doors, Tinder meowed, twirling around our legs.
The dark violet sky twinkled with brighter stars than on the human side.
Probably due to less pollution. Over here, the Fae had plumbing and lights, but that was it. No TV, computers, phones, or even cars.
“I’ve been thinking…we need to unite the Fae more.”
“What do you have in mind?” He leaned against the balcony’s railing.
This was going to be a tough sell. I let out a breath. “We need to invite the Unseelie Court too.”
“What?” He pushed away from the wall. “Are you insane, Avery? That’s where all the nightmare Fae are spawned. The Gwyllion.”
I stood my ground. “And one of them decided not to kill me when I was a baby and instead raised me.”
“Then why didn’t she give you back when they found you both in the tunnel?”
“I-I don’t know. She must have had her reasons.” I touched my hand to his chest, his heartbeat rapid against my fingertips. “Not all Unseelie are evil and not all Fae are good. If we can work together, we can stand united. Defeat the evil in our midst. Make a better world for us, for the future, for everyone.”
“Fuck,” he breathed out. “I knew you were dangerous the first time I saw you.”
“And?”
He rubbed his thumb across my cheek. “And I couldn’t stay away. What did Simeon and Darrius have to say about all this?”
“Simeon agrees with nearly anything I say.” I pushed down the thought that he became a different person sometimes.
I’d catch him looking at me when he didn’t think I was paying attention and there’d be a shadow behind his eyes. But whenever I looked deeper, it was gone, like I’d imagined it.
“What about Darrius?”
I fanned my hand out across his chest. “Well, I hoped you’d come with me to talk to him.”
“Thought you were braver than that,” he said, teasingly.
“I am, but I’m also no fool.”
“‘Ave ye all gone daft?” Darrius stomped around the courtyard the next day. “Invite the Unseelie court, ‘ere? Why don’t we slaughter some humans while we’re at it so the dark Fae will ‘ave a feast while they pick their teeth with our bones.”
“You’re irrational.” I didn’t move from my spot leaning against one of the fruit trees. We’d already argued for over an hour, and I was tired. Best if Darrius had room to stride and I didn’t want to get mowed down. “I’m sure many of them don’t eat flesh or humans.”
“Ye’re right. Some are blood drinkers an’ others like the brains.”
I crossed my arms. “They aren’t all bad, Darrius. One was my mother—foster mother—and she raised me like her own daughter.” I blinked back stinging tears, missing her so much even after all this time.
It was like knowing she wasn’t just Fae, but Unseelie felt like losing her all over again. I owed her to find out the truth and honor her memory by giving the Unseelie a chance at peace.
Never in a million years would’ve believed that I’d be defending any Fae, much less Unseelie.
But my mom, the only one I’d ever known, had taken care of me.
Loved me.
Sacrificed herself for me and I loved her even more now knowing that she did so when her kind and mine were at war.
“Then there was something wrong with ‘er.”
“Darrius,” Malcolm said in warning, but placed his hand on my arm.
Heat and rage roared through me, and I wanted to punch Darrius. But for once in my life, I saw that fighting wasn’t always the way. I had to make them see what I did… there were good and bad Fae just like people.
It’s our actions that speak the loudest and me pummeling Darrius wouldn’t have the desired outcome.
Instead, I took several calming breaths. Though part of me vowed to make him pay at weapon’s practice.
“I think it’s a good idea.” Simeon cleared his throat. “Time we put aside our prejudices and judged on merit.”
“Aye, ye’d think that.” Darrius paused in his pacing. “Ye never ‘ad ta ‘ear the screams o’ their victims echoin’ in the night outside yer window.”
“That’s enough.” Malcolm stepped between them. “It’s a different time, now. We’ve had some of our own Fae betray us.”
“We need to do this, Darrius.” I pushed away from the tree to stand next to all three of them. “We need peace across the realm.”
“Why?” He crossed his arms. “Give me one good reason.”
“I’ll do better than that.” I took a deep breath. “We are stronger together than fighting amongst ourselves. Fae are Fae, regardless if they are Seelie or Unseelie. You once asked me how the Gwyllion got into the castle to take Simeon. It was one of your own people who let her in.”
“Then they were mistaken on who an’ what it was.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t think so. It would’ve had to touch someone to look like them. No one was missing except Mrs. Browning. And I know she didn’t have anything to do with the Gwyllion.” She wouldn’t have given me her life, sacrificed herself if she had been in league with evil. “Was she taken along with you, Simeon?”
He frowned. “No, it was just me they took.”
“Then she must have been taken afterward. Which means unless she copied you, someone else let her into the castle.”
“Makes sense.” Simeon raked a hand through his silver-blond hair.
“Best chance at finding the culprit is to bring in the other side. See who makes the most waves about it. Even find out if the Gwyllion worked with anyone on their end. Something.”
“We’ve questioned all our people aboot the incident, they know nothing.” Darrius shrugged.
“And you think they’d admit something like that?” I asked. “To you?”
He huffed.
“Well, I can tell you I wouldn’t. You’re intimidating as hell, Darrius.”
“Thank ye.”
I laughed, rolling my eyes, then sobered. “Anyway, no one is going to admit guilt. We need to find it on our own. And there’s still the issue of the missing human women.”
“What do you mean?” Simeon asked.
“Back before the golden martini at Malcolm’s, I was there to kill him.”
“Aye, we know you were a Fae-killer.”
“I had good reason to go after Malcolm. All three of the bars you all owned had women who visited them and vanished. Malcolm’s had the highest count.”
“She’s right.”
“So, if you three had nothing to do with their disappearances, who did?”
Darrius scratched the side of his neck. “No idea.”
“Exactly. Which is why we need a truce. Find out if any of them know anything about the women. Or if they are even still alive and stop whoever did this.”
“Ye mean slay them.” Darrius grinned. “I can’t wait ta fight side by side with ye, lass.”
“First, we have to get them to accept our invitation. Do you think they will?”
“Ta get this close ta the human barrier?” Darrius and Malcolm shared a look. “Aye, they’d dine with the devil himself.”
“Good. But at the end of this, when I find out which of them is guilty, they’ll wish the devil was the only one they had to worry about.”