“I have said it enough times, but apparently, in your old age, you are having a hard time hearing. So, I’ll say it again, and I’ll try to speak slowly for you.” Myanin narrowed her eyes. “What I did was wrong. At the time, I was blinded by my own emotions. I will not go into detail about everything I was feeling because, frankly, it is not relevant or any of your business. What is your business is the fact that I feel horrible for what I did. I cannot undo it, but I am doing what I can to make a difference for the better. I took power that didn’t belong to me. I twisted it for my own gain, and that was wrong, too. I have the Great Luna’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of Lyra. I gave the power back and no longer possess anything that does not belong to me. This is the last time I will say it. You can either accept it as truth or not. I do not care what you think of me. I would like your trust so I can help, but beyond that, frankly Perizada, you can kiss my ass.”
The room was silent as a tomb when Myanin finished her momentary lapse of linguistic control. She held her head high as she waited to see what Peri would say.
The high fae smiled. “I’ve decided I like you.”
“That’s not necessarily a good thing,” Lilly whispered.
“I think she’s right,” Tenia said softly as she leaned toward Myanin. “She has the same creepy smile you have.”
Peri ignored the comments as seemed her customary behavior when others talked about her like she wasn’t there. “I don’t suppose the Great Luna mentioned whether Thad’s magic would be repaired once you gave back the elder’s power?” Peri asked.
“She did not.”
“Well”—Peri breathed out slowly, “regardless of how it sometimes feels, she’s still in control and knows what is and isn’t going to happen. We will have to trust her.” She looked directly into Myanin’s eyes and gave her a sharp nod of approval. “You’ve done a good thing, coming here and being willing to work with us. The next step would be fixing the mess you’ve made with your people.”
“They’ll sentence me to death,” Myanin said, though she knew she was still going to have to do what Peri said and make things right.
Gerick growled beside her.
“Calm down, Gerick.” Peri sighed. “I swear you males are going to be the death of me.”
“I thought the healers were going to be the death of you,” Lilly said with a small grin.
The high fae shrugged. “It’s a toss- up who will kill me first.”
“I will make things right,” Myanin said, knowing she would have to stand before her elders for what she’d done. She glanced up at Gerick. His black-slitted, yellow eyes were focused completely on her. There was no judgement in his stare. Quite the opposite, in fact. She didn’t deserve the look he gave her. There was a longing in his gaze that made her want things she didn’t deserve, not anymore.
“I believe you,” Peri said.
Myanin finally looked away from Gerick and back at the high fae. Peri’s words made her feel better than the djinn realized they would. It was no small feat having someone in Peri’s position trust her. Myanin’s resolve solidified.
“You know.…” Lucian said as he knelt down beside his mate, his hand resting on Peri’s thigh. The casual way he touched her, as though he had the right to, sent another stab of longing through Myanin. She took her gaze away from his hand and met his eyes briefly before dropping them out of respect. “You aren’t the first supernatural to lose their way or the first to find themselves back on the right path.”
“Supernatural?” Lilly said with a small laugh. “She’s not the first being—supernatural, human, or otherwise—to do that. We all take detours in our lives because we let our emotions rule us, someone else lead us, or something else control us. Thankfully, some of us find our way back from the dark places we find ourselves in.”
Myanin had not expected the show of understanding or compassion. She found herself unsure of what to say.
Peri squeaked, an almost gleeful sound. “This is one of those awkward moments where you’re grateful for a person’s understanding but at the same time you know saying ‘thank you’ isn’t really sufficient so everyone just sits in silence and wonders who will break the strained tension in the room.”
Before anyone could respond to her ridiculous but pointedly correct statement, the door to the room flew open, and two warlock warriors stood in the threshold. Myanin, Tenia, and Peri jumped to their feet.
“My queen,” one of the males said, his words rushing out of his mouth as he seemed to catch his breath, “Lysander is here and demands to see you. He says he has a declaration of challenge to the warlock throne.”
“Well, looks like the awkward moment has been saved by the enemy. Myanin, you’re off the hook.” Peri’s eyes gleamed way too excitedly for the current situation. “Queenie, you’re up.”
“There is seriously something wrong with you,” Lilly said at the same moment Peri snapped her fingers. Lilly’s clothes instantly changed from casual to warrior/queen chic.
The queen wore dark pants with black leather boots that laced up to her knees and matching leather arm braces. The dark vest around her torso fit her like a glove. Her shoulders were bare, but a second finger snap gave her a dark indigo cape attached to a piece of hard leather that ran from one shoulder across her neck to the other shoulder, completely protecting the vulnerable flesh and bones. The final touch was a silver crown that rose into sharp points all the way around her head. Myanin smiled. It was what the trolls would have called badass.
“A crown, Peri? Really?” Lilly said as she
