I wasted no time with pleasantries as we approached them at the table. “The Seelie General is back.” The gargoyles immediately took on a defensive stance, preparing for some sort of conflict, but I held up a hand to calm them. “No, he’s here as a guest.”
Hestus had never looked so confused in the centuries I’d known him. “Your Highness…”
“Myrcedes saved him from the fae council,” Daath explained. “They were going to execute him for Minerva’s murder… but they stripped him of his title as punishment for treason. So the Queen invited him… here.”
The gargoyles brothers’ sharp features were already stony in nature, but they almost seemed to harden, if that was possible. Despite our own frustration and distrust, Daath seemed amused at their reaction. “Not much honor amongst warriors, I see.”
Hestus clenched his jaw. “No, sir. As a warrior and the one who helped save you both, I have the utmost respect for him.”
“But?” I raised an eyebrow.
Maluc averted his eyes before returning to meet my gaze. “I wouldn’t get comfortable around Minerva’s second-in-command myself, my King.”
“Good,” I nodded. “We aren’t, either.”
“Myrcedes, however,” Daath took a deep breath to stop himself from gritting his teeth, “seems quite at home.” His expression shifted, and his eyes narrowed.
The gargoyles received the message. Both nodded and concluded with a slight bow. Both Daath and I relaxed a bit. Knowing these two would keep an eye on him, especially how he interacted with our Queen, was a relief. Our fears weren’t alleviated entirely, but this was reassuring, at least.
It was about fifteen minutes later that the pair finally joined us for dinner. Maluc and Hestus had done a good job of warning most everyone that the Seelie was going to begin staying here, but there was still a shocked buzz of commotion once he finally entered the room, and with Myrcedes, no less. I found myself trying not to look in their direction, which felt childish as soon as I noticed I was guilty of it. Myrcedes had begun introducing him to people as soon as they entered, and she brought him with her once she finally sat down next to Daath to eat. The Seelie didn’t look at anyone as he sat on the other side of our Queen. I felt the edge of my mouth twitch into a sneer in annoyance at the pompous air he gave off.
“Did you enjoy your chat?” I heard Daath ask, aggravation clear in his voice.
Myrcedes blinked, immediately taken aback by his tone. “Excuse me?”
“I only asked if you enjoyed your conversation?” he said with no intention of acknowledging his passive meaning.
“Yes…” she spoke slowly, confused by his sudden cold tone. Her reaction distressed me, but I understood why my brother spoke the way he did. “Kalian is going to tell me more about the members of the council and see if anything can help us determine which of them were responsible.”
I sensed a surge of guilt in Daath’s mind as he remembered, as we both remembered, what she had been through for our sake. I sighed with a sense of disappointment in myself. Of course, she only wanted information from Kalian. That made sense, and for us not to understand that was an insult to her…
“Kalian,” Daath said after dinner. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
As the Seelie stood to follow my brother, Myrcedes got up to give him a quick goodbye and promise to see him soon. I stood with her and leaned against the table, trying to hide my annoyance. I found it ironic how the creature that had spent all night seemingly annoyed with Myrcedes’ existence, let alone her concern for him and her company, now looked almost panicked as he separated from her. He gave a slight unceremonial bow as he bid her and me goodnight and followed my brother.
“Thank you,” she said softly once they had disappeared down the hall.
“For what?” I tilted my head.
“I…” she sighed, clearly unhappy to admit what she was about to say. “I know I should have asked before I invited him to stay here, but it was the right thing to do after what he did for us. I know he makes you both uncomfortable. So thank you for being less of an ass about it than Daath.” She smirked slightly to let me know she was mostly joking. I gave her a slight smile in return and nodded.
“Anything for you, your Majesty.”
“Stop that,” she rolled her eyes.
“Why?” I glanced around. There were still people lingering in the dining hall, chattering away. I took a step toward her and put the crook of my finger under her chin, lifting her face to meet mine. “You’re a Queen. Shouldn’t you be addressed as such?”
I watched as blood rushed to her cheeks, and they turned a mouthwatering shade of pink. Beautiful. I leaned down and gently kissed her underneath her earlobe on her jaw and whispered, “Would you like to retire to your room for the night, Highness?” I kissed a bit lower on her neck. “Let me show you how much you deserve to be worshipped…”
She bit her quivering lip to keep from moaning in the middle of an occupied room and nodded slightly. I grinned at her response, and in a second, we jumped to her room. It took me a moment to realize it hadn’t been me that initiated the jump. She must have been that excited.
Once we were in private, I kissed her neck more forcefully, my hand traveling from where it rested on her shoulder across her collarbone to gently wrap around her neck. She took a sharp breath as my fingers squeezed the side of her neck, and I felt her swallow hard under my palm. I slid my other hand down her body until
