Page 184 of Court of the Fae Princes

“Is that what you came to tell me? We’re implementing another law without their blessing?” I laugh. “I think I could have already guessed that.”

He shakes his head. “No, we came to find you because we missed you, and your dad and grandmother wanted us to stop by. They said your dad has some new dance moves to show off, but I think he just wants an excuse to see you.”

My eyes sting. Watching my father dance after he wasn’t able to walk my whole life makes me feel something I can’t put into words. There’s sadness at how much he missed and how much we suffered because he couldn’t walk, but there’s also pride at the fact that I could give him the gift of mobility back.

I’ll watch my dad dance every day of my life.

It’s true that I’ll never be able to thank him enough for going against the Keeper, saving me from a grisly death in the woods and stowing us away on a wagon until we could reach my grandmother at the Summer Court, but I’m sure as hell going to try. Every day for the rest of our lives.

The baby kicks hard enough for it to be visible. All of my men jump in surprise at the sight. Then they exchange grins, and I pray I won’t have to listen to another round of them bragging about how strong and mighty their child will be. I mean, their words warm my heart a little too, but the rest of the kingdom is going to grow to hate them if all they can talk about is me and their perfect baby.

Forrest draws his shoulders back, so I know it’s coming before it does. “If he’s a boy, he’ll be as mighty as the tallest oak.”

“And if she’s a girl…” Zane says, lifting a brow in amusement.

They’ve made it clear that girl or boy they’ll love the tike, but they seem strangely concerned about their daughter needing to be protected. Something about her being as beautiful as me… yet they say it like it’s some kind of curse they’ll have to endure to keep her safe. Somehow, they seem to have forgotten who she’ll have as a mother. So if they’re planning for some fragile little thing, they’re going to have a surprise coming for them, boy or girl.

Forrest looks flustered. “Well, our daughter will be smart and strong… and I’ll teach her how to take down a man with one hand as soon as she can walk.”

“And how to sucker punch their dick before they can even get close,” Cobar mutters with a fiercely protective look. “She can turn the damn thing into mush if a man so much as looks at her the wrong way.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want her to meet any men like her fathers,” Zane says, a small smile dancing across his lips.

“Definitely not,” the other three say in unison, their voices filled with horror.

It’s hard not to laugh. I think Zane’s secretly hoping for a daughter who turns out just like me, even though he hasn’t said it. A daughter who will put any man in his place. And I think he likes to bother the others about it, just to see them flustered.

They might tease and say that Zane doesn’t have a sense of humor, but I know better.

“Our daughter can focus on laughing, fighting, and leading,” Forrest says, puffing out his chest. “Men can come… later.”

“Or never,” Sulien says, shooting him a glare.

I laugh and kiss each one of them, escaping when they try to pull me closer. These men, I swear, could touch me all day long, and it still won’t be enough. It’s nice to know when this baby comes my men will have somewhere else to put all their cuddles and love… or at least a little bit of it. They certainly have a surplus of it right now that I know they can’t wait to unleash on this baby.

“What did the elders think of the idea of me officially telling the House of Death that they can no longer give their children back to the woods?” I ask, stifling another yawn.

Sulien’s eyes darken. “They don’t like standing against the House of Death, but as the most powerful fae in their house, they should obey your word for that alone, which I explained to them. So it won’t just be their queen making a ruling about their house, it would be their leader.”

“So…?”

He shrugs. “So, they will support your decision.”

“Yes!” I pump my hand.

It’s true that I don’t need the elders' permission to change a law, but it certainly helps to have their backing. All the changes we’ve been implementing have been making some of the fae uncomfortable, so we’re trying to remember that things have been done a certain way for a long time. Therefore, it might take a little while for the fae to accept doing things in a new way.

Yet stopping the murder of babies can’t be delayed.

“I’m just glad that’s done.” And I am. I know when the baby comes I’ll have less time to focus on the welfare of my people. Not none, but less time. Walking the line between accomplishing as much as I can before the baby, at a pace the people can handle, hasn’t been easy.

Tired at just the thought of everything I still need to do, I lie down in the soft grass, and my men lie down beside me. Between the warm air and the soft grass beneath me, a yawn slips from my lips. “I’m a little tired,” I tell them off-handedly.

“Tired?” Sulien sounds horrified as he sits up. “We should get you into bed. Perhaps the healers should be–”

I laugh. “Remember, I told you, I’m not made of glass. It’s okay if I’m tired sometimes. It’s okay if I’m sore sometimes. I’m growing some massive king’s child, a future ruler of one of the courts, in my belly. It’d be more worrisome if I felt just fine.”

He looks uncertain, but I push on his chest, and he lays back down with reluctance. The others stare at me, but try to hide their looks of concern when I shoot them dirty looks. “Have you heard any word from the Celestial Equilibrium?”

---