It had been quiet in the garden since we entered, with only the very slight swish of plants moving against each other as a background noise. When Len reached out and wrapped his hands around Tabitha’s tiny waist, shifting her from my arms, everything just got quieter.
Calm, even.
There was no explosion of energy or power as the two touched. Tabitha didn’t suddenly grow into a ten-year-old, or anything too extraordinary. There was just a moment where the world appeared to hold its breath as father and daughter stared into each other’s eyes.
A weird ache shot through my ovaries as my body went all goo-goo over this daddy and daughter moment. Their first real moment together. It held me mesmerized as I watched them, so eerily similar in their magic and beauty.
Len leaned in and whispered a stream of words that weren’t English before he switched back. “Little one,” he breathed, “you are a miracle.”
Tabby didn’t squirm, she just reached up and placed her hand on his face, and the pair remained locked together. Fuck, it was true that in a perfect moment, time stood still.
Should have known it was too good to last.
A crash echoed around us, repeating a beat later, like a near deafening siren. Len reacted immediately, handing Tabitha to me as he swung himself around, putting his body between us and the front gates. He was now clutching large grey crystals in both hands, and I had no idea where they’d come from.
He was large enough that I couldn’t see much around him, but whatever had caused the alarm had not ceased, as the sirens continued to sound. Inching forward, I attempted to ignore the buzz of Len’s energy against mine. “What’s happening?” I whispered. “Are we in danger? Should I shift?”
My beast was useful in many situations, including a resistance to magics.
“You don’t need to shift,” he replied shortly. “They shouldn’t be able to enter, and if they do manage to find a way inside, I will rip them to pieces before they get close to you or Tabitha.”
I trusted in what he was saying, but I also wasn’t interested in playing the damsel in distress, waiting for her knight to save her. It was my least favorite trope in the books I read, because I couldn’t relate. To me, the best couples fought side by side. Sure, most of the time they had differing strengths and weaknesses, but there was a balance.
The balance was important.
With that in mind, I called up the extra senses of my beast, which allowed me to see the fae waiting on the other side of the gates.
“Should we just ask what they want?” I said to Len, wondering if he was extra paranoid because of Tabitha and my presence.
He pulled his gaze from the gates, turning to me. “They’re guards from the Metallic Meadows. They’re summoning me for a reason, and I’m reminding them that I don’t bow to their command.”
Great. A fae power play.
This was one of those times where he had the strengths needed for the situation, since I had no clue of Faerie politics. Relaxing, I let them do their thing while I spent my time brushing Tabitha’s hair back, and occasionally tickling her little face.
When Len finally moved, he strode off toward the entrance, and I followed. As we reached the closed gates, I saw that the other fae—the guards—had backed away, their heads lowered in a respectful pose. Len had won the power play this time.
“Why are you here?” The don’t fuck with me in his tone was strong.
The closest guard spoke, without lifting his head. “King Fredrick needs all the leaders back at the Capital, so we can have the final vote on severing the line.”
I was standing close enough to Len that I felt him stiffen. It wasn’t obvious on his face or in his demeanor, but he was pissed about this command. “How long do we have to appear?”
“Three days,” the same guard said. “Attendance non-negotiable.”
“Noted.”
Len turned his back on them, and I watched as they straightened and left without another word. The moment they were out of sight, the alarm shut off, and I relaxed once more. “Is this meeting going to be an issue for us?” I asked.
“No issue,” he said, as he opened the gates, and we stepped outside of his garden. “It just means hurrying in our plan to lift the glamour impacting our memories. We have three days until the vote, and we need to make them count.”
Despite knowing the pain that awaited, I was more than ready to be free of this glamour.
As we moved farther from the garden, I blinked at what I was seeing. “Are we on a floating island?” I asked, tilting my head as I attempted to take the scenery in. I hadn’t noticed until now, since we’d all but landed at the front gate and went straight into the garden, but from this angle I could see a clear drop-off from the grass around us.
Len, who was relaxed once more, held his hands out for Tabitha again. I handed her across without hesitation.
“It’s not floating exactly,” he said, pulling her close to his chest, “as this land is anchored. But much of Faerie consists of lands that move around within their territories. There’s nothing below most of them, except the Capital, which is the source of our cords and anchors to the Origin.”
“The Origin that the Great Queen could access?” I confirmed.
He nodded. “Yep, that’s the one. Now, let’s head home. I don’t like how close those Metallic Meadow guards got to you and Tabitha.”
“You don’t have to protect us,” I reminded him. “We’re capable. I’ve been taking care of myself for my entire life.”
Yeah, sure, a very short, finite life compared to Len’s, but that in and of itself spoke of my capabilities. Shifters and humans died easily, and I was still alive. Still fighting.
Len shook his head, a chuckle escaping those perfect lips. “As long as there is life in my veins, I will defend what is mine. We have our strengths, and I do not diminish yours. Pick your battles, little Storm.” He paused, reaching out as if to touch my face before he refrained. “For there are some you’ll never win against me.”
The nickname fell so effortlessly from his lips that it almost distracted me from the fact that he’d used mine again. And I’d liked it just as much. So much for being a strong, independent shifter.
“Storm?” I questioned, forcing myself to ignore the rest.
A smile quirked his lips up. “It’s a rare occurrence in Faerie, but when the great storms happen, they sweep in and change everything. The power grid, the feel in the air, even the ancient plants of my garden. It’s rare and powerful, and filled with so much beauty.” The intensity of his gaze was almost my undoing. “They remind me of you.”
Storm. I repeated it in my mind, and it felt familiar somehow. “Did we use nicknames when we knew each other before?” I wondered suddenly, and he stilled as if that thought hadn’t occurred to him.
“That word hovers in my mind when I think of you,” he finally said. “So… maybe we did.”
A name also hovered in my mind when I thought of Len. It’d been there since he burst into Shadow’s library, and the urge to use it was growing stronger. Maybe there was some merit to us having used these names when we were together before.
Len began to walk, carrying Tabitha as he moved closer to the edge of the land. As he walked, he went into tour guide mode. “Sixty percent of Faerie is inhabited by the ten royal houses. We all claim territories, which is where we strengthen ourselves using the gems and crystals from those moving lands. Thirty percent are the demi-fae, who govern themselves separately, and the final ten percent makes up the stationary lands, like my garden here. It’s in what we call a no territory zone, even if this garden repels all but me and those I allow in. Many of my plants are prized and used for spells, which gives me an advantage in negotiations.”
“It’s an amazing garden,” I said, turning for one final glance. “Impressively so.”
He nodded. “Thank you. Now, we need to leave. Time is of the essence, so we should head to the Silver Lands to work on the glamour.” He paused. “And introduce Tabby to her grandmother.”
Grandmother. Shit. “As in, the queen of the Silver Lands?” I asked breathlessly.
His laugh was easy. “Yes, but she’s not as scary as the title implies.” He tilted his head briefly. “Well, I mean, that’s not totally accurate. She is scary and powerful, but not to her family. She will adore Tabitha. She’s the miracle that none of us ever expected.”
If that wasn’t the truth. Even for me, as a shifter who generally had young easily, she was still a miracle. “Okay, so how do we get there?”
He stared out into the abyss beyond this land, clouds hovering on the horizon. “The crystals above allow us to travel between lands, providing we’re powerful enough to wield them without getting fried.”
“Are you powerful enough, Winter?” I joked, the other name feeling okay to say after his nickname revelation. Winter was a word that encompassed Len for me, stemming from my fascination with the way his eyes turned icy when he filled the room with winter energy.
His lips moved, a brief twitch. “We’re about to find out.”
His hand wrapped around mine, touching me so casually, as sparks of power shot between us. A blast of bright purple light surrounded us, and as the energy raced across my skin, a whoosh filled my hearing, and we were sucked up into whatever lay above.
Holy shit. I was in a world of trouble, and this was the most excitement I’d had in years.
Bring it on.
